Chapter Text
Dressed in his finest jet-black silk suit, Toshinori was feeling jittery and nervous. He was beginning to regret sending Shouta on to work this morning.
He'd offered to take the day off, but Toshinori had insisted he shouldn't miss days so soon into his new employment. So now he was stuck attending his disciplinary hearing alone.
Although the worst part of that so far was waiting for it to be time to leave.
He'd already paced the length of his sitting room more times than he cared to count, so he was presently making his way down to the Tower's cafeteria in search of companionship.
Anything to take his mind off the bundle of nerves festering in his gut.
With all of the chaos going on in his life, it had been awhile since he'd actually gotten to hang out with his employees as he was accustomed to doing.
He hesitated before opening the door to the cafeteria, hoping it wouldn't be too weird for them to see him in smaller form again. He wondered if he should try and maintain the All Might persona full time, now that they knew.
That sounded exhausting though, and they knew him best as Yagi Toshinori, not All Might. Hopefully they wouldn't mind.
He took a breath to steel his nerves and opened the doors.
"Mr. Yagi! Finally !" Was the first thing he heard as one of his actual secretaries, Nyx, rushed over to greet him. The purple skinned person with fluffy white hair and some sort of animal ears was always down for gossip, and had previously maintained a habit of ambushing Toshinori when he used to eat lunch in the cafeteria more often.
With him going out in search of Alpha challenges so frequently, and then avoiding the common areas because of Nighteye, they hadn't been able to talk much even before the media shitstorm that was his reveal, so it was nice to see them now.
"It's about time you showed up. I thought I was going to have to yell in front of the Might gate until you got the hint." They said.
Toshinori ducked his head and laughed. He evidently needn't have worried at all about how he'd be treated. He had good employees, other than whoever happened to be Endeavor's spy. He reminded himself to set Gray to the task of ferreting out just who that was.
Not that he particularly thought it mattered anymore, but getting rid of blatant spies was probably a good standard policy.
"Sorry! Life's just been…busy." He told them with an easy smile. It felt good to catch up.
"I can see that. So many things make sense now. Like how you never seemed to actually turn in any paperwork but remained employed." Nyx joked.
"Hey! I do paperwork sometimes." The blond insisted.
"Sitting in my office while I do it does not count. Neither does whining at the police chief until he does it for you." Nyx rattled off.
Toshinori was pretty sure that counted. It worked, in any case.
"Oh! Congrats on your bonding by the way. Unless you didn't want that, in which case, my condolences."
"Oh! I did want to. It was a little sooner than we'd planned on because of Endeavor being a jerk, but…it worked out." He explained.
Nyx scowled. "Endeavor. Gross. Glad he broke his leg. Should have broken the other for good measure."
"Agreed." Toshinori said with a nod. Really, he wished he would have just punched him across Japan from the get-go. This is what he got for trying to fight nice and limit collateral.
"So, you have to tell me all about this Aizawa guy. Kyo said he was cool but Kyo is biased in favor of grumpy tall guys so I don't believe her." Nyx said intently.
"He's wonderful. I'm honestly very happy with him. I'll have to introduce you all soon." Toshinori said happily.
Nyx frowned. "Never thought I'd see you look so sappy. Gross. Get it together, man. That's too many emotions this early in the morning" They said playfully.
There was a crackle of static as the fabric of space-time was disrupted, and a pink-haired woman sparked into being beside them.
"Personally, I think it's cute." Kyo said. She was Toshinori's primary merch designer and also used her teleportation Quirk to make deliveries.
"Go away , Kyo. Yagi is paying attention to me right now, not you. I need details ." Nyx told her. "How did you even hear me?"
"I was behind the door." Kyo said, gesturing to the door that was barely six feet away.
"Then why didn't you use the door?" Nyx asked.
"And miss out on a dramatic entrance? Never. Anyway, I gotta grab a snack and go. Delivery's due in five minutes, but I just wanted to say welcome back and let you know that I have a bunch of adorable plushie designs for you to look over. Nighteye never let me send any of them because they were "too cutesy" or something like that. I dunno, I liked to tune him out when he talked."
"That makes two of us." Toshinori informed her with a grin.
"Three." Nyx added.
Apparently getting rid of Nighteye was already doing wonders for company morale, even if they probably got less done.
"Anyway, later, Boss!" Kyo chirped, snagging a pre-wrapped sandwich and disappearing with another crackle of static.
"Oh sure, don't tell me bye. Anyway, details." They said, fixing Toshinori with an intense look.
He put up two hands in placation. "Alright, alright. I don't even know where to start."
"How did you meet, start there." Nyx insisted.
Oh, well that was easier. He gave a brief overview of how he met Shouta and how it took him so long to realize that the Alpha was even into him.
