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The last remnants of the night’s chill still hung in the air when Tokio arrived to The Respite in good spirits, ready for a day’s work. From her shoulder hung a tote bag with her clean uniform and a binder with notes she intended to review during lunch break. It was full of legalese that she knew she had memorized sometime during her Yuuei days, but she didn’t remember half of it anymore, and she was feeling the cruel passage of time trying to cram it all back in. Studying had come easily to her when she was younger, but nowadays she spent her nights getting increasingly frustrated with homework that would have been much easier if she hadn’t been working for eight odd hours already.
She consoled herself thinking that it was easier than when she had to take care of a toddler when she had first moved to the city. Nothing beat that experience, and she hoped nothing would. She had been alone with her problems long enough. It was good to have put that behind.
As she unlocked the shutter and lifted it with a good push, she heard a voice from behind.
“That dress is so cute!” There was a big smile on Mika’s round face when Tokio turned around, and faked a gasp. “And you aren’t wearing flats! Could it be? Are you going anywhere this evening?”
A dumb smile of her own made its way to Tokio’s face, complete with a light blush that made her feel a little silly. “Maaaybe.”
“Oh, this a day for the ages!” Mika clapping her hands together. “Crotchety old Tokio has a date!”
“Stop saying that every time I have plans!” she retorted, flushing harder. “This isn’t news.”
“Sorry,” she said, sounding genuinely apologetic, “but it’s fun. Between this and your study breaks, you remind me of a schoolgirl with a crush.”
“And do you also remember how that went the first time around?” she grumbled, when she went inside the café and turned on the front lights.
Mika followed her inside and went towards the kitchen to turn on those lights as well. Her bell chime like laughter was reminiscent of the noise Kanade made when she moved, and she was so good natured that it was impossible to get truly annoyed at her. “I’m sure you have more sense on that front now.”
“I should hope so,” she replied, “because I’m never going through childbirth again. Come to think of it, I could get sterilized.”
“Would he be alright with that?” she asked from the kitchen, out of view.
“Are you kidding me?” Tokio shot back, turning on the coffee machine. “He just got another batch of twenty children.”
“That’s so sweet! The single mom and the single dad who found each other! Brought together by a coffee cup and a vengeful mouse, the enemies to lovers of the century!”
“Mike, please, tell me you aren’t going to be like this the whole day.”
There was a little pause before her cheery voice resounded through the whole shop. “I could!”
Mika behaved, somewhat, and the day was passing without incident save for the rude man who tried to take out his bad mood on the part-timer. Tokio sent him away with her managerial powers because she had been behind that counter too long to let a mannerless caveman to steamroll the newbie.
With the shop practically empty after lunch rush and while Mika took care of the dishwasher, she sat at a table out of sight with her notes and began to work. The TV droned on in the background, the few customers left were regulars minding their own business, and sometimes she heard the siren of a police car leaving the station. She wouldn’t get done as much as in a regular day, but if she had to build a study habit, she couldn’t start skipping days on a whim. Even if she really wanted to. Even when if she was more worried about the concealer in her purse being able to cover the dark rings she was sporting than memorizing the chain of custody of evidence. Perhaps Mika had a point, but after some contemplation, but if looking like a teen with a crush was the price for being happy, so be it. She’d be a schoolgirl with pride.
Her break was almost over when the man sitting near the window broke what little concentration she had mustered.
“Sorry, Nakajima, but can you turn up the volume? There’s an emergency newscast.”
“Oh? Sure.” She immediately got up to pick up the remote behind the counter. It wasn’t until she had pressed the volume button a few times that she paid any attention to the images on TV. A loop of police cars and ambulances entering the gates of Yuuei played while the anchor spoke.
The reports of a villain attack in Yuuei’s ground are still unconfirmed. Police have refused to comment on the issue and the school hasn’t made a public statement yet, but several ambulances have arrived at the scene. We will give updates on the situation as new information becomes available.
Tokio froze with her eyes locked on the screen. Her mind went blank until the words fully sank, and she felt a ball of lead sink in her stomach. Her free hand moved towards the phone in her pocket, and she was checking her messages before she knew what she was doing.
Nobody had sent her anything. She didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.
Unsure what to do, she sent Shouta a text.
‘Are you alright?’
She waited, hoping for a best case scenario ‘why are you asking?’ But a minute went by and no reply came. He hadn’t read the message either.
It didn’t have to mean anything. He could be busy dealing with whatever had happened, and she didn’t want to distract him on the job.
