"An-and remember that time Reina tackled me straight to the ground for high fiving you a little too hard?" Natsuo laughs, Leinei having to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing too hard. Keigo snorts into his drink, grabbing a napkin from the table to wipe his face as he laughs. "I swear, she was insane when we were kids."

"She was just being protective," Fuyumi corrects him, still chuckling as she glances over at Shoto, who's casually eating soba without really chiming in. "I mean, she was always really defensive over Lei."

"I remember her getting into a fist fight with Touya that one time too," Natsuo continues, nudging Leinei with his elbow. "Remember what that one was about?"

"No clue," she replies, shrugging and glancing at Keigo. "It might've been over food. They fought over that a lot."

"Why would they fight over food?" Shoto asks, confused. "It's not like you guys starved whenever you came over."

"I mean that's true. I dunno."

"I've got one," Keigo says, his face flushing when Fuyumi glances his way. He clears his throat. "Reina legitimately tried to kill me one time."

"Oh my god not this story," Leinei groans, tilting her head back as her shoulders slump. Natsuo giggles beside her, leaning over her to goad Keigo into continuing.

"So it was just after they had moved in," he starts, setting his cup down and pulling one knee up to his chest with his arm draped over it. "They were trying to see where we were at quirk wise and pitted me against Reina since Lei Bay was a little kid. Had no basic hand to hand experience but-"

"She tried to suffocate him with her quirk," Leinei finishes for him, rolling her eyes.

"I almost died!"

"You did not."

"I did!"

"She may have killed a few brain cells but she didn't kill you."

Keigo pouts as the others laugh at his expense, but smiles regardless seeing the way Leinei's relaxed and actually enjoying herself. Shoto starts coughing, shaking his head as Fuyumi reaches over and rubs his back. He sets his bowl down and shudders afterwards.

"That's why you should swallow before laughing," Leinei tells him simply, earning a scowl from him. "What? I mean, spitters are quitters. That's how the saying goes isn't it?"

Keigo is trying to take a sip from his cup when she says that, his eyes going wide as Natsuo starts laughing again. The white haired boy falls backwards, covering his eyes with his hands as Fuyumi tries to tell her that's not what that means. Keigo pats his sister's back, tears in his eyes from his suppressed laughter.

"What?" she asks, confused as Natsuo picks himself back up and wipes the tears from his eyes, still giggling. "That's the saying isn't it?"

"It-it is," Keigo assures her, Fuyumi shaking her head. "But that's the connotation it has."

"Well what conno-"

They all go quiet as they hear the front door slide open and closed, heavy footsteps continuing into the house. Natsuo's smile dies away into a scowl, Shoto returning to his soba bowl and ignoring the looming presence in the doorway. Fuyumi is the only one to offer a smile at Endeavor standing in the entrance to the dining room. His eyes scan over the two newcomers in his family home, his brow knitting together as Leinei reaches forward for a cup.

"It seems I missed a party," he remarks.

"Can't miss a party you weren't invited to," Natsuo remarks sharply, his words cold. "You might've been if you bothered to show."

"Natsuo," Fuyumi whispers, trying to keep the fighting to a minimum. She looks back at her father and smiles again. "You're welcome to join us, Dad. We invited them to lunch after Reina's funeral."

"That's right. Elementia's funeral was today," he says, not coming further into the room as Leinei flinches and sits straighter. Keigo purses his lips to the side before standing up and rubbing the back of his head.

"Yo, Future Number One, we should probably discuss some stuff in the other room. Let the kiddos keep talking," he says, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. "Gotta talk about the new hero rankings and stuff coming up. We should team up."

"I try not to bring work home."

"That must've been a recent decision," Shoto murmurs. Leinei and Natsuo both snort, but quickly turn it into coughing, looking away from Endeavor's reddening face. Keigo chuckles himself, gesturing for Endeavor to follow him out.

"Yeesh. I thought he wasn't coming home today," Natsuo grumbled, waiting until they heard the door close to his office to say anything. "What the hell, Yumi?"

"That's what I assumed, especially when he didn't show up to Reina's funeral."

"He could've at least referred to her by her name," Leinei mutters, picking at her food now. "Not her hero one."

"That's how Dad is. I think it makes it easier-"

"No, he just doesn't like dealing with hard things," Natsuo corrects his sister. "Like the fact we're all fucked up because of him."

"Nat, let's not be in front of Lei and Sho arguing," Fuyumi pleads. "This won't solve anything."

"I should be getting back to school anyway," Shoto remarks, standing up and shaking his head. "We're trying to decide what to do for the school festival thing."

"Wait, that's happening already?" Leinei groans, tilting her head back.

"Yeah. Kaminari and Mineta suggested a maid cafe."

"Oh god."
"Midoriya suggested a hero trivia quiz."

"No."

"Alright, well, you two can go discuss that," Fuyumi says, starting to clean up the table. "Natsuo, help me with the dishes?"

"Send help," he whispers as the youngest two walk out of the room. Shoto glances down the hall in the direction of Endeavor's office, his lips set into a thin line as Leinei leans against the wall. She fidgets a bit, tugging at a loose string on the sleeve of her dress.

"You don't have to stay," he remarks duly, looking back at her after a few seconds. "I'm sure that Hawks would rather you go home."

