MHA151- Christmas!

The door slammed open, and Nejire practically floated inside, Mirio and Tamaki right behind her. "Merry Christmas, nerds!" she announced, vo

The door slammed open, and Nejire practically floated inside, Mirio and Tamaki right behind her. "Merry Christmas, nerds!" she announced, voice way too loud for this time of night.

Eri peeked from behind Mom, wrapped up in a little Santa outfit, and holy shit, that was illegal levels of cute. She clung to Mom's hand, staring around like she was still deciding whether this much chaos was a good thing.

Mom held up a massive, foil-wrapped tray. "I brought turkey!"

Sato perked up immediately. "Oh hell yeah."

I stood, stretching. "Nice timing. I was just about to start cooking."

Mom squinted. "You were sitting on the couch."

"Supervising."

Mina grinned. "He already cooked shitload."

Mirio clapped a hand on my shoulder. "That is okay! Christmas is about teamwork!"

Tamaki hovered near the door, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else. "There are... a lot of people."

Nejire grabbed his arm, dragging him further inside. "Come on, you need holiday spirit!"

Kirishima waved them over. "Yeah, man! Grab some food, hang out!"

Eri’s eyes lit up the second she spotted me. “Ryuu!”

She flung herself at me, and I did what any responsible adult would do… I grabbed her and launched her straight up into the air. Like, way up. The room collectively inhaled as she soared at least three floors high, her tiny arms flailing in pure joy.

Then, with the precision of a goddamn pro, I caught her on the way down. She giggled, her face glowing with excitement.

Mom, on the other hand, was not as amused. She sprinted three steps forward, hands out like she could catch Eri from ground level. When I snagged her mid-drop, Mom switched gears from “panic” to “punishment” and twisted my ear. “RYUU! Children are not basketballs!”

“She liked it!” I argued, pointing at Eri, who was still grinning like she just rode the world’s best rollercoaster.

Mirio laughed. “I dunno, Miss Midoriya, that was some solid technique.”

Tamaki muttered, “That was terrifying…”

Nejire clapped her hands. “Again! Wait… can I go next?”

Mom looked one second away from disowning me, but before she could start listing my crimes, Eri tugged on her sleeve. “It was fun!”

Mom sighed, shaking her head. “You will be end of me.”

The door opened again, and before anyone could groan about more guests, Aizawa walked in. The man barely looked awake, his scarf already loose like he regretted every decision leading up to this moment. Behind him, Present Mic practically skipped in, his sunglasses glinting under the Christmas lights.

“YEEEEAAAH! WHO IS READY FOR HOLIDAY CHEER?”

Nobody answered.

Nezu entered next, a mug of something steaming in his tiny paws. He took one look at the chaotic setup… Bakugo still arguing with Kirishima about light placement, Kaminari halfway strangled by garland, and Mineta sulking in a corner, and let out an audible sniffle.

“This is beautiful.”

Hound Dog was right behind him, his usual gruff demeanor softening as he took in the decorated common room. Cementoss nodded approvingly. Midnight winked at Mineta, who nearly fainted on the spot. Power Loader muttered something about how the tinsel was a fire hazard, and Snipe immediately called him a buzzkill.

Hound Dog rumbled a satisfied “Smells festive,” then parked by the snack table. Cementoss offered a silent thumbs-up from the doorway. Midnight blew Mineta a kiss… boy nearly coded on the spot, while Power Loader muttered about tinsel being a fire hazard. Snipe laughed at him for bringing OSHA to Christmas.

Mina grinned, nudging me. “We got the big bosses in the house now.”

I took a sip of my drink. “Hope they are ready for a disaster.”

Nezu clasped his paws together. “Oh, Ryuu, you underestimate me. I thrive in disasters.”

Aizawa sat down heavily on the couch, ignoring the festive madness around him. “If anyone sets something on fire, I am leaving.”

Bakugo scowled. “Ain’t me this time.”

I pointed at Momo. “You hear that? We got witness testimony. This is character growth.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I am not engaging with this.”

