"You are a battlefield. Never will there be a greater war than the one you hold with yourself."
Courtney Peppernell, "Pillow Thoughts I"
Shota felt sick to the core. Dressed in a suit, clean shaven and hair neatly tied back he barely recognized himself.
It had happened again!
How had this happened again?!
How the fuck had it come to this?!
U.A. had been attacked again by the League of Villains. Shota's students had been attacked again but this time they hadn't been considered collateral damage to the enemy. No, this time they had been the targets.
There had been a kill list, for fuck's sake! And there had been a list to kidnap certain students… to recruit them for the League.
His and Vlad's students had been forced to fight for their lives and they had been hurt. Physically and emotionally.
Despite everything they had fought well… they had done better than Shota could have expected under the circumstances.
But in the end, they, as teachers, had failed again and Bakugou Katsuki had been taken. Pixie-Bob had sustained a bad head injury. Ragdoll was missing… her fate still unclear…
And while losing a student was by far the worst thing that had happened, there was something else that had unsettled Shota additionally. Something he had yet to tell to anyone about.
++ Flashback++
Mandalay's message was still ringing in his ears as he ran through the corridor.
They were under attack. Again. His students were in danger. Again.
Fuck!
Gritting his teeth in anger Shota speed up… There were still so many of their students unaccounted for, scattered all over the woods. There was a high chance that this might end in the worst possible way.
A lump formed in his throat when the image of a collapsed building forced itself before his inner eye… blood splattered on big pieces of rumble and a stark white sheet over a too still body, turning redder by the second.
Forcing himself to shake the terrible memory off, Shota reached the door. There was no time to lose his head now. The past didn't matter now. Couldn't matter now. Not when his brats needed him.
And…
The strong smell of burned timber… gave the intruder away before anything else.
'Alpha', Shota's brain registered. Out of the corner of his left eye he saw a tiny movement…
"Always worrying about others, huh, Eraserhead?" A rough voice remarked sardonically.
"VLAD!" Shota just barely managed to scream, even if the other pro properly couldn't hear him.
Muscle memory alone made the underground hero move before he even made a conscious decision to do so. Thank fuck for a short reaction time… based more on instinct and situational awareness than anything else.
Life as an underground hero had taught it to him. Losing his friend had beaten that into his soul.
BOOMMM!
A huge blast of blue flames exploded in the place Shota had just been standing…
"You pro heroes, stay out of our way. You're not the ones we have businesses with." The raspy voice mocked again.
Damn! Did that mean they were targeting the students directly this time?!
The thought left Shota breathless, but there wasn't time to dwell on this right now…
The fire was fizzling out… revealing him to his attacker.
"Well, I guess you're a pro, after all."
Dressed in a long coat, stood a young man with shaggy dark hair. The heavy purple scarring on his face and body seemed to be held in place by staples. He moved in a relaxed way. The grin on his face taunting, as he gave frying the underground hero another try.
Shota didn't hesitate and erased his opponent's quirk, using his capture weapon he tied the asshole up and pulled the villain close as he lunched himself at him.
While not a sadistic person, he had to admit that the sound of his knee connecting with that bastard's face, was pretty satisfying.
The lanky villain was clearly one of those that relied too much on their quirk, since it wasn't difficult for Shota to pin his skinny ass to the ground. Harry probably could have taken him with ease as long as his fire quirk was erased.
"Your objective, numbers and positions. Spill it." The underground hero growled at his captive.
"Why should I?" The man sassed back.
Shota felt his patience thinning to a dangerous level.
"Because of this!" The hero emphasized as he smacked the villain's head down and broke the asshole's left arm in one swift move, causing the man under him to grunt in the discomfort of having his face pressed into the dirt and pain… or so Shota thought…
"I can smell it on you…" The scarred young man hissed suddenly, teal blue eyes burning with disgust and insanity.
Shota felt something in his chest seize up with icy dread.
