Chapter Text
Izuku had know that he was a Little, for, well, as long as he could remember. As far as he could remember being somewhere around the time of his doctors' visit, that fateful day that he learned that he could never, and would never develop his own quirk.
All he could remember from before that were bits and pieces, mostly memories of Kacchan and his super awesome quirk! At least, that's what he thought of it before Kacchan changed and his life went from happy-go-lucky to his literal worst nightmare. He had his dreams crushed brutally, lost his very best friend, and on top of all that? The single most embarrassing coping mechanism in the world, at least in his eyes. He could remember the first time he had regressed, sitting at home playing with his All Might toys and feeling his head suddenly light as a cloud and feeling happier than ever.
He also distinctly remembers that day because it was the worst day of his childhood. He had regressed, unbeknownst to him, and then suddenly been invited to play with Kacchan and his friends, which he thought was strange since they only ever bullied him, but it had been so long since he had played with anyone that the poor Littlespaced-out boy ran out to join them, happily. For Izuku, that is where the memory cuts off, another form of coping mechanism, he guessed. He knew in his heart that the memory got so, so much worse after that part, but he chose to remain in willful ignorance about the rest of that day, that way he could still look at Katsuki and see a former friend.
Now, however, is not the time to dwell on the past. Right now, he is desperately fighting not to slip into littlespace, having had his most recent work-in-progress addition to the "Hero Information for the Future" collection nearly burnt to a crisp and then promptly thrown into a koi pond. As he picked it up out of the pond, inspecting it to see that only the cover and the edges of a couple pages were burnt, with the whole of the book being soaked in koi pond water, and then gently nibbled by said koi fish.
He clutched the notebook tight to his chest, ignoring the slightly damp feeling from it dripping onto his clothes, and began to walk home dejectedly. He stifled a cry, his nose threatening to run a little as he was want to do on the rare occasions that he was little and sad at the same time. Unfortunately, being sad was a frequent occurrence, but being little was not even an infrequent happening, but an incredibly rare one. They happened on only his worst days, times when Kacchan would say something particularly demeaning to him, or when he was beaten particularly rough by his cronies.
Now, however, was neither of those times, he tried to remind himself mentally. He had just had a long day, and could not wait to get home and just relax in any way possible that wasn't being little. He meandered to the exit of the school grounds, muttering to himself as he often did. "C'mon, Izuku, focus! You haven't slipped in a while, and you are not about to today!" He said aloud to himself. He laughed a mighty, but albeit forced, laugh, imitating his idols' haughty laughter.
Almost immediately after, he heard the sewer grate behind him pop off and clatter to the ground nearby. He slowly turned, facing what seemed to be floating sludge. He shivered slightly at the grotesque sight, then shook once more when two eyes rolled to gaze at him from said muck. He let out a faint squeak of fear, and tried to run as his fight-or-flight response kicked in, but he was all too late to run. The sentient sludge villain had grasped him firmly, snarling something about using him as an invisibility cloak, covering his face in the sludge. Izuku panicked and tried to scream, but the air only left his lungs as he flailed around, clawing at the liquid on his face to no avail, struggling both to breathe and to not break down crying.
He was sure that he would die there, not only at such a young age, but on his middle school grounds, which was arguably much worse. He struggled as hard as he could, but could not for the life of him even manage to take a breath in. Just as his vision started to fade at the edges of his peripheral, he saw a large, exceedingly familiar silhouette emerge from the same sewer pipe that the sludge villain had. He could faintly make out his idol saying something heroic before he was hit with a blast of compressed air, knocking what little bit of consciousness he had left in him straight out.
He awoke not moments later to the single most revered person in his life, his idol, his world, All Might, gently slapping him on the face. He was almost entirely sure that he had died and was having the strangest dream anyone had ever had. As his mind came back more, he felt the taps on his face more prominently, stinging much more than he thought they would. Either All Might had been slapping him for quite some time, or the older man was not using as little of his strength as he had thought. Having realized what was happening, he promptly got up, scurried back, and thanked the man profusely. "Th-th-thank you, M-Mr. A-a-all Might!" he stuttered out, scared out of his mind but somehow more calm in his presence than he would have assumed, the large man made a show of autographing his notebook even without Izuku asking.
Izuku thanked him again profusely for the gesture, then began to stutter out, "I-I have s-some questions f-f-for you, Sir! I-if you wouldn't mind...", he said, his stutter dying down as the presence of the Hero calmed him down.
"Ha! I would, but I am afraid that I must drop this villain off at the nearest police station! Goodbye, young fan!" Said All Might, bounding off to find a police station, and release his form, before realizing that there was an extra weight around his ankle. He looked down and nearly lost his cool, and dropping his buff form, then and there in the middle of the sky. "Little fan, what do you think you are doing?" Said All Might to the boy clinging desperately to his ankles. He thought that he would be more annoyed at some random kid clinging to him, but something about him made him waver. He landed on a nearby rooftop, telling the boy to go down and be let in through the restaurant below. Before he could leave, however, the boy spoke to him clearly for the first time.
"Even if I don't have a quirk, can I become a hero?"
Something about that sentence made Toshinori hesitate. It felt wrong, and pained, and full of desperation. He turned to the boy and looked at him closely. He must have been finishing middle school this year at the latest, and yet he was hoping to be a pro hero.