Mika took a step outside the kitchen, looking at the customers and Tokio with curiosity. “Is something going on?”
Tokio opened her mouth to reply and couldn’t find the proper words, so she motioned at the TV with her head.
“Oh.” Mika’s tone was soft as she read the scrolling words below the images, and she turned towards her colleague. “Tokio, are you okay? Did something bad happen?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a small voice. Swallowing the knot in her throat, she shot another message, this time at Present Mic.
‘Are you all okay? I’m watching the news.’
She didn’t really expect a reply, but her phone beeped instantly.
‘ttyl’
Right after the cryptic reply, he sent a sticker of a bird bowing down.
Tokio lifted her eyes from the screen to find Mika staring with expectation.
“Mic says they’re busy.”
With a tiny sigh, Mika gave Tokio a small push on the back and took the remote that she was limply holding from her hand. “Why don’t you sit again? I’ll make you an herbal tea.”
Tokio took a deep breath with the intention to say that she was fine, really, it probably was nothing, Mic had sent a cute sticker, see? But Mika was smarter than that, so she didn’t try. “Yeah. I should do that.”
She set the phone next to her notes and closed the binder. Her eyes keep flicking from the TV to the phone, hoping for more news from any source. They were probably alright, and later she’d be able to tell Shouta that he was a jerk for making her worry unnecessarily, and he’d call her a worrywart and say that assuming straight away that he was injured wasn’t logical and she should have known better.
The tea Mika prepared Tokio was long gone and she had even served a few coffees by the time her phone rang, and as soon as she picked up Present Mic began talking.
“Afternoon, Tokio. Are you alone?”
The lack of energy in his voice tipped her off. “I’m at work. Why? What happened?”
“There was an incident. With Aizawa’s class. Um. Just in case, do you have a chair—”
“Mic, I’m about to have a heart attack, please tell me what’s happened.”
“Okay, okay! The kids are fine, but Aizawa took a beating protecting them before All Might got to the scene. He was rushed to the hospital and he’s in surgery right now. I’m not gonna lie. It looks bad.”
She didn’t sit down, but she gripped the back of a chair for stability. “Do you know where they sent him?”
“Yeah, I’m heading there when I’m done with cleanup at school. Take note—”
It was night by the time things – and her – calmed down enough for Tokio to call home and give Kanade an update.
“But he’ll be fine?” There was no hiding her concern.
“He’s stable,” Tokio replied in a steady voice, because it was all she knew for sure, and as much as she wanted to put her daughter at ease, she didn’t want to lie to her. “We’ll see how he feels when he wakes up.”
“Mom…” Kanade breathed out. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go?”
“No way. You have school tomorrow and they only allow one visitor in the room.”
“Okay,” Kanade replied, unconvinced. “This wasn’t what I meant when I said I didn’t want to see you come home tonight.”
Tokio snorted. “Shut up, kid.” At least she was trying to joke. “Go do your homework and don’t go to sleep late. There’s curry leftovers in the fridge. Oh, and remember to take money for lunch tomorrow. It’s in the second drawer of the—”
“Mom. Mom. Our apartment is tiny. I know where everything is. And I can take care of myself for a night.”
“Right, sorry. You’re all grown up now.” It was a strange sensation, to see her get more independent as years went by. Gratifying, too, but Tokio didn’t think she’d ever get used to it. Still, everything changed. Her daughter wasn’t going to be an exception. None of them were, she thought as she sent a glance at the man lying on the bed. “Not everything, though.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Aaall right, good job, I’m never searching through your bedroom again.” Her tone made clear that she was done with that topic forever. “I’ll be going now, Yuzu’s been whining for half an hour and now he keeps trying to headbutt the phone.”
“Aw. Tell him I love him.”
“He hears you just fine.”
“You’re the man of the house, Yuzu,” she told the cat. “I leave you in charge.”
“Oh, look at the little fluffer perking up—I don’t need any men in here. You take care of yours. Now you’ve found one we don’t want him to start malfunctioning.”
“I can feel the love in the air.”
“I don’t need to love him—”
“I know.”
“That’s not what I mean—I don’t need to love him to be worried.”
Tokio let out a breath through her nose, a relaxed smile gracing her expression. “I know that too.”
Kanade hummed on the other end, embarrassed. “See you tomorrow. And try to sleep.”
“You too. Good night, Kanade. Love you.”
“Good night, mom.”