"I always had a good nose, you know… and even if it's faint… there's no mistaking it. That disgustingly sweet smell…" The scarred man was rambling, looking more agitated with every word, nostrils blown wide as he sniffed his fellow Alpha.
"Your right arm is next. Let's do this rationally." It took all of Shota's willpower to keep his face blank, not daring to respond verbally in fear of feeding the monkey… not wanting to confirm anything…
But there was only one thing the other Alpha might be smelling on him…
"I smell it… it's burning my nose!" The villain snarled, struggling fruitlessly against the capture cloth. "That sweet stench of an Omega whore!"
Damn that fucker!
How could he smell Harry on him…? Even Shota hadn't noticed any lingering scent. His heart was beating a million times a minute, rattling against his ribcage.
Shit!
The metallic taste in his mouth alarmed Shota to the fact he had bitten his tongue under the strain to keep himself from reacting. He could not let this slip… if he confirmed this…
If he confirmed this, it would put Harry in danger, too. A hero's significant others were always at risk, too.
Swallowing the blood in his mouth, Shota fought for composure. Steeling himself, he pressed his foot a bit harder on the villains back, effectively driving all air from the lungs of his captive, earning a winded groan.
"If I get as far as your legs, it'll be a hassle for the arresting officers." Shota stated coolly, making the villain under him snigger breathlessly.
"What's gotten under your skin, Eraserhead?"
Bastard!
Without hesitation Shota broke the taunting fucker's right arm.
BOOMMM!
A second explosion…
+++Flashback end++++
Shota had barely slept since that night.
Alternating between giving statements to the police and talking to Nedzu, Mic, Midnight and the others about damage control.
He had shot a short text at Harry, who was in Okinawa for some meeting, informing his boyfriend about the attack and that he was alive and mostly uninjured this time. He didn't tell him about the scarred villain with the fire quirk.
Dabi. As the underground hero had learned now. A highly dangerous villain.
That Shota was a hero had always been a sore point to his Omega.
And Shota told himself that he didn't want to scare his lover since the League effectively knew nothing about them… but if he was honest, there was a part of him that was terrified that Harry could decide to call off their relationship because of that…
But now U.A. had to give a statement to the press to explain just how they had failed their duty to protect the future heroes that had been entrusted to them not only by the parents of those kids but also by the society as a whole. Shota had sent his first year students into battle… he had given them permission to engage in combat. And he had promised to take responsibility for the fall-out.
"Since we had no way of gasping the full nature of the situation… I made that decision in an attempt to avoid the worst-case scenario." The words felt like lead on his tongue, heavy and poisonous with regret.
"Worst-case scenario? What else would you describe a situation where 26 were wounded and one kidnapped?" A reporter snarked back at him.
Shota knew that he had no room to complain, but fuck those vultures!
Nedzu tried to assure the reporters that all the students would make a full recovery and that the psychological evaluations had shown that none had suffered emotional damage.
"We believe that the worst has been avoided as long as the students have their futures." The principal concluded.
"Can you say the same about young Bakugou, who was abducted?"
And that had opened the door for an aggressive questioning regarding the case of Bakugou. The reporters openly slandering and casting doubt on the explosive and over-ambitious student.
"Can you provide proof that, as you say… that boy still has a future?"
Beside Shota, Vlad flinched. Yeah… this was certainly their strategy. Everyone and their mother knew that the pro hero Eraserhead hated the media…
This asshole was trying to bait Shota into a reaction.
The underground hero was fuming! How dared they to use this opportunity for something so trivial when one of his students was in danger! What if Bakugou was seeing this and lost hope because of….
Shota bowed, causing people to gasp in surprise.
"Any laps in his behaviour are my failing."
He could feel the speechless way everyone was staring at him, even Vald and Nedzu, but he wasn't done yet…
"More than anyone, Bakugou pursues the title of the top hero with everything he's got. If villains have mistaken that for weakness, then their thought process is indeed superficial."
Shota said this to the bastard of a reporter but the true recipient of this message wasn't in the room with them.
