Gran Torino and The Wolverine: p.5

Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi

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Gran stepped out of the shower to the sound of his phone ringing, echoing through his spartan apartment. It made his heartbeat twice as fast; he just talked with Toshinori not an hour ago, and they weren't set to talk again for another week.

Gran rocketed over to the phone with a quick gasp. "What is it?" he asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"We've got a problem," Hinata Sera said on the other end of the line.

Gran managed not to sigh in relief. Granted, Hinata didn't call unless something big came up, but at least nothing had happened to Toshinori. He composed himself. "What is it?"

"Sunfire wants to talk to you."

Gran sighed, running a hand though his soaking wet hair. "Damn it. I already gave the police my statement."

"Yes, well, Sunfire wants to be thorough." Gran could imagine Hinata leaning forward in his chair, giving Gran the stink eye. "He believes, perhaps rightly, that his sheer reputation can shed light into matters the police are blind to." Hinata never asked Gran for the specifics of his 'torture' under Logan. Nor why Gran was looking up Yakuza members not even tangentially related to their shadow war against All for One. It was only because they'd worked so well together over the years that Hinata gave Gran so much privacy.

But Gran knew that falling under Sunfire's scrutiny was something that could push the boundaries of their relationship.

Gran clicked his tongue, banging his head against the wall. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Hinata was silent for a moment. "Just be careful." He chuckled. "I've put too much work into you to lose you now."

Gran smirked. "Har har." He shivered, looking down at his wet, naked body. He scowled at the trail of water leading to the bathroom—that's what he got for panicking. "Uh…did Sunfire want to meet right this second?"

"He strongly hinted he wants to meet before the day ends, yes."

"…Tell him I'll see him tomorrow at noon."

Hinata groaned. "Gran, what did I just say?"

"I'll be fine. Just make sure the meeting is in a very public, open-air space."

"You realize he can fly as well?"

"Don't ruin this for me."

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Gran stared up at the unlit neon sign of the hostess club Sunfire wanted to meet at. Solar the sign read. It figured that Sunfire would want to meet here. At least it was daytime, and the club wasn't open. He didn't even want to think about what went on in there during work hours.

He entered the building, walking down a short flight of steps to the main room. It was built like one of those western disco-things—a stage for musicians at the back, the middle of the floorbuilt like a grid, and a large disco ball hung from the ceiling. It smelled like day-old smoke and alcohol. So much so that it almost made Gran's head spin.

There were five people in the room: two janitors cleaning up the stage, a security guard picking his nails by the bathrooms, and a bartender cleaning up the bar. The man behind the bar nodded at Gran. "Torino?" he said. Gran nodded. The man gestured to the left wall. "Head 'round the corner. Your party's already here, third door on the left."

Gran arched a brow at the man's vague words but moved as directed. If he didn't know any better, he'd think he was meeting some high-class criminal. Almost as if Sunfire was keeping this little meeting a secret. But that begged the question as to why? Did Sunfire feel embarrassed that he had to ask some no-name Pro for help in finding Logan?

At once, Gran remembered a conversation he had with Hinata weeks ago. About doctors streaming in-and-out of Sunfire's home. Maybe he was supposed to be in bed and snuck away for some hands-on investigating?

Well, whatever it was, Gran just needed to get out of this meeting without making an enemy of the man.

Gran stopped at the third door on the left, thankful that the air inside the building was cleaner than the main floor. There was an opaque glass window in the center of the door, letting Gran see two roughly human shaped blobs sitting on a roughly couch shaped blob. Gran knocked on the door, and one of the blobs stood up, walking over. The door opened, revealing a man so tall Gran had to look up a bit to see his face. He recognized the youthful, clean-shaven man in front of him. Todoroki Enji, otherwise known as the Pro-Hero Endeavor, Sunfire's fire-powered protégé.

"Gran Torino," Todoroki said, bowing. "It's an honor to meet you."

Gran nodded lightly. "You don't have to go all out. Considering the company you keep, I doubt I'm all that impressive."

"Hoh! Don't sell yourself short!" Todoroki stepped aside at an elderly chuckle, giving Gran his first in-person look at Sunfire since he was a kid. He looked…well, sick, like Hinata hinted. Nothing drastic, like he could keel over at any moment. But his face was gaunt, skin pale, and there was a dullness in his eyes that told Gran Sunfire knew his days were numbered.

