#oldspace

“...Little shit, didn’t even hear you come in. Should you really be using your powers to sneak up on your parents like that?”

She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t answer my question.”

The villain sighed, going back to doing the leftover dishes. “Technically, every time we get married in a new timeline it’s a renewal of our vows.”

“Okay, but what were your FIRST vows?”

Toshinori thought about it, speaking softly. “... I suppose the first vow I ever made to Rian was that I promised to protect his sister. That was a lifetime before we got married…”

He sighed. “When we first got married… it was as villains, in the bar. I don’t think we ever managed it as heroes… we vowed to support each other in all our endeavors. To never give up on one another, and to never lose the faith we’d built up. To protect each other, and those that followed us, with everything we had. We vowed to remain devoted until the day we were both in the dirt.”

The young girl looked at her feet as they swung back and forth, obviously considering something deeply involved. Toshinori simply shrugged, finishing his chore.

After a moment, Hinata boosted herself onto the counter next to him. “And… you’ll promise the same stuff when you get married again, right?”

“Naturally.”

“That’s good.”

The older blonde quirked an eyebrow. “Why are you bringing this up tonight? I get that it’s Valentine's day, but you aren't usually this… sentimental about things you haven’t seen.”

She quirked her eyebrow as well, like a mirror image. “Because… I’ve never gotten to be old enough to love someone like you and Dad love each other. There were times where I MIGHT have felt something like that, sure, but… not strongly enough to kill for.”

Toshinori thought, for a second, about pointing out the way she trailed after Midoriya and the miniature Todoroki… but instantly decided he wasn’t ready for that conversation and pivoted. “That’s probably for the best, little flower. Devotion can easily turn into obsession, and I don’t doubt that I'd sound a lot more like a lunatic if it wasn't for my memories.”

She giggled. “Dad’s already suspicious… but I think that he thinks that YOU just really like sunflowers too, and that’s why you always get some.”

“He should honestly be more suspicious about—”

“How you sleep together? How you sit with him in your lap? How you give him googly eyes? How you always make sure our bases have soundproofed Master bedrooms? How you have a budget specifically for—”

The older man grumbled, ruffling the girls hair as she giggled. “Mouthy little shit… Twelve year olds aren't supposed to comment on their parents’ sex lives, Hinata.”

The young girl just laughed, wiggling away. Then, she stopped, looking up at him. “...You know… we should tell Dad more about me.”

“... I agree. But we have to do it carefully. Not just all at once.”

“Aren't you going to ask him to marry you?”

Toshinori blushed. “It’s… not the right time yet. I have a date in mind for a wedding, and if I ask now it’ll be too fast.”

“I mean… that depends on the day, I think.”

The older man froze, heat rising up behind his eyes as he slowly glanced back at the sound of footsteps. There, walking slowly from the kitchen doorway, was Rian. He had obviously just ended his shift at the bar downstairs.

And his face looked as red as the blonde’s felt.

The girl’s eyes darted back and forth quickly, before she slinked down from the counter. “Oh boy! I better go watch TV!” She announced loudly, darting out of the room.

Silence.

Silence.

An awkward cough.

Rian fidgeted, looking frantically around the room. “S-so… what day were you thinking of…?”

Toshinori leaned back against the counter, his voice more gruff than he would have liked. “April First.”

The brunette blinked lamely, then looked up. “Why April first? I mean... be a use it's the day you saved me?”

“... Because if enough of our lackeys think it’s a joke, we might be able to keep the party small.”

One beat.

Then two.

Then the younger man burst out laughing, soon joined by his taller counterpart.

“Do you at least have a ring…?” Rian asked shyly, wiping his eyes.

The blonde smiled fondly. “Yes, but since I've had it for three years, we might need to get it fitted.”

The smaller man blanched. “THREE…?”

“The timing never felt right, Kitten!”

“W-well does it feel right NOW?!”

