Part 4: The Ghost of Christmas Present
["Scrooge sat in his bed waiting and waiting for his second visitor of the night, and yet even when he noticed a strong light starting to shine from underneath his bedroom door, far brighter than any that had been seen in this house in years, still no one appeared before him. The doorknob didn't give even a jiggle.
No, for this visitor Scrooge would have to seek them out himself, and despite his insistence that he would not play the ghosts' games, the anticipation made it impossible for Scrooge to relax. That, and, while he would never admit it, a small bit of curiosity poked at him. A gift from the last ghost perhaps, as that was another thing he had not felt since he'd entered his old age.
As such, after fighting the urge for as long as he could, Scrooge rose from his sheets and exited through the door."]
All Might's staff ID had allowed him past UA's security barrier. Not that he'd been expecting any difficulties. The school's defenses weren't going to take a day off just because it was Christmas (though he admittedly sometimes felt like he was catching a dirty look from one of the robots on campus. He hoped Nezu was keeping an eye on them).
The walkways had been shoveled but the continuously falling snow made a nice layer to crunch beneath his feet as he walked regardless. He knew the way to the first years' dorms fairly well by this point and made it there in no time at all. He was quite happy to see the outside decorated with strings of lights all along the edges. They weren't there last time he was here, so somebody certainly got to work fast. He wondered how long after tomorrow they'd be left up?
As All Might started walking up the steps to the entrance, he pondered whether it'd be best to leave the package in front of the kid's room door or if he should find one of the other teachers and hand it off to them so they could deliver it in the morning. Knowing Aizawa, he was probably still up...though he honestly would rather not have that conversation if at all possible. Eraserhead was a good man and a better teacher than him by far but All Might felt awkward enough in nearly every other interaction he had with the guy in general that he couldn't imagine asking him for a favor that mundane at this time of night was going to be any easier.
Just as he was about to pull one of the front doors open, All Might's head gave a slight turn to his side, thinking he'd just heard something. It was very faint and he had to hold himself absolutely still in order to pick it up again. Thankfully he wasn't going crazy. Alongside the small breeze and gentle smattering of new snow against the old, there was another noise there. It sounded like someone was talking.
Following the quiet but consistent chattering to the side of the building, having to step lightly as the crunching snow beneath his boots easily overtook it, All Might peeked around the corner.
Just a short ways down was another person. His back was turned to him but All might immediately recognized that familiar mess of green hair.
"...-not really like an egg in the microwave anymore since this is something I actually want expelling from my body. Full Cowling enhances my muscles and I have it running through my whole body but that same principle won't work for this. Black Whip technically can come from more parts of my body than just my hands, that's just the easiest place to manage it. Maybe if I go back to what I tried before I figured that out. The percent of Black Whip I can unleash, all in a single instance and motion of my arm. I wouldn't be able to use it for capture if it disappears that fast but traversal would probably still work. Though if it destroys the parts of the buildings it latches onto that'd be a problem too. Maybe if I tried-..."
All Might gave a chuckle as the boy just kept going and going. He should have figured, honestly.
He came out from his hiding spot and approached. "Yo!"
Midoriya's hand ceased pinching his chin and he turned at the man's announcement of his presence. "Oh, All Might!" He exclaimed, his face immediately changing to brightness.
["If the Ghost of Christmas Past was a like candle in the dark, then this guy was a full fireplace. Just being in his presence seemed to warm Scrooge. Such was the effect of the Ghost of Christmas Present.
He was large, dressed in holly and green, and it was his glow that illuminated the room, not that of any measly fire. Scrooge could tell just by looking at this odd, jovial fellow that he could snap his frail body like a twig if he was so inclined. And yet even someone as paranoid and fearful as Scrooge felt no such danger waiting for him. The ghost's eyes were brimming with kindness, beyond any Scrooge could ever have believed possible from such a powerful looking being, and he welcomed Scrooge more happily than any other he'd known in his life, ushering for him to come closer. Come closer, and know him better, man!"]
"Sorry I missed you kids' party. Looks like it was a fun time." All Might said once he got to him, commenting on the green Santa suit the teen was still wearing.
Midoriya rubbed the back of his head with a little embarrassment. "Yeah. Ashido was really insistent that everybody wear one. She even forced Kacchan into one by the end of the night."