"Wow. You are so oblivious, it's great." They said with a laugh.
"Hey! It's not my fault." Toshinori insisted.
"It is though. But sure, go on."
By the time he'd finished his tale, or at least as much of it as he was willing to tell to his employees, he'd gathered a few more of them around, listening intently.
Lutz, his valet. Shion, one of his newly appointed managers. Avi, who handled the company's taxes, and Pest, who worked in Hero agency-government Liaisons. It was nice to see his old lunch-buddy group back together, even though it was currently missing Gray, who handled security detail, and the aforementioned Kyo.
The buglike man who went by Pest raised his hand. "I have one question."
"Yes?" Toshinori knew exactly where this was going.
"...can I eat his capture scarf?"
Toshinori blinked, but wasn't phased. This was an unfortunately common question, coming from a person who's Quirk allowed him to eat inanimate objects for energy. "No. I'd miss it. Pretty sure he would too."
Pest put his hand down, looking dejected.
"I have some paper clips for you, buddy. Don't worry." Nyx said placatingly.
"Fine. I want the red ones. They're spicy."
"Deal."
Toshinori grinned at the nonsensicality of that statement, but was interrupted from his merriment by the chiming of his phone alarm. His previously burning anxiety returned in full force.
It was time to go.
"Lutz, do you mind driving me to my hearing? I'm not sure if I can properly focus on the road right now." He asked the brown haired woman on his right. He could jump there, but then he'd be there faster.
"You literally pay me to drive your car." She answered, looking at him like he was silly for asking.
"It's still polite to ask." Toshinori insisted.
The woman rolled her eyes and walked away, heading in the direction of the garage elevator.
He said his goodbyes to the little group of employees and was soon safely ensconced in the backseat of his vehicle.
He bid his valet farewell at the steps of the courthouse, and entered with his head held high and spine straight despite his worry. Money was useful, but it wasn’t everything. There wasn't much they could actually do to him, as far as he was concerned.
He took on his larger form before entering the courthouse. It was a silly thing, but he'd always felt safer in it since he'd been able to quiet One for All.
He showed his ID to the clerk and was getting checked in when he was approached by an officer.
"Sir, there is to be no Quirk usage in the courtroom." She told him.
"Understood." Toshinori said with a nod. He already knew that from the paperwork, and was unsure why she was bringing it up.
She didn't appear to be satisfied with that answer. "You'll need to lose the alternative form." She said, gesturing to his body.
"I don't have to be actively using my Quirk to look like this." He explained. Because it was true. His muscle's expansion had everything to do with how active he allowed One for All to be, not how much of it he was actually using. His running theory was that his body expanded to contain the overall power.
Her eyes narrowed at him. "You will be placed in Quirk suppression cuffs for the duration as a safety precaution. If these are found to diminish your form, then you will be held in contempt of court."
Toshinori frowned. The outright audacity of these people was staggering. Why should he have to wear suppression cuffs just to attend a simple dress code violation hearing? They were definitely playing this up into something bigger than it should be.
"That's fine." He told her. None of the cuffs on the mainstream market were strong enough to actually force him out of his muscle form. He could technically hold it even in All for One's, even though it was very difficult, and he couldn't actually use any of his enhanced strength with them on. He had a theory that before then, One for All hadn't had the ability to become that quiet.
That his determination to escape had somehow made the Quirk able to be settled down further than before so he could shrink his body. He had no real way of knowing, but it felt nice to have a theorized explanation for something so bizarre.
In any case, he begrudgingly allowed them to put the cuffs on him as he stepped into the courtroom, and was satisfied when he only felt his connection with One for All to be muted, not silenced. His muscle form didn't shift at all.
Several people eyed him skeptically.
"Were the efficiency of those cuffs verified?" Someone asked.
"Yes, I checked them myself." The woman answered.
"Alright. I'll allow it as a heteromorphic trait." Said another.
Toshinori's eyes swept around the room, assessing. There wasn't a single judge, but rather a committee of people that sat behind a long desk on a raised platform. There were a few people sitting out in the main seating area as well. Toshinori was directed to a podium that stood directly center, across from the raised platform.
He took a breath and complied. Some part of his mind could feel a distant echo of Shouta's concern across their link, even with his side of the emotional sense being muted from their one way bond, so he knew he had to quiet his own anxiety somehow. It must be affecting him badly for Toshinori to feel it.
"Welcome. We board members of the HPSC are gathered here today to address non-compliance concerns leveled against one Yagi Toshinori, Hero name: All Might." One of the people across from him spoke. Reading from a paper.
Another spoke. "As a longstanding member of hero society, your grandfathered status meant that you did not have to disclose your designation to the HPSC or public. May I ask why you chose not to?"
