Izuku has tons of All Might merch. He’s always thought highly of AM and it seems that, even personally knowing the man, he hasn’t stopped all of his fanboy habits. But I had a thought. What if, Toshinori thinks of Izuku often, too?
There’s no hero Deku merch so he obviously can’t buy that, but sometimes he sees things that remind him of Izuku. He buys them.
He sees a green-and-white tie one day and buys it, not even thinking about whether or not he’d wear it but thinking “this looks like a similar green to Midoriya’s hero outfit.” Maybe he actually does wear it to school one day (he bought it, so he may as well!), and people question the atypical color scheme but otherwise don’t pay much mind.
He has a green pen that he uses whenever grading papers. The ink is red but the casing is green.
Recovery Girl is exasperated sometimes, like the time when he volunteered to go on a supply run for her. “I appreciate that you went out to buy some supplies for me, All Might, but I can’t use these green cotton balls. Where did you even get them?”
He finds a green notebook with red and white star accents, and is reminded of Izuku’s note habits. He uses it as a planner.
Tbh he probably thinks of all his students to some degree. Space-related things make him think of Uraraka. He finds an old VHS tape of the Alien movie and thinks of Ashido. Sees one of those squeezable stress toys that has an angry-face and thinks of Bakugou. Anything frog-themed makes him think of Tsuyu. Punk/rock stuff makes him think of Jirou and he ends up buying a rock band T-shirt that he wears around his place. Anything grunge/goth makes him think of Tokoyami b/c he doesn’t really understand those fashions but maybe he’d like them…? When the weather is really hot or frigid cold he wonders how Todoroki is doing.
In general, he finds his life filled with light reflections of his students. It’s nothing noticeable at first, and it’s gradual, but his life gains more color because of it. He wakes up each day with a bit more excitement to see the world.
He never noticed that the world lost color in his eyes, always too busy in his efforts (not enough) to protect. He was so focused on trying to save the hearts of others that he neglected his own.
I’m old, he used to tell himself. It comes with age. He’d accepted (resigned himself) to such a thought. But his life still gains color.
His desk at Yuuei holds many things. A green notebook, a galaxy-print towel, an angry stress toy, a frog bobble-head, glittery streamers, a snowglobe, a spiked bracelet, a blue racecar replica, a cup with lightning bolts on its surface. A taiyaki-shaped eraser, writing utensils with birds and cowboy hats printed on them. He even has various merchandise (one for each, at the very least) themed after each of the heroes he works with, and more.
No one seems to notice the specifics of his habit. The teachers he works alongside watch with wide-eyes as his collection continues to grow, but otherwise don’t say much about it. Students dropping by the office stop and stare. When they ask, he laughs and replies: “I collect things sometimes.”
One day, Nedzu comes into the office. He stops right at Toshinori’s desk and tilts his head to the side, glancing between the unexpectedly festive workspace and the others’ with a knowing gaze.
“I’m glad you’ve adjusted well, All Might.”
Toshinori smiles.
He’s happy, too.
(And of course, in the future, when his students are out there in the world with their names on billboards and posters, he makes sure to buy some of their themed items. But he keeps his years-old items, too.
“That’s a neat pen,” Naomasa says one day, noting the green pen with red ink. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in the stores though. It’s one of Deku’s, right?”
Toshinori pauses where he writes, looks down at the worn pen, the design faded with use. He thinks of days past and trials overtaken, of smiles and determination and growth - the new generation of heroes.
He was, and always would be, their number one fan.
“Yeah,” he says, smiling. “One of the first.”
