Chapter Text
Fate could be cruel sometimes.
As a child, all Shouto ever wanted to be was a hero. At age four he manifested an extraordinary quirk that would make any pro hero envious. Life had other plans though. Shouto was born into the wrong family. Specifically, he was born to a father whose sole goal was to see the biggest hero, All Might, destroyed. A true villain.
In the same town, fate had plans for another child
As a child, all Izuku ever wanted to be was a hero. He dreamt of the day his quirk would manifest itself that would make any pro hero envious. Life had other plans though. Izuku was born quirkless. Specifically, his pinky toes did not have the correct number of joints. Izuku had no choice but to become the next best thing. An officer of the law.
Little did they know that fate had bigger plans for them both.
ALL MIGHT IS ALIVE AND EATING AT MCDONALDS!?
January 8, 20XX
(Pictured is a blurry image of All Might from the side. The missing hero is sitting in a booth by himself, about to take a bite out of a cheeseburger. The photo is taken from outside the restaurant, the glare of the window making the quality of the image even worse.)
TOKYO CITY – After a year of speculation, the truth is finally out! All Might not only faked his death, but is alive and well. We at the Hero Examiner have the photographs to prove it. The image above was taken by American Jane Williams in New York City at a Mcdonald's downtown.
Now that his secret location has been revealed, will the Number One Hero return to Japan and face his fans?
“I don’t care that he faked his own death,” says an insider who claims they were there when All Might boarded the plane to America, “I just wish he’d come back and take down Endeavor like he promised he would.”
Continued on Page 3
Izuku rolls his eyes at the tabloid in front of him, refusing to even touch the thing. The only reason why it’s on his desk now is because someone else strolled in uninvited and dumped it there. The person who it does belong to, currently looks at him utterly unimpressed.
“Don’t be like that! What if it’s really him?”
With the eraser end of a pencil, Izuku pushes offending tabloid away from him, wanting to be as far away from that piece of garbage writing as possible.
“I highly doubt All Might would be caught eating at a fast food restaurant of all places.”
Officer Mizumi scoffs at him as she snatches the article from falling off his desk and sticks it in a folder she is carrying in her other arm.
“Well, it’s the best lead we’ve gotten in months.”
Hardly.
Not that Izuku is able to admit that out loud. Instead, he just shrugs and drops the pencil he’s holding back into the mug of pens sitting at the edge of his computer monitor.
Mizumi stares, a cute frown twisting on her lips as she places both hands on the Mahogany surface between them and leans closer.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you…but you’ve been acting weird lately.”
Izuku crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. He tries not to let the panic creeping up his throat show.
“Y-You’re being ridiculous. Weird how?”
The woman in front of him taps her chin as her golden gaze sweeps the room for any clues. When nothing out of the ordinary sticks out, she lets out a sigh.
“I don’t know Midoriya, but these past few months it’s like you don’t even care about finding All Might. You used to be all into it when I’d come in here with any clues as to where he could be.”
Izuku opens his mouth and then shuts it again, not sure how to respond to that. She isn’t wrong, but at the same time she isn’t right either. He does care about All Might’s location, but lately he had even bigger things to worry about.
Finally finding his voice, he looks away from her.
“It’s not like that. I just-“
Three knocks at his door cuts him off and a sense of relief washes over Izuku.
“Sorry to interrupt Detective Midoriya, but the Chief wants to see you in his office immediately.”
Mizumi’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead as she bounces on the balls of her feet.
“Oooooh, sounds like you’re in trouble.”
Izuku looks to the officer at his door for help, but either the man either doesn’t care or doesn’t have a sense of humor because he walks off without another word.
Not done being childish, Mizumi sticks her tongue out at his retreating back. Once they were both sure he was long gone, they both try to hold back their laughter.
“I swear, Ikeda has a stick up his ass.”
Izuku snorts at that but doesn’t disagree.
After a beat, they both look at each other and smile.
“You better go now and see what the Chief wants,” Mizumi says, as she tries to wipe the tears from her eyes without smudging her mascara.
“Yeah.”
“But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Something is up with you and I WILL find out.”
Izuku stands up and stretches, trying his best not to think about how much that would compromise everything he’s been working on for months. It’s the last thing he needs right now.
“I know. I know,” he replies softly as he straightens up his tie and leads them out of the tiny office. She follows him out silently, but he can feel her eyes at the back of his head.
They part ways and Izuku couldn't be more thankful. While he appreciates the almost sisterly bond he has with Officer Mizumi, it’s been getting harder and harder to keep his secrets hidden from her. Especially the plan he discussed with Chief Wazashi a week ago. If approved, the operation would require Izuku to not only keep his mouth shut to the entire police department but lie to them as well.
As scary as that was, it was worth the risk.
