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It wasn't like Izuku to be late.
Toshinori pulled out his phone from his tracksuit pocket, looking at the time. He'd been standing outside for a good thirty minutes, waiting for Izuku to show up for their usual morning run routine before school.
Toshinori of course didn't mind the delay at first, assuming the kid was just a bit behind.
‘He'll show up eventually.’
That’s what he kept telling himself, at least. But now, looking at his phone, with the minutes past their agreed meet up time come and gone, he wasn't so sure anymore.
He stood there, staring at his phone blankly in thought. At this point class was closer to starting then when he'd walked out here. UA would shortly be buzzing about with waking students; a time where by now he'd be settled inside, showered and drinking warm tea.
He suddenly realized he'd have to make a decision on his own.
He looked up hoping to catch a glimpse of the kid before he left, but to no avail.
Sighing, he made his choice. With a small warm up, he eventually went to start his day on his own, assuming his young protégé had either forgotten, or had had too late of a night studying.
The thought did little to alleviate the wave of disappointment washing over him. He picked up the pace, his bangs bouncing along as he went.
Their morning runs were a habit Midoriya and himself had instilled at some point after his retirement. At first it happened gradually. Toshinori had initially started on his own, using the activity as a simple way to keep his mind and body occupied, while keeping himself in some form of physical shape. But at some point, the boy had started to join him.
Initially he only tagged along every now and again. When Toshinori had asked him about it, according to Izuku it was because he worried about encroaching on his mentor's time to himself. But once Yagi had assured him he liked the extra company, it quickly morphed into an activity they shared together almost every morning. It was something that made brisk mornings spent in the frigid air, that made his joints ache and creak in protest, all worth it to him. Toshinori would be lying to say he didn't enjoy the special one-on-one time with Izuku. It was an activity they could bond over; chat over small talk, and enjoy shared time together before the day began.
At least until recently…
As of late, things have been incredibly fast paced for both of them. Class and villain activity was certainly keeping the students busy at least. This prevented both of them from seeing each other much outside of school hours. But without Izuku, his days weren't quite the same. He'd been feeling rather lonely, and he missed the time that he had to spend with his successor; just the two of them.
So, needless to say, when the kid approached him yesterday evening asking if he wanted to plan for a morning run, he was elated. He'd practically had to stop himself then and there from crushing the boy into a hug. So having to run alone now was… disappointing.
He focused on the ground, finding the cracks in the pavement particularly interesting as he jogged. He did one full lap around campus, before he decided he wasn't feeling it this morning and chose to call it a little early.
He supposed Midoriya probably had a good reason for not showing up, so he decided to not let it affect his day too much if he could help it. Maybe he'd just ask the boy later.
Pushing the large doors open to the common room of the dorms, it wasn’t surprising to find it bustling with many of the students of Class 1-A. Toshinori couldn't help but note that Izuku was missing.
Upon his entry, the students greeted him cheerfully. He returned the gesture.
“Good Morning Sir! I hope your morning has been pleasant so far!” Iida greeted in his usual tone.
“Oh All Might! Nice to see you so early!” Uraraka chirped. “Would you like some breakfast?” she asked, pointing to some fruits and muffins on the table before the cluster of students.
Toshinori couldn't help but smile warmly at the group of them.
“Good morning children. How are you all today?” he asked.
There was a small chorus of ‘ good’ and ‘ tired’ among other small murmurs and greetings that filled his ears from the students. A few of them seemed groggy, with Mina, Denki, and Krishishima standing out in particular, but overall the group was awake and lively.
All Might approached them, inspecting the breakfast choices on the table.
“We don't usually see you in the morning, All Might,” Tsu mentioned. “Did you go somewhere?”
“Oh, I just went on a little run around campus, is all. Just a bit more behind this morning. Nothing to worry about,” he said, grabbing an orange.
“Oh! Deku told me last night he was going to do that with you!” Uraraka said. “How did it go? He seemed excited about it.”
Toshinori paused slightly in peeling his orange, interest peaked. Now this was interesting. He thought about it for a moment, taking care in making sure his voice would be steady when he spoke to not alert anyone of his confusion or disappointment.