Toshinori nodded. "I believed it leant an additional air of anonymity between my civilian identity and my Heroic one. I have many enemies, and it seemed prudent to limit information about my personal life which could connect the two."
The questioner nodded. The blond woman seemed fairly neutral on him, which was a good sign.
"Why is it that you refuse to wear a collar as a civilian?" Another asked. He had dark hair, and seemed unimpressed with Toshinori in general.
"I am currently bonded, so I have no need to wear a collar." Toshinori answered.
"Prior to your bonding." The man insisted with a sneer. Personally, Toshinori felt that was beyond the scope of this hearing. So he said as much.
"What I choose to wear in my personal time has no bearing on my hero work." He said.
"Fair enough, but what you choose to wear while working does. Why have you refused to wear a collar during licensed heroic activities?"
"It's an obvious tell that would have ruined my carefully constructed anonymity and put my personal safety at risk. My hero costume is constructed with extremely resilient carbon-steel fabric, and is strong enough to prevent a bonding bite. I felt that was sufficient protection in accordance with the regulations set forth for personal safety." He very deliberately did not mention that it was also stretchy enough to be pulled down, as Enji had demonstrated. He was going to fix that oversight as soon as possible anyway.
"Collars are to be a separate and Identifiable garment, and must meet thickness and durability requirements for each material type, as noted in section M-12 of the handbook." The central person recited.
"I was unaware of that until recently." He lied. "No such regulations existed when I first applied for my hero license. Back then you only had to keep your neck covered."
That last bit was sort of true, in that you were only bid to protect yourself. There were very few Omega heroes back then, so it was assumed they would know what to do to avoid being bonded to a villain.
"The renewal you signed clearly states these requirements." The man continued.
Toshinori resisted the urge to smirk. "What renewal?"
"Excuse me?" The snarky man asked.
"I haven't signed a renewal form in ages. I assumed it had become automated. I continued to receive my updated licenses in the mail." It was true, too. No one had made him sign anything in the last twenty some-odd years.
The people behind the desk all looked at one another, seemingly bewildered.
Another man spoke up, an elderly gentleman with a bushy mustache. "It appears that your grandfathered status came with automated renewal when the system was revamped several years ago. Be as that may, you were still expected to know and follow the regulations set forth by the commission."
Toshinori nodded. "My apologies."
"Moving forward, you are expected to wear a collar with all future costumes, until such time as you are bondmarked." He said.
"My apologies, but unfortunately that expectation is not in line with the bylaws as they are written in the handbook, which I have since reviewed after my grievous oversight." Toshinori told them.
He was leveled with a flat look. "How so?"
"They state that Omega heroes must wear a collar unless they are bonded, not bond-marked. I am bonded. To Aizawa Shouta, hero name: Eraserhead."
"You are not marked." He stated.
"Correct. However, my partner is . One sided bonds are still legally binding commitments. I consider him my mate and have filed the appropriate paperwork." He'd made sure to do that right away.
"You remain unmarked, and are therefore at higher risk of a villain taking advantage of your biology. Your power in particular makes that a considerable liability for the HPSC to take on." The central man argued.
"Technically, all Omega heroes are at higher risk of villains taking advantage of their biology. Bonds can technically be overwritten, and that being illegal isn't going to stop a villain. In any case, I have fought a villain through a temporary bond, so I have no concerns on that front. "
"When did this occur?" Someone else asked.
"When I went missing, four years ago, the villain known as All for One discovered my secret and held me captive in an attempt to force me to accept a full claim. His attempts failed." Toshinori explained.
"Where is this villain now?" The dark haired man asked.
The blonde haired woman piped up. "Dead. That was a high profile case, and we ruled in favor of self defense on behalf of All Might."
"Perhaps we should revisit that. If he had a legal claim to him…"
Really? This moron was going to sit there and defend All for One ? The man had assaulted Toshinori nearly everyday for two solid months. Just imagining those hands on him again made him feel dirty. The fact that this asshole would even consider that something permissible in the eyes of the law…it was disgusting.
"He didn't." Toshinori insisted. "He never issued an actual challenge. I was temporarily incapacitated by one of his Quirks and woke up in a specialized holding cell."
Not to mention the fact that he'd done more than enough damage to his person to qualify his murder as self defense under domestic abuse laws.
"We only have your word to go on for that."
"That's enough. This line of questioning is irrelevant to the matter at hand." The blond woman spoke up again. "We are here today to decide whether or not Yagi Toshinori is facing disciplinary action and/or sanctions for his past dress code violations, not reopening a murder trial for one of the worst villains to have ever walked the earth. However it happened, All Might did us all a favor in ridding the world of that great evil, at incredible cost to himself."
Finally, someone with some sense.
The dark haired man crossed his arms irritably, scowling at her.
