Tamaki kept his eyes on the ox-sized man before him as he made his way down the sidewalk in stunned silence. Though he had certainly seen pictures of Fat Gum before, they hadn't prepared him for just how big his mentor was in actuality.
Taishiro Toyomitsu was a mountain of a man- or more accurately, based upon his shape- a small hill. His bulky, bulbous frame occupied the entirety of the sidewalk as he made his way through town, and his choice of attire gave everyone around him ample warning to move out of the way. The pro hero wore a hoodie of bright, obnoxious yellow that made him resemble a particularly polished bowling ball, and his stylized 'FG' logo was stamped plainly upon its front in white. The rest of his hero outfit consisted of a black domino mask, matching track pants, steel kneepads, and russet gloves, though Tamaki's mind wasn't on any particular facet of his appearance.
Instead, he was focused on how grateful he was that he was literally forced to walk behind his mentor, instead of trying to maintain eye contact as they talked. The pro hero's size and rather eye-catching choice of clothing also meant that all eyes were drawn to him, rather than Tamaki. In truth, those facts alone made Tamaki like the man already, and he felt unusually relaxed in such a public setting.
"So!" Taishiro began suddenly as he continued down the sidewalk. "What are you hoping to get out of this, Suneater?"
Tamaki looked up to find Taishiro looking over his shoulder- a feat that the boy found somewhat impressive, given his apparent lack of neck.
"To be honest… whatever you are willing to teach me, Mr. Toyomitsu," Tamaki answered softly as he diverted his eyes to the sidewalk. "I'm honored that you even considered me."
"Well, it shouldn't come as too big of a surprise," Taishiro replied with a shrug. "Not too often you see someone with a food-related Quirk, and just as rare to find a second-year student with so much creativity and skill before having a work study under their belt. Seeing those two things together told me that you and I would be a natural fit!"
"…perhaps," Tamaki acknowledged as he followed Taishiro across the street. "Might I ask where we're going?"
"A restaurant. Where else?" Taishiro teased as the pair made it to the opposite sidewalk. "What better way to get to know each other than over a shared hobby? Seems to me that we both really like food."
Tamaki smirked despite himself as he mentally ran through the checklist of foods immediately available in his utility belt pouches. He was running low on ox tail, and a restaurant would allow him to restock.
"Yes, we do." The teen paused for a moment and felt his shoulders tense as he tried to force himself to ask the question at the tip of his tongue. After a battle of what felt like minutes, but was in reality only seconds, he managed to speak up once again. "What is… your favorite, Mr. Toyomitsu?"
"Hm…" the man considered as he raised a sizeable hand up to where his chin should have been. "Dumplings, probably. The more meat inside, the better. And how about you?"
"It… depends," Tamaki began as the pair walked up to a small restaurant on the edge of the block. "For my Quirk, I feel that octopus is most beneficial. For myself? Likely… white chocolate. Especially in cookies…"
"A man of taste, I see," Taishiro mused as he barely managed to squeeze through the door. "Not the most common, is it?"
"Not at all," Tamaki admitted as he walked through the door after his mentor.
The entire entranceway smelled strongly of tea, and the scent was enough to cause Tamaki to feel at peace for all of a second. The inside of the building was far more spacious than the side facing the street had suggested, with scattered tables stretching far back toward a staircase against the opposite wall. The main dining room was decorated lavishly with paintings, scrolls, and a central aquarium full of colorful fish that may or may not have been destined for the menu.
"A bit like us, huh?"
Tamaki paused to consider the notion, only for an enthusiastic man behind the counter at the front of the restaurant's entryway to interrupt his thoughts.
"Fat! Where have you been all week!? I practically rely on you to stay in business!" the man joked as he gave the pro hero a hearty wave.
"Yeah, yeah," Taishiro replied with a smirk before gesturing down to his student. "I've been busy. This is Tamaki Amajiki- Suneater. He's my new work study subject. You'll be seeing the two of us around here quite a bit, and I'm sure he'll more than make up for whatever business you've lost while I was on assignment."
Tamaki offered the man a formal bow from his place halfway hidden behind Taishiro, only to find that he had already taken off toward the staircase clear across the restaurant.
"Excellent! Come! Eat! I'll make sure you are not disturbed!"
Tamaki blinked as he rose to stand straight once again, and then moved to follow Taishiro.
"Glad to hear it! We've got some important information to discuss," Taishiro said cryptically as he began to ascend the stairs with Tamaki in tow.
"Hero work, as usual?" the restauranteur asked upon making it to the second floor. "I've been hearing things. Rumors. I'll run them by you later."
"Please do," Taishiro replied, his tone carrying a sudden serious edge. "We could use all of the info we can get. It's getting bad out there…"
"I'm sure," the man replied before gripping Tamaki upon the shoulder and offering a nod as the teen reactively tensed. "Fat's a good man. Pay attention, and you'll learn a lot. Any booth you want's all yours, you two."
Tamaki watched the owner leave without another word. He shivered slightly in place as Taishiro finally turned to face him, and his stomach dropped at the sudden eye contact.
"C'mon, Suneater. We've got a lot to talk about."
"R-right," Tamaki stammered as he followed his mentor into one of the many private booths.
Taishiro pulled back the sliding door and allowed the boy in first, before sitting across from him upon the wide bench inside and pulling the paper door shut with a subtle clack.
"…so. I'm sure you've got a lot of questions for me, but I've gotta ask, now that we're alone- what's Mirko want with you three? She isn't usually the type to pay attention to students," Taishiro inquired with a raised brow.
