Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA.

This is my first BNHA fanfic...and I'm also not finished watching season 3 nor have I read the manga, I just got really inspired by this AU and had to write it so I ended up writing this in one chunk whoops.

Inko and Izuku were his open secret.

Not that Toshinori was ever ashamed of either. No, so far from it. Inko was the most loving and caring woman he had ever met, and he had been smitten with her instantly. She had loved him before he was the top pro hero All Might, the Symbol of Peace. The store clerk at his favorite grocery store actually had grown fond of Toshinori Yagi, the recent UA graduate that was still trying to rise the ranks.

Like the rest of Toshinori's private life, their relationship was kept private and subtle, a true secret. Even when it was agreed to be official and they eventually moved in together, he could never forgive himself if harm came to her if he were to make her his wife. She was so understanding, and she loved him despite this, despite the dangers of being married to a pro hero.

He wished that he could tell everybody how much he loved her, confess to the press and be open about how he had a wonderful love at home. But he couldn't bring that kind of danger to her. All Might was needed all over the world, sometimes gone for long periods of time. A hero's work was never done, and she was alone more than he had liked. It would be easy for a villain to take advantage of the situation.

The public knew she existed. They knew that All Might had a live in girlfriend, but her name could never be quite pinpointed. She was always able to slip out of the home unnoticed to go to work. It took a while for people to chip away and bit by bit, the secret had become a bit more open.

But then Izuku was born, and the secret was basically public knowledge.

There was just simply no denying it, from the day he was born. While he primarily took after his mom, he had All Might's trademark shining smile and two strands of green bangs that stood up on their own exactly like All Might. No matter how much Toshinori ruffled his hair playfully or how much his mom attempted to style or gel his hair, they stuck up. Inko had dubbed them Izuku's bunny ears.

Toshinori could never be ashamed of them. Inko was a wonderful stay-at-home mother, and Izuku quickly became the light of his life. After the worst of days, all it took was seeing Izuku's excitement to see him, the excited footprints racing to the door and cheerful greeting, to make it all worth it. They were everything to him, and the only thing in his life that he truly feared being taken from him. Villains would stoop to any level to destroy a hero, especially when the details of his open secret would eventually slip into the public as his son grew and cause a whole new line of questioning that All Might didn't want to answer.

Izuku, the sole and only child of pro hero and Symbol of Peace All Might, had no quirk.

He was impressed by how much Izuku had kept it together in the doctor's office upon hearing the news. Inko had burst into tearful apologies, hugging and holding their son close. Izuku had said nothing the entire car ride home, and it wasn't until they were past the front doors of home that he had dropped to the floor and began sobbing hysterically.

Toshinori, of course, immediately scooped him up to comfort him. Inko's lower lip had trembled before she half-heartedly suggested that tonight they had Izuku's favorite dinner. To cheer him up. She had given Izuku a loving kiss before she had scurried off to the kitchen. He had never seen Inko look so guilty and heartbroken.

"It's going to be alright," Toshinori tried to sooth his son.

Izuku was still crying loudly, holding tightly onto his shirt and clinging to him like he did as a baby. And like then, his dad lightly rocked him as he took him to the living room to sit on the couch. His son sat in his lap, curled up and crying into his chest as Toshinori held him comfortingly. Guilt had begun to overwhelm the pro hero himself, and he had no clue what to say. How to tell his only child, who always looked at him so adoringly and whose heart was already so set on becoming a hero, that it was alright that he had no quirk. That his dreams could never be fulfilled.

"I know it's hard, bud. Many people don't have quirks, and they still grow up to be really happy," Toshinori told him. Izuku gave a hiccup. "You're not alone."

"But Daddy, I wanna be just like you," Izuku's voice croaked out. He rubbed an eye with the palm of his hand. Toshinori pecked his forehead.

"I know," he told him a bit quietly. Izuku's crying had died down to sniffles. Toshinori rubbed his back as they became quiet. The sound of pots and pans filled their silence, and Izuku sniffled again. Toshinori reached out to grab him a box of tissues, and Izuku blew his nose.

"...Daddy? Do you think I can still be a hero?" The question caused a knot of dread in Toshinori's stomach. "Even without a quirk?"

No. Without a quirk, Izuku would be as good as dead. Pro heroes were always risking their lives. It was a dangerous, hard and intense profession. The villains had quirks too. And some just couldn't be beaten without having a quirk of your own. Toshinori's mouth was dry, and he felt terrible.

"I'm sorry, Izuku. I wish things were different."

Izuku only gave a tearful whimper, and all Toshinori could think to do was just hug him. There was nothing really much else to say.