“Oh! Well…” he began. “Plans changed a little, so we never actually met up.” It was only partially a lie. “But that's alright. I was actually wondering if he would be with you guys? I was hoping to check on him. Have you seen him?”
Uraraka visibly deflated. “No, we haven't seen him. I thought he was with you.”
“Maybe he forgot to set an alarm!” Mina chimed in.
“On a school day? Nah that's not like him,” Kirishima replied, shoveling rice into his mouth.
“It's a bit unusual, now that you mention it.” Tsu added, holding a finger to her face. “Midoriya is always very punctual.”
“Sensei, do you need us to go find him for you?!” Iida exasperated, chopping his arms around in stiff motions.
“No, no. Don't worry about it kids. I can go check on him myself,” Toshinori replied. “All of you just get yourselves ready for class okay, or else Aiwaza will have all our heads,” he chuckled. “Besides I'm sure Young Midoriya has a perfectly acceptable explanation for his absence. I'll be sure to send him your way shortly.”
“Wait! Before you go, take this!” Uraraka said, handing him an apple.
She noted the confused look on All Might's face, and sheepishly said, “For Izuku. Perhaps he's running late, and could use something to eat too.”
A small smile softened his features. “Ah, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. I’ll be sure he eats it for you.”
Toshinori walked down the halls of the student dorms, approaching Izuku's room. He had yet to run into the boy, and by now he was starting to worry. An anxious knot of trepidation in the pit of his gut told him something wasn't right.
This wasn't like Midoriya at all. He needed to get to the bottom of this and at least make sure he was okay. A part of him hoped it was nothing serious, and the boy was just oversleeping; and if that was the case he knew he'd smack him sideways across the head for causing him distress for no good reason. But no matter how much he tried to reassure himself, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss…
Whether it was the buzzing from the last embers of One For All inside himself, or his own parental instincts kicking in, he wasn't exactly sure. What he did know was this feeling would just continue to keep growing until he found his answer.
Midoriya's dorm door was closed when he got there. Not surprising since all the rooms were like that, but something about the barrier made him uneasy. He stuffed the apple he still carried in his coat pocket before knocking.
“Young Midoriya, are you in there?” he called. He listened, but heard nothing. He knocked again. “My boy, if you're in there you need to wake up. You're going to be late for class.”
Still no sounds of movement.
He sighed, contemplating what to do. He didn’t exactly want to barge in lest he invaded his students' privacy. But the old hero inside of himself told him he couldn’t leave the room unchecked.
Tapping a finger against his leg in thought, he eventually came to a reasonable conclusion.
“Midoriya, if you’re in here I’m coming in okay? I’ll give you thirty seconds. If you don’t want me to please let me know.”
The seconds ticked by and still no response. He was beginning to wonder if the kid was even in his dorm room at all; but if not, standing here and looking silly was the least of his concerns. Having finished counting in his head, he reannounced his entry and turned the knob, thankful it was unlocked.
The door opened with a slight creak, as he gingerly peeked his head inside.
The first thing he noticed was how dark it was. There was a small filter of natural light coming through the curtains, but Toshinori definitely felt himself having to squint as his eyes adjusted to the change.
He peered in, trying to make out Izuku in his bed. He couldn't exactly tell, but he did see what he thought was his form hidden under the covers.
As he stepped inside, the second thing he immediately came to realize was that —
“Good grief it’s cold in here! ”
He shivered as he crept in, zipping his tracksuit up tighter. He watched in confusion as his own breath puffed into a small cloud of vapor in front of his face.
Closing the door behind him, he ignored the jarring feeling he got of seeing his own face literally everywhere, instead focusing on the bed, and finally managing to get a peak of that signature green mop of hair under the covers.
He couldn't keep a sigh of relief from escaping him. At least he knew where he was…
He delayed moving to the teenagers’ bedside for just a moment however, in favor of making a beeline to the thermostat on the wall.
