Their morning routine starts earlier than normal, but is otherwise the exact same as if they were still in the Midoriya apartment.
Well, almost.
Now, Young Izuku has two helpers doting over him.
While Toshi fixes up his boy's breakfast and prepares his bento, Toshinori is making sure Young Izuku has the apartment's address and an extra key. He's also making sure the young man doesn't run off to school without the two older men, seeing as they're—well, only Toshinori I is—his security detail before the others are briefed.
Both men tag team to get ready and keep an eye on Young Izuku. And when they're all ready to go, they keep the boy between them as they walk to the train station.
"You really don't need to worry about me!" Young Izuku says over and again throughout the trip. "You should focus on the mission!"
"We will after we escort you to school," Toshinori says, trying to be stern in the face of the boy's pouting. "You should be safe enough relying on your university's security."
Toshi laughs under his breath as his boy huffs. "Please humor us, my boy. We just want you safe."
Young Izuku purses his lips, but doesn't try to convince them to let him go alone again. When they get to the university, his boy gives them a shy wave coupled with a red-cheeked smile. And then, they're off to Might Tower.
ooo
They're the last two to arrive at the briefing.
At the front, Young Togata is standing, already addressing the group with a bare-bones shift schedule for the security detail. Only a few heads turn to glance at the pair when they hear the doors open. But when they process what they saw, those heads swivel to look back at them so quickly Toshi thinks their necks might crack.
That, of course, gets the rest of the group's attention. Soon, the room is full of confused exclamations and soft murmurs. Toshi and Toshinori look at each other before they make their way to the front of the room and sitting in the seats beside Nighteye and Tsukauchi.
There's silence for a beat before Young Bakugou decides he's had enough.
"So we have to play babysitter for the skeleton's twin and a professional nerd?"
"That is incredibly disrespectful to say, Ground Zero!" Young Iida stands, hand chopping through the air and glasses glinting. But, before he could continue his tirade, Young Togata reigns in the group's attention.
"While I know this isn't exactly what you expected for your work as a hero, please know that this assignment is very important!" Togata exclaims. "I was actually waiting for All Might to come and explain his part of the story before I split you into teams. So, if you wouldn't mind taking the stage, All— er, Toshi?"
Toshi clears his throat and stands from his seat. He turns to face the group and greets them nervously. He gives the group the same story he did in the briefing the day before. And when he finishes, he answers their questions about the parallels of his own world and this one. Of course, he doesn't speak of his quirk and his successor, but he makes sure to let them know about the classmate that they never had that seemed to bring the already tight-knit group even closer together.
"Actually, that is why I trusted Deku when I saw him," Toshi answers a final question of theirs. "I am currently teaching him along with your class in my world."
"Right!" Lemillion says, clapping his hands. "Let's finish up this briefing and get onto the first shifts!"
Lemillion gestures, once again, to the schedule displayed at the front of the room while Toshi takes a seat.
"As you all see here, we have one hero on Toshi, another on Deku, and two on call for back-up if needed." The shifts on the display are rotating and staggered so that each hero has a few days in between for their normal hours at their agencies and rest. "At no point will you be put on a double shift, since we've already spoken to each of your agencies. And by double shift, I mean no one will be on call and be on duty with their agency at one time. The safety of Toshi and Deku are our biggest concern, so make sure you stay on top of your schedule and are ready to be called in at any time if you are the on-call hero.
"When on duty for Toshi and Deku, you will be in civilian clothing," Togata says. "Nothing too flashy, since we don't want to attract attention. It's okay to interact with the targets, just don't make it obvious that you are guarding them. Actually, when you're on your first shift guarding Deku, I want you to introduce yourself to him so he knows who he's working with! On later shifts, it's your choice whether or not to interact with him. Are there any questions?"
Young Asui raises her hand. "Are you sure it's a good idea for Bakugou to be on the first shift, ribbit? Wouldn't that just scare Deku?"
Young Bakugou scoffs. "If he's so easily scared, then maybe he shouldn't be in the hero profession."
Young Togata ignores Bakugou and answers the young woman's question. "I figured we'd get the worst one out of the way! So that everything runs smoothly after."
Explosions and laughter ring throughout the conference room, and Toshi can't keep the grin off his face. What fine heroes my students will become, he thinks. Suddenly, he's irrationally excited to see how Young Midoriya reacts to meeting all these up-and-coming heroes.
ooo
Toshinori pulls Toshi aside, along with Lemillion and Sir Nighteye as the former Class A goes over their shift schedule and assigned partnerships.
"I believe," Toshinori groans as they all sit at the far corner of the conference room, "it's time for us to go over the differences in the timeline."
Sir Nighteye pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "And I still need to read your future, All— er. Toshi."
"Right," Toshi leans his elbows into his thighs. "Which one first?"
