Note: Hey everyone, first off, regarding the Shoto ship situation... its insanely close. Mina is in front of Kyoka by literally one vote right now. I've also seen everyone's suggestions for ships with him regarding other characters, but I'm gonna be going with the majority. So if you haven't voted yet, this is your last chance to voice it. The next chapter will start moving in the direction of the winner of the poll, so speak now or forever hold your peace! If you haven't voted just leave a review with your choice between Mina, Kyoka, or single.

Also, sorry to make you guys wait so long on a chapter thats mostly filler. I think this is a fun read with entertaining interactions though... a lot of filler but at the same time, a lot of different plot points get kicked off. Its a lot longer than I planned for it to be, so its gonna be a two-parter maybe a three if I can put enough good stuff down... Then its on to the internships!!

By the way, I'm still not sleeping... Maybe ever again... Who knows... But ya know what they say... Fuck it amiright? Hahahahahahha help me. So forgive me for any misspelled words or grammar errors. Ill try to fix them eventually.

@CRUDEN: Thanks dude! That really means a lot. In my dive into soeep deprived insanity, your words keep me positive. I have a lot of good stuff planned for future chapters, hope they continue to push the standard further!!

@daniel.santiago.4545: Back again!! Hope the chapter is good. I've been getting your PMs on the desktop version but not on the app for some reason, but I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Got your vote counted!

@SulliMike23: Thanks man! I've not slept in like three straight days so if this sucks, then I'm sorry lol. Ive thought about bringing J.J. in as a Dale Gribble type podcast host where he just talks a bunch of shit on Spider-Man and goes down conspiracy rabbit holes lol. Nothing set in stone yet, but I thought that'd be fun to write into the story.

@DrCoogans: I appreciate that so much right now. You have no idea... I'm so freaking busy, I never hardly have time to breathe, so its really comforting to hear that you guys are willing to be patient with me during this big ol shit storm of chaos that has become my life lol. By the way, the jokes have also been keeping me going lately, and my wife said she appreciates them as well!

@FrostyPunkin: Thanks!! I'm covered in poop and vomit round the clock now lol

@Backpack Bandit: Good ol' KY! Honestly never thought I'd meet another either! I won't dox you or anything, but it's still crazy how close we are to each other! Enjoy the chapter!

@Hina714: I'm sending you so much love for your patience and understanding. Seriously, shits been wild lately and theres no end in sight, so not feeling rushed or pressured to hurry and get chapters out has really helped keep me sane. But I'm still at it! Hopefully you enjoy this one.

@El-lector327: I definitely wouldn't describe your English as broken. You speak it very well!! I appreciate all the support and encouragement you give. It makes writing this story very special to me. As for the story, its definitely not going anywhere. chapters will definitely slow down a bit while im juggling a full time job and two children, but they'll keep coming out at their own pace so keep an eye out. Also, I'm curious if you found out about Mirko... Shes a total badass who didn't get enough attention in the manga or the show in my opinion so she's gonna get a bigger part in the story. Hopefully you didn't get traumatized by some of her fanart haha. Stay well!

@xGhostSpiderx: Hiya!! I'm back way sooner than expected. Chapters are gonna just come out whenever I can get them out for the time being. Could be a couple weeks, could be a couple months. I'm still trying to learn how to juggle everything, so keep an eye out! This one definitely centers around building onto character interactions and relationships. Im trying to make sure you guys don't have to read a ton of filler chapters before getting back to the storyline so like I said, this one will be a two or three part chapter to try to cover everything then we're jumping straight into the internships and Stain which I'm excited for. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the kind words!

@RJM3994: Hey! Definitely don't worry about me continuing to upload here! I'm determined to see this story all the way through the Final War Arc and even a little bit beyond. I've even got one shots and an abridged version planned for when it ends but it'll be a while before it reaches its end. That being said, updates will most likely become a bit slower than usual due to my life being complete chaos lol. Thanks for your well wishes!

@The Storm Master 567: Ya know, honestly, after looking back on it I don't think I surprised as many people as I expected to with Mirko being Peter's internship. But to me that's a good thing as well because it means people can picture it being true and that they fit well together. I'm excited to write her into the story further along with her and Peter's dynamic. I enjoyed writing the George Stacy bit at the end, it felt like a good way to send him off. As for the whole thing with Peter and Iida, you're pretty spot on. I've had that interaction planned out for a while now. Glad you're enjoying the story so far!!!

@BoltSamIam: I actually don't have a ton planned for the other avengers other than nods to them... But then again, I also didn't plan on writing Gwen Stacy into the story either but it worked out really well. I'm not super knowledgeable about Marvel and I'm afraid what I write won't be very good when it comes to them. The plan is for the Avengers to be those first generation of heroes long ago when quirks first appeared that Peter looks up to since MHA takes place a few hundred years in the future. I hope thats not too disappointing. But nothing's in stone! Ps. I'm a fan of the todomomo ship as well. izumomo is also one of my favs.

@trninjakiller: Hi there! First of all I hope you managed to stick with the story long enough to see this. To be honest, I have a lot of respect for your review and I didn't think it was mean at all. In fact, I think what you said has a lot of validity to it. This is only the second thing I've ever wrote so I struggled a bit while writing the earlier chapters. I think the biggest thing is that I don't want Peter to just be completely unstoppable for the sake of the storyline. MHA is all about these kids growing into their own and overcoming challenges and I wanted Peter to fit into that to make the story more enjoyable to read. That said, I struggled in finding the balance in order to do that but I think I'm starting to get better at that. Also Momo is only going to keep getting stronger from here so I'm hoping to find a good balance there as well. Hope you continue to read on. I look forward to hearing your input on things in the future.

@HairyPen: Aye!! I'm alive... barely... but that still counts right? lol. Aizawa definitely is irresponsible and kinda weirdly chaotic. Luckily I have that playing into his growth as a character. As for him sneaking into Peter's apartment, I find it to be absolutely hilarious lol. I used to know a dude that would do that sort of stuff in college. Oh, and Midoriya is one hundred percent going to be getting closer to Peter and the group. I plan on working him in in the next couple of chapters. In reality, there's a lot of plot points in the story that he definitely has to be there for, so he's gonna be written in a lot more. It's a bit tricky because I don't wanna regurgitate his entire story and make you guys read it all over again but there will be a lot more Izuku in the near future. Hope you're doing well! Wish me luck as I'm covered in the unspeakable things that come out of babies lol.

@abijayks: Hey dude! I'm really happy you enjoyed the Fuyumi interactions. I set it up so that she can have a lot more parts in the story's future. She is incredibly fun to write. Also I'm excited for the stuff I have planned for Mirko so I hope you enjoy it as well. Im also going to get into Shoto and his mom in the next few chapters and build on that so hopefully that turns out well too. Thanks for your patience and understanding by the way. Updates might slow down a bit, but they definitely won't stop. Keep your eye out for more chapters!! Hope you're doing well!!

@Axccel: Sorry dude. This story might not be for ya...

@mateocorella6: I definitely have some stuff planned for Hatsume in the future but it might have to wait until after Stain. I like her character a lot.

@katana12: The whole traitor plot point didn't get too many nods in the manga and anime so I'm kinda doing the same thing with it but I'll probably start expanding on it more as the story continues!

@spider of the leaf: I plan on messing with Bakugo pretty hard about the hero names. Sparky sparky boom man might just get a mention lol.

@Roadmaster9000: Man I'm so grateful for your review. It makes me feel like I'm growing as a writer. I'm glad you're enjoying the characters and their changes, and I'm stoked to have you following along! Thanks for all the nice words :)

@Captain Sprinkle: Aye! Thanks a lot!! I've been tossing around ideas to try to add some Spidey villains into the mix. Only problem is that I'm not sure how to fit them in. I did have the idea of using them as antagonists for the one shots ive got planned for down the road, or using them when I cover the movies... but I wanna make sure that if I do it, that I do it correctly. I'll keep thinking on it though.

Sorry if i missed anyone... the app is bugging out on me and erasing shit... I promise I read each review that comes in with a big ass smile.

Also as always a big thanks to all the guest reviews without names... And to everyone for voting in my little ship announcement. I'll give everyone who hasn't voted another week to send their votes in but then I'm gonna go with the majority.

And guys, I really can't thank you all enough for all your kind words surrounding the birth of my daughter. My life is so difficult right now but its also pretty awesome at the same time... its really weird lol. But god am I tired and stressed, so hearing from you guys and all your patience with me during this time means so much more than you could ever know.

I do not own any of the characters depicted in this story...

Gym Gamma... A state of the art facility only accessible to UA students and faculty members. The massive training space was just one of many high-end resources offered by the most prestigious hero school in the world... But to those students hoping to improve their fighting prowess or build their strength and mobility, it was UA's version of a promised land.

At first glance the room didn't look like much other than a giant empty building, but the brainpower of Principal Nezu had created the ideal environment for strengthening a powerful quirk. The giant open area was perfect for destructive powers like Bakugo's or Midoriya's. It also made for a great space to house multiple one on one fights at a time... Or one huge free for all...

Along with its gargantuan space, every square inch of the floor was made of concrete. Anytime the facility was in use during school hours, Cementoss was there to create any terrain imaginable, making it a prime location for mobility training.

However, perhaps what put this specific training facility into a category of its own, was the contributions of UA's support course.

Mr. Power Loader was heavily involved in Gym Gamma's construction and design. Underneath the thick layer of concrete flooring, was a powerful system of magnets... And some of his more capable students, such as Hatsume, often invented electromagnetic weight training equipment.

The pull between the subterranean system and their homemade equipment allowed for a simulation of much greater weight than you could get from normal training gear... In short, those with super strength were able to lift ungodly amounts of weight and really test their limits... And those with quirks built for speed or based on movement could push themselves by wearing magnetic wrist and ankle bracelets.

Twenty four hour access... Seven days a week... Gym Gamma was an invaluable resource...

And it also happened to be where you could find the brown haired sports festival champion half of the time you went looking for him...

Even if it was during the dead of night...

