Toshinori had met Dave after rescuing a few students from a fire in the science building. They'd decided to room together, since Toshinori's old roommate was graduating. They found out quickly that they shared a love for Hero Theory and were both working for the hero industry, though Dave was focused on the gear making aspect of it.
"So, you're sure you're Asian?" Dave laughed, nearly spilling his drink.
"Well, I'm half American by blood but I was born and raised in Japan." Toshinori explains, not quite getting why the topic is so funny.
Dave nods slowly, taking another long drink of beer before setting it down. "You know, if you didn't have an accent, I wouldn't have even guessed you were Japanese. I mean, your face is so western and you have a crazy build."
Toshinori looked down at his own body. "Japanese people can have abs, Dave." He muttered, lifting his shirt to get a better look. People always commented on how 'beefy' he was, but he couldn't quite understand it. He'd always thought it was normal for heroes. Gran Torino was built, along with Nana.
The ache in his chest made him regret thinking of her. It was still too fresh. He decided to focus on the number of beer cans gathering around the table. "Hey, maybe you should get some water. Is that your third one?" Toshinori started picking up cans and hated how familiar it was.
"Yeah, but I can take it. This isn't my first rodeo, cowboy." Dave gave him two finger guns and a wink. "In fact," He looked around the table, looking for something while Toshinori threw the rest of the cans into the recycling bin. The dorm wasn't much of a mess beside the dinner they hadn't finished eating yet. There was still more than enough food left for three days worth of leftovers, but Toshinori had lost his appetite. That seemed to be happening a lot recently.
Dave opened two different cans of beer and attempted to drink both at the same time, but only managed to get the liquid all over himself. It didn't seem to register that he'd just spilled beer all over his favorite jacket. Toshinori let out a long sigh and hoped he wasn't showing how much this bothered him. "Dave, put it down. It's not healthy to drink that much, especially on a school night." Toshinori still couldn't quite understand why the man had gotten a case in the first place. He knew that Toshinori didn't drink, right?
"You're just saying that because you work hard." Dave eased out of his fit of laughter and began drinking one beer at a time. "Once these two are gone, then I'll stop, okay? I'm not wasting my beer." Another long drink brought silence to the dorm room.
Toshinori weighed his options. If Dave drank another two cans, he'd likely never get to bed and would become a bigger problem for both of them in the morning. Deciding on the best option, Toshinori picked up a can and brought it to his mouth. If he drank at least one, then Dave wouldn't be quite as drunk and they could go to bed faster. The most logical answer.
Toshinori hadn't accounted for the beer to taste so bad. He had swallowed the substance before he could spit it out, but gagged all the same. It came with a lot of flavors he hadn't expected. It had a lot of carbonation and tasted a bit like oat with a sweetener aftertaste. The liquid stung his throat and it took a few minutes to fully come back from it. How could anyone drink so much of this? It tasted like piss water.
"Woah! Toshi! I didn't expect you to join in! I might as well open another pack if you're going to start drinking too!" Dave laughed, already getting out of his seat. Toshinori pushed the brunette -perhaps a little bit harder than he'd wanted- back into his chair and gave him a hard look.
"Dave, if you open another one of these, I'll throw the entire fridge at you."
That seemed to sober him up a bit and they drank in silence. It took a lot for Toshinori to not just dump it and, frankly, the only thing keeping him from doing just that was the idea of wasting Dave's hard earned money. He knew how many jobs the man worked just to stay in college. He deserved something like this every once in a while, but not on school nights.
As the can of beer slowly drained, Toshinori could feel the taste slowly getting less potent. After the first can, it wasn't so bad. He could continue drinking -and should or Dave's sake- if he wanted, but the light buzz in the back of his mind kept him from doing it. It was unfamiliar but felt nice, in a way. He'd been so stressed for the last few weeks that the forced relaxation took the nasty thoughts away.
With one last swallow, Dave threw his can into the recycling and stood up again. "Alright, I'll drink some water and then we'll go to bed. How does that sound?" He looked through the cupboards and pulled out a plastic cup, filling it with tap water.