Hound Dog crossed his arms. “Food smells good.”

Sato immediately perked up. “We’ve got turkey, stuffing, everything.”

Kaminari, still partially entangled in garland, groaned. “Do we got an EMT on standby? Cause I think I am gonna need one.”

Sero leaned against the wall. “Nah, man, at this point, you just gotta accept it. You are the garland now.”

Jiro flicked an ornament at his head. “I can cut him out.”

Kaminari looked hopeful. “Really?”

"To save the garland."

All Might walked in, settling next to Izuku, taking in the room with a small smile. "I think you all did well," he said, nodding at the chaos unfolding around him.

Izuku looked up. "It came together pretty nicely," he admitted.

Mina threw an arm over my shoulder. "Yeah, thanks to our fearless leader's hard work."

I shrugged. "It was hard work but we managed."

Bakugo scoffed. "You didn't do shit."

"I did more than you," I shot back.

Kirishima grinned. "You literally just assigned yourself Secret Santa duty."

"And saved Christmas," I added.

The party kicked into full swing. Sato and Mom worked on getting food set up while people started digging into whatever snacks were already out. Jiro flipped through music options while Yaoyorozu adjusted decorations, giving them a final once-over.

Nejire walked over to Eri, clapping her hands. "Wanna help me pick the music?"

Eri nodded, eyes bright. "Yes!"

Jiro raised a brow. "You better have good taste."

"Everything is good taste," Nejire declared.

Tamaki looked like he wanted to crawl into a corner and disappear, but Mirio clapped him on the back. "C'mon, Amajiki, it is Christmas! You gotta enjoy yourself!"

Tamaki sighed, grabbing a cup of cocoa like it was the only thing anchoring him to this world.

Iida, still standing like a damn hall monitor, clapped his hands together. "Alright! Before we begin the feast, let us ensure all guests are comfortable and properly seated!"

Mina waved him off. "Dude, it is a party, not a formal dinner."

"I fail to see how that changes proper etiquette!"

Bakugo, glaring at his cup, muttered, "As long as no one is a dumbass, I don't care."

"Then you should probably leave," Kaminari said, dodging a very real threat to his life.

Food started making its way to the table. Sato brought out trays of sweets while Mom handled the turkey situation. I made sure to take first dibs. Not my fault I was closest.

Mina nudged me. "Gonna make a toast or something, fearless leader?"

I snorted. "What am I, your dad?"

Mina leaned in close, her lips nearly brushing my ear. “Yes, Daddy.”

I dragged my tongue over my teeth, exhaling through my nose as she pulled back with the smuggest grin I’d ever seen. Her eyes practically dared me to react, like she hadn’t just committed a war crime in front of God and all my classmates.

I promised her, with nothing but a look, that this was going to bite her in the ass. And some other places. She swallowed. Good. Christmas IOUs were my favorite currency.

Before I could make good on it, Eri tugged at my sleeve. “Ryuu, can you help me?”

Mina hummed, low enough that only I could hear. “You gonna play Dad for real now?”

I ignored her and turned to Eri. “Let me fill your plate.”

She pointed at the table, standing on her toes. “I want turkey.”

I grabbed a plate and started filling it up, making sure she got the good parts. Sato slid a bowl of mashed potatoes closer, and Eri lit up. Nejire practically vibrated in place, watching her like a proud older sister.

“This is a lot of food,” Eri said, eyes wide.

“Christmas is all about eating too much,” I told her.

Nejire clapped. “That and presents!”

Eri tilted her head. “Presents?”

Mirio leaned in. “Did you think we wouldn’t get you any?”

Eri blinked. “I get presents?”

Nejire gasped. “You get so many presents!”

Eri turned to me, eyes bright. “Did you get me one?”

I patted her head. “Of course I did. It is the coolest gift.”

She practically launched herself at me, almost knocking the plate out of my hands. I caught it at the last second, shifting my grip while she clung to my neck. Nejire was already gasping like she had just seen the greatest thing ever.