Toshinori and Nighteye briefly look at each other before Toshinori states, "timeline first."
"Well, we all know that the fight with All for One happened," Toshi grumbles, rubbing his side. "That's probably where the differences start."
Nighteye raises an eyebrow. "When All Might woke up after his battle with AFO, he took mine and Gran Torino's advice to lay low and heal his wounds as much as possible. We told the public he was taking a long-awaited vacation."
Toshi nods, and swallows the knot in throat. "When I woke up after that battle, Nighteye looked into my future. He saw me die in a villain battle, which he predicted would happen within 7 years of his reading."
Toshinori goes pale, and he plays with his fingers. Lemillion, for the first time he's ever witnessed, has lost his smile. Nighteye's face simply goes blank.
"H-how many years," Toshinori manages to croak, "has it been?"
The smile on Toshi's face is grave. "Six."
When Toshinori nods, Toshi moves on.
"Nighteye told me to give up being a hero; to retire and find a successor. But I wasn't ready. I couldn't… I didn't handle things well. We parted ways. And for a while, I lived in denial.
"After five years, I realized I couldn't go on like I'd been any longer. I'd gotten so weak, I could only hold my hero form for 3 hours a day, at that point. So, I talked to Principal Nedzu, reconnected with Nighteye. I told them it was time to find a successor. Nedzu encouraged me to become a teacher to find an exceptional student as my successor. Nighteye said he'd found a successor, and was training him for me. My first day in Musutafu, I found Young Izuku."
Toshinori sighs and leans back into his seat. He looks pensive as he speaks, "I spent the first few months after gaining my injuries gaining as much of my health and strength back in the hospital. I recruited more heroes and sidekicks to ensure there were enough heroes to take over as much of my duties as possible. I started with small jobs and meetings with the media. It took a couple years to get back to the bigger villain fights, but by then I had 8 hours a day for my quirk.
"Lemillion, here, was scouted by Mirai when he was in high school with the sole purpose of becoming my successor. I wasn't ready yet, so I put it off until he graduated and we recruited him as a side kick. Mirai convinced me Young Togata was ready when he became a full-fledged hero, and by then I was down to 4 hours a day. I gave my quirk to Young Togata and have continued to lose time. I'm down to 2 hours, now. So, we're planning my retirement. Unfortunately, we haven't found All for One."
Toshi nods. "And you all know how I've already found All for One, but we're currently battling with his successor."
The other three nod.
"Would you tell us who the successor is?" Nighteye asks.
"He goes by Tomura Shigaraki," Toshi says slowly, voice low and serious. "His real name is Tenko Shimura."
Toshinori makes a choked sound. He looks about as horrified as Toshi was when All for One told him. Toshi can only nod at the other him. "I learned that straight from All for One, while we were fighting our final battle. Unfortunately, Tsukauchi was able to confirm his claim."
The air is heavy, and both Toshi and Toshinori wear twin expressions of heartbreak. It's Nighteye that breaks the heavy silence with a deep sigh.
"Let's leave the rest of this conversation for another day," Nighteye states, calm in his conviction. "For now, let's make sure you get home in the future."
ooo
Toshi leaves the briefing with Young Kirishima and Young Bakugou in tow. Nighteye said they'd continue their conversation on timeline differences later, and encouraged all the heroes to begin their details. Together with the young heroes, Toshi head towards Young Izuku's university, where they'll all be sitting in on his classes and work for the day as special guests. (When Toshi requested to see where his boy works, Young Izuku was flushed with embarrassment, but was obviously pleased with the positive attention and compliments he received over his research. So, Young Izuku promised to have seats ready for them.)
Toshi spends the majority of the trip answering the young heroes' questions about his world. He answers them readily, and mostly finds himself gushing about his Young Izuku… and also the Young Izuku from this world. Overall, he feels like he's given the two young men more than enough information on his boy to make them feel like they already know him. He can talk about Young Izuku all day, honestly, but what better way to show him off than to actually show him to them?
The trio see Young Izuku waiting for them at the front entrance of the school, wearing a lab coat and backpack, speaking to what looks like another graduate student. His boy looks sheepish, what with the way he's blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. When the group gets nearer, they can hear the other graduate student commenting on the fact that the lab coats must stay in the lab or else their experiments risk contamination.
"I'm very sorry, senpai," Young Izuku gives a shallow bow. "I'll make sure to wash my lab coat and borrow one for today. I was just in a bit of a rush and forgot…"
The graduate student laughs. "You've always been pretty forgetful! Just be more careful next time."
Young Izuku waves goodbye to his senpai before greeting the arriving heroes.
"S-sorry about that!" He stutters, still a bit pink in the cheeks. "I just got excited and rushed out here when you texted me you were near."
