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“Are you sure you’d rather meet at my apartment? I can just take the train there.”
“Nonsense, my boy! It’s hardly a long journey and all the drivers in Tokyo are more than accommodating.”
“If you’re really sure. I’ll be ready by 4 then!”
“Of course. It’s a shame your mother can’t come this year. Let’s pick something up for her while we’re there.”
“Sounds good! Oh um there’s also… I have a question too. About tomorrow.”
That made Toshinori pause though he couldn’t help his smile growing. He could picture Izuku in his mind’s eye fidgeting from wherever he was taking the call. Even as an adult he hadn’t lost some of his natural nervousness. “Ask away, my boy.”
“Well it’s, er… Our days off rarely line up so I was wondering if it’d be okay for me to invite Kacchan too? Unless you want it to just be the two of us! I’m happy when it’s just us.”
Now that was rather unexpected. Toshinori knew that their relationship had improved over the course of high school as their rivalry in their first year had changed into friendship by their third year. He’d been surprised when Izuku had said they’d moved in together after joining separate hero agencies in Tokyo. It was more economical that way and his student had also confessed to feeling a bit nostalgic for the dorms when a friend was only a door down if he wanted company. While he understood that, it also made him wonder why he’d chosen Bakugou rather than his other friends. Iida and Todoroki were obvious choices and there was also Shinsou or any number of the other friends he had made. So why Bakugou specifically?
Realizing he was taking too long, Toshinori regained his smile and said confidently, “It would be a pleasure to have young Bakugou join us. Have you made sure he doesn’t already have plans?”
The relief was obvious in Izuku’s voice as he said, “He doesn’t have plans! You’re sure it’s fine?”
“Izuku, that’s the second time you’ve second guessed me today,” he said, his tone only fond. “I promise I’m happy to have Bakugou come with us. I’ll see you both tomorrow afternoon.”
“Ack, I guess I did do that, didn’t I? Alright well thank you! We’ll see you tomorrow!”
- - -
Toshinori could remember the first time Izuku had ever called him “dad” and he recalled it with a squeeze in his chest. It was at the beginning of his second year of high school when he’d been terribly distracted all during their lunch together. When Toshinori had brought this point forward, Izuku had dissolved into silent tears which was perhaps more startling than his typical sobs.
The story came out in bits and pieces as Toshinori had scrambled to make them both tea and find a box of tissues. Sitting by Izuku’s side, he’d drawn him into a hug as the tears kept flowing and his hands shook around his mug. He’d been dumped. It hadn’t exactly been a secret that he and Todoroki had been together but it had been a precious time for him in his first relationship. Toshinori had gathered that Izuku was Todoroki’s first real friend and had privately thought they were a good match with how they balanced each other out.
“He said he wasn’t r-really ready yet for something like this,” Izuku managed out, having set his tea down to dab his cheeks with another tissue. A small pile was starting to form and a trash can would become necessary soon but Toshinori wasn’t willing to give up holding him just yet. “And it’s true. I know it is. I know it’s stupid that I care about him so much even though it’s only been a few months but…”
His lips trembled and Toshinori gave him a bracing squeeze. Izuku sunk further into his arm and hid his face temporarily against his chest as he let out a shaky breath. “I love him, dad,” he whispered. “I love him but I d-don’t know what to do with these feelings.”
Choking wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation to him now. He’d felt it many times when he’d coughed so hard that blood had filled his throat. Emotionally was another matter and he swallowed the feeling hard as his other arm closed around Izuku’s shoulders. “My boy, your love could never be considered stupid,” he whispered, his hand rubbing soothing circles along Izuku’s back. “You love with your whole heart and it’s clear in everything you do. Perhaps I am not the best person to say in this regard but your love for Todoroki is a wonderful thing. Even though it will be different now, I believe it will continue to be wonderful.”