As soon as the call ended, it was like a spell broke, and Tokio had to return to a reality. A reality of white, empty walls, IV drips and that distinctive smell hospital air had. A reality where thing could be fine one minute and disastrous the next. She was never going to learn her lesson about dating heroes, was she?
The room was dark, with a single bed only, the door to the hallway cracked open just enough to let a thin strip of harsh light run to Tokio’s feet. She was on one of those uncomfortable reclining chairs hospitals used to torture visitors into leaving, but she had no intention to go.
The moment Tokio had arrived, she had found Nemuri in the ICU waiting room, and she had caught her up to speed. They’d been both there when the doctors had come looking for a family member or friend after the operation, just as Present Mic also arrived. It was hard to tell which of the three of them had taken it worse when they had seen him lying on the bed covered in bandages from head to toe. He was going to pull through, the doctor said, but his orbital bone had been crushed. Tokio winced every time she thought of it, thinking of how he must have received that injury. She wondered what he would feel worse about, a career-ending disability, or the loss of eyesight. Probably the former. His entire life revolved around work.
One of his elbows had suffered a particularly strange injury, too – the tissue appeared to have disintegrated. It would put him in a cast for a few weeks, but it would heal. So would all the other important bones he had broken.
Tokio would forever think that hero work was much better when you were the one risking your life instead of hoping that someone else to be safe. She supposed this made her a hypocrite if she intended to inflict the same concern to her loved ones, but she had earned the right to be a little selfish, or so she was told.
She brushed a strand of hair away from his face, very careful not to touch the bandages, and let out a silent sigh. She wasn’t going to sleep, no matter how much Kanade wanted her to. Settling in the chair, she opened her phone’s browser and logged into her online course. At least she could try to study while she waited.
She was nearly dozing of when Tokio thought she noticed a slight movement to her side, and the change in Shouta’s breathing was confirmation that he had awoken.
“Shouta?” she asked, afraid that she was imagining things.
His throat made a guttural sound before he could form a word. “Tokio? The students—”
Tokio was grateful for the bandage over his eyes when her own started to water. “They’re all safe,” she said, wanting to at least hold his hand, but there wasn’t an inch of skin safe to touch. Instead, she walked to the bed and leaned some of her weight on it. “You’re at the hospital.”
“Not hell?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Sure feels like—” He went into a coughing fit that must have hurt horribly, and Tokio opened a water bottle and put in a plastic straw that a nurse had left with them earlier.
“Wait, I have water.” It was difficult to see where the bandages parted around his mouth between the sheer amount of gauze in the way and the low light, but she found it quickly enough and he started to drink. “You’re bandaged head to toe, eyes included. Don’t try to open them, you had surgery on the bone.”
He hummed when he let go of the straw. “I felt it crack when I slammed into concrete. My arms—”
“You have fractures all over your body, but your joints are fine. Your eyes, though… the doctor said your eyesight may be affected. We won’t know until they heal.”
He exhaled shortly.
“Shouta?”
“You’re wearing heels.”
He must have heard her when she moved to his side. “At least we know your hearing’s fine.”
Shouta didn’t reply immediately. “Are you alright?”
Tokio let out an incredulous laugh. “You’re asking me?”
“I just thought you would’ve told me you were worried by now. It’s concerning.”
“I wasn’t going to.” He didn’t need her to get on his case for doing his job. “And it doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“No. What matters is that you protected your kids and you are alive.”
He took a little bit of offense at the wording, just as Tokio had intended. “They are not my kids.”
“Has any of them called you dad accidentally?”
“Kick me while I’m down, will you?”
Suppressing a laugh, she unconsciously reached towards him and stopped when she noticed what she was doing, and by then the silence had stretched too long.
“What’s wrong?”
“I almost touched you without thinking. Is there any part of you that isn’t injured?”
“You could try.”
Tentatively, she reached with a hand and put the slightest bit of pressure on his cheek. When he didn’t say anything, she asked. “Does it hurt?”
“Like a bitch.”
She retracted the hand. “You—”
“I didn’t tell you to pull away.”
That made her laugh, but not enough to comply with the request. “You know, Kanade told me this morning not to come home tonight.”
“She did?”
“Are you surprised?”
After a small pause, he said, “I’m not sure how to feel about it.”
“She cares about you too, despite herself.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“Ah, well.” Tokio sat again on the chair, and the seating arrangement didn’t feel so unbearable now that Shouta was awake and joking. “We’re spending time together. It’s what counts, right?”
“I refuse to agree.”
“You’re so grouchy.” Tokio chuckled. “Why don’t you try to sleep again? I think you need it.”
