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The annual Hero Gala was a nightmare to get in. Security rivaled a presidential event, and if it weren’t for the security guards having quirks related to sensing bad intentions, Toshinori was sure they wouldn’t let anyone in.
Why did they need so much security anyway? This was a Pro Hero’s event! All the highest forms of security were already in the building! He looked up at the skyscraper surrounded by lights and—God help him— actual helicopters patrolling the sky, and felt his back ache.
The latest Hero ranking was broadcasted on all the screens like a train arrival schedule: All Might at the top, Endeavor second and Hawks third. Toshinori stopped caring about the rankings ages ago, but he knew that it was very easy to let fame consume your ego. Some heroes were starving to get to the top 5 and would do anything to get there.
All Might was an untouchable and unbeatable figure, a man bordering on Deity status with cults of his own. He was the Symbol of Hope to the country as well as overseas. All Might belonged to the nation, to the people, and he stopped belonging to Toshinori decades ago.
Little was known of him that Pro Heroes didn’t really know how to approach him outside of battles. All Might was an excellent team worker, an excellent communicator and a skilled strategist. His presence caused even the most famous Pro Heroes to shrink into being a kid again, looking starry eyed at their idol.
All Might, All Might, All Might.
Toshinori looked at the picture of All Might projected outside the tall building, glitching occasionally to switch to the other heroes in the ranking, and sighed. He stepped into the building.
Toshinori Yagi was All Might's secretary on paper, so getting through security was no trouble.
All Might was invited to give a speech in two hours. Toshinori usually changed and transformed at the last minute so as not to waste his One for All reserves, and also because sometimes he did not have the social energy to talk shop with other pro heroes. He respected them greatly, but events like these only made his back ache... But the headache that his PR Team would give him if he didn’t show up would be even worse.
So there he was, standing silently in a large crowd of pro heroes, secretaries, directors, chiefs of police and quirk analysts. They were all chatting politely about work, the rankings, ongoing crime investigations, and so forth. Toshinori walked to the drinks table and grabbed some bottles of water, and leaned on the table for support as his body ached.
A villain with an amplified strength related quirk had thrown All Might (him) against a statue this morning. He was sore everywhere, and he took a deep breath to avoid getting more lightheaded than he already was.
After scanning that no one was paying attention to him, he walked up the stairs to his favorite hidden balcony for some peace. This wasn't his first Hero Gala, and he knew all the hidden spots to get some rest.
A part of him felt guilty of not showing up as All Might to the main part of the gala, which was networking... but hey, give him a break.
His doctors had already advised him not to force his body too much after taking such a hit this morning, but he didn’t listen. His main goal now was to remain hidden— no, to keep everyone at a distance and sit alone and breathe for a while before All Might’s speech.
Silence and peace was so precious to him. As a young man who just got his quirk, he could never stand still. Minutes of silence and days with nothing to do made his blood boil. Now, however...
He reached the end of the stairs and leaned on the railing to watch the Pros below. Everyone seemed so content to be there, while Toshinori just wanted to go home. He would never admit it, but he was too old for this. He sighed and walked towards his favorite hidden balcony that gave view to the outside. The spring wind was easy on his lungs, and the people's chatting below became background noise.
He looked inside his pockets for the printed speech his team gave him. It was crumpled and ten pages long. When he reached the balcony, he quickly scanned through the text and sighed.
“It’s the same every year...” he muttered.
“Eek!”
The sound was similar to a startled rabbit. Toshinori’s hero instincts kicked in and he turned around with unnatural speed. There was someone in the shadows, behind a tall plant. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I'm leaving now–“ the voice muttered, actually trembling.
A child.
Well done, Toshinori. He lowered his defenses and let all the tension go. There was no danger anywhere. He looked at the tall plant and only saw red shoes.
“No please, you were here first. I should apologize for interrupting.” replied Toshinori patiently. The kid peeked out from behind the potted plant, a green mop of hair and scared green eyes. Toshinori’s hero reflexes kicked in and he wondered if they were in any physical danger, but the coast was clear.
Why was the kid afraid then?
