Gran Torino:
Toshinori stands in his office at Might Tower, staring out of the large, full wall window. The moon is out tonight, and it's shining brightly despite the light scattering of clouds, casting long, thick shadows on the world. The sight up here always makes him thoughtful, and the small peace he's afforded right now has him pondering everything that has led him here.
He taps the glass, wiping off a bit of fog that had formed from his exhale. He has to be honest with himself now, or he'll never be a good mentor for the next generation. Specifically young Midoriya.
The boy had surprised him beyond words. While he honestly hadn't expected much upon the transfer - One For All was fickle and powerful and so old - he hadn't expected what had happened. The quirk worked nothing like his sensei had told him all those moons ago. Instead of the strength he had gotten, he acquired the ability to fly. To float. Like her.
It was jarring.
He adapted quickly enough, which was a credit. His flight could barely be called flight, but it was serviceable enough for him to succeed, and the sudden speed burst had given him a small panic attack. It reminded him of someone. Someone who could help and would understand.
That's why Toshinori is holding his phone in his free hand as he continues to stare at the city's skyline. He's only shaking a bit, which is a huge accomplishment for him, personally.
It's a harrowing experience to dial the number, but this isn't something he can put off. Not something of this magnitude. With a deep breath, Toshinori hits the call button. While it rings, he's pulled into his mind. Will he be ignored? Sent to voicemail? Yelled at?
The person on the other end picks up with a confused 'hello?'
"Uh, hello. Sorahiko?"
There's a pause. "Why? Who's asking? I don't want to buy whatever you're selling!"
"Selling…? No. It's All Might."
"Who?"
"All Might!"
"Toshinori?"
"Yes! It's me!" The blond man sighs and rubs his hand down his skeletal face. He can see it, in his mind's eyes, his man's faux innocent face as the old, senile facade takes over.
"Why are you calling me, Toshinori?" The voice is soft and lined with confusion, and All Might feels terrible that he cannot discern if it's genuine or not.
"I've found my successor and I need your help."
The line goes very quiet for a while. Toshinori looked down at the phone to make sure that his teacher hadn't hung up by mistake. Then suddenly, he shouts in his ear and on reflex, the man ducks, lest he be kicked in the back.
"Why the hell didn't you lead with that, you oaf!? And what do you need more help for!? Last I checked, I'm old!"
Toshinori winces. "I have no better way of saying it, so I'll just come right out. He has Nana-sensei's quirk."
Silence stretches longer this time. Toshinori actually starts to sweat.
"...tell me everything."
Gran Torino may have been many things - not least of all good things - but he'd never been a coward. Having put his foot in his mouth, he could do nothing but blame himself. So, the hero man's up to his mistake and gives both Midoriyas a steady, serious look.
"What I'm about to say to both of you doesn't leave this room." He says gravely. Without waiting for confirmation, Gran Torino launches into his explanation. He doesn't explain everything - of course, he leaves that for Toshinori, the buffoon - but he explains just enough to get the gist. The idea that One For All is an old quirk that can be passed on, the past users and finally to Nana. It's a mouthful, to say the least, but Gran has nothing better to do, and he admittedly bought this on himself.
"So All Might doesn't want to be my teacher anymore…?" Izuku asked, sounding very, very confused and a bit hurt.
"Boy, that is far from the most important thing right now!" The elder hero snaps, slamming his cane on the floor.
"Izuku - you - you have a quirk now?" Inko asked, sounding equally as confused, but no less hurt. "You - you have All Might's quirk…"
"Not quite," the old man corrects. "And that's the problem. Why don't you have super strength, kid?"
Izuku gets sheepish immediately. "I - I don't know. I thought -" Izuku pauses and his eyes widen in realization. "I guess I never thought what I'd get from All Might since he was always so secretive." He admits, sounding a bit breathless to his own ears.
"Surprised he managed to do that much," Gran says under his breath. "So enough of this history lesson. What the hell did you see?"
Izuku recounts the vision to the best of his ability. Both Gran and Inko are listening attentively. When he finishes, both adults are bewildered, but Gran seems less so.
"What a headache. Anyway, we've spent enough time flapping our gums. Pack your stuff boy, we got training to get to."
"Wait!" Inko suddenly shouts. "This is all so much! And now you're going to take my son for training?"
"Ma'am, I know it's a lot but -"
"But nothing." Inko says defiantly. "Listen to me, okay? This is just so much to think about at once, but Izuku used to be quirkless right up until a few days ago. And - and he still used to look up to All Might a lot. And now that he's got a quirk," She pauses and takes a deep breath, looking Gran right in the eye. "He's going to be in more danger, isn't he?"
"I'm afraid that comes with the territory, ma'am," Gran replies. "All Might may not be the best teacher - hell, he might not even be a good one - but there's a reason he called me. As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm the best man for the job."
"Are you?"
