Chapter Text
Kate could kill her family. In fact, that’s what she should have done. When she was a young girl, no more than seven years old, her parents sold her to the most vile villain history had ever known. A man known only by his quirk: All For One. Of course, he wasn’t well known publicly, but he could be found through shady backdoor dealings. Her parents sold her for nothing more than protection against impending war. A war that had yet to happen.
All For One raised her and kept her close to him for the last twenty-eight years. Every day, he instilled vile thoughts into her young mind. Hateful rhetoric about how all pro heroes didn’t care about the public they claimed to love. That the world would be better off if only certain people had quirks. That was his goal, to remove quirks from those that didn’t deserve them and give them to those that did. Some part of her believed him, since she never saw much of the outside world. But another part of her remembered watching pros on television when she was younger, so she questioned how they could have that malice in their hearts.
She possessed a healing quirk. She could stimulate the cells in a person’s body, causing rapid regeneration from any illness or injury. Fortunately, he’d let her keep her quirk instead of stealing it. But she became his pawn, forced to heal whoever and whenever he wanted. She hadn’t even gotten reprieve during the time when he was dormant. All Might had defeated him in a fight, nearly smashing his head in almost two years prior. Of course, it had been her who was forced to sit at his bedside day after day, attempting to heal his wounds.
Now, All For One was using her as a pawn for an entirely different reason. He wanted intel on All Might. Something he could use to kill him when the time was right; When he was strong enough. “You’re such a pretty thing, Kate. There’s no way he could resist you,” he’d whispered to her in that voice that made her skin crawl. Because even though she’d been practically raised by evil, she still retained some of her humanity.
Not enough to stop her from listening to him, of course. Kate’s choices were pretty limited: Either she listened to him, or he stole her quirk and killed her. Even if she wanted to, there was no getting out of this. Maybe, just maybe, if she got him the right information, it might buy her the freedom that she desired.
Over the course of the next several weeks, Kate formulated her plan. All Might was not one who was known to date. He went to every hero gala and formal event alone. In fact, the media had never spotted him with anyone male or female. This was going to be rough, so she needed to make sure her plan was iron clad for the best chance of success.
She started off by getting a sense of his daily routine. For two weeks she tailed him. She was able to find his home relatively easily, but actually following him proved to be a challenge. Finding him was easy, given that there was always a large crowd chanting his name. But because he could launch himself into the air, it was hard for her to stay with him.
In the mornings, she narrowed down that he frequented one coffee shop in particular. He always went extra early, right at their opening at five in the morning. He would buy himself a cup of tea and a pastry of some sort. Usually he could be seen drinking the tea, but she hardly saw him eating the pastry.
After getting his tea, he would walk back to his car and then drive over to his agency. He never spent much time at the agency, only about 30 minutes. It seemed just long enough for him to settle himself at his desk, then change into his hero costume and leave again. From there, he typically rocketed himself into the sky, headed in whichever direction he was going to patrol.
Kate typically would lose him from there. All she had to go on was the direction he went in. After three days of losing him, she finally talked AFO into letting her have a scooter to get around a little faster. This made it easier to keep up with him, but she still managed to lose him on occasion.
After several hours of patrol, he would often return back to his agency late in the evening. He would be inside for at least an hour, so long as he didn’t get called away for some other issue. Often, he never returned home until one in the morning, and didn’t turn his lights off until much later. Sometimes he didn’t sleep at all.
Because Kate was trailing him, his schedule became her schedule. By week two, she questioned how he could even function on the amount of sleep he got, let alone how he could work nearly twenty hours a day. By the time she was ready to set her plans in motion, she was thoroughly exhausted.
She sat in the alley across the street from the coffee shop and watched the clock methodically. The instant it hit 5, she peered around the corner to look down the street. Right on time, she watched All Might climb out of his car down the block. Quickly, she crossed the street and headed for the coffee shop. Before ducking inside, she watched as the group of fans she “tipped off” crowded around him. This would buy her time.
Kate stepped up to the counter and ordered two hot coffees. The actual contents of the cups didn’t matter, just as long as it was hot. Once she paid, she stepped to the side and waited until she saw his large frame pass by the shop window. As she heard the door open, she picked up her coffees and charged for the entrance.
