Why did he say yes?
Sure, it sounded nice at the time. A few months in the spotlight and he couldn't legally be a part of any interviews for the rest of the year. He'd thought it perfect – and after not being on TV answering silly questions he could quietly slip into a new era of All Might with privacy. If anyone asked, he could just say it was less demanding on his schedule. The world needed to get used to not having him around, this being one way to start. Still, a reality show was not Toshinori's idea of fun.
It was for an easier future, he kept telling himself. The less time he had to waste OfA on television appearances, the more time he could use it for real problems. Unfortunately, there was just one glaring issue with this plan. Hero Step was a clear cut dancing competition, and while there was many things he could do with a little gusto put behind it, Toshinori could not dance. He already knew this, of course, but it was all the more obvious with a tiny, bristling woman progressively losing her cool the longer he tried.
"No, no no no! It's slow, quick, quick not whatever your feet are doing." It was mortifying to have someone half your size slapping your legs into each position. Nothing he did seemed to satisfy her high expectations.
His coach was Katamine Ume, Japan's most renowned dancer. Their pairing was most likely on purpose, despite what someone might expect from a genre like 'realty TV'. Having two number ones put together would draw an audience like no other. Too bad it was all pretty PR talk. The woman was a beauty, all smiles and grace in front of the cameras. But the moment they turned off was like flipping a switch – gentle instruction and laughter at his mistakes turned into full blown beratement the longer they practiced.
Toshinori could feel his patience and hold on OfA stretching thin.
"Turn left here in ¾ time! Again."
"No! You're all over the place! Again!"
"Why don't you understand the music? Again!"
By the time their hour was up, Toshinori wished he could still drink something harder than tea. The look Katamine gave him as he made his excuses and slipped away was intense enough to kill. But he just couldn't give more time away from hero work in order to practice, so he ignores her seething glare and runs.
There was no way he could endure weeks of this until the performance. One hour a day with his coach, not counting how many times a day she called his office to make sure he was practicing. His office staff were beginning to notice the absence of Secretary Yagi as well, considering how often he spent hiding away and tripping over his own feet.
They often hear the set music playing through the doors; along with some vibrant English curses before the song gets cut and restarted. Yagi was helping a very exasperated All Might, they knew. It was obvious in the way the tired man popped his head out and asked for water drenched in sweat, and how he would hurry for some take out and bring it back to the office without enjoying the day like he would usually do. It was hard being a secretary for the number one hero.
Toshinori wobbles once more, tripping over his own feet. Katamine would kill him, probably, for being as bad as he was. Dead might be an improvement, even. Holding his hands in the air and pretending he had a partner felt ridiculous, but there was no way he could spend more time at the studio. His time as All Might was strained enough.
Groaning out loud, Toshinori closes his eyes in annoyance.
"Yagi-san? Yagi-san, are you alright?" A voice brings him out of his thoughts, the drink in his hands having long turned cold. This was a testament to how exhausted he was; zoning out at a cafe. Tsukauchi Naomasa sat across from him, a worried expression on his features. Thankfully he doesn't think it polite to ask what's wrong.
"Sorry, what were you saying?" Toshinori sips his drink, nose wrinkling up at the taste of over-brewed tea.
"I saw that interview. Didn't think a reality show was your thing. Or that you could dance." Now his grimace sticks, scarce eyebrows furrowing as he shakes his head.
"No, no, no. That's the thing. I don't want to do it, but none of the other stations could interview me while I'm under contract. So I went for it." His head ducks down to the table, a heavy sigh escaping him. "I don't know how to dance at all."
Naomasa looks sympathetic when Toshinori peeks up at him, his own cup long drained of coffee. "They'll teach you, right? I'm sure you can pick it up with practice."
"I er... met my coach already. Everyone had an introduction for filming a few days ago. She told me that I'm unteachable." It was more accurate to say she yelled it, but he didn't need to reveal that much.
"Just after one day?," Naomasa asks, almost disbelieving.
"After one day."
Perhaps it was how morose he looked, or maybe he was just that pitiable. There's a very long pause between them, one that wasn't marked by food or drink but by careful consideration. Naomasa fiddles with his empty cup, finally giving Toshinori a nervous smile.
"If it helps, I can come along and look at the routine. You don't want to waste your time as All Might by asking for extra help, right? I actually used to dance so... if you need someone to practice with?" He almost seemed embarrassed to admit this life saving skill, but Toshinori's eyes mist up in gratitude.
"I had no idea that you could dance! Truly though? You just offered to help me with my reports... I'm not asking too much of you?" His enthusiastic thanks twists Naomasa's mouth into a deep seated frown, and if he didn't know any better he would have thought the faint color in the officer's cheeks was a blush. But people didn't blush because of Yagi Toshinori. The days of that had long gone past.
"Not so loud! It's not really a secret, but I try to avoid that type of thing at police functions."