No, he was farther away and Shota could only hope that his words reach him nonetheless.
Bakugou, if you hear this!
Don't give up, brat! Stay stubborn!
We believe in you and we haven't given up on you either!
Help is coming!
Come what may, we'll get you out!
After the interview Nedzu, Vlad and Shota dragged themselves to the teachers' lounge with tired sighs. All three of them stopped short when they spotted a figure leaning against the wall beside the lounge.
It was someone Shota hadn't expected to see… not with three XXL travel cups from his favourite coffee shop, not here and most importantly not yet!
"I saw the press conference on my mobile phone. You handled that asshole pretty well." The person quipped lightly.
"Weren't you supposed to be in Okinawa, Harry?" Shota huffed, his feet already moving to bridge the distance between them on their own accord.
"We had already discussed the most important things. Adachi-san is more than capable to handle the rest. He'll call me if anything else come up that needs my input." Harry smiled softly and pushed the coffee into Vlad's hands, who was unashamedly staring.
Kan had been very curious about Harry. He had endlessly pestered Yamada and Nemuri about details concerning what the Omega was like and how he looked…
And maybe it was normal… but the fact that his fellow hero and Alpha had been so interested in his boyfriend had left Shota in a slightly sour mood. And right now, he could not quite suppress the territorial growl when Vlad leaned in a little too close to Harry.
Eyes wide Kan stepped hastily back, raising the coffee tray in a placating gesture and a mumbled 'Sorry'.
Harry simply rolled his eyes and swatted Shota's arm.
"Hush! Tone it down." The green eyed man spoke calmly but the reprimand was clear.
Harry would never stand for any kind of possessive Alpha bullshit that hadn't changed and Shota was pretty sure that the Omega would never allow himself to be owned like that. Even now he refused to be scented by his Alpha boyfriend, holding firmly onto his independence.
And yet you spend enough time with him that Dabi could smell him on you. A traitorous voice mumbled into Shota's ear.
Forcing himself to relax, the underground hero sent his colleague an apologetic look which was promptly answered with a nod and a small smile.
Satisfied Harry grinned up at his tall boyfriend, an appreciative glint in his green eyes.
"You clean up well." A slender finger followed Shota's jaw line. "And a nice disguise by the way, I hardly recognized you." Harry teased playfully, eying Shota's for once clean shaven face before tugging at the hero's neat man bun until it came lose.
"But I have to admit that I like your usual rough look a little better."
It was completely inappropriate, considering their situation and circumstances but a warm feeling was spreading through Shota's chest at those words. Harry had agreed to be in a committed relationship with him and yet the Omega still hadn't even said that he liked Shota.
It was heavily implied, though. But the actual words hadn't been spoken and there were moments when the pro hero had to face the fact that his boyfriend still held him emotionally at arm's length at times.
There were lines drawn in the sand between them.
Most of the time you couldn't notice them but every now and then, Shota would stumble upon them by accident.
It would be small things like with Kan just a moment ago or bigger ones like the incident with the thug and their talk about Harry's past…
The younger Brit would share snippets with him. Little fragments. Puzzle pieces, that maybe one day would amount to a bigger picture. But until then Shota was trying to be patient with what Harry was ready to share.
So, hearing Harry say that he liked Shota's usual ungroomed and authentic look, felt good. It was a bit embarrassing but he felt relieved.
The Omega had obviously come back early to support his lover. Harry had to know that there was little he could do to be of practical help… So, it had been pretty illogical to stop his business trip… and yet, taking a subtle sniff of that camellia and lemongrass scent, Shota was glad that he was here.
"Thanks." He mumbled softly, as Harry pressed a coffee into his hand, hoping that his boyfriend understood that this was not about the hot beverage.
"Any time." Green eyes shone warmly.
"Uhm… sorry, to interrupt… but Aizawa… I think you should see this…" Vlad was pointing to the TV in the teachers' lounge.
There on the news channel were All Might, Endeavour, Mt. Lady, Best Jeanist and Edgeshot, engaging the League of Villains and a handful of Nomus in a huge fight.
