This one shot is like, a year and a half old off of Patreon. I've been trying to be a little more proactive about posting things off of there that are old and just sitting!

Third person pov

Toshinori had always dreamed of having a close bond with his successor, similar to the one he had with Nana. She'd been more than a teacher-- she'd been like a mother to him, and Toshinori had always fantasized that he may form the same relationship with his own student. For decades he'd refused to get close to anyone for fear for their safety, and even now with All For One gone, there was the issue of his injury being secret.

But Izuku knew about his injury. Izuku, who was so brilliant and bright and smart. God, that kid's smart. Smarter than Toshinori ever was, with a sharp and analytical mind that seemed quick as a whip. Toshinori's not sure he really knew what joy was before he begun getting to know him, getting to befriend him.

Toshinori's only real friend is Tsukauchi-- and perhaps Dave, though they seldom talk these days-- but the detective is so busy that it's hard to meet up. They text often enough, but what he has with Young Midoriya... it's different. There's a connection there, a building friendship that Toshinori cradles like a small flame. For all Izuku's hero worship and awe of him, he still gets to know Toshinori just as well as he does All Might.

In fact, if Toshinori didn't know any better, he'd say that Izuku saw no difference between the two.

It's the little gestures. The making American recipes Toshinori had mentioned missing, but in smaller, modified portions his lack of a stomach could handle. It was asking him random questions, like his favorite color, or how his day was, or what his favorite place he'd ever visited was and why. Izuku was genuinely interested in Toshinori Yagi, and it made something in him bloom and unfurl blindingly.

Toshinori's never fully allowed himself to love since Nana. Not in the bone-deep way people talk about on TV. It's dangerous to love something, because having someone that important to you becomes a liability at some point. They are in danger, and so are you if someone can get to them. Love makes you stronger, but it can be wielded against you like a weapon if the wrong person finds out about it.

But it's impossible not to adore Izuku, and Toshinori... well, he lets himself. He lets himself have this, lets himself dote on the kid, listening to him mumble and ramble about heroes, and school lessons, and training, and anything he wants to talk about. Getting to know Izuku turns into one of the greatest and most riveting joys of his life, making him feel so light and airy he cannot fathom how he was surviving before.

Toshinori is certain that he's felt happiness before. That, before his injury, he was happy. This, though? This is a level of elation he hadn't realized was even possible. Like walking on clouds and rays of sunshine. Like dancing to a song no one else can hear, but it's the best goddamn thing you've ever heard and you can't help but hum it to try and convey even just a fraction of it's momentous orchestra to those around you.

He's had best friends before. He had Dave, and he had Mirai. This... This is different. Dave and Mirai were best friends with All Might, but Young Midoriya? He's best friends with Toshinori too. He looks to Toshinori with eyes just as sparkling as the ones he gazes upon All Might with. He sees him as a person and not just a hero, and it's everything.

Toshinori'd never really put much thought into having children. After learning that Nana gave up her own, he'd told himself he'd never do that, that it would never even be an option. He refused to let his loves ones die, and-- well, they couldn't really die if he didn't have any to begin with, could they? All Might stepped forward, and Toshinori Yagi faded almost entirely out of existence.

Until now, of course.

He hasn't heard his name so often since before he was a hero, he doesn't think. Every time Izuku turns to greet him with a bright smile, a cheerful "good morning, Mr. Yagi!" leaving his lips despite Toshinori's insistence that he need not be so formal. He never fails to grin back, unable to contain the bursting glee within him. Izuku is the best student, best successor, he could have asked for.

He's going to take the world by storm. He's going to be better than All Might ever was, Toshinori can tell. The love Toshinori feels grows in leaps and bounds. Every time he ruffles the boy's hair, and every time Izuku opens his mouth to let his inquisitive side shine through. After a few months of training, his shyness had faded almost entirely, leaving him naturally bouncy and optimistic.

It's as close to having a son as he'll ever get, and All Might is completely okay with that. More than okay with it, actually. A part of him is almost jealous of the boy's mother, who gets to hold position as Izuku's official and legal parent. Gets to take care of him, watch him grow and learn, be there for him through all his highs and lows and support him.

Gets to be family with him.

It was evident that Izuku adored his mother. From the way he talked about her, with reverent respect and a bashful smile. She sounded like an amazing woman, one that Toshinori knew he'd need to be meeting soon. In all honesty, he probably should have when this all started. To explain things, and introduce himself-- at least as Toshinori Yagi, if not as All Might.

He doesn't stress over it too much. He monitors Izuku's work outs, making sure he doesn't hurt himself, and falls into what he thinks may be the best and most cherished friendship he's ever gotten the pleasure of having. He and Izuku click, which seems to him like even more evidence that the boy was meant to succeed him and carry on the torch of One For All.

