To Cross the Line

by JustaPerson1

Summary:

The world of heroes had utterly failed Izuku Midoriya. So why not give the world of villains a try? Afterall, it couldn’t be worse than what Bakugo and All Might had done to him. Working for the League, he thinks it's what he wants, but is it?

Despite being a villain, Midoriya still has a heart. But being a villain requires a person to be merciless and unfeeling. He pushes his moral limits further and further, to the point where he’s going against the very fiber of his being. Against the part of him that had once wanted to be a hero. How far is he willing to go?

It’s a good thing the world is filled with much more caring people than Midoriya realizes.

OR

Midoriya’s a villain but he’s still good deep down, so Class 1-A (specifically Uraraka, Bakugo, Shinso and All Might) try to save him.

Here’s this fic’s playlist!

En Español.

This fic has a Tv Tropes page!

Chapter 1: What Happens When Hope Is Lost

Notes:

You know those Villain Deku fanfics where Midoriya is super harsh and cruel and mean? Like he's a completely different person? This isn't that. He has his angry moments, but he still generally cares for people. I just find the concept of Midoriya, who's normally an amazing ray of sunshine, being a villain.

The start of the story is probably going to be pretty similar to other villain Deku fanfics, but I promise this is original. It's my take on what Midoriya would be like as a villain, and how he would get to that point.

It will get happier (not for a while), but just a trigger warning, there is some major depression and suicidal ideation in this. So if you're sensitive to things like that, you shouldn't read this.

I am very type A and consistency matters to me. I'm going to post a chapter a week on Friday evenings, and each chapter will have around 2,000 words (edit: I lied, that's changed now, Mondays and closer to 4k words). This one's a bit shorter, sorry!

Okay I'll stop now.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter! Got better at writing and changed some things, all the way up to chapter 14.

Cover art by Crystal on Tumblr! Thank you so much!!

 

Very few villains start out saying, “I want to be evil and hurt people when I’m older.”

They get to that point by being pushed and shoved by circumstances that were out of their control. 

But still, at some point they have to make the choice. They have to choose to cross that line into villainy. 

But deep down, they really don’t want to. 

 

That night, Midoriya acted all right for his mom’s sake. He got home and his mother was waiting for him, hug ready. At first her eyes brightened at the sight of her son, but she must’ve seen something in him, because her face darkened a little. 

“Are you okay, Izuku?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, mom,” Midoriya replied. It couldn’t have been more of a lie. Still, he mustered up the best smile he could. Smiling felt weird. Unnatural. 

But his mother didn’t seem to notice. She pulled him into a hug, giving a much more authentic grin of her own.

“I’m making katsudon tonight, your favorite!” she exclaimed. 

That was something he did not want to do right now.

“Oh, um, actually, school today was really hard and exhausting, so, uh, I’d rather go to bed. If that’s alright,” he said not very smoothly. It was another lie. 

“Oh, well, okay sweetie. If you’re feeling that tired,” she replied, smile dimming. It hurt Midoriya to make his mother sad like that, but it was just a droplet of pain compared to the bucket of emotions he’d experienced that day. 

“Thanks mom, good night.” As he walked away, Inko thought that something looked different about her son. 

 

Midoriya slumped down onto his bed. He no longer had to fake for his mother, so he let the tears flow freely from his eyes. The day's events replayed in his mind. 

School was worse than usual. The teacher humiliated him in front of the whole class when he revealed he wanted to go to UA. Midoriya knew they were going to find out at some point, but hadn’t wanted it to be like that. 

After that, Bakugo blew up his notebook. Could he even comprehend the amount of effort he put into his notes? What made him think that he could just completely disregard someone’s thought and hard work like that?

But then he told Midoriya to kill himself. “Just pray that you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building.”

That was the furthest Bakugo had ever stooped. 

And to think he wanted to be a hero. 

We both have the same dream, but Kacchan can actually achieve it, Midoriya thought, just because of something he was fricking born with. 

Of course, on the walk home he gave himself his daily pep talk, “I’ll never give up!” all that crap. He tried to dry out his singed, soggy notebook. 

And of all the possible things that could’ve happened next, he got attacked by a sludge villain. To make it even more crazy, he was saved by All Might, his idol. 

Part of him wished the villain had just killed him then and there. That way he wouldn’t’ve had to hear what came next. That part of him that was gaining influence in his mind by the minute. 

Midoriya had clung to All Might as he took off, and they went flying through the air together. All Might dropped him off on a rooftop so he could turn the sludge villain over to the police. He was about to leave when Midoriya asked the question that had been weighing on him ever since he found out he was quirkless. 

“Is it possible to become a hero, even if I don’t have a quirk? I’m a normal kid, without any powers. Could I ever hope to be someone like you?!”

That was his last strand of hope. But it was All Might, his job was literally to inspire people to be their best! He wasn’t going to let him down...

And then he found out the Symbol of Peace wasn’t quite as invincible as he looked. All Might explained how he lost his stomach in a big fight against a villain five years ago, so he was only able to do hero work for about three hours. He said he smiled to hide his fear and that some villains just can’t be beaten without powers. 

“So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk.”

Snap.

There went his last strand of hope.

“Oh, I see.”

His dreams shattered in an instant. 

All Might was still talking, but his words were blurry as he walked toward the door. Midoriya subconsciously noted the bottled sludge villain still in his pockets.

“It’s not bad to have a dream, young man. Just make sure your dreams are attainable, realistic.” The number one gave barely a wisp of thought to the words he spoke, something he would come to regret later. 

Then he left. Without even making sure Midoriya was okay. Some hero. 

The glass of his broken dreams swept to the side and out of the way. How convenient. 

 

Midoriya had stood on the rooftop for a while before moving, his mind replaying what he had just heard over and over. He’d heard it before, of course, but not from All Might. 

I don’t know why, but I thought he would’ve been different. I guess I had hoped he would’ve seen something in me that others don’t. That not even my mom sees, he thought as he made his way to the door. 

On the way home, voices from his past filled his head.

“Sorry kid, it’s not gonna happen.”

“I’m sorry Izuku! I wish things were different.”

“Deku. That must be what you call a helpless loser who’s completely useless.”

“You wanna pretend to be a hero? You don’t stand a chance without a quirk, Deku.”

“You’re even worse than the rest of these damn rejects you quirkless wannabe!”

“Make sure your dreams are attainable, realistic.”

Midoriya flipped to All Might’s signature in his notebook, no longer feeling the same joy looking at it. If All Might had flipped to the last page to sign, he must’ve seen his notes on all the heroes, right? Didn’t he notice how in depth they were? 

Or are my notes useless too? All Might probably already knew most of the stuff in there. 

So everything I do is pointless. Everything I’ve been striving for is gone. Nothing I’ve done can help anybody. I am a deku. 

As he thought about it in bed, it was too much. 

With nothing left to fight for, it pushed him over the edge. 

 

Midoriya wrote a note to his mom. He tried to explain why, but it seemed to come out in a discombobulated mess. 

Mom,

I’m sorry, but it’s become too much. Kacchan is so hurtful, but it isn’t just him. It’s everyone. I just really want to be a hero, but today All Might told me you need a quirk. I don’t think I can live knowing everything I’ve wanted to do, everything I’ve wanted to accomplish is completely pointless and futile. They’ve crushed every dream I have. I love you, so please don’t blame yourself. 

Izuku

His tears ended up smudging some of the writing, but his own eyes were too wet to notice. 

He had changed into some sweatpants and a hoodie, not wanting to wear any of his All Might merch. He brought his notebook with him. 

He waited until he knew his mother was asleep and crept out of his room and out his door. He’d memorized where all the creaks in the floorboards were when he was younger, pretending to be a stealth hero. His mom would pretend to be a villain and hide, so he’d come and find her, trying to be as sneaky as possible. 

The memory only caused more pain. 

He left the apartment and walked down the street into town. His head was swarming with thoughts. 

“Why can’t you do anything right?”

“It’s called being quirkless. That’s dumb. He’s so lame!”

“You’d never be able to hang with the best of the best. You’d die in the exams! Defenseless Izuku.”

“Don’t tell me you’re taking notes on how to be a hero. That’s so pathetic!”

“So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk.”

Midoriya returned to the building where he and All Might had talked earlier that day. He climbed the stairs silently and found the door to the roof unlocked. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if the door was locked. Going back home wasn’t an option. 

As he walked out into the open night, he looked at the notebook in his hands. It had been perfectly white and blue at the start of the day, but now it had large burn marks and the edges were fraying. 

The tears started pouring out. Neither him or his notebook had survived the day unharmed. 

He stepped out to the edge of the roof, leaving his shoes behind. 

“I thought you would at least have some fight in you.”

“You’re a total failure Deku.”

“Just pray that you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building.”

So is this what Bakugo wanted? It didn’t matter now, it was going to happen whether he wanted it to or not. 

“There’s no good I could’ve done with my life anyway, if I am just a deku. I couldn’t possibly make the world any better than it is now,” he sobbed to himself, “I just wanted to be a hero.” He wanted those to be his last words. 

Then he jumped, notebook in hand, down to the cement. 

That’s what happens when all hope for the future is lost.

Notes:

You can probably guess whether he's going to die or not... he's protected by his main character energy.

I really enjoy music, and I listen to a lot of it, so I kind of wanted to do something with music with this fanfiction. So, I'm choosing a song for each chapter that I think will go well with it. Some will be better than others.

This chapter's song is Echo by Jason Walker. It's one of the most depressing songs I know, but a lot of other sad songs would work well here too.

Also, if you noticed anything wrong or that you didn't like, criticize me! I can take it. This is my first fanfiction and I want it to be the best it can.

Chapter 2: A Mother's Guilt

Notes:

I did actual research for this. Inko is kind of the main character in this chapter. There isn't really gore, but it does talk about a lot of injuries and stuff. So yeah.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

If the ambulance hadn’t been called minutes after he jumped…

If his legs and back hadn’t taken the brunt of the shock…  

If the facial surgeon had left a moment sooner… 

Midoriya would’ve died.

Falling on your head or chest is the worst possible impact point. You could die from an eleven-meter height if you land on one of those two places. The best way to land is on your feet, leaning slightly backwards. 

Midoriya had spun and twisted through the air as he fell, but during the actual impact he landed in a mostly upright position. He hit his left leg first, then his right. Then he fell onto his left side, his left arm also cushioning the shock. The left side of his head then hit the pavement. That was the area of most concern. 

He had three burst fractures in his spine, but they were stable with no neurological complications. There were multiple breaks and fractures throughout his legs, more so on the left side. His left arm also had multiple injuries, while his right arm was unharmed. He had two broken ribs. 

He had severe bruising down the left side of his body, and a large open wound on his hip. But the worst part was his head. 

He had a large, bloody gash down the left side of his face spanning from his temple to his chin. His cheekbone had broken, and a piece of the bone was traveling toward his eye. If they didn’t do surgery on his face, he could end up blind in his left eye. 

And he miraculously only had a concussion. That was the only injury his brain suffered. 

 

They identified him as Izuku Midoriya and gave his mother a call at 12:43 am. 

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Inko Midoriya?”

“Yes this is her. This is the hospital number. Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”

“We regret to inform you that your son has fallen from a high height and is currently in the hospital.”

“What? No, he’s at home right now, sleeping!”

“Are you sure?”

Inko got out of bed and walked down the hall to Izuku’s room. 

“Yes I’m s…” then she saw the empty bed. She walked in and saw the note on his desk, and her eyes raced over the words. She realized what her son had done, and tears instantly started flooding her vision.

“My baby Izuku! Is he okay? What happened to him?!” she managed to ask through the sobs.

“Please calm down ma’am. He is in a stable condition, but has several broken bones and severe bruising. We need to do surgery on the zygomatic bone and need your consent.”

“Yes of course! Please keep my baby safe!”

“Thank you. We will begin the operation immediately.”

“Can’t I see him before you start?”

“I apologize, but that is not possible. If we wait any longer he has the chance of going blind in his left eye.”

“Blind?! Yes, start right away! I’m coming over as fast as I can.”

“Of course.”

They both hung up. 

Inko wondered where she had failed as a mother.

 

The surgery was a success, and Midoriya now had stitches down the left side of his face. The surgeon was able to make the incision along the gash to reduce scarring, but Midoriya was still expected to have some sort of mark on his face when he was completely healed. 

Inko had arrived at the hospital when they were halfway through the operation. The front desk people escorted her to the waiting room, where she had been waiting anxiously for a little over thirty minutes. 

The moment someone walked out she rapidly asked, “How did it go? Is my son all right?”

The nurse blinked at her confusedly for a second and then replied, “Oh, yes, you’re Mrs. Midoriya. The surgery was a success and his other injuries are currently being treated by doctors and healers. He’s going to be fine.”

Inko felt a huge wave of relief. At least we can now still talk about it, she thought. 

“But I wouldn’t be as concerned for his physical health as for his mental health. We haven’t gotten the chance to ask him yet… but we’re pretty sure he fell off the roof by choice,” the nurse explained.

“Yes, I know. He left me a note.”

“Oh, in that case you are likely going to have to show it to the doctors. It’s our job in a situation like this to make sure it won’t happen again. He’ll likely be recommended for therapy.”

“Okay. We’ll talk about it. When will I be able to go in and see him?”

“He should be ready in about twenty minutes, but they’ll have to keep doing healing sessions throughout the night.”

“Alright, thank you.”

The nurse walked away, leaving Inko alone with her thoughts. Therapy. What pushed my child so far to need therapy? Oh, Izuku, why did you do this?

You have to understand, Inko still thought of Midoriya as her happy-go-lucky child who had big, unrealistic dreams of being a hero and did everything he could to accomplish those dreams. He hadn’t told her about all the bullying. 

She had read the note over and over but she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the thought of her son taking his own life. 

 

The nurse was on point. Inko was waiting exactly 20 minutes when they called her in to see him. 

He had bandages and casts from head to toe, except for his right arm, right side of his face, and chest.  

Inko had already been crying out in the waiting room, but the tears poured heavier when she saw his face. She went over to her son’s right side, which was less difficult to look at. 

“Oh my baby Izuku,” she sobbed as she touched her hand to the unharmed part of his face. She remembered one of their happiest days together. It was Christmas and he had just gotten his first All Might onesie. He had run around the house yelling “I am here!” pretending to save people from dangerous situations. 

How had he gone from that cheerful, dreaming child, to this dismal, hopeless person. Inko had no idea how much further he was going to go. How many more lines he was going to cross. 

 

Midoriya woke up in a hospital bed next to a bright window on his left. His mother was sitting in a chair to his right, sleeping. It took him several minutes to compose his thoughts. When he finally realized what had happened, he started crying at his good luck.