When this only caused fresh tears, Toshinori had started to panic and wonder if he should offer to get someone else when his hug was finally returned. “Thank you,” Izuku mumbled from his chest. “I dunno how it’s gonna be wonderful right now but I believe you. Thanks, dad-” He gasped when he realized what he’d said and pushed back a little, his cheeks growing more red while Toshinori could only smile.
“My boy, I think it’s only fair you call me that,” he said, ruffling his hair. He didn’t even have to try for the fondness to fill every word. “I’ve been thinking of you as my son for at least a year now. What father wouldn’t want his son to think of him like that in return?”
Even if he’d complained about it before, Toshinori hoped Izuku never ran out of his happy tears as he gathered him close once again. Not ever.
- - -
“Dad!”
There wasn’t a tear in sight as Izuku opened the door to his apartment and launched into his arms. Toshinori returned the hug fiercely before he was squawking when he found himself lifted off the ground. While he’d started to lose a bit of height as he grew older, he still had almost a foot and a half on Izuku and couldn’t help his surprise whenever he was so effortlessly carried.
“If you break All Might, I’m taking your ass to court.”
Izuku only laughed and set Toshinori down with a grin that didn’t look guilty in the slightest. “I’d never break him, Kacchan! You can come say hello too.”
Bakugou made a face like he wasn’t interested but didn’t stop Toshinori when he was pulled into a hug. He’d grown over the years though it was more than just his height. There was a calmness about him that Toshinori wouldn’t have been able to imagine when they’d first met at U.A.
“I guess you haven’t croaked on us yet.”
“It’s good to see you too, young Bakugou,” he said and smiled, pulling away to ruffle his hair. The scoff he received seemed barely irritated and he counted that as a victory. “Are you both ready to go? As nice as the drivers are, I’d rather not make the taxi idle for too long.”
“We’re ready,” Izuku assured and ushered him out so Bakugou could lock up behind them. Again, the thought passed through his head that it was a strange choice to make. Izuku had chosen Bakugou due to familiarity but what reasons did the other man have? Perhaps he’d ask one day.
Bundling into the taxi, Toshinori gave the address and was relieved when they reached their destination a bare fifteen minutes later. Car rides had never been comfortable for him after his growth spurt and he much preferred to walk even if his gait was slower now with both age and December’s chill trying to worm its way through his clothes.
Speaking of clothes, he glanced towards his companions as they approached the Christmas market and grinned into his scarf. Izuku was wearing a pink Uravity bobble hat that clashed spectacularly with his yellow Lemillion jacket. That and the fake glasses he was wearing would surely be a good deterrent for anyone thinking they might have spotted the new #4 hero in the crowd. Bakugou was dressed more sensibly in a black coat and was wearing a medical mask over his mouth and nose. When Toshinori had first glanced at it, he’d thought his beanie was black as well before he noticed a lightning bolt pattern along one of the sides and recognized it from Chargebolt’s brand. The realization made him chuckle.
“Did you see something funny?” Izuku asked, slowing his pace so they could all walk together. Bakugou slowed as well without a word of complaint. “You keep giggling so I wanna know the joke too!”
“He’s laughing at your stupid fucking hat,” Bakugou said with a snort and reached out to tug on the feathered bobble portion. Izuku made a noise of disagreement which made Bakugou tug again so it was more in his face than on his head. “Can’t you even color coordinate when we’re in public together?”
Pouting and readjusting his hat and glasses, Izuku said, “It’s not like anyone will recognize us here when we’re dressed like this. There’s usually only couples or families at these markets too so everyone’s going to be focused on themselves anyway.”
Toshinori shook his head in amusement and did let his laugh carry but quickly stopped it to cough when it caused several people to glance their way. Even after everything, his laughter still boomed as much as it did in his prime. “You two are the same as ever. I hope you’re not going to be doing this the whole time? You’re not too old to be put into a time out.”
As one, they both turned to him with Izuku’s mouth open in protest and Bakugou’s brow furrowed. They looked at Toshinori, looked at each other, and then looked back at him before pointing at the other.
