A Godfather's Watch
Your daughter walks out of the kitchen with a plate of peanut butter and cut-up red apples. Her dark eyes flicked about the living room as she saw you rushing in with your purse. “Okay,” you start with a smile on your face. “Hanta should be here in, like, ten minutes, so we’ll leave then.”
You were talking to Mezo, who had been walking calmly from the bathroom with a towel ruffling his wet, angelic white hair. “Wait, we’re leaving in ten minutes?” He asks, absolutely clueless.
Mai laughs at her father’s question. She had been about six years old now, and was the youngest in her class in first grade. “Yes, Mezo, we’re leaving after we tell Sero what to and not to do.” You say, looking at him with a blank face.
Hanta had been Mai’s godfather, and Tsu had been her godmother. The frog-like hero was busy, and Sero lived closer than other friends of yours. It was good because your daughter got along very well with him, and seemed to look up to him quite a bit. She didn’t get to see him as often as she would’ve liked, but given that he was a hero, Mai understood completely.
“Where are you guys going, again?” She asked while dipping an apple slice into a pool of peanut butter.
Mezo spoke as you ran into the bathroom. “We have to go help some first year students over at UA. They didn’t get their hero licenses this time around, so Gang Orca and Present Mic asked for us to help them.”
“Gang Orca isn’t a hero anymore, right?” She asks curiously.
He laughs and shakes his head. “No, hon, not anymore. He retired three years ago--”
“--Two years ago.” You shout, adjusting the cuffs of your hero costume.
“Okay, yeah, two years ago.” Your husband laughs and looks over to you. “Are you almost done in there?”
You walk out, tying your hair into a ponytail. When you look over Shoji, your jaw drops, now really looking at him for the first time since he emerged from the bathroom. “You’re not even dressed!” You exclaim, looking up and down your husband.
“I got pants on,” he laughs before walking around you and into his room.
Mai began to laugh sweetly, her second set of hands wrapped around her stomach. You walked in and sat down next to your daughter, putting a hand on her head. “That man is something else.” You laugh along with her.
Soon, a knock sounded throughout the room. Mai perked up as you walked towards the door, swinging it open with a large smile on your face. “Hey!” Sero smiles happily, walking through the door of your home as you moved out of the way.
A pale, cream colored bag held in his right hand hit the side of your couch as he set it down. You walked up to him and embraced him. “Thank you so much for doing this. I appreciate it.” You smile.
Shoji walks out of the bedroom, his hero costume hugging his body tightly. He holds a hand out to Sero, allowing him to grab a hold and shake it firmly. “Yeah, I know this is kind of last minute, but so was the invitation to help the kids with the remedial training. We were going to call Tsu, but she’s got a bunch of problems going on with her agency and lack of heroes.”
“It’s really no big deal.” Sero waves his hand slightly. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to hang out with the little rascal, so it’s good to finally see her again. I even brought over some stuff for us to do if you get bored.” He smiles, as does the little girl.
You enter the room again, nearly stumbling over yourself as you try to put your boots on. “Mai, behave yourself for Uncle Hanta, would you?”
The nickname had been something your daughter picked up for some reason as she was growing up. She knew that he wasn’t truly related to her, but family is more than blood, and you made sure she knew that. “I will, Mom.” She said, taking another apple into her mouth.
“What time do you guys plan on being back?” The ravenette asks Shoji.
The dupli-armed hero raises his shoulders. “No idea. We should be home before six, though.”
You go to the kitchen and grab your keys. “There’s yen on the table. If you want to order something, feel free to. Whatever you don’t spend, you can keep, Sero.” You say, cracking your knuckles. “If we want to make it, Love, we should go now.” You say to Shoji while grabbing a Granny Smith apple from the fridge.
“Thanks guys. She’s in good hands.” Sero says, putting his hands on his hips. He had been wearing a baggy yellow sweater and black joggers, his Nike AF1’s being set next to the door. “Don’t let those kids ruin you!” He laughs as you make your way out the door, Shoji nodding a goodbye to him.
The black-haired man waits until he hears two car doors slamming shut before he makes his next move. “Mai,” He turns excitedly. “Do you want to learn how to do the splits?”
Before he could even finish his sentence, the four-armed girl jumps on the couch and stands in an All Might pose. “Yes!”
Something that very few people know about Sero was that he used to be a gymnast. He wasn’t able to pursue everything he used to in UA because it lacked the classes he would’ve liked to take. His hero work was a gentle reminder that it all paid off in the end, however. He was able to bend his body in ways that people his age could only imagine. He was able to do the splits in both directions, and could fold himself into small spaces. He wasn’t much of a muscular hero; he had no reason to be. He wasn’t exactly a power type hero, so being able to flex through the air while using his tape made him feel like the hero he’s always dreamed of becoming.
“I have a friend I can call, too, who can teach you all these crazy poses and stuff. We can work on some basic yoga while we wait for him to get here, if that’s what you want to do.” Hanta smiled his toothy smile.
