Shouto POV:

6:25pm.

Ugh. Everything....was the same.

I sighed tiredly as I looked at the time on the clock. Momo and her family would be here in five minutes. They would be right on time, too. Because we've done this enough times for everyone to know they'd never be late.

It felt like I was returning to the past as I set the cutlery on the dinner table. It was the same cutlery used for all the 'family dinners' with Momo. It was even the same meal being served, at the same time, and the same person who cooked it.

I had that same weight in the pit of my stomach, and this familiar feeling like I was trapped. This odd aura of....dread that I couldn't ever seem to understand. And, still, that was also...the same.

Like usual, I placed the majority of the rice bowls closer to the seat I knew Mr. Yaoyorozu would sit in. The end seat. He always sits there, and my dad sits at the other end seat. I never really understood why that was necessary, but Mr. Yaoyorozu said it was because that's what 'men of the house' (?) do. That only confused me more, is the end seat of the table more masculine, or something? I couldn't see why, it's just a chair...

I didn't place the food closer to him out of any sort of courtesy. It was for convenience instead. Convenience for....myself. I didn't like when Mr. Yaoyorozu talked to me, because usually, it started with him asking me to pass the rice, and then using that question to ask me a bunch of other questions that I didn't care about, or have an answer for.

As always, most of them consisted of when I would marry his daughter. I wouldn't have an answer, and Momo would cry next to me because of it. Then, I wouldn't know what to say to her because I'm not good at comforting people, so I'd go with my usual 'I'm sorry I disappointed you' apology. After that, Fuyumi would talk and change the subject.

Then dad would go on about his glory days that took place centuries ago, giving me the perfect opportunity to lash out my frustrations and leave the moment he opened his mouth. Momo would run after me, and I'd tell her I needed to be alone. Because having her there was never comforting. It was stressful, and her presence was a burden. I'd tell her that out of honesty, and she would cry again. Then she would leave, and we'd wake up the next morning, doing it all over again.

My eyes fell closed, and a familiar headache pulled at my temples. Yes, everything was the same....

But, the only difference was that...now I was aware....of how much I truly hated that.

Vaguely, I felt my heart starting to beat a little faster, and my palms felt sweatier. I was trapped, still, I was trapped, and I needed that escape. My....escape.

Quickly, I pulled out my phone and navigated to Lani's number, typing away fast enough to include a few accidental typos in my message...

Text Message To: The Woman
Wjen are you getring here?.,
6:27pm.

I scoffed slightly in annoyance at my mistakes. I'm not usually one to ever make ridiculous typos like that. But, I guess, I'm just....desperate.

After twenty seconds without a response, I wondered if maybe Lani wasn't able to understand my message. Or, maybe she's worried that someone has taken me hostage, and that's why I'm spelling words incorrectly. What if she thinks I'm unintelligent and that's how I truly believe one spells 'when' and 'getting?'

I was about to text her again and clarify before I saw the little grey bubble pop up. Lani's message flashed across the screen a few moments later.

Text Message From: The Woman
Are those some typos? Or are you just excited to see me?
6:28pm.

Also before you overthink and try to decipher that bad JOKE, I'll be there in 5ish. You better look pretty ;)
6:28pm.

I blinked a few times as I tried to make sense of her message. 5ish. She said she'll be here in 5...ish? What.....what does that.....mean? Did she mean to say five minutes? Because if she was five minutes away, why wouldn't she just say five minutes? And if she was more than 5 minutes away, why wouldn't she say six? Or seven? And why does she always-

"Hey, Shouto." I was pulled from my thoughts, quickly putting my phone away as Fuyumi came over. "Is Momo still on that keto diet? I only thought about that after looking at all the rice on the table."

"Oh. I don't know." I said, but admittedly, my mind was still distracted with Lani. "Momo and I don't really talk."

Natsuo scoffed from the living room, "You don't talk to your 'one and only?'" He quoted the magazine cover on the table sarcastically. "Interesting."

"It's not that surprising." Fuyumi reassured, giving me a smile. "You and Momo haven't ever really spoken much. That's just how you are, right, Shouto?"

I mean....I always thought that's how I was, how things were supposed to be. That having a significant other wasn't really meant to be that...significant. Or enjoyed. And that it was normal not to have any common interests, or speak to each other. Or....want to be around each other.

But, I've only recently learned that it's not normal. Nothing is how I want it, and the mere idea of being so out of control makes my chest tighten up.

"Um. I invited another person for dinner tonight." I immediately changed the subject, trying to find any excuse to bring Lani into the conversation. "I hope that's okay."

...even if it wasn't okay, I wouldn't ask Lani to leave. I would probably be the one leaving.

Fuyumi blinked a few times and looked at me with a glance I couldn't decipher. I'm already....inexperienced about reading the emotions of others. But, I'm especially bad at that when it comes to my siblings.