It is because of how close they become that Toshinori is so ashamed that it took him over a week to find out. To find out that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

It starts when Young Midoriya shows up late to their typical afternoon beach meetings one evening. The boy has never not been early, always there and already stretching by the time Toshinori arrives. When Toshinori gets there and realizes he's not there, alarm bells immediately start to go off in his head. He grows antsy, shooting off a few texts to his student asking if he's okay, wondering if he should call.

The minutes tick by. He knows something is off, can feel it in his gut. He tells himself that he's overreacting. He's always fretting over Young Midoriya, over his diet, his work out, his general health and wellbeing. Always asking if he's being treated nice at school, if he likes his teachers, if he's run into any trouble on the streets. He remembers what it was like to be quirkless, and he imagines it's worse now.

Izuku always smiles and brushes him off. Changes the subject when his sleeves or shirt ride up to reveal scars a boy so young shouldn't have, starburst in shape, some still pink and a little raw. Toshinori feels himself begin to panic when the thirty minute mark approaches, convincing himself of the worst. The thought of anything happening to Izuku makes terror claw at his weak heart.

Just as he convinces himself he's going to go to the boy's address and check for himself, he turns and sees him shuffling towards the staircase. His usual bounce is absent, his shoulders slouched and drawn in, his head ducked. He looks sad, but he's alive and looks relatively uninjured. The panic in Toshinori leaves him in a whoosh.

Toshinori rushes over, almost tripping in the sand as he goes. Though the boy's here, the alarm bells continue to shrilly ring, telling him something is off, off, off. One For All croons sadly in him, like it might know something Toshinori doesn't. Toshinori reaches out to his student's shoulder carefully, slow and gentle.

Izuku looks like he didn't sleep a wink. His eyes are red and puffy, cheeks still sticky from shed tears. He looks a little confused, his hair more of a mess than usual and his brows drawn in. He looks so lost that a piece of Toshinori's heart cracks off and falls, shattering into a million pieces. The expression his student wears is so blatantly sad that he can't stop himself from leaning over and hugging him.

Izuku goes rigid in his long, gangly arms-- engulfed by his mentor's sheer height even out of his hero form-- before he's breaking and hugging back. Toshinori holds him as he shakes, mind going a mile a minute trying to figure out what's wrong. Someone or something at school? A death in the family? The boy is anxious-- perhaps it's just a bad day, and he was having a hard time.

"I-I'm sorry-" Izuku chokes out in a small voice. "I-I didn't mean to be s-so late, and--"

"Shhh." Toshinori shushes him. "You're alright. It's alright, Young Midoriya. Why don't we take a break from training today? That diner you told me about-- I've been wanting to try it."

Toshinori isn't sure how long they hug, but eventually Izuku nods and gathers himself with deep breaths, wiping at his eyes furiously as hiccups rattle his chest. Toshinori keeps an arm around his shoulders, resisting the urge to shake the boy down for answers. The thought that someone might've made him this upset lit a fire Toshinori had never felt before beneath him.

Toshinori did not anger easily. But as the day passed and they went to the diner, Izuku withdrawn, dazed, and quiet-- well, it was obvious this was more than just an anxiety attack. Something had caused this. Something bad, something someone else had likely caused. Toshinori was already gleefully plotting revenge and ways to stop this from even happening again, even if he had no idea who or what had caused this.

He prodded lightly, but Izuku deflected. Tried to plaster on a smile, tried to make small talk that faded back into that introspective, lost-in-thought silence. He ate the food Toshinori ordered for him robotically, his stutter back tenfold, his eyes downcast. It made Toshinori's heart hurt, and he had no idea what to do.

As the sun set and he was still without answers, Toshinori grew antsy. It was time for Izuku to go home and he knew that. It just felt-- wrong. Like he should be keeping an eye on him, making sure he was okay. Because he wasn't, not right now. Even if their break eating and walking around had calmed him out of his initial panic, there was still a heaviness to him, a sadness that had him distracted and bogged down.

This had to be what having a child was like. Only it was ten times worse, because it's not like Toshinori could dig too deep, or prod too hard, or follow him home to make sure he was alright. Well-- he supposed he could. He doubted Young Midoriya would be upset by it. It just... wasn't his place. That's all.

"Izuku." Toshinori's voice comes out firm, serious and earnest. He holds his student by the shoulders, blue eyes boring into watery green. "If you need anything, call me. I don't care what time, or what it is. Anything. Even if you just want to talk, I'm always here. All you have to do is pick up the phone and I will always, always come. Whatever is wrong-- it will be okay. And if it's not, then I will make it okay."

Izuku hugs him again, then. Sending him off somehow feels like one of the hardest things Toshinori has ever done, even if the boy musters up a small, reassuring smile as he goes.

