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A sliver of golden light peaked through the crack in the curtains. And Izuku was roused from his sleep by the rhythmic knocking on his door, he groaned and rubbed at his squinted eyes. Izuku blinked a few times, turning and checking the calendar, July 15th… It was his Birthday. A few more light raps on the door shook Izuku from his daze.
“Young Midoriya, Are you awake?” Questioned a familiar, deep voice from the other side of the door.
Izuku’s eyes widened, he fumbled hastily with the sheets, nearly falling off his bed in his haste. When he hadn’t fallen on his face on his journey to the door, he threw it open to reveal a wide-eyed All Might.
All Might’s fist was raised as if about to knock again, he paused as he stared down at the disheveled state of his student. All Might put his extended arm behind his neck meekly. “Oh, sorry about that young Midoriya. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
Izuku’s eyes became saucers on his round face. His hands waved around frantically as he rushed to reassure the man, “No! no, you didn’t wake me.” But it wasn’t convincing with Izuku’s bedhead and the sleep-induced rasp in his voice.
All Might smiled slightly behind his hand at his student's exaggerated gestures, earlier guilt only being replaced with warmth. “Well, I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday young Midoriya.” All Might declared, inflating into his buff persona he gave a hearty chuckle before deflating again, coughing into his fist. He looked around hesitantly as if remembering how early it was.
“And if you’re up to it, I was hoping I could take you out for a surprise trip before your friends steal you.” All Might said, barely above a whisper.
Izuku grinned at the idea of spending his Birthday with his mentor, nodding enthusiastically, hair bouncing with the movement. “Sure, thing All Might!”
“Great! Meet me in front of the UA gates when you’re done.” All Might said, grinning. He began walking back down the hall but stopped when Izuku started following him. “You have to get ready first my boy.” All Might chuckled lightly, taking Izuku by the shoulders and turning him back towards his room.
“R-right. Sorry.” Izuku said, embarrassment coloring his cheeks a deep scarlet.
“Maybe it’s a little too early for something like this.” All Might teased, having the gal to laugh at Izuku’s squawks of protest. All Might turned again and headed towards the elevator, turning around only once to make sure the boy hadn’t followed again.
They made eye contact, Izuku gave him a sheepish grin. And despite the stern expression All Might was trying to give it was betrayed by the fond glint in his blue eyes.
“Don’t fall asleep in the shower, my boy.” All Might said as he stepped blindly into the elevator, pushing a button, he waved a finger in a mock disciplinary gesture. All Might smiled when Izuku nodded and the elevator doors closed, leaving the teen to blankly stare down the hall.
Izuku closed the door, a grin stretching higher on his face. He quickly grabbed his clothes; khaki shorts and a t-shirt with the word flannel printed across the front. And raced towards the communal showers, excitement thrumming in his veins as he went.
The Midoriya’s never were known for splurging when it came to Birthday parties. And Izuku wasn’t sure if that was because he didn’t have friends for the majority of his childhood or if it was just a norm for their family.
Izuku’s Birthdays normally consisted of a box-made cake and a few presents from his mother. On some of his better memories, Izuku would get a phone call and a present from his father. At the time despite the simplicity of the action it still never failed to make Izuku feel important like he could pretend he didn’t have a mostly absent father.
And even though Izuku loved spending time with his mother, he was ecstatic that he was able to spend his Birthday with his mentor and friends. Izuku felt a pang of joy bloom in his chest, warmth enveloping his entire body, he smiled softly.
‘I am the luckiest.’
When Izuku got to the Men’s communal showers he stripped from his pajamas, turning the facet on the warmest setting and hopped in. His brain going blank at the blast of warm water spraying from the faucet. The green-haired teenager washed his hair with his shampoo and then took his bar of soap, washing the rest of his body. After rinsing off he hopped from the shower, toweled off, and quickly got dressed. He fought his curly, green hair with a comb only for it get stuck within its depths halfway through. Izuku groaned in defeat, he pried the comb from his curls and started combing it with his hands.
When the curls looked decent Izuku raced down the hall, only stopping by his dorm to drop his dirty clothes off before racing down the stairs. He checked out of the dorms and headed towards the gate.
He could distantly spot the untamed, golden mane of his mentor. Izuku waved as he raced towards his idol. All Might turned, a smile spreading across his thin lips as he waved back.
“What held you up, my boy.” All Might teased as Izuku came to a panting stop in front of him.
“Sorry, All Might. Didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long.” Izuku got out between breaths.