Izuku didn’t know what he’d do if his proposal got turned down. The whole reason why he joined the force was so that he could work on an assignment like this. Quirkless or not, this was something only he could do and he was going to make sure he did everything in his power to make the Chief see that. Last night, he had even practiced answering any questions and arguments that could possibly come up.
You can do this.
Chief Wazashi’s door is already open when he approaches. Not that this is surprising in any way. The fifty-year-old man made it policy that as long as nothing private was being discussed, his door would always remain open. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking in today’s business world, but everyone in the force respected him more for it.
Currently, the chief was looking over some paperwork and so Izuku knocked to politely announce his presence.
“Ah, Young Midoriya. Please stop chewing your lip and come on in. Be sure to close the door behind you.”
Crap he was doing that again.
Izuku nodded and did as he was told. He hated being scolded for his bad habit and now he had given away to his Chief that he was nervous.
To make things even more nerve wracking, he sat there and waited as the man before him shuffled some paperwork on his desk until he pulled out a folder. The exact one that Izuku had turned in a week before. Chief Wazashi pulled down his reading glasses from where they rested on his hairline and skimmed through his proposal briefly.
Just when Izuku couldn’t take the silence any longer, the other let out a long sigh.
“Do you remember the most important thing I told you the day I hired you?”
Izuku has to muster all the internal strength he has not to start chewing on his lip again. Of course he remembers. How could he forget?
“Yes, sir.”
“Care to refresh this old man’s memory?”
He feels his face begin to flush as the words echo inside his head. He remembers them so clearly, it feels like they were spoken to him just yesterday.
“You told me to know my limits.”
Chief Wazashi nodded and Izuku dipped his head to stare into his lap. He braced himself for the worst, his counter arguments flying out the window.
This was it then.
“Young Midoriya, do not be ashamed. When I told you that, I was not just referring to the fact that you were quirkless.”
Izuku dares to look his Chief in the face and doesn’t find the pity he expects in those hard grey eyes.
“As an officer of the law, it is vital that you know what you are capable of handling and when you are over your head. This right here,” and he stops to tap at the folder in front of him, “Is a very dangerous mission you are proposing.”
Izuku grips onto the wooden armrests of his chair and finds the courage to speak.
“I’m aware sir, but with my resources…,” he falters, hoping that his Chief had read the entire folder and knows exactly what the hell he’s talking about.
Chief Wazashi frowns, “Yes and while what you did merits punishment, I’m far too impressed to go through with it.”
Heat blossoms across Izuku’s cheeks. While not perfect, he takes the compliment his boss gives him and stores it in his mind in the part of his memories labeled ‘Greatest Moments of My Life’.
“Go on.”
“Yes sir. You see, this isn’t an undercover operation I came up with overnight or in a week. This is something that took me months to organize and plan. My resources and I know the risks, but I trust them enough that I really think it could be successful.”
The man before him steeples his fingers and closes his eyes.
“And why should I send you instead of someone more experienced?”
Izuku swallows around the lump in his throat. He knew this question was coming.
“I understand your reasoning sir, but as my report states, my resources refuse to work with anyone else. Not only that, but all these years of being quirkless has allowed me to fly under the radar of being notably recognized in the police force…”
“So you are less likely to be caught, because villains don’t recognize you by your quirk,” Chief Wazashi finishes for him.
“Exactly, sir.”
For a few minutes, his boss doesn’t speak. Izuku doesn’t say anything either. He knows that the Chief is seriously weighing this over in his mind and any interruption might throw it all away. The only thing he can do is sit up and fill his heart with determination for whatever outcome he gets.
Then suddenly their eyes meet and Izuku doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t feel the need to look away nor does he want to.
Chief Wazashi removes his glasses from his face and rubs at his eyes with a groan. He mutters something about needing to get them checked and possibly his blood pressure too, before settling on Izuku again.
“I want you here bright and early tomorrow to discuss your assignment. Let’s say, seven in the morning. Be prepared to go into details and provide a timeline, do you understand?”
Izuku’s heart leaps into his throat and his legs wobble as he stands up and bows repeatedly to his boss.
I can’t believe it. This is really happening!
“Yes sir! Thank you, sir!”
Don’t cry. Now isn’t the time to get emotional!
“Oh and Young Midoriya?”
Izuku’s brows raise when he looks up at his boss again.
“I know you’re still getting accustomed to your quirk, but please try not to destroy my furniture next time.”
He looks back at the chair he was sitting in and to his dismay, the wooden armrests are cracked. Izuku stares at his hands and tries to remember when he might have activated One for All. He feels himself flush when he realizes he can’t. Whether that’s a good thing or not, Izuku doesn’t know, but based on the smile his boss is giving him, it doesn’t seem all too bad.
“I remember when my quirk first started developing,” the Chief pauses to chuckle, “It’ll come naturally to you with time.”
