Chapter Text
Toshinori
The voice calling his name woke Toshinori Yagi from a heavy sleep. He was sweaty and breathless. Out of his mouth came his blood, as usual, and stained his white sheets that covered his fragile, trembling body. The voice that had awakened him came from nowhere, if not from his dreams. A familiar, gentle voice she had not heard in years. Tears began to flow out of her eyes. That sweet voice belonged to his mistress, Nana. He began to feel pain in where his scar was. It wasn't uncommon to this kind of thing happen. But recently, this became to happen more frequently.
He clenched his fist and forced himself to get out of the bed. Disoriented by the darkness, he went to the bathroom. He looked at his face, bloodstained. Despicable, he thought. He took off his pajamas and took a cold shower. The water was colder than usual for being bathed in the middle of the night. But he wasn't able to be sweaty and dirty with blood. He got out of the shower in less than 5 minutes and put on new clothes, which weren't new pajamas. A white shirt not as wide as the one he used to wear in his hero season, comfortable pants and an old sweater. He put on his shoes he wore for most occasions and left his apartment.
It was still dark, but he could see the sun's rays coming through the buildings. He wouldn't go too far, since he had no car. He might as well buy one, he had a valid driver's license, but he hadn't thought of material things in a long time. The man took normal steps for himself, but he managed to overtook several people on the same sidewalk. Soon he reached his destination, a square without anyone, which wasn't very common to see. He sat down on a discreet bench, which was normal for him. That was it. Only that. All he did was sit on the bench and watch the sun come up.
The whole landscape in a certain way brought him peace. Not as much as he needed at the moment, but anything was enough. He needed something beautiful to calm himself and forget about that nightmare. Even with the pain in his chest and with the vague memories he had of his mistress's face, he tried to focus on that sunrise. He leaned back in the seat and took a deep breath, intent on calming down. Nothing worked. Then something distracted him. His cell phone in his pocket began to ring.
"Hello?"
"Hello! All Might-San!" The unequaled voice of his successor, Izuku Midoriya passed through his ears.
"Hi, Midoriya-Shounen!" He then incarnated his other personality, that always smiling. "What makes you call me so early?"
"I-I'm sorry if I woke up!"
"Don't worry, I was already awake!" He let out his iconic laugh.
"I wanted to ask you what time you're going to my house to have lunch today?"
"Have lunch?" The man remembered almost nothing at the moment, his brain was focused in something else.
"Yes, don't you remember?"
"Ah, how could I forget!" He still didn't remember many things. "But if you want, we can have lunch somewhere else ..."
"No need, my mother is already going to make a delicious katsudon for us." Toshinori didn't really want to have lunch at the Midoriya's apartment. It wasn't because he didn't like them, the opposite, he wanted very much to have a pleasant relationship with them, and who knows, to be part of that family, but he didn't want to interfere in their problems. He wanted to follow the advice of Eraserhead and Present Mic.
"I don't want to bother you and her." He appealed.
"She said it's a pleasure to cook for you! And you know that you never bother me!" The man found himself without escape.
"Okay, so see you at 11:30?"
"I'll be waiting for you!"
After that they both said goodbye unceremoniously. He then decided to walk back to his building, since he would have to get ready to have lunch with a teenager and his mother, which was no problem. The only problem was his pain in his chest and Inko's problems. But that could be cured with a big smile on his face, couldn't it?
After spending some of his time choosing his outfit, Toshinori opts for the simple and direct: a wide sweater and green pants that he used to wear even when he was in possession of the One for All. He decided to brush his hair to lower the volume a bit, but it didn't help. His bulky, disheveled hair was one of the many things he hated in himself. He put on his shoes and waited in front of his building for the cab that would fetch him. Arriving in the building where the Midoriyas lived, Young Midoriya was waiting on the pavement, eager for the arrival of his favorite hero. It was common to meet the teenager and find him eager and smiling for his arrival.
"Good morning, All Might!" The kid said.
"Good morning, my boy!"
"Let's go upstairs, my mother's food is ready!"