All Might waved him off, “It’s no problem young Midoriya. Are you ready to go?” He asked, moving closer to the car parked in front of the entrance. Izuku nodded and stared at the car, it wasn’t a flashy model especially compared to the normal cars top heroes often drove, instead it had a few scratches and was a navy-blue color.
Izuku didn’t even know All Might had a car…
Izuku quickly scanned the car once again, committing it to memory before getting inside. The inner All Might fanatic squealed at the idea of riding in his idols car, the exact car that wasn’t common knowledge to even the most invested fanatics. He got inside, pulling the seatbelt over himself just as All Might pulled away from the curb he parked by.
Izuku looked out the window, enjoying the comfortable silence as the sun illuminated the earth with gentle, morning rays. The radio was suddenly turned onto a peppy pop music station playing a song that Izuku had never heard before.
Suddenly the ‘I am here,’ catchphrase filled the silence of the car, making All Might laugh awkwardly beside him.
Izuku fumbled for his phone, pressing the accept button before he even read the caller ID.
“Hello, this is Izuku Midoriya.” He answered.
“Izuku! Oh, honey I just wanted to call to wish you a happy birthday.” Inko chirped, her voice sounding more cheerful and younger than Izuku ever remembers hearing it.
“Thanks, mom.”
“And I was wondering if you were going to be coming home later today to celebrate your Birthday?’ She asked.
“Oh yeah I was planning on it, I just need to check with my teachers to make sure it's okay.”
“Alright! Call me for an update later. And make sure to stay out of trouble.” Inko chided playfully.
“Alright, alright. Bye Mom, love you.”
“Goodbye Honey, love you.”
Izuku ended the call and slipped the phone back into his back pocket. “Was that your mother?” All Might asked from beside him.
“Yeah, she just wanted to know if I was coming home later today. Do you think that would be okay?”
“That should be fine.” All Might paused than continued, “How has your mother been doing.” Izuku glanced back at All Might, feeling slightly perturbed by the way he avoided Izuku’s eyes and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“She’s doing well. It was hard when I first moved into the dorms, but she’s been doing much better. She says it’s because she trusts you’ll take care of me.” Izuku replied, raising an eyebrow when All Might’s cheeks darkened with a rosy pink color.
“Well, that’s good.” All Might said, finally meeting Izuku’s eyes again, he gave his student a grin that didn’t falter under Izuku’s scrutiny.
“Well, uh how have you been doing with black whip?” All Might finally said, changing the subject. “Have you been able to increase your range of motion with it?” The blond asked, staring blankly at the road in front of them.
“Yeah! I have been able to stretch the quirk a few miles longer than before. I have more coordination and control over the velocity.” Izuku said, pursing his lips in suspicion.
All Might coughed, “That sounds great, my boy.”
It wasn’t often when All Might was so adamant about changing the subject. Izuku was aware of the admiration and respect that All Might had regarding his mother, but he had never entertained the thought that it could be deeper than that. And Izuku knew it was terrible to assume, but All Might had been asking about his mother more than usual ever since the last parent-teacher conference. But it was probably just nothing. Izuku thought to himself, choosing to ignore the way All Might gripped the wheel tighter.
The next turn was a sharp left which caused Izuku to swerve in his seat, an angry driver slammed on their horn in outrage. And All Might looked a little meek after that, rubbing his neck.
“Where are we going?” Izuku asked, watching the sea of pedestrians on the sidewalks.
“It’s a surprise, my boy.” All Might grinned from ear to ear. “But you’ll probably figure it out eventually.”
The silence stretched as they went down the road, the earlier peppy music of the radio was turned off allowing the occupants to enjoy the solace that replaced it. And for a July morning, it wasn’t as hot as it normally was during the summer, the breeze was cool from the open window. And the baby blue sky had a few grey clouds, whispering of a possible downpour later. Other than that, it was perfect outside. Izuku smiled, tilting his face towards the open window as his green curls blowing in the wind.
It felt so perfect…
When the car came to a stop at a red light Izuku noticed a small family crossing the road; there was a small woman with short hair, a tall man in business attire, and they had a little boy with them. The two parents took the arms of their son and lifted him in the air, the child giggled as the two adults looked down at their son fondly. They looked so happy. Izuku smiled at the wholesome scene.
The family passed just as the light turned green and they were on the move again. Izuku glanced over at All Might, familiar warmth invading his chest.
Watching those scenes as a child always made Izuku feel so lonely. Even though he always had his mother and he loved her immensely, he still couldn’t help but feel a void in his chest when he thought of his distant father.