And fuck was that Bakugou in the middle of this mess?!
All Might was obviously having problems with the fight… the kid was in the way. The leader of the League kept the brat close, limiting All Might's fighting style. There was no way he could go all out with Bakugou in the line of fire… and worse… it seemed like the bald man with the mask required that the No.1 hero went all out…
Shit!
Bakugou apparently had gathered that as well and tried to get away but there were six villains keeping him engaged and in place. Shota recognized the tall guy with the staples in his face.
Dabi.
"That sweet stench of an Omega whore!"
Shota shivered as remembered that raspy voice's ravings.
Fucking hell… there was no way Bakugou could flee on his own.
And then it suddenly happened. They came from the background with a crash.
Ilida. Kirishima. Midoriya.
Flying fast and high over the heads of the villains.
Kirishima was holding his hand out to Bakugou.
And his most stubborn brat wasn't hesitating and hitched a ride with his wayward classmates. Clasping hands with the redhead boy.
Mt. Lady and Gran Torino intercepted the attempts of the LoV to follow the kids, enabling them to get away without directly engaging in combat.
Shota felt the muscle under his eye twitching.
And then it began.
The demise of a No.1 Pro Hero.
All four of them stared at the TV screen, with rapid attention, barely daring to blink. It was the kind of fight that became legendary. Epic in the way the hero struggled but fought on…
Reporter were filming, citizens were screaming… some in freight, some cheering and crying for their No. 1.
For All Might.
"You've become quite dependant on All Might, haven't you?" Harry was frowning at the screen.
"What!?" Kan choked, looking stunned, but the Omega simply shrugged.
"Just saying… it was a risky gamble to place this much hope onto a single person. To rely on him like this. What are you're going to do when he'll be unable to shoulder your peace any longer?"
"Huh?!" Vlad blinked speechlessly from Harry to the TV screen.
But Shota could see Nedzu's black eyes gleaming.
"Harry's not the biggest fan of heroes." Shota explained flatly.
Vlad cocked his head to the side, not quite daring to voice the obvious question, instead he clumsily pointed at underground pro hero...
"Uhm… you're a hero…"
"Yes, a grievous flaw I have graciously chosen to overlook." Harry conceded with a small secretive smile.
Shota sighed. Not quite sure how much of this sentence was the Omega being sassy, or if he was genuine.
After a gruesome fight All Might won.
Yagi Toshinori survived.
But the skeletal, emaciated form, barely being able to stand battered and bleeding on the remains of the battlefield, signalled the end of an era.
"What are you're going to do when he'll be unable to shoulder your peace any longer?"
All Might's career was over.
Irrefutable. Absolute.
And in the most public way.
All Might had won. He had even survived, giving it his all.
But the symbol of peace was dead.
In stunned silence, they sat together letting the excited chatter of the news reporter wash over them. It seemed so… unbelievable.
All of the faculty had known that All Might was injured that he was reaching his limit… but to see this…
"I guess, you don't have something stronger than coffee hidden somewhere around here?" Harry mumbled sarcastically.
Humming in contemplation, Nedzu hopped of the couch and went through Snipe's desk. With shout of triumph, he pulled out a rather small bottle of vodka.
"Snipe-san said he confiscated this from the third years." The small mammal announced happily.
Shota and Vlad blinked at each other before simultaneously holding out their empty coffee cups.
"To All Might." Vlad raised his cardboard cup.
"To All Might." They all echoed, before knocking back the alcohol with a collective wince.
"Say Aizawa, weren't those your kids?" Kan asked after a few commemorative minutes, causing Shota to remember his problem children.
"Yes." Shota hissed through clenched teeth.
"Those were Ilida-kun, Midoriya-kun and Kirishima-kun, if I'm not mistaken. You have interesting students this year, Aizawa." Nedzu chuckled, small beady eyes gleaming.
"But not for much longer. I am going to expel the whole lot of them! They were told to stay put. Damn it!"
