Hello readers! Here is chapter 22! Prepare yourself for some major Dad Might! Lots of fluff in this chapter, but it's to be expected after everything that has happened. Thanks again for all your support! and please let me know what you think! Seeing all the reviews really spurred me on to work on this chapter extra soon!
Yagi opened his eyes slowly, rubbing the sleep from them, recognizing he was back in his apartment. Glancing over at the wall clock he saw it was a bit past 2am. The TV hummed in the background as he slowly awoke after dozing off in his recliner chair for hours from bringing Minami home. Unfortunately, because his time had been completely used up the previous day, he had Mic and Midnight's help by driving them home and carrying Minami up to their apartment. Midnight had insisted on tucking her in, cooing at her young face as she slept soundly, likely due to all medications and IV drugs Recovery Girl had given her to boost her healing.
Yagi paused and listened for any sounds coming from Minami's darkened room just down the hall. All he heard was silence, coupled with a wheezing snore. He furrowed his eye brows at the slight wheezing noise,
I should check on her, that doesn't sound good…
He sat up slowly in his chair, rising to his feet, groaning at the popping noises coming from his joints. Minami hadn't woken up since she passed out at the USJ, which Recovery Girl assured would be normal if that were the case due to the extreme amount of strain that had been put on her body.
Toshi walked slowly to the kitchen, getting a glass of water and slowly sipping it, mulling over the events after the USJ.
In his true form, Yagi had called for Cementoss after he created the cement wall, blocking him from the sight of the other students. Rushing over to Minami with Yagi, Cementoss had scooped up the unconscious girl. They had called for the school ambulance and rushed her to Recovery Girl's office back at campus. Cementoss had stayed behind, not wanting his heavy frame to weigh down the ambulance. So Yagi had rode in the back, holding Minami's hand the entire way as the school paramedics attached an oxygen mask to the young girl's face, taking her vitals.
Recovery girl had done all she could for the time being, remarking it was uncanny how often she saw both Minami and Izuku in her office to be treated. Izuku had arrived shortly after to get his injuries treated, describing the events to both adults in detail.
Recovery Girl had stitched up Minami's wound on her side, as well as treated the multiple bruises layering her body; especially her neck, where the Nomu had nearly squeezed the life out of her. She had also treated Minami's slight internal bleeding, attributing it to the massive amount of power Yagi had described Minami displaying before she passed out. Toshi winced when Recovery Girl explained the girl had fried her internal organs due to the power and heat of her quirk. At his horrified face, Recovery Girl had reassured Toshi that she could heal it as it wasn't permanently damaging, but warned against her doing something so reckless again until she was ready to control such intense power.
Recovery Girl was able to take a blood sample and confirm Minami had been poisoned like Izuku said. However, it seemed it would wear off within a day or so, and it was reactive to heat. Therefore, the key to controlling it for the next day or so was to prevent fever.
Recovery Girl had also been worried about Minami developing an infection from inhaling the "bacteria laden lake water" as she had described it, and so she had also sent Yagi home with an antibiotics shot, an anti inflammatory shot for possible fever, some extra strength Acetaminophen with a decongestant, and some cooling pads to lay across her ribs and body, in case she needed it.
Yagi snorted to himself remembering when Recovery Girl had mentioned she previously accepted an invitation to a healing quirk convention for the next day and had a flight to catch later that night. Yagi had nearly panicked at the thought of not having her nearby should anything else happen. Recovery Girl shook her head at his fears and had patted his knee, reassuring him that if she truly feared for Minami's survival, she would cancel her trip. However, that was not the case as she reassured him that his girl would be fine, and that she had done all she could for the girl for the time being, as she could not heal fevers or chronic illnesses, just physical wounds.
Finishing his glass of water, Toshi set the glass gently on the counter top as he stood there in the darkness, his night vision from his quirk giving him all he needed to see clearly. He rubbed his face with his palm, trying to ward away the impending headache he could feel beginning to make its presence known. He stared out the kitchen window at the multitude of city lights flickering in the distance, the view having a calming effect.