The sweat dropped down the bridge of Peter's nose and splattered on the concrete floor beneath him. While most of everyone he knew was asleep at the early hour of 4:30am... he was busy putting his body through what could only be described as torture...

He panted heavily as the beads of perspiration poured down his face and shirtless body, while he held himself up on his hands and knees. His skin glistened under the lights above... He had the place all to himself, and he was taking full advantage of it...

He turned his head and stared at his phone on the ground beside him. The list of exercises Mirko had sent him was displayed on the screen... It was insane... He had never been pushed this hard.

His fist clenched on the ground as Mirko's verbal challenge seemed to echo in the air of the large building he found himself in...

"Think you got what it takes to try and keep up?"

It was odd how a person he had never met before, already seemed to know how to speak directly to the competitive nature inside of him. He could hear the fire in her voice during their brief conversation... A fire that resonated with him... And flipped a switch inside his brain. It was almost like she knew exactly which set of his buttons to push in order to get the boy's heroic blood pumping.

He may have just won the sports festival... But that was just a step in his long and arduous journey that lay before him. A big step... but a step nonetheless. Peter Parker was just getting started... And after he had found out about the hero killer incident in Hosu, he was practically foaming at the mouth to start his training.

He remembered how much losing Ben hurt... And how Tenya must be feeling right at this very moment after what had happened to his brother... A feeling that Peter could more than relate to... So he wasn't shocked when none of his texts were responded to.

"Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code... As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him."

Tensei Iida... Ingenium... Though his life had been saved, his ability to walk was gone forever... Hosu was left to mourn the early retirement of their champion, and Japan had lost one of its brightest rays of hope, leaving a lot of questions and uncertainty hanging in the air of the proud country.

But at this particular moment... For Peter Parker... At least one thing was a fact...

And that was that "gravity based weight training" was definitely not for the faint of heart... And to make things even more "fun", the minimum amount of weight he was allowed to use for every exercise was... Ten tons...

His personal best was now merely his starting point... But that's just how it goes for someone striving to be a top hero in the times he lived in.

Every single part of his body was screaming from exhaustion as he remembered the warning Aizawa gave him before leaving his apartment yesterday...

"Looks like she's sent you a warm up compared to her regular routine... You only have a week before internships begin. It'd be wise to be prepared as soon as you arrive in Hiroshima... Don't expect her to show you any mercy."

He had to hand it to his homeroom teacher... No matter who they were, or how strong they happened to be, the man knew what he was doing when it came to challenging his students.

As his lungs took in and expelled air from his position on the cold hard ground, he knew he had to get his ass back up. He was only halfway through his second of five daily workout sessions assigned to him by his new mentor... But that was easier said than done when every movement your body made felt like you had just taken a solid punch from All Might.

The sweat continued to pour as his head dropped towards the ground.It was quickly becoming harder and harder to keep going through this batshit crazy routine...

At times like this, the thing that made him stand back up, were the thoughts of those he cared for the most... And now he had a plethora of motivation to pull from in order to drive himself forward. His new life had brought him close to so many amazing people.

His mind instantly latched onto the one it deemed to be most important...

Momo...

He thought back to last night after Mr. Aizawa had left his apartment... The feeling of spending a quiet few hours alone with her on his couch was everything he could have ever asked for in this life. She was his reason to fight... His motivation to get stronger.

He recalled the feeling of bliss he experienced when she snuggled up against him... How wonderful it felt to hold her close as he rested his cheek against the top of her head while they laughed together at the comedy that played on his television...

That moment... Was peace... And he would do everything in his power to protect it... He had to.

After learning of Ingenium's fate... Both of them made a silent promise to themselves that they would get as strong as possible, so that they would always be able to create and share memories together...

It was time for him to live up to that particular promise.

He pushed all the aching pain in his body out of his mind and picked himself back up. He glanced down at the next gravity based exercise...

'Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me...'

He staggered back over to the two electromagnetic weight plates on the ground, and set them to a combined 15 tons. He started walking vertically up one of the giant walls... While holding them perfectly parallel to his body...

The morning air was cool and relaxing... A nice change of pace from the heat that the citizens of Musutafu endured the day before.

A small fog had rolled into the city and provided a pleasant atmosphere for anyone enjoying the start to their day at a coffee shop or small diner.

Peter carefully carried the drinks he had ordered back to the table and sat down with a slight twitch to his facial expression. As usual, he was the cafe's first customer of the day. He pushed his glasses up, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone that had just vibrated.

1 New Message:

Momo :) : You look cute this morning. 3

His cheeks immediately flushed as he looked down at himself. He just looked kinda plain... White T-shirt... Forest green jacket... Jeans... Hat. Nothing too special...

It took him a bit longer than he would care to admit to read between the lines of what she had just sent him.

'Wait a second...'

His head shot up and looked around to find his favorite ravenette, silently chuckling at him from the doorway with her phone in hand.

A goddess in a white sweater...

She loved seeing him flustered. It was kinda rare... She was the only one who seemed to be able to do it, and she relished that little power of her's. She put her phone back in her purse and made her way over to him with a spring in her step. She sat down and beamed at him.

"Morning Peter!" She chirped with a beautifully cheery smile.

"Morning Mo." He replied with a small, tired grin.

As she made herself comfortable, she noticed the two extra shots of espresso on the table. Just before she could ask about them, he grabbed one of the tiny cups and drank the steaming contents inside, before picking up the second one and tilting it back as well. She watched him wince at every move he made and put the pieces together...

"Early start today?" She cocked an eyebrow questioningly as she continued to smile.

He groaned in response as he laid his forehead on the table. She giggled before reaching across the wooden surface to playfully pat his head.

"Awwww... You poor thing." She teased, "Mirko must've sent you one heck of a to-do list... I've never seen you so worn out."

He mumbled something about needing more coffee before raising back up. He dug his phone out of his pocket, pulled up his training list that the rabbit hero had sent him, then slid his phone across the table. "See for yourself."

He watched as her eyes scanned over the screen, "Wow! Looks like she was seriously watching you during the festival... a lot of these exercises look like they could only be done with your quirk and skillset." The further she read, the more her eyes widened. "Geez, she wants you to do this four more times today?!"

"I already knocked 'em out before I got here." He said as he grabbed his mug of regular coffee.

She gaped at him in disbelief, "You've already gone through this routine five times?!?! It's not even eight thirty!! No wonder you look so exhausted... What time did you wake up?"

"Somewhere between the dead of night and the ass crack of dawn..." He said through a yawn as he rubbed his eyes, "I think, like three thirty or something..."

Momo blinked as she watched him drink more caffeine... "Well, I would say that at least you have the rest of the day to nap... Buuut, I don't know if I can go without you for that long. Plus, there's still the small matter of dinner with my parents in front of ya. Still up for it?" She asked.

He chuckled, "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He grabbed her hand, "It's partly why I went ahead and cleared my schedule so early... And since today is a special occasion, I ordered you something a little different that I thought you'd like."

Her eyes lit up with excitement, "Oooo! What is it?!"

He reached a latte cup across the table and sat it down. "A London fog."

She glanced out the window to her left... "Di-... Did you do this just to make a pun?" She chuckled as he turned his head to see the fog outside.

"Nah, that's just a happy accident... Have you ever had one?"

She batted her eyes dreamily at him, "Can't say that I have..."

He suddenly perked up a bit, causing her to internally gush over how cute he was when he got excited to introduce her to something new. "Okay, so I know you're a purist about your tea, but whenever I had a big day ahead of me... First day of school... Science fair... My birthday... Aunt May would grab me one. It was a really nice way to start the morning."

"That's so thoughtful!" She said with a blush before picking up the cup. The smell of Earl Grey, honey, and vanilla wafted up to her face along with the warmth from the steamed milk. She tilted the cup back and her top lip pressed into the foam as she took a sip.

Peter watched her eyes snap open and she quickly took another, much bigger sip. "Whaddya think? Any good?"

She reluctantly sat the cup back down, "It's delightful! You said Aunt May used to get these for you?"

"Yeah, small acts of kindness were kinda her thing." He said as he took a sip of his own drink.

"I wish I could've met her..." Her expression dropped slightly.

Momo suddenly felt him squeeze her hand as he sat his mug to the side, "She would have absolutely loved you Mo. There's not a shadow of a doubt in my mind about it. I may not have anyone to introduce you to anymore... But getting to do small things like that for you... To me, it almost feels like I'm getting to bring you closer to them in a way..." He smiled.

She felt as if her heart was about to explode... "You're literally the sweetest person I've ever met Peter..." She said quietly. The two of them continued to chat back and forth while she savored the rest of her drink.

After a while, he watched her sit her empty cup down and checked his phone. "So, you wanna give me the run down about coming over tonight?"

She suddenly sported a sly grin, "I will... On one condition..."

He raised his eyebrow and waited for her to state her terms.

"You get me a refill to-go..."

"Done." He agreed as he carefully got up from his seat. Before he could get too far, he was stopped by a hand latching onto his wrist...

"And... I'm hungry." She said as she watched him chuckle.

"I could make you breakfast if you want." He offered innocently.

Her eyes shot open and her mouth started to water at the thought of tasting his cooking again. She was about to eagerly accept before she remembered the unbelievable amount of training he had just went through... Still though... The boy could cook...

"A-are you sure? You seem kinda... Sore."

"Yeah totally! It's only gonna get worse if I just sit around without moving... Besides... I'm never too tired to make something for you..." He added sheepishly.

Her eyes sparkled as she hopped up and gently wrapped her arms around his, careful to spare him any discomfort. "Well then... Shall we?"

"Ready when you are." He said warmly.

The two ordered a couple of drinks to-go and began the walk back to his apartment.

*BEEP!!! *BEEP!!! *BEEP!!! *BEEP!!!

"Nghh... Nnnnn.. hn?" Shoto grumbled as his obnoxiously loud alarm clock screamed in his face. He was sprawled out on his bed face down in his own drool, with the blankets only covering one of his legs. The otherworldly amount of food he ate last night seemed to have put him in a food coma...