Fuyumi and Natsuo are my family, and over the last few years, we've tried to create a bond that we never got to have when we were younger. But, admittedly, it's not very easy for me. I love them, but...I don't understand them, and they don't understand me either.

"O-Oh! I suppose that's fine!" Fuyumi said a little too...excitedly (?), stroking her chin in thought as she looked to the dinner table. "We have more than enough food."

"Great." I nodded curtly, checking the time on the clock again.

After a few moments of silence, I looked back to Fuyumi, taken aback to see she was staring at me. Natsuo was as well. They both looked like they were waiting for me to say something, but....I had nothing to say?

"...so who is it?" Fuyumi prompted, taking an eager step forward which caused me to take a step back. "If you invited them, they must be special, Shouto."

"Yeah, you don't invite anyone to anything." Natsuo said, leaning over the arm of the couch with too much interest now.

That's the second time in one hour that someone has told me that...

"Oh. It's just my....publicist." I unintentionally fumbled on the word. "She's coming...for business."

It was weird. Factually, Lani was my publicist, and she was coming for business. Um, whatever that meant...

But, calling her that...after everything we've done just felt....unnatural. It felt like she should have a different title. However, maybe now isn't the best time to figure that out. I've already told a few people the truth about us, and unlike Midoriya, I don't know my siblings well enough to trust them with such a secret.

"Lani Hidaka." The name out loud made my heart jump, especially coming from Fuyumi.

I couldn't hide my gawking, feeling my bluntness falter whenever The Woman was brought up. She always has the tendency to make me come undone, whether she's here or not. It's actually kind of annoying.

"You know her?" I asked.

"We know of her." Natsuo clarified. "I see more photos of you two together with the paps than I do of you and your actual girlfriend. Momo can't like that, huh?"

I sighed heavily at the mention of her name. It didn't used to bother me when people associated Momo and I together. Because if everyone else did, then it must have been illogical to think otherwise.

But, to me, it is illogical, and the more people try to insert her presence into my life, the more.....resentful I get.

"I don't really care what she likes." I uttered.

My words came out under my breath, and I'm not sure if my siblings heard me. But, regardless, it didn't matter as the conversation was interrupted. By something even more annoying.

Dad walked into the kitchen, looking down at his knotted tie with a glare. "Gah! It's been too long since I wore one of these stupid—have you guys seen my-"

"No." I retorted immediately, crossing my arms.

Ugh. Now that I've been living on my own for a few years, I realize how taxing it can be to come home...

Dad looked up in surprise to hear my voice. Apparently he's so old, he didn't hear me come through the door. How he's still in the top hero rankings is a mystery to me. They must be desperate to keep someone so senile on their team.

"S-Shouto!" He exclaimed, opening his arms and coming over to me. "I'm so happy to see you home-"

I smacked his potential hug away, quickly ducking under his arms and to the other side of the room to ensure I'd miss whatever that was. If you can believe it, my relationship with my father has only improved over the years. But, it doesn't change the fact that he annoys me every minute of the day. He clings and overcrowds. I need my space, but he doesn't get that.

"That makes one of us." I said, watching his jaw drop to the floor. "This dinner's being hosted in your home which means you had the ability to cancel it. Why didn't you?"

He blinked a few times, in what I assume to be confusion, glancing from Fuyumi before back to me when she provided no help. "Well I—I didn't know you wanted me to. I've been reading the papers, and I thought you and Momo were back together. I assumed this was something you wanted. That's why I-"

"You assumed wrong. As usual." I scoffed, hearing him garble a gasp at my attitude.

The doorbell rang in that moment, and my shoulders dropped in dread. I knew it wasn't Lani because she said she was '5ish' away and it's only been two-and-a-half minutes since she sent that message.

So that meant....it was.......Her.

"Whatever." I pushed myself off the wall, waving dad off dismally. "Just don't get on my nerves tonight."

"S-Shouto!!??" He practically hyperventilate as I walked out of the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes as I could see the silhouette of Momo and her family through the glass door, huffing tiredly as I threw it open. Her mother smiled, but as usual, it didn't reach her eyes. Her father looked me up and down, and Momo smoothed out her hair, giving me a smile while also looking like she was going to cry. She always looks like that. It must be her face. It has to be, because she's only been here ten seconds, so what could I have done to upset her this time?

....I guess I'm pretty agitated tonight.

"Mr. Todoroki." Mrs. Yaoyorozu spoke, her voice tight and pristine. "How do you do?"

"Fine." I said, walking away from the open door so they could let themselves in.

The mother scoffed, stepping over the threshold of the door with her loud heels, "My. There's that typical Todoroki charm we missed so much."

I assume, from her scoff, she was being...sarcastic?