"Careful," I said, steadying the plate. "Unless you want mashed potatoes in your hair."

Eri giggled, still latched onto me like a koala. "I don’t mind!"

Mom shook her head. "I mind. Sit down properly before you ruin your outfit."

Eri slid back into her seat, but her eyes were still locked on me. "Is it really cool?"

"Would I lie to you?"

She thought about it way too hard, then nodded. "No!"

Mina leaned her chin on her hand. "Now I wanna know what you got her."

"Not telling."

Nejire grinned. "Bet it is something crazy!"

Mirio nodded. "He is setting expectations really high."

Eri turned to Nejire, eyes wide. "Do you think it is a sword?"

Momo nearly choked on her tea. "Absolutely not."

Eri pouted. "Why not?"

Nejire hummed. "Well, Ryuu is kinda dangerous, so maybe he got you something like a ninja weapon!"

Mina gasped. "Ooooh, what if it is a grappling hook?"

"Stop giving her ideas," Mom muttered.

Eri grabbed my sleeve. "Is it a grappling hook?"

"You think I would tell you before unwrapping time?"

She frowned. "No fair."

Kirishima waved a drumstick. "Damn, she is already learning the hard lessons."

"She got the best teacher," Sero said.

I pointed at him. "See? Sero gets it."

Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Tch. This is all stupid."

Mina gasped. "How dare you? Christmas is a time of joy!"

Bakugo looked at her like she was something disgusting stuck to his shoe. "Yeah, and you are full of shit."

Kaminari jabbed his fork at him. "Says the person who did half the decorations this year."

"I didn’t help. I was making sure you dumbasses didn’t burn the place down."

I activated the dumbass filter, and suddenly, all the background noise disappeared. Kaminari and Sero could wrestle with their decorations, Bakugo could pretend he wasn’t actually enjoying himself, and Mineta could keep being a disappointment elsewhere. None of that mattered. Right now, I had food to eat and people to feed.

Everyone was eating like damn goblins. I had made enough food to last through the night, but from the way they were going at it, I was starting to think I had underestimated their hunger. Sato was locked in a silent competition with Kirishima over who could eat the most turkey, while Iida was cutting his food with the meticulousness of a surgeon, clearly resisting the urge to critique everyone’s table manners.

Nezu, perched at the head of the table like a tiny, furry overlord, gave me an approving nod. “I should hire you for the kitchen.”

I chuckled, wiping my hands on a napkin. “Pass U.A.’s ownership to me, and you’ve got a deal.”

A sharp smack landed on the back of my head. I groaned. “Mom, I am doing business.”

Mom just shook her head, refilling her tea like she hadn’t just committed an act of violence against her own son. “You are scamming a principal, Ryuu.”

Nezu took a sip of his drink. “A commendable ambition.”

Eri, seated beside me, kicked her legs under the table, happily munching on mashed potatoes. “Ryuu, do you really cook all the time?”

I nodded. “Somebody has to. You think I trust these clowns to survive on their own?”

Mina leaned against my shoulder. “You say that like we wouldn’t just keep ordering takeout.”

“Exactly my point.”

Mom sighed. “I raised a housewife.”

Kirishima pointed a fork at me. “More like a battle-hardened househusband.”

Sero nodded. “Yeah, dude fights crime and meal preps.”

Nejire beamed. “That is so domestic!”

I groaned. “All for more pussies.”

Another smack.

“Mom!”

Nejire snorted. “You had that one coming.”

Mirio grinned. “Yeah, man, that was an easy prediction.”

Mom didn’t even look at me, just took a sip of her tea like she hadn’t just committed child abuse in front of the entire class.

I rubbed the back of my head. “Y’know, some people’s parents actually love them.”

She raised a brow. “And yet, here I am, still feeding you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I grabbed another piece of turkey. “Parental guilt-tripping. Classic.”

Eri was still staring at me, fork halfway to her mouth. “What is a pussy?”