That... And he accidentally stayed up way later than usual texting back and forth with one of the other members of Team YaoyoRomance...

He smacked his lips together as the taste of his own breath started to bother him. He groaned as the alarm clock continued to blare on his bedside table. He struggled to remember why the hell he even set it to begin with, as he straight up refused to open his eyes.

—"SHOTO!!! TURN THAT GOD DAMN THING OFF ALREADY!!!"— Fuyumi yelled from another room in the house.

*SMASH!!

The alarm clock laid in shambles on the floor against the wall.

—"Thank you."—

The boy sat up on the edge of his bed with his eyes just barely cracked open. He looked around his room and remembered why he had decided to get up this early in the first place...

He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose. The young man got up and threw on some nice-ish clothes. He looked down at the busted alarm clock on the ground...

'Guess I could've just unplugged it... Ah well...'

With that train of thought in mind, he exited his bedroom.

After cleaning himself up in the bathroom, he went to the kitchen where he found his sister and older brother... Both wearing suspicious looking grins on their faces.

"What's got you two so disgustingly smiley this morning?" He asked as they glanced over at one another.

"Oh nothing..." Fuyumi said casually.

Natsuo turned around and grabbed a brown paper bag. "Hungry? I went out and got us all breakfast..."

Shoto skeptically raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?..."

"What are you talking about? Do you want some food or not?" His older brother asked.

Shoto Todoroki was many things... Talented... Sometimes stoic... Funny... Handsome... Powerful... But what he was not, was someone to turn down food. Still, something was... Off... His siblings were being a little too nice this morning for some reason.

He took a step closer, reached into the bag, and pulled out a sausage biscuit... While cautiously staring at his older siblings, who just cocked an eyebrow at his apprehensive behavior.

He slowly unwrapped the breakfast sandwich and sniffed it.

"Uh... Everything o-kay Shoto?" Fuyumi said slowly.

He inspected the food closely...

"Oh for the love of- Shoto just eat the damned thing!" Natsuo shook his head exasperatedly.

He finally took a bite... Then another... And another. "Thanks." He said while he continued to chew and let himself relax.

"No problem buddy!"

"Thirsty?" Fuyumi asked as she handed him a plastic cup of orange juice.

He took it and began to take a sip. Natsuo and Fuyumi glanced over at each other and pulled a couple of straws out of the bag...

And casually started to peel the paper by hand.

Now it made sense...

He immediately recognized what was going on and tried his best to ignore the burning flames of irritation rising within him.

He took a deep breath...

'Not gonna let it get to me... Not gonna say anything... It doesn't bother me... it doesn't bother me... It bothers me. It bothers me a lot-'

He lost it.

"MOTHER FUCKER!!! WOULD YOU TWO JUST OPEN THOSE DAMNED THINGS LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE?!?!?!"

The two in front of him just started cackling as he finished the last bite of his food.

"Oh my God! You were right! That's hilarious!" Natsuo said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Isn't it?!" Fuyumi smirked before turning to her youngest brother, "Why does it piss you off so bad anyway?"

Shoto snatched the bag from Natsuo's hand and pulled out two more sandwiches. "Because if you're going to do something, then you should do it correctly." He said as he devoured one of the biscuits.

"You sound like a dad right now." Natsuo chuckled.

"Someone around here has to..." Shoto grumbled, causing his older brother to choke on his orange juice.

"Speaking of dad... He isn't exactly stoked about you spending over two million yen on raw fish last night... He called and said he wants a word with you when he gets back from work today." Fuyumi said with her arms crossed.

"*Hack *cough Two million?!" Natsuo barely squeaked out as he choked again.

"Small price to pay for crippling trauma." Shoto shrugged.

"Wait... Why wasn't I invited?!"

"You were! But I believe you said, and I quote, 'What would I wanna go hang out with a bunch of kids for?' Ring any bells?" Fuyumi raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know you're only like three years older than us, right?" Shoto commented.

"You really missed out. Shoto's friends are actually super cool, believe it or not..."

Natsuo just grumbled as he took another bite of his food.

"So, anyway, yeah... Dad's pissed and it didn't seem like the prospect of getting your internship is gonna soften the blow as much as you thought... So... What's your plan now genius?" His older sister asked.

"Well, looks like I'm crashing at Parker's for a couple nights..." He shrugged.

"You don't think he'll just come over there and beat you like a red and whited headed step child?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"In order for him to know where Parker lives, he'd have to pay attention to anything going on in my life besides my training." He said as he tossed the wrappers in the trash. "So I'm honestly not too worried about it."

"I love what you've become." Natsuo smirked.

Fuyumi just shook her head. "What are you doing up so early anyway? I figured you'd sleep in after staying up so late texting wi-"

"Oh my god! We're just friends! Why is that so hard for you to grasp?! And how'd you even know about that anyway?!" Shoto narrowed his eyes.

"Because 1,2,3,4 is literally the worst passcode ever. Why even bother having one?" She laughed.

"It'seasytoremember- But that's not the point!!! Why did you break into my phone?!"

"To see which one of those two girls you've got a thing for." His sister stated bluntly.

"How's his game?" Natsuo asked her.

"Non-existent."

"Because. We're. Just. Friends." Shoto said annoyed by the conversation. He checked the time on his phone, "Great... Now I'm running late and I have to change my password..."

"To what... 5,6,7,8?" Fuyumi jabbed.

"Damn it... I mean no!" Shoto said a little too loud to be convincing.

"Wait, what are you running late for?" Natsuo interjected.

"...I'm going to the hospital..." He replied after a short pause, causing his siblings to dropped their cups.

"...Oh..." Natsuo managed to finally say as Fuyumi just continued to stare.

"Yeah... Thanks for the food... I'll see you guys later." He said lowly as he grabbed his backpack off of the counter and started for the door, snapping his sister back to reality.

She hurried after him and latched onto his backpack before he could step out the door. "Shoto, wait..."

He turned around to face her. His sister's eyes were filled with worry. "What if dad finds out?..."

His eyes were absent of any concern for that particular scenario. "Then I guess he can add that to his "talk" he plans on having with me."

"Okay..." She said reluctantly.

Shoto hadn't spoken to their mother since her breakdown. From what little Fuyumi understood, the boy felt like the sight of him would only cause her more pain and suffering. It was heartbreaking... they used to be so close. His mother was all he had whenever things were at their worst during his childhood... Now they could barely be considered strangers.

She wasn't about to stop him... still, she had to know...

"But... Why now?... After all this time..."

He paused...

"There's just some things that I need to figure out... I'll be back in a couple of days... I'll be at Parker's if you need anything..." He sighed, "See ya sis... Try not to worry too much..."

Fuyumi watched her brother turn and walk away from the house until he was just a speck in the distance.

"It's about time..." Natsuo said from behind her as she continued to stand in the doorway. "This will be good for both of them." He rested a hand on his older sister's shoulder...

"I hope so..."

Peter unlocked his door and gestured for Momo to step inside. He watched her enter the living room and laughed to himself as she almost seemed to be inspecting the space around her.

"Everything alright?" He said with an amused grin.

She turned to him with a nervous smile. "Y-yeah... Just checking for any surprise... Guests... I feel so bad for screaming like I did last night... I bet your neighbors hate me." She chuckled as she took a seat on the arm of the couch and sat her purse down next to her.

"I'm sure they'll survive... And don't beat yourself up about the scream. In hindsight, I probably should've warned you that Aizawa just kinda lets himself in from time to time... And Sho basically lives here too... So there's also that..." He said as he walked in and tossed his jacket beside her purse. He began to stretch his arms across his body to relieve some of the soreness in his muscles and joints.

"I'm sorry... I know it might be a bit off-putting..." He said with an apologetic expression. He was well aware that at some point, this "open-door policy" that some of those in his life had assigned to his living space, might become an issue he would need to figure out.

He sighed... He never expected to find so many people who would want to spend this much time around him, so having talks about the subject of boundaries didn't exactly come naturally to him... The last thing he wanted to do, was push anyone away.

If there was one thing he wasn't good at, it was being stuck in between the proverbial rock and hard place.

She noticed the internal conflict taking place in his mind, and a small sympathetic smile appeared on her face. She switched into "supportive girlfriend mode" as she stood up and grabbed his hands.

"Come." She said simply, yet comfortingly as she pulled him towards the middle of the couch.

She sat down, still holding his hands. She released one of them and patted the space on the cushion beside her.

"Sit."

The boy did as he was told and took a seat down beside her. She scooted closer to him and began to trace small, freeform shapes on the back of his hand. Her onyx irises bore a trait of understanding and profound affection for the deep blue ones they stared into. Her smile never left...

"Peter, when I told you that I wanted to be with you... I meant that I wanted a bigger part in the life you live. I want to be in your world, just like I want you in mine. I want there to be a bridge that connects them both." She said with complete sincerity. "I've never had any intention of stepping in and changing anything about the life you've built here. I don't care if Shoto... or Mr. Aizawa... treat this place like it has a revolving front door... I just hope you'll allow me that same privilege... Because I just wanna be here with you."

He just sat there... Dumbstruck by her words. Staring directly into her eyes, he noticed that there was no trace of dishonesty to be found. His brain couldn't make sense of how he got so lucky to have her as a partner... She was truly one of a kind...

"That settles it, I'm about to make you the best breakfast you'll ever eat in your life." He said suddenly, causing her smile to widen with a giggle.

He got up from the couch and made his way into the kitchen. She followed behind him and sat down at the bar, taking the seat in front of the stove in order to give herself a proper view.

As she watched him wash his hands, an idea popped into her head...

"I dunno Peter... You are dating a girl who has eaten at some of the world's most exclusive and renowned restaurants... You may make the best stir fry I've ever tasted, but I've had some of the best brunches money can buy." She said with a smirk, knowing exactly what she was doing...

'Chess not checkers big boy...' she thought slyly to herself with the satisfaction of knowing she had just upgraded a simple breakfast into something more extravagant...