Before falling asleep in front of the television, he and the rest of the teachers had received a mass text from Nedzu stating classes had been cancelled for the next day, as well as likely for the rest of the week as the school scrambled to figure out what exactly had happened and how the villains were able to pinpoint class 1-A's location for the day. Toshi's grip tightened on the lip of the sink, his mind jumping to the worst.
It's not possible for the villains to have known unless someone who DID know our schedule told them. But the only ones who would know would be the faculty. So either someone hacked our system, or we have a mole…God I hope it was just a system hack….Toshi thought to himself grimly, his experienced hero mind mulling over the possibilities of how this could have occurred, when suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a pierce screaming coming from his daughter's room.
Gasping, Yagi coughed some blood into the sink at the shock. Wiping his mouth with a nearby towel, his eyes were wide as he raced to Minami's room, ready to protect her from whatever was causing her distress.
Minami felt her eyes snap open, but all she met was darkness. She could feel her breath hitch in terror, not hearing anything but never ending silence.
There was just darkness, an endless void. All she could hear was her heavy breathing as her anxiety kicked up a notch. Feeling claustrophobic, Minami wanted out, NOW.
"Dad?!" her voice echoed back. Waiting momentarily but not hearing any response back, She felt panicked and cried out for others, desperate for any response.
"Izuku?! Shoto! Mina?!" No response, just the reverberation of her voice bouncing off unseen walls.
Suddenly, she heard a whispery, slithering voice in her ear, causing the hair on her neck to rise.
"I told you I'd be back…" the memory of Dream Eater haunting her.
"No! get away!" she screeched as she swiped back at the figure standing behind her; it materialized into thin air, then reappeared on her other side.
"But don't you see, I'm not going anywhere, and now we can spend so much time together," the villain crooned happily, floating around to appear in front of her, his eyes turning into slits and his teeth elongating, morphing him into a monster.
Minami screamed for her father once more before pushing forth her hands, feeling energy pricking in her palms and she prepared to fight the monster. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear someone calling her name, but she couldn't be sure.
Suddenly the walls around her began to sway and churn, with creatures pouring of them, screaming and clawing at her. It made her nauseous, and she screamed once more for her father to come and save her, not having a clue as to where she was or how she could escape.
Her arms felt heavy and it was as if she couldn't raise them anymore. She heard a male voice call her name again, louder this time. She looked around for its source, desperate to escape the hell she was stuck in.
When suddenly, she blinked.
The haze cleared, and she saw her father sitting before her, straining to maintain his hero form as he held her wrists back; her hands buzzing with her power. Realizing she was home and had activated her quirk, she immediately stopped. All Might released her wrists and sat on the edge of her bed staring at her with a look that was difficult for Minami to pinpoint. Sympathy, guilt, worry; she couldn't really pin it down to just one.
Tears filled her eyes, and the dam broke then; Minami began sobbing in earnest. Her head was pounding, and her throat and chest hurt. It hurt to breathe, to think, to exist. All she wanted was to bury herself in her blankets to make the pain go away. It felt like her body was on fire and freezing at the same time. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so miserable. The room continued to spin around her, and she cried at the pain assaulting nearly every nerve of her body.
"Oh Minami…" All Might cooed as he gathered the girl into his arms, pulling her onto his massive lap, reluctant to let his hero form slip away as he knew she was likely still having hallucinations.
If she hallucinates again, I won't be able to protect her from self harm if I'm not in my hero form, or she may accidentally harm me in my true form… All Might thought to himself reluctantly as he resigned himself to maintaining his hero form for the time being, thanking his lucky stars for Chiyo's healing power giving him the ability to use his hero time again so soon after the attack.
The girl sobbed unintelligible words into his chest as she clung to him for dear life, afraid she would blink and be back to where she was in her dreams.
All Might continued to hold her to his torso, petting her shaking frame as he shushed her cries. He felt his heart break as her cries only increased, recognizing them as the kind a child has when they don't feel well. He frowned deeply at the heavy heat rolling off the girl through her pajamas and placed the hand that was cradling the back of her head to her forehead, hissing at the blistering warmth that assaulted his palm.
"Oh little one, you've developed a nasty fever," All Might murmured, no smile gracing his face as the worse possible outcome had become a reality, despite all of Recovery Girl's assistance.
