Just another night

by Sevi007

Setting Toshinori and Inko up for a date was not enough for the kids of Class 1-A. They also want to see how the evening turns out. Following the pair is the logical consequence - or at least that's what they tell themselves. (Sequel to "New Management" by blacknovelist55)

This fanfiction is a direct Sequel to "New Management" by blacknovelist55. Basically the idea is theirs, I just wrote it down. It is necessary to read the Prequel to this fic here.

Also, this is the first time I try to write something like romance, so there is probably some OOCness in here. I hope it's not too bad, though! And sorry if – especially the end – seems kind rushed! (I tried my best!) XD

Have fun reading!

Tense and nervous silence descended over the pair before they had even reached their destination.

It was odd, Toshinori thought to himself. It wasn't like they didn't know each other. They knew each other quite well, actually, having spent hours talking and drinking tea together. Bonding over watching out for the kids, worrying about said kids (especially Izuku). Sitting in the living room of the dorm together in the evening, drinking tea and recounting the events of the day once the ruckus finally died down, students tucked safely into their beds.

They were friends, good friends even. Starting and holding a conversation should have been no problem for them.

Except it was.

Next to him, still holding onto the arm he had offered her at the beginning, Inko fiddled with the hem of her navy blue cardigan. The colour complimented her eyes and her hair so well, the outfit topped off with matching silver-blue earrings which were especially well displayed due to the fact that her hair was pulled back and up into a neat bun, decorated with hairpins.

She looked absolutely stunning, Toshinori had decided the moment he had seen her walking up to him in that outfit.

And exactly that was the problem.

All of sudden, he couldn't just see Inko as a friend anymore. Not when she looked so beautiful and held onto him like this and had just agreed to go on a date with him.

Well, sure, the date had been set up by his sneaky students, but that didn't change the fact that it was, quite obviously, a date. Nice outfits and expensive restaurant included.

A date. The thought sent a shudder up and down Toshinori's back, a mix of cold panic and excited thrill.

As Toshinori, he hadn't had something even remotely resembling a date for over a decade. He had kept to himself for the most time, not staying in contact with many people. The few who had known the man behind the hero had been old friends and former teachers. No chance of a possible date whatsoever.

Not that he had missed it, though. He had been quite comfortable with the way things were.

Sure, as All Might, there had been some dates. Mostly with celebrities, a few heroines and even one or two models. But that had all been façade, much like All Might had never been a completely real person. He had gone out with those women because they had asked him to, and both parties had known that there was nothing genuine about it. His dates had only wanted the famous All Might, not the man behind it. And in return, he had only agreed to go out with them because he had not wanted to disappoint them or hurt their feelings, not because he had been interested.

It had been pure pretending on both sides, no feelings involved.

But this right now – this was different. Because this was Inko, a woman he genuinely liked and who liked him in return, liked Toshinori, and not his hero persona.

And concerning the feelings… well. His accelerated heartbeat and the nerves fluttering in the pit of his non-existent stomach certainly indicated that there were some deeper feelings involved.

Holy shit, Toshinori thought to himself as he glanced over at Inko and his heart did a happy little flip at the sight of her, how had he not noticed that until now?

He had a goddamn crush on the mother of his student, on his friend, on Inko, and he realized that only when they were already on the way to their date. All the while not knowing if she felt even remotely the same.

Great. Absolutely great.

"Toshinori?"

Inko's soft voice pulled him from his thought and he stopped walking. Starting slightly, he realized that they had already reached their destination, standing right in front of the restaurant Todoroki had given him the coupon for. All the while the boy had told him that he couldn't use it himself and also did not want it to go to waste. (Sneaky, oh-so-sneaky students of his.)

Toshinori had been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he would have smacked straight into the glass door had Inko not stopped him.

Embarrassment flooded him, only amplified once he noticed how worried Inko looked. He tried to laugh it off, though he knew that she never fell for his façade. "Ah, excuse me, it seems like I was a little bit too lost in thought…"

"You know…," Inko spoke so quietly, he actually had to lean down a bit to hear the words. "We don't have to do this if… if you don't feel comfortable."

Toshinori needed a moment to process the words, and when he did, he felt a cold surge of shock travel through him. Instinctively, he freed his arm out of her grip and instead reached out and laid his hands on her shoulders, getting her to look up from her fiddling hands. "Inko… Why in the world would you think that I'm not comfortable with this?"

Inko's eyes darted up to meet his, and a smile tugged at her smile for a second. "Because you're pulling at the collar of your new shirt so hard that you're almost ripping the seams apart, for example?"

Blinking, Toshinori let go of her and reached up to feel said collar. Blushing furiously, he realized that she was absolutely right. The material was already loosened from too much pulling and ripping. He had done so while still lost in thought, not noticing his own doing at all.

While he growled a curse under his breath, he perked up at the sound of Inko's bell-like laugh. She was covering her mouth with one hand in a futile attempt to silence herself, but her eyes were gleaming with laughter, and she looked much more relaxed than before.

Toshinori grinned down at her, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you can't blame a man for being nervous at a time like this, right?"

At that, Inko's laugh stopped abruptly (and he instantly missed it). Brows furrowing, she leaned back to peer up at him, clearly unbelieving. "Nervous? Why would you be nervous right now?"

"Partly because my students set me up on a date and I dread to think what they have in store for us tonight," Toshinori joked lightly, before turning serious again. "But mostly because you look wonderful tonight, like I already said."

For a second, there seemed to be a flicker of doubt and something else on Inko's expression, before she laughed it away, swatting at him playfully all the while. "Flatterer."

"Only telling the truth," Toshinori grinned again, feeling more at ease with each passing second, before he offered her his arm again. "Shall we?"

His heart leapt as Inko took the offered arm for the second time tonight, smiling up at him. "We shall."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Target has entered the restaurant. I repeat: Target has entered the restaurant. Over."

"Um, Kirishima?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you talking like this?"

Kirishima had formed two circles with his forefingers and thumps, pretending to use them as a binocular. Now he looked up from where he was crouched behind some bushes, blinking at Jirou incredulously. "Why? Because we are spies now! And spies talk like this!"

"Spies," repeated Jirou slowly, eyebrows climbing up until they reached her hairline.

"Yep."

"Okay. Boys are weird."

Iida, sitting behind her, cleared his throat rather loudly, all the while straightening his glasses with an air of dignity.

"Sorry, I meant to say: Kirishima is weird." Jirou corrected herself, waving lazily over her shoulder.

"Hey!" the redhead protested loudly, "I'm not weird, I'm manly!"

"You actually manage to pull off both at once, buddy," Kaminari assured him.

"Shhhh," Tooru interrupted the discussion. "I'm trying to hear something!"

"And what exactly are you hoping to hear?" Ojiro asked, both curious and amused. "They already entered the restaurant, like Kirishima just said. And even if they were still standing there – it's across the street, there is no way you could hear them."

Uraraka sighed, chin resting on her folded hands while she peered through the leaves of their hiding spot. "I wish I could hear what they're talking about right now."

"Me tooooo," whined Mina, letting herself fall back so that she was sprawled out on the grassy spot. This way, her gaze landed on Shouji who was sitting a bit apart from the rest of the group. Instantly, Mina's expression brightened again. "Hey, Shouji-chan! Can't you somehow use your quirk to listen in on them?"

"No," the tall boy answered with a shrug. "It's too far away. I can't stretch my limbs all the way over there. And even if I could – how do you think it would look when a pair of limbs enters the restaurant on their own?No, no way."

"Awwww, that's too bad."

"You could have listened in on them," muttered Mineta, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If you had just let me bring my stuff."

"Your stuff has the sole purpose of letting you spy on us girls," Tsuyu reminded him rather sharply. "So, no."

Sero snickered as Mineta grumbled quietly. "Sorry, man, but you can't expect the girls to just accept your pervy stuff."

"I'm not pervy, I'm just mature for my age!"

"Yeah, right…"

"Guys!" Kirishima spoke up again, waving both hands to get everyone's attention. "Can we concentrate on our mission again?"

"Kirishima, this is not a mission," Yaoyorozu groaned, massaging her temples in distress. "We are just…"

She trailed off, looking for help from her peers as she noticed that she didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"Just watching out for Mom and All Might-sensei?" Satou suggested helpfully.

"Yes. That."

"It's spying," Tokoyami mumbled. He was lying behind them on the ground, arms crossed behind his head. "Doesn't matter how you look at it, it is just spying."

"Dude, seriously, stop being so edgy for once, okay?" Kaminari rolled his eyes in good humour. "You're just as curious as we are."

"I'm not."

"Are, too. Else you wouldn't be here, right?"

"He has a point there, Tokoyami." Shouji grinned down at his grumbling friend, dodging the lazy slap aimed at him after that comment.

Izuku didn't participate in the discussion, instead sitting with his knees drawn to his chest, fingers tugging at his bottom lip while he thought about something.

Tsuyu noticed his absentmindedness, carefully tapping him on the shoulder to gain his attention. "Izuku-chan? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Izuku startled slightly before grinning sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Just thinking."

"Thinking without muttering?" Uraraka pressed a hand to her mouth in mock-shock, eyes twinkling with mirth. "It must be something very serious!"

Izuku chuckled, nudging her with his elbow. "Oh, stop teasing me."

"Awww, but your blush is so cute."

"I'm not cute Uraraka-san!"

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, really, I'm not…"

"Definitely yes."

"Stop the flirting, please," Mineta interrupted them with a cheeky grin. "We are getting jealous here."

That led to incoherent spluttering and almost-squeals from both Izuku and Uraraka as both of them assured quite loudly that they weren't flirting, not at all!

Mineta laughed at his own joke until Tsuyu's tongue flicked painfully against the back of his head.

"Stop teasing, Mineta-chan" the frog girl warned him.

"Everyone shut the fuck up for a second!"

The snarling voice stopped all the spluttering and talking immediately. Everyone went silent as more than a dozen heads turned towards the speaker.

Bakugou was scowling, crouched next to them, hands braced on his knees. "Fucking concentrate on the reason why we are here, got it?"

"Our mission!" Kirishima piped up happily.

"Yeah, whatever, call it a mission for all I care," Bakugou waved the comment off while Kirishima pumped his fist into the air in victory. The explosive boy continued: "Listen up, I'm not going to freaking hover behind some bushes and just wait until they come back, got it? I want to hear what's going on in there."

"Like I said!" Mina cheered, waving both hands through the air.

"I d-don't know. Is that n-not rude, i-intruding like that?," Kouda mumbled – only to interrupt himself and shrink back as Bakugou's sharp gaze flitted towards him. With a silent squeak, the timid boy ducked his head between his shoulders, going pale under the fiery gaze.

"Bakugou-kun!" Uraraka scolded, reaching over to place one hand on Kouda' shoulder while Jirou scooted closer to the boy to comfort him. "Don't scare him!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything! He's just too fucking jumpy!"

"You could try it with smiling," Satou tossed in, one corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Haha, very funny," Bakugou barked back at him. "Either way: I'm not the only one thinking that we should go in – stupid Deku is thinking about going in the whole time!"

That earned him an array of surprised noises as everyone turned towards Izuku, who shrank back under the close scrutiny.

"Eh, you got me, Kacchan," the boy murmured with a nervous grin.

"You're fucking obvious, Deku."

"Deku, you don't think it would be rude?" Uraraka piped up, quite surprised. "I thought you would be the first one to stop us as soon as we tried to go in there!"

"Well, you know…" Izuku trailed off before taking a deep breath and starting again, words flooding out of him in a rush. "It's just that Mom hasn't had a date in ages and she will be quite nervous about it, I think, and Toshinori will not be better off if I'm right, and I just want this to go well for them, they deserve it, and… I know I can't help them with this, but I would feel better if I knew that they're doing well, so I would like to know what's going on in there, and…"

"Somebody stop him, he's rambling again," Tokoyami interrupted him, smile tilting the corner of his beak up.

"Izuku-chan, deep breaths," Tsuyu said softly, patting Izuku's head gently to get him to calm down.

Izuku stopped himself by pressing both hands to his mouth, stopping the words that wanted to be blurted out. When he realized that his friends were not annoyed by his rambling but smiling at him patiently (with exception of Bakugou, of course) he relaxed again and let his hands fall into his lap. "Uh, sorry. I just have a lot on my mind this evening."

"Whoa, buddy." Kirishima wondered. "I didn't know you were so nervous about this."

"Seriously?" Kaminari lifted both eyebrows at him. "After he brought three whole notebooks to our matchmaking-meetings?"

"Well, perhaps I did know. A bit."

Uraraka looked the nervous Izuku up and down, before she decided: "Guys, we're going in there!"

"Fucking finally!" Bakugou threw both hands into the air in exasperation.

"And how are we going to do that?" Sero wanted to know. "We don't even have a reservation. And a bunch of normal students can't just march in there and ask for a table. Not in a place like this. "

"Oh. He's right." Mina, who had already jumped to her feet in excitement, plopped back down with a pout.

"Don't worry. That won't be a problem."

They looked up in confusion as they realized that somehow had spoken from above and not next to them.

Todoroki leaned over the bushes, peering down at them. Somehow, he had left their hiding spot unnoticed and was now standing on the sidewalk in front of them.

"Huh?! Todoroki?!"

"Wait, when did you get up and on the other side of the bush?"

"Like, five minutes ago?" Todoroki rolled his eyes at them and pointed over his shoulder. "I went over to the restaurant and got some tables for us."

"Eeeeeeh?!" his peers yelled simultaneously, gaping at him in shock and surprise.

"What?!"

"How the hell did you do that?!"

"Man, that guy is too fast for us."

"And too good."

"I don't believe it…"

"Why were we even discussing it, then?"

Questions were tossed back and forth. Todoroki ignored all of them, just shrugging when someone asked him directly.

"Um…" Izuku blinked up at his friend in confusion, going over that information carefully. Five minutes ago, that had been when the discussion had just started. Todoroki hadn't heard most of the conversation, and yet, he had gone out of his way to get them some tables. Why?

As if Todoroki had read his mind, he turned towards Izuku and shrugged slightly. "You wanted to know if the evening is going well, right?"

And Izuku blinked again, before a wide smile made its way onto his face. "Yes!"

"Todoroki-kun," Uraraka started solemnly, before a grin spread over her expression. "You are a genius!"

"Don't mention it. So, can we go now?"

"Hell yeah, let's go!" Bakugou jumped to his feet eagerly, palms blazing in excitement. Mina, Kirishima, Sero and most of the others followed him.

"Wait up!" Yaoyorozu spoke up loudly, stepping into their way and blocking their advance. "We can't just stroll in there!"

"What? Why not?!" Mina pouted, visibly disappointed. "Come on, we will miss the best part if we don't go now!"

"Don't you think the both of them will recognize us?"

That had the others halting in their tracks as they had to agree with Yaoyorozu. Both Inko and Toshinori wouldn't be that wrapped up that they would not be able to recognize the children.

Todoroki frowned at Yaoyorozu, noticing her sly grin. "You already have a plan, don't you?"

"Well, now that you're asking – yes, I do," the girl grinned at them, somewhat mischievously. "Who wants a nice little disguise?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inko didn't feel comfortable.

Not because of her company, mind you!

No, Toshinori was not the problem. At all. He was almost impossibly sweet towards her since this set up date had started. He had already proven that he was quite the gentleman, something she had already suspected for quite some time, but never had the opportunity to really see it with her own eyes.