As it turns out, Mirko definitely wasn't the only woman who knew how to speak to his competitive side...

Peter's hand was reaching out for the refrigerator door handle, but it abruptly stopped when her words made it to his ears. He turned around with a cocked eyebrow, and took a few steps closer to her from the other side of the bar.

"That sounds like a challenge..." He said with his palms resting on the edge of the countertop.

Momo just sat with her elbows planted on the bar and her chin resting in her palms. A look that said, 'Whatcha gonna do about it Peter?' was written all over her face as her eyebrows ticked upwards...

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't..." Her tone was cheeky and unbothered.

"Care to make a wager?" Peter asked as he crossed his arms.

"Hmmm..." She tapped her slender fingers rhythmically against her cheeks. Beneath her dignified and sophisticated exterior, was a competitive nature that matched his own. Needless to say, her interest was piqued,"Whatcha got in mind?"

"How 'bout this... Think of the greatest brunch or breakfast you've ever gotten from those high-end restaurants... Get it in your mind... Taste, smell, presentation, everything..." He said as he started to dig out some cookware from his cabinets.

She immediately thought of a specific one... "Alright... Done."

He opened the fridge and turned back around to face her. "I bet that I can not only match it... But put it to shame using only ingredients in this kitchen. If I do, then I plan our first official date... If what I make doesn't measure up, then you win and you can name your prize."

"Interesting... Very interesting... Alright, give it your best shot." She said with a smirk.

"Oh I plan to..." He winked as he started to pull a few things out of the fridge. "You like fried chicken?"

Her mouth began to water again...

Shoto stood like a statue as a large building stared back at him. Eleven years... Eleven long, painful, heartbreaking years had passed since his mother had been dragged kicking and screaming out the front door by the police officers and hospital workers. His father had called them to indefinitely "relocate" her into a psychiatric ward... All while Natsuo and Fuyumi sobbed as they were forced to watch the traumatic scene unfold before their young eyes.

A mother... Broken by an abusive arranged marriage... Had finally snapped, but was now doing everything in her power... Fighting... Desperately flailing... Trying with everything in her entire being to reach her wounded child, who had passed out from the pain she had caused him.

The very second after the boiling water hit his face, Rei snapped out of her breakdown. She screamed so loud from the terror of her own unhinged action, that it drowned out the shrieks of unrelenting pain from her youngest son. The telephone in her hand hit the ground as faint screams could be heard from the woman's mother on the other side, demanding answers to what was going on. Rei scrambled to reach her writhing child as she screamed for help... But she was jerked away by the arm and locked in her bedroom by a furious Enji Todoroki.

The next thing she knew, as she sobbed and shook violently on the ground by the door, those Endeavor had called to take her away were upon her...

The boy absent mindedly touched the scar on his face. He remembered how he cried himself to sleep every single night until he became completely numb to the memories of that day... It was the start of his descent into hatred and resentment towards the life he was born into... The start of how he began to close himself off from the world, only barely saying a handful of words to his siblings... The start of how he began to look at, not only half of his power, but half of himself as an abomination.

"You are not a prisoner of your lineage... It's okay to use your power to become the person that you want to be... I'm so proud of you..."

He brought his hand back down to his side and shoved them into his pockets as he began to walk forward...

It was time to end the chapter on that part of his life...

The past was behind him... He couldn't do anything to change it... But he could control what was written on the next page.

As he entered the hospital, his mind was racing. Would his mother even want to see him after all this time? What would they even say to one another? Would the sight of him send her into another meltdown?...

Could they even hope to rekindle a relationship with one another after all that had transpired?

"Hello there, may I help you?"

He looked up in shock at the sudden sound of a woman's voice. He looked around to find that, in the midst of his jumbled thoughts, he had mindlessly wandered up to the receptionist's desk. The middle aged woman stared at him with an inviting smile.

"Uh... I-I'm here to visit my mother..." He said still trying to refocus himself.

"Name?" She asked kindly as she pulled up the patient list on her computer.

"Rei Todoroki..."

The woman's eyebrows raised and Shoto noticed her glance quickly at the scar over his eye. He suddenly realized that it was very likely that these people knew who he was... And they might turn him away either by request of his father, or due to his involvement in his mother's psychotic break...

"Room 606." She finally said to the boy's surprise.

He thanked the woman and began to follow the signs in the hallway that would lead him to his mother.

After an ascension in the elevator and several minutes of walking, he finally stood outside of the door he had been searching for... He took a deep breath, reached for the handle, and turned it...

As he pushed the door open, he froze.

There... Sitting across the room at a small table, staring out the window... Was his mother.

He tried to swallow but his mouth was dry... All ability to speak had left him the moment he saw the beautiful, long, white hair that fell down over her upper back. He began to tremble... Not from fear, but from all the repressed and forgotten emotions that he had buried deep inside of himself for so long.

The presence of his mother, finally in the same room as him after all this time, caused his eyes to water.

Rei ignored the sound of the door to her room opening. Fuyumi hadn't called to say she'd be stopping by, and hospital staff members were always coming and going throughout the day... This was around the time that the janitor normally came to collect her trash, so she just continued to stare out the window at the busy street below. She watched the people walking around on the ground who had something she didn't...

Freedom.

She sighed, at times like this, she couldn't help but think of her children... How much her daughter was starting to look like her... How Natsuo's features were starting to take on a striking resemblance to her father's... How much they had grown... How much she had missed after being locked away in this place... How they all had changed...

Same thing... Day after day... Week after week... Month after month... For over a decade, these thoughts would pop into her mind in the exact same order... And they would always be followed by the same questions...

What about Shoto?... Was he alright?... Was he safe?...

...Did he ever think about her?...

She would always force the thoughts to stop there, for whenever she allowed them to pile up, tears and heartache were never far behind... But today, for some reason, she couldn't help but allow herself to linger on the subject of her youngest born, if only for a little while longer... Even if it meant she would have to feel the sting of her mistake yet again...

Before she could break down under the weight of her own sorrow... A voice she had never heard before called out from behind her.

—"Hi mom..."—

Her eyes shot open and began to fill with tears. Her body began to tremble. The world outside her window became blurry and indiscernible, until she blinked the droplets down her face...

A mother's connection to her child was a fascinating and powerful thing... Though the voice that called out to her was completely foreign, she knew exactly who it belonged to...

She was afraid to move... If she turned around to find that her mind had fabricated his voice, it would destroy her...

But at the same time... She had to know if it was real...

As she turned around, she saw a sight she had nearly given up on ever seeing again...

"Sh-Sho...to?..." She breathed in disbelief as he shut the door behind him.

She slowly stood up, shaking like a leaf tossed around in a hurricane...

He looked so grown... So handsome...

Her gaze fell on her son's scar and more tears spilled down her cheeks... But before she could say a word...

A pair of arms embraced her...

The very second he had started cooking, incredible smells began to waft throughout the apartment, letting Momo know that she was in danger of losing their friendly little "wager". She watched him multi task with unbelievable skill as he did everything in his power to cut down on the time it would take to get everything prepared.

An impressive feat, considering the fact that he was literally making everything from scratch.

"So what exactly are you making?" She asked as the aroma mesmerized her.

He smiled as he tasted something he had pulled off the stove to cool. "You'll see... It'll be done in three minutes." He said deviously as he glanced up to see her pouting.

"Oh come on..." She huffed. "Can't I at least get a hint?" She whined.

"Two minutes and fifty eight seconds..." He smirked as he continued to work diligently. "But... You can tell me how this tastes." He said as he grabbed a spoon and dipped it into a concoction he had pulled from his fridge. He reached over the bar as she leaned forward, allowing him to place the utensil in her mouth.

Her eyes shot open as her taste buds rejoiced. "What is that?!" She asked with an expression of wonder.

He chuckled, "A roasted red pepper vinaigrette I threw together yesterday... I was gonna go with a remoulade... But you made this into a challenge so I decided to show off a bit."

She just blinked in disbelief as he began to turn off the burners and grabbed a few plates. "Alright, all done..."

Momo sat up straight with an eager grin as she watched him begin to assemble his creations on the plates.

Peter turned around but kept the food out of her sight. "Now just to be clear... None of this is exactly what I'd call healthy... But since this little bet is centered around the category of taste... I decided to hit it with a little bit of American charm..."

She raised an eyebrow with an amused smile, "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"A lot of fried stuff." he said bluntly, earning a chuckle from her.

"Ahh... Well, I believe in treating myself from time to time... So I'm excited!" She beamed.

He opened the fridge and poured her a glass of orange juice. Then he grabbed a fork, knife, and a few napkins and placed them down in front of her.

"No chopsticks this time, huh?" She said as she took a sip of juice.

"Yeah, they won't do ya any good with this..."

"Enough stalling... Gimme." She said as she sat her glass down.

"Alright... Here ya go." He said as he put a small plate in front of her first. "To start off, here are some fried green tomatoes with the vinaigrette you just had, crumbled goat cheese, and basil... Careful, they're really hot." He warned as he revelled in her dumbfounded expression.

She just stared at the plate with her lips parted as she admired the presentation. It looked like a world class chef had plated it.

Before she could comment he sat down another plate. "Aunt May's famous fried potatoes... And..." He said as he handed her the last plate.

Her eyes sparkled as she stared down at the most delicious looking thing she'd ever seen...

"A fried chicken biscuit with bacon, homemade jalapeño pimento cheese, homemade maple syrup, and a poached egg... Enjoy." He said as he turned around and started piling dishes into the sink.

She was speechless. Words had completely failed her... Her mouth was practically a waterfall at this point... It smelled... Divine. She knew he could cook, but this was closer to art...

"This looks... Absurdly delicious..." She shook her head. Her boyfriend was an absolute gem...

"You know what would make it even better?" He said deviously over his shoulder.

"What's that?" She finally managed to say, unable to take her eyes off the plates in front of her.

"Take a picture and send it to Jiro and Ashido." He chuckled.

Momo let out an evil laugh as she snapped a picture and began typing. She sent the message to their group chat and sat her phone down to the side.