"That sounds like quite the sight. I'm actually having trouble imagining it." All Might grinned at the mental image. "Kind of surprised you're still up though. I figured you'd be exhausted."
"Oh, I was helping set up stuff for the party so I couldn't train at my usual time, plus Mr. Cementoss is off so I couldn't use the gym anyway. Mr. Aizawa gave me permission to train out here for a little bit so long as I don't get carried away."
All Might could tell by their surroundings that he wasn't lying. Directly underfoot were the many prints Midoriya's shoes had left in this small area as he'd been moving about. Just outside its radius was his backpack, and sitting open atop it was one of the many notebooks he was always writing in. It appeared that these particular pages were dedicated to Crust, the #6 hero. All Might typically had trouble following Midoriya's mutterings and train of thought and what he'd overheard just a minute ago was no different. But he'd managed to make out "Black Whip" and "expel from". Considering Crust's Quirk worked by growing and even shooting out those small discs that made up his shields, he supposed he could see enough of a connection for why Midoriya would look to how he used his Quirk for any help it could possibly give in figuring out Black Whip.
At his desk in the teacher's lounge, All Might had a notebook tucked away he was filling as well. Every little scrap of information he could find on the past holders of One For All. He had recently even uncovered the name of the user who had originally possessed Black Whip; Daigoro Banjo. But it was a slow process getting much else. Much as he wanted to help Midoriya right now, he'd have to wait a little longer before giving him the notes. They're no use if there's...well...nothing useful in them.
Plus, something for him to study felt like a pretty poor excuse for a Christmas gift anyway.
"I'm more surprised that you're here though." Midoriya remarked. "Principal Nezu said you were doubting you'd be back today."
"Yeah, things were pretty busy over at Tsukauchi's station, though the holidays tend to have a funny effect on even the most motivated of people. We did about as much as we could do for the day until we did a lull in the case. So he gave us some time off to clear our heads for a bit and come back renewed."
He left out the part where they both had forgotten it was Christmas Eve until Nezu had said something over the video call. Tsukauchi couldn't rush to his phone fast enough to call his sister.
"I don't want to bore you with the details. Especially not when I'm more interested in hearing about this party. Come on, give me the details! If I heard right Aizawa was going to bring Eri along to it. That had to have been fun."
"Oh yeah, like you wouldn't believe!" Midoriya spouted off excitedly without any hesitation. "She had her own little Santa outfit and everything. She got Christmas mixed up with a few other holidays. She even gave Uraraka some eggs she painted. Then Tokoyami started showing her-"
And he just went on like that for minutes upon minutes on end. Every little bit of the party that stood out to him, he told it all. The decorations, the personalized hats, the music, the food, Eri's misunderstandings, how everyone rolled with them regardless, how much her face was lit up all throughout, not seeming to realize how much of the same his own was right now.
And all the while, All Might did nothing to interrupt him. Not this time. He wouldn't dare. Not for anything in the world.
["Scrooge took the ghost by his offered sleeve willingly, and where they went off to made him glad he did so.
This wasn't somewhere off in the long ago past but Christmas Day in the here and now. These were simply the streets that Scrooge walked along every day and yet he could hardly recognize them. The air was cold and yet the atmosphere was warm, made so by the many people out and about as they celebrated the big day. The lights, the music, the smells, and above all else the cheer.
Along the streets and through the houses the ghost took him through, these weren't extraordinary sights. This was just simple everyday life lived by simple everyday people that you could find anywhere. There was nothing uniquely special to be found here.
So why, Scrooge wondered, would this smile not leave his withered old features? Why was the so little that was bringing them comfort and joy on Christmas bringing the same to him too? It had to be the ghost's doing, right?"]
As Midoriya's story neared its end, All Might took notice of the small red and white bag, seated next to the notebook.
"I didn't know you liked mochi." He commented, picking it up to get a better look. "Sticky cut, huh? Do I like mochi, now that I think of it? It's been so long since the last time I had some."
Midoriya turned an interesting shade of pink in response to his words. "O-oh-! W-well-! It was a present, you know! I got it at the party! Ha ha ha...!" He laughed nervously.
