#sleepovers

"Come on!" Touya grabs your free hand and starts pulling you down the hallway. "I want to show you my room first, and then we can play games, and Mom's making yakitori for dinner, and we can stay up late and watch movies, and..."

"Touya, let the poor girl breathe."

You look up to see a woman with white hair pulled back in a gentle bun, wearing an apron over her clothes. She has the kindest eyes you've ever seen, and when she smiles at you, something warm spreads in your chest.

"You must be Y/N," she says, crouching down to your level. "I'm Rei, Touya's mother. We're so happy to have you stay with us tonight."

"Thank you for letting me come over, Mrs. Todoroki," you say quietly, remembering the polite words your mother taught you.

"Of course, sweetheart. Any friend of Touya's is welcome here." She reaches out and gently touches your shoulder, and you have to resist the urge to flinch. Adult hands usually mean pain, but hers is warm and careful. "Are you hungry? Dinner won't be ready for a while, but I can get you a snack."

"She's not hungry," Touya says impatiently, still holding your hand. "We have important things to do. Come ON, Y/N."

Mrs. Todoroki laughs, a sound like wind chimes. "Go ahead, but don't wear her out before dinner."

Touya drags you up the stairs, chattering the entire time about all the things he wants to show you. His room is bigger than your entire living room, with shelves full of books and toys, posters of heroes on the walls, and a bed that looks impossibly soft.

"This is where you'll sleep," he says, pointing to a futon that's been set up next to his bed. "Mom put out extra blankets in case you get cold. And look!" He rushes to his desk and picks up something small and shiny. "I got a new game yesterday! It's got dragons and everything!"

You set your bag down carefully and look around the room with wide eyes. There are so many things, more toys than you've ever seen in one place, a window that looks out over a garden, glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. It's like a wonderland.

"Do you like it?" Touya asks, and there's something almost anxious in his voice, like your opinion really matters to him.

"It's amazing," you breathe, and his face lights up like sunrise.

"Want to see my hero figurine collection? I have the limited edition All Might one, and Endeavor, and..."

A small voice from the doorway interrupts him. "Touya? Who's that?"

You turn to see a tiny boy with white and red hair, maybe five years old, peeking into the room with curious eyes. He's holding a stuffed penguin almost as big as he is.

"Go away, Shoto," Touya says immediately, moving to block his little brother's view of you. "We're busy."

"But who is she?" Shoto persists, trying to crane his neck around Touya. "Is she your friend?"

"She's MY friend," Touya emphasizes. "Not yours. Go play with your own toys."

But Shoto is already toddling into the room, his penguin dragging behind him. He looks up at you with the biggest, most innocent eyes you've ever seen.

"Hi," he says solemnly. "I'm Shoto. What's your name?"

Your heart melts instantly. He's so small and serious, like a tiny adult. "I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you, Shoto."

"That's a pretty name," he says, and you can't help but smile.

"Okay, you met her, now go away," Touya says, taking your hand possessively. "We have things to do that are too grown-up for little kids."

"I'm not little," Shoto protests, puffing out his cheeks. "I'm five!"

"Exactly. Little." Touya turns back to you. "Come on, Y/N, let me show you the game."

But you're still looking at Shoto, who's now hugging his penguin and looking slightly hurt. "What's your penguin's name?" you ask him.

His face brightens immediately. "Mr. Freeze! He's a superhero penguin who fights bad guys with ice powers."

"That's so cool," you say, and mean it. "Can he fly too?"

"Well..." Shoto considers this seriously. "Penguins can't really fly, but Mr. Freeze is special, so maybe..."

"Y/N!" Touya says loudly, tugging on your hand. "You're supposed to be paying attention to me! I'm the one who invited you over!"

"Sorry," you say quickly, but you can't help glancing back at Shoto, who's now making whooshing sounds as he flies his penguin around the room.

"Whatever," Touya mutters. "Shoto's boring anyway. Look at this game..."

But before he can explain the rules, another voice calls from downstairs.

"Kids! Can you come help set the table for dinner?"

"Coming, Mom!" Touya calls back, then looks at you. "You'll like dinner. Mom makes the best food ever, and Dad tells funny stories, and Fuyumi always tries to make everyone eat vegetables but they're not that bad, and Natsuo will probably try to steal your yakitori but don't let him..."

As you follow Touya downstairs, Shoto trailing behind with his penguin.

In the kitchen, you meet Touya's younger siblings. Fuyumi, who's eight and immediately offers to braid your hair after dinner. Natsuo, who's six and grins at you while asking if you want to see his bug collection later (Touya immediately vetoes this idea).

And then there's Mr. Todoroki, Endeavor himself, the number two hero, sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. You freeze when you see him, memories of your own father making you instinctively step behind Touya.

But when he looks up and sees you, he just smiles. "You must be Y/N. Touya's told us a lot about you."

"He talks about her ALL the time," Natsuo adds with a grin, making Touya's face turn red.

"Do not!"

"Do too! 'Y/N this, Y/N that, Y/N said the funniest thing today...'"

"Shut up, Natsuo!"

"Boys," Mrs. Todoroki says gently, but she's smiling. "Y/N, would you like to help me finish the yakitori? Touya can show you how we do things here."

And so you find yourself in a warm kitchen, helping to prepare dinner while the family chatters around you. Touya stays close to your side, proudly explaining each step like he's the one teaching you instead of his mother. Shoto sits at the table, making his penguin dance while he waits. Fuyumi hums while she cuts vegetables. Natsuo sneaks pieces of food when he thinks no one is looking.

When you sit down to dinner, Mr. Todoroki asks you about school, and Mrs. Todoroki makes sure you have enough food, and the siblings all talk over each other in a way that should be annoying but somehow isn't.

And when Mrs. Todoroki notices you and Touya both wearing matching rings, she gets the softest look on her face.

"Those are lovely rings," she says quietly. "Very grown-up."

Touya immediately goes bright red. "Mom..."

"Are you two married?" Shoto asks innocently, and the entire table erupts in laughter while Touya practically slides under his chair in embarrassment.

"We're not married!" he protests. "We're just... we just..."

"They're very good friends," Mrs. Todoroki says diplomatically, but you can see she's trying not to smile.

"With matching rings," Fuyumi adds teasingly.

"Like married people," Natsuo chimes in.