Toshinori paced back and forth in the hall outside Nezu's office. He'd done his best to be calm for Mei, but to be honest he was a mess of nerves. She was in there talking with Yūei's principal and a police officer now. Even though he'd promised to stay with her, he couldn't exactly say no either after the police detective arrived and Nezu politely, yet pointedly cleared his throat before nodding towards the door.
Almost an hour and a half passed, and the retired hero felt like every second of it had been at least a minute on its own. He really, really hoped he hadn't misjudged the situation. Sure, Mei had done some illegal things (and he should definitely be ashamed of himself for not being all that bothered by that fact), but the most recent infractions had been under his supervision... So shouldn't he be in there too?
When the door opened he jumped, turning towards the entryway and holding his breath in anticipation. The officer stepped out and nodded politely in acknowledgment of the retired hero before he made his exit.
"Well... that's a good sign," he said to himself, for some reason feeling only marginally relieved to see the police officer leave empty-handed. No one else came out.
Another half an hour and All Might was definitely concerned. He trusted Nezu implicitly, but what kind of trouble was she in for it to take this long?
Finally, the door opened again, and the face that peaked out at him was blank - totally devoid of anything that could give him a hint as to what had happened - until suddenly she smiled.
"Hey, All Might. Principal Nezu has a favor to ask," she said easily, and he felt a smile pull at his mouth in response.
"Always happy to help," he replied, and she stepped back, holding the door wider for him as he re-entered the large office. "Yes sir? You wished to see me?" he asked, bowing politely to the pro hero seated behind his desk.
"Ah, I thought you might still be waiting out there. Sorry this whole ordeal took so long!" Principal Nezu greeted him while indicating that he take a seat in one of the chairs before the desk. Mei sat in the other. Toshinori tried to be covert as he stole glances at the woman, trying to gauge how she was, but when Nezu chuckled he realized he might not be as slick as he thought. "Miss Hara has been very helpful and cooperative with the police and I, and it's been decided no charges will be filed for her illegal quirk use since she was operating under the loaned authority of two pro heroes. Normally, this sort of rule bending wouldn't be allowed but the police thought in light of the special circumstances surrounding this case, we could settle on a less-harsh consequence than normal. Do you agree, All Might?"
"Uh, yeah. That sounds fair," Toshinori replied, feeling relief at what the principal said, but also mounting anxiety at what he wasn't saying. The hero could tell there was more.
"I've been issued a citation, and I've got to pay a fine as well as get my quirk, DNA, and fingerprints registered in the police database. It's not an 'official' criminal record, but if I break the law again they'll have me quicker than I can run," the woman said, shuffling her feet under her chair and playing with a lock of dark hair. "It's more than fair, honestly," she added with a shrug.
More than fair is right, he thought, astounded yet elated. It's basically just a slap on the wrist.
"However, if she accepts the offer I've made to her, the police's only condition is that she stay under the supervision of a licensed pro for the duration of the contract," Nezu continued, patting his chin while giving All Might a thoughtful look. "I'm sure you're wondering what this 'favor' is that Miss Hara said I wanted to ask of you."
Toshinori nodded, getting a sneaking suspicion where this was going. "I'm definitely intrigued," he replied honestly, looking back and forth between the two. "And what is this offer?" he asked, gaze stopping on Mei.
"The school will sponsor me if I want to pursue a hero license," she said softly, and he felt his eyes widen in surprise.
"Really?" he exclaimed, dumbfounded.
"On the condition that she stays here at Yūei where we can keep an eye on her, per police request," Nezu supplied. "And if she's going to be on campus, we might as well put her to work, right?" he said cheerily.
"It's a job offer. Substitute teaching mainly, and extra security for the students," Mei said before finally meeting his eyes for the first time since they sat down before the principal. Several emotions flitted through her ocean eyes too fast for him to determine which was the most prevalent one. Anxiety, reservation, concentration - but for a millisecond there was a flash of excitement too, and that was enough for him.