Izuku groans and covers his face with his hands, feeling like a child all over again.
“Can we please not do this now?”
Chief Wazashi chuckles at his embarrassment and waves him off. “Of course. You’re dismissed. See you tomorrow, detective.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Family meeting!”
Shouto groans from his spot in the center of the dojo, sprawled uselessly on the firm tatami mats.
The announcement is the last thing he wants to hear right now. Then again, when is it ever the first?
That’s was easy.
Never.
Shouto lets his head roll to the side to glare up at his brother, as if the whole thing is his idea. Natsuo, of course, doesn’t look too happy about it himself. They both would rather pull out their own teeth than attend, but being a Todoroki meant there would be hell to pay if they didn’t.
“What are you even doing?”
Natsuo pads deeper into the room to inspect him better on the floor. His brother decides the best way to investigate is to toe at his ribs with his socks.
He scowls at Natsuo and lifts his right hand to motion at his whole body.
“Training, obviously.”
“Pffft, looks more like you were napping to me.”
Shouto knows he doesn’t have to explain himself to his own brother. If the sweat soaking through his clothes, and the hair sticking to his forehead wasn’t evidence enough, he didn’t know what was. That and Shouto can tell when he’s being teased.
“Whatever.”
Natsuo snorts as he holds out a hand to help him up. Shouto takes it, the world instantly righting itself up and he staggers. His whole body aches and his legs are wobbling from pushing himself too hard. Thankfully, his brother grabs his shoulders to steady him.
“Woah there. You okay bro?”
It takes Shouto a moment, but he nods and brushes the other’s hands off him.
“Great! Let’s get going. Fuyumi will be pissed if we’re late again.”
Shouto shakes his head as he heads toward the door, “You mean if you’re late again.”
“Hey!”
Natsuo chases after him as he heads to the designated room. They fall into step next to each other and while Shouto is perfectly happy to sulk all the way, his brother has other plans.
“You know, Valentine’s Day is coming up.”
Shouto blinks.
“So?”
His brother scoffs as if offended.
“So? So you should find some cute girl and take her out on a date or something.”
Ugh. Not this conversation again. His siblings seemed to have some sort of pact to try and find him a relationship. It was annoying and embarrassing to say the least.
“No thanks.”
Natsuo pouts and lightly shoves him in the arm.
“Come on, what about the cute blond chick with all the knives?”
The thought disturbs Shouto so much that he nearly trips.
“You mean Toga?”
“Is that her name?”
Shouto frowns. His brother worked with these people every day. The least he could do is know everyone’s name. Not that names are the point right now.
“Yeah and I’m pretty sure she’s mentally insane.”
“What? No way!”
They round a corner and a few feet away Shouto can see his sister leaning against a door, waiting for them. She is scrolling through her phone and hasn’t noticed them yet.
“The last time I spoke to her, she mentioned something about wanting to see my face covered in my own blood,” Shout deadpans. He wishes it were a joke, but the memory still sent chills down his spine.
“Oh, kinky.”
Shouto chokes on his own spit and stares at his brother incredulously. Natsuo, for his part, tries to keep a straight face before bursting out into fits out laughter. It’s enough to startle his sister from her phone and smile at them as they reached her.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Shouto responds immediately.
Natsuo though decides at that moment to become a comedian.
“Our brother’s love life or the lack of it.”
Fuyumi’s jaw drops and Shouto retaliates by punching his brother in the shoulder. This only seems to make Natsuo chuckle even harder. It’s not the first time Shouto wishes that his siblings didn’t have ice quirks. Any other person and they would have been frozen on the spot. To them, it was about as effective as punishing a snowman by leaving him in a freezer.
Maybe that wasn’t his best analogy.
Fuyumi gives him a small apologetic smile while Natsuo ruffles his hair. He whacks the offending hand off him before his part is pink and unrecognizable.
“Ha ha, let’s get this over with.”
The mood around them instantly shifts and Shouto regrets saying it. Not that the lightheartedness would have lasted much longer. The meeting is inevitable, but he hates being the one to ruin the moment all the same.
“Right,” Fuyumi mumbles as she adjusts her glasses. She then pulls a key out of her pocket to unlock the door.
One by one they enter the extravagant office filled with war antiques and news articles framed on the wall. No one is in there, of course. It’s been months since its owner bothered to visit. Not that Shouto is complaining.
Natsuo takes his seat immediately, while Fuyumi fiddles with the laptop on the expansive desk. The massive furniture takes up like half the room. The rest of the room is dedicated to being an unofficial museum for junk that Shouto has no interest in. He knows most of the items are worth thousands, if not millions, but it’s all just for show. Nothing better than demonstrating your power and position in life than showing off your money.
Shouto would have found it more impressive if there was a single photo of them in the room anywhere.
Of course, there isn’t.