All Might wasn't entire sure what sparked this strange reaction. What was controversial about mochi? Odds are it was just one of his classmates who gave it to him too. Maybe young Sato? Though no, he'd be more likely to give something he made himself. Perhaps then young Urarak-
"Ohhhhhh." All Might said upon the realization, turning a sly grin over to Midoriya's direction.
"It-! It's not what you think! It was a white elephant gift exchange! I just got lucky-! I mean-! We just got each other's gifts randomly!" Midoriya waved his arms around frantically to try and dispel the misconception.
"Oh, so it's destiny then, is what you're saying?" All Might teased him further.
"No no no-! That's not-! I mean-!"
All Might laughed heartily and roughly rubbed the top of Midoriya's head to calm him down before his dizzy eyes would make him pass out.
"Speaking of which, I'm not just carrying this thing under my arm for decoration, you know." He finally called attention to the package he'd picked up from his agency, pulling it out and handing it over to Midoriya. "Merry Christmas, my boy."
Midoriya was momentarily stunned by the unexpected offer. "You got me a present?" His shocked expression was quickly overcome with elation...and then just as quickly overtaken with a tinge of guilt. "But I... I wasn't able to get you anything."
"With what money?" All Might pointed out a little more harshly than he'd meant to but it got his meaning across.
"Oh...right..." Midoriya conceded to his point. He had an allowance but it was mostly restricted to school expenses and he hadn't been working for Nighteye's agency for long enough to build up that much extra.
All Might gave a light chop to the top of Midoriya's head to get him out of his depression. "It'd be kind of against the spirit of the season if I got upset over not getting a gift." He remarked on the obvious. "Besides, you're still planning on becoming the top hero someday, right?" When Midoriya looked at him with confusion he clarified. "When that time comes you'll have plenty of money and merch to throw around, so just pay me back with a gift on one of those Christmases. For the record, I wouldn't say no to a good pair of thick socks."
It took a moment for his words to register for Midoriya but they got through in the end, easing the boy's features, even if but a little. "I'll...I'll do my best!" He said with a smile and a firm nod of his head, not wanting to waste the motivation his mentor had given him.
"Well? Go on, open it."
Midoriya did as he was told and got to work. He didn't want to just rip the cardboard apart, so he had to fight with the box's taped seal for a minute. But eventually the tearing was heard in this quiet section of the snowy night and he was able to flip the flaps open.
"N-! NO! NO WAY!"
Yeah, that was about the reaction (and the squeal) All Might had been expecting. He hadn't even gotten it all the way out of the box yet and the kid knew what it was.
Midoriya pulled it out like it was the most dramatic cape All Might had ever seen (and he'd seen quite a few in his day) and held it like the most priceless treasure in the world.
"The limited-edition Bronze Age collector's hoodie! Only in production for a few months before they stopped making them!"
It was a black hoodie with a fairly simple red line pattern along the chest and arms, with the very ends of the sleeves being white. The only other spot of color was the hood itself; yellow, with two cloth strands hanging off the top to resemble a certain someone's iconic V-for-Victory hairstyle.
"I was speaking from personal experience, by the way. I basically get a lot of my own merchandise for free. Another reason not to feel too bad about not getting me something this year." All Might assured him again, though he wasn't sure how much Midoriya was actually hearing him, the boy's shaking and bug-eyes making it fairly obvious how much he was losing his mind over the gift.
He elected not to share that he'd actually ordered the hoodie months ago as a congratulations gift for Midoriya getting into UA and had completely forgotten he'd done so until Nezu reminded him it was Christmas. Part of his rush to pick it up and get back here in time for Christmas was so that he wouldn't forget it again. Thankfully Tsukauchi was very understanding. Apparently he'd had a similar experience with his sister once that she loved to tease him over and over about, thus his own fanaticism in making sure she knew he hadn't forgotten this year.
Admittedly it felt a little egotistical to All Might for him to give someone stuff relating to him as a present. It'd been that way even when his agency donated similar items to charity, let alone now when it was with someone he knew more personally. But it's because he did know Midoriya personally that he knew it's something he'd want, so he supposed that was all that mattered.
Case in point...
"I can't-! This is amaz-! I can't thank you enough for-! I'm-...I'm sorry, All Might, but I need to try it on right now!" Midoriya tripped over his words relentlessly in his excitement until he finally managed to get that out, not even waiting for a response as he worked frantically to get the Santa jacket off as fast as humanly possible. If he didn't care about damaging it he might well have used One For All on the spot to just rip it right off his chest.
