Siren Song (All Might x Reader)

Chapter 12: Routine

"I'll call maintenance and have the air conditioning for the building turned on. Anyways, what are you making?" He day at the bar stool, watching over you as you poured batter into the mold.

"Taiyaki," you smiled, gesturing to the plate of ones you'd already completed. "Help yourself."

"Isn't it a little bit early for sweets?" He questioned, not hesitating to lean over and serve himself a few. He sat back down in his chair, taking a bite. The crunch of the outer crust of the pastry crunched loudly, and he closed his eyes in delight at the yummy breakfast you'd made.

"It's never too early for sweets. My sweet tooth was nagging at me, and I knew someone was going to eat all of the cake left so I decided on this. I was surprised the cafe downstairs had the fish molds for it. They said they saved them for festivals."

"Huh, well this is delicious. You're gonna fatten me up, you know." He patted his nonexistent belly.

"I'm sure you'll work off all the calories by 10," you rolled your eyes.

As you continued cooking, and Toshi continued eating, a familiar ding echoed through the room, alerting you to your companions arriving. This time, to your surprise, Saffron was with them.

"Morning everyone," she beamed, looking as bright and energetic as the first day you met her. "What smells so good?" She plopped down at the counter, much to the dismay of the three other men. Toshi, on the other hand, slid a plate over to her and mumbled "Taiyaki," through a full mouth.

"You know so many sweets will make you weaker," the oldest man scolded. You rolled your eyes at home, ignoring his usual grumpiness.

Saffron shoved a bite of food into her mouth, sighing in satisfaction.

"We didn't just come here to eat," the old man protested again. "All for"

"Oh shut up, you old sack of flour. Try some," Saffron cut him off, shoving a plate towards him.

"I'm not going to have sweets this early in the day!"

"It won't kill you, just eat it!" She sighed waving the plate in his face again.

"Fine..." he grumbled, taking the plate. All of you stopped, looking to see if he would take a bite and whether or not he'd like your homemade food. He glared at you, then hesitantly picked up the food.

"Haven't you had one before, Gran Torino?" Sir asked bemusedly, arms crossed.

"Why would I? They sell them on the streets... that's unsanitary."

"You can buy them at the store... you microwave them," Toshi added, sighing at the old mans particular ways.

"Whatever. They don't sound appealing," he sighed. You continued to watch him with bated breath as he held the fish up to his lips, slowly taking a bit. The resulting crunch was deafening.

His face changed multiple times in a split second, from delighted surprise back to his serious scowl in an instant. He took another bite, not acknowledging any of you.

"Sooo... do you like it?" You asked, peeling the last one from the pan and handing it to Taukauchi, who gratefully accepted.

"It's fine," the old man lied. In all honesty, he loved it. He could eat a million of them if he could, but he wasn't going to admit that to the people staring at him, eating their own respective Taiyaki for breakfast. He made a mental note to check the store on his way home.

"So, what are we going to do today?" You asked anxiously, clearing everyone's plates and setting them in the sink.

"More combat training," Toshinori instructed, much to your dismay. You sighed and nodded. You were a fool to think anything different.

That became your life for the next few weeks, a steady schedule of visiting the jail, strength and combat training, and constant health consultations with Saffron. She would check you out at the end of every day, making sure you were on the perfect path for what they needed. As miserable as your moments after the combat training were, she was wonderful company, and you felt yourself coming to like her. She was relatable, the only woman you'd gotten to talk to in years. It was wonderful to have a girl friend. You texted all the time, occasionally made it out to coffee shops together when she had free time, and she had gone to the prison with you, along with Toshi.

They had been impressed by your work in the prison. You were no longer nervous when faced with these hardened criminals, dealing with them had just become your normal routine. You also had made progress in terms of your hero suit. You'd tested out a few ideas with Toshinori's support team, but had yet to decide on what worked best. Your quirk was difficult to deal with, of course. They needed to somehow create pants that wouldn't leave you completely exposed when transforming in and out of your aquatic form. They had initially tried simple button snaps near the crotch, much like a babies onesie, but that was unreliable at best as you moved, and a few people had gotten a rather undesirable view of your panties. They decided to keep working on more prototypes.

Your life at Might Towers had settled into somewhat of a routine as well. Every morning before training Gran Torino would arrive earlier than the rest, trying to slyly request you make him some more Taiyaki. It had become an unspoken agreement between the two of you. You would make him Taiyaki in the morning, and he would exchange subtle pleasantries with you instead of his normal gruff attitude. Everyone was seeming to take notice of the friendship you were forming with the wrinkled old man, but no one said anything for fear of ruining it. Toshinori seemed most surprised of all.

He would often discuss the peculiarity with you over your nightly dinners, whatever that ended up being. Toshinori helped you satisfy the need for all the meals you had missed for so long, going so far as to order you your favorite take out food from your hometown, and having it delivered right to your doorstep. Your relationship was blooming too, in a platonic way. The two of you felt so comfortable together. You teased and poked fun, you did boring daily things together, and sometimes you just sat in silence, doing your own respective things, and soaking up each others company.

The two of you would watch movies together every night. You would make some sort of delicious treat, and he would pop the popcorn, while recommending some movies to you. They weren't all American, thank god, but the vast majority of them were. You had become fast at reading the subtitles, but they still usually made your eyes so tired you couldn't help but drift off to sleep.

This had become an unspoken ritual between the two of you as well. Every night you'd fall asleep on Toshi's shoulder. He'd tuck you into his arm and let himself relax a bit as well. Then, when it was time for him to go to bed he would gently pick you up, tuck you into your own bed, and then get into his. He couldn't say he hated this ritual, it was the exact opposite honestly. He loved the physical contact, loved the warmth of your cheek against his bicep, loved the way your hair flowed about you as you slept. It was adorable, if he was being honest. Something about it captivated him every time. Your serene features forced him to recap every interaction he had with you that day, every word and subtle touch. His feelings were changing for you, he knew it, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for the direction they were heading, and how fast they were overwhelming him.

"Toshi?" You murmured groggily, eyes fluttering open to meet his stare. This had never happened before. You'd never woken up while he was... well... cuddling you. What if you hated it? What if you weren't falling asleep on him every night because you enjoyed him, what if it was all a complete accident? He'd feel like a fool, a creep. Not hero like at all.

"What's up, (Y/N)?" He squeaked out with a start, holding his breath as your eyes slightly adjusted to the darkness. You didn't seem to acknowledge the position you were in, laying on his chest as the two of you watched movies together, you just blinked slowly and settled back down against him, eyes sliding shut again.

"I'm cold," You murmured, barely awake. He chuckled quietly, relieved that you hadn't recoiled and ran away. With his free arm he reached down to grab the fuzzy blanket by your waist. He pulled it up over your shoulders, and then pulled you a little bit tighter against his chest, leaving his hand on your back. As he felt you fall back to sleep on top of him, he breathed a sigh of relief, which was then replaced with instant panic as he realized:

He was falling for you.