The man in the center spoke. "This concludes our questioning. We will now convene to decide the verdict. Session will resume in one hour." He said with finality.
Toshinori spent the next hour waiting on tenterhooks, especially since they hadn't deemed it necessary to take off the suppression cuffs. The partial blockage around One for All made him antsy.
He texted Shouta reassurances that he was fine, just nervous, though the Alpha seemed skeptical and had already asked if he should leave to come stand with him twice.
When he finally made it back inside the courtroom, he was relieved to at least get it over with. A glance at the committee members wasn't particularly revealing, as neither the blond woman who defended him nor the dark haired man that was after his throat looked particularly pleased with whatever compromise they'd evidently
had to make.
Once Toshinori had taken his proper place, the man sitting center spoke again.
"For your unwitting violation of the Hero Code of Conduct, we have decided to place a partial retroactive sanction on all of the wages earned from your heroics since the new regulations went into effect, as we believe you should have taken time to familiarize yourself with the law." He read.
Toshinori nodded. He'd expected as much. It would probably still be a lot, but at least he had money stashed away.
He was handed a paper, and bit the inside of his lip upon reviewing it. It was more than what he had left in his account.
"You are expected to pay the fine before you are permitted to return to active hero work." The man spoke again.
Toshinori's head snapped up.
Wait. What? He never expected them to be stupid enough to try and prevent him from doing hero work.
"What if there is a situation only I'm able to resolve in the meantime?" He asked, utterly flabbergasted. Did they really expect him to just…not work? To let people get hurt?
"You should have thought about that before you flouted the rules." The dark haired man said snidely.
Toshinori grit his teeth in annoyance.
"We may make exceptions for truly catastrophic scenarios, but those will be on an on-call basis only. You are not to act without a direct order, unless it is to transport another hero to the scene of a crime. For now, consider yourself on un-paid leave until the situation is resolved."
"This is more than I currently have though, I donate a lot of what I earn to charity." He wasn't trying to argue, but it did seem unfair.
"That sounds like a personal problem." The snarky man said.
The central member shot him a staying look.
"Your brand still earns a considerable amount of money outside of your hero work, so you should have no trouble paying the fines in a timely manner."
This was stupid. They were essentially grounding him for not listening to their stupid rule. He had enough money left in his personal accounts to pay about two-thirds of the massive fine, but he hadn't anticipated them putting him on leave . He thought they'd dock it out of his checks going forward.
"Is there any way I could have it taken out of my future pay?" He asked.
"No. We discussed that, and decided it wouldn't be enough of a deterrent to others looking to follow in your footsteps."
Absolute bullshit. Most Omegas wore a collar by choice, regardless of the regulations.
"As far as your bonding, we have agreed that it is technically in compliance with the current bylaws. You do not have to wear a collar for hero work going forward." The dark haired man from before looked extremely salty about that, and the woman who was obviously in his corner looked pleased.
He'd take that as a win at least. Now he was sort of glad that Shouta hadn't marked him. He still wanted him to, but it was nice to have the chance to stick it to the hero commission in the meantime.
"This concludes our hearing. You may remove the suppression cuffs." The man said.
It was cheeky of him, but Toshinori made a show of pulling a pin out of his suit pocket and picking the locks on them himself, before the woman with the key could even get over to him. He shot her a cheesy grin when her jaw dropped open.
"Here, you can have these back." He said cheerily, dangling them by the chain with one finger as he held them out to her.
He hadn't used his Quirk. They couldn't complain.
He walked out of the place with his head held high. Despite the losses, he'd made some wins as well. Right now, his biggest concern was being unable to do hero work.
He could take back some of the money he sent away and just pay the fine entirely, but that would leave him with nothing for emergencies, and he was still counting on it to run and fund the shelter.
A small part of him was also righteously pissed off at the HPSC for daring to prevent him from helping people, so he decided to let them sweat it out a bit. It was difficult for him to ignore people in need, but he would try.
Besides, they'd at least given him permission to transport other heroes to a crime scene to help out. As long as he didn't actively stop the crime himself.
And come to think of it…Toshinori grinned. Alpha challenges weren't a crime . The HPSC had just given him an extraordinary amount of free time on his hands.
He considered all of this as he texted Lutz to go ahead and take the car home, because he planned to jump to his next destination. He also texted Shouta to tell him about the verdict. He could feel the Alpha's annoyance with the commission as a tiny, flickering ember.
He jumped up onto a nearby rooftop, closed his eyes, and strained his enhanced senses to the limit.
It took several minutes, but he eventually found what he was searching for.
Toshinori rocketed through the air fast enough to leave a small shockwave in his wake, and landed in a burst of steam in front of an Alpha who had just issued a challenge to another Omega.