"I mean, yeah, it's a hoodie. I wasn't expecting you to hang it up on your wall." All Might chuckled, not offended in the slightest. Quite the opposite in fact after seeing he really had picked the perfect gift. "Or maybe I should have? I don't really know how collecting works."
["One of the homes the ghost brought him to was that of Scrooge's own employee, Bob Cratchit. His small abode certainly fit for a man earning as little as Scrooge paid him and yet the family it was packed full with celebrated the day with no less cheer than any of the others he'd seen so far. Perhaps...even more so.
The house was small yet every corner of it felt warm to the touch, even to Scrooge, who wasn't certain he was even truly there.
The Christmas goose was small and cheap, yet the family could not praise its taste enough. Bob even gave a toast to Scrooge! Thanking him for this measly dinner in full sincerity!
And the youngest and smallest of the children, the boy Tiny Tim, he walked with a crutch that was not the right size. He struggled to speak. He looked frailer than even Scrooge himself. Yet his light was brighter than any other even in this house, loving this day, and this moment, for every little bit that it contained, and gave his thanks to Scrooge as well as one of the founders of it.
This home...it was in a world so opposite from the dark old place that was Scrooge's own. A world Scrooge could have left at any time, the ghost reminded him, and yet for so many years had declined to."]
Midoriya had a t-shirt on underneath, one which, while he didn't get too good a look, All Might was fairly certain the kanji on its front read "Jacket". He certainly didn't seem to take much notice of the cold while in something that thin. Perhaps it was his excitement keeping him warm.
But then...All Might's smile faltered a bit.
Faltered like it always seemed to whenever he saw it.
It was partially covered up by his sleeve but the rest went down past his elbow. It was impossible not to notice such a nasty scar, especially with how much surface along the side of his arm it covered. It's why he'd normally be wearing a black compression band around it. Support for the damaged area and to hide it from sight.
["But despite all the merriment, there was a weight in the air that even Scrooge could feel. Tiny Tim's joy lit up the room and was infectious to all within it, but as he gave thanks for the moment and looked forward to Christmas next year, there was a slight sink in their features. It sat like a stone in Scrooge's own stomach too. The reality that was cracking through into this joyous moment to taint it."]
The beeps from the EKG machine were torture in this otherwise silent room. Of course, were they to suddenly stop, that would be even worse.
All Might stood over where Midoriya was laid out on the hospital bed, the boy's breathing steady and calm, thank goodness. Recovery Girl had apparently gone back on what she'd declared to the two of them and personally made the journey to here to assist the doctors in patching him up. That he was still in a state like this even after all that...
Both of his arms were completely cast up, with a few light bandages along his head. But All Might had seen the X-rays of what they'd been like before. Heard from Midoriya's fellow students the state they'd seen him in during the attack. Heard from the doctors how he'd been slipping in and out of consciousness for the entire two days he'd been here. How he hadn't been properly responding to questions. The seizures... This was far and away worse than what he'd been like after his clash with young Todoroki during the Sports Festival. He likely had no idea where he even was right now or that All Might was right there beside him as he slept.
Aizawa had filled him in on what had happened, as best he could anyway from everything he'd pieced together, having not been there for every part of that night. When the League of Villains launched their attack on the camp Midoriya had gone off to search for a small boy who had been there with them; the cousin of one of the Pussycats.
There had been three villains apprehended that night. Kendo and Tetsutetsu of 1-B were confirmed to have defeated the young man who refused to give the police any name other than Mustard, and Tokoyami came forward to admit he was the one who put Moonfish in such a battered state, with young Shoji right there beside him, repeatedly emphasizing to the police that such a thing had only been done to save all their lives. He was a good friend.
By the process of elimination, that meant the one who took out Goto Imasuji, the villain proudly known as Muscular, had been young Midoriya.
A veritable giant of a man with a Quirk that made him even bigger. Wanted for several murders in which the victims had been violently beaten to death. His face was on the walls of police stations and hero agencies across Japan because he wanted people to know he was out there. He WANTED people to try coming after him, solely to give himself more challengers to fight. More targets to torture and kill. Midoriya had been alone against a monster like that.