"So, what can I do?" Toshinori asked, and he only had eyes for her as he smiled brilliantly.
"Would you be her direct supervisor? I realize you already have a lot on your plate, All Might, but considering you two seem to already have rapport," he paused and the corner of the headmaster's mouth turned up in an amused smile, "I thought you'd be the best person for her to go to."
"Basically, you'd be my baby-sitter," Mei pouted, which caused Toshinori to burst out laughing.
Nezu shook his head, now smiling fully. "Not quite. More like a mentor. Are you up for it?"
All Might nodded and clenched his fist before him, still staring at the young woman seated beside him. "I'm game if you are, Miss Hara," he told her earnestly. "I'll be your biggest supporter, I promise."
Her cheeks turned pink and she ducked her head at that, expression finally hinting at a ghost of a smile. "Thank you, All Might," she said quietly. "And thank you, Principal Nezu for offering me this opportunity. It's more than I deserve."
Principal Nezu cocked his head at the dark-haired woman thoughtfully. "You did my school a great service - you saved my students. I'm happy to be able to provide you this chance - but it is still only a chance. You've got a lot of hard work ahead of you yet, young lady."
She nodded and raised her head, and Toshinori was proud of the determined look he saw in her eye. "I'll do my best," she vowed, "And I accept."
The smaller hero grinned. "Then welcome to Yūei."
When Toshinori and Mei left the office, as soon as they rounded the corner, the hero looked around to check if the coast was clear before sweeping the woman up in an excited kiss. Mei made a small noise of surprise but didn't really seem to mind as she kissed him back.
"What was that for?" she gasped after they parted.
"I'm so proud of you," he replied, eyes shining, and the new aspiring hero blushed.
"I'm doing this partly for you too, you know. You made me an offer a while back, remember? After I get my license, if you still want me to, I'll take care of your agency until Izuku's ready for it." Toshinori raised a brow in surprise at that, but before he could say anything she held up a hand to stop him and continued, "But don't get me wrong. I'm doing this for me also. I'll finally be able to help people, Toshi - legally," she added as if it was an afterthought, and he chuckled.
"You're an amazing woman, Mei, and I know you'll be an amazing hero as well," he said, putting every ounce of confidence he could into the sentence to let her know he fully believed in her.
She bit her lip, and for a moment he wondered if she was about to cry. No tears fell, however, albeit her eyes did seem to glisten more now than they did before.
"So, Nezu says it will take a day or so to have a room prepared for me in the faculty dorms. Are you living on campus now, or are you still...?" she trailed off, and he understood what she was really trying to ask. Not that he minded the thought that she wanted to get him alone since, in fact, he'd rather have her all to himself behind a closed door right now too.
"Ah, I did move into one of the teacher apartments, but I still have the penthouse across town. It's highly encouraged that the teachers stay on campus, but it's not technically required. Do you..." he paused and licked his hips as his mouth suddenly felt quite dry. "Do you want to stay with me until they finish your apartment?" he asked. Honestly, he'd rather she always stayed with him, but he was going to have to figure out how relationships among staff were viewed before he simply just offered her half of his own rooms on campus.
Mei seemed to swallow a bit nervously before she nodded. "Yeah... Let's go home," she replied, and he felt his heart jump at the word 'home.' His home was wherever she was now, he realized.
The sun was beginning to set by the time they entered his penthouse, and after determining there was nothing to cook in the place (he hadn't expected to be returning for a while, so of course there were no groceries) they ordered take out from a nearby restaurant. They actually sat at the dining table for once to eat instead of simply flopping on the couch with to-go containers in hand, and as Mei picked at her food gingerly it was clear to Toshinori there was something on her mind. He waited patiently, giving her the time and opportunity to start talking whenever she was ready, and they'd almost finished eating the whole meal in silence when she laid her chopsticks aside and sighed.