There is no doubt now that she is hallucinating, that fever is just feeding the poisoning's side effects, making everything so much worse, poor girl… All Might thought to himself grimly as he stared at her watery eyes, noticing he still could not see her blue irises, only black.
Minami wheezed, a rattling sound from her lungs coming forth as she spoke,
"Papa…It was so scary…" She sobbed once more, the memories of her nightmare and the USJ coming back full force as she finally had the chance to break down to her father in privacy.
All Might shushed her once more,
"I know my girl…I know…It's all over now though…" He soothed as he gathered her up, her cheek resting on his shoulder as her legs swung weakly while he carried her to the bathroom, setting her on the counter top. Minami sniffled as she blinked against the bright lights, watching her father as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She shivered as she lost the warmth of her blankets, despite the fever.
Opening the cabinet, he searched for the thermometer that he knew would be hidden in its depths.
Minami continued to wheeze through her mouth, her nose being completely plugged up.
"I…I d-don't want to s-see him again…." Minami whined as she wiped her eyes, attempting to calm herself, but the haziness of her surroundings made it difficult.
"Who sweetheart?" the calming timbre of All Might's voice asked as he successfully located the thermometer and removed it's cap, making eye contact with Minami.
"Dream Eater…H-he was the v-villain who poisoned me…H-he threw p-powder in my f-face, and now the w-walls shake when I l-look at them, a-and I see him w-when I s-s-sleep," She hiccupped out as tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.
A determined look crossed through All Might's face, then he pushed forth a reassuring smile as he cupped her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.
"Oh little Minami, my girl, I am here, and nothing else bad is going to happen. Soon the hallucinations will go away, and that will happen much faster once we get your fever down. But first, let's see how high your fever is now, huh kiddo?" he spoke softly in a fatherly manner, pleased to see she had no problem understanding him and still trusted him completely, despite the traumatic day.
Picking up the thermometer off the counter, he turned it on with a beep, and waited for it to turn to 0 C before pushing it gently into her ear, believing that to be the easiest way as she couldn't breathe through her nose at the moment.
Minami whined softly at the intrusion, her ears, nose and throat feeling a bit raw from whatever infection plagued her. All Might shushed her gently as he patted down her blonde locks, keeping her head steady when she attempted to instinctively pull away.
Within 30 seconds, the thermometer beeped several times, signaling its completion. All Might removed the device from her ear and read the temperature. His eyebrows raised at the number that came across.
"…My goodness! 39.4C! (103F). Oh this won't do at all, we'll have to get your temperature down immediately my girl." All Might fussed, but made sure to put a smile on his face at the widening of her eyes, careful to not to scare her with the seriousness of her high grade fever.
She doesn't need anymore stress, and it won't make it any easier on her to lower her fever if she's afraid… All Might reminded himself, careful to make sure he was upbeat for her sake.
All Might knew the risks if the human body went beyond 40C (104F). The chances for permanent damage were much higher, as well as hospitalization was necessary in order to control the fever. He had to move, and move quickly.
All Might grabbed the baggie full of Minami's medicine given to him from Recovery Girl, pulling out the two shots with the bottle of liquid medicine. Minami's eyes widened at the two syringes that were covered in caps to keep their sterility and jumped off the counter.
"No no no! Please no shots!" her eyes were wide as she slowly backed away, her wheezing increased as her knees shook.
All Might looked at the girl sympathetically, nearly forgetting her phobia of needles. Leaning down he gently took her arm and pulled her closer to him, setting his large hands on her shoulders as she shivered with tears running down her cheeks.
"Don't you want to feel better little one?" All Might asked her, trying a different tactic.
Minami nodded solemnly.
"It's your choice for now my girl, but if you don't receive these shots, there's a decent chance I will have to take you to the hospital as I won't be able to control your fever. So what would you like to do?" All Might opened his arms in an inviting manner as he waited for Minami's answer.
Maybe if I give her the power to choose, it will go more smoothly. Either way, she needs to get the shots. I hope for her sake she chooses to accept them, as I do not want it to come down to me pinning her down to administer them…All Might thought to himself, fretting slightly.