"Not to worry my boy," Toshi chuckles and pats his boy's shoulder. "What were you doing before this?"
"Oh! Just, uh, isolating the Quirk Gene in a few genome samples I got my hands on. I'm actually preparing an experiment to see whether it's possible to induce a quirk mutation in the genome of an animal similar to those of human—like a pig's—and I just needed another look at the factors that surround the Quirk Gene or if there are any repetitive patterns that indicate—" Young Izuku cuts himself off as he makes eye contact with the two young men behind Toshi. Then, he gasps. "You're Red Riot and Ground Zero!"
Young Kirishima looks as if he was given whiplash, what with the sudden change in topic. He scratches at his hair line with a single finger and grins. "Er, yeah! We got first shift with the hero detail. We were all told to wear civilian clothing, so that's how you'll be seeing all of us as the days go by."
Young Kirishima steps closer to Young Izuku and holds his hand out to shake. "I'm Eijiro Kirishima, Red Riot!"
Young Izuku looks as if he's vibrating with excitement, and Toshi has to hold in his laughter at his boy's response.
"I-it's so nice to meet you! Amazing even!" His boy's voice is higher pitched than usual, due to his excitement. He shakes the young hero's hand, but doesn't let go. "I've watched you since your first Sport's Festival and I always knew your quirk is perfect for hero-ing! I have to ask—can you tell me more about your quirk? I know that your quirk allows you to harden your body, but is it just the outer layer of skin that hardens? Or does it go deeper, like to your muscles and bones? I've always thought it was just the outer layer of skin, seeing as your bodily functions still persist, and a lot of soft tissues and organs in your body require the ability to flex and move on their own. Unless they can somehow harden as well and retain their mobility? Or there are microtubules throughout your abdominal cavity that keeps everything in place and protects soft tissues from damage? Either one could be plausible… Oh! How long can you keep your body hardened? Is there a hard time limit? Or can you push past it depending on stamina? And are there any areas that cannot be hardened?"
A hand seemingly comes out of nowhere to slap over Young Izuku's mouth. The young man stops talking immediately and let's himself be pushed away from Young Kirishima. Soon, Young Izuku finds himself face to face with Ground Zero, the taller man lowering his face to be level with Young Izuku's. Young Bakugou scowls, though his expression is surprisingly softer than Toshi's ever seen it.
There's no recognition in either of the boys' eyes, so it seems like they've never met in this universe. Toshi wonders how that will change their dynamic; after all, while they didn't have the best relationship when they were children, they've grown much closer since they started high school together, and seem to be getting even friendlier as time goes on.
Toshi finds himself choking on spit and blood as Young Bakugou smirks and takes his hand from over Young Izuku's mouth only to run his thumb across the smaller man's bottom lip.
"Nerd's cuter than I thought."
Young Izuku turns bright red and Toshi can feel himself practically have a heart attack. Young Bakugou's smirk grows wider at Young Izuku's blush, and he has the audacity to wink before he turns around and starts walking into the university's campus.
Young Izuku turns wild eyes towards Toshi, and they stare at each other in stunned silence.
"W-what was that?" Young Izuku squeaks, voice wobbly with… confusion?
Toshi watches Young Izuku look back to the hero and bite his lip.
Oh no.
Young Kirishima is the first to start moving after Young Bakugou, loudly crying out, "What was that, Bakubro?"
This prompts Toshi and Young Izuku to follow after them, each trying to calm themselves for what Toshi believes are very different reasons.
Young Izuku can't… they aren't like that, are they? They aren't in his world—at least he thinks. B-but Young Bakugou? What was that?
Young Izuku puts a hand to his heart as they see the two heroes stop and wait for the duo to catch up. "Toshi, I don't… Please kill me."
"My boy, no."
"I just! I— He's—Wow."
Suddenly, Toshi's scared of what the future holds for the Young Izuku and Young Bakugou of his own universe.
When they're all together again, Toshi and Young Kirishima try their damndest to pretend they don't see Young Bakugou aggressively check out Young Izuku as he leads them to the classroom he conducts his lectures in. Toshi tries to block Young Bakugou's view of Young Izuku while they walk. Somehow, he feels that his efforts are not working.
"I-it's a pretty small classroom," Young Izuku says, rubbing one of his arms. "I only lecture discussions and reviews for exams. So it's a pretty small class compared to the one led by the actual professor. Because of this, it can be pretty easy to distract the students. If you all wouldn't mind, could you sit in the back? Just so that there's less distraction. Out of sight, out of mind, you now?"
"It's no problem, my boy. Let us know if you'd like us to leave at any time."
The classroom is bright, with big windows letting in the sunlight. Desks are spaced throughout the room, and a high-tech presentation system is set up at the front of the room. Young Izuku sets up a presentation on his laptop while students trickle in. While the trio do receive curious glances, no one actually approaches them or asks Young Izuku who their guests are.