But for all that, the elderly man kept his back straight, muscles tense and ready to burst into action. And his eyes, though dull, were hard and focused. He could still run circles around the best of them, Gran was sure.

"Please." Sunfire gestured to one of the chairs next to him. Gran sat on the one on the left, Todoroki sitting opposite him.

"So," Gran said as he settled into the chair, "what do you want?" Todoroki bristled at the informal tone, but Sunfire just snorted.

"I see the reports of your 'irreverent demeanor' weren't exaggerated," the elderly Pro said. Gran rolled his eyes, but Sunfire surprised him when he nodded. "Good. I don't think any of us want to be here longer than necessary." Sunfire gestured to Todoroki.

The young man sat straighter in his seat, face setting into a stony frown. His blue eyes turned to ice, and Gran could swear the temperature in the room rose a few degrees.

Gran leaned further back in his seat, lips curling into a lazy smirk. He turned to Sunfire. "Kid's good."

Todoroki bristled, but Sunfire laughed. He fixed Todoroki with a fond, if stern, smile. "Yes," he said. "He's lacking in some respects—through the sheer misfortune of his own genetics. But he has proven a worthy disciple." For a moment, Todoroki looked torn between pride and resignation, before settling back to neutrality.

The young man said, "We understand that you've repeatedly gone over your encounters with the Wolverine with the police, but if you could go over the details of the second one—where he captured and tortured you—one more time…"

Gran rolled his eyes. "What more is there to know? Want me to recount how it felt when he stuck one of his weird metal claws into my side?"

"Only if it was preceded or followed by a statement that can shed light on the Wolverine's goals." Gran narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell if Todoroki was kidding or not.

Gran crossed his arms over his chest, looking between Sunfire and Todoroki. If they wanted to waste all their time, who was he to stop them?

He settled in his seat. "Well, it all started when I decided to stake out the docks—in Shinagawa, that is—when I saw some suspicious activity in one of the warehouses. Being the enterprising individual I am, I deci—!" Gran felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and dove to the ground mid-sentence. Just in time to avoid the small blast of fire that would have burned his hair to cinders.

Gran took a quick breath and shot into the air, stopping just below the ceiling. Todoroki had shot up to his feet, shock clear on his face, sparks flying off his hair. Sunfire glared up at Gran from his seat, his right hand held up, fire churning within his palm.

"I guarantee" —Sunfire sneered, sparks shooting from the back of his throat— "that no matter how precious you think your time is, mine is infinitely more so." Sunfire put his hand back down, gesturing to Gran's seat. "Now, sit down, and stop wasting my time!"

Gran gulped and sank back down to the ground. "Wasting all our time," he half-heartedly grumbled, getting back into his seat. Todoroki calmed down as well, but now he was completely tense, ready to spring off his seat at a moment's notice.

Gran rubbed his temples. "Look, there really isn't anything else!"

"There must be!" Sunfire shouted.

"There isn't!" Gran barked back. "The Wolverine just wanted to know about the Yakuza."

"But why ask you?" Todoroki cut in. He eyed Sunfire nervously but relaxed at the man's nod of approval.

Gran threw his hands up. "I don't know, I was there."

Todoroki leaned forward. "And why were you there?"

"I was doing my job—you know, actual Hero work?"

Todoroki bristled but didn't rise to the bait. "We wouldn't be here if you would just cooperate."

"I have been!" Gran shouted back.

"Not completely," Sunfire spoke up. "You're hiding something—don't deny it."

Gran huffed. "What, a man isn't entitled to his own privacy anymore?"

Sunfire shook his head. "Depends. The average man, certainly. But you, who spends an inordinate amount of time with the Yakuza?"

Gran's heart stilled. Did he really just…? From the stunned look on Todoroki's face, this wasn't something they'd discussed beforehand.

Gran took a deep breath, hands curling into fists as he glared at Sunfire. "The fuck did you just say?"

"It makes a lot of sense," the elderly Pro said. "Why else would a small-fry like you—no friends, no family, no allies—regularly dive in-and-out of Yakuza dens?"

Gran started to shake. Never before had he been so tempted to choke out a sick old man. Who the he—Oh, no, he got it. Gran forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. "I see what you're doing. Trying to get me pissed enough to spill whatever beans you think I've got, huh?"

Sunfire smiled wanly. "Is it working?"

