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Taking a deep breath, Toshinori continued down the path. He had been walking in the woods for a while now though he wasn't lost; he was just lost in his own mind. There were many other days just like that one where everything was too much and he just needed to think so he would just walk.
As he came to a bend in the path he saw a phone booth. It seemed to have grown from its own roots. It's old, not just because they had been phased out decades before. It's rusting away in the pale sunlight streaming through the trees like it's always been there. Now that Toshinori thought about it he’s never seen a phone booth before in his life, nevermind in the middle of the woods. He’s definitely been on this trail a dozen times so why hasn't he ever noticed it.
Then it rang.
Deep in the back of his heart, he knew that it's for him, though he honestly didn't know what to do with that information. Toshinori let it ring a couple of times before his feet moved on their own and he opened the creaky glass door. His breath was shaky as his bony fingers lifted the phone off the hook and tentatively brought it to his ear.
It was a couple of seconds but he heard nothing but the gentle static of the line. “Hello?” he asked.
Toshinori didn't know why he was so surprised to hear a voice, it was a phone after all. “Hello, Toshinori.” Said the voice on the other side, it was familiar in both tone and how it addressed him; like it had known him for years. Though the voice was neither male nor female, young nor old. It could even be described as not coming from any throat or lips. Not like a computer where they try to hide their inhumanness behind artificial tones and shifts in sound, this voice does none of that.
“I know you are wondering why I called.”
“I first want to know who is calling.” Toshinori retorted.
The voice pauses as if in thought. “I think I like the name Truth, or maybe Everything. Or even maybe Nothing or God. It really depends. So you can really call me whatever you want.” The voice was not cocky or arrogant, it sounded like it was simply stating a fact.
Vague, great. But Toshinori couldn't put down the phone. It was like it had him by the wrists, freezing him in place.
“Don't worry, Toshinori. I'm only here to talk to you. And only about good things I might add.” there was no malice in the voice, no indication of really any emotion. “There is truly nothing to be afraid of from me.”
And Toshinori somehow believed it. Was it some sort of quirk, this whole thing? Or maybe it was a dream. But in the back of his mind he knew the voice wasn't the product of either of those things.
“So if you are ‘god’ then tell me something about me no one would know.” Toshinori wasn't in the mood to be disturbed from his brooding.
“After Nana died you once went to a bridge and-”
Toshinori cut them off, not really able to still process what he had almost done all those years ago. “Ok-o-ok, please stop. I believe you.” It was one of the lowest times in his life and he didn't like to think back on it much. He lowkey went to America to escape that emotional turmoil. Most people would say that Toshinori, All Might, was one of the bravest men in the world but Toshinori knew he was at heart a coward.
“You know you are not a coward my friend.” It said, most definitely reading his mind.
He snorted at that even though it was not very funny. “Ok sure.”
“You truly are not. People are never truly brave nor ever truly a coward. Yet still, you are an exceptionally brave man. More rare is the skill to inspire bravery in others. You have that, Toshinori. I know me saying this will not change your mind now but I hope you do take this to heart.”
Toshinori hadn't noticed that he was crying till a couple of tears fell onto his shoes. “How do you know that, can you tell the future or something because I haven't been very brave in the past.”
“I somewhat can, the future is more of an outline than a full painted picture. Change is a fluid thing that makes the world so vibrant, yet hard to predict outcomes. But I never had to look to the future to know that you will be brave there. You always try to be brave, and a lot of the times you were, so it is safe to assume you will in the future.”
Closing his eyes, tears fell harder. “Why are you even calling me?”
“To remind you of good things and to answer your questions.”
“Ok, then can I ask you questions about the future?” Maybe he would be able to get information to help Izuku in some sort of way. Even if he was kinda a useless mentor now.
“Only if it pertains to you.” the thing at the end of the other line said. “Selfless as ever Toshinori.” it seemed to have read his mind once again.
Shit, there goes that plan. But he nodded to himself anyway. “Izuku, my successor, will I be enough for him? Will I be able to watch him grow up?” He didn't care too much about his own future but he hoped that he’ll be able to do all he can for the boy, that his successor would live long enough to become a man. The world seemed to always be gunning for that kid, wanting to kill that amazing spark he had.
The voice hummed. “No one is really enough, that is because you are just human. But you will hold his hand when he needs it and you will try to guide him the best you can. You will continue to love him like a son and you will be so proud of his accomplishments. Though you already are very proud of him. You should tell him that. He will make you even more proud. You will get to see him grow up into a good man. He will and already has made you braver.”
Toshinori rested his forehead on the dirty glass and hot tears continued to run down his gaunt face. Relief racked sobs throughout his body. Though he couldn't help but smile, his face practically cracking in two.
“That boy loves you. Not just as All Might, but as Toshinori Yagi as well. You will always be his hero.” He started to cry even harder at that admission. “Not just him. Many others love Toshinori just as much as All Might. Try not to forget that.”
“Do you have more questions?” It asked.
“Probably millions.” He answered truthfully and tried to wipe his tears best he could with his free hand but they just kept falling.