Why couldn’t I just die. It would’ve been so much easier. Now I’m going to have to explain to mom, and she’s going to stop me from trying again.

He analyzed his injuries and figured he would jump head first next time. That way he wouldn’t land on his legs. He felt the stitches across his face, and wondered what his scar would look like. 

He subconsciously reached for his notebook to write his thoughts down, but found it wasn’t anywhere near him. 

That’s strange. I jumped with my notebook. They would’ve found it with my body and assumed it was mine. Where is it?

He decided to ask when the next nurse came. Until then he preoccupied himself with the TV, not wanting to wake up his mother. He knew his suicide attempt would have caused her a lot of pain, the least he could do is give her a few more minutes of peace. 

The news station was talking about how All Might had apprehended the sludge villain, and Midoriya watched with vague interest. He wondered if All Might had even mentioned him to the police. I mean, he had been attacked by the sludge villain itself.

Had Bakugo heard of him attempting suicide yet?

I’d love to see the look on his face when he finds out and knows it’s his fault, Midoriya thought. It was the first thing he had actually looked forward to doing since the rooftop talk with All Might. 

His mother stirred. The idea of feigning sleep briefly flashed across his mind, but he dismissed it. He knew his mother would probably have questions. He didn’t necessarily want to tell her the answers, but it was her right to know as his mother. She slowly opened her eyes. 

“Good morning, mom,” he said, giving her a fake smile only on the right side of his face.

“Oh honey, you’re awake!” she exclaimed, giving him a big hug. “It’s okay if you want to keep sleeping.”

“Actually, I’ve been awake for a while now. I figured there’d be some things you wanted to talk about.”

“Oh, well, you’re not wrong. I do have a couple questions.”

He looked at her inquiringly. 

“We don’t have to talk about it yet. How about I go get some food for us and we can eat breakfast together first,” she suggested, postponing the inevitable conversation. 

He shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

While he was waiting for her to come back, Midoriya wondered why he was still trying to act normal for his mom. He had just attempted suicide. He was not feeling normal and she had to know it. 

He couldn’t bring himself to act the way he was feeling around her. 

When he was little, he had known it would be hard to become a hero, but he still did everything he could. He had noticed how stressed his mother was about being the only mother of a toddler. 

He had known there were a lot of things he couldn’t do because of his quirklessness, but this was something he could do. He took it upon himself to make life the easiest it could be for his mom. Whether that be carrying extra groceries or not telling her he’s getting bullied, he would do it. 

He would hide all the hurt he went through everyday, so that his mother wouldn't worry about him. It had become a habit he didn’t know he could break. 

“I’m back!” Inko called. “I was able to get some microwavable miso soup from the vending machine, so just give me a second.”

After she had heated up the food, they ate. Midoriya in the bed, Inko in the chair.

“What time did they call you last night?” Midoriya asked, trying to start a conversation.

“It was really late, around 12:45, I think?” she replied.

“Wow, I’m surprised you were awake enough to understand what they were saying. You’re normally a bed head,” he tried to make her laugh. 

“Well, I knew it was the hospital’s phone number, which worried me.”

He didn’t have a response to that. He could tell she had a question she was dying to ask, and he just wanted her to ask it.

They ate in silence for a few more minutes. 

“Okay, I just can’t take it anymore,” she said suddenly, standing up. 

Midoriya peered up at her. 

“I need to know why. I’ve read the note over and over, but it’s smudged in some places and, I just... I think it would be better if you told me yourself why you choose to… why you…” she couldn’t finish the sentence.

“It’s okay mom. I understand.” He sighed.

Then he told her everything. He told her about the bullying and how hard it was being quirkless, the way people treated him differently, and how Bakugo tormented him, and about being told to kill himself. He told her about meeting All Might and his inconsiderate words. 

As Inko listened to his story, she felt the blood slowly draining from her face. All of this had happened, and she hadn’t noticed. Her baby had slowly been pushed closer and closer to his limit all these years. What kind of mother was she?

“So I went back to the same rooftop where my dreams were crushed, and I jumped,” he finished. 

They were both crying at this point, but Inko a lot more than Midoriya. 

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? This could’ve been stopped,” she sobbed.

“I’m sorry. I know I should have, but I didn’t want to worry you.”

She sat on the side of the bed and hugged Midoriya. He leaned into her. 

“Please, from now on, anything that’s bothering you, tell me,” she pleaded.

“I’ll try,” he said, fully knowing that was not going to happen. 

And then they stayed there, leaning into each other and crying. It was the closest they had been for years. Everything was out in the open.

Notes:

The song for this chapter is Hold On by Chord Overstreet. Again, a really depressing song. I think of it as Inko singing it to Midoriya, some of the lyrics fit better than others.

Chapter 3: To Be or Not To Be

Notes:

Things actually start getting interesting this chapter. By next chapter it'll really start speeding up.
No warnings except for suicidal ideation.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter! One scene added.

Eventually a nurse came in while the mother and son were still crying into each other’s shoulders. She apologized for disturbing them, before asking Inko to leave because it was time for another one of Midoriya’s healing sessions. 

Later that day, the doctor came in and explained Midoriya’s condition, although the teen was only half listening.

“Blah blah blah… no permanent brain damage… blah blah blah… two months of PT… blah blah blah… no long-lasting side effects.”

What finally caught his attention was the word “therapy.”

“He also needs to have therapy. There are many wonderful counselors in this area. I could refer you to someone or you could find someone yourself. He should be seen for depression and suicidal ideation and start treatment as soon as possible to reduce the risk of him jumping a second time,” the doctor explained.

Midoriya had already decided to jump a second time.

“Well Izuku, what do you think?” Inko asked. 

He really didn’t want to go to therapy. They might convince him not to jump, and he would have to continue living his useless life. 

But… there was something pleading in the way his mom asked. As he looked into her eyes, he could tell she needed him to say yes. 

“I’ll do it if you want me to, mom,” he replied. Her smile almost made it worth it. 

“Thank you, honey,” she said, “And it’d be great if you could refer us to someone, doctor.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

 

After the doctor left, Midoriya and his mother had some time before his next healing session. 

“I think I’m going to call Mitsuki. She’s my friend, and I also want to have some words with Katsuki,” Inko said. 

Midoriya didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, he wanted to see Bakugo’s face when he finally realized his words had consequences, but on the other hand, he just didn’t want to be bothered by his presence. Midoriya had a lot of choice words he wanted to throw at Bakugo, but he didn’t want to deal with the backlash. 

“It’s okay if you want to talk with Mitsuki, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea for her to bring Kacchan,” he decided to say. 

“Do you want to talk to him?” Inko asked.

“...yes and no.”

She considered him for a minute.

“Well, I guess I’ll call her and explain the situation, and then she can decide whether or not to bring Katsuki,” she suggested.

“That sounds good.”

Inko left to make the phone call when the healers arrived. During the healing session, Midoriya tried to analyze his own thoughts and feelings.

He knew he disliked, maybe even hated Bakugo for all the awful things he had said and done. He was disgusted by the fact that someone like that wanted to be a hero. But he didn’t want to say these things to his face. Maybe because some scrap of him still cared about maintaining his imaginary friendship with Bakugo, or because he just didn’t feel like dealing with him. 

Midoriya knew all of these negative emotions he had towards Bakugo were going to bubble up over the surface at some point. 

How he felt about heroes had changed too. Before, he had thought they were amazing for always being willing to help people and risking their lives for the greater good. But after meeting All Might, he wondered if that was just a facade they put on to hide what they’re truly like. 

I mean, if All Might, who’s supposed to be one of the kindest people in the world, was able to crush my dreams in one sitting, what are all the other heroes actually like? Midoriya wondered. 

It’s not like any of this matters anyway . As soon as I’m able to walk I’m jumping again.

The healers were almost done and about to leave when Midoriya remembered something.

“Uhm, excuse me?” he asked tentatively. 

“Yeah? Do you need anything before we go?” the male healer asked.

“Oh, I was just wondering if they found my notebook. I jumped with it, but I haven’t seen it anywhere.”

“I was there when we found you,” the female healer responded, “I didn’t see any notebook around. I’m pretty sure we would’ve seen it if it was there.”

“Oh, ok. Thank you.”

Both healers said “You’re welcome” and left. 

Where did my notebook go? Midoriya wondered, but it’s not like it had anything useful in it anyway. 

 

“Hey, we’re going to the hospital,” Mitsuki announced, snatching the car keys off the hook. 

She hadn’t shouted, not even an irritated hint to her tone. If anything, she sounded concerned. Bakugo frowned. 

“And why the hell would I do that?” he asked, not doing anything to hold back his own irritation. 

His mother didn’t react negatively, causing his frown to deepen. Instead she turned swiftly towards him with a serious expression. 

“Izuku attempted suicide. Jumped off a rooftop. His mother just called.”

At that moment, Bakugo’s life halted. 

He’d always been one to forge ahead, stopping for nothing and no one, even if he had to trample over them. He was like a forceful freight train, charging forward at full speed towards his dreams. No one would be able to compare to him, and people like Midoriya were just pebbles on the side of his track. He swore to never stop pulling ahead. 

But at that moment, his life halted. 

It had never done that before. 

His mind managed to churn out two words:

He listened. 

Bakugo had never felt guilt before either, so he was unable to identify the awful feeling pressing on his mind, swirling in his stomach, making him nauseous. 

Why the frick would he listen?

“Are you coming?” Mitsuki asked, watching her son curiously. He’d never worn this expression before. 

I was just trying to keep him out of my way. I just did what I always did!

This was the first time his words had had consequences. This was the first time anyone had ever acted on what he said. And it felt terrible. 

“I’d rather not,” he choked out. It might’ve been the quietest he’d ever spoken. 

Bakugo’s frown had vanished, eyes going wide in disbelief instead, so his mother frowned for him. “Alright, well, it’d be good for you to come and see him at some point.”

He would’ve rather had his ass handed to him by a villain than go see someone who’d been broken at his hands. His mother left before he could respond. 

Bakugo finally realized the truth:

It’s my fault. 

He listened. 

 

Mitsuki came to the hospital later that day, without Bakugo. 

“I told him you had attempted suicide, and he did seem pretty shocked. In fact, I’d never seen him look that way before… anyway, I asked him if he wanted to come to the hospital to see you, and he just said ‘I’d rather not.’” Mitsuki explained, eyes narrowed as she thought over her son’s behavior in her head. 

It was a good thing to have her there. She and Inko were very close, and it provided Inko with the emotional support she needed. Emotional support Midoriya couldn’t provide. 

The two of them went on a walk around the hospital grounds, leaving Midoriya alone in his room. 

Earlier that day, the doctors had tried to see if Midoriya could walk yet. They had gotten him crutches and told him to put more weight on his right leg because the healers had been focusing more of their energy there. He was able to awkwardly shimmy around, but not very well.

Midoriya decided to try again, just trying to get from one side of the room to the other, when he noticed two people standing on a rooftop outside his window. 

He frowned in confusion. That couldn’t be right. He floundered over to the window with his crutches. Sure enough, there were two people standing on the rooftop across the street from his window: a smokey figure and someone who had binoculars. 

It took Midoriya a moment to realize the binoculars were pointed at him. 

Suddenly, the floor gave out beneath him and he fell through a smokey purple-black mist. 

“Aaa-, wh-, huh?” he gibbered as he realized he was now sitting on the rooftop next to the cloudy man and the guy with binoculars. 

A warping quirk? The portal seemed to be of the same material that the misty guy’s made out of. Does he only teleport things to and from himself? Midoriya’s thoughts raced. 

“Are you Izuku Midoriya?” the guy with binoculars asked in a raspy voice. Up close Midoriya could see he had pale blue hair and gray hands all over his body, with just plain black clothing. He thought this was a rather strange fashion choice, although he didn’t have much of a fashion sense himself. The man also kept his pinky finger lifted up off the binoculars. 

So his quirk is activated with all five fingers, he thought, completely forgetting he’d been asked a question. 

“Answer me, brat!” the handy man yelled. 

“Oh, um, yes! I’m Izuku Midoriya. Who are you?” he asked, trying to be polite. 

“I’ll tell you who I am when I feel like it. Did you write this?” The handy man held up Midoriya’s singed notebook. It now had little black flecks all over it too. 

“Um, yeah, that’s my notebook,” Midoriya answered, puzzled, “Where did you get it?”

“Ugh, kids these days ask so many questions, it’s annoying,” the handy man continued, “I found it next to your bleeding body before calling the ambulance for you. What’s written in here is so useful, I figured it’d be best to keep you alive.”

“What?” Midoriya was confused. This man had taken his notebook, read it, thought it was useful, and then called the ambulance for him because of that. He didn’t call because Midoriya was dying, but because what he’d written was useful?

“Perhaps you should explain who we are,” the smoky man suggested in a low voice. 

“Ugh, you do it. You’re better with introductions,” the handy man demanded. 

Midoriya was incredibly confounded now, and he had a bad feeling about who these people were. 

“We are the League of Villains,” the smoky man introduced, “This is Shigaraki, our leader, and I am Kurogiri.”

“Wait, you're villains?!” Midoriya yelled, surprised. These people were evil! They might try to hurt him, or worse, his mom! He tried to grab his crutches and scramble away, but all of a sudden Shigaraki was in his face. 

“I would be a little more quiet if I were you,” he said scathingly. Then Midoriya’s crutch disintegrated to ash as Shigaraki’s fifth finger came down on it. It took Midoriya a second to realize that was his quirk.

At first, Midoriya was freaked out.

These people might kill me. Why do they want to talk to me? Do they want to know about All Might? I’m one of the only people who know he has a time limit, Midoriya thought quickly. 

But then, he realized he didn’t care. If these villains killed him, he wouldn’t have to wait to commit suicide. If they found out about All Might, maybe next time he’d think twice before crushing a child’s dream. 

So instead he asked, “Why did you bring me here?”

“I’m thinking about recruiting you. Your notebook has some really helpful information on heroes. You could be of use to us,” Shigaraki explained. 

“Wait, you think I’d be a good villain?” That thought hadn’t occurred to Midoriya yet. Him a villain?

Kurogiri stepped forward. “Yes, you could analyze heroes and report back to us with any valuable information you collected. In return, we provide you with food and shelter and money.”

Midoriya considered it for a split second, but immediately shook his head.

“No, I can’t do that! I’d be breaking the law working with you. Besides, I’m better off dead on the concrete. There’s nothing useful I could ever do.”

All three of them were silent for a moment.

“You actually believe that?” Shigaraki exclaimed. “You idiot!”

Midoriya blinked in surprise.

“Your notebook had some of the best intel on heroes I’ve ever seen. The average scout doesn’t do half as good!”