"Toshinori," Inko's voice had been hesitant as they were readying for bed, standing next to each other in the bathroom mirror. Izuku had been tucked in hours. Toshinori gave a hum of acknowledgement as he brushed his teeth. She paused in braiding her hair for the night. "Do you ever think...when Izuku's older…" He knew instantly where she was going with this, and he spit the toothpaste into the sink.

"I can't say," he confessed. "I don't want to promise anything. Get his hopes up. I need to make sure the next holder of One for All is the right person. I can't guarantee it'd be Izuku. And I don't want to influence or force it on him." He continued brushing his teeth.

"I understand," Inko sighed, and she tied off her braid. Her voice wavered, "I just...it hurts to see him like this. He wants to be a hero so much." Toshinori felt a heavy guilt in his chest, and he rinsed his toothbrush off.

"I know exactly how he feels," Toshinori sighed softly.

"Mr. All Might? May I please have something to drink?"

Toshinori paused his sandwich making, glancing over his shoulder to see Shoto. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, slyly rocking on his feet.

"Of course, Shoto," he responded. He put down his knife and the jar of jelly. "What do you want, sport?"

Shoto looked conflicted as he stared up at him, glancing nervously at the fridge.

"My dad said I can only have water," he said slowly. "I'm on a strict training diet."

You're eight years old, was what Toshinori wanted to scowl, but instead he forced a smile.

"Well, your dad's not here. What he won't know won't hurt him," he replied. He opened the fridge. "Do you want water?"

Shoto rocked on his heels more, biting his lower lip. Toshinori already knew the answer. No, not really. He would much rather have some juice.

"No," he finally confessed, visibly relaxing. "May I please have some juice?"

"Of course!"

Toshinori gestured for Shoto to go ahead and reach into the fridge for whatever he wanted. The boy hesitated before delicately picking up a single serving of an apple juice.

"Thank you!" he spoke cheerfully as he opened it, eagerly rushing back into the living room.

Within moments, he could hear him and Izuku continue playing their game. Toshinori listened as he finished making his sandwich, hearing the two talk happily. It pained him to remember that the only reason Shoto was allowed this playtime was because of him, because Endeavor had instructed Shoto to pay close attention to All Might to study the pro hero. Encouraging a friendship with Izuku in hopes that the boy may eventually spill the beans of what his quirk was or any potential weaknesses. Of course, Izuku didn't know his dad's quirk, nor his weaknesses. He was just as clueless as the world. In reality, this poorly disguised spying session had turned into a rare break for Shoto.

Toshinori couldn't do all too much to change Shoto's situation, but at the very least, it felt good to help give the poor kid a break.

"Made exactly to doctor's orders," Inko announced, setting a bed tray of food on Toshinori's lap. It was full to the brim with food, but of course, it wasn't all for him, and he knew exactly which serving was his. The small bowl of soup. A liquid diet to help him adjust to his new life with his stomach gone.

"Thank you, love," he told her warmly, and he picked up the bowl and his spoon.

Izuku eagerly grabbed his bowl of rice, shifting to settle back in his spot. He was sitting next to his dad on his parents' bed, having been chatting with him a mile a minute as the man was stuck on bedrest. Inko pulled up a chair to sit next to her family on his other side.

"I wish I had a quirk, then I could have been with you and helped you defeat the villain," Izuku spoke up. Toshinori flinched, but he recovered quickly with a smile.

"Not quite. You still wouldn't have a license to do anything," he reminded him lightly. "You'd be exactly where you were when it happened even if you had my quirk. At home tucked in bed."

Izuku pouted before taking a bite.

"But I have so many notes on Toxic Chainsaw," he protested. "I could have helped!"

Toshinori smiled warmly. Ah yes. The notebooks. He had discovered them for the first time last year. While changing Izuku's bedsheets, he had found the book of detailed notes, theories, observations and more on the villains of the city. It made the father proud and heartbroken at the same time.

He knew in his heart that Izuku would make for a good hero just based on his studies of villains. His intelligence and good marks in school, his devotion to learning and improving with each passing day. Izuku certainly was just like him. Always smiling, despite the teasing he knew he went though at school for having no quirk, despite the depression he knew he had from being quirkless. All the questions and confusion from the public that wondered how in the world All Might's son had no quirk, even if his mother's quirk wasn't super powerful. Izuku didn't deserve any of this. It simply wasn't fair.

He reached out to ruffle his hair, causing his son to flush in embarrassment and pull away. Despite the ruffling, those two strands continued to stand straight up.

"It wasn't Toxic Chainsaw," he told him. Izuku stared at him in slight confusion, and Inko spoke up, changing the subject.

"Izuku, did you have a good time at the Sports Festival with Shoto and Endeavor?" she questioned.

Izuku lit up, and he began to talk excitedly. Toshinori ate his soup, slowly and silently as he happily listened to his son. Izuku had taken in all the details of the players of the festival, having jotted them down in another notebook for further study. Toshinori wouldn't have expected any less from him.