Minami thought for a moment then looked up into her father's blue eyes with determination glistening in her own.
"I know I need them…So can you just give them to me? I….I'm bad with needles…" Minami finished her statement and swallowed nervously.
All Might smiled at the girl, proud that she had made the best choice for herself, and ultimately the choice that would cause her less stress in the end.
"Great choice my girl!" he grinned as he gave her a thumbs up in a very heroic fashion. Lifting her up onto the bathroom counter once more, he took each of her pajama top sleeves and rolled them up to her shoulder, exposing her toned biceps.
All Might reached over and took the first of the syringes, removing the cap before gently taking her left bicep. He looked at her sympathetically as her wide eyes didn't leave the syringe held in his fingers.
"I promise, I will make this as quick and as painless as possible. It'll only be a slight pinch. Now, close your eyes and I'll get this over with as quick as a flash!" he grinned at the terrified girl, hoping he wasn't making her nerves worse.
Minami pinched her eyes shut, letting her father take her arm. She squeaked a bit as she felt the pierce of the needle break her skin, along with the feeling of the cold liquid invading her arm. All Might quickly reached over to take the second syringe and administer it before Minami could realize.
"Owww!" her eyes opened with the burn of the second shot into her other arm, and All Might looked at her with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry little Minami, but look, we are all finished now! You truly handled those shots like a champ!" he grinned as he set the second emptied syringe down and flexed his bicep. He reached over into the cabinet to grab a box of bandaids that happened to be decorated with chibi All Mights. Minami grinned at the bandaids All Might held in his hands.
"They're so cute!" Minami giggled, forgetting about her sore biceps. All Might smiled down at her improving mood. Sticking the bandaids on each of her arms, he leaned down and planted a kiss to her hot forehead.
"There we are, all better now. Now it's time to help your body cool down by drawing a lukewarm bath. I'll have you sit in it for a bit, then you can change into a fresh pair of pajamas." All Might turned around to open the tap on the bathtub, tweeking the water temperature until it was just right. Filling up the tub sufficiently, All Might turned the water off and plugged up the drain before returning to Minami who looked as though she was dozing a bit sitting on the bathroom counter.
"Come here now sweetheart," All Might spoke softly as he scooped her up from the counter, and gently lowered her into the tub still in her pajamas, not giving her a chance to protest.
Minami gasped at what felt to her like freezing cold water, and clawed her way up All Might's arms, her eyes widening at the shock as she began to panic. All Might grunted at the sharp feeling of her nails digging into his skin, and attempted to peel her fingers off of his arms carefully.
"Easy there little one, just relax now…" All Might hummed to her, but it seemed as if Minami were lost in her own world, and all hell broke loose before All Might could truly curb it from occurring in the first place.
Minami began hyperventilating as another hallucination was triggered. She blinked and found herself back at the USJ once more, face to face with the Nomu who was attempting to drown her. Pinching her eyes shut, she could hear Izuku cry for her to escape before it was too late. Behind the Nomu she could see Dream Eater standing there, grinning maniacally as she struggled. That did it, and Minami felt her self control completely slip as she screamed and fired up her quirk, ready to blast the Nomu in the face.
Minami leapt from the water, her body taught as she struggled to escape, feeling her power course through her limbs when she heard her father's voice in her ear.
"Minami stop! It's me! Your papa!" All Might cried out, attempting to break her hallucination and get her to come back to him.
Minami blinked and could see her bathroom again. Her father hovering over her as she was halfway out of the bathtub, holding her wrists once more as her hands buzzed with power. His face looked startled as he looked into her seemingly possessed expression. Allowing the power to drop from her hands once more Minami began to weep, upset with herself for almost causing harm to her father twice.
All Might seemed to understand the reason for her distress immediately and pulled her to him in another hug, her soaked clothes getting water everywhere and soaking his night clothes as well.
"Hush now my girl, everything is alright, because I am here. You've caused no harm to me, everything is ok, look!" he pulled away and spread his long muscled arms wide to show her she caused him no pain, a hearty grin planted on his face.