My entire body tensed as I felt an arm loop through mine before Momo dragged me back to face her family, "Please excuse his lack of manners." She laughed. "Shouto's just been having a rough time at work. He's under a lot of stress these days."

"Hm." Mr. Yaoyorozu's low voice chimed in, smoothing out his suit as he approached me. "A good hero can put on a respectful face no matter what the situation is. Just look at your father, you should be more like him."

He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and squeezed tightly, removing it a few moments later before brushing past me with his wife and Momo.

"I'm happy everyday that I'm not...." I uttered under my breath, about to follow them into the kitchen.

But, the doorbell rang again in that moment, and suddenly, my annoyance melted away, turning on my heel and making a beeline for the door.

I could see Lani's silhouette behind the glass, and the corners of my lips turned up without my consent. A little too....eagerly, I threw the door open hard enough to rattle the hinges, causing Lani to jump and instinctively step back a few feet.

"Woah. Easy there, handsome." She chuckled, and that faint smell of oranges and lilies dizzied my brain.

My eyes softened and I felt my cheeks going....hot. Feverish? She always does this to me. She makes me physically sick, but somehow, I'm not mad at it.

Especially not when I look at her. I really love the color of her eyes, because it just pairs so nicely with her hair. Her makeup was a little different than it was earlier. She wore less black eyeliner and a softer lipstick shade. She also took out her lip ring. She wore a dark red dress today, one that came just above her knees, and my hands itched to grab her. My lips ached to kiss her. My lungs craved to breathe her air, and I wanted nothing more than to leave with her, just the two of us, so the noise of the world could quiet down.

But, I could hear the others conversing in the kitchen, so I simply held my hand out, feeling my soul burst when her fingers slipped through mine.

"You look...nice." I dug for a compliment in the deepest parts of my brain, trying so hard to express myself when it came to her. "Come inside."

She smiled and allowed me to pull her in. With just the two of us in the hallway, she allowed her fingers to linger in my own, melting her body against mine as I closed the door.

"Thanks." Her voice was warmer with just us here, giving a glance around the area. "Gorgeous house ya got here."

"It's alright."

She kept her gaze on me, her eyes softer than they usually were. And in that moment, my heart ached to be closer....closer.....closer. I couldn't stop myself from leaning in, looking at her closely for any signs of hesitation. But, all she did was look at my mouth, and the way she did stole my breath, making my stomach pool with heat.

She tilted her head up towards mine, allowing my lips to mold to hers. Her fingers went to my jaw, grazing it softly as we kissed. Her breath was quiet, but still just a little heavier to let me know she liked it. I didn't intend to kiss her for too long with such a risky situation, barely pulling away until our parted lips simply brushed.

The sounds of chatter in the kitchen began to fade into white noise, and Lani sighed. While I have a hard time understanding anyone else, I recognized the emotion from her immediately. It was one of longing, one of wanting, and it made me crack as I kissed her again, grabbing her hip and gently pinning her against the door, moaning softly into her mouth, letting our tongues graze and our noses brush.

Laughter and banter in the kitchen got louder as Lani's fingers tangled in my hair, both of us pulling away when we heard my sister calling. "Shouto, what's taking you so long? We're all waiting in the kitchen!"

Lani's breath huffed softly against my nose, and her pink irises rolled in synced annoyance with my own. It made her laugh and she gave my bottom lip a small nip, pulling away and taking her addicting presence with her.

"Well." She said, gesturing for me to walk ahead of her. "Lead the way to the lion's den."

She appeared completely unbothered from the moment we just shared. But, my knees were wobbly, and my head felt full and dizzy. I cleared the crack out of my voice, glancing at her in confusion before brushing past her.

"Oh. Um. We don't have a....lion's den. But, I can show you the kitchen."

*

The kitchen was loud with the sound of multiple voices talking at once, something I never enjoyed.

Lani kept her distance from me now, standing a few feet away as we walked in. The room went quiet, all turning to look at her. The Yaoyorozus looked at her in a different way than my family did. My family looked curious....I think. But, the Yaoyorozu's seemed....certain. Certain in whatever opinions they had of Lani even though they were only meeting her for the first time.

"Fuyumi. Natsuo." I said, hearing my dad gasp when I didn't include him. "I'd like you to meet-"

"Lani Hidaka." Mr. Yaoyorozu cut in. "Yes, Momo told us you'd be coming."

Lani barely gave a side glance to Mr. Yaoyorozu. I don't remember much, but I haven't forgotten the way Momo and her family, specifically Mr. Yaoyorozu, tried to get Lani fired. I have no doubt Lani remembers this as well.

She didn't pay the Yaoyorozus any mind, walking over to my siblings with a soft bow. "Pleasure to meet ya both."

Dad cleared his throat loudly, causing me to roll my eyes, before Lani approached him next. "Heh. And you...Endeavor."