"We'll be lucky if they aren't trying to break the door down after they see that..." She snickered.

"What'd you say?"

"I just said that the best restaurant in town happens to be your apartment."

"So how do you like your chances in our little bet now?" He smirked.

"Oh I already won." She said casually as she took another sip of OJ.

Peter's confident smirk vanished, but his spirits remained high at the sight of her excitement, "You haven't even tasted it yet!" He laughed.

"Oh... my sweet, beautiful, handsome, treasure of a human... Haven't you ever heard of a win-win situation?" She winked at him, causing one of his eyebrows to raise as he smiled in amusement. "This was never about comparing your cooking to someone else's..." She revealed to him.

The look of satisfaction on her face told him everything he needed to know. He had just played right into her hands.

"You just got me riled up to get yourself a gourmet breakfast... and absolved yourself of any planning responsibilities for our first date..." He looked at her thoroughly impressed. "You're too powerful." He shook his head with a smile.

"I told you yesterday... You've met your match when it comes to these little battles of wit and intelligence you're so fond of..." She said with a suspiciously innocent smile.

"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to become a trend?" He chuckled as he grabbed a can of seltzer from the fridge. He made his way around the counter and sat beside her as she was taking her first bite.

"So what's the verdict?" He asked as he witnessed any semblance of proper dining etiquette his girlfriend possessed, fly straight out the window. She began eating at a pace that rivalled his own.

It was, without a doubt, the best food she had ever had... It was a perfect balance of every possible taste sensation. The biscuit was soft and fluffy, and the bacon and chicken provided a satisfying crunch. The savory pimento cheese was checked by the delectable sweetness of the syrup... Everything was nice and hot. Every single bite was just as amazing as the first.

She finally registered that he had asked her a question as he popped the tab of his seltzer can.

She looked at him like he had just changed her whole world when it came to eating.

"That good, huh?" He winked.

"... I honestly have no words..."

"Glad you like it." He said with a sincere smile.

"Aren't you gonna eat anything?" Momo said noticing that he didn't fix himself a plate despite all the extra food he had prepared.

"Nah, I already did."

"Then why'd you make so much extra food?"

"So you could take some home to your parents." He shrugged.

"Major brownie points. My mother lives for food like this." She smiled.

The young couple continued their meaningful conversation and snappy banter as Momo carried on with the meal in front of her. Neither could recall a time they had experienced such a perfect start to a day... And they cherished every second of it.

She finished her last bite and stood up with her empty dishes in hand, only for a web to snatch them away. He got up with a grin and took them to the sink for her as she rolled her eyes... But couldn't stop the dreamy smile that had made its way onto her face.

Peter sat the dishes in the pile, but before he could turn around, he felt the arms of his girlfriend wrap around his waist.

"Thank you..." She said softly.

He paused for a brief moment out of surprise before maneuvering himself to face her while still in her hold. "Its only two plates Mo, it's not a big deal."

"It's not that... Well- it's kind of that, but... Not in the way you're looking at it..."

"Whaddya mean?" He said unable to fight off the yawn that escaped from his mouth.

She looked at him with undying affection, "I'll tell you sometime when you aren't exhausted. You need to rest... So I'm gonna head out..." She said reluctantly. The young lady wanted nothing more than to curl up with him on the couch and just fall into a cat nap after all the fried food she had just put away... But there would be plenty of time for that in the future... Besides, she had some training of her own to knock out before the boy showed up to meet her family.

"I'm not too tired to walk you home..." He said gently.

"I know you aren't... But Peter, you woke up extremely early to do a workout routine that can only be described as unhinged, came straight from that to meet me for coffee, then took me back to your home... And instead of taking a second to rest, you made me a three Michelin star worthy breakfast, and wouldn't even let me carry my own dishes ten feet to the sink..." She said as she cupped his cheek in her hand. "I come from the wealthiest family in Japan and yet I've never felt so spoiled... So please... Just rest now."

He sighed with a smile as he reached up and grabbed her hand, "I will... after I walk you home. Non-negotiable... Besides, someone's gotta carry all that food." He nodded to the counter where he had packed up the food he had made for her to take home to Mr. And Mrs. Yaoyorozu.

As she looked into his eyes, she could tell that he wasn't going to budge. "Alright... But promise me that you'll get some rest when you get back here... Please..."

"You have my word. I'm not sure that taking a header into my food would be a great first impression anyway." He agreed.

Momo grabbed her purse as Peter grabbed the food and the two headed out the door.

The smell of cheap coffee filled the air of UA High School's teacher's lounge... And a certain long haired professor, couldn't get the caffeine into his body fast enough...

He was not alone in that respect... A healthy number of his coworkers also waited (im)patiently for the machine to brew them a remedy for their weariness.

This year's sports festival was finally over, which meant that after a full day of blood pumping adrenaline... Heart stopping showdowns... And constantly pushing themselves to "Plus Ultra" levels... The students could finally enjoy a much needed day of rest and recovery...

For the teachers however... It was all hands on deck... And it had been for quite some time now.

In fact, the staff members of the revered academy had never seen such an influx of internship offers for their students as they did this year. As soon as the quarter finals ended, the first offer came through, and set off a domino effect of epic proportions.

Every single pro hero in Japan wanted to throw their masks in the ring for a chance to mentor the promising young upstarts...

With his mug finally refilled for the eleventh time, Aizawa brought it up to his lips and tasted the burnt and bitter liquid... He mentally cursed whichever one of these cheap bastards whose turn it was to stock the coffee cabinet, but continued to drink it anyway.

Sure it was god awful to the point of almost being unbearable... But it was most definitely the only thing keeping him, and some of his other colleagues, awake right now...

The first year teachers were busier than they had ever been after the world famous event.

He sighed as he rubbed his baggy eyes... The only upside to this whole ordeal, was the fact that his long time best friend was so tired, that he spoke at a normal volume for a change...

The usually bombastic blonde sat his mug down beside Shouta. "Ugh, hit me." He said groggily.

The erasure hero's eyes slowly looked up from his mug...

*SMACK

"RRRRAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!! YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!!"

"Mmmmmhmmhmmhmm... ~Hostile work environment~..." Midnight purred seductively at Aizawa, who just rolled his eyes and leaned back against the counter.

"These first year's really put on quite a performance this time around... 'specially that youngin in your class Eraser." Snipe said as he hunched over on the couch.

"He's not the only one... Have you seen the stacks for Enji's boy and Miss Yaoyorozu? Those two didn't even make it to the finals and they're still fairing incredibly well." Cementoss added.

"Class 1A really stole the entire show this year..." Midnight proclaimed with a grin... Aforementioned grin turned into a smirk as she leaned over towards Class B's homeroom teacher beside her... "And just how does that make you feel, big guy?" The woman jabbed.

"My students are charting very well in their own right, thank you very much." The large white headed man responded, but was unable to hide the tick mark throbbing on the side of his head. "They just need to be pushed a little harder."

"I heard that Mirko even put in an offer for the first time this year..." Hound Dog added.

"Let me guess... She wants that hot headed Bakugo kid..." Snipe responded.

"Not quite, they'd be a match made in hell, creating a perfect storm of unchecked ego... Besides... She isn't the type of person who would settle for second best..." Midnight crossed her legs.

"So she wants Parker then... Geez, just when I thought that kid couldn't get any more powerful..." Power Loader shuddered.

The discussions continued to fly back and forth between everyone in the room... All except for one who remained quiet in her seat, staring into the steaming contents of her mug... It wasn't until her long silence was brought to light by Present Mic, that she finally spoke...

"Anan? Is everything okay? You're not usually this quiet..." The voice hero asked as he sat down across from her and rubbed his cheek that now sported a faint handprint across it.

The woman noticed the room fall silent and felt all her colleague's eyes shift to her.

"This is the first time that this many top ranked pro heroes have made offers to students this young... Which means their internships could prove to be dangerous..." Thirteen said without looking up from her cup...

She was there that day... When it happened...

"What is that thing?? Has the training started already? I thought we were supposed to work on rescuing people..."

"STAY BACK!!!... This is real!!! Those are villains!!"

She would never forget the fear on the faces of those same kids when the USJ was invaded...

...Or the terror that gripped their souls when Tomura Shigaraki first lets his hoarse raspy voice echo throughout the facility...

"Where is he?... I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who were eager to meet him... They want All Might... The great Symbol of Peace... I can't believe he's not here..."

The scars on her back from that terrible day started to burn like they were fresh. She remembered how the young psychopath lifted his arms into the air... Almost as if he were about to start conducting a malevolent symphony of bloodshed, utter destruction, and chaos...

"Maybe if I kill a few kids, then he'll come out to play..."

The black hole heroine slowly looked up at the only other person who could truly understand her concern...

"Be honest Shouta... Are they ready to face that fear again?..."

He furrowed his brow as she stared through him...

Finally he decided to respond, "I can't speak for Class B, but regarding my own students, the top rated pros are only putting in offers for the one's who I believe can handle themselves just fine. They're staying away from those who still need to get their feet wet... So take that to heart and try not to worry too much."

Before anyone else could comment further, the door opened and the skeletal figure of Toshinori Yagi entered. He immediately noticed the exhaustion that those already in the room were carrying with them.

"Sorry I'm late..." He said as he made his way towards the coffee maker.

"Get a good night's sleep?" Midnight asked with a hint of irritable jealousy in her voice.

"Not as much as I would've liked... Evil doesn't rest." He sighed. As he passed Aizawa he leaned in and said something under his breath about Principal Nezu wanting a word with him.

The long haired man sighed as he began to make his way towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Mic called out to him, "You better not be sneaking off somewhere to take a nap!!!"

"I'm getting back to work... The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can leave." He said as he exited the room.

Down the hall to the right, would eventually lead him back to what was affectionately referred to during the two days after the sports festival, as UA's War Room... Where numerous amounts of Ectoplasm's clones were diligently answering phone calls, receiving faxes, and checking emails... All while carefully organizing and dividing the offers out amongst the other staff members to compile into a list for each student.

