Starting my first MHA story while the long wait for season five begins. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
_

Around a bustling shopping center, wind rustled the leaves of trees illuminated by the sun's rays. People crisscrossed through the mall plaza entering stores and restaurants alike. Conversations mixed together creating a blur of sound. Within the crowd stood a particular teacher and student duo.

"Alright, let's double-check that list you brought. Still got it?"

"Yeah! Uh, let's see…" the young boy pulled a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket. Emerald eyes scanned the list and mumbled aloud. "Pens, pencils and erasers, notebooks, and folders. I think I'm all set for the last of my school supplies." he declared.

"Even extra notebooks for quirk-analysis?" The older man checked, receiving a nod from his student. "If that's everything, then it looks like our errands are done for the day. What do you say we grab something for dinner before we get you back to the dorms?"

"That would be great! There are so many places we could go, did you have somewhere in mind already?" Midoriya asked, tipping his head curiously.

"Well, Tsukauchi and I were going to try a new American restaurant not too far from here. You're more than welcome to join us, I'm sure he'd be happy to see you again," he said warmly. "Besides–" he leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear. "–it'll probably be better than most of your classmates cooking." He managed to get a laugh out of his successor all while chuckling himself. After a quick phone call with Tsukauchi, the three of them were on their way to dinner.

He sat behind All-Might and Tsukauchi who chatted upfront. He took the moment of rest to look out the window and zone out for the duration of the car ride. Since his mom was at work for the day he and All-Might had spent the afternoon finishing some school shopping.

They were going to a place called The Bayside Suite, a high-end hotel by one of the beaches outside the city. It was a hot-spot for wealthy tourists visiting the city in the summers, as well as pro-heroes traveling for work. Izuku hadn't been there himself, but he was still looking forward to it. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. The cold from the AC in Tsukauchi's car was refreshing compared to the humid air outside.

"Hey!" Tsukauchi yelled. He laid on his horn and slammed on the brakes. All three of them flew forward only to be caught on their seatbelts.

All-Might grabbed the overhead handle with one hand while holding onto the center console with the other. Midoriya's hands flew up against the back of All-Might's seat before he could slam into the other end of his window. The SUV quickly screeched to a stop.

"Watch where you're going next time!" Tsukauchi hollered out his window. He rubbed a hand over his face and let out an aggravated breath.

"You alright, kiddo?" All-Might half-whispered over his shoulder. He gave a small nod in response. His mentor wouldn't say anything in front of him, but he could tell by the scowl he wore that All-Might was not impressed.

What happened? Was somebody hurt? Please tell me there isn't a villain nearby, he silently pleaded. He scooted forward as much as he could to see what they had stopped for. He peaked around All-Might's head to see a man in the road in front of them. He sheepishly waved his hands in front of his chest while grinning back at them, and jogged out of traffic.

"Jeez, the guy must've been born yesterday to be dumb enough to try that," All-Might grumbled. Tsukauchi raised his eyebrows and gave a firm "Hmph" in response. With that, the car rolled forward to continue their trip to dinner.

"What happened? Did he just run out into the road?" He questioned.

"That's what it looked like. What I didn't like was the phony look on his face while he got out of the road." Tsukauchi replied shortly. "You okay back there bud?" he asked with a softer tone, glancing up toward the rear-view mirror.

"I'm okay, just a little surprised is all." Tsukauchi smiled back at him while All-Might reached up and gently ruffled the boy's hair. He smiled at the small gesture and sat back in his seat. He decided against any more naps for the remainder of the ride. A few minutes passed and the beach came clearer into view. Tsukauchi turned right onto a road that led to the hotel and down into a parking garage.

Tsukauchi was wearing a light pink dress shirt and tan pants with matching dress shoes in a darker brown color. All-Might had worn a light blue dress shirt and a pair of dark navy pants with shoes similar to Tsukauchi. Both men's sleeves were rolled partway up their forearms. He wore a pair of tan shorts with a sea-green t-shirt, covered by a light blue windbreaker. His outfit was completed by his signature red sneakers.

Midoriya had heard about this place, but he didn't expect it to be so grandiose. For starters, the restaurant they were going to was on the roof of the hotel. The elevator walls were made entirely of glass, allowing him to quietly marvel at the view they had of not only the city but the ocean too. The ding cued by the arrival at their floor shook him from his thoughts with a small jump, causing the accompanying adults to chuckle. Flustered, he followed All-Might and Tsukauchi out of the elevator.

