MHA/BNHA react to For The Want of A Nail by Clouds part 2

Toshinori awkwardly coughed into his handkerchief as Gran poured them both coffee. Maybe he should have put his will in order before coming?

(several people snorted)

Tamaki: Yes...

Recovery Girl: You really should have a will in place as is you're practically about to die any day now.

Honestly, it probably wasn't a bad idea to have a will ready anyway with the way his health was going. He really wished that visits with his old mentor could be a little less terrifying, but even being in the man's presence brought back all the feelings of inadequacy he'd felt when he was still trying to prove to Nana and Gran that he really did deserve One for All. The reason for the current visit also didn't help.

"Oh, stop shaking Toshinsori." Gran snapped. "I'm not gonna beat up some guy that's already got two feet in the grave, so stop freaking out so we can talk already."

Toshinsori chuckled wryly, "Not even just one foot in the grave, Gran? Two?"

Gran Torino: Oh most certainly two.

"With the way you live, you should be grateful any of you is still out of the grave at all." Gran complained good-naturedly. "You're reckless, kiddo."

"So I've been told." Toshinori fiddled with the handkerchief in his hands. "But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about."

"No, it's not." Gran set down his coffee mug and heaved a heavy sigh, "You're here to talk about Deku."

Aizawa(grumbling): Time for this conversation.

All Might: Other me had better learn.

Toshinori nodded sheepishly, "I... well, I guess I thought I knew how the world works, but..."

"But Deku keeps proving you wrong." Gran finished.

Mirio: He definitely does.

Toshinori shrugged. It wasn't necessarily just that young Midoriya kept proving him wrong, it was that literally everyone else seemed to be willing to give him a chance and from the very beginning, Toshininori just... couldn't. He didn't know how to describe it, but...

"Isn't it my duty as a hero to keep people safe?"

Inko: Yes but this isn't just about Izuku's safety anymore.

Gran took a long sip of his coffee and stared out the window thoughtfully, "Hmmm, I suppose that comes down to the price of safety, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean the price of safety?" Toshinori gestured to his missing stomach. "Because if this is what you mean, I think I've already paid it."

Gran chucked, "I guess in some way you have, haven't you? But that's not what I mean, kid. You studied abroad in America, didn't you? What did they teach you about the Patriot Act?"

Tsunotori: Oh I remember that.

Toshinori thought for a moment. His study abroad had been a long time ago and he would be the first to admit that he had paid more attention to the local villains than he had the classes, with the exception of geography of course. He had had to learn the names of all fifty states, after all. But the Patriot Act sounded familiar.

"Wasn't that a pre-quirk law?" He asked finally. "Something about international security? I didn't think it was still on the books anymore."

Gran sighed, "Even if the law itself was overturned, the effects are still being felt hundreds of years later. And yes, it was about security, specifically keeping America safe from potential terrorists. The details aren't important, but the point is that the Patriot Act offered safety, but at the cost of the privacy of the people it was supposed to be keeping safe. Can you see why there was public outcry once the country realized exactly what was happening?"