"I'm so excited! How do I look?! Do I look okay? Do I look like parental material?!" Keigo stammers, frantically checking his hair in the hallway mirror as we walk to the elevator.
"Do you look like what? Kei, you know that you're not adopting Fumikage, right?" I raise my eyebrow, and Keigo gives me a nervous smile as he joins me before the doors close.
"We are not adopting Fumikage Tokoyami," I deadpan, looking him straight in the eyes, and his wings falter a bit. "He has his own family already," I add.
"But he's the only other person I've met with a bird Quirk!" Keigo mutters, wringing his gloved hands. I blink.
"Dude. You know his Quirk has nothing to do with birds, right? He's just...part...bird...or...something. Whatever the politically correct thing is. Bird-person? Person-bird? I don't fucking know," I ramble as Keigo jumps from foot to foot, his feathers puffing up with excitement.
"I just wanna make a good impression, y'know? The kid is super talented. Aren't you the least bit antsy about mentoring Shoto?" Kei pipes up as the elevator slows down to the lobby floor. I swallow without answering as the golden doors open. In truth, I have no idea how this is going to go. Some part of me is worried he'll compare me to Dad subconsciously. Another part is worried that I won't own up to the pedestal that he's put me on. And even more of me is worried that I'll fuck everything up, and he won't learn anything at all.
When we walk out of the elevator, we see Tokoyami and Shoto standing in the middle of the lobby; Burnin' is already giving some kind of speech, and my stomach turns.
'Moe, you better watch what you're saying to them.'
As if she has a sixth sense for whenever I'm around (which, part of me believes she does), my top sidekick spins around on her heel with a wide grin.
"There's the boss men! We're all getting an early start, today, huh?" She beams, and I give her a tired smile. Keigo immediately stands up straighter beside me, puffing out his chest like he's going to start strutting down a fucking catwalk.
"Yeah, Moe. Can you go ahead and show them to their rooms so they can change out of their school uniforms? We're gonna go on patrol with them when they're ready," I ask, and she immediately salutes me.
"SIR, YES, SIR! Alright, you maggots! Let's go!" She shouts before promptly ushering the two students toward the elevator. We don't even get the chance to talk to them; I guess that'll have to wait for when they come back down.
"You know, we can split up patrol routes if you want! Fumikage and I can start at one end, you and your brother can start at the other, and we'll meet up in the middle!" Keigo poses as we both sit down in the lounge area of the lobby.
"If you promise not to scare the poor kid off or lose him because you went too fast, that works for me," I yawn, rubbing my eyes.
"Y'know. I thought you were gonna let Shinso have a spot for your internship," Keigo huffs, crossing his arms as he leans back into the couch cushion. I chew my bottom lip.
"His...parents weren't so sure about it. I think they're worried I'd suffocate him...but...UA didn't clear me for more than one spot anyway. Shoto had dibs...I managed to get two for the work-studies, though. Shinso seemed really excited about that," I explain with a sigh, and Keigo looks at me with a forlorn expression before subtly weaving his fingers into mine, gently holding my hand.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Whatever Aizawa said that scared you so much during your field course, I'm sure it was all talk," Keigo gives me a half-hearted smile, but it only makes my heart sink as I remember EraserHead's words:
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PHOENIX: A Pro Hero Toya Todoroki AU
FanfictionFor most of his life, Toya Todoroki was a loner. He was a scrawny, broody kid only known for getting in an explosive fight that led to him being held back. That is...until he met Keigo Takami. Navigating love, his own demons, and the road to becomin...
