All Might x Student!Reader (Boku no Hero Academia)

Chapter 28 - The Confession

You stared at the man standing right in front of you, your mind spinning in disbelief. This wasn't a dream. It wasn't a vision, a hunch, or some strange illusion conjured by your powers. No, this was real. And yet, you couldn't believe it. You rubbed your eyes involuntarily as the fear that had gripped you earlier slowly started to melt away, replaced by shock, confusion, and overwhelming disbelief.

The man standing before you—thin, angular, long-limbed—was All Might. Or rather, he was All Might, but not in the way you had always imagined him. This fragile-looking man, with his gaunt face and hollow cheeks, was Toshinori Yagi. How? Why? How could it even be possible that this person was the man you had idolized for so long? The hero you had admired since childhood, the man who symbolized peace, strength, and hope for everyone. The very idea made your head spin.

You wanted to speak, to ask a million questions, but the words refused to come. Your throat felt tight, as though some invisible force was choking the voice out of you. All you managed to do was move your mouth, opening and closing it like a fish gasping for air, before you gave up. There was nothing you could say, nothing that would make sense. Nothing that could make this moment feel real.

Toshinori—no, All Might—seemed to anticipate your reaction. He had known you long enough to predict how you'd respond, though that knowledge didn't make the situation any less difficult. He watched as you stood there, frozen in place, eyes wide with shock. You didn't know it, but he had always been watching you. He paid attention to everything you did, every word you spoke, every emotion you tried to hide. He couldn't help it. There was something about you that drew his attention, though he had never allowed himself to dwell on it too deeply.

In the beginning, he had compared you to Midoriya, another young student with insecurities and doubts, someone who idolized him. But it hadn't taken long for him to realize that you and Midoriya were nothing alike. Sure, you were both unsure of yourselves and prone to overthinking things, but with you, everything was magnified. You wore your emotions on your sleeve, even when you tried to hide them. It made you vulnerable, and he had been careful around you, never wanting to say the wrong thing, never wanting to cause you more pain than you already carried.

And now? 

Now, the truth was out, and he could see the disbelief etched in every line of your face. He sighed quietly, feeling the old, familiar pain flaring up from the deep wound that villain had given him years ago. He didn't have much time left in his true form for the day. He needed to revert back before his body gave out entirely.

With a deep breath, his towering figure began to shrink, and before your eyes, the larger-than-life All Might disappeared. In his place stood the frail form of Toshinori Yagi, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths as he glanced at the ground, avoiding your eyes.

"I'm sorry," he began softly, his voice hoarse and low. "I didn't want you to find out this way. I meant to tell you... later, when the time was right."

He took a step back, unsure how to proceed. He wasn't used to this. Facing villains? Sure. Inspiring hope in the hearts of millions? That was his specialty. But explaining his true self to someone he cared about, knowing it might crush their image of him? That was an entirely different kind of battle.

"I know you probably don't know what to say," he continued. "But please... let me explain everything. Will you hear me out?"

You nodded, even though your mind was still spinning. What else could you do? You needed answers—answers to the questions you hadn't even formed yet.

Toshinori took a deep breath, then began.

"I wasn't born with a Quirk," he said, his voice steady despite the weight of the words. "The power you know as One for All... it was passed down to me by my predecessor. I wasn't always the Symbol of Peace, you see. I was given this power to fight against a greater evil, and I've spent my life trying to live up to that responsibility."