"Can even someone without a quirk be like you?" Said the boy, somehow with greater conviction than the first. Toshinori pitied the kid. He turned to answer him, opening his mouth to speak, but before words could come out, a sharp pain radiated through all of his lower abdomen, his old scar burning, telling him that his time in this form was up. He clenched his stomach, or where it would be, and nearly doubled over in pain. He had overdone it, and now he was paying the price. A sharp steam poured from his body, and he was dizzy with the effort of enduring the pain, but listened as the boy spoke to him about his life.
"It might've been because I don't have a quirk, but I'm always made fun of... Maybe that's why... I don't know... But I think saving people is super cool. Saving people with a fearless smile. I want to be the greatest hero, like you...!" Said the fan boy as the thick steam dissipated from around Toshinori, revealing his thin, emaciated form. The kid went as pale as if he'd seen a ghost, and gasped like it too. Toshinori groaned, knowing that he'd have to get this kid to promise not to speak to anyone about this. He sat down, leaning against the railing of the rooftop, and explained his situation. Then, he took a deep breath, and told the kid a harsh truth.
"Pros are always risking their lives. I cannot simply say, 'You can become a hero without power.'" He stood up, walked over to the door to leave, and gave the kid the typical, 'if you cant be a hero, join the police force' explanation to get the kid off the path of trying to the a hero. Toshinori told himself that it was for the best that the kid doesn't go and get himself killed, but a heavy weight pulls on his chest. He ignores it and walks through the door. His pockets feel empty. "Shit". He takes off running to find where the bottles of the sludge villain landed.
~
Izuku stood on the rooftop, now alone. He felt dazed, broken. He had just told his idol his life story, and he told Izuku to give up his dreams. He stands there, dissociated for a bit, before turning and walking through the door, catching a glimpse of smoke rising nearby. He unconsciously makes a note to check out the scene and see what heroes are there. Absentmindedly, he walks. He doesn't pay attention to where he walks, but lets his feet take him there, shuffling on the ground every now and then.
He arrives at the scene of the ongoing villain battle, jolting back to reality as he hears people shouting and shuffling to look. He stands at the back of the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of the scene, tears stinging his eyes. He notices the damp around the edges of his eyes, and clumsily wipes it away, reminding himself over and over to stay big, that now isn't the time.
He finally gets a peak at the scene, and spots streaking blonde hair, a sludge monster, and 4 or so heroes that can't fight a liquid villain. His heart pounds in his chest. His blood rushes to his ears. The sound of his heartbeat quickening drowns out the crowd. His mind races, "What will happen to Kacchan? When will a hero that can fight the sludge monster get here? What could-" And then the thoughts stop. He gets another glimpse of Kacchan. He makes eye contact, and he knows in his heart that he can hear Kacchan say something to him with his eyes: "Help me". Izuku takes off, and before he can even process what is happening, he is already past the Heroes and is running full speed at the sludge villain. He thinks faster than ever before in his life, and throws his bag at the villain to block his vision. He begins scrambling to try and claw the liquid off of Kacchan and let him breathe. He sobs, struggling to help even the slightest bit.
~
Toshinori is completely astounded. He gets to the scene of the fight, where the sludge villain had escaped and taken a young boy hostage, and then hears a few panicked shouts. He leans around the people to see what the commotion is, and there he finds it, calamity itself in the form of a green-haired boy running like hell to get to the villain. His mouth falls slack, and just gapes at the scene. Previously, he had been thinking the same thoughts that Izuku had, but now, there was just. Nothing. He heard the boy shouting something at the blonde-haired hostage, something about doing what a hero should do. Toshinori realizes something fundamental that he missed earlier when he had given the green-haired kid the worst pep talk ever. He had the power to solve the whole issue, and save the hostage, but he wasn't. The fan boy, on the other hand, was quirkless, terrified out of his mind, and still ran into danger to save the blonde-haired hostage.
Toshinori activated his power, growing to three times his size once more, and ending the fight in one quick move, saving the two children and obliterating the villain within seconds, saving the green-haired kid from being squashed like a bug. He looked down at the unconscious fan in his arms, and feeling a kind of pride he had never felt before. He had spoken to this kid not ten minutes ago, and told him that he could never be a hero, and here he was, doing twice the hero job that he ever could.
~
Izuku woke up not long after, only to be thoroughly reprimanded by a few of the heroes nearby. His focus was never on them, though, not even for a second. It was all directed right at All Might, standing in between himself and a line of reporters six feet thick. He blushed slightly at the sight of his hero protecting him. Not the city, not Kacchan, who was moved to a nearby ambulance to be checked out, but him. The little Izuku in his mind was squealing in delight, which was shocking, especially after that enormous event that almost got him killed. He felt little, and he almost nearly slipped, but he kept himself grounded, somehow.
He began to walk home, not wanting to bother All Might any more than he had that day, especially after watching him deal with a million reporters for him, the thought of which made his head feel a little fuzzy but he suppressed it again. He sighed, wondering if he should have asked for another autograph before All Might popped out from around a corner and scared the poor thing half to death. Izuku squeaked, before realizing that it was All Might and not another villain.