Head down, she ran straight into solid muscle. Both cups of coffee bounced off of him. Instead of spilling on him like planned, the majority spilled onto her, the rest splattered on the linoleum flooring. “Ouch,” she yelled as she bounced off of him and hit the floor with a loud thud.
Toshinori looked momentarily confused by the impact. His eyes scanned for a source. He looked down, finding a young woman had landed hard on her wrists, coffee spilled all over her white shirt. “My goodness,” he leaned forward and reached a hand out to her, “you took quite the tumble. Are you alright? You’re so small that I didn’t see you there.”
Kate froze as she looked up at him. She’d seen him in pictures, on television, and even from a distance, but never up this close. When she trailed him, she stayed at least a hundred yards back, not wanting to be perceived at all. The only time she’d gotten even remotely close was when she had tried to peer in his bedroom window, and that had resulted in her nearly breaking her neck when she fell out of said window.
Up close like this, it was a different story. He was big, towering, with wide muscles that nearly filled her entire visual field. Piercing blue eyes and a concerned smile stared down at her. “Uh…” she stammered as she glanced around her. Coffee cups were strewn about, and she momentarily forgot about the coffee that was searing her skin. “Sorry,” she muttered as she took his waiting hand and stood up. “Not sure how I missed you…” At just barely over five feet, her eyes fell just below the muscles on his chest. “You’re uh… so big,”
Toshinori laughed, brushing her arms as he helped her up, “I hear that quite a lot.” His eyes fell to the large stain on her shirt and he winced, “That looks like it probably hurts. We should get you out of these clothes.” He glanced back over his shoulder, “I think I have a jacket in my car. Come with me.”
The implication of what he’d said wasn’t lost on her, but he didn’t seem to notice. She followed behind him willingly. Outside on the street, a few more people were starting to mill about, getting ready for their workdays.
He turned to look down at her as they walked, “What’s your name, Miss?”
“Kate,” she responded without a thought. She stiffened up as she realized, “Uh… Kate Smith.” She lied. Her real last name, Glass, would have given her away had he looked her up. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have found much about her. AFO kept her hidden away, only using her for his own selfish needs. She’d never been involved in any kind of public scuffle, this being her first attempt at anything of this sort. Either way, she didn’t want him to find information about her parents.
Dave and Janice were not great parents. They’d moved from America when Kate was only two, for reasons she never found out. At present, they were in jail for getting involved in some massive fraud scheme. They were arrested shortly after selling her to AFO, and were slated to stay in jail for at least another twenty years. The only other news that surrounded them, were the false stories about the tragic death of their only child, Ivy. How her death had left them grief-stricken. The one they held a fake funeral for and grieved publicly every chance they got.
Glass was a rare enough last name in the world, let alone here in Japan. A simple search would lead him to the description of their daughter. A strawberry-blonde, blue eyed girl who tragically died at the age of seven. Anyone smart enough, especially a seasoned pro like All Might, would easily connect the dots and question why the 35 year old woman standing in front of them looked exactly like the little girl that supposedly died all those years ago.
“Smith, huh?” Toshinori chuckled as he opened his car door, “That sounds like one of those aliases that people in the US would use.” She winced as he leaned forward into his car to grab the jacket.
She laughed, “Oh yeah, if only that was the case.” She rocked back on her heels as she waited. She half expected the jacket to be some type of All Might merchandise. Decked out in his red, white, blue, and yellow colors.
Instead, Toshinori pulled out a plain yellow sweatshirt. It was pale in color, similar to the color of a Post-It note. He turned towards her and held it out, “I apologize, since it’s already been worn. This is the best I have on short notice.”
Kate smiled as she took the sweatshirt from him, “Thanks.” Without much more thought, she tucked it between her knees and pulled the wet garment off right there in the street.
His eyes involuntarily tracked the movement, He watched her hands grab the bottom of the shirt and then trailed as they tugged upwards, until she pulled the shirt completely off her head. When his eyes fell back to her torso, he expected to find that she was wearing an undershirt of some sort. Instead, his eyes met bare skin. Most of her stomach was bright red from where the coffee had splashed. What lay above that though, made his entire body stiffen.