If seeing his own breath wasn't confirmation enough that the dorm room was absolutely frigid, then the numbers on the thermostat definitely where. He tapped on the screen, but after a few tries with frustrating results, he quickly realized that something was very wrong with it, and whatever it was was beyond his knowledge and fixing. He'd have to let someone know so this could get dealt with. They couldn't have the dorm freezing his successor out.
That’s when a pitiful voice whimpered behind him, startling him from his thoughts.
Toshinori turned around, watching as movement stirred from under the covers. Miodirya shifted, the blankets flying as he spread himself out on his bed. One arm was hanging off the edge, his breathing heavy and wheezy as he laid on his tummy. The man waited a few minutes, seeing if he would settle himself.
Only after Midoriya’s breathing evened out did he decide to slowly creep up to the boy's bedside.
He craned his neck as he peeked, afraid if he got too close he’d wake him up.
He moved some of the blankets away from Izuku's face, a small noise escaping him in concern once he got a good look at him.
His boy didn't look good...
He was pale, yet flushed bright red in the cheeks, with dark circles that somehow rivaled even Toshinori’s. And the sweat! Despite the cold room, Izuku was absolutely drenched in it, beads running down his forehead, his clothes sticky and wet.
Ever so gently the man ran his hand through the boy's damp hair, brushing it away from his forehead before resting his palm there. He wasn’t at all surprised when his hand burned up, quickly absorbing the heat of fever. The poor boy made a pitiful noise in his sleep from the touch.
It made Yagi’s heart ache…
The kid was definitely sick. How long had the boy been lying here miserable on his own? Has he taken any medicine to ease his symptoms? Did he need anything? Why hadn't he texted to tell him he was sick?
He sighed internally. There was no use in worrying about the past. He was here now, and the least he could do was to help make sure Midoriya was comfortable.
Slowly, he pulled some of the covers away in an attempt to bring his fever down. As he expected the boy shivered harshly, moaning again. However this time something caught in his throat and he started coughing harshly.
It rattled through his whole body, and even Toshinori had to force himself not to cough up blood from how thick and wet his lungs sounded.
He swallowed, the offending taste of copper having seeped into his mouth. Gently he combed his fingers though the boy's curls, guilt overtaking him as he came to realize he'd awoken Izuku. He tried his best to soothe him through this, sympathizing with the familiar feeling of illness.
Finally his successor stopped hacking. He uttered a pitiful noise from obvious discomfort in his throat, before opening his eyes tiredly. They were glassy, dull, lacking in their usual luster.
He stared straight ahead of himself as he awoke, not yet registering his mentor hovering next to his bedside. It took the gentle motion of All Might rubbing a hand rhythmically up and down his back a few times before his eyes drifted over to Toshinori, confusion washing over his expression at the sight of him.
“A-all Migh’? What a-are you doin’ here?”
Toshinori smiled softly at his tired slurs. He put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder and softly whispered, “I’m sorry for waking you, my boy… I just came to check on you, is all. Are you okay?”
“I… Y-yeah I think so…” Izuku stated in uncertainty. His dull eyes strayed around the room tiredly, betraying his words. “Why? W-what time is it?” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with a groan.
“Well… Class is about to start. I was just concerned when you didn’t show up for our run this morning.” This got Midoriya’s attention; but not in ways Yagi had hoped.
Whatever fever induced grogginess that was fogging over the kid's brain immediately seemed to vanish, swiftly replaced with bewilderment. Toshinori watched as his eyes flicked up at him, eyes wide as they roved about, searching for something. Then there was a swirl of emotions behind those green irises that Yagi couldn’t exactly read, and then like a lightswitch, something he could; it was an emotion he was equally used to, but always managed to pull at his heart strings and somehow never got any lighter each time he noticed it.
Tears…
Clumsily Izuku groped for his phone on the desk, but just as his fingers reached it, he felt a larger hand rest atop his and gently squeeze. He looked back at All Might, eyes already dangerously wet.
“I-I overslept… D-didn’t I?” he croaked, fighting his emotions. He looked up pitifully at his mentor noting how he was already in his tracksuit; his boney cheeks flushed red in the familiar way he'd grown accustomed to seeing from the cold morning air.
