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That time of the year had come, again. It was New Years Eve and almost all of Japan's heroes had gathered together for an annual celebration. Everyone from the most seasoned professionals to the newly-licensed greenhorns were there. The event was always hosted at the #1 Hero's agency. So, for the umpteenth year in a row, it was held at Might Tower. The prk heroes mingled with each other, catching up on life events, while their sidekicks, agents, and trainees took a moment to relax and not worry about paperwork. Meanwhile, newbies came to network, hoping that even a modicum of All Might's talent and popularity would go to them via osmosis.
Yet it was strange that the Symbol of Peace, himself, wasn't present. The only sign of him came at the beginning of the party. He had a pre-recorded message, lamenting that, yet again for the third year in a row, he was on duty and hoped everyone would enjoy the party for him. A testament to his upmost commitment to keeping the people safe.
"More than anything, I wish that I could be here! Enjoying the party with you! But the fight against evil never truly stops! Don't let that dissuade you, though - my agency did a spectacular job putting together a terrific party! Hopefully, I'll get the chance to see each of you again, soon! So until that day comes, I leave you with a phrase from my alma mater: Never forget to Go Beyond!"
Then, all in unison, everyone raised their glasses in the air and shouted "Plus ULTRA!" Cheering and applause erupted in the room. All Might's joy was so infectious, it could light up a room he wasn't even in.
Or so they all thought.
Standing against a wall was a young man with shaggy blond hair, ocean blue eyes, dressed in an ill-fitting button-up shirt and slacks that were a touch too short for his legs. A pair of reading glasses hung too low over his nose, and a small name tag clung to his shirt pocket. As he watched the cheers, he chuckled, shaking his head. "I gotta work on the emphasis for the next one," he muttered to himself.
Little did anyone know, but this unassuming secretary was none other than All Might, himself. When he wasn't rescuing people from burning buildings, stopping bad guys, or saving cats from trees, he was Toshinori Yagi - just another one of All Might's agents. Secret identities weren't common practice with pro-heroes in Japan, so only few knew the truth about who he was. And it allowed for All Might to be greater than a man and inspire hope in people. No one thought twice about why they never saw their coworker and All Might in the same room. And that was the way he liked it.
Yes, he had been lying when he said All Might was on duty. In actuality, he wanted a night off. Being the Symbol of Peace was exhausting, especially in gatherings like this. There was only so many times he could see one of his fellow heroes practically grovel at his feet, telling him how amazing he was and how much of an inspiration he was. When Sir Nighteye suggested he say All Might was away so he could relax a few years ago, he jumped on the opportunity. Now, he could be just another face in the crowd and enjoy the party on his own terms.
As the party continued, he weaved his way through the crowds. He talked to his coworkers and other hero agents he knew, chatting and catching up on life. He waved to the pro-heroes, who either waved back or gave him a polite nod. It was weird to say - comparatively speaking, he spent more time as Toshinori than he did as All Might - but getting to let go and be a normal guy felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.
To his utter surprise, he saw one of his friends sitting against the wall. It was Shota Aizawa, better known as the erasing hero Eraser Head. He looked like he was close to falling asleep standing up. This close to midnight, it was a wonder he was still awake.
Toshinori walked over to him. "Hey, Eraser," he greeted with a smile.
He slowly blinked and looked over at him. "Yagi," he greeted in his usual monotone. Yet somehow, he sounded even more tired than usual.
"Good to see you. Did Present Mic put you up to this?"
"Why are you asking questions you already know the answers to?"
Toshinori laughed. "Fair enough. Where is he, anyway?"
Eraser lazily pointed towards the stairs. "He's been singing karaoke non-stop for the past three and a half hours. He didn't even stop when I used my quirk on him."
"Doesn't sound surprising." It was a wonder those two got along so well. "How's UA been treating you? I heard you started student teaching there."
"Fine. The staff wants me on next year as a full-time teacher. Keep saying they're gonna put me with the first years, unfortunately. Was hoping for more seasoned learners."
