Chapter Text
Izuku stepped through the doorway of his home early into the evening. Exhaustion had his eyes drooping and his body dragging. His clothes soaked through with sweat and clung to his body, leaving him feeling disgusting. The cool air of his home sapped the heat from his drenched clothing, plummeting his body temperature and sending a shiver through his body.
“Mom!” Izuku yelled, “I’m home!”
His mother’s muffled voice called back from her bedroom, “Okay honey! I’ll be out in a second to start dinner!”
Izuku moved closer to her bedroom door so he didn’t have to yell, “I’m gonna take a shower, mom. I’m gross!”
He heard her giggle through her door, “Please do, Izuku! Take your time.”
Izuku grinned and shook his head before heading into his room to grab fresh clothes. He grabbed his All-Might pajamas, since he had no plans to go out again once the sun started to set. Neither his mom nor his dad wanted him out later on. Villain activity had been on a steady rise, though his parents would never admit it. They didn’t have to. An increase in battles aired on the various hero networks had proven that enough.
His parents argued a lot, but he could tell they still cared for each other. Cared for him. At 10 years old, he’d had his quirk, All for One, for 4 years. He’d somehow inherited a large arsenal of quirks from his father to start, and that arsenal had only grown. Izuku promised himself he wouldn’t steal quirks from anyone but the most damned of villains. Many nights of arguments and begging, at least on Izuku’s part, had lead to his father also holding back from stealing them from good people. Not openly, at least.
Izuku knew his father to be a villain. He’d known it from the first day that his quirk manifested. That day he’d stolen a quirk from an older bully that had been beating on him and Kacchan, making fun of Izuku for being quirkless and useless. After that day, his father had made Kacchan swear never to speak of that day again. For a few years, Izuku had often wished that he was quirkless. At least until his father had found out about his feelings about it.
“Izuku, it took me years to amass such a large stockpile of quirks!” Dad said, “You don’t have to use that part of your quirk if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t?” Izuku asked incredulously.
“No!” Dad said, looking offended. “Did you actually think I would make you do that?”
Izuku looked down at his feet, “…Y-Yeah?”
“Izuku, look at me.” He did, peering up into his Dad’s now stony expression. “You’re my son. I’m never going to make you do anything, do you understand?”
Izuku nodded.
“I know you want to be a hero,” Dad said in a tone betraying his disappointment, “You know how I feel about that, for obvious reasons, but I won’t stop you. In fact, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re ready for it!”
“Really?!” Izuku squealed.
Dad chuckled deeply, “Of course! But you have to promise me something, Izuku.”
"What?”
“There are people out there that would want to hurt you, if they knew you have my quirk. Do you understand?”
Izuku looked down dejectedly, “B-Because you’re bad?”
Dad nodded, managing to look slightly guilty. “Yes, son. There are.. people that want to hurt me, good and bad. I don’t want you to get hurt because of the things I’ve done.”
Izuku nodded weakly, “O-Okay… People already think I’m quirkless.”
Dad sighed heavily, “I know, Izuku, I know. Someday you’ll be able to show it, I promise. Just pretend for a while, okay?”
“Okay…”
Dad hugged him tight, “It’ll be okay. Just give me time to figure it out, okay?”
“Yeah.” Izuku said softly into his dad’s chest, “I can wait.”
“Good.” Dad rumbled, “I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
Izuku smiled. After a time he had grown quite fond of his quirk, if not the main function of it. Always true to his word, his father had never forced him to take a quirk from anybody. He would come home from time to time with ‘gifts’, meaning another quirk or two for Izuku to make use of. For a while, Izuku would ask why his dad wouldn’t keep them for himself. His dad would always say that his ‘collection’ was more than enough, and that he didn’t have time to figure out the deeper functions of each quirk. He would say that Izuku did a much better job of finding out the intricacies, as he had much more time to do so.
Izuku finished his shower and got dressed quickly. The heat of the water did wonders to relax his sore muscles, soothing the stiffness and cleaning the various scrapes and cuts he always managed to acquire. Feeling clean and comfortably tired, he went into the living room and plopped down on the couch to watch the latest hero news. The busy sounds of his mom working in the kitchen helped him relax, the familiar scent of katsudon in the air causing his stomach to rumble.
The current news suddenly switched completely to a live report, as was common when a new battle would break out. The screen revealed a scene of absolute chaos. City streets were riddled with rubble from crumbling buildings. Clouds of dust and smoke in the air made visibility difficult, but Izuku could make out two figures. One of them being All-Might, his bright costume cutting through the dreary, gray landscape. The other was much harder to see, but they were standing close together.