Izuku’s father had gone to work overseas when Izuku was just a baby. Which is fine, after all, they were still being financially supported. But even so, when Izuku was a child he would watch his peers play games and bond with their fathers, and every time he always felt this coldness in his chest. Because Izuku only knew his father through small presents on Birthday’s and Holiday’s, and an occasional phone call every month.
But now when Izuku saw those small families with a father and a mother and a little boy, the gaping hole in his chest wasn’t so big, wasn’t so cold. Instead, he smiled and when Izuku pictured his father all he saw was All Might, Yagi Toshinori; the man that supported him when no one else did.
And the man who spent his Birthday with him and cared about him.
And Izuku was thankful to know him…
The car rounded a corner and izuku grinned as he finally caught on to where they were going. Dagobah Beach after being cleaned up over a year ago had quickly become an extremely popular location. It was not uncommon for the beach to be packed with people from dawn ‘til dusk. And with the added gazebo, weddings were held on occasion as well.
But today the beach seemed empty, aside from the few families enjoying the sunny weather. It was strange for it to be that empty on a July day, but even so, Izuku couldn’t help but be thankful.
“We haven’t been here for a while. I thought it would be nice to visit this place.” All Might grinned, they parked the car, and both got out hurriedly, wanting to enjoy as much sunshine as they could.
They walked along the beach in silence, enjoying the other’s company. The distant laugh of children playing and the rustle of the waves sweeping over the sand met Izuku’s ears. And he grinned, glancing over at All Might only to find the older man fidgeting with his hands. All Might looked like he wanted to say something but just didn’t know how to phrase it, brows knitted together, mouth gone taught on his skeletal face.
“Is something wrong All Might?” Izuku questioned, his brows knitting together in concern.
“Huh… Oh, nothing’s wrong my boy; I was just thinking about something...” All Might trailed off, he didn’t speak for a moment, face crafted into a schooled expression, eyes clouded by too many emotions.
The soft, grainy sound of walking on sand turned to the hard thumps of sneakers beating against hardwood as the two traveled onto the gazebo. The cool shade acting as instant relief from the sun.
All Might sighed and turned to face Izuku, “Young Midoriya, let’s have a seat. I needed to talk to you about something.” All Might sat down by the edge of the gazebo, long legs tangled together. Izuku sat down beside him, allowing his legs to fall right above the rippling water below.
All Might looked completely concentrated when he stared out onto the peaceful waves, as if the shifting water held all the answers in the universe. “I know that I don’t tell you this enough Young med-Izuku.” Izuku startled at the mention of his first name.
“Heck, I’ve probably never told you this before,” All Might paused, then sighed as if relenting. His shoulders sagged as if he was carrying a boulder on his shoulders. “But when I picked you to be my successor, I have never regretted it, because you are the greatest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.” All Might sighed, his blue gaze locked onto Izuku, “ Teaching you, knowing you has been the light and purpose that I needed in my life…”
Izuku felt his eyes grow misty, and his chest tightened, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“And Izuku. My boy, I want you to know that I never want you to be another me.” Tears began cascading down Izuku’s cheeks. “Because I know that your light can shine brighter than mine.” All Might sighed as if a weight fell off his shoulders. And All Might turned towards him, a gentle, warm smile that he only ever gave Izuku stretched across those thin lips.
“And I’m a coward. Because it took me so long to say this but… I love you so much, my son…” All Mi-Toshinori Yagi said.
Izuku choked on a sob, throwing his arms around his mentor’s bony shoulders. Toshinori chuckled, but his voice shook slightly when he said. “You still are a crybaby, huh my boy.” The blond threw his arms protectively around his boy and squeezed.
Izuku closed his eyes, enjoying the comforting warmth of a father’s embrace, for the first time in years.
Izuku never had a father, and when he was younger. But that void in his heart began to be filled by his obsession with All Might. At that time All Might had filled that small void in his childish heart because he’d gravitate towards and push All Might in the place of his father.
And despite feeling pathetic for it, Izuku still got the support he needed from his father through All Might. With each line of encouragement, All Might spewed in interviews Izuku would desperately latch onto to every word.
Because that was the only line of support, he had for so long…
But now he could hug, touch, talk to, and laugh with someone closer to father figure than his biological father could ever be. And Izuku didn’t feel that emptiness, when he watched his friends talk to their fathers because all Izuku had to do, was call All-no-Toshinori and he gets that Fatherly love that he had lacked for most of his life.
And Izuku never felt luckier in all his life…
“Th-thank you.” Izuku sobbed into Toshinori’s golden locks. He snorted in response, rubbing soothing circles in Izuku’s back. “I should be telling you that.” He replied.
Izuku sniffled pitifully. Shallowing the anxiety that was blooming in his chest he spoke hastily. “I love you too, dad.”