Toshinori nearly shuddered at the thought of having him as his first ever teacher. Eraser was a great guy, but lord help the students that got in his class. Instead he just smiled. "Well, hey, what do you know? I'm happy for you, man. You deserve it."
He nodded. "I might have to call you and All Might in one day. Having a hero and his agent together would be a great learning opportunity. I'm sure you two would have fun taking questions from the kids."
Toshinori laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, you know how busy the big guy gets. Plus, we're really short handed right now. I don't know if the agency can afford having both of us out at the same time, y'know?"
Eraser raised a brow at him, then looked away. "Whatever you say, Yagi."
Before the conversation could be continued further, Toshinori found himself put in a headlock. "Hey, what's going on, Toshi," said a man in an overly enthusiastic voice. "Haven't heard from you in forever, man! What's happenin'?!" His hair was ruffled roughly.
"You're too much," Eraser muttered
Toshinori just laughed, as he disentangled himself. He readjusted his glasses. "Good to see you, too, Present Mic."
Hizashi Yamada, better known as the voice hero Present Mic, waved his hands in the air as he spoke. "Well, don't keep us hangin'! How are things going with you?! Whatcha been up to?!"
He shrugged. "Oh, you know. The usual. Pushing papers, making appointments, calling the big guy when something comes up. That kind of stuff."
"This new year, we gotta hang out more! Shota, Nemuri, and I found this great place on the other side of town that makes the best udon! You gotta come with us to check it out! If All Might'll let you take a break long enough for it, at least."
He chuckled. "I'm flattered. I'll be sure to keep it in mind." He didn't have many pro-hero friends - at least, Toshinori didn't - but it was nice to know that at least a couple of them liked his true self.
Eraser glanced to the side, but quickly did a double take. "Wow. First time for everything."
His brows furrowed in confusion. "First time for what?"
He pointed towards the door. "Look who showed up."
Toshinori looked over his shoulder. As soon as he did, his eyes widened.
There, standing by the revolving doors, was none other than Enji Todoroki - the flame hero Endeavor. Flames full and fanning. Dressed in his signature blue and orange suit. At least a head taller than most of the people here. Looking particularly grumpy tonight, but still here.
"Well, well, well," Present Mic snarked, leaning an arm against Eraser. "The No. 2 hero stopped being such a sourpuss and showed up to All Might's shindig! Every party needs a pooper, huh?" That managed to get a small laugh out of Eraser.
Toshinori didn't really pay attention. He just kept staring at him. He'd tried inviting Endeavor to these things for years and never got a response. But now, he finally showed up. He smiled.
He looked back at the pair. "Sorry, I'm gonna go. I'll get back about Mic's offer as soon as I can. It was great talking to you guys, again."
An even cheekier grin formed on Present Mic's face, if that was even possible. "Gonna go talk to your new best buddy, Toshi? You would be the only person who can get along with a guy like that! Well, have fun with all that!"
Eraser rolled his eyes as his comments. "If we don't see you by midnight, Yagi, then happy new year."
Toshinori nodded and waved at them, as he turned around and walked away from them.
When he saw Endeavor, again, he breathed in and smiled. Ever since he became the #1 hero, he still tried to keep positive relationships with the other heroes. All Might and Endeavor had started cordial enough, but once he became #1, the flame hero always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. No matter what he said or did, he always acted so callous and guarded around him and he didn't know why.
Then about two years ago, Toshinori met Endeavor. It was by complete accident - he'd forgotten he was supposed to meet him as All Might - but somehow, they hit it off. I.E. - it didn't seem like he completely despised him. From there, they just kept talking. Anytime Endeavor was having a problem at his agency, he'd call him for advice. When he stopped by Might Tower, he'd ask for Toshinori Yagi specifically. He even told him to call him by his real name, not his hero alias. Somehow, they had become friends, and it was nice.
He stuck his hands in his pockets, as he walked up to him. "Hey Enji," he greeted.
Enji looked down at him, his hardened glare seeming to soften. Even the flames around his body dimmed. "Toshinori."