This was the first time Midoriya had ever been told his hero analyses were actually worthwhile. The first time his life was considered worthwhile. That was when he started considering joining the League. 

“But if you think you’re better off dead, fine by me. We’ll be a-okay without you. I don’t care what you do,” Shigaraki continued. “Kurogiri, let’s go home.”

The villain opened a portal.

“Wait.” 

The word entered the air as if it wasn’t Midoriya who spoke it. Both the villains turned to look at him. 

WhatamIdoing whatamIdoing whatamIdoing?

“Give me some time to think about it. Two or three days, and then I’ll give you an answer,” Midoriya forced the words out of his mouth.

“Fine. In two days Kurogiri will come get you,” Shigaraki rasped, right before walking through the portal. 

“Oh, and can you teleport me back to my room?!” he asked a little frantically. The nurses were going to wonder how he got across the street and all the way up the stairs.

“Of course,” Kurogiri complied. 

Midoriya fell through the smokey purple mist again and was sitting on the floor in his hospital room, like nothing had happened. Except now he only had one crutch.

Well, I have a lot to think about. 

Notes:

I know it's not very likely that Shigaraki would be walking in Musutafu at the exact spot that Midoriya attempts suicide, but oh well... just roll with it because it makes for an interesting story.

The song for this chapter is Freaks by Jordan Clarke. I feel like if you imagine Shigaraki saying the lyrics to Midoriya it puts him in more of a positive light.

Chapter 4: The Last Straw

Notes:

I'm going to start making the chapters longer, this one is closer to 3,000 words.

There are a couple OCs in this. They don't play any major roles, none of my OCs ever will, but just letting you know. They're just there to fill the holes that the canon characters can't fill.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

“Well, what do you think of him?” Kurogiri asked.

Shigaraki and Kurogiri had gone back to a gloomy looking pub, with a computer reading “Sound Only” at the end of the bar.

“I think he’s annoying,” Shigaraki answered. “I don’t like the way he hesitated, he’s too unsure of himself.”

“So you want someone who’s more confident,” Kurogiri deduced. 

“I don’t know if confident is the right word, more like… knows their own strengths.”

“So if he says yes, are you going to recruit him?”

Shigaraki paused to think.

“Why not?” he finally said. “His analysis skills are top notch. The information he gathers on heroes will be very helpful when planning attacks.”

“Are you thinking of someone in particular?”

“Yeah, All Might, I want to see what he can dig up on him. If he has any exploitable weaknesses.” 

“Do you not trust Master? He has already said that All Might is weakened.”

“I want to be sure for myself. And besides, Master did say that I had to start making my own decisions.”

“I see.”

 

For the rest of the day, Midoriya couldn’t stop thinking about Shigaraki’s proposal. 

“Sweetie, did you hear me?” Inko asked.

“Huh? Oh, sorry mom. What did you say?” Midoriya asked, distracted.

“I was just saying Mitsuki’s going home now. I’m walking her out.” 

“Oh, okay.”

“I’m going to spend the night at the hospital again with you, but tomorrow morning I’m going to check on the apartment,” she continued.

“You know, you don’t have to spend the night with me if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’d rather be with you as much as I can.”

Midoriya didn’t know if she was doing this out of love or out of fear of him jumping again.

She left to go walk Mitsuki out, and Midoriya was left thinking.

Well, I have two options. I can either jump, which was my original plan, or I can join the League of Villains.

But do you really want to stoop down to their level? They’re villains!

Shigaraki was the first person to tell me my hero analyses are actually useful, while All Might crushed my dreams. 

But what would Shigaraki use the information for? To kill heroes! Only bad can come out of joining them. 

But then I’d at least be doing something with my life! I’m so tired of everyone telling me that I’ll never amount to anything, that I’m just a deku. I want to change that!

But do you really want the difference you make to be for evil? You’ve always wanted to make the world a better place, but joining the League? That would just make the world worse.

It’s not like the heroes have made the world any better. Look at Kacchan, he’s a jerk and yet he’s going to become a hero. All Might is supposed to be the best hero there is, and the first thing he did was sever my last strand of hope.

Right after saving you! There are good things heroes do too! You’re over-generalizing. Not all heroes are bad. 

Still, they have become more focused on staying in the spotlight and making money than helping people. 

But-

“I’m back!” Inko announced when she got back to the room. “It’s late, we should probably turn off the light and go to bed.”

“Okay mom, good night.” Midoriya was becoming increasingly annoyed at the amount his mother interrupted his thoughts.

“Good night sweetie!”

Midoriya heard his mother fall asleep within ten minutes of turning the light off.

He was barely able to sleep that night.

 

After Inko left the hospital the next morning, the nurse decided it was a great idea to take Midoriya on a walk around the hospital. 

He had to walk up a bunch of stairs, or rather she made him walk up a bunch of stairs. The whole way up she was cheering “woo!” and “you can do it” which didn’t make anything easier. 

He had to shimmy through what felt like an endless labyrinth of hallways. The people inside the rooms stared at him. He could tell they weren’t looking at his eyes, but at the stitches across his face. 

The real trouble was when she tried to make him take the stairs back down. She wasn’t able to wrap her head around the fact that going down stairs with an injury is harder than going up. 

Eventually, Midoriya convinced her to take the elevator back down. It was an awkward two-minute ride because the elevator was full of people and Midoriya with his crutches took up a third of the space. 

“Oh man, what happened to you?” someone asked.

Midoriya hesitated.

“I jumped off the roof of a building,” he answered.

The elevator was silent after that.

When Midoriya finally got back to his room, the first thing he did was sigh in relief. The second thing was deciding to see what was on the news. He wanted to distract himself from the raging war going on inside his mind, and he wanted to see if anything important had happened in the world.

He switched the TV on and started the slow process of getting into his bed. However, he stopped short when he heard screams coming from the TV.

“This is live footage of the villain attack in downtown Musutafu, where civilians are being forced to run for their lives as the intense battle between Pro Hero Hyperbeam and a villain with a speed quirk gets out of hand.”

Midoriya stopped climbing into bed and scrambled to the TV to get a better view of what was happening. 

The villain had shiny white hair swept back in a mohawk, twig arms and legs, and a mutation that had knives coming out of his forearms. 

The reporter said he has a speed quirk, thought Midoriya. 

And sure enough, the villain started moving so fast it was impossible to keep him in your line of sight. What was more, the knives on his arms seemed indestructible, as he sliced through telephone poles, causing them to come crashing down on buildings or people.

But that means he must also have a super perceiving ability, because when you move that fast everything around you is a blur. So if he isn’t crashing into anything he must either be able to think really fast, or he just knows his surroundings really well.

Then the camera focused on Hyperbeam. 

His quirk is being able to shoot high energy beams out of any part of his body. The wider the beam, the less power it has. The more condensed the beam, the more power it has, Midoriya remembered from his notes.

Hyperbeam was shooting out golden beams from his palms as fast as he could towards the villain, but he dodged every one with ease. The beams then hit the buildings behind him.

He’s using his quirk recklessly, Midoriya thought, he should wait for someone more qualified. He won’t be able to hit the villain at all. A quirk like his isn’t a good matchup for someone with a speed quirk. Especially in a city.

But Midoriya watched as Hyperbeam continued shooting beams and missing, and as the villain slowly destroyed more and more property with his arm-knives. 

The villain managed to get several good hits on Hyperbeam, cutting his arms and legs. 

Hyperbeam became desperate. He began firing out several condensed beams from many different parts of his body, not even aiming anymore. 

Just one of those beams would be able to immobilize the villain, they’re extremely powerful. He should be more careful where he aims them, Midoriya thought, he could end up accidentally killing the villain .

The fight lasted way too long. Hyperbeam, with his new method of not aiming, was able to hit the villain a couple times. But the villain was still going strong, hurting Hyperbeam much more than Hyperbeam was hurting him. 

The hero then shot two condensed beams out at the same time, each of them hitting a person. 

The only beam people noticed was the one that hit the villain. Anyone nearby started cheering as Hyperbeam picked up the unconscious villain and walked him to the police. The beam had hit the villain on the side of the head.

The beam Midoriya noticed was the one that went off to the side, away from the action. That beam hit someone right at the base of the neck. Midoriya watched as the woman fell to the ground. 

It was his mother. 

He looked around the screen frantically to see if anyone had noticed his mother get hit. When he didn’t see anyone call, he rushed outside with his crutches. 

The first person he saw was another patient recovering from a broken arm.

“Can I borrow your phone?! Please! It’s really important!!” Midoriya yelled.

“Okay, okay. Just give it back in a minute,” they replied, irritated.

“Thank you.”

Midoriya took their phone and immediately dialed 119.

“Hello this is 119, what’s your emergency?”

“In the fight between Hyperbeam and that villain with a speed quirk, in downtown Musutafu! I saw one of Hyperbeam’s beams hit someone standing off to the side,” Midoriya answered quickly.

“Okay, how do you know this and do you know who got hit?”

“I was watching on TV and I think it was my mother. I didn’t see anyone call so I decided to call myself,” he said, annoyed they were wasting time.

“Do you know where on her body she was hit, and her location?” 

“She was hit on the back at the base of the neck by one of the beams and then collapsed and didn’t get back up. Like I said I was watching on TV, so she’s wherever the fight between Hyperbeam and that villain was!” Midoriya yelled, getting more and more frustrated.

“Please calm down. Now we just need your name and number.”

“Why are you wasting time getting my name!!” he shouted. “My mom could be dying right now! Please, go and save her!!”

“Please, just give us your name.”

“Izuku Midoriya, now hurry and go!”

They hung up the phone. Everyone within shouting distance was staring at Midoriya. He still wasn’t getting used to it.

He hobbled back into his room and looked at the TV. They were on an ad-break.

Midoriya swore. There’s no way for me to know if she’s okay.

The only thing left to do was wait, and worry, and wonder what his mom was doing in downtown Musutafu in the first place. 

 

About 15 minutes later, Midoriya heard sirens. An ambulance had arrived at the hospital. 

He took the elevator down to the first floor, where the ER and emergency surgery rooms were. He went as fast as he could on his crutches. 

The ER was in a rush when he got down. They were pulling someone out of an ambulance on a stretcher. They were doing CPR.

Midoriya scrambled to get closer. As the stretcher passed by him, he could see his mom’s face. 

No… The tears started to swell.

His internal world came to a halt. His brain refused to process what he had just seen.

No, no, no! Please, no… That was all he was capable of thinking, it was on loop in his head. It was like if he thought ‘no’ enough, it would magically make his mom alright.

They started to take her down one of the hallways. It felt like everything was going in slow motion.

He tried to follow them down the hallway, but two EMTs blocked his path.

“I’m sorry, but you are not allowed to pass beyond this point.”

“But that’s my mom!” he yelled, the tears flooding his eyes.

The EMT’s eyes softened. “Sorry, we still can’t let you through. You seem to be a patient here,” they said, eyeing Midoriya’s stitches, “You should go back to your room.”

Midoriya longingly looked down the hallway, where his mother had just gone around a corner. As he limped away, he whispered to himself, “Please, be okay mom.”

 

An hour later, a nurse came into Midoriya’s room. 

“What’s happened?” he asked immediately.

“It’s your mother,” she said in a carefully constructed tone.

“Is she okay? Can I see her?” 

“She’s in critical condition. They want you to come down to answer some questions.”

The words took a few moments to connect in Midoriya’s head.

Critical condition? Waitwaitwait that means… she might die.

“Please follow me,” the nurse instructed.

Midoriya followed after the nurse the best he could with crutches. She led him past the ER and down a hallway to a smaller waiting room with only a couple other people waiting. 

“Please wait here,” she said, before exiting through some doors.

While he was waiting, his thoughts raced.

My mom might die. That’s what critical condition means.

You don’t know that for sure. It just means she’s unstable, it doesn’t mean she’s absolutely going to die.

It’s all Hyperbeam’s fault. If he hadn’t been trying to get all the glory for taking down that villain, this would’ve never happened. 

And how many more people would’ve gotten hurt if he had waited?

There are ways he could’ve acted that would’ve protected people and avoided putting any more at risk. It is because of his own self-absorbedness my mother is hurt. And he calls himself a hero. 

Again, you’re over-generalizing. Not all heroes would’ve acted like him!

But more and more heroes are just doing what they do for fame and money. It’s becoming less and less about actually protecting people.

“Hello? You’re Izuku Midoriya, am I correct?” a voice behind him said.

Midoriya turned around. A doctor with a kind, old wrinkled face was looking at him. He was accompanied by another doctor and two nurses. 

“Yes, I’m him,” Midoriya answered.

“Excellent. My name is Dr. Furuya. We have a few questions to ask you about your mother, if that’s okay.”

“Is my mother going to be okay?” Midoriya asked, ignoring what he’d just been told.

“We are currently doing everything we can to stabilize her. It does not look as if she is going to die, but it is a vague possibility,” Dr. Furuya explained.

“What did Hyperbeam do to her?” Midoriya asked, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

“His beam… it just happened to hit the exact worst spot. The base of the neck is connected to the spine and the brain. The energy from his beam permanently damaged that area. If she does get through this, she may be paralyzed in one or more areas of the body. She may also suffer from some sort of mental illness.”

Midoriya realized he may never see his mother normal again. That morning might’ve been the last normal conversation he’d had with his mom. 

Dr. Furuya must’ve seen his face because he continued, “It could’ve been a lot worse. Be glad there’s still a large chance you will be able to talk with her again.”

When Midoriya didn’t respond, one of the nurses spoke up.

“We do have some questions to ask about your mother. Your answers may help in keeping her alive,” she said.

“Oh, sure. I’ll do my best to answer what I can,” Midoriya responded.

All of the questions were about either health insurance or family health history. There were a couple of questions about his and Inko’s relationship, but other than that there was nothing out of the ordinary. 

When they were finished, Midoriya asked, “Can I at least see her?”

“Oh, yes yes. I’ll show you to her room,” Dr. Furuya said.

They went around a couple bends and walked into a room that was bigger than Midoriya’s.

His mother was in the middle of the room on a hospital bed. She had tons of tubes and IVs going into her, and a thing in her mouth helping her breath. Her vitals and breathing were being monitored closely. 

Midoriya started crying, and he rushed to the side of her bed. It hurt him to see her like this. Because of a hero.

I’m going to join the League of Villains, he finally decided, as he sat there holding his mother’s hand.

Okay, I hope you won’t regret it. 

Notes:

I did make Midoriya have that arguing between the good voice and bad voice in his head. He doesn't have schizophrenia, like in those Evelyn Evelyn animatics. It's more like in those cartoons how there's the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder.

The song for this chapter is Bad Blood by Taylor Swift. I just picture Midoriya in my head, yelling the lyrics to Bakugo and All Might and even Hyperbeam. It's very satisfying.