When the time comes, the lecture begins.
Toshi is practically enraptured with the way Young Izuku seems to light up when teaching his students. He's attentive, and explains things in a way that helps his students understand the material as well as makes them excited to learn more. And by the time Young Izuku passes out the worksheet that is to be completed by the end of the period, even Toshi has a basic understanding of what's going on in the class.
Maybe he can learn how to be a better teacher from Young Izuku…
Young Izuku claps after he sees that every student has a copy of the worksheet. "Are there any questions before you begin the assignment?"
To Toshi's horror, Young Bakugou's hand raises lazily, but the man doesn't even wait to be acknowledged before calling out, "Yeah, you free tonight?"
Young Izuku blinks. "Huh?"
Young Bakugou lets his hand fall to his side, grinning like the cat who caught the canary. "I wanna see what you can teach me outside of the classroom."
There are stifled giggles scattered across the room. Young Kirishima slaps Young Bakugou's arm, but the latter isn't fazed by the disapproval of the two men sitting beside him.
"Or maybe I can teach you a little something," Young Bakugou practically sneers at Young Izuku.
It's stifling in the room, the air awkward and charged while everyone waits for the blank-faced lecturer's response.
Young Izuku smiles, eyes squinting shut and head tilting slightly to the side. But there's something unsettling about the look. The smile looks… dangerous.
Oh, Toshi thinks as a shudder runs down his back, he looks terrifying.
"Mr. Bakugou, I will not tolerate such disrespectful actions from anyone, whether they be a student or otherwise. If you cannot act like a mature adult, you will be asked to leave my classroom."
Toshi hears Young Bakugou's teeth click as his slack-jawed mouth snaps shut.
Young Izuku turns to look at the others in the room, face returning back to his normal sparkling eyes and warm grin. "Does anyone else have a relevant question?"
Toshi swears he can hear the class gulp collectively.
"Great!" Young Izuku smiles wide. "Feel free to work together. Raise your hand if you need help!"
Young Bakugou slumps back in his seat, huffing out an amused chuckle. "Fuck. I think I'm in love."
Toshi coughs hard, blood and spittle spewing from his mouth onto his fist. Young Izuku quickly appears beside them and places a handkerchief onto the desk in front of Toshi before continuing his rounds with the students.
When Toshi finally catches his breath, he speaks with a gruff voice. "Why would you say that?"
"Yeah, dude," Young Kirishima hisses, "what the hell is wrong with you? How could you do that?"
Young Bakugou folds his arms behind his head and tracks Young Izuku around the room with his eyes. "Nerd's smart. He's cute. And you can tell he works out behind all those shitty clothes. It's fuckin' hot. He looks like the kind who'd cry when you fu—"
"Young Bakugou, please don't finish that sentence."
Said man grins, all the teeth in his mouth on display. "But with what we just saw, he ain't the type to just lie back and take it either. I can fucks with that."
"Bro, you can't just say things like that to people!" Young Kirishima admonishes. "It's so unmanly!"
"That kind of attitude is why you can't even get a date with Raccoon Eyes," Young Bakugou retorts. "Don't take any risks, don't get any reward."
"Young man, you should not talk to or about others like that, especially in a professional setting such as this one," Toshi says, rubbing at his forehead to stop the headache that seems to be festering behind his eyes.
"The nerd can tell me that himself," Young Bakugou says, eyes still locked on Young Izuku. "In fact, I like it better when he says it."
Please, Toshi thinks as he stares up the ceiling, someone—anyone—give me patience. I don't know if I can handle this.
Soon, the discussion period is over.
Thank goodness.
When all the students are gone, Young Izuku packs up his own bag and leads them to his lab's office, where he introduces the group to the professor he works under. He then takes them to his little workstation and pulls out his laptop to show them the pictures he got during his experiment prep earlier.
"I still need to label and caption the pictures," he explains as he scrolls through a word document, "but these are the best samples I was able to isolate and code. You can see the start sequence up here and the stop sequence over here. And with each sample, they're all within the same general area between genes that are linked with the way the physical body is structured and how the body is developed in the womb."
"So you think it might be the presence of a histone group that determines whether the gene is read instead of the presence of the gene itself?"
All eyes swing to Young Bakugou, who's standing behind Young Izuku and squinting at the computer screen, one hand propped on the desk and the other settled on Young Izuku's shoulder.
What?
Young Izuku is looking up at Young Bakugou, eyes wide and… sparkling? He's looking at the young hero with eyes filled with admiration, and Toshi can't help but feel a bit of apprehension at the sight. Maybe he's being overprotective of the boy, but he knows how mean his own world's Young Bakugou can be, and he doesn't want Young Izuku to experience any more hurt than he already has.