Toshinori doesn't sleep at all that night. He paces in his room. Calls Tsukauchi, waking him from a dead sleep, panicking. Gets talked down from breaking into Young Midoriya's apartment at one in the morning. Paces some more, contemplates texting his student, tries to convince himself that he'll see him in the morning since it's the weekend, stresses some more. Googles parenting articles, cries a little. Rinse and repeat.

He feels like he's going to combust by the time it comes time to meet Izuku at the beach. His heart is racing, his shoulders are tense, and Toshinori isn't sure he's felt this on edge since his fateful fight with All For One. What if Izuku had needed him yesterday and Toshinori had missed all the cues and left him? Sent him off home by himself? The mere thought made him sick to his stomach.

Their meeting time approaches, and-- there. Izuku appears at the top of the stairs, standing up straighter than before. There are dark bags under his eyes and his smile isn't quite as bright, but it's there, and that's better than nothing Toshinori sags with relief, smiling dopily back at his student as he begins to stammer out flustered apologies, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly-- a tick he picked up from Toshinori.

He doesn't say why he was upset, doesn't allude to any reasons. There's a certain look in his eyes, but he keeps smiling and chatting as usual, so Toshinori lets it slide. Even if the boy seems like he's forcing himself into this brightness, it's better than him crying, than the distance from before. Whatever happened, it would be cruel to expect him to get over it in a day.

Toshinori convinces himself that if Young Midoriya needed him, he'd say something. He'd ask. When he was ready to talk about it, if he ever was, he surely would.

(He should have known better.)

Because every day after that, even though Izuku smiles, and is optimistic, and chatty-- the bags under his eyes grow. He gets tired quicker, looking downright exhausted by the time they're done training. His smiles sometimes wane and stress lines his shoulders at all times. Toshinori thins his training regimen slightly in hopes of easing some of the tension, but it doesn't appear to work.

Toshinori's concern is a ravenous beast, rising up in him, all-consuming and driving him to panic every chance he gets. Something is wrong. He knows something is wrong but he still doesn't know what, and if he doesn't know what, then that means he can't fix it. He's never felt so powerless in his entire life. Watching Izuku wither like this is-- it's terrible.

Because Izuku is supposed to grow. He's supposed to turn towards the sun and let it warm him, let himself soak up the rays. Toshinori can see him trying. He tries so hard, but his smiles get weaker and weaker by the day. The ones he does give don't reach his eyes, and sometimes Toshinori catches him rapidly blinking away tears, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

Something is breaking his successor. His child. And Toshinori is watching it happen all in real time, over the span of just a few days.

Izuku's strong, but he feels so much more than everyone else. Quick to cry, quick to smile, quick to laugh. Toshinori loves that about him, but he knows that it too has its downsides. Whatever is going on, it's probably striking the boy deeper than he lets on. He's good at hiding things, better than most, and Toshinori's heart aches.

It takes ten days for things to come to head. Ten days of Izuku growing more sallow and exhausted. Ten days of Toshinori stressing, his nights sleepless. Ten days of worry, ten days of hidden tears, ten days of fading smiles, ten days of soft questions and no answers. Ten days of Izuku suffering, and ten days of Toshinori foolishly doing nothing about it.

It is a ten days he will likely never forgive himself for. Because even if he did try, he could've done more. As an adult, as a hero, as a mentor, he could've pushed and gotten answers.

When Toshinori shows up at the beach that afternoon, Young Midoriya is already there. He's sat in the sand, a backpack on one side and a massive duffle bag on the other. He sits there, staring out at the ocean, still dressed in his middle school uniform instead of his work out clothes. Toshinori's heart all but stops when he sees the scorch mark on the shoulder and sleeve, his throat tightening.

His student is shaking. Trembling all over like a leaf in the wind. He doesn't seem to hear Toshinori's approach, not noticing him until his teacher's shadow is casting over him. Toshinori feels his soul fracture as his successor turns to look up at him, tears staining his face, a desperate, grievous expression on his face. One so full of hurt that Toshinori could almost feel it physically.

The man was in the sand next to him in moments, pulling his student into him just as Izuku choked out a sob. The freckled boy clung to him, burying his face in his mentor's shoulder, shaking so hard Toshinori had to hold him tighter just to keep the kid from vibrating right out of his arms.

Toshinori clenched his eyes shut against his own tears, forcing his breaths to come out careful and measured. He told himself that it was okay, that it would be okay. He had Izuku. He had him, and he was alright. Upset and hurting, but he was breathing, his heart was beating, and he was safe. Toshinori would keep him safe.

