RIP Robbie Coltrane, March 30, 1950-October 14, 2022

Today was a fairly average day for Shoto's Angels. While there weren't really any villain attacks to take care of, there were still plenty of lower-level crimes that needed solving in addition to civilians who needed assistance in fire and rescue situations. The most notable happening, however, would come after work, when Todoroki drove to Yaoyorozu's mansion, located on North Alpine Drive in Beverly Hills. He pressed the button next to the gate leading up to the driveway.

"Who is it?"

"Yaoyorozu, it's Todoroki. I'm here for the party."

Without question, the gate opened, and Todoroki pulled his Matador Red 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency into the driveway. Already, there were a couple more cars here. Keeping his head up, he walked to the front door of the mansion and rang the doorbell, humming "Strong Arm of the Law" while he waited for someone to answer.

"Todoroki!"

Yaoyorozu answered the door and gave Todoroki a big hug. While still not used to his employees being so affectionate towards him, he nevertheless returned the gesture. Of any women he'd ever hugged, Todoroki found Yaoyorozu to be one of the softest, warmest, most cuddly women he'd ever done this with. Soon enough, she let go.

"Nice to see you too, Yaoyorozu."

"Please, come on in!"

Yaoyorozu led Todoroki inside. The entry room was almost entirely bathed in white, with two curved staircases flanking a central hallway that led to a living room straight ahead, plus a large oval skylight that was trimmed by gold carvings. Todoroki took off his M65, his boots, plus the holster for his Smith & Wesson Model 29 and the DeSantis rig for his Uzi and hung them up on a nearby coat rack in addition to putting down his briefcase before following Yaoyorozu to the living room. When they got to the living room, Deko, Uraraka, Tsu, Jiro, Ashido and Hagakure were already there.

"Hey Todoroki!" Everyone waved at Todoroki.

"Hello." Todoroki waved back.

"Yaoyorozu told us she'd invited you, but we weren't sure you would come!" said Deko.

"Admittedly, I had some reservations about coming, but Yaoyorozu told me that you all trusted me, so I figured this could be a good opportunity to forge further bonds with all of you."

"And we're glad you…"

Ashido stopped mid-sentence and gasped before running up to Todoroki.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're wearing the SAME SHIRT as me!" said Ashido. "I didn't think I'd find ANYONE ELSE who was also a fan of Acid!"

Todoroki noticed that Ashido was also wearing an Acid Maniac T-shirt. "Well, I am a big metalhead, and I find that Acid is one of the best speed metal bands that ever existed. I like their first two albums in particular."

"I know, right?" Ashido ruffled Todoroki's hair.

"You seem to be in better spirits today, my dear Ashido."

Ashido shrugged. "Well, I still haven't gotten over that horrible experience, but I am feeling better, thank you for asking!"

Ashido gave Todoroki another hug, which he gladly returned. The other women let out a collective "awww" when they saw this.

"Come on, girls, let's join in!" said Deko.

Todoroki's eyes widened. "Deko…!"

Before Todoroki could do anything, the other women group hugged him. As much as he wanted to faint, though, it nevertheless made him feel all warm and tingly knowing that they appreciated him this much.

"Come on, have a seat!"

Deko pointed to an empty spot next to her on the couch, so Todoroki sat down next to her and Uraraka.

"So, what exactly are we gonna do at this party?" asked Todoroki.

"Well, I ordered a few pizzas," said Yaoyorozu, "and a few of us have some other activities in mind."

"Such as…?"

"I set up a few of my instruments for a little rock concert, but we haven't decided on a singer," said Jiro.

"Well, depending on what genre of music you plan on performing, I might just be interested in singing," said Todoroki.

The women let out a chorus of "oohs".

"I can't wait to hear you sing!" said Hagakure. "You probably have the voice of an angel!"

"For sure!" said Ashido. "Speaking of music, I also brought my boombox over so we can have a dance party after that!"

Todoroki averted his gaze. "I don't know, I'm not much of a dancer…"

Uraraka put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "Come on, give it a try! You never know!"

"I agree with Uraraka, ribbit," said Tsu.

"Well, if all of you are that insistent, I'll try," said Todoroki.

Various ladies cheered for Todoroki.

"Also, I was curious:" said Todoroki. "What else do all of you do outside of work?"

"Well, Toru and I really love hitting up the clubs on Saturday nights!" said Ashido.

