The kids come home the next day, solemnly telling him that Y/N is making pumpkin, pecan and apple pies, so Toji has to make something else.
"Cherry, Dad, cherry," Tsumiki says solemnly.
"With ice cream!" Megumi adds emphatically.
Toji sighs, but heads for the computer. He googles "cherry pie" and- ignoring a lot of traumatizing links- sees a recipe for a sour cherry pie. He snorts, which means Y/N will laugh, and he's sold.
He's reading the recipe and everything's making sense, until he gets to the part about making the pie crust and no. Just no. The rest of the pie is mixing, stirring, and putting into an oven, plain enough, but the pie crust looks more complicated than anything should be.
"Yeah, we're buying the crust," Toji mutters to himself.
He handles the rest of it- and Wednesday afternoon, he throws it all together. Toji doesn't really know how to "lattice" it, despite the overly-detailed instructions, so he lets the kids do it. It's more... artistic than accurate.
But from the expression on Y/N's face when she opens the door to find the three of them there on her dad's doorstep, it's the best thing she's ever seen.
"You guys made it!" Y/N says, as Tsumiki hands Y/N the pie. "This is perfect, thanks, Tsumiki!"
"I helped," Megumi adds immediately.
"I'm sure you did. Did Toji earn his keep?" Y/N asks, glancing over with a little smile.
"Dad did the baking. And the mixing." Tsumiki admits grudgingly.
"Well, thanks to you too, then." Y/N tells Toji as he sniffs the pie. "Oh my god, cherry. Oh- get in, get inside, it's cold, I'm a terrible host."
They remove all their layers of winter coating- the weather turned bitterly cold two days ago and promises to stay that way all winter- to find the house warm and filled with the perfect smells of fall. Everything smells rich and savory, including Y/N as she past with the pie to get into the dining room.
"Good to see you again, Toji," Officer L/N says, sticking out a hand to shake.
"You too, sir," Toji replies automatically.
The Officer gives him an amused look. "I'm pretty sure you can call me Eren, Toji."
"Right, right," Toji says, stupidly nervous. "Thank you for letting us crash your Thanksgiving."
"Well, it'll be nice to have a big Thanksgiving again. Haven't had one this big since Y/N was a kid." Eren says, sounding a little wistful.
"Officer, Officer," Megumi insists, dragging Eren away to explain something to him and Tsumiki. He's pointing at a picture of Y/N in the back of a police cruiser, maybe a little older than Tsumiki in the photo.
"Oh, god, I'll never be able to be an authority figure again after they see the picture of me in 8th grade," Y/N sighs mournfully from behind Toji, walking through toward the kitchen.
As intrigued as Toji is, he can't help but follow Y/N. "Can I help with anything?" he offers. Y/N is checking on four different things, all at the same time.
"I have this down to an exact science, so if you do anything right now other than sit at that counter and drink a beer, this will all come tumbling down around our shoulders and you'll ruin Thanksgiving. So you should sit and have a beer." Y/N says, teasing, as she stirs something. "Second shelf, behind the cider that we're mulling later, so don't drink it."
Toji does as he's told.
"Now," Y/N says, smiling widely, seemingly done checking all the things. "Hi. Thanks again for the pie."
"It doesn't really seem like an adequate return for all of this," Toji is just staring at all the dishes around the kitchen. "Also, should I rescue your dad from my kids?"
Y/N snorts. "Please. He's been sighing over me growing up for years, let him have some kid time again. He was so mad he missed you guys at Halloween." Y/N glances at the stove. "You know, on second thought, if I can put you to work peeling potatoes, that'd be great. No pressure."
"I think I can manage that," Toji says, snorting.
"Now, the key is to leave a little bit of peel on. Fiber. You get manly mashed potatoes that way," Y/N wags his eyebrows in a way she probably thinks looks wise.
"So basically, you want me to do a subpar job on these," Toji starts peeling into the bowl provided to him, leaving a little bit of peel behind on the potato.
"Call it what you will, you'll be thanking me come dinner time." Y/N sing-songs.
"If you say so," Toji says.