Not only had he agreed readily to see this evening through, but he had also given it his all to make her comfortable. He had complimented her looks a few times already, and showered her in attention in a way she hadn't gotten in a long time: Holding the door open for her, taking her cardigan from her, drawing her chair back once they had reached their table. Everything with a gentle smile and a few light jokes here and there, indicating that he did all of this not because he had too, but because he wanted to.

No, Toshinori was not the problem.

It was Inko.

Inko and her self-consciousness.

She had been nervous since the moment she had seen Toshinori walk up to her this evening, wearing a dark blue suit combined with a yellow shirt. New clothes, she had realized almost instantly, because it had been the first time that she had seen him in clothes that actually fit him and were not baggy like usual.

The moment they had realized that their children had set them up for a date, they had laughed about it and just decided to go with it.

It had been on the way to the restaurant that Inko had realized what a horrible idea that was.

Why? Because it was Toshinori at her side, and they were on an actual date, and he was so sweet towards her, so gentle, and he looked entirely too good in this new outfit…

It was torture. Sweet, agonizing torture.

It didn't exactly help that she had fallen for him quite some time ago.

Inko couldn't tell when exactly that had happened. She had been at the dorms for months, growing more and more comfortable around the kids and Toshinori, until it felt like a home to her. A home and a family. While she had adopted the kids like they were her own (and in reverse, the kids had adopted her as their mother) Toshinori had been a good friend to her. They had spent more and more time around each other. Inko trying to get the man to relax and let himself rest some, while he was adamant about helping her with her chores. That relationship had deepened quite quickly, turning from polite acquaintances into good friends with ease, because they had one point in common right from the start – they loved the children of class 1-A, especially Izuku.

Their relationship had been easy and light-hearted, until they had been sitting in the living room one day, sipping tea and discussing something. She couldn't even remember what the topic had been, but that had been the moment when it had happened: Toshinori had laughed about something she had said, head thrown back for a full-belly laugh, deep and rumbling.

And Inko's heart had done a backflip in her chest, leaving her breathless and flustered, blush evident on her face, and all she had been able to think had been how handsome Toshinori looked while he laughed like that.

It had taken her a few seconds to register that thought, to understand what it meant. And when she finally had understood, she had left the room hastily, excusing herself with some lie to be alone for a moment.

The truth had been as wonderful as it had been horrible.

Inko had fallen for Toshinori. For All Might, the number one hero, her son's teacher, and most likely her best friend.

It was absolutely impossible. Presumptuous, even. Just thinking about the possibility that there could be something like a… romantic relationship between them was crazy. At least that was what Inko had told herself since realizing her feelings for him.

First off – Toshinori didn't even remotely feel the same towards her. She was quite sure of that.

Second – she didn't want to ruin the friendship they had, risking it all because of a crush.

And most importantly – she was certainly not what he deserved.

That last thought only got stronger once their date had officially started.

The children had chosen quite the good restaurant. Expensive and luxurious, but not too fancy, the price still payable. Inko had heard about said restaurant before – good ambience, and even better dishes, combined with an excellent service. Most likely Yaoyorozu and Iida had taken it upon themselves to find the perfect place for this evening.

Inko had felt awed once they had entered, speechless at the simple yet visible luxury of the place. Sadly enough, though, said luxury had also led to her feeling quite insecure about herself. She felt out of place, even with her new outfit and her carefully done hair (Bakugou-kun really deserved her thanks for that). After all, she was a simple woman, middle class at best. She didn't belong here.

And, she thought while glancing at Toshinori across the table, she didn't belong at his side.

And still, she was here tonight, set up by the children, in a situation she had only ever dared to dream of.

Only that in her dreams, few and rare in between as they were, she was more fitting to stand at his side.

Toshinori had adapted to the luxurious restaurant with ease. Well, he certainly had seen such places in his time as a top hero. Inko could easily imagine him in his powered-up form, clad in expensive suits and with his trademark-smile, sitting in a restaurant as expensive as this and sipping some expensive wine. Probably with a fitting companion at his side.

She had seen the way he had straightened once they had stepped through the door, greeting one of the waiters with a slight nod, radiating a confidence she rarely saw of him, one that was more a part of his All Might persona.

Of course Toshinori had been immediately recognized, the waiter next to the door going wide-eyed at the sight of the legendary Symbol of Peace. The waiters and waitresses had almost tripped over themselves to serve Toshinori as fast as possible, letting him chose a table a bit secluded from the others (Inko had seen how a platelet with the sign "Reserved" had been plucked from the table discreetly before they had been seated). The owner of the restaurant himself had hastened over to them, greeting Toshinori with bows and handshakes, assuring him that he would certainly enjoy his stay here.

"Please," Toshinori had said, waving the words off with a strained smile, "Just treat us like you would treat any other customer."

That had been the first time that the owner had looked over at Inko, as if he had not noticed her up until now. She had felt quite uncomfortable under his scrutiny, not liking the way his gaze travelled over her from head to toe. Judgmental. Considering. Condemning.

It had only lasted a second, the owner turning to Toshinori again instantly, but it had left her with a feeling of nausea and the urge to run away.

She didn't belong here. She just didn't.

Inko felt nervous, anxious even, torn between the urge to just stop this charade and go back home where she belonged and her own desire to stay and enjoy Toshinori's company.

Once waiter and owner had finally left them alone, leaving the menu behind for them to choose what they wanted to eat, Inko had fallen back into her nervous habit.

She talked. And talked. And talked some more.

Quite honestly – she just rambled without pause.

She told Toshinori how her day had been up until now, recounting the shopping tour she had done with Uraraka and Mina where she had picked out the navy blue cardigan and the matching dress in a lighter blue which she was wearing right now.

Over it went to how some of the kids had practically banned her from both the kitchen and the washroom, adamant about doing the chores themselves and letting Inko get ready for her evening out.

She told him how Bakugou and Uraraka had dragged her into the living room to help her style her hair and chose some accessories.

How Tsuyu had sneaked up on her, pressing a coupon into her hand, telling her how good the cake they sold at that place was and that she wanted Inko to try it out when she had some free time.

And finally, how she had realized that this all had been a plan from the kids, a matchmaking of sorts, once she had seen Toshinori walk up to her in his suit.

She talked and talked, barely drawing a breath between the sentences.

Toshinori didn't interrupt her even once. His menu lay on the table where the waiter had left it, untouched. He had his chin probed up with on hand, gaze never leaving hers, his attention hardly wavering. He even gestured for the waitress to leave a bottle of water at the table without interrupting Inko or looking away from her.

Finally, there was nothing else Inko could say, and she dwindled of. Her throat felt dry from talking so much without interruption. Clearing her throat a few times, she blushed heavily as Toshinori handed her a glass of water without hesitation.

"Thank you," she muttered once she had taken a sip. She smiled nervously, twisting the glass between her fingers idly. "And… excuse me for being so talkative. It's a bad habit, I suppose. I hope I didn't bore you too much."

„Not at all," a soft smile made its way onto Toshinori's lips as he looked at her, nothing but earnest interest visible in his gaze. "I like listening to you."

There he went again, making her blush and almost drop her water with one simple statement. Inko took a deep sip from her water and stared on the surface of the table.

If this kept up, then it was going to be one very long evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You really like disguises, don't you, Yaoyorozu-kun?"

"Hm? Why would you think that?"

"Probably because you are carrying a selection of wigs, sunglasses and hats around in your purse."

"A girl has to be ready for everything. Especially if said girl is a heroine."

"She has a point there," Uraraka whispered behind her hand.

Izuku smiled nervously back at her, fingers itching to reach up and tug the wig off of her head. It was plain out weird to see her with pink hair that cascaded over her shoulders.

Well he wasn't better off, he mused as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the restaurant's window. Blond was not really his colour, and the spikey hairstyle didn't help in the least.

"You look a bit like Bakugou," Kirishima whispered to him as if on cue. The usually red-haired boy had jumped at the opportunity of wearing a black wig and matching black sunglasses, declaring himself to be a real spy now.

They had rolled their eyes at him in fond exasperation, but let him do as he wanted.

They were slowly weaving their way through between tables and people, following the waiter deeper into the room, as Bakugou heard Kirishima's comment and bit out: "As if. There's no way Deku could look like me, Hair for Brain."

"Eeeh, but Midoriya has blond hair now – and you even exchanged your jackets!"

Izuku stiffened at that, having to confess that the last statement was true. Because they had agreed that wigs and sunglasses wouldn't be enough to disguise them and nobody had wanted to go back to change their clothes, they had simply exchanged jackets and hats with one another. Izuku had ended up with Bakugou's military jacket while Bakugou had gotten his sweater to wear. (Topped off with a blue wig and a pair of large sunglasses.)

Bakugou hadn't been happy about exchanging anything with Izuku.

And seemingly every last one of their classmates seemed to find some weird kind of satisfaction in rubbing it in.

"You know," Kaminari began, grin almost not visible behind the scarf he had wrapped up to his nose, unfamiliar brown bangs shadowing his eyes. "I really think he looks like you, Bakugou."

"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" the explosive-tempered boy hissed through his teeth.

"Just saying. You look a bit like brothers…"

One could almost hear how Bakugou snapped, his teeth grinding together as he stopped and turned towards Kaminari, who backed off hastily, diving behind Deku. "Listen up, you goddamn…!"

There was a hiss, and then Todoroki's elbow slammed into Bakugou's rips with quite some force, silencing the boy effectively.

It was almost funny to watch, the way Bakugou's grit his teeth even tighter, eyes going wide behind the glasses as he fought with himself to not just turn around and blow the other boy's face up.

Todoroki blinked calmly at him, elbow still extended. "Sorry. But we have reached our tables."

Izuku peered carefully past the two of them, noting that they indeed were standing in front of five tables, each of them set for four persons. The waiter who had led them here was standing next to the tables, pulling chairs back and helping the girls to take they're seat.

The now-blond boy had to say that the girls were doing an exceptional job at acting like they belonged in such a fancy ambience. Yaoyorozu giggled stiltedly at something the waiter had said, while Tsuyu – hair pulled up in a bun, fixed with elegant accessories – seemed to literally float towards her seat. Only Jirou seemed to have some trouble, her boots too clunky for such a place, her shoulders slumped and expression slightly annoyed.

"Yes, let's eat something!" Kirishima cheered – only to be met by a few sharp glances from his classmates. Remembering that he had to be stealthy and unobtrusive, he grinned sheepishly and added quieter: "I mean… we could do with something to eat now."

"I shall fetch the menus," the waiter promised, not batting an eyelash at the fact that one of the guests had just yelled in his face. He walked away, leaving the young heroes to themselves.

Izuku let himself fall into one of the chairs, glad that Bakugou chose another table.

Todoroki took the seat next to him, moving with such an ease that suggested that the fancy place didn't really impress him.

That reminded Izuku… "Um, Todoroki-kun?"

"Yes?" Mismatched eyes fixed him, one eyebrow quirked up in curiosity. It was weird to see the scar over his left eye covered in make-up, the white powder not fully able to conceal the old burn.

"How did you even manage to secure us some tables? And so spontaneously on top of that?" Izuku asked, reaching up to adjust his wig. The thing was itching and didn't fit him quite well. "I mean, this is quite the famous restaurant, I can't imagine that it was easy to get tables at all."

"But it was," Todoroki looked oddly uncomfortable, glancing to the side slightly. "All I had to do was to mention my father's name."

"Oh," Izuku muttered, contemplating that fact. Well, that made sense. Endeavor was one of the top heroes – no, Izuku reminded himself. Endeavor was the Number One now. Standing at the top gave one some liberties. Places in a fancy restaurant, for example.

"Does that mean Endeavor will have to pay for our meals?"

Izuku jolted, only now noticing that the seats across the table were now occupied by Aoyama and Tsuyu. He smiled at them, greeting them with a slight nod.

Next to him, Todoroki leaned back, searching for the waiter and surprised them with a little smile that tugged at his lips as he answered Tsuyu. "Given the fact that I used his credit card, then… Yes. Yes, it means exactly that."

Izuku stared for a moment, before he snorted in amusement, barely able to contain a full blown laugh. "You stole his credit card?!"

"I borrowed it."

Tsuyu lifted one eyebrow, an amused Ribbit passing her lips. "Smart move, Todoroki-chan."

"One could call it fabulous." Aoyama added, twinkling in contentment. He was one of the few of the teenagers who fit in this ambience easily, smiling generously at the employees and moving with an air of dignity, as if he belonged here.

The smile on Todoroki's face widened slightly, a hint of satisfaction glittering in his eyes.

Izuku wanted to add a praise himself, but right then, something bumped painfully against the back of his head, almost knocking his wig off in the process.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, reaching back to cradle his head, only to smack his hand into something hairy. Startled, he pulled back and turned around. "Wha-… Kacchan! What are you doing?"

Bakugou, leaning back with his chair and balancing on it, didn't even seem to feel the pain from slamming his head against Izuku's. He simply huffed, leaning back even further. "Stop praising the half-face and try to catch a glimpse of Sensei, stupid Deku."

Izuku grumbled, having forgotten about that for a blissful moment. Now his nervousness came back full-force as he craned his neck slightly, glancing over to the other side of the room.

There, he could barely catch a glimpse of the secluded table which was occupied by his mother and his teacher.

He interrupted his observation to receive his menu, thanking the waiter hastily. Opening the menu, he used it as a shield, probing it up in front of himself so that he could glance unsuspiciously over the edge of it instead of flat out staring.

"So?" Tsuyu asked without looking up from her own menu. "How is it going?"

"Mom is talking," Izuku observed, glancing over before reading the next few lines. "A lot."

There was rustling next to him, and then Uraraka leaned over his shoulder, pretending to point something in his menu out for him. "That's good, isn't it?"

"Actually, that just means she's very nervous."

"Ooooh, I see. So she starts rambling just like you do when she's nervous? I've never seen her do that before."

"Yes, she does. I guess she was just so comfortable around us, you didn't notice it before."

Another bump against the back of his head, and Bakugou leaned over his other shoulder. "That mumbling runs in the family, then."

Izuku groaned under the added weight, suddenly being pressed down with two people hanging off his shoulders. "Kacchan, please get off."

"Stop complaining, you cry-baby."

Uraraka shot the explosive boy one unimpressed glance and remarked: "Your wig is slipping."

"What the fuck? Shit, wait," Bakugou disappeared back to his own seat, trying to straighten his disguise.

"Thanks," Izuku muttered, earning a bright grin from Uraraka before the girl also sat back.

"Sooo," Mina remarked from the left side, seated at a table together with Ojiro, Satou and Sero. Almost her whole face was hidden by large sunglasses, a bandana lent by Kirishima covering the little horns on her head. "You don't think that Mom is talking much is a good sign?"

"It's a sign that she's nervous," Izuku repeated patiently. As his classmates exchanged worried looks, he added hastily, "But that doesn't have to be all too bad, right?! I mean, being nervous on such an occasion is completely normal!"

"He's right," Tokoyami piped up from the right table. His face was almost hidden by the hoodie he had decided to wear, hiding his beak somewhat. "Nervousness had to be expected. All we can do is hope that they get over it."

"They?" Iida asked, confused. "Midoriya-kun was only talking about Inko-san being nervous, if I recall correctly."

"Don't you think All Might-sensei is nervous on a date, too?"