Yagi hesitated, suddenly growing tense. He opted for a silent nod. “But it’s okay,” he added softly. “I'll write you an excused absence, and tell Aizawa that you're not feeling well. You won’t have to worry about it.”
There was a long silence between them after that. Midoriya all but shut down, quietly fiddling with his hands, picking at them and finding them far too interesting to look at right now. There was that telltale lip wobble, however he resorted to biting his lip, not saying anything as he seemed to process what his mentor said internally.
“Come on, let's get you out of here,” the man said, breaking the silence. “You need to be someplace warmer.” He reached for Izuku’s hands to pull him up. As expected once out of the covers he violently shivered.
“Why is it so cold in here?!” Izuku rubbed his arms with his hands.
“That's what I'd like to know, my boy! Why didn't you tell anyone?” He almost sounded irritated, bringing the kid to sit up at the edge of the bed.
Izuku shrugged, hanging his head in shame. He swayed slightly from the movement, and could feel All Might's hands steadying him as he collected himself. “I don't know! It was late, when I noticed and I-I guess I thought I'd have enough blankets to be okay for the night… I didn't want to bother anyone…” His voice was teary.
“You could have come to my room. I would have made space for you on the couch at least.” Now he just sounded worried, voice soft.
Midoriya didn't look up. He didn't want to say what he was thinking out loud; that he actually had considered going to his mentor's dorm, but opted out of it because he didn't want to bother the man. Instead he was now causing more trouble than he would have originally… The thought actually made his heart clench with guilt.
“S-sorry All Might… I didn’t think I’d get sick…”
“It’s alright. I’m just… worried…” he said with a sigh. He laid a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. He managed a small smile as he spoke. “Why don’t you change into a fresh pair of pj’s and then we’ll get you warmed up? Sound nice?”
“B-but… W-what about class?”
Surprised, All Might stepped back, subconsciously raising a free hand to grab the collar of his tracksuit in an attempt to pull it closer to himself. He looked over Izuku carefully.
“What about it? You better not be thinking of going, my boy,” he warned. Izuku flinched.
“B-but I don't wan' to miss class, All Might…” he continued. “I already —” a deep breath was taken, shaky from tears, “I-I already missed our run, an' I-I can't miss class too…”
“There's nothing wrong with taking a sick day, kid. Everyone will understand.”
“Mm' fine… I can just take something to take the edge off. I can make it if I do that.”
He started to push himself up to stand, despite the obvious fatigue in his sluggish movements. He swayed on his feet, but shook it off even though All Might seemed ready to catch him at a moment's notice.
Toshinori watched carefully as his successor got up and rummaged through his drawers, pulling out his school uniform. He frowned deeply at this.
“Midoriya, where do you think you’re going?” he asked, tone disapproving.
Izuku didn’t answer him, but he did stop, allowing Toshinori to know that he was listening. He could see the swirling conflict of emotions behind the boy’s eyes; those of worry, frustration, and sadness. And while Izuku wasn’t directly looking at him, instead avoiding eye contact, he could still see the heavy weight of tears that he was fighting hard against. He was positive he already knew what was going on in his kids head, and he knew Izuku wouldn't subject himself to being sick unless assured of his worries.
Toshinori gave a sigh, a small sympathetic smile on his face as he walked up to the boy. He shook his head. “Midoriya, I don’t think you’re in any shape for class… Everything tells me otherwise… You don't look good, you don't sound good; You're certainly not acting like yourself.” He settled his hand on the boy's forehead again, shifting between it and his cheek, not missing how Izuku leaned into the touch drowsily. “You're burning up, you know that? I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’d all prefer you stay here and rest. You know if I send you to class Aizawa is just going to send you right back… And if not him then Recovery Girl will, and I'm not sure if we'd hear the end of it from either of them.”
Izuku sighed. All Might made a very fine argument there. Even if he convinced his mentor he was okay, which seemed doubtful at this point, getting past Aizawa would certainly be tricky. He'd have to hide it well, and he wasn't sure if even his best attempts would be good enough… And if not by his teachers, then his classmates would certainly sniff him out. Anyway he looked at it, his chances didn't seem good.
