You could hear the ringing of your alarm quietly bounce around the walls of your apartment. It was incessant, annoying, but you were in no state to get up and turn it off. Instead, you dozed off and on for the next few hours of the morning, waking up every once in a while to hear that same ringtone over and over again until your phone died and you were finally able to sleep in peace.
The first thing you felt was indescribable pain when you fully woke up. Had someone crushed your head under a boulder? Were you having an aneurysm? Had someone shot you in the head? You cracked opened your eyes just the tiniest bit and cursed at the searing pain the light sent through your skull. You tried to remember where you were and how you'd gotten there, but you only saw fragments. You knew you'd gone to the club, but everything after your third shot was blurry. Something about a guy, throwing up outside, and Toshi? Must've been a wild night...
You opened your eyes the tiniest bit more and looked around. You were safe at home... sitting on the couch, it looked like. Your pajamas were on backwards, but other than that you were completely unscathed. At least you hadn't hurt yourself with all your shenanigans. You made a mental note not to go so hard with Saffron ever again. It obviously wasn't worth it.
As you got your bearings you felt something shift underneath you, followed by an abrupt snore. You turned to see Toshinori sitting beneath you, still sound asleep. A few weeks ago it would've embarrassed you to be in this position, but at this point you were used to it. You snuggled back down into him and sighed contentedly, hoping to savor a few more moments before he woke up.
You looked over to the clock on the cable box. Usually your training would've started an hour ago, but you both must've overslept. Toshi would probably be disappointed that you were in the process of missing a day of valuable practice.
"Toshi? Wake up, Tosh." You croaked, your throat dry and hoarse. You patted his chest a bit and shook his shoulders to try and wake him up. He snored a little bit more, but eventually his eyes opened just the smallest bit. He blinked a few more times and then smiled at you.
"Mornin', party girl" He smirked, stretching out his legs as he began to wake up. You blushed deeply. Had you done anything too embarrassing last night? You prayed to god you hadn't.
"Morning, Toshi. Did you sleep okay?"
"About as well as you can sleep with a drunk woman hanging all over you"
Your face felt heated, "Sorry... I didn't mean to go so hard last night. I was probably such a bother..."
You both cringed a little at the memories of just how messed up you were. Small images of you drunkenly dancing flashed into your mind, as well as small glimpses of a man with his mouth all over you. You shuddered. No more drinking, at least for a while.
"Yeah..." Toshinori sighed deeply and put a serious voice on. He turned your face and made you look him in the eyes. "Listen, (Y/N)... I'm sorry I was so worried last night. I know I shouldn't have pouted, it was so immature of me. I promise going forward I'll let you be the adult you are without trying to mother you. However... You know drinking that much isn't okay, right? What were you thinking? Saffron said you were one sip away from alcohol poisoning."
You felt immense guilt overwhelm you. What had you been thinking? Your whole 'Just one more drink' mentality totally messed you over. You were filled with a deep sense of regret.
"I know... I know... I just... felt good, you know? I didn't mean to go overboard. It just made me feel good. I forgot all my worries and just had a good time. I didn't have to think about training, or All for One, or my mom... I just had fun with Saffron. And I know I shouldn't have let a random stranger kiss me... I just... He made me feel desirable... No one's ever given me attention like that... I- I don't know. It was stupid. " Tears started to trickle down your cheeks. The utter humiliation at having him scold you, paired with the raging migraine you were experiencing, overwhelmed you.
He stiffened from your confession. Jealousy reared its ugly head and he opened his mouth to ask about the kiss, but your tears stopped him. Any anger he had for the man who'd kissed you and any jealousy he'd felt melted away and was soon replaced with empathy. You were just a kid compared to him. You were scared of the looming threat of All for One, unsure of how you were gonna adapt in this new stage of your life. You didn't have much life experience past high school. You'd never gotten to go partying, drink, all those things that made being an adult so 'special' for most people. It was his job now as your friend to help guide you through those experiences, since Saffron totally dropped that ball.
His stern face melted and he pulled you tighter to him. He used his large thumbs to wipe the tears from your cheek. Once your face was dry and gently patted your back as he thought of how to respond. "It's not entirely your fault. Yes, you should've shown more restraint with your drinking, but Saffron should've kept a better eye on you. And that man shouldn't have taken advantage of you, especially since he probably knew how drunk you were. I'm just glad Akemi was there to make sure he didn't take you home with him."
The thought of being kidnapped brought another set of fresh tears to your cheeks. "Yeah... I just thought he liked me. He said I was precious... no one had ever flirted with me before so I thought he was being genuine... I'm so stupid." The confession was more humiliating than anything, but you wanted to be honest.