Izuku hugs him like he's afraid Toshinori will leave. Like Toshinori is the last thing he has left in this world, like he doesn't know how to let go. Toshinori holds him back hard and hopes to the heavens above that his successor knows how much he means. How important he is. That even if there was no quirk to pass on, no mantle for Izuku to take, that he would still be just as amazing.

Time has little meaning in moments like these, Toshinori is coming to find. Toshinori does not rush. He just rubs soothing circles on the boy's back, feeling a little scared and a lot useless. That same fire that had lit beneath him the day Izuku came late, tears in his eyes and uncharacteristically quiet, blazes high and hot. It tells him to do something, anything.

"It's okay." Toshinori reassures, even if he's not really sure it is. "You're okay. It's going to be just fine."

"I-It's not. It's not." Izuku hiccups out with such certainty that another part of Toshinori's heart starts to crack, ready to break away and turn to dust. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so s-sorry. I'm--"

"Shhh." Toshinori soothes. "You have nothing to apologize for."

That, at least, he is certain of.

The sun's setting by the time Izuku's sobs quiet and he finally stills, only the faintest of shivers running through him every so often. He pulls back from his teacher slightly, wiping his tears. Toshinori's eyes are drawn to the thick duffel bag sitting in the sand by his student, and he feels a sinking feeling start to form in the pit of his stomach the longer he stares at it. It's stuffed full to the brim quite clearly with clothes. A lot of clothes.

Izuku sees him looking and ducks his head, looking ashamed and sad. His hand curls hard around the handle of the duffel, his jaw clenching and unclenching a few times nervously. Toshinori offered a fragile sort of smile, soft around the edges and reassuring as he reached out to settle an encouraging hand on his student's back.

It didn't take his successor long after that. A few deep breaths, and he spilled what was wrong. And Toshinori-- well, he'd never been more simultaneously horrified and flabbergasted in his entire life.

"M-My mom, she-- I came h-home one day and she--" Izuku swallowed thickly, unable to look Toshinori in the face as his cheeks grew redder in his distress. His voice cracked, coming out weak as he hiccupped. His breathing was still erratic, his tone shaky and his hands unsteady even as he clasped them together. "She-She... left. Sh-She left a note. She couldn't-- I-I'm quirkless, and she couldn't deal w-with... with i-it. So she-- she le-left, and th-then rent wasn't p-paid and--"

It's like having ice water spilled down his back. It's worse than Toshinori ever could've imagined, and the delicate calm his student had mustered up breaks into a million tiny, tiny pieces all at once. He buries his face in his hands, shaking his head, choking on his own tears. Toshinori stares at him with wide eyes, a hand still on his back.

His mother. His mother whom Izuku adored, always talked about, always boasted about, always adored. A woman that had the utter privilege and honor of raising this boy... and she'd left? She'd abandoned him? She'd gotten to have him, gotten to have the most amazing son in the world, and she'd decided to leave him on the basis of him being born without something he didn't even need to begin with?!

Izuku had... he'd probably been terrified this entire time. Completely heartbroken. The only family he'd ever mentioned had left just like that, with nothing more than a note blaming him for something he couldn't control. For the past ten days, he'd been living with this. Wondering what he was going to do, knowing his time in his home was limited.

His own mother. No wonder Izuku had been so quiet. He'd been in shock, and what had Toshinori done? This whole time, his student had been suffering alone in silence. And Toshinori hadn't noticed! Izuku, whom he'd grown to love so much, grown to know, and he just-- he hadn't reached out when he needed help. He hadn't saved him.

Rage follows the ice rather abruptly. Rage unlike any Toshinori had ever felt in his entire life. It rushed through him, hot and unforgiving. Anger at himself, yes, but mostly at Midoriya's mother. Inko was her name, wasn't it? Toshinori would find out. He'd find out and he would grind her into the ground with the heel of his goddamn boot.

She'd left her child all alone. Someone who trusted and relied on her, who loved her. Did she even know how lucky she was to have known Izuku at all, let alone have him as her child? Did she know her own son at all? If she had, she surely wouldn't have left. Toshinori couldn't wrap his head around the idea.

Toshinori shook his head. Now wasn't the time. Inko Midoriya would pay for this-- even if it wasn't Izuku, child abandonment was still child abandonment. He'd be completely justified in pursuing her and making sure she was prosecuted to the absolute, fullest extent of the law. All Might had lots of sway, after all. Lots of sway.

Turning his full attention back to his student, he moves to pull him into another hug, a myriad of reassurances on his tongue. Only... instead of falling into it, Izuku pulls away instead. Tugs himself back, shaking his head. That shattered look is back on his student's face, more raw than ever. It's enough to make Toshinori flinch.

"Oh, Izuku." Toshinori breathes out, feeling like his soul is having its skin flayed off. Or something equally as painful. "I am so sorry this happened to you. She had-- she had no right. She has no idea what she's lost. It's going to be okay. I promise we're going to work it out."