The man let out a sigh, knowing full well that today held no end in sight to the paperwork in front of him... Before turning to the left to head towards Principal Nezu's office. After a short while, he reached the little furry creature's door...

*Knock *Knock "Knock

-"Come in."-

Shouta opened the door, stepped inside, and was greeted by Nezu's regular proper and sophisticated mannerisms.

"Ah, hello Aizawa... Please take a seat and have some tea." The critter said as he pushed a silver tray across his desk and took a sip from his much tinier cup.

'More caffeine definitely wouldn't hurt...' he thought as he reached for the other cup.

"I hope you don't take offense to this observation, but your coat seems to have lost a bit of it's shine... Have you been getting proper rest?"

The man found the creature's obsession with hair to be a bit... Odd... But then again... He is an animal... Of some kind.

"I've been a bit too busy to rest as of late..." He answered plainly yet honestly.

"Ah yes, I should have known. I presume that since you didn't seek me out on your own accord, that you have nothing to report on the leak situation..."

The man sighed... All of his free time since the USJ attack had been spent gathering what little information he could dig up about the League of Villains, and who they used to obtain the information used to carry out their plan... Yet, the only progress he had managed to make was ruling out a handful of students.

Those villains who had escaped remained an unsolvable mystery...

And Tomura Shigaraki... Was a ghost...

Nothing could be found about the ring leader of the band of anarchist that attacked them. No birth certificate... No prior criminal record... No relationships to any living person...

There was no record anywhere of someone even existing with that name...

"I have nothing to report as of yet... But I did manage to talk to Parker alone yesterday and found that we share a similar line of thinking revolving around Minoru Mineta... We believe that if no new information is obtained by the League or any attacks are made in the coming months, then it could be safe to assume that his expulsion will have plugged the leak."

"The reasoning you two share is sound... But still, we mustn't allow ourselves to lose focus on the fact that it is only a theory... We must be certain beyond any doubt that it is correct before we relax our search efforts... Have you been able to track down the boy's whereabouts?" The white furred principal asked.

"I've been following him for close to a month now. He attends a regular high school with no hero track... And works part time as a bus boy at a restaurant in the middle of town... He hasn't made any suspicious movements or had any dealings with shady individuals..."

"Keep an eye on him as you continue your search elsewhere as well... The most heinous actions take time to carry out..." Nezu advised. "Now... What of Miss Yaoyorozu's involvement in our investigation?"

"I informed her of the situation in full last night... As you requested."

"Splendid! I think you'll find that those two students of your's will prove more than useful in this matter." Nezu said optimistically. "It truly is a beautiful thing to see such young minds grow at such a rapid pace. Most of you humans could only dream of reaching their level of intellect even after your brains have fully developed... Having their aid gives me great comfort and reassurance... But do not forget that they are still young... For it is your job to guide them during this operation."

Aizawa nodded as he took another sip of tea.

Nezu took his pause as an opportunity to continue. "However, I did not call you in here today to discuss the leak with you."

The man raised an eyebrow, "Then, with all due respect... Why am I here?"

"Because I wanted to inform you that there is a strong possibility that you will be receiving a new student." Nezu said as he slid a folder across his desk in front of the long haired man.

The fog had finally disappeared and the birds had begun to sing in the late morning hours around Musutafu. Sunday morning was peaceful in the city... Traffic was light... The leaves could be heard rustling in the cool breeze... And people were not in such a hurry to get anywhere...

Everything was calm and beautiful during this time of day at the end of a long and busy week... The world seemed to slow down a bit...

The perfect setting for a nice walk shared by Class 1A's pair of geniuses ... And they took full advantage of the scenery... Laughter... smiles... wit... And stories started to fly back and forth as soon as their trek had began. The journey gave them time to talk about anything and everything under the sun, and by the time they had made it across town, their conversation turned towards the subject of internships...

"So... Hiroshima... Ever been there?" Peter asked as they approached a crosswalk.

"Yes actually... There's a lot of museums that I like there... Beautiful temples... Really good food... I think you'll like it a lot." She said as she squeezed his hand happily.

"Yeah, from what I've heard, it's an amazing place... But judging by the amount of training Mirko has me doing already, I've got a feeling that I probably won't be doing much sight seeing."

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to go on our own time... I think taking trips with you would be a lot of fun." She said with a loving smile as they started to see the top of her family's manor coming into view.

"I'd like that..." He grinned as they crossed the street. "Anyway, enough about me... Do you have anyone you're crossing your fingers to get an offer from?"

"Well, I'm not really hoping for anyone too specifically... My quirk isn't exactly a common one... I don't really know of anyone outside of UA who could help me further it's growth... So I'm going to try and pick someone who can help me progress in other areas, such as my combat abilities." She said, silently hoping that someone fitting that particular bill would show up on her list.

"Wise as ever..." He said with a nod. "Think you'd be willing to let me get a peek at your list when you get it?"

Her eyes lit up, "Are you kidding?! I can't wait to show you! Mr. Aizawa said that a couple of top ranked heroes had already sent some offers in for me!"

Peter would never get tired of seeing the drastic change in her confidence. It was such a polar opposite from their first hero exercise together. He was so proud of how far she'd come, and his smile clearly showed it. "Seems like all your hard work paid off... I may not know too much about the pros in this country... But something I do know, is that whoever you choose..." His eyes softened, "Is getting to train one of the greatest heroes of our generation."

The way he looked at her... Those words that came so effortlessly off his tongue... The sincerity in his voice... Would forever be etched in her mind.

An all too familiar shade of pink once again dusted over her cheeks as they reached the sidewalk that would eventually lead them to her front gate. Even though she really did want him to get some rest, she couldn't help but smile happily as they slowed their pace down to extend the last little bit of their trip. Both of them were set on squeezing every second they possibly could out of their first morning together as an official couple.

She gently leaned her body against his. "I hope we have a lot more mornings like this in the future..." She said softly.

He breathed an exhale of contentment, "We will... I promise."

After a few more minutes of walking at a snails pace, they finally reached the front gate of her home. Momo typed in the code and the extravagant entryway began to open out towards them. She reluctantly released his hand and stepped towards the pathway before turning around to face him.

She took a few steps into his personal space and began to fix the collar of his jacket. Her voice took on a softness that told a story of how deeply she cared for his well being, "Dinner's at six... Show up at four for introductions and conversation... Dress casual... And prepare for a lot of questions." She chuckled as she straightened his hat for him. Her touch was delicate and loving as she brought a hand down to his cheek.

"Now... What are you gonna do when you get back home?" Momo asked with a questioning look, as her thumb stroked across the side of his face.

"Mirko training round six. Got it!" He smirked.

"Peter..."

"Relax Mo, I'm just kidding... I'm probably gonna pass out as soon as I hit the couch." He admitted with a smile that was so golden that it caused her to do something... Spontaneous...

What happened next was not a result of any prior plan in place... It was just instinctual... Purely natural... A reflex of the heart...

In the heat of the moment where she was absolutely captivated by that very smile, she raised up on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips against his cheek. "Good boy..." She said in a voice just above a whisper.

He froze as every ounce of blood in his body rushed to his face. His eyes shot open and his lips parted slightly as he just stood there with no ability to speak... breathe... Or even blink.

Momo's heels touched the ground again and she took a step backwards. A smitten grin was plastered on her face as she let out a small giggle at the state he was in... It was almost as if she had broken his brain... Which in turn, both increased her confidence further, and amused her at the same time.

God she loved the power she held over him...

"You uhhh... Gonna hand over the food there Peter?" She said as she smirked with a cocked eyebrow.

He still couldn't speak. It took every bit of his brainpower to just raise his arm that carried the bag of food, which she happily grabbed.

"See ya later handsome... Try not to let that short circuit your mind too much... Like I said... You'll have a lot of questions to answer later..." She said as she turned around and started down the pathway, while the gate closed in the poor boy's frozen face.

As she neared the middle of the path, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention...

In one of the windows of the third floor, she could clearly see her mother squealing in delight through a massive smile.

"Well... I guess I have some questions to answer too..." She muttered to herself as she made a mental note to stop showing so much affection right outside her own house in broad daylight.

As she continued towards the front door she mentally prepared herself to face a wildly excited YaoMama... But as soon as she reached the steps, the door shot open...

Momo's eyes widened in surprise to see her mother somehow already standing in the doorway, only barely managing to contain the excitement inside her.

"Just so you know, I'm speaking calmly right now... But there's an outburst brewing inside me, the likes of which this entire country has never seen." Yana spoke so fast that it was almost impossible to process what she'd just said.

"What th- You were just on the third floor! How did you get down here so fast?!?!" Momo asked bewildered by the blinding speed her mother must've moved at in order to beat her to the front door.

"Nevermind that, it's not important..." She said in a frantically giddy tone, "Now, you have two options... You can come give me all the details about what I just saw willingly... Or I can squeeze them outta you like a python... Lovingly, of course..." The matriarch of the household smirked.

'Oh boy...'

Time had passed incredibly fast for the youngest member of the Todoroki family... His first visit with his mother had gone much better than he could have ever hoped...

At first there was a very long silence, where the tears that were shed were the only things that spoke... But as the seconds turned to minutes, the mother and son were finally talking again. The experience was cathartic for both of them... And their reunion, though only lasting a short while in the grand scheme of things, was extremely productive.

Old wounds were finally beginning to heal...

A path forward to recovery and reconciliation was now clearly in front of them.

Rei took her gifted opportunity to apologize profusely for her actions buried deep in the past behind them... Only to find that Shoto never held any resentment or animosity towards her for what happened... And never once did he blame her... In fact, he revealed that the thought of her being anywhere besides the house that bore her so much pain, brought him comfort in moments when his mind centered around her.

A feeling of release and relief unlike anything the woman had ever experienced began to replace the immense sense of sorrow that had become far too familiar to her.

After a very long and highly emotional walk down memory lane, Shoto decided to take control of the conversation and steered it in a more positive direction... The group of friends he made... The steps he was taking in order to become a hero... His classmates at UA... But the thing he talked about most, was the new kid from America that he had formed a sibling-like bond with, who had become his best friend.

