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A different story would have started with the first soulmark a child had gotten. Wherever it was, the mark was almost always left by the child’s parents.
When he was old enough for nursery, Toshi knew he was different. It was a surprise he could remember any of it, being so young at the time. The distant, blurred memories of why am I not like the others loomed over him when he was barely out of toddlerhood. How his classmates back then had flashes of colours on their skin, usually at least two.
One mark from each parent. Sometimes one, from a single parent. Sometimes more than two, and he had to teach himself not to be jealous. Three parents that loved them enough to leave soulmarks.
No one had left any marks on him. Not his mother, with the light american accent - a flash of orange on her cheek. His father, a happy man, usually laughing with silver dotted on his elbow. He had an older sibling that had marks from their parents, his aunts and uncles all had marks, but not one of them left their mark on him. He didn’t have any soulmarks, even at the age of four and five.
Toshinori barely remembered any of them. His memory of those times was a blur, but he remembered his quirkless diagnosis. The social worker that came soon after. The paperwork, with his name on and his parents’ names on. The cold look on his parents' faces. Even at that young age, he realised what it all meant.
His family was always going to sign him away.
They never left any mark, because he would never be important to them. This was marked - or rather - not marked on him since his birth.
It hurt, but - it meant new beginnings. Toshi had hope at first. Maybe it was because he had been so young. Younger children were adopted more often. That maybe one day some adults looking for a child would brush up against him, and a shining colour would show up on his skin, and they would all know that they would be his new parents.
He’d seen it happen, as well. To one of his foster siblings. An adoption could even be fast-tracked if that happened, with the soulmarks showing to the world that they would be a family. Soul parents had almost the same rights as biological parents.
That didn’t happen. Not to him. None of the adults left soulmarks. None of the other kids left soulmarks. There would be no one looking to adopt him. No soul sibling that wouldn’t be separated from him, who would love him and he would love back.
(Quirkless children were more common than they were in the future, but they certainly weren’t common. A lot were in the foster system, but it certainly wasn’t unusual that Toshi would go from house to house and be the only quirkless kid there. There were jokes that went around in foster homes and schools about people like him. Rumours that quirkless kids didn’t even have enough soul for a quirk, so soulmarks certainly couldn’t happen. Toshinori knew fully well that wasn’t true, but there was no way he could prove them wrong, quirkless and skin empty of soulmarks. He was proof it was true to them, and eventually he learnt to stop arguing about it. No one would listen.)
He was a teenager when Nana put her hand on his shoulder. In the heat of summer weather a tank top was certainly enough. Toshinori remembers looking upward, resting and tired on the ground after working hard. The - a blue smudge in the shape of digits. Nana’s fingers covered in gold.
Nana had broken into a grin, her eyes bright and sparkling. Toshi had been training with her even before it - he was her chosen successor. He’d never told her just how glad he was, that he had the chance to work for this goal rather than to be chosen because of the soulmark. He’d proved himself before they found out she was his soul child. Soul… successor?
(He met Gran Torino - no mark. He met her husband - no mark. He met her son - no mark.
Toshinori never told her how worried it made him.
Nana had marked her son, the blue brushing his cheekbone. Maybe that was why he never thought she would give him up for adoption, even if it was to save him. Usually, kids in the foster system that had parent-marks had dead parents.
Well, that came true, hadn’t it?
He hadn’t been able to save Nana however much he tried.)
There would always be something of Nana in him, even after her death. One for All, treasured beyond anything else that was his. For now, until it was time to pass it on, yet again. Then there was Toshinori’s own name, when he was trying to work out what to pick. Nana had helped with that too, and he wasn’t going to change it again. The american first name his biological family had picked for him had never suited him. He was always going to change it, even before he figured out the gender thing.
The name Nori had run in Nana’s family. There had never been a Toshi. Toshinori was the mix of the two, and it didn’t sting that her nickname for him - when she had been alive - was Toshi. It didn’t. Nana was the closest thing he ever had to a mother, and Toshinori had never told her that. Toshinori loved her, but she had given up her son into foster care.