"I am here! With an extraordinary amount of free time. Permission to defend your honor, Sir?" He asked the fretting Omega behind him.
"Oh, yes. Definitely. Thank you. Permission granted." He said.
"Excellent. My apologies, Madam, but I'm afraid you picked the wrong day to issue a challenge." He cracked his knuckles menacingly.
The Alpha woman took a step back. "I give up! I forfeit!" She yelled, dropping to her knees with both hands up.
Damn, this one was smart.
"Very well. I'll allow it." He said, with an incline of his head. The woman scrambled to stand and ran off without a second glance back.
Toshinori turned back to the Omega man, who was holding a wet carbon-fiber collar in his hand.
"All Might, thank you. I spilled my drink down my collar and had only taken it off for a few minutes to let it dry. That came out of nowhere." He blinked in the direction she went. "If she'd have just asked …but it's definitely a no, now." He said with a little shake of his head.
Toshinori had to agree. Some Alphas just didn't have common sense. He escorted the young man home to get one of his backup collars, and then bid him farewell.
He spent the rest of the day happily thwarting Alpha challenges all over Japan, and also arranged for the TV interview that he didn't want to do but figured was probably necessary. He picked one of the smaller studios that he'd worked with before, and it was in the evening, so Shouta could go with him. That was about the best he could do to make it tolerable.
Toshinori met Shouta at the gates of UA right after the final bell rang, largely ignoring the way the young teens in attendance eyed him in awe. He did end up signing a few autographs while he waited, but the second the tired teacher emerged, he only had eyes for Shouta.
The Alpha greeted him by rubbing his cheek against Toshinori's shoulder. "Hey, I saw your texts, I just didn't have time to respond. That's bullshit what they did."
"I'm making it work. I ruined so many Alpha challenges today." He said with a grin. "We also have an interview scheduled for this evening."
"Already?" Shouta asked skeptically.
"I pulled some strings. I just want to get it over with. I'd much rather just do one for Mic, but Gran Torino had a point." He was so beyond dealing with the media for one lifetime. He was hoping they'd give him a break after this. However unrealistic that hope was.
"Who cares what he thinks?" Shouta asked, crossing his arms. The surge of protective irritation that flashed through the back of his mind was incredibly amusing. "I'll drop-kick that old man if he says another word to you about it."
He'd never seen Shouta so riled up over anyone. Something about his mentor apparently rubbed the young Alpha the wrong way. He had a feeling he was going to have to keep an eye on them if they ever had any holiday gatherings. Gran Torino was an antagonist and a half on a good day.
Knowing his crafty mentor the way he did, he had a very good feeling that half of the shit he'd said before had been a test for Shouta, more than his true feelings, but he wasn’t blind enough to think that there wasn't a grain of truth to it all.
Gran must really be worried.
"In any case, I already scheduled it. It would look bad if we canceled now. I can't exactly claim I have hero work to do." Toshinori said sheepishly, tilting his head in appeasement.
Shouta sighed. "Fine. You're doing most of the talking. I hate dealing with the media."
"Of course." He grabbed the unwitting Alpha and took off into the air, ignoring his mate's strangled exclamation and the tickle of alarm in the back of his skull.
"Toshi!" Shouta growled, clinging to him like a frightened cat. "A little warning would be nice."
"Whoever said I was nice? People make the strangest assumptions." He replied airily, laughing when the Alpha nipped him in retaliation.
They arrived back at Might tower and entered via the window. Toshinori wasted no time in pinning his lover to the wall and nipping him back.
Shouta groaned beautifully, but derailed Toshinori's less than pure intentions a moment later by putting his palm across the Omega's face and pushing him away.
"No. You're making me go to this stupid interview, I've got to get ready." He insisted, entirely ignoring Toshinori's subsequent pout.
"I thought you'd just go in your hero uniform."
Shouta scoffed. "On national television? No. I've got to at least attempt to look presentable."
Toshinori had to settle for continuing to pout as the Alpha disappeared into the bathroom and didn't come out for something like fourty-five minutes. He was just wondering if he should go check to make sure he hadn't escaped out a window or something to avoid the press when the man finally returned.
Toshinori heard the door to their bedroom turn, and glanced over, only to abruptly lose his train of thought.
He felt his face flush and grow hot, and no one had better ask him the color of anything, because he wouldn't be able to tell them.
Shouta had somehow straightened his hair and thrown half of it up into a tight bun, and he was wearing an extremely form fitting black suit.
"Ngh." Toshinori made a wordless sound in his throat, blinking rapidly as if to clear his vision. Wow. Just…wow. He felt his mouth water.
The Alpha's lips curled a neat little smirk that told his mate that he knew exactly where the blond's mind had gone.