"Right," Sero mused, hiding his grin not very well. "Dad is easily embarrassed. He's most likely spitting blood out of embarrassment."

"Well, that wouldn't be good on the first date," Mineta tossed in.

"Nope," Izuku checked with one glance and reassured his friends. "No blood-spitting to be seen."

"Good," Aoyama remarked with quite some satisfaction. "It would be a shame if he ruined his suit with the blood. Wouldn't you say so, too, Todoroki-kun?"

Todoroki hummed something unintelligible, turning over one page of his menu.

"The suit was a great choice, Aoyama-kun," Izuku told the flashy boy, feeling obliged to mention the good work of his peer.

"Why, thank you for noticing, Midoriya-kun! I, for one, would have been quite happy to add some flash and style to the outfit, but Dad-sensei was quite adamant about that yellow shirt and blue was the only colour that fit with it…"

"All Might likes it," Todoroki murmured, looking up enough to glance warningly at Aoyama. A silent It's enough. "Everything else is not that important."

"Of course you are right. Forgive me, I tend to get carried away when it comes to fashion."

"Tends to get carried away with too much glitter," Shoji murmured, earning an amused noise from Tokoyami.

Mina cleared her throat not so delicately, tapping her fork onto the table to get everyone's attention. "Uh, hello? What about Mom's outfit, hmmm?"

"Yes, yes, Uraraka and you did a great job, too," answered Ojiro with a lenient smile.

"Geez, thanks, so nice of you to say that."

"That's all very well," Tooru piped up from the other table, "but what are we going to do now? Do you think we should help them somehow?"

Izuku bit his bottom lip, contemplating the idea for a moment, before shaking his head. "I don't think there is anything we can do, so we should probably just leave them to it."

"You sure about that?" Kirishima sounded entirely too disappointed by that.

"It's not like we can pass Sensei his notes like we do during lessons," Tsuyu said, causing laughter around their tables.

"Or whispering flirt tips to him."

"That would be funny!"

"He would be way too flustered by it, though."

"So, do we all agree to just observe without getting involved?" Yaoyorozu summed up, looking around to see that everyone was nodding in agreement. Even Bakugou huffed something that sounded like a Fine.

"Good. Then, for the time being, let's just order something to eat."

"Finally!" Kirishima almost groaned, patting his belly. "I was close to starving."

Tsuyu closed her menu, placing it down. "I will go with the miso soup."

"Just a salad for me," Yaoyorozu decided. "I'm not very hungry."

The others agreed or disagreed with those choices, voicing their own decisions.

"Eh, you all have already decided?!" Izuku winced at that, realizing that he hadn't even taken a look at his menu, too engrossed by watching his mother and his father-figure.

"Better hurry up," Todoroki mumbled, a teasing glint in his eyes, "The waiter is already coming over."

"Yes, yes, don't rush me. I'm nervous enough as it is."

The others just chuckled as Izuku took one hasty look at his menu before he decided without further ado on his favourite – Katsudon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly but surely, Toshinori found himself relaxing.

The evening was not going as bad as he had feared, his new found feelings for Inko not getting in the way as he tried to enjoy himself and make the time worthwhile for her, too.

He liked spending time with Inko, after all. She was quick on the uptake and had a good general knowledge, enabling her to talk about a waste array of different topics. And once she knew her discussion partner a bit and felt comfortable around him, she was also quite witty and had good humour.

Right now, she was depicting how Bakugou and Uraraka had argued about what to do with her hair for this evening. She embellished her story animatedly with gestures and expressions which had Toshinori smiling so widely it almost hurt.

Pushing away the fluttering of nerves as well as the thought of how stunning she looked, Toshinori could simply enjoy Inko's presence and hinder his mind from wandering into dangerous territories.

Once or twice, he still caught himself wishing he could reach over and tuck a strand of hair back behind her ear or tell her directly how much he loved to see her honest smile. Things he quite surely couldn't do.

Whenever his mind started to wander like that, he distracted himself a bit, letting his gaze shift away from Inko, over to some tables at the opposite side of the room.

There, his students had managed to get some seats for themselves.

When the children had come in, Toshinori had almost snorted out loud as he caught sight of them. They had done the best they could to disguise themselves, given the fact that they most likely hadn't had much time for it. Each of them was equipped with wigs, sunglasses and a few of them wore hats. They had exchanged some clothes, doing everything they could to make it difficult to recognize them.

Obviously, they had not taken into consideration that some habits died very hard, especially for a top hero, retired or not.

Toshinori, for example, had the habit of scanning a room as soon as he entered, searching for possible threats, hiding places and exits. Also, he was very aware of his surroundings – who entered the room after him? Who left while he was there? Did someone look familiar or suspicious or both?

On top of that, he always chose a place from where he could oversee the whole room. He had not only chosen this table because it was a bit secluded, but also because it enabled him to see the whole restaurant.

Because of that, it had been all too easy to spot his students once they stepped into the room. He had already noticed them following him and Inko before, he just hadn't anticipated that they would even be brave enough to enter the same restaurant.

Then again, he knew that his students were blessed with a courage that bordered on recklessness.

They had put some work into their disguise that much he would give them. But they had made some serious mistakes. One of them being that they should not have entered the restaurant all at the same time – a group of twenty people entering a room was all too attention-grabbing. Additionally, they had not thought of the fact that their physique was something they could not change or obscure just by wearing wigs and different clothes.

He would have to tell them that during school at some point, Toshinori mused. It could serve them well later on.

"Toshinori?"

"Hmmm?" He blinked, before realizing that he had looked over to the children for too long. Inko had finished her story and was looking at him, expectantly and worried at the same time.

Shit, he cursed himself. How long had he not reacted to her because of his absentmindedness?

"I'm sorry," he said instantly, trying to ease her mind. "I was a bit distracted."

"Oh," something flickered over Inko's expression, and suddenly, her smile seemed a little strained. "If I'm talking too much…"

"No!" Toshinori exclaimed, resisting the urge to slap himself for making her think like that. "No, not at all. Like I said, I like listening to you. It's just…"

He hesitated, contemplating if he could and should tell her what had him distracted. Would the knowledge that the children were following them make her uncomfortable?

Then again, if he didn't tell her, then she would continue to think that it was her fault.

Toshinori sighed and decided to take the risk. Pointing slightly over the children, taking care not to be too obvious with his gestures, he explained, "The children are sitting over there. I reckon they are checking up on us."

Inko, clever as ever, didn't turn around instantly, knowing that she would alarm the kids if she did so. Instead, she peeked over her own shoulder to try and catch a glimpse.

And surprised him completely when she said, "Oh, they are still following us?"

Toshinori coughed, choking on blood for the first time this evening, purely out of surprise. Still coughing, he pressed his napkin to his lips and asked, "Y-You noticed them?"

"Well, I noticed them hovering in the bushes when we meet up," Inko blushed slightly as she turned back towards him, biting her bottom lip. "I didn't want to blow their cover, they were trying so hard to hide, so I didn't say anything, and after that, I just didn't… pay attention, so I didn't notice that they are here."

Despite knowing that they had been followed, she had been able to act completely natural, apart from nervousness which could also originate from the situation in itself. Toshinori was quite amazed by that. Most people automatically acted stiffly when they felt watched.

He shook his head while laying the napkin away (bloody side turned down), fond smile spreading over his expression. "So observant. I see where Izuku gets it from."

Again, Inko blushed lightly, but she also looked quite satisfied with herself. Though her teeth were still pressing into her bottom lips, she smiled around it, eyes glittering with silent mirth, giving her an unusual mischievous look.

It was enough to steal Toshinori's breath away, thoughts drifting again, fingers itching to reach over the table…

"Excuse me?"

The soft voice startled him enough that he almost spat blood again. He could see that Inko jumped in her seat, too, smile falling off her face as her eyes went wide in shocked surprise.

The waitress who had spoken seemed a little spooked at their reaction, taking a step back from the table before she cleared her throat and tried again. "Would you perhaps like some wine while you decide on your meal? It's a suggestion of our chef."

Only now Toshinori registered the bottle of wine in her grip. Breathing in and out deeply, he got himself back under control, nodding at her with a strained smile. "Of course."

"Ah, thank you!" Inko smiled up at the younger woman as her glass was filled, looking still a bit startled over the interruption.

Despite agreeing to the wine, Toshinori pulled his own glass out of the waitress' reach while he berated himself.

What had he been thinking about? Reaching over the table and then… what? Caressing Inko's cheek, tenderly, testing if the skin was as soft as it looked? Trace that dimple that appeared next to the left corner of her mouth whenever she smiled? Or...?

Stop it, you old fool.

He shook his head again as he heard Inko ask something, determined not to let his damned feelings get the better of him and ruin this for her.

"What about you?" Inko asked, gesturing towards his still empty wine glass.

"Ah, I…" Toshinori noted how the movements of their waitress slowed considerably and interrupted himself. He could almost see how the young woman strained her ears in hope of hearing something interesting.

Not batting an eyelash at that, he offered her his glass, letting her fill it with the red liquid.

Once the waitress had left and was out of earshot however, he set the glass back down without taking a sip. At the same time he explained: "I don't drink, so I didn't think about drinking some wine myself."

"Oh," Inko blinked, before her eyes went wide all of sudden and one hand shot up to cover her mouth in shock. "Oh, no, how thoughtless of me – I know you have to be careful with what you drink and eat, I'm sorry, I forgot for a moment..."

"No, Inko, stop…," Toshinori reached over, gripping her hand which still covered her mouth and muffled her words. Gently, he pulled the limb away from her lips, covering it with both of his hands while he smiled at the flustered woman. "Don't apologize for that."

"It was thoughtless of me," Inko insisted, a stubborn glint visible in her eyes. "So I will apologize for it."

Toshinori had to bite back a grin at that. For such a gentle woman, she could be quite thick-headed if she wanted to.

Instead of flat out arguing, he stroked one of his thumps over the back of her hand, which was still covered by both of his own. Her skin was softer than his, not calloused by old, thin white scars which could only originate from heavy punches being thrown against sturdy surfaces. He marvelled at the contrast for a moment, stretching Inko's finger and looking them over, awed how tiny and soft they were between his own, bony ones.

(Had he looked up instead of looking at her hand so intently, he would have noticed the blush spreading over Inko's face, a deep, fiery red.)

It took Toshinori a moment to remember that he had wanted to say something. He had been so engrossed in his inspection, it had slipped his mind.

Clearing his throat but not willing to let go of her hand just yet, Toshinori tried to explain, "Actually, I'm glad that you forget something like that when you're with me."

Inko frowned, her hand between his twitching as she overthought that. But she didn't pull back.

"It's…," Toshinori stopped, considering his next words, "It's refreshing. You simply forget about it, and when I'm with you, I can forget, too."

Another twitch, but this time, Inko just turned her hand over in his grip so that she could intertwine her fingers with his. Searching for his gaze, she asked quietly, "Toshinori, what are you talking about? Forget what?"

"My limitations."

He meant all of his weakness with that, and he was quite sure that she understood. He meant his blood-spitting, his lacking organs and the fact that he was physically limited. He meant his quirklessness and his looks and everything in between.

Her fingers between his tightened, and in the blink of an eye, Inko reached over with her free hand, laying it over his. She leaned forwards, eyes gleaming with determination, and began, "Yagi Toshinori, don't you dare to think like that, you hear me?"

He blinked at her in astonishment, having anticipated pity or worry or confusion, but not a reprimand.

"Your limitations, as you call them," Inko continued, keeping his gaze trapped with hers, "Are scars that you got while you gave everything to protect our society. While you were a symbol, a pillar for us all. They are proof of your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others – and while I may not be completely okay with that because I worry about you and want you to be safe too, it's also something I admire. Yes, you heard that right – I admire that. And so do quite a few others, but you seem to forget that sometimes. So don't talk like those limitations make you a lesser man. They don't. Quite the opposite. And while they may be a part of you, they don't define you. What defines you is your big heart and your sharp mind and your gentle soul. And not your scars."

Toshinori's mind went completely blank at that. He desperately tried to get his scrambled thoughts together and formulate an answer, a thanks, possibly a smile or laugh to ease the tension of the situation. But he couldn't, his throat suddenly dry and eyes burning and he realized with quite some shock that he was close to tears because of her words.

Every single word had hit the mark, soothing a barely healed wound he carried around since the day six years ago.

After what seemed like an eternity, Toshinori coughed in an attempt to free his cloaked throat and freed one of his hand out of their grip, rubbing over his hollow eyes with the ball of his hand to catch the tears there as secretly as possible.

Inko noticed, there was no way she couldn't, but she didn't say anything. Instead she just squeezed his hand gently, smiling at him in patient understanding… and there was another emotion barely hidden in that smile, one he desperately wanted to read as affection.

Holy shit. He had fallen quite hard, hadn't he?

But… he hesitated, hand still rubbing at his eyes as he glance up at her with a crooked smile to assure her that he was okay.

She literally beamed back at him, her fingers wrapping even more tightly around his, smile lighting up the whole room.

Toshinori's heart soared, and consequences be damned – he didn't regret falling for Inko in the slightest.

He smiled back at her, half-hoping and half-dreading that his feelings for her probably could show on his expression, but he just had to smile at her in thanks while he reciprocated the light squeeze of her fingers. "Thank you, Inko."

Only now, it seemed to dawn on Inko that she was still leaning across the table, hands in his. In a matter of seconds, she blushed to the root of her hair, fiery red blossoming on her cheeks, and mumbled a hasty excuse for being too forward while she attempted to retreat her hands.

Toshinori let her, quite content with watching her as she blushed and fumbled and muttered something, warmth filling him at the more and more familiar sight.

Attempting to rescue her from the embarrassment, he changed the subject, picking up his menu and asking, "So, did you already decide what you want to eat?"

"Well, um," her ears still burning red with embarrassment, Inko picked up her menu hastily, flitting through the pages quickly. "I saw a few things I like, but I can't really decide which one I should take…"

She looked up at him through her lashes, trying to hide her still present blush as good as possible, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth again. "I'm not good at making decisions when it comes to food. I just like eating too much."

Perhaps he was still too euphoric and emotional about what she had just told him.

Perhaps it was the fact that she looked so cute like that, blushing and timid.

Or perhaps he just wanted to make her happy.

Toshinori couldn't say what the reason was, but he decided on a whim, quite satisfied with his idea: "Let's just try out everything."

The menu slipped form Inko's fingers and smacked down onto the table as she gaped at him, spluttering out an indignant, "What?!"

"The more I think about it, the more I like the idea," Toshinori grinned at Inko, feeling quite mischievous as he saw her disbelieve. "If we order all dishes we would like to try at the same time, we won't miss anything."

"But… you can't… that's not…" Inko spluttered, searching for an argument that would stop that crazy idea of his. "We will never be able to eat all of that!"

Toshinori actually laughed out loud at that, already lifting one hand to call for a waitress. "So? They can't force us to eat everything up. We will just eat as much as we are able to."

"Toshinori!" Inko hissed, obviously trying again to stop him, but she had to interrupt herself because the waitress chose that exact moment to arrive at their table.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, but I have a question," Toshinori lifted his menu up for emphasis as he continued, "Would it be possible for us to order all of this at once? Oh, except for the desserts."

The waitress hesitated, processing his words for a moment, before her professional façade fell and she gaped openly at him. "You… would like to order everything?"

"Only if that's possible, of course," Toshinori thought about it, before he suggested, "Perhaps if just little servings of each dish were to be prepared?"

