Present Mic grinned like a child awaiting Christmas, and Toshinori couldn't stop from raising his brow a tad incredulously. "It's a Wednesday," he stated the obvious. "Term just started Monday."

"Yeah, but it's also my birthday! Come on, All Might, come get drinks with us!" he pouted - or at least he would have called it pouting if the man wasn't so damn loud!

Mei chuckled from where she sat at the next table over, and he turned his head to see her grinning over the stack of papers she was working on. "Oh, go on, All Might, don't be a stick in the mud," she teased lightly, and he rolled his eyes. How utterly unfair of her to look so cute while she insulted him.

The voice hero laughed triumphantly. "See!? Hara digs it! You're coming too, aren't you?" he asked, turning to the woman whose ocean eyes widened a fraction. Apparently she hadn't thought she'd be invited. "You did say you owed me a drink for that joke at the staff meeting last week!"

"I sure did, didn't I?" she replied, leaning back in her chair and grinning lazily. "Yeah, I'd love to tag along."

"Oh good, I'll be glad to have a little more estrogen in the group," Midnight said, peering over the top of her computer screen. "Although then again, I do enjoy being surrounded by all these strapping young men all the time," she teased.

"Then an old man like me definitely doesn't need to ruin everyone's fun," Toshinori replied with a light cough. A flash of movement in the corner of his eye was all the warning he got (thought it was all the warning he needed), and he snatched the pen out of the air before it could ping off the side of his head. His muscles might be atrophied, but his reflexes were as good as ever. He smirked at Mei scowling back at him, well aware of what she was thinking before she even spoke.

"You're not old, All Might," she scolded.

Aizawa snorted, Midnight cackled, and Present Mic was practically rolling on the floor. "Fiery. I love it!" Midnight cheered.

Toshinori shook his head, chuckling. He'd already decided to join them, but the chance to mess with the dark-haired woman a little bit was too tempting. "Fine, fine. Sounds like fun. Where are we going?" he gave in with a smile.

A few hours later found him seated at a table in a noisy restaurant. Around the table his colleagues talked and laughed as they let off steam after the first few days of term. The new semester wasn't going badly at all so far (unless you counted his two 'problem children' that Aizawa had put on house arrest), but the retired hero was smart enough to know that the people gathered here had been through plenty of stress recently, so the length of term so far didn't really matter. Present Mic's birthday was a great excuse, but even the voice hero likely knew this outing wasn't only for his benefit.

Cementoss leaned across the table, saying something to Mei that Toshinori missed, but he felt his attention snap back to the young woman as her bell-like laugh rang out. She sat to his left and swear to god, if she didn't stop squeezing his thigh under the table he was going to stroke out by the end of the night. Damn, that woman made it hard to concentrate.

Aizawa sat to his right, and it was impressive yet unsurprising how efficiently the tired-eyed man knocked back his drinks. Present Mic didn't look nearly as unfazed as Eraser Head, and Toshinori shook his head with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Mei would probably have to substitute for his English class in the morning if he kept this up.

Speaking of, Mei downed the rest of her second beer, but waved away the waitress when she offered to bring another. "It is a school night," she said when Present Mic protested. "Forgive me for acting like more of an adult than I look," she smirked.

Midnight chuckled. "I must say, it's pretty strange to be sitting here drinking with one of my previous students."

"My ID's legit this time, I swear," Mei joked, throwing her hands up above her head.

Toshinori huffed in amusement. "This time," he repeated as he took a sip of his water, and the woman beside him elbowed him lightly.

"So, you're going for your hero license now, right?" Midnight asked while running her finger over the rim of her cocktail glass absentmindedly, and Mei nodded.

"Yeah. I'm aiming for the December exam, so we'll see how that goes," she answered with a shrug.

"Have you come up with a hero name yet? I seem to recall you had a hard time when we did that exercise in class," the rated-R hero questioned. "Or do you plan to keep your vigilante name?"

"I've been giving it some thought," she replied, and Toshinori didn't miss the way she unconsciously played with a lock of her hair. "My vigilante name doesn't really suit me - it never did, honestly - but I'm still toying with an idea for a new name."

That was news to him, and Toshinori raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that?" he asked curiously.

Mei smirked. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"And once you get your license, what then?" the heroine across the table continued. Even in casual clothes she still leaned on the table in a way that told the whole room she was the embodiment of female confidence. "Are you going to try and join an agency as a side kick?"

"You might have a tough time of that with your background," Thirteen mused aloud from where she sat at the end of the table, dark eyes thoughtful. It was still a bit strange to see her actual face when she was out of her hero costume.