He groaned, realizing he was out of options. Relenting, he asked in a sheepish voice, “C-can you make sure I get the homework I need then? A-and… Maybe ask if my friends can take notes for me?”
Yagi smiled genuinely. “Of course. I'll make sure it happens.”
“‘Kay…” he responded, focusing on his own plume of breath in front of him. “I’ll stay…”
There was a gentle pat on his shoulder. “Probably for the best, my boy. Now… It’s cold here… I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get warmed up.”
Just like that a violent shiver was sent running down Izuku’s spine. The pathetic whimper that emitted from the boy caused a chuckle from his mentor.
“I’ll be sure to grab extra blankets.”
“Have you taken anything yet for your fever?” Yagi gently asked. Ever so gingerly he helped ease a steaming cup of warm tea in Izuku's frozen hands, the poor boy shaking under all the blankets his teacher had supplied him.
Midoriya looked pitiful really. Sweatshirt, long pajama pants, and even after all this, still bundled under all those covers, his All Might themed one held closest of all. To say that Toshinori was worried was an understatement…
Izuku shook his head in response. He took the tea gratefully, holding it close as the steam rose to his face. He stared into the swirling drink, expression miserable and downcast.
“Alright... I'll get you something. Hang tight for me okay?”
The youth just nodded. He didn't say anything as his mentor walked into the small kitchen in the common area, searching for the basic necessities that were conveniently held there for the students' needs.
Originally his mentor had proposed that they go to his apartment. However, Izuku ended up feeling weaker than either of them realized and thus they settled on the common room. He wasn't complaining though; it was quiet, and All Might had been so kind as to close the motorized blinds in the room, easing the strain on his sensitive eyes. He had warm tea in his hands, and —
There was a gentle nudge on his shoulder, and then a hand appeared, a few painkillers being offered. “This should help…” he heard All Might say, opening a free hand as the pills were delicately placed in his palm.
“T-thank you,” Izuku faintly replied. His voice was so soft Toshinori almost didn't catch it.
“Of course, my boy…”
Slowly the man eased himself to sit beside his student, his own cup of tea in hand. He watched as Midoriya downed the medicine without much trouble, though it didn't keep him from grimacing in disgust. He attempted to clear his throat, only for a harsh cough to catch in his lungs first.
“You sound like me coughing like that,” Yagi said absentmindedly.
“S-sorry, All Might…”
“Don't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for.” He laid a hand on the boys back, rubbing soothing circles to help ease the coughing fit.
Izuku sighed. Eyes downcast “M-maybe you should… should leave… I don't want you to catch it. My flu, I mean… You don't… You don't do so well when you're sick.”
Toshinori hummed thoughtfully, still rubbing those gentle circles that seemed to lull Midoriya into an exhausted stupor.
Young Midoriya wasn't wrong, per say. The boy knew more about his medical history and health problems than what was good for him. But that certainly didn’t mean he needed to spend time needlessly worrying about it for him. He was far too young for that…
So, the older man opted for some simple reassurance.
“It wouldn't be my first rodeo. My body has dealt with far worse, so don't worry about me. I'll be fine.”
Izuku didn't say anything in response. He just stared tiredly into his tea, focusing on the feeling of the sturdy hand on his back.
“I-if you're sure…”
“I'm sure, my boy. I'm sure…”
After that there was a long silence between the two of them; for a number of minutes neither of them spoke as they just sat drinking their tea.
“I'm sorry I didn't come looking for you sooner,” Toshinori finally said. “Maybe if I had I could have spared you at least a few extra minutes in that cold room.”
Midoriya shrugged lightly. “It's not your fault, All Might. You didn't know…”
“I know… But I did know something wasn’t right when you didn’t show up this morning. I should have listened to my gut the first time.”
Izuku curled in tightly on himself, sighing. He felt so guilty about the whole situation, and really wished he could do something to fix it. “I-I’m sorry All Might, f-for… for making you worry. Did… did you at least go without me?”