Minami rubbed her eyes and looked at her father, sniffling,
"You're sure you're ok?" she asked timidly from behind her hands, the sound of tears still heavy in her voice.
All Might laughed his stereotypical booming laugh, flexing his biceps before pulling her closer to him once more, planting multiple silly kisses on her flushed cheeks, causing Minami to giggle at the ticklish contact. All Might smiled to himself at getting her to laugh.
"Of course I am! Now my girl, would you be ok with getting into the bathtub? Let's try to get your fever down." Much more carefully this time around, All Might placed his large hand on her lower back, guiding her slowly to the water. Before she could begin to move, he carefully lifted her wet nightshirt to expose her ribs, ever so softly running his fingers over the stitches Recovery Girl had given her, relieved to see she had not torn them open during her most recent hallucination. Releasing her once more, he allowed her to get in on her own.
Minami clambered in, gasping at how cold the water felt to her. She paused to look at All Might with a skeptical look.
"It's so cold!" she whined, pulling away slightly. All Might placed his large hand on her back, preventing her from backing out.
"It's really not my girl, that's the fever leading you to believe it is. Go ahead now, get in," All Might spoke patiently, helping Minami in.
Minami squirmed as she sat in the water fully, it coming up to her collar bone. She whined as her teeth chattered.
All Might grabbed a nearby empty cup from the edge of the sink and filled it with bathtub water and gently poured the water over the top of her head. Minami whined at feeling the cold water trickle down her face and into her hair. All Might shushed her whines of protest as he sat on the edge of the tub.
"There, there my girl, all is well, now we just need you to sit in here for about 15 to 20 minutes or so, then you can change and we'll go back to bed," He patted her wet head. Minami's teeth chattered as she shook her head at him.
Leaning over, he set a timer on his phone, the device looking comically small in his large hand. Once the timer was complete, he set the phone on the edge of the sink before turning his attention back to Minami.
"Now my girl, tell me, what happened exactly at the USJ attack…" All Might's concerned blue eyes zeroed in on Minami, who looked down at her fingers in the water tentatively.
I need to know what happened from her perspective…if there is anything else we should know about. All Might fretted to himself internally.
Minami breathed deeply through her mouth several times, the rattling evidenced in her breaths before she began.
"We…we had all just entered the USJ, and Thirteen had finished up his explanation to us…when Aizawa sensei started shouting for us to stay close…." Her brows furrowed as she began to remember the horrible day.
"I looked, and saw all the villains coming through a black swirling void… then that big void villain," Minami put a index finger to her bottom lip as she thought, "I think he said his name was Kurogiri, blocked us from leaving, and sucked a lot of us into his void and I think we were spread out everywhere. I just fell into a large vacant building."
The water sloshed as Minami brought her knees to her chest and she rested her chin on top.
All Might hummed as he listened, encouraging her to continue.
"And then what happened little Minami?" He patted her head as he filled another cup with water, gently pouring it down into her hair and face.
Rubbing her eyes, Minami spoke once more,
"Then I heard voices, and hid up against the wall. And that's when I was attacked, and I fought three villains. And…it was just…." Minami sniffled at the bad memories coming up.
All Might stalled his movements then, pausing to listen closely.
"I was able to fight them off long enough to escape, and I ran as fast as I could to several floors below. They caught up with me so I hid behind a pillar, and that's when…Dream Eater appeared…." Minami swallowed deeply, feeling her throat tighten with anxiety.
All Might rubbed his hand down the back of Minami's back, supporting her,
"It's alright sweetheart, go ahead…" All Might crooned.
"He….He killed one of the villains for not catching me….he shot him in the head…I….I had to sit in his blood that pooled to where I was hiding until they left…" She inhaled a shaky breath before she continued.
"It was my fault…when I stood to escape, I saw his body…just laying there…I saw the bits of brain and everything, I couldn't stop staring at him…if I had just moved to run I wouldn't have gotten caught…." Minami buried her face into her knees as she began to cry.
"Shhh my girl…None of this is your fault…none of it…" All Might emphasized as he draped his large arm around her shoulders, and used his other hand to tilt her teary face up from her knees so she was staring at him once more. His heart broke at seeing her so distraught.