"Yes," Without warning, Gran slides off his shoes and jettisons around the room, appearing more as a blur than a human for several seconds before landing and only slightly cracking the floor. "...sorry, a bit out of practice. I'll send Toshinori the bill."
Izuku picks his jaw up, while Inko keeps her surprise better under control.
"Impressive as that may be, it only helps a little."
"You didn't let me finish," the old hero says. "Do you know how long it took me to learn how to do that without getting seriously hurt? A very, very long time," his face goes flat. "Flight is not a power you want to just hand off to anyone all willy-nilly. Getting hurt is a given when training any quirk, but learning how to fly and how to do it safely is a different matter altogether. The kid needs guidance."
"I agree. But -"
"Mom," Izuku finally says after a while. "I'm sorry."
"Izuku…?"
"I'm sorry for not telling you about this," Izuku clarifies. "And - and, I'm sorry that I'm such a pain sometimes and I keep making you worry but," he pauses and swallows down in an attempt to steel his nerves. "All Might chose me as his successor. And - and I can't afford to not take this opportunity!"
"I agree, kid." Gran adds. "I ain't in the business of not including your mother in something like this, but All Might did already choose you," he points out. "Can't take it back if he tried. Sorry to say, ma'am. But the best course of action is forward."
Inko sighs and rubs her temples. "I know," she shoots a brief glance at her son. His expression has changed over the years. Gone were the days where he would cower and wore the face of a scared child. He grew so much, and she'd somehow not noticed at all. He'd gotten bigger, more muscular, and his eyes shone just a bit more brightly. Just how much had she missed? "I know. Can you at least promise me one thing? Make sure my son is safe. I know that's a big ask, but he's all that I have left," there's a pause and a beat that passes as Inko considers her next words. "And can you uh, let All Might know something? For me, I mean."
Gran Torino looks suspicious, but nods.
"Let him know I want to speak with him, at least once." Inko says with confidence. "Admittedly, I don't like any of this, but if I can at least hear that you two will keep my son safe from the Symbol of Peace himself, it might ease my nerves just a bit."
Gran looks between mother and son and taps his cane on the floor. "You have my word, ma'am. I'll let him know. If that's all done, pack a change of clothes, you zygote! We're heading to my place for the rest of the day. You got a curfew?"
"Uh -"
"Any time before 11 is fine."
"You heard the woman," Gran smacks Izuku's shin with his cane. "Get moving!"
Toshinori smiles as he exits his pickup. The last of the U.A letters should be arriving today, and he'd finally had the time to check up on his successor. Sorahiko went radio silent ever since that call, and young Midoriya hadn't tried to message him since then, so he assumes that the training must be going well.
Either that, or young Midoriya had been killed by his mentor. Either seemed equally as likely.
It's been a few days now, and Toshinori wondered how well things progressed. Knowing Gran as well as he did, young Midoriya was probably beaten until he figured out something; which, while just a tad inhumane, was probably for the best.
Walking up to the door, and pulling out his key, All Might notices that Gran's front door is ajar. A brow goes up. Young Midoriya isn't supposed to be here this early.
He looks over his shoulder and then scans the empty room before buffing up into his hero form and creeps in, closing the door behind him. Better safe than sorry.
The first floor looks intact if only covered in red splatters all over the walls and furniture.
It takes a few seconds to dawn on him what exactly he's seeing.
"Oh, my God!"
He's in crisis mode right now, and the way his body shifts and his smile drops is something to be studied. Looking around, he sees that the door to the basement is open, which adds to his worry. He knows Gran is far from the type of man to be taken down without a fight, and given the rather pristine nature of the building, he can scratch that off of his mental list. Typical hero protocol kicks in and he knows he should search the building from floor to floor, starting at the bottom, so All Might makes his way towards the basement.
"What the..-?"
The whole basement had more of the same. Red splatters everywhere, cracks on various walls and the floor and the distinct smell of… paint?
"Again," a gruff voice shouts. "And try to get hit less this time!"
There, Toshinori sees two blurs, one yellow and one green, with one moving significantly faster than the other, chasing each other midair.
One seems to take note - the yellow one - and makes a sharp turn in his direction. In a fraction of a second, All Might, the Symbol of Peace, is flat on his back, coughing up blood with several paint splatters on his face and chest.
"About time you showed up!" a voice reprimands. "The boy and I were just getting started."
"Gran..?" Toshinori wheezes out, deflating in the same breath. He sits up and rubs his chest, feeling a bit of despair are the new stains. "You're here, uh, pretty soon!"
Gran scoffs and waves his paintball gun menacingly in the man's face. "You say that like it's a bad thing, you big zygote." He turns around and uses one hand to cup around his mouth. "Kid, stop for a second and come talk to your predecessor!"
The green blur - which had slowed down a bit since he arrived - finally stopped. It landed on the floor in a sloppy crouch and then shakily straightened out. There, dressed in what he thinks is an old Silver Age All Might hoodie with a pair of sweats, was young Midoriya.