"N-No. Y-You don't underst-stand." Izuku shook his head, hands coming up to knot in his hair and tug. "I can't b-be... I-I can't be y-your successor a-anymore. I-In foster ca-care, quirkless kids th-they-- they move a-a lot. I read all about it, and--"

Toshinori squints at him for a moment. Where had foster care come from?

Izuku was his successor. The moment Toshinori decided that, his priorities had shifted. All Might had held the forefront for years and years. The Symbol Of Peace was important, but this? Even more so. Izuku had taken the pedestal with striking ease. Toshinori would do anything for this kid.

This kid who, while amazingly smart, was apparently not as emotionally aware as Toshinori thought. Or maybe he was just oblivious to how much Toshinori cared. Pardon his french, but like fuck he was letting Izuku get anywhere near the foster care system. He was All Might. He'd make it work, whether that was through lawyers, money, the press, calling in old favors... black mail.

Point was, whatever had to happen to get Izuku in his custody, he'd do it. And... well, he wasn't happy this had happened. Of course he wasn't happy. But he was... maybe a little... excited. Which like, this was definitely not the time, but Izuku as about to become his child. Had become his child? Had been his child this whole time and now Toshinori was about to enter fatherhood, all because Inko Midoriya had been stupid enough to throw away the gauntlet?

It confused him. The thought that anyone could leave this, could want to get away from it. Izuku was the most caring boy Toshinori had ever met. Who wouldn't want him as a son? It feels like someone has just dropped a bag of literal gold in his lap and walked off. Toshinori would've rather this never happened, and yes, he's incandescently angered by it-- but if Inko Midoriya doesn't want him, Toshinori will gladly take her place.

It's just awful that Izuku is hurt. That he's so afraid, that this whole time he thought Toshinori wouldn't take him in in a heartbeat. Clearly he's going to need to start conveying his emotions better. Izuku has a low self-esteem, but Toshinori hadn't realized it was this bad. He'll have to be more reassuring and vocal going forward.

"Why would you go into foster care?" Toshinori's voice came out just as perplexed as the question had initially made him. Izuku froze, head whipping to look at him with teary eyes full of confusion and hesitant hope. Toshinori rose a brow. "You're my successor, the most important person in my life, and my number one priority. Naturally you'll be coming to stay with me. I-If you're willing, of course!"

Right, he couldn't exactly force him to stay with him if he didn't want to. Toshinori felt his fatherly fantasies dash. Again, not really the time, but come on. He could break out the All Might waffle maker, and they could watch shows together, and Toshinori could help him decorate his room, and he could drive him to school and pick him up, and could be there for him when he was sad, and see him happy, and teach him to drive, and they could take turns mowing the lawn, and they could get a dog, and--

