Siren Song (All Might x Reader)

Chaoter 25: An Offer

God, if things weren't awkward enough before they sure would be now. You thought.

Sir Nighteye already looked at you as if you were a bug, like you were just using Toshinori for his money or something. Now his suspicions would be even more valid. You were never gonna get on that guys good side, and every move you made seemed to make him hate you more and more. Now you had to go to the prison with him. Great.
At least Toshinori will be there, you reminded yourself. He was good at keeping the peace. He'd make things less awkward.
You begrudgingly heaved yourself off of your bed and changed your clothes, trying to avoid looking at how wild you appeared in the mirror. Your remaining makeup was completely smudged, lipstick smeared all across your face. Your hair was knotted and messy, sticking out this way and that. There were no traces of the glamor you'd displayed the previous night. Instead, you looked almost messier than you had the night you went overboard with long island ice teas.
After you'd cleaned your face and tamed your hair you were about to head back out to the two men waiting on you when something caught your eye. You tilted your chin upwards to get a better view of your neck, noticing the bright purple welts that spread across the skin from where Toshi had made them. You groaned in annoyance, remembering how you meekly allowed him to do it. You'd have been lying if you'd said you didn't enjoy it, but that didn't change the fact that you were going to have to go out in public with them.
There was no way you could cover them up. You didn't own any makeup thick enough to cover up the obvious hickies. You didn't even have the comfort of a turtleneck t-shirt or a scarf. There was no way you could wear something so hot at this time of year. You'd melt!
Worst of all, you were going to the prison. Your hero suit wouldn't cover anything up and you'd definitely have many sets of eyes on you, as you usually did. The situation was just getting worse and worse.
Still, you tried your best to hurry out to the men waiting on you, knowing that stalling wouldn't make your neck look any less bad.
After slipping on some simple leggings and a shirt you hustled back out to the men, hanging your head in embarrassment and shame.
"Are you ready to go?" Night Eye asked, looking at the watch on his wrist.
"Yeah... Where's Toshinori?" You asked, noticing his absence in the room.
"He got called out for an emergency situation down town. We'll have to take a detour to get to the prison on time."
Your stomach sank.
"An emergency situation? Shouldn't you be with him then?" You asked, remembering that he was, in fact, his sidekick.
"I am not generally involved in those kinds of things. All Might generally reserves me for the mountains of paperwork that go along with doing his job, which lately includes a lot of paperwork for you too."
"Me? Why would you have to do paperwork for me?"
He turned away from you and started heading to the elevator, leaving you to try and catch up to the strides of his long legs.
"What you're doing and preparing for is technically considered hero work. While All Might be personally intending on paying you for your service to him, the government will as well. But, you can't carry out these kinds of duties without a license or a permit, so we've been documenting your training with us and visits to the prison as an internship, which will eventually translate into a hero license. This isn't usually how it's done, but some agents at the government have been working with Saffron to make it work, given the circumstances."
"Wow..." You pondered over everything he'd just said, "This is a lot more involved than I realized. I thought this whole thing was kinda just under the table."
Nighteye led you out of Might Towers and into his car, holding the door open for you and gesturing for you to get in. As he sat in the drivers seat, he began his explanation again.
"What we're doing is as 'under the table' as it can get, all things considering. If it weren't for Saffron's and All Might's connections, and the priority put on defeating All for One, the government would never have let us do any of it."
"So it's all just to cover our tails?"
"Essentially." He responded curtly. He was absolutely right about the detour downtown. Traffic was backed up for blocks, all pointing towards a large plume of smoke in the center of the city.
"Wow... It looks bad..." You whispered to yourself, turning your head to look at the scene as the car turned away from it.
"It always is, but it's nothing All Might can't handle." Sir assured you, pride staining his voice.
"How did you end up working for All Might, anyways?" You asked, turning your attention back to him.
You heard him chuckle a bit, which surprised you. "It wasn't easy."
"Really?"
"Really. He was set on not having a sidekick." He explained, his tone more casual than you'd ever heard it before.
"How did you convince him?"
"Persistence. I'd always been a huge fan of All Might. I still am. I knew I could help him as the Symbol of Peace, but he had a policy of not taking any sidekicks. I think I was so persistent and annoyed him so much that eventually he gave in and allowed me to be his sidekick. I never go out and fight or defeat villains with him, though. Right now I prefer sticking to paperwork."
"It must keep you busy." You responded, smiling at his story.
"Very busy." He responded. "I think he considers me the 'brains' of his whole operation."
"Oh... I thought it was the other way around. I figured Toshi was the brains. " You joked, knowing that as sweet as Toshi was, he wasn't exactly a mastermind. Nighteye appreciated your joke, laughing loudly and turning to face you, a small smile on his face.
"I was the one who came up with the idea to bring you into the equation, you know." He informed you.
