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Toshinori was not unused to getting gifts from fans or grateful civilians. Usually some flowers, homemade cards, or the like. But not… children.
He stared down at the bundle on his doorstep. It was undeniably a tiny baby not even old enough to walk. They were wrapped in a fuzzy gray blanket that didn’t look nearly thick enough for the chilly weather. Toshinori’s first thought was to wonder how someone had found out where he lived or if they’d just left a baby on some random stranger’s doorstep.
“Who are you, little one?” he mused.
There was a scrap of paper tucked into the blanket. Toshinori grabbed it. It had a simple message written on it in hasty scrawl.
His name is Izuku.
Toshinori was broken out of his thoughts when the baby let out a loud wail. He immediately scooped him into his arms and shushed him. He cradled Izuku to his chest.
He blinked tiny green eyes up at Toshinori. He screamed again.
Toshinori hurried back inside. He quickly found a better blanket to wrap him in. Izuku was just wearing a thin nightgown and his skin was freezing to touch. Toshinori flinched back. Panic coursed through him. How long had he been outside on his doorstep? Did he have pneumonia or hypothermia or something? What was Toshinori supposed to do with a baby?
He quickly realized panicking wasn’t going to help. He laid the baby on the couch as Izuku continued to cry. Big tears rolled down his face and his eyes scrunched tight.
Toshinori made a fist and rubbed gentle circles into the baby’s chest, trying to get his blood flowing. Izuku hiccuped another sob but slowly started to quiet down.
With his free hand, Toshinori pulled out his phone. First, he sent a message to Sasaki explaining he was going to be late. Then he messaged his private care physician. There was no way he could be seen walking into a hospital with an infant in tow. His doctor was paid to be discreet.
The baby finally stopped crying and stared up at Toshinori.
He scooped him up again, cradling him in his arms. “Hello, little one. Everything’s going to be okay now. Why? Because I am here!”
He transformed into his muscle form and grinned broadly. Izuku screamed in glee and kicked his little legs. Toshinori laughed and let go of his muscle form. The baby immediately latched on to his bangs and tugged— hard. Toshinori bit back a yelp not wanting to startle him. He gently pried his hair from Izuku's surprisingly strong grip.
“You’re a feisty little kid aren’t you?”
Izuku just giggled. His smile made dimples on his cheeks appear, highlighting the splash of freckles across his face. Toshinori's heart broke a little. How could anyone just abandon a child like this?
He hugged the baby closer. “Oh, little one, I’m so sorry the world has been so cruel to you at such a tender age.”
The baby turned his face closer to Toshinori’s collarbone. His breath was warm against Toshinori's skin.
“Oh, you must be hungry!” Toshinori realized with a start. But he nothing to feed a baby and honestly no idea how.
The baby yawned widely and let out an adorable squeak. Toshinori died. He brushed a hand over the child’s soft green curls.
“Why don’t you take a nap, little one? The doctor will be here in a bit and hopefully, he’ll have some advice on how to feed you. Then I guess…”
He trailed off. He should be taking Izuku to child protective services. But he knew first hand how hard that was on a child. He couldn’t bear to send the innocent, helpless baby off to be abandoned by some shitty foster parents.
He hugged the baby closer to his chest. Izuku's parents had left him on Toshinori's doorstep for a reason. Maybe he could— No, he quickly shook that thought away. There was no way he could possibly keep a child. He was Japan’s number one hero. He was much too busy and his line of work much too dangerous to be able to raise a kid. He’d never really considered having a family. He was simply too busy.
But still… looking down at the sleepy baby cradled in his arms, something in his heart stirred. Something protective and warm and dare he say, paternal.
As if sensing Toshinori’s scrutiny, Izuku cracked one eye open and babbled at him. His heart broke. He gently rocked the baby so he wouldn’t have to meet his innocent gaze.
By the time the doctor arrived, Izuku was fast asleep in Toshinori’s arms. He’d sent the doctor a message to expect a child. He’d known Doctor Watanabe for years. He was a good man and one of the few that Toshinori trusted completely.
