Work Text:
The snow crunched beneath Toshinori’s feet as he hurried over to Class 1-A’s dorms. It had grown late, the day getting away from him, and the snow grew thicker with each passing moment. Still, Toshinori was determined to see young Midoriya today, even for a moment.
Toshinori hadn’t thought much about the Christmas holiday in recent years. He was aware of it, of course. As All Might, he played heavily into the Christmas cheer for the media. And even without his hero work, it was hard to miss the season with the spirit in the air. He was glad for others to have that joy, but it didn’t come to him easily. He had enjoyed a few holidays with Nana when she had been alive, but after that, the holidays tended to remind him of his own loneliness, so he kept busy.
But this year, things were different. This year, Toshinori had young Midoriya in his life. He and Midoriya hadn’t been as close during his training last year, but things had changed in a short amount of time. And when the boy had texted him a few hours earlier, wondering if he’d make it to the holiday party, Toshinori felt a second stab of guilt that day for forgetting. He knew that the kids would only get one day home with their families this year, so he had wanted to make an extra effort for Midoriya.
It didn’t console him that he had forgotten the exact date because he was still deep in research about the previous One for All holders. He knew Midoriya appreciated his efforts and that they would pay off in his training. Toshinori also knew, though, from his limited time with his own master that raising a successor wasn’t just about fighting or intel. And truthfully, Toshinori didn’t want his relationship with young Midoriya to be just about those things.
Midoriya meant more to him than that.
As he saw the dorms in the distance, he tapped his chest pocket again where his envelope rested to ensure it hadn’t been lost in his haste. He had considered many gifts for young Midoriya - figurines, posters, old memorabilia, photographs - but none of them felt quite right, not by themselves.
None of them conveyed what he wanted to convey to him.
When Toshinori reached the dorms, he tugged the door open and stepped inside. Dusting off his coat and hanging it up, then wiping the snow off of his feet before placing his shoes in a cubby, he entered the common area. It was thoroughly cleaned and decorated. The lights on the large tree remained lit, sparkling against the window and the backdrop of snow. It looked positively lovely, but not a soul was in sight.
Toshinori looked at the time on his phone, suddenly realizing just how late it had grown, and sighed. He had missed the party after all.
He trudged over to one of the couches and slumped down, taking a moment to stare at the tree. Covered with a sparkling garland, a few large bulbs, and a star on top, Toshinori tried to feel the Christmas cheer as he stared at it. But it did little to lift his spirits.
Especially since this Christmas could be his last.
Pulling out the envelope for young Midoriya from his suit pocket, he fiddled with it in his hands. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with it now that it had grown so late. Surely the boy was in bed by now, and perhaps it wouldn’t feel right if he gave it to him later. He started to weigh his options when he heard a voice behind him.
“All Might?”
Toshinori shoved the envelope back into his pocket and turned around. There, he saw Midoriya standing on the bottom step behind him.
“Young Midoriya! What are you still doing up?” He tried not to sound too pleased about the happy accident, knowing the boy likely had a long day and needed his rest. Still, he didn’t protest when he walked over to the couch and sat down beside him.
“I was having a hard time sleeping, so I came down to get some tea. What are you doing here?”
Toshinori’s smile faltered. He clenched his fists against his knees.
“I was trying to get over here by the end of the party like you asked,” he admitted. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time.”
“That’s okay! I understand you were busy!” Midoriya responded far too quickly. Toshinori shook his head.
“It’s not okay, young Midoriya. I should have been here. I wanted to be here. And I am sorry.”
They stared at each other for a moment until Midoriya finally looked away, clenching his own hands against his knees. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now,” he finally said. “I… It’s good to see you.” Toshinori couldn’t help but give a small smile and place a hand upon the boy’s head.
“It’s good to see you, too. How did the party go? Did you have fun?”
The boy nodded with a large smile and quickly grew animated in retelling the events of the day. He shared his favorite parts of the feast, young Eri’s first attempt at Christmas and how utterly adorable it was, and the presents everyone exchanged. The envelope in Toshinori’s pocket grew heavier at the mention of presents, but then Midoriya launched into a somewhat unexpected topic.
“It seems like the work studies are starting up again, too,” he said, fidgeting with his fingers. “I tried to reach out to Nighteye’s agency, along with Gran Torino, but neither of them can take me. Todoroki offered for Endeavor to take me, but I’m not really sure he can do that… I’m also not sure what I’m going to do if that doesn’t work out, though.” Toshinori smiled.