Ah. Like Toshinori outside of the hero persona, Naomasa was a man that preferred to stay out of media. Not that he couldn't handle it- he'd been caught by reporters before in their cutthroat chase of case details. For a man who couldn't utter a lie, he was ruthless about keeping information close to his chest. Where Toshinori would change the subject of questions he didn't feel like answering, Naomasa somehow talked his way through conversation without giving anything important away.
"It's really okay," Naomasa adds. "Think of it like a break in between paperwork. It's nice to know that I can help out the number one hero in some way or another. When do you go back for practice?"
So, this is what it was like to have someone you could rely on. Toshinori was so grateful he could have puffed up right then and there. Instead he beams, brightening at the thought of getting help. "I'm actually going right after this..."
He almost asks if the officer could come with him, but he holds back, not wanting to impose on his new friend.
"Ah, really?" Naomasa blinks in surprise, his dark eyes widening and flitting down to his watch. "I'll have to call in, but I do have time to go with you. If it won't be too much trouble, of course."
Too much trouble? There was no such thing. In fact, Toshinori was sure he was the one asking for too much. Before he had the chance to make a fool of himself by yelling 'of course not!' with too much enthusiasm, Naomasa excuses himself from the table to make a call. It rings quite a few times before connection – more of a way for Tanema to give off the illusion he was busy than actually being it. Not that his boss didn't work hard. He was just very good at avoiding bureaucratic BS (or so he liked to say).
"What'cha need?" The greeting is abrupt as always.
"It's Tsukauchi, Sir." He glances back at Toshinori, who was now happily clearing up their table. With how disorganized the man was, it was a miracle he'd kept his identity hidden for so long. There was something endearing about it though, so of course he would offer his help. "Some extra work came up with Secretary Yagi, so I'll be taking a lunch."
Tanema snorts. "I ask you to take a break and get ignored, but Yagi gets a lunch? Didn't realize you played favorites."
"I don't!" The patrons one table over give Naomasa a curious glance. He had been far louder than he meant to be. Clearing his throat, the officer tries again. "This is just to help out. All might is a busy man, so it's better to keep those reports from piling up. That is why you introduced us in the first place, right?"
Of course, Tanema couldn't argue against that logic. Not that he wanted to. Dealing with All Might's paperwork was, as he put it before, a pain in the ass. He couldn't help complaining to his subordinate, however.
"I'm not judging. Have fun with your social life! Unlike me, here alone.. maybe if I knew you'd abandon me for a tall blond-" Naomasa hangs up before that thought could get any further.
A part of Toshinori thought that if a friend was with him, Katamine would be more conscious of the way she taught. Either she didn't notice, or didn't care, because the training was just as harsh as before. Her yelling echoed throughout the studio almost constantly, making Naomasa and Toshinori flinch. The others didn't seem too perturbed.
Naomasa stood against the wall where a few students and her partner were waiting, his sympathy kicking up the longer the session went on. He wasn't sure if anyone could handle this sort of pressure. Just before he thinks to intervene, a kind voice suddenly cuts in.
"You came with All Might? It must be a little shocking to see someone like Ume."
Ume...? Right, the coach. Naomasa flickers with recognition of the name, though he doesn't know the man speaking to him. He stood just under the officer's height, body covered head to toe in a thick layer of fur. A wolf mutant type, Naomasa figures, considering the looks. "Ah, yes. She's very... passionate."
The man hums, swaying along with the music. "Not many people would put it that way. She doesn't advertise it, but Ume's quirkless. In this industry it's hard to make a name for yourself without some sort of advantage."
They both look out to where the two are practicing, the tiny Katamine's presence imposing compared to even All Might.
"Competing against someone who can float in the air after a jump, or glamour their way into a raptured audience- for her, this is all she has. She's gotten where she is through pure determination and doesn't know how to rein it in. If you could tell him sorry? Her expectations are very high, but I'm sure he just needs the right partner to guide him." Finished, he bounds over to Katamine with a laugh. Another practice had gone by without much improvement, but Naomasa can see them whispering and the woman's anger cooling.
"How lucky!" This time Naomasa turns to look at a young girl that jumped up to watch the pair. "They always dance together before going home, but hardly in front of us. Katamine-san isn't one for the spotlight."
She could feel the disbelief radiating off his body.
"No no no no, Katamine Takeshi. Her husband."
Toshinori sulks his way to the back corner to watch as the couple begins their routine, disheartened by his failure. He feels the growing warmth at his side when Naomasa stands closer, a sympathetic smile thrown his way before focusing back on the two.
The music gives off a softness that wasn't there before, Ume relaxing against her partner in a way she just couldn't with All Might. They looked serene, focused on one another with each precise turn they take. Sharp yet gentle, both of them absolutely weightless. When Takeshi does happen to catch the officer's eye, he winks. This is what Toshinori wanted to emulate; both men look on, enchanted, hoping to keep the vision in their mind for later.