Chapter 5: Lens of a Villain

Notes:

Alright, I know that this Villain Deku fanfic has been pretty on par with other Villain Deku fanfics so far. I don't know, I just wanted to make something about my version particularly unique. So Midoriya really likes music, and it's his main method of coping with everything that's going on. I also feel like that fits the vibe of this fanfic, with me giving songs for every chapter, so yeah.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

Midoriya needed a way to distract himself from everything. From his thoughts, from the League, from his mother’s condition. Music was his most viable option.

When he started making his way back to his room from his mother’s, a paramedic approached him. 

“You’re Inko Midoriya’s son, right?” they asked.

“Yes.”

“This was a bag of stuff your mother had when we found her. I can’t ask her, but I’m pretty sure she’d be okay with you having it.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“No problem! I hope you and your mom get better.”

“Yeah.”

When Midoriya got back to his room, he opened the bag with rising levels of nervousness and curiosity. 

There was some food in there that she had brought from the apartment. She had her wallet and some normal feminine things to have in a bag. Midoriya found his phone in there. 

Huh, I must’ve left it on my desk when I decided to jump. 

And then he found two bowls of store-bought katsudon at the bottom. 

That’s why she was in downtown Musutafu. She was getting my favorite food.

For some reason, this pushed him over the edge emotionally. He’d barely cried over the past few days, he’d been keeping it all inside. But this, knowing his mother had been doing something kind for him when she got hurt, it finally pushed him over his limit.

He cried about attempting suicide, and about Bakugo’s and All Might’s words. He cried about the League, and the fact that he was joining them. He cried about his mother. 

He didn’t know what else to do. Eventually, he grabbed his phone and went to YouTube and typed in “sad music.”

He clicked on the first playlist he saw and just listened. 

That was what helped him get through. The rest of that day he just listened to music. He didn’t let himself think or eat or drink. 

He went to sleep wondering if his mother was going to be okay. 

 

He woke up wondering if he was going to be okay. At noon, two days would have passed. Midoriya was going to see Shigaraki and Kurogiri again. 

And he was going to tell them he wanted to join.

Midoriya went and visited his mother again in the morning. She was stable, but it didn’t look like she was going to wake up anytime soon. 

At 11:30, he started having second thoughts.

Are you sure you want to do this? 

Yes. I have nowhere else to turn. 

There are still other options than joining the League. They might be harder to reach, but easier isn’t necessarily better.

This society has told me that I’m useless. Everyone has told me that I’ll never be able to accomplish my goals, just because I was born without a quirk. Everyone except the League.

But what are you going to do once you’re a villain? You can’t take revenge on all of society. 

I can at least make Kacchan’s and All Might’s life awful. They’ll see what I’ve become and be riddled with guilt. 

You’re building your future off of sadness and anger. You reap what you sow. Are you going to be satisfied with a life full of sadness and anger?

I don’t know.

He saw Kurogiri appear on the rooftop outside his window.

But it’s not like I have a choice.

You’ve been pushed and shoved by circumstances out of your control, but you still have a choice. Are you going to cross this line? It’s going to be nearly impossible to turn back. 

Midoriya hesitated, because deep down, he really didn’t want to. 

But as the purple-black mist started to envelope him, he thought, yes. I’m crossing the line.

“Midoriya, have you made your decision?” Kurogiri asked.

The teen mentally noted how Kurogiri had also teleported his crutches, even though he hadn’t been holding them. He grabbed his crutches and managed to get up off the ground.

“Yes. I’ve decided to join the League,” he answered.

“Wonderful. In that case, please follow me to talk with Shigaraki,” Kurogiri said as he opened up a portal, before walking through it.

As Midoriya hobbled after him, he thought, no turning back now.

Midoriya’s eyes had to adjust to the dim room after standing out in the sun on the rooftop. He took in the bar, and the bottles of alcohol behind it, and the ‘Sound Only’ computer screen. He looked over his shoulder to see the portal closing, as well as a door and a jukebox in the corner. 

“Well, well, well. Look who it is,” Shigaraki drawled once the portal was completely closed. Midoriya saw his body was tense, ready for action. “What did he say?” 

“He is willing to join the League,” answered Kurogiri, and Shigaraki relaxed. 

He might’ve been ready to kill me if I said no, Midoriya thought, with a quirk like his it’d be easy. 

“Wonderful. You’re our first recruit,” said Shigaraki.

“Wait, I’m your first one?!” 

“Yes, and there’s some things I want you to do.”

Midoriya decided not to question him and listened.

“First, I want to have all of your previous notebooks. This is number thirteen, right? I want the other twelve.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“Good. I’ve already learned so much from this first notebook, I can’t wait to read the others,” Shigaraki continued greedily. “Second, you’re going to have to get stronger and learn how to fight. You’re really weak and scrawny right now. You stand no chance in a fight.”

Well… he isn’t wrong.

“If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it. But who am I going to learn from?”

“Be quiet! Figure it out yourself. Last, I want you to gather as much info on heroes and villains as you can. You’ll report back to us whatever you find.”

Midoriya thought about this for a second.

“When you say villains, do you mean low level thugs, or newsworthy bad guys?” he asked.

“Whoever you think is worthy of the League’s attention.”

That’s not a lot to go off of. 

“I remember you said I’d have money and shelter if I worked with you. Where’s that?”

“There is an apartment rented down the street from here that you can use,” explained Kurogiri, “and we’ll give you money if we feel you need it.”

“If you feel I need it?”

“Yes. If you say you need money for a bus ride, or food, we’ll provide,” the warper elaborated. 

“Okay, and all of this will be starting once I get out of the hospital?”

“Yes.” Kurogiri nodded. 

I still have two weeks left in the hospital. I’m going to have to get ready for the League during that time. 

“Hey, you’re quirkless right? That’s why you jumped?” Shigaraki asked.

Midoriya fell silent for a minute. It was an out of the blue, personal question.

“Yeah, I’m quirkless. But that isn’t the only reason why I jumped.”

Shigaraki considered Midoriya for a moment, and they locked eyes. Red staring into green, green staring into red. In a way, they were one in the same. They were both angry at the world for how it had treated them. They both wanted revenge.

Sweet, self-destructive revenge. 

“You can go back to the hospital now,” Shigaraki proposed, “If you walk up to that same rooftop when you get released, Kurogiri will come get you.”

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

Kurogiri opened a portal, and Midoriya started to shuffle over when Shigaraki said, “One last thing.”

Midoriya stopped and turned back towards Shigaraki. 

“In your notebook, you write about wanting to be a hero. How do we know you’re not going to betray us?”

Midoriya thought for a moment.

Don’t tell them! They shouldn’t know.

But, I’m a villain now, aren’t I? I’ve already crossed this line.

“I have some valuable information on All Might, if you want to know.”

Shigaraki’s eyes widened in excitement. 

“What is it? Tell me!” exclaimed Shigaraki. Midoriya knew he didn’t have a choice now. If he changed his mind and chose not to tell them, he would be tortured for the info. 

“He’s not as invincible as he seems. He sustained a serious injury some years ago. He now is only able to do hero work for about three hours before he… deflates.”

“Deflates? What do you mean?” Shigaraki asked, eager for the information.

“He becomes smaller, almost like a skeleton. He loses all his muscles and looks like a completely different person. He’s completely helpless in this form.”

The room was quiet as the information absorbed. Then Shigaraki started laughing. 

“The time is coming when the beloved symbol of peace will finally be killed by the villains.”

So that’s his goal. To kill All Might. 

“Is that info good enough to convince you?” Midoriya asked.

“Oh yes. I’m already pleased with your work so far.”

“Alright then. My treatment at the hospital is supposed to be over in about two weeks, so, see you then, I guess.”

“Yes…” Shigaraki rasped, smiling creepily.

Then Midoriya walked through the portal, back into his room, before the warp gate swirled shut. 

He started looking forward to getting out of the hospital.

 

The change in Midoriya’s behavior the next few days was blamed on his mother’s condition. The nurses and healers and doctors had no idea it was actually because he had become a villain.

At first, you may not think becoming a villain would change your behavior that much, but it does. It changes the entire way you view the world. Everything you see now is filtered through a lens. It’s filtered through the fact that you’re a villain.

Where you once saw kind and helpful people, you now see people who could discover your secret. Where you once saw a door, you now see an escape route.

Midoriya was experiencing this firsthand, and it made him uncomfortable. He’d always been the trusting, innocent type. He had always seen the best in people. That was starting to change now.

He was more guarded around everyone, and he had this kind of mysterious air around him when people looked at him. People could tell he wasn’t going to let his walls down at all.

Midoriya was starting to develop more of an “us - them” mindset. He estranged himself from everyone, because in his mind, they were now his enemy. The only people on his side were the League of Villains.

He still did physical therapy every day, and there were visible improvements. He could now walk around fairly well with crutches, even go up and down stairs.

“It’s still looking like your release date will be in about one and a half weeks. You’re 14, so you are old enough to make your own decisions and sign yourself out, but because of your mother you’re allowed to stay here as long as you need,” explained the doctor.

“It’s okay. I’ve arranged something with someone,” responded Midoriya.

“Alright, as long as you’ve got food and a roof over your head, it’s legal.”

Tch, I’m hardly worried about what’s legal or not anymore.

 

During the last week, he started being able to walk without crutches. The healers had been working overtime and had done an amazing job at patching him up. The scar was beginning to show on his face.

He still visited his mom every day. She wasn’t showing any signs of improvement, but she wasn’t getting worse either. Dr. Furuya said they were doing everything they could to keep her stable, but it was really just a waiting game at this point.

Midoriya started turning towards music to help him cope. At first, he’d just been listening to depressing pop songs, but he started expanding towards rock and techno music too. He spent hours in his room just listening to music.

 

Before he knew it, the last day before his release was there.

He was able to walk completely without crutches now, but he did have a slight limp. His breakages were completely healed and all the bruising was gone. The only remnant of his fall was the scar on his face.

It started under his temple, curved down his cheek and ended next to his chin. He now only had three freckles on his left cheek.

“Well, your scar could’ve been a lot worse,” commented the female healer, “but it is pretty uncommon for someone your age to have a scar that large.”

“You could tell people you were in a huge battle with a flaming eyeball, and you defeated him by destroying this magical ring that tried to take over your mind!” exclaimed the male healer.

“Ugh, you watch too many movies,” she groaned.

“Well this movie was based off a book so…”

“I think I’d rather just tell people the truth,” said Midoriya, then people will leave me alone. 

“Alright, if you say so,” said the male healer as he got up to leave.

“Your last healing session will be tomorrow morning, and then you get released,” informed the female healer.

“Okay.”

 

Midoriya woke up early the next morning and took a walk around the hospital. Nurses were already making their rounds, even though most of the patients wouldn’t be up for another few hours.

They all looked at him warily as he passed by. Most of the healers and nurses knew him as the quirkless boy who jumped off a roof whose mother was in a coma.

He decided to take the elevator up to the roof to escape the attention.

The sun was rising when he got to the top. Because he didn’t have anything better to do, he walked out to the edge to get a better view. There was only a short brick wall to stop people from falling. He sat on top of it, legs dangling over the edge of the building.

You could do it, right now, if you wanted to. You could end it all.

He looked out over the city. The sunrise was especially beautiful this morning.

No. I want to make a change in the world. And I will.

The breeze in his green hair was strangely freeing. He sat up there for a long time, just enjoying the fresh air and the solitude.

Just enjoying the sunrise.

Notes:

Kudos to all of you who got the LOTR reference.

The song for this chapter is Silence by Marshmello, ft. Khalid. This is one of my favorite songs, and this is probably my favorite chapter so far.

Chapter 6: Children's Innocence

Notes:

I added chapter names! I totally didn't spend an unreasonable amount of time re-reading each chapter trying to come up with cool names.

Heh, enjoy this week's chapter. Or don't, it's up to you.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

When the healers didn’t find Midoriya in his room, they became worried. He’d never missed a healing session before. They checked to see if he was visiting his mother. When they didn’t find him, they started a search.

Eventually, someone decided to check the roof.

When she got up there and saw Midoriya sitting on the edge she yelled, “No! Don’t do it!”

Midoriya turned to see a very frantic young girl with dirty blond hair and hazel eyes.

“Don’t jump! Please just walk over to me!” she shouted.

Huh, she only looks nine years old. One of her parents must work here, Midoriya thought. He casually swung his legs over the brick wall and stood up onto the roof.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t planning to jump. I was just watching the sunrise,” he said. Relief flooded her features.

“You’re Izuku Midoriya, right?” she asked. “People are looking for you. You weren’t at your healing session, which was weird. I decided to help look.” There was a hint of pride in that last sentence.

“Well it was pretty smart of you to look on the roof,” Midoriya said, “You were the only person to think of that.” He offered her an awkward smile. She beamed and puffed her chest up proudly.

“I guess I better be getting down to my healing session then,” he said as he started making his way for the elevator.

“Oh yeah! I’ll ride down with you.”

During the elevator ride, she started telling him about all her interests. How she loved to draw and ride bikes with her older brother, but now that her mom had taken a job at the hospital as a nurse, she didn’t get to see him as often.

Midoriya just listened. He laughed when she tried to make a joke and commented when he felt it was appropriate.

When they arrived at the right floor, there was a small group of people talking. They all turned to look as the elevator doors opened with a ding. 

The young girl, whose name was Sakura, stepped out first.

“Oh honey! There you are,” one of the nurses rushed forward and hugged her. “Where did you go? I was looking for you.” She was obviously her mom, and her name tag read ‘Nurse Kobayashi.’

“I heard you all were looking for Izuku Midoriya, so I decided to help,” Sakura explained hesitantly.

“You should’ve told me what you were doing.”

Sakura looked down guiltily.

She knows that her mother would’ve stopped her from looking. That’s why she didn’t tell. 

“But I found him…” she said.

Midoriya stepped out of the elevator. Everyone put their guard up, acting as if they were happy she’d found him while their eyes traced Midoriya’s scar down his cheek. 

“Hi,” Midoriya said awkwardly.

“Oh honey, that’s great that you found him, but what have I said about talking to strangers!” Nurse Kobayashi scolded.

“But he was really nice to me! He wasn’t cold or violent like you said he would be,” Sakura retorted.

Oh, so those are the rumors that have been going around about me.

Nurse Kobayashi was visibly embarrassed. Her daughter had just exposed her. She looked up at Midoriya to see what his reaction would be, and he recognized the awkwardness of the situation.

“I should get back to my room,” he said, resuming being aloof. The mask he had put up the last two weeks had come down with Sakura. He started walking away.