“Don’t worry too much about that, my boy, especially not today. We’ll make sure you get to do your work study someplace good, alright?” Midoriya nodded, seemingly unsure but accepting for the time being. So with that, they both grew quiet, watching the snow fall outside.
“So… you liked your presents, then?” Toshinori asked, thinking about the envelope once more. Midoriya gave a small nod.
“Yeah, they were nice… To be honest, though, even though I do like gifts and all, I like spending time with people more than anything else. I got plenty of stuff growing up, but it was always just me and Mom, so getting to hang out with everyone was extra special.”
Guilt bubbled up in Toshinori’s chest once more. But before he could apologize again, Midoriya caught him by surprise.
He leaned over and wrapped his arms around Toshinori’s torso in a side hug.
“I’m really glad you’re here now,” the boy whispered.
Overcome with surprise and some warm emotion, tears welled in Toshinori’s eyes. He brought an arm around Midoriya in return, tilting his head to deepen the hold. “Me, too, my boy. Me, too.”
Toshinori hadn’t received any gifts this year, and he probably wouldn’t have wanted any if someone had tried to give him one. Yet, this unexpected moment of softness given to him by this boy meant more to him than he could have guessed. Toshinori loved hugs, and he missed genuine ones. He especially missed being given a hug, as he normally initiated them.
Yes, this was a truly excellent gift.
“Midoriya,” Toshinori started to say after enjoying the hold for a decent amount of time. He intended to shift out of the hug to give his gift in return, but then he realized that the boy had grown unexpectedly heavy against him. Bending forward to get a look at his face, Toshinori realized Midoriya had fallen asleep. Soft breaths escaped his lips as his arms barely held onto Toshinori’s torso. Toshinori was struck by how this kid, who had grown into such a fierce and fine hero, looked so incredibly vulnerable in this moment.
The boy trusted Toshinori whole heartedly, and it touched him more than words could say.
Although part of him wanted to stay there, he knew it would be best for Midoriya to sleep properly in his bed, and Toshinori should really head home himself. It had been a while since Toshinori had carried an exhausted Midoriya, and he didn’t think he had ever done it in his true form, but he’d give it a try now.
Shifting slowly and carefully so as to not wake the boy, Toshinori bent forward once more, this time to hook his arm under Midoriya’s knees. Keeping his other arm around Midoriya’s back, he planted his feet and hoisted the boy up. He was heavy with muscle, meaning Toshinori had to take a moment to gain his balance. Turning his head, Toshinori suppressed a cough that threatened to wake the boy up. Then, once he felt sure he had a good grip, he slowly made his way to the stairs and up to the second floor.
It took a moment of fumbling to get the bedroom door open, but that was the last difficult moment of the journey. Toshinori was able to set Midoriya down in his bed easily enough, especially since the covers were still pulled back. He tucked the boy in and made sure he was truly settled. A light snore escaped his lips, and Toshinori couldn’t help but chuckle at the sound of it.
He watched Midoriya for a moment, his heart filling once more with happiness at the sight of him. Without thinking too much about it, he brought a hand up to stroke some of the hair out of the boy’s eyes and off his forehead. It was so incredibly soft and green, reminding him of fir trees.
And for just a moment, Toshinori thought he might feel a little Christmas cheer after all.
With a sigh, he stood up to leave when he noticed one of the figurines on Midoriya’s nightstand. He had lots of All Might merchandise in his room. Toshinori knew that and did his best not to mention them, but this one was different. A small figure of All Might posed with his fists on his hips, this one had a little santa hat on. Toshinori couldn’t say he remembered this particular one, but he also wasn’t exactly surprised it existed.
Turning to glance down at Midoriya once more, Toshinori decided that even if he had failed to get to the Christmas party in time, perhaps he could play Santa in a manner of speaking. Pulling the envelope out of his suit pocket, he gently placed it against the figurine. For Young Midoriya it read in his big sprawling handwriting, complete with a drawing of his bangs much like he added to his All Might signature. And if all of that wasn’t enough of a clue as to who the letter was from, the contents surely would make it clear.
With that, he stepped towards the door, opening it as quietly as possible. Before he shut it behind him, he took one last look at the boy and smiled.
“Goodnight, young Midoriya,” he said softly, “and Merry Christmas.”