"Our personal favorite is Studio One over in West Hollywood!" said Hagakure.

Todoroki nodded. "That makes sense. I heard that Studio One primarily caters to the gay community, so I suppose it would be an ideal place for two young women to enjoy themselves without the hassle of getting hit on by other men."

"Yeah, although there was this one chick who wanted to have a threesome with Toru and I!"

"Ugh, I'm still annoyed that you didn't get her number!" said Hagakure.

"That's one thing I've always admired about women," said Todoroki. "You can be so physically affectionate with each other without significant disapproval."

"I know, right?" said Uraraka. "I love it when Deko or Tsu hug me! Heck, if I were a lesbian, I'd totally marry one of them!"

"Ochaco, you're my best friend, but I think that was a bit much, ribbit," said Tsu.

Deko smiled. "I dunno, I think the idea of being in a relationship with Uraraka sounds pretty fun!"

Jiro smiled. "I wouldn't mind. I am pansexual, after all."

Todoroki raised his eyebrows slightly. "I have to admit, Jiro, I'm not 100% surprised about that. For some reason, you struck me as being part of the LGBTQ community, but I wasn't sure until you admitted it. Still, I welcome all of you no matter what your orientation is."

"Todoroki, has anyone told you what a great guy you are?"

Todoroki nodded. "I've gotten that sort of praise before."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Yaoyorozu got up from her seat.

"I don't know about any of you, but I have a suspicion that the pizza is here," said Todoroki.

"You think so?" said Uraraka.

"It depends on when she called in for the pizza."

Sure enough, Yaoyorozu came back carrying four large boxes of pizza in addition to some napkins and paper plates.

"All right, everyone, dig in!"

Yaoyorozu set everything down on the coffee table in the middle of the living room, and everyone opened a box of pizza and grabbed a slice or two. Todoroki grabbed a slice that appeared to have various kinds of meats on it. He took a bite and nodded.

"This is really good pizza," said Todoroki. "Where did you get it?"

"I got it from Upper Crust Pizzeria." Yaoyorozu took a bite out of her slice of pepperoni pizza.

"We should order from there more often!" Hagakure took a bite of her Hawaiian pizza.

"I agree; this is the best pizza I've ever had." Jiro took a bite of her BBQ chicken pizza.

"By the way, if no one has any objections, I'd like to watch the 6 o'clock news," said Todoroki. "They should be running that story on our agency tonight."

"Well, ladies…?" said Yaoyorozu.

Everyone else gave affirmative responses.

"Well, Todoroki, you're in luck!"

Yaoyorozu grabbed the remote and turned on a big flatscreen TV mounted above the fireplace in the living room, changing the channel to ABC7.

"…the Senate is expected to vote on the bill in the next week," said anchorwoman Marcia Wiegand. "In local news, a new Hero Agency is proving its mettle in Los Angeles, and already, it's distinguished itself not only by improving the quality of life for all Angelenos, but also with its mostly-female roster. ABC7's Marion Svenson has more on this story."

The video feed cut to various clips filmed around the Shoto Agency's office.

"When Shoto Todoroki, son of No. 1 Hero Endeavor, set out to form his own Hero Agency, he was expecting to make his mark on Los Angeles," said Svenson's voiceover. "However, he wasn't expecting that all of the heroes who applied to his agency would be women. Even so, he decided not to let that get in the way of his goals:"

"…I was willing to accept any applicant regardless of biological sex or gender identity," said Todoroki on the TV. "All of my applicants just happened to be women, and not only did they do very well in the training program that I set up for them, but they have continued to prove themselves out in the streets of Los Angeles, and I'm very proud of their work."

The women cheered for Todoroki, while Svenson's voiceover continued:

"We spoke to some of the heroes who work for Shoto, and they seemed to take pride in being members of his agency:"

"Not only does he pay me better than what I got at my old agency, but he has absolute faith in my abilities!" said TV Deko.

"Once again, I'm with Deko!" said TV Uraraka. "I gotta be honest, too: I've never worked for a guy who treated women as fairly as Todoroki has!"

Once again, the women responded affirmatively to Deko and Uraraka's responses.

"I'll admit, I had some qualms about his methods," said Shiozaki on the TV. "However, I learned that he donates to women-oriented charities, and if this man can learn the value of women in our society, then it gives me great honor to be a member of his agency."