“I’ll do that.” Tokio didn’t expect him to say anything else, but he continued. “And… for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
The knot in her stomach returned. He wasn’t supposed to be worried about her now. She was supposed to help, not to add to his problems. “Don’t. You’re a hero. These things happen. I know better than anyone.”
The job was hard enough when you didn’t have to worry about someone else’s feelings.
He made a sound akin to a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you.”
She hadn’t done anything worthy of thanks, she thought, but her heart, after having been put through a wringer in the last twelve hours, warmed with his words despite her reluctance. She didn’t have to like it, but feelings had a habit of never asking for opinions.
Five minutes. She had been absent from the room for five minutes to talk to a nurse and get a tea from the machine in the waiting room, and when she came back she had found Shouta fully dressed and ready to leave.
There wasn’t a trace of the sympathy and patience she had displayed before when she said, standing in front of the door, “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I have class this afternoon,” he replied, as if that was an acceptable excuse.
“No. No you don’t. Please lay down again.”
“It isn’t that bad. I can move, and I can see again. It’s just homeroom. I need to talk to them.”
The barrage of reassurances was a fine try, but it took more than that to convince Tokio. “Someone else will tell them what happened.”
“It’s not that. They have to prepare for Yuuei’s sports festival.”
“Shouta, you’re concussed and it’s showing. Someone can cover you.”
“This is important,” he insisted. “I know them enough to know that I have to be there or they’ll be too distracted to function. They need to go back to normalcy as soon as possible so the attack doesn’t affect them more than it already has.”
If he had been in an actual discussion, his reasons may have made sense. Sadly for him, it wasn’t one the issue was not up for debate. “It’s very noble of you to want to reassure your students that everything is fine, but there is nothing normal about their teacher looking like a mummy, so lay down.”
Since the argumentative approach wasn’t working and she was blocking the door, he changed strategies. “Please?”
Tokio’s look softened just enough to give him hope, but her tone was harsh. “I’ll wrestle you. Don’t think you can win in that state.”
He was probably looking very frustrated under those bandages, but before he could try again, a visitor carrying a colorful bouquet of gerberas appeared behind Tokio.
“You’re awake!” Present Mic said happily, looking over Tokio’s shoulder, and then he paused in confusion. “Where are you going?”
“To Yuuei.”
Mic looked uncertain. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s not!”
“It’s fine.”
“I see how it is,” he quickly said. “Uh, look, I don’t wanna get in the middle a lover’s quarrel, but I can drive him and make sure he doesn’t pass out on the way.”
Of course he was going to take his friend’s side. Tokio wasn’t expecting common sense from him. “He needs to rest!”
“Yeah, but I bet he’s not going to until he sees the kids.”
Mic had a point. Both of them had points, in fact, but none that could trump the fact that Shouta had almost died less than twenty-four hours ago and no one seemed to care.
Tokio couldn’t believe she was giving in to peer pressure. Begrudgingly, he asked Shouta, “Can you really see well?”
“It’s a little blurry,” he conceded.
She inhaled sharply and shut her eyes. “Mic, please take him away before I toss this cup at him.”
“That takes me back! Come to think of it, wasn’t it around this time last year—”
Shouta cut him off, possibly to not give Tokio any ideas. “Let’s go before she changes her mind.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay. Let’s try to meet in better circumstances next time, okay?” He said to Tokio, and then he pushed the flowers onto her. “Here. Since he doesn’t need them anymore.”
“Oh, thanks?” Kanade would love them when she knew who they came from. With one last grumpy look at Shouta, she stepped aside to let him pass. “I’ll handle the rest of the paperwork.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” He shot a grin at Tokio and motioned at his friend to come along. “C’mon, Eraser! Your class is waiting!”
Present Mic walked out of the room first, and Shouta lingered behind for a moment.
After a brief staredown, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Her automatic reply was a light bouquet slap to the side of his face, and it was plain by his wincing that even that had to hurt. “I don’t want your filthy promises, I want you to behave and get well soon.”
“I’ll try.”
“I don’t think you will.” Sighed, and she smiled at him. Go before I change my mind.”
Shouta nodded and joined his snickering friend outside, leaving Tokio in an empty hospital room with an assortment of daisies, a lukewarm tea, and a conversation with an upset doctor lurking in her near future.
She abandoned the tea on the nightstand and went to find one of the nurses. With a little luck, she’d make it to the café in time for the afternoon shift and tell the good news to Mika. Tokio was sure she would appreciate the gossip.