Izuku woke up the morning after the Christmas party with the full sun streaming through his curtains. It had been a while since he had the opportunity to sleep in, and he seemingly took advantage of it. Sitting up with a big stretch, he smiled to himself as he thought over the events of the party. It had been great fun, more fun than he had ever had on a Christmas, at least in his recent memory.
Then, he remembered running into All Might in the common room afterwards. It had been really nice to see him, even if he hadn’t made it to the party. It felt like they hadn’t had a lot of time together lately, and with the work studies coming up, that didn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
Strangely, though, Izuku realized he didn’t remember coming back to his room last night…
At that moment, he also realized a letter was sitting against his Christmas All Might figurine, a letter that had definitely not been sitting there the night before. The handwriting sprawled on the front that addressed him as “Young Midoriya” was unmistakable, too. And that’s when it hit him.
Izuku's eyes widened in panic, realizing that All Might must have had to carry him back to his room last night. He didn’t remember getting back by himself. With a groan, he buried his face in his hands, mortified by that information. Should he apologize to All Might? Should he mention it at all?
After finally taking a few deep breaths, he eventually regained his senses and decided the first thing to do was to open the letter waiting for him.
So, with great care, he picked up the envelope and ripped it open, careful with the contents inside. Izuku half expected a somewhat generic Christmas card for some reason, so it surprised him to see a fully written letter. What could All Might possibly have to say that he wouldn’t just tell him?
Only one way to find out, Izuku supposed.
Young Midoriya,
I thought long and hard about what to give you for Christmas this year. Before you go insisting that I didn’t have to give you anything at all, know that I wanted to. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone to give gifts to, and although I’m eager to jump at the opportunity I have now, it also means I am a bit unpracticed as far as gift giving goes.
First, know that this letter is only half of your gift. The other half is an invitation for you to choose any one piece of All Might merchandise I have. I didn’t want to run the risk of giving you something you already had, especially to find out later that I happen to have some rare piece you’ve always wanted. I admit I wouldn’t know. Therefore, it seemed best for you to choose.
But that’s not all I want to offer. As training gets more intense, especially with the emergence of Black Whip, it occurs to me that we spend many of our conversations deep in technical talk. As a result, we haven’t had as many opportunities to talk about other things.
I’ve missed that. I love hearing about what’s going on with you. That also means I haven’t taken the opportunity to tell you what you mean to me, and I’d like for you to know. If you’ll indulge me, please let me share my feelings now.
I’m so incredibly proud of you, my boy. Every day, I am so immensely grateful that I met you. You are a wonderful, hardworking, and caring hero, but even more than that, you are a wonderful person. It is a joy to know you, and I know I couldn’t have chosen a better successor, even if I had hundreds of years to do so.
I think you often worry that you have to prove yourself to me, even after all this time. You have nothing left you need to prove to me, my boy. I trust you wholeheartedly with One for All, and it is truly yours now. Perhaps saying it once here won’t be enough, but I hope having this in writing will at least help you remember. I’ll do my best to say it more often, too.
And even if for some reason your hero work were to change, I promise I will still be by your side. I love having you in my life. You are like family to me, young Midoriya, and nothing will change that. At least not for me.
Have a very merry Christmas, my boy. I hope we get to spend some time together soon.
With Love,
All Might
Within seconds of finishing the letter, Izuku wiped away his tears, changed his clothes, grabbed his shoes, and threw on his coat. Before leaving his dorm, he made sure to grab one last package, a small wrapped gift he hadn’t had the opportunity to give yesterday. Then, he headed out the door.
The snow had grown thick the night before. It easily reached well past his ankles, almost to the bottom of his calves. Fortunately, Izuku didn’t need to walk far to get where he was going. Plus, half-covered tracks of large, recognizable footprints - presumably from the night before - marked the way.
He hadn’t made this trip often, but he had done it enough to know it took him twice as long to reach the faculty apartments as it normally did. He didn’t see any fresh footprints leaving the building, which he took as a good sign for a visit. Opening the door, he darted up to the second floor, careful to stay as quiet as possible so no one else noticed his presence. Then, when he reached his destination, he knocked quietly on the door, just loud enough to be heard inside.
“Coming!” a familiar voice called out, and suddenly, Izuku grew nervous. He hadn’t considered until then that his visit might be unwelcome, but it was too late to turn back now. Once the door opened, he froze in the entryway, package in hand. There, he stared up at All Might in a cardigan and slippers, who stared back down at him in surprise.
“Young Midoriya!” he said with a cough. “Come in, my boy, you must be freezing!”