Toshinori wheezed hard as he shrunk back to his true form the second he entered his home. He half-hazardly hung his keys up, holding onto his stomach. There was no injury from the fight, just a hard, burning pain. Inko's worried voice echoed in his mind, the one where she had inquired if it was maybe time for All Might to retire.

His fingers gripped the giant scar, as if applying pressure would stop the burning. No, All Might couldn't retire. The Symbol of Peace couldn't retire. That just simply wasn't an option. Toshinori just needed water. Some water and a good night's rest would make it all better.

He slowly made his way to the kitchen, and he froze as he locked eyes with Izuku. He was seated at the kitchen table, a book open and paused in writing in a notebook, staring at his dad in concern.

"Izuku," his voice came out a lot weaker than he expected, but he still was looking at him accusingly. "What are you still doing up?" Izuku looked guilty.

"I was studying. If I wanna go to UA, I have to do really well. I know I don't have a quirk, but I can still try my hardest," he replied with an apologetic smile. Toshinori's chest tightened a bit at the words. He put his pencil down, moving to stand up. "Are you alright, Dad? You look terrible. Was it Zookeeper?"

Toshinori hadn't realized how much he was sweating, nor out of breath he was or felt. He shook his head, putting his hand up. Izuku ignored him, moving to pull a chair out for him. Reluctantly, he accepted the seat, reaching to grab a napkin from the table to dab at his face. Izuku was already opening the fridge to grab the water pitcher and a glass.

"A different villain," he half-lied. Izuku's eyes lit up in interest as he poured some water to hand to him.

"Tell me everything," he requested, and his dad snorted in amusement.

"It's way past your bedtime," he reminded him, and he accepted the water, taking a long gulp. "You need to get to bed." Izuku put the water away, but he didn't move to clean up his stuff. He stayed silent for a moment.

"Dad, are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "I know it's been harder for you lately. But it looks like it's getting worse. Actually, I can tell it is. I've been keeping track, and you've gone from being able to spend all day as All Might, and on average, every six months you're spending an hour less as All Might. Maybe Mom's right. Maybe you should think about retiring."

Of course he couldn't hide it from Izuku. It made him very proud of his son's attention to the changes, but it also, to be quite frank, scared him. His son was unintentionally reminding him of how quickly his health was declining the past two years. Despite all the surgeries and the recovery...He would just never be his old self again.

His grip around the water glass tightened. The pressure to find an heir for One For All was growing. He glanced at his son, and he forced a smile.

"I'm the Symbol of Peace, son. The Symbol of Peace can't just up and retire," he replied. Izuku stared sorrowfully at him.

"But you're also my dad. I don't want to see you stretch yourself so thin you can't ever become All Might again," he replied softly. Toshinori motioned for Izuku to come over, and he did. He wrapped an arm around his son, hugging him tightly.

"Don't worry too much about your old man," he tried to lightly joke. "You just worry about school and such, okay?"

Izuku looked conflicted, but gave a weak "okay" before bidding him a goodnight as he finally gathered his things and went to his room.

"Izuku." He could tell his son was expecting a lecture on the absolute foolishness of his actions. How stupid it was for him to cross a police line. The danger he put himself in, and the pure amount of raw fear Toshinori felt seeing his only child running straight for a villain in hopes of freeing the captive, a blond peer of his.

His son stared up at him with teared eyes.

"I couldn't stand there and do nothing!" he blurted out. Toshinori silently waited for him to continue. After a few seconds, he did indeed continued. "I wasn't going to just stare and watch Kacchan die." With every word, he seemed to get more hysterical. "I'm sorry. I really am. I just had to do something."

Toshinori said nothing. He pulled Izuku into a hug, and he felt him wrap his arms around him tightly. Toshinori squeezed him tightly. More than anything, he was relieved that he was okay. He had never been so afraid or so relieved.

After a moment, he pulled away and studied him. Thankfully, Izuku was unharmed. He had mustered the strength in time to come and take charge of the situation. Despite there being several heroes on the scene...it was his son that risked everything to save his friend.

He smiled, his heart warming. His son risked everything to help somebody, despite no quirks. As a hero would. He knew he should be giving him a lecture. He would, in due time. But right now, all he could feel was pride as a sense of knowing finally settled.

Izuku was the right choice. He had spent so long worried about being biased, hung up on the guilt that his son had no quirk. But the next holder needed to be somebody like Izuku. Somebody who was willing to risk everything to save somebody despite having no quirk, no training, no skills. If there was anybody that deserved his quirk, it was him.

"Let's go home," he told him. Izuku flinched in worry. "Don't worry. You're not in trouble." Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Not...right now, anyway. But I want to talk to you about something. I think it's time you learned about the true nature of my quirk."