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“Let me get this straight,” Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers, somehow looking even more exhausted than usual.
“Difficult around here,” Yamada mutters from somewhere behind the sofa that Toshinori and Izuku had basically been ordered to sit on.
“Shut up, Mic,” Aizawa hisses, hair literally rising as he glares over their heads.
Izuku makes a frankly adorable little squeaking sound and seemingly attempts to meld directly into Toshinori’s side.
Although he’s careful as always not to press against Toshinori’s scar, the sweet and considerate boy that he is.
Really, what did Toshinori do to get so very lucky with his little prince?
“Tough crowd,” Yamada mutters before falling silent.
Aizawa takes a visible deep breath for patience before refocusing on the two of them.
“Midoriya you asked for permission to go off campus,” Aizawa says. “Just for a small snack run for the dorms you said. And Yagi you volunteered to go with him and I assumed, like the naive idiot I apparently am, that you would keep the problem child out of any kind of trouble.”
Toshinori’s not sure if Izuku is actually breathing at this point he’s so still. But, to be fair, he’s also aware that the majority of his boy’s class firmly believes Aizawa operates off of what they’ve been calling T-rex Rules™.
Toshinori has personally long since disproved that theory and is currently operating under his own belief that the man simply scents fear, but he doesn’t want to ruin their dreams. Plus he has to admit that it’s still a bit amusing to watch the young ones freeze in place like startled rabbits whenever they’re trying to avoid Aizawa’s wrath.
Toshinori’s not in the field anymore, he has to take his amusements where he can find them.
“The store that is,” Aizawa plows on, “an entire two blocks from campus, and yet, somehow, you managed to run into an A-rank villain somewhere between the drinks and the candy aisles?”
Izuku bobs a quick nod, eyes still trained on his lap.
“And after subduing that villain,” Aizawa continues, “instead of coming back to campus, like you should have Yagi, the two of you decide to go to a different store instead where you ran into another villain?”
“In my defense,” Toshinori starts, one hand raising up in the air.
“You’re defenseless,” Aizawa cuts him off sharply, eye twitching at a truly concerning pace. “Especially since there are now multiple recordings of you standing in the background of this entire disaster screaming, and I quote, “beat his ass young Midoriya!” at the top of your lungs.”
Toshinori puts his hand down.
There is more than one muffled snicker in the background of the staff room.
“You two idiots are going to be on my death certificate under Cause Of,” Aizawa grumbles.
Which is, in Toshinori’s opinion, generally understandable but also vaguely offensive. Toshinori would never allow his boy’s name to be slandered so.
Especially not on official documentation.
Young Izuku flushes, shoulders hunching up just a bit more.
Aizawa sighs so hard Toshinori is surprised he doesn’t deflate or crack around the edges, and then leans forward enough to pat gently at Izuku’s downturned head, blinking just a bit before he seems to catch himself.
Not that Toshinori really blames him, those curls are way softer than they seem.
“You did good, kid,” Aizawa praises softly. “Reckless, but good.”
Izuku unfurls under the praise like a little flower, awe blossoming across his face like it does every single time someone genuinely praises him.
Sometimes Toshinori has the urge to track down every adult Izuku met before UA and suplex them.
For educational purposes of course.
His past self included.
“But I still expect an essay on my desk by Monday morning,” Aizawa continues.
“Yes, sensei,” Izuku agrees easily.
“You too,” Aizawa turns a much harder look in Toshinori’s direction. “Don’t think I’ll let you get away with being a reckless dumbass just because you’re All Might. You want to play stupid games then you win essay writing prizes like everyone else.”
Toshinori gives a brief thought to protesting but Izuku nudges his shoe lightly.
“Fine, fine,” Toshinori agrees. “I suppose it’s only fair.”
“Now go away,” Aizawa straightens up and flaps a hand in their direction, “I’ve got a headache just from looking at you two.”
Toshinori herds his boy up and off of the sofa and then out of the staff room before he can get caught up in attempting to apologize to Aizawa again.
They walk down the hall together in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
“Y-You can have a copy of my essay outline if you want?” Izuku offers, hands twisting in front of him. “I’ve had to write so many “How I Should Have Handled This” essays that I, uh, I have the formula for what Aizawa-sensei wants set as a template.”
“I appreciate that, my boy,” Toshinori can’t help but laugh. “It’s been some time since I’ve had to write a paper. Gran was never fond of essays when I made mistakes, he preferred target practice.”
Toshinori and Izuku both give an identical shudder, pause to look at one another, and then laugh.
Toshinori feels that special sort of joy that Izuku had brought into his life flare just a bit brighter.
His boy is a blessing indeed.
Toshinori fully intends to dedicate the rest of his life to making sure that Izuku knows that.
Toshinori has been given a second chance, has had a new lease on life pretty much handed to him by young Izuku. He doesn’t intend to waste a single second of it.
Toshinori is going to do everything in his power to stay around for as long as possible. Is going to fight tooth and bloody nail to continue defying the fate that Mirai had once seen for him.
All in the name of providing his boy with the support his own master had been unable to provide Toshinori with.
Toshinori is going to be his little prince of hope’s personal cheerleader until the very end.
And, with all they now know about how One for All truly functions taken into account, not even his eventual, and hopefully distant, death will be able to stop him.
For Midoriya Izuku, All Might, Yagi Toshinori, will always be here.