But the bruises and broken bones were proof, as was the boy who was still alive. Midoriya had stood his ground against Muscular. He had fought him. And eventually he had won.
What Midoriya did was foolish. It was reckless. It could have cost him his life and may have cost him so much else now that he had survived if what the doctors were saying was true.
And he wouldn't have been the person All Might had chosen as his successor if he had done anything less. Because all of that had been done just to save one person who needed him in that moment.
All Might placed his hand atop Midoriya's head, taking care not to do so too hard to his injured state.
"I'm so proud of you, my boy." His throat croaked out. He held back the heat welling up behind his eyes, but just barely.
He had meant every word he had told him back during the Sports Festival. Midoriya doubted himself so much and yet time and time again he'd proven All Might right in choosing him as his successor. When he'd wake up...please, gods, let him wake up...he'd almost certainly feel that way again. He blame himself for how that night went, despite how he went above and beyond anything that anyone could ever have expected from him.
No, the fault here...was on him.
All Might's hand clenched itself into a fist at his side, cursing his impotence.
When they had first met, All Might had been the hero he should be; the hero this boy looked up to so much. He'd arrived just in time to save him from the sludge villain, had blown it away in a single punch, and had been smiling and reassuring the entire time.
But ever since then he'd been slipping. Slowly but steadily his failures were becoming more and more apparent.
When the sludge villain broke free, he'd been right there and yet couldn't find even the strength to act until Midoriya had first. When the League of Villains attacked the USJ to make their debut he'd only just barely arrived before it was too late, the terror in those students and the injuries of his colleagues being the proof of his slowness.
And now, three times in a row...
Stain in Hosu.
Shigaraki at Kiyashi Mall.
Muscular at the forest camp.
Three times in a row his successor had needed him and he never showed up at all, leaving the entirety of the burden on his shoulders.
Midoriya had to save that child only because he hadn't been there. He got put in this state because he hadn't been there. All the students, Aizawa, Vlad, the Pussycats, they all could have died tonight, and Bakugo...!
God, young Bakugo! What were they doing to him right now?! If Tsukauchi was right...if the league was connected to All For One-!
All Might's hands flew up to his face, rubbing his eyes to force himself to calm down.
Amazing... He could actually feel the exhaustion in his features.
It wasn't supposed to have been like this. Midoriya should have had three years before he'd have to deal with any of this and it hadn't been even one yet.
Nana... She couldn't even get half the amount of power out of One For All that he could. And yet, until the very end, he couldn't remember a single time she hadn't been there for him when he needed her. Even during the dark age of Quirks she'd secured peace for him until he was 18. If she had been Midoriya's mentor instead, he wouldn't be lying in this bed. He was certain of that.
"I'll get your friend back. I'll fix this. Somehow."
All Might left the room, sliding the door closed behind him. Tsukauchi was a good friend to allow him this time. He was likely waiting out at his car for him to be done. Soon as he got back, they could go.
He had made it only a little way down the hall when he heard a somewhat familiar voice behind him. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he spotted a short and clearly very frantic woman with green hair down at the hall's other end, being led by a doctor to the very room All Might had just left.
He had seen her before, though only the one time and they had not personally interacted. She probably wouldn't even have recognized him even if she had noticed he was there. Inko Midoriya. Izuku's mother.
The doctor opened the door for her and she couldn't rush in quickly enough. The look All Might saw on her face... The unrelenting sobs that escaped from her the moment she saw the state of her son... The doctor was explaining his exact condition and yet she was likely hearing only half of it, her attention too fixated on what lay on that bed not even aware she was there.
All Might's throat grew tighter and dry. The heat behind his eyes rose again with every wail he heard and he had to force himself to keep walking away.
["Scrooge asked the ghost if Tiny Tim was going to make it.
The ghost replied that he foresees an empty seat and a crutch with no owner."]
"Well? How do I look?"
All Might came back to reality at Midoriya's question. He had the hoodie zipped all the way up and was posing just like he would back in the day; fists at his hips and a proud smile across his face.
All Might pushed himself to put aside the negative thoughts that had been brewing up. "I think you actually pull it off better than I did." He complimented him. "I tried to modernize my look for a bit and so David sent me that suit to try out. But it just wasn't working for me."
