I do not own BNHA or its characters.
Enjoy part 7 of "Shoes" I certainly did!
Toshinori wasn't sure how he had gotten himself into this situation. He sat cross-legged on the ground, slouched forward as Inko Midoriya wiped blood from his face with a stubborn frown. He blamed his inability to argue against the motherly instincts of particularly strong women.
The moment he and Inko separated, she had spotted the growing red stain marring the back left of his torn shirt in addition to the scrape at his temple. In seconds, she had ordered him to sit down so she could examine him and sent Izuku off to get the first aid kit she had seen hanging by the door.
"H-here," Izuku said as he jogged up to her and handed her the large box.
"Thank you, Izuku," she replied, quickly opening the first aid kit and rummaging through it with a keen eye. Tears shined in her eyes but her brows were drawn in concentration. "Doesn't have gauze," she muttered with a frown. Without a thought, she took off her white cardigan leaving her with her floral, sleeveless blouse. She handed it to Izuku and ordered, "Tear this into strips."
"That's really not necessary," Toshinori said with a tired sigh. He knew full well he was fighting a losing battle. "The target only just grazed me."
Inko ignored him, "You need to remove your shirt."
"Excuse me?!" Toshinori exclaimed, new blood dripping down his chin.
Inko's brows rose with worry, leaning forward and brushing it away with a handkerchief.
"You have to get that cleaned and looked at," she said firmly.
"I'm fine, really," Toshinori said, trying to reassure her with what he knew was unconvincing smile.
"You are bleeding and your shirt is torn." Inko said flatly, obviously unaffected, "I was a medical student once upon a time. I learned enough to know when someone is not fine. For heaven's sake, be a good example for Izuku. You are allowed to ask for help."
Upon hearing his name, Izuku began to tear his mother's cardigan into long strips, draping each one across the first aid kit.
"You're taking her side, huh?" Toshinori said, giving the boy a mildly annoyed look.
Izuku wore an embarrassed but determined frown, the same as his mother.
"Recovery Girl is away at the Hero M.D.s Conference," he reminded him. "And you need to have that looked at… even if you don't want to show her your scars."
Toshinori sighed. He went and said it. These Midoriyas...
Without a word, he shifted, tugging his shirt over his head, wincing at the way the motion pulled at his old and new injuries. He tossed the shirt at Izuku, smiling with a chuckle when it slapped into his face and draped over him. Izuku's indignant grunt and his struggles to escape the sea of fabric would have to serve as revenge enough.
A small touch jerked his gaze from Izuku to the boy's mother.
Tears spilled from Inko's eyes and her hands trembled as her fingers brushed delicately across his old scars. She traced some of the scars, something behind the tears in her eyes reminded Toshinori of the way Izuku analyzed hero fights. Her lips moved and he quickly realized what she was listing.
"Stomach, lung, two - no - three ribs, skin grafts -"
When she caught his shocked look, she pulled her hand away.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
Whether she was apologizing for her gentle touch or for the wounds themselves, Toshinori couldn't tell. Maybe both.
"You don't have to apologize," he said just as softly. He grinned ruefully, trying to brighten the mood, "So, what's the damage, Doc?"
Inko wiped away her tears, pulled the first aid kit closer, and moved to Toshinori's side. She wet a bit of torn cloth and began to gently wipe at the bleeding spot on the emaciated hero's back.
"You're going to have a nasty bruise," Inko said, her brows pinched in thought as more discolored skin appeared as she continued her ministrations. She dabbed the large scrape dry, holding a wad of clean cloth against the deepest cut. Hesitantly, she moved to check his bones, gently pressing each rib under the thin skin. When Toshinori suddenly flinched away, she stopped, afraid she'd hurt him. Worried eyes met his, "I'm sorry, I -"
Toshinori was covering his mouth trying to hide a twitching bashful smile, a small blush dusted his hollow cheeks.
"Oh." Inko's eyes widened and she stifled a laugh.
Who knew All Might was ticklish?
"How's it look?" Izuku had finally managed to wriggle out from under Toshinori's oversized shirt and knelt down next to his mother.
Toshinori cleared his throat, his smile still twitching a little, and gave her a similar expectant look, waiting for her verdict.
Inko collected herself, looking over the discolored scrapes on Toshinori's that wrapped from his back to his side.
"It's not as bad as it looked," she admitted, glad her worries had been mostly wrong. "Beside one nasty cut, it looks like your shirt took most of the damage."
"So I'll live?" Toshinori asked with a cheeky smile.
"You'd better," Inko sighed, fully aware he was poking fun at her again for worrying about what ended up being not much more than a nasty bump and a few scratches. She dabbed the larger cut and, seeing it was only oozing, dug some antibiotic and a square bandage out of the first aid kit. She smeared a bit of antibiotic on the cut, muttering "Honestly, if you won't worry about yourself, who will?"