“Wait!” Sakura yelled, and she ran over to Midoriya and grabbed his coat. “Can I come talk to you again later?”

Midoriya looked down at her, surprised. Her mother looked shocked her daughter had walked up to him so easily.

“Sorry, but I’m getting released later today,” he said.

“Aw, it was really nice talking with you.”

She must be really lonely if she’s this connected to me when we just talked for a little bit.

Midoriya bent down so he could look her in the eyes and let his mask fall again.

“I’m still going to come and visit my mom, so I could possibly see you again,” he gave her a reassuring smile. Midoriya glimpsed Sakura's mother, and he could tell she was not happy with what she was seeing.

“Yeah! If I see you, can I talk to you?”

“Sure, but right now I think your mother wants you to go back to your room.”

Sakura looked over at her mom and saw she wasn’t pleased.

“Okay. I’m going back to my room now, mommy,” she said apologetically, before scurrying off.

When Sakura was out of view, Midoriya walked over to her mom.

“So, what did you two talk about?” Nurse Kobayashi asked in an accusatory tone.

“She was the one that did all the talking. I didn’t say much. But if she’s that open with me when we only talked for a few minutes, you should probably spend more time with her.”

“What?” she asked, surprised.

“Well she’s obviously an extrovert, and extroverts need to have social interaction, or at least someone to talk to. I think she used to talk with her brother, but now that you’re working here, she never sees him. You don’t seem to pay much attention to her either.”

“Don’t tell me how to parent my child!” Nurse Kobayashi shouted. She was flustered because everything he said was dead right.

“Well someone had to tell you,” he replied coldly.

The other people that had been talking were just standing there, watching.

“I’m going back to my room. You can tell everyone to stop looking for me,” he said as he walked away.

Sometimes a child’s innocence can see things clearer than an adult’s experience. 

 

On the way back, a few people recognized him and told him everyone was looking for him.

He just replied, “I know. I’m going back to my room,” to every one of them.

His healing session went by slowly. The healers, who normally chatted while working, were quiet. As they got up to leave, Midoriya decided to say something.

“Thank you. I know I haven’t been the easiest patient. But thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

They looked at him, surprised.

“Well, I mean, it is kind of our job. You know, to heal people,” the male healer remarked.

“You’re welcome,” the female healer said. And then she left.

“Oh, yeah. You’re welcome,” the male healer repeated. He followed her out.

 

Midoriya went to visit his mother before checking out. He had become a regular in that area of the hospital, so nobody stopped him as he walked through the hallways to his mother’s room.

She was stable now without the aid of the healers. Many tests were being done to try to figure out how to help her. This was foreign territory in the medical field.

Midoriya had suggested to Dr. Furuya that they bring in Hyperbeam and do some tests on his quirk, but he said no. It was nearly impossible to get pro heroes to listen to requests from a small hospital. It would be too big of a hassle.

When Midoriya went into his mother’s room, she was in the middle of a healing session. Unlike him, his mother got three healers.

He nodded respectfully at them and took a chair next to his mother’s bed. He put in some earbuds and listened to music, watching his mother’s peaceful face. There was no movement in any of her facial features.

Midoriya once more felt a rising anger. Not only at Hyperbeam, but just at heroes in general.

They act all high and mighty, but deep down, they really don’t care. They just do it to support themselves, not because they actually want to help people.

He had fully convinced himself of this. Midoriya had lost all faith in heroes.

 

Signing out was actually pretty easy. All Midoriya had to do was sign a piece of paper, and the doctor had to sign it too.

“You said you’ve made arrangements with someone, correct?” the doctor asked, “You know you won’t be living in a box under a bridge once you leave here?”

“Yes. I will be fine,” Midoriya answered, except he really wasn’t going to be fine, but he didn’t know that yet. 

“Alrighty then. Just remember you have a check up two weeks from now at 1:00.”

“Okay. See you then,” I’m probably not going to that appointment.

He left the hospital and crossed the street to the building he had seen out his window, which turned out to be an apartment building. He took the stairs all the way to the roof and waited. After a little while, he sat down on the ground and leaned his back against the wall next to the door.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, he started getting worried Kurogiri wouldn’t show. But he didn’t have anywhere else to go, so he just stayed there.

After thirty minutes, a purple-black portal materialized in front of him.

“Midoriya. A pleasure to see you again,” greeted Kurogiri.

“I was beginning to get worried you weren’t coming,” responded Midoriya as he got up.

“I apologize for my lack of punctuality, but Master and Shigaraki were discussing some important matters.”

“Master? I thought Shigaraki was in charge,” asked Midoriya.

“It is not my place to tell you.” Kurogiri gestured for Midoriya to go through the portal. 

If Shigaraki isn’t in charge, then who is? If they’re recruiting me, I should know.

“Also,” Kurogiri continued, “If you are going to be working with the League, you need an alias.”

An alias? I hadn’t thought of that. 

“Can I have some time to think about it?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“And where’s the League’s hideout?”

“It’s located in Yokohama.”

“Ah, okay.”

Midoriya then walked through the portal. He emerged into the gloomy bar, at which Shigaraki was sitting.

“There you are. Took you long enough,” rasped Shigaraki.

I was the one waiting on you, but Midoriya knew better than to say this.

“You’re here so we can go over the finer details of you working for us.”

When Midoriya didn’t say anything, Shigaraki continued.

“You’re pretty much free to do whatever you want, except for a few rules. You can’t tell anyone about us, of course, unless you have my permission. You’re going to report in at least once a week with any information you’ve gathered. And finally, you’re going to have to train yourself to fight. Either that or find someone to teach you.”

“Okay… about this training, are there any specific areas I need to focus on? And why do I need to have it? Is there some amount on how much training I have to do?” Midoriya questioned.

“Ugh. Stop asking so many annoying questions,” Shigaraki demanded. “You have really flimsy arms, and a hero could easily capture you if they recognized you as a villain. Right now, you’re more of a liability than a help. Especially without a quirk.”

He has no filter, does he?

“That’s why you need to learn how to fight. I don’t care what you do as long as you learn. Figure it out yourself. Also, we’re not barbarians. We have phones. That’s how we’ll stay in communication.”

“And when will I meet this ‘Master’ guy?” Midoriya asked. Shigaraki visibly tensed.

“That’s not for you to ask. We decide when you meet him,” he responded resentfully.

Well that’s ominous.

“I understand. We’re in Yokohama, right? I think I can take a bus to my old apartment from here to get my stuff. Can I have the address to my new one?” Midoriya requested. “I can also get you my previous notebooks.”

“Whatever. You’re also going to need a villain costume. Can’t go walking around in that.”

The newly recruited villain was wearing a light blue jacket and a white shirt, with black basketball shorts and his bright red shoes.

“Oh. Yeah, I can make something.” Ideas and half formed thoughts started flowing through Midoriya’s mind. He would have to learn how to make most of the things he was thinking of, but it would be worth it once he was done.

After exchanging phone numbers, Kurogiri gave Midoriya a slip of paper with his new address on it. 

The teen took the five minute walk from the bar to his new apartment. It was kind of sketchy looking, but a comfortable size. He had a bed and desk and a small kitchen. There was a bathroom off to the side, but no windows anywhere. 

After taking a look around, Midoriya took a bus to his old apartment using some of the money from his mother’s wallet. At first he’d felt guilty about using her money, but then again, what would she be using it for any time soon?

 

Arriving at his old apartment, seeing where he used to live, walking into his room. It was already like visiting a previous life.

Seeing it all again, it made him remember a time when he was happy. That was the couch he’d watched the UA Sports Festival on. That was the table he’d sat at eating katsudon with his mom. These were the halls he’d run through with his All Might onesie.

He had once been happy here. 

But so much had changed in such a short period of time. 

Nothing would ever be the same again. 

Midoriya walked into his room and tried to ignore all the All Might merch. He tried to numb himself to everything that reminded him of the time before he jumped.

He got a duffel bag out of his closet and stuffed it with some clothes. He put some essentials in there, like a toothbrush, tooth paste, shower stuff, etc. He took all of his hero analyses off the shelf. The last thing he packed was his computer. 

As he was getting ready to leave, he took one last glance at his room. He picked up his favorite All Might figure. As he looked at it, a single tear escaped his eye. 

He found himself wishing he still had faith in heroes, because now he didn’t have faith in anything. And the funny thing was, he still loved this All Might figure. 

He put it into his bag. It was his last connection to his former life.

 

After that he took a bus ride back into the city. He went to his apartment and unpacked his bag. 

He decided to take a look around the whole building. There were some sketchy looking people around, but nothing to be overly concerned about. Especially since he was the villain now, not these other people.

It was getting close to sunset, and Midoriya was aware of Shigaraki’s impatience. He knew it’d be better to take the hero notebooks to Shigaraki now instead of later, but there was something stopping him.

If I give these to Shigaraki, he’s probably not going to give them back. 

There was valuable information inside these notebooks, and Midoriya didn’t want to give it all away. He wanted to have it for himself too.

So instead of walking over to the bar and handing the notebooks over, he stayed up the entire night transcribing everything over to some new notebooks. He even had to run to the store and use more of his mother’s money to buy them. 

While transcribing, he skipped over all of the parts talking about wanting to be a hero, knowing he’d cry and feel regret if he read them. 

He didn’t have the emotional energy for that right now.

Notes:

Sakura is going to have a part to play in the future. It's not a very big role, but still important.

The song for this chapter is Drama by AJR. I just feel like it fits with the rumors going around Midoriya, and some of the lyrics fit with how Midoriya's leaving his old life for this new one.

Also, I did some research about when's the best time to upload fanfiction, and it said that Fridays are the worst time to post, so I'm going to be posting chapters on Mondays from now on. Sorry for the change in schedule! But now you'll get a chapter a few days early.

Chapter 7: Birds of a Feather

Notes:

Here's a chapter a few days early. Chapters will be on Mondays from now on. wee

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

Midoriya stayed up all night, copying his notebooks. He’d gotten a couple hours of sleep in the morning, but that was it. Around noon, he left for the bar to give his original notebooks to Shigaraki.

He blinked sleepily as he exited the building, not fully awake yet. 

On the way there, a large thug approached him. That zapped him awake.

“Whaddya got there, kid?” he asked.

Oh crap.

“C’mon, I’m not gonna hurt ya.” The adrenaline started coursing through Midoriya’s body.

Use your brain, Izuku. You can’t fight your way out, so think your way out of the problem.

“It’s top secret intelligence on Genius Office, and I’m delivering it to some very high paying individuals. If I don’t arrive in exactly eleven and a half minutes they’re going to know something’s wrong. If you know what’s best for you, you’ll move along,” Midoriya replied in a cool, confident tone. 

“Huh?” the thug’s stance wavered, and the discerning eye could tell he was nervous, “There’s no such thing as a Genius Office.”

“That’s what Best Jeanist’s hero agency is called, you idiot,” Midoriya retorted, “The people I’m delivering this intel to are very dangerous. It’ll be your life they take, not mine.”

That was the first time Midoriya had ever made a death threat.

Something changed in the thug’s eyes.

“Ya know, there’s a certain glint in a person’s eyes when they’re serious ‘bout a death threat. You ain’t got the glint, kid.”

Shoot. This isn’t good. 

“Now empty your pockets of anything of value, and I’ll let ya go ‘deliver this intel,’ got it?”

“That isn’t going to happen,” replied Midoriya, putting his notebooks down.

“Then I’ll make it happen,” threatened the thug as he pulled out a dagger.

Come on… any minute now… 

The thug lunged at Midoriya with his dagger. Just before it connected with his shoulder, a purple-black mist appeared at the tip of it. 

The dagger came out of a small portal next to the thug’s leg. Before he could tell what was happening, the thug was stabbing himself in the thigh.

He screamed in pain. 

“I do not suggest mugging our newest recruit,” advised Kurogiri, who had appeared behind the thug.

“Thanks Kurogiri,” said Midoriya in relief. He had been texting Kurogiri behind his back while stalling for time.

The thug dropped the dagger and pulled his hand back towards himself, out of the portal. Kurogiri deactivated his quirk.

“Ya little sh…” the thug swore. He tried to attack Midoriya again, even with his wounded leg.

Midoriya punched him square in the face, knocking him out cold.

Gosh, that hurts your fist a lot. 

“Well done Midoriya. Perhaps you are better at fighting than we gave you credit for.”

“I’m not too sure,” if Kurorgiri hadn’t saved me, I would’ve been done for. I was helpless. Useless. 

Midoriya bent down to look at the thug’s dagger. Its blade was made of a sleek, black metal, and the grip was a dark green. 

This is actually really high quality. 

He inspected the thug’s waist and found the belt and scabbard that went with the dagger.

“I think I’m going to keep the dagger and its scabbard.”

“Take whatever you like from him. He is just an insignificant thug and of no interest to the League.”

Midoriya cleaned the blood off of the dagger on the thug’s shirt, then put it back into its scabbard and the scabbard into his pocket.

“Were you headed to the bar?” asked Kurogiri. 

“I was. Do you think you can take me the rest of the way?”

“Of course,” Kurogiri obliged as he opened a portal.

 

“I was wondering when you were coming back,” Shigaraki said in place of a greeting.

“I have my other twelve notebooks. Everything important I’ve noticed about heroes, or just quirks and fighting styles in general is written here,” said Midoriya, learning to ignore Shigaraki’s snide remarks.

“Wonderful, these will be put to great use,” Shigaraki drawled. “To think, the notes a fanboy took in hopes of becoming a hero will be used to bring the downfall of those he admired.” His tone held a laugh. 

“Yeah. It is pretty ironic. Isn’t it?” replied the teen quietly, more to himself than anyone.

“Midoriya, have you decided on an alias yet?” Kurogiri asked.

“Oh, yes. I’ve chosen Deku.”

“Deku? What kind of name is that?” questioned Shigaraki.

“It’s kind of personal,” Midoriya explained, “but I’m basically trying to reclaim it and make it my own. I’m trying to prove someone else wrong, mess with his head too.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to hear your sob-story of a life. Just report in once a week and you can stay.”

“Alright. See you in a week then, I guess,” said Midoriya as he started making his way to the door.

“Would you like me to warp you back to your apartment?” asked Kurogiri.

“Oh yeah. That’d be great.”

Kurogiri opened a portal, and second later Midoriya found himself back in his windowless apartment.

 

The next month was a bit of a blur for Midoriya. 

He’d stopped attending school. The communication between the hospital and his middle school wasn’t great. The hospital had no idea when Midoriya was supposed to be going back to school, and the school had no idea where Midoriya was.

Essentially, he was missing. But nobody really cared enough to do anything, except his mom, but she wasn’t awake. Maybe Bakugo cared too, though he’d never admit it.

