This Time

Chapter 38

The tour of Might Tower was just as overwhelming as I'd expected, but I did manage to hold myself together at least. Toshinori suggested we start from the basement up, and I groaned at the idea of so many levels to explore.

"I have elevators, obviously," the hero chided my bemoaning dryly.

Impressive didn't even begin to describe the facility, and it was wonder that any place this grand could operate as a non-for-profit. I guess being number one paid really fucking well.

Speaking of number one heroes, Toshinori kept watching me when he thought I wasn't looking - he was probably nervous I was going to go into hysterics again. Don't worry, I've got a grip on it for now, I sighed internally. I was embarrassed I'd lost it in front of him like that last night. My anxiety attacks were less frequent now than they once had been, but when they did rear their ugly head I really preferred that no one be there to witness the way I was unable to control my own body. It wasn't so much that I cared about crying in front of him - he'd seen me cry plenty of times - but it was the vulnerability and weakness I'd never learned to afford myself.

Plenty of people stopped us on our tour wanting to greet or talk with All Might. For the most part, I was ignored until the hero introduced me. Each time, the person's eyes would go wide in shock. Those who didn't recognize me from the news were simply surprised that a new hero would start at the agency, while those who did recognize me usually tried to hide their immediate distrust in front of the boss.

Trust. That was at least one thing I could earn on my own... hopefully.

The place was almost like it's own little city: there was a cafeteria, two different gyms (a general one, and a personal one that could stand All Might's power at his peak), and a recreational area that was probably fantastic for company parties. There were departments dedicated to charity work and community outreach programs. There were also ones for search and rescue, natural disasters, terrorist attacks and international affairs, however these floors were mostly empty. "We're on hiatus," Toshinori stated simply, which made sense, of course. His eyes still held a bit of sadness as he said it, though. There were the usual departments possessed by any company as well - accounting, human resources, et cetera. There were conference rooms, and even a large lecture hall- type room he explained he'd used to hold press conferences in. The basement housed a garage that had several high tech vehicles in it, which certainly amused me.

"What did the super fast and powerful All Might need all these cars for?" I chuckled.

Toshinori shrugged. "Just 'cause they were a little redundant didn't mean they didn't occasionally have their uses. Dave designed a couple of these," he indicated a sporty red vehicle towards the back. "But some of the others I picked up because, well..." he paused and rubbed the back of his neck a tad sheepishly, "I mean, they're pretty cool, aren't they?" Never before would I have taken Toshi for a car man, but to find that he was struck me as positively adorable.

We stopped briefly in the cafeteria to grab some food, and I couldn't help but giggle at the way Toshinori really didn't act like he owned the place at all. In fact, it was refreshing how polite he was with everyone we came across, and even while we had a schedule (albeit a flexible one) he still gave his full attention to each person who approached him and every question he was asked. Obviously he wasn't in the office often - I knew that much simply because I'd lived with him for several months - but that probably wasn't out of the ordinary for this agency by now, and he obviously had people to keep the day-to-day stuff running for him. But when he was here, I could tell from just my short time watching him that he made the most of it. It was sweet, actually, seeing in his eyes how much he truly cared, and it wasn't until that moment I realized that to him this was still another way he could do some good. Here, he could provide jobs which kept families fed, and the community service and charities his agency still assisted even after his retirement helped even more. Even in retirement, he was still as much a hero as ever.