Izuku shuffled inside at All Might’s prompting, quickly taking off his shoes at the entrance but not settling in much otherwise. Standing just a few steps in All Might’s apartment, he felt very self-conscious. All Might seemed to regard him for a moment, which caused Izuku to glance down at the floor, uncertain of what to say.
“I take it you read my letter?” All Might eventually asked quietly. Izuku nodded, still not quite looking at the man. Right after reading it, his only thought had been that he needed to let All Might know immediately how much his words meant to him and to give him his Christmas present in return. But suddenly, standing before the man, he understood why he had said everything he did in a letter.
Izuku felt very, very vulnerable.
“You must have been pretty eager to choose your piece of merchandise then,” All Might said with a smirk. And that’s what it took to break Izuku out of his stupor.
“No! I mean, that’s very kind of you, yes, but that’s not why I came over here so quickly.”
“My boy, it’s alright, I know how much it means to—”
“This is for you,” Izuku blurted out, cutting All Might off by thrusting the package towards his mentor. All Might’s smile morphed into surprise, then softened as he gently took the wrapped gift from Izuku.
“Thank you, my boy. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but… I wanted to.”
All Might brought a hand to Izuku’s head, and Izuku suddenly remembered him doing that the night before. He realized how much he cherished the feeling. He worked hard not to seem too eager about being close to All Might, so he was grateful every time All Might extended tender gestures in return.
When he looked up, the softness in his mentor’s eyes made Izuku’s heart so full. It was as if he enjoyed showing Izuku tender gestures, too. He said how much he cared about Izuku in his letter but standing here now, Izuku could feel the full force of it.
“Why don’t you get settled so I can open this present?” All Might suggested, gesturing to his dining table. Izuku nodded and finally took off his coat and scarf, placing them on the coat rack. Then, he took a seat at the table where All Might joined him. “Now, let’s see what we have here,” his mentor said, placing the box upon the table. Izuku fidgeted with his fingers as All Might carefully unwrapped the gift. Opening up the box, he pulled out the set of tea mugs Izuku had carefully chosen.
“I got these a while ago,” Izuku said. “They made me think of you and our lunches together, and I’ve been waiting for the right time to give them to you. But it’s okay if you don’t want them!” Izuku stammered quickly. “I know it’s not the best gift, I would have liked to give you something more thoughtful, but I wasn’t sure—”
“Young Midoriya.” Izuku clamped his mouth shut, glancing up at All Might, who brought a large hand on top of Izuku’s fidgeting fingers. “I love them. Truly. Thank you, my boy.”
Izuku gave him a small smile, then glanced down at the table. “It’s not as good as your present to me.” Izuku said. “And I don’t mean the merchandise offer, even though that’s really nice!” Izuku added quickly. “I mean your letter. It… It means everything to me, All Might. It might be the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten. Thank you.”
Glancing up to meet All Might’s eyes, he was surprised to see them slightly damp. All Might squeezed his hands, then whispered, “I meant every word, my boy.”
Izuku’s lip began to wobble, too. All Might brought his hand up to Izuku’s cheek for a brief moment. The gesture made Izuku feel comforted and warm inside. It brought enough emotion to his eyes that he had to wipe at them with his sleeve, which caused All Might to laugh and wipe his own tear away.
“How about we break in these mugs right now and share a pot of tea?” All Might suggested, standing up to head towards the kitchen.
“Oh, I know you’ve been really busy, we don’t have to do that now.”
“Nonsense, my boy. With all the snow outside, we can’t go much of anywhere at the moment anyway,” he said, putting the tea leaves in his pot and adding water from the boiler. “And besides,” he added, bringing the tray over to the table with the two new mugs, “you still have to choose your present. Maybe we can even fit a Christmas movie in. If you want, that is.” Izuku’s eyes widened.
“You really have that much time to spend with me?” Izuku couldn’t help but ask. All Might gave a soft smile, looking at Izuku once more.
“I didn’t yesterday, so I’d like to make it up to you now,” All Might said as he poured their tea.
“Thank you, All Might. I’d like that.” All Might set a cup before him, then brought a hand to Izuku’s shoulder.
“Merry Christmas, my boy.”
Izuku looked at his mentor for a moment. Then, gathering up his courage, he stood up and reached forward to give All Might a hug, a hug that was readily returned. All Might wrapped an arm around Izuku’s back and brought his other hand to Izuku’s head. So full of affection at the gesture, Izuku squeezed tighter.
“Merry Christmas, All Might.”