However, Midoriya didn’t want to fall behind in his education, even though he was a villain. He did online schooling and kept his grades up to at least the average level.

But he was learning so much more than normal academics. He was teaching himself how to fight, create support gear, and a tad bit of hacking as well. He’d put himself on an intense training regime. After just two weeks he was already seeing a difference in his body.

He was using every resource he could find to teach himself how to fight. Youtube videos, articles, even library books. He already knew the basics from watching heroes, but that wasn’t enough. He was steadily improving and learning more, but slowly.

He worked a lot on his villain costume too. He’d gone more for functionality than style, except for a couple signature Midoriya details.

He’d come up with a lot of ideas for support gear too and had learned how to make most of them. He knew he would have to rely heavily on support gear to compensate for not having a quirk. But he didn’t have the supplies, or the money to buy supplies. Midoriya had asked Kurogiri about it, who said he’d ask Shigaraki.

Of course, Midoriya had to keep up with the League’s demands. Everyday he went out to gather information. Sometimes he’d just watch heroes on their patrol and go to street fights when they broke out. Other times he’d go to hero agencies and take notes on the schedules and habits they followed. 

But his favorite thing to do was go to hero fan events. Heroes would come out and greet their fans and usually hang out and have some fun. When they were relaxed like this, it was when their most exploitable weaknesses showed.

Midoriya would take notes on behaviors and mental patterns that the heroes followed. If you know how someone’s mind works, you can manipulate them to do anything. That’s what he was taking notes for.

But he would never admit he still enjoyed hero fan events. It had been one of his favorite things before he jumped, and still kind of was.

He would write the notes in his new notebook, and then would then make a second copy to give to Shigaraki. How could he know that they weren’t the original?

With all the work he was doing, he didn’t have much free time. But when he did, he went on long walks or sat on rooftops listening to music.

 

Naomasa Tsukauchi was thoroughly confused. He read the file for the seventeenth time.

Dai Nakagawa - 36 yo male, thug. Wanted for 7 accounts of robbery, harassment, aggravated assault, sexual assault. Quirk - Tough Skin. Update - found unconscious in alleyway on unpopulated street. 

Nakagawa was refusing to cooperate and answer questions. 

Normally this would just be ruled off as: he got drunk and got into a fight and ended up unconscious. But there was something off. His dagger had been stolen and his body just left halfway on the sidewalk. 

If another group of thugs had come up on him, they wouldn’t have left him on the sidewalk. They would’ve dragged him into the alleyway. Also, thugs have plenty of their own knives and daggers, so they wouldn’t have had to steal Nakagawa’s. 

And the serration marks in his leg wound matched those of his own dagger, which they had on file from previous arrests.

Had someone stolen his dagger and stabbed him with it? Unlikely. This guy was huge and strong. Stealing something off him would be incredibly difficult while he was conscious, unless he was up against a high class villain. But that was a whole other can of worms.

Had he stabbed himself? Again, unlikely. That still wouldn’t explain where his dagger went and why he was unconscious halfway in an alley.

So had he been up against a high class villain? But why would they attack Nakagawa? Or why would Nakagawa attack a high level villain? 

It would be difficult to know for sure what happened. And this missing persons case wasn’t helping.

Tsukauchi picked up the second file on his desk.

Izuku Midoriya - 14 yo male, middle school student. No criminal record. Quirk - none. Update - went missing after release from hospital. Has not returned to school or been sighted.

As far as Tsukauchi knew, no one else was working on this case, or even concerned about this boy. Midoriya’s only family was his mother, who was in a coma at the hospital. 

The fact that no one cared annoyed him. Every missing person was important, and Tsukauchi had a feeling nobody cared because this kid was quirkless. 

He’d gone to Midoriya’s old apartment to see if he was just hiding out there. Instead he found many of Midoriya’s clothes and essentials missing. Tsukauchi knew Midoriya had been there and was now living somewhere else. 

I’m gonna find you, Midoriya. It’s my responsibility as a cop and a person.

And Tsukauchi was not one to give up easily.

 

About a month and a half after Midoriya had joined the League, he decided to take a metro to Hosu city. 

He’d taken metros to other cities, of course, to take notes on more famous heroes, but Hosu was a little different. 

Officially, he was going there to take notes on the pro hero Ingenium, who had seen a recent boost in popularity. 

Unofficially, he was there because he wanted to see if the rumors about the Hero Killer were true. He had killed a large range of heroes in many different cities, and the rumors were that he was now in Hosu.

Midoriya listened to music most of the way there and reviewed his notes. He was wearing a black hoodie and joggers so he wouldn’t stick out.

He had started traveling by rooftop more recently. One, because his body had gotten strong enough to jump from roof to roof, making it good training. Two, because the rooftop gave him a better aerial view of whatever was happening. Three, he just didn’t have to socially interact with people as much. 

As he arrived in Hosu, he slipped off to the side and found a building where he could take the stairs up to the top. From the rooftops, he started exploring the city.

He took some minor notes on the layout of the city and where heroes seemed to be patrolling the most and least.

After about two hours of exploring the city, a large boom and plume of smoke erupted downtown. Midoriya went over to investigate.

When he got there, a large battle was happening between pro hero Ingenium and a female villain with a big floof of orange air and large muscles. She wore a belt holding multiple small objects. A small building had completely collapsed into shambles, and people were fleeing the scene.

This is good. Now I can take in depth notes on Ingenium. And the villain, it seems her quirk is reliant on having other small objects. Based on the damage to that building, she probably alters the objects, either by touch or sight, and makes them have some destructive potential.

The villain grabbed one of the small objects out of her belt, and threw it at Ingenium. Midoriya thought it looked like a marble, but he couldn’t tell. All of a sudden, the marble grew slightly in size and glowed red. Then it exploded. 

So a quirk that causes the things you throw to explode. In a way, it’s similar to Kacchan’s quirk, but has worse close combat and mobility but greater range.

The blast had caused a large hole to form in the street. Ingenium had easily dodged. 

Ingenium is going to win this fight in the end. He can dodge all of her attacks, and her quirk isn’t suited for close combat. But the problem for Ingenium is going to be keeping collateral damage to a minimum. 

Ingenium seemed to know this, and yelled, “I’m able to evade all of your blasts. You’re not going to win this fight. Come peacefully, and the charges against you won’t be as bad. But if you continue fighting, things will only be worse for you.”

That was a stupid thing to say. 

The villain looked at him defiantly, and replied with, “I know you can dodge, but can they?” She grabbed multiple marbles out of her belt and threw them at some of the fleeing citizens.

Ingenium raced over to the people and started picking them up and carrying them away before the marbles exploded. He succeeded, but not before the shockwave from one of the explosions hit him in the back. 

A street villain isn’t going to listen to a hero, and most certainly isn’t going to listen to logic. They’re being ruled by their emotional impulses, so trying to reason with them almost never works. They’re going to want to do the exact opposite of what a hero tells them. 

While Ingenium was getting back up, the villain blew up more buildings. 

The best thing to do is belittle them, and make them doubt their abilities. If they’re being ruled by their emotions, you need to say things to influence their emotions. If you can control their emotions, you control their actions. 

Three people, a mother and two children, got hit by one of the blasts. Ingenium got back on his feet and raced towards the villain.

People act like manipulation is an evil thing, but it just depends on how you use it. Ingenium could’ve saved those people if he knew how to manipulate. 

Ingenium kicked the villain in the side, knocking the wind out of her, before restraining her with some cuffs. 

Midoriya was taking notes on Ingenium and his quirk. He took some notes on the villain too, but he wasn’t sure the League would be interested in her. But then he saw something that caught his interest.

Across the street, in a dark alleyway, someone was watching. They had a large, muscular build with a long scarf and knives. They had their eyes fixed on Ingenium. He could tell this person wasn’t looking at the hero in admiration, but in disgust.

Suddenly the person noticed Midoriya sitting on the rooftop, staring at him. They turned and ran down the alleyway.

Midoriya’s curiosity got the better of him and he started following the mysterious person. 

They were fast, but Midoriya was smart. For every three turns the shadowed figure made, Midoriya only had to make two. Eventually, he caught up to them.

“Hey! Wait!” Midoriya yelled, and he jumped down into the alleyway.

All of a sudden, a blade was on Midoriya’s throat. 

The person had wild, messy black hair, and a bandana mask over his eyes. He had two long, red and white scarves, and multiple blades and daggers. He had pinned Midoriya up against the wall, holding a knife incredibly close to his neck.

So I was right. This is the Hero Killer. 

“Who are you? What do you want?” Stain asked, looking down on the teen in a sort of judgemental curiosity.

“My name is Izu- er… it’s Deku. I just wanted to talk to you,” answered Midoriya.

Stain’s eyes narrowed. “About what?”

“About your ideologies. I’m interested in what your viewpoint on heroes is, and if it correlates with what I believe.”

Stain relaxed a bit, but not much.

“I believe the name ‘hero’ has lost all meaning in this society. Those who only chase after fame or money are unworthy. The only true hero is All Might. All others must be purged.”

Stain watched Midoriya as he thought the words over.

“I mostly agree with you. I think that heroes just put up an act, and pretend to care about others. But deep down, all they really care about are themselves,” said Midoriya.

He looked Stain in the eye.

“Including All Might.”

They stared at each other for a good minute. Midoriya had learned not to waver when faced with intimidating people. Stain lowered his knife.

“You’re just a child. You have no place in bloody matters like these,” he concluded, and started walking away.

Midoriya scoffed harshly, a sound full of anger that shouldn’t come from someone his age. Stain turned around and looked at him, a hint of surprise on his face.

“You see this scar on my face? I got it from attempting suicide. I jumped off the roof of a building,” said Midoriya abruptly. 

The surprise on Stain’s face grew more noticeable.

“I jumped because I’ve been bullied my whole life for being quirkless, by someone who wants to be a hero. He wants to prove to everyone he’s the best. He’s willing to push people aside to make himself look better. Just saying sorry is too much for his ego. And he wants to be a hero?”

Midoriya saw anger in Stain’s eyes at these words. The teen continued.

“I used to want to be a hero. I wanted to save people with a fearless smile, but I’ve been told to give up on my dreams multiple times because I’m quirkless. Even by All Might. He was the one who finally pushed me over the edge.”

Stain seemed very interested in what Midoriya had to say now.

“I don’t think there are any true heroes. So if anyone understands your ideologies, if anyone should have a place in these matters it’s me. I’ve experienced the cruelty of heroes firsthand. Someone’s quirk and public persona matter more than their reasons.”

“Maybe you do understand,” Stain realized.

“I still want to make a difference in this world, but not as a hero. I want to show the world that someone quirkless isn’t useless. So you can’t underestimate someone because of their age.”

Stain was analyzing Midoriya now. “You were able to catch up to me.”

“Yeah…”

“Even heroes with speed quirks haven’t been able to catch me. How did you?”

“Well, I was able to tell which way you were going to go, so I took shortcuts across the roofs,” explained Midoriya, a little confused at the turn in conversation. He felt like he was under extreme scrutiny. 

After several minutes of discomfort, Stain finally stopped analyzing him.

“I want to train you.”

“What!?” Midoriya didn’t know what he was expecting, but not that.

“You are the only person I’ve met who understands my ideologies. I want to train you in my ways.”

Midoriya thought about it for a while. He did need someone to train him, but he had a feeling Stain and Shigaraki wouldn’t get along, and Hosu was pretty far away for regular training sessions. 

“Hmm. I have to ask the people I work for. I can’t tell you who they are, but I can ask them if I can train with you.”

Stain started scrutinizing him again. Midoriya could tell he was the sort of person who didn’t believe in working for others, but for yourself. 

“Do you have a phone? That way I can contact you,” asked Midoriya, and Stain nodded sharply. 

They exchanged numbers, and Midoriya noticed the position of the sun in the sky. 

“I really have to get back. I hope they say yes.”

“Agreed.”

And with that Midoriya climbed back up to the rooftops and started making his way across the city to the metro station. 

I really hope Shigaraki says yes. 

Notes:

I don't really want Stain to have a major role, because the "Midoriya gets trained by Stain" storyline is pretty worn. But Midoriya is kind of a weakling and I couldn't think of anyone else to train him so here we are.

The song for this chapter is Never Going Back by The Score. The lyrics really fit Stain and Midoriya well.

Chapter 8: Black Daggers

Notes:

I apologize for the fight scenes in this. I would normally say books are better than movies, but when it comes to action scenes, movies definitely have the advantage.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

Midoriya went to the bar a day early that week. 

He had already written a lot of notes on Ingenium, as well as a bit on the orange-haired villain with the explosion quirk. He hadn’t put anything about Stain.

What he really wanted was to get permission from Shigaraki to be trained in Hosu. If he mentioned the training was from Stain, things might get complicated. He was just going to have to make something up.

Midoriya walked in, expecting Shigaraki to say something like, “What are you doing here, you little brat? You’re not supposed to report until tomorrow. Kids these days are so inconsistent,” but no snide remark came.

There was only Kurogiri, polishing glasses. Midoriya found this amusing because no one drank at the bar except Shigaraki.

“Hello Deku. Might I ask you what you are doing here a day early?” asked Kurogiri politely.

“Hi Kurogiri. I’ve already gathered a lot of intel, so I thought I would just drop it off today instead of tomorrow. Where’s Shigaraki?”

“He’s not here right now.”

I could already tell that much. 

“Okay… do you know when he’s coming back?”

“You can leave your notes with me. I will give them to Shigaraki when he returns.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” said Midoriya, leaving his notes on the bar, “But it’s just that I wanted to talk to him about something. I think I’ve found someone to train me, but they live in Hosu.”

“That’s excellent. The distance doesn’t matter, because I can warp you there. Who are they?”

Midoriya hesitated, internally panicking. Aaaaahhh, I can’t tell them it’s Stain!

“They’re very private, and prefer for as few people to know them as possible. But I believe that their training will really benefit me.”

“Hmm. I don’t know how Shigaraki will feel about not knowing who’s training you, but if he approves, I have no problem warping you to Hosu whenever you need.”

“Thanks, Kurogiri. Will he be here tomorrow?”

“Yes. I believe he will.”

“Alright then. I’ll stop by tomorrow to ask him.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, bye.”

 

Midoriya hadn’t been to visit his mother since he joined the League. As much as he was trying to ignore the ache in his heart, he had to go see her.

But he wasn’t sure how. 

He was a missing person, and most people at the hospital would recognize him. So, if he just walked up to the front desk they’d probably call the police or the school. After that he’d either have to run, or comply.

If he ran, he’d look suspicious. If he complied, then he’d have to answer questions, and his answers would make him look suspicious.

So he couldn’t go up to the desk.

He could sneak in, but if he got caught, he would look extra suspicious. It was like being an imposter in Among Us the very first time you play.

