Palm To Palm

Chapter 2

Third person pov

Apparently being the Number One Hero has it perks. A few hours go by, the press disperses after getting tired of waiting for so long, and soon enough Toshinori finds himself standing cluelessly in his apartment with a child in one arm and a ratty backpack in the other, not super sure how he even got here. There's also a hasty stack of paperwork, files, and other resources that he hardly understand the meaning of clutched so tightly in his hand he knows they'll be wrinkled. He has absolutely no idea what's happening. Just that the sun is setting, he's been healed, and now he apparently has a child. In his home. Their home. 

Izuku is quiet. He sits in the crook of his arm carefully, curled up like a little puppy. Toshinori's heart squeezes every time he dares to glance down at the boy, his throat closing up and his disbelief in himself surging. He did that. He just went and adopted a child. An entire, living, breathing entity. A tiny one. He's counting on him to pull through and give him the life he deserves. The caretakers told him what little they knew about Izuku's past. A loving mother lost tragically when their apartment building caught on fire. Izuku hadn't been there when it occurred. All Might suspects he would've stopped at nothing to save his mother if he had been.

Overall, Izuku seems sweet. He'd looked up at him with tearful eyes when All Might had asked about their adoption process. Toshinori knew immediately what he was asking. He was trying to make sure he was sure he wanted to do this, and honestly, what kind of question was that? There'd be a cold day in hell when he was heartless enough to leave his literal savior behind. One who is so clearly hurt himself and in need of help. He's the Number One Hero for a reason! What sort of man would he be if he couldn't save the one who'd pulled him from the depths of his ill fate? He isn't doing this out of some guilty obligation. He's doing it because this boy deserves it. 

Izuku had refused to let go of him after he made the surety of his decision clear. Since healing him, he'd clung to the hero in an entirely endearing way that had Toshinori melting. He caved quicker than he'd ever dare to admit. Big green eyes, tentative smiles. Lanced straight through his heart. He cradled the kid in one arm and did paperwork with the other. The caretakers found it absolutely adorable, eyes wide as he went through the painstaking process. Throughout the entire thing, Izuku never let go. Stayed nestled against him securely. Toshinori could feel himself become more and more taken with every passing second. Now he's full of teeming anxiety and a fair amount of elation over what's just happened. A little voice in the back of his head traitorously chants 'son, son, son'. He reminds himself that he just met this boy today and to slow down. 

"I looks like it's just you and I, my boy." All Might gave a grin despite how fast his heart was racing. What has he done? He's not qualified to take care of child! Why had they trusted him with this?! They'd practically handed Izuku over with little to no questions asked. He knew he was registered as an emergency foster parent, as most heroes were, but they'd tossed over full custody like it was a steaming pork bun. He knew he had lives in his hands every day, but this was a new sort of responsibility. Toshinori had no idea how to deal with it. He was exhilarated and ready, but scared at the same time. Like being on a rollercoaster with no seatbelt or bar of any kind.

Izuku peered up at All Might in awe. He could feel his nerves from here, fraying at the edges from stress. He felt guilty. He hadn't healed All Might just so he'd feel obligated to take him! Izuku would never want to take advantage of someone like that. He'd just wanted to help was all. He knew he wasn't supposed to. His mom had said so, no matter how much he wanted to at times. It was bad for him. There'd be bad guys after him if they ever found out, she'd once told him in a very hushed tone. The idea is enough to make him shrink in on himself. He doesn't want to cause trouble or draw attention to himself. A selfish part of him tells him he's only here because he can't-- won't let go of the hero. That if he'd detached himself sooner and hadn't clung to All Might like some sort of Spider Monkey, maybe he wouldn't have been driven to take him in.