Chapter Text
The walk to Yueei should not be as frustrating and uncomfortable as it currently is. Being 352-years old, making Clover uncomfortable was a tough feet, and Yagi Toshinori had this shit in the bag.
Since his youth, and proper introduction to Clover, Toshinori seemed to hold a sort of special animosity or disdain for her. She couldn't quite grasp it, but it had lasted since he'd been bequeathed One for All, and labeled the Eighth Wielder. Even through her normal song and dance of feeding him during his trainings with Nana and Torino, as well as her opening her home to him (room provided and all), he seemed to hold a one sided-petty grudge. It was quite the strange sight and experience for Clover (who was 322 at the time of their meeting), as she hadn't seen or beheld this kind of reaction since her time in America as a teenager; well over 303 years.
So to be walking towards their shared future job, of which they'll (obviously) be coworkers, in complete awkward tense silence... well Clover was finally going to get to the bottom of this shit hole Toshinori's dug.
"I'm quite the bland and straight-forward person, Toshinori, so I've gotta ask;" her bland tone cutting quickly through the dense fog Toshinori's been using to zone out this entire walk, his sunken blues quickly darting to look in her direction, "What the fuck is your problem with me?" And safe to say, he was shocked. Enough so for a cough of blood to choke him slightly as he wheezes to respond.
"W-what?" chokes through as he struggles to find clean air to breath in. Clover's raging pools damn near rolled into the back of her head; she's not been this passively hostile with some one like this since her time in the fast-food industry, so this was an icky nostalgia she thought she'd never see face of again.
"Well, Toshinori, since the day Nana introduced us, you've held a sort of animosity towards me that I've not experienced for centuries." Her tone was cold, bland, and eerily nostalgic, reminding Toshinori briefly of what abandoned building feel like once far enough in (which to him was tragically ironic). Besides that small point, however, her words seemed to cut him deeply. He knew he was short with her, hell he'd been actively avoiding her for damn near 30-years! But, hate her? Toshinori, in his craziest nightmares, could never fathom hating someone as sweet and nostalgic as Clover Parks.
To Toshinori Yagi, Clover Parks was a precious gem to be protected, and to him (to All Might) staying away was the best protection he could provide. Damn it the woman was basically another mother to him! When his mother, as well as Nana, had passed away in his lowest moments Clover had been there. Everything she preached to his protegee wasn't a lie. Her home became yours once you'd been accepted as one of her own. Especially, when you're like Toshinori and you know her story.
Safe to say, in all his years (which compared to Clover were a blink in time), he'd never felt so ashamed or guilty as he does in the face of this truth. The truth that his actions didn't protect his pseudo-mother at all; no his actions had damn near broken her.
"M-Clover..." the broken whimper that passed his teeth seemed to freeze her; an obvious flicker of something passing her face as she looked up at him just as they'd reached Yueei's gates; "I have never, nor will I ever hate you. My past actions, naive and blinded by fear, were meant to protect yo-" the punch to the gut he received will surely send him on his way to Recovery Girl before their meeting with Nedzu. Raising his head painfully slow, his gaze locked with the misty and enraged glare of Clover.
"You stupid, stupid boy," her tone, blaringly fond, tore tears of sadness from his own, "why would you ever assume that living day in and out, without who I practically saw as a son, would ever be protecting me? I am a grown ass woman, member of the U.N and trained soldier in every form possible... and you believed leaving me would protect me?" The hug was all they needed to put a pause on this much needed conversation, this private conversation. Clover already needed to look for a new property to house more space for her growing family: the Midoriyas; but now she'd need to lay the plan out to Toshinori as well. They had many years they needed to catch up on, and work hours wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for a few of them. Pulling away with a brief tug of his ear, they made their way through the gates to Yueei's front door, ready to take on their next mission.
~~~~~
Toshinori was not ready for this next mission. From their brief tea-time meeting with Nedzu to discuss their positions in the school, the buffoon revealed he hadn't even glanced at the instructor's basics lessons emailed to him to get him started on his basic teaching license. Clover could only feel mildly annoyed, as for the most part she felt fondly of the expected blunder. Turning to Nedzu she placated, "I'll be sure to get him started on those assignments as soon as possible, Nedzu-san." The chimera could only chuckle softly, the creature too feeling only mild agitated fondness. "Miss Clover, why don't you join the current staff in the staff room through that door, there. I'll debrief Yagi-san of the basic importance of the safety regulations of the emails while you mingle, hm?"
Nodding softly, Clover moved to Nedzu's personal entrance to the staff room, walking through without even a glance at poor Toshinori.
~~~~~
When Shouta had been called for the annual end of semester debrief, he wasn't prepared (nor was he looking forward to) Nedzu's mention of new staff. Shouta wasn't, per say, a people person; his night time job being a complete indicator that people were not his favorite. So as he lays bundled on the couch in his sleeping bag, listening to Hizashi prattle on about his latest segment on "Put Your Hands Up Radio", he wasn't prepared at all for when a feeling of pure nostalgia hit the room.
And quite literally, that's the best way to describe his new coworker. Her appearance alone, in his personal opinion, was nostalgic to the 1990's, full on cozy sweater vest with a white clean pressed button up, all tied together with her brown ankle skirt, leather belt, and scarfed hair. From the top of her silver (aged?) hair, to the tips of her booted feet, she screamed "woman out of time".
He wasn't the only one to notice either. From the corners of his vision, Shouta could catch Hizashi and Snipe gazing at her in shock as well. She was pretty, Shouta will giver her that, however all he could feel was intrigue. He could tell his husband, Hizashi, felt that same intrigue. He couldn't say much for Snipe, however. Watching as she seemed to mix together a few bits of dark Columbian roast (Shouta's coffee of preference) into the machine, adding blueberry syrup and honey into her chosen mug (again one of Shouta's preferred as it was large and deep). The smell was just adding to her aesthetic, it smelled painfully nostalgic, like home during the spring when your mother would bake sweets and make honeyed drinks.
Watching as she turned her head, the woman spotted Snipe first. Smiling sweetly, she strides over, "Howdy, I'm Clover Parks, the new assistant Ethic's instructor. And you?" Shouta swears he saw Snipe swoon, this woman was American, and everyone knew of Snipes love and fascination with American culture. Too bad the sputtering fool couldn't get a word out before Nemuri and Hizashi swooped in to introduce themselves, ever the extroverts.
"Oh my gosh, another person to gossip in english to! I'm Hizashi Yamada, the english instructor and General Education department head!" Shaking his painted hand, she smiles softly, and from Hizashi's many rants over American movies Shouta could now see it was the classic 'American hospitality' smile.
"I'm glad that you're happy, Yamada, maybe if you need a hand I could help with grading those english assignments!" Nodding quickly, Hizashi dashed back over to Shouta's side buzzing with happiness.
"Hi, it's a pleasure darling~, I'm Nemuri Kayama. I teach Historical Art here." Nemuri purrs, putting on the full show to see Clover's reaction; and boy what a reaction it was. A sultry, almost smug, smirk of her own settled upon Clover's freckled tan face, her almond eyes turning sly and sultry. The biggest shock to those in the room, however, was the rich Southern American tone the slithered out of her lips, "Why, honey, the pleasure is all mine~." Having completely frozen the room in shock (and poor poor Snipe...) she sashayed out of the office, back to Nedzu's door; not before stopping and turning to the frozen and shaking Snipe.
"And, Darlin'," the tone melted the poor sniping hero to the core, as he turned to her, "I hope to catch your name very soon~" And with that, the door closed leaving nothing but her deep chuckles behind.
"Woooo..." Snipe starts,
"what a woman..."