"All Might? What are you doing here, I thought you had a bunch of reporters after you-" Izuku said before being interrupted by All Might poofing into a cloud of steam and coughing up blood, as Izuku noticed was a common occurrence for the injured hero, though he knew that he would never get used to seeing it happen.
~
"Izuku Midoriya." Toshinori said seriously, glad to have finally learned his name after hearing an officer take it for the incident report. He hid a smile as the boy jumped at being addressed so directly by the pro hero. "I am here to give you thanks, a correction, and a suggestion. If you hadn't been there and told me all about your life, I would have become just a man behind a mirage, a false image of a hero. Thank you." He watched as Izuku took the thanks, sheepishly shying away from the gratitude. "H-Ha, thank you sir, but really I didn't do anything to help, if I hadn't bothered you while you were trying to work, the sludge man would never have caused trouble a second time. I'm just some quirkless, timid kid..." Said Izuku, trying to avoid the thanks.
"And that's it. It was exactly because it was timid little you at the scene charging in to save that kid that I was able to act." Toshinori says, noticing as Izuku just barely jumps and squirms for just a split second at being called 'timid little you'.
"That is where my correction must come in. Earlier, I told you that it would be wrong of me to tell you that you could be a hero without a quirk, and that you should give up, when truly, you have more power than I could have ever dreamed. You jumped into action when I hesitated. Every pro hero has a story from their school days, and each one has one thing in common: Each hero has had a time when they couldn't think before jumping to action." He said, watching as Izuku sniffled and started crying. Toshinori had a faint suspicion that something was up, but he couldn't for the life of him put his finger on just what, even as Izuku cried where he stood, tears streaming down his face.
"Now finally, a suggestion. Izuku Midoriya, my power is not one that I was born with. The power of All Might comes from an ancient quirk that has been passed like a sacred torch from generation to generation, and I would like you to be the next successor of this power. Your heroic spirit is far greater than any other hero I have ever met, and there is no one else that I believe could hold a candle to your potential." Toshinori proclaimed, spreading his arms wide open, gesturing at the magnitude of Izuku's potential. "So, Izuku Midoriya, what do you say?" He said reaching out a hand for the crying boy to take.
~
Izuku was kneeling on the street, sobs wracking his whole body as he realized that his lifelong dreams were coming true. He sobbed and he sobbed, until All Might stretched out a hand for him. With no hesitation at all, Izuku accepted his offer. His heart soared with joy, his head warm and fuzzy, but for once, not from being little, but from feeling pure joy and relief. All might told him to go home and rest, before meeting him at the beach park in town in the morning.
Izuku went home, and tried to rest, but could hardly sleep, after all his hero did say that he would take him on as his successor, and he helped save Kacchan, and he was almost killed twice, and he flew on All Might at least 500 feet in the air... With all the thoughts in his mind, Izuku couldn't calm down until he got too tired to resist, almost slipping into being little. But, he resisted, not wanting to be little in the morning and having his new mentor think he was a freak.
Izuku woke up early the next morning, fully rested despite staying up late thinking about all the things that might happen that day. He ate breakfast, then said goodbye to his mother and hurried out the door to meet up with All Might. Izuku arrived at the beach, the entire waterfront covered fully in garbage. All Might explained to him that he has to have the whole beach cleaned in time for the entrance exams, in just a short ten months. And, to go along with the project, All Might gave him a strict, well-planned schedule. As Izuku flipped through it, All Might leaned down and whispered to him, "Frankly, this is a super hard schedule. Can you follow it?" It sounded like the kind of thing a parent would say to a fussy toddler to get them to do something that they don't want to do, but Izuku didn't notice. " 'M gonna follow it perfect'y..!" Said Izuku, not noticing the childish lilt with which he was talking.
All Might, however, noticed it almost immediately, confirming his suspicions that the successor he had chosen was indeed a little. He had never dealt with one before, and honestly felt extremely under prepared for this situation, and yet he felt a warmth in his chest as he heard Izuku speak.
And with that, the intense ten-moth training period began.
Seven months into the regiment, however, Izuku collapsed from overwork. All Might was worried, terrified that he had pushed Izuku too far with the regimented schedule. He soon noticed, though, that Izuku was way more tired than he should have been after each training session. "Izuku, have you been training more than the schedule says?" He said, with just enough authority in his tone to make sure that Izuku told the truth, but not enough to make Izuku feel afraid. It failed, unfortunately, at not making him feel afraid, as he lay on the pavement, terrified out of his mind that he did something wrong. He hadn't slipped at all even once in the entirety of the training so far, which worried Toshinori, but he quickly slipped now without realizing it.
"M' sorry...I-I jus' wanted to m-make you proud..." Little Izuku said through stifled sobs and hiccups, not even realizing that he had slipped into littlespace. Toshinori looked at the poor greenette on the ground, feeling entirely guilty for not noticing his overwork sooner. He picked up the boy, a task that proved easy even in his deflated form, since Izuku was so light, and set him on his feet. He greatly desired to pick him up and hold him and rock him until he settled down, but he could not bear to let little Izuku know that he knew about him being little. If Izuku wanted him to know, then he trusted that he would tell him when he was good and ready.
Toshinori picked up Izuku and set him on his feet, holding him steady.