"I… I will have to ask if that's possible…"

"That would be perfect, thank you."

Satisfied with his little success and with what he deemed to be a good idea, Toshinori waited until the flabbergasted waitress was gone again before he turned towards Inko.

Only to startle at the sight in front of him.

Inko was hiding her face behind her hands, making it impossible to read her expression. Her shoulders were quaking slightly, quivering with an emotion. Which one, he couldn't be sure.

Fear crawled up on Toshinori, and he considered shortly if he had upset her with his stupid little idea. Perhaps she was embarrassed by it, thinking it too forward?

"Inko?" He asked softly, not daring to raise his voice. "Is everything alright?"

There was a muffled sound, before Inko lowered her hands enough that she could peer at him through the tips of her fingers. Her eyes were gleaming with suppressed laughter and fondness, crinkles around the corner of her eyes indicating that she was grinning behind her hands.

"You're impossible," she declared, still muffled. "You're one silly, impossible man."

Toshinori blinked in surprise, before relief flooded him. Breathing out deeply, he smiled back at her. "Well, I'm fine with that. At least that way, I can make you smile."

"Yes, you are quite good at that," Inko confessed, laughing quietly as he practically glowed in his pride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was a blast, despite the slightly tense start of the evening.

Of course the kitchen had been able to prepare little servings of everything they had on the menu – how could they not, when the Number One Hero ordered it, Inko had lightly joked. In record time, there were dozens of little plates with different dishes arrayed on their table.

Both Toshinori and Inko had fun testing all of it, switching from soups to different kinds of meat and fish and back again.

They laughed when one of them grimaced because something wasn't to their liking.

Toshinori offered Inko little bits to taste and was delighted by the way she trusted him blindly, biting into the treat without even asking what it was.

Inko laughed heartily at Toshinori's indignant expression as she snatched the last bit of Teriyaki right from under his nose.

It was fun, and as light-hearted as usual between them, and Inko found herself slowly relaxing, her doubts leaving her alone for the moment. So what if Toshinori was the Number One Hero? He was here with her, and they were laughing together. No façade, no luxury, no secrets, just them. That had to count as something special. It did for her, at least.

And she was content with that.

Finally, they were in the midst of a discussion about which of those dishes they would try to make themselves, back at the dorm. Which one seemed like they would be able to cook without risking a disaster? Which ones did the both of them especially like? Which ones would the children like?

"We could just ask them," Toshinori joked, pointing over her shoulder. "They are sitting over there, after all."

Inko could feel her smile freeze. Abruptly she was reminded that they weren't alone here. For a short, blissful time, it had felt as if they two of them were the only ones here. Now she was reminded of everything around them, the luxurious ambience, the waiter and waitresses that seemed to hover around their table, appearing next to them as soon as Toshinori so much as lifted one hand. Even the children and the fact that their whole date was set up and being observed closely… she had forgotten all of it.

And suddenly, she felt almost sour about the fact that they weren't alone. This was supposed to be a date, right? Set up or not, she simply wished for a bit more privacy, away from prying eyes. She just wanted a bit more time alone with Toshinori.

It was one of the rare times she didn't feel like sharing.

"Inko?"

This time, it was Toshinori who called out for her because she drifted off, not the other way around.

She tried to smile at him in reassurance, but he merely tilted his head, his equivalent of a cocked eyebrow. As someone who used fake smiles to disguise his pain and fear, he wasn't fooled in the least by her attempt. And Inko now that, too, so she sighed inaudibly and explained, "Sorry, just thinking about the children."

"Are you worried about them? You don't have to, I assure you…"

"No, it's just…" she breathed in and out deeply, before she confessed, "I'm just not comfortable with the fact that they are following us the whole evening. I mean, it's quite the… private evening? And I just…"

She trailed off, uselessly gesturing with her hands in the air to bring her point across as words failed her.

Toshinori just regarded her silently, not giving away his thoughts.

"Please don't get me wrong!" Inko added hastily as she realized that she probably sounded rude towards the children. "I love them all, I really do, and normally I wouldn't mind spending time with them…"

"But for one evening, you just want some privacy," Toshinori finished her sentence for her, as if he had read her mind. "A break from other people."

Inko faltered, surprised that he had pinpointed her feelings so easily.

But then again, she reminded herself, especially someone like him, who had spent so much time appearing in public, should understand that one just needed some privacy sometimes.

She smiled at him instead of answering out loud, noting the way his gaze softened in understanding.

Toshinori nodded to himself without breaking eye-contact, before he suddenly pushed his chair back, got up and offered her his hand.

Inko stared up at him as he offered to help her stand, shell-shocked by his sudden movements. "What…?"

"Let's go." Toshinori smiled down at her without retracting his hand. "The children are still occupied with their dinner, so now is the best time to sneak out."

"But… don't we have to pay first?" Inko stammered. The thought of sneaking out at all made her feel silly. They weren't teenagers anymore, after all.

Though she did have a crush like a teenage girl. A crush on that impossible man right in front of her who made her heart ache when he grinned so goofily at her like he did now. "Don't worry about that. I paid already when they brought our dinner."

Inko reached up for his hand, still a bit unsure. "The children…"

"They will be fine on their own, I'm sure of it. And you really deserve a break from them," Toshinori's smile softened again. "You have done more than enough for all of us, now it's your turn."

Inko couldn't resist anymore, accepting his hand and let him help her to her feet. "Fine. Let's go."

She felt strangely mischievous as Toshinori helped her into her cardigan and led her to the exit. It just felt so sneaky, slinking away directly from under the children's noses. Inko actually had to suppress a giggle as she imagined their expressions once they noticed that the adults were gone.

Once they were outside, standing on the sidewalk and waiting for their eyes to adjust to the darkness – night had fallen while they had been at dinner – she couldn't stop the girlish snicker anymore, pressing a hand to her mouth to muffle it.

Next to her, Toshinori chuckled quietly, a deep rumble that she could almost feel because they were standing so close together. "You seem to be having fun."

"I am," Inko confessed, grinning up at him. "And I probably should feel horrible for it."

"Why?" He tilted his head at her, interest evident.

"Because we just run away from the children who tried to check up on us."

"The same children who set us up for a date and stalked us through it," Toshinori reminded her amusedly. "They will be miffed because we tricked them, but they will get over it. And in your case, they won't even be miffed – they would forgive you everything."

"The same goes for you," Inko corrected him. "They love you."

Toshinori hummed at that, non-committal, but there was a soft, fond smile playing on his lips. For a moment, both of them were lost in their fond thoughts of the children, future heroes who had become so important to the both of them.

It was Toshinori who interrupted the silence after a while, asking her, "What now?"

Inko blinked up at him in surprise.

He was looking expectantly at her, as if she was the one who would lead the way.

Well. And here she had thought he would decide their next action.

"Um," she mumbled, before she remembered, "Ah, there is that coffee shop Tsuyu-chan told me about, where they sell good cake. We could go there, if you want, or…"

"Do you want to go there?" Toshinori interrupted her softly. It didn't sound like an annoyed reaction to her babbling, but like genuine interest.

Inko lifted an eyebrow at him. The whole evening, she had had the feeling that she was the nervous and self-conscious one. Now, though, Toshinori looked a little lost and just a tad disappointed as if…

… as if he was anxious that she could say No.

A smile made its way onto her face as she reached for him, intending to link their arms again. "You will let me decide? You will just come with me when I say that I want to go there?"

"But of course," all the anxiousness melted away as Toshinori smiled down at her, soft and yet boyish. "I'm all yours."

Inko's thoughts came to a stuttering halt as he said that. Everything froze for a moment, before it sped up again, her heartbeat accelerating and mind racing. All yours? Dear god, he couldn't just say something like that! He was All Might, the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace, possibly the strongest man on earth. Yes, he was retired and basically quirkless now, but still – in Inko's eyes, he was still all of that, that unparalleled man far out of her reach.

On the other hand…

On the other hand, though, he was also Toshinori, that genuine, kind-hearted man who would splutter and blush if someone complimented him, who would spit blood in shock at being called "Dad" while he glowed with joy and pride at the exact same moment. The same man with whom she had spent hours sitting together, talking about anything and nothing at all, laughing together over little things.

That smart, somewhat dorky man who would give everything for his students… and her.

Him of all people telling her that he was all hers…

It was an utterly heady thought. One that sent warmth coursing through her and made her feel oddly powerful.

Inko couldn't help but express that warmth that filled her to the brim in a beaming smile while she linked her arm through his and leaned slightly against his shoulder. "You should be careful when you say that. I could take you up on it one day."

Toshinori cleared his throat rather loudly (and somewhat wetly) and she could picture the blush on his hollow cheeks without even looking up.

Thus she was rather surprised and slightly flustered by his next words and the satisfied tone in his voice.

"I will be counting on it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Guys!"

Izuku almost choked on his food as Kaminari shouted in his ear all of sudden.

Tsuyu was not better off, wincing at the sudden noise, while Todoroki shot a glare in the direction of the disturber.

Kaminari grinned sheepishly back, before he remembered what had him so riled up, grin faltering and changing into pure agitation. "Dad-sensei and Mom are not at their table anymore!"

"What?!"

Most of them swivelled around, looking for the table of their substitute-parents, discretion forgotten as they craned their necks.

Only to realize that the two people they had wanted to observe were truly gone.

There was a slight pause, before Uraraka actually snorted out a laugh. "Sneaky!"

"Didn't know Sensei could be so stealthy," Kirishima whistled quietly in amazement. "Usually he is more on the flashy side."

"Not since his identity got revealed," Tsuyu reminded him, amused smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, you're right."

"Fucking great!" Bakugou snarled, trying to card one hand through his hair in aggravation, only to realize that that didn't work so well with a wig. Crossing his arms in front of his chest instead, he growled, "Good job, freakingly well done, losing the people we wanted to observe!"

"Hey, you didn't notice they were gone, either!" Kaminari countered.

"Yeah, you can't blame us," Sero agreed with a crooked grin. "The food here is too good, it distracted us."

"It's almost as good as Mom's cooking!" Mina agreed, albeit a bit muffled because she had her mouth stuffed full with food.

"So we lost them because you fucking idiots were more interested in eating?!"

"You were, too!"

"Don't blame us, Bakugou-kun, we were all…"

"I blame whoever I like!"

"Calm down, guys!" Kirishima interjected as a heated discussion started about who was the real culprit here. "We can still catch up to them. Midoriya could probably use his quirk to catch up to them, and…"

"No."

Silence descended on the group at Izuku's quiet statement. A few confused glances were exchanged before Jirou asked, "What do you mean, Midoriya?"

Izuku fidgeted a bit under all those gazes, but shrugged with a wary smile. "It's just that… I don't think we need to follow them any further. I mean… that they sneak away from us means they want to spend some time alone, right? I think that's a good sign… though I could be wrong, but…."

He trailed off in a mumble, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Huh," Todoroki was the first one to react, head tilting in thought. "I think you have a point there."

Bakugou snorted, smirk tilting his lips. "Halfie, you have no idea when it comes to dates, you don't know if he has a point."

"But you have experience with it?"

"More than you, half-face!"

"Midoriya is right," Tokoyami interrupted the beginning argument calmly. "We should just leave them alone. We already made sure that the date is going pretty well."

"I think so, too," Kouda muttered, head drawn between his shoulders but voice surprisingly steady.

"I'm on Deku's side!" Uraraka announced cheerily.

"That's a very good point, Midoriya-kun!" Iida agreed enthusiastically. "I completely agree with you!"

Tooru sighed slightly disappointed. "Well, pity. I wanted to see a bit more of the date. But okay."

"You have no sense of privacy," Ojiro noted.

"So, to sum it up," Yaoyorozu lifted both hands, waving slightly to get the others' attention, "We all agree that we won't follow them further?"

"Yep."

"Fine by me."

"Let's give them some privacy."

"And what do we do now? Go back to the dorms?"

There were a few disappointed groans and Kirishima protested loudly, "Oh come on, not yet!"

It was Todoroki who made the next suggestion, eyebrow quirked up. "Does anybody want a dessert before we go back?"

"Are you trying to raise the bill because Endeavor will have to pay?" Izuku asked him quietly.

Mismatched eyes glittered with barely contained satisfaction as Todoroki smiled in answer. "Of course."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Raising the bill or not," Uraraka leaned in between Todoroki and Izuku, grinning widely, "I will never say No to dessert! So bring it on!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was hours later when Toshinori and Inko returned to the dorms, arms still linked and huddled close together against the chilly night air.

Inko pressed a hand to her belly with a little laugh. "I have definitely overeaten. That was one piece of cake too many."

"There can never be too much cake," Toshinori disagreed in mock-indignation. "And as a matter of fact - do I have to remind you that you basically shoved that one piece of chocolate cake onto me, telling me that one more piece couldn't hurt?"

"Because it was delicious and you wouldn't even try it."

"I trust your judgement blindly, I didn't have to try it to know how delicious it was."

"Your flattering will get you nowhere, Mister."

"You are quite certainly right," Toshinori agreed as they stopped in front of the door. "In this situation, a key for this door will proof more of use than flattery."

"You and your puns," Inko patted his arm, laughing at him.

Toshinori shot her a look over his shoulder while he fumbled with the keys, fond exasperation and fake hurt mixed in that gaze. Silently he smiled, feeling warm and relaxed in a way he hadn't felt for a long time.

Leaving the luxurious restaurant had been the perfect decision, he thought to himself. Inko had flourished once they had left that place and instead gone to a simple and cosy little coffee shop a bit further away. She had laughed and joked and looked so relaxed that Toshinori had caught himself staring at her more than once, needing to remind himself to breathe and look away from time to time.

The door opened with a quiet click, pulling him back to reality. Toshinori pushed the door open and fumbled for the light switch, successfully hitting it before he held the door open for Inko.

She ducked past him, rubbing her arms to get them to warm up again.

Toshinori slipped out of his suit jacket and threw it carelessly over one of the coat hooks at the wall, kicking his shoes off while he locked the door behind himself. After making sure that it was properly locked, he took the few steps from the entrance area towards the living room, casting one suspicious glance around the corner.

No one there.

"Are they there?" Inko asked behind him.

"No," he answered, taking a few more steps into the living room. There was something on the table…

"Either they've already gone to bed or they are not back yet," Toshinori called back.

"Oh, I hope they are already here," instantly, Inko sounded like the worried mother she was. A mother of twenty children.

Toshinori reached the table and found that a little note had been left there to find. He took it with him as he walked back into the entrance area, needing the light to read the neatly written words.

Already sleeping when you finally come home. We hope you enjoyed the evening! =)

Your class

Toshinori chuckled, shaking his head as he grumbled, "Cheeky students."

"But you aren't angry at them, right?" Inko asked while she took of her cardigan and hung it up at one of the coat hooks next to the door.

Toshinori turned, freezing as he took her in. Inko was smiling at him, absentmindedly patting down her dress and still looking so beautiful…

He cleared his throat, smiling back at her while he pocketed the note. "Not at all."

"That's good. They only meant well, after all."

He hummed non-committal at that, not entirely knowing what to do now that their time together was coming to an end.

Perhaps he should offer to sit with her a little bit longer? Offer to make her a cup of tea, or just sit and talk for a bit longer? He certainly wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with her…

"I think I will go to bed now," Inko announced, fiddling with her fingers as she smiled nervously at him. "I'm a bit tired, so…"

Or she was just too tired to do any of this options. Well.