"How much beer do you have again?" Toshinori questioned, checking his empty can again. He really didn't want the calm feeling to stop, but thoughts of Nana,Gran Torino, All For One and Hanten were already starting to surface again. He deserved a little break from it, didn't he? He'd worked hard for the past year or so, so why couldn't he enjoy a little extra drinking?
"Look who's trying to push it now." Dave laughed a bit, drinking from his cup before setting it down with a loud clunk. "I have another 8 pack, but I'm not breaking that out until finals. I'm telling you, Hero Theory finals are hell. My sister barely made it out with a bottle of whiskey."
Toshinori nodded along to Dave's stories, feeling disappointed. He really needed another drink. "Maybe I could get us something else, then. Like whiskey or…" He had never been highly educated in the ways of drinking. He knew about the common drinks and what his dad used to drink ever. Single. Day. Other than that, it was just a guessing game.
When Dave sat down, Toshinori jumped at the sudden presence. When had he gotten there? "Toshi, have you ever had alcohol before?" Dave looked a lot more sober, but still had a light flush on his cheeks. His eyebrows were pressed in concern and a gentle hand made its way to his shoulder. His skin tingles at the touch, like it would after falling asleep.
"No." He admitted quietly. He'd never really had a desire to try it after seeing what it did to Dad. He'd been sick of the stuff since middle school and still was, but his tipsy mind was saying otherwise.
Dave let out a soft sigh and stood up again. "You didn't have to drink that for me, you know. I won't have died from another can. I have a strong system for it, Toshi and you obviously don't."
Toshinori sank as far as he could into his seat, which really wasn't that far. "I'm sorry, Dave." He muttered, feeling his eyes begin to ache. It was a very familiar feeling by this point, but he hated it all the same. Sober, Toshinori would've been able to fight the tears that were now running down the sides of his face, but his self control had obviously decreased.
"Hey, Toshi! It's alright!" Dave patted his shoulder, which only made the roaring emotions worse. "It's okay that you drank a little. Honestly, I'd rather you get drunk here than anywhere else, given your strength and speed…"
"Dave?" Toshinori whimpered, covering his face with his giant hands. "Am I a good person?"
"What are you talking about, Toshi?! Of course you are! You're one of the best heroes I've ever-"
"Then why am I always so sad?" Toshinori turned to look Dave in the face. His friend was dumbfounded. He continued. "If I'm a good person, then why do I always mess up?"
Dave stared at him for a long time before finding the words. "I don't know what kind of stuff you've been through, Toshi, I really don't, but trust me when I say that you're probably the best person I've ever met." A warm hand started to rub circles into his back. "You save people because you want them to be safe and happy. You smile and laugh at my horrible jokes. You're so genuinely kind that it's shocking, just to watch you. Remember that girl walking down the street yesterday? Remember how she looked scared and you turned that all around by shooing away those nasty stalkers and giving her a bright smile?"
When Toshinori nodded, Dave gave him a smile. There was another lull before he continued. "Toshi, whatever those people say about you, the ones that don't like you, don't trust them. By principle, I don't trust anyone who doesn't like the great All Might."
Toshinori let it soak in. Was it really true? Could he be a good person just by making others happy? A soft voice inside of him answered yes. Yes, you can be a hero just by helping a woman get home safely. Yes, you can be worthy of praise by saving someone's life. Yes, you can be enough just the way you are. Toshinori, you're enough.
For the first time in a long time, Toshinori felt like it was true. He really was worth something. He wasn't useless, or stupid. All these things that have been pressuring him and dragging him down, they weren't his fault. Mom didn't leave because of him. It wasn't his fault that his team with Hanten was forced apart. It wasn't his fault that Nana died. These were all mishaps in his life and he could continue to be okay with that.
For the first time in forever, he could be okay.
…
Dave was the one who asked about being Toshinori's sidekick. It was after the first semester of their second year ended and they would've separated, found another person to share a dorm room with. Instead, Dave asked to stay with him as a partner in crime. Or, a partner in fighting crime, in this case.
At first, Toshinori was going to decline. He loved Dave as his friend, but it was a whole different story to protect him in the case of a villain attack. There was also a concern about the fact Dave wasn't even a trained hero. He was a scientist and had little to no strength in his post-teenage arms.