Toshinori rocked Izuku as he stood to answer the door. Miraculously, he stayed asleep. He must have been exhausted. Or maybe that’s just how babies were. Toshinori had no idea. That was just more proof he wasn’t capable of taking care of one.
“Good morning, Yagi-san,” Watanabe greeted. He was a young man with a calming quirk. He had light blue marks that swirled down his arms and cheeks. His gaze immediately landed on the bundle in Toshinori’s arms. “You weren’t kidding. That’s an actual baby.” He held out his arms. “May I?”
Toshinori gingerly passed the baby over. He felt shockingly cold without them in his arms. He wanted to snatch the baby back, but that was ridiculous. Watanabe held the baby carefully and checked him over.
“It’s a boy,” he pronounced jokingly.
“Ah,” Toshinori said, his face heating. He'd assumed because of the name. He supposed he could have checked himself, but that seemed a little awkward.
Watanabe laid the baby on Toshinori’s kitchen table and gave him a thorough checkup. “Well, he’s healthy enough. A little dehydrated is all. But that’s easily fixed. I’d say he’s about eight months old. He’s been well cared for. I wonder why his parents just left him on your doorstep.”
“I’d like to know as well,” Toshinori said a little darkly.
“Well,” Watanabe straightened, “if that’s all you needed me for—”
“Wait!” Toshinori exclaimed, suddenly panicked that the doctor was leaving him with a baby and what was he supposed to do? “How do I feed him?”
Watanabe scratched the back of his head. “If you take him to child protective services, they’ll take care of him there. I can recommend a few adoption agencies that are nearby.”
“Oh.” Toshinori felt a little foolish. Of course, they’d feed him. There was no need for Toshinori to do it himself. What was he thinking? He was thinking he wanted to do it himself. “All right. Thank you again, doctor.”
Watanabe ruffled the baby’s hair and bid Toshinori goodbye, promising to text him the adoption agencies later.
Toshinori picked up Izuku and rocked him gently. “Ah, what am I going to do with you?”
The baby babbled something incomprehensible. Toshinori chuckled. “That’s what I thought.” He settled into his armchair and sent off a text to Sasaki saying he was, unfortunately, going to have to take the rest of the day off. His sidekick didn’t reply, which was weird. But Watanabe sent over the list of agencies and Toshinori took the opportunity to research them. Though there were only a few, Toshinori spent a good hour researching while rocking and soothing Izuku in his arms. Izuku was well behaved for such a young child. He rarely cried and mostly just stared up at Toshinori, babbling nonsense.
The adoption agencies were all well-certified. There was nothing suspicious or shadowy that Toshinori could find. Something twisted in his gut at the thought of actually taking the baby to an agency. Someone had left the baby on his doorstep. It was too much of a coincidence that they just happened to pick Toshinori’s house. They obviously knew who he was and wanted him specifically to take care of Izuku. But was it responsible for Toshinori to even consider it?
Without warning, the door opened and Sasaki walked in, key in hand.
“That was supposed to be for emergencies,” Toshinori huffed, trying to soothe his racing heart. Izuku sensed his distress and started crying. “Oh, no, little one, it’s okay. It’s okay. Shh, quiet now. You’re all right.”
Sasaki stared blatantly at the two of them. “That’s an actual baby.”
Toshinori resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Why does everyone say that?”
Sasaki paced over, his forehead furrowed deep in thought. He loomed over them, staring inscrutably at Izuku. He reached out and placed two fingers on the baby’s forehead. His quirk activated with a swirl of green. He hissed and yanked his hand back before glaring at Toshinori. “You aren’t keeping it,” he said bluntly.
Toshinori flushed and hugged Izuku a little tighter. “Who said I was?”
Sasaki stared him down.
“He,” Toshinori corrected. "And I was only considering it, okay? But I don’t know how to take care of a child." For some reason, Sasaki’s dismissive tone made him want to keep Izuku even more.
“Think this through, Yagi—”
“I have,” Toshinori shot back. “I haven’t even made a decision yet.”
“Yes, you have,” Sasaki said pointedly.
Curse him and his quirk. Toshinori didn’t meet his eyes.