"You have gotta learn to trust me," Y/N sighs. "I wouldn't steer you wrong on mashed potatoes."
"This is me trusting you, Y/N. Otherwise I'd just peel them the right way." Toji points out.
"Then no questioning- this is not a kitchen democracy," Y/N says firmly, peeking into the oven. It lets out a mouthwatering series of smells- turkey and apples and onions.
"How long until it's done?" Toji asks, because the sooner he starts eating this meal, the better.
Y/N grins. "Well, as soon as the potatoes are done, I can have you mash while I make the green beans," Y/N answers, nodding to the pile of unpeeled potatoes.
"Alright, I got it," Toji says, reapplying himself. It's quick work, though, and Toji drops them, quartered, into the pot of water Y/N has waiting for him, garlic cloves bobbing along the top.
"Thanks," Y/N says, turning the heat on high. "Now we wait."
They sit at the counter, snapping off the tops, deveining beans into a colander. Y/N seems comfortable in the kitchen, at ease. She and Toji can faintly hear the kids shrieking cheerfully outside. Toji's hands brush against Y/N' every so often, tossing the prepared beans together.
He doesn't think he's felt this relaxed in years- this happy.
It's a little frightening, honestly.
The timing works out perfectly- Y/N has him finishing the potatoes- "a little lumpy!"- while he throws an obscene amount of butter into the green beans. As soon as they're done, he's pulling things out of the oven, left and right- stuffing, the Turkey. He cranks the oven up, throwing in the sweet potatoes to broil, marshmallows growing puffy and caramel brown.
"Thank you, kitchen assistant," Y/N says, as they pivot and turn around each other. "Can you take these out to the dining room? There are trivets and pads and stuff to put the hot things on."
Toji is all too happy to be told to get out of the kitchen- before he does something stupid, like stop Y/N mid-stir and kiss her senseless in her father's kitchen.
Her father, who brings Megumi and Tsumiki in when Y/N opens the kitchen window and yells them in, carves the turkey perfectly. Eren deals out pieces of white meat and plates ring around and around the table, picking up side dishes and arms stretch up and over, passing gravy and cranberry sauce. Everyone brings their best eating game to the table, but there's still an inconceivable amount of food left over.
He feels like he should be offering to help clean up, but Y/N refuses.
"The only thing anyone is doing is migrating from the dining room to the living room to lay on the couch for at least an hour, whereupon pies will be consumed. Putting anything away will just have to wait." Y/N insists.
There's certainly no argument from the rest of the table- the kids already look drowsy eyed and they all pile into the living room, collapsing into sofas. The kids end up on the bigger couch, half leaning on each other while Eren takes the third seat. There's still plenty of room- enough that Toji probably should take it and not join Y/N on the other couch, which is really more of a loveseat.
"C'mon, this one's closer to the Tv, they're all going to fall asleep in a minute, anyway," Y/N says, patting the seat next to her.
Well, it would be rude to sit anywhere else now.
He's hyperaware of Y/N just inches away, feet tucked up under himself. Toji wants to draw her out, pull Y/N' legs across his lap, tangle them together. Instead he tries to watch the game- the afternoon match wrapping up with the promise of the evening game ahead. It's incredibly difficult to focus on anything but the contented sighs Y/N lets out at odd intervals, though.
They've barely made it through two commercials when Y/N gets a little twitchy. "I'm going to make some coffee- you want some? Irish, regular, decaf?" Y/N bounds up and off the couch. "Don't want to end up like the life of the party over there."
Toji glances over and sure enough, Eren, Megumi and Tsumiki are all sound asleep. "Coffee, sure. You want a hand?"
Y/N waves him off. "Nah, I got this. You're milk, no sugar, right?"
Toji is surprised, but nods.
Y/N grins. "I thought so." She wanders off into the kitchen, looking pleased with herself.
Toji wonders what it would be like if this was something he could take for granted- family for the holidays, someone to know how he likes his coffee, someone who seems to make everything easier, make them all better and happier just by being around. But it's not just someone he wants, it's Y/N- he wants Y/N to want them at holidays, he wants to bring her that first cup still in bed on Saturday mornings. It's not a new feeling, but Toji is brought up short by how badly he wants it all- everything he can have, everything Y/N will give him.