"My villain name was Hell Fire," she said suddenly, and the hero's suspicions on the topic that plagued her seemed to be accurate. She was going to tell him about her past finally, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a tiny bit nervous for what he'd hear. Given what she'd told him previously, he knew it wouldn't be a pleasant story.
"I'm listening," he encouraged gently, setting his food aside and folding his hands on the table to give her his undivided attention.
"I met All for One when I was fifteen after my dad died... he stopped me from committing suicide," she said while picking absentmindedly at the wood grain of the table and Toshinori jolted at her unexpected words. "He was so kind at first - I wouldn't have just followed an evil megalomaniac if I knew he was evil, ya know? He set me up with connections and training opportunities and gave me all the resources I could ever hope for to grow. I was placed under the mentorship of a man named Ren, and he became my best friend. Well, more than that really - I guess you'd say he was my first love?" She chuckled a little sadly. "Ren was twelve years older than me, so I suppose you could say I've always had a thing for older men," she said almost jokingly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I don't think he ever knew I had a crush on him though - or if he did he ignored it. I was just a kid, after all.
"As my training progressed, I started getting sent on missions for All for One, and almost all of them were undercover or spy operations. That's how I got so good at disguise. But then I started going on some of the assignments with Ren or the Yakuza, and the jobs got darker." She paused here and seemed to struggle with her next words, and Toshinori patiently waited for her to go on. "I killed a lot of people on those missions. Usually they were other villains who opposed us, but there was the occasional innocent who would be at the wrong place at the wrong time... However, no matter a villain life or an innocent life, it was still murder and those are actions I can never, ever take back."
Tears were beginning to slip past her lashes, and the pain on her countenance made the retired hero's heart ache. He wasn't exactly surprised to hear all this, but it also wasn't easy as the Pillar of Justice to listen to either. Despite this, he reached out and laid a hand over Mei's where they still fidgeted on the tabletop, and she jumped at his touch. Oh, love, he thought sadly, So much suffering and guilt.
"The scar on my back? I got that on an assignment that was probably meant as a punishment for speaking too freely where others could hear. I don't think I was supposed to survive that one, and I very nearly didn't. Things only got worse the longer they went on, and while Ren and I hated what we'd become, we couldn't escape it either.
"As I got older, I started being tasked with recruitment as well, and was told that with..." she shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut, and she wore a look of pure shame. "I was told that with a body like mine I should be 'using' it for the cause," she muttered, and Toshinori involuntarily gripped her hand tighter as he understood what she was trying to say. He was aware there'd been a side of All for One's empire that dealt in sex trafficking, but to hear the woman he loved say she's been forced into that kind of situation ignited an anger in him that he tried his best to keep down for her sake. She took a little longer to keep going this time, and the hero had to count to ten three times to keep his feelings in check and mouth shut. Again, he waited for her to be ready to go on.
A small smile ghosted across her mouth, and she gently brushed her thumb in circles on the back of his boney and calloused hand. "But then the number one hero showed up to take the monster down and saved me. I was able to escape and stay with a friend who sympathized with our predicament - that would be Ankoku. But Ren... he didn't make it out. He's how I found out about the League of Villain's plot, and he-" she choked on the words, voice cracking with emotion.
Toshinori knew where this was going. He remembered her words from that first meeting and knew that this must be her friend on the inside who'd been executed as a traitor. "I'm so sorry, Mei," he said softly and squeezed her hand gently.
She nodded, but didn't immediately speak as she sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her other hand. "Anyway, so that's the story. You sure still want to be with someone as fucked up as me?" she asked morosely after a pause.
The blonde stood up from the table, letting go of her hand as he did so, and a moment of confusion crossed her features before he came around the table and wrapped her in his arms. She buried her face in his stomach and inhaled deeply as she centered herself, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I meant what I said before. No matter your past, I love you as you are now. That hasn't changed," he assured her softly.
"Thank you," she muttered in a small voice that was muffled by the fabric of his shirt. When she pulled back and looked up at him her eyes were glistening, but she wasn't crying. Mei smiled softly at the hero, "I love you, Toshinori."