“Breaking news! As we speak, All-Might is facing off against a mysterious group of villains! This mystery group seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of a battle! Previously, All-Might had been facing off against a single mysterious man, but now you can see them fighting side-by-side!”
Izuku could finally make it out as the cameras panned out. Several figures sat atop ruined rooftops and piles of rubble, looking down at All-Might and his companion threateningly. He couldn’t hear what was being said over the roar of the helicopter, but it was clear that they meant harm. But who could do that much damage? Who would be a threat to All-Might himself?
“Nobody knows who All-Might’s mysterious opponent is, or was! However, in the face of this new threat, it appears that they have called a truce to their battle! Who are these new villains, that they can stop such a devastating battle in it’s tracks?!”
Suddenly the scene exploded with action, All-Might and his suited companion bursting into action in a blur of motion. All-Might went one way, leaping onto a precarious rooftop to engage the villain that had been doing all the talking. The mystery man went the other way to engage in a similar fashion.
It was only when he caught sight of the mystery man’s enlarged, grotesque arm that he recognized who it was.
“M-Mom?!” Izuku called frantically, his voice shaky.
His mom rushed around the corner with a worried expression, “What is it, Izuku?”
Izuku pointed at the TV, trying and failing to keep from trembling. “W-Why is d-dad fighting with All-Might?”
Glass shattered as his mom dropped the dish she had been holding, her hand covering her mouth in horror as she took in the catastrophic scene on the television. Tears streamed down her face as she let out a terrified whine. “H-Hisashi?!”
Izuku leaped to his feet and into his mother’s arms, his own eyes brimming with tears. “W-What’s going o-on, Mom?!”
She didn’t respond verbally, instead wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tight. Mother and son watched with terrible anxiety as the battle raged on. Buildings continued to fall under the force of the fight, explosions and bursts of wind rocking the helicopter and the cameraman in it. Lightning crashed, the flashes only briefly illuminating the battle through the smokescreen of destruction. Izuku could hardly make out anything, but one thing was obvious: The fight was not going well for either party.
“Izuku, I’m putting a number in your phone. If anything happens, call it. Kurogiri will take you somewhere safe.”
The memory caused Izuku to pull away from his mom with sudden vigor, rushing into his room to grab his phone. He ignored his mom’s frantic demands as he navigated his contacts with shaky hands. As soon as he landed on Kurogiri’s contact information, he dialed.
Kurogiri, the only one of his father’s men that had ever been allowed to meet the family. The man was as loyal as they come. He always treated them with utmost respect, approaching subservience at times. If anyone would be able to tell them what was going on, it would be his father’s right hand man.
Kurogiri answered after a few rings, “Izuku, I’m sorry but now is not the time!”
“Kurogiri, w-what’s going on?” Izuku demanded, “It’s on the news.”
Kurogiri cursed, “It’s.. going to be fine, Izuku. Let your father handle this.”
He’s worried. He knows it’s bad. Izuku made up his mind in a hurry. “Kurogiri, I need you to bring me there.”
“What?!” His mom shrieked, “No! Izuku, you are not going out there!”
Kurogiri must have heard her, “She’s right, Izuku. You’re far too young. Your father would be furious if any of us let you go out there.”
Izuku growled in frustration, fresh tears flowing down his cheeks. “I-I’ll-- I have to d-do something!”
“Stay safe, Izuku.” Kurogiri said firmly, “It won’t help if your father has to worry about you being in the way.”
Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. They were right. He may be strong, but he would just get in the way if both All-Might and his dad were struggling. He hung up the phone and threw it at the floor in frustration. How could he be a hero if he couldn’t even help his dad? If he was too weak to do anything?
His mother’s arms wrapped around him and he returned the embrace with desperation, their combined sobs wracking both of their bodies. She pulled him back to the couch and sat him down, still holding him tightly. They sat together as the fight continued to rage on. Worry and fear held them in place as they watched, praying that everything would be fine.
Come on, Dad. You can’t lose!
__
All for One sent his last opponent rocketing through a building with a blast of air. He crouched in preparation as he swapped quirks, gritting his teeth against the discomfort as his arm twisted and reformed into a massive fist. Before the enemy could tumble to a stop he launched himself forward in a blur to catch up. Slowing to match their speed, he reared his monstrosity of an arm back mid-air and slammed them into the ground.