"Don't say that about yourself!" Toshi protested, "You are precious! He's just a bastard. I should have him arrested for what he did..."
"You don't have to do that, Toshi. I should've known better."
"It just doesn't sit right with me. What if he does it to another girl? What if Akemi hadn't been there to help you? Do you remember his name? Or what he looks like?"
You searched your memory for his names, or even his face, but you couldn't remember much except his occupation. "He said he was a hero... named Train I think? Steam Train?" You anxiously fidgeted with your wrists, noticing the finger shaped bruises the man must've left on them when he tried to get you away from Akemi.
"I've heard of him. He's a new up and coming hero, trying to copy 'Ingenium'..." His sentence trailed off as he noticed your fidgeting. He gingerly picked one of your wrists up and inspected them. He'd seen those types of bruises before. He could automatically assume what happened, but he asked anyways. "What happened to your wrists?"
"Oh... uh... He must've done it when he was trying to drag me away." You admitted shamefully. You heard Toshinori grind his teeth together. He wouldn't look at you for a minute.
His first instinct was to hunt the man down and kill him, but he knew that was his anger talking, not him. Toshi could never hurt someone out of vengeance, let alone kill them. A hero wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do that. "He didn't touch you or hurt you anywhere else did he?"
"No... not that I know of..."
You felt him relax beneath you. "Alright... I'm just glad you're here safe. Promise me you won't go that hard again? At least... without better supervision?"
"Yeah, I promise."
He enveloped you in a big hug. "Good... and about All for one. Don't worry about him. You still have a lot of time to train and grow. I'll be right by your side the whole time. You can do this, there's nothing to fear."
"Thank you, Toshi...Speaking of, shouldn't we have been training already?"
"I figured you deserved one day off, but tomorrow we're gonna work twice as hard. You can't imagine how mad Gran Torino was when I told him you were sick and we wouldn't be doing any training today." He smiled and wiped the hair stuck to your sweaty forehead back with his hand.
"I appreciate that... I feel like you punched me in the head with all your strength." You rubbed your eyes, ignoring the mascara that smeared itself across your cheeks.
"Trust me, racoon eyes. If I punched you with all my strength you wouldn't be here." He gloated with a hearty chuckle.
You rolled your eyes. "I was making a joke, Mr. Symbol of Peace. I know you'd obliterate me."
"I'm just reminding you in case you ever get any ideas about trying to get stronger than me," He smirked and ruffled your hair. You groaned and clutched your head.
"Ouch..."
"Oh, sorry. How about I get you some tylenol and something to eat?" He smiled.
"That'd be really nice, actually," You said, snuggling back down into your blankets. He chuckled and tucked the blankets in around you as he slid you off his lap and left to go get the supplies.
As soon as he was gone you felt an overwhelming cold seep into your bones. It must've been a combination of the rainy weather outside and the air conditioning in the apartment, but it felt unusual compared to the blistering heat you felt the other day. It only took a few moments for you to begin shivering, and soon your teeth were chattering as you sat on the couch, waiting for Toshinori to return.
"You alright?" He said a few moments later, a glass of water and a bottle of pills in his hand.
"I'm so cold..." You muttered, pulling the blanket tighter around you.
"Huh? It's pretty warm out today, minus the rain. Maybe it's because you're so hungover."
You thought on that a moment as you drank the entire glass of water and took the tylenol. "Yeah, I suppose that could be it. I just feel super icky in general."
"Yeah, you should probably drink lots of water and rest up. You threw up a ton yesterday, too. That's not good for you. I've got some rice cooking, hopefully getting something easy in your stomach will help you feel a little better."
"Thanks, Toshi... I really do appreciate it. I'm sorry for... you know... being needy right now. And throwing up everywhere" You shuddered uncontrollably. You tried to push the memory of vomiting out of your head. You hoped that Toshi had witnessed it...
"Hey, don't mention it. It's what friends do. If it makes you feel better, you didn't throw up everywhere. Just all over the sidewalk and in your trashcan. Next time you can take care of me when I get blackout drunk. "
"I wasn't blackout drunk! Not quite." More shudders racked your body.
"Uh-huh, whatever you say. Are you sure you're alright? You're shaking pretty hard,".
"I'm fine," you lied, trying to suppress the tremors. You were already bothering him enough. You weren't gonna tell him that you felt like you had hypothermia as well.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a terrible liar?" He smiled and sat down on the couch next to you. "Come here," He opened his arms and gestured for you to enter them. You hesitated a moment, wondering if it'd be weird or not.