Every time she said it, he felt a fluttering in his soul, and a complete sense of disbelief that she could really feel that way about him. But right now, as she looked up at him with those beautiful blue-green eyes and her chin resting on his stomach just above his belt, the butterflies in his abdomen were for a slightly different reason. It was completely unfair for her to look at him like that, he decided.
Fuck, did he want her.
He cupped her face and leaned down, and when he kissed her, it was gentle at first. But as he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and she tangled her hands in the fabric of his shirt, it didn't stay gentle for long. The same fire he'd felt when he kissed her earlier in the hallway roared to life, and he hardly even registered his own actions as he pulled her up from her chair while simultaneously deepening the kiss. In the back of his mind, he was probably aiming for the bedroom, but given the frantic way the heat between them increased with each passing second, he'd be amazed if they even made it to the couch. Toshinori didn't stop her this time as she fumbled at the buttons of his shirt - besides, he was much too focused on her own blouse, and once that was removed his focus shifted to covering as much of the exposed skin with his mouth as he could.
For a split second he was mildly frustrated when Mei pulled back, and he searched her eyes for a hint of if he was doing something wrong. Her irises had turned emerald-green - a color he'd only seen them turn once before on a night he remembered very fondly - and her pupils were blown wide. "Come on, you," she gasped before grasping his hand and leading him hurriedly down the hallway. Toshinori was very glad she had more self-control than he did, apparently, since otherwise he'd be laying her back against the dining table soon.
He turned to her once they were in front of the bed with the intention of making sure she was okay with this before things continued. However, before he could even open his mouth, she placed her hands over his pectorals and shoved him backwards, toppling him on the sheets. The hero let out an unexpected laugh, and grinned as she crawled up the bed to kneel between his legs. Leaning back on his arms lazily, he enjoyed the sight of her for a moment - topless, breathless, and looking up at him from his bed with eyes burning with desire - before letting a more serious look fall over his face. "If you want to stop at any point, or don't like what I'm doing, please tell me," he said, and raised a brow when the woman rolled her eyes.
"Toshi, I appreciate you being concerned about consent and all, but trust me," she purred, and his heartbeat sped up as her hand grabbed his inner thigh, "I won't tell you to stop."
God, she really was going to be the death of him. Toshinori couldn't take his eyes off of her as she pushed the unbuttoned dress shirt off his shoulders and skimmed her hands down his front to rest in his lap. Watching her hands as they undid the belt buckle and deftly worked at his trousers was mesmerizing in a way, and he quickly decided it was entirely unacceptable that he should be the only one being undressed right now.
In a matter of seconds he had them flipped and she giggled as he pressed her into the bed before leaving a trail of kisses down her neck and chest. Gently he nipped at the swell of her breast above her bra, and decided this bit of clothing would be the next thing to go. Once the bra had been tossed unceremoniously to the floor he continued exploring her body, kissing, licking, and nibbling at her skin as he went.
When he reached the soft skin of her belly, he paused a moment, and pulled back to frown at the two new scars maring her pale skin. One was long and cut across from one hip to the other just below her belly button. The other was thin and star shaped - a stab wound. He was sure if he turned her around, there'd be one matching it on her back. It had terrified him when All for One had ran her through with his quirk, and seeing the blade-like extension of his finger enter one side and emerge from the other had made him not just horrified, but so unbelievably enraged. The thought of her death made him shudder, even now, and he lowered his head again to gently kiss the pink and red scars. His fingers began working at the front of her jeans, and once that was accomplished he hooked his fingers under both the waistband of her pants and her underwear, sliding both down in one movement.
Toshinori had dreamed so many times about having her completely bare beneath him, and now that she was he almost couldn't believe it. His eyes trailed up her body, drinking her in, before meeting her eyes again. There was a half-hidden hesitance there, and an uncertainty behind her gaze that hurt his heart to see. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he murmured adoringly before lowering his lips to hers again.
