Toshinori awkwardly coughed into his handkerchief as Gran poured them both coffee. Maybe he should have put his will in order before coming?

(several people snorted)

Tamaki: Yes...

Recovery Girl: You really should have a will in place as is you're practically about to die any day now.

Honestly, it probably wasn't a bad idea to have a will ready anyway with the way his health was going. He really wished that visits with his old mentor could be a little less terrifying, but even being in the man's presence brought back all the feelings of inadequacy he'd felt when he was still trying to prove to Nana and Gran that he really did deserve One for All. The reason for the current visit also didn't help.

"Oh, stop shaking Toshinsori." Gran snapped. "I'm not gonna beat up some guy that's already got two feet in the grave, so stop freaking out so we can talk already."

Toshinsori chuckled wryly, "Not even just one foot in the grave, Gran? Two?"

Gran Torino: Oh most certainly two.

"With the way you live, you should be grateful any of you is still out of the grave at all." Gran complained good-naturedly. "You're reckless, kiddo."

"So I've been told." Toshinori fiddled with the handkerchief in his hands. "But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about."

"No, it's not." Gran set down his coffee mug and heaved a heavy sigh, "You're here to talk about Deku."

Aizawa(grumbling): Time for this conversation.

All Might: Other me had better learn.

Toshinori nodded sheepishly, "I... well, I guess I thought I knew how the world works, but..."

"But Deku keeps proving you wrong." Gran finished.

Mirio: He definitely does.

Toshinori shrugged. It wasn't necessarily just that young Midoriya kept proving him wrong, it was that literally everyone else seemed to be willing to give him a chance and from the very beginning, Toshininori just... couldn't. He didn't know how to describe it, but...

"Isn't it my duty as a hero to keep people safe?"

Inko: Yes but this isn't just about Izuku's safety anymore.

Gran took a long sip of his coffee and stared out the window thoughtfully, "Hmmm, I suppose that comes down to the price of safety, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean the price of safety?" Toshinori gestured to his missing stomach. "Because if this is what you mean, I think I've already paid it."

Gran chucked, "I guess in some way you have, haven't you? But that's not what I mean, kid. You studied abroad in America, didn't you? What did they teach you about the Patriot Act?"

Tsunotori: Oh I remember that.

Toshinori thought for a moment. His study abroad had been a long time ago and he would be the first to admit that he had paid more attention to the local villains than he had the classes, with the exception of geography of course. He had had to learn the names of all fifty states, after all. But the Patriot Act sounded familiar.

"Wasn't that a pre-quirk law?" He asked finally. "Something about international security? I didn't think it was still on the books anymore."

Gran sighed, "Even if the law itself was overturned, the effects are still being felt hundreds of years later. And yes, it was about security, specifically keeping America safe from potential terrorists. The details aren't important, but the point is that the Patriot Act offered safety, but at the cost of the privacy of the people it was supposed to be keeping safe. Can you see why there was public outcry once the country realized exactly what was happening?"

"Not really..." Toshinori said slowly. "Wasn't the extra safety worth it? America was just trying to become the world's own symbol of peace, right?"

Hawks: Sometimes staying safe just isn't worth it.

"And that's why we're having an issue." Gran said tiredly. "Kid, sometimes staying safe comes at the cost of living in a bubble. Sometimes it comes at the cost of having your own choices stomped on by everyone you meet. And sometimes... well, sometimes safety can come at the cost of happiness. Does that make any sense at all to you?"

Something about what Gran was saying tickled at the back of Toshinori's mind, but he still felt like there was some grand punchline that Gran was trying to get at and he was somehow still missing it. The feeling was frustratingly familiar from his time as a student, but at least now his failures weren't being punctuated by kicks to the gut.

He supposed that was the perk of only having half a stomach.

(everyone just looked at All Might in exasperation)

All Might: What? I do only have half a stomach now.

Recovery Girl(pinching the bridge of her nose): Not funny Toshinori.

"Gran..." Toshinori stared his mentor straight in the eyes, "I have given up so much to keep the people of Japan safe. To keep people like Deku safe. To be the protector that I needed as a young boy. I've used One for All to become a symbol of peace, even though that meant giving up my health, my time, and even my identity so that I could be what the people needed. I just... I don't understand how the price of safety could ever be too high."

"And maybe that's what the problem is." Gran groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "You've never known the meaning of restraint Toshinori. For you it's always plus ultra or nothing. Maybe that's why One for All suits you so well, I don't know, but kid... look where that mentality has gotten you. I know Nighteye's called you out on your self-destructive habits before. I sure as hell have and probably Recovery Girl and Eraserhead have too. Heck, even Nezu has given you an earful a time or two, so I know you can't deny it's a problem."

All Might: Yeah I admit I have a problem.