Wait, no.
First of all, why was there a kid at the Heroes Gala? He didn't look to be any older than fourteen.
“Did you come here alone? Where are your parents?” asked Toshinori as calmly as he could. It wasn’t uncommon for heroes to bring their children as their plus one to the Gala, like a less dangerous version of Take Your Kid To Work Day, but they never left their parent’s side.
The kid walked out of the shadows and took some steps into the dim light, keeping his gaze down and holding a closed notebook in one hand, the other clinging onto a pen. “We’re supervised by a manager, but I don’t know where he went,” he mumbled anxiously, and then froze. “But please don’t worry! I’ll be leaving in two hours! My mom’s picking me up! I won’t cause any trouble!”
Toshinori frowned. The kid looked ordinary and while that felt like a breath of fresh air, he still didn’t understand. “So you’re not with the... heroes?”
The kid shook his head. “I won a competition and three other kids and I got VIP entries to the Gala. Supervised by the manager of course, since we’re all underage, sir!”
Toshinori was impressed. He didn’t even know these competitions existed, but he couldn’t blame himself: he only appeared in the Gala out of PR obligation and a sense of morality that, more often than not, forced him to attend events even when he was exhausted.
“That’s great. Have you been enjoying the event so far?” he asked, and the kid’s expression changed. He looked confused, his brows furrowed.
The kid blinked twice. “I’m...yes, sir. Thank you.” he mumbled, bowed a few times and moved to get his other notebooks (!) from a bench.
“Wait! You can stay, really. You’re the first normal person I’ve seen in the last two hours.” confessed Toshinori. Because this was his dilemma: All Might would show up to deliver a speech and then would leave, but that didn’t mean that Toshinori didn’t have to be here two hours earlier to prepare for the speech. “You’re not bothering me at all, I mean it.”
The kid exhaled and walked back towards another bench that was closer to where Toshinori still stood. He put all his notebooks back into his bag except one, opening it on the last page full of words and diagrams.
Toshinori didn’t mean to scoop, really.
“They allowed you in here with a backpack?” he asked, confused and impressed. “Security controls are very strict.”
Something strange happened.
The kid huffed, barely managing to suppress his laughter. “I know, but we were being supervised by the manager so we wouldn't bother the pro heroes. I don’t know where the manager went so I’m just... waiting here, I guess.” he explained calmly, sitting cross-legged on the bench and writing something down. “But I think I saw a guy bothering Cementoss before I came here.”
Toshinori nodded. “Cementoss wouldn’t mind. He’s not hard to talk to, despite his quirk.”
The kid’s eyes looked up at his, curiosity practically shining in them. They were emerald green and the kid looked so young. “You know Cementoss?”
Toshinori nodded. He supposed it was no secret that he was connected to the hero world if he was at the Gala. “Do you want me to introduce you to him?” he asked.
The kid paled again, hiding his face in his hands, mumbling a long string of indecipherable sentences together.
“Someone else, then?” suggested Toshinori.
He normally wouldn’t do this if the person was power hungry or wanted to cause trouble, but this boy looked like he would apologize to an ant. If it was the only thing Toshinori did that evening, he would go to sleep happy that he helped someone smile today.
“Do you...do you know when All Might gets here?” the kid asked, voice dying out to a mere whisper.
Oh.
Toshinori’s injury stung with guilt. I am here, he wanted to say. Instead, he sat down on the other side of the bench, a respectful distance away, and looked at the ground. “What is your name, young one?”
The kid looked up at him. “Midoriya Izuku.” he replied, showing him his pass attached to his suit jacket. Toshinori felt eyes on him and then the kid paled.
Ah, here it went.
Izuku took in his complexion and his eyes went open like plates. Toshinori wondered how the kid would react to him if he wasn’t wearing his cleanest tailored suit; because even if he had to change for his speech as All Might, the event still had a formal dress code. So he was wearing a polished tailored black suit and looked passable as someone that worked in the Gala, maybe a waiter or organizer— but the kid was probably looking at his sunken eyes and dark circles and–
“Sir...Do you really work at the All Might agency?”