"Well, I uh..." Mei stuttered uncertainly.

"She'll be joining my agency," Toshinori said nonchalantly, shrugging as he took another sip of water.

Midnight sat up straight, eyes wide, and to his right Aizawa sputtered into his own drink. "What?" he rasped, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth and staring at the retired hero. Mei was almost unnervingly still, and she seemed to be holding her breath. For a moment, Toshinori wondered if maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

"You do realize you're retired, right yo?" Present Mic asked, and Toshinori hadn't even realized the rest of the table had heard him as well.

"Really? I had no clue," he replied sarcastically, but it wasn't bitter. "But right now, my agency doesn't have any heroes staffed, since I never took on sidekicks. We're still participating in charities and any help programs we can, but a hero agency without a hero is, well..."

"Not a hero agency?" Aizawa supplied, and the blonde grimaced.

"Yeah."

Mei made a face. "So, no pressure on me," she joked, but she also sounded half serious. She smiled though, and told the group, "He's lucky I agreed. We had a bet, and if I lost I had to work there. But I won and I still said I would," she grinned.

"But you also cheated," he reminded her a tad dryly.

"I did not cheat!" she protested, eyes full of laughter. "Oh, but you all should have seen Toshi's face - it was priceless!" she snickered. She didn't seem to notice her slip in address, and while Toshinori didn't really mind (a couple of the people here had heard her call him by that nickname in the voicemail anyway), he wasn't the only one who noticed.

"'Toshi,' huh?" Present Mic grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "You two sure are close, huh?"

The woman blushed as she realized her mistake and bit her lip. The retired hero felt his pulse speed up as he considered the words he was thinking of saying, and he felt silly for the way his cheeks warmed at the thought. He'd been contemplating how they were going to tell their coworkers about the relationship - honestly he was shocked none of them had noticed it yet - and he kind of figured it would be better to just lay it out there rather than wait for someone to stumble on it by accident. He swallowed, and then as nonchalantly as he could he said, "Well I should hope so, since we're dating."

Everyone at the table froze, and the man had a split second to wonder how badly he'd just screwed up before suddenly everyone was talking at once.

"I knew it!" Midnight crowed.

"Alright All Might!" Present Mic cheered.

"Congratulations, you two," Cementoss said politely.

"So happy for you guys!" Thirteen added kindly.

"It was rather obvious," Aizawa snorted.

"Guess that cat's out of the bag," Mei chuckled, scarlet covering her face, ears, and vanishing under the collar of her shirt. He couldn't help but imagine how far that blush might go.

Toshinori knew his own face was probably tomato red, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he leaned over to murmur to her quietly. "Sorry, guess I should have asked first."

She shook her head, and the smile on her face made his heart feel light as a feather. Lord help him, she looked so beautiful with her cheeks rosy and eyes shining with happiness like that. "Don't apologize," she said, and under the table she grabbed his thigh again.

"If you don't stop that, you're going to really get it later," he warned lowly in her ear.

"Maybe that's what I'm banking on," she teased.

Dammit, she was definitely going to be the death of him.

"You don't seem surprised at all, Aizawa," Cementoss said, and with effort Toshinori pulled his focus back towards the conversation he'd started.

"Well instead of getting her own rooms in the teachers dorms Hara just moved into his quarters, so it wasn't exactly hard to guess," he shrugged, taking another sip of his drink.

Of course Aizawa was the one to notice, the man thought, not at all surprised. He lived on the same floor after all.

"So, I gotta know," Midnight said in a voice that dripped with mischief, and instantly Toshinori was wary. The woman across the table took a long sip of her cocktail before grinning at Mei. "How's the number one hero in bed?"

Toshinori choked, clamping a hand over his mouth to stem the geyser of blood and turning his face away as his ears burned. If he wasn't red before, he definitely was now.

Present Mic started laughing so hard he fell out of his chair, and Aizawa groaned. "Must you, Nemuri?" he complained.

He couldn't look at the dark-haired woman beside him since he was still doing his best not to spray the table in blood, but he heard Mei's voice shake with both laughter and embarrassment when she replied, "Sorry, Midnight, but I don't kiss and tell."

"Nemuri is just fine when we're not at work," the heroine said, waving a hand dismissively. "And I wasn't asking about kissing," she snickered.

"Oh, I know," Mei said, and when Toshinori finally was able to look back at her, the corners of her mouth were quirked in amusement.

"Leave them alone," Aizawa tried to reign her in while rolling his eyes. "And get off the floor, Hizashi."