"Izuku, look at me, okay? You didn't do anything wrong, you were just trying to make me proud, right?" Izuku nodded meekly. "Well, then that's okay. I'm gonna make you a new schedule so that you can rest and still be ready in time, okay?" Toshinori said to the still-sniffling little in front of him. Izuku nodded in understanding, then let out a meek little "Fank yoo, All Migh'..." That one little statement made Toshinori melt on the inside. If he had been hooked up to a battery when Izuku said that, he could have powered the city for a century just from the joy of hearing him say those four words.
Toshinori looked at the little boy, and his heart melted more. "Call me Toshinori, Izu." Izuku looked up at him and smiled wide, his freckled face squishing cutely. Toshinori could have sworn that the smile on Izuku's face could light up even the darkest room.
They continued on with the rigorous training, Toshinori watching carefully to avoid overworking the boy while still getting him as ready as possible. On the day of the exam, Toshinori headed out to the beach park to see Izuku's progress, only to find him there before he had arrived, with the beach entirely cleaned, even beyond the area that Toshinori had said he needed to clean. He was shocked, supremely impressed with Izuku's work, and endlessly proud of the boy for doing so well. The little green-haired boy had far exceeded his expectations, and thought about how to reward him later, before the thoughts were interrupted as he saw Izuku falling from the top of the garbage pile that he had cleaned. He rushed over in his buff form to catch the clumsy little, so worried that he accidentally slipped up when he looked worriedly at the boy and said, "Careful, baby, are you okay?"
Shit. Toshinori hadn't meant to call him baby, it just slipped, and he went to set down the boy, poofing into his regular form. Before he could set down the little, however, Izuku opened up his eyes and met his mentor's gaze, smiling brightly as he looked up at him. As they made eye contact, Toshinori could tell that something was up with him; He seemed to be floaty and sleepy, a clear sign that he was feeling little. Toshinori only knew this, of course, because as soon as he suspected Izuku of being a little, he immediately went to the library and checked out every book they had on caring for a little.
Izuku's half-lidded eyes looked up at him, a gently coo leaving his lips. "Toshiiii...!" Toshinori's heart skipped a beat, or maybe 100, as he witnessed what he supposed was the cutest thing in human history. His heart soared, and ironically enough, so did Izuku, as Toshinori picked him up and spun around, the little green-headed boy the center of his world.
"Hah, yes! That's right! Toshi is here, little Izu! You did it, gah I'm so proud of you!" He said to Izuku, savoring every moment of him being little, hoping that big Izuku won't remember this when he drifts out of littlespace later. "Alright Izuku, are you ready to inherit my powers?" Toshinori said to the boy, placing him down on the sand, resting his hands on his shoulders. As much as he wishes he could have more time with little Izu, he does need to hurry and inherit One for All before the entrance exams. The serious tone in Toshinori's voice seems to be enough to pull Izuku out of littlespace enough to be considered big.
"Alright Izuku. Your body is fit to inherit my power now. Are you ready?" Toshinori said to the boy, seemingly oblivious to the babying that occurred moments before. Izuku nodded in response.
"Ready!" He said, steeling his conviction and hyping himself up. He watched as Toshinori plucked a single hair from the top of his head. and held it out in front of Izuku. "Good. Now eat this hair." Said Toshinori, fully serious. Izuku looked up at him like he just found out that he was insane. Begrudgingly, Izuku grabbed it and swallowed it as best as he could, needing to swallow a couple times before he was sure that it went down. Izuku stuck out his tongue and groaned a little after he finished.
Toshinori was honestly a little shocked that Izuku didn't question why he had to swallow hair and that he didn't hesitate in the slightest. He felt proud, as his successor ran off into the distance to get ready to go after telling him how to use it. And with that, Toshinori set off for U.A. to monitor the exams.
~
Izuku ran home as fast as his legs would carry him, which was now much faster than he used to be able to go. He arrived home, and took a couple seconds to catch his breath, but couldn't stop panting. Izuku remembered every second of him slipping this morning, all the way from when he fell off the garbage pile, called his mentor 'Toshi', and how his mentor then spun him around and praised him for doing such a good job. Izuku's mind was a nonstop blur as he recalled every second of the praise that he had been given, remembering the part about how Toshinori was so proud of him on loop. He ran inside, grabbed breakfast, bid his mother goodbye, and took his backpack before sprinting all the way to U.A., trying to clear his mind of the memories playing on repeat.
Unfortunately for Izuku, the exhaustion of the run had made it easier to picture the vivid image in his mind of being picked up by a skinny Toshinori and spun around. He blushed furiously, trying to focus on details of the exam that were being given. He managed to focus all the way through the written exam, and based on his self-scoring, he didn't do too bad. After leaving the exam hall to head to the auditorium where Present Mic was giving out the instructions for the practical exam, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Why would Toshinori do that? Did he know about Izuku? If so, how did he find out? If not, why was he treating Izuku like that? And if he did know- His thoughts were cut short by a man in a fashionable but reserved outfit 3 rows ahead of him calling him out for mumbling after asking about the fourth robot target. He blushed furiously, thankful that he spoke low enough that no one would have heard him whispering.