He noticed your hesitation and for a moment he worried that he'd gone too far and made you uncomfortable, but his fears were alleviated when you smiled a bit and scooched over to press your small, shivering body to his. He eagerly wrapped his arms around you and pulled you tighter to him, rubbing your arms in the hopes that the friction would help you warm up. You felt the heat of his body soak into your bones and after a few minutes your shivering stopped and you were close to falling back asleep again with your face lying contentedly on his chest.
A few moments passed when your peaceful embrace was interrupted.
"I think your rice is done cooking, I should go get it," He murmured into your hair. You groaned in response.
"But I'm so warm..." You whispered, pulling yourself tighter against him. As soon as you realized what you'd done you blushed.
Holy shit... am I still drunk?
Toshi didn't respond with disgust at your forwardness, instead he chuckled lightheartedly and rubbed your arms again. "I don't want your food to burn! I'm hungry too, you know."
"I'm gonna freeze to death, Tosh!" You teased.
"Then... I don't know! I'll take you with me, I guess!"
You laughed at the suggestion, "I'm just teasin', Toshi. I'll be okay for a couple minutes."
"Nope, too late. I'm taking you with me," He said, suddenly picking you up in one of his arms, blanket and all. You squealed in surprise as he lifted you, clinging tightly to his shoulders as he carried you towards the kitchen. Your head throbbed from the movement, but the delight of having him carry you around numbed it a little. He took you into the kitchen and over to the rice cooker. A cloud of steam billowed out from the lid as he lifted it up, revealing the delicious white rice within. Working with only one arm wasn't the easiest thing, but Toshi did his best. Having you cuddled up against his chest was just too nice. He'd be willing to live his entire life with only the use of one arm if it meant he got to feel your soft hands around his shoulders, your cute face leaning into the crook of his neck while you waited on him. He sighed contentedly as he carried you back to the couch, food and all.
"Still awake?" He asked as he sat on the couch, placing you gently back in his lap. You nodded and eagerly took the bowl he handed you. The wisps of steam continued floating into the air, showing just how hot the fresh rice was, but you didn't wait for it to cool down. You thankfully ate bite after bite in silence with Toshi.
The hot rice actually helped your frozen bones, working as a 'jump start' to heat you back up to a normal temperature. You and Toshi quietly worked on your rice, munching away in relative silence. Once you'd scraped the bowl clean, you set the bowl to the side and nuzzled back down in to Toshi's warm body. You lay your head on his chest as you waited for the Tylenol to relieve the ache in your head. He didn't say much for a while, instead flicking on the TV to see if anything was going on on the news.
After a while of absolutely nothing, he spoke up.
"So, did you ever decide what song you were gonna sing for tomorrow?"
Shit... that's tomorrow. You threw your head back and groaned. "No... I completely forgot about it until now. I have it narrowed down, but I'm really not sure which one."
"Do you want some help deciding?" He asked, taking an earnest interest in your decision. He could tell you were already back to stressing about it. He wanted to help ease your burden, if he could.
"I'm not gonna tell you!" You protested, your face turning a bright red. It's not that you didn't think he'd be helpful, he'd probably have a good insight. You were more concerned about the fact that all the songs you'd picked were love songs.
Sure, there were some on your list that weren't, but it was hard to put your all into those ones. Usually when you were out in the ocean, singing to lure people away, you'd sing what you were feeling. You knew a few sea shanties that you'd sing from time to time for the drama of it all, but mostly you sang out your emotions. It's hard to put your heart into something you aren't feeling. Unfortunately for you, as of late there were only two emotions you were really feeling: love and fear. You couldn't exactly do a song about fear unless you wanted to sing 'Spooky Scary Skeletons," but you doubted that would wow the crowd. A love song was your best choice, it seemed. But you were still left with the question of which one.
"Well... I won't push you, then. I'm sure whatever you'll sing will be great. Just don't push yourself too hard, you've still gotta recuperate from last night," He rubbed the side of your arm with his thumb.
"Yeah, I'll just practice a little bit. I don't wanna stress too much about it," You lied. Headache or not, you were gonna spend the rest of the day and most of tomorrow riddled with anxiety over your performance. The only way you were going to be able to relax even the smallest bit at the show would be if you practiced an insane amount until you could play the song in your sleep.
"I'll hold you to that. In any case, I have to follow up with Akemi to see what else we can figure out about that 'train' hero you were talking about. I won't let him get away with something like that," He grit his teeth again and absentmindedly placed his hands over the small bruises on your wrists.