"Nah, we agreed to clean Reina's bedroom after the funeral," she replies, shrugging her shoulders. "Neither of us had the heart to do it beforehand. I should be back at school tomorrow."

"Is that going to be enough time for you?"

"I'd rather get back to school than dwell on what happened or what could've happened," she assures, forcing a smile. "Besides, I'm sure Katsuki is antsy enough."

"Honestly, he's been quiet. Which is very unlike him. So yes, I'm sure that means he's antsy."

"He's probably in his head," she murmurs. "He's only ever quiet like that when he starts overthinking."

"What would he be overthinking about?"

"A lot of things. He gets in his head more than he likes to admit. It's been worse since he started training with All Might and Izu."

"Huh. I thought it would've gotten better."

"Maybe it will. I just wouldn't trust All Might to do that."

"Y'know, your dislike of him is a lot more obvious than you make it seem."

"Here I thought I was doing good at keeping it hidden," she chuckles, shrugging and leaning her head back against the wall with her eyes closed. "What gave it away?"

"Whenever he's teaching, you're just always glaring at him. And during combat simulations, it's like you actually want to kill him."

"I have my reasons."

"...personal or just other stuff?"

"Mix of both."

"Want to tell me?"

"Nope."

"Alright then. But you should at least tell Bakugo at some point."

"...I will. I know he looks up to All Might too. I just don't want differing views to change what we have."

"If you two actually care about each other-" Shoto and Leinei both jump as Natsuo pokes his head out with a cheeky grin. "Sorry, did I scare you? Anyway, if you two actually care about each other, it shouldn't do more than cause a small argument you'll get over. Hell, my girlfriend and I argue all the time."

"You have a girlfriend?" Shoto asks, genuinely surprised. "Are we sure it's not your right hand?"

"No, obviously it's my left foot," he responds with a roll of his eyes. Leinei's brow knits together and she looks down at her feet in an attempt to figure out how that would work. "But seriously. Just talk with him. If you argue, it's not the end of the world. But if he hits you, I'll break his hand."

"You won't have to," another voice pops off, Keigo appearing behind Shoto. "He lays a fucking hand on her, and there won't be a body to find."

"Yeesh, you are really light on your feet for someone who wears heels," Natsuo remarks to the older man. "How do you do that?"

"Years of training," he chuckles. He glances into the dining room. "Is your sister in the kitchen?"

"Yeah. She chewed me out then sent me away."

"Cool, cool. Hey, Lei, give me like five minutes to thank her for lunch and we can head home," Keigo tells her, before dipping into the dining room and towards the kitchen. Leinei rolls her eyes and smiles. I guess he might have a crush on her.

"I should get you back to school," Natsuo tells Shoto. "C'mon-"

"I can take him," Endeavor offers, earning a glare from both of his sons. "It's on my way-"

"No, it's fine. I can go with Natsuo," Shoto retorts, leaning down to pull his shoes back on. "Wouldn't want you to bring any more work home."

"Yeah, or make your grief unbearable," Natsuo adds, rolling his eyes again. "Because god forbid you attend your niece's funeral who worked with you."

"Boys-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lei," Shoto tells her, before following Natsuo out of the door. She winces as the sliding door slams into the frame. Endeavor sighs and rubs his hands over his face, glancing towards the dining room as if debating something. He looks back at Leinei, who has started to get her shoes on to leave. What do I say?

…

"About Elementia-"

"Reina," Leinei corrects him, looking up at him with empty eyes. "Her name was Reina. Either call her by her fucking name or this conversation is done."

He's taken aback by her tone, surprised that this could be the same girl from Hosu, the same meek crybaby from his children's childhoods. He closes his eyes and takes a breath, bowing his head as he thinks of the next best thing to say. She's a lot more like Reina than I thought.

"Reina," he says carefully, trying not to choke on the name leaving his lips. "She would be very proud of you. And how you've handled yourself today."

"You-"

"I was there as well, at the funeral. I just was in the back, and didn't stay long," he murmurs, not able to look the child in the eyes. "I decided to go see Rei right after, then I had to get to work. Villainy never rests."

"..."

"You didn't show weakness in front of anyone. That's good. You'll be more likely to be taken seriously in the future. If you'd like, when Shoto is able to do a work study, you're welcome to come with him-"

"Sorry, I'd rather stay with Fatgum," she stops him, her voice cold. "I haven't worked under him long, and he's a little much to work with at first, but he's a hero worthy of his title. My only qualm with him is that he isn't higher ranked, but ranking has no effect on how good of a hero you are."

Endeavor doesn't know what to say to that, still looking anywhere but her face. With just a few words, she's made him feel insignificant. He wants to say something else, but what else was there to say? Maybe there are heroes more deserving of the rank he clawed his way to, only to have the first place spot handed to him. Maybe this child knew more than he thought.

But how much?

"Yoo, Lei Bay, is…everything okay?" Keigo says, having come back out and seeing the tension between the new Number One hero and his sister. The cold way her eyes were daggered into the man. "I think we should get going…Thanks for having us."

"Of course," Endeavor says, thankful for the interruption. Leinei opens the door as Keigo starts to put his shoes on."Have a nice day."

"We will, now that we won't be around you," Leinei hisses, slamming the door on her way out just to slam it as hard as Shoto had.