When Toshinori saw Dave's car, he agreed immediately. The thing had gadgets, speed boosters and seats wide enough for Toshinori to not only sit comfortably, but to also jump straight out of at any given time. It was all around a win, like a packaged deal that came to partnering with the scientist.
After becoming official partners, the hero work became easier. Villain were knocked out twice as fast with Dave by his side and he even helped Toshinori name his new ultimate moves. It had been Toshinori's idea to name them after something dear to him, instead of just 'big punch' like the rough draft suggested.
"What about states? You really liked visiting Oklahoma with me, so why don't you just call it an Oklahoma Smash? Like throwing all of your good experiences onto the villain!" Dave suggested.
"Oh! I remember a comic hero having similar attacks! I could have a bunch of different smashes for all the places I've been! Like Detroit!" Toshinori punched the table lightly with excitement. It wouldn't be the first time he'd broken a table, but he'd rather not pay for another.
"You can work on it as you go. It's not like you'll be leaving any time soon." Dave patted his shoulder and went back to his drawing tablet. He was working on something secret that he obviously didn't want Toshinori to see. The brunette had his tablet angles away from the hero's eyes, even if it made drawing -or whatever the man was doing- uncomfortable.
Toshinori tapped his fingers onto the hard wood table, slouching a bit. "You know...Dave…"
Dave looked up from his drawing. "Yeah?"
"um...Well, I got a call from my old sensei, back in Japan and I've really been meaning to talk to you about this."
They could both tell that it wasn't a good thing either. "What is it, Toshi?" He said it in a way that said he already knew what it was.
"I'm expected to go back to Japan after my four year mark. I know, it's a while from now, but it's better you know now rather than a week before I go. I'm not sure I'd be able to tell you if I waited that long." Toshinori pulled on a long bang, looking away from his friend's gaze.
He could hear Dave's seat move. The drawing pen made a little click when it hit the table. "What?! You just got here! I mean, not really, but you know! We'll barely get any time together!"
"Dave, it's still two whole years away."
"Why do you have to leave? Aren't you happy here? Can't you just stay? You're making a living and you can't just take your job everywhere you go, you know!" Dave began to pace back and forth. "No. I can't believe this! I just-" Toshinori must've been showing how much his reaction hurt, because once he looked at him, he sat down. "I'm sorry, Toshi. I'm just...I don't want to share you with the rest of the world. Call me selfish but I'm stuck with you, you know?"
Dave's reaction reminded Toshinori of Hanten. It reminded him of how she protested his leaving, how badly she wanted him to stay with her. He wondered if she was alright now, or if she hated him. Would Dave hate him after he left as well?
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out. I know how hero life goes and given how popular you are, it's a better idea for you to settle in your native country anyway."
"I want to stay, but I don't really have a choice." Toshinori explained. "My life isn't completely in my hands and sometimes, I have to do things that will hurt in order to protect other people. Does that make sense?"
Dave gave him a knowing look. "A little bit." He let out a long sign and rubbed at his face. "I'm not going to like this, Toshi. I'm not going to like it no matter how far it is into the future. So, I'll take what I can get now."
"Thank you for understanding." Toshinori gave him as good of a could as he could get at such an awkward position. It felt nice to be cared about.
He hoped that this could last, even if only for the next two years. That would be enough for Toshinori.
…
Dave had been designing a suit for Toshinori. It was beautiful and made of a fabric easily stretched around the man's muscles. The gloves were a bit heavy, but Toshinori used that to swing punches. His boots were heavy as well, but didn't get in the way too often. The design itself had been Toshinroi's absolute favorite part.
"It's wonderful! I can't even say how much this means to me." How had he gotten so lucky to have a sidekick like Dave?
"Don't sweat it, Toshi. I got tired of seeing you always buying new shirts so I decided to just make you a suit. Besides, every good hero needs a flashy costume, right? You look like a comic hero, now!"
The comparison nearly made Toshinori cry. The strong V atop his head wiggled as he jumped and moved, testing out the suit's limitations. He had found none. "Oh, Dave! I could kiss you!" He scooped his sidekick into his arms, twirled him around -nearly breaking the man's neck from how tightly he hugged him- and gave him a big, wet kiss on his cheek. Dave turned all shades of red by the time he'd registered it.