Next, the video feed cut to a clip of some women loading up at the armory, while Svenson's voiceover talked about how the agency was one of the few – if any – to equip its members with firearms and issue muscle cars.

"Hey, hey look, that's me!" Hagakure bounced around as she pointed herself out on TV.

Meanwhile, the feed cut to another segment of Todoroki's interview:

"I realize that firearms may seem superfluous given that at least 80% of the world population has a Quirk. However, if you think about it, not only can they be a useful supplement to a hero's abilities, but in certain cases, they can even serve as an extension of a Quirk. Statistics have also shown that brandishing a firearm is an effective psychological tool for many wrongdoers. Similarly, high-performance cars can allow heroes without any significant speed advantage to reach an incident more quickly. As a matter of fact, I credit the use of automobiles as a factor in the drop in crime that we've accomplished in addition to the lives that we've saved."

After this, the feed cut to random shots of Los Angeles.

"Does all of this make Angelenos feel safer?" said Svenson's voiceover. "Most people seem to think so."

The feed cut to an interview with a blond guy named Ulf Van de Laar:

"I was under attack by a villain, and when everything looked hopeless, these two women came out of nowhere and pointed guns at him, and when he saw this, he put his hands up. I couldn't have asked for better heroes."

The feed changed again.

"However, not everybody agrees with the idea of equipping heroes with guns," said Svenson's voiceover.

Next, the feed went to a brunette of average build named Lisa Deserio:

"I object to the idea of heroes using guns because why do they need guns if they have Quirks? America has enough problems with gun violence without heroes using them too. I think it's disgraceful."

The feed cut to a shot of Los Angeles City Hall.

"Regardless of how people feel about heroes using guns, the mayor has expressed his approval for the Shoto Agency," said Svenson's VO.

The feed then showed Mayor Ahmad Keitel, an older, balding Black man:

"I'm very proud to have this agency operating in Los Angeles, and I hope that Todoroki and the women who work for him will continue to work hard and defend the citizens from whatever threats will pop up next."

Finally, the feed cut to various shots of the Shoto Agency.

"Whatever the opinion of citizens may be, it's clear that the Shoto Agency is here to stay," said Svenson's VO. "Reporting for ABC7, this is Marion Svenson."

The women clapped in approval of the story. Todoroki had good things to say as well:

"Well, I'd say they did a fair job of reporting on our agency. Hopefully, with this sort of publicity, we'll get more applicants."

Deko swallowed a slice of pepperoni pizza. "That'd be nice!"

"Todoroki, you should be really proud of yourself!" said Yaoyorozu. "With all of the work you put in and the way you treat us, you deserve the publicity!"

Jiro nodded. "I'm with you there. Anyways, I'm pretty full. Who wants to jam?"

All the women responded affirmatively.

"Personally, I'm going to grab a drink first," said Yaoyorozu.

"I agree," said Todoroki. "I could use a beverage to wash that pizza down."

"Ribbit." Tsu nodded.

After everybody had some drinks, Yaoyorozu and everybody else went to a sort of function room, which, coming from the kitchen, was straight ahead, on the right side of the mansion. Like the entry room, this had a large oval-shaped skylight, in addition to a fireplace. Here, there were a bunch of instruments and amps set up, in addition to a Sharp GF-777 boombox on one side of the room. The band consisted of Jiro on bass guitar, Deko on rhythm guitar, Ashido on lead guitar and Uraraka on drums, plus Todoroki on lead vocals. The band spent a little time making sure their instruments were in order, and Todoroki warmed up his voice for a bit.

"OK, so how are we gonna do this?" asked Todoroki. "Are you picking the songs, or am I?"

Jiro smiled. "Actually, we figured it would be more fun if you picked the songs."

"OK. Do any of you know the song 'It's Electric' by Diamond Head?"

Jiro stroked her chin. "I might…"

"I think I know that one!" said Ashido.

"You do?" said Deko.

"Yeah! Here's how it goes…"

Ashido motioned everyone over and discussed how to play the song, after which they returned to their instruments. Todoroki then kicked things off with a little intro:

"Hello, Cleveland! Are you ready to rock!?"

Everyone gave Todoroki strange looks as the sound of crickets filled the room.

"What?" said Todoroki. "All rock singers mention Cleveland…right?"

The crickets continued.

"Anyways…" said Todoroki, "…here's a song called 'It's Electric'. Hit it!"