Toshinori's muscles tensed, but Shouta held up a hand before he could pounce on him. "Aht. No. Interview first. You're not wrinkling my suit."
"What?! Nooo, this is unfair." Toshinori whined. He couldn't just turn up looking like a wet dream and then not let him touch him. That was evil.
Villainy. Of the highest accord. Toshinori gathered up Texas off of the couch cushion beside him and pouted into his cat's fur. Life was cruel.
"You're so dramatic." Shouta told him.
"Don't talk to me, I'm busy suffering." Toshinori answered sullenly.
"You're getting cat hair all over your suit." He said, gently tugging the massive cat out of Toshinori's arms and brandishing a lint roller. He motioned for him to stand up, and the blond reluctantly complied.
The feeling of the man running the roller over his clothes was not helping his sinful thoughts in the slightest. His hands flexed at his sides. If he could just…
Shouta stepped back out of reach. "No."
Damnit. Stupid bondmark, giving away his plans. He let out a put upon sigh. The Gods gave their toughest battles to their strongest soldiers.
He was saved from his misery by a gentle chime from his phone, letting him know it was time to leave. They took the car to prevent their outfits from getting windswept, so Toshinori was further denied the ability to cop a feel. A fact which he spent the entire trip lamenting, much to Shouta's obvious amusement.
He just couldn't fit the Alpha stereotype one time, could he? Toshinori had about twenty years of sexual repression to work through and a hot young Alpha to work through it with. How dare he make Toshinori stick to his own plans instead of jumping him?
"I can't believe you are still sulking." Shouta informed him as they finally pulled into the parking garage beneath the news station's studio.
"Okay, but hear me out: Garage quickie." He offered hopefully.
Shouta laughed, a low and tantalizing thing. "Not a chance. I'm not walking into an interview smelling like sex."
"They can't smell us through the TV!" Toshinori insisted. "Who cares what the interviewers think? We'll probably never see them again."
"You're cute, but no." He answered with a little shake of his head.
Toshinori sighed again.
Shouta opened his door and stepped out, walking around the car when Toshinori didn't budge. "Come on, are you trying to make us late?"
"I'm trying to get railed in a parking garage, but someone isn't being amenable to my generous and reasonable offer." He snarked, but let out yet another long-suffering sigh and exited the vehicle anyway.
"Later. Now come on, get your mind out of the gutter and put your game face on." He instructed, grabbing hold of the taller man's hand and tugging him along towards the elevator.
"What number is the station room?" Shouta asked.
"Oh, number one, the big one." He said. Toshinori had done a few interviews for this station before. They were generally alright folk, for reporters, even if he'd rather not deal with their kind at all.
Being familiar with the layout, Toshinori took the lead after they exited the elevator, guiding Shouta to a massive round room where the higher profile interviews were held. He greeted the reporter, a woman whose surname he knew was Okazaki.
"Hello, All Might, thank you for agreeing to do this interview today." She said with a firm handshake. She looked past him to Shouta. "And you must be Mr…?"
"It's still Aizawa." He said. The two of them had kept their own surnames when they registered their bonding. Toshinori didn't particularly care about his name either way, and had offered to change it, but Shouta had insisted that he maintain his own identity. Toshinori was thinking about filing a marriage certificate, too, once they'd had their actual bonding ceremony.
It wasn't strictly necessary, with the legal precedence set for bonding, but it would be nice to be able to call Shouta his husband as well as his mate. A statement that their relationship was built off more than the fact that they happened to be an Alpha and Omega pair.
"His hero name is Eraserhead. Please call him that." Toshinori instructed. Shouta deserved to be acknowledged as a hero in his own right, not just as All Might's mate.
Okazaki nodded. "Right, my apologies, All Might, Sir. If the two of you can take a seat, then we can get started. We are scheduled to go live in two minutes."
Toshinori took the primary seat directly in front of the reporter's, and Shouta took the seat beside him. The Alpha's face was utterly expressionless, and Toshinori could feel just how badly he felt that he'd rather be anywhere else than in front of bright studio lights and four giant cameras which were capturing them from several angles.
Toshinori pressed the side of his foot against Shouta's to offer the only bit of reassurance he could. Video interviews were not an enjoyable affair.
"And going live in 3…2…1…" the woman's expression shifted into a bright, camera ready smile at the same time Toshinori pasted on his trademark grin.
"Hello there, Folks! This is Okazaki Aoi reporting live from the Hero News Network Studio, where the Number One hero and his newly bonded mate have finally agreed to do an interview for us."
She paused, and Toshinori gave a jaunty wave for the camera.
"It's so nice to have you in the studio again, All Might. It truly has been awhile."
"Yes, my life has been rather busy as of late." He answered with a lighthearted, casual air.