“It shouldn’t even be a decision,” he continued. “There’s no way you can take care of a baby. You’re the Symbol of Peace, for fuck’s sake.”
Toshinori flinched at Sasaki’s sharp voice. He wondered what exactly he’d seen in his vision and why it was irritating him so much. “It’s not up to you,” Toshinori said quietly, but firmly. “And in the end, it won’t even be up to me. Adoption services will deem the best fit for him.”
Sasaki jabbed a finger in his direction. “And that is not you.”
“Sasaki,” Toshinori said wearily.
“This is ridiculous,” he snapped, anger leeching off him.
The baby stirred and let out a wail. Toshinori immediately turned his full attention to him. Sasaki watched as he soothed the baby and quieted him.
“I think you should leave,” Toshinori said quietly, settling the baby on his shoulder to pat his back.
“Tell me you aren’t keeping it.”
“He’s not an it,” Toshinori almost yelled. “He’s just a helpless child.”
“Yagi, as your friend and your sidekick,” Sasaki said slowly, his gaze pinched, “I’d advise you to think this through carefully.”
Sasaki would only accept one answer at this point. Toshinori loved his friend, but he could be so goddamn stubborn sometimes. Well, to be fair, they could both be stubborn. This led to more than a few arguments over the years. But they always made up in the end. Toshinori had no doubt this would go the same way.
“I’m not going to make an impulsive decision involving a child’s life,” Toshinori said. “But it’s also not up to you what I decide.”
Sasaki glared at him. Toshinori glared right back.
Sasaki huffed. He spun around and headed for the door. “Call me when you’re ready to get back to heroing.” He turned around and met Toshinori’s gaze. “The world needs you, Yagi, more than this one child does.” Then he was gone.
Toshinori sighed heavily, staring at the baby. Was Sasaki right? Wasn’t it his duty to protect the world? But didn’t he become a hero just to say one person at a time? He smiled at the baby. If he couldn’t save this one, tiny, helpless person, what kind of hero would he be?
Toshinori adjusted Izuku to his shoulder, cradling his head in one hand. He pulled out his phone and called child protective services.
It wasn’t easy becoming a parent. In fact, it was the hardest thing Toshinori had ever done. Getting the paperwork official went surprisingly smoothly, figuring out what all a baby needed was harder, rescheduling his patrols and hero duties so he could still spend time with Izuku was a nightmare. But he wouldn’t change any part of it.
He was there to watch Izuku take his first steps.
He was there to hear Izuku’s first word— Dada.
He was there learning that Izuku loved shoving his whole fist into his rice and smearing it across the table, no matter how many times Toshinori tried to tell him no.
He was there watching Sasaki slowly warm up to the boy and become something of an uncle figure for Izuku.
He was there when they received the news that Izuku was quirkless. Toshinori loved him all the same, but his heart broke at the thought of what the world would now throw at him for something he had no control over. He made sure Izuku always knew he was loved and cherished.
He was there the first day Izuku came home from school crying because someone made fun of him for being quirkless. All Toshinori could do was hold him and love him even harder.
He was there for everything, the good, the bad, every scraped knee, every joyous giggle. Everything. Until he wasn’t.
All for One took more than just Toshinori’s lung and stomach, he almost took him away from his son. The minute Toshinori woke up from his week long coma, attached to more medical equipment than he knew what to do with, he was begging for his son.
Sasaki brought Izuku to him and Izuku immediately launched himself into Toshinori’s arms. Toshinori hugged him tightly, unheeding of the pain. Toshinori sobbed, wheezing through his oxygen mask. He’d almost lost the best thing in his life. He’d almost left Izuku all alone. He held Izuku even tighter.
When Sasaki told him he should retire, Toshinori listened.
When Nezu approached him with an offer, Toshinori accepted.
And, years later, Toshinori was there, watching, as his son— his son— was named the number one hero in all of Japan.
Toshinori may have given Izuku a quirk and the chance to become a hero, but he’d always been Toshinori’s hero. Izuku had given Toshinori more than he could ever give back— a family, a happy life, and the best son anyone could ever ask for.