Gran looked at him sharply and Toshinori resisted the urge to squirm in his seat like a middle schooler getting scolded, "You don't ever hold back, kid. You go at your goals with everything, which is part of what makes you a great hero, but it's also what's gotten you to the point where you have to carry around that handkerchief everyday. For you, no price is too high to pay, so you can't get it through your thick head that other people have limits, Toshinori! Other people look at an unwinnable fight and would rather escape with their lives! Other people lose half their internal organs and retire instead of pushing themselves to ruin!"

Jirou: Sometimes I wonder how All Might is still alive.

Tsukauchi: You're not the only one.

Toshinori shrunk back in his seat and Gran paused as he realized that he had stood up at some point and was now yelling at the number one hero, not that he probably cared about rank.

Gran Torino: No I definitely do not.

He sighed and dropped back down into his chair, "Other people would rather live life on their own terms than be protected, Toshinori. Deku's safety, the way you see it, would come at a cost of his happiness and his ability to control his own life. Can you at least see why that price might be more than he's willing to pay?"

Mirko: Yup.

"So let me get this straight." Aizawa said slowly. "All Might knowingly gave a teenager, a student, a quirk that not only comes with an as yet unknown quantity of power, but also an insane number of extra quirks and a possibly immortal nemesis hellbent on destroying him. Did I leave anything out?"

Midoriya(chuckling nervously): No?

"In his defense," Mirio grinned awkwardly, "I really don't think he knew about the other quirks."

All Might: No I didn't...

"And he fully believed All for One to be dead." Nezu added.

Kurogiri: Except he wasn't.

"He wouldn't have if he just thought things through for once in his life." Aizawa sighed. "That man is the height of irrationality."

Izuku nodded in agreement.

(everyone laughed)

"Sensei." Kurogiri's voice appeared to his left. "You have visitors."

"Perfect." All for One used one of his telekinesis quirks to turn off the television and straightened up to look more intimidating, not that he needed much help, what with being quite literally a faceless villain, but still. "Bring them here."

There was a slight whoosh of air as Kurogiri used Warp Gate and then a low whistle, "Woah, these are some nice digs ya got here! All this equipment must've cost a pretty penny, but that's probably chump change for the symbol of evil, isn't it."

Twice: Hi Giran! Goodbye!

"Giran." All for One kept a professional air and was almost grateful All Might had blinded him so that he didn't have to see Giran's stupid smirk. He knew he was wearing one, men like him always did. One would think that brokers were easy to manipulate because they would do anything for a price, but the truth was the opposite. Men like Giran were always much more comfortable doing the manipulating, which meant that although doing business with them was necessary, All for One preferred not to draw it out. "I assume the other person with you is the man I asked you to find."

Inko(freezing): The author identifying quirk?

There was a small squeak from their other guest, "Yessir! Um, I was told that you wanted me to, uh, identify someone for you? It's sometimes hard because I just see a face, and sometimes it takes a little to track down who that face belongs to, but uh..." the man chuckled nervously, "I've, uh, heard you don't like being disappointed, so uh, I'll do my best!"

All for One smiled, something that he knew was both comforting and intimidating at the same time, and held out his hand. The man took it with only slight hesitation, a sure sign that he didn't know exactly who he was dealing with. Excellent.

Toga: Why isn't he stealing it?

Any other quirk, All for One would have been tempted to steal at that moment. Actually, he was tempted to steal it. He could feel the quirk humming just below the man's skin, practically begging to be taken a put to better use than this snivelling sycophant could ever manage, but All for One simply shook the man's hand firmly and let go.

It would be counterintuitive for a blind man to steal a quirk that required eyesight.

Toga: Oh. Right. I forgot.

Dabi: Yeah obviously.

"I have an article I'd like you to read." All for One said simply. He gestured to Kurogiri, who held out a tablet that would already have one of the anonymous poster's more popular articles displayed on the screen. "I would like to know who wrote it."

The man laughed nervously as he took the tablet, "Well, like I said, I'll try, but I haven't seen every face, so..."

The man gulped as All for One let a tad of his intimidating aura seep into the air. He was done with words, it was time for action. And, on the off chance that the man was unable to identify who he needed, it would be simple to give his quirk to someone who could.

Mic(worriedly): Considering how often Midoriya's been in the news though...

Midnight: Not good.

The man read silently, thankfully, for a few minutes before he chuckled again, time time sounding relieved instead of anxious, "Here I was, all worried for nothing. Turns out, your guy's actually pretty popular. His face has been in the news a lot lately, so uh, if I can just look up his name..."

"Who is he?" All for One demanded impatiently.

Midoriya(squeaking): Me...

"Oh, it's that quirkless kid from the sports festival." The man said dismissively. "The one who fought Stain? Uh, Deku, I think his name was... Ah yes, here it is... Izuku Midoriya!"

The man paused and swallowed, his nerves back in full force as All for One's rage almost tangibly enveloped the room, "Um... did I say something wrong?"

Compress: He's dead isn't he?

Spinner: Mm-hm.