"Of course... I don't remember much but if there's anything I can do to help please let me know..." The thought of that man's hands and lips all over you made your stomach churn. Why were some men so despicable... if only you'd been in your right mind.
"I'll call you if I need anything," He smiled and released his grip on your hands. He debated allowing you to keep sitting on his lap as the day passed on, but he knew he had to get up now or his willpower would diminish to nothing. He'd love nothing more than to sit there with you for the rest of the day, the rest of the week even, but he knew he couldn't. He had work to do. The whole prison incident hadn't been resolved yet and Igarashi had never been dealt with. That 'hero' from the bar needed to be dealt with too, and all of this was on top of his normal patrol. It'd be a busy day, he couldn't afford to spend it nursing you.
"Well... I should probably get started on my investigation. I'll have Gutman send you up an electric blanket or something to keep you warm." Toshi said, unenthusiastically. It was taking all of his willpower to make this small move to get on with his day. His voice may have sounded more annoyed than he'd intended and he could see from the look on your face that you'd taken it negatively.
You felt your heart pang as he scooched you off of his lap. You'd hoped for a day to just relax and snuggle with him, but deep down you knew he didn't have time for that kind of stuff. It was silly of you to think he would. You were needy enough, he was probably sick of it, he needed a break.
"Hey," He broke you out of your thoughts, "I know what you're thinking. I can see the cogs working in your brain. I'm not annoyed with you, but if I let myself have a lazy day today I'm going to want one every day. I want to be the symbol of peace, not the symbol of relaxation."
"Oh... sorry," You cracked a small smile. Did he have a mind reading quirk?
"I'll be back before you know it. Get some rest and tonight we'll get something good for dinner. Whatever you want."
You couldn't help but smile at that. "Alright, Tosh. Sounds good."
He stood up to take his leave and go get ready for the work ahead of him. He glanced you over once before turning to leave. You were so adorable, wrapped up in that fuzzy blanket you loved so much. His chest yearned to swoop you up and spin you around in his arms, cover your face in kisses and tell you how he felt. Instead, he settled for leaning over you to press a chaste kiss to your forehead before turning on his heel and hustling to his own bedroom.
As soon as you felt the skin of his lips touch your forehead your body was lit ablaze. Your face heated up to a bright red and your head spun. You couldn't even comprehend what had happened to you until you heard his large bedroom door click closed. Slowly, a wide cheshire grin spread across your face and you couldn't contain the little giggle that slipped from your lips as you got up to go to your own room. Your headache was completely forgotten in that moment and all you could focus on was the ghost of his warm lips against your forehead.
You flopped against your bed and hugged your pillow to your chest, riding out the emotions that had gone with it. Even long after Toshi had said his goodbyes to you through the door and left the apartment, you were still sitting there mesmerized by the events that had just transpired.
Surely that small kiss had meant something, right? People didn't just kiss people platonically. Unless they were your grandma, which Toshi definitely was not. There was no mistaking it, he definitely had to feel at least the littlest something for you, didn't he? All signs were pointing to yes, but that little voice inside your head still told you not to get your hopes up. Instead, you decided once again to distract yourself.
A nice, hot bath was the first thing on your list of distractions. You soaked in a lavender scented bath and flipped the TV on to a local music station. You let the soft piano music melt away your worries. You might've almost fallen asleep once or twice, only to be woken up by the odd taste of lavender water as you breathed it in. When you were on the verge of falling asleep for the third time, you decided it was time to finally finish up and get to work on other things; the first being a nap.
After you were dried and clean, with all traces of lasts nights makeup successfully scraped off of your face, you huddled back up in the blankets on your bed and took what you had hoped to be a brief power nap. However, when you woke up and realized that most of the day had gone by you didn't really mind. You didn't have any training to do, it was okay to relax once in a while.
You knew what you should've really been doing in that moment: picking a song and practicing. But that sounded like a lot of work that you didn't have any of the energy for. You found a few more successful ways to procrastinate: stealing snacks from Toshi's chocolate 'stash', tuning your ukulele, straightening up your room, scrolling through the barrage of texts Saffron had left you.
Sassafrass: Hey are you alive?
Sassaffras: I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry
Sassaffras: I promise I'll never abandon you again
Sassafrass: I didn't mean to! I just got distracted with Cam, you know?
Sassafrass: And you looked like you were having fun with that guy, I didn't know he was gonna be a total psychopath!
Sassafrass: Do you hate me?
Sassafrass: Are you okay?
Sassafrass: If you hate me forever that's fine, please just let me know you're okay
You sighed deeply and typed out a quick response. She was so much sometimes.