“He started it.”
“Don’t copy me, De- you nerd!”
“You copied me first, Kacchan!”
Letting out a fond sigh, Toshinori moved to stand in-between them and put his arms around both of their shoulders. “Now, now. Let’s just start looking around.” He watched as they pointedly turned away from each other but could see Izuku’s lips twitching as he held back a smile and felt how at ease Bakugou’s posture was. “Don’t forget our original mission, Izuku. We need to find something nice for your mother.”
All upset pretext was gone at this and Izuku nodded eagerly as they finally reached the first stall of the market. “Kacchan, you wanted something for your parents too, right? What are you thinking of?”
“Maybe some new kitchen knives for the old lady,” Bakugou said, glancing over the boxed candy with disinterest. “Or some earplugs for the old man if it’s not already too late for his ears.”
“Auntie isn’t that bad.”
Looking over the artisanal chocolates the stall was showcasing, Toshinori chuckled to himself as the two younger men continued back and forth in that way. He was glad for it in all honesty. While retirement had been nice in some ways, it was also a touch lonely in ways he wouldn’t have originally anticipated. It wasn’t as though he’d had a group of friends he regularly spent time with when he was a full time pro but he did have his agency that he checked up on every now and then. After that was teaching at U.A. and getting to work around a variety of heroes he might not have otherwise ever interacted with. That in addition to all of his students, well, it was a dramatic change to say the least when he retired from his post there too.
But why focus on that now! Shaking his head a little to clear his thoughts, he turned his attention back to his former students and observed something that made him still. Izuku was a very tactile person by nature. It was just something normal for him at that point but it had given him pause once his former student had become more comfortable around him. He’d walked into the common area of the dorms many a time and had seen Izuku with his head on Shinsou’s shoulder while they played games or chatting with Kirishima while Ashido laid over his lap doing her homework.
Bakugou seemed to be almost the opposite. He rarely touched unless it was during combat exercises and then he was in someone’s face often before they could react. On rare occasions he’d let others lean on him while sharing a couch but had always shifted after a while to create some distance. Even by his third year, Bakugou seemed more comfortable with people touching him but did eventually push them away.
With this knowledge, it was an especially strange sight for Toshinori to see Izuku’s arms wrapped around one of Bakugou’s as they both looked over the delicate glass ornaments one stall had to offer. They were still talking like normal and Bakugou seemed completely at ease as Izuku rested his cheek on his shoulder. He even tilted his head a bit, his mask brushing the soft bobble of Izuku’s hat.
What had happened here? Toshinori blinked rapidly as he tried to form some conclusion. Of course their relationship would have only improved since they left school as they’d stayed close. Now that he considered it, Izuku and Bakugou had moved in together fairly soon after graduating and had now lived together for three years. Perhaps this was a result for the distance between them shrinking even more than the dorms had allowed? Somehow he couldn’t help but wonder…
“Oi, Yagi. You’re falling behind.”
Toshinori nearly jumped out of his skin at this call from Bakugou and he gave the two a sheepish grin as he moved to stand beside them. “Ah, forgive me,” he said and patted Izuku’s shoulder when he saw a worried frown start to form. “I was simply happy seeing everyone’s smiling faces.” He cast his eyes around for a diversion before pointing towards a stall across the lane. “I’ve heard they make excellent mulled wine there. Allow me to treat you two?”
Even with his mask on, Bakugou’s face showed he didn’t believe him. Izuku was still frowning though it was becoming a touch sterner. “You’re not allowed to have any alcohol, dad. Your doctors said-”
“My boy, I’ll be just as satisfied knowing you two are enjoying yourselves,” Toshinori placated. He almost ruffled his hair but decided not to mess up his hat at the last second. “I’ll be right back. You boys go on ahead and I’ll catch up again.”
Izuku had let go of Bakugou’s arm now and looked like he was thinking of protesting when Bakugou snorted and grabbed his wrist. “Auntie’s present won’t buy itself if you keep fretting over every goddamn thing.”