Anger and despair stirred up in All Might's chest at the thought of her being a direct witness to such gore.
She's too young to be exposed to that yet….far too young….
"Then….Then Dream Eater found me, and he…" she whimpered, and All Might tightened his hold on her, giving her courage, but also dreading what she was about to say, his mind racing with what could have happened.
"He…cut off the head of the villain he killed, and forced me to hold it…then he sprayed me with powder and I ran, jumping out of the building into the lake below…" She began sobbing in earnest then. All Might scooped her up and held her in his lap, not caring that water was spilling all over the bathroom tiled floor.
All Might rocked her gently, leaning her head into his chest as she cried.
"Oh my poor sweet girl, you've been through so much…But everything will be ok now…there, there…" All Might held her close as he glanced over at the time left on his phone and saw there were 5 minutes left.
Good enough, I need to get her back to bed anyways, this has been a trying enough time for her… He reached with one hand to turn the timer off his phone before leaning her head up so she could look at him.
"My girl…I am so proud of you for your bravery…You did so well,"
Minami looked at All Might with a skeptical look as she sniffled, rubbing away her tears.
"But it's true! You persevered! And you even saved me!" he grinned widely.
Minami looked at him with large eyes,
"I…I saved you dad?"
All Might released a jolly laugh and grinned at her,
"Well of course you did! When I couldn't move after taking down the nomu, you leaped into action and displayed quite of bit of power young lady! If you hadn't done that, I would have been killed, no doubts about it." He smiled softly at her young face that was in awe of the concept that she had saved the number one hero.
All Might patted her head as he held her shaking frame closer,
"You, my dear, are going to be an extraordinary pro-hero. Now we just need to figure out how you can wrangle all that power without hurting yourself… and we will, make no mistake about that," He grinned at the girl who smiled back softly at him, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears, but this time with happiness.
"Now, let's get you into some fresh pajamas and hit the hay, hm?" All Might smiled as he set Minami to sit on the toilet seat, then walked over to the cabinet that held fresh bath towels, grabbing the fluffiest, largest one he could find.
"Alright kiddo, arms up,"
Minami obeyed without question as the room still spun around her, eager to get out of her wet clothes and into something that was dry, feeling like she was freezing despite her heated skin from the fever.
All Might peeled the soaked clothes off her shivering frame before wrapping a towel around her, feeling guilt bubble up in him as he saw all the bruises that littered her body. He pushed the feeling aside, making sure his face only showed happy emotions so not to distress her.
"Alright, I'll be right back!" he walked briskly out of the room, first heading to his own room to change out of his wet clothes. Glancing down at his wrapped torso, he winced at the soreness he felt from his wound. Finishing up quickly, he popped into Minami's room to grab a fresh pair of pajama shorts and a soft t-shirt.
Returning, he saw Minami standing with the huge towel wrapped around her, dwarfing her. All Might grinned at how cute she looked before quickly helping her dress.
Leading her out of the bathroom, she suddenly stopped in the hallway, looking apprehensive at her room.
"Dad….Can I…Can I stay with you tonight….Please?" Minami tentatively asked as she glanced down, afraid he may decline.
All Might knew he could never say no, especially since she was ill.
"Of course kiddo! How about we watch a bit of television in bed before going to sleep?"
Minami bounced a bit in a child like manner, happy that she would not have to spend the night alone in her room. All Might couldn't help but grin at her, finding her absolutely adorable at that moment as she tugged on his large hand, eager to spend any time with him. A warm feeling bubbled in his chest, knowing that she saw him as her safety blanket, that she felt like she could trust him with anything.
And she absolutely can, I would do anything for her…anything at all to protect and nurture her….
All Might thought fondly as he leaned in to plant a big kiss on her cheek, nuzzling her with his nose before standing straight again, leading her into his room where she crawled under the soft blanket on the bed. Flicking on the television with his remote, he settled on some reruns of a Japanese gameshow.
All Might was about to get into bed himself before he realized with a start that Minami needed to take two spoonfuls of the liquid medicine Chiyo had given him, nearly forgetting to have her do so.