Tamaki immediately began to squirm in his seat, and his breathing quickened as he began counting the wooden slats within his bamboo placemat. The thought of telling Fat Gum everything in order to earn good will crossed his mind, but he knew that Nejire and Mirio would be less than impressed with him if he did so.
"She… wants to take us to dinner," Tamaki explained slowly. "She offered to help the three of us with our training, after we fought at the Provisional License Exams."
"…huh," Taishiro replied before folding his arms across his chest. "That's definitely a little odd. Mirko's talented, but she's become something of a lone wolf, lately. It's a little sad."
Tamaki furrowed his brows before looking up at Taishiro, his face full of confusion.
"…really? She seemed very eager to work with us…"
"Maybe it's because you're not pros, just yet," Taishiro explained. "When she first started out, she… let's say she made some bad first impressions, in the pro circuit. Classic case of trying too hard, rocking the boat a little too much, and not playing nice when things didn't go her way. People stopped wanting to partner with her, and she started openly speaking out against teaming up with other pros. I feel bad for the girl, honestly. She's not too much older than any of you three."
"…oh," Tamaki answered as he began to pull at his placemat, straightening out the sections of wood. "If you feel badly for her, then… would you be willing to work with her? It sounds like you think she needs direction, and there are… there are other things that I cannot talk about, that you may be able to help us with…"
"Other things, huh?" Taishiro asked as he began to drum his fingers upon the surface of the table.
Tamaki spared the other man a nervous glance before shaking his head emphatically.
"…I can't say. She asked us not to discuss it with you."
"And now I'm even more concerned," Taishiro muttered before heaving a sigh. "Yeah, maybe we can pull her in at some point. Maybe a little olive branch, along with you being here will make her feel relaxed enough to talk."
"I'm sorry for keeping things from you," Tamaki began. "I just… I don't want to make enemies."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Taishiro replied while waving his hand. "I get it. Trust is important, especially when it comes to our line of work. That being said… I'm a firm believer in being an open book. If that's not your style, that's fine, but I'll be honest with you, even when it's not particularly pleasant… or if I think there's something you deserve to know, regardless of who says otherwise."
"…oh," Tamaki said nervously as he pulled his hands down into his lap. He took a deep, calming breath before meeting Taishiro's eyes, his mind racing with possibilities. "Are you… implying that there is something I deserve to know?"
Taishiro leaned a bit closer across the table, and briefly eyed up the closed door to his side.
"There is, yeah. I'm not even fully aware of what it all means, but I think it's unfair to the three of you to keep you in the dark and under false pretenses. These aren't exactly… 'normal' work studies the three of you have been given," Taishiro warned as he leaned in even closer. "We've been given special instructions while watching you in the field. Things to look out for, and records to keep. This is more like an audition than anything, apparently."
"An… audition?" Tamaki asked, a chill creeping through his spine. "But… for what? And whom?"
"…that doesn't make any sense," Mirio denied as he rubbed at his chin. "All Might doesn't take apprentices, like… ever. It's been years since he agreed to take on any interns or work study participants. Why would he suddenly ask our mentors for formal reports on us?"
"It is a little weird," Nejire added from her place seated upon her bright pink comforter next to Mirio. She worriedly swung her legs back and forth over the edge of the bed as she watched Tamaki pace the length of her dorm. "And not only that, but all three of us? Is it like a competition or something?"
"I don't know," Tamaki answered. "Mr. Toyomitsu only told me that All Might asked him and Miss Ryukyu to watch us closely, and report to him after each of our encounters. I'm assuming that Sir Nighteye will be doing the same for Togata, given that he's All Might's sidekick…"
"Or maybe he's looking for two people, and I've already been 'chosen' for whatever this is," Mirio pointed out as he shifted upon the bed. "Sir Nighteye didn't say anything to me, and All Might wasn't at the office."
"…Mr. Toyomitsu said that All Might has been sick, lately," Tamaki explained. "They were both told over the phone this morning. All Might also said that… apparently, one misstep is enough to disqualify us from consideration for whatever this is."
Nejire's face fell as she began to idly fidget with her hands.
"…that doesn't sound like All Might at all…"
"No, it doesn't," Mirio agreed with a frown. "But it does sound like something serious is going on, behind the scenes. Maybe it has something to do with what Mirko told us?"
"…maybe it does," Tamaki replied as he finally came to a stop near the door. "I'm… not feeling so good. I should go back to our dorm."
"I'll be there soon," Mirio offered as he watched his friend and roommate slip out the door.
"I don't like this," Nejire said softly. "I really don't like this."
"Neither do I," Mirio replied. "Especially the part where I was placed with Sir Nighteye. What does that mean?"
"It means that we stick together, no matter what's going on," Nejire resolved as she stood up from the bed and stretched. "I'm coming with you, if you're going back to your guys' place."
"Actually… I think I'm going to go for a walk for a bit," Mirio protested as he stood and smoothed out his cape. "I need to think about this… and you two could use a little privacy."
Nejire smirked and made a noise of amusement as she punched her friend playfully in the shoulder.
"And what is that supposed to mean? We're not dating or anything. Yet."
"But you're still planning on going and easing him into cuddles, aren't you?" Mirio asked with a mischievous smirk.
"Guilty as charged," Nejire answered as she made her way out into the hall.
Author's Note:
Sorry for the late update. This has been… a week. Next chapter is Bakugo's, and it is not going to be a fun one. It'll definitely get the ball rolling for some altered canon events, though.
-RD