"Aizawa, please calm down." Vlad tried to calm him down.
"Are you ok with this?!" Shota growled out. "They'd cut it really close with that stunt! Vigilantism is no trivial offense. Ilida and Midoriya should know this by now!"
"Well, it seemed to me like they had a sound plan here. They managed to rescue the other kid without engaging with the enemy directly and they helped the heroes by clearing the battle field."
Vlad and Shota stared wordlessly at Harry.
"Hohoho. Potter-san has given us an interesting and adequate analyse of the situation. No need to look so constipated, Aizawa-san." Nedzu bounced excitedly in his seat.
"They were supposed to stay put! Midoriya was already heavily injured! Going there was beyond reckless! If I'm not going to expel those brats for that…?!" Shota groused angrily.
A snort had the hero teacher spinning around to where his boyfriend was trying to smother his laughter behind his hand… not very successful!
"This isn't funny, Harry! They were supposed to stay put and to leave the hero work to the licenced adults! They could have died!" Shota glared.
"Hmm, I think they knew that." Harry supplied in amusement, nodding at the screen where All Might was announcing 'You are next!'. "I think they knew very well just how dangerous that was and what the consequences would be if they joined the fight. They're your students after all."
"What that supposed to mean?!" Shota glowered, trying not to feel hurt by that statement.
"It means that they're your kids. You told them not to hesitate, didn't you? You taught them to give it their all or give up on being a hero, didn't you?" Green eyes regarded him seriously.
"I also told them to think before they act but apparently that lesson failed!"
Shota snapped, causing Harry to laugh again.
"Your lesson certainly didn't fail. But they are different than your other students, aren't they?"
Nedzu and Vlad hummed, probably remembering the way his class had presented itself at the sport festival. Shota remained silent.
The students of his class had encountered real villains and real life and death fights… up to four times (Midoriya -.- ) in the few months of their first school year…
"Once someone was forced to fend for themselves, it's hard to go back to being a passive bystander." A deep rooted understanding spoke out of Harry's words that had Shota thinking back to the thug attack.
"So, it was my failure to protect them. I allowed them to break the rules." The underground hero mumbled, feeling very tired.
Harry snorted again.
"Yes, they got their reality check a lot earlier than most but they didn't chicken out. They're alive because of you!" There was a sudden seriousness in the Brit's voice. "And they'll get to be heroes because of you. Because you enabled them to endure danger and to protect themselves and those they care for. All I'm saying is that you expect too much of them. They already crossed the line from being passive to active combatants. And now you expect them to abandon their comrade?"
"They were hardly abandoning Bakugou! Look at all the pros fighting to get the kid back!" Vlad protested.
"No offense but the presence of pros was hardly a resolving factor the last time." Harry's dry statement, caused all three teachers to flinch and grind their teeth. "Instead, they fought an insanely strong enemy on their own and they lost. Worse, their classmate was kidnapped in front of them. I can only imagine how much pain that must have caused them. How helpless and useless they must have felt after. Expecting impulsive and highly trained teenagers to stay put after that…"
Here the Omega trailed off, eye brows raised.
Yeah… that sounded unrealistic.
What would Oboro have done? That idiot would probably have done the same as Midoriya… with a less thought-out plan…
If they'd wanted the brats to stay put, they should have put Hound Dog on their trail. Shota dragged a hand over his uncomfortably dry eyes.
"So, all things considered, they did quite well." Harry quipped.
Yeah, probably.
"I'm still going to punish them." Shota grumbled.
"As you should." Harry and Nedzu sniggered.
"And it might be good to push those problem children into getting their licences earlier than usual." Shota sighed.
With a wince, Vlad patted his back.
Out of the corner of his eye the underground hero could see Harry and Nedzu exchanging a look. Honestly, he wasn't sure if this… friendliness between those two would be a blessing or a curse.
"And I have a plan to extent our protection for the students… and to minimalize undesirable, external influences." The principal grinned at them.