Toshinori tried to disguise his disappointment as well as he could, smile straining because of that but not faltering. "Ah, of course. I don't want to keep you from sleep."

Liar.

He mentally kicked the little nagging voice out of his mind for a second and followed Inko quietly to the lift. That probably wasn't as subtle as he hoped, but he just couldn't help himself.

Inko seemed just as anxious about the end of this evening as he was, tugging at stray strands of her hair which stuck out of her bun, idly fiddling her fingers and taking longer for the short distance than necessary. But that was most likely just wishful thinking on his part.

Once they had reached the lift doors – which took way too long because of their hesitation – Inko reached for the button to call the lift, only to stop and turn as he stopped a few steps away from her. "Um… Are you going to sleep, too?"

Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind right now, nerves fluttering and adrenaline still pulsing through his veins when he looked at her or remembered their evening together. But he wouldn't tell her that, instead opting for a simple answer. "Oh, I'm not that tired. I think I will watch some TV until I feel like sleeping."

A mixture of worry and exasperated amusement flashed through her green eyes, and she wagged a finger at him. "Fine, but don't stay up too long. You know exactly that you need your rest!"

"Don't worry!" He laughed, giving her an exaggerated thumps-up. "I will take care of myself."

"You better do."

Toshinori smiled softly at her, grateful for her concern for his health. Reaching over and taking her hand in his, he dared to lift it up and press a quick, barely-there peck to the back of her hand before letting go again. "Thanks for the wonderful evening, Inko."

"There is no need to thank me," Inko was blushing, but her gaze was sure and steady. "I enjoy spending time with you, and we had a great time. At least… that's how I feel about this evening."

The confession that she had enjoyed it and, even more importantly, had enjoyed his company – Toshinori felt as if his heart was pounding a hole into his ribcage, it was beating so fast. He was almost euphoric about her words, and that was dangerous, his hopes getting up when he had spent the whole evening keeping them down.

Trying to overplay his real feelings as he did so often, he laughed at that, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I know I'm not exactly the best company for such occasions, I mean, for dinner and the like, seeing as the blood-spitting and my looks can put off one's appetite, so…"

"Put off?!"

Toshinori clamped his mouth shut, suddenly realizing that he had said something bad as Inko's voice turned sharp.

"Toshinori, you are not…!" Inko trailed off, seemingly realizing that she was raising her voice and stopped herself with a deep breath, running a hand over her face. She suddenly seemed all too tired.

He didn't dare to say anything, instead waiting for her to continue.

"You know what?" Inko said finally, determined glint in her eyes. "Let me see."

Before he could react, Inko was already standing on her tip-toes, using that move to reach up to him. She gripped his chin with forefinger and thump (the contact had him freezing in his spot, all thoughts stuttering to an abrupt halt) and turned his head slightly from left to right. Her gaze travelled over his face, taking in hollow cheeks and sunken eyes.

Once she was obviously satisfied with her inspection, Inko let go of him (allowing him to breathe and think again) and put her hands on her hips, beaming up at him. "Nope, not putting me off. Actually, I think you are quite handsome!"

Something inside Toshinori broke and another part of him melted at her words, all the put-on humour forgotten. She had said so many wonderful, important things in the span of this one evening, sneaking deeper into his heart with each word.

But this was a whole other subject.

All this time, he had thought it impossible for someone to get comfortable around this decapitated form of his. For someone to actually see something human in this skull-like face of his. Or even think of him as – dare he think it – handsome while he looked like this.

He had been stunned when Izuku had accepted his looks rather fast when they had met for the first time, more than a year ago. He had been elated yet unbelieving when his students did the same after that fight with All for One. They had accepted it, treating Toshinori with the same respect and adoration they had up until then. Telling him that they didn't care what he looked like – he was their hero, their teacher, even their friend. Looks didn't matter to them.

But Inko… Inko did something more. She did all of this – the accepting, the kindness and the respect – and more.

She looked at him, actually looked at him, and told him that she thought him handsome. That she liked his looks.

She didn't say I don't care what you look like, I like you either way.

Instead she said I like you, and I also think you look handsome.

Accepting and liking everything about him.

He was blushing, he knew he was, but he couldn't help but smile at her in utter happiness. That wonderful, kind and thoughtful woman. Only this evening, he had wondered where those feelings for her had come from – the fluttering when he saw her, the breathlessness when she smiled at him, his blushing when she touched him ever so lightly.

But now he only wondered – how could one not fall for a woman like her?

"I love you."

The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about it, before he even registered that he started to speak. And once he had said it aloud, he couldn't take it back.

Everything froze. Toshinori froze, Inko froze, and the world around them seemed to stop moving.

Inko's heartfelt smile wavered and fell, a mixture of different emotions flitting over her expression. Incredulousness, surprise and then, worst of all, shock.

It felt like a punch to the gut, seeing that expression on her face because of something he had said. On the other hand, he couldn't really blame her. She obviously had not anticipated this, thinking of them simply as friends, and he had just gone and blurted something like that out…

Shit, shit, shit!

"I'm sorry!" He blurted out, voice cracking as panic flooded him. She still stared at him with eyes wide and face pale. And he reached up to touch her shoulders but stopping at the last moment, not daring to, as he continued to ramble, "Please, I… I didn't mean to put in this situation, I'm so sorry, I…"

Toshinori stopped himself as he noticed that she didn't react in the slightest. Suddenly he felt crushed by the thought what he had just down, most likely ruining that precious relationship he had with her. Shoulders slumping under the realization, he murmured, "I'm really sorry."

Please don't be angry, was what he didn't say as he turned around and proceeded to drag himself towards the living room, no longer able to meet her gaze. He didn't want to see the shock in her eyes anymore.

"Toshinori."

Her voice alarmed him. It sounded too nervous and breathy, compared to the lightness which had been there almost all evening long. He swivelled around at the sound of it, so fast that he almost tripped, worry surging through him in an instant. "Yes?"

Inko still stood where he left her, hands folded and fingers fiddling while her shoulders were squared. She was so obviously tense and nervous, Toshinori's heart constricted painfully at the sight. She had seemed so happy and relaxed until now, why did he have to ruin it with his thoughtlessness? Couldn't he just keep silent for once in his life?

Damned old fool, never knowing when to keep your mouth shut…!

"Please," Inko said quietly, in the same nervous voice as before. "Please, could you… come here for a second?"

Toshinori closed his eyes for a moment, shaky breath leaving him in a rush. He half-anticipated a slap from her, as ridiculous as that sounded. But then again, she may be a gentle woman, but she had every right to tell him off - even physically - after the stunt he had just pulled.

Caving once he noted her pleading gaze, he walked back the few steps towards her, feeling old and stiff as he did so. Coming to a halt right in front of her, he stood still, not daring to move or breathe or look at her, gaze locked onto the ground in front of his feet.

Toshinori could feel Inko's gaze searching for his, burning in its intensity. Then she lifted one hand (he went rigid at that) and laid it gently against his chin, lifting his head up so that he had to look at her.

He blinked at her in confusion, not expecting such gentleness from her right now. What he saw confused him even more.

Inko's eye were wet, brimming with unshed tears, but there was a shaky smile on her lips, twitching nervously while she searched for his gaze. Once their eyes locked, the smile became stronger and steadier, lighting up her face. Gently, she let go of his chin, shaking her head with a watery laugh. "You silly man. How can you say something like that and then just walk off, without even giving me the time to react?"

"I thought…" his voice broke, and Toshinori had to clear his throat to continue. "I thought I had shocked you with this."

"You have," Inko confessed, the smile getting ever stronger. "But in a good way."

In a good way?

Come again?

What?

How?

What did that mean now?

Good way meant something good, right?

Well, she hadn't slapped him yet.

She didn't even seem angry.

But… what?

"Will you let me respond appropriately now?" Inko asked him, giggling at his confused expression.

His frenzied thoughts stopped, basically tripping and falling over each other before his mind went completely blank. All he could do was gulp and nod stiffly.

"Good."

Inko leaned forward, hands coming up and gripping Toshinori's shoulders for support. She used that to pull herself up und him a bit down, until she was almost on eye-level with him, the tip of her nose only inches away from his own.

Suddenly confronted with her right in front of him, her big green eyes filling his vision and the feeling of her breath ghosting over his lips - Toshinori almost stopped breathing himself, going stock still and not daring to move as some part of him finally understood what she was planning to do. Heck, he didn't even dare to blink.

Now it was Inko who gulped audibly, suddenly stopping her advance as she met his gaze. She hesitated, before she let go of his shoulders, instead opting for reaching up and framing his face with both hands. That minimized the distance between them even more, their noses touching now, just the ghost of a touch but there nonetheless.

By now, every fibre of Toshinori's whole being was screaming at him to reach up, to draw her further into him and close the distance between them. But he stopped himself with the last ounce of willpower he could summon up right now. Inko had been the one to initiate this and she would also be the one to decide how far this would go. He would rather be damned and go to hell straight away before he pushed her into something she probably didn't want.

Thumps stroking idly over the thin skin of his cheeks, Inko hovered, gaze searching his. "Is… is this okay?" she whispered, the words almost inaudible.

Toshinori resisted the urge to laugh incredulously. Even now, she was concerned about him, instead of just taking what she wanted.

(And, damn it all, he wanted her to take it. He hadn't wanted anything for himself for a long time, but right now, he did.)

"Inko," he was not surprised at the hoarseness of his voice, restraint and want and nervousness taking their toll on his voice cords. "Trust me, this is more than okay."

"I just thought… I don't want to seem too forward, I mean, normally I would never attempt to… not on the first evening, at least, but with you, it's… it's different, and I just…"

Inko was rambling, so much like her son did when he was nervous, and as endearing it was in normal circumstances – right now it was pure torture.

"Inko," Toshinori almost groaned her name right then and there and he didn't care how pleading it sounded. He was breaking and unravelling, and he would start pleading for real if she kept this up.

She stopped, words dying on her lips as she obviously caught up on the want in his voice. She sighed quietly and then giggled, the vibrations almost travelling from her lips to his. "Right. You did tell me that you're all mine, after all."

"And I meant it," Toshinori croaked out. Well, he certainly hadn't thought about a scenario like this when he had said that, but now that it was happening, he was more than one hundred percent alright with this.

"And I answered that I would take you up on it."

"I'm still counting on it, to be honest."

She hummed at that, her thumps reaching his temple and rubbing over that spot with light pressure. It felt so good and yet it was not enough. Especially when she kept talking only inches away from his lips like now. "And I'm earnestly thinking about taking you up on it."

"Not going to stop you."

"Oh, that's good to know."

The almost teasing little tilt in the corner of Inko's mouth was the final straw and Toshinori blurted out: "Are you torturing me on purpose right now?"

And Inko laughed, eyes shining with happiness and warmth and something else he didn't dare to name just yet as she leaned in the last bit. "Just teasing you. "

The laughter died down but the smile stayed as their lips met.

Prickling warmth flooded Toshinori from head to toe, starting from the kiss itself and spreading through him in a dizzying rush. It felt startlingly similar to his quirk, though filling him with a power that seemed to surpass even One for All. He couldn't remember when he had felt so alive for the last time, so whole.

He was quite sure he had never felt quite like this before her.

He sighed into the kiss, hands darting up to catch Inko around the waist as she mirrored the sound and seemed to melt into the contact, her legs almost giving out.

Inko's head was spinning, foggy and clear at once. Foggy as she forgot everything around them, and clear as she was hyperaware of everything that happened between them. It had been years since she had kissed someone, anyone, and never before had she forgotten so completely about anything around her while doing so. All she could feel now was the warmth spreading through her, the way Toshinori's sure grip held her upright while he kissed her gently, lips ghosting over hers in order to let her catch her breath before deepening the contact again. Everything about this was gentle and loving and warm, and she loved every second of it.

None of them could say how much time had passed when they pulled back completely, panting slightly but grinning at each other like the love-struck pair they were. Both of them were flushed, lips swollen and eyes gleaming.

Toshinori reached up to tuck a lock of green hair back behind Inko's ear, while she giggled and patted his unruly hair back down where she had ran her hands through it before. Satisfied with her work, she leaned forward enough to rest her head against his chest, content with encircling his torso with her short arms.

"Now, do you still think I'm torturing you?" Inko muttered into his shirt, grin visible even from this angle.

Toshinori actually laughed quietly at that, feeling dizzy with happiness. Hands stroking from her waist up over her back, he covered the back of her head with one hand while steadying her between her shoulder blades with the other. "Quite the opposite, I dare say."

"Good. Very good."

"I second that statement," Toshinori nodded, thrilled to hear her muffled laugh.

They stayed like this for a while, content silence descending on them while they listened to each other's breath calming and heartbeats slowing down again.

Finally, Inko pulled back first while clearing her throat loudly. Her blush intensified immensely as she looked up to him, stuttering, "Um… I should… probably…"

Toshinori understood as she gestured towards the lift. The doors stood open already, not closing until somebody pressed a button.

Oh. Right. She had already wanted to go to bed like… five, ten minutes ago? He couldn't tell how long it had been.

"Right. Ah," he blushed himself but couldn't ban the silly grin off his face. "Goodnight."

"Yes. Goodnight," Inko hesitated, before she quickly stood on her tip-toes again and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, leaving him stunned as she pulled back and almost fled into the lift.

Shortly before the doors closed, she called out with a smile. "Just a little thanks for this great evening!"

Toshinori stood there, one hand coming up to lightly trace the cheek where her peck had landed. Tasting further, he reached for his lips. They were still tingling and warm, and he couldn't stop grinning like a fool.

Yes. Really a great evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was no way he could sleep after that.

First off, Toshinori spent the next hour or so by pacing through the living room, trying to get rid of the adrenaline and euphoria left in his system.

Finally he gave up, letting himself fall onto the couch, unbuttoning the suddenly too-tight yellow shirt and just grinning into the darkness as the events of the evening replayed themselves before his mind's eye.

Best evening of his life, he concluded.

And concluded it a few times more, just to make a point. And because it was true.

The quiet sound of bare feet padding over the linoleum pulled him from his thoughts after quite some time.

By then, he couldn't tell how late it was anymore, but he did know that it was already past time for the students to be in their beds.

Straightening slightly, Toshinori let his head fall back and peered over the back of the couch to see who it was.

Blue eyes met green ones. There was a slight pause as boy and man stared at each other, before both of them simultaneously emitted a quiet "Oh".

Izuku stood behind the couch, on his way to the kitchen. He was in his pyjamas, hair tousled messily from sleep and eyes dropping heavily due to fatigue. Once, the boy would have blushed because of his current clothing – sleep pants littered with little chibi versions of All Might's face and his T-Shirt sporting the slogan #1 Hero!, - but either Izuku was too tired to care right now or he had gotten over his embarrassment concerning those things.

Most likely just too tired.

Izuku blinked slowly at his mentor, before a smile made its way onto his face. Suppressing a yawn with some difficulty, the boy mumbled, "'lo."

Toshinori smiled softly back at him. "Hello, my boy."

"Why you still up?" Izuku rubbed his eyes, slightly swaying on his feet.

At that sight, Toshinori had a hard time to restrain himself. The major part of him wanted to jump to his feet, rush over and carry Izuku back to bed to tuck him in, before the boy fell asleep while standing upright. Instead, he opted for an answer, "I could ask you the same, I dare believe."