She wore nothing but a lacey, dark green bra. One that was practically see-through. His eyes widened and he snapped his head to the side, averting his gaze immediately while she finished changing. He cleared his throat, attempting to sound normal about what just happened, “Yes, well… I couldn’t have you walking around in wet clothing all day.”
Kate’s eyes tracked his body language from the time she pulled the t-shirt off until she pulled the sweatshirt on. She watched him ogle her chest, whether or not it was intentional, and then stiffen up like he’d just seen a ghost.
Her original plan had backfired this morning. The plan was supposed to be that all of the coffee would spill on him, and then she would help clean him up and offer to get his suit dry-cleaned. As part of that process, she was going to ask for his number and offer to buy him a coffee sometime to make up for it. When she instead spilled it all over herself, damn sleep deprivation, she’d had to pivot. While stripping in the middle of Minato wasn’t exactly the best plan, it was all she could think of. And, based on his initial reaction, it had a fair chance at working.
She smoothed the sweatshirt over her torso. The thing was massive and she could have easily worn it as a dress. It fell pretty much to her knees, which elicited a small laugh from her. She felt a bit like a little kid playing dress up in her dad’s clothes–not that she ever got the chance to do anything of the sort.
Despite the way that she looked, she didn’t necessarily hate it. The fabric was plush, the inside was made of brushed-back fleece. And the garment itself smelled faintly of cologne; sandalwood, cinnamon, and a hint of something citrus. It was a pleasant smell, one that gave her a warm sensation in her chest.
Now that she was safely dressed again, Toshinori looked down at her, “Is that suitable?”
Kate smiled up at him. His cheeks were still slightly pink tinted from embarrassment. She nodded, “It’s probably the most comfortable sweatshirt I’ve ever worn.”
He gave a contented hum, “Perfect. You can keep it if you’d like.”
She shook her head, “Oh no. I couldn’t do that. It’s yours.”
He smiled brightly at her, “I insist. I own a dozen more just like it.” He shifted a little, glancing about the surroundings before his eyes landed back on her, “Truly, I feel terrible about spilling your coffee on you. Could I make it up to you somehow?”
She paused and hummed a moment as she thought, “It was just an accident. I mean, who would plan to run into someone, just to spill coffee all over the place?”
Toshinori laughed, it rumbled from deep within his chest, “You’re right. What a ridiculous notion!”
Right, ridiculous, she thought to herself. Kate ran a hand through her hair, “But… If you truly insist on making this up to me, maybe we could grab coffee together sometime; your treat?”
A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, “Alright, I’ll take you up on that.” He held a hand out towards her, “I don’t have time now. I’ve got to get to my agency, but if you give me your phone, I’ll give you my number and we could text about when would be a good time to meet up.”
She pulled her cellphone from her pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over to him. She noticed the way that her device, which seemed perfectly sized for her small hands, was almost completely dwarfed in his large ones. She held back a laugh as she watched him fumble his way through her contacts, carefully adding himself. When he was finished, he double checked the information and handed it back. She smiled up at him, “Great. I’ll send you a text a little later on. Thanks again, All Might.”
“It’s the least I could do.” He reached forward and touched her shoulder gently, his hand warm against her body, “It was nice meeting you, Miss Smith, though I wish it had been under better circumstances. I look forward to hearing from you.” Without another word, he turned and climbed into his vehicle.
Kate stood on the curb, watching as he pulled away from the street. She felt a mix of emotions as she stood there. Relief that even though her plan hadn’t gone exactly as intended, it still seemed to work out. Excitement that she had gotten at least a little information out of him the first day; his number could be useful to AFO. Nervousness about their next encounter. And pain from the stinging at her stomach. She would have to use her quirk when she got back home.
Lying underneath all of those others, was an emotion that she couldn’t name. One that swirled deep in her stomach and made her feel uneasy inside. She swallowed hard as she watched his sleek black car vanish around a corner. She had a feeling this unknown emotion was going to stick with her for a long while.
***
When Kate arrived back at the compound she stayed in with AFO and the rest of his lackeys, her phone started to ring. She pulled it from her pocket and sighed softly, “Hello sir.”
AFO’s voice was warm on the other line, “Welcome home, Kate. How did your outing go? Did you find out any information?”