"You have too many clothes on still," she complained between kisses, tugging at his pants and he chuckled. More than a small part of him was nervous about being naked in front of her (and he wasn't naïve to the hypocrisy in that thought). She'd be able to see just how emaciated he was, and there would be no hiding the way his hip bones jutted out under his skin or how scrawny this weakened body of his was.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he managed a lazy smirk as he looked at Mei again. "Oh? Well that certainly won't do," he hummed, and shifted his hips to help her to remove the last bits of clothing that separated them.
The way it felt to finally feel her skin against his like this was indescribable, and he was almost able to forget his insecurities as her hands roamed his body. Her touch was so tender he felt like he was melting everywhere her fingers traced, and the hero decided that this had to be close to what heaven must be like. Toshinori resumed his exploration of her body and reveled in the sounds he coaxed from her. The small gasps and moans that left her kiss-swollen lips were like music to his ears. Listening closely, he tried to learn each one and how best to make her vocalize her pleasure. The tip of his erection grazed over her entrance, and he groaned as he realized just how wet she was for him. Meanwhile the noises she made as his hand kneaded one breast and his tongue laved over the other made it hard to hold back any longer. When the woman tangled her hand in his hair and pulled his mouth back to hers, he was feeling quite lightheaded with desire.
"Dammit," she growled, much to his amusement. "Stop teasing and just fuck me already."
She didn't have to ask him twice.
Reaching between them to guide himself, Toshinori groaned as he entered her finally, and once fully seated the amount of effort it took to hold still while she adjusted around him was monumental. When her features relaxed some, he allowed himself to begin rocking his hips against her slowly at first, finding a faster pace gradually. She arched beneath him making him feel like he was losing his mind as he picked up speed.
How did I get this lucky? he wondered in a daze. Praises fell from her tongue as he moved against her, and he let her gasped words wash over him. Feeling the amount of love in each syllable she moaned - hearing the hitch in her voice when she'd sigh his name - it was surely too good to be true, wasn't it?
And God, the sheer and undeniable amount of bliss radiating through him… Toshinori couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like this. Had he ever? Sure, the number one hero had been with a few different partners over the years, but somehow none of his memories could even compare to the woman beneath him now. Maybe this was the difference between having sex and making love. He'd had sex before, yes… but as he took her lips in his again, Toshinori felt safe in the absolute certainty that this was so much more.
Feeling drunk off of the pleasure, it didn't take long for him to come to the conclusion that at this rate he wasn't going to last - it had been a long time for him, after all. Nails dug into his back with a sweet sting that he didn't mind at all, making him hiss a drawn-out swear.
Mei nearly screamed his name when he hit a particular spot inside her, and he angled his hips to chase that reaction. The sound of his name on her lips said like that - like a prayer or a devotion - was driving him crazy. The pace was near frantic now, and Toshinori felt his end coming fast. "Shit," he grunted in warning, "Mei, I'm gonna-"
"Me too," she gasped, and when he felt her clamp down on him like a vice as she fell apart beneath him, it proved his undoing.
Toshinori buried his face in her neck and shouted wordlessly as he spilled inside her, and it took several moments for him to regain his bearings. Panting he rolled to the side and collapsed heavily into the mattress beside her. Their eyes met, and the smile that lit her features filled him with so much happiness he couldn't help but lean into her and kiss her again, softer than before. Mei combed her fingers through his hair tenderly as he laid his head on her shoulder. "God damn, love," she muttered approvingly, breathlessly, and he chuckled.
A thought occurred to him, and he felt the tips of his ears turn red in embarrassment as he realized his rookie mistake. "Ah, I didn't even think to ask about protection. I'm sorry, I should have asked before I-" he started sheepishly, but Mei was already shaking her head with an amused gleam in her eye.
"Thank goodness someone thought to invent birth control then, huh?" she said, and the blonde breathed out a sigh of relief. "And I'm clean, by the way," she added.