"Really? How did you know about me?"
"I was monitoring police reports and activities. I noticed a pattern, and there I found you."
"Pattern?"
"People would go to a certain beach and end up with their quirk almost entirely gone. I was able to trace that back to the incident with your friend those years ago, and through that I found you."
"And you didn't arrest me?"
"I was able to determine that because you were only doing it every few weeks and you weren't hurting anybody permanently that you were doing it out of necessity. I also knew based on the incident with your friend that you had the capability to remove the entirety of someones quirk, but you purposefully hadn't. That's when I formulated the plan to defeat All for One."
"Oh... well... thank you for- y'know... not arresting me." You mumbled, rubbing the back of your head anxiously.
He simply nodded his head, ending the conversation then and there. The rest of the ride to the prison was spent in a mixture of awkward silence and anxiety.
The last time you went to the prison you'd gotten assaulted by a villain, broken your jaw, and been extorted by the prison director. You hoped that something similar wouldn't happen this time. You felt confident that it wouldn't under sir's watchful eye, but without Toshinori there you felt less secure. Plus, there were the obvious hickies dotting your neck that made you even more anxious. What if people assumed they were from All Might? What if they assumed they were from Sir? Or Saffron? Or even worse... what if they assumed they were from Gran Torino?
How humiliating.
Nevertheless, you exited the car when it was opened for you by the guards. They didn't pay you much mind as they took you through the normal protocol: metal detector, emptying pockets, etc. but still, you felt as if everyone's eyes were on you.
Though you felt totally embarrassed of the marks on your neck, you couldn't help but feel a little pride in them. All Might had given them to you. Imagining their reactions if they found out was also hilarious, and allowed you to relax a little.
When you entered the main halls of the prison, you weren't ushered to the normal pool room you were used to. Instead, you went into a room on the opposite side of the hall. The room was much different than the aesthetic of the rest of the building. Instead of sterile white tile and white walls you entered in to a beige conference room, fitted with grey carpet and a large wooden conference table. Tall, black leather chairs surrounded the table, and a solitary phone sat in the center. A few television screens were mounted on the wall, and large vibrantly green plants sat in each corner of the room.
What surprised you most was not the interior design of the room, but rather the people sitting in it. Igarashi sat on one side of the table, neatly dressed in a white suit as usual. To her left sat an older man in a black suit, looking over a pile of papers he had in a briefcase. Other men and women who looked to be of various levels of importance sat there too, not looking up from their own papers. Small glasses of untouched water sat in front of everyone, and two empty chairs were waiting for your arrival. Nighteye led you in, pulling out one of the only empty seats on the opposite side of the room and gesturing for you to sit in it. You did, but you were unsure exactly why you did so without question. You weren't really sure why you were there or why Igarashi was there with a lawyer, but you decided it was best to not question Sir Nighteye.
"Good morning, everyone." The lawyer began, his warm voice contradicting the sour look on his face.
"Good morning," Sir stated plainly, setting his folded hands onto the table.
"Good morning," You mumbled awkwardly, casting nervous glances at Igarashi, who responded with nothing but a tight lipped smile.
"Will All Might not be joining us today?" The lawyer asked.
"No, other things have come up. I trust that you will have no problem of me acting in his stead." Nighteye responded.
"Ah- no. Of course not. We shall continue, then. Since the 'incident' in our facility involving Miss (Y/N) and prisoner 1500231, we have been reviewing our options and how to move forward. All Might, as mentioned in the previous meetings, has threatened discontinuation of our quirk removal program and further legal action if compensation is not agreed upon. Based on the previous meetings the incident report states as follows: 'On the day of X/X/20X (Y/LN) (Y/N) was attacked by prisoner 1500231 during a quirk removal procedure. Prisoner 1500231 was not permitted to be used as a subject of the quirk removal program, as his hearing impairment left the chance that he would be immune to (Y/LN)'s quirk. All Might specifically instructed Miss Igarashi to refrain from allowing this subject to be included in the program. On the day of the incident, Miss Igarashi intentionally included prisoner 1500231 in the quirk removal program against All Might and the Board of Directors exact orders. Miss Igarashi has stated she did so to 'see the extent of Miss (Y/LN)'s quirk'. Because of this, Miss (Y/LN) was attacked during routine quirk removal protocol and suffered injuries to her jaw.' That is the end of the report. Does the information sound accurate to you?" The Lawyer finished, looking at you.
To say you were confused was an understatement. You'd thought they'd just brushed the whole attack under the rug, but to find out that Toshinori had been taking action against it, working on your behalf to make sure it was taken care of, was surprising. It certainly seemed like they were taking it very seriously now, since you were surrounded by who you assumed was the board of directors.  Igarashi even seemed to be nervous, meaning something big was about to happen.