“But Kacchan-”
“Have a safe trip,” Toshinori said and grinned as he waved them off. His smile faded some once they were out of sight and grew thoughtful again. Lowering his hand, he dug around in his pocket until he found his phone and silently thanked Yaoyorozu for giving him gloves that let him use the touch screen portion. It was still very cold!
A few rings were all it took before…
“Good evening. Toshinori-san? Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong, Inko. I’m sorry, is now a bad time?” He heard the sound of talking on the other end of the line before what sounded like a door closed and it was quiet.
“No, no, everything’s fine. I’ve stepped out for the moment.” There was a pause before she asked, “Are you sure nothing’s wrong? I know you and Izuku were going to the market. Are he and Katsuki…?”
Putting his hand to his forehead, Toshinori shook his head despite knowing Inko couldn’t see him. “Both of them are fine. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called without a warning but we’re alright. I simply…” His brow furrowed under his hand before he was putting it under his chin as he thought. “I had a question for you. About Izuku and Bakugou.”
Inko made a noise of confused assent and he took that as his cue to continue. “Can you tell me about the nature of their relationship? I know it improved in high school and they’re rather good friends now, correct?”
The line was quiet for just long enough that Toshinori was starting to pull back to check if he’d lost the connection when Inko’s voice startled him still. “Yes, they’re much better friends now.” He couldn’t even begin to decipher why her voice sounded so off suddenly and he frowned again.
“They are closer as friends then? Compared to before?”
There was another long pause before, very tentatively, Inko asked, “Toshinori-san, did you perhaps not know that Izuku and Katsuki are dating?”
Mouth falling open, Toshinori floundered for a moment with this information. How had he not known? It was true that he didn’t see them both as regularly now as when they were his students but he still saw Izuku almost once a week if he had time. Were all the signs there and he’d simply failed to see them? That was incredibly embarrassing if true.
“No, I wasn’t aware. I don’t believe Izuku ever made that announcement to me.”
“I don’t think he ever felt an announcement was necessary. I only put the pieces together myself after visiting them when they first moved in together.”
He made a faint noise to show he was listening and couldn’t help but feel relieved. At least he knew now it wasn’t something Izuku was actively keeping from him. Somehow, the fact that Izuku hadn’t thought to share this information with anyone made him smile and shake his head. He was so diligent about keeping up with everyone else but, when it came to himself, he still tended to not give his own life much of a thought.
“Did he say how long they’ve been together? Surely it must have been in the past three years.”
“Ah, when I asked him, he said they’d started seeing each other in their last year of school. I think that was when they were finally able to see one another better then they had before.”
It made sense. Their apartment was a two bedroom but when Toshinori had been shown around, he’d thought one room looked more like a study than a bedroom but had brushed it off. When their off days lined up, Bakugou tended to be the person Izuku tagged on social media when he went somewhere. He’d thought that was simply because they lived together so Izuku would invite him out if he didn’t have plans. But the physical closeness he’d seen earlier was a dead giveaway and he now couldn’t deny the picture in front of him.
“Do you disapprove of it?”
Inko’s question startled him out of his thoughts and he very quickly shook his head. “No. No, no, I don’t. I’m rather surprised considering their history together but they seem like they were able to grow past it.” A thought occurred to him and he asked, “Do you disapprove?”
“When I first found out, I couldn’t help but be surprised. I knew things were difficult between them for so long and I was worried. But Izuku seems even happier now then he has before and Katsuki is so much calmer. I want to support them.”
Not for the first time, Toshinori was impressed and humbled by Inko’s insight. She understood her son to a level that he might never be able to but that only made him feel better about his findings today. If she suspected Izuku was unhappy, he was sure she would have voiced that long before now.