He had no issue with large spaces even when they were cramped. That being said, they clearly weren't the only group looking to try this restaurant. The waiting area was completely packed with a line stretching out into the hallway from the restaurant's entrance.

Midoriya glanced around at the backs of businessmen and corporate officials alike. Adults holding appetizers and drink samples from waiters socialized loudly amongst one another. Women with diamonds around their necks and on each of their fingers laughed giddily with who he guessed (and hoped) were their husbands. Shortly after walking in, All-Might and Tsukauchi were very quickly offered refreshments.

"We're all set, thank you though." All-Might declined kindly as the waiter moved on to the next group of people. "Man, this place is really something," he remarked.

"Luckily for us, I called ahead to make reservations. I figured it would look something like this, so I booked us seats ahead of time." Tsukauchi said with a smile.

The trio maneuvered their way up to the hostess to be seated. While she and Tsukauchi mingled, he couldn't help but notice the butterflies in his stomach. Still looking around the room, he reached up and held the side of All-Might's dress shirt. His teacher looked down at him, suspicious. He placed a hand atop the boy's head, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth.

It calmed him down a little bit, and he figured he could tell them what was wrong when they sat down. Soon enough, the hostess gathered three menus and led them to their table.

Maybe it's because of what happened in the car earlier? But still, that shouldn't be bothering me now. Not here at least. He wondered. A man walking into him shook him from his thoughts. He stumbled back a moment and looked up at the man.

"I-I'm so sorry sir, are you alright?" Midoriya asked nervously. After a brief glance around, he was suddenly aware of All-Might and Tsukauchi's absence. The man brushed off his overcoat where he had walked into him. The man looked him up and down before speaking.

"Why don't you watch where you're walkin' next time, aye runt?" he snarled quietly. Midoriya scowled sharply at the man. He couldn't stand people like him. Something flickered in the older man's eyes as he stared at him. Suddenly, with a look of realization, a guileful grin crawled across his features.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go eat dinner with my fa–" the man placed a firm hand on his right shoulder, cutting him off. He bent down to look straight into his eyes.

"Say, you're that crazy kid from the sports festival, aren't cha? I've heard an awful lot about you," he trailed off. The deceitful look had morphed into a look of scrutiny he'd seen more than one villain wear before. Midoriya grabbed the man's wrist and tried to pull out of his grasp. He bit his lip to keep from yelping when the man's hold on him tightened.

"Careful, you don't want to make a scene, do you?" Something in the man's voice sent chills down Midoriya's spine.

The man stared at him, silent and cunning. His eyes traveled to the hand where fingers dug into his shoulder. His nails were a dark, shiny gray color, and they looked...metallic? Wait, metal? Why would they b–

"Izuku!" a gruff voice called from behind him, causing him to jump once again. Before he could turn to the source of the voice, the unknown man in front of him moved to appear like he was brushing dirt off him's shirt and spun him around in an instant. All-Might was jogging over to them worriedly.

"Izuku, you scared me half to death! You can't run off in a huge place like this, are you alright?" All-Might placed his hands on his shoulders and looked his boy up and down for injury. Before Midoriya could get a word out, he noticed the older man standing behind them.

"Can I help you, sir?" All-Might asked in a low tone, glaring at the stranger. He subconsciously moved one hand to Midoriya's back and pulled him toward his opposite side, away from the stranger. The man laughed light-heartedly.

"Oh, All-Might! What a pleasure to see you, I hope your retirement has been treating you well. I didn't mean to cause any trouble, sport here just got turned around in all the chaos and looked lost is all. I'm glad you found him though" –the man's cold eyes locked intently onto his– "it would be dangerous for a kid to run around all by himself in a place like this. Be more careful, aye kid?" The man suggested.

Another cold shiver crept up Midoriya's spine, but he held his glare toward the man. He saw right through whatever act he was putting up for All-Might, and he hoped All-Might did too. The man tipped the Old Fashioned he was holding toward them as he turned and left.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He could feel All-Might's eyes on him but refused to meet them, settling to stare at the now vacant spot where the strange man had been standing. All-Might bent down to meet his eyes, before he hesitantly glanced up at him.