"Uh- yeah. That sounds right," You said, unwilling to look up from the table.
"Okay. With that being said, the board offers the following reparations to be paid to Miss (Y/LN)." The lawyer stood from the table and produced a manilla envelope from his briefcase. He slid it across the table to you and your partner. Sir took it from the table and opened it up, quickly scanning through the documents as the lawyer continued to speak.
"To further ensure that an event like this will not happen again, the board has demanded that Miss Igarashi step down from her position, to which she complied."
Your eyes shot up from the document and looked to Igarashi, who still held the tight smile on her face as she stood up.
"I greatly apologize for my transgression, and wish you the best of luck continuing forward. I have only wanted what was best for the prison and for society." She bowed deeply to you and sat down again. Looking through you to stare at the wall.
You didn't know what to say, whether you should apologize for her losing her job or not. Instead you stayed silent, looking over Sir's shoulder at the papers as he began to speak.
"It was a shame it had to come to this, Igarashi. I hope you show more discretion in future careers," He stated unsympathetically. She didn't flinch at his words, instead continuing to stare blankly behind you. "As far as this offer is concerned, I believe that you were being too reserved. Miss (Y/LN) was contracted by your prison to do work that no one else in the world can do. So far, she has done it to sustain herself as well as help her country. In doing this, and because of the reckless actions taken by Igarashi, she sustained a major break in her jaw and could've potentially lost her life."
As you scanned over the document you saw different terms proposed by the board, mostly protocols created to better ensure your safety and a lot of legal jargon, you noticed something more shocking at the bottom. You nearly choked as you read it, but Sir continued without you.
"You noted 1,000,000 yen would be paid to her to compensate for the incident, which I think All Might would find insulting. Miss (Y/LN) experienced incredible trauma and sustained significant wounds that resulted from the attack. As such, she could've been in need of many surgeries had she not been able to heal herself. Taking this into consideration, All Might has demanded that we settle for no less than 10,000,000 USD. Half of which will be made in monthly payments throughout the year to a dedicated bank, the rest of which will be put into a separate account and unavailable until the year ends."
Your eyes were as wide as saucers are you heard the numbers they were talking about. The amount of money they'd suggested was already huge, but the amount Sir suggested was more than you'd ever seen in your life. You didn't even think your mom made that much in a year of work. It was ridiculous. Still, the terms were very specific. Half would be distributed to you throughout the year and the rest in a lump sum. What was Toshi suggesting with that? Was he trying to prepare you for when you'd leave his side, after you helped him defeat All for One? Or was he just trying to get you a huge chunk of cash?
    Regardless, if this private prison was going to give you money you definitely weren't going to refuse.
    The board members mumbled to each other as they discussed their options, weighing the pros and cons of increasing the pay amount by that much. You turned to Nighteye, who stared at them all sternly for a moment, then gave you a small smirk as the lawyer stood up again.
    "After some consideration, the board has agreed to these terms and will see to it that an account is set up on behalf of Miss (Y/LN) immediately. Deposits will be made on the first of the month until today's date of next year. At that point the final lump sum deposit will be made. Are these terms agreeable?" This time the lawyer turned to you, as the woman next to him began printing out papers.
    "Uh- yeah. That sounds good," You squeaked, still in absolute shock about the whole thing.
    "Good. Please sign and date the papers below," He said, sliding you the form. Sir signed it first then handed it to you, showing you exactly where to sign. Once the paper was signed by all of the board members they stood and bowed to you. Igarashi's glare was like a laser through your body.
"We look forward to our continued partnership with both Miss (Y/LN) and All Might. Thank you for meeting today." The lawyer said. A guard came in immediately as he was done speaking and led the two of you out of the room and across the hall to where the pool was waiting on you.
You slipped in to the dressing room to quickly put on your hero suit. You were very eager to get back to All Might. You had so many questions for Toshi, and also so many things to thank him for. Plus, with your new form of income you were dying to pay him back for all the kindness he'd shown you. Maybe he'd even let you take him out for dinner. You were his girlfriend after all.
You could barely pay attention while in the pool, quickly draining the mans quirk as fast as you could in order to get back home. Things were already different in the pool room. More guards were stationed on every corner of the room, and there were even two guards in the water with you that held down the prisoner by his arms. It made the whole process a lot less nerve-wracking for you, and you were able to quickly get it done and over with. Before you knew it you were dressed and back in to Sir's car.
"That was faster than usual," Nighteye noted as you entered his car.
"Oh, yeah. I wasn't being as careful I guess."
"How are you feeling?" He asked, pulling out of the prison gates and heading back into town. The commotion from earlier seemed to have been cleaned up, meaning Toshinori had done his job of saving everyone. 
    "I'm fine. Really surprised, honestly. I thought that the whole thing would just be swept under the rug."