"Now, I've compiled a list of the most common questions that have been asked by the public in recent days, so I thought we could work through those with our time here. Does that sound good to you?" She asked.
Toshinori nodded. "Of course."
"One of the biggest questions that has been asked is this: why did you hide your designation for so long?"
"When I was young, my biggest desire in life was to give people hope. Even back then, I knew that I didn't just want to become a hero, I wanted to become a Symbol of Peace for the world to look at and feel safer. I felt it better that my personal information be kept separate from that Symbol I aimed to become, and my designation was part of that." He let out a self depreciating chuckle. "Perhaps it was selfish of me, but I wanted at least a part of my identity to remain mine alone."
He'd thought about it long and hard, and decided that he would focus on the identity aspect, rather than concerns about harassment. He didn't want other Omega heroes to think that he'd been ashamed of who he was or avoiding the sorts of troubles that naturally came with being an Omega in an Alpha-dominated field, even if that was partially the case.
"Don't you feel like it would have been helpful to aspiring Omega heroes to know that you were one as well?" She asked.
"Yes. I've thought of that often over the years. In the end, I suppose I grew comfortable with my anonymous lifestyle. My fellow Omega heroes have my deepest apologies for any undue stress that may have caused them."
The woman nodded. "Recently, you were abducted as a civilian. What was going through your head then?"
Oh, they wanted to know about that . It made sense, but goodness, he did not especially want to talk about it. He decided to just keep it brief.
"It was a scary time. I was given powerful Quirk nullification and drugged with a serum that sent me into a forced heat. I had no idea how long the effects would last, and was only focused on getting out of there. I am very grateful to Eraserhead for saving me from that terrible situation with his quick thinking."
"Is that what prompted your relationship?" She asked.
"Surprisingly, no. He checked in with me once in the hospital to ensure I was alright, and we went our separate ways. It wasn't until we ran into each other a few weeks later that we began to get to know one another."
"I see. Before your Heroic identity was revealed, your civilian identity had become somewhat infamous for refusing to wear a collar despite being unbonded. Would you care to explain your reasoning for that?"
Toshinori bit the inside of his lip, considering. He'd always declined to answer that question, as he truly felt it was no one's business but his own, but perhaps…perhaps it would be good for other Omega heroes to know that even the number one hero had faced terrible perils, the likes of which many of them may have also faced as Omega heroes.
He'd already told the Hero commission's committee earlier today, so the information would be out there. He'd rather address the public himself then have them receive it paraphrased through the grapevine.
Toshinori closed his eyes briefly to steel himself, shrugged off his suit jacket, and then carefully began undoing the buttons on the white-collared shirt that had rested beneath it.
Just enough to be able to peel back his collar and display the jagged lines across his bonding glands. Places where All for One had dragged his fangs across his skin, purposefully hurting him in retaliation for his refusal to submit to his claim.
"Listen carefully, because this is the only time that I will address this question." He informed the reporter. "These scars were given to me by a villain. The world at large does not know his name, but he went by the title of All for One. He was a dastardly man, and he took my refusal to submit to him very personally."
Okazaki listened with ever-widening eyes, leaning forward on the edge of her seat.
"I spent two months held captive by him, during which time I experienced sexual assault, psychological manipulation, and outright torture on a daily basis.
These scars are a testament to the perils I've faced as an Omega hero. They're also a blatant reminder of a time I'd rather not revisit. Covering them with anything heavier than light fabric is extremely uncomfortable, and I did not feel like I should have had to do so in order to live my life in peace."
"I see." She said softly. "I take it that you preferred to deal with the unwanted challenges rather than cover them with a collar?"
"Yes. Collars are often cumbersome and uncomfortable, and I am in a rare position of privilege to be strong enough to fend off most attackers, so I chose not to wear one. It was never something that I intended for anyone to emulate, and wasn't even meant as a statement as much as an expression of personal comfort.
Before my recent abduction, very few people ever realized I was an Omega with my stature and routine use of scent blockers, so it was never a problem." He explained.
"After those videos dropped, I suddenly found myself at the center of a lot of unwanted attention that I was unaccustomed to in my civilian guise. I chose to defend myself rather than change my attire."
"Since then, you have been recorded as going on the record calling for an end to all Alpha challenges. There have also been reports of you spending time defending fellow Omegas from them. What do you have to say on that matter?" Okazaki asked then.
"The same as before. I personally believe that Alpha challenges are outdated and have no place in a civilized society. Omegas deserve the right to autonomy as much as any other person, and I am happy to put my considerable power to use in upholding that right. That feeling has not changed just because I am bonded."
She nodded again. "An interesting take on the cultural norms surrounding this issue, for sure. About your recent bonding. Reports from the incident that day state that you were not actually marked."