YN: I'm fine, just cranky and hungover. We can talk about it later.
Her response was an almost instant "okay''. You threw your phone to the other side of your bed, rubbed your eyes, and groaned. You really wished she had watched you better last night, even though you should've known better than to drink so much. Something terrible could've happened to you if that man had gotten the chance to take you away. You felt nauseous at the thought.
After laying there and stressing over your attempted kidnapping for some time, you decided it was finally time to stop procrastinating and figure out just what you were going to do for your show tomorrow. You sat up in bed and pulled your phone over to you again. You scrolled through youtube for some time, looking at covers of what other people were singing and to your surprise, you found a few you actually liked and felt you could put your heart in to.
You quickly tuned your ukulele and felt out the chords and rhythm for the first song you decided to try out. It wasn't too complicated, so you picked up the melody pretty easily and started strumming along as you mumbled the words. As you grew more comfortable, you started singing, and soon you were able to play the song in its entirety.
"I been trying to do it right
I been living a lonely life
I been sleepin' here instead
I been sleepin' in my bed"
The lyrics reminded you of your life you'd lived up to this point. Lonely, isolated, in a cold and uncaring ocean. You had no friends there, all of your family thought you were dead, you were completely forgotten about. Even your mother didn't know where you were. You wished you could talk to her terribly.
"So show me family
all the blood that I will bleed
I don't know where I belong
I don't know where I went wrong
but I can write a song"
Toshinoris face popped into your head. His bright smile. The way he welcomed you when you first came here, scared and unsure. He'd given you a place to do good, a place where you were safe and warm. Even if he'd snatched you out of the ocean, you wouldn't change it for the world. Even with the looming threat of All for One, you were happy here. Content. You felt like it was where you were meant to be; there with him.
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweet'
Everything between the two of you just felt so right, every touch felt incredible. Even the small kiss he'd given you was lingering on your skin. In the deepest parts of your heart you couldn't help but feel like your hearts were already deeply intertwined. It was like you'd known each other all your lives.
" I don't think you're right for him
think of what it might have been if we
took a bus to chinatown
I'd be standin' on canal and Bowery she'd be standin' next to me
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart"
You knew that you'd never be able to be together, if he even wanted to be with you. You were a civilian and he was the world's top hero. He was in constant danger, always busy. He didn't have time for you. The best you could ask for was that you could still be friends after this was all over. You fantasized for a moment about the possibility of you running away together, as far fetched as it sounded.
The two of you could buy a little house on the coast, somewhere far from the city where no one could bother you. You could spend your days enjoying the beach and spending time with each other. Toshinori could learn how to sale, you could teach him about ocean life. There would be no threat from All for One, just peaceful waves and time spent together.
You knew he'd never do that though, hero work was his top priority. It was his only priority as far as you knew. It broke your heart to think that he'd spend the entirety of his life like this without rest.
Love we, need it now
Let's hope, for some
'Cause oh, we're bleedin' out
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweet'
You placed the ukulele down and let out a deep breath. No, that wasn't the song. It reminded you too much of what couldn't be and it broke your heart. You wanted to relish in the bright feelings this crush gave you, not lament over how it could never work out. Too depressing. You decided you'd keep looking.
A few hours into practicing, you'd finally narrowed down your song choice. French wasn't a language you knew very well, but you decided to try it anyways. You had to admit, your pronunciation was pretty good.
After practicing your fingers raw, you decided it was time for a break. You put you ukulele onto your desk and sighed, rubbing at the sore calluses beginning to form on your fingers. You needed a change of scenery, you decided. You'd been pent up in that freezing apartment all day. Maybe a short walk would do you good, or a visit to the local coffee shop downtown.
You decided to start with a brisk walk. The sun was just beginning to set as you exited might towers, and the large grey building stood out against the orange sky. It was an odd picture, but the color of the sky was so neat you snapped it with your phone anyways. If you got to keep this phone when you were done working with it Toshinori it'd be nice to have those memories to reflect on, assuming you survived.
Your walk was a literal and metaphorical breath of fresh air as you traversed the blocks surrounding Might towers. Few people were out, mostly couples on dates or teenagers out with friends. It was nice, quiet. It wasn't often that you could enjoy the serenity of the world but you liked it.
You walked around the block a few times until the stars began to shine in the sky. Certainly Toshinori would be back soon. You made your way back through the entrance of Might Towers, where Gutman was waiting to greet you.