He can hear dishes clinking in the kitchen and he's not watching the game, anyway, so he goes to check on Y/N.
"Hey, it'll just be a couple of minutes for the coffee, sorry," Y/N says.
Toji shrugs. "I'm not in any hurry. I just wanted to see if you needed a hand."
Y/N furrows her eyebrows. "You really want to help me clean up? You're a guest, you don't have to."
"I ate, the least I can do is clean up," Toji offers, feeling stupidly disgruntled at being called a guest.
"Okay, you can help me shovel things into take out containers for you guys." Y/N says, bringing out a bunch of Tupperware. "Because believe me, you're taking most of this home with you."
"You sure?" Toji asks.
"Oh yeah," Y/N heaps potatoes in. "Half the point of Thanksgiving is the leftovers and the leftover sandwiches. We'll have more than enough."
Everything goes in the fridge, but there's a towering stack of containers set aside for them to take home. Y/N pours him a cup of coffee, with just enough milk in it.
"Thanks uhm, for coming," Y/N says, wrapping her hands around her mug. "I know I kind of strong armed you into it, but-"
"No, it was just what they needed." Toji glances out toward the living room where Tsumiki and Megumi are slumped over on each other, sprawling over Eren, too.
"What-" Y/N pauses for a second, before blurting out the rest. "What about what you need?"
Toji just needs one thing, and he's coming up short on reasons why he shouldn't just lean across the kitchen counter and kiss Y/N. He's letting himself move- like the inevitable pull of gravity tugging him closer- but then Megumi is stumbling into to the room, bleary-eyed, mumbling about the bathroom.
"Sure, no problem," Y/N says, steering Megumi out and around the corner.
Toji sucks in a deep breath and blows it out noisily, rubbing hard at his face with his hands.
"Get it together, Fushiguro," he mutters to himself. No matter what he wants, the kids come first, always. Y/N is Megumi's teacher, that's all.
Y/N comes back, without Megumi. "Uhm, sorry, where were we?" she asks sheepishly.
"Nothing, I was just going to thank you again for inviting the kids over. We've never had a Thanksgiving like this before," Toji says, resolved to stay professional.
"Well, my pleasure," Y/N replies, although she looks a little surprised.
"Do I smell coffee?" Eren asks, stumbling into the kitchen, not unlike Megumi, minutes earlier.
Y/N hums a positive answer. "Let me get you a cup."
It seems like everyone else is up now, ready for pie and the next football game- whatever moment, if they were even having one, is gone. They leave the house with a standing invite to come over for the playoffs in a couple of weeks, Eren clapping a hand on Toji's shoulder before giving both of the kids a friendly pat on the head, Tsumiki not even complaining about her hair.
***
Y/N, of course, sends him home with leftover pie pieces in one of the pie plates, which means that when they've eaten the pie- much sooner than he anticipated- he needs to return the plate.
Which then leads Toji to realize that he has no idea where Y/N lives. He knows where Eren lives, and thus where she grew up, but he thinks Y/N has an apartment somewhere else. He's been trying to limit his contact with Y/N to things that are purely parental, but it's hard when she will text him in the middle of the afternoon with things like: was that a flurry? Was it?!
So he feels like maybe it's ok to text him Hey, should I return your pie plate to you or your dad?
Ooh, to me please!
Toji furrows his brows. -how?-
oh, I can come get it if you don't want to drop it by my place?
Toji rolls his eyes. I don't know where it is
His phone immediately starts ringing, flashing up on that picture of Y/N in the Mickey ears he'd keyed into Y/N' contact information on Megumi's orders.
"Hey, sorry, sorry, just thought this would be easier," Y/N says. "I totally forgot you've never been to my apartment."
"I had mostly assumed you lived with your dad," Toji puts the plate in a grocery bag.