"Hi, All Might!" The boy waves as cheerfully as he could given his current state.
Pap! Pap! Pap!
All Might winces as the first two paintballs hit young Midoriya in the chest while the other is avoided when he flies up.
"Now get back to work! Your flight is still too slow!" Gran Torino orders, turning around and ignoring a surprisingly bright 'okay! Yes, sir!'.
Toshinori pauses and feels his mouth slowly falling agape. "He learned that in three days?"
"Technically two," Gran corrects. "The first day just had me throwing the boy around until he got comfortable leaving his own two feet. Kid's an animal. He ain't perfect by a long shot, but he's going to be one hell of a hero one day. Don't tell him I said that though." Gran almost looks impressed, and Toshinori's hand reflexively goes over his heart. Truly a horrifying image.
"It's incredible," Toshinori agrees. Young Midoriya's flight has improved so much in such a short time, that a small part of him is vaguely worried of just how much potential the boy has. He's floating around easily, looking as comfortable as a bird, while occasionally moving in quicker bursts. Nothing nearly as quick as what he did before, and he still needs to slow down before changing directions, but still speedy enough that Toshinori almost forgets that he only recently got this power. "He's working really hard. Oh! Right, I almost forgot. His U.A letter should be at his home by now."
"Well, my time here is up then," Gran says easily. "He's your problem now."
"You sound confident that he's been accepted."
The elder shrugs and shakes his head. "There ain't no way that he hasn't. Anyway," He puts down the paintball gun and cups his mouth again. "Kid! Come down here!"
Izuku obeys, confused at the sudden call.
"This oaf just said your letter from school should be there," Gran makes a face when Izuku's eyes widen. "Get going! But before you do," His expression turns into one of mischief and bad intentions. "Kick All Might a few times, show him what you've learned."
"What?!" Izuku cries. "I can't kick All Might!"
"Kick him or I'll kick you!"
"...I'm so sorry, All Might."
"Wait, young Midoriya -!"
By the time Izuku arrived home, his mother was already holding the letter, looking more panicked than he was.
He looks at the envelope as though it would attack him if he touched it, but before long, he forces his own hand.
Entering his room and closing the door behind him, Izuku tears the paper and watches as a device falls out.
"Am I on screen?!"
Izuku gasps. All Might hadn't told him he got a job at U.A!
"Sorry! It took some time to jump through some hoops and get this done, but I am here now! That's my bad!" The camera cuts to a headshot of the Symbol of Peace wearing his iconic smile. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. Since now, it's been decided that I'll work at U.A, that is."
Izuku's mind is blown. All Might? A job at U.A?
"What's that, citizen?!" He shouts to someone off screen. "Turn to camera 2? I was in the middle of telling the boy something important… we'll fix that in post? Sure! That works. Well, anyway. You did fine on the written portion but during the practical, you got only 1 villain point. You, of course, failed."
It was like a sledgehammer through a sheet of glass. Izuku's whole body froze and he could feel the tears in the corner of his eyes before he could stop them. 'I knew it!' He thinks to himself dejectedly. 'Of course I'd fail. I knew it, but…'
"I was an entertainer in a past life!" All Might suddenly says, brandishing a remote. "Look at this screen!"
Izuku does and is shocked by what he's seen. It's the same girl from the entrance exam, with brown hair and round face. A green brow goes up in confusion. "The girl from the exam?"
"As soon as the exam ended, this little lady petitioned us directly! What about, you ask?! Don't touch that dial!"
It's a video that plays about the girl. She's talking about him.
'Uhh, sorry to bother you, but do you know the boy with the green and curly hair? He has freckles and, uh, he's got sort of a plain look to him. Do you know who I'm talking about?"
Plain?
"Would it be possible to share my points with him?" Izuku's jaw dropped and his heart rate sped up to unhealthy levels. "I don't recall him getting a single point since he spent all day helping people. So I figured he might not have gotten any at all!"
Memories of being cast aside flooded Izuku's mind. Memories of a time when no one believed in him.
"Please, at least let me give him the points he lost because of me!"
More memories. This time, of the day he rushed in to save Kacchan. The heroes' scorn burned that day.
"More than any quirk, your actions have touched and inspired people."
The video cuts, and another reel plays. It's the same girl from a different angle during the exam. She's watching someone or something off screen before turning away and running towards a student pinned under some rubble. Whatever her quirk is, she makes quick work on helping the student with a smile and a wave.
"And the judges were looking for more than just smashing robots for points! Did you think a department for heroics would reject an entrant for doing the right thing?! Perish the thought, young man! Is it a bit cheesy?! Yes! But it's in the job description! So take your rescue points, kid! They saw within you the very foundation of what makes a hero! Midoriya Izuku: 65 Rescue Points! And while we're at it, Uraraka Ochako: another 50 points! Meaning you passed, kid! Come on down, young Midoriya! U.A's now your hero academia!"