“It’s ready! Everyone take a seat,” Fuyumi announces as the laptop begins to ring, signaling an outgoing video call.
For a moment, Shouto considers escaping while he still can, but then the receiver picks up and the call connects.
His old man’s face fills the screen, flames and all.
Shouto scowls and slumps into his chair. He even crosses his arms for added effect. Next to him, Natsuo stiffens in his seat.
“Good Afternoon Dad,” Fuyumi breaks the silence, waving at the screen.
Their father nods and grunts out, “Long time no see.”
“Well if you bothered calling or visiting every now and then…” his brother trails off and glowers at the man in front of them.
“Natsu!” Fuyumi scolds and then tries to change the subject, “How are you?”
Enji Todoroki leans back in his chair and the view around him makes it clear that he’s in a hotel room in whatever city he’s visiting now.
“No, no, he’s right. I’m long overdue a visit. It’s been far too long.”
Their sister smiles but even Shouto can tell that it’s strained.
“That would be wonderful. Let us know when you’re coming, and we’ll make all the necessary preparations.”
“Of course, I’ll try to make it as soon as possible,” his old man responds in a way that sounds more like he’s discussing the current stock market rather than a family reunion.
Shouto snorts and cold blue eyes land on him before going back to his sister.
“Let’s get down to business. How about we start with you, Fuyumi?”
Everyone turns to look at her and immediately her hand goes to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Well, I sent you the financial reports earlier today. Did you have any questions concerning those?”
Their father shakes his head and motions for her to continue.
“The infirmary hasn’t been too busy since the incident in Hosu. Although, we did have one new recruit break a couple of fingers the other day, but we’re still good on supplies.”
Fuyumi turns to Natsuo and frowns, “We could use some more people with healing-based quirks though.”
“I’m doing the best I can,” he grumbles in response.
Shouto almost wants to reach out and pat his brother’s shoulder in sympathy, but now isn’t the right time. The last thing they need is for their father to see that.
“I’ll have a word with one of my contacts at Tokyo General. I’m sure we can get a nurse or doctor to agree to be on our payroll,” Endeavor states simply and Nastuo mutters something vulgar under his breath.
Luckily, their father doesn’t hear it.
“Natsuo, how are the recruits and their training coming along?”
“Great.”
The old man huffs and shakes his head, unimpressed. Their father is rarely shocked anymore by his children’s responses to him. Instead brings his hands together and tries his best to coax more information out of Nastuo.
“Any of them that stand out in particular?”
Their brother considers his response for a moment before speaking up. “Well, there’s one of that possesses the ability to teleport and another that could be useful when it comes to cracking codes.”
“Interesting indeed. Let’s see if we can get either of them involved in the next heist.” With those words, their father turns to look at Shouto dead in the eyes again. Anyone not related by blood would have cowered at his intense gaze, but they had all learned long ago to never show that man any sign of weakness.
“Shouto, I want you to work alongside your brother to get together a team for our next strike,” Endeavor says as he begins to take down notes on the complimentary pad of paper the hotel provides, “Next week, the Prime Minister will be holding a conference in Jakku and we’ll need to ensure that it doesn’t go smoothly.”
Great. Just what he wanted. Another disturbance of the peace assignment to work on. Shouto doesn’t need to strategize a team for this. He could pick straws out of a hat for all his father knew, because any of those loyal idiots out there should be able to successfully create a scene.
Then again, they had been foiled a lot lately.
As if reading Shouto’s mind, their father turns back to Natsuo and asks, “Have you had any luck finding out where our information may be leaking from?”
Natsuo rolls his shoulders and gives their father a look. The answer is obvious to anyone with a brain.
“We may have a rodent problem,” his brother states simply.
Fuyumi startles in her chair, her expression turning to one of concern. “You mean, we have a spy?”
Endeavor, on the other hand looks absolutely furious. The flames on his body expand and turn a bright orange. Shouto idly wonders how the hotel would take it if his father burned the whole place down. The housekeepers were going to have a field day trying to remove those burns off the furniture and carpet.
More than likely though, the hotel would just end up charging the account on file for the damages. That and with the money they have, Endeavor could afford to buy multiple replacements if he so happened to destroy the building.
“Shouto.”
His father’s deep voice is enough to stir him out of his thoughts. Shouto glances as the man in the screen and raises a brow in question. Endeavor takes this as his cue to continue.
“I’m putting you in charge of finding the rat. I want you to figure out everything you can about him and once you’re through, kill him,”
The blood in Shouto’s body freezes and it has nothing to do with his quirk. His siblings both turn to look at him in dismay, but they all know there’s only one way to respond.
No matter how high up in the hierarchy they are, the Todoroki family are villains. There’s no room for questions or doubts about what they’re capable of.
Shouto grits his teeth and tries to stop the bile from rising in his throat.
“Yes, sir.”