The white haired woman hung onto her son's every word as he told her all about the life he was living in the outside world... And upon hearing it all, Rei Todoroki... Actually smiled.

Despite everything he had been through... Her son was not only surviving, but thriving. He was building a life for himself that would bring him happiness. He was walking the path of a hero for himself, not because of his father's insistence. He had surrounded himself with those who he could lean on in times of despair...

The hours passed by at speed much faster than they both realized, and before they knew it, Shoto's visitation hours for the day had been spent. It was hard to watch him stand up and walk towards the door to leave, but before he opened it, he promised her that he would be back as soon and as often as he could...

Her room at the hospital always felt like a cage... And she was the bird trapped inside... However, her visit with her son... And his promise to visit her on a regular basis... Made it feel a lot less like a prison... Her smile... Though small and tired... Had finally returned, and had remained even after he left.

Shoto exited the hospital to a find the sun shining down on the world in a way he had never truly experienced. He felt light... Such a heavy burden that had taken up so much space in his brain... Was gone. The air felt fresher. Colors seemed more vibrant... Life just felt... Better.

He began his walk across town and pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time...

It was just past noon... He blinked in surprise at how fast time had moved once he had stepped foot in the hospital...

Just as he was about to put his phone away, it started to ring. He raised an eyebrow as he read the name on the screen.

Incoming call from: Yaoyorozu

He tapped the screen and brought it up to his ear...

"Hello?"

"Hey Todoroki! Are you going to Peter's apartment anytime soon?" Momo asked in a chipper tone.

"Uh yeah... I'm actually heading that way right now." He said as he remembered the words of warning from his older sister earlier. "Probably gonna be crashing there for a couple days... Why?"

He heard her chuckle on the other side of their call, "Oh yeah, I heard you've got some daddy issues going on." She playfully jabbed through her laughter.

"You don't even know the half of it..." he grumbled to himself.

"Huh?"

"Nothing- How'd you hear about that?" He said quickly to throw her mind off his previous comment.

"Fuyumi." / "Fuyumi." They said at the same time as the boy rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I hate to bug you, but I need a favor..."

"What's up?"

"You remember how Peter said he's gonna do his internship with Mirko?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, after we got back to his apartment last night, she sent him a pretty wild workout routine to prepare him for it. He let me have a look at it this morning... It's terrifying." The ravenette emphasized.

Mirko had a reputation throughout Japan for her... intensity... And the mere thought of being given an exercise routine that she created made him shudder a bit.

"He's supposed to go through it no less than five times a day... But since he doesn't exactly know how to slow down, he started at three AM and knocked it all out before eight this morning."

"Why the hell didn't he just space them out throughout the day?" He asked with a furrowed brow, clearly confused as to why his usually methodical best friend chose to approach the situation like a lunatic...

"He said he wanted to go ahead and clear his schedule for the day. He's coming over to meet my parents later."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense..." He said, "So what? You want me to go over there and make sure he's still got a pulse?" He joked.

"Nah he'll survive, I made him promise that he'd rest when he got home, so he should be asleep right now." She explained. "I've never seen him tired before... It was like seeing an excited puppy with a cast on its leg, I couldn't help but pity him a bit. So what I need you to do is wake him up in time to make it over to my place by four, and make sure he stays asleep until then..."

"Is that it? Yeah, I can do that no problem." He said with confidence as he crossed a street. "It's easier to raid his fridge when he's asleep anyway."

"Well... There might be a couple of factors that make it a little more difficult than you'd expect..."

"Like what?" He cocked an eyebrow as his tone dropped slightly.

Her voice took on a more nervous quality as she began to explain, "So... Peter might have made me breakfast..."

"Okay? What's the big de-"

*Ding

He pulled his phone away from his face to look at the screen.

1 New Message: Yaoyorozu

Image

He opened it and his eyebrows shot up before putting the phone back to his ear. "Damn, he really went all out, didn't he?"

"Yeah well, turns out, you aren't the only one I sent that picture to today..."

His eyes widened in horrific realization. "Oh no..."

"Yeeeaaah..."

"No no no no nononononono! No way Yaoyorozu! I am not standing in between those two and that door when they come looking for food!!!" He protested adamantly.

"Oh come on Todoroki! Please! I've tried calling them both, but they aren't picking up. I'm afraid they're already on their way over to terrorize him!"

"Yeah they probably are." He agreed in an overly obvious tone. "What did you think they'd do when they saw that picture?!"

Momo let out a nasally exhale, "Look, I admit that I may have had a small lapse in judgement and got a bit braggy... But seriously, have you ever had homemade jalapeño pimento cheese?... It changes you..."

"Okay now you're just rubbing it in..." He shook his head.

"You are helping me with this." She stated firmly, "Because you need me to keep those two in line when... not if... When they threaten you with castration again."

"Okay, okay! Fine! I'll do it..." He sighed in defeat. "But it's not like I'm going to be able to just convince them to not break his door down by asking nicely... Got any ideas?"

"Hmmm..." She pondered his valid concerns, "I think your best bet would be to redirect them with other high-end foods. Nothing around here is gonna be even close to as good as what Peter made, but they don't know that factually... Maybe giving them the option to choose something else would prove enticing... Oh, and you should probably keep the fact that you're doing this as a favor to me to yourself... If you tell them, they'll likely ignore you just to spite me..." She grumbled.

"That's not a bad idea... But those "daddy issues" you and Fuyumi talked about earlier, have left me a little strapped for cash... I can't even afford a shitty burger from a fast food place right now..." He grumbled at the unfortunate situation he had brought upon himself.

"Oh yeah that reminds me... Fuyumi gave me your Venmo if you wanna go ahead and check that..."

Shoto squinted in confusion as he pulled the phone away from his face again and tapped the application, "Why would she give you m- WHY IS THERE SO MUCH IN HERE?!" he said as he nearly dropped his phone.

"Oh good it went through... These apps sometimes crash when you put too many zeros in." She said nonchalantly.

Shoto just speechlessly gawked at the insanely large number on his phone screen. Before he could protest, she spoke again.

"Alright, I gotta go. Just use that to keep those maniacs busy while Peter sleeps and use whatever's left to pay back your dad... Again, don't forget to wake him up to get over here by four."

"Yeah okay..." He barely managed to squeak out as the shock of seeing so much money suddenly in his possession still had a firm hold on him

"And Todoroki..."

"Yeah?..."

"If Peter isn't resting... Please let me know." She said ominously.

"Y-yep. Can do..." He stammered.

"Thanks a lot! Talk to ya later!" Her innocently chipper tone instantly returned before the call ended.

"See ya..."

*Beep *Beep *Beep

"Are you sure about this Jiro?"

"What's there to not be sure about? The way I see it, that picture was an invitation to come get our hands on some brunch." The purple haired girl shrugged.

"Then why are we ignoring her calls?" The pinkette questioned.

"Plausible deniability." Kyoka answered as they entered the apartment building.

"Ooooh that's smart." Mina smirked.

They noticed the out of order sign on the elevator and muttered a few choice words for their misfortune before making their way up the stairs.

The chatter in the hallway coming from the two could be heard from all the way in Peter's living room... And the second the sound of an overly excited Ashido faintly hit the ears of Shoto Todoroki, he shot up from the couch and bolted to the door.

Just before Kyoka was about to turn the knob, the door quickly swung open and Shoto stepped out. He quietly closed the door behind him and found himself in the exact scenario he tried desperately to escape earlier... But luckily, thanks to the heads up that Momo gave him, he had plenty of time to plan out the interaction accordingly.

"Sup Candy Cane?" Jiro said as she tried to push past him.

Every single instinct inside of him normally would've told him to do anything but what he did next.

"If you're looking for food, you aren't gonna find it here." He said as he covered the doorknob with his hand.

"Um... We have photographic evidence that says otherwise." Kyoka countered as her jacks twitched slightly, making poor Shoto stiffen up a bit.

"You're talking about this right?" He said as he pulled out his phone and showed them the picture that Momo had sent him.

"Hells yeah! Outta the way pretty boy, Mama wants some chicken!" Mina said as she reached out and tried to remove Shoto's hand from the knob... Still he held firm.

"Well "Mama" is unfortunately S.O.L."

"The hell does that mean?" The pink girl responded.

"Shit outta luck." He said with a shrug, doing his best to keep his composure... Much like an encounter with a wild beast out in nature, his best bet was to try to make himself look as big and confident as possible while standing his ground. The approach seemed to be working on Ashido, who crossed her arms in a pouting fashion... But between the two of them, she wasn't the one who concerned him the most.

"Todoroki..."

He felt himself falter at the tone of Kyoka's voice... One glance at her unenthusiastic expression was all it took to fill his mind with internal screaming.

"Let me not find out that I walked up a gagillion of those dumbass stairs, just to hear that you ate whatever was left over..." She warned through gritted teeth, while her jacks slowly began to slither towards him.

"I didn't get any of it either!" He waved his arms out in front of him frantically. "Kinda bummed about it to be honest." He admitted under his breath.

"Bullshit." Jiro crossed her arms.

"Huh?"

"I don't believe for one second that you didn't break into the fridge the moment you got here." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

"Oh, I totally did! But there's nothing in there." He lied.

"How do we know you're not lying to save your own ass?" Mina cocked an eyebrow at him with a smirk. She was finding an odd amount of enjoyment in watching him try to navigate the situation he was in... So naturally, she had to dig his hole deeper for her own entertainment.

He was about to respond, when suddenly a miracle saved him...

*Gurgle

Both girls immediately looked at his stomach, then at one another.

"Okay, that checks out." Mina said with a sigh, filling the boy with a sense of relief. "So now what?"

Jiro raised an eyebrow at her accomplice, "Whaddya mean? We go in there, tell Parker to put the apron back on, and have him make us something to eat." She said as she reached for the handle again... Only for Shoto to step in between her hand and the door again.