She sunk down on the couch in her private room and pulled the edge of the sweatshirt up to her face, breathing in the scent of All Might’s cologne, “I didn’t get much today. My plan didn’t exactly go how I wanted. But I managed to get his cellphone number.”
“You did very well for your first try.” He hummed approvingly, “Send me that number when you get the chance. And next time, try to work him a little more.”
She nodded, “Yes sir. I’m supposed to ask him out for coffee sometime, I’ll try to work him for information then.” She shifted as she breathed in more of the cologne, “I think that this is going to go much slower than originally planned.”
“Oh? And why do you think that?”
She shrugged, “During the period when I was doing my research on him, I didn’t find much about him ever dating anyone. He’s never gone to an event with anyone other than whichever sidekick he had at the time, and he’s never been seen out with anyone. Even when I was following him, he seemed to only go out to work and then go home. Occasionally he’d meet up with that detective and that old man you told me about. But beyond that, he doesn’t even really seem to have friends.” She cleared her throat, “Given that Endeavor and the other pros all seem to have romantic partners, or at the very least are dating, I don’t think it has anything to do with being a pro hero. I think its safe to assume that his lack of romantic involvement is self-inflicted. I’m going to have to do some digging to try to figure out why.”
There was a long pause as AFO took in this information. Finally, he hummed, “Yes. I believe I know why he hasn’t. But I’ll leave you to find that information out on your own. I’m sure you won't have any problem getting him to open up to you. You’re a very pretty young woman, Kate. I’m sure he’ll have no problem falling for your charms.”
It was the way he said that last part that made her feel sick to her stomach. When their conversation was over, she curled herself into a ball on the cushions. After breathing in the scent of All Might’s cologne for a few minutes longer, she pulled out her phone and sent him a quick text.
“It’s Kate. Let me know what your availability is like so we can plan when to get that coffee.”
As soon as she hit enter, she felt that unidentified emotion swirl in the pit of her stomach again. She got up and headed for the shower. She stripped off the sweatshirt and deposited it onto her bed. Under extremely hot water, she let all of her emotions melt down the drain. She stood under the water for a long while, until the heater started to turn cold. She turned the faucet off and stepped out into the cool air and wrapped a fluffy towel around her body.
As she made her way back to her bedroom, she heard her phone ding. The tone indicated a secondary alert of a text message. She lifted her phone from the bed and opened the messages; it was from All Might.
“Miss Smith, it was nice running into you. Though, I would have preferred it happened under different circumstances. How’s your burn by the way? I have some free time tomorrow afternoon around 3 if that works for you? If not, let me know your availability and I’ll make the time for you. -AM”
Kate couldn’t help but laugh a little at how much he texted like he was writing a letter. “Definitely an old man at heart,” she muttered under her breath. She wasn’t sure of his exact age, but knew he was just making his debut when she was about 13. She estimated based off of that information that he was about 45 or so.
“Tomorrow at 3 sounds great. Are we meeting at the same place as our encounter today?”
After a few minutes, he simply responded with “👍”. She rolled her eyes, “The oldest man.”
***
The next afternoon, Kate got herself ready for their little coffee “date”, if it could even be called that. She dressed in a pretty yellow sundress and paired that with some light makeup and yellow heels.
Just before she could leave to go and meet All Might, her phone started to ring. She felt her shoulders drop as she pulled her phone out and found AFO calling her. She sighed softly as she answered, “Hello sir, how are you?”
“Delightful, thank you for asking,” his voice rumbled through the device. “I understand you’re going to meet up with All Might now, is that correct?”
She nodded, “Yes, that’s right.” She glanced at her watch, “I should get going soon or I’ll be late.”
He hummed, “Well, we wouldn’t want that. But there’s something I need to tell you before you go.”
She sunk back down on the couch in her small apartment style living space, “Yes?”
“Make sure you don’t hint to him at all that you’re involved with me, understand?” He paused for a moment, “You’ll have to be very cautious about everything you say. He’s very perceptive and can sense even the smallest deception. Make sure you’re clear on that background I gave you. We wouldn’t want him to become suspicious and pull away from you, now would we?”
