Ultra Responsibility (My Hero Academia X Spider-Man Reader)

Issue 34 - Breaking News Part 3

Peni sat cross legged on the floor, a blanket half folded in her lap like she'd started the job and got bored halfway through. The telly filled the room with that low, constant murmur of live news, adverts, and talking heads who always sounded like they were auditioning to be the loudest person in the country.

The front door clicked.

Mina Ashido sauntered in with a fresh bag of popcorn cradled like treasure. Warm, buttery, impossible not to notice.

Peni sighed, dramatic and sincere. "That smells unreal."

Ashido plopped down beside her with a grin. "Tastes even better."

Peni narrowed her eyes at the bag. "You were meant to wait."

Ashido made a show of freezing mid reach, hand hovering over the popcorn like it was a museum exhibit. "Guilty as charged."

Peni snorted, finally smiling. It was small, but it was there. She glanced at her phone, thumb scrolling through streaming apps with the sort of indecision that could qualify as a hobby.

"Alright," Peni said. "What do we watch? Give me options."

Ashido shrugged, already half lounging. "I'm easy. Horror, romance, action, weird indie film where a toaster learns to love. I'll vibe with anything."

Peni nodded like she was taking that seriously. "Noted. No sentient appliances tonight."

Ashido leaned her head back against the sofa, eyes drifting to the telly. "Hey... does Y/N ever come to these? Like, did you two used to do movie nights?"

The question landed soft, but it still landed.

Peni's gaze flickered for a second, like she'd caught the edge of a memory she didn't want to pick up in case it cut her. Then she forced a brighter tone, casual. Practised.

"Yeah," she said. "We did. All the time. We did a Star Wars marathon last year."

Ashido blinked. "Oh no."

Peni lifted a finger like she was giving a lecture. "Oh yes."

"How many?"

Peni's smile turned smug, the way it always did when she got to be right about something. "All eighteen."

Ashido sat up. "Eighteen. There aren't eighteen Star Wars films."

"There are when you count everything he insisted counted," Peni said, ticking them off on her fingers with absolute confidence. "Original trilogy. Prequels. Sequels. The soft reboot sequels. The Old Republic trilogy. The New Age films."

Ashido stared at her, horrified and impressed in equal measure. "That... sounds illegal."

"It felt illegal," Peni admitted. "We had a break schedule. A spreadsheet. He ranked every lightsaber duel like it was an Olympic event."

Ashido laughed, mouth full of popcorn. "That actually sounds kinda... nice."

Peni's expression softened. "It was."

Then her smile faltered, just for a heartbeat.

"He's just been busy," Peni added, too quickly. "And by busy I mean... ha. Understatement of the century."

Ashido nudged her shoulder with a gentle bump. "Well. Next one then. Next movie night will be amazing."

Peni nodded, clinging to it. "Yeah. It will."

She moved to turn off the live telly, thumb hovering over the remote, ready to swap chaos for comfort.

"Wait," Ashido said.