Worth It (N. Todoroki X Reader)

Chapter 15: Rei Todoroki

Nothing is helping.

I'm very nervous to meet Natsuo's mom. Mainly because I just never know what to refer to people as and I'm debating between Mrs. Todoroki, Rei or Mrs. Rei.

This really is just too much to think about and it's messing with my head.

I mean, Natsuo's told me that his mom is super nice and likes mostly everyone, save for a few exceptions, but what if I'm one of those exception? What if she doesn't like me for whatever reason. I can't necessarily think of a reason she wouldn't like me, but I can also think of way too many and now I'm freaking myself out—

And Natsuo just handed me my visitor lanyard and that makes everything a million times more real and just oh my god.

We were outside of her hospital door like that, and it was very clear to everyone around me that I was anxious to meet this woman—no matter what Natsuo says about her literally being the nicest person he's ever known.

This is one of the only times I'm glad Natsuo can read me like a book, because he offered for me to stay out here for a minute to breathe and calm down while he talked with his mom. I took it without a second thought, watching him go into the room after leaving a soft kiss on my head.

And then I stood there, just thinking and thinking and thinking. I don't even know what about. All I know is that at this point, I'm just putting off walking into the room and I should really do it before I straight up walk away.

So I did just that. I gathered up all the courage I had and knocked.

I really don't know why I knocked. That might've been a bit of an idiot move. I'm pretty sure I could've just, like, slowly walked in and I would've been fine, but oh well, I guess.

Natsuo opened the door, smiling slightly as he stepped to the side to let me in.

I took a slow, wary step inside, still slightly intimidated by the idea of meeting his final living family member officially.

Oh god.

She seemed to recognize me almost instantly, her eyes lighting up with the realization that she's probably seen me before.

She had a much smaller build compared to her husband and two sons, sitting up straight and in a classy manner. She had beautiful shoulder-length white hair so fine and shiny it reminded me of the silk a spider spins. Her dark eyes were also breathtaking, and it was clear that majority of the Todoroki family got their looks from her.

Which I am not complaining about.

Honestly, standing before her just started making me feel a bit self-conscious she's so pretty—even in a hospital gown. The simplicity of it brought out her beauty more, in my opinion.

Her mouth was slightly upturned at the corners as she asked, "Is this her, Natsuo?"

He nodded proudly, closing the door behind him and stepping beside me. "Yeah. This is Y/n, my girl- Fiancée."

Her eyes seemed to brighten up even more after hearing that last word, and the smile on her face became more obvious. "So you proposed? I'm so glad to hear that." She stood up, taking a step before she was standing directly in front of me. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Natsuo has told me wonderful things about you."

I gave a curt nod, not quite sure what to say. "It's nice to meet you, as well, Mrs. Todoroki."

I internally scolded myself for that statement. Why would I call my future mother-in-law Mrs. Todoroki?

"Please, call me Rei. We are going to be family soon, after all."

I nodded again. "Of course."

She took a seat on her hospital bed again, motioning to the two chairs pulled out across from her in the small room. "Take a seat. I would like to get to know you a bit more."

Natsuo and I both sat down. The silence engulfing us was a lot less awkward than I anticipated it to be. It definitely wasn't completely comfortable, though.

Natsuo started off. "So, mom, what are your first thoughts?"

Of course he would ask that. He knows I'm way too worried by the first impression I left on her, but he also knows I would never actually ask for multiple reasons.

"You're very pretty," Rei said, saying it to me more than answering Natsuo's question. "Sort of like a timeless beauty."

That is one of the best compliments I've ever received. "Thank you," I said, a small smile gracing my face.

Natsuo grabbed my hand, leaning closer to me and whispering, "I told you that you're pretty."

I let out a short chuckle at that, quickly glancing over at him before shaking my head and refocusing on Rei. She was looking at us with a sort of pride in her expression, smiling when I made eye contact with her again.

"Natsuo told me you're studying to be a chef of some sort?" She took a stab in the dark. I could tell she was completely guessing and trying to remember what Natsuo must've told her months ago. "How's university going for you?"

I shrugged. "It could be a lot worse, but it isn't the best. I think that's just the bar I set for myself when I started attending, though. Just to get through it without dying. It's really just tiring."

She nodded in understanding. "I remember when I went I would only get two hours of sleep at most daily. It's definitely not something that's fun at the time, but when you look back you realize that you did enjoy it to some extent."

"I hardly get any sleep. Last night was the best and longest sleep I've gotten in months, and I'm pretty sure it's because Natsuo was there."

Looking at a younger couple as a more mature adult must be interesting, especially if you've had experiences in love. I say this because you can always see how enamored by each other the couple is, but if you were to ask them about it separately, one will probably doubt that their significant other looks at them like that.

I can tell Rei is probably reminiscing about a past relationship she had, probably before Endeavor.

"I can tell you two make each other happy," she suddenly blurted. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you act like this, Natsuo. I've never seen you so bright and beaming, and it's thanks to you, Y/n. You've changed Natsuo's life. He comes in and the first thing he mentions every time is something you did that he loves. He always has this dopey grin on his face every time he talks about you like he's in another world."

Rei laughed, a beautiful sound that could actually be the angels singing. I joined in her laughter, seeing Natsuo groan and lean forward in his chair, hiding his face in his hands.

"Mom, stop it, that's embarrassing," he mumbled.

"She deserves to know how much you love her, Natsuo. Let me share my stories."

Somehow hearing someone else say that Natsuo loved me solidified that fact even more for me. Of course, I knew he did. He loved me from the bottom of his heart and I reciprocate those feelings for him, but just hearing someone else point this out with yet another example of what he had unintentionally done to prove that love just makes everything seem more real.

I glanced at the ring on my finger, smiling before I looked back up and continued talking with Rei.

That's what we did for almost the rest of the day. We spent the time together sharing different stories and asking and answering questions. We stayed until a nurse told us visiting hours were almost over and we should probably get going.

On our way out of the hospital, as we were dropping off our visitor tags at the front counter, Natsuo asked me what I thought of his mom.

"She was really great," I replied, walking out of the hospital while clinging onto his arm for what little warmth he provided. "She was really easy to talk to. She honestly reminded me a lot about you and how passionate you are towards certain things."

Hearing what I thought of Rei made him smile brighter than he already was. "That's good to hear. Hopefully you can see her again before we get married."