-Rose's POV-
Toshinori, who had waited patiently for me to finish, was shaking. Confused, I looked up to see an expression of pure anguish contorting his normally smiling face as tears flowed from his electric blue eyes causing my heart to clench painfully in my chest.
"I'm sorry, Toshinori. I know my story is kind of depressing; thought, I didn't take you for a cryer," Itried to joke as I used my free hand to play with a piece of my hair nervously. Toshinori closed his eyes and took a deep breath before meeting my eyes again, a serious expression on his face.
"There's something I need to tell you, Rose," he said, his deep voice heavy with whatever he wanted to tell me, so I nodded to indicate that I was listening, "That heroine that protected you… Her full name was Shimura Nana… She was my mentor… She was also the one who gave me my quirk which is called One for All."
My jaw dropped, and the tears I had managed to hold back up to this point began freely flowing as I threw my arms around Toshinori's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. It was my fault his mentor was dead. His voice was so full of pain that I couldn't stand it.
"I'm so sorry, Toshinori! It's all my fault," I sobbed softly into his neck. I felt his muscles stiffen briefly, and I was afraid he was going to push me away. To my surprise, he relaxed and wrapped his arm around my waist and gently pulled me into his lap, hugging me closer and rubbing circles on my back in a comforting manner.
"Shhh… Rose, I didn't tell you that to make you feel guilty. And I know Nana wouldn't want you to feel that way either," Toshinori soothed, his voice almost a whisper in my ear, "Yes, I miss her, but I get to carry on her legacy, and thanks to her, I got to meet you as well." I blushed at this slightly and pulled back to look at him and was surprised to see a smile on his face. He cupped my face with his large, warm hands, gently wiping my tears away with his thumbs.
"I hate to pry, but how did you end up in Japan with a new name?" Toshinori asked, gently encouraging me to finish my story. Taking a deep breath, I leaned into his chest, and his arms wrapped themselves securely around em. There was nothing sexual or anything about this or odd tension in the air and for that, I was grateful. It seemed both Toshinori and I took great comfort in the affection. Listening to his steady heartbeat, I took one more deep breath and relaxed as I finished explaining things to him.
"After my quirk activated, my memory skips for some reason to me waking up shivering on the ground, surrounded by military SWAT teams. They took me in and explained to me that the U.S. did not allow individuals with active quirks to live freely there, so I was given two options: Join the U.S. military and become a weapon with no will of my own or give up my American citizenship and be shipped off to Japan with a new identity, not being allowed to contact anyone from my previous life," I explained.
"I obviously chose the latter. The military was kind enough to allow me to go to the funeral for Isha and Santosh, and then, with no warning even to me, they arrested me in front of everyone after I had spoken at their burial. Everyone was told that I was going to a maximum security prison where I wasn't allowed any visitors.
Each family member of mine and Santosh's were told that they could each write me one letter that would be delivered to me there. From the funeral, I was taken in a military vehicle to the airport. On the way there, I was given a Japanese passport and other documentation with my new name on them, including my two bachelors' degrees, though they put another university on it. Then, I came here, did two master's degrees simultaneously, and then got the job at the junior high here in Musutafu." taking a breath, I shuddered slightly at the thought of the one loose end that I had never figured out.
"You're thinking about All For One, aren't you?" Toshinori asked softly, and my gaze shot up to meet his.
"Do you have a mind reading quirk too?" I joked, still eyeing him somewhat suspiciously. This earned a chuckle from him as he shook his head.
"Rose, get up for a minute. I need to show you something," Toshinori stated seriously, releasing me from his arms. A childish part of me wanted to whine at the loss of warmth, but I did as I was told and moved beside him on the couch.
Toshinori turned to me and grabbed the hem of his oversized white shirt with his left hand and hesitantly lifted it up. There was no holding back the gasp of shock that escaped my lips at the sight before me.
Right where his left lung should be was an angry looking red and purple scar that spread across most of the left side of his abdomen. It appeared to be an older scar, but it still looked insanely painful. I felt fresh tears spring to my eyes at the sight. Who would do such inflict such a horrible injury to such a kind-hearted man like Toshinori? Then, it hit me.
"I'm sorry. I know it's disgusting. I wanted to show you, so that the secrets between us were gone. Long story short, I fought All For One about 2.5 years back. I managed to defeat him at the expense of half of my respiratory system and most of my stomach," Toshinori explained before looking away, "Now, I can only use my quirk for a few hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."
He looked so ashamed and not confident in himself at all. It pained me so much to see, and I realized that I needed him to be happy and confident. Before losing my nerve, I grabbed his hand that was holding his shirt up, letting it fall. I cupped his cheeks with my hands like he did to me before, forcing him to look at me.
"Toshinori," I said gently, "Thank you so much. You're amazing. The scar isn't gross. It just looked painful, and I hate the thought of you being in pain. Just because you can't be All Might all the time doesn't mean you're any less of a hero. Thank you for being here for me and for protecting me and everyone else." He looked at me in shock before giving me a dazzling smile, and I dropped my hands and started to move away from him.
"Now, enough of this emotional stuff. This is my first day of actual freedom in weeks! Let's celebrate!" I suddenly exclaimed, jumping up and punching the air in excitement, earning a hearty laugh from Toshinori.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked, getting up and grabbing his keys and wallet. I grinned. I had been doing research on this since shortly after I was put in the wheelchair.