He was, quite frankly, tired of his mothers giving up their children to the foster system
He cried and cried, after her death. Then he figured out why Gran had never left a soulmark.
Gran would never forgive him. That he had to take Toshinori away from the fight, instead of backing Nana up, was a sin too big for Gran to ever forgive. The sparring only proved it. It was so hard to look at the man and think about the times he would bring him and Nana ice-cream after training. This Gran had no softness or kindness or mercy, and fear crept up into his heart. Even years later, it didn’t go away.
Gran sent him to America, and America was where a streak of red was left on him. David. His friend. Someone who delighted in inventing. The person who made his costume, partly because he refused to let anyone else make it. Time spent with David was a joy, and it helped him heal, as the mark Nana left faded. College and hero work helped too, as the work made it hard to think.
David was his friend. His soul brother, in particular. Toshi laughed with him in class, studied with him. Yet, it was still too raw to think of soul families that soon after Nana. Best friend was the closest he could do, back then, however much he tried. David never pushed, and All Might avoided looking him in the eyes after he saw the faded mark Nana had left on him years ago.
It felt like David knew what had happened, even if Toshinori had never actually told him. He was so thankful David never asked.
That was all he had. Two soulmarks, two splashes of soul colour on his body. Two people he could have called family, even if only one was alive. That was it, for years and years and years. For Toshinori, that was enough. It had to be enough.
As he worked, All Might wore gloves. His costume had long sleeves. Most of his skin was covered. There were rumours it was to cover the many soulmarks he had, and rumours it was to make sure he wouldn’t find his soulmate on live television. The second option was more true than people expected - if All Might had found a soulmate on live television, the poor person would never have peace again.
Nighteye’s mark was silver. It was an accident. A brush of skin. Nighteye was a good friend, and All Might was happy to have him as soulmate. Even as it worried him,
Three.
Maybe it was luck that no one had gotten a glance at any of his soulmarks over the years. However much his costume ripped - and it did rip, whatever David did - the skin shown only proved where a soulmark wouldn’t be. The number of soulmarks All Might had was completely unknown, and he liked it that way. There were no rumours of who the faded soulmark on his shoulder had come from, and what soulbond they had. No questions about Nana. Toshinori didn’t know if he could take that, even after the wound had scarred over, after the years. No questions about David or Mirai either, for their safety.
(He had a nightmare once, that All for One would leave a mark. A soul brother, maybe. A soul uncle, maybe. The man would grin, and tell him how it showed that Toshinori had never been worthy of One for All, and that the quirk would end with him.
That Nana had been wrong, and died thinking she should have picked someone else.)
When he finally found the bastard, All for One didn’t leave a soulmark. It should have been a relief, but-
The fight fucking sucked in many other ways. The injuries he’d gained would never leave him. It was worth it, if All for One was defeated. Even his death was worth it then.
Then there was Nighteye, and what he saw. It hurt to have Nighteye use his quirk on him, even out of worry. To have proof that Toshinori was running out of time was painful. His life was an hourglass that had more sand at the bottom than the top. Everything was made worse by the ticking of his quirk inside of him, and how using it hurt when it never had before.
His quirk couldn’t end with him, but the idea of giving up made him want to throw up. Nighteye tried to pick a successor for him. Mirio didn’t feel right. They shook hands, and Nighteye had tensed, watching.
No mark left on either of them.
The boy would be a great hero - he was already a good man - but he wasn’t right. Even if they’d left soulmarks on each other, it wouldn’t have been right. Nighteye was slightly bitter about it. Never to Mirio, but Toshi knew that look in his eye. It was nothing like the softness he used to see, before the fight with All for One.
Izuku was -
Well.
There was nothing really he could do to make up for the words he had said. Training the boy wasn’t about that - Izuku deserved better than training on regret alone, and Toshi really did think the boy would be a great hero. Would be a better hero than him, when he got to it.
Toshinori laughed and then cried, when he put his hand on his successor’s arm and his palm came up green, and Izuku’s arm gold. It might not have been the best reaction, as the boy cried with him, and on him, but the joy and hope in Izuku’s eyes made everything better.