He took Toshinori's arm and pulled him to the elevator, where they went to the third floor where the kid's apartment was. When he opened the door of his apartment, a burger smell came into his nostrils, which reminded him of the times he lived in the USA.
"I asked my mother to make hamburgers, something typically American."
"Y-You didn't hav-"
"Good morning, Toshinori-san!" The short woman appeared in the hallway that received the man.
"G-Good morning, Midoriya-San!" He replied, avoiding eye-contact.
Midoriya-San? Wha-
"Mom, I brought the letters that were in the mailbox." The boy handed his mother few white envelopes.
"Let's go to the kitchen, the food is already set!" The woman pointed the direction, letting the visitor and her son pass by.
The two of them sat down at the table, and Izuku started to talk about superheroes. Toshinori listened to the boy, but in fact he was thinking of other things. He was seated at the table, but he was with his mind somewhere else. Inko went to the dinner table with a plate with a hamburger of smaller size than the others.
"Izuku told me you don't eat much, but if you want more, there's more!" She was right, he didn't eat much because of his conditions. Usually when he's invited to something like that, he had to go through a painful experience of eating all the food that served him, which was more than he could take. So, that small potion of food meant a lot for him.
"Thank you, Midoriya-San." The man thanked the woman, who put the plate with the hamburger in front of him.
She sat next to her son, who was already devouring the burger. The three of them ate in silence, only the sound of the food being crushed by their teeth. Even though Toshinori was eating the smallest of the burgers, he was the last to finish. Before he finished, a ring of phone coming from the teenager's pocket beside him drew his attention. The boy then got up and answered the phone call, leaving the single mother and the retired hero alone.
"So... how is Izuku doing?" Inko asked, trying to break the silence.
"He's doing fine, as usual." Toshinori sipped at the soda in front of him.
"I bet he doesn't even miss me." She said, whispering. Unfortunately, he heard.
"Don't you dare to say something like that! He misses you a lot!" He said.
She felt her cheeks burn. It wasn't her intention of him to listen to what she said.
"I don't know why I feel like that. I think it's because I was always with him, and now he's not here anymore." She smiled, looking at him. "I'm sorry! It's just a mother thing!"
"Don't be sorry! If you're felling alone you can always count on me..." What am I doing? He stopped his sentence without finishing. "...teorologists! Meteorologists are always right!"
Inko realized that something wasn't right. He was avoiding looking at her, was a little nervous. Does he have a cru- Izuku soon returned, finding the two adults quiet with their heads down.
"Mom, and the brownies?" He asked.
"Oh yes, I'll get them!" Inko went to the kitchen to get the dessert.
The woman returned with dessert and again, Toshinori's was the smallest.
"Thank you again, Midoriya-San." She only smiled.
Again they ate the dessert and ending, Izuku called Toshinori to go to his room to show something of interest of the two. Inko then took out all the dishes to wash them along with the dishes that were already in the sink, but before she took the letters his son had taken from the mailbox and looked at each of the envelopes. The last of the letters had caught her eye.
In the envelope her name was written in cursive and there was no sender. The dishes could wait a little. She opened the letter with scissors, as she always does, and took out a sheet of notebook. She unfolded the sheet and began to read.
'Dear Inko,
I haven't talked to you in 10 years. Do you remember the last time we talked? Izuku was 5 years old and I had come to his apartment just to ask what my son's quirk was. And you still lied to me saying that he has no quirk.
You must be wondering 'how did this letter come to me?' One of my bodyguards followed you one day before this letter was sent. And it was simpler than I thought. You've been living in the same house for 19 years. You didn't change at all.
I stayed 17 long years away from my home country, and now that I'm back with my newest network of bars, I want Izuku's custody. So I want to have a meeting with you. Remember my bar? We will meet there next Friday at 10 p.m. there. If you do not go, I will come to you. I hope you'll cooperate with me.
-H'
Her hands began to trembling, from her eyes tears were coming and everything around her began to spin. Again, she was trapped in her own mind. Please, not again. She knew very well what that 'H' meant. Along with the letter came a photo. After seeing the photo, she felt her legs lose their strength. She had thought it was all over, but that letter only proved that it was just the beginning of something very bad.