"You or your son apparently!" Toshinori said with a laugh.
Inko blushed with a pout. The ridiculous man was still poking fun at her and now her son. Without a thought, she ran a finger up his ribs.
Toshinori straightened with a jolt, his hair momentarily standing on end. He muffled a laugh with his hand, a blush reaching his ears.
"I-Inko!" he sputtered, brows raised in shock and embarrassment making his dark eyes look comically large. He leaned away, thin arms covering his ribs in case she tried again.
For goodness sake! He was All Might! He had seen and done many amazing and strange things but he had never been tickled. Certainly never by someone like Inko.
Toshinori turned to Izuku who was watching the whole affair with wide eyes. "My boy, your villainous mother is torturing me! Is this any way to treat a patient?"
Izuku froze, a red blush rising from his neck to his roots. He covered his face, flustered. "My mom tickled All Might. Oh mygod. AllMightisticklishandhecalledmymombyherfirstnameandsheactuallyjusttickledhim-" his muttering continued behind his hands.
Toshinori laughed his loud, barking laugh at the sight, the volume increasing as he caught Inko blushing a rosy pink as she realized what she'd done. He couldn't help it. He doubled over, laughing even through the following coughing fit.
"You're entertainers, the both of you!" he wheezed breathlessly and clutched his side, sore more so from laughing than his injuries.
It was an unspoken decision that training was over for the day and Toshinori, Inko, and Izuku had retired to a teacher's lounge where Toshinori had found one of his spare collared shirts. Inko was busy preparing tea at the little kitchenette - she had refused Toshinori's offer to make it, insisting he needed to sit still and rest. Izuku found a full icepack in the freezer and handed it to All Might who was noticeably avoiding leaning back against his chair.
"Thank you, my boy," Toshinori said, taking the ice pack. He went to place it against his back, but winced at the way the motion made the large bruise twinge. He frowned darkly in annoyance at himself.
"Here," Izuku sat beside him and took the ice pack from him, placing it against his back.
Toshinori sighed as the cold leaked through his shirt and soothed the ache there. He relaxed, leaning against his elbows on the faculty table.
"Thanks, son. I really seem to be a mess lately, hmm?" Toshinori chuckled at himself, trying to brush off the frustration at his weakness in the back of his mind. "At least, more than usual."
The cold pressure left his back.
Toshinori turned, already missing the relief the ice gave him. Izuku was staring wide eyed at him, something like awe and disbelief etched in his expression. His hands trembled, the ice pack hanging loosely in his grip.
Toshinori quirked a brow, "Something wrong?"
"N-nothing!" Izuku practically squeaked, fighting back a smile and throwing his arms up to cover his red face.
"Here's your tea, Toshinori," Inko said, placing a full mug in front of him.
"Thank you, Inko," he replied with a smile.
Izuku shot up, gesturing at himself, "Would you look at this! I-I forgot to change out of my hero costume! I-I'll be back." He stiffly walked to the door, only to realize he was still holding the ice pack. He quickly returned the pack to the table and dashed out the door.
Toshinori watched the boy leave, a confused smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He shot Inko a sideways look, "Was it something I said?"
Inko smiled slightly, shaking her head. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she shrugged and tried to seem nonchalant when she said, "Well, you did just call him 'son.'"
Toshinori froze then furrowed his brows. No, he wouldn't have said that would he? Sure, he'd realized he thought of the boy as more than a student, even successor, but he'd been so careful since then - he ran the conversation through head.
Ah.
Oh.
He had.
Toshinori splurt blood, barely covering his mouth in time to avoid it splattering across the table. The realization jarred him and he stood, planning to go after the boy even while wracked by painful coughs.
"Sit down! You are going to aggravate your back," Inko fretted, setting her tea down to steer Toshinori back to his seat. He fell into the chair still bent under the force of his hacking coughs.
"I need to apologize," Toshinori finally choked out, worry creeping into his voice. He didn't want to drive the boy away. He'd left so suddenly -
Inko sat down and took his hand in hers. She shook her head and patted the man's hand to get his attention away from the lounge door.
"There's no need to apologize," Inko said with a soft smile. "I'm sure you've made Izuku impossibly happy. Even if accidentally. He's just overwhelmed." She pulled out the already bloodstained handkerchief from her purse, handing it to Toshinori so he could wipe the blood from his chin and palm.
While he wiped his chin, the cold pressure of the ice pack returned to his back. He looked back to the mother of his successor.
Inko wasn't quite looking at him, but passed him, smiling in thought.