Ah, his visitor pass. Toshinori felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders as Midoriya continued staring at his jacket and not his face. His pass just said his full name and the hero agency he worked at.
“I do, young Midoriya. Do you want me to introduce you to All Might when he gets here?”
The words went out before he could process them. There was something strangely magnetic about this child that made him want to trust him. If that was his quirk, then he was extremely dangerous.
He couldn’t be in two places at once as Toshinori and as All Might. This was a bad idea.
But then the kid started crying and all thoughts left Toshinori’s mind.
“Yes please– if it’s not a bother– thank you I...Thank you so much, sir–“
Toshinori smiled kindly. It wasn’t the first time, not even the hundredth time that a kid got excited at the prospect of seeing All Might that they started crying, but each time felt special because All Might was someone special to them. A true hero.
“What are you writing?”
The kid beamed. “These are, um. Notes about the heroes quirks and their battle strategies...!”
“Oh? Who do you have?”
Silence.
“Almost everyone, except the recent heroes that just debuted and I haven’t managed to analyze yet...”
Toshinori paused.
“You know that the pro heroes ranking list is... endless?”
The kid just nodded. “It’s such an amazing opportunity. I can’t even believe that I'm here! This is the best day of my life!”
Toshinori blinked in surprise. “What do you... analyze, exactly?”
“Their quirks and how they use them, how they could improve them, their limitations and strong points, physical techniques and special moves, costume adjustments or limitations, possible re-designs...”
The kid went on and on.
On and on.
Toshinori would need to sit down if only he wasn’t already sat. The kid’s explaining rivaled professional analysts’ with decades of experience. It was madness.
Toshinori didn't realize that he had been shamelessly staring at the kid, and Midoriya was already closing the notebooks. Plural.
“No no, wait. This is extraordinary work, young Midoriya. Do you want to become an analyst when you’re older?”
The kid looked at the floor, a wave of sadness around him. “I suppose...” He exhaled and stood up. “I gotta go. I should really find the manager before he thinks I escaped or something...”
Toshinori stood up too in a frenzy panic. Something inside him told him that he shouldn’t let the kid go. Not yet. “Don’t you want me to introduce you to All Might when he arrives?”
The kid beamed. “Yes, please!”
A few hours later Toshinori found Izuku in the big crowd because a) he was very tall even without the quirk, and b) Midoriya was easily recognizable because he trembled like a leaf amongst a sea of tall trees, and it looked like the manager had finally reunited all the kids together in one spot.
“Young Midoriya, he’s here.” he said.
Izuku froze and took several deep breaths in and out. In and out. The manager shot Toshinori a look.
“I work as a secretary in the All Might agency. Young Midoriya here asked to meet him when he arrived. May I steal him for a moment?” he asked.
The manager nodded after seeing his identification and let them alone. Toshinori guided him amongst empty corridors towards the rooftop.
Izuku frowned when they reached it.
Toshinori picked up his phone and pretended to be talking to All Might. “On the rooftop, yes. No, no one will see you arrive.”
Izuku immediately looked up at the sky and Toshinori smiled to himself. The kid’s enthusiasm was contagious. He even wanted to join him in waiting for All Might's arrival too.
“Oh, young Midoriya, I just got another call from below. I’ll come back in about ten minutes if that’s okay with you? All Might should be here anytime now, but knowing him that can range from a minute to fifteen.” he joked.
Izuku bowed several times. “Thank you for this opportunity, Yagi-san!” he exclaimed.
Toshinori smiled and closed the door. Alright. Time for plan B. He had to get his costume, sneak out of the building, find somewhere to transform and look like he’s actually coming from somewhere far away and not literally the same building.
Sneaking out was easy, because nobody cared about a pro-hero’s secretary leaving for no reason. He found an ally to transform and jumped towards the sky, landing on the Gala's rooftop.
Midoriya jumped in surprise. “All Might- sir!”
“ARE YOU YOUNG MIDORIYA?” he exclaimed.
The kid knelt on the ground like he was worshipping a God and it took all of Toshinori’s willpower not to break character.