He’d recognized the man from previous dealings in China. A middling villain in the Triad, overly prideful and cocky. The man viewed himself as superior to everyone else, including All for One. Now having fought him, he couldn’t help but scoff at the man’s unfounded opinion of himself. Another prime example of wasted potential and blind ego.
His quirk is good, too. What a shame that I’ll just have to take it. All for One forwent subtlety in favor of tearing the quirk from the man instantly. While he had only had 3 people sent after him, All-Might had 5. Their plan was clear, well thought out with the exception of one minor detail: They underestimated both All-Might and himself. Likely they thought the two would do more damage to one another before they arrived.
They were here to take down All-Might, having sent the 3 weakest of their group as a distraction. Under normal circumstances, All for One certainly wouldn’t mind All-Might being taken down. After all, they were here in the first place because All-Might had finally found him. However, following the rumors that had made their way into his network, he was beginning to worry.
Word from overseas hinted that the Triad were on the back foot and struggling to keep their hold over the country altogether. They went quiet, supposedly seeking to gain a new foothold to establish their power somewhere else. If Japan was that place, taking down the singular Pillar of society would surely help to send the country into chaos. Chaos that would be ideal for settling in and establishing connections and a network of power.
A pity they had completely underestimated him. Or perhaps hoped to gain his favor by taking down his nemesis. If that was the case, they were sorely mistaken. Enemies or not, Japan was still their country. All for One wasn’t about to let another country swoop in and take control. He didn’t miss their shocked expressions as both nemesis’ ceased fighting immediately upon realizing what was going on. He didn’t miss their fear as All-Might and All for One attacked simultaneously. Inflated ego or not, nobody would be comfortable in their shoes.
Fools. All for One thought with disdain. Sending a handful of B-ranks, lead by one or two A-rank Triads to take on the two strongest people in Japan. A clear sign of desperation. Even if they had isolated All-Might, the odds would have been even at best.
Well, suppose I’ll go check on All-Might. Perhaps we’ll have to keep up the most tenuous truce in history. All for One strolled out onto the main street once again, eyeing the buildings as if they would collapse on his at any moment. The chances of that were extremely high.
His nemesis faced off against 3 Triads, likely the strongest of the 8 they had brought. He recognized them all. Three elemental quirk-users that were always seen together as a trio. Spitfire, Thunderclap, and Windrunner. Individually they were B-rank at best, but they could be considered S-rank as a group due to their seamless teamwork.
All-Might was struggling against them. Their coordinated attacks made it difficult for him to close the distance. Every time he did, his target would be pulled away by the winds and hidden by a gout of flame and the cloud of smoke that followed. His nemesis was winded, battered and bloody but his injuries didn’t appear to be permanent.
All for One sighed and began stacking quirks. From what he’d gathered, the trio excelled in taking down singular targets. Very few match-ups were disadvantageous for them.
When they were all together.
He stacked two enhancement quirks with two generic strength quirks, then topped it off with enhanced perception to counteract the disorienting speed. He crouched, reacquainting himself with the power coursing through him before rocketing straight towards Windrunner. He closed the distance in a fraction of a second, passing All-Might before the man could even react, and smashed his fist into Windrunner’s gut before slamming an elbow into her jaw and sending her crashing into the ground with a kick to the back.
All-Might took the opening to engage Spitfire to his left. Without Windrunner to help the man disengage the #1 hero made quick work of him, knocking him unconscious in seconds with a flurry of devastating blows.
Static filled the air, causing his hair to stand on end. He took one look at Thunderclap and shot forward, just in time for a massive bolt of lightning to crash into the ground behind him. He grabbed the lightning-user’s arm and tensed in pain as a current of electricity flashed through his body. Thunderclap flashed a feral grin at his reaction.
All for One returned it as his hand began to glow blood-red. Her face twisted in horror and pain as she tried to pull her arm away, but he tightened his iron grip and felt bones begin to crack under it. He felt for her quirk and pulled, tearing it from her body. She howled a blood-curdling scream, then went limp. He let go and watched her collapse to the ground.
A nearby building collapsed, large chunks of brick and cement falling into a massive pile of rubble. Dust billowed out into a cloud that enveloped the entire street, and only silence followed. All for One calmly walked over to Windrunner’s body to check for signs of life, and was greeted by a faint pulse. He grunted, pleased, as his hand began to glow. He pulled the quirk away from her, more carefully this time as they would need at least one of the Triad alive for interrogation.
That done, he ignored Spitfire completely. Fire quirks had never been his forte. Most of the quirks he gathered would be going to Izuku anyways, and his son already had a nearly identical one that he didn’t like using.