“I did,” Yagi admitted. “It wasn’t the same without you though. I was worried you'd forgotten,” he said teasingly, a playful glint in his eyes. However the small, harmless jab that normally he knew wouldn’t be any trouble, simply flustering Midoriya at most, wasn’t at all received in the way he’d intended.
Instead the tears in Izuku’s eyes returned with renewed vigor, and Toshinori’s grin fell instantly.
“Midoriya, I didn’t mean —”
“I-I know,” Izuku hiccupped, wiping the tears from his face uselessly. “I just… I hope you didn’t wait on m-me too long. I-I had my alarm set and everything, and-and… I-I didn’t mean… I-I had planned to go the entire time, honest! I really wanted to go with you, and I messed up. I messed up… And… I —” He hitched in his breathing, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as the build up of emotions overflowed, and proved too much to contain.
“M’sorry All M-might!!” he wept, aggressively wiping his face. “I promised y-you I’d g-go out with you this morning, an’ I didn’t make it! I-I broke m-my promise, and you're probably m-mad at me and… I'm sorry…”
Then there was a small 'clunk' of a cup being set on wood, and he suddenly felt a firm arm wrap around his body and pull him in tight.
“Midoriya my boy, I'm not… I'm not mad,” All Might gently countered. “Not in the slightest. I'm just worried about you, that’s all. Stop apologizing for me… You're sick and you need your rest.”
“Mm’ fine. I-I could have m-made it if I tried,” Izuku blubbered through his tears.
Yagi scoffed. "”Well I'm glad you didn't, my boy! You know just as well as I do that I would have sent you back to bed if you came out looking like this.” He lightly gestured toward the kid. “I would have been more upset with you for pushing yourself so hard over something that’s just as easy to reschedule.”
“A-are you upset with me now?” Izuku pitifully mewled.
“Izuku, no… That's not what I… That's not what I meant at all…” he replied, voice practically leaking with care. He blinked, trying to continue but finding his words to suddenly be lost, caught in his throat.
He couldn't help but gaze down at the kid like a worried parent. His blue eyes, shadowed as they were, glinted brightly as he tried to make light of the situation. There was definitely something going on in Izuku's head. He was certain the far away look in his watery eyes was more than just the fever.
He sighed, gently carding his fingers through the boy's green curls. “I’m just… trying to understand what’s going on in that head of yours, my boy,” he sighed. “Why are you so worried about this?” he finally asked, voice soft.
Izuku didn't say anything at first. He kept quiet, wiping at the tears that slipped down his cheeks, in between small sobs. He opened his mouth multiple times, but only closed it, not finding the words. However, Toshinori was very patient, and knew that if he gave Midoriya time, eventually he'd open up.
It took a few minutes of gentle encouragement, and soft whispers, but eventually he was rewarded.
“I-I just w-wanted to spend time with you… Like we… like we planned…”
Something about that made Toshi’s heart ache.
“Midoriya I'm… I'm always willing to spend time with you. We can reschedule… It's really okay.”
Izuku hiccupped, rubbing away at his tears. “I-I know… B-But I… we've been so busy. You seem so busy. We just -and't made plans in a while and I just… I really wanted them to work, an’ I feel like I messed it all up.”
“Izuku, this isn’t your fault. Things happen.... There’s no reason to beat yourself up over this so much…”
Midoriya shook his head. “I-I don’t think you understand…” he whimpered. “It just seems like we never get to do anything together anymore. S-so… when we made plans like this I was really excited… I just… I just miss how things used to be sometimes. Just the two of us.”
Oh this boy…
His poor boy…
So this was the reason…
“Oh my boy,” he breathed, finally understanding. “My poor Prince of Nonsense…. Come here, Izuku.”
Ever so gently he took the barely touched luke-warm tea in Young Midoiya’s hands, and after setting it aside, proceeded to wrap both his arms around the boy's shaking frame. Guiding him in close, he allowed him to settle against his chest. He kept his embrace secure, yet loose and gentle, just in case Izuku wanted to pull away.
However the teenager didn't. Instead, to his slight surprise, Midoriya leaned into the action; resting his face in his mentor’s jacket, hiding his tears.