"Yeah, I remember you only wore it for about a year before switching back to your golden age costume. A lot of the fan sites speculated that you were involved in stealth missions at the time that you needed to blend into dark areas for, but many others believed it was an homage to your UA costume in celebration of its 35th anniversary." Midoriya quickly rambled off excitedly.
"Interesting theories, especially since even I can't imagine myself in a stealth situation..."
Like a balloon filling with air, Midoriya watched in awe as All Might's muscles inflated themselves back to life with just a simple bit of flexing, stretching his jacket out until it looked ready to burst.
"In the end, the primary colors of justice suited me best!" All Might's deep and bombastic voice boomed as his renewed body gave the same pose Midoriya had, absolutely dwarfing his in sheer heroic stature. "They announced to the world that "I am here!", and I never looked back!"
As quickly as it'd come, All Might's body popped back down to its reduced skinny state, with a great deal of hacking and coughing following it.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Midoriya asked worriedly, since this seemed like more than the usual amount of hacking and coughing.
"Oh (cough!) Yeah, my boy, I'm- (COUGH!) I'm fine. Just a (HONK!) cold. That's all."
"Note to self, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN while you're sick." All Might added that mental reminder. It was hard enough to do that on a normal day, let alone when he was under the weather like now.
It took him a minute (and a small hit to his pride as he noticed Midoriya looked ready to catch him if he were to fall over) but eventually this settled and his breathing returned to normal.
"With the work studies being restarted, figured it'd be a good idea to give you something that'd keep you warm, wherever yours takes you off to." All Might said, hoping to turn the conversation towards a different subject.
At those words, Midoriya's face changed to something of an awkward expression, as in All Might just made him feel awkward.
"Hm? Is everything alright?" All Might asked, taking notice of the change.
"No, no, everything's fine! It's just..." Midoriya's hesitation was only as a result of him trying to find the best way to explain. "Speaking of the work studies...I may have found one."
"Really? That was fast, well done." He said, surprised but sincere. "With the restrictions Nezu's put in place I know a lot of agencies got taken off the list right away for not having a strong enough track record. So, who you thinking?"
Midoriya rubbed the back of his head and looked off slightly to the side. "...Todoroki asked me and Kacchan if we wanted to come with him on his work study...under Endeavor."
"Endeavor?"
That was certainly far from any name All Might had been expecting him to say. The #2-...no. He was the #1 hero now. It was hard to make that mental adjustment. He wasn't trying to question Endeavor's abilities or even his right to be in that spot. It was just that, even all these months later, it was difficult for his brain to not just default to seeing things as they had been for so long.
...He supposed it was the same when it came to how he saw this young man before him too, wasn't it? He still had the photo saved on his phone, the one he'd taken of Midoriya on the first day he'd started training him on Takobah Beach. But he hadn't been that crying little boy for a long time.
His internship had been under Gran Torino, All Might's own former teacher, who had reached out to him specifically because he could see how much of a poor job All Might had done training him. And from what Gran Torino had told him, he had hardly needed much of a push before he had figured out how to overcome his weakness all on his own and develop Full Cowling.
His first work study had been under Nighteye, his former sidekick, who All Might couldn't even bring himself to talk to, and had only taken the boy on to push him to give up One For All. Yet by the end had won his respect and through his own efforts, not because he was All Might's successor.
And now, this work study, under the top hero in all of Japan, it was one he had acquired through the connections he had forged himself.
This young man...step after step he just kept moving away from him. He was standing on his own and forging ahead on a path beyond where his mentor could even see the end.
Pretty soon...he wouldn't need him anymore, would he?
["Scrooge finally took notice. Throughout their travels the ghost had been visibly aging. His skin was wrinkled, and his hair had become significantly grayed. When he asked what was wrong the ghost said that this was simply how things were. He lives for only a single day, to be replaced by his brother next Christmas like he had replaced their brother before him. Soon, he would be leaving him.
How foolish, Scrooge thought of himself. Indeed, he had only known the ghost for but a day. One day out of the several thousand that composed his long life. He'd been without him before. What was to come would be no different.
Yet the thought of the ghost's absence...it made Scrooge's heart ache."]
"So..." Midoriya asked tentatively. "What do you think?"