"Good evening, Miss (Y/N). I trust you're feeling better after last night?" His smile was kind, like he was genuinely hoping you were feeling better. You liked the way his eyes Crinkled when he smiled. He looked like a much kinder old man than Gran Torino.
You blushed in embarrassment. Hopefully you hadn't done anything stupid in front of him. "I am, thank you. I hope I didn't cause any problems in your lobby"
He chuckled, "No, not at all. But All Might seemed to have his hands full with you. "
You half smiled, "Yeah... it wasn't a good night for any of us.... did he come back from his patrol while I was gone?"
"Nope, I haven't seen him since he left. Did you need him? You could try calling him."
"No, no. It's nothing urgent... just a little bored." You admitted bashfully. You didn't want to seem too clingy.
Gutman smiled kindly and leaned on the front counter, "Well, business is pretty slow right now. I could keep you company! Why don't we go see if we can sneak a pastry or two out of the cafe. They probably won't be as good as that cake you sent me the other day, which brightened my day by the way, but it'll still be good."
You smiled and wished this man could be your grandpa. "Sure, that sounds good!"
He led you into the cafe attached to the lobby where a few people were finishing up their meals. No one paid you much mind aside from the waiters, who greeted you and Gutman warmly.
"Now I've got a special friend with me tonight," Gutman whispered to the wait staff in a faux serious tone, "So don't embarrass me."
One of the younger waiters laughed at the old man's joke as he sat you down at your table. "Alright, alright. I'll be sure to take good care of you guys. What can I get you started with?"
"I'll have some peppermint tea and whatever kinda cakes you've got hiding back there! Surprise me!" Gutman smiled happily.
"No problem, sir. And for you, miss?" The waiter turned to you next.
"I'll have the same as him," You smiled at the waiter. He nodded and went off to retrieve your order. He was back instantaneously with your tea and you were only a few minutes into you playful small talk when he brought you your desserts.
"We didn't have any cake left over since it's almost close, but I was able to convince the chef to make you both some Honey Toast before he cleaned everything up," the waiter smiled as he sat a plate of the delicious dessert in front of you. You saw Gutmans face light up in delight as he saw the steaming bread in front of him, topped with a thick pat of butter.
"My favorite! Thank you, Kaito. This is much better than cake."
"No problem! Let me know if you two need anything." The waiter nodded to the two of you as he walked back into the kitchen. Gutman dug in to his meal without hesitation, smiling in contentment when you seemed to enjoy it as well. You sat quietly for a while as you continued to clean up the desserts. Once you both ate your fill, Gutman leaned back and smiled, patting his belly and sighing in contentment.
"That hits just the right spot," He chuckled, "I was about to wither away to nothing!"
"This is really good, the best Honey Toast I've ever had!"
"You need to have All Might take you out more often, this place has wonderful food. There's all sorts of amazing places to eat around the city. I would know, I've eaten at them all. I can create you a comprehensive list of the best places to go."
"Sounds useful!" You giggled. "How long have you lived in town, Gutman?"
"Call me Oscar! Gutman is so formal. I've lived here for about twenty years. Was born and raised in Quedlinburg, Germany. It's not a very large town, especially compared to here, but everyone knew each other on my street and it felt like home. I studied carpentry underneath my dad and we worked in a shop together for a long time. After I got married and was well into my fourties my wife got a bit of wanderlust. We traveled all around different european countries and some asian countries. When we went back to Germany we decided that small town live just wasn't enough and we moved to Japan. We didn't know much of the language, but we got by. We learned the most important word first; 'restroom'. After that we worked odd jobs to keep afloat until a couple of years ago All Might gave me this job here. It really changed my life, I've never been happier. It's all thanks to him." He stared off into the distance with his hands folded in his lap, a fond smile on his face as he reminisced over his past.
"He really does have a way of doing that to people. I owe him so much for everything he's given me too. Before I was here I didn't have a home... anywhere to go... I had no purpose. But now I have a job I enjoy, friends, a warm place to stay. It's really great."
"Where were you living before here?" Oscar asked curiously.
"Well...ummm..." You rubbed the back of your head anxiously. "I lived in the ocean. Deep in the sea in a cave..."
"Like the 'Little Mermaid'!" He smiled. His wrinkled faces held no traces of judgement. This man had nothing but kind thoughts about you, obviously. It was a breath of fresh air. For the first time in a long time, you let your guard down when you were sober. You relaxed, you decided to just let yourself relax and enjoy pleasant conversation with this friendly old man.
"I guess so, yeah. But with a lot less sea witches."
"The sea witch reminds me a lot of Saffron in the morning..." He snickered a little at his own joke. You stifled a laugh.