Izuku seemed to process those words for a moment, frowning slightly, before his expression brightened. "Ah. I was thirsty."

He said it as if he had forgotten for a moment and was now quite proud to remember it. Toshinori chuckled lightly, shaking his head. His student was too adorable for his own good.

"Go ahead then," he gestured for his student to start moving, before he could fall asleep standing upright.

Izuku nodded slowly, padding towards the kitchen. Toshinori could hear cupboard and fridge getting opened and closed and the gurgling sound of liquid, before the padding resounded again.

The couch groaned quietly as Izuku dropped down on it heavily, right next to Toshinori. The boy balanced a glass of milk between his hands, sipping it silently without looking at his mentor.

Toshinori was fine with that. Izuku's presence calmed down the fluttering in his belly and his heartbeat, the boy a sure way to ease any leftover tension he felt. The former hero was content with just sitting there, next to Izuku, and letting himself relax into the soft furniture.

Izuku finished his milk, putting down the empty glass onto the table.

A few seconds hesitance and hovering, until Toshinori couldn't stand the sideway glances anymore.

Shifting slightly, the hero extended his arm and said, "Oh, come here."

In the blink of an eye, Izuku shifted around, feet drawn up onto the couch, nestling his head against Toshinori's shoulder. In return, Toshinori cradled the boy against himself as best as he could with just one arm, the other too comfortably outstretched on the back of the couch to move it.

Cuddled against his mentor like this, Izuku asked quietly, "How was your evening?"

"Good," Toshinori answered. "Very good, to be honest. More than very good, to be precise."

He could feel Izuku's smile against his throat as the boy mumbled, "Oh, good."

"Though you should already know a little bit about that – since you all were sneaking after us."

There was a pause, but Izuku didn't even stiffen in surprise or guilt. He just remarked, "So you noticed us. I thought so."

"Oh?" Toshinori glanced down at the boy, but all he could see from that angle was a wild mop of green hair. "You assumed from the start that I would notice you?"

"Sure," Izuku yawned, stifling the sound with Toshinori's shirt. "You're the Number One. It's not like a few children could trick you so easily."

"I'm not the Number One anymore, Izuku."

"To us, you are."

Toshinori didn't find any words in himself to express his feelings after hearing something like that, so he just squeezed Izuku tighter, burrowing his face in the boy's hair for a moment to calm himself.

(No more tears. Not today.)

"You love my mom."

It was just a mumbled statement, and yet, Toshinori almost choked on another wave of blood bubbling up his throat, rearing back from the boy without letting go. He was mostly shocked because it hadn't been a question but a statement, and his first thought was Had it been so obvious?

The part of him that clung to what little privacy he had wanted to deny instinctively, or at least give a hasty explanation to soften the blow.

But one look down at his sleepy student made it simply impossible for Toshinori to be not completely honest. Izuku blinked up at him, chin still resting on his bony shoulder. There was a mixture of hopefulness and curiosity on the boy's face. Combined with the fatigue, it made Izuku look so young.

Sometimes it was all too easy to forget that this brave, strong boy was still a child.

Toshinori breathed out deeply, pushing that last thought away as best as he could. Instead, he reached up and ruffled the boy's hair gently while answering, "Yes."

Izuku mumbled sleepily, leaning into the touch and relaxing even further. For one moment, it seemed like he had fallen asleep. But then he murmured, smile spreading over his expression. "That's good. She likes you, too."

Automatically, Toshinori had to bite back a grin at that. Not only had he already known that without fault (this evening had proven Inko's feelings on the matter) but it was also heart-warming that Izuku obviously tried to reassure him.

"That's good to know," he assured Izuku because the boy seemed to wait for a reaction from him.

Izuku hummed, satisfied with that, and snuggled closer, enjoying the gentle caress as his hair was still being ruffled. Green eyes fell closed, breathe evening out slowly, and Toshinori didn't dare to move because he wasn't sure if his student had fallen asleep on him.

And, quite honestly, Toshinori did not want to move right now, far too content with the situation he was in. Izuku was a warm, reassuring weight at his right side, the silent puffs of breathe tickling the crook of his neck, a tender reminder that the boy, his boy, was here with him, was safe and well.

No, he really didn't want to move right now.

But sadly enough, he had to. He could feel himself slip into sleep slowly but surely, and the couch was no comfortable place to sleep on, for the both of them. And they both needed a few hours of good sleep.

Carefully pushing Izuku up into a sitting position, Toshinori dived out from under the boy's arm and stood up, still supporting his protégé with one hand.

Izuku mumbled something unintelligible, eyes fluttering open and blinking disoriented around until his gaze fell on his mentor. "What is?"

Toshinori couldn't help but smile while he made an attempt of getting both of his arms around the boy. "Time to go to bed, Izuku."

Izuku complied easily, lifting his arms and winding them around Toshinori's neck, hugging the man without hesitation. Face buried in the crook of his mentor's neck, Izuku mumbled something and went limp again, drifting off quickly.

Toshinori bit back a surprised grunt as the full weight of the smaller body fell against him. Well, that was more than he had anticipated. Izuku may be small, but he was quite muscled, and that added a few pounds to his weight. The retired hero would not be able to carry the boy to his room while in his skinny, true form.

Nothing for it, then. Toshinori breathed in and out deeply, reaching for the few sparks he had left of One for All. Three minutes top… it should be enough to carry Izuku to his room, right?

Power flooded him, muscles stretching and growing, tightening and bulging. Bony lankiness transformed into a bulky giant.

Once powered up, Toshinori was glad that he had unbuttoned his shirt before sitting down on the couch. Else his transformation would have ripped the new clothing article apart. He could already hear the seams of the pants growing as the sudden growth stretched the material to its absolute limits.

Now he kind of missed his baggy clothes. Old habits die hard, after all.

Able to lift Izuku on his arms with ease now, Toshinori straightened up, making for the lift doors which led up to the boys' rooms. Internally, he was already counting the seconds he had left, part of him fearing that he would de-transform and let the boy fall.

A quiet mumble pulled him away from his counting, and he glance down at the boy in his arms. Izuku frowned lightly in his sleep, eyelids flattering as the boy tried to wake up and sit up in the arms that carried him. Seemingly the boy was not that deep asleep that he couldn't register the rocking movement of being carried around, but too far gone to remember who carried him.

Reflexes kicked in even in a half-asleep state, and Izuku moved his arms and legs as if he wanted to lash out at what he believed to be an enemy.

Quickly, Toshinori shifted the boy completely onto his left arm, his right hand coming up to start caressing green hair again while he murmured, "Shhh, Izuku, it's just me."

The movements stopped as Izuku relaxed a bit, still trying to lift his heavy eyelids. "Toshi'?"

Surely it was an accident, the fact that the boy called him by that nickname. Most likely he was just too tired to form the whole word. Still, Toshinori felt warmth spread through him at the short word and he smiled gently down at his boy, despite the fact that Izuku would not see it. "Yes, it's me."

"'Kay," Izuku murmured, twisting in his grip and nestling against his mentor as much as he could.

Toshinori chuckled at that, just as the lift doors closed behind them as the lift ascended slowly and he could lean against the metal wall. Never stopping his caress, he said to the half-sleeping boy, "Goodnight, my boy."

There was silence until the doors opened again. Even as he walked down the hallway with his precious load safely in his arms, there was no answer. Toshinori was quite sure Izuku was dead-asleep and hadn't heard his last words.

He entered the boy's room without having to search for it, because the door was standing wide open. He grinned at the sight of dozens and dozens of All Might merchandise, a sight he had seen a few times already but he could never really get over it.

He laid Izuku down on his bed, de-transformed and made the last adjustments. Pulling the blanket up and tucking it around the boy, he ruffled the soft green hair a last time before he turned around and made to leave the room.

Just as Toshinori pulled the door closed behind himself, there were whispered words, so softly spoken that even the slightest sound would have drowned them out.

To Toshinori, they seemed to be louder than any thunder clap, hitting him straight in the heart.

"Goodnight, Dad."

And Toshinori had to correct himself.

Now it was the best evening of his entire life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a good start into the day, a nice, healthy breakfast was required.

At least that was what Inko thought. And that was one of the reasons why she was the first person in the whole dorm to be up on this Monday morning, whirling through the kitchen and preparing different kinds of breakfast to make sure that everyone had something that he or she found to his liking.

The other reason for her being up so early was, honestly, none other than Yagi Toshinori himself.

Inko had not slept very much this night. She had tossed and turned in her bed, heart racing and cheeks warm and hurting from her constant blushing and smiling. She couldn't stop thinking about their shared evening. The nervousness at the beginning, laughter they had shared, the kiss.

Fine, she thought mostly about the kiss, she confessed.

Quite honestly, she felt like a girl in love again.

To think that she had worried so much at the beginning! So self-conscious of herself. Laying in her bed at night, filled with warmth and the kiss still imprinted in her thoughts and a tingling memory and her lips, she didn't care for all those doubts she had had. All that really mattered was the fact that Toshinori loved her. He had even said so!

And upon thinking that, she had found herself sitting upright in her bed, rigid as stone, eyes wide in shock.

Because then, Inko had realized that she had not answered him.

But, but, she had thought frantically as she had pushed the blanket back and basically jumped out of her bed, she had kissed him the evening before. That should have counted as an answer, right?

The thought had not calmed her down at all, so she had opted for another solution.

She had gone to the kitchen, despite the fact that the others would not be up for an hour or so, and cooked as much as she could.

Cooking and baking always eased her mind. And it did have the nice effect that breakfast was already ready when the children got up.

Stopping to catch her breath, leaning against the counter, Inko let her gaze sweep over her preparations. There was rice and smoked salmon for those who preferred the traditional sort of breakfast. Bread and butter and pancakes for those who had taken a liking to western food. The tea was prepared, can full to the brim. And all of that prepared a good quarter of an hour before anyone else was up.

Quite proud of herself, Inko place her hands on her hips and declared to the empty kitchen, "That's some good work right there!"

"That it is."

Inko almost jumped out of her skin as she heard the hoarse voice right behind her. Whirling around with a gasp, hand flying up to clutch at her heart, she exclaimed, "Toshinori! Don't sneak up on me, please!"

Toshinori looked just as sheepish as his students did when they had done something wrong. He had changed back into his usual attire, baggy T-Shirts and equally baggy cargo pants, hair ruffled as if he had carded a hand through it all night.

Rubbing his neck and cringing uncomfortably, he smiled crookedly at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give you a scare."

She couldn't be mad at him for it, especially not when he looked like a kicked puppy. Sighing before smiling brightly at him, Inko just shook her head. "Geez, I will never understand how you can sneak up on people so quietly."

"Practice," Toshinori answered, brightening at the sight of her smile. Still he was hesitant as he entered the kitchen area, keeping a polite distance from her. Leaning against the counter two steps away from her, he asked, "So… did you sleep well?"

Inko almost laughed out loud at his nervous fidgeting.

What did he think? That the kiss had meant nothing to her, or worse, that she could be embarrassed about it?

Silly, silly man.

She tried to keep a straight face, frowning slightly as she shook her head. "No. I got close to no sleep at all."

"Oh," Toshinori's expression fell as fast as it had lightened up, worry and something akin to fear crossing quickly over it.

"And you know the reason why?" Inko continued, trying to ignore his sad expression. "The reason was that I couldn't stop thinking about you. No chance of sleep at all."

For a moment, Toshinori didn't pick up on her meaning.

Then she could literally see how her words sunk in and the meaning dawned on him.

She waited patiently for him.

And Inko was rewarded as a bright, happy grin stretching over Toshinori's face, lighting it up, setting his blue eyes ablaze as he beamed at her with a joy she had not seen of him in all the time they had spent together.

Inko's heart constricted at the sight, but it was a good feeling. A very good feeling.

Trying to smile back with as much emotion as he conveyed in his grin, she reached out for him, reaching up to caress his cheek with one hand as she said loud and clear, "I love you, Toshinori."

His expression softened at that, grin turning into a gentle smile and the intensity in his eyes easing into something so tender it took her breath away. Reaching up, he covered her hand with his own, pressing it against his cheek while he turned his head enough to press a light kiss against the inside of her wrist.

Catching her gaze with his, Toshinori mumbled against the sensitive skin under his lips, "Love you, too."

He was blushing, her hand pressed to his cheek not covering that fact up, but he looked her directly into the eyes while saying the words, voice serious but soft. Inko could just smile at him, stroking her thump over his cheek tenderly.

They stayed like this for a moment, before Toshinori carefully pulled her hand away from his face. Not letting go, he turned it slightly in his grip, looking it over, tracing each finger with his gaze before stroking his thump over the palm.

Inko felt reminded of the evening before, when Toshinori had seemed so interested in her hands. Softly, not daring to shake him from his thoughts too harshly, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"I like your hands," murmured Toshinori, gently caressing her palm with one finger, tracing the lines there.

It tickled and her first urge was to pull away from the sensation, but Inko couldn't bring herself to do that. She was stunned, mesmerized by the gentle caress and the burning intensity in Toshinori's blue gaze. She didn't understand…

"What is there to like about a simple pair of hands?"

The question left her mouth before Inko could think it through, and she almost regretted saying anything. Probably the caressing would stop now, just because she couldn't stay silent.

Indeed, Toshinori did stop for a moment, contemplating the question and his answer to it. But he picked up where he had left of, forefinger following the line in the middle of her palm while he explained, "Your hands are soft and gentle, and yet they can do hard work if need be. It reminds me of your personality. I like that."

Inko breathed in sharply, not prepared for something like that, not prepared how much it would mean to her. Trying to overplay how touched she really was, she joked lightly, "So, I'm soft and hardworking?"

"That's not all there is," Toshinori looked up at her, slightly frowning as he contemplated her words, "You're also gentle and strong."

Oh.

Oh that impossible, sweet, genuine man.

Inko laughed softly, feeling tears gather in the corner of her eyes, a reaction to the mixture of overwhelming happiness and pure love she felt. Stepping closer, she freed herself softly from his grip and reached up to draw his head down a bit. Pressing a quick peck to his hollow cheek, she laughed, "You say the sweetest things sometimes, you know?"

She could literally feel Toshinori blush, heating radiating from his cheeks as he cleared his throat. Obviously he had not counted on such a reaction from her.

His arms came up hesitantly to embrace her, but once she was nestled against him, he relaxed somewhat, resting his chin on her shoulder as he murmured, "I'm only saying what I think."

"And I like that," Inko assured, pressing another kiss to his cheek. "So don't stop saying whatever you think, okay? I want to hear your thoughts."

There was a beat of silence, heat still radiating Toshinori's face, before the retired hero chuckled all of sudden. "You just want to hear more compliments."

"What?!" Inko exclaimed in shock, trying to back away, but he wouldn't let her. Those skinny arms were surprisingly strong, keeping her safely pressed against his chest, making it impossible for her to look up at him as she spluttered, "You know exactly that that is not the reason! I would never do something like that! I just wanted to…!"

Inko trailed off as she heard his laugh, muffled because he pressed his face into her shoulder. Sudden understanding dawned on her, and she gaped incredulously at him. "You're making fun of me!"

"Just a little bit," Toshinori mumbled quietly, laughter still in his voice. He blinked at her and – oh, that was not fair, Inko thought. She had wanted to send him a glare for laughing at her, but she found that she couldn't. Not when his face was flushed, a mischievous little smile playing on his lips and his blues eyes glittering with mirth.