The voice laughed, it was so inhuman it took Toshinori a couple of seconds to recognize the sound. “But I know you will not ask them. You have already seen your own future once and you did not care for that experience. The only reason you asked about it earlier was for Izuku. Take pride in your selflessness.”
There was a pause as if to let Toshinori ask a question if he wanted, but he didn't. So Truth, God or whatever continued. “You have done good things for the world Toshinori and you will continue to do so. People around you find bravery in the mere fact you are alive right now.”
Toshinori was surprised that the phonebooth wasn't an ocean at that point with all the tears he was crying. He squeezed his eyes shut in hopes of making them stop.
“It's almost dinner Toshinori and your son is waiting for you.”
When Toshinori opened his eyes again the phone booth was gone and he was alone in the forest, clutching empty air where the phone should be. It had been all too real to be some kind of quirk or a weird dream. his hot tears still stained his cheeks, proof of what was said. He straightened up and dropped his hands to his sides. He turned back to the path and said out loud to no one but himself “I’ll be home for dinner.”
It took a while to get back to his apartment. He hadn't realized how far he had gone into the forest. The door was unlocked as he took off his jacket. He spotted a mop of green hair on the couch. Walking over, he peered over the boy’s shoulder and the back of the couch to see what he was doing. Toshinori could tell it was some sort of paperwork that Izuku was finishing for his internship over this break. He was already well into his second year and he already made a name for himself and countless agencies fought over him to get him on their staff.
Tosinori ruffled the boy’s hair and Izuku squeaked in surprise, then tilted his head back to grin at him. He smiled back at his boy while holding back tears. Before Izuku, Toshinori had never been a crier; the boy had truly changed him.
“Sorry Toshi, you weren't home and I-” Toshinori cut him off before the kid went on an apology mumbling spree.
“Ever the prince of nonsense, I gave you a key for a reason! My home is your home like I've said a million times.” He gave Izuku’s hair one last affectionate ruffle before heading to the kitchen.
“So what do you want for dinner?” Toshinori asked as he opened the refrigerator and scanned what produce he had.
There was a shuffle of feet and the distinct scuffing sound of a stool moving. “I'm ok with anything,” Izuku replied with a ruffle of papers hitting the counter.
Toshinori hummed in response and brought out some vegetables and placed them on a cutting board Inko had given him. He then started the rice. The boy had long stopped asking to help cook due to his inability to follow any sort of rules. It was quite funny to see the messes he can make trying to cook the most basic of items.
Izuku was back to work on his papers with the same vigor he gave every aspect of hero work. Toshinori couldn't help but swell with pride as he watched Izuku continue to scribble stuff down. The boy must have noticed because he looked up confused. “What?”
Toshinori couldn't stop from smiling. “You make me want to be brave, Izuku,” Toshinori said. He remembers what the It had told him earlier that day about how Toshinori had been able to inspire bravery in others but he knew Izuku would pass him tenfold. How his heart sang that his boy was gonna get to grow up and that he was gonna be able to be there. Izuku was gonna take the world by storm.
The boy was caught off guard and blushed heavily at the complement. “But-But you're the bravest man in the world!-”
“Oh my boy, I am not. But I find myself wanting to be as brave as you one day.”
Izuku was starting to cry, he tried to push them his tears back in with the heel of his hand but they just continued to fall onto his paperwork. “How can you say that? I'm not brave at all.”
Walking around the counter, he pulled Izuku into a hug (that the boy returned so hard that Toshinori’s ribs might break). Toshinori buried his face into the boy’s hair and muttered “Someone once told me that people are never truly brave nor ever truly a coward. You’re-” He held back his own tears and clutched him closer. “You’re gonna grow up and make the whole world want to be as brave as you, even if you aren’t brave all the time.”
Izuku looked up to his mentor, to his teacher, to his father. His big, watery green eyes were still innocent after everything that has tried to kill him, to break him. Yet his face was starting to lose its baby fat and his jaw was becoming more angular. He wasn't the same scared middle schooler anymore.
Toshinori felt tears roll down his face as he cupped the boy's face in his now-forever shaking hands “I haven't been brave enough to tell you this but I love you so, so much. You changed me for the better.”
More tears fell from the boy’s eyes. He once again buried his face into Toshinori’s chest, being careful about his wounds. “I love you too, Toshi. I’m gonna make you proud one day.”
“Son, I'm already so incredibly proud of you.”
Toshinori held him close, letting his boy cry his eyes out as Toshinori cried a little with him as well. He doesn't know how long they were like but the rice cooker clicked and Toshinori had to slowly unwrap himself from the boy’s arms.
Izuku wiped the rest of his tears away and focused back onto his paperwork. And Toshinori resumed cooking after turning the rice cooker off. A calm, comforting sort of silence washed over them both as they continued to go about their work. When the food was done Toshinori had to practically drag the boy from his paperwork to the table to eat.
After saying their prayers, Toshinori watched as Izuku absolutely consumed his food like a normal, growing teenage boy. This brought a smile to Toshinori’s face. Noticing this, Izuku momentarily stopped eating and looked at him. Izuku grinned back with a smile that could outshine the stars.
Toshinori felt braver already.