"Are you sure I can't just jump us there? I'll be careful not to let us be spotted!" Toshinori begs for the umpteenth time. He's been antsy the entire trip to Eri's school. Constantly fiddling with something, bouncing his leg on the train ride over, and asking Shouta a million questions about their daughter.
It's exhausting and he can feel himself slowing inching towards his limit for tolerating social interaction. Which in turn is off-putting, because Toshi used to be his way to recharge. Making Shouta sorely miss when he could curl up next to his husband and soak up his calm presence.
"Toshinori. Her school is just ahead. She's not going anywhere. Relax." It doesn't help that the closer they get, the more the tall man's nervous energy is starting to rub off on Shouta. He's starting to doubt whether or not Eri will really be okay with seeing her Papa out of the blue like this. Too late for regrets, they're already at the edge of the gate. "Stay here. I'll go talk to her first."
"But-"
Shouta quickly cuts him off. "No. You can wait a few more minutes." He winces, guilty at his own sharp tone and Toshinori's dejected frown. "Sorry." He apologizes, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to snap. It's been a long day and Eri means the world to me. I just want to give her some warning."
Toshinori's features soften, already forgiving Shouta. "I'm sorry too. Gran Torino says I tend to get a little too over enthusiastic! I'm so excited to meet her, I can hardly stand it."
"Then I better stop wasting time. I'll call for you when we're ready." Toshinori sends him off with a mock salute. The corners of his mouth lift despite his previous mood. Taking one last look at Toshinori, Shouta rounds the corner past the school's gates.
Kamui Woods is on guard duty this afternoon and he's one of Eri's favorite heroes. Shouta can see why, as his giggling daughter is perched on one of Kamui's branches, formed into a makeshift swing.
"Having fun, Kitten?"
"Dad!" Eri perks up when she sees him, making a daring leap from the swing at its highest point. To Shouta's relief, she lands gracefully, striking a pose. She thanks Kamui, but as she turns back towards him, she hesitates. "Hey Dad, did you remember to pick up what I asked for last night? I'll be mad if you forgot again!"
The change in Kamui's demeanor is instantaneous, morphing from his easygoing stance to eyeing Shouta suspiciously. The swing set from earlier, starts subtly shifting into a more defensive line, encircling the ground near Eri's feet with protective branches.
Shouta wants to assume that it's his change in outfit that caused Eri to use their code phrase, but a quick glance back at the gate, he catches a hint of yellow disappearing around the corner. Sighing at Toshinori's impatience, Shouta mentally calculates the correct answer to Eri's question. December should be flowers, this week is roses, and the day's color should be… purple.
"You wanted a purple rose? I could never forget two days in a row." The question Eri's asks is always the same, to be used whenever she feels that something is off. Most of her hero escorts know to be alert if they hear it, but only Eri, Toshi, and Aizawa know the answer to the code. They spent weeks working on it, memorizing it and they practice with it every other week, just to make sure they don't forget.
They created this system after a villain with the quirk to change his appearance, tried to lure Eri away. It was the closest anyone's come to a successful kidnapping.
Accepting her dad's answer, Eri runs to hug Shouta. "Dad, there's a strange man at the gate."
The roots retreat and Kamui's attention turns to the entrance of the school. "Do you want me to check it out?" The wood user stands between them and the perceived threat.
"No need. I brought him along. Thank you for taking care of Eri today." Shouta says, directing an appreciative nod to the other hero. "I can take it form here if you want to get back to your hero work."
Kamui bows back, "It was a pleasure, I won't be too far in case you need me. Take care Eri." Nodding to Eri, the wood hero leaps off, most likely to a nearby roof with a good view of the school.
Shouta appreciates the other's caution, knowing that Kamui will be watching them at a distance until he deems them safe.
Finally, alone, he turns his attention to his daughter. "Eri, that's Toshi, I was able to talk to him and he's here with me to see you." Shouta was expecting Eri to be overjoyed at seeing her Papa, instead she just looks confused.
Eri leans to peek out from around Shouta to look at the gate. Shouta follows her gaze to see Toshinori smiling and waving at them. She ducks back to hide behind Shouta again. "Are you sure? He's so… big."
He cocks an eyebrow. "You know Toshi used to be All Might."
The frown she's sporting deepens. "I.. I guess I kind of forgot?"
"You… forgot?" Shouta says, incredulous.
"Papa has always just been Papa to me."