“Thank you for your service to the city and to the nation, sir! You are the best Hero ever and this is the best day of my life!” he exclaimed, tears streaming down his face.
All Might knelt down too and looked at him. “There is no need to kneel. I am here now.”
Izuku continued sobbing and then frowned, looking around. “Do you know where Yagi-san is? He should be here by now...”
Toshinori paused, even if All Might maintained his constant smile. “Why is he not here?”
“He got a call to go fix something in the Gala, I think. He didn't say, but it's been ten minutes...”
“Ah, Yagi-san is always disappearing when he is called! He is tired of me! HAHAHA!” exclaimed All Might.
Izuku smiled a bit, even though he was still sobbing and looked on the verge of passing out. “He is like the kindest person I’ve ever met... You’re so lucky to have him as a secretary.”
Toshinori couldn't believe this. Usually the kids that wanted to meet All Might would praise him from head to toe, ask for a picture and leave. No one used their limited time with All Might to talk about someone else. Not that he minded, naturally — but it had become the natural way of things in the last decades.
But the old and forgettable Toshinori Yagi?
“How long has he been working in your agency?” asked Izuku.
All Might blinked. So they were having this conversation now. “Since the very start, young one!” he exclaimed, giving a thumbs up.
“Oh! Well if- if he doesn't come back and I don't see him again tell him I said thank you, please. No one likes when I ramble about my things but he was so kind and- and he listened!” said Izuku with a smile, and then he jumped and hurried to get his backpack.
Toshinori didn’t move a muscle.
Izuku opened a notebook in the middle and showed him a page. “I have a question, All Might! About this snow villain from four years ago on May 2nd... Did the quirk affect your flying abilities in any way?”
Toshinori needed to sit down. He was still processing that Izuku felt grateful for Toshinori Yagi.
“Not sure I do! Enlighten me!” he exclaimed. He was just an old man: he barely remembered what he did that morning.
“May 2nd, four years ago, at three fifty in the afternoon, right outside your Agency! The snow villain froze the building and the sudden decrease in temperature made snow and and- you didn’t fly that day.”
Toshinori blinked as he tried to remember for the sake of the kid. All Might scratched his head in thought. “AH YES! THAT WAS BEFORE MY COSTUME UPGRADE!”
Toshinori could have sworn that the kid had actual stars in his eyes. “A c-costume upgrade?” he muttered, not expecting this reply, “What kind of upgrade?” he asked, and started mumbling under his breath and flipping through the pages of his notebook.
Toshinori watched him quietly and talked him about the costume upgrades he barely remembered with as much detail as he could. When he finished a few minutes later, the kid was staring at him, lost in thought, and with a pencil in his hair.
“How did you defrost the building?” he asked.
“We called in a special team! It was too dangerous to happen naturally, it would flood the city!” he exclaimed, hands on his hips.
Izuku looked down at the ground, and then up, as if he had made a decision. “Was Yagi-san inside the building that day? Was he okay?” he asked.
All Might coughed up a little bit of blood. Luckily he covered it before it showed. “He was! All went well!” he exclaimed, and then felt the telltale signs that his quirk was running out.
In thirty seconds this would be a sauna if he didn't leave now.
He needed to save time to use his quirk to give the speech.
He knelt in front of Izuku. “I have to go now, young Midoriya. My speech is in a few minutes! I hope I see you there, young man!” he said, walking towards the edge of the roof.
He felt a hand on his ankle, slightly stretching his costume out. Izuku looked up at him. “Thank you for this, All Might!” he exclaimed, bowing again several times, and then looked away. “Please tell Yagi-san I’m grateful for him.”
Shit.
“WORRY NOT, YOUNG MIDORIYA!” he exclaimed, giving a thumbs up and jumping into another roof until he disappeared out of sight.
He landed in a dark alley a few blocks away from the Gala and leaned on the wall to cough his lungs out, and this time not because he overused his quirk. Right now, Midoriya Izuku, a crying fourteen-year-old, was the most dangerous person in all of Japan.