He decided to take the risk and sneak in. 

He dressed in a black jacket, and black pants, and went at night. There would be less people around, and the darkness is a villain's friend.

He analyzed the building from the outside for a while, taking note of where his mother’s room was and the routines the guards and nurses seemed to follow. After about thirty minutes of this, he went in.

He snuck in through a side door he knew the guards left unlocked. It was only two left turns and a right turn from where his mother’s room was.

As he was walking he kept listening for the sounds of footsteps or voices, but it was night so there were much less people out and about. There was only one camera on the way there, and it would only get a brief glimpse of him, so he kept his head down and turned away. 

He got to his mother’s room without much difficulty. He put his ear up to the door, then took a quick peek inside to see if there was anyone except his mom in there. There wasn’t.

He walked in, and upon seeing his mother’s face for the first time, he got tears in the corners of his eyes. She didn’t have as many machines strapped up to her as the last time, but she still hadn’t woken up. 

He sat down in a chair next to her bed and held her hand. 

“I’m sorry mom. I know you wouldn’t be proud of what I’m doing. But I’m not going to stop just because I know you wouldn’t like it. This is who I am now and I’m just going to have to accept it, and hopefully you will too when you wake up.”

He paused, mind pouring out a bounty of possible misfortunate outcomes.

“If you wake up.”

He sat there for a while, mulling over thoughts in his brain. Happy thoughts about his mom, sad thoughts about jumping, angry thoughts about heroes. 

He wished he could talk to her. To sort through all of these thoughts in his head with her.

But at the same time he dreaded that conversation. What would she think of him now? Would she be horrified of what her son had become, or would she understand?

After about forty minutes of just sitting there with his mom, thinking, he decided it was time to go. He slipped out of the hospital the same way he had sneaked in. 

He fell asleep that night listening to songs about growing up. 

 

The next day he walked over to the League’s hideout, hoping for the best. He walked in, and there was Shigaraki, sitting at the bar. 

“Hey. I heard you were here yesterday and wanted to talk to me. What is it?” asked Shigaraki in a bored tone. Kurogiri was nowhere to be seen. 

“I found someone to train me. In Hosu. Kurogiri said he’d be able to warp me there for training sessions,” said Midoriya.

“Great. You definitely need it. You’re not going anywhere with a flimsy body like that.”

You’re not exactly the fittest either, thought Midoriya, looking at Shigaraki’s skinny body.

“Alright then. That was all I wanted to ask you,” said Midoriya as he started making his way to the door.

“Fine by me. The presence of little brats like you annoys me.”

As Midoriya walked back to his apartment, he felt very lucky. 

I guess he really doesn’t care what I do. So long as I provide him with good intel, I’m set.

When he got back to his apartment, he texted Stain saying he got permission to train with him and asked when their first training session would be.

After that, he gathered his notebook and pencil and went out to take more notes for the League.

 

“Hey Tsukauchi. What’s up?” asked Yagi through the phone.

“Hello Yagi. I just wanted to call and check up on how you’re doing,” Tsukauchi answered.

“I’m doing just fine. You don’t have to worry about me. My time limit hasn’t gotten any shorter since the last time we talked. How are you?”

“I’m being overworked again. They're giving me all of the cases with no answers. It’s doing a number on me physically and mentally.”

“You’re the best cop I know, Tsukauchi. If anyone can figure it out, it’s you,” Yagi responded with confidence.

“Oh, there is a missing persons case. I know you usually like to know about those.”

“Yeah, who is it?”

“His name is Izuku Midoriya. No criminal record. Quirkless.”

Quirkless? thought Yagi.

“He has messy green hair, green eyes, freckles, and a small, lean build. He attempted suicide about two months ago by jumping off the roof of a building. He spent two weeks in the hospital, and after his release he just… disappeared.”

Yagi’s heart stopped for a moment. A huge wave of guilt came crashing down on him.

Green hair and eyes. Freckles. That was the boy I saved from the sludge villain. The one I told couldn’t be a hero because he was quirkless. Did he attempt suicide because of what I said?

“What about his parents?” Yagi asked automatically.

“His father left the family when Midoriya was young, and his mother is currently in a coma in the hospital. As far as I know, he’s got no one.”

Yagi felt the air leave his lungs. What have I done?

“Thank you for telling me,” he said, and then abruptly hung up.

It’s my fault. All my fault.

 

“Thanks Kurogiri,” said Midoriya as he was dropped off in a shadowed alleyway.

“Of course, Deku. Are you sure this is the correct location?” asked Kurogiri.

“Yeah. I’m sure,” he confirmed, glancing at his phone, “And you know to be back here in exactly two hours, right?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, see you then,” Midoriya waved, starting down the sidewalk.

“Good bye.”

Midoriya made his way to the address Stain had given him. When he got there, it seemed to be an old, abandoned warehouse. 

He found a side door, but as he took the first step inside, a blade was at his throat. He froze abruptly. 

“First lesson: always thoroughly analyze a situation before proceeding. Or you’re going to get yourself killed very quickly,” Stain instructed, lowering his sword.

“I didn’t think I’d have to do that, considering I’m coming here for training, not for an assassination,” the teen retorted, slightly annoyed.

Stain gave Midoriya a look that shut him up immediately. He walked inside the building and Midoriya followed. It was mostly empty, except for what seemed to be Stain’s living quarters in the corner, and some training mats in the center.

“Today is going to be fairly easy,” said Stain as they walked over to the mats, “I’m going to be judging what skill level you are at now, and figure out how to make you better. What weapons do you know how to use?”

“Weapons? I don’t really use any actual weapons, like guns or knives. I haven’t been in serious enough fights to use them. All I have is this,” Midoriya showed him the dagger he’d taken from the thug. “But I know the basics.”

Stain inspected the dagger. “This is a good weapon. But you’re going to need to learn how to expertly use knives, or at least daggers like this. For someone with your build, I would say a dagger is a better option than a large knife.”

I hope I won’t get too cut up during these training sessions, if we’re going to be using knives and daggers a lot.

Midoriya agreed with Stain. “Yeah, I would say I’m more comfortable using daggers like this than knives or swords.”

“You’re going to have to get your own, then. For today I’ll lend you some of mine, but I won’t keep doing that.”

“Okay.”

Stain’s daggers were large and didn’t have a comfortable feel in Midoriya’s hand. He had his own black dagger in one hand and Stain’s silver blade in the other.

“Now. Let’s spar,” Stain announced dully. 

“Wait?! Aren’t you going to, like, teach me something first?” Midoriya exclaimed, surprised.

“The best way to learn is through experience!” the villain shouted in response, now running at Midoriya.

Midoriya swore under his breath. I’m gonna die. I’m no match for the Hero Killer. 

But when he saw the savage fire in Stain’s eyes as he charged forward, he thought, I can at least try my best. The most I can ever do is try. 

Midoriya was able to predict Stain’s first move and blocked it with his blades. But Stain came in with another attack and quickly swept him off his feet. Midoriya was now on the floor. He rolled to the side just before Stain’s knife came down on him. 

Is he actually trying to kill me?

Midoriya did a special roll that got him away from Stain and back up on his feet. He hardly had a second to spare before he was blocking Stain’s attacks again. 

In less than a minute, Midoriya was on the ground, Stain’s blade tickling his throat. He was analyzing Midoriya in that same uncomfortable way again.

“Hmm. You lasted longer than most, but you still need a lot of improvement.”

“You’ve been learning how to fight for years and perfecting your technique that entire time. How do you ever expect me to be able to hold my own against you?” asked Midoriya with a hint of incredulity.

“If you keep thinking like that, then you will never be able to hold your own against me.”

Midoriya didn’t respond because he knew Stain was right.

“Now, again.”

Again?! Midoriya swore internally.

They sparred again, and again and again. Each time Midoriya was taken down in less than a minute. 

But after about twelve repeats of this, something started to change. Midoriya started realizing the patterns in the Hero Killer’s movements.

He always uses a horizontal slash, followed by an upward, diagonal slash when facing me straight on. And everytime he tries to catch me off guard he does a vertical, downward slash. And when he sweeps me off my feet, he always uses his right leg, and catches me about two inches below my knee.

“Again,” ordered Stain. Midoriya got back up after his thirteenth time falling.

His years of training, it’s lead to some habits that he probably doesn’t even realize he has. I guess after years of fighting the same way, you start following some patterns.

Midoriya had found a weakness and used it to his advantage.

Stain came at him with a horizontal slash, which Midoriya dodged. He followed with his upward diagonal slash. Midoriya blocked this with his dagger, which gave him an opening.

He punched Stain square in the stomach. 

Stain recoiled, but Midoriya didn’t waste a second. He swept Stain’s leg in the same way Stain had been sweeping him, knocking the older villain to the floor. Midoriya rushed forward, trying to pin him down, but Stain quickly drew out his sword and pointed it at Midoriya’s throat.

But he was still underestimating Midoriya. The teen blocked the sword with his dagger and quickly pinned him down, his blade against Stain’s throat this time.

“Got you,” Midoriya said, triumph sounding in his exhausted tone. 

Stain smiled. “Not bad, kid.”

You see, after the first spar, Midoriya hadn’t been trying his hardest against Stain. He’d been acting weaker so Stain would underestimate him. Once Midoriya found Stain’s weakness, he tried his hardest. With the combination of Stain going easier on him, and knowing his weaknesses, Midoriya was able to win.

The young villain got off Stain, who stood up and looked him sharply in the eye.

“However, you relied more on your analytical abilities rather than your physical abilities. You’re not going to have time to fight someone thirteen times before being able to defeat them in battle,” explained Stain.

Midoriya’s face fell. He’s right. I won’t be able to win many battles with just my brain. 

“But that’s why you’re here,” he continued.

Midoriya looked up at him.

“Based on your build and the way you fought, your fighting style should rely more on speed than power. You need to be able to quickly dodge and get in close to someone without them noticing. When you attack, go for weak points, like the neck or joints. You’re a quick enough thinker to do that.”

Midoriya pondered that for a second. “Yeah. I’d agree with that. But at my current skill level, it’s going to take months of hard training to get to that point.”

“Well, that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” asked Stain. They maintained eye contact for a good few seconds.

“Alright, let’s do this,” said Midoriya, filled with determination.

 

The next eight months were some of the hardest in Midoriya’s life. He had to balance his life between multiple different priorities.

His top priority was gathering intel for the League. He knew if he didn’t do that, he would be in big trouble. He’d been able to get some good information on Endeavor and many other pros, but nothing new on All Might. This irritated Shigaraki. 

His second top priority was Stain’s training. Over the eight months, he saw his body slowly being transformed into a fighting machine. He had almost mastered the use of daggers, and even knew how to throw them quite accurately. He also learned how to use knives, swords, and even guns.

His third priority was his villain costume and support gear. He had finished and perfected his villain costume, but was still working on his support gear. He had made his own daggers, designing them after the one he’d taken from the thug. He made them to fit his hands perfectly and have the best aerodynamics. 

The League had given him enough money to buy the supplies for his gear, but it still wasn’t as much as Midoriya would’ve liked. He had to use his materials wisely.

His last priority was school. Midoriya was falling behind and he knew it. But if he was going to catch up, or even keep up with the average level, he would have to cut back on his hours of sleep. And honestly, who gets enough sleep to begin with?

That was his only time to rest. His only time to himself. When he was sleeping.

 

During one of Midoriya’s training sessions with Stain, he got a deep cut on his arm. They decided to take a quick break so he could bandage it up.

While Midoriya was treating his injury, Stain asked, “Where are your parents, kid?”

Midoriya looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?” and why does he want to know this?

“Everything I’ve seen about you shows you have at least one parental figure. You know how to speak respectfully. You have good hygiene. Do your parents know I’m training you? Any good parent wouldn’t be okay with what you’re doing.”

Midoriya looked down at his feet. “My dad left when I was really young. He works abroad. And my mom… she’s the best. But she’s in the hospital right now after being hit by a hero’s quirk.”

Stain’s eyes narrowed. “Which hero?”

“Hyperbeam,” Midoriya could tell Stain was now thinking about making Hyperbeam his next target, “A highly concentrated beam hit my mother at the base of her neck. She’s expected to have paralysis and neurological issues when she wakes up from her coma.”

Midoriya visibly saw the anger rise in Stain’s body language.

“All the more reason to continue with your training. Are you ready?” Stain asked.

Midoriya smiled, “Yes.”

 

He had only been to visit his mother once in those six months. He did it in a similar fashion to the first time, except this time he was almost spotted by the doctor and a nurse. 

He had waited outside the door while they talked, and heard that his mother was doing better. They expected to wake up sometime in the next couple months.

There was only one other thing he wanted to do. Before he had gone to the hospital, he had bought some macadamia nut cookies.

He remembered Sakura saying those were her favorites.

Midoriya remembered Nurse Kobayashi was Sakura’s mother and through some research identified her room number. He had found her room in the hospital, and sure enough, Sakura was in there drawing sketches of flowers on a little table on the floor. 

“Midoriya!” she yelled excitedly.

“Hi Sakura,” he greeted. A genuine smile spread across his face. It was the first one he’d had in months.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! You said you would come to visit your mom, and we could talk, but you didn’t come!” 

“Sorry, but I’ve been really busy,” he said truthfully, “but I brought these to make up for it!” He handed her the cookies.

“Ah! These are my favorite!” she shouted happily.

Sakura then continued to go off on a tangent about how her brother was going to college and her mom was doing extra hours to pay for his tuition and she had to sleep overnight at the hospital sometimes and how she really wished she had someone to talk to like him all the time.

Midoriya just sat down on the bed and listened. He enjoyed hearing Sakura talk. It got his focus off of his own problems, even if it was just for a little bit.

After a while, Sakura asked, “Why are you dressed in all black?”

Midoriya looked down at his clothes. “Black is a nice color,” he responded, “It’s the color of the night sky. The darker it is, the more stars you can see.”

Sakura thought quietly for a moment. “Huh, I guess you’re right.”

She suddenly grabbed a black pencil and her drawing. She walked over to Midoriya and sat next to him on the bed. She showed him her drawing.

It was of a large field of flowers, all varying sizes and shapes and colors. It was beautiful. 

There was one flower that stood out in particular. It had large, pointed petals overlapping each other, and a small center. It was an enchanting dark green color.

“I chose the green because it’s just a really pretty color, and it kind of reminded me of you. But after what you said…”

She grabbed her black pencil and started coloring over the green. She shaded it wonderfully, making it a perfect combination of green and black. Once she was done, the flower was even more beautiful than before.

“Wow, you’re really talented,” Midoriya remarked.

“Thanks, but you gave me the idea.”