He gave her a small bow as well, stroking his chin in thought as he looked at Lani, "Hm. Hidaka. Wait. Why do I feel like I've heard your name before?"

Momo opened her mouth to speak, and I found myself being the one to speak over her this time. Because I didn't know what she was planning to say, but my instincts told me it was nothing good. And Lani deserves better than that.

"Lani's a writer for the hero commission. A very good one as well. The best one actually." I said, causing Momo's face to twitch weirdly.

"Yeahhhh, but nothing you've read." Lani rubbed the back of her neck, looking at my father almost....nervously. "Eh. Hopefully not, anyways."

"I wish so badly I could give her articles a read." Momo chimed in, turning to my family now. "But, raunchy smut tabloids—you know, the one's Miss Hidaka writes— make me uncomfortable."

"Raunchy?" Dad gawked in confusion before Lani pressed her lips together.

"Kinda. Sometimes. Listen, it pays the bills." She explained, starting to absentmindedly pick at her thumbnail. "Besides, I just write what the hero commission tells me to. If I had it my way, I'd write something more like-"

"I could hardly see how your work could be considered professional." Mrs. Yaoyorozu spoke over her, giving a stiff chuckle even though nothing about what she said was funny.

And while Lani is usually one to always have a response, and seemingly never let things bother her, I was surprised when she said nothing in reply. Instead she stared at Mrs. Yaoyorozu with a blank smile, picking at her thumbnail harder.

"Hohhh, man." Lani laughed, but I could tell she wasn't comfortable here. "Feels like I'm back in my own house right now with comments like that."

I lifted my hand, intending to place it on Lani's shoulder, but she sensed it, quickly stepping a few extra steps away. With a sigh, I lowered my hand, placing it back in my pocket. "Don't pay them any mind." I said to Lani, not caring that it was in front of the others. "I don't."

The entire room, aside from Lani gasped now, before Momo's mother and father glanced at each other.

I've never been this rude to Momo and her family before. I mean, I've never been extremely nice because it's not in my nature to know how to do that. But, I've also never been disrespectful. And I've never spoken this much either.

However, if it's about Lani and making sure she's comfortable, then I have no problem addressing them. I've never been afraid, especially not of parents. Growing up with my own father, there was never anybody who could have been more terrifying. I guess in situations like this, it benefits me.

"S-Shouto!!-" Dad exclaimed, but he seemed more confused than reprimanding.

"Anyways!" Fuyumi immediately spoke, and she usually did whenever things got to this point. "I see Lani and the Yaoyorozus brought some dinner gifts. Should we take a look?"

Mr. Yaoyorozu stepped forward and Lani gestured for him to go first even though it seemed he'd already decided that for himself. He pulled out a bottle of wine, holding it up for dad to see.

"French wine. Aged twenty-seven years. Older than our children, Enji." He smiled, giving my dad a small tap in the shoulder. "There's only two bottles in the entire world, one given to the king of England at his coronation. The other one? Given to you."

Dad's not a wine drinker. Normally, he'd chastise the choice and tell everyone that, but he's mellowed out over the last few years.

Instead, he simply grunted and took the wine, giving the Yaoyorozus a curt nod before placing it on the counter. The room looked to Lani now and her eyes fell closed in a bit of dread before she pressed her lips together in a thin smile, holding up a plastic container.

"Grocery store cupcakes." She announced in the same manner Mr. Yaoyorozu did, causing Natsuo to chuckle quietly. "With the amount of preservatives in these bad boys, they're probably also aged twenty-seven years. Still, don't knock 'em til ya try 'em."

Momo's mother let out a polished hum, turning to Mr. Yaoyorozu with a whisper no one could decipher. Whatever it was, it made him laugh.

Fuyumi glanced at the pair before turning to Lani, giving her a smile before taking the cupcakes. "That's very kind. Thank you. Lani."

Momo smiled stiffly, clearing her throat and speaking before Fuyumi had a chance to even set the cupcakes down. "My family and I won't be having any of...those. We don't eat anything that's not organic. And if you read the ingredients of grocery store cupcakes, Miss Hidaka, you'd understand they are most definitely not organic."

Lani bit down on her lip in annoyance, waving Momo off dismissively, "Eh, a healthy dose of red 40 never hurt anyone. I heard it's good for uptight people. So maybe you should give it a try."

Momo's jaw dropped and she glared at Lani before Fuyumi chuckled and quickly spoke again, "O-Okay! Shall we all head to the dinner table, everyone?"

Everyone began walking to the table at an incredibly slow pace. Momo gave me a glance, and because I can only recognize her negative emotions, I could tell she was upset with me for something. Lani gave me a stiff smile, sighing tiredly as she trudged to the table.

Wow. For a business dinner, this already feels a lot more...personal.