Toshinori and Izuku were watching another videos of superheroes in front of the computer of the boy while the he was commenting on the technique used. If it was a normal day, Toshinori would certainly be more excited, but as the pain in his chest was stronger, he didn't seem to care too much. He listened to the boy's comments, though he didn't say anything, just smiled. The man felt a little guilty about it, but today was really not a good day for him. There wasn't even 10 minutes that they were there, but it felt like it was hours. His mouth began to fill with blood, which was normal for him. But the more he coughed, the more blood came out of his mouth.
"Are you okay, All Might?" The boy asked worriedly.
"No need to worry, Young Midoriya!" He smiled again, but he let a drop of blood come out of his mouth.
"All Might!" Izuku pointed to his mouth. The man then realized what had happened and wiped the blood with his wrists.
"You should be used to things like that, my boy."
"But lately you've expelling enough blood... Are you sure it's okay?" The retired hero was speechless, he had no explanation for what was happening, but he knew he wasn't well.
"Is nothing." Again he smiled. "Excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom to wash my mouth."
Toshinori got up and headed for the bathroom. He opened the door and made sure to lock it. Then he quickly opened the lid of the toilet to expel all the blood from his lungs, kneeling down. After he had expelled everything, he paused for a moment to breathe. His heart was racing slightly and he was breathing heavily. The taste of the Brownie he had eaten was replaced by a ferrous taste of blood. He looked into the toilet and into the diluted blood in the water. It was true what Izuku said, he was expelling more blood than normal. But even so, he continued to deny to himself that he was fine.
He left the bathroom with his mouth already washed, but it still tasted bad. Maybe, just maybe, he could get a glass of water in the kitchen without having to meet Inko. But unfortunately that wasn't what happened. He reached the kitchen door and found the woman standing by the sink, trembling, holding a notebook sheet with a photo.
"In- Midoriya-San?" He said, almost calling her by the first name. She didn't respond, which made him feel a twinge of concern. "I do not want to bother you, but where do I find the cups?" She stood still. Toshinori was already losing his mind. Then he found himself heading toward her, almost touching her shoulder. Shit. "Midoriya-San!" He called her in a louder voice. She then subtly lifted her head and turned to him, revealing her tears but at the same time a smile.
"I-I'm sorry, Toshinori-San! What did you even say?" She tried to smile, though her lips trembled.
"Midoriya-San..." The voice of Eraserhead and Present Mic that was in his head were lower than the voice of his concern. "Y-you're ..." She wiped her tears when she realized what he meant.
"It's all right! I just need to go to the bathroom!" Without realizing it, she left the letter and the picture on the kitchen counter.
The woman left the kitchen, striding and hurrying toward the bathroom, leaving the man alone. The letters were in front of him. Maybe it had something to do with what was happening to her, or not. It could be more of a letter from some relative or someone known to have died. Anyway, it was none of his business.
She was crying. He remembered. Whenever I see her, she cries. Is it me? I'll only know if I see the letter.
Then Toshinori took the notebook sheet. He believed that he could understand the situation and why the woman cried. First he saw the photo, which had several drops of water, probably tears. The woman was easily recognizable by her green eyes and hair. It was Inko. But the man, he has never seen in his life, but realized the resemblance of the freckles and curly and dark hair between him and Midoriya. Then he read the notebook, until he understood why the woman was crying. Now he understood what was happening. That man in the photo was Izuku's father along with Inko and for some reason he wanted the teenager custody.
'Hisashi is my ex-husband and father of Izuku.'
One of the things Inko said the last time he saw her came in his head. So the 'H' at the end of the letter meant Hisashi. He had sent the letter to the woman and he was the man from the bar and the photo. Some points began to connect, and part of that whole situation was already clearer. But some doubts still needed clarification.
Why does he want Izuku's custody and why Inko can't call the police?
For some reason he was relieved that he wasn't guilty for those tears falling. But on the other hand, he now had concrete reasons why he couldn't approach the woman. This wasn't a good time to join that family. He couldn't defend her either physically and according to Izuku's father, nor judicially. Giving advice to her was also not the best solution, since he sucked.