Shouta is reeling from the fact that someone could forget that Toshi was All Might, even more unbelievable is that person is All Might's own daughter. But the more Shouta thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Toshi lost his powers before he ever met Eri. She was young and traumatized, so no one would have shown her the clips of All Might's last battle. Hell, they only just started showing that footage in hero courses a few years ago, regular schools deeming it to violent to be shown.
Sure, people call Toshi, All Might but that would have never meant anything to Eri. If anything, it would be a nickname at best. They have tons of All Might merchandise around the house, but maybe Eri thinks that's normal, with Midoriya as one of her roll models. They never talked about it explicitly with her. Never sat her down and told her Toshi's story.
And maybe Eri didn't need to know. She was happy with her Papa and her Dad. She never needed All Might. She just needed a family who loved her.
"I'm sorry Eri. We should have explained it to you. Toshinori, your Papa, is All Might. Midoriya told you stories about All Might, right? How he was the number one hero, defeated an untold number of villains, and saved countless lives." She nods, so Shouta recounts All Might's tale for her. How he fought a villain who gravely injured him and how his body became what she was used to now.
"So that really is Papa then?" She leans past the cover Shouta is giving her, to scrutinize Toshinori's new form. Just like before, she doesn't spend long looking at him, preferring to hide behind Shouta.
"Yes. That's what he looked like before he was injured. I know he looks different, and it took me time to adjust to his new body too, but other than losing his memories, he's still Toshi and he's very excited to meet you again."
"Okay." She takes a deep breath. "I'm ready." Her hands are shaking where they cling to Shouta's clothes.
Worried, he kneels down taking her trembling hands in his own. "Eri, what's wrong?"
"He- He's just… so big."
Understanding dawns on Shouta and his heart breaks for her. After all this time, there are still certain things that haunt her. One is anything that resembles a crow. She still has trouble going near or trusting Tokoyami. The second, for obvious reasons, are doctors.
The third, but certainly not the last is men with large bodies. While a lot of factors go into that fear, the main one is because of one particular flunky of Overhauls. He was a gigantic man, with a thirst for blood and fighting. Eri woke up screaming more than once at the violence she witnessed at the hands of that man. It doesn't help that bigger people make her feel small and powerless.
But his brave, beautiful daughter was going to face her fear head on. She was going to walk over to All Might, his form dwarfing hers and try her best to put her Papa's face on the enormous man. Even as her whole body quivers with terror at the mere thought of going near him. All for her father.
"Eri, kitten, I know you want to see your Papa again, but if you need more time… He'll understand." She's gripping his hands like a lifeline. Hoping to sooth her nerves, Shouta rubs the back of her tiny hands with his thumb.
"If I wait, I'll… I'll avoid meeting him. Could you… Maybe ask him to sit down? I think… that might help." She doesn't look very convinced that it will, but Shouta's willing to try anything to help ease Eri into meeting Toshinori.
"I'll go tell him, are you going to be okay by yourself for a few minutes?" He doesn't want to let her go, but she's nodding, so he releases her to meet back with Toshinori. Shouta's thankful that Eri stays later for afterschool clubs. The school is deserted, so there's little chance for an audience.
"Toshi." He calls softly, just underneath the archway, so he can still have a clear view of his daughter.
Ever excited, Toshinori is already right next to Shouta, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Shouta! She's so much cuter than the pictures! Can I-" His words trail off, smiling faltering as he looks past the eraser hero towards Eri.
Knowing what he'll see but wanting to confirm it anyway, Shouta throws a glance over his shoulder. His daughter is staring wide-eyed at All Might, completely terrified. The rise and fall of her chest picking up a harsh speed. She appears two seconds away from bolting.
Taking a risk, Shouta guides Toshinori back out of Eri's view. She's still in the school grounds, the chances of someone attacking her here are slim. He focuses his attention on the man in front of him, explaining the situation as gently as he can.
By the end, Toshinori looks heartbroken. "Should I…" Choking on the words, he stares down at his hands. "…leave?" The family he thought he could have, already slipping away.
"No, Toshi. Of course not." Shouta's already in motion to wrap his own hands around the other man's. It's almost comical how tiny his hands are in contrast. Compared to Eri, this man is practically a mountain. "She still wants to meet you. The reason I told you, is so that you would understand why she's so scared right now. It's not your fault. Besides, if you leave now, she'll think she failed you once she has a chance to calm down."
Shouta finds himself tugged forward into Toshinori's arms. Toshi's younger self is so free with his affections. It makes Shouta wonder if it's because of the man's age, his recent return from America, or if it was that Toshi never felt worthy of affection after his injury. How much can one point in someone's life change their very core?