    "Since the incident Yagi has been fighting with the prison for some form of compensation on your behalf."
    "Why didn't he tell me?" You asked.
    "He knew you would tell him not to worry about it. We've also been working on ways to set you up to support yourself after All for One has been dealt with. The money they're giving you should get you onto your feet and cover school if you decided to go back."
    "Wow- I- Thank you." It was all you could manage in the moment. Finishing school was one of the top of the things on your list at the moment. Getting your high school diploma and then maybe going to college or learning some sort of trade would open so many possibilities. You certainly weren't planning on becoming a hero, but with what you'd learned perhaps something more behind the scenes would suit you. Maybe you could even work for Toshi or Saffron. There had to be somewhere you could fit in to their world.
    "Don't thank me. All Might did most of the arguing. I just submitted the paperwork."
    "Still, Sir Nighteye... I really don't know how to thank you enough." You couldn't help the smile that spread across your face.
    "Call me Sasaki. Hero names are too formal." He sighed, sounding much less sincere than someone normally would when saying such a thing.
    "Oh, okay. Sasaki. Got it." You fidgeted with the hem of your shirt. The car ride passed in silence for a few minutes, neither of you willing to break the awkward silence that had accumulated in the car.
    You were nearing the end of your car ride when he spoke again.
    "How long have you been 'with' Yagi?" He asked in a very straightforward tone of voice.
    He caught you by surprise, but you didn't stumble for an answer. He'd already caught the two of you that morning, there was no need to lie.
    "Only since last night, actually." You explained.
    "I see..." Sasaki pondered for a minute, then sighed. He was pulling up in front of Might Towers, your conversation was coming to an end. "I can't say that I'm surprised. Yagi has never shown much of an interest in any women before, but we could all see it coming. I would recommend you keep Gran Torino in the dark about this. He will be less... accepting... than most."
"I figured... we'll- we'll be more discreet. Sorry you had to see that this morning..." you blushed.
"Let's not talk about it. It's not the most indecent state I've ever seen Yagi."
You laughed as you imagined what he could have seen,  but didn't press the subject. You started to thank him for taking you to the prison, but as you began to exit the car he grabbed your attention again.
"One last thing, (y/n)... there's a lot about All Might you don't know, for good reason. Some things you just can't know. I only tell you this as a warning; all of this need to defeat All For One goes a lot deeper than you think. Don't let your feelings for a each other distract you from what has to be done."
Any words you could have responded with had evaporated from your brain, replaced with pure confusion.
Deeper than I think? What does that mean?
You thanked him for the advice and again for the ride as you left his car and headed into the building. You were only half paying attention to your surroundings as you entered the building and headed towards your elevator. Your head was swimming with questions, but your gut instinct told you that you needed to be patient and wait to get information from Toshi.
What other things could be going on between Toshi and One for All? Was he his dad? Was the dues more personal than it seemed? How would these secrets effect the mission?
As much as it killed you, you knew you couldn't sit around pondering the possibilities all day. You had to focus and bide your time until the moment was right, then try and get a better explanation from him.
For now, you were going to settle with getting to know Toshi better as a boyfriend and figure out how this new dynamic would fit in to your life.
To your surprise, Toshi was home when you entered your shared apartment, his back turned to you as he shoveled what seemed to be a chocolate bar into his mouth.
"Are you gonna share?" You asked, sliding up beside him. He nearly jumped out of his civilian clothes when you were suddenly standing next to him. He choked on his mouthful of food but quickly regained his composure.
"Don't tell Saffron," he mumbled over his mouthful.
"Your secrets safe with me, Toshi, as long as I get a cut, you gestured to the bag of convenience store food he had next to him. All sorts of delicious treats were shoved in the bag, mostly ones you hadn't had in years.
"Alright, I can agree to that. I saved a convenience store on my way home and they gave me all this. How'd your visit to the prison go?" He tosssd you the bag and you rooted through it, selecting a snack that looked good.
"It went fine. Huh did tell me we were suing the prison."
"We weren't suing. Just threatening. Did they give you a good deal?" He leaned against the counter as he opened up another pack of snack, ignoring the little saffron voice in his head telling him he was ruining his diet.
"Better than I could have ever imagined," you grinned, walking forward to hug him. "Thank you for going to all that trouble of making that happen."
"It wasn't any trouble. Besides, you deserved it. It's not every day one gets a punch in the face from a villain."
"I'm starting to feel more and more like yky every day, Toshi." You teased.
"That doesn't sound like a great thing," he retorted. "Anyways, I'm glad you're back. I had something I wanted to ask you about."
"Ask me about? Like what?"
"I wanted to talk about us."

(I'm gonna edit this in the morning I'm just very tired and really wanted to get this chapter out tonight. Also, stay tuned for another short mini chapter this next week and a Halloween special or two coming soon!)