Walking briskly back to the bathroom to retrieve the medicine, he stopped in the kitchen to grab a tablespoon before returning to see Minami sitting up in bed, her legs crossed as she watched the television show.
"Alright my girl, one last round of medicine, come here for a moment,"
Minami looked dismayed at that and grimaced.
"More medicine?!" her eyes saw the bottle full of liquid and she stuck her tongue out in a disgusted manner.
"Yuck! I hate liquid medicine!" the girl whined. All Might sighed, hoping he could convince her to take the liquid without too much of a fuss.
Please, please don't turn this into a fight little one… All Might fretted.
"Come now my girl, this will treat your congestion, here now open wide," he poured the pink goupy medicine onto the spoon and held it towards her.
Minami tentatively leaned forward and opened her mouth, and All Might wasted no time popping the spoon into her mouth before she changed her mind.
Minami scrunched up her nose at the taste, gagging a bit as she swallowed the fowl tasting liquid. All Might couldn't help but laugh at the disgusted expressions going across her face.
"Oh little Minami! It can't be that bad now!" laughing, he poured the last spoonful for her. Grinning, he held the spoon towards her,
"Once more sweetheart, then I promise we'll be done with medicine for now,"
Minami groaned and nodded, accepting the spoon and pinching her eyes shut as she forced herself to swallow the medicine, dry heaving slightly at the off taste.
All Might grinned and patted her on her damp head, though ready to grab the nearby trash can in case she needed to puke. He watched her cautiously as she gagged a few more times before she settled down, glancing up at him.
"Ugh, that was so gross!" she wrinkled her small nose once more. All Might smiled back at her childishness as he set the bottle on his night stand, sliding under the covers next to Minami, the bed groaning loudly at his heavy weight.
The young girl wasted no time snuggling up to her father, yawning as she felt the side effects of all her medicine taking effect. All Might chuckled at what a cuddler she was.
The two laid there in silence as they stared at the small TV on his dresser, watching the flashy gameshow. All Might could feel himself beginning to relax as he felt his daughter's small hands playing with his large fingers, seemingly deep in thought. He waited patiently for her to say what was clearly on her mind. And then suddenly, her soft voice interrupted their television watching time.
"Papa, there was something else that happened at the USJ…I forgot to tell you…." She said quietly, her hands gripping his fingers tightly in anxiety. All Might matched her grip gently, giving her courage, his ears perking up at her statement, eager to finally hear what she had been mulling over.
"Oh?" he turned slightly to face her.
"The villains…when they were looking for me…I heard them mention that I was one of the kids their boss was interested in….what does that mean? Why would the villains want students?" she tilted her head as she stated her question, genuinely unsure.
All Might froze at her statement, feeling fear penetrate his entire being…
They want the children….why would they want the children….Why would they want MY child specifically… All Might questioned himself, feeling panicked, before looking down at seeing the scared look growing across Minami's face.
All Might quickly fixed the worried look on his face to his one of confidence, smiling at her as he ruffled her damp hair.
"Thank you my girl for telling me this, but I'm sure they meant nothing serious by it. I'm sure it was just for that time being they were looking for certain students to try to lure me in for their attack. No reason to concern yourself with it…" All Might lied through his teeth.
She needn't concern herself with this, I will handle this, he reassured himself, attempting to convince himself that the best thing for her was for him to lie.
Minami looked at All Might with an uncertain look on her face, not sure if she fully believed it.
"You're sure Papa?" She seemed a bit skeptical.
All Might grinned,
"Of course! And besides, you have more important things to focus on now, like the upcoming UA Sports Festival!" he boomed, quickly changing the topic, hoping it would get her mind off the troubling news she gave him.
Her eyes widened at the fancy title, truly fascinated now and completely forgetting what she had just told him.
"The sports festival? What's that?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
All Might raised his index finger with a grin as he explained it in the best way he could think at that moment,
"That, my girl, is a chance for you to shine and announce to the world who you are."
Alright Y'all! There's the end of Chapter 22! I hope there was enough Dad Might in there for you without it being too sugary sweet! I had several of you guys reach out asking for Dad Might, so I tried to deliver I hope it was just right for Y'all! Please let me know how you guys think/felt about this new chapter!