Deko and Uraraka kicked off the song, and Todoroki headbanged as he hotly anticipated the vocal part. Hagakure, Tsu and Yaoyorozu headbanged as well, more so when they actually heard Todoroki singing. The rest of the band smiled when they heard his singing voice. Soon, it was time for the guitar solo, and Ashido was really wailing on her Flying V, much to the amazement of everyone, but Todoroki especially, because he'd never heard her play before. By the time the song was over, everyone was clapping.

"That was really good, Todoroki!" Jiro smiled. "Let's do another one!"

"OK," said Todoroki. "Do any of you know 'The Trooper' by Iron Maiden?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Ashido enthusiastically raised her hand. "I know that one!"

"Then perhaps you'd care to start us off?"

"Sure thing! Hit it, girls!"

Ashido kicked off the next song, and once again, there was fierce headbanging. Though the Dickinson-esque operatic vocals of this song were a bit different from the type found in Diamond Head's songs, Todoroki was still doing a manageable job, as indicated by Yaoyorozu, Tsu and Hagakure's continued headbanging. Once again, Ashido really tore it up during the guitar solo, perhaps even more so than the previous song. And thus it went, with the band rocking out to classics such as "Master of Puppets" in addition to more obscure cuts such as "Black Car". No matter what, Todoroki mastered them all.

"Wow, Todoroki, you're a great singer!" said Deko.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be good, but that blew me away!" said Ashido.

"Really, have you ever considered doing this as a career?" asked Jiro.

"Personally, Jiro, I'd much rather work as a Pro Hero, but I understand why you'd ask me that," replied Todoroki.

"That was really fun, but why don't we do some dancing now?" Ashido put down her Flying V.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

Uraraka put down her drumsticks, and everyone else shut off their amps and put down their instruments before heading for the center of the room, where Tsu, Hagakure and Yaoyorozu were. Then, Ashido popped a tape in her boombox titled "EARLY DAYS OF RAP 1979-1983", and after hitting "PLAY", the room became awash with "Spoonin' Rap" by Spoonie Gee. After the initial "one for the treble" intro, almost everyone got down to the music. In particular, Ashido was showing off her breakdancing skills. However, there was one person who wasn't getting down…

"Come on, Todoroki, dance!" said Deko.

"Yeah, come get down with us!" said Hagakure.

Todoroki was sweating nervously. Never in his life had he ever been expected to dance, and he feared that if he tried, then he'd make a fool out of himself. On the other hand, he really didn't want to disappoint his women by not trying, so after sucking it up, he strutted over to the dancefloor and broke out into a breakdance that could almost rival Ashido's. When the women saw this, they not only let out gasps of approval, but they grooved even harder. In spite of his initial hesitance, Todoroki found that dancing wasn't all that bad. In fact, he could feel a new sort of energy coursing through his veins, an energy that prodded him to keep on boogieing in spite of the fact that rap wasn't exactly his number-one favored genre of music. The more he danced, the closer he felt to his women and the more confident he felt not only in himself, but in his social skills as well. Hell, he decided that he might just join Ashido and Hagakure at Studio One someday, not caring much about the prospect about getting hit on by other men. By the time the tape concluded with "The New Rap Language" by Kool Moe Dee and the Treacherous Three, everyone had worked up quite the sweat.

"Wow Todoroki, I didn't think you had that in you!" said Ashido.

"I know, right?" said Hagakure. "You should come clubbing with us!"

Todoroki smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, but I pass."

Ashido wrapped an arm around Todoroki. "Come on, live a little!"

Hagakure also wrapped an arm around Todoroki. "Yeah, you'll love going to clubs!"

Todoroki blushed. "Er…OK…"

"In the meantime, why don't we go up to my room?" said Yaoyorozu. "I've got a surprise for you!"

In spite of not being totally sure of what the surprise entailed, Todoroki elected to follow Yaoyorozu and the rest of the women up to Yaoyorozu's bedroom, mainly because they'd been good to him so far and he trusted them with his life. Soon enough, they reached her room, which was luxuriously appointed, with a computer desk, a makeup desk with vanity mirror, a bookshelf with several books, and an ornately-carved queen-size pink canopy bed, plus a couple of paintings on the walls.

"Nice room," said Todoroki.

"I know, right?" said Yaoyorozu. "Now, are you ready for your surprise?"

Todoroki nodded slightly. "I suppose…"

"Awesome! Midoriya, get him ready!"