"I was not." Toshinori confirmed.
"I was." Shouta spoke up, briefly tugging aside his suit collar to show off the shiny scar of his now-healed bonding mark. They always tended to scar thickly, for whatever reason..perhaps to make them more visible.
"Is there any particular reason why you chose to bond in that way?" She asked the pair of them.
"I did not want to pressure him into accepting a bonding bite from me when we hadn't discussed it before then. I took over the challenge issued by Enji Todoroki to prevent him from claiming my mate against his will, so I wasn't about to do the same thing to him. I would have lost the challenge and accepted the consequences otherwise. I would rather have not seen him for six months than taken away his autonomy." Shouta explained in a soft, yet stern voice.
"Certainly a rare stance for an Alpha to take." She noted with interest. "What do you think of that, All Might?"
"That right there, is why this Alpha is my mate. He has never put any pressure on me in regards to our relationship, and also, he did exactly what I said an Alpha should do if they had an Omega they wanted to court…he sent me flowers." He said with a cheeky wink towards the camera.
The indignation that echoed from Shouta's end of their bond was hilarious, but Toshinori didn't dwell on it, instead pressing on.
"At every stage of our relationship, even when we were only friends, he made it a point to respect my personal space and my wishes. That hasn't changed because we're bonded now, either. It's for that reason that I was happy to accept him as my mate, even if it happened far sooner than we would have planned." Toshinori reached out to snag the Alpha's hand, gently kissing the back of it before letting their entwined grip settle in his lap.
Shouta's cheeks were pink despite his otherwise-expressionless mask. It suited his ensemble so nicely. He looked back at the reporter to see her looking misty-eyed with an expression of awe, and Toshinori found himself rubbing the back of his neck bashfully with his free hand.
"Sorry, sometimes I can't help myself." He said. "He's just so great, you know?
"I can see that. Well, I can personally say that I'm very glad to see our Symbol of Peace so happy, even if the circumstances weren't ideal. On that note, I saw reports earlier that you have been temporarily suspended from Heroics for your many years of uncollared hero work. How do you feel about that?"
"It's extremely disappointing, for sure. I was actually suspended indefinitely until such time as I have paid the remainder of the fines I incurred at my hearing. Luckily, I've estimated that it should only take me about three months to pay off the remainder of them."
She frowned. "Are you concerned that your absence will result in a uptick in villainy?"
"It's certainly possible, but I have utmost faith in my fellow heroes to handle the increased workload. Besides, the villains shouldn't get too comfortable," he said, holding up an index finger. "They are considering me to still be on-call for catastrophic events. I'll be there if I'm needed."
"Of course, we wouldn't expect anything less from our Symbol of Peace. With this break from hero work, how are you planning to spend your time?" She asked next.
"Oh, that's easy. Being suspended from Heroics means I can't actively fight crime, but presently, Alpha challenges are not a crime." Toshinori turned and looked directly at the camera. "To the Alphas who think that issuing challenges is an appropriate behavior…you might want to think twice. I am here, and I don't agree."
"Well, that was certainly a bold statement from our number one hero, folks! Look alive, Alphas, you might be better off sending those flowers after all!" She said with a laugh. "This concludes our interview for the evening. I'd like to personally thank you, All Might and Eraserhead, for taking the time to meet with us in these troublesome times. We look forward to hearing from you again."
And with that, the cameras cut, and the woman relaxed into a softer, more genuine smile. "A pleasure as always, All Might. I enjoyed having you out." She looked over at Shouta. "It was nice to meet you, too, Eraserhead."
The Alpha silently inclined his head.
"Well, we'd best be off. Thank you for taking it easy on the questions Miss Okazaki, I appreciate it." Toshinori told her earnestly. That was much nicer than he'd expected it to be.
"Of course. I'm a big fan, Sir. I filtered out all the nasty ones to the trash bin where they belonged." She said with a grin.
Toshinori beamed at her.
That said, they bid the woman farewell and made their way back to the elevator.
"Did you have to get all sappy on national television? Nem's gonna torment me forever over this." Shouta complained lightheartedly.
"I'll put her on top of the fridge till she stops." Toshinori said, still grinning.
They reached his car, and Toshinori had the best idea.
"So, about that parking garage quickie…"
Shouta rolled his eyes. "I've had enough of being plastered all over the tabloids, I don't need my ass on there as well."
"It's a nice ass, why not show it off a little?" Toshinori ventured.
"I should have known you'd have an exhibitionist kink. No. We have a bed, and we're using it." He said with authority. It was enough to have his Omega instincts urging him to comply, however annoying that was.
It was Toshinori's turn to roll his eyes. Of course, now the Alpha in him came out. "Fine. Get in."
If he broke a few speed limits on the way home, could anyone really blame him?