Love's Creation (IzukuxMomo)

12: What To Do

*DING-DONG*

"I'm going I'm going!" From the second floor of a rundown apartment building came an elderly man's voice who grumbled under his breath, three sounds of a cane and two feet following shortly as they lumbered down the staircase. Following the cane with right foot first then left came Gran Torino who if painted green would look no different than a small creature at the edge of a galaxy, a permanent scowl on his face for having to put down his newspaper and crossword puzzle book. After an eternity that was seven minutes the old hero finally found the surface of the first floor and slowly hobbled his way towards the front door.

*DING-DONG*

"I'M GOING. Tchughhh, people these days. No patience at all."

*CLICK*

At last the old man managed to arrive at the front door of his apartment to twist and open the knob, using the cane to slip it past the open crack and pull the door open. He squinted against the mid-day sun before his vision focused enough for the silhouette in front of him to become clear and detailed. Gran Torino grumbled into a huff when seeing it was Midoriya towering over the elder with that annoying young smile of his. "Oh great, if it isn't Mr. Waterworks coming to bless my day. And I had to stop my favorite show for this."

"Hey Gran Torino!" Midoriya greeted happily. "Long time no see! Though, I would have preferred to see you in a place that wasn't, well, this. Are you ever gonna move out of here?"

*SMACK*

"Ow!"

"This place ain't broken so why fix it?! You kids, always wanting to go into the new and leave the old behind. If there was anything I thought I taught you back at your internship is to never let an old appearance be your judgement. Even Toshinori's lumbering self knew that much. Come in come in I guess, tchughh."

Gran Torino pivoted and waddled himself towards the dining table in the kitchen as Midoriya entered whilst rubbing the right of his lower jaw, the mark where the old man's cane smacked him on the face stinging and fresh. Shutting the door behind him he too made his way to the table just as the old hero hopped up onto one of the seats with his cane resting over his lap. "So, word's going around that you're back for good this time. Guess those Americans finally got tired of your stuttering and muttering. Hmph, give 'em credit for their patience."

"Yeah, I'm back in Japan for good this time around." Midoriya said as he joined Gran Torino on the opposite side. "Turns out that week long vacation they sent me on last week worked some good wonders for their heroes."

"You mean the week long vacation where you didn't even come to see me despite my movement being the staple of your Full Cowling technique?"

"...y-yeah?"

"Hmph, I'm joking. Not that I would want you disturbing my peaceful abode. So whadduya want anyways? I essentially got nothing else for you kid, just an ordinary old man now."

"Actually there is um, there is something I was hoping you might be able to help me with. An answer, to be more specific. Lately I've um....I've been a little lost."

"That being?"

"Gran Torino, during your hero career when you were at the prime of it or just at any point before you met me, was there ever a time where you didn't know if you wanted to keep going as a hero or not?"

Gran Torino hoarsely hummed as he inspected the man top to bottom. "This is unexpected, especially coming from a young buck such as yourself who wanted nothing but to be like All Might himself. Where is this popping up from?"