"Y-yeah," Young Izuku breathes, looking a bit overwhelmed with emotion. Toshi fights a groan when he notices a blush blooming across freckled cheeks. "H-how did you… Are you interested in epigenetics?"
Young Bakugou scoffs and stands up straight, shifting himself to lean against the desk as close to Young Izuku as possible. He shoves his hands into his pants pockets and shrugs. "'Just paid attention in class 'cause I ain't a fucking slacker."
"That's… a little advanced for a normal high school class," Young Izuku smirks up at Young Bakugou. Smirks!
Young Bakugou smirks right back. "Well, I didn't go to a normal high school."
"Something tells me that you went above and beyond what your teachers expected you to do," Young Izuku leans back in his seat and crosses his arms.
"Plus Ultra," is all Young Bakugou says in reply.
Young Izuku grins and bites his lip.
Toshi doesn't know what to do as he watches the two men flirt with each other, Young Bakugou much more aggressive with his pursuit than Young Izuku. Watching this, the retired hero feels like his head is going to explode. Yes, he knows that the people in this universe have had different lives and experiences than their counterparts in his own universe, but he also knows that they're still essentially the same—what with their personalities and core values aligning with each other. But he's never seen any hint of Young Izuku and Young Bakugou… liking each other? Well, the boys in his universe are quite obsessed with one another's strength and hero-ing ability. Maybe the boys, due to their age, are unable to understand their emotions and fixations since they're still teenagers? And when they grow up and are able to process their feelings, they'll be like—
Toshi watches Young Bakugou pull at one of Young Izuku's curls and say something that makes his boy flush.
—Like that. I don't think I can handle this.
"If you think I'm a nerd, you're gonna have to take a look in the mirror," Young Izuku smacks Young Bakugou's hand away from his hair. "After all, you're the one who researched more than you actually needed to. In a field that you supposedly aren't even interested in."
Young Kirishima butts into the conversation. "He also sleeps at, like, 8 pm because he wants to get enough rest for his shifts! Bakubro has always been extra!"
"HAH?" Young Bakugou turns bright red and sneers at Young Kirishima. "I ain't fucking extra, Shitty Hair! I actually give a shit about my health, unlike you and all those other idiots!"
"Settle down, young men!" Toshi finally speaks up. "We are in a professional work environment! Please don't cause a scene."
The boys quiet down and Young Izuku begins cleaning around his work area.
"I just have one more discussion class to teach and then I'm done for the day," his boy says, slipping his laptop into his backpack and shouldering the bag. "Most of my work and student interactions happen in the morning. And I already went to my lecture for the day. So, we're almost done here!"
Young Izuku trips as he leads the group out of the office, but Young Bakugou catches him around the waist, pulling the shorter boy so that their bodies are pressed tightly together.
"Careful, Freckles," Young Bakugou's voice is smooth and low. "Wouldn't want to hurt that pretty face."
Toshi doesn't know how long he can handle this.
ooo
By the end of the class, Toshi feels like he's going to die. He's never thought about the possible romantic relationships that his successor may encounter in his life. After all, he's still just a kid! But he does realize that his boy is quite cute, and that there are people out there who find that… attractive. He just never thought he'd have an up close and personal look at what it would look like for his boy to flirt with someone and show romantic interest. Let alone with his childhood bully turned… friend?
Well, Young Bakugou and Young Izuku of this world didn't know each other when they were children. But it's still quite disturbing to watch all the same.
While Young Izuku makes sure to stay professional in the presence of his students, Young Bakugou entertains no such suggestion. The explosion hero constantly makes eyes at Young Izuku and finds reasons to touch the other whenever he passes them by. It's honestly quite embarrassing, since the students are very aware of the attraction Young Bakugou is expressing towards Young Izuku. And Young Bakugou seems to like the fact the students know, because his actions become bolder as time passes, as if to lay claim over the students' teacher.
Toshi can't help but thank every higher power there is that the class is finally over with and that they're headed home. Young Kirishima seems to feel the same, because he lets out a relieved sigh once the last student walks out the door. Then, he turns a vicious glare to the other hero.
"Bro, we're on a job!" Young Kirishima says, punching Young Bakugou on the shoulder. "And we're supposed to be under cover! That wasn't exactly subtle, Katsuki!"
Young Bakugou rolls his eyes. "No need to get your panties in a twist, Shitty Hair. A little flirting ain't gonna blow the mission."
"A little?" The red head's eyebrow twitches. "That wasn't just a little, dude! That was a lot. And you bothered him while he was working! Don't you get all pissy when fans bother you while you work?"
"If I was bothering him, he would've said something."
"He did."