“No sir, we wouldn’t.” She sighed as she glanced at her watch; she was most certainly going to be late now. “Don’t worry, I have my fake background memorized to a tee, and I’ve added in other elements that help it feel more natural. That way, if he asks me follow-up questions, I won’t be left stumbling for an answer.”
All For One hummed appreciatively, “Atta girl. I’ll let you get going. You need to arrive early so you can make a good impression.” Before he hung up, a purple portal opened in front of her.
Kate sighed with a little relief. At least this way, she wouldn’t have to worry about hustling to catch her train. She stepped through the portal and let it transport her to wherever it was going.
On the other side of the portal, she landed in the same alleyway she’d watched All Might from the last several weeks. She smoothed out the skirt of her dress and laughed, “That was fast.”
She stepped out onto the street and checked her watch. Now that she didn’t have to catch a train, she was much earlier than planned. She needed to find something to do to kill a little bit of time. Next door to the coffee shop was a small bookstore. She wandered in there and started to peruse all the different options.
About ten minutes before she was supposed to meet All Might, she purchased the book she wanted, and made her way over to the coffee shop. Inside, she found a table for them and sat down to wait. She opened her book and started to read. Despite a calm exterior, she felt nerves bundle themselves in knots deep in her stomach.
After fifteen minutes, All Might still hadn’t shown. Kate closed her book and looked around the small coffee shop. It’s not like she could have missed him had he walked in. He was so large, surely his presence would have been known.
She got up and walked over to the door. She peered out into the street, looking both ways. To the left, the street was completely clear. Only a few people milled about. On the right, she noticed a large commotion. About two blocks down, at least a hundred people were huddled together in a large group. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she went that way, she would find All Might.
Kate grabbed the rest of her things from the table inside and left the coffee shop, turning to head towards the commotion. The closer she got, the more she felt rage start to twist in her stomach. Two men she recognized were actively engaged in an intense fight with All Might. Flames spread all over the ground in a trail that led to one of the two men: Infernal. His quirk allowed flames to spread from his feet, scorching the ground and making it hard to get in close.
The other man was known as Incognito. His quirk cloaked him in darkness. He usually worked with Infernal, because of the smoke from his flames. Clouds of smoke made it easy for him to disappear, giving him the advantage to move in and strike against All Might.
Kate was cautious to stay out of sight. She knew both men well and the last thing she wanted was to be spotted and have her whole plan ruined. She growled as she turned and vanished down one of the nearby alleyways. She pulled her phone from her purse and dialed All For One.
“Kate,” he answered on the first ring, “aren’t you supposed to be on your coffee date? Why are you calling me?”
She controlled her tone as she spoke, “Considering the fact that Infernal and Incognito are currently trying to fight him, I’d say it’s not going very well. Did you order them to do that?”
“Of course not,” he tutted. “I wouldn’t want anything to compromise our plan, even if they had an opportunity to win; which they don’t.” He hummed, “Go back to the coffee shop, I’ll take care of the obstacle."
She hung up the phone and went back out into the street. She watched as a gray sludge enveloped both Infernal and Incognito. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, taking both men with it. All Might looked around, momentarily confused as the smoke started to clear.
Satisfied with the results of her phone call, Kate made her way back down to the coffee shop and returned to her table. She resumed reading her book while she waited.
About twenty minutes later, All Might finally appeared inside of the coffee shop. Kate looked up to meet an apologetic gaze. He wore a different suit than the one he’d been wearing in the street a short time ago. She stood to meet him as he approached. She smiled up at him, “There you are,”
He smiled worriedly, “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. I was almost here early, but then I got accosted in the street.” He motioned over his shoulder, “I hope you aren’t terribly upset with me.”
She shook her head, “I was mostly just concerned. Fifteen minutes passed from when you were set to meet me and you weren’t here yet. I didn’t think it was very heroic to run late.” She stepped a little closer to him, “But then I looked outside and saw the commotion. I hope everything is resolved.”
He paused for a long moment, trying to decide the best way to respond, “For now it seems. They came out of nowhere and charged at me, but then they just vanished. They came directly for me, so I don’t think there’s necessarily a threat to safety.” He chuckled, "After it was over, I had to run home to change. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to meet with a young lady in a tattered and burned suit.” He turned slightly to the side and motioned towards the counter, “If you’ve still got the time to meet with me, I’d love to buy that coffee for you now.”