Was this how Nana felt, when she looked upon him - her soul child, so many years ago? Izuku was his soul child, and it didn’t take long at all to realise that Toshi would die for him.
(Later, he would change it to live for him. Izuku deserved the best.)
It didn’t take too long, after that, for him to mess up to a really unfortunate degree.
Toshinori had gotten used to his very few and easy to hide soulmarks. Izuku had turned his palm green, when there was very obvious evidence that it hadn’t been green, months before. His costume had gloves, of course, but depending on the villain they didn’t always survive. It would have taken just one picture for the news to come out.
The papers screamed out all the flashy titles they could think of to get readers. Some went simple - All Might’s new soulmark - and some didn’t. It was all that hero focused news would talk about, even above more important things like villain captures. Frankly, it was embarrassing - and it was how his other soulmates found out about the boy. There were many emails.
Mirai had known what it meant. Or guessed, but he was correct enough. Gran had sent him something short, something snappy. The best one came from Izuku, who sent him a line of exclamation marks, and even with the sinking feeling in his non-existent gut it made him huff.
The apology sent mere seconds later broke him into laughter. The kid would one day get used to the idea that he was very much allowed to text him whatever nonsense or jokes he wanted to, or call him Toshi (or dad-), but that day wasn’t the day. Izuku was too shy for that just then.
It was so hard to not brag about Izuku. He would never compromise Izuku’s safety by telling the press anything at all, but by fuck he was so proud of the kid. His soul child. He could only even talk about the boy to the people he absolutely trusted and had his back, which was… just Naomasa. Izuku deserved to be shouted from the rooftops.
If things were different, he would have taken up the job offered to him in UA. Teaching might have been new, but it would have helped him keep an eye on Izuku and train him more easily using UA gyms. After the reveal, it was simply impossible. People would start looking for his soulmate there if he was there too, and Izuku was still so young. If they found the boy…
At least Nedzu promised they would have access there anyway, for him to train Izuku if needed.
Even as the world was trying to find out who All Might’s soulmate was, no one looked at the tall blond man, and his green haired child. They didn’t know Toshinori, and they didn’t know Izuku - but Inko did, after Izuku dragged his soulmate to a dinner with his mother.
Inko had smiled, and told Toshi was already a better father in the couple of months he’d known him than Izuku’s biological one. Izuku had choked on his food.
Izuku had to be trained, and he knew that Gran would be a better teacher, if Toshi wanted to give the boy to Gran’s mercy. Maybe it was selfish, or stupid, but he didn’t want to. There was no rush to train Izuku like there had been with him. No supervillain looming over them. Just - school. Gran wouldn’t train Izuku like he’d trained Toshinori so many years ago, but Toshi didn’t want to risk it. The memories he had were bad enough. Izuku would have to be taught by a different teacher.
(He was thankful for that, after the sports festival. Toshinori had warned him, just in case, and Gran had put in an intern request. Izuku went with his friend’s older brother instead. Ingenium was a good hero, from everything All Might had learnt about him.)
David had been overjoyed to meet his soul nephew over a video call, and Melissa got along almost too well with Izuku. The kids could have taken over the world together if they really tried, but both were too sweet for that, thank hell. It was too early to make plans, but Toshinori had already thought about bringing Izuku and Inko to meet the both of them in real life, later.
It helped too, that David and Melissa demanded to make support items for Izuku even before the boy got into UA. Or any other hero school - or hero college - Toshinori didn’t want to put pressure onto him, but the boy wanted to get into UA. The braces, shiny and new, arrived less than two weeks later. Something that would last against Izuku’s punches, but also importantly - cover the golden soulmark Izuku had bare on his wrist. Simple bandages would only last so long during training and the braces, one for each arm, were much stronger than that.
(The letter they’d left for Izuku helped, too. The boy went bright red and couldn’t stop stuttering, but Toshinori had seen the new phone numbers Izuku had. Two more family members for him. Izuku deserved many more.)