Mercifully, the conversation moved on after that, and Toshinori was immensely grateful for that. He chatted easily with Aizawa about the student's performances at the provisional licensing exam, and Mei asked Midnight various questions about her career before becoming a teacher. Thirteen asked her own questions of Mei, and she obliged, telling her colleagues a little more about herself. It warmed his heart to see her fitting in so smoothly, especially since he knew she'd been so nervous about that before. Present Mic was past tipsy (but not quite drunk) and getting louder by the minute by the time the group finally decided to call it a night.

"Seems like you had a good birthday," Mei chuckled as the long haired blonde slung an arm around her shoulder as they began making their way back to campus.

"Every one of them's a reason to celebrate when you're in this business," he slurred with a grin.

"Fair enough," she replied as she passed the man off to Midnight, and he slung his arm around the older woman instead.

The heroine rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Not me. I stopped celebrating birthdays after I turned twenty-six. If I don't tell anyone, they'll just assume I'm still the same age - that's how that works, right?"

"Hell, if that's the case I'm the youngest one here. I haven't celebrated a birthday since college," the retired hero said.

Mei frowned slightly, and stepped closer as they walked. "When is your birthday?" she asked, quiet enough that the others probably couldn't hear her. "I suppose that's something I should know."

"Ah, it was last month actually," he said a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "June tenth."

"You didn't even tell me!?" she complained, eyes flashing a mix of annoyance and hurt.

He shrugged. "There was a lot of other stuff going on at the time. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, really."

The woman frowned still, but sighed before slipping her hand into his. "Fine, we'll just have to do something really nice next year then," she said, making his heart stutter for a second at the promise in her voice. She sounded so sure that they'd both still be around this time next year, and he was more than happy to try and believe that might be the case.

Once back at the teacher dorms everyone went their separate ways, saying goodbye and goodnight. As the former hero and ex-vigilante made their way up the stairs, Toshinori felt an almost electrically charged atmosphere in the space between them, and suddenly merely holding her hand wasn't nearly good enough anymore. As soon as the door closed behind them his lips were on hers, and she melted into him easily.

She tasted faintly of beer, which didn't bother him any, and that same crisp electrical sensation he always felt when they kissed was something he hoped he never got used to. Even with the smaller apartment, the bedroom still seemed too far away, and he wrapped her in his arms impatiently, scooping her up off her feet and carrying her the rest of the way. Mei giggled in delight, clinging to him, and he was glad he was still able to do this in his weakened form at least.

"Wait, there's something I want to try," she said hesitantly after he set her down on the bed, and however hard it was to be patient right now he immediately stopped what he was doing. His long fingers froze on the button of her jeans, and he looked up at those gorgeous eyes that turned more and more green by the second.

She was blushing, and took a deep breath before she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed so that she rested right in front of where he stood. Unsure hands skimmed over his front to his hips, touch questioning. She didn't verbally say it, but he understood the look in her eye.

If you don't like what I'm doing, say so.

Metal clinked as she undid his belt and she unbuttoned the front of his pants, brushing her hands against him through the cloth as she did so, making him close his eyes and hiss through his teeth. Tentatively she cupped him through the fabric, and with the way she was looking up at him as she licked her lips a tad nervously, he thought he might just expire right here and now. His chest moved with shallow breaths as he started to realize what her intentions were.

Lord help me, he groaned internally.

"Mei, you don't have to-" he sputtered, feeling several emotions war with each other: lust, awe, embarrassment, shame, uncertainty.

"Do you not want me to?" she asked, instantly stilling her hands.

It's not that he didn't think he'd enjoy it - he'd certainly enjoyed it in the past - but that specific activity was something he never ever thought about doing without being in his hero form, which was out of the question now. It was terrifying in a way that also filled him with mortification, and while he'd been learning a lot about his boundaries and his own limits with this feeble body in the past week, this was a hurdle he was still undecided on.

Mei watched him carefully, and the longer it took for him to respond, the more her brow furrowed. "Hey," she said softly, and he met her eye hesitantly, "You know I think you're so fucking handsome, right?" she asked, and Toshinori felt like a hand was squeezing the breath from his ruined lungs. "I mean, obviously I think you're attractive," she continued as the rosy pink tinged her cheeks, softer now than it had earlier though and she toyed with the belt loop of his cargo pants almost bashfully. "I just wish you believed that."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "It's not that I doubt your feelings, it's just-" he floundered for the right words, trying to find a way to phrase what he was feeling without sounding so pathetic. Even in his own head it sounded pathetic.

How can you look at what I've become and even think the word 'handsome'? I still can't fathom why a beautiful young woman like you would want someone like me.