As the contestants gathered outside of testing zone "B", which Izuku was assigned to, he was approached by a very kind looking girl, who he came to find out was named Uraraka. They chatted for a while, before Present Mic started the exam suddenly, and they bid a quick farewell. Uraraka left quickly, eager to start earning points. Izuku then rushed in as well, desperate to prove to his mentor that he was worthy of his power.
~
Toshinori sat in the observation room mortified. He watched the screens with terror as Izuku kept stumbling through the exam, still not having used his power. He watched, mortified at the thought that Izuku might remember this morning when he was little, and that it might be distracting him. "Or," thought Toshinori, "Maybe he sprained his ankle on the way here", trying to reassure himself that Izuku would make it through. Honestly, more than anything, he was worried about his little one being squished under a machine like a bug, or that he would fail and blame himself. Toshinori couldn't tell which was worse. He just hoped that Izuku would be able to earn some points, any points, before the timer ran out.
Soon enough, Principal Nezu decided that the time was right to release the fourth machine, the obstacle that the students were supposed to avoid. The fourth robot was designed with the intent to help students earn hero points by saving people that it was targeting. Usually, the robot would target one student with enough points to pass, pin them somewhere, and allow for braver students to take it down and 'save them'. They were designed to be non-lethal, as well, just to ensure safety.
~
Izuku was panicking. He had zero points and Present Mic just announced that there were 2 minutes left on the clock, right as the fourth robot came out of the ground, towering over the buildings of the urban test exam. Behind the robot was a student named Denki Kaminari, a student with an electric-type quirk. Denki just so happened to be in the wrong place, at a very wrong time, and let out an electric charge in a very wrong direction. The electricity flowed out of Denki, straight towards the robot, and hit its primary matrix on the underside of the massive beast.
The giant robot went still for a few second, and many students breathed a sigh of relief, Izuku included. Then, the massive skyscraper of a machine came back to life, thrashing around and wrecking several nearby buildings. Present Mic, sitting atop a building near the entrance, panicked. He knew that the robot was supposed to be slow and non-lethal. What he was witnessing now was the exact opposite. The robot had pinned down several students under rubble, and then had run into the rubble, tipping itself towards the massive crowd of students, and even threatened to crush Present Mic under its massive titanium hull.
Izuku had fallen to the ground. He was right in the middle of where the robot threatened to land. So was his new friend Uraraka. Time froze for Izuku. He stood up, faced down the falling robot, and clenched his teeth. In this exact moment, when everything was frozen in time, he had exactly two thoughts running through his head a light speed: "I will not let these people die, even if it costs me my points or my life" and "I will not let down Toshinori" and both of them were muttered under his breath before he crouched down, felt his power rising through him, and leapt as hard as he could.
Time moved so slowly for Izuku, with how fast his brain was moving to figure out how to save everyone. He decided that the lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few, and went all in. He balled up both fists, gritted his teeth, and using the momentum he gained by launching himself upwards, smashed right into the enormous behemoth, completely caving in its hull on its head, and sending it flying backwards, where no one was in the way. After the punch landed, time started flowing normally for Izuku again, and he started falling, faster than normal from the impact of his fists on the now incapacitated berserk robot.
He fell, and he fell, and he suddenly saw a vision of that morning, a perfect memory of Toshinori catching Izuku and calling him sweet names, praising him. In a moment of pure instinct and desire to see Toshinori again, Izuku flipped around to face the ground, saw that there was no one under him, and decided to do something reckless. He put out one of his very broken arms, and angled it to point at the ground. With all the willpower of a lion fighting to survive, Izuku curled in his middle finger to his thumb, mustered up his power again, and flicked it at the ground. The force propelled him back up a little, but Izuku knew that he didn't time it right, and that he was going to hit the ground. Hard. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth again, bracing for impact, but none ever came.
He opened his eyes, immediately greeted by Toshinori's own piercing blue eyes. Izuku, unable to move, mustered up all that he needed to say in that moment. "Toshi..." Izuku said, tears streaming out of his face and onto the ground. Toshinori had leapt through the surveillance building wall as soon as he saw Izuku launch himself upwards. He would not let his little die, not like this. Not like this. He threw himself forwards as fast as he could, but he wasn't going to make it, not until Izuku mustered up the determination to launch another attack aimed at the ground. With that final push, Toshinori caught Izuku and safely landed with his little gripped tightly in his arms. Izuku sobbed with joy as he saw Toshinori's face, his cheeks wet with his tears. Then, he felt a cold wetness on his chest, barren and bruised from where his power had blown his shirt mostly away.
Izuku realized that Toshinori was sobbing too, in his frail form, body wracked with sobs. "I thought I lost you, Izu..." he whispers out, choked between sobs. Toshinori gathered all of his willpower, and used his power again, once more the buff icon of heroism. He still gripped Izuku tightly, standing and propelling the both of them to the outside of the exam area gates, where Recovery Girl was waiting to enter and treat any injured students. Toshinori landed in front of her, his form fading away in smoke again and he held Izuku, body broken and battered. Recovery Girl gasped, not having seen a student in such terrible condition in years.
