Chapter Text
Izuku gazed at the man in front of him, listening to him chat while he organized the papers in front if him. He and Toshinori were sitting at a table in a small cafe that had discreet seating for heroes, where pros could meet for a meal between patrols, unwind and exchange confidential information without worry of prying eyes and ears.
Not that they used it for that much. They texted plenty and met up enough at public events to get most of that out of the way by the time they got here. This, their biweekly meeting, was something they planned just to catch up. Izuku always looked forward to it.
Toshinori was talking about a student, a semi problem child with a quirk that let her encase others in a diamond like crystal. How she had so much potential but always slacked off whenever she could (a strange concept to Izuku, who had been prepared to do anything to make sure he stayed in the hero program when he was a student, but one that he supposed was inevitable in any school). Toshi - he let Izuku start calling him Toshi after he graduated, a moment that thrilled him - furrowed his brows, trying to focus on the papers in front of him and describing the latest issue with the student.
Izuku drank him in. It wasn’t that he could see what others saw in this form, now that he was only All Might in legacy. His face was thin, eyes strained and haggard, and his toothy grin made his crows feet and lines by his mouth even more pronounced than normal.
It just translated differently to Izuku. Toshi had handsome features, with brilliant blue eyes that were intelligent and caring, and a smile that once helped him and millions of others keep moving forward in hard times.
Different than before, no one could say otherwise, but Izuku still got swept away when he wasn’t careful.
“Izuku?”
Izuku blinked. Toshi looked expectantly at him. Oh crap, like right now.
“Um, sorry, got lost in thought,” Izuku chuckled, embarrassed.
Toshi gave an affectionate smile, and Izuku felt a pleasant warmth grow in his stomach.
“I asked how you were doing? Last few weeks have been busy for you.”
Oh. Izuku looked away.
It had been rough. Villain after villain with almost no break in between. The last one had come close to seriously hurting a toddler, but when Izuku went to go comfort her, she’d panicked, thinking he was another villain and turned her hands into cymbals, clapping them hard together and almost rupturing his eardrums. The mother didn’t help, rushing in and yelling at Izuku for scaring an already frightened girl.
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Izuku said, and he must have said it strangely because Toshi’s smile dropped.
“Young Midoriya, I hope you know you can come to me for anything. You don’t need an old man telling you what to do, but I still want to listen.”
“You’re not old,” Izuku said automatically. Before Toshi could retort back, he kicked him lightly under the table.
“And I told you I’m not ‘Young Midoriya’ anymore.”
Toshi’s cheeks tinged pink, and Izuku couldn’t stop a small smirk from growing on his face.
Izuku was certain Toshi didn’t think of him the same way he did. He’d made peace with that, and was happy to have a growing friendship that went beyond mentorship. But sometimes he just couldn’t help himself.
“Sorry, old habits and all that.”
“It’s totally fine, I’m joking,” Izuku chuckled. “And yeah, I know I can rely on you. It’s just a lot. Still, I appreciate everything All Mi- um, Toshi.”
Toshi raised an eyebrow but mercifully didn’t say anything. A comfortable silence fell between them. Izuku idly watched staff and customers mill about.
After a few moments, Izuku felt the sensation of eyes on him, a skill he’d honed over the years, and glanced back, only to find Toshi staring at him with an expression that was hard to read.
“Is everything okay, Toshi?”
This time Toshi looked away, licking his lips nervously. Izuku tried not to be obvious when his eyes followed the motion.
“N-nothing Young Mido- Izuku. I think I’m just ready for some food. You want anything?”
They flagged over a waitress and gave their order. As she walked away, Izuku caught another surreptitious glance from Toshi, his cheeks growing pink again.
Izuku’s mind raced.
He was certain Toshi didn’t feel the same way… most of the time. But every once in a while, when Izuku was least expecting it, Toshi would react in a way that took him by surprise. It made Izuku wonder.
And, stupidly, hope.