Absolutely unfair.

Instead of a glare she pouted, just to make her point clear.

Toshinori chuckled at her, despite his attempt to appear apologetically. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I just think you're nervous rambling is… nice."

"Nice?" She lifted her eyebrows, sensing that there was something else.

He fidgeted for a moment before he confessed, "Cute. I think it's cute."

"Really?"

"Really."

"But you didn't find it cute yesterday evening," Inko reminded him, slowly standing up on the tips of her toes.

Toshinori caught up on her meaning immediately, quiet laugh leaving him as he nudged the tip of her nose with his own. "Yes, because right then, you were torturing me with it."

"Was I?" She mused, acting as if she didn't remember. "That doesn't sound like me at all."

"I was quite surprised myself, but yes, it was pure torture."

"Oh dear! I hope I made it up to you:"

"Don't worry," Toshinori's eyes were gleaming, contrasting the light blush dusting his cheeks. "You did."

"I wonder how I managed to do that." Inko was grinning at him now, even if she was somewhat embarrassed herself. Usually, she wasn't so forward, but she felt so light-headed and happy, she just couldn't help herself. And despite the fact that they were both blushing furiously, they were both enjoying themselves, so she saw no harm in it.

Feeling encouraged by the way he was looking at her so expectantly, she nudged his nose again, grin softening into a smile as she asked him, "Help me remember?"

Toshinori gulped audibly, blush deepening, but his eyes blazed like blue fire as he smiled slightly and leaned forward, slowly, ever so slowly…

Inko closed her eyes and relaxed, knowing that she didn't have to worry while with him…

"Good Morning, Mu-… oh!"

The voice resounding behind them had Inko and Toshinori jumping away from each other, both shocked and embarrassed that they had been caught in such a situation. They both blushed even more than before, Inko squeaking in shock and Toshinori spitting blood through gritted teeth while they swivelled around to the intruder.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude, I just heard your voice coming from the kitchen and wanted to say good morning, I didn't know that you are both here, I'm so, so sorry!" Izuku had thrown his hand over his eyes, blinding himself. He had just rounded the corner, coming from the direction of the hallway. Now he stood half in the kitchen and half in the living room, looking as he was ready to turn around and dart away. There was a fiery red blush visible where his hand didn't cover his face completely, dusting even the tips of his ears red.

It was nothing compared to the blush on Inko's face, though. The woman felt as if every bit of blood had flown to her face, her cheeks burning hot at the realization that her son had just seen her almost kissing his teacher.

(She tried to silence the disappointed little voice in her mind that complained about the almost.)

"I-Izuku!" She blurted out, not knowing what she was even trying to say. What was there to say, really? "I-I'm… that's…!"

"Don't worry," Toshinori laid one hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly as she looked up at him for help. He was rubbing away the last bit of blood from his lips with his other hand while he told her, "He knows already."

"…O-Oh," Inko finished her frantic sentence lamely, relaxing so abruptly that she would have toppled over if the hand on her shoulder hadn't steadied her.

Theoretically, she reminded herself, all of the children knew about her and Toshinori already. They had not set the two of them up for a date because of nothing, after all. But, still… getting caught by her own son while attempting to kiss his teacher was... more than just a bit embarrassing.

Izuku peeked through his fingers, making sure that there was no more almost-kissing going on before he lowered his hand. Only to lift it again, scratching his head uncomfortably, a strained smile on his lips. "Sorry. I should have called from the hallway before coming in or something."

"No, it's…," Our fault, Inko had wanted to say, but she trailed off as she realized that she wouldn't call that a fault. So she sighed instead, covering her still burning hot cheeks with both hands. "Oh dear. I will have to get used to this."

"That will come with practice," Izuku stated – and burst out laughing as both his mother and his mentor spluttered and flailed at that, blurting out simultaneously: "Izuku!"

"Sorry, sorry!" The boy snickered, teasing glint in his eyes, before he suddenly sobered up, frown taking over his features. "But, in all seriousness, what do you intend to do? Keep it a secret from everyone? I found out on the first day, so I don't think you will be very successful with that."

Toshinori and Inko exchanged a quick glance, both realizing that this was a subject they hadn't thought about until now. How would they tell the children about their… new relationship? And not only the children, but also the others, the teachers, the principal, their friends and acquaintances…

Inko gulped, slightly overwhelmed by that thought. Being in a relationship with the retired number one hero… how would she tell that her friends? Her family? How would they react?

But just as fear wanted to creep up on her, she felt warm, strong fingers intertwining with her own. Looking up, she meet Toshinori's gaze, blue eyes showing love, tenderness and worry as he squeezed her fingers slightly.

Inko smiled hesitantly back and took a deep breath. Reminding herself that she wouldn't be alone during all of that. Toshinori was right there, at her side, and Izuku was surely on their side. Not to mention the children, as they had obviously wanted them to become a couple.

It would be fine. She was quite sure of that.

Turning around to Izuku who watched her expectantly, she decided, "We will tell your classmates first. But before that, I want to know something."

Izuku stiffened, and his hand flew up to his neck again, rubbing there. A gesture he did when he felt uncomfortable. "Um, okay?"

"You all set Toshinori and me up for that date, right?"

Next to her, Inko felt Toshinori shift and in the corner of her vision, she could see him tilt his head in interest.

"Yes, we did," Izuku confessed, looking torn between guilt and slight satisfaction as he added, "Worked better than we thought."

"Now don't get cheeky, young man!" Inko laughed and wagged a finger at him as he grinned back. "That was not my main question! What I wanted to know is: How were you expecting to see if your plan worked out?"

"Oh." Izuku stopped, tilting his head in thought. "To be honest, we didn't really plan that part out. We already had some trouble to prepare that evening, so I guess we just expected you two to be, um, different this morning? Like, uh, holding hands or…"

Here he blushed, mumbling the next words. "…or kissing."

Toshinori cleared his throat quite loudly at that while Inko blushed furiously. It took both of them a moment to gather themselves again.

Eventually, Toshinori concluded, "So when we would do… nothing of that sort, you would have no idea if the set up date worked out."

"Something along those lines, yes," Izuku confessed with a crooked grin. "Uh, we probably should have planned that out better."

"It wasn't too bad for the first try," Toshinori tried to soothe the blow.

"Yeah, except it wasn't the first try," Izuku murmured to himself.

"What was that?"

"Oh, um, nothing!"

Toshinori was not convinced by that answer, but he shrugged and let it go.

Inko was deep in thought, tapping her chin while thinking. "You know, you two… I feel like that is not quite fair."

"Huh?" both of her boys turned towards her, equally confused.

"I mean… I feel like this was all decided over Toshinori's and my head. Not one of you thought about asking you directly how we feel for each other, right, Izuku?"

"Oh, um… no?" Izuku grinned sheepishly at her, adding a "Sorry."

"And on top of that, you stalked us throughout that set-up date. And now you all hover around us and wait if we act differently than usual?"

"Uh, Mom, if you say it like that, it sounds really unfair of us," Izuku shuffled his feet uncomfortably, shoulders drawn up and head lowered. "You are not mad at us, right?"

Inko sighed, shaking her head while she rounded the corner to draw her fidgeting son into a hug. "No, sweetie, I'm not mad at you. I'm quite grateful, actually. I'm just saying that Toshinori and I have every right to have some fun on your expenses, too."

Toshinori coughed in surprise, pressing a hand to his mouth to stop the blood and hide his smile. "We have?"

"Oh yes!" Inko beamed at him, then at Izuku, who slowly caught up on the meaning of her words. "Now, you two, tell me – how good can you act?"

Izuku and Toshinori blinked at her, before exchanging a look – and both started to grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, a yawning Uraraka entered only to find Toshinori and Izuku already at the table, breakfast in front of them, while Inko was whipping the kitchen counter.

An absolutely normal morning.

Uraraka frowned, tired but able to realize that it was almost too normal. Glancing between Toshinori and Inko, she noted that neither of the two was acting any different than usual. And that after they had been on a date together.

Before she could think about what that mean, Izuku spotted her, placing his bowl of rice down to greet her with a wave. "Good morning, Uraraka-san!"

"Ah, good morning, everyone!" She greeted, a bit confused. Even Izuku was acting normal.

Had it not worked? Had the date been a failure?

She took a seat next to Izuku and face-to-face with Toshinori, who also greeted her friendly as ever. Inko placed a plate with breakfast in front of her, ruffling her hair gently and asking if she had slept well.

Uraraka thanked her, confirmed that she had slept very well, and decided to eat instead of thinking too much about the situation. Her stomach was growling quite loudly at her.

Toshinori caught Izuku's gaze just as Uraraka looked up to Inko to thank her, and he winked at the grinning boy.

This was going to be good.

One after another, the other students trudged into the kitchen. Some of them were overly energetic, greeting cheerily and looking all too awake despite the early hour. Others seemed to be sleepwalking, eyelids heavily dropping and yawns barely stifled.

But all of them, Toshinori noted, passed curious glances between him and Inko, nudging each other in the rips and whispering to each other.

It must be frustrating for them, he thought, amused. Both Inko and he himself were quite good at acting normal, expressions giving almost nothing away while they fell into their routine easily.

He sipped his tea and eat little bits of his pancakes while greeting his students friendly, nodding when they passed him with a mumbled "Morning" and answering shortly but smiling when they politely asked "Did you sleep well, Dad?".

But he didn't say more, and he could see how his students got more and more fidgety the longer nothing out of the normal happened.

Finally, some of them couldn't take it anymore.

It was Mina who made the first move while she was receiving her breakfast. The girl had tried to catch Inko's gaze the whole time to read the expressing there, but Inko had just smiled at her and patted her head while preparing breakfast for her.

And the girl couldn't hold back anymore, blurting out: "So, uh, Mom?"

"Yes, Ashido-kun?" Inko listened, though she still deliberately worked her way through the kitchen, filling plates for the children and starting to clean up.

The students slowed, everyone suddenly chewing and moving slower as they strained their ears.

From his place at the table, Toshinori could see the way the corner of Inko's eyes crinkled in a knowing smile, and he hid his own grin behind his cup of tea.

Mina didn't notice the silent mirth of the two adults, pushing forward relentlessly in her curiosity. "How was your evening? Did you enjoy it?"

Inko's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter by now, but she covered it well by juggling different pans and plates. It was a miracle that she could keep the laughter out of her voice as she answered, "Oh yes, I did. It's like Tsuyu-chan said – that cake they sell not too far from here is absolutely delicious. I enjoyed every second of it."

That was not the answer Mina had hoped for, obviously, because her gaze flickered from Inko to Toshinori and back before she fought to keep up her cheery attitude. "Oh, great! I'm glad you enjoyed it!"

"Thank you, sweetie. Here you go. Don't eat too fast again, okay?"

"Sure thing, Mom!"

Mina hurried back to the table, letting herself flop down in her chair. There was a pout visible on her expression, and Sero patted her back soothingly.

Toshinori had a hard time not to choke on his tea while he tried to both stifle his laugh and to keep eating.

"Um, Dad?"

Toshinori looked up as Kirishima began to speak, trying his best to keep his expression straight. "Yes, Kirishima?"

The redhead looked over his shoulder to where Kaminari was giving him a thumps-up, before he focused on his teacher again. "Did you enjoy your evening, too?"

"Oh, yes," Toshinori took a deliberate bite from his pancakes, chewing slowly before answering. "That restaurant really serves some delicious dishes. We should all go there together sometime, I'm sure you would like it."

"Oh, we already had…" Kirishima began, before stopping short wide-eyed as he noticed his near slip up. Stammering in his haste to cover it up, he corrected, "We already h-heard how good the food there is! We really should go there sometime, haha!"

Kaminari groaned quietly and rubbed a hand over his face.

"But, uh…" Mineta piped up, drawing Toshinori's attention to him, "Apart from the food, was there… anything else?"

"Anything else?" the retired hero pretended to contemplate that for a moment, before he shook his head. "No, apart from the restaurant and the food and that nice outfit you got me, it was just another night."

"O-Oh. Okay."

Next to them, Izuku had laid his head on the table, shoulders quivering in silent laughter. Uraraka noticed, reaching out for him worriedly. "Deku, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," the boy managed to croak out, voice shaking. "J-Just choked on something."

"Oh, wait! Iida-kun, pass me the water, please?"

"But of course, Uraraka-san!" Iida stood up hurriedly to pass her the water and bumped into Kaminari in the process. The boy flailed in surprise, reaching out to steady himself and gripping Bakugou's shoulder because of that, almost dragging the other down with him.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Ah, sorry!"

"Excuse my rudeness, please!"

"Iida, stop bowing, it's not that bad."

"Could you all stop being so loud, please?" Tokoyami mumbled, barely lifting his head off his arms. "I'm tired."

Tooru poked him carefully. "Man, you're like an owl. Only awake during the night."

"I thought he was a raven," Kirishima wondered.

Sero tilted his head in thought. "Nah, he's more like a crow."

"Isn't that the same?"

"Guys, I'm human."

"Now, everyone!" Inko called out as a heated discussion started over which bird Tokoyami resembled the most. The substitute-mother of the bunch of children was still handling the pans and plates, but in the meantime, Momo and Kouda had come to her aid. Now Inko had one hand free to stroke back the hair falling into her eyes, all the while reminding the children: "Don't forget to eat over discussing, or you will be late for training."

"Sorry, Mom!"

"We will eat up now!"

The children hastily bent over their plates and started to wolf down their food, only occasionally shooting glances at the two adults.

Though they didn't notice the mischievous grin Toshinori and Inko exchanged over their heads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That's not fair!"

"Tooru, keep it down…"

"But, but! We saw them together! They can't just say it was a normal evening and then leave it at that! It obviously was not a normal evening!" The invisible girl punched the air in her aggravation. Would she have been visible, one would have most likely seen a pout from her.

The whole class had slowed down so much that they were basically sneaking after Toshinori, who had gone ahead to the training grounds. Not one of them cared about the fact that they would be late – they had more important matters to discuss.

"You can't blame them if they don't want to tell us," Tokoyami interjected. "It's something between the two of them. Perhaps they think it doesn't have to concern us."

"But we always share everything with each other! Mom and Dad can't just stop doing that!"

"I'm pretty sure they will tell us how their evening were," Uraraka soothed the other girl. "Just not right now."

Kouda fiddled with his fingers, nervous because of the whole aggravation around him. "Do you think it… didn't go well?"

"Nah, don't think so," Sero answered, arms crossed behind his head. "They said it was good, right? And they would never lie to us."

"Yeah, but, are they together now?" Mina tossed in, just as excited as Tooru. "I want Mom and Dad to be together!"

"Now, how should we now that if they don't tell us anything?" Jirou wanted to know.

"Guys, calm down," Kirishima remarked, "As long as the evening went well, we accomplished our mission, right?"

"Kirishima, it's still not a mission," Yaoyorozu sounded as if she had said that sentence way too often already.

"I'm not fucking content with just a normal evening!" Bakugou snarled, hands shoved into his pockets and scowl frightening. "They better be together after all that work we had with them!"

"Geez, what a romantic you are, Bakugou."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, you're all thinking the same!"

"I wonder what they did last night once we were gone…"

"Urks, Mineta, please don't make this weird, okay? We're talking about Mom and Dad here."

"Wha-… hey! I meant a kiss, you idiot!"

"Oh! Whoops."