Toshinori tried to ignore the way his heart fluttered when he said his name. Just like it always did. "Glad you made it. It's... good to see you."
"You, too."
He pointed in another direction. "Have you gotten anything to eat? We've still got plenty. Our catering team did an amazing job putting it together."
"Sure."
He grinned. "Great! Just follow me - it's in the back over there."
As they weaved their way through the partygoers, Toshinori noticed how quickly people seemed to move out of his way now. Typically, he'd have to squeeze through a few guests to get where he needed to be. Enji just had that kind of intimidating aura to him, he supposed. A couple of them even stopped and stared, whispering to each other as they walked by. His coworkers always seemed to do that when they saw them together. He never really understold why.
"By the way," Toshinori began, glancing behind, "how'd things go with that helium villain? Did you manage to catch him?"
Enji nodded. "We did what you suggested - the oxygen masks were a lifesaver. Once we had those, his quirk wasn't an issue anymore. We apprehended him and took him to the police."
"That's great! And hey, if you ever find a carbon monoxide villain, you can do the same thing!"
He snorted. "Maybe so." A small smile tugged on his lips as he spoke, but it was quickly replaced by a frown. "Where's All Might?"
"Hero duty. What else?"
"Couldn't even bother to show up to his own party?" Enji scoffed. "Typical."
"Hey, we've been inviting you to these things for years and you're only now showing up to one. Don't act so high and mighty now, Endeavor."
The use of his hero name earned Toshinori a glare.
"Yeah, I know. You told me not to call you that. Old habits and all that."
"You're lucky you're quirkless, Yagi."
Toshinori almost laughed. He only called him by his last name when he was annoyed. "Right. Sorry," he said, keeping himself from going into a giggle fit.
Once they got some food, they settled in together in a corner of the room. They talked a little more about work and life. Or more accurately, Toshinori talked about work and life while Enji just nodded along with occasional interjections.
Eventually, the loud music and increasingly wild partying this close to midnight started to get the better of them. So they ended up retreating to Toshinori's office a few floors up. No one was really supposed to be up here this late, but what his higher-ups didn't know wouldn't hurt them. The only light in the room came from the city outside and the dimming fires of Enji's quirk, as they sat on the newly carpeted floor.
"So we're hoping to get into more stuff like that in the new year. But with how busy All Might's been recently, we don't know if we'll have the time." Toshinori sighed, leaning back on one arm. "No matter how many villains we stop, it always seems like five more pop up in their place. Is it like that for you guys, too?"
"Feels like it on some days. We have some new recruits we're hoping can lighten the load. Unless your agency manages to scoop them up first." Enji rolled his eyes. "I'm sure lots of them would prefer working with the Symbol of Peace."
"Hey, chin up. You've got your own admirers, too. New heroes get licensed every day - I'm sure hundreds of them would die for a chance to work under you."
He exhaled out of his nose, looking to the side. Then, after a long pause, he said it.
"What about you?"
Toshinori blinked, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What about me?"
"You've been helping us as much as you've been helping All Might. What do you think it would take for you to drop him to come work with us?"
His eyes widened. How was he supposed to explain that without blowing his big secret? He hadn't told Enji the truth, yet - he hadn't figured out the best way to breach the subject. He liked him a lot and didn't want to ruin things by revealing he'd kept such a big secret from him. And how much would that complicate things if he ever wanted to take their relationship further? Sure, he'd only thought about it, like, one or two times and Enji showed no signs of being interested in him that way, but he had to think of that, too.
"Well," Enji insisted, interrupting his train of thought.
Toshinori clasped his hands together, as he tried to come up with the best response. "Enji, it's not that I don't like you or anything, but All Might saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be here right now. I don't think I could ever give up working for him. Especially not now, when so many people need him.
"Besides," he stopped himself, not sure if he wanted to say it out loud.
"Besides what? If you have something to say, just say it."
Toshinori glanced at the clock. Two minutes until midnight. He pressed his lips together. Throwing caution to the wind, he looked back at him and finished his sentence.
