Izuku is annoyed, irritable, and above all else tired. He hadn't slept much over the weekend, working with his mom. That was normal though. The real trouble started yesterday with the press swarming outside the school. It had finally gotten out that All Might was working at UA. Izuku is not good in front of crowds, not without a mask. So having several reporters crowding him and asking him questions all at the same time had been nerve wracking.

Then there had been the Class Rep election. Izuku has enough on his plate and thus had no interest in the extra responsibility. Still he had ended up tied with Yaoyorozu. Luckily he had been able to convince her to take the main position and he'd be the vice rep.

It was at lunch that the day went from bad to worse. Shigaraki had decided to disintegrate the front gate and let the press in. This had resulted in Izuku having to stay up all night to rework the plan for the annoying little shit. One good thing came out of it though. Iida had made a grand gesture as an emergency exit, thus giving Izuku a perfect excuse to give his spot as Vice Class Rep to the other boy. Unfortunately, Iida is being rather difficult.

"As much as I appreciate the offer, I cannot, in good conscience, take the position of vice rep from you. As the person who proposed the vote in the first place,"

Izuku stops listening as he lets his head fall to his desk. Maybe I should just sleep. That would at least be productive.

"I agree with Deku." Izuku looks up when Uraraka voices her opinion. She sits in Katsuki's seat right in front of him. Katsuki stands at the front of the row, glaring. Kirishima sits on a desk talking to him. He either ignores or is unaware of the angry blond's attempt to murder a class mate with his eyes alone. "You were really cool yesterday! You noticed what was going on and were quick to calm everyone down!" The bubbly brunette continues. "Plus, I'm pretty sure Mei voted too since we had an extra vote yesterday."

"Guilty!" Mei calls from where she leans over the mess of papers on Yaoyorozu's desk.

"And I think Kachan voted for me-"

"The fuck would I do that for?!"

"Just to annoy me," Izuku finished, answering Katsuki's question.

"I think you should accept," Yaoyorozu speaks up from beside the pink haired inventor. "If Midoriya truly doesn't want the position we can hold a new vote for it, but I think it would end up with the same results if you just accepted." The other students start chiming in with their agreement.

"V-very well!" Iida finally relents. "I shall not let you down!"

Izuku sighs internally. With that taken care of, the rest of the day should be a breeze.

"Young Midoriya," All Might calls just before Izuku leaves. The rest of the class continue on their way to the locker rooms. Izuku is barely able to suppress a groan. He was already tired before class and the intense workout All Might had just put them through did not help. Suffice it to say he is not in an ideal state to deal with his favorite hero. Still, he turns to his teacher. He doesn't bother to hide the exhaustion on his face, but manages to give a tired grin. "I know you need to get to your next class, so I won't keep you long. Do you have time to meet with me after school today?"

"Yeah, I should. What's it about?" Izuku asks, curious.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait 'till later. Meet me in the teachers lounge."

Izuku can't concentrate in his hero ethics course. He's too busy thinking about why All Might wants to talk to him. Could I be in trouble? I don't think I've done anything against the rules. I tend to push the boundaries of the exercises he gives us. Maybe he's just concerned about that. It's also possible my grade is slipping in foundational heroics. It is my hardest subject. Or mMaybe he wants to make sure I haven't told anyone his secret? That would explain why he didn't want to say anything before. Or maybe, Izuku bites his lip, he figured out my secret identity?! No no no. Rabbit and Bunny have never had direct contact with All Might. If any of the teachers here could figure it out it would be Eraserhead. Hmmm...Izuku turns it over in his head. Oh no. Ccould he have figured out that I'm his-that he's my biological father? Though Izuku has known this fact for over ten years, it is still weird for him to think of All Might that way. I really hope that's not it. That would be so awkward.

"DEKU!" A shout and explosion from Katsuki snap Izuku out of his thoughts. He snaps his head up. Everyone is looking at him expectantly.

"Um, what was the question?"

After the bell rings, Izuku tells Katsuki not to wait for him. He heads to the teacher's lounge with his thoughts still swirling.

"Ah, Young Midoriya!" All Might says when Izuku pokes his head in. He's in his hero form. "Let's talk somewhere a bit more private, yes?" He leads Izuku to a smaller break room. Once the door is closed, he reverts to his small form. "Please have a seat." He sits on the couch.

"Do the other teachers not know about your..condition?" Izuku asks as he slides his backpack off and sits in a chair. He is insanely curious.

"They know. They just don't know that you know," Toshinori answers. "Now for the reason why I asked you here."

"Am I in trouble?" Izuku asks, biting his lip. Toshinori laughs, and ends up spitting blood in the process.

"No, no my boy. Quite the opposite. You are near the top of the class in all of your subjects. The strategies you have employed in my class show resourcefulness and out of the box thinking. You have more conviction and drive than most. I must say, you are rather impressive!"

"For someone without a quirk," Izuku says quietly, looking down at his hands in his lap.

"What was that my boy?" Izuku looks up at him, a smile on his face but his eyes empty.