And on and on it went, theories and questions tossed back and forth between the teens, but none of them knew the answer to any of it.

Todoroki held back on the discussion, observing and listening half-heartedly. He was, however, more focused on watching his best friend.

Izuku had been smiling to himself the whole morning, even now, when everyone was discussing animatedly while they were on the way to the training grounds.

While Izuku was someone who smiled easily and often, it still was different now. He seemed to be enjoying a joke no one but him understood.

Really, it was a miracle that none of the others had noticed yet. Izuku had never been really good a subtlety, much like his substitute-father… or his mother, for that matter.

Then again, their classmates were too engrossed in their discussion to notice something was of about the green-haired boy.

As a grin almost cracked Izuku's poker face because of something Tooru had said, Todoroki deemed it enough.

Grabbing Izuku by the shoulder and stopping him until the others had walked past them and were out of earshot, Todoroki turned his friend around to look at him and asked directly: "What's so funny?"

Izuku opened his mouth as if to answer, but then, his façade crumpled completely. First a twitch of the lips, then a smile, and in a matter of seconds, Izuku was snorting with laughter, almost doubling over because of it.

Todoroki watched him wide mild surprise, offering one arm so that his friend could brace himself against it. He was quite used to the many emotions the other could display with so much passion, but this was a bit weird, even for Izuku.

"S-Sorry, it's just…" Izuku tried to catch his breath while still chuckling, which didn't work quite well. "Mom and… Toshinori… T-They already… they knew all along we were there!"

For a moment, there was nothing, silent confusion still edged into Todoroki's expression. Then understanding dawned and mismatched eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, they did?"

Izuku started laughing again at the sight of his friend's incredulousness, holding his aching belly while doubling over again and nodding furiously.

"I don't believe it," Todoroki leaned back, one hand coming up to card through his hair while his lips twitched. "Let me guess – they were playing with us when we asked how their evening went."

"Mh-m," Izuku confirmed, rubbing at his eyes to get rid of the tears that had gathered due to his extensive mirth. "They had quite the good evening, it seemed. They just wanted to leave us hanging a bit, for stalking them."

By now, Todoroki was grinning himself, a rare sight indeed. He steadied the still shaking Izuku with one hand while he went over the information he had just gotten. Finally he concluded, "Well, that's what we get for trying to stalk your parents."

"Our parents," Izuku immediately corrected him, not missing a beat.

Todoroki froze, going silent for a moment and expression freezing, before he hesitantly relaxed again, smiling back at Izuku's bright grin. "Yeah. Our."

The satisfaction in the way Izuku smiled at him for that was enough to ban the doubts Todoroki had left.

"So…" Todoroki cleared his throat, trying and failing to ban his blush as easily as his doubts, "Do you think we should tell the others about it?"

Izuku pondered that for a moment, head tilted slightly in thought. Finally, he shook his head. "No. Mom and Toshinori should have the right to decide about the right moment for themselves."

"That's only fair. Fine, I won't tell the others."

"Thanks, Todoroki-kun."

"Don't mention it."

"Guys!" Kirishima's loud voice interrupted them. "What are you doing back there? You're going to be late!"

"Ah, sorry!" Izuku yelled back while falling into a jog. "We will be there in a sec!"

"Hurry up! Aizawa will trap you in his scarf again… Oh, wow, now he really started running."

"Nice speed there, Midoriya!"

"Goddamn it, Deku, watch where you're running!"

"Sorry!"

Todoroki shook his head at the silliness of his classmates and jogged after them. They had training to absolve, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was well into the morning when Inko made her way over to the training hall, a picnic basket full of snacks and drinks hanging off her forearm. She had staffed the visit of, she had to confess, doing chores first and preparing more food than necessary before she decided that she couldn't pretend to be indifferent any longer. She wanted to see the children and Toshinori.

No, to be completely honest – she wanted to see especially Toshinori.

It had been hours since they had last seen each other, but there were still butterflies in her stomach, doing a wild looping whenever she thought of Toshinori – how his eyes lit up when he looked at her, how his deep laugh dipped into a slight rumble, the way he held her so carefully… and the kiss, of course. She blushed and grinned every time she thought about it.

Dear god, Inko thought to herself, pressing a hand to her heated face, she really felt like a love-struck teenager again. It wouldn't surprise her if one could see how she felt from miles away.

Well, nobody could blame her for that, right?

Not able to stop smiling, she entered the training hall. There she was greeted with the smell of the fresh earth which Cementoss-sensei used to great the terrain, the flavour of burnt material and sweat mixing in. She crunched up her nose, but paid it no mind apart from that. She had already been here a few times, and become used to it some time ago.

There were hoots to be heard as the children jumped around between pillars and hills of earth, occasionally interrupted by explosions and the crackling of ice and electricity. Somewhere further away, a few rocks which had been floating in the air tumbled to the ground with a rumble, only to be lifted up again seconds later.

Inko was careful to stay at the boundaries and make her way along the walls of the hall as not to get involved in the training itself. She had heard that Toshinori once almost had been crushed by a falling rock, had Izuku not kicked the rock away.

(She had been worried to death over Toshinori and proud of her son at the same time, resulting in a reprimand for the sheepish Toshinori and a bear-hug for Izuku.)

She was so lost in that both scary yet somewhat fond memory that she would have walked into the person before her, had she not been stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Better watch out, Midoriya-san," a sleepy voice greeted her.

"Oh!" Inko jumped, almost dropping her basket. "Aizawa-sensei! Please excuse me, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings!"

Dark eyes blinked down slowly at her, before the man patted her shoulder awkwardly and let go, leaning back against the place at the wall he had taken as his observation spot. "…Never mind. Just don't walk onto the training fields, please."

"Of course! Thank you for the warning."

"Hm."

Inko didn't mind the curtness with which Aizawa answered her all the time. He was answering curtly, but never anything else than polite, so she saw no reason to be upset with him. It was just his personality, and there was nothing bad about it.

Smiling at him though his gaze had already wandered over to where the children where training again, she asked, "Toshinori is not observing today?"

Aizawa shifted slightly, pointing at something in front of them. "Over there. I told him to stay at the boundaries after what happened with that rock, but he wouldn't listen to me."

Now that was not surprising at all.

Inko followed the gesture with her gaze, spotting Toshinori not too far away from them, directly in front of the rows of pillars Cementoss had raised from the ground. He was giving tips to his students when they passed by him, complimenting them when they did something especially good.

"Tokoyami, try to extend the exoskeleton down to your legs, it will soften the landing!"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Good jump, Tsuyu! Trust more in your arms when you push off – they are strong, too!"

"I will try, thanks."

"Looking good there, Kirishima!"

"Ah, thank you!"

Toshinori smiled, hands on his hips, looking completely relaxed at first sight. But when someone took a closer look, it was obvious how carefully he was observing his students.

Something about that sight made Inko's heart leap. She didn't doubt for one second that Toshinori would jump and tap into his quirk as soon as he feared one of his students could hurt himself, not thinking about his own wellbeing all the while. And yet he was so utterly and visibly proud of them, holding himself back in order to let them find their own path…

Inko couldn't help the smile that took over her own expression.

She decided her next move on a whim and would later blame those crazy butterflies for it.

Inko turned around towards Aizawa, holding the picnic basket out for him to take while she asked, "Excuse me, but could you hold this for a moment?"

Aizawa shifted slightly, lazily blinking at her. For a moment, Inko thought he would just ignore her, but then, he actually took the offered basked with a muttered, "Sure."

"You can secure yourself a snack, if you want," she offered, smiling at the scruffy man without hesitation. He might have a disinterested and distant demeanour most of the time, but she didn't doubt his good heart. "There is enough in there for everyone."

Aizawa actually seemed surprised at that, lifting the cover of the basket hesitantly to peer under it.

Inko chuckled at the sight before she gathered her courage and made to walk over to Toshinori.

"Midoriya-san."

Halting in her steps, Inko turned half-around as the teacher called out for her.

Aizawa had decided on a rice ball, turning it between his fingers while he looked up at her. There was a small, surprisingly genuine smile tugging at his lips as he murmured, "Going to make him spit blood?"

Inko blinked at him, stunned at the fact that he obviously saw right through her, before she had to smother a laugh behind her hand. "I will try my best," she promised before resuming her stride. Not sure if she promised to be careful or to make Toshinori spit blood in embarrassment.

Aizawa for one was satisfied by her answer, biting into his treat slightly, nodding to himself as the flavour seemed to be to his liking.

"Toshinori!" Inko called out once she was only a few steps away from him.

He reacted instantly to the sound of her voice, swivelling around while a smile already made its way onto his face. It was different from his usual smiles – it was neither the happy, toothy grin he wore when joking around nor the proud, adoring smile reserved mostly for the children. Both of those smiles were genuine and warm and heartfelt. But this smile here, right now, had all of this attributes and more. It made him look younger and happier in a way the others didn't: And it was solely directed at Inko.

This was her smile, an expression just for her, with everything he felt for her in it, and the thought alone made her almost dizzy with happiness.

And Inko did something she really hadn't planned nor thought through, just reacting to that smile which he sent her way.

(It was all his fault, really, for smiling at her like that.)

"Inko!" Toshinori greeted her happily, one hand coming up in a slight wave. "How can I help-…?"

He didn't come any further. By the time he had reached his second sentence, Inko was right in front of him and gripped the front of his baggy T-Shirt with both of her hands, tugging at it until he leaned down towards her. And she kissed him, giving him no time to adjust to the situation or to start blushing in embarrassment.

This time, it was a rather short kiss. As spontaneously as Inko had acted, she was aware about their audience nonetheless, and she knew how uncomfortable Toshinori could feel when doing something he considered private or embarrassing in front of other people. She wouldn't put him through that, so kept the contact long enough to be more than just a peck but shorter than a real deep kiss.

It still was enough to feel him first stiffen in surprise and then relax into her with a content sigh. It was still enough for him to reach out and draw her into an embrace which she accepted happily enough.

All in all, it was short, but more than enough for the both of them.

Inko was the first to pull back, starting to laugh as she was confronted by Toshinori's slightly dazed expression.

Her laughter shook him out of his trance and he blinked down at her, mumbling, "Um. I thought we wanted to be secretive for the time being? And that was… wonderful, but not secretive?"

Inko still snickered at his confusion, smiling widely up at him. "Oh, you know, I just wanted to say Hello."

"I see," his lips twitched, and then there was that smile again, the one just for her. "Hello, Inko."

"Hello, Toshinori," she answered with a beaming smile, eliciting a hoarse laugh from him.

A loud, excited whistled let them freeze for a moment, especially as Kirishima could be heard quite loudly; "Wow, Mom, Dad, what did we miss there?!"

The two of them exchanged a startled look, blushing furiously as they took a step away from each other and turned towards the children.

None of them stopped smiling, though.

Everyone had gathered around them, jumping down from pillars and hills to surround them. Almost twenty curious, elated pairs of eyes were staring at them.

As the two of them turned around and Kirishima finished his sentence, there was no stopping anymore – loud whooping and shouting erupted around the pair, everyone talking and laughing and asking over each other.

"Congratulations!"

"Wait, wait, wait, I don't get it – I thought yesterday was a normal evening?"

"Duh, they tricked us, buddy!"

"Oooooh, I see!"

"Todoroki, you don't look surprised."

"I knew already."

"Eh?!"

"You could have told us, Sensei!"

"Awwww, I'm so happy, I could cry!"

"Damnit, guys, stop shouting, they can't even answer the questions!"

"You're shouting yourself."

"The date was a success!"

"Obviously!"

"Because of the fabulous outfits."

"I don't think that was the only reason, Aoyama…"

"We're so good at matchmaking!"

"Mission accomplished!"

"Kirishima, it's still not a mission!"

"Oh, oh! When is the wedding?"

"You're moving a bit fast, Tooru…"

"Aw, come on, let a girl dream!"

It was a pure chaos, and Inko couldn't help but laugh at the heart-warming familiarity of it. Somewhere down the line, most of the girls had gravitated towards her, questioning her a bit quieter and more directly, while the boys where practically climbing Toshinori, hanging over his shoulders and bombarding him with questions. Toshinori, laughing and flailing, wobbled a bit under the weight, but luckily the boys didn't forget his waning strength and were careful with him.

It brought tears to her eyes, the fact how easily the children accepted the new situation, how happy they were for her and Toshinori. Inko sniffled, rubbing her eyes quietly, just as her gaze fell on Izuku.

Her son was standing a bit apart from the group and watching silently while smiling, his expression soft and fond. His gaze meet hers, and his smile widened into a grin as he gave her a thumbs-up.

Inko laughed aloud at the gesture, so obviously something he had picked up from Toshinori. Carefully, she excused herself and weaved through the group of girls surrounding her, making her way over to Izuku.

He greeted her with arms wide open and expression full of adoration, drawing her into a hug without hesitation. He squeezed her gently, minding his strength, and pressed his face against her shoulder with a deep, shuddery breath.

"Izuku?" Inko asked, suddenly worried as she noticed his quivering shoulders.

A hoarse laugh answered her, before Izuku looked up again, holding her away on arm's length. His eyes were red rimmed but he grinned from ear to ear. "Sorry. I'm just so happy for you two."

Involuntarily, Inko laughed at that, rubbing over his slightly wet cheeks. "Oh, sweetie, why are you crying because of that?"

"I'm an emotional person", Izuku's grin widened, "I got that from you, Mom."

"Nothing bad about it," Toshinori remarked as he suddenly appeared next to them, ruffling Izuku's hair and sending Inko a bright, but tired smile. He had somehow freed himself from the kids, but carrying them around had obviously exhausted him.

Izuku directed his grin up at his father figure, snorting lightly. "You always tell me we need to do something against my tears."

"Because I like your smile better, that's why."

"Awww!" Mina cooed, popping up between the three of them, eyes shining and wide. "You are such a cute family!"

"Include us, too!" Tooru exclaimed from the side-lines, slamming against Izuku's left side and almost sending him to the ground.

"Hey, hey!" Inko called out, laughing as everyone around them demanded the same thing. "Of course we will include you all! We are a family, right?"

"You probably shouldn't have said that…" Toshinori muttered, smile tugging at his lips.

As if on cue, Kirishima bellowed at the top of his lungs: "Family hug!"

And suddenly, everyone jumped, and the children took Inko, Toshinori and Izuku in the middle of the group and tried to pull all of them into a hug, despite Izuku's spluttering and Toshinori's surprised curse as a bunch of students jumped onto his back all of sudden. Even Bakugou was included, kicking and cursing, but dragged into the hug by Kirishima and Kaminari.

It was a mess of limps and bodies, laughing and shouting and cursing. It was entirely too warm and too tight and too much weight laying on top of them.

But as Inko turned around in the many arms, crying tears of laughter, and found herself suddenly securely pressed against Toshinori's chest, his arms around her and his soft smile directed at her – the children clustered around the two of them like a living, protective wall – she could think of no better place to be.

I know that Toshinori is portrayed as flustered and dorky in some Toshinko fics out there, getting easily embarrassed by advances. And as much as I love that idea, I wanted to try out something new here!

I reckon that, once he is sure about Inko's love for him, he is quite affectionate. It must have been YEARS since he had a relationship, and he has to catch up on affection, giving and showing Inko how much he loves her at any given time.

Only when they are alone, though. He's still quite flustered about being seen by others while kissing or cuddling with Inko, even if it's just his students.