"You know," she said wistfully, "He probably doesn't remember, but after Hisashi … after he was gone, Izuku had the hardest time falling asleep at night. He would cry and cry about monsters in his closet or under his bed. But then he saw you on TV. It was just one of your old cereal ads where you defeated a cartoon monster but he absolutely adored you. When he turned three I gave him an All Might action figure and he never had trouble sleeping after that."
Toshinori smiled warmly at the thought.
"In a way, you were there when Hisashi wasn't," Inko continued, adjusting her grip on the ice pack pressed against Toshinori's back.
Toshinori laughed softly, his eyes burned a soft blue as he glanced at Inko, "I'm glad my action figure could do so much."
"That's not what I mean," Inko said firmly. Then her gaze softened, her smile sad. "Izuku was just a toddler. He grew up not knowing what it was like to have a father. That was - that was my fault. After the divorce, I … I didn't know how to trust someone new or bring someone into Izuku's life. If I had been stronger I could have -" Tears fell from her eyes and she hastily wiped them away. She suddenly smiled wide despite the tears still gathering in her eyes, "But now he has you as a teacher and - he looks up to you so so much and he is so happy. I'm glad… I can't thank you enough for giving him what I never could."
Toshinori shook his head. He had no words; he was utterly touched and humbled. What could he say after that?
Inko was truly incredible. Toshinori marvelled at the familiar smile, the familiar strength to put her child first… Inko was so much like her, his own teacher. She even smiled through pain like Nana. But she wasn't Nana, and … somehow that was even more incredible. The way she had been so quick to help him, firm and determined when the circumstances required that of her. Even without hero training, Inko was more heroic than most. No wonder Izuku was a natural.
If only she could see that.
Overwhelmed by his desire for her to understand, he reached between them, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"You severely underestimate yourself. You are strong," Toshinori said seriously, eyes burning fiercely. He squeezed her shoulder lightly, "The boy wouldn't be who he is without you. It's easy being a hero when compared to the strength and sacrifice it takes to be a mother. Even if the boy doesn't remember, you were your son's first hero. Don't ever doubt that."
Calloused fingers brushed the soft, bare skin of her shoulder and it felt like lightning.
Inko stared, dumbfounded at his words and gesture. Tears pooled in her eyes, but did not fall. Her expression so open and vulnerable and genuine. She was gorgeous when she blushed like that.
Toshinori froze. He coughed, heat rising on his face and pulled his hand away, immediately missing the warmth on his fingertips. He rubbed his chest absently, wondering why he suddenly felt nervous and hoping his heart palpitations weren't a sign of an oncoming attack.
You know damn well why, said a voice in the back of his mind, his fingertips practically tingling. Unbidden memories surfaced: the dress shoes he'd worn while teaching only the day before, the warmth he felt when his phone pinged … her hands as they reverently traced his scars without a hint of disgust or morbid curiosity… You've known for a while you absolute dunce.
They sat in not uncomfortable silence, their tea long forgotten and growing cold.
To his regret, something else tugged at Toshinori's mind, or rather someone. He felt a guilty obligation to mention him.
"Izuku wants to get to know his father better," Toshinori said, pausing only a moment when he realized he'd let slip the boy's given name, "Their first meeting was … cut short and I know he hasn't had the chance to talk with him again. He pretends it doesn't bother him but…"
"Yes," Inko nodded, shaking off her daze and adjusting the ice pack on Toshinori's side. "Izuku mentioned he'd like to have more time to get to know Hisashi. Hisashi has been swamped with his job search, but I'm sure he would make time if Izuku could visit."
"I'll see what I can do, though Principal Nedzu will likely want to assign an escort as a part of our added security," Toshinori said thoughtfully.
"You could -" Inko cut herself off, a self-conscious look making little creases on her forehead.
"I could...?" Toshinori repeated, giving her a patient smile when she fumbled with the ice pack nervously.
"Well, if Izuku needs a teacher to bring him to visit - You visit on Saturdays," she visibly steeled herself, "He could come with you to visit with Hisashi during our meeting."
Toshinori grinned, humor crinkling the edges of his eyes.
"If Izuku is with me, there would hardly much to talk about during the meeting," Toshinori teased lightly.
"I'm sure we'd find something to talk about," Inko said, almost too quickly. She blushed and stuttered, but there was something almost coy in the way she met his gaze.
"Perhaps over tea," Toshinori added. Hey hey hey! What -?
"T-there's a coffee shop that just came out with a new tea -" Inko stuttered. Again, almost too fast to catch.
"It's a date!" Toshinori said with a wide, lopsided grin. Then his thoughts ground to a halt.
The ice pack slipped from Inko's hand.
"Ah," They both breathed, a rosy hue steadily spreading across their cheeks.
Then Izuku opened the door to the lounge. He looked between the two of them, fidgeting under their surprised gaze, "Uh, did I miss something?"
To be continued.
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