"Impressive for someone without a quirk, right?" Toshinori flinches slightly. It was true he had thought that at one point.

"That's not what I meant." He clears his throat. "I think you will make a great hero in the future. That's why I want you to be my successor!"

"Huh?" Izuku's mind races again. I-what? Is he saying he knows? Is this his way of saying he accepts me as his son? Is he being vague in case I don't know? I mean even if he suspects, he doesn't know for sure. Mom wouldn't have told him. Even if he asked her, at most she would admit that it was a possibility. There's no way she would confirm it outright.

"To be more precise," Toshinori says, drawing Izuku's attention, "I want to pass my quirk on to you!"

"..." Izuku's mind and face go blank. Of all the possible reasons for this meeting he had thought of, this he hadn't even considered.

"Hahaha!" Toshinori laughs, spitting up blood. "Relax kid. This isn't something I'm going to force on you." Izuku just continues to stare blankly. "Perhaps I should explain a bit more. Now this is a secret that only a handful of people know. I'm trusting you to keep it that way." Still no reaction. "You see my quirk, One for All, is one that can be passed on. It was given to me by my former teacher, and now I want to pass it on to you!" They sit in silence for several minutes.

It's difficult for Izuku to keep his emotions off his face. The fanboy in him wants to shout YES and jump for joy because Holy shit! All Might, the number 1 hero in both the Japanese and the American rankings, my all time idol, wants to give me his quirk! The analyst in him also wants to agree because I could get a first hand account of One for All! Not only that but All Might might actually be able to tell me more about how it came into existence. We have a lot of information about Afo over the last few decades but anything before that is murky at best. Info from when he first rose to power is basically nonexistent. Those parts are easily pushed aside by a flood of memories. Being picked on for being quirkless, laughed at for his goal of becoming a hero, told he should give up on his dream. It hurts. It hurt all those months ago in that tunnel when All Might, the hero he's looked up to since he was a toddler, had all but said 'You can't be a Hero without a Quirk'. It hurts more now because now he's shown what he can do. He's the first quirkless person to get into the UA heroics course. When it comes to strategies he can beat just about anyone in class. He's on par with them in terms of physical ability. To have All Might all but say 'I still think you need a quirk' is painful. A voice in his head, that sounds suspiciously like Katsuki, is yelling Tell him to FUCK OFF! You don't need his shitty quirk!

"So…" Izuku eventually says, struggling to keep his voice even. "This is about me being quirkless?"

"That has nothing to do with it," Toshinori tries to explain.

"Of course it does!" Izuku shouts, standing abruptly. "Why else would you choose me, out of every student here!" He starts to pace. "I get why you would want to pick a student rather than someone who's already a pro. A student is less in the public eye, it makes sense for them to not be able to completely utilize their quirk, and it gives you a good excuse for teaching them." He holds up a finger for each reason he lists. "But between the year two and three heroics classes and every student in general ed aiming to transfer to heroics, there is no reason I should be your first choice. Unless," he turns sharply to Toshinori, "it's because I'm quirkless." His eyes are full of unshed tears and anger. He wipes his eyes with his sleeve and sits back down, not meeting Toshinori's eyes.

"Actually," Toshinori says after he gets over his shock at the outburst. He rubs the back of his neck feeling awkward. This is not going as well as he had hopped. "You weren't my first choice." Izuku's head snaps around to look at him. Toshinori is surprised to see what he thinks is hope in the boys eyes.

"Really?" Izuku will later deny that his voice is choked up.

"Yes." Toshinori nods. He hadn't planned to tell this to Izuku yet, but when do things ever go as he plans?

First Week of School: Friday

Mirio walked down the hall. He couldn't help but wonder what All Might wanted to talk to him about. The blond hero didn't teach any of the classes for the third years, but he had shown up to watch a couple of the exercises that week.

As Mirio came up to the room he double checked the note he had been given. Nodding to himself when he saw the room numbers matched, he opened the door. It was one of the rooms that doubled as a break room and a meeting room. Teachers often used them to meet with students individually or when meeting with parents. This one had a small sofa and two easy chairs around a coffee table. Off to the side, a table was set up so one could make coffee or tea. Sitting in one of the chairs was a man Mirio didn't recognize. He had disheveled blond hair, sunken eyes and was absolutely drowning in the suit he wore. He was sipping from a teacup that seemed like a toy in his large hands.

"Excuse me," Mirio said and raised his hand in greeting when the stranger turned to him. "I'm here to meet with All Might."

"Ah yes, Togata Mirio right?" He put his tea cup down and stood up to greet him. Mirio closed the door before going over and shaking the man's hand. "I'm Mr. Yagi, All Might's secretary," the man introduced himself. "Please have a seat." He gestured to the other chair and both sat down. "I'm afraid he had to run a last minute errand, so he asked me to meet with you instead. I hope that's okay?"

"Of course!" Mirio answered with a smile. "I take it this isn't about school?"