Toshinori stiffened slightly, his grip tightening, his arms enveloping Izuku’s smaller frame completely. The blond patted Izuku’s quivering back, hoping that Izuku wouldn’t notice the way Toshinori’s eyes began to water. The elder reluctantly pulled away first. Izuku’s eyes were red and puffy, and wet tears tracked down his freckled cheeks. He brushed them away and after no more tears fell, asked Izuku “Are you going to be okay now?”
Izuku nodded enthusiastically, hair bouncing as he did. He sniffled and gave Toshinori a lop-sided grin.
Toshinori checked his watch and sighed, “Well, I think it’s about time we head back to the dorms before you flood the beach huh.” He said, giving his best grin only to be betrayed by the unushered tears in his eyes.
“Right,” Izuku replied, voice raspy. Izuku followed Toshinori back towards the car. The blond stopped right next to the car, holding a hand up. “Wait here for a second.” His mentor ordered, as he unlocked his car and rummaged through the contents in the back seat. Izuku nodded dumbly, he felt emotionally drained and loved… And he wanted more sleep…
Izuku chuckled behind his hand when he heard All Might curse under his breath.
Izuku swung his arms back and forth, watching the ocean. Dark clouds seemed to be rolling in, invading the baby blue sky with dark nimbostratus clouds. From the looks of it was probably going to rain soon.
Izuku scrunched his eyebrows together as his arms got goosebumps, the feeling of eyes watching your back caused a sheen of sweat to coat the back of his neck. And a small pinprick of pressure erupted from the center of Izuku’s head. It felt like when he had seen the vestiges in his dreams, but this was different. Unease settled in Izuku’s chest
Because… For some reason, it felt like a warning…
Izuku glanced behind him and caught the eye of a small child, staring at him from behind his mother’s leg as she talked to a tall man. The teen smiled, giving a small wave only for the child to hide even more.
He brushed off the small feeling of dread he felt earlier. It was just a child, not a villain. Izuku huffed, amused. But no amount of convincing could shake the lingering feeling in his chest.
Toshinori finally emerged from the backseat of his car with a present. “Here you go!” He cheered, thrusting the present into Izuku’s arms. “Happy Birthday Izuku!”
Izuku smiled, blushing at the All Might wrapping paper. “Thanks, Toshinori.” The dread still an ever-present feeling carving through his chest.
He tore into the present. When he opened the box, he first noticed the white and blue fabric. Curiously, he pulled it out to reveal a varsity jacket, it was predominantly blue with white sleeves and stripes on the collar. The color was slightly faded, and it was far too big for Izuku’s small frame. But Izuku immediately recognized it as the same one All Might wore in America when he was younger.
Izuku willed himself not to cry, but against his wishes, tears began to cascade done his face. “You big crybaby.” Toshinori sighed fondly, holding his arms out for Izuku to run into.
Toshinori rubbed his back and shushed him, trying to soothe Izuku’s emotional state. “I hope this means you like it.” He said. Izuku immediately replied with a choked sob, “I LOVE it, thank you.”
Toshinori chuckled and pulled back, holding Izuku out by his arms. “You going to be okay?”
Izuku nodded, wiping the last of his tears off with his sleeve.
“Then how ‘bout you try it on,” Toshinori suggested.
Izuku immediately pulled the over-sized jacket around himself, the cuffs of his sleeves reaching past the tips of his fingers. Even so, Izuku gave his best grin despite the puffiness of his eyes.
“Looks great!” Toshinori said, grinning and giving a thumbs up. Izuku nodded, not trusting his voice not to break with emotion.
“We should probably head back to the dorms before its downpours,” Toshinori said, glancing cautiously up at the dark clouds. He fished the keys out of his pocket and moved to the other side of the car. Izuku nodded and got into through the passenger’s side door.
Toshinori started the car, while Izuku watched Dagobah beach grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from an around a corner. Izuku closed his eyes, enjoying the wind in his face.
Today truly is perfect…
When they got back to the dorms class 1-A was already bustling with energy; some were crowded around joking with each other, while others were helping with decorations.
Todoroki was the first to notice Izuku’s arrival, he stopped in front of the smaller boy and with a monotone voice said, “Oh hello Midoriya, Happy Birthday.” Suddenly Uraraka dropped Tsuyu from where she was trying to hang streams, Tsuyu hit the couch with a wince, Bakugou groaned while Kaminari who was trying to steal a lick of cake frosting from the bowl stopped mid lick.
Uraraka gaped at Izuku, “Aww, we didn’t know you’d be coming back this early.”
