The door clicked open late in the afternoon, and a slightly tired and stoic Shoto Todoroki entered the house. He took off his shoes and put on his house slippers before stepping further inside. His movements were practiced, almost mechanical, as if the rhythm of returning home was etched into him by years of repetition.

"I’m home..." Shoto’s voice was quiet, lacking warmth but not entirely empty, as he set his bag aside and walked toward the living room. The air inside was calm, touched faintly by the smell of tea Fuyumi had brewed earlier.

Enji sat in his usual spot, newspaper in hand, shoulders broad and imposing even in stillness. He looked up only briefly, sharp eyes catching sight of his son before lowering back down, a small nod his only acknowledgment.

On the other side of the room, Fuyumi and Max were perched on the couch, Fuyumi's smile brightening the dimness of the afternoon the moment she saw her younger brother step through the door.

"Welcome back, Shoto! How was school?" she asked, her voice lilting with relief, as though his safe return alone was worth celebrating.

"It was alright..." he replied, monotone as always, though his gaze softened faintly at her enthusiasm. His eyes traveled around the room, searching quietly for a presence that wasn’t there.

"Where’s Natsuo?"

Enji was the one who answered, his voice deep, even, detached. "In his room, studying for his college exams."

Shoto’s gaze lingered on his father for a beat, unreadable, before flicking back toward his sister. Fuyumi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to bridge the silence hanging between them. Her smile never faltered, though the weight of the family dynamic pressed heavy in the air, unspoken yet undeniable.

For Shoto, the living room felt both familiar and foreign—walls that held his childhood, faces bound to him by blood, yet a space he never felt entirely at ease in. Still, he remained standing there, slippers brushing faintly against the floor, his presence steady in the quiet storm that was the Todoroki household.