"I guess it's a little late at this point, but I am too," he replied, draping an arm over her waist and snuggling further into her side. Under his head he could hear her heartbeat, lulling him into a blissful stupor as he basked in the afterglow.
"What are we, Toshi?" she asked quietly, pulling him from his daze and he cracked open one eye to look at her thoughtfully. "I mean, are we dating?"
He couldn't help but smirk at her. "Miss Hara, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?" he teased, earning him a light smack on the top of his head.
"Oh hush," she scolded with an eye roll and a smile. "Although I guess technically, yes," she replied.
Grinning, he nodded against her shoulder. "So long as you're amenable, I'd like the chance to date you properly."
"'Properly,' huh? But how..." she paused, and he lifted his head to give her a more attentive gaze. Her pale cheeks were still flushed from sex, but they seemed to saturate with even more color as she asked, "How quiet do we need to keep this?"
That was a tough question, and Toshinori wasn't exactly sure he knew what the answer was. On the one hand, with a lifetime spent in the public eye it was tempting to keep their relationship a secret. Not to mention there was always the chance any one of his numerous enemies could be a danger to her in order to get to him. However, on the other hand the idea of being able to have a normal relationship was so appealing to him, it was almost pitiful. He was retired now, after all. Could the world really begrudge him a little happiness if he wanted to take the woman he loved out to dinner? If she accompanied him to events with her arm linked through his? His whole life Toshinori had made all his decisions with the best interests of others in mind, and selfishly for once he just wanted to decide for himself. "I don't know," he told her honestly. "It could be dangerous for you if this went public."
Mei scoffed. "I'm able to handle myself, you know."
"Oh, I'm well aware," but even as he spoke his fingers gently trailed over her newest scars. "But I'm not able to protect you now either if the threat is too great."
"Toshi," she sighed, fingers stilling in his hair, "I've got plenty of enemies of my own already. Being with you won't put me in any more danger than I'm already in."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he asked, raising a brow. "Really I'd prefer it if you weren't in danger at all. But I guess that's not going to happen."
"Nope," she replied nonchalantly. "Plus, if I'm going to be a hero, then I'll probably only expand the list of those who might wish me ill. That's just something you'll have to live with, if we're together."
"Trust me, I know how it works," he said. "That's part of a hero's job, and I understand that's the risk we take. It doesn't mean I won't still worry for you."
"And that's fine. Just as long as you know that I'll always come home to you at the end of the day, then it will be okay," she said with a shrug.
He nodded again, thinking. "Do you want it to be a secret?" he asked.
The woman was quiet for a moment as she seemed to consider his question. "I don't know that it's my choice as much as it is yours," she said finally.
"Of course it's your choice," he replied immediately, confused.
"You're the one with a public image and all. A public relationship would affect your life much more than it would mine."
"That doesn't mean I'm the only one who gets a say," he argued. "What do you want?"
"Honestly?" she asked.
"Honestly."
"It would be nice to not have to hide the fact that you're mine," she admitted softly. "I'm not saying I'd go shouting it from the rooftops, but if someone asks, I don't want to have to lie."
"Okay," he said simply.
"Okay?" she repeated, studying his face intently.
He smiled at her and lifted his chin to kiss her again. "Yeah. I'd like to be able to take you out and not worry about someone seeing us. So, let's just roll with it and see where this goes. Sound good?"
"Sounds great," she agreed, grinning back at him.
The rest of the night was spent in bed, and Toshinori couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed. They talked, mostly, and in between there were more kisses and cuddling. Mei fell asleep before he did, as usual, but as he listened to her soft breathing and felt the warmth of her still naked body nestled against him under the sheets, he thought he probably wouldn't be far behind her. He hadn't slept much at all these past few weeks, and now that she was back in his bed, he felt that insomniac's exhaustion mingling with the satisfied bone-tiredness after sex, and he drifted off to sleep felling like retirement might not be so bad after all.