"No, we both agreed it was too sad for a single female kindergarten teacher to live with her father," she says cheerfully. "I'm over in that apartment complex behind the Safeway? You know the one I mean?"
"Yeah," Toji grabs the keys. "Is now okay?"
"Sure, sure. Building three, apartment number four, it's the one that looks least like a frat house." Y/N explains. "See you soon!"
_________
"Least like a frat house" still leaves the suggestion "still looks like a dirty frat house" totally open. The buildings are just a little depressing looking, like someone sprays them down to prevent mold once every five years and calls it a day.
The door, when opened, squeaks a little and even as Y/N greets him with thanks disproportionate to driving for ten minutes and carrying a plate, Toji's eyes can't help but flick around the apartment, cataloguing. There's essentially nothing up on the walls, with the exclusion of a few posters, unframed and stuck up with tape. Other than the abundance of craft materials everywhere, there's nothing else to suggest it's Y/N' apartment.
It's sort of depressing, which- this is coming from a person who used cinderblocks to support a mattress in his shitty college apartment. Toji isn't big on interior decorating- by any stretch of the imagination, but his house isn't... bare like this is.
"Yeah, I know, I haven't really done anything with the place," Y/N scrubs a hand over her hair, apparently watching Toji's eyes flick from the Marvel poster to the futon- which better not be Y/N' bed. "I mean to, but then I get home and there's always something to do for school and I just never get around to it."
"It's probably the shoeboxes full of glitter and pipe cleaners." Toji can actually see a box labeled 'more glitter.'
"Okay, true," Y/N concedes. "It's like an addiction. And you know, at home, watching some Shameless, you can really get some stuff done. It just made sense to keep some stuff here."
"Do you do... all the stuff here?" Toji says, frowning. The papier mache cave would barely make it out the door. "How do you get it-"
"Through the door?" Y/N finishes. "Well, sections, you know. And the car is always good for a haul."
"You need more space," Toji accidentally says out loud.
Y/N shrugs, her nose wrinkling a little as she makes a face. "Well, I can use the art room, but uh, have you ever been alone in an elementary school at night? It is creepy to a level The Shining can only aspire to."
"You can use the garage," Toji's mouth offers, independent of his brain.
Y/N just raises her eyebrows, confused.
Toji bites down on the urge to sigh. Well, he's already said it. "We never park the car in the garage. If you needed somewhere to do school projects, there's a work bench in there."
"Oh! Oh," she says thoughtfully. "I mean, that'd be great, but... Are you sure? I don't want to take advantage?"
"Of my empty garage? Really putting me out," Toji crosses his arms so he doesn't fidget.
"Okay, Sourpatch," Y/N teases with a grin. "You know you've condemned yourself to glitter for life, right? If I spill so much as a teaspoon, you will be finding it until judgment day."
"If I couldn't handle a mess, would I have two kids under ten in the house?" Toji points out.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Tough Guy. We'll see what you say when you're still tasting the rainbow of glitter when Megumi's in college." Y/N says. "This is my prophecy. We will all perish in the apocalypse, leaving glitter and cockroaches."
"Your visions are terrifying," Toji tells her, stupidly charmed.
"I'm like Cassandra," Y/N sighs. "I've tried to warn people, but no one listens."
"Well, come over whenever," Toji says. "Just try not to blow the house up."
"You have such high hopes for me," Y/N says wryly.
Toji bites back his first five responses. His not-hitting-on-Y/N plan isn't great, but it's working. Except for the part where he's in Y/N' kitchen and all he wants to do is take Y/N out of this shitty apartment and into his garage, which- doesn't sound right at all.
"House rule," Toji finally tries.
"I'll see what I can do about that," Y/N says, the smallest smile curling up the side of hee mouth, and Toji has to go before he tries to kiss Y/N.
Toji escapes by pointing out he left Tsumiki and Megumi with Jin and he should get back. Y/N ushers him out, thanking Toji again for the pie plate return. He spends twenty seconds behind his steering wheel, sitting stupidly in park, wondering if he's ever going to stop wanting Y/N.
If it's going to happen, it had better be soon. His life is starting to sound like a Lifetime movie.