"Kind of," Gran replied with a sharp laugh. Sick bastard, staring down at Gran from his golden throne. What the hell had he even done? Flown up in the sky while on fire? Ranted and raved about the glory of Japan? Scared the piss out of a few low-life thugs, filled out autographs, posed for pictures?

Gran sneered. "You know, I just realized something. I wouldn't be here if you actually did your damn job and took care of the actual problems with this country before you became a walking corpse!"

Sunfire's expression dropped into a steely glare. He took a deep breath. "Leave us, Todoroki." The young man hesitated, but Sunfire's harsh bark, "Now!" lit a fire under his ass.

Sunfire waited a few seconds after Todoroki slammed the door behind him before eyeing Gran with renewed interest. "All for One…that's what you're getting at, I see it now."

"So you're not a complete moron," Gran spat.

A stream of fire erupted from Sunfire's right hand, scorching the seat just centimeters shy of Gran's neck.

"Shut up!" Sunfire hissed. "I will not tolerate such disrespect from the likes of you!"

Gran stomped to his feet; face twisted into a sneer. "You know about All for One, right? Everything he's done, everyone one he's killed! So why haven't you, oh great Sunfire, gotten rid of him?!"

"Because he has his uses."

Gran stared blankly at the elderly Pro. "…Do you realize how fucking stupid you sound?"

Sunfire shot up to his feet, flames licking his body, eyes glowing like lava. "Do you realize how naïve you are?" Before Gran could respond, Sunfire continued. "You're not old enough to remember how it was right after we lost the war. All the pain, all the destruction." The elderly man turned away from Gran, his eyes losing their glow, pain and desperation taking its place. "The things our people did to try and heal. We needed help, and not from the damn Americans that put us in that position in the first place!"

Gran stared in dawning horror at Sunfire. He knew the man was old-fashioned, but insane? He took a few short breaths, hovering a few centimeters off the ground. He…Did he have to take down Sunfire? No, that was ridiculous! So what if he was a corrupt bastard? He wouldn't be the first Pro that worked with the Yakuza and wouldn't be the last.

…But he was the only other Pro that even hinted at All for One's existence–aside from Nana. And he had some sort of deal with him. The top Pro in the country in bed with All for One…Toshinori wouldn't survive such an onslaught. Gran would have to take out Sunfire, now. He'd be branded a criminal for life, but if it meant Toshinori would be that much safer, he'd burn in hell for all eternity.

But before Gran could even think about throwing his first punch, Sunfire sank back into his seat, pinching his brow. "I suppose it doesn't matter what you're doing with the Wolverine. You're All for One's problem."

Gran dropped back to the ground. "What?"

Sunfire smirked, spreading his arms out. "You know about him, but clearly aren't working for him. He stays in his world, takes care of the problems within. And you're most certainly a problem of his."

Gran stepped away with a grimace. "Do you honestly believe that?"

Sunfire's smile grew sharper. "I believe that All for One knows the second he steps out of line, I'll torch him to cinders." Gran was about to say that All for One had been playing jump rope with that line for years—that he demolished a goddamn island barely two years ago when he murdered Nana.

But Gran recognized the look in Sunfire's eyes. The man was crazy, and all Gran could do was shake his head as he left the room.

God, what a fucking mess, Gran thought to himself as he trudged the building. How deep was All for One's web, really? The man hid in the shadows as much as he could, and pulled everyone's strings like a deranged puppeteer. There were more people in power in the Yakuza's pocket than anyone wanted to admit, but how many of those people were directly working with All for One? Would Gran have to…permanently take care of those problems? Sunfire was just sitting in that room…

As soon as the thought entered his head, Gran dismissed it with a scoff. Even if he were capable of such things, it would be more trouble than it was worth. Toshinori, above all else, would be distraught that he fell so low. No, he'd just do what he'd been doing since he was a kid looking for scraps in the streets; survive.

Gran saw Todoroki standing near the exit. The young man stared at Gran in unabashed shock. Gran asked, "Did you hear anything?" Todoroki shook his head. So, he was most likely shocked that Gran hadn't been burned to a crisp.

For a moment, Gran debated telling Todoroki about All for One, and Sunfire's involvement with him. But he wasn't that petty.

Instead, he walked past the young man, saying, "Do yourself a favor. Get yourself out from under that lunatic's thumb."

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A/N: Sunfire's history is kind of sad. In his early life he was basically being raised as an attack dog by his criminal uncle and things just spiral from there.