He transformed back into All Might a few minutes later to officially arrive at the Gala and got on stage, read the speech out loud, gave a thumbs up, ignored Endeavor’s glare, and left. Ten minutes later, Toshinori Yagi entered the Gala and rested on a small couch at the corner of the room, hearing his coworkers talk about his speech and his fight with the amplified strength villain today.
They were critizing him for the infrastructure damages done to the city since he ruined a statue. His back ached at the reminder, and he stretched his arms out, ignoring the pain.
“Yagi-san!”
Toshinori saw Izuku making his way through the crowd of heroes to get to him. He even bumped into Cementoss by accident and quickly apologized without looking up at whom he was speaking to.
“Young Midoriya.” was all Toshinori could say, a warm smile on his face. “Did All Might come on time to talk to you?” he asked.
The boy sat on the couch next to him, not as relaxed as Toshinori was. He hugged his backpack and sat with perfect posture, and started moving back and forth. “Yes! His voice sounds exactly like on TV and he’s so much taller in person, or maybe I’m just short, but I’ll grow! And he’s so nice! Oh, Yagi-san you should have seen him! I mean... you see him everyday so you’re probably tired of him by now... but he told me about a costume upgrade that no one in the forums knew about! But don’t worry, I’m not going to say anything!”
Toshinori watched him with a small smile.
“And his speech now was so amazing! I’ll transcribe it when I get home and get it framed next to my special edition silver age figurines! Oh this is the best day of my life!” he cried. Actually cried.
Toshinori was silent, and just patted his shoulder sympathetically. If it weren’t for his hero reflexes, he wouldn’t have heard the quiet whisper that followed.
“Thank you... I’ve never felt so seen.”
Toshinori froze.
People usually ignored Toshinori Yagi and fawned over All Might, and he was fine with that. People usually glanced at Toshinori Yagi and kept on going with their day, meanwhile if All Might set foot into a neighborhood they would build a plate the next day, carving: “All Might was here on this day at that hour”.
It’s not that he didn’t love being All Might, of course he did, but he wasn’t used to being seen for his normal form. Especially not by someone obsessed with heroes, in a room full of them, deliberately choosing to sit with him.
He had never felt so seen, either.
“Are you okay, Yagi-san?”
Toshinori snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Izuku. “Yes, please don’t worry about me. Is there anyone else you would like to meet?” he asked gently.
The kid was silent for a while, until he opened a blank page in his notebook and handed him a pen. Toshinori took it with a frown, not understanding what was being asked of him.
“Can I... can I have your autograph?”
Toshinori’s brain electrocuted. “S-sure...” he muttered, his dominant hand shaking as he tried to remember the last time he signed and autograph as Toshinori and not as All Might. He didn’t even have another signature other than the legal one. He made one up on the spot.
It was crooked, he had pressed too hard and the ink got smudged all over the page, and it was too small.
“I can do it again-” he tried.
Izuku didn’t hear him. He was staring at the page with stars in his eyes, crying. “Thank you so much, Yagi-san. For listening, for everything. Thank you.”
No, thank you, he wanted to say. A few minutes later Izuku was dragged away by the manager saying their time was up, and Izuku bowed a few times to Toshinori. He patted the boy’s head.
“Stay safe! I hope I see you again! Goodbye, enjoy the rest of the night!” said Izuku with a smile, waving at him as he walked away, and a car pulled over. The kid got in and Toshinori heard a faint, “Mom oh my god oh my god you’re not going to believe this oh my god-”
Toshinori just stood there, dumbfounded, wondering how a middle-schooler could short-circuit his brain in a way that not even a dozen of electricity quirks could.
The weeks passed by and Toshinori finally understood. It had taken him seeing Izuku confront a sludge villain like a true Hero to accept something he had been denying the last few weeks, despite his heart knowing the truth: he had found his successor.
Not that day on the street where the kid had shown more bravery and heroism than many. Not even at the end of the Heroes Gala. It was at the beginning of the evening, on that quiet balcony, because in a room full of Heroes, Midoriya Izuku also chose him first.