Nighteye was still bitter. It hurt, not introducing them, but Izuku didn’t need that when he was already so anxious, so unconfident. Soul brother or not, Izuku was a teenager, and needed him more than Mirai.
The press, Endeavor’s, and the villains' questions were very much unappreciated and unwanted. All he could do was grit his teeth, and dodge them. All Might was very good at dodging questions trying to dig into anything private.
(Izuku would never find out All Might had yelled at Endeavor for insulting Izuku and Toshinori wanted to keep it that way. Endeavour frankly didn’t have a fucking clue what to do, when All Might snapped at him, and in any other situation it would have been funny.
It was bad enough that Izuku had put the title ‘asshole’ under Endeavor’s name in his notebooks, after Toshi had slipped up and called the man that in front of Izuku.
Fuck that guy, though.)
Izuku got One for All a mere week before the UA entrance exam. He reacted like Toshi had, all those years ago. None of them wanted to eat hair, but quirks. Quirks.
The first thing the boy did with it was break his arm, and that wasn’t - anywhere near planned. Or good. Or wanted.
Several bones and trips to a healer later - Izuku’s bones remained in one piece. Thank hell for that, Toshinori didn’t know how much more his heart could have taken. David’s work was brilliant as always, and the braces came in incredibly handy. It was a rush to register them as needed items before the exam, but in the end, Izuku was allowed to bring them in as long as one of the teachers checked them over and that was easy enough. The boy had cried into his shoulders in relief.
Toshinori spent the day of the UA exam almost as nervous as his soul child. The villains didn’t know what hit them that day - sometimes literally. It was better doing his job than it was sitting around and wiggling his thumbs.
Izuku cried when he finished the exam.
Toshinori was waiting for him at their beach, sitting on a bench and watching the ocean. Waiting for any text to tell him how it went and instead ending up with a strong fifteen year old diving into his arms. Izuku didn’t believe he passed, not with the amount of points he managed to get.
All Might took the time to hug his soul child and remind him that he would be proud of Izuku, whatever he got.. Just trying was enough. Trying had always been enough.
Until the day he died, Toshinori would have the memory of when the results came out. How Izuku pressed into his good side, tense with nerves. Inko, on the other sofa, practically vibrating. The clink as the mini projector hit the table.
Izuku got in. Everyone cried. Toshinori, Inko, and Izuku, piling together and tears running down their cheeks. Izuku had worked so hard for it, and could barely believe it.
He met Izuku on the beach the day school started. All he could give him was a good luck charm and a hug, but Izuku looked as if he’d given him the entire world.
UA was good for him. It was great to see Izuku bloom as time went on. How happy the boy was in classes - heroic or normal - how he cheerfully came up to him to practice things like english, or to work on his maths. His shock when he found out that All Might had a physics degree. How he chatted to Toshi about what he did in the USJ, telling him all that he’d learnt about saving people from different types of zones, and now the water zone was his least favourite.
Everyday drifted along in a haze of joy. It was so much easier to do hero work when he knew there was someone waiting for Toshinori - Not All Might. His soul child needed a parent, and he wouldn’t betray that. Toshinori had to live for Izuku, not die. It almost seemed bitter at first, but as it went on it was like a weight was lifted off his chest. Toshi felt that he’d regained his hope. Izuku hadn’t even known what he’d done, but Toshi owed him so much.
Maybe that’s why Izuku was his soul child - children were meant to be better than their parents. Izuku was going to be a greater hero than All Might, Toshi just knew it.
When Izuku approached weeks later, holding a family ticket for the sports festival in his hand, Toshinori told him he wouldn’t miss it for the world. Inko had been asked before him, but she hadn’t wanted to be so close to the danger and the fighting - she’d apologised for it, but Izuku understood. Toshinori was the next person he asked, even though he knew he could get a ticket easily enough, Izuku wanted to give it to him.
Toshi was so, so proud of his boy.
However Izuku did in the sports festival, Toshinori was proud.
Izuku still managed to surpass his expectations. His grin, when green lightning sparked up Izuku’s frame. The plan with the minefield. The cavalry battle - Toshinori just couldn’t stop smiling.
