[Oh. Well, that's fine, too. As long as she's comfortable. It's not like it's uncomfortable for him; there's the nice, pleasant buzz of moonlacing that seems to be amplified by more contact, and the weight of an arm across his body as he breathes in is actually kind of nice, too. Settling, in a way. Between that and the warmth under the blanket, it's enough to almost make him feel kind of dozy, although her question definitely brings him back into the moment.]
I'm not jealous. It's nice hearing about other people's families. Just...that's not how mine was. Or is.
[She sounds...worried. That's unusual enough, and he's at least self-aware enough that he knows explaining to her the way he explained to Midoriya that day at the sports festival isn't going to make her worry any less. But she deserves some kind of answer. After all, she'd explained to him about the place she was in before, and all the things they'd had to do. It just...takes him a moment to find the right words.]
You know about quirk marriages, right? That was my parents. My dad's always been obsessed with strengthening his bloodline. He doesn't even really look at his kids as his kids. We're just...things he's made. My older siblings all have really minor quirks, and one of them is even quirkless, so he barely even bothered with them. Then I was born, and...
[He shrugs, a small gesture that's still careful not to disturb her, and he lifts his other hand to brush his fingertips along one of her arm fins, tracing the spines, not quite conscious of the motion.]
There wasn't any question about what I was going to be. Before my quirk manifested for the first time, I spent most of my time with my mom. I saw my first All Might video--you know the one--when I was three, and I knew I wanted to be that kind of hero. Not like my dad, but like him.
My dad's never been happy being the number two hero. He always wanted to be number one, but All Might was always there, ahead of him. That's why he made my mom have me. I was supposed to surpass All Might. To do what my dad couldn't. He started training me when I was five, right after my quirk showed up for the first time. Mom tried to keep me safe, but...my dad's my dad.
[That should say enough, right there.]
When I was six, there was...an accident. I got burned. And my dad had my mom hospitalized. It wasn't really her fault, he made her do it, but...
After that, it was just me and him, until I started at UA.
[Shoto shakes his head, still looking down at that fin and his finger running over it. Shaking off the past, maybe.]
I mean, it's fine. I used to be really angry about it, and I guess I still am sometimes. That's why I refused to use the fire half of my quirk for a really long time--I didn't want to be anything at all like him. I hated the half of me that was him. But I'm not him, and my mom doesn't blame me, and I'm getting to know my siblings again, so it's not all bad. It's just--nice, to hear about families that aren't like that. Like yours, and Midoriya and his mom. Iida and his brothers. It's good.
no subject
I'm not jealous. It's nice hearing about other people's families. Just...that's not how mine was. Or is.
[She sounds...worried. That's unusual enough, and he's at least self-aware enough that he knows explaining to her the way he explained to Midoriya that day at the sports festival isn't going to make her worry any less. But she deserves some kind of answer. After all, she'd explained to him about the place she was in before, and all the things they'd had to do. It just...takes him a moment to find the right words.]
You know about quirk marriages, right? That was my parents. My dad's always been obsessed with strengthening his bloodline. He doesn't even really look at his kids as his kids. We're just...things he's made. My older siblings all have really minor quirks, and one of them is even quirkless, so he barely even bothered with them. Then I was born, and...
[He shrugs, a small gesture that's still careful not to disturb her, and he lifts his other hand to brush his fingertips along one of her arm fins, tracing the spines, not quite conscious of the motion.]
There wasn't any question about what I was going to be. Before my quirk manifested for the first time, I spent most of my time with my mom. I saw my first All Might video--you know the one--when I was three, and I knew I wanted to be that kind of hero. Not like my dad, but like him.
My dad's never been happy being the number two hero. He always wanted to be number one, but All Might was always there, ahead of him. That's why he made my mom have me. I was supposed to surpass All Might. To do what my dad couldn't. He started training me when I was five, right after my quirk showed up for the first time. Mom tried to keep me safe, but...my dad's my dad.
[That should say enough, right there.]
When I was six, there was...an accident. I got burned. And my dad had my mom hospitalized. It wasn't really her fault, he made her do it, but...
After that, it was just me and him, until I started at UA.
[Shoto shakes his head, still looking down at that fin and his finger running over it. Shaking off the past, maybe.]
I mean, it's fine. I used to be really angry about it, and I guess I still am sometimes. That's why I refused to use the fire half of my quirk for a really long time--I didn't want to be anything at all like him. I hated the half of me that was him. But I'm not him, and my mom doesn't blame me, and I'm getting to know my siblings again, so it's not all bad. It's just--nice, to hear about families that aren't like that. Like yours, and Midoriya and his mom. Iida and his brothers. It's good.