A muscle in Shota's cheek jumped. Right now, this was giving him creeps.
Toshinori took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his abused lungs.
The stars above him twinkled invitingly. It was a clear night.
Chiyo-chan would have his head if she could see him right now. He was still quite injured after all, on top of his already fragile state. The former pro hero sighed, feeling a little saddened. His career was officially over. There was no denying it.
It had been broadcasted after all…
Yesterday he had moved into the teacher's dorms permanently. Some of his other colleagues like Aizawa and Yamada had already been living there, while Kayama and Vlad had only used an on-campus flat occasionally. Others like Toshinori had to move completely.
"All Might-san?!" A voice behind him spoke up.
Turning around quickly, Toshinori came face to face with a pretty young man with green eyes, dressed in a formal suit. An Omega, his Alpha nose informed him.
"Good evening…?" Toshinori smiled tersely at the stranger, the question of his identity clear in his intonation.
"Ah, good evening, All Might. My name is Potter Harry."
Toshinori blinked as realisation hit him.
This had to be Aizawa's partner.
What an odd couple?!
"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you but should you really be out here? I may be overstepping but the state of your wounds suggest that you should resting, instead of star gazing in the cold." The Omega was polite, surprisingly formal, almost stiff when he addressed the former No. 1 hero.
Feeling awfully conscious of his emaciated and battered appearance Toshinori scratched his head bashfully.
"Ah yes, Recovery Girl might scold me terribly if she saw me now."
Green eyes narrowed for a moment before softening considerably.
"I saw your fight. Against the man that calls himself All for One. The symbol of evil." Toshinori spluttered, falling into a rattling coughing fit. The metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
Potter-san had recognized AfO?! He knew about the symbol of evil?!
Noticing Toshinori's shock, the young man smiled. A wry, bitter thing of a smile.
"I should thank you." He said, still so distant that he seemed somewhat cold… tense. "My parents died a long time ago, in a terrorist attack orchestrated by a group called the Deatheaters. They were led by a villain who called himself…"
Ah! Toshinori remembered.
"… Lord Voldemort." The blonde man muttered into the still night.
Potter-san didn't flinch or cringe away from at the name… not like many people in Britain had done so when Toshinori had worked there to get more information about the international network AfO had started to build. To know which allies the symbol of evil had gathered.
But while not flinching, a certainly stillness had come over the Omega.
"Ah, so you remember him?! He was defeated nearly 14 years ago." Potter-san nodded, something like light surprise colouring his voice.
Apparently, the young man hadn't excepted him to remember… like anyone could forget a villain like Lord Voldemort. Toshinori shivered. That man had been a monster in his own right… different from his own nemesis. Driven by another ideology, one that had laid carnage over Britain and had instilled terror in the hearts of thousands.
"It was said that All for One supported Lord Voldemort, build him up even… "
Toshinori felt himself freeze up at those words, carefully chosen, obviously, but delivered with casual ease.
"How do you know this? That's…" Sharp blue eyes cut into emerald green.
Undeterred Potter-san held his gaze.
"… secret information? My godfather told me. He worked the Deatheater cases for nearly 13 years. Grim…
"Pro hero Grim. Sirius Black." Toshinori breathed the name out. Potter-san was Black's godson then… Whew… the blond hero remembered the British shadow hero. A charismatic and handsome man. A good hero but…
"Yes… I worked with him for a while when I was investigating in Britain. A long time ago. I didn't know he had family."
"Back then I probably wasn't a part of his life yet… I started to live with him after I turned 13." Potter-san shrugged, looking up into the stars, a strange resigned look on his face.
Trying for a friendly smile the former No. 1 turned to the Omega, who seemed a little sad.
"What is he doing today? I have to admit that I lost touch with him many years ago. I don't think he's still active, did he retire?" Toshinori knew the moment Potter-san's eyes crew cold and his faced seemed to close off, that he should have kept his attempts for small talk to himself.