Seven years ago, sure, he would have believed her praise in a heartbeat. But now? Now he just couldn't see it. He expected her to scold him, or protest like she did whenever he called himself an old man. Really, he didn't get it - he was old. And he wasn't handsome.

Instead she sighed, and after a second smiled up at him. "Let me show you," she asked, and he had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat before he could nod.

She stood up then, and he followed where her hands guided, letting her take the lead this time. Mei undressed him slowly, kissing and caressing his skin as it became exposed before guiding him to lie back on the bed. Hesitantly he propped himself on his elbows, watching her and feeling very, very exposed laying there in only his boxers. Toshinori couldn't help but shiver as the woman settled herself between his legs and leaning over him, her lips began to map a path down his torso. As she kissed down his chest her hands roamed over his body, kneading and massaging with a careful yet deliberate touch. In a way that was almost worshipful she brushed her fingers through the sparse spattering of chest hair, before following the natural lines of his body to toy with the line of hair that traveled up his lower belly from beneath his underwear. Every time she traced the skin above his waist band, he couldn't stop his breath from hitching slightly.

It was certainly an arousing sight, watching her work her way down his body, but it was the words she murmured between kisses that really did him in. She whispered words of praise, of love, of affirmation, and the hero closed his eyes, letting her voice wash over him. When her lips brushed along the area just above the elastic of his boxers he groaned and Mei stopped. "I won't go any further if you don't want me to," she said, breath tickling his skin.

"No, please don't stop," he managed through clenched teeth. Whether they were clenched against his self-consciousness or in order to control himself as her actions effectively drove him mad, he wasn't totally sure.

Fingertips brushed his hips as she removed the last bit of clothing, and Toshinori took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way his brain screamed all his insecurities at him. It became a lot easier to focus on other things (one thing in particular, actually) moments later when she kissed over his iliac crest, lips parted slightly and tongue teasing the skin there. She was so tantalizingly close, it was almost torture, and as her hands skimmed up his thighs, he felt like he was on the verge of going insane.

Toshinori thought he might already be dead - his soul ascended to some higher plane - when her tongue slowly traced from the base of his shaft to his tip. When her lips closed around him, it took all of his will power to remain still and not jerk his hips upward. Now his embarrassment came more from the sounds he was making, unable to hold them back, rather than any thoughts of his physical appearance. He shoved his fist in his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as he fought for some self control, but when Mei pulled back just enough to breathe, "No, let me hear you," he knew he was lost.

His hands tangled in her hair then, and he did as she'd asked. One of her small, delicate hands joined the ministrations of her mouth while her head bobbed, and he was approaching the end much faster than he preferred as the way her tongue swirled drove every last brain cell he possessed to the point of incoherence. At this rate he wouldn't have long at all, and panting he pulled her away. "I need you. Now," he growled, and the way her lips glistened wetly as she smirked at him from below his waist was pure sin.

There was no time wasted as he sat up, taking enough care not to rip her clothing as he disrobed the young woman, but also not being quite as gentle as maybe he should be. She was soon as bare as he was, but before he could maneuver them so that she was beneath him on the mattress, she placed her hands on his chest, pushing him back down before swinging her leg over his hips. Straddling his thin frame, she leaned forward to kiss him on the mouth, bracing herself on one arm planted beside his head. There was a bitter, musky taste lingering that he recognized must be his own, and as he explored her mouth further, he found that surprisingly he didn't quite mind it as much as he would have expected to. It led him to thoughts of what she might taste like, and were she not already hovering over him like this, he would have eagerly set that goal in his mind next. Even so, he still felt that passionate hunger for the woman as she guided herself down onto him slowly, and the hero groaned into the kiss at the feel of her. His hand grasped her waist, fingers digging into the soft skin as she worked him deeper with every small roll of her hips. When she was finally fully seated on his length, he closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of being this deep inside her. A few seconds more allowed her time to adjust before she began to move again, and he slid his hands down to her rear, guiding her movements.

"You're perfect," he murmured, watching her with eyes he was sure were full of the obvious wonder he felt when he looked at her. His hands couldn't quite decide where they wanted to be most and he ran them up over her sides again before taking a breast in each, enjoying the softness and the way she jerked when he flicked his thumbs over her nipples.

"I was just thinking the same thing about you," she breathed, arching into his touch while throwing her head back, the new position pressing in a way that angled him even deeper inside her.

"Hardly," he huffed dryly.