That was why, when it came time to do the one on one matches he’d snuck away from his seat, to where the students would be going in. Izuku’s grin when he saw him all but lit up the room. The other boy - Endeavor's son - seemed almost confused about it all. Toshinori was just glad that they were making friends.
Endeavor had thought up the same thing for his son, and Toshinori met his eyes as he walked in.
Maybe if he was in his All Might form, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it. All Might had known Endeavor didn’t like him, but he’d ignored it. Something as simple as a dislike didn’t really mean much, in the grand scheme of things. However, the look of anger - the growled words towards the younger - the scoffing towards Izuku, all of that made him frown.
There was no need to be so rude to the children, and certainly no need to trash talk Izuku. Endeavor was an adult and the no.2 hero, for fucks sake. They hadn’t finished their first year in UA.
Toshi made a note to look into it, smiling innocently when Izuku gave him a look behind Endeavor’s back. It was like his boy knew what he was thinking, as soon as Endeavor opened his mouth to spew shit towards the teens.
(It was strange - and honestly disturbing - when Izuku’s protests stopped the same day. What had Todoroki Shoto said to him to change his mind so quickly? What had Endeavor done?
Why was Izuku suddenly so protective over his classmate?)
Friendships were made rather than broken, after the festival. Another thing that was different now - Toshinori remembered some of his classmates wouldn’t talk to each other for weeks afterwards. Izuku had talked about how a new classmate had been transferred in, and he was working on being friends with the boy already.
Classes were going well, for everyone. There were exams, yes, but the teens hung out. They went to the mall, they played in the park - it was nice to see Izuku do teenage stuff.
Everything was so lighthearted, so - soft. The end of it all came with an email from Nedzu. It was just an offer, but of course Toshinori would be happy to go to the training camp with Izuku and the rest of the teens. Even if he couldn’t use his All Might form there, tips from a ‘retired pro’ and just another adult to look after them all would be useful. Nedzu told him that Eraserhead had called them a handful, and Toshinori believed it.
It was easy enough to sort everything out with his agency, and do everything else that needed to be done. It wasn’t so much of a break as it seemed - if anything big happened, All Might could simply jump over to the problem. Especially because he wasn’t using his form for anything other than the big things, so the full three hours of it would always be available.
Eraserhead - or Aizawa, as he liked to be called in school - wasn’t too happy for a random person to come along at first, but Nedzu convinced him. Toshinori was sure he would be set to deal with the kids if there was any petty bickering from the look Aizawa gave him, but he didn’t mind at all. It would be nice to meet Izuku’s friends.
And it was.
Izuku was shocked into silence when he saw Toshi enter the bus, the other students all speaking up and asking who Toshinori was. They were certainly a lively bunch.
It was fun. All of it. The lighthearted teasing when they discovered he was Izuku’s soul father. The questions when they found out he used to go to UA too. Izuku’s smile, as the other teens were enthralled with getting all the information out of the new adult, unknowing that he was All Might.
Izuku almost gave the whole game away with the laughter he just barely held in as Toshi told them he knew a little about heroics.
The dirty looks they got when Aizawa made the teens run and fight some of the way there.
Toshinori remembered his days training there. It had been so long, and of course it looked different now, but the surrounding area was similar enough. The building the students would sleep in was bigger now, mats already spread on the floor. The children talked loudly as they picked where they wanted to sleep, yet they still dragged the sleeping bags around to make the perfect area.
Aizawa, for all his grouch, made sure that the food was cooked before his kids were there. He kept a fire roaring, and Toshinori saw those marshmallows and s’more ingredients in his bag. Izuku was right - Aizawa did care for them all, however he acted.
Toshinori watched as the teens laughed and joked and talked to each other. Hands waving as they told stories. Smiles all around. Dares on how many marshmallows could fit in one mouth.
When it was finally time for them all to go to bed, he and Aizawa sat outside, the fire dying down slowly. They didn’t talk, not really, but there was a sense of camaraderie floating around.