"Man. You're so easy to please." Dave laughed before scooping up his keys and heading for the laboratory door. "Let's take it for a spin then. You're gonna be kicking so much villain butt and you'll be looking cute doing it!"
Toshinori followed curiously. He didn't think that the suit made him cute, but he'd take it.
...
The day before Toshinori left for Japan, Dave drove him to the California beach. It was Toshinroi's absolute favorite part of the entire state. The way the ocean water ran up onto the shore, washing the sand away with it. The shells littered around the sand and the sun as it set over the horizon. This was what he was going to miss the most about California. Well, besides Dave.
They sat on the shore for about half an hour before either spoke. "Toshi? What kind of hero do you want to be?" Toshinori could see Dave's hair rustling in the wind. The single strand that always stayed in front was now flowing back with the rest of his hair. The man looked so peaceful next to him.
"I want to be a symbol." Toshinori spoke softly, but still felt like it was too loud. "I want people to just see my smile and know that it's going to be okay." It had been his dream since he was just little and now, he was already starting to see it become a reality. His now iconic phrase "I am here!" started to make itself known to the people of California. The great All Might was already on his way to stardom, but he had to start over again, in Japan.
"That's pretty good." Toshinori caught Dave's eyes, sharing a soft smile. "Now what kind of person do you want to be?"
The question threw him off. What did it matter what person he was? Well, in order for others to find safety in him, he'd have to show that they can be safe. His smile couldn't always be to mask his fears. He needs to be genuine sometimes, right? That's what this world needed. Someone who's not afraid to be genuine. He wasn't sure how well that would work with his path. "I'm not sure." He admitted quietly.
"Then you better figure it out soon. Toshi, you're a heart of pure gold, but I know that the heroics field can kill that light. It can take the most beautiful of gems and scuff it up. I don't want you to be like so many others who end up washed away with the world's ideas. There's never going to be another one of you, Toshi."
Toshinori looked away from his friend's face. He'd seen it too. He'd seen the results of this kind of work. Every single day, he would be putting his life on the line for those who may not even thank him. He'd be fighting villain after villain for no reward but a shaky paycheck. He needed his mind in the first place from the start, or he'd end up like the worst of heroes.
"Thank you, Dave." Was all he could manage. The man had done so much for him and now, he'd have to say goodbye. "I don't want us to drift. I want to be your friend until I'm old and rotten. So, as soon as I make it to Japan, I'll call you! Even if you're in class!" Toshinori thrusted a fist into the air with renewed confidence. He wouldn't lose another friend.
Dave laughed and patted his back. "I'd probably be asleep by then, but I'll answer your call. We can be a team, even if the entire world's between us, right?"
"Does that mean you're also my official hero suit designer? I really liked this one and would hate to go for a lesser designer in Japan." He finished the compliment off with a wink.
"O-oh! Well, sure! I'd love to design your suits! We'll make it a deal then. No matter how we change in the future, I'll still make suits for you. So you better not do anything to piss me off, or I'll give you a pink and red suit to save people in."
Toshinori held his hands up in defense. "I promise!" They shared a good laugh before falling back into silence. They listened to the seagulls cry over the horizon, the waves and salty air making the scene so much more beautiful. "I'm really going to miss you, Dave." He could feel his chest contract with the pain of leaving someone so special to him behind.
Dave leaned close and gave Toshinori a big hug. "I'll miss you too, Buddy." They held each other for a while, neither daring to let go. Eventually, they had to split apart and drive back to their apartment. Toshinori still had a bit of packing to do.
At the airport, they both cried and hugged to their heart's content, but they made a promise. This wasn't goodbye. This was just a new chapter to their lives and they'd still have each other in the future, no matter what. Toshinori wasn't losing a friend, just going away for a while. He'd promised to visit if either he or Dave got married. It felt nice to have such plans, even though Toshinori already knew who'd be getting married first. Or at all. It was fine. He could be a part of Dave's family anyway.
Author's Notes: I originally though of All Might as the tank when it came to drinking. The kind of person that could have shot after shot and stay insanely sober, but his history would say otherwise. The poor man can's take much and that seems just as funny to me.