“... If you’ll say yes.”

~~~

All Might carefully maneuvered the small scraps of a human being he was supporting with one arm, skin still prickling from the things he'd seen in that lab, as he locked the door behind them and walked into the hideout's entryway. He'd only been going there to stake things out a bit-- he wasn't planning on demolishing it yet, but... But then he'd snuck his way into the viewing room, right as they were about to start cutting into the largest of the kids. He could tell from scars and little marks around their body that it wouldn't have been the first time... But when he heard that scream, the villain had snapped.

He gently set the bundled up… people down in his couch, turning on a lamp and reaching into his pocket as he unrolled a set of files he'd snatched.

Name: Lilly S.

Age: 8

Gender: F

Quirk: phasing (able to move through objects and cause objects to be free from the laws of physics)

American Import. Caught trying to sneak in to find R#####.

Name: R##### S. (Will fight unless referred to as Ryan Rian)

Age: 21

Gender: # M?

Quirk: Trans-Spatial/Dimensional Warp Gates (portal maker) ((Suppressants required every 10-12 hours to maintain control of the subject))

American Import. Subject chosen for experimentation before being given to…

Toshinori saw the name in the "subject description" and nearly ripped the paper to shreds. Fucking monsters. The notes written throughout the older one's document in red ink were... Odd. Confusing. Why cross out the Female marker, instead of just fixing the document? And the original name was violently scratched out. The age was also surprising. He certainly didn't look like he was in his 20s... He barely looked like a high school kid. The two young girls weren't in any better shape, either… though he had not found a file on the blonde one. The other two were easily recognized as siblings, while that one...

It was odd… she looked at least half Asian. It was a rare thing for blonde hair to mix so thoroughly with Asian features. He didn't really know anyone besides himself with those traits.

The vigilante sighed. He hadn't planned on taking anyone in, let alone three kids. Did he have enough food? He certainly didn't have any clothes that would fit any of them... But they would all definitely need them. And a good scrubbing.

And why the hell was he so ready to let them stay here…?

Why did those faces, that name Rian, look so... Familiar?

Why was that scream so earth-shatteringly similar to something he'd heard before?

All Might tiredly rubbed his temples, heaving a sigh as his phone suddenly rang. He flipped it open— he carried numerous old models that he could easily toss if necessary— and growled. "It's 3am, Nighteye."

"Yes, and you just got back from a surprise raid of the research facility, bringing back several people. I'm three— two blocks away from your location."

The blonde frowned. "What?"

"If you ever listen to a word I say, listen to what I'm telling you right now. All Might, do not touch the blond—"

"FWEEZE!"

Mirai's voice broke off abruptly, and the very air tasted stale as the old vigilante's hair stood on end. Slowly, he turned around, and Toshinori Yagi nearly dropped the phone as he met his own eyes lodged into the face of that cute little girl as she woozily sat upright.

"I don't want anyone ewse tewwing you befowe I do."

Toshinori swallowed, biting back a threatening headache as he inwardly asked himself if he had it in him to punch a toddler.

"... Who are you, and how the fuck did you just stop time?"

"I didn't stawp it…" the little girl grumbled, clambering almost clumsily down from the couch. "I wemoved us fwom it. I need to tawk to you befowe unky Nighteye gets hewe and has a heawt attack."

All Might's eyes narrowed, one eye squeezing shut as his head throbbed. "You didn't answer the first part of my question, squirt. Who the hell are you? You realize I can kill you before you can blink, right?"

The girl sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I'm vewy much intimate with that knowwedge, owd man. It won't be the fiwst time you kiww me."

That gave the vigilante pause, and he hesitated. "... Come again?"

The little girl stood straighter, her hand thumping her chest as she gave the widest and cutest little grin he'd ever witnessed in his life.

5: Tour of F/o's purse/bag/pockets/etc

Rian sighed softly to himself as he picked up his boss's surprisingly heavy pants. He'd been under All Might's wing for a few months now, and has come to realize that the older man had the bad habit of leaving his pockets loaded when throwing his clothes in the hamper.

"Let's see what it is today...."

The brunette pulled out a pair of leather gloves, an oddly packed money clip, some enormous brass knuckles, a comedically worn and well-used train pass, a small notebook--

"I appreciate how reverently you handle my stuff, but you really can just toss it on a table."

The younger man squeaked, dropping the notebook, which All Might expertly caught with a smirk. "S-Sir...!"

"This is where I write down things I have to grab at the store," he said, putting down the notebook. Then, he pulled out two separate phones. "One of these is for business, and the other is a direct line to our phone here, in case I need to get a hold of you."

Rian blushes, fidgetting a little. "That's kind of you..."

"No... It's the bare minimum," the blonde said with a soft smile. "Real kindness isn't something I freely give out... Keep up the good work, Kitten."

With that, the older man ruffled Rian's hair and walked away.

~

7: F/o talking about you or s/i while you aren't there

"And how is our future prince doing?"

Toshinori rolled his eyes, talking himself down from tossing his subordinate off a building. Nighteye was not subtle about his investment in Rian and the young girls, and part of him appreciated that... But it made work hours annoying.

"He's doing fine."

"Has he picked up any hobbies, yet?"

The blonde paused at that, giving it some thought as he continued filling out paperwork. "... He's been reading quite a bit. Also picking up video games... He missed a lot of creative development while he was trapped in that place, so I've been trying to find stories for him to dive into. His younger sister has already put what she experienced behind her, but..."

"But he has more to deal with...."

"Yeah..." Toshinori murmured, then smiled softly. "But he is healing. And I'm proud of him. It's happening much faster than in previous lives."

"That's good to hear..."

The older man realized he was smiling, and forced his face to contort into a scowl. "Now get back to work."

This was a big step for the brunette, and the fact that he himself had requested they go to a place with a way for him to safely be 'outside' showed how serious he was becoming about his recovery.

"It's... Loud out here."

"We're in a downtown area, surrounded by properties and businesses I control. It will be loud here, but you're still surrounded by safety."

"I... Think I can get used to it."

The younger man squeezed Toshinori's hand, and the tall blonde gently squeezed back. Slowly, Rian began to relax his posture.

"I thought... That it would be worse..."

The waning light of dusk over the Japanese cityscape made it hard for Rian to make out details, and he welcomed that fact. This would have been much more difficult if he could see people... But when every shape he saw was a sillhouette, it was easier to forget that the people were there.

"You're doing amazing, Kitten," Toshinori said softly. "I'm proud of you for taking this step."

The shorter man stepped up against the blonde's side, leaning into his bulk and hugging that impressively muscular arm. "It's not that impressive, Toshinori... I know you'll never let anything hurt me. That makes it easier."

"But still... I'm happy you're healing."

The brunette blushed as he suddenly found himself being held, lifted to sit in the crook of the large vigilante's arm. He hugged his boyfriend around the neck, slowly forgetting how open the air was when he looked up at the darkening sky.

"Do you really think I'm healing...?"