Although he didn’t know too much about Eraserhead, Toshinori trusted him. He trusted him to do the best for the kids - to have their backs and protect them. Mostly, he knew Aizawa was a better teacher than he was, whatever Izuku said, and that Izuku would grow up to be a strong hero if Aizawa was there to advise him. Toshi tried, but he was too new at being a mentor. Nana made it look so easy.
Later still, when the only thing in the air were fireflies and the cool scent of night - Aizawa sleeping in the teacher’s rooms, and Toshi was left to guard - he checked on the kids.
His class, so many years ago, hadn't been like this. It had been way more lonely. There was only competition and it was rough, and isolating. These kids had each other. There was no one without any friends, no one spent time brooding on their own. Sometimes it had taken a while, but they all had their groups - no one was left out.
Toshi hoped they would keep this up for all their years in UA, and after that too. It was always good for pro heroes to have friends that knew what the life was like, and back them up if they needed it.
When he peeked inside of the room, they had all settled into a pile. There was meant to be a divider between the gendered sections, but someone had removed it. He wanted to thank them really, as he took pictures of the puppy pile on his phone.
Aizawa was definitely getting a copy of it. Toshi took one of just Izuku too, so that he (and Inko) could have it on the wall. Izuku was so - young like this. It was lovely to see.
He shut the screen again after that, settling back onto the wooden seats outside, zipping up his fleece. There was no danger right then. Toshinori was here, he was watching, so they would all be fine. He swore it.
One day, then two, then three days of training passed. All of the teens worked so hard, pushing themselves to the limit so that they would be the best hero they could be. He was so proud of them. Each student took their plan and tried to surpass it.
Aizawa tried not to show it, but Toshi knew he was proud too - and he had much more reason to be than Toshinori did. The man had grinned when he showed him the pictures, and Toshinori had the sneaking suspicion that a picture of the cuddle pile would be in 1-A classroom when they came back.
It was all good. It was sweet, and all the teenagers had the time to be teens after training. Or during training sometimes, even if that got a little... Explosive.
They would treasure the happy memories for the rest of their lives, Toshinori had thought.
Before the fire had burst into life. Before the smoke crawled up around their ankles. Everything would have been so much worse if they’d sent the kids out to do a test of courage like they almost had done. It was better, with them all together. Even if they were surrounded by villains on all sides. Aizawa had yelled that the class would be allowed to defend themselves with their quirks, but they were students against experienced villains.
As far as the villains - and everyone else other than Toshi and Izuku - knew, only one person there was truly a pro.
Toshinori would do anything for all the kids to be okay.
His identity was nothing compared with their lives - and the villains were certainly going to try and kill the students. Known serial killers stared them down.
So
He
Transformed.
Silence swept over the scene. The sneers some villains wore broke at the sight. Toshinori breathed in.
All Might wasn’t smiling.
But everything would be okay, because he was here.
Some of the villains turned tail and ran, simply from his presence. They simply didn’t want to risk it, and they wouldn’t have come if they knew he was there. Other villains tried to challenge him.
Eraserhead breathed in sharply. The teens had gasped - all but Izuku, who gritted his teeth.
Toshinori was angry.
The villains would talk, after this was all over. His real form would be all over the news. It felt like a loss, but not much of one. As long as the children were alright - that would be enough. The children had to be alright, because he would take nothing else.
So he fought. He punched. He swept his fist to break the villains’ defences. He didn’t hold back.
Still, one villain got lucky. Bakugo, had been caught by them, if only for a second before All Might got to him. That villain was knocked out quickly, and young Bakugo was freed.
Yaoyorozu, planning, had thrown a tracker onto a villain as they all started to run. Whether it was from orders or not, they all started to dash into the portals that had sprung up in the trees.
Toshinori had an idea.
It was reckless.
It was stupid.
All Might looked at the still open portal right in front of him, and then at the fleeing villains. He listened to the yelled threats of revenge, of how they’ll spill his secret to everyone - how they would find and murder his family.
Toshinori bent his knees and jumped.