Deko slid her arms under Todoroki's arms and locked her arms around his shoulders. He sweated nervously when she did this.

"Deko, what are you doing!?"

"Hey, take it easy, Todoroki! I'm not gonna hurt you!"

Deko dragged a struggling Todoroki over to the bed, laid him down and held his arms over his head.

"Deko, stop this at once! This is insubordination!"

Yaoyorozu had a devious smile on her face as the rest of the women surrounded the bed and continued to hold Todoroki down.

"Calm down, Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu produced four sets of handcuffs from her body. "It's like Midoriya said: we're not gonna hurt you!"

Yaoyorozu handed a pair of handcuffs each to Ashido, Uraraka and Deko, and the four women proceeded to handcuff Todoroki's arms and legs to the bedposts.

"Stop this!" said Todoroki. "Stop this immediately or I'll dock you all for three days' pay!"

"Ready for it, girls?" asked Yaoyorozu.

"Ready!" said everyone else.

"Ladies, I…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"That's right, Todoroki!" said Yaoyorozu. "Your surprise is TICKLES!"

Todoroki squirmed and wriggled about. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS A TERRIBLE SURPRISE!"

"Come on, being tickled isn't that bad!" said Uraraka.

"Yeah, you might grow to like it!" said Deko.

"NO I WON'T! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Jiro smiled. "I dunno, your laughter tells us you like it."

"I DON'T! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hey girls, look at this!" said Hagakure. "Ooh, I'm the Invisible Tickling Girl of Doom!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T SEE THE TICKLES!"

"That's the point, silly!" said Hagakure.

"Yeah Todoroki, you're so silly!" said Ashido.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP!"

"Why do you want us to stop now?" said Tsu. "Aren't we just getting started?"

"Tsu's right," said Uraraka. "We've still got more tickles for you!"

"NO MORE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Beg all you want," said Deko. "That'll make it more fun for us!"

"Oh, and speaking of fun…" said Yaoyorozu.

Yaoyorozu and Tsu proceeded to remove Todoroki's socks, causing him to sweat nervously.

"Oh no, please don't tickle my…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I figured you'd have ticklish feet!" said Yaoyorozu.

"Wait, move aside!" said Ashido. "I wanna try!"

"ASHIDO! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hey girl, lemme have a shot, too!" said Hagakure.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TOO MANY TICKLES!"

"Hey, look at what I can do with my tongue." Tsu proceeded to lick one of Todoroki's feet.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT TONGUE IS SO TICKLY!"

"You think that's tickly?" Yaoyorozu produced a feather duster. "Get a load of this!"

"NOT FEATHERS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Yeah, big tough guy when both of your feet are being tickled!" said Yaoyorozu.

"I know, right?" said Uraraka. "It's nice seeing him laugh this hard!"

"Totally!" said Ashido. "He's cute when he's laughing!"

"Hey, maybe we should call him 'Tickleroki' instead!" said Deko.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M NOT TICKLEROKI!"

"You laugh like a Tickleroki!" said Hagakure.

"Yeah, maybe you should own up to it!" said Jiro.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

All of the women stopped tickling Todoroki…for now…

"We'll stop tickling you," said Yaoyorozu, "but on one condition…"

"W-what?" said Todoroki.

"You have to say 'women are better and smarter than men'!"

"No! I'm not gonna say that!"

Yaoyorozu smirked. "Ladies!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK! WOMEN ARE BETTER AND SMARTER THAN MEN!"

The women stopped the tickles.

"Good boy!"

Yaoyorozu produced some handcuff keys and had Todoroki's handcuffs undone. Todoroki lay on the bed, all red in the face, trying to catch his breath for a little bit before sitting up.

"You know, if I didn't like all of you, I would've had you all fired for insubordination," said Todoroki. "Though I will admit, in spite of the actual tickling being overwhelming, the sensation of laughter was very pleasurable."

"Wanna do it some more, then?" said Hagakure.

Todoroki gently thrust his hand towards Hagakure. "No no! Thanks, but once was enough!"

"Aw, too bad!"

"In the meantime, why don't we all bathe together?" said Yaoyorozu.

"Yeah!" said the women.

Todoroki raised his eyebrows. "Wait…does that mean…?"

"Sure does!" said Yaoyorozu.

The rest of the women giggled excitedly. As for Todoroki, he covered his face as he felt it get hotter than Krakatoa.