Kate smiled, “Lucky for you, I have the rest of the afternoon set aside for you.” As she walked past him, she caught the unmistakable scent of smoke as it clung to his skin. More than that, she could smell that damn cologne, lingering just below the smell of smoke. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she stepped up to the counter.
They ordered their drinks of choice: Kate chose a simple hot coffee with cream and sugar, and All Might got a tea. She led him back to her table and returned to her seat. She smiled up at him, “Thank you.” She wiggled the cup, “For not spilling it on me this time.”
He laughed, “I seem to recall it was you who spilled it on yourself. I just happened to be the propellant that helped it happen.” He lifted his cup of tea and took a sip. His eyes landed on the book he noticed her reading when he walked in, and he studied the cover for a moment. He hummed, “The Art of Seduction, hm? What’s that one about?”
Her face flushed, burning bright red instantly. “Oh!” She grabbed the book and quickly yanked it off the table, setting it on the seat beside her with her purse. She cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably, “It’s um… Just a romance novel! You know how women are! We love our romance novels.”
He had read the cover in its entirety before asking, so he knew she was lying, but he decided to play along anyways. “Oh yeah?” He smirked at her, “I’m a sucker for romantic stories. What’s it about?”
Kate eyed him, “You don’t strike me as the romantic type.”
All Might feigned offense, pulling a hand to his chest, ‘Well I am! I love watching all those romantic films!”
Realizing he wasn’t going to relent, she sighed, ‘Alright. Well, I haven’t gotten very far. But it seems like standard boy meets girl, they fall in love and get married, you know the trope.”
He hummed, “I see. And what seems to be the manner in which they meet? Do they fall in love right away?” He watched the way she fidgeted, he could practically see the gears turning in her head as she tried to make something up.
“W-well.. I haven’t really started it yet.” An idea suddenly hit her and she sat forward a bit, “But! From the back cover, it seems like they run into each other accidentally at a small cafe. Things go slow, shy, the man’s never dated anyone, and the girl has dated a lot. But they seem to really like one another.”
He hummed as he listened, “That’s interesting. Funny, that’s how we met just yesterday.”
She nodded, her cheeks flushing more. Busted. “I know!” She seemed cheerful, “It’s funny how life imitates art, isn’t it?”
Before he could say anything else, the cafe door opened and a swarm of people came in, all chanting, “All Might! All Might! All Might!” He apologized before excusing himself from the table to greet some of them and sign autographs.
After waiting for a few minutes, and seeing that more and more people were coming in, Kate decided to just leave. She stood up, straightened out the skirt of her dress, grabbed her things, and started for the door. She locked eyes with him and gave a small wave.
He waded through the crowd and reached for her, just barely grazing her wrist as she walked past, “Hold on, Miss Smith.” He stepped closer until he was able to set his hand on her upper back, between her shoulder blades, “I don’t feel like I got to properly apologize for spilling your coffee yesterday.”
She smiled softly and glanced around at the crowd of people, “I don’t think this is going to get better anytime soon. Why don’t we just rain check for another time?”
He let out a soft chuckle, “Come with me. I know how we can do this.” He pressed his hand gently into her back, guiding her forward. He weaved through the crowd, apologizing to them and promising to sign autographs soon.
Outside the cafe, he walked with her, his hand still firmly pressed to her shoulder. She looked up at him, “Where are we going?”
He smiled at her, “Well, there’s a couple of options.” He cleared his throat, “I thought we could drive until we found a secluded rooftop to finish our coffee on.”
She tilted her head as she looked up at him, “Or?”
“Or…” He paused, “If you felt comfortable enough, we could just go back to my home and hang out there for a little while.”
She chewed her bottom lip, lost in thought. A secluded rooftop might be a safer option. She glanced up at him. Though, you’ll still be alone with him and he’s big. Either way, you probably couldn’t fight him off. Then again, going to his house might be better, you could snoop for information for AFO.
She cleared her throat, “I think I feel comfortable enough to go to your house.” She nodded with finality as she looked up at him.
He smiled, stopping next to his car, “Perfect.” He opened the passenger side door for her, “Hop in, it’s not far from here.”