"Yeah, she can be pretty cranky without her morning coffee. Speaking of... I need to text her back and some point. She was pretty worried."
"I'm glad to hear that she's alright after yesterday. I can only imagine how drunk she got last night. She has a tendency to go too hard."
"You're putting it lightly. She wasn't as bad as I was though... god that's so embarrassing." You blushed and held your forehead.
"Yeah, you were pretty out of it! Dangerously so! If you ever do that again I'll go to the club and pull you back here by your ear."
"I'll keep that in mind. I promise to control myself next time."
"Good!" Gutman stretched back in his chair and yawns, prompting you to yawn as well. He chuckled as a few other people in the restaurant began to yawn as well. "Looks like everyone is getting pretty tired. We should probably call it a night, huh? My shift is over soon anyways. Don't tell the boss I was eatin' on the clock or he might be mad we didn't invite him!"
"I'll make sure to keep my mouth shut."
Your meal was ended by the waiter comping your food, which Oscar was absolutely tickled by. The two of you walked side by side back into the lobby, ready to say your goodbyes. You felt a little sad that your time with him was coming to an end, but you reminded yourself you could come downstairs and talk to him whenever you wanted.
"Well, this is my stop!" He joked as he made his way to his desk. "Don't be a stranger now, I'm here whenever you're bored!"
"Thanks, Mr. Gu- Oscar. I'll take you up on that offer some time. For now I'm going to go upstairs and see if All Might is back from his patrol. Thanks for spending time with me! I really enjoyed it."
"Any time... Hey! Would you look at that! Looks like he's coming in right now!" Oscar directed your attention to the main entrance, where Toshinori stood. But he wasn't alone. He had a bright, genuine smile on his face as he threw his head back and laughed at something the woman in the doorway said. She was a beautiful bombshell who seemed practically perfect in every single way. She wore a dark blue hero suit that flattered her in every way imaginable and her face wore a charming smile. She batted her long, black eyelashes up at Toshinori and said something you assumed was witty or flirty, and he laughed again. You felt an immediate pang of jealousy in your gut.
"Oh... I guess he is..." You mumbled, unable to tear yourself away from the scene in front of you. Gutman didn't seem to notice what was going on and instead went back to organizing his desk. Toshinori said something else to her before leaning down and giving her a tight hug... A hug you'd only ever seen him give to you before. Eventually their excitement bubbled over, and he picked her up and swung her around in delight as she giggled. As he set her down, he pulled back and said something else, pure delight on his face, before pulling her into the hug again. You didn't wait to see how long they stayed like that, instead you turned heel and zoomed into the elevator without another word to Oscar. You impatiently waited as the elevator scaled the building to the top floor. Without waiting for the doors to open all the way, you darted to your room and slammed and locked the door behind you.
You flopped onto your bed and buried your face in your pillow. Who was that woman? Why were she and Toshi hanging all over each other? Was she his girlfriend? Had they gone on a date? Had all the signs you thought you'd picked up on been wrong? WHO WAS SHE?
You angrily tossed and turned, fuming over what you'd seen. You had no right to be mad, you knew. He was an adult, he was a free person. Hell, you'd flirted with someone last night. Still, thoughts of that kiss on your forehead played in your head, and the way he carried you, and how he hugged you, and how he'd rub your back or your arm ever so slightly when you embraced. You thought about how you fell asleep beside him every night, and woke up on top of him in the morning. You had been so concerned with reasons the two of you could never be together that you ignored the possibility of him getting together with someone else. Your heart ached in mourning for what you thought could have been.
You could hear Toshinori exit off the elevator a few minutes after you'd barricaded yourself in your room.
"(Y/N), I'm home! I have something awesome to tell you!" He called to you, voice dripping with excitement.
Probably an announcement about his new girlfriend. You thought bitterly to yourself. The instant you thought it you felt guilty. You were his friend, nothing more. If he had a girlfriend, which you had only the tiniest evidence to assume, you'd be supportive and treat her like a friend. If it made Toshi happy, then you needed to put aside your jealousy and be happy for him.
Still, you couldn't bring yourself to answer him. You couldn't handle that announcement tonight, it'd have to wait until morning. You laid there in bed, quietly waiting for him to pass by. You heard his heavy footsteps slowly pass in front of your door without stopping. You heard him shuffle into his room, probably to change out of his hero suit. A few minutes later he was back, lightly rapping on your door with his knuckles.
"(Y/N)?" Called, his voice much softer this time. "Are you asleep? I have something I want to tell you!"
You ignored his call again, electing to scroll through your phone in order to distract yourself.
