#Toshi: fantastic! what a lovely young man who I adore with my whole heart

[redrobin-detective]

If you’re still taking prompts, how about an AU where the current user of OFA needs to view the next user as family (sibling, child, etc.) to be able to pass it on and how that would change canon. Not blood relationships specifically how they view them

Oh this is so cute, also the last of the mini prompts, this was fun thanks everyone who submitted!

Nana had told him that One For All was a special quirk, that it could be passed on but only under special circumstances. “You need love, squirt,” she’d said one training session, ruffling his unruly blond hair. “It was part of the first users quirk, only people the holder loved and was loved by in return could receive it. It’s a protective measure and ensures AFO will never get his hands on it.”

“Is that why we spend so much time together,” Toshinori asked nervously, “to uh-”

“Oh Toshi,” she sighed, pulling him close. “I already love you, I'm here because I want you to be as ready as possible to take OFA.” She pulled him back smiling fondly and giving one of his longs bangs a playful little flick. “I took one look at your sweet, determined face and it was love at first sight. And one day, hopefully a long, long time from now, it will be the same with your successor.” 

Toshi kept those words close to his heart, held them tight when Nana died and he was sent away to America. Thought of them often late at night when the stress of being Number One kept him up. Damn near obsessed over them after his injury and his days as All Might were dwindling. He needed a successor and fast but because of his busy schedule, he barely had friends much less people he loved. He loved Torino-sensei but the man had retired years ago. He loved Nao but he was an overworked police officer, not a hero. And Nighteye, well they hadn’t spoken in years. It was quite sad to be able to count his closest friends on one hand, with fingers left over. 

He’s feeling despondent when he saves a green haired young fan from a sludge villain and accidentally has his true form revealed. Depressed and angry, he tells the boy about his injury.

“So what you’re saying is you need a successor,” the boy mutters to himself before shaking his head and speaking louder. “You need to find someone to take your place.”

“Exactly,” Toshi says a little surprised, “I’m having a bit of trouble in that regard though...” The boy steps back and dips into a low bow. 

“Let me help you All Might, as apology for my intrusion into your private life. I’m great with research and because I’m plain and quirkless people don’t pay me any mind. I’ll find you a successor so you can retire if er that’s alright with you, sir,” the kid trails off, playing with his fingers. 

“Yes, I think that would be fine,” Toshi says with a small smile, a little bit endeared at the boy’s energetic mumbling and fumbling. “Now come on, lets drop this sludge guy off at the station and get started.”

He exchanges more texts with the boy, Midoriya Izuku, in one week than he believes he has since he returned from America. The boy is a fountain of information, most of it irrelevant but Toshi finds himself reading through the boy’s meticulous if scatterbrained notes on the ideal qualities needed in a candidate. More often than not, he compares said candidates to the skittish but kind boy he stumbled upon. 

“You’re a damn fool is what you are, Toshinori,” Torino-sensei groans when Toshi calls to tell him that he’s found someone to help him find a successor. “Bring the kid round when you get the chance.”

“Young Midoriya or my future successor?”

“You’re an absolute disaster,” Torino-sensei sighs really loudly before hanging up. Toshinori stares at the disconnected phone in confusion. He tells Young Midoriya who just shrugs, looking positively adorable with a pencil completely entangled in his hair and a few sticky notes stuck on him. Nana would have loved this kid. 

His old sidekick contacted him out of the blue to offer a candidate, a third year at Yuuei who was cheerful, charismatic and had a difficult but powerful permeation quirk.

“I’ve reviewed Sir Nighteye’s notes, I really think Togata-san might be the one,” Young Midoriya says with a sad little smile. “I guess it’s almost the end of the line for us, it’s been and honor a privilege to help you, All Might. I’ll be sure to support both you and your successor, whoever they may be.” The thought of never seeing this brilliant, ridiculous child again made his chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with his injury.

“Well we’re not done yet, lets go visit this young man together. Can’t make such a big decision without my assistant, can I?” Young Midoriya beams and he’d say its like looking into the sun except he can barely look away. They make light conversation as they walk to Nighteye’s agency when a villain attacks, of course. He muscles up and starts to push the boy back but he’s already running forward.

“You stop the villain, I’ll get the civilians to safety!” He shouts in a rush. It really is a shame Young Midoriya didn’t have a quirk, he had the perfect personality for hero work. He listens to his young friend and dives into the battle. 

He’s just about subdued the villain when they throw a punch into a nearby building causing large heaps of rubble to fall down over a screaming young couple. But his heart really jumps into his throat when Young Midoriya, sweet, funny, soft-spoken, quirkless, Young Midoriya, rushes forward to help them. Toshinori grabs the villain by the throat and speeds them both towards the scene where Young Mid- where Izuku has thrown himself over the terrified people. For an awful moment, he doesn’t think he’ll make it in time. However, while he rams the villains face into the building with one hand, knocking him unconscious, he pushes upwards at the rubble with his right, causing it to explode harmlessly before it can hurt anyone.

“All Might, are you crying?” Young Midoriya asks with concern, reaching a hand out. 

“You reckless boy,” Toshinori says thickly, wrapping the boy under one arm and leaping away before anyone can ask questions he can’t or won’t answer. “You could have died.”

“I couldn’t just stand there, those people needed help,” Young Midoriya defends. “I’m nobody, only my mom would miss me but but-” Toshinori lands them on a roof, nearly identical to the one where they’d first met. He deflates and sets his thin, trembling hands on the boy’s shoulders. 

His precious boy, who has come to mean so much to him in so little time, the perfect candidate right under his nose this whole time. Torino was right, he was a fool. But it had been so long since he’d felt a love this strong that he’d needed a little extra time to recognize it. 

“I would miss you,” Toshi sniffs, pulling him into a hug like Nana had so long before. “I love you, my boy and, if you’ll forgive this doddering old fool for his slowness, would you do me the honor of being my successor?”

By the time they show up at Torino-sensei’s house, they’ve both cried themselves out and have acquired an unseemly large bowl of ice cream. The jet hero snorts, looking them over.

“Look at you two, like snoggy nosed peas in a pod. Well get on in here, if the kid’s going to be ready for the Yuuei entrance exam, we’re going to have to train him up fast.”