None of the villains expected All Might himself to rocket into the room and down three of them in one move. Chaos came in the next second. It was free for all brawl, every person for themselves, and All Might was winning.
Toshinori hadn’t thought this through at all - he’d barely thought. Yet, he wasn’t the No.1 hero for nothing.
All Might bared his teeth more than smiled.
They were going down. This was the only way the villains would stop threatening the children, would stop hurting people, would leave his son alone.
Everything passed in waves of violence. Toshinori ignored the bullshit they’d poured out into the air, even as he listened to it in case they let any information slip. Maybe whatever point they’d thought up had good parts in it, but trying to kill teenagers meant the mouths it came from didn't mean shit. This only seemed to annoy many of them, especially the one with a hand on his face.
There was just him, then there were other heroes bursting into the scene. Someone - Aizawa? - had to have sent off an alert on the hero network. Best Jeanist. Hawks. Mt Lady. Mirko. Edgeshot. Others, too. They didn’t look surprised to see him here, fighting.
The sheer amount of force on their side broke down the villains sooner rather than later. What remained of the bar was quickly trashed with fire and - pretty much every other quirk. Police vans shrieked from outside, and sometimes a hero would drag a cuffed villain outside to them.
It took some time, but the heroes won. Still, the crackling nerves down his spine didn’t let Toshinori relax.
His instincts were right.
A man - just one man, one villain - teleported into the room. In the middle of the group of heroes, he was calm. Then the wash of power shoved outwards. People went flying, sprawling through the air. The tension the man gave out made it hard to simply breathe. The villain was tall, and masked, and familiar.
All Might - no - Toshinori looked at him, and let what was more of a snarl than a smile go.
This was the end of All for One’s tyranny. Toshinori would end this, would protect his soul child, would take down the man that had killed his soul mother. He would take him down, and he would live.
There was blood and punching. Rubble in his hair. Words in the air that Toshinori simply couldn’t hear over his anger as All for One tried to bait him. A cough in his throat.
The scar that All for One gave him - the cracked ruin of his torso - throbbed to his heartbeat.
And.
Toshinori
Won.
There was blood in his teeth and on his costume. It was hard to breathe. Muscles he didn’t know he had ached. Some of his hair had been cut off, his fringe much shorter than before. A bone in his arm was certainly broken from how it hurt.
All for One was on the ground, his helmet cracked, quirk suppressant cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He was bleeding too.
Toshinori looked at him, and then looked up, up, at the circling news helicopter, at the pro heroes rushing around and asking him questions.
He let them lead him away when they realised he wasn’t going to be answering anything. He let them lead him into the ambulance even though he wasn’t hurt enough to need it. All Might smiled a little, softly, something that felt unusual with this form and they smiled back.
Pro heroes they might have been, but their eyes were wide at that smile. A real smile.
He’d won, and nothing felt real.
Nothing was blurred - not like it would have been if he was in shock, or dissociating. Everything was too real, he was into his body too much, he was too alive. All for One hadn’t killed him.
All he could do was just breathe. Breathe and live. The hospital room was private, and he was alone after they’d checked him out. The doctors were nervous, but polite, yet it was a relief when they left.
Toshinori sat behind the curtain and let the transformation go. A flash of green caught his eye.
This entire time, he hadn’t been wearing a glove. This entire time, his hand was showing his soulmark to the world. The glitter of Izuku’s green soothed him, proof that his soul child was fine.
They were both fine. They were both alive, and it was amazing.
The door creaked as it opened. A familiar voice, red shoes that he could see from the gap in the curtain.
Someone - must have been Nighteye, or Nedzu - had given Izuku entrance. He was glad they did.
The shoes on the floor squeaked as Izuku walked forward, as he moved so that they could see, eye to eye. His boy was still so nervous, but brave in his worry. There was just a moment to see Izuku’s face, smiling yet crying. His arms wrapping around Toshinori as tight as he dared.
Toshi smiled into his boy’s hair, and hugged him back.
“I’m okay,” he said, “because you’re here, my son.”
And then they both cried.