After reading the letter several times, he heard footsteps from someone coming into the kitchen. He left the letter the way it was, on the counter, and picked up some plates to pretend he was doing the dishes.
"Toshinori-san! Thank you, but you don't have to do the dishes for me." The short woman said, approaching the man.
"That is my thanks for the lunch." He smiled.
"Let me help you, drying them." She stood beside him, drying the dishes that had already been washed.
Silence was fact. Only the noise of the water falling from the faucet and banging on the aluminum from the sink. Until Toshinori was overwhelmed by something that Inko said.
"You never called me." An unusual remark to the man's mouth would fill with blood, but he swallowed it, avoiding to dirtily soak as he did the last time. "T-to talk about Izuku, of course."
"I ended up losing your number." He said, seeing his reflection in the silverware he was washing, and his lying expression.
"If you want, I can give you my number again-"
"No need! I ask Young Midoriya later." He interrupted her.
"O-ok..." She said, almost whispering. Again, silence.
The ex-hero, as well as the woman, was thinking about the letter. What worried him was that the way Hisashi had written seemed a threat. Is Inko at risk of life? I can't even help her.
"You can't meet with Hisashi." He let out of his mind one of his thoughts.
"Wh-what?" She then, surprised by the comment, looked at his eyes, which were wrinkled, almost touching each other.
"I-I'm sorry." He turned off the water that fell on the tap. "I got into your life again."
"Did you read the letter?" Inko asked, looking at the envelope near her. She felt like crying, but she held her tears.
Great, that's all I needed. You can't keep your mouth shut for a minute, can you?
"Sorry." Again he repeated what he said. "I'm so sorry, I-"
"I trust you." She interrupted him.
No, please, I beg you, don't trust me. Everything he had said he wasn't going to do happened. Now Inko that trusted him, and they would have those awkward conversations about her problems. It wouldn't be a problem if he could actually protect her, but that way he would only disturb her.
"I really shouldn't be doing this, but you can't pass Young Midoriya's custody to that man."
She just bowed her head. She had nothing to say. She certainly wouldn't pass the guard to the man, she hadn't even thought about it, but now she was more sure than she was, even though she didn't know the circumstances.
"I wasn't going to." She said as he handed her a wet dish. "But I'm scared." Scared. He was too. But he couldn't help her.
"A good conversation can solve everything, I believe." He replied.
"How I wish it were that simple." She snapped.
"What did you want to be simple?" Izuku asked, coming from the kitchen door. Inko and Toshinori didn't know what to answer.
"Wh-what did I want? I-I..."
"The dishes!" The man lifted a plate, showing the young man. "She wanted to be simpler doing dishes!" Then he laughed.
"Yeah, doing the dishes is really boring!" The boy agreed. "Let me help you!"
Now the three of them were doing the dishes together. Izuku, for a moment, felt happy to be there, with All Might and his mother.
I wish we were a family. He thought. I mean, All Might is doing great with my mom, different from the first time. I think I never saw mom having an actual friend.
The dishes, after two minutes, were already washed and stored in its place. Toshinori no longer cared so much about the pain, he managed to worry about something even more important. He was felling guilty for can't help Inko.
"I think It's time to go... Thank you so much for the food, Midoriya-San." The man said good-bye to the woman, already in the hallway leading to the exit.
"You're welcome!" She replied, a smile on her face. Both knew that smile was fake. They were just pretending, none of them were happy.
"Bye! All Might!" The boy waved to him, behind his mom.
"Bye!" The man closed the door of the apartment, sighting, relieved. Finally that meeting was over.
He went back to his apartment by cab. When he got home, he jumped into the couch with his hands in his chest, where his scar was.
'I trust you.'
Inko's voice was echoing in his head. He was happy, even knowing that was bad. Toshinori was happy that Inko trusted him. He let himself have some joy for at least the rest of the day.
It was strange have that feeling. A lot of people trusted him, but why with her was different? It was a strange doubt that he preferred to remain unanswered.