After checking the time and a warm farewell, Toshinori hung up and gathered two cups of the promised wine. He considered taking a sip as he moved through the crowd but decided not to. Spoiling their outing by throwing up was the last thing he wanted to do and he’d rather the heroes enjoy their day off instead of whisking him home. Speaking of, it seemed like they’d managed to wander a lot faster then he’d thought. The market was filling up too as more people wandered in after school and work and Toshinori self consciously tucked his nose further into his scarf to avoid recognition.
“Young man! Yes you in the pink hat!”
Turning to locate the call, he let out a relieved huff when he saw Izuku stepping towards the stall owner flagging him down and started to weave his way closer.
“Why not consider a nice ring for your girlfriend for Christmas? Or perhaps she’d like a necklace instead? You can never be too cheap when it comes to love!”
Even through his jacket, Toshinori could tell Izuku was growing a bit tense as he was heckled. There was no way he’d reproach the woman but it was very likely he was embarrassed. Confronting villains was one thing but pushy civilians who weren’t the press was something else entirely.
“He’s not interested.”
Toshinori was close enough now to hear everything and watched Bakugou walk back from where he’d been looking at another stall’s items. He was casual as he slung his arm around Izuku’s shoulders and brought him closer. Toshinori thought he might have heard a squeak.
“Kacchan-”
“We’re having a wonderful special right now! Buy any product and the other will be half priced. I can assure you, any girl would be happy to receive-”
What happened next was almost too quick for Toshinori to follow. It appeared that Bakugou had tugged his mask down his face while simultaneously turning Izuku’s head and pressed their lips together. Toshinori nearly dropped the cups, the stall owner froze mid-sentence, and Izuku’s hands were briefly flailing before he melted against Bakugou. Breaking the kiss after a moment, he swat at Bakugou’s chest with a deep blush on his cheeks even as his boyfriend shot a smug look towards the woman.
“You don’t have anything with citrine so I don’t want it. Auntie would probably like the necklace on the left.”
Izuku was pouting but did end up buying the suggested necklace from the now silent owner. Toshinori doubted she’d be calling out to people like that for the rest of the night. Shaking his head a little and still feeling a bit flushed, he made himself known once they were another stall down and offered out the wine. “As promised.”
His smile came easily over his scarf as he saw Izuku’s suspicious look and he held up his hands. “I didn’t take a single sip.” He glanced at Bakugou when he pulled his mask down again to drink but his face was inscrutable. It seemed like they were just going to pretend that didn’t just happen.
- - -
They all left with small bags and the taxi ride back to Bakugou and Izuku’s apartment was filled with comfortable chatter. Leaving it to idle again, Toshinori walked them to their apartment and gave both men strong hugs at the front door which were returned. For a moment, he’d considered bringing up what he’d seen and found out that day but decided to save it for next time as he fondly ruffled Izuku’s hair. They were happy. When Izuku wasn’t looking, Bakugou was watching him as though he intended to fight off anything that would even think about harming him.
“Thank you for coming with us today, young Bakugou. It was even more enjoyable with you there.”
Bakugou looked away as he took his mask off for the final time and shoved it into his pocket. “Whatever. Deku would’ve complained if I didn’t.” Glancing over at them, he scoffed as he saw two grins looking back and unlocked the door. “I’m going in. You both can freeze out here if you want.”
Chuckling, Toshinori exchanged a look of understanding with Izuku before he was bringing him into another hug. “I know I’ve said it often but I’m proud of you, my boy,” he said, voice quieter now that it was just the two of them. “It seems as though your life is becoming exactly how you wanted it to go.”
Izuku made a soft noise of surprise at this and Toshinori shook his head again out of fondness. He still wasn’t thinking about himself, it seemed. “Thank you. I think I’m proud of me too. For a lot of reasons, actually.”
Beaming from joy at hearing this, he hugged Izuku all the harder before letting him go. A warm rush of satisfaction filled his chest as they said goodbye and he slowly walked back down to the taxi. Even if he still needed more time to understand it, Toshinori was content in trusting the two to each other. Perhaps he’d say that next time too.