"And it's different when those extras bother me during a shift." Young Bakugou makes eye contact with Young Izuku and grins. "If he bothered me after a fight, I wouldn't mind one bit."
Young Kirishima looks absolutely flabbergasted. "What the hell is wrong with you, man?"
"Young Bakugou, your attitude is over the line," Toshi says, sounding tired and worn. "If you continue the way you've been, I'll request that you're removed from the project completely."
Said man scowls and pouts as he processes Toshi's words. Crossing his arms, he grumbles, "fine. No need to be overprotective of the nerd. What are you, his Dad?"
"I like to think of him as my son, so yes. I'm his Dad," Toshi replies, face blank.
The two young heroes stare at him with wide eyes. "What?"
"I'm all packed up!" Young Izuku walks up to them, oblivious of the previous conversation. "Ready to go?"
Toshi stands up and pats his boy on the shoulder. "Ready, my boy! It was a pleasure seeing you in your element; I'm very impressed."
Young Izuku flushes, pleased. "I just really love my work!"
This time, Toshi and Young Izuku are the ones leading them through the halls. They have their own conversation while the heroes behind them whisper back and forth to each other. Toshi can't hear what exactly their talking about, but he does hear one of them say, "All Might has some explaining to do." And at that, Toshi can't help but feel he's made a little trouble for the other man.
"Principal Nedzu asked for me to stop by U.A.," Young Izuku says when they reach the front gates. "We're gonna go over my notes from yesterday and get my remote access to the government quirk files so I can work from home. And I have to teach him my code, too, or he won't be able to decipher my messages and other documents."
"Sounds like it'll take a while," Toshi hums.
"Y-yeah. So, I was thinking you could go home without me?" Young Izuku rubs the back of his neck. "I wouldn't want to bore you…"
"My boy, the best time of my day is when I spend time with you."
Young Izuku squeaks and turns bright red. "R-right! Well, uh—i-it's gonna be pretty b-boring, though. A-and I don't know how long it will take! And didn't All Might want to talk to you about All for One?"
"I already talked to him about that earlier today," Toshi sighs. "But I do have to get our stuff from his apartment and bring it back home…"
"Isn't that a lot to carry by yourself?"
Toshi laughs, loud and deep. "I'm sure Young Bakugou wouldn't mind helping me out!"
"Hah?" Young Bakugou practically yells. "Who said I'm goin' with you?"
"Behave yourself," Toshi's voice suddenly drops the jovial tone, becoming serious and reprimanding. "I may not be of this world, but I am still All Might."
There's surprised silence from the young heroes, and sparkling admiration beaming from Young Izuku.
"Now, then! Here's where we part ways. Young Kirishima, please look after my boy." He receives a nod of confirmation.
Toshi texts Toshinori the plan, and then they're all off.
The walk and train ride are spent in silence while Young Bakugou pouts (if pouting looks like clenching jaws and hard glares). And Toshinori opens the door when they arrive.
"Did the meeting with Young Midoriya go so bad that you had to separate them?" Toshinori asked as he helped Toshi gather the things they'd brought over.
Toshi purses his lips. "It went a little too well. Maybe it isn't a good idea to have them near each other…"
Toshinori's brow furrows in confusion. Before he can get his question out, however, Young Bakugou butts into the conversation.
"The hell's your problem with me, old man? You're acting like I'm a danger to the nerd or somethin'."
"Your behavior this afternoon was somehow worse than your counterpart in my world," Toshi says. "And in my world, you bullied him the majority of your childhood."
Young Bakugou blinks in surprise. He takes a moment to think, and his surprise fades only to be replaced by grim acceptance. "Yeah, I was an asshole when I was a brat. Anyone without a combatant quirk was just an extra to me. Hell, everyone was an extra! But I've grown, and I also never bullied Deku of all people. I just met the twink."
Toshinori gasps. "Young man, I hope you didn't talk to Young Midoriya like that."
Young Bakugou's eyes widen slightly, and he presses his lips together before looking away.
Toshi scoffs. "He said worse."
"How could it have been worse?" Toshinori exclaims.
Dramatically, Toshi sighs and falls onto the couch. He drops his face into his palms while Toshinori takes a seat beside him.
"It was horrible," Toshi groans, voice muffled by his hands. "He wouldn't stop saying and doing such vulgar things to him! I'd never thought I'd see what it means for Young Bakugou to flirt… well, if it could be called that. It looked more like harassment to me."
"Hey, fuckin' Deku liked it and you know it!" The explosion hero growled. "He flirted right back!"
"H-he—" Toshinori choked on his spit, gasping out, "he flirted back?"
Young Bakugou scowls, fists clenching in anger. "What's so hard to believe about that? He's a god damned adult, and you can't tell him what he can and can't do!"
