|| She's Perfect || BNHA x OP! Reader ||

51 - The Man behind the Flame

The hospital room was too quiet.

There was a rhythm to it—beeping monitors, the gentle buzz of overhead lights, the occasional shuffle of nurses beyond the door—but it all faded when I saw him.

All Might, my father.

He looked... smaller.

Bandages wrapped across his chest, one arm bound in tight gauze. His once-imposing frame, the very image of strength, now sat sunken against the hospital pillows. The Symbol of Peace reduced to fragile flesh and aching lungs.

And still, when he turned and saw me—he smiled.

Not the performative grin the world was used to. This one was quieter. Real.

"Kiddo," he rasped.

That one word cracked everything in me. My throat tightened. I crossed the room in four quick steps and threw my arms around him.

"Dad."

His arms wrapped around me, gently but with surprising strength. His chest heaved, and I felt him exhale against my shoulder. He buried his chin in my hair.

"I was so scared," I whispered.

"I know," he said. "I was too."

I pulled back just enough to look at him. His eyes were tired, rimmed red with exhaustion, but full of warmth. Love. Relief.

"You did it," I said. "You saved him. You saved us."

"I did what I had to," he replied. "You know how it is."

"But you almost died."

"Not the first time," he said, managing a soft laugh. "Probably won't be the last."

I didn't laugh.

He reached out and brushed my hair back behind my ear, just like when I was little. His hand lingered for a moment longer than it used to—like he was afraid this moment might slip away.

"I watched you," he said. "Up there. With your friends. You were incredible."

"We only got Bakugo out because of everyone else. Izuku's plan. Shoto's ice ramp. Iida breaking rules for once." I smiled faintly. "You should've seen him."

"I'll make sure to thank them," he said. "But I'm thanking you first."

"Why?"

His fingers gently squeezed my hand. "Because you've always been my reason."

I blinked. "Your reason?"

He nodded. "I didn't become a hero just for justice or glory. I did it because I had to protect something. Someone. You. You're the only family I've got, kid."

My breath caught. That warmth in my chest—it swelled and ached all at once.

"Even before you started school or wanting to be a hero. I wanted to build a world that would be safe enough for you to laugh freely in."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears spilled from my eyes as I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his shoulder.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered. "Not for being powerful. But for being kind."

The dam broke.

We didn't speak for several long moments. I just cried into his shoulder, and he held me. There was no Symbol of Peace here. No Pro Hero. Just my dad.

Just Toshinori Yagi.

I stayed longer than I meant to. We talked for nearly an hour—about little things. School, my friends, the mission. He was especially amused that Kirishima had bought night-vision goggles online.