Izuku threw himself back into his arms, sobbing all over again. Toshinori chose to see this as a positive reaction.

~~~~

Izuku, again, does not have a very high self esteem.

Toshinori hates whoever made him think of himself this way. Izuku is kind, so kind it borders on unbelievable at times. He continues to apologize for ruining things, for intruding, and tries to tell Toshinori that he doesn't have to do this. That he'll be fine, and that maybe this was a sign he wasn't worthy of One For All.

Izuku thinks himself worthless. He'd made vague allusions to the idea that he was useless in the past-- allusions Toshinori had shut down and countered-- but they are worse now. He wonders what was written in the note Inko Midoriya left. He wishes Izuku had never gotten to see or read whatever was on it. She didn't deserve the last word.

As Toshinori had expected, getting custody of Izuku is easy. A call to Tsukauchi and the fact that Toshinori still has his emergency foster license, as so many heroes do, and boom. He's set! Adoption will come later down the line once Izuku has settled in and if he's okay with it, but for now he can securely bring him home. It's all legal, set, and a quick puff into his hero form has his dusty guest room free and clean in seconds.

Izuku's shy. He's painfully polite, nervous and jumping at the slightest things. The new environment has him jittery, and he acts like Toshinori will leave him too, or kick him out if he makes one wrong move. Which was funny, because Izuku wasn't actually capable of making wrong steps. Anything he did, Toshinori would immediately believe he did it for good reason and side with him. Obviously.

Three days in and Toshinori is giddy. Inko Midoriya has been tracked down and taken into custody, Izuku did his homework at the kitchen table the night before and had even asked for help on his English, and Toshinori had gotten to drive him to school in the insanely expensive car he had in his garage but never drove. It had window tint so dark it looked illegal and seemed like it'd belong in a cyberpunk sci-fi movie. All the other little school children had stared-- he hoped Izuku had earned cool points for it.

The only real issue is that Izuku treats it like it's temporary. He seems hesitant to bother All Might, keeps painfully clean, and does not unpack his duffel bag. Gentle offers to let him repaint and decorate his room are met with tight smiles. His old apartment had already been cleaned out, all of Izuku's sizable hero collection he'd talked about on more than one occasion gone just like that.

That's what leads Toshinori to now. He wants Izuku to be comfortable and happy, so after taking him to school he'd done the only logical thing he could think of and he'd marched himself right off to his own hero agency. The marketing department was on the fourth floor of the massive tower, and the lady manning the front desk of it looked like she was about to pass out seeing All Might standing there.

"Y-You need... every single one? From the... the All Star collectibles collection?" The woman asked, eyes wide.

All Might had a lot of action figures, but the All Star line was a line of extremely nice, extremely expensive figures, most of which featured the same iconic pose of him with his fists planted on his hips. Most of the limited edition ones were extremely hard to get apparently. He didn't really know. He just knew that collectors went crazy over them and that, for some of the rarer ones, only a couple of handfuls were ever made.

It felt weird asking for merch of himself. Self-centered, in a way. But Izuku had been so happy with his own little collection of figures, including his limited edition Silver Age figure, that this was obviously a great way to get him to open up!

"All of them!" All Might agreed in a booming tone, grinning. "And-- posters! I need lots of posters. And prototype figures. We have those, don't we?"

Most prototypes would be one of a kind, right? Surely Izuku would enjoy something like that. He should get posters of other heroes too. Where would he get something like that? Maybe... a mall? He hadn't been to a mall in years, but he was certain there was one nearby. There'd be lots of other things there as well-- new sheets, blankets, knick-knacks, and such of the like.

"I-- yes! Y-Yes, we do, sir!" The woman straightened significantly, trying to blink out of her stupor and return to professionalism. She cleared her throat, her smile wobbly. All Might was far too used to it to bat an eye. His hero form was renowned, he understood. He would've come down as Toshinori Yagi, but... well, All Might got things done faster. "You... all of them? Th-There have been over 200 made o-over the course of your career, sir."

Toshinori paused, staring at her. That many? For what reason? Nevermind that. She was right-- that was too many. No way they got them all to fit. Unless All Might got a bigger house. Then Izuku could have two rooms... but no! He needed to settle in more first! All the parenting articles said it was important not to uproot him so soon after a big change.

"Alright! Then the rarest ones will surely have to do!" All Might nodded, smile renewing with vigor. The woman nodded rapidly, scrambling to draw a notepad towards herself and write his request down. All Might straightened suddenly, snapping his fingers. "Ah! Especially the limited edition Silver Age figurine, if you could! That one-- that one is the most important of all!"

She wrote it down with a flourish of her pen and circled it twice, smile turning determined when she looked back up at him. All Might beamed back.

~~~

He goes to the mall as Toshinori Yagi. He gets new shelves for the figurines that he's certain he'll be getting, picking out posters of other heroes he's heard Izuku mention. He wants Izuku to feel at home. He wants Izuku to know that this is permanent, not just some temporary thing that All Might will back out of.

Izuku isn't an inconvenience. He's not a burden. Toshinori wants him there, is overjoyed to have him, even if the circumstances that led them to it are less than affable. He picks up several parenting books, determined to do this right. He's flying practically blind at present, and that just won't do.

He-- He doesn't just want to do this right. He wants to blow it out of the water. He wants to be good at it, the best if he can be, and he wants Izuku to be happy. That means Toshinori reading up and staying knowledgeable. It means learning how best to keep Young Midoriya safe, and how to help him with any manner of problem he may or may not come across.

Izuku freezes when he gets home and sees all the bags on his bed, the sheets changed and the comforter a new, deep forest green that matched the boy's hair. Toshinori was practically vibrating in place, hovering in the hallway. He'd never really shopped for anyone else before. He hadn't realized how fun it was, and-- well, it's not like he didn't have the money.

"I-I-" Izuku sputters out, backpack slipping off his shoulder and thudding on the ground hard. Toshinori tried to bite back his smile but couldn't, all but bouncing up to his student's side. Even in his skinny form he managed to puff up with pride, towering tall over his stunned successor.

"Decorations!" Toshinori announced grandly. "You lost your hero collection and-- well, you've brushed off all my offers to reconstruct it, so I had to take matters into my own hands!"

Izuku made a high-pitched, strangled noise in the back of his throat. Toshinori paused to try and categorize it before nodding, deciding it wasn't anything bad. Izuku opened and closed his mouth a few times as he searched for words, opening and closing his hands unconsciously like he'd be able to grasp for what to say next with them.