"My boy is innocent and could never even think about what you're implying, let alone do it!" Toshi exclaims with wide eyes.
"Hah? When you retired, did you suddenly become senile?"
Toshinori stands and places himself between the quarreling men. "Okay, let's calm down. Toshi, why are you so against this? While Young Bakugou is… explosive at times, but his heart is good."
Toshi groans and slumps into his seat. "I know, I'm sorry, Young Bakugou. I shouldn't compare. There's just… a lot of history between you and Young Izuku in my world, and it's not exactly happy."
Young Bakugou leans against the wall and crosses his arms. "Explain."
"Well, my boy doesn't like to talk about it much," Toshi says, rubbing the back of his neck. "He gets really sad and quiet whenever I ask. But I do know they started off as friends when they were toddlers. They were very close, saw each other every day. It was when my Izuku didn't develop his quirk at four that caused their relationship to change.
"Izuku told me that Young Bakugou started calling him a 'useless Deku', and hurting him with his explosion quirk. He'd always put him down and tell him he couldn't be a hero. I think something happened between them in middle school, something awful. He still won't tell me what exactly went on. But the animosity Young Bakugou holds for my boy started fading sometime late in their first year of high school, after Izuku finally developed his quirk. Young Bakugou is still rough and a bit cruel, but I can tell their dynamic is changing."
Young Bakugou and Toshinori stand in silence as they digest the words. It's silent for a few minutes before the explosion hero nods and stands up straight once more. When the young man opens his mouth to speak, Toshi is absolutely gobsmacked by his words:
"Just sounds like a fucking brat with a crush."
Both older heroes look at Young Bakugou as if he grew another head. "What?"
Young Bakugou rolls his eyes. "That just sounds like a boy who has no clue what feelings are and can't process the for shit, and he's taking out his feelings on the other boy who makes him feel fucking confused as fuck."
The young hero moves towards the windows overlooking He streets below. "And fuckin' Deku was quirkless, then, right? I bet brat me was just trying to keep the dork from getting himself killed. After all, how the fuck is some quirkless kid gonna protect himself from a god damn super villain? I'd never let the person I love put themselves in that kind of danger, so why the hell wouldn't brat me do the same?"
"W-well," Toshi stutters, "it's not exactly the best way to—"
"Of course, it ain't!" Young Bakugou cuts him off. "He's just a fuckin' kid trying to figure all this shit out. And it ain't like his fucking hormones are makin' understanding his feelings any easier. Fuck, if I were him, I'd have gone insane."
Toshi thinks of the borderline feral sneers that often find their way onto his Young Bakugou's face. "You know, maybe he is."
The boy scowls. "Fuck off, old man. Give brat me a fuckin' break. But whoop his ass first. Gotta get that fucked up attitude outta the way first."
"I'll… keep that in mind."
"You better. And keep it in mind that I'm gonna make that nerd mine whether you like it or not."
Toshi and Toshinori make eye contact, each looking just a distressed as the other. "Someone, please save us."
ooo
Toshi hears the door to the Midoriya apartment open as they're setting the table. Toshinori had decided to join their evening after having admitted how nice it was to have Young Izuku and Toshi in his home the night before. And, of course, Young Bakugou would not give up the chance to be in Young Izuku's presence again. So, all three men worked on making dinner for Young Izuku—and, of course, themselves, but they mainly care about what Young Izuku thinks and needs—when the young man finally got home.
His boy's greeting is drowned out by the clanging of pans and cutlery (and the loud cursing of an explosive young man), but he does hear Young Izuku comment, "something smells great! Toshi, did you make dinner?"
Toshi smiles as Young Izuku leads Young Kirishima into the dining room. The grin on his boy's face is contagious, and he finds himself giving the boy a wide smile back.
Before Toshi can respond, Young Bakugou's loud voice overtakes the whole room.
"Hah? You think that old man can make something edible? Have you fucking looked at him at all?"
"Hey!" Young Izuku is quick to defend Toshi, brows furrowing and lips pouting. "Toshi's an amazing cook! His food is the best!"
Young Bakugou scoffs. "How can someone who doesn't even eat make good food? Eat what I made for you, nerd, and you'll see exactly what good food is."
"Hmph," Young Izuku makes his way to Toshi's side and leans against him. "You don't have to be so rude. Putting down someone else just to make yourself seem better makes you seem like an asshole and a coward."
"I ain't no fuckin'—"
"Then don't put other people down to build yourself up. Believe in what you can do, and respect the work of those around you. No need to be an ass."
Young Bakugou clicks his tongue and scoops up a spoonful of the curry he'd made, invading Young Izuku's space and holding the spoon up to his mouth. "Let's see if you're still sayin' that after you try my food."