"What if I screw this up?" Shouta wants nothing more than to comfort Toshinori, instead he lightly pushes the other man away.
"I don't mind being your teddy bear at home, but we need to talk about revealing our relationship before we start cuddling on the side of the street." Shouta keeps his tone light and teasing.
"S-Sorry! I don't know what's come over me lately." Toshinori leans against the wall, head in his hands, defeated.
"Toshi… It's okay. I've been thinking maybe it's time to go public with our relationship, but with how things are now, we need to discuss it first. I don't want to put unneeded stress on you or our budding relationship, by having the world scrutinize our every move. We can wait, reveal it now, or keep it a secret like we've always have. Just think about it, okay? Now is obviously not the right time to have the conversation, but I wanted to let you know you do have a choice in this too. Everything about our relationship, you have a choice in."
The speech seems to have eased some of Toshinori's distress. Shouta moves into the other man's personal space and starts to adjust different parts of Toshinori's outfit. Responding to a questioning hum, Shouta explains, "I want to make sure you look your best when you meet Eri. We shouldn't keep her waiting. Just take things slow, let her set the pace, and don't forget to smile." Emphasizing his words, Shouta pulls mildly at All Might's cheeks and as he's letting go pokes the taller man's nose for good measure.
"Sh-Shouta!" Toshinori whines, while rubbing a hand where Shouta pinched.
"Your fine, you big baby." Shouta gives Toshinori a once over, before deciding to remove his hat, letting his long blond bangs fall in front of his face. "That should give you an advantage. Are you ready?" Holding out a hand, Shouta offers it to Toshinori to take. They're only going a few feet and he hopes that when Eri sees them together, it'll help her realize that Toshinori is not a threat.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Taking Shouta's outstretched hand, Toshinori follows him back onto the School's grounds.
Shouta's relieved that Eri's still there, unharmed. Though she completely freezes when she sees them both round the corner. Trying not to focus on her reaction, Shouta directs Toshinori to sit a good distance away.
Once Toshinori is settled, Shouta's gaze flits between the two of them, unsure of where he's needed more. Eri is still frozen, Toshinori is stiff as a board, his smile almost a grimace. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he can already feel a headache coming on from the stress of the day.
This isn't going to work. Eri won't come closer without incentive, fear ruling her mind right now. Toshinori is too scared of making things worse, to do much of anything himself. They both need to relax and Shouta knows just the thing to help both of them.
"Talk to her Toshi, you just returned from America, surely you have some stories to tell." She needs to disassociate Toshinori from the living nightmare she's currently having.
While Toshi and him had their reading sessions together, that didn't stop his husband from telling hundreds of stories to their daughter. He became damn good at it too, claiming it was another way to show Eri the world and to let her have the childhood that was denied to her. It didn't hurt that Toshi always had a knack for theatrics.
Perking up at the idea, Toshinori starts talking. He talks about how he first landed in America, struggling with the language at first, but soon becoming fluent enough in it. Of the different villains he faced and meeting his best friend Dave and their adventures together. There's stories of his daily life, strange customs, anything and everything that he thinks Eri might find interesting.
When Toshinori's voice rises during the climax of a story, a hard flitch pierces through Eri's small body. Immediately, he lowers his voice into a whisper, which ends up drawing her first step closer. She hardly noticed it herself, too worried about missing part of the tale.
Shouta finds himself just as enraptured with the stories as Eri is. Since Toshi never talked much about his time in America, each one that Toshinori weaves is new and Shouta drinks them up. Even the way he tells his stories are so hauntingly familiar. If Shouta were to close his eyes, he could swear it was his Toshi in front of him, instead of All Might.
Toshinori's voice is doubtlessly having the same effect on Eri. She's moving closer, one skittish step at a time. Shouta is reminded of the more world weary feral cats he's offered food to, cautious and alert.
But the more he talks, the more she relaxes.
By the time the sun starts to dip, Shouta is glued to Toshinori's side, soaking up his warmth with Eri settled in his lap. The last few steps to close the distance between her and her transformed father were done with a confident grace. The war inside herself finally settled.
The tall hero is currently telling them how he rescued a tiger that escaped from the local zoo. While she still recoils if Toshinori moves too fast, she's actively participating in his stories now. Asking questions, smiling at a joke, and critiquing All Might's rescue attempts.
A delicate balance forms between the two of them.
Making a small tentative seed of hope grow inside Shouta. He hasn't lost his family and neither has Eri. They're still a little broken, but with work, he's sure they can mend the damage together.