She straightened, sitting back on his hips and casting him a slightly annoyed look before she leaned forward and bit him just below the collar bone, making him yelp. It didn't really hurt, but the swiftness surprised him for sure, and the nip had been just hard enough he might very well have a mark there tomorrow. The thought of hiding a lovebite was arousing in a way he hadn't expected either, however, and he retaliated with a harder thrust up into her.

"I mean it," she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut and digging her fingers into his shoulders as she gripped him tighter. "Look at me, Toshi," she instructed, and he did so without complaint. Soft pale skin that was marred here and there by scars, currently flushed pink from exertion and arousal greeted his eyes, and he followed the curves of her breast, admired the light sweat beading her skin and the way her long dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders. His stare traveled up to her face, and emerald green eyes that were hazy and dazed seemed to be trying very hard to focus through the pleasure. "I'm covered in scars, but you are too. Your body's been through a lot, but mine has also. We've both almost died - more than once - but if I can be perfect... so can you," she said, finding some clarity for a moment as her gaze turned from almost intoxicated to fiery.

For a moment, Toshinori was almost worried he might cry.

"I don't deserve you," he said, voice husky and closer to a moan that he cared to admit as he pulled her to him and buried his face in her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her so that her body was flush with his.

"You're right, you deserve much better," she replied breathlessly, hands tangling in his hair.

God, did he adore her, and he felt like he was melting under her touch. "I love you," he panted, voice breaking as he found it more and more difficult to form coherent sentences.

"I love you too," she answered without hesitation. Those words were ones he hoped he never got used to, or at very least would never cease to give him the warm trill of butterflies in his nearly non-existent stomach.

By now the tension in his groin was building fast. "Fuck, I'm close," he warned in something that was more of a groan, and Mei whimpered. It was difficult to remind himself to be gentle with her as his hands gripped her hips tightly once more, aiding her movements as he rocked his hips up into her to find a rhythm that suited them both. With each bounce she ground down hard on him, chasing the friction she needed for her own release. Barring his teeth in concentration he tried to stave off his own impending completion until she found hers. When her walls clamped down around him and her voice cried out deliciously, he followed only a split second behind her, shouting a strangled swear as he emptied deep inside her. They leaned into each other, breathing heavily as they both came down from the high, and Mei nuzzled her face against the side of his neck before softly kissing over his pulse point.

"You're not so great at pulling out, huh?" she observed whimsically.

Toshinori felt the tips of his ears redden, and he shifted them while keeping his arms around her waist so that they lay side by side on the bed facing one another while still connected.

"Sorry, if that's not something you prefer, I-" he started sheepishly, but she cut him off with a kiss.

"No, I like it," she murmured, eyes hazy and happy. "I'm just surprised there's not a whole gaggle of mini All Mights running around out there with a habit like that," she chuckled, toying with one of his bangs as she teased.

The retired hero coughed slightly, feeling his cheeks turn pink as well. "Actually, the other night was the first time I... without a condom, I mean. And it's not like I was some great conqueror or anything- I mean, given my secret and all, I couldn't just bring home random women all the time-" he stuttered, feeling like he was making quite a fool of himself the longer he talked. Swallowing, he tried to form a more coherent sentence in his head before speaking again. "I was always much more careful, before. Sex was sex of course, but this..." his voice grew softer and he brushed the tips of his fingers along her side tenderly, "This is different. More intimate. I wanted it to be more, and I guess because of that I lose myself when I'm with you in a way I never did in the past," he admitted.

"I'm glad you feel that way," she said quietly, resting her palm over his heart - it was a heart that belonged to her anyway. "This... I've never felt this way about anyone, you know. I know it's all still new, but I'm very glad I get to have this with you, Toshinori. I'm glad I get to have you."

"I'm all yours," he promised, arms tightening around her and pulling her closer. "'Till the end of my days, I'm yours."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she warned, a hint of sleep creeping into her voice making him smile softly.

He kissed the top of her head. "You have my word as a hero. I am here, Mei. I am here for you."

"Not your word as a hero," she mumbled, and he tilted his head to look at her curiously. Her eyes were closed, but a small half smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Your word as a man," she requested.

Chuckling low and quiet, he nodded while brushing the hair back from her face as she slipped closer towards a contented unconsciousness. "You have my word as a man who loves you."

"Good enough for me," Mei sighed, and her next exhale was a slow and even one of sleep.

It was a while after she fell asleep that he lay there, simply enjoying holding her. His insomnia wasn't cured just because he had her in his bed every night now, though more often than not it still helped. But tonight, he was content to simply be here with her. This was enough. When he did finally fall asleep sometime later, he did so with a small smile on his face.