#dad!might

Toshinori tugs at his collar and clears his throat, trying not to quail under the sharp gaze of the woman in front of him. Izuku shifts but doesn’t let go of Toshinori’s hand, sensing the tension but unsure of its reason.

“Mr. Midoriya,” the teacher says finally. “You are almost an hour late.”

Toshinori winces and glances down at his son, who looks back up at him with wide, trusting eyes. He suddenly, viscerally wishes that Inko was here. She wouldn’t have been an hour late picking their son up from school.

“I know,” he says, hunching over to try and make himself appear smaller. “I, um...had an emergency come up at work.”

That’s the truth, at least. Some villain and his dozens of minions had decided that the best time to destroy downtown was ten minutes before Toshinori was supposed to leave to pick Izuku up. If Endeavor and some other heroes hadn’t shown up, he’s sure he would still be down there.

“And you couldn’t call?” the teacher demands, her voice as sharp and unrelenting as a blade. If villains were half as intimidating as her, Toshinori would be in trouble.

“No,” Toshinori squeezes Izuku’s hand. “I’m afraid that there was nothing I could have done.”

The teacher narrows her eyes into furious slits. “I see. Well -”

“Dad,” Izuku interrupts, tugging on Toshinori’s hand. “I want to go home.”

Toshinori lets out a relieved sigh and bows. “I sincerely apologize for my lateness, but we really must be going.”

Then he sweeps them out of the room before the teacher can say another word.

They walk for several minutes in silence, Izuku staring absentmindedly ahead, Toshinori glancing between his son and the road. Izuku is completely different from the tiny baby Toshinori had shoved into Chiyo’s hands that rainy night so long ago.

“I really am sorry, Izuku,” Toshinori says after a moment.

“It was a villain, wasn’t it?” Izuku says, not really a question. He sounds blase, uncaring, and it makes Toshinori’s heart clench. “Can I see the video?”