Young Kirishima lets out an "aw, geez" while Toshi and Toshinori watch the flirting boys with horror. Toshi is definitely not ready for the way Young Izuku takes the proffered bite of food, and how Young Bakugou's gaze turns predatory. By the choking sound he hears coming from Toshinori, he knows that his other self is in the exact same boat.
Toshi channels his inner Izuku and finds himself covering his face with his hands, letting out a strangled whine. "I don't want to see this, please make it stop."
Toshinori, however, is able to save them all from the scene. "Young Bakugou, that is inappropriate. Please behave more professionally when you're on a mission."
Young Bakugou scowls and pulls away from Young Izuku. He grumbles and puts the spoon in the sink before making his way to Young Kirishima's side. Young Izuku watches intently as he chews the bite he was fed.
"Now that that's over," Toshinori sighs, "let's eat. Then Young Bakugou and Young Kirishima can finish their shift by scoping out the perimeter."
Toshi makes Young Izuku sit by him. Partially so Young Bakugou is further away from his boy. But mainly so the reactions to the aggressive flirting the explosion hero is throwing his boy is out of his eye sight. He never wants to see that again. His son is too innocent for that! Young Bakugou is just a bad influence on him!
The rest of dinner goes as smoothly as it can with the strong personalities that are present. There's quite a bit of yelling, and a whole lot of teasing coming from Young Kirishima. Toshi almost collapses with how relieved he feels when the young heroes finally leave the apartment.
While Young Izuku takes a bath, Toshi and Toshinori take care of the cleaning.
"I, uh," Toshinori stutters as he wipes down the table, "see what you mean about the flirting. Although, I think it's about a million times worse for you since you've known Young Midoriya much longer than I."
Toshi sighs. "I must seem like I'm overreacting. But I just can't help it. Izuku is still a kid in my eyes. And I know this is a different world. I just can't see him any differently."
Toshi pauses washing the dishes. He looks up at the ceiling as he reminisces the early days of his relationship with his successor. "Sometimes, I look at my boy and still see him as that scrawny little middle schooler. I think it's just become a habit at this point."
"I'm starting to wish I could see that," Toshinori chuckles, leaning against the counter as Toshi continues the dishes. "He does have a youthful face. It makes me wonder how he was as a child."
"How did you not take advantage of the home videos? They were right in front of you!"
"Toshi, please don't show All Might the home videos!"
The two turn to see Young Izuku in the doorway to the kitchen, towel draped over wet curls.
Toshi pouts.
"Well," Toshinori sighs before Toshi can say anything, "I wouldn't want to make Young Midoriya uncomfortable looking at his private memories. I'd be happy to wait until you're more comfortable with me, my boy."
The answering blush on Young Izuku's cheeks makes both Symbols of Peace grim with amusement.
"And either way," Toshinori continues, "it's about time I head home. Toshi, maybe we can set up another meeting for the rest of our timeline comparisons."
Toshi blinks. "Ah. Yes, text me a good time for you. I'm not exactly busy, so anything works for me."
Toshinori grins. "I'll try to choose a time that Young Midoriya is free. I'm sure he'd like to hear more about your world."
"Y-you'd really do that for me?" Green eyes sparkle with excitement. "T-thank you! I have afternoon lectures, so morning would work best for me."
Toshinori nods. He makes his way towards the front door, the other two trailing after. He turns to face them, a longing look in his eyes as he looks between Toshi and Young Izuku.
Toshi can only imagine his counterpart's feelings when faced with the possibility of finally getting that father-son bond Toshi's been dangling in front of him. He knows Toshinori wants it more than anything in the world. Toshi remembers just how difficult it was for him to push through every day when life seemed to empty, when there was nothing that made him want to wake up and start the day. Now that he has his successor, he has reason to take care of himself. To live. And he knows without a doubt that if he took anyone else in the world as his successor—whether they were worthy of OfA or not—no one would've had the same impact on him as Izuku Midoriya.
Another sigh passes Toshinori's lips. "I'll text you the details, Toshi."
"I'll make a group chat," Toshi immediately replies. "It'll make communication easier. And Young Izuku—"
"Just Izuku, Toshi."
"—can send you some of the memes he likes to share with me, too. I'm sure we have the same sense of humor after all."
Toshinori blinks. "Oh. Uh, okay." He opens the door. "Good night, then."
"G-good night, All Might!"
"Woah, is All Might really here?"
Toshinori blushes to the roots of his hair while Toshi guffaws loudly. Yo—Izuku blushes and stutters put a hasty apology which Toshinori waves off before practically sprinting away. He's out of sight before the door even swings shut.
"Maybe now you'll stop calling him All Might?" Toshi is finally able to say when his laughter does down.
Izuku buries his face into the palms of his hands. And nods.
Toshi smiles at his boy, heart warming at the sight.
He kind of looks like a strawberry.