It was infectious. Mai soon found herself smiling as well. “Yes, yes, yes! I want to meet one of your friends!” The (h/c) girl chimed with stars in her eyes.
The next few minutes had consisted of rearrangement. The couch and loveseat were moved the farthest most walls, and the coffee table was moved to the hallway. Sero strung a piece of tape from one side of the wall to the other, creating something Mai could jump up and reach with ease, trying to imitate a bar that a gymnast would swing on and do crazy tricks on.
He soon pulled out his phone and began to string through his contacts. He hadn’t reached out to this person in a while, so he was curious if he’d even pick up. However, by the third ring, there was already a greeting. “Hello?”
“Hey, Juzo. Long time no talk, am I right?” Sero laughs.
The sandy-blonde on the other end laughs his loud and obnoxious laugh before answering. “Yeah, it’s definitely been a hot minute. What’s going on?”
“Well, I’m babysitting for a friend and was wondering if you’d want to come down and help me out.”
There was a pause. “You want me to help you babysit some kid?” The other male laughs throughout his sentence.
Sero looks over at Mai as she attempts to jump up and reach the line of tape. She missed a few times, but eventually threw herself up and over, swinging her legs and locking all four of her elbows.
“Remember Shoji and (Y/n)? Yeah, their daughter is a ball of energy and wants to learn how to do some poses. Are you down?”
Another pause made Sero wonder if maybe the request was odd. Though, he soon heard a small chuckle. “Send me their address. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”
---
Driving down the almost empty streets of your city made you feel calm. “How do you think Sero is managing?” You ask Shoji, having him look up from his phone screen.
“Probably really well.” He states simply before looking out the window. “I remember when he first watched her. He was so stressed out.”
You laugh to yourself. “Yeah, but that’s when she needed to have her diapers changed and he had to carry around a diaper bag all the time.” A smile warms your expression as you turn onto your street.
From where you were driving, you couldn’t see your home because of the way the road curved. You were totally oblivious to the truck parked in your driveway. “That was hilarious.” Shoji smiles. “‘(Y/n), I hate to bother you, but she’s crying.’ ‘Did you change her?’ ‘Did I what?’” Your husband’s imitation of your’s and Sero’s voices made you laugh.
That’s when you noticed the huge Toyota Tundra sitting in your driveway. You could barely park your car next to it, and you barely had any room to get out. “Who the hell is here?” You ask aloud, looking at the car to see if you recognize it.
“The only person I know that drives a truck is Jirou and Kaminari, but they work on the other side of Japan. Why would they be here?” Shoji asks, running a hand through his messy hair. The lesson with the kids took a lot out of them, and they both wanted nothing more than to lay down and go to sleep.
You fiddled with your keys, though assumed that whoever was here must’ve left the door unlocked. Taking a quick glance backwards, you notice that Sero’s small car was still parked on the side of the road. “It must be one of them, then.” You say softly to yourself while grabbing the door handle and pushing it open.
From where the front door is, you can see perfectly into the completely rearranged living room. Tape hung from the high ceiling and the walls like streamers, making the house look a mess. You could hear the voices of three people, but couldn’t see all of them because of the positioning of the coffee table in the hallway.
You walked in swiftly, looking around the table and into the room. Sero was on the floor doing a spit, as was someone you hadn’t seen in a very long time. Your daughter was in the closest thing she could manage to a split, making her look up at the two boys for approval. However, her eyes flick over to you and her father. “Mom and Dad are home!” She exclaims, pulling herself up and running towards her parents.
She wraps her arms around you in a tight hug as you look about the living room. “Good afternoon, Honenuki.” You smile, laughing to yourself. The former class B student stands as Mai makes her way over to her father.
“Hey-o. Sorry for the intrusion, but Hanta thought it’d be cool to bring me over and teach Mai some poses.” He smiles the best way he can.
Mai nods her head and pulls on your hero costume belt. “Yeah, did you see? I can almost do the splits!” She smiles, her eyes bright with excitement.
You pat her head and nod. “Impressive, dear.” You kiss her forehead.
Sero comes up behind Honenuki, slinging his arm over his shoulder. “Sorry for the mess. We ordered some dumplings if you want them. They’re in the kitchen. We’ll clean up the living room and put it back the way we found it.” The two men smile and nod in unison.
As they said, they both get to work rather quickly. Juzo takes his friend’s tape and tosses it in a garbage bag, along with some trash they had found laying about the floor and couch. Sero moved the furniture back the way it had been when he walked in hours prior. They got the job done fairly quickly and bid their goodbyes. Mai hugged both of them, where you and Shoji only nodded a thank you before they left.
Your husband smiles as the door closes, wrapping his arms around you tightly. “I’m so tired.” He whispers into your ear.
You turn your head and kiss him, only to have Mai walk in and make a loud gagging sound before making her exit. “Gross!” She shouts before jumping on the couch. All you do is laugh as Shoji slides his hands away from you.
-----
hey, if you could be some lovelies and vote and request on my MHA oneshot book, that'd be awesome. thank you for the endless support!