"He died 12 years ago." Potter-san voice was flat, cutting through the beautiful night in its clearness.
Toshinori felt his stomach drop uncomfortably. He and Sirius hadn't been friends, but they had worked together closely for weeks… and he felt like he should have known about the man's demise.
"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry. He… he was a… driven man." He tried to offer his condolences, hoping to make up for his ignorance and insensitivities, but his words only earned him a dismissive glance and a mocking snort.
"Don't strain yourself to be polite, All Might. Sirius was the centre of my world for all of three years but I have no illusions about him anymore. I know how he could be. He was obsessed with taking Voldemort down and he could be cruel to those he deemed evil…"
Toshinori cringed at those words… they rung true, maybe too much and Toshinori felt instantly horrible for talking bad about the dead.
But under the scrutiny of those harsh green eyes, he didn't quite know what to say. Potter-san seemed hurt. Like a lot of relatives of heroes had been hurt.
The picture of Nana's pain and despair after AfO had killed her husband flashed in front of his eyes…
The way Gran Tornino had held the inconsolable woman after she had send her son away to keep himself from further harm… The hurt in her expression when she had made them promise to never look for the boy, should something happen to her. Her dictation to the work they were doing, how she had laid it all on the line
And how AfO had used even that against Toshinori now. Tenko Shimura. Tomura Shigaraki. His late master's grandson.
And yet, when he looked at Potter-san bitter and sad expression, so full resignation and underlying resentment, he remembered the crying face of Nana's son. That little boy clinging to his mother about to lose her forever. Toshinori remembered that child's immense pain, his hurt and desperation and how saving him, keeping him alive, might have not saved him at all…
"Grim was a good hero." Toshinori opted to say in the end.
Potter barked out a loud, mirthless laughter.
"Aww! That's sweet." The young man snickered, green eyes gleaming. "But whether Sirius was a good hero or not, was never the problem, All Might-san. No, the problem was that along the way he had forgotten how to be anything beyond that."
The sentence hung heavy between them in the crisp night air.
Toshinori was unsure what he should… or could say to that.
A feeling close to dread settled in his chest, causing an uncomfortably tight sensation to the blond man. Years of working himself to the ground, not sleeping and eating enough, pushing his sidekick and friends' concerns away.
Always rushing to the next task.
Beyond his limits. Plus Ultra.
Putting an incredible strain on the people around him to the point even Sasaki couldn't handle it anymore.
Until there was nothing else in his life but being a hero.
Maybe that was why he pushed himself so far… not just because he wanted to help and protect people, but because he simply didn't know what else to do…
What else to be… if not a hero. All Might.
Serious green eyes were still observing him, calculating but not unkind, until finally a small genuine smile tugged at lush lips.
"Well, I need to go, you should too. Allow your body some more rest. Good night." The young man bowed.
A bit startled by the sudden farewell, the blond man hastily bowed too.
"Ah, yes, Potter-san. Good night." Toshinori waved awkwardly.
Potter moved a few steps into the night before stopping once more, looking over his shoulder at Toshinori.
"Good luck, Yagi-san."
Potter-san steps faded away and Toshinori exhaled forcefully.
Today he and Aizawa had contacted all the students and informed their parents about the new dorm system.
And in the end, all of them had agreed. They hadn't lost a single student, even if it had been a close call with Midoriya Inko.
Her tearful green eyes, so much like her son's, burning with determination, although they had been filled with tears to the brim… also, so much like her son… they were engraved in the hero's brain.
Toshinori huffed to himself, a small smile tugging at his lips.
He wasn't a hero any longer but there were still things for him to do, people who relied on him. He had his task cut out for him now, as a mentor and a teacher.
To 60 hero course students currently enrolled at UA and to young Midoriya.
Toshinori had thrown himself before the boy's mother and had sworn to her to teach her son, to raise him right… to dictate himself, his health and his life, to the boy's safety from now on, so young Midoriya would stop breaking his body apart every time he fought.
Maybe he could still be something beyond a hero.