"My god Toshinori, what have you done to this poor boy?!" She said, taken aback at the extent of Izuku's wounds. She inspected the boy, setting his bones before she could use her quirk. She kissed him quickly, accelerating his healing, and draining Izuku of all of his stamina. He quickly had lost all of his energy, most of the healing done, but some parts still more than injured. Toshinori quickly leapt away to the nurses office, where he would rest until he got better. He put Izuku down on the bed, carefully positioning his body so that he would be most comfortable, before pulling the blanket on top of him. Soon enough, Recovery Girl returned with news. "Well," she said, sounding exasperated, "apparently, your kid over here beat the record for most points earned in the practical exam. The board of judges gave him a combined score of 120 points. The next highest is 72, Toshinori. Almost a 50 point difference." Toshinori didn't look away from Izuku, staying by his side the whole time he healed, sitting in the nurses office in his original form, just holding Izuku's bruised and battered hand, his middle finger and thumb both scarred, skin soft and new.
Soon after, Izuku woke up, feeling drained and a little out of it. His head was fuzzy, like there was cotton candy in his brain, and his bones ached, but his hand was warm, he looked over, to see Toshinori holding his hand tightly, not wanting to let go for anything. Izuku whispered out a faint calling.
"Toshiiii..." He said, faintly and with all the patience of a fussy toddler. Toshinori immediately snapped to attention, moving closer to Izuku. By now, he doesn't care if Izuku remembers this when he's big, he wants Izuku- No, he NEEDS Izuku to know that he needs him as a little, and he needs Izuku to know that he will always be here for him, through anything.
"Hey, baby, are you okay? Do you need anything at all? Toshi is here, baby..." He whispers back to little Izuku, caressing his face and smiling at him sweetly, not caring about anything that isn't his little. Izuku reaches out and makes grabby hands at Toshi, which he assumed meant that he wants to be held, so Toshinori reaches down gently, slowly picking Izuku up and setting him on his lap, earning a contented hum from the sweet boy. He gently caresses the back of his little green baby, tracing gently where he can feel Izuku got injured during the exam. Recovery Girl can do wondrous things to help students heal, but everyone scars just the same. Izuku nuzzles sweetly into the crook of Toshinori's neck, content and comfortable, feeling more safe than ever in his embrace.
Toshinori speaks softly, as to not startle the clearly very little Izu. "Zuzu, sweetheart, how would you feel about Toshi being your daddy, hmm? Would you like tha-" Toshinori tries to speak but is interrupted by his little very happily nuzzling further into Toshi's chest, very gently kicking his feet up and down. "I'll take that as a yes, then" he says, also clearly very happy at being able to call himself a daddy to a little. It is a new feeling, and a very welcome one, Toshinori decides, as he is filled with a warmth and a happiness beyond words. Despite his current weak state, he feels stronger than ever, especially holding Izuku.
They stay that way for a while, until night falls and little Izuku is sound asleep. Toshinori attempts to pry the small boy off of his lap, but he resists in his sleep, with a surprisingly strong grip for such a little Izuku. Eventually, Toshinori caves and lets Izuku stay fast asleep in his lap, with not a care in the world except for his daddy.
~
In the morning, Izuku wakes up, still clung to his daddy's lap, but not little anymore, leaving one very confused little green boy sitting in his mentor's lap. As he shifts, he wakes up Toshinori, who is just ecstatic to see Izuku again.
"Good morning, cutie pie!" He says to his little, clearly not little anymore, but also clearly still a cutie pie. Izuku gives him a confused look, trying to remember how he ended up this way, then remembering how he got to the nurses office to begin with. "Oh my gosh, the exam! Is everyone okay, did anyone get hurt?" He says urgently, needing to know if he really did manage to save everyone. Toshinori gently shushes his little, "Yes, baby, everyone is okay. You did great little one, you saved so many people! And, guess what?" Toshi says, teasingly. Izuku huffs and tilts his head a little. Toshinori laughs at his expression. "You got into U.A. hun! And, a record score on the practical exam, as expected of the disciple of the great All Might!" he said, flexing in a faux-tough manner. Izuku began bouncing with excitement, unable to wait to start his new high school career.
~
It had been a few months since Izuku made it into U.A., quickly adjusting to his classes, and somehow making it through Aizawa's hellish hero course. Time flew by in a haze, with the little Izuku trying his hardest at every moment. He had been exceptionally happy to be able to see Toshinori every day during class, and Toshinori felt much the same, always ready to be there for his little whenever he had a tough day or got injured again in training. Out of all of moments he loved being a teacher at U.A. was when Izuku first appeared for the mock battle scheduled for the day in his hero outfit. The bunny ears, the wide smile on his mask, it just made Toshinori's heart soar, seeing his little in such a cute outfit. Izuku seemed similarly pleased to be able to wear it, unable to wipe a grin off of his face.
The two had been spending more and more time together, with Izuku frequently staying with Toshinori in the staff lounge whenever he had to grad papers, keeping him company and only occasionally regressing when the break room was empty. On more than one occasion, they had been walked in on by a teacher or two while Izuku was little. Little Izu was entirely unbothered by it, but was incredibly flustered anytime he saw those teachers again outside of littlespace. Once, Aizawa had walked in for a cup of coffee right as Izuku had babbled something cute at Toshinori. Aizawa stared at the two for a few seconds before getting his coffee calmly, and then leaving without a word. The next time he saw Izuku was in class the very next day during homeroom, and as Izuku walked in he made a very quiet remark. "Cute kid Toshinori has" Aizawa said calmly. To anyone else, it was a strange statement, but to Izuku, it was embarrassing at best, and earth-shattering at worst.