Again, his large hand settled on his students back to rub those soothing circles.
“I'm sorry, Izuku. I… I didn't know…” His own voice was rattling slightly. “Why didn't you just tell me that?”
Izuku shrugged.
“You just seem like you don' have time an' I just… I didn't wanna bother y-you,” he cried.
Had he really been this oblivious? He rubbed his eyes, sighing internally.
“Izuku, I want you to know that, whenever you want to spend time together, please just ask me. Okay? It doesn't just have to be during school hours, or just lunch in the teachers lounge, or just training. I love your company my boy, and I enjoy spending my time with you. So if you're feeling like you're needing more from me please, please tell me…”
“I-I know… But you always seem like you have better things to be doing. You shouldn't always have to make time for me…”
“But if that's what you needed, trust me Izuku, I'd literally drop everything for you without question. I have more free time now than I ever have before…” he replied sadly. “My appearance of busyness doesn't go much beyond you and the other students… I have so much time to give, my boy. And I want to give it. So I'm sorry if I've made you feel like I'm unavailable or I'm ignoring you; That what you're getting from me isn't enough… You shouldn't ever feel like you need to push yourself to get my attention, or can't come to me when you need it. I'm very sorry…”
Izuku didn't say anything, but Toshinori could feel the release of wet tears against his chest. He didn't want to say anything about it, instead opting to give his boy some breathing room as he settled his boney cheek against green curls. He closed his eyes, just listening to his successors ragged breaths in between quiet sobs.
The silence between them eventually grew long. But it wasn’t uncomfortable.
After a while Toshinori could feel Midoriya settle more loosely against him. He still clung to his tracksuit like a lifeboat, digging deep creases in the fabric with his fingers, but the overall tension was now long gone. By now he was starting to drift into a light sleep.
Yagi still felt like he had one more thing to get off his chest however. Daring to interrupt the peace, he murmured, “I'm sorry I'm not a very good teacher for you, my boy.”
Izuku opened his eyes wide, the wheels turning behind them. He shook his head.
“Y-you're not a bad teacher, All Might…” he sounded more awake than the older man realized, though his voice was soft, quiet.
So forgiving this boy was…
He couldn't help but chuckle lightly, shaking his head.
“At least one of us thinks so…”
Grabbing his now cold tea, he leaned back, taking a generous sip. “If you're willing to have me, I'm happy to keep you company Izuku. We can watch a movie if you like? Or, you can sleep? Rest would probably be good for you.”
Izuku finally glanced up at him. He looked so exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes particularly pronounced. “Y-you don't have to A-all Might… I'll be fine on my own. You've got class to teach anyway…”
The man shook his head. “I'm off for today. I texted Aizawa a bit earlier to let him know you were sick. I told him I was going to watch you in case you needed anything,” he said with a smirk. “So I’m all yours…”
Izuku's eyes widened like saucers in surprise. This elicited a warm chuckle in Toshinori’s chest, a raspy cough following suit.
“Why don’t you take a nap? You look tired.”
“What abou’ y-you?” Already Izuku’s words were slurred from creeping sleep.
“Hm? Don’t worry about me. I’ll be here.”
Izuku sighed, relenting. He shifted his position against All Might, but didn’t move far to the man's surprise.
“Maybe we can watch that movie after then? One that you like maybe…?”
“Sure, my boy. If that’s what you’d like.”
After that, there was silence. It only took a few minutes before Izuku’s breathing changed, evening out into steady, rhythmic snoring as he was lulled into sleep.
For a while the man browsed the news on his phone with one hand, and lightly twirled his fingers in Izuku’s curls with the other. For the first time in ages he felt content to just sit and relax. His boy leaning against him filled his chest with a warmth that had been lacking recently; it was comforting, familiar. He’d missed it.
He smiled to himself, not wishing to break the calmness in the room.
He stayed like this until he caught himself yawning in between articles. He thought for a moment, before setting his phone aside, and leaning back to rest, careful not to disturb Midoriya.
Yes, a nap would probably do him some good too…