All Might cleared his throat, the physicality of the act helping him push away and hide the emotions as he didn't want to betray either. "Well, I-"
Both gave a jump, startled by the sudden exclaims of "The time limit is here! The time limit is here!" coming from within Midoriya's open backpack.
"Oh crap!" Midoriya panicked and fumbled with his bag to fish out his phone and turn it off (probably making it harder on himself to do so than if he'd just calmly reached in). "I gotta get back inside! Mr. Aizawa was very clear with me what would happen if I stayed out too late!"
"I'm sure he was." All Might believed him easily, his thoughts more occupied wondering if that timer app was something he had recorded for years ago or if it was using a recreation of his voice. Either way it didn't seem like there would be a good answer to that question so he'd just leave it be.
Scooping up all his stuff into his arms, including the cardboard box so that he could properly recycle it later, Midoriya looked at All Might apologetically from within the mess he was carrying. "I'm sorry, I really have to-"
"It's fine, I get it. I wouldn't want to be on Aizawa's bad side either." All Might assured him with a grin. "We can talk more about it with young Bakugo at a later time when we're all together. But right off, as my immediate thoughts, I think it's a good opportunity for you. Getting to see the top hero in action in person is pretty rare for anyone who is not their direct sidekick. So you be sure to make the most of it and give it your all, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Midoriya rushed past him to head back to the dorm entrance. But about halfway there he stopped and turned to look back.
"Oh! And Merry Christmas, All Might!"
"Merry Christmas, kid. And give your mother my best, alright?"
Midoriya gave a happy nod and went back along his way, All Might keeping watching his backside until it finally vanished from sight.
A long moment passed, quiet returning to the still setting. All Might's throat itched, the coughs steadily forcing their way back up to break it up.
["With that, the ghost returned Scrooge to his familiar old room in his familiar old manor, and bid him farewell.
That home...no...no, it was just a house. And it felt especially more cold and empty that night."]
All Might blew into his handkerchief as he walked. The snow wasn't letting up and it seemed neither would this damn bug he'd caught. Recovery Girl might still be on campus but there was no reason to bother her at this time of night. At least not until he tried sleeping it off first. Just had to get to the accommodations the school provided him. Jeez, a bed sounded so nice right now.
He coughed his way past one of UA's many entrance gates, enough puffs of hot air being left behind him that he probably resembled a car that was struggling to keep its engine going. At least that's what it'd look like to anyone peeking in from the outside.
Not that he had to worry about such a thing. Tonight was like the night before Christmas should be (or was it morning by now?). Everybody was in their homes with their loved ones. Not a tire thread or footprint to be seen as he glanced out towards...towards...
All Might's spine went stiff, straightening him up significantly.
Just when he had looked... Had there...had there been something that he'd just missed going by?
["But Scrooge would not be alone for long. No. For he was expecting one more visitor that night."]
All Might rushed out beyond the gate, his eyes searching around the street frantically. There was no one anywhere in sight. The whole thing was just his mind playing tricks on him. It had to be.
And yet, down the block, going around the corner, he could swear he had just missed it again. The black shape moving across the heavily falling snow.
["In fact, after many minutes of waiting, Scrooge came to realize the visitor was already in the room with him, in the form of the very shadow he cast upon the wall.
Thus did Scrooge meet the Ghost of Christmas Future."]
"Shigaraki?" All Might spoke his name.
Author's notes: This part was definitely inspired by Batman Noel, in particular its choice and its artstyle. In that comic the stand-in for Ghost of Christmas Present was Superman, which was a fantastic pick, especially if you're a big fan of the friendship between him and Batman like I am. And the artwork for him has him almost literally glowing and just constantly giving off this warm presence that really stands out from Gotham at wintertime.
In a similar vein, Midoriya as the Ghost of Christmas Present was the easiest pick for me, since there was no one else I could imagine being that for All Might. Someone who he'd see as his big bright little in the present, who brings him happiness and joy and helps him feel things he'd been missing out on for so many years, who gets him to see things he couldn't on his own, but who also he feels like his time with is slowly fading away, leaving him with regrets of what he didn't or couldn't do more? That's Midoriya, especially when you factor in the Dark Deku arc. There's a reason fans joke about the two basically being father and son. It's their relationship that basically serves as the backbone of MHA.
As for Shigaraki, well...I'll get more into that next time.