The rest of Izuku's classes passed normally for a while, with only the occasional tease from Aizawa. Izuku kept on going, all the way up until the day before the rescue training. All Might had informed everyone in class 1-A that they would be traveling off-campus tomorrow for a special kind of training day, and Izuku was endlessly excited to continue to train his powers. The next day, Izuku came in to class, greeted by Aizawa instead of Toshinori. He was confused, up until Aizawa informed the class that they were to leave soon to meet All Might at the training location. The class boarded a bus, setting out for the day.
Izuku and the class arrived at the USJ, and were greeted by Thirteen, the hero overseeing the days rescue training session. Izuku was excited, but also disappointed as he overheard Aizawa and Thirteen talking about how Toshinori had used up his power on his way to work. Izuku gritted his teeth and decided to tough it out, even without Toshinori here with him. Then, suddenly, the villain attack started. Izuku heard something about the "league of villains" before being corralled back by Aizawa and Thirteen away from the villains. Aizawa lunged forward towards the mass of villains, right before the strange man made of mist warped in front of them, saying that he had to separate them, that it was his duty. Suddenly, they were being surrounded by a thick, dark purple fog. Thirteen tried to protect the students, but ended up falling victim to their own destructive power.
~
Toshinori sat in the teachers lounge, solemnly, sitting in his usual seat, recalling how little Izuku had been sitting on the floor by his legs babbling about something not even 24 hours prior. He sighed, his call to the USJ not going through, again. He worried, fears of the worst rushing through his head. What if something happened to Izuku? He wouldn't have been able to forgive himself. His thoughts were interrupted as Principal Nezu walked in, striding over to sit on the couch across from him.
"Well, you look dejected, Toshinori!" Nezu said, getting comfortable on the couch. Toshinori looked up at him, feeling drained and wishing that he had let other heroes save those people that morning, that he may be able to be there at the USJ with Izuku right now.
"I just wish that I could be at the USJ right now... What kind of hero am I, spent after stopping a couple petty crimes on my commute..." Toshinori said, holding his head in his hands, his fears resuming as he worried about the state of hi little.
"A good one, Toshinori. What else could you have done, walk away?" Nezu said, in his usual wise tone.
"I could have," Toshinori thought out loud, "But there was something else... I didn't save all those people just because I'm a hero. There was this thought in the back of my mind." Nezu looked at him, head tilted a bit. "I just kept thinking, 'What would Izuku do?' and every time, the answer was 'help those that I can.'" Toshinori said, a calm adoration in his voice, recalling the heroic spirit of his little.
"And there you have it!" Nezu said, clapping his hands together. "That is what being a hero is all about! Seems like that little of yours is really rubbing off on you, Toshinori!" he said, smiling at the frail blonde.
"Jeez, does the whole staff know now? Yeesh..." Toshinori said, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly, slightly worried about how his easily embarrassed little would react to that news. Suddenly, Nezu's phone rang in his pocket. He picked it up, answering it quickly. The ever-present smile on Nezu's face fell suddenly, and he hung up.
"Shit", said the small rodent. Apparently, the class representative had just run all the way to U.A. from the USJ building, bearing grim news.
~
Izuku tried to keep his calm as he, Tsu, and Mineta were pinned down on a boat in the middle of the Open-Ocean rescue section of the USJ building. They all panicked, talking about how the villains must have known the layout of the building, but not the students' quirks. They tried to make a plan, as the villains lurked just outside the boat, up until one of them cut the boat in half. In a rush, and a foolish attempt to save himself and his classmates, Izuku leapt off the boat, with an image of his caregiver and mentor firm in his mind as she shouted with false confidence the whole time, pointing his arm at the water below him and flicking, using the same move he used at the practical exam to create a whirlpool and trap the villains, as Tsu carried Mineta off of the boat and caught Izuku, while Mineta continuously threw his grapes down into the water like a maniac.
Having escaped the immediate threat, the trio ventured to the center of the USJ, attempting to find a way to help Aizawa as she struggled to fend off the endless waves of villains. The three couldn't find any way to help, forced to watch in horror as the creature called Nomu crushes their teacher's arm and bashes his head into the concrete. The three are paralyzed by fear as they watch the strange man covered in hands turn Aizawa's elbow to ash, before he turns to them, muttering something out of earshot.
All of a sudden, the strange man is there, in front of them, reaching for Tsu's face when Izuku's world slows down again, just like the practical exam, and he can see as the man move to attack. Izuku manages to move fast enough to strike the man with his full power, and lands a perfect hit, all without damaging his body! Then the smoke clears as Izuku realizes that he hit the Nomu, not even noticing that it moved. He flinches, paralyzed with fear as she realizes that One for All doesn't work on him in the slightest. Right as the strange man reaches to attack Izuku, All Might breaks down the entrance to the USJ, standing tall and proud. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, believing that All Might will save them, but Izuku doesn't breathe out. His breath hitches in his throat, and his blood runs cold.