"Not quite," Mr. Yagi answered as he picked up his tea. "You see, All Might is looking for an apprentice of sorts." Mirio held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Yagi, but I have to decline. Last year I interned with Sir Night Eye and I already arranged to do so again this year." Mirio abruptly stood up and bowed. "Please give All Might my sincere apology." He looked up when he heard Mr. Yagi chuckle.

"My dear boy, Sir Night Eye is the one that recommended you," Mr Yagi informed him.

Mirio stood up straight, slightly shocked. He knew Sir saw potential in him, but this was unexpected. He was aware that Sir had a falling out with the number one hero some years ago, so for him to reach out to All Might, even if indirectly, on Mirio's behalf…

"Even so," Mirio said, trying to keep the emotions swelling in his chest from choking him up. He wasn't sure what he should do. Sir had done something amazing for him, and to work with the number one hero in the field was an amazing opportunity. Still, he was looking forward to working at Sir's agency again and he knew he still had a lot to learn from the man.

"Perhaps," Mr. Yagi stopped him before he could say more. "I should explain a bit more." He took a sip of his tea. "First, this would not be an internship. I suppose the word would be apprentice. You will still be able to do that with Sir Nighteye. While you are in school, it will mostly be one on one training sessions with All Might when possible. Then once you graduate, you will be able to work at his agency much like a sidekick in addition to the training sessions." Mirio sat back down to think for a moment while Mr. Yagi took another long sip of his tea. "Before any of that though, I need to ask you a question." Mirio perked up to listen, grateful for the extra time to think.

"Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Hmm," he hummed while he thought about how he would say this. "Well, when I was little I would have said it was because I wanted to be like All Might. I still admire him, but I recognize that I'll never be exactly like him. Every person is unique afterall." He looked down at his lap. "My quirk isn't necessarily suited to hero work. For a long time i didn't have very good control over it. By middle school I had kind of given up on being a hero. I was thinking of other career paths like being a police officer or teacher. Something that could make a difference in people's lives. Then in my first year of middle school I met this loner kid and I seemed to be the only one who would approach him, so we became friends. He wanted to be a hero, but was also insecure about his quirk. So we worked together on improving. We pushed each other to do our best. When we got our U.A. exam results, it was the happiest I'd ever seen him." Mirio smiled at the memory. "That's when I realized what I want to do with my life. I want to help as many people. The best way to do that is to be a hero!" He stood up at the last sentence, fist raised in the air.

Mirio was lost in thought. His mind was on a loop of memories. The look on Tamaki's face when he learned he'd been accepted into the hero program (and the kiss that followed). The old lady he had helped home from the grocery store once every week during his internship last year. The kid he had talked off a window ledge his last week with Sir.

"Plus Ultra!" The shout snapped Mirio out of his thoughts. Then he blinked. Then blinked again. That...that was All Might standing in front of him where Mr. Yagi had been a moment before. He was even wearing the same suit, which was a much better fit for All Might. Then his brain finally caught up with what his eyes were seeing.

"All Might?!"

"Yes. I understand your surprise. Now please sit and we can continue our discussion."

Mirio sat. There was a puff of smoke and All Might was Mr. Yagi again. He picked up his tea cup and sat as well. "Now first I must ask you to keep what you just saw to yourself. Few people know of it and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Of course." Mirio nodded.

"Good." Before he continued, Mr. Yagi broke into a coughing fit. Mirio was alarmed to see blood. "Well," he continued once he stopped coughing. "That leads into my next topic. The reason I'm like this." He lifted up his shirt to reveal a mess of scars on his left side. He lowers his shirt after a second. "I was severely injured five years ago. I'm no longer able to do hero work like I used to. Over the years the amount of time I can hold my muscle form has shrunk. I'm not just looking for an apprentice. I'm looking for a successor."

Mirio stared at him for a second, unable to respond. All he could think was if Sir knew about this.

"Now before you answer one way or the other, there is one more thing I must tell you. This is a bigger secret than my injury that even fewer people know. Your mentor is one of those few." Mr. Yagi stared at him for several seconds conveying just how serious the matter was. Mirio nodded. "My quirk was not originally mine. It was passed down to me by my mentor. If you accept, I would like to give it to you."

"No thank you!" Mirio's response was immediate. Mr. Yagi let out a spray of blood.

"Don-cough-don't you want to take some time to think about it?" Mr. Yagi sputters. "I mean I'm not trying to force you, but that was rather quick."

"Mr. Yagi, All Might, I'm sure. I've worked really hard to master my quirk. I've trained with my friends these last few years and Sir has helped me grow so much in just one year. I want to save as many people as possible, yes. But i want to do it with my own power," Mirio said with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"I understand," All Might said with a smile. "And I'm certain you'll be a great hero."

You picked a good one Mirai Toshinori thought as Mirio left.

Toshinori and Midoriya look at each other in silence for a moment after he finishes the story. Midoriya breaks eye contact first.

"I-I have to think about this," he says to the floor.

"Of course." Toshinori nods. "Take all the time you need."