"If I worked for you, I couldn't do this."
Before Enji could reply, Toshinori moved over to him, grabbed his hand, and pressed a kiss to it. He could feel flames around him suddenly fanning wildly around the room for a moment, before quickly smoldering into nothing.
Toshinori looked up at him. Enji's eyes were as wide as saucers, and his jaw was tightly clenched together. Maybe it was just from the neon lights outside, but he swore he could see a rosy blush on his cheeks and nose. He didn't need to say anything - the bewildered look in his eyes demanded some kind of explanation.
Shyness and uncertainty began to creep back into him, but he knew he couldn't just laugh it off and ignore it. He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes glued to the floor and his heart racing a mile a minute as he tried to explain hinself. "Y-yeah, I don't think I could keep things professional." He let out an awkward laugh. "I like you too much for that, Enji."
A choked sound came out of him, but he still didn't want to look him in the eyes. He might've just ruined one of his closest friendships. He knew Enji used to be married and had children, but nothing more than that - he never talked about his home life. This might have been completely inappropriate. Yet he didn't have any regrets. At least not yet. He'd been dealing with those feelings simmering in the background since they started getting close - it felt good to get them off his chest.
"Toshinori," Enji began, sounding absolutely baffled, "what the hell are you... huh?!"
Toshinori almost laughed at his tone, but knew that would make things worse. "I know that probably wasn't what you wanted to hear out of nowhere on New Year's Eve, but it's the truth. Enji, I," His voice trailed off for a moment before finally got the courage to look him in the eyes. "I really like you."
Enji's jaw dropped. He didn't say anything for several moments - he just looked around the room nervously. Anytime it looked like he was about to say something, nothing came out. He could see the wheels in his head turning as he processed what had just been said to him.
Apprehension began to build in Toshinori's gut, as his shy smile faded. Had this been a mistake? Should he have not been so blunt about it? Maybe that wasn't the right way to put it. He hadn't had a crush on anyone since he was in junior high - he'd never done anything like this before. "If you don't feel the same way, that's okay," he quickly said. "I knew it was a long shot, anyway, but I just had to get it off my-"
"I do, too."
Toshinori felt his heart stop. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me - I feel the same."
Now it was his turn to be bewildered. He'd been having this crush for months and the second he admits to it, he says he feels the same way. This wasn't how he pictured it in his head. Was that normal?
"So," Toshinori started, trying to see if there was a misunderstanding, "does that mean you want to be with me?"
Enji rolled his eyes. "What else is it supposed to mean? Obviously. You've been around All Might too much - his cluelessness is starting to rub off on you."
Oh my god, there wasn't a misunderstanding. Toshinori sat still, his hand covering his mouth as he thought. This couldn't have been that simple. These things take a lot more time. At least, that's the impression he got from seeing it happen to everyone else. Lord, maybe he was clueless.
Then all at once, he stopped. Maybe he was overthinking things. He shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth - the guy he liked liked him back. Just accept it and go with it. It'd gotten him that far in life.
Toshinori squeezed Enji's hand, realizing he was still holding it. "Okay, then," he breathed out, with a smile on his face. "We're together."
Enji didn't say anything, but something about the look in his eyes seemed different.
Toshinori glanced over at the clock, again. 00:02. He frowned. "Aww, man. I missed the countdown to midnight. Everyone's probably already getting packed up and heading out by no-"
His rant was interrupted when a pair of lips crashed into his. He froze in surprise for a moment, before relaxing into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Enji's broad shoulders, as his arms wound around his waist. His body radiated warmth like a fire place. Making it all the more easy to melt into his touch.
Their kiss broke and they just stared in each other's eyes for a moment. As if this moment had made the whole thing real. And neither of them could come back from it. Yet, Toshinori didn't feel any trepidation. He felt more at ease than he'd been in a long time.
Enji smirked down at him. "That was better than some pointless countdown, wasn't if?"
Toshinori smiled and leaned his forehead against his. "I guess it was."