Izuku wanted to feel saved, to feel that everything would be all right. But the Nomu just took a fully-powered punch from Izuku, a strength which would normally be enough to level a building, and it isn't even bruised. A single thought seeps into Izuku's mind, unwanted, shaking him to his very core.
"My Daddy might die." Tears begin to stream down Izuku's face, but no breath leaves his body. He is frozen in place.
~
Toshinori arrives at the USJ, out of breath, shaking, exhausted, but he has an image to retain, and stills his quivering hands. He looks around, assessing the situation, but mostly to search for Izuku, his eyes landing on the emerald green of his little, who's wet, tear-streaked face is inches away from the palm of the strange looking person who appears to be the leader of the attack. His heart pounds in his chest, and his world stills. No one would make his little cry.
"Hah, looks like I'm right on time!" He proclaims out loud, to make his presence more known, before bolting down to the center of the chamber faster than the blink of an eye, placing Aizawa, Izuku, Asui, and Mineta away from the center, below the stairs to the entrance. His hand lingers on the back of Izuku as he sets him down. "It's okay now, baby..." Toshinori whispers under his breath, before launching towards the hand-covered man responsible for making Izuku cry, before being blocked by the Nomu. Toshinori hears Izuku shout something to him, something about how his power didn't work against it, but Toshinori just gives Izuku a gentle, but firm thumbs-up.
"It's okay now. Why? Because I am here!" Toshinori says loudly, before turning back to face the large creature. They engaged in a fierce battle for what felt like ages, up until the hand-covered man said that the Nomu had the quirk of Shock Absorption, which led All Might to put the beast in a martial-arts hold and giving the Nomu what seemed to be a crude vertical-suplex. But then, Toshinori didn't feel the beast hitting the ground, and instead felt sharp claws embedded in his abdomen, with several piercing his old wound. Izuku whimpered as he watched, carrying Aizawa up the stairs to get him to safety. He was terrified that this would be the end, and even more terrified that he couldn't do anything to help.
Then, coming from the direction of the landslide zone, came a long stretch of ice along the ground, freezing the arm of the Nomu and allowing Toshinori to break free.
"Want some help, old man?" Todoroki said, having helped All Might escape the grasp of the beast.
"Thank you, young Shoto, but I am afraid that this enemy is much too strong for you." All Might replied, gesturing for the young boy to step back. The group watched the Nomu heal miraculously, before All Might went right back in to engaging it in battle. If it was resistant to punches, that meant that it wasn't exactly immune, so he did what he does best, and he punched the living hell out of that big purple sandbag. He just kept swinging, reminding himself of his nearby little anytime he got tired, then started punching faster. Soon enough, the Nomu was overwhelmed, tossed through the glass dome of the USJ and faded off in the distance.
With the Nomu gone, all that was left was the Symbol of Peace, standing tall and strong, having defeated the enemy. At least, that's what it looked like to everyone else that had watched the fight, but Izuku knew better.
~
Izuku saw the steam pouring off of Toshinori and he knew that it wasn't some feat of battle or dust being kicked up, it was his body telling him that he couldn't bear to retain that form for much longer. Izuku knew that Toshinori couldn't take even a single step forward, or else the facade would break. He saw the way his hands quivered, how his knees threatened to buckle, and he knew how much pain his daddy was in just to hold that form.
"Tsu," Izuku said, voice quivering and hands shaking, "Please, carry Aizawa." Izuku released the upper half of Aizawa that he was carrying, staggering forwards towards the battle. He watched as the purple mist man spoke to the hand man, and how the hand man seemed to then inspect Toshinori more. Izuku knew that he must have seen through the facade. His whole world froze, his tears flowing heavily down his face. His heart was beating faster than he thought it could have, pounding in his chest, threatening to leap out. The whole world was slow, and he saw the hand man, begin to move forward, hand outstretched towards Toshinori. Izuku didn't think. His body reacted on its own, just like that day he saved Kacchan. His knees bent, crouching, and he pushed himself directly towards the hand man with way more force than he ever should have been able to use in that state, launching himself towards the man faster than he could react. In the air, his tears flew, and a single word could be read on his lips. "Daddy".
Then, a portal appeared in front of him, with the hand man leaning out of it. Izuku realized that now, the man was after him and not Toshinori, and was satisfied. Still, he reeled back his arm, imbuing it with over 100% of his power, and swing straight for the mans hand. Izuku didn't care if his hand was broken, or disintegrated. He would have his revenge on the man that tried to kill his daddy. Izuku's hand made impact, and he felt that the weak flesh he hit was rendered to shreds, right as the Pros arrived and shot holes through the hand man's legs and arms, his hand mangled and completely wrecked. That same second, the man made of fog took them both away.
With the main villains gone, Izuku lay next to Toshinori, whose buff form dispersed immediately. Toshinori scrambled to go to his little, laying on the ground, both legs broken, arm mangled once again. His heart ached, but as Izuku smiled up at him, he knew that it would all be okay. "Toshi..." Izuku managed to say, his good arm reaching up to brush a tear away from his daddy's face. They both sat there, sobbing in each other's embrace, for hours. Eventually, everyone was removed from the USJ, students treated, villains captured, and Izuku and Toshinori were moved to the nurses office to recover once more. As they sat there in that familiar room, they both knew that everything would be okay now.
Because they had each other.