Toshinori didn't rush him. He just stood, patient and glowing and hoping he got the right stuff. Maybe Izuku would warm up to the idea of picking things out himself after this. Toshinori was pretty sure he'd done a decent job with his selections, but this was Izuku's space, not his. It should be filled with his favorite things! Whatever money can buy-- which is actually quite a lot. Toshinori has more than enough to spend even with his frequent donations to charity.

Izuku is quiet for a long time. He stares at the bags, not entering the room but not rushing away from it either. Toshinori tries not to feel nervous or like he's somehow slipped up. Was it an overstep? Was he rushing Izuku into something he wasn't ready for?

No matter how Toshinori feels about Inko Midoriya-- she was (had been) Izuku's mother. She'd lost the right the moment she left, but before that? Izuku had loved her. Had been raised by her, had trusted and relied on her. The shock of her abandonment was still beyond fresh, and it would likely be for some time.

What Inko had done would probably always hurt at least a little bit. But Toshinori wanted his student to know that even now, he was still loved. That not everyone would leave, that not everyone saw him as some sort of burden, something they couldn't escape. That his company was enjoyed and adored. That people thought him bright, and likable, and smart.

That he was wanted.

"Y-You..." Izuku swallowed thickly, voice high and wet. He turned to look up at Toshinori, eyes watery. He looked like a trembling puppy left out in the rain, a fragile, near-broken look in his gaze that made Toshinori's heart squeeze terribly. "All M-Might, you didn't have to--"

"Nonsense." Toshinori cut him off before he could work himself into another stuttering spiel. "Young Midoriya-- Izuku-- I... I know this all happened rather suddenly. I'm sorry that it did, because I know you deserve so much more than this. But I... I am happy you're here. You are my best friend, and my student, and it is a pleasure to have you here. I want you to feel at home. I want you to know that this is permanent, that you're not going anywhere anytime soon unless you choose to. I want you here if you want to be here, my boy! And I want you to be comfortable while you're at it!"

Toshinori punctuated with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He wasn't sure how well his expressions translated on his bony face, but Young Midoriya had never cringed away from his skinnier form like so many others did when they passed him in the streets or supermarket. Even Tsukauchi winced at times-- but then, there wasn't a judgmental bone in his student's body, was there? Not towards people like him, and not for things like this.

Izuku's tears spilled over, and he stared at his teacher in complete shock, like his words he never occurred to him before. Though Toshinori had said variations of them many times, it was obvious he hadn't taken them to heart. They hadn't sunk into the root. But this time, with actions to back up his claims, it was impossible to refute. Not when All Might was being so sincere about it, so genuine and sure.

There was a brief lull before Izuku's expression cracked open like a dam breaking. Suddenly it all spilled out, his face crumbling and his shoulders dropping. Toshinori took that as his cue and immediately drew him into a hug, letting out a somewhat amused huff. Izuku would learn how much he meant. Even if Toshinori had to drill it into him.

"Th-Thank you." Izuku choked out, voice even squeakier than before. "Thank y-you so m-much."

Toshinori beamed, feeling like he was a hundred feet tall and on top of the world. And when Izuku finally stopped crying and pulled out of the embrace, he didn't retreat alone into his room awkwardly like he had done many of the days following school. He instead hesitantly asked if All Might wanted to help him put up some of the posters he got, phrasing it carefully in case he wanted to refuse.

