Todoroki didn't usually have dreams. At least, not the kind that made sense. His sleep was often filled with vague images, fleeting memories, or the occasional flash of fire and ice. But this? This was different.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on a small, fancy cushion. The air smelled like flowers and warm pastries. The sky above was an impossible shade of pink, with fluffy white clouds shaped like teapots.

Something was off.

Shoto looked down at himself and nearly fell over—his hands were tiny. His legs barely reached the ground. He was...a kid?

And across from him, sitting perfectly straight at an elegant little table, was Yaoyorozu. But not the one he knew. She was also a child, her usual confidence replaced by a kind of innocent, determined seriousness. Her hair was tied into two neat pigtails, and she wore a frilly pink dress that looked straight out of a picture book.

"Would you like some tea, Todoroki?" she asked, holding up a teapot almost too big for her tiny hands.

Todoroki blinked. "Uh...sure?"

Momo smiled brightly and carefully poured a pretend stream of tea into his cup. "It's chamomile," she said matter-of-factly, even though nothing actually came out of the spout. "It helps with stress. And I imagine someone like you gets stressed a lot."

Todoroki stared at the empty cup. "Right."

He wasn't sure what was weirder—the fact that he was a kid again, or the fact that Kid Yaoyorozu was giving him stress relief advice.

As he hesitated, Momo lifted her own cup and took a very exaggerated sip, pinky out and everything. "You must be very refined when drinking tea," she instructed. "No slurping."

Todoroki obediently lifted his cup, mimicking her movements. "Like this?"

Momo beamed. "Perfect! You'll be a tea expert in no time."

Suddenly, a thud sounded from nearby. Todoroki turned to see a stuffed bear slumped over on one of the tiny chairs beside them. Momo gasped dramatically.

"Oh no! Mr. Cuddles has fainted from the heat! We need to help him immediately!"

Todoroki just stared at the stuffed bear. "Uh...how?"

Momo straightened up. "We must cool him down, of course!"

For a second, he just sat there, confused—until it clicked.

"Oh," he said. Without thinking, he lightly touched his fingers to the table, letting a small wave of frost spread across it. The cool air swept over the bear.

Momo clapped excitedly. "Excellent thinking, Todoroki! You're a natural doctor."

Todoroki blinked. "I am?"

"Of course!" she declared. "And as a reward, you may have another cup of tea."

He sighed but lifted his cup again, watching as she pretended to refill it. Somehow, even in his subconscious, Yaoyorozu was just as much of a perfectionist as always.

Before he could say anything else, the dream world started to blur around him. The pink sky darkened, and the teacups began to fade.

And then—

Todoroki woke up.

He sat up in bed, staring at the ceiling. It took him a moment to process what had just happened.

A tea party? With Yaoyorozu? As kids?

What kind of dream was that?

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was early—too early. But there was no way he could fall back asleep after that. He rubbed his temples, wondering if he should just get up and train.

Then, his phone buzzed. A message.

Yaoyorozu: "Good morning, Todoroki! I hope you got plenty of rest. Remember, a proper breakfast is key to a productive day. 😊"

Todoroki stared at the message. He thought back to the dream, to Kid Yaoyorozu's serious tea party etiquette, and to the way she made sure even a stuffed bear was well taken care of.

He exhaled, shaking his head.

"...She's exactly the same."