"I rented a movie for us to watch... It came out last year but I never got around to watching it. It's called "Your Name". It's an anime, but I thought you might like it." You heard him wait a few more minutes before he sighed and walked away, whispering a quiet 'goodnight' before he left you alone.
You felt that familiar pang of disappointment. You wanted to go out there and see what movie he was talking about, but what if she was out there? What if they snuggled while you sat there by yourself and watched the movie? Your mind jumped through all sorts of conclusions and scenarios before you decided to take action. You called the only person who might have answers: Saffron.
"OHMYGOD(Y/N)THANKYOUFORCALLINGITHOUGHTYOUHATEDME!" Saffron practically screamed into the phone. Her words were over excitable and hard to understand as usual, but they were even harder to discern now.
"Chill, Saffron. I don't hate you." You kept your words quiet, worried if you spoke too loud Toshinori would hear you and come back to try and talk to you. "I don't even want to talk about last night. I have a question for you."
"Alright, alright! We don't have to talk about it. I just want you to know that it will never happen again, I swear on my life. I will keep a better eye on you and help you drink like a normal person and stay away from creepy men. Anyways, what's u-?"
"Does Toshi have a girlfriend?" The words spilled out of your mouth before she'd even finished.
The phone was absolutely silent for a second before Saffron responded, "No? I don't think so at least... I don't know much about his personal life other than that he never goes and does anything fun like, ever."
"Oh... Hmmm..." You thought for a moment. Had they just gotten together today?
"Why do you ask?" You could hear how smug her voice was from the other end of the line. She knew almost exactly why you'd asked; you obviously had feelings for him.
"No reason... I just saw him with a woman today and they were being affectionate so I was wondering." Your voice tapered off towards the end of your sentence.
That juicy bit of gossip immediately hooked Saffrons interest. "Wait, what? Do you know who she is? What did she look like? Where did you see them together? What were they doing?"
"They were outside of the lobby doors, hugging and giggling like high schoolers. I don't remember much about her, other than she was absolutely gorgeous. She had curly brown hair and a dark blue suit."
Saffron thought for a minute, "Did she have ass for days?"
"What the hell does that even mean, Saff?"
"Did she have a big ass?!" She repeated the question again as if you were an idiot.
"I mean... yeah! Kinda? I don't know. I wasn't really looking, but it's bigger than most peoples. That's all I'll say."
"I knew it! Sounds like Audioma to me, the music hero. I used to coordinate communications and business dealings between her and Tosh, but I never realized they were talking on the side..."
"I've never heard of her before..." You mumbled, quickly pulling your phone away from your ear to look her up. Sure enough, the search term 'audioma' found her instantly. Each picture of her looked more gorgeous than the last, and you were even able to find a headline from a year ago stating she and All Might had worked together to take down a villain. Your heart sank again. She was absolutely gorgeous.
"She's recently been growing in popularity... She totally doesn't seem like his type though. Unless they're just dating for the publicity, but it's not like he needs it anyways... I don't know."
"I mean, they have to be together right? They were all over each other."
"Well, Toshi has been surrounded by gorgeous women most of his career. It's what happens when you're a total beefcake. I've never really seen him show any interest in anyone but you though, he talks about you like the sun shines out of your ass when I give him your progress updates. That has to mean something, right?"
"Yeah, but I saw what I saw. That hug was WAAAAY more than a friendly hug."
"But he invited you to the Fundraiser. If he had a girlfriend wouldn't he want to take her instead?"
"They could've just gotten together today," You countered, "Maybe he hasn't had the chance to rescind his invitation today. "
Saffron sighed, "I don't know, hon. I'll tell you what. I'll do some digging and tell you what I find. Don't worry yourself over it too much. I'm sure it's nothing."
"Thanks, Saff. I'd appreciate it." You punctuated your sentence with a loud yawn. "I'm gonna go to bed. I'm still a bit hungover. Talk to you later."
"Night, (Y/N)!" She chirped. As soon as you hung up you buried your head in your pillow and groaned. You had had enough, and you needed a good night's sleep. You'd feel better in the morning.
Hi All! Thank you so much for sticking around and patiently waiting for me to update. For a little explanation; I had finals, then I went on a long roadtrip, and then I had to finish up my Mercy cosplay (from overwatch) before I went to Colossalcon. Now that there is much less on my plate I can hopefully update more frequently.
I also want to thank you all for the nice comments you're leaving on the story! It's really nice to read those things and helps me a lot when I am having a hard time finding the motivation to write.
I hope you all enjoy the beginning of the summer! Love you all!