This Time

Chapter 33

"He did it!" Toshinori suddenly exclaimed, ripping my attention away from the book I'd been studying and making me jump at the unexpected shout. My knee slammed into the coffee table when I jumped, and I yelped.

"God damn, at least warn me next time!" I complained loudly as the man beside me alternated between coughing blood, laughing, and apologizing profusely. "It's fine, I'm fine," I growled, rubbing my knee where I was sure I'd have a purple and green bruise tomorrow, and I raised a brow at the blonde hero. We'd been having a quiet evening, and I'd been curled up against his side with a third-year textbook in my lap (if I was going to be a teacher, my studies couldn't end where they were now obviously). Toshi had been working on marking some student papers, and the silence we'd been sitting in was companionable and comfortable. When his text alarm went off, I barely registered the sound, but apparently whatever the message held excited him enough that he seemed to forget that I was sitting literally right there. But I couldn't blame him for being distracted, I guess. Today had been a bit rough for him.

The day had been a strange one for sure; to be honest it felt like an emotional roller coaster of sorts. This morning when I woke up to find the bed empty beside me, I was puzzled, and my confusion only doubled when I rolled over to see the closet light on and the door ajar. Pulling on a discarded t-shirt off the floor (it was Toshi's from yesterday), I padded across the hardwood floor and poked my head into the walk-in closet.

"What are you up to so early?" I inquired sleepily.

Toshinori glanced at me as he was pulling the item he sought off its hanger. "Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked apologetically. The garment in question was his silver age hero costume, which served to make my mystification compound even more.

I shook my head, watching him curiously. "No. You didn't answer my question though." There was a dark look in his eye that I didn't like, and he didn't immediately answer as he stepped past me into the bedroom again. As he began to don the suit, I started to get a bad feeling. "Toshinori, what are you doing?" I asked again, trying not to let the hesitance and concern sound so prominent in my voice.

He sighed, pulling the loose-fitting costume over his shoulders and fastening the clasps that held his cape in place. "Something I should have done weeks ago but couldn't find the courage to face." I waited not-so-patiently for him to further explain as he returned to the closet to retrieve his boots as well. "I'm going to Tartarus - I'm going to go pay All for One a visit."

The cold fist of fear clamped down on my throat at his unexpected words. Why?! I thought frantically. Why does he need to go see him?

"Don't look at me like that, Mei," Toshinori said, glancing at me with a frown. He sat down on the edge of the bed to pull the boots on, and I wondered what my face must look like right now for him to look both annoyed and ashamed like that; It hurt to see that expression.

"I'm not judging you, I just don't understand," I admitted hesitantly before sitting next to him on the unmade bed. "And I'm worried."

The hero grimaced. "You definitely don't need to worry about me. I'll be perfectly safe - the prison will have him heavily guarded."

"It's more than just your physical safety I'm worried about," I said softly, and the admission only made his scowl deepen.

"Everything's going to be fine. I'll be fine," he insisted.

"At least tell me why?" I asked, hating how small my voice was sounding now.

Toshinori must have heard it too, and he flinched. Some of the tension left his expression and his eyes softened. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm taking my nervousness out on you, and that's not fair. This is something I have to do though. All for One isn't giving up any useful information when interrogated, but he's much too proud and spiteful to miss the opportunity to try and rile me. We need to know where Shigaraki went, and if All for One knows, maybe I can get him to talk."