He stood up straight, showing none of the stiffness that he felt. By the next day, he was certain he would be a canvas of bruises and cuts that would need treated. Overall he wasn’t worried about that, however. He’d been in far worse shape more times than he could count. Not that he would ever admit that out loud, especially with his nemesis standing not ten meters away.
“All for One.” All-Might growled, his voice tight.
All for One turned to meet his gaze, already gathering the quirks he would need if the #1 hero decided to keep fighting. “Do you wish to continue our fight, or can we talk about what this means?”
The man didn’t look good, but neither did he seem to be in serious danger. Injured, but not permanently. Blood matted his blonde hair to his head, the excess running down his face and casting a gruesome look to his broad features. His costume was torn, charred and utterly ruined, coated in a layer of dust and more blood.
All-Might clenched his jaw, “Who are these people?”
“Triad. I recognize the trio you just fought.”
“You brought them here.” All-Might bit out.
All for One shook his head, “No. I believe they came here to kill you, however.”
“Excuse me if I don’t believe you, but why?”
“To establish a new foothold. They’ve been losing ground in China, for reasons I haven’t been privy to.”
All-Might growled, “You expect me to believe you have nothing to do with this?”
“You’re in no condition to do anything about me, All-Might.” All for One pointed out, “And I have no reason to lie about it. You’ve noticed the sudden surge in crime, have you not?”
All-Might nodded stiffly, “Of course.”
“This,” All for One waved around with a hand, “Is an attempt to destabilize our country. Our country, All-Might. If they were to take you down, the chaos would provide a perfect opportunity for them to contest for control.”
“That’s how this started,” All-Might ground out with a look around. “With you taking advantage of chaos! Give me one reason to think this isn’t your doing.”
“If that was my goal now, All-Might, I would tear you down right now. Tell me that I couldn’t.”
A pause, then a demand. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Do you really believe I would allow another country to take control of ours?” He countered, “They were testing us. Would we continue fighting each other, or would we set aside our differences to take out the foreign threat? Are we a strong as we’re rumored to be? They sent just enough to pose a threat, possibly to take one of us down if we were any weaker.”
All-Might stared him down in consideration for a long moment before he relaxed the slightest bit and sighed, “So they’re watching. This isn’t the last we’ve seen of them, is it?”
“Not even close.”
“So what now? We fight each other until the Triad swoops in to take advantage of the disorder?”
“That’s up to you, All-Might.” He said, “I, for one, have no intention of letting that happen. They’ve already begun to move for control in the underground. I’ll have my hands full making sure they don’t.”
“So what, a truce?” All-Might practically spat the words, “Until the danger is gone?”
“If you wish.” All for One said with a shrug, “We both have people to protect, All-Might. Neither of us have anything if they get what they want.”
All-Might snorted, “You have people to protect? Please.”
“I do, believe it or not.” All for One said as he pulled out his phone to send a signal to Kurogiri. “I have a family, and I have a feeling things are only going to get worse. I’ll do my best to keep them from gaining ground, but you have the hero and government connections.”
All-Might studied him for a long moment, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll warn the government and the other heroes. And the media so we don’t have mass hysteria.”
“Good.” He replied as a warp-gate opened behind him, announcing Kurogiri’s arrival. “Don’t get yourself killed, All-Might.”
“I’m getting too old for this.” All-Might grumbled.
All for One barked a laugh, “You are?”
Kurogiri’s glowing eyes were wide with puzzlement, “Uh-- Hmm… Sensei? What-- Where do you wish to go?”
All for One shook his head, “Home, please. It’s time for the real battle.”
“As you wish.” Kurogiri said politely.
All for One took a deep breath, preparing himself to face his family before stepping through into his home and announcing grandly, “Honey, I’m home!”
“You idiot!” Inko screeched, “What were you thinking?! You’re a mess! Do you have any idea--?!”
A teary-eyed Izuku smashed into him, tackling him to the ground in a tangled mess of a hug. He grunted at the impact and patted his son’s back fondly and chuckled deeply. “I’m fine, you two. It was nothing, I swear!”
“N-Nothing?!” Izuku demanded wetly, “You were fighting with All-Might!”
“Only for a minute!” He said defensively, “We’re fine now!”
Kurogiri made a choked sound, “F-Fine, Sensei?”
“Of course!” He replied, “We called a truce.”
“A truce?!” Izuku demanded, “B-But he’s your--”
“Enemy, yes.” He confirmed with a sigh, “Come on, let me get cleaned up. We have a lot to talk about.”