"I know just the place," I said, my grin widening, "Since we're all about learning about each other today… Go get changed. We're going to a bar I read about." Toshinori looked at me a bit sheepishly.
"I'm a bit old to be bar hopping, Rose," he pointed out, seeming a bit nervous causing me to laugh. Cute.
"We aren't going bar hopping. Just trust me. I'm going to my apartment to get ready. Give me 20 minutes," I informed, giggling as I ran out the door and to my apartment, not giving Toshinori another chance to argue.
-Time Skip to the Bar (TOSHINORI'S POV)-
I sighed internally as I followed Rose into the bar she had picked. At least she seemed really happy, and honestly, she looked really good. Her usually tied back ginger hair was left down and curly, and she was wearing a sleeveless knee length dress with a slight v in it that hugged her curves in a way that was frankly, sinful, and silver flats. Part of me was just relieved that she wasn't going out on her own like that. She would be the target of men for sure, and that just didn't sit well with me.
"What are we doing here, Rose?" I asked her in a quiet voice as we walked into the bar. It seemed pretty low key, not super loud by any means. She just smiled at me and pointed to a sign on the bar.
"OPEN MIC NIGHT TONIGHT"
"There's more for you to learn about me," Rose responded with a smile and a wink as we approached the bar, and she turned to the bartender, "I'll have a whiskey and coke please." The bartender nodded and looked to me, waiting for my order.
"I'll just have a beer," I said, my eyes focused on Rose as she walked over to the stage, which currently wasn't being used. The bartender returned with our drinks, as I continue to watch Rose, my eyes filled with curiosity, and took a drink of my beer. To my surprise, the ginger haired woman sat down at the piano and adjusted the microphone that was stationed in front of it.
"Good evening everyone! Please bare with me. It's been a while since I've played and sang, and I've never done it in a setting like this. But today is a day of new beginnings for me, so here goes nothing," Rose explained as she started playing the piano and smiling in my direction, looking nervous. I grinned at her reassuringly and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, causing her to give me an amused, but relaxed smile and a roll of her eyes as she began to sing.
It's been a minute since I called you
Just to hear the answerphone
Yeah, I know that you won't get this
But I'll leave a message so I'm not alone
This morning I woke up still dreaming
With memories playing through my head
You'll never know how much I miss you
The day that they took you, I wish it was me instead
But you once told me, "Don't give up
You can do it day by day"
And diamonds, they don't turn to dust or fade away
So I will keep you day and night, here until the day I die
I'll be living one life for the two of us
I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me
I'll be living one life for the two of us
Even when I'm on my own, I know I won't be alone
Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song
I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud
I'll be living one life for the two of us
I could feel your blood run through me
You're written in my DNA
Looking back in every mirror
I know you'll be waiting, I'll see you again
But you once told me, "Don't give up
You can do it day by day"
And diamonds, they don't turn to dust or fade away (fade away)
So I will keep you day and night, here until the day I die
I'll be living one life for the two of us
I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me
I'll be living one life for the two of us
Even when I'm on my own, I know I won't be alone
Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song
I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud
I'll be living one life for the two of us
I promised you I'd do this
So all of this is all for you
Oh, I swear to God you're living
Through everything I'll ever do
So I will keep you day and night, here until the day I die
I'll be living one life for the two of us
I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me
I'll be living one life for the two of us
Even when I'm on my own, I know I won't be alone
Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song
I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud
I'll be living one life for the two of us
One life for the two of us
I'll be living one life for the two of us
We'll end just like we started
Just you and me and no one else
I will hold you where my heart is
One life for the two of us
The bar was silent before applause could be heard. I was in awe. Her voice was beautiful, and while she seemed to have messed up a little on the piano, it was still very pleasant to listen to. The song she chose though is what touched me more than anything. The lyrics were beautiful and relevant to everything we had talked about that afternoon, and I saw a glint of hope and confidence that warmed my heart to see from Rose. There was no way for me to reduce my giant grin as she returned to sit beside me at the bar.
"Wow! Rose, that was amazing!" I exclaimed as she sat beside me, sipping her drink. She smiled in return, a content smile that spoke more than words could have at that point. We finished our drinks, paid, and walked back to the apartment, just enjoying each other's company.
I found myself feeling a bit down at the thought of saying goodnight. Tonight had been amazing. Emotional, but amazing nonetheless. All too soon, we reached the apartments.
"Goodnight, Rose," I said with a soft smile as I left her in front of her door and walked towards mine, but I was stopped by Rose grabbing my hand. I turned towards, but she was looking nervously at the ground, a light pink blush across her cheeks.
"Is everything okay?" I inquired, concern lacing my voice.
"Toshi, would it… be okay… if I stayed with you tonight?..." she asked shyly before taking a deep breath to explain, "I still get nightmares that he'll find me ya know? I know you defeated him, but I dunno… I just really don't wanna be alone tonight." I smiled and lifted her chin to get her to look at me.
"Of course you can," I replied reassuringly, "You can use my spare bedroom. Anytime you don't want to be alone, you're welcome here." She just nodded in thanks as we went to my apartment for the night.
As I laid in my bed, I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face as I fell into a peaceful sleep.
Song: Two of Us by Louis Tomlinson