"No!" said Todoroki. "No! I can understand hugs, and I can sort of understand tickles, but this…this is violating a boundary!"

"Come on, don't be such a prude!" said Yaoyorozu.

"Yaoyorozu's right." Deko smiled. "It doesn't have to be weird! I mean, aren't we all friendly with each other?"

"Besides, if it gets uncomfortable with you, you can always say 'stop'!" said Uraraka.

"Please?" said the women.

Todoroki spread his left index and middle fingers apart to uncover his eye, seeing all the women smiling at him. While the manager in him didn't want to get this close to his valued employees, they were just being so friendly and reassuring towards him, and he was honored that they let him into their circle like this. Besides, as dysfunctional as his biological family was, his mom did bathe him at least once, so he came to a decision…

"All right. I'll bathe with you."

The women cheered for Todoroki.

"However, the moment I say 'stop', I mean 'stop'," said Todoroki. "Is that clear?"

The women responded affirmatively.

"What are we waiting for?" said Yaoyorozu. "Let's do this!"

Yaoyorozu led Todoroki and the rest of the women to her bathroom, where a king-size tub awaited them. Yaoyorozu proceeded to fill the tub, and everyone stripped naked. In spite of being the only man in the room, Todoroki had no problems undressing in front of everyone, and neither did the women. As a matter of fact, they let out some "oohs" when they saw what he had.

"It amazes me how all of you are comfortable being naked in front of me," said Todoroki.

Ashido giggled. "Well, at least some of us have been naked with men before!"

"Yeah, it's not like you have anything we haven't seen yet!" said Jiro.

Todoroki nodded. "That is an interesting point. Still, I'm amazed you all let me get this close to you."

"Why not?" said Deko. "I trust you!"

"Yeah, me too!" said Uraraka.

"Me three, ribbit," said Tsu.

Yaoyorozu shut off the water. "OK, we're good!"

With the tub filled up, Todoroki and the women got in. Almost immediately, they sat around him, and after splashing some water on themselves, they splashed some on him. Yaoyorozu then grabbed a bottle of shampoo/body wash in addition to a sponge, and the women took turns washing themselves and washing Todoroki, who gently moaned when he felt their touch.

"On second thought, this feels so relaxing, especially after a long workday," said Todoroki.

The women giggled, while Todoroki continued to bask in their pleasure. Even if he still wondered a little about what people would think if they found out, the more he did this, the more natural it felt to him. He was right, too: after a long day of hero work, what he really needed was something to soothe his tired soul. Even if he wasn't in a romantic relationship with any of his employees, he enjoyed their company, and now that he was forging new bonds with them, he felt closer to them than ever. It wasn't every day that a guy got the opportunity to bask in the company of a group of beautiful women, but then again, Todoroki wasn't an everyday guy. Feeling their soft yet firm touch caressing his body, he felt no pain, no fear, no anxiety, just his troubles melting away. Granted, he was shaking slightly because they'd all gang-tickled him earlier, but thus far, they weren't doing anything funny here. The more he went through this, the less he cared about the whole "manager/employee" relationship and the more comfortable he felt in his own skin. However, Deko ended up touching Todoroki somewhere that Naughty By Nature says rhymes with "cleanest" and "meanest".

"Um…" Todoroki froze up.

"Is something wrong, Todoroki?" asked Deko.

"Er…I…let me take care of that…"

Todoroki gently grabbed the sponge from Deko and proceeded to wash himself, while the women giggled. He actually found their giggling very comforting, especially knowing that they regularly risked their lives to keep the citizens of Los Angeles safe. With long days like that, they all deserved to have a little fun. Once they were all done bathing, Todoroki and the women freshened up and put on their pajamas before going to bed. Todoroki ended up sleeping in Yaoyorozu's bed, where Yaoyorozu and Deko snuggled with him. Everyone else slept in sleeping bags.

"Yaoyorozu, thanks for inviting me to this party!" Todoroki smiled. "Even if it was rather unconventional to do so, I genuinely enjoyed being here!"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" said Yaoyorozu. "You're one of us, so it's only natural for me to invite you over!"

"Besides, we had more fun having you over!" said Deko.

"Yeah!" said the rest of the women.

"Glad I could be such a positive addition to the party!" said Todoroki.

"Good night!"

Yaoyorozu turned off her bedside lamp, and everybody went to sleep. While Todoroki still couldn't predict the future, he decided that it looked that much more bright with his women backing him.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.