"Already tried that." He lied, "But he's passed out in a Mirko-induced coma on the couch. Nothing is waking him up. Besides, judging by that picture Yaoyorozu sent, and how many dishes are piled up in his sink, it's probably take him a long ass time to get anything made." He tried to reason with them. "Why don't you guys just come grab something to eat with me instead? You can choose where we go..." He offered while mentally crossing his fingers.

The two girls looked at each other, then quickly turned around and huddled together. Shoto watched with a sweat drop as they conversed in "secrecy" via their very loud whispering, until Mina suddenly popped her head up.

"Are you buying?" She asked.

"Uhhh... Yeah?" He responded. 'That's a good sign...'

The duo continued to whisper back and forth, then finally, they turned around to face him.

"Alright Climate Change, let's go. Hope you brought your dad's credit card again, because I'm starving." The pink one chuckled as they started back towards the stairs.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he followed behind them, leaving Peter to sleep peacefully on his couch...

'Don't say I've never done anything for you dude...'

Hours passed by in the blink of an eye, and at three thirty in the afternoon, Shoto Todoroki exhaustedly pushed open the door to his best friend's apartment. The sight of Peter sleeping peacefully without a care in the world caused him to grumble to himself.

It wasn't that he didn't have a good time with the two ladies he had spent the last few hours with... He actually really enjoyed himself quite a bit... It was the fact that the picture Yaoyorozu had sent them, was never too far from their minds. On multiple occasions, they wanted to go back to the apartment to try and wake up Peter... Even after going to an extremely popular restaurant...

Needless to say, poor Shoto was stuck doing damage control for a good portion of the time...

Luckily for him, he wasn't exaggerating when he told his best friend that you can learn a lot about people by keeping quiet and watching those around you.

Using what he had observed, he managed to flawlessly redirect the girls by offering to accompany them in a few things taylored to their specific interests... For Jiro, it was easy, she wore her love for music on her sleeve... So a couple stops at a vintage record shop and Guitar World proved more than enough to take her mind off of Yaoyorozu's food based thirst trap...

As for Mina, she was a bit harder to read. Ever since she hit Shoto's radar, her main focus always seemed to be on others and making them happy. Her bouncy and bubbly nature never failed to leave a smile on her face. She always appeared thrilled to just be included in whatever fun adventure was at hand. However, a stop at a popular clothing outlet store seemed to suffice, and as they passed an arcade, Shoto witnessed her be pulled almost magnetically to a dance machine where she absolutely demolished the previous high score.

He had learned quite a bit about his two new friends during their outing... And getting to watch them reveal a few pieces of what made them who they are, endeared them to him even further...

He now felt like he understood why Yaoyorozu saw them as her best friends. Kyoka and Mina didn't care about monetary status or materialistic gain. They were just genuinely good companions. Sure, they would never turn down an opportunity to insert themselves into a position where they'd receive a free meal... He could certainly respect that... But they were probably two of the least transactional people he'd ever been around. Even after he had shown them the absurdly large number in his Venmo account, they wouldn't let him spend a dime on them after the restaurant bill was paid.

With all of that in mind... The stress from the beginning of their encounter outside Peter's apartment door, was a lot for an introvert such as himself... And the fear of facing the wrath of Yaoyorozu should he fail his little side quest, left him pretty drained.

His social energy meter was now about as low as his tolerance for watching his best friend continue to sleep soundly. He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of water before returning to his previous spot beside the couch. He looked down at his slumbering best friend and tilted the cup back, allowing a small amount of the cool liquid to partially quench his thirst.

He brought the cup away from his mouth with a satisfied exhale, and smacked his lips together...

There was probably a less confrontational way to do this...

But...

*Splash

Peter shot upwards, clearly shaken by the sudden action that snapped him back into the waking world. The cold water dripped down his face as his head rapidly darted back and forth, until finally he recognized that his assailant was none other than his closest friend.

He squinted his eyes at him and spoke in a flat tone, "Just so you know, I'm speaking calmly... But there is a plot of revenge brewing inside me, the likes of which this entire country has never seen."

Shoto just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah... Whatever man... As far as I'm concerned, we're even now."

Peter cocked an eyebrow at him, "What the hell are you talking about?"

A genuine question that was, in turn, met with an equally genuine answer.

"You know what? You're right... You actually still owe me... Because not only did I stand in between your nap and two hungry, and quite possibly feral, classmates of ours... I also did your girlfriend a favor. Refrained from cleaning out your fridge. And now, every single time someone eats with me, they unwrap their straws by hand you God damn monster!!"

Peter just blinked at his best friend. "I haven't been awake long enough for this..."

Shoto just shook his head. "Don't you have somewhere your supposed to be right now?..." He said as he watched the gears in Peter's head finally start turning until realization hit him like a pillowcase full of bricks.

"Oh shit!!! What time is it?! Why didn't my alarms go off?!" He said frantically as he hopped up from the couch and searched for his phone... Only to find it dead on the coffee table.

"Relax... I made sure to wake you up with half an hour to get to YaoMomo's..." Shoto assured him as he turned around and headed back into the kitchen to grab more water... while Peter suddenly found himself pressed for time.

"Shit I have to get changed!" He said as he quickly plugged his phone up to its charging cable.

"Already got you covered. Check your bed." Shoto said as he sat down at the bar. He had taken it upon himself to lay out a casual outfit earlier when he first got to the apartment, just in case he ran late waking him up.

The webslinger cocked his head in confusion before briskly walking back to his bedroom.

-"Ah shit, I really do owe you, don't I?"- he complained from the other room.

"Yup."

Peter suddenly walked out wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with the words "UFOs ARE REAL" in white block letters on the front. "Thanks dude... How can I make it up to ya?"

"I need the couch for like three nights... My dear ol' dad isn't happy about our sushi bender last night."

"Done." Peter quickly agreed as he snatched his keys and wallet off the counter. "Go nuts on whatever's left in the fridge. Gotta run! See ya dude!" He blurted out as he webbed his jacket to his hand and bolted out the door.

"Glasses..." Shoto called out without turning around.

Another web shot through the door and latched onto his frames that sat on the coffee table.

-"Thanks!!"-

Shoto just shook his head in amusement as he was left in alone in the apartment. He got up to close the door Peter had left wide open. He ran his hand through the red half of his hair and let out a long exhale. Between reuniting with his mother for the first time in over a decade, and painting the town purple and pink, he was about to need a nap of his own...

*Bzzzt

Or not...

He dug his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had received a text message... From the girl who he had been hounded by his older sister about earlier this morning.

He tapped on the message, but his thumb covered the name of the sender...

?????: Just so you know... I will get my hands on that breakfast sandwich one day. It's friggin haunting me... But thanks for hanging out with us today. I know you were just doing YaoMomo a favor... But we both like having you around... You don't have to wait for an invitation.

His head tilted to the side.

You: How'd you know I was doing YaoMomo a favor?

*Bzzzt

?????: Because I know everything lol Why do you think I kept threatening to go back to the apartment?

Shoto didn't know whether to shudder or chuckle.

You: That's horrifying haha

*Bzzzt

?????: Maybe for you... But it works out great for me lol I like watching you panic XD Anyway... I hope we get to hang out again soon... Looking forward to the big movie marathon. Ttyl.

The corners of his mouth turned upward. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to be a little more extraverted every now and again...

'Just breathe Peter... One foot in front of the other... and breathe...' The brown haired boy told himself as he walked down the sidewalk.

The large Victorian-style iron fence that bordered his girlfriend's castle of a home, seemed to loom over him a bit more than usual this time around. He had made this particular journey multiple times before, but this was the first time he made it on his own... Leaving him alone, with only his thoughts for company.

Meeting a significant other's parents for the first time was a stressful encounter in its own right... No matter how much reassurance the other partner gave, nothing would completely take away the pressure of wanting to be accepted by the family members one was being introduced to...

But in Peter's case, his girlfriend's parents were no ordinary people...

He continued to do everything in his power to shake the feeling of relentless anxiety that threatened to consume him...

In the midst of his racing thoughts, he remembered something Momo said this morning...

"...I want to be in your world, just like I want you in mine. I want there to be a bridge that connects them both."

To say that this was important to her, would be quite the understatement... So no matter how nerve-racking the situation felt to him, he would gladly face it head on for her.

Still, there was something to be said about meeting the richest people in the entire country (and maybe the world), in their house that was three times bigger than his old high school... All while wearing the title of their daughter's boyfriend.

No pressure right?

Though, to his credit, he was handling his nerves far better than most would in this scenario... Mostly thanks to the fact that Momo had already informed him of both her mother's elation, and her father's highly piqued interest in him.

He decided to focus on those thoughts as he approached the gate and pressed the button on intercom off to the side.

He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets in order to refrain from fidgeting nervously as he waited for a voice to come through the speaker system. He stood patiently while trying to swallow the knot in his throat. The last thing he wanted, was to have his voice crack as he spoke to whoever would answer the door...

'Please let it be Mo...' he mentally pleaded.

Suddenly, what he thought was a speaker lit up, and a Carolina blue colored hologram of a man appeared in front of him...

Peter took a step back with his eyes wide in both shock and awe at the incredibly detailed projection... But he was quickly snapped out of his trance when the blue figure started to speak.

"Well now... If it isn't Peter Parker." The man chuckled. "I've heard a lot about you ever since I saw my daughter almost tackle you to the ground out here."

Peter felt himself beginning to sweat...

"Quite a performance yesterday at the sports festival... Congrats!" The image showed the man putting his hands in his pockets. "Seems like you had an eventful evening afterwards as well." He teased. "I apologize, where are my manners? I'm getting a bit ahead of myself... I'm Takashi Yaoyorozu, Momo's father." He said in an exaggerated highbrow tone.

Peter opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Relax kid, I'm not really into the whole "overprotective dad" thing... My wife's the one ya gotta worry about when it comes to that, and you seem to have already won her over." The man smirked. "I'll send Momo down to come get you. Sit tight."

And with that, the projection disappeared and the large gates began to open in front of the bewildered teen...