"I'm sorry, I-I bumped into him by accident when we were walking to the table. You and Tsukauchi were gone when I turned around…" he trailed off, preparing for a scolding similar to one he'd received after the school festival. All-Might had been fairly irritated when he had gone off-campus for so long, let alone the fact that he fought a villain.

"I'm not upset, young Midoriya. I'm just glad you're safe," All-Might smiled at him. "Now c'mon, Tsukauchi is probably wondering what's taking us so long." With that, they made their way toward a table across the restaurant.

Midoriya stared in awe through the glass panes that lined the sides of the restaurant. The seat Tsukauchi had gotten was at the edge of the building and provided a view of the entire beach beneath them. He could see tons of people walking around on the ground, all of the brilliant gardens and little outdoor shops, and dozens of boats and ski jets leaping across the glistening ocean waves. He could have stayed up there and watched the scene around them all night.

"Heyo, earth to Izuku, you still in there kid?" Tsukauchi teased whilst nudging his leg under the table.

"Yeah, sorry, the view from up here is just so amazing," Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. Tsukauchi smiled and took a sip of his drink. All-Might ordered water with a lemon slice, and Tsukauchi had ordered pomegranate lemonade. Midoriya had ordered an iced green tea that had lime and lemon slices in it, topped with tiny green mint leaves.

"Have either of you been here before?" he asked, glancing between the two men.

"I've been here for hero conferences from time to time, kind of like the event we went to at I-Island. While that event was oriented around support item research and development, conferences here tend to focus directly on quirk research. Based on your hero ranking, we're required to go to a certain amount every year to maintain our licenses." All-Might explained.

"Well, most people are required to attend, but you were always asked to go to them every other week." Tsukauchi laughed in response to an eye roll from the retired pro hero. He smiled at the thought, he couldn't wait to attend events like that when he got older. A sly smirk appeared on the detective's face. "Between this restaurant opening and being so busy, and all the unfamiliar faces, I'd say there's probably a conference happening soon if it hasn't already started."

He gasped excitedly and held clenched fists in front of his chest. All-Might shot Tsukauchi a scolding look. He bounced in his seat, grinning expectantly at the blonde hero beside him. Tsukauchi stifled a snort––All-Might was well aware he had mentioned the conference on purpose. With a sigh, All-Might rubbed his eyes and leaned on the palm of his hand.

"Yes, we can go check out the conference after dinner." All-Might smiled at the younger boy who threw an ecstatic fist into the air.

"Yes! Thank you so, so much All-Might!" Before he could continue, All-Might held up a finger.

"After what just happened with that stranger, we are not staying for very long. We can walk around to see the schedule and booths, but we are not going to any panels tonight." He nodded in agreement. He wouldn't argue, he was just glad All-Might said yes at all.

"Speaking of strangers, what happened earlier, Midoriya?" Tsukauchi prodded. He frowned remembering the man he'd run into only minutes before. Both men looked at him awaiting a response.

"We were walking to our table and a man in a black suit walked into me. He was really snarky when I apologized, but when I tried to leave he grabbed onto my shoulder and wouldn't let me go. He said he recognized me from the sports festival and he had this weird...look. Right when you called out my name he let go and played it off like I had gotten lost, and then he left."

Midoriya looked up between the two adults. Before they could say anything, the waiter arrived with their meals. All-Might had ordered a salmon dish, Tsukauchi ordered fillet mignon, and he'd settled with ravioli. They conversed about the incident as they ate.

"Are you sure you want to go to the conference after that, Midoriya? We don't know what agency that man works for, let alone what if he's even a hero. We could always go check out the shops and beach and come back to the conference another day."All-Might suggested.

"I'll be fine, if we're at an event full of pro heroes, where else would we be safer? Besides," All-Might looked up from his dish to see the most guilt-inducing puppy-dog eyes imaginable. "What if they don't have this kind of conference again and I have to miss out on a learning opportunity, All-Might?"

Tsukauchi choked on his steak trying to cover up his own laughter. All-Might fumbled his words, to which, Tsukauchi absolutely lost it. All-Might face-palmed––how was he supposed to say no to that?

"Fine, fine, we can go. But you can't run off, alright? I know you're going to get excited down there, so don't make me have to grab your jacket the whole time we're down there." His expression turned to one of childish offense, finally allowing All-Might to get a laugh in. Once they finished eating and paid for their meal, they thanked their waiter and left for the conference.