Ashido whined as she tied another balloon “Yeah, Aizawa sensei said you’d be coming back at noon”
Izuku gaped. Were his friends going to throw him a surprise party he asked himself mentally, completely shocked. He stared at the streamers and balloons and Kaminari who was currently running away from a furious Sato.
Momo frowned, “Well, this was supposed to be a surprise party, but I think it’s now just a regular birthday party.”
Izuku snapped out of his daze and raised his hands in front of himself. “No! No, I was still surprised. Thank you all so much, I’ve never had a party like this before.” He quickly reassured.
“Izuku’s right. This was all very wonderful of you to do for him.” Toshinori smiled. Suddenly the elder man’s ringtone sounded from his pocket. He fished his phone out and at seeing the caller ID his face scrunched up slightly, an unidentifiable emotion flooded his hooded eyes as his lips grew taught. “Excuse me, I’ve got to take this. I’ll be right back.” He sighed and exited the room as Uraraka bounded over to Izuku.
“Oh well, Happy Birthday anyway Deku-Kun. We wanted to surprise you, but you came back earlier than expected.” Uraraka pouted a little.
“I was surprised but thank you all anyway,” Izuku reassured. Uraraka’s pout turned into a small smile. She opened her mouth to say something only to be interrupted by Aizawa Sensei, who slammed the front door, locking it.
“Did any of you see the news yet.” Aizawa Sensei rasped, more disheveled than usual.
Uraraka’s eyebrows scrunched up, her face crumpling with confusion. “No, what’s going on Sensei?”
“Hey Guys, I think you might want to see this,” Kaminari shouted from the common room, his voice shaking slightly.
Uraraka raced towards the common room. Aizawa cursed under his breath following his student, leaving Izuku stumbling after them. His heart rate spiking with his growing anxiety.
“What is it?” He asked hesitantly as he entered the common room
The common room was filled with everyone from class 1-A. They stared at the television, wide-eyed and petrified. Kirishima and Ashido were both trying to comfort a resilient Bakugou, who just stared at the television as if the information he was receiving hadn’t set in yet. While the rest of the class were pale-faced and unable to pry their eyes from the screen. Even Aizawa, despite his scrunched up eyebrows, his face was expressionless as his gaze was glued onto the television screen.
Izuku’s gaze darted to the television, feeling like the whole world stopped turning when he checked the headline
“Breaking news, Tartarus breakout. Heroes are now at the scene, but the big blow hero society had faced during their fight with the Paranormal Liberation Front has weakened their forces. Even so, the heroes on the scene are doing their best to control the situation.” The newswoman put a shaky finger to her earpiece before continuing, “we have an estimation of roughly one-hundred villains in this high-security prison have escaped. We aren’t aware of the identity of all the escapees. We only know of the identity of one entity, All For One.” A picture of the scorn of Kamino appeared on the screen.
Izuku felt cold sweat coats the back of his neck and vile crawl up his throat, he put his hand over his mouth.
“While this villain is on the loose, I suggest all citizens be extra careful. Taking precautions is necessary. Wait—” She put her hand over her earpiece again, a live video from above showed the battle between the escapee villains and the heroes below. “The heroes on the scene are doing their absolute best to hold them off. But it seems-“Smoke wafted through the air from a villain’s quirk and just like that like it was nothing, multiple heroes dropped like flies.
-And just like that, the screen went black, the room was completely silent until, “oh my god…” someone whispered, horrified. Izuku couldn’t bother to look at whoever it was.
‘he knows who you are…’ a small voice in the back of Izuku’s mind whispered.
Izuku ran out of the room, ignoring the concerned voices shouting his name. He ran up the stairs and into his dorm room. He fished his phone out of his pocket, dialed the number and pressed the phone to his ear. Fingers gripping the phone tightly. He pushed the bile back as the phone rang then-
“Hello, Izuku…” A voice too deep to be his mother’s answered.
Izuku’s blood suddenly ran cold through his veins. He didn’t even realize when he had fallen to his knees until his fingers curled around the carpet of his dorm room. Fear speared through his chest like a lightning rod…
He couldn’t breathe…
Th-that voice, that deep, voice that was smooth like velvet. A voice normally so cruel, so mocking, was smoothed to a gentle, almost fond tone when he spoke Izuku’s name.
And…. Izuku knew that he would never forget the man’s voice ever since he first heard it… And just like last time when the cold fear that thrummed through his whole body told him to run and he forced his self-preservation down, just like at Kamino Izuku fought though the terror as he let out in a strangled, pathetic voice the name of All Might’s nemesis.
“What do you want All For One…”