(Toshinori didn't refuse, obviously. He helped him put up every single one, and he smiled while he did it. And when Izuku began to mumble statistics about the heroes displayed? He smiled even wider.)

~~~

He does not go as Yagi Toshinori when he visits Inko Midoriya. He goes as All Might, the renowned number one hero praised by nearly the whole of Japan and much of the world. He goes as someone powerful and terrifying, as someone who holds society on their shoulders day in and day out. He goes as the Eighth holder of One For All, as Nana Shimura's only student, as someone who can topple entire city blocks.

He goes as an angry parent.

There is a certain satisfaction that comes with seeing the color drain out of her face when he steps into the room. All Might is a hero that always smiles brightly, wide and all shining, gleaming teeth. The smile he wears today is different. Close-lipped and dangerous, eyes cold as they track the nervous fidgeting of the woman's hands.

She stares at him, stunned. It's obvious she doesn't believe what she's seeing. She's dressed in women's jail garb. She doesn't yet have a trial date yet, but they hold her there anyway. Her crime is one that is technically considered mild, especially considering the age of her child and the quirkless label attached to him, but to All Might it seems like the most severe injustice.

When Nana Shimura left her son to the system, it was not out of disgust, or hate, or exhaustion. It was out of love. To protect him from a man who would only use him against her. She'd gone through the proper channels, making sure he was placed somewhere comforting and warm before she left. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, but she'd done it to secure the future of her son.

Inko Midoriya is nothing like that, Toshinori decides immediately. What she did was cruel. Nothing more than a note, one that had probably held a half-assed explanation as to where she'd gone and why. This was her child, her son they were talking about. A brilliant one who'd done no wrong.

"A-All Might." Miss Midoriya squeaked out, her green eyes wide. They weren't quite as bright as his student's, All Might noticed. Maybe the sparkle in them had been dulled by her situation, or maybe the gleam was unique to Izuku. He liked to think it was a latter.

The woman's shock was followed by confusion upon seeing him. Her brows drew in and her lips downturned. She looked at him cluelessly, lost as to why he'd be standing in front of someone like her.

"Miss Midoriya." All Might's tone was icily pleasant. He pulled out the papers he'd brought, that Tsukauchi and his lawyer had given him, and thumped them down on the table in front of the woman. Inko flinched back at the suddenness of the movement, jolting again when a pen followed, tossed atop the packet. "You left him. He's not yours anymore. So, sign."

Inko's expression did gymnastics.

All Might did not take a seat, standing tall instead, shoulders broad and tense. Perhaps it had been a step too far to come in his hero costume, but he was pettier than anyone gave him credit for. Izuku was at school right now, an hour late because of a morning spent crying over the limited edition silver age figurine and all the others the product management team had managed to scrounge up at Might Tower.

Izuku was starting to open up. He chattered away at Toshinori at home like he used to constantly, and he smiled in and out of training. He put away his clothes in the dresser in his room and didn't close himself up anymore. He went grocery shopping with Toshinori and helped with meal preparation, and they'd started watching a collection of pre-quirk era, American superhero films in order of their making together.

He was still sad. He still cried some, was still hesitant with some things and light footed. But he was beginning to adjust, and he could at least see that Toshinori liked his company. Just yesterday he'd been confident enough to shyly show his hero analysis journal to Toshinori when he asked what he was writing about. The boy was scarily smart-- Toshinori would have to be careful to keep him away from Nezu.

"You-- How d-do you know Izuku?" The woman spewed out, floored. Toshinori's smile strained.

"I've been training Young Midoriya for UA's hero course entrance exam. As of right now, he is in my custody and staying with me at my home. He likely will indefinitely." All Might's voice came out flat. It lacked the gusto he usually spoke with in this form, instead lower and more dangerous than he'd heard it in years. Rage still simmered, but he wasn't number one for nothing-- he knew how to keep in check. "He's a brilliant kid. Terrifyingly smart, beyond kind, so selfless I sometimes worry for him. He's the best friend I have ever had the pleasure of having in all my time on this Earth, and having him as a student has been an honor. He has all the traits of a hero-- and he's going to be an amazing one."

There is no room for argument in his tone. He states it all as simple fact. Inko Midoriya's disbelief is obvious. She sits back in her chair, taking him in at his entirety in search of a lie. The fact that she cannot wrap her head around what he's saying is even more sign of how wrong she is. How little did she know about her own son? How disillusioned was she?

She swallowed hard several times, clearly trying to muster up some modicum of courage. It was obvious to anyone that All Might was pissed. Even if he was smiling, the tight coil of his being and the stiffness of his expression said it all. He was not happy. But yelling at her wouldn't bring him any satisfaction-- none that was lasting.

He wanted to be mature about this. He was Izuku's caretaker now, his primary guardian. He had to act like it, wanted to act like it. This meeting had been granted on the condition that he hold himself back. It would all come to light in the trial. All Might could flame her all he wanted then if he were called to stand against her-- which he likely would be.

"Th-The hero course? He... H-He can't, he's--" Inko choked, and her face did a funny thing. A sort of spasm. "He's quirkless."

The way she says it, with derision, solidifies in Toshinori that he does not want any form of an explanation or defense from her. He came here to show her how wrong she was. She was going to think about this encounter for the rest of her life, and she was going to live in whatever cell she was hauled off into knowing that her son was being loved and taken care of by a hero that saw his worth.

Hopefully, she'd come to regret it. Hopefully the guilt would eat at her until there was nothing left but a shell. Hopefully she'd see what a mistake she made, and she'd know that it was too late, and hopefully she'll have to live with it. Live knowing she had something priceless that she just... let slip through her fingers.

The paper's-- they're not adoption papers asking for her permission. Just relinquishment of custody on her part so she has no legal hold over him. Adoption-- that's something that will come later, and with Izuku's go ahead and full involvement.

"Why would I care about that?" All Might asked like she was some sort of idiot. His smile widened, and he leaned forward, eyes practically glowing. Inko stared at him with big eyes, mouth agape as he tapped the tabletop. She flinched fearfully as he did. "If you don't want him, I'm happy to take him. Sign."

She signs.

~~~

Hope y'all enjoyed! There is a part two on patreon as well that does a follow up and explores some of Izuku's pov