She got up and went back to her little table. She started talking again about a range of different things, and occasionally asked Midoriya a question. 

They stayed there, enjoying each other’s company for almost an hour. 

After that, Midoriya knew he had to go.

“Hey Sakura,” he said, interrupting her, “I’m really sorry, but I do have to go.”

Sakura’s face fell, and she ran over, hugging him. “Okay, but please come back soon. You’re the only person who talks to me.”

Midoriya felt a huge wave of remorse for her. She was lonely. Her family was stable financially, but at what cost?

“I’ll try,” he said, “Bye.”

“Bye-bye.”

And with that he was gone.

Notes:

The word 'daggers' was used a ridiculous amount of times in this.

The song for this chapter is Head Up High by FITZ. It mainly relates to how Midoriya doesn't just give up and keeps trying.

9/28/22: Looking back I realize that part with her coloring over the flower was kinda weird, but I swear the symbolism made sense in my head so I’m just gonna leave it there.

Chapter 9: Quirk Discrimination

Notes:

I’m posting this from my phone, which I’ve never done before. My computer doesn’t work where I am.
Enjoy the chapter! woo

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter! Also, turns out some people don't know what type A and B are. Basically, type A people are very organized and perfectionistic, while type B people are much more laid-back and flexible.

Midoriya was type A. Something that matters very much to type A people is consistency.

That’s part of the reason why Midoriya was so annoyed by Shigaraki. 

Also the fact that Shigaraki had trouble making his own decisions, he treats Midoriya like crap, he’s super secretive, he likes causing destruction for no reason, and he never takes his stupid hand off his crusty face.

But when you get a text at 2:37 in the morning, his inconsistency is what annoys you the most.

“I want to talk to you. Come in today.” That was all the text read.

Midoriya was supposed to have training with Stain, but he couldn’t argue with Shigaraki unless he wanted to have some part of his body disintegrated. 

So Midoriya texted Stain saying he was probably going to be late to their training, if he was able to make it at all.

He then tried to get a few more hours of sleep before the responsibilities of the world came tumbling down in the morning.

 

Midoriya now went by rooftop to get to the bar. That way he didn’t have to worry about any awkward interactions on the street below, even though barely any people walked on the street because of how sketchy it was. 

As he walked into the bar, Kurogiri and Shigaraki were there waiting for him.

“There you are. Finally,” said Shigaraki, even though it was only eight in the morning.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Midoriya asked warily.

“Haven’t you heard? Well it was just released last night, and I wouldn’t expect a wimp like you to keep up on the news,” Shigaraki snarked.

“What is it?” sighed Midoriya, already growing weary of the insults.

“All Might is taking a teaching position at UA,” explained Kurogiri.

“Yes, and we’re planning to kill him. Seeing as he can only keep up his strength for three hours, this should be easy peasy,” Shigaraki rasped in delight.

All Might, a teacher? That doesn’t really seem like something he would do. Inspiring kids, of course. But teaching them? No.

“So what does this have to do with me?” asked Midoriya, now a tad curious about where this was going.

“I want intel on UA, and the students going there. The entrance exam is in two weeks. I want you to take notes on all of the other student’s quirks, as well as some inside information about the inner workings of UA.”

“Wait, you want me to go to the UA entrance exam and analyze all of the other people’s quirks, and infiltrate UA to figure out exactly how their school works?” asked Midoriya incredulously. 

“Yes,” Shigaraki replied simply. 

“Do you know how strict security is there?! It’s nearly impossible for a villain to get by pro heroes without being noticed!”

“Jeez, calm down. I’m not asking you to be a student there or anything. You’ve been training for eight months, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, let’s just say I made an investment in you when I recruited you. This is me making sure I made the right choice.” Shigaraki had an edge to his voice, and a certain glint in his eyes.

There’s a certain glint in a person’s eyes when they’re serious ‘bout a death threat, Midoriya remembered the words of the thug.

He knew this was something he couldn’t back out of. He suddenly felt very trapped.

“Okay then. Guess I’m going to the UA entrance exam.”

Shigaraki smiled, and Midoirya was sure he could see flakes of dry skin fall from his lips.

“Wonderful.”

 

During training with Stain later that day, Midoriya told him the news.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to continue my training with you. The people I’m working for, they have some big plans. Plans that involve me,” Midoriya looked into Stain’s eyes, no longer fearing the uncomfortable scrutiny.

“Hmm. I see,” Stain muttered. Midoriya could tell Stain was disappointed, though he hid it very well.

“I’m really grateful for how much you’ve helped me improve. Is there any way I can thank you?” asked Midoriya.

“Yes. One thing,” Stain looked at Midoriya sharply, “Don’t get yourself wrapped up in things you can’t handle. I know I trained you, but you’re still just a kid. You still have a limit.”

Midoriya was a little surprised at his answer.

What does he mean ‘things I can’t handle?’ Is he talking about me working for the League?

“I’m not ‘just a kid’ anymore. And I don’t really have a choice with what I get wrapped up in.”

Stain narrowed his eyes. “Just keep my words in mind,” he said it with confidence, as if he knew Midoriya would find out exactly what he meant.

“Okay. I will, I promise.”

“Why don’t we spar one last time. For good measure,” Stain suggested, smiling.

Midoriya smiled back. “Alright!”

The final time they sparred was very different from the first. They were almost equally matched. It was essentially a battle between experience and strategy.

Stain had tried adapting his fighting style, so Midoriya couldn’t read it as easily. However, Midoriya had gotten better at analyzing fighting styles and patterns. 

They continued sparring even after twenty minutes.

If this had been a real fight, Stain would have won much quicker. Because they were sparring, they were using dull blades, so neither of them got any cuts. Stain would have had a huge advantage if they were using real weapons.

After twenty five minutes, Stain won by pinning the teen to the ground.

“You’ve improved,” Stain acknowledged. Midoriya could tell he was proud.

“All thanks to you,” Midoriya panted from the ground.

Stain got off of Midoriya, who then started getting ready to leave. He was about to walk out the door, but felt a little awkward. This was the last time he and Stain were going to see each other in a long time. Shouldn’t they like, hug, or something?

“Thank you, Stain. For everything,” said Midoriya.

Stain nodded to Midoriya in recognition. And then Midoriya left. 

Back to the League once more.

 

The two weeks passed in a flash. Before Midoriya knew it, it was the day before the entrance exam. 

This was his first real job given to him by the League. He couldn’t afford to mess it up.

He knew that he wouldn’t be able to just waltz into UA and take the entrance exam. They did background checks on whoever came onto school grounds.

The background checks for the entrance exam were pretty shallow though, so Midoriya had just scrappily made a fake profile that was authentic enough to pass the background check.

However, they do incredibly thorough background checks for anyone getting accepted, which is part of the reason it takes so long to get an acceptance letter.

His fake name was Ren Suzuki, which was just the first name that had popped into his head. Interestingly, he still had himself as quirkless, even in the fake profile.

While creating it, Midoriya had debated a lot about whether or not to list himself as quirkless, before finally deciding to do it. 

I want to prove quirkless doesn’t equate to helpless. I’m going to pass this exam without a quirk and show everyone what I can do.

He had submitted this profile to UA a number of days ago, so he should be good.

He quickly dyed his hair black with some wash out hair dye the night before, so it would be harder for anyone to recognize him as a missing person.

He got a text from Shigaraki saying, “Your memory isn’t so bad you forgot the UA exam tomorrow, right?”

“I know. I’m ready,” Midoriya typed back.

He fell asleep that night feeling a mix of determination and anxiety.

 

When he woke up he definitely felt more anxiety than determination. His mind was racing.

Did I get enough sleep? Will the pros notice me? What if I don’t take good enough notes? What if I get caught? 

He was confident enough to know if he did get caught, he would be able to escape. But then he wouldn’t be able to get the information Shigaraki wanted, and in some ways Shigaraki was more dangerous than the pros.

He dressed in comfortable, athletic clothing, which consisted of some black joggers and a gray athletic shirt. Then he set off for UA.

During the metro ride there, he double checked he had everything he needed… three times. It was all in his yellow backpack. 

Notebook, pencil, fake profile, hidden daggers, food, change of clothes…

He probably looked very disturbed to anyone watching him. He started listening to music to soothe his nerves, which actually worked quite well.

He had a bit of a walk to get to the school from the metro, so this also helped. By the time he got to the blue gates, he was calmer, still nervous, but better than before. He started walking towards the school.

Okay. This is what you’ve been training for. Take notes on anything and everything, don’t get caught, and try your best to pass the exam.

But then Midoriya saw someone out of the corner of his eye. He had spiky, blonde hair and a bit of an arrogant aura. Midoriya immediately slowed down, got to the side, and turned his head away so Bakugo wouldn’t recognize him.

Crap. Kacchan’s here. 

He immediately felt a burst of anger in his chest. Midoriya still partly blamed Bakugo for him attempting suicide and becoming a villain.

No, I can’t afford to get distracted. I’m just going to have to avoid him.

So Midoriya bottled up the anger. He let Bakugo pass him and get a good distance ahead before he started walking again.

Alright, I can’t screw up. 

He felt his left foot get stuck behind his right foot, and he tripped. His face slowly started its descent to the pavement.

And I’ve already screwed up. 

He was about to catch himself from falling before he felt his body floating weightlessly above the path.

What the… His mind tried to make sense of what was happening, is this someone’s quirk?

“Are you okay?” a female voice asked. 

Midoriya looked beside him to see a girl with shoulder length brown hair, warm auburn eyes, and pink cheeks. She helped straighten Midoriya from his horizontal position above the pathway.

The moment she pressed her fingers together, Midoriya felt gravity start weighing on his body again. 

So her quirk makes things float, and pressing all five fingers together releases whatever objects she has floating. Does that mean she has to touch with all five fingers to make things float too?

“I stopped you with my quirk. I’m sorry I didn’t ask first, but I figured you wouldn’t mind me catching you,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, erm, thanks,” he managed to force out of his throat. His time with the League had degraded his social skills, not that he had them to begin with.

But her smile was so friendly and bright, it seemed to be radiating joy. Midoriya couldn’t help but awkwardly smile back. 

“Isn’t this all like, way nerve racking?” she asked, eyeing his scar curiously, but not really seeming to care.

“Uh, ye.. yeah,” he mumbled.

“Well, guess I’ll see you inside. Bye!”

As she walked away Midoriya thought, that is the closest thing I’ve had to a conversation with a girl. He was actually kind of proud of himself.

He quickly shook his head and got refocused. He noticed quite a few people staring at him.

I don’t have time to talk to people. I have to gather intel for the League, can’t get distracted. 

He continued walking.

At the check-in desk, he showed them some forms he’d filled out, asking to use support gear.

“Why do you need support gear? Just use your quirk,” one of them suggested.

“I don’t have a quirk. Look at my profile: Ren Suzuki. Do you seriously want me taking the physical test with nothing to defend myself?”

The front-desk people looked at him skeptically. Midoriya could tell they were thinking, does this kid seriously think he can make it into UA without a quirk?  

“Fine. What support gear will you be using?” they asked.

“If you look at the forms that I just handed you,” said Midoriya, getting annoyed, “I’ll just be using two metal escrima sticks.”

Their eyes glanced over the forms as they did some typing on the computer. 

“All right. Everything checks out. Here’s the slip of paper saying you can use support gear. Don’t lose it.”

“Thank you.”

 

The written test was first. 

Without Stain’s training, Midoriya had managed to catch up on all the school work he’d missed. He’d done a lot of studying. 

However, it wasn’t the written test that scared him, but the people administering it.

There was a pro hero handing out the tests, a pro hero explaining the test, a pro hero collecting the test, and pro heroes walking around, making sure people didn’t cheat. 

Midoriya wished he could take his notebook out and write down everything he noticed about all the pros, but that wasn’t allowed. He tried to internalize everything he saw so he could write it down later.

After the written test, since it took three hours, the students had an hour lunch break.

This was the time Midoriya needed.

While all of the kids were walking towards the UA cafeteria, Midoriya ducked off to the side. No one noticed him, as usual.

I have to get some information on the layout of the school and the way classes operate. 

As he crept through the halls, he watched and listened for anyone coming, flinching at the slightest sound. If he ran into someone, he planned to say he fell behind the other kids going to lunch and got lost.

He briefly inspected every room he passed, trying to see if there was anything worthwhile.

Finally, he came across a door that said “UA Staff Room.”

He walked in quietly and saw that it was a long, rectangular room with large windows. It had a few large desks with multiple computers and books. There was also a small lounging area.

This must be where the teachers do their work and hang out.

Midoriya walked up to one of the computers and turned it on. He was able to bypass the password using the hacking lessons he’d taken. He went to the files and found exactly what he needed.

There was a map with the entire layout of the school. Everything from closets to classrooms to the principal's office was included. There was also a list of teachers, along with what classes they would be teaching. The final thing Midoriya was able to find was a rough schedule of what activities the classes would be participating in and where.

Midoriya had an internal celebration. 

Yes, this is perfect. He was a little surprised it was this easy.

He plugged a USB into the computer and started copying the files. After it was done, he put the USB securely into a pocket in his backpack. 

However, as he started walking towards the door, footsteps sounded from outside.

“Are you sure it’ll be in here?” a female voice asked.

Midoriya swore.

“Yeah! I might always forget my phone, but I never forget where I forgot it!” exclaimed a very loud and energetic voice.

Midoriya ducked behind a filing cabinet just in time before two people walked in.

One was a woman with long, navy blue hair and a very… fit body. Midoriya recognized her as the pro hero Midnight.

The other was a man with a tall spike of blond hair and very energetic body language. One glance and you could tell he was an extrovert. Midoriya knew he was the pro hero, Present Mic.

The blond ran over to one of the tables in the center of the room and retrieved his phone. 

“See! Told ya!” he yelled at Midnight even though she was only ten feet away from him. Midoriya remained silent behind the filing cabinet, regulating his breathing.

“C’mon let’s get back. Don’t you have to administer the physical test in fifteen minutes?” asked Midnight with a hint of impatience.

“Yeah! I’m so excited to see all of the young faces, full of joy and anticipation!” he responded as they walked out the door.

The door shut and their voices got more and more muffled. Midoriya stayed behind the filing cabinet until any conversation had faded completely.

That was close. 

The villain snuck out of the staff room and traced his steps back to the cafeteria, being even more cautious than the first time.

When he finally got to the cafeteria, most of the kids were already gone. He followed the few stragglers to a large auditorium where Midoriya assumed Present Mic would be explaining the physical test.

He spotted Bakugo yelling insults at people to get out of his way and headed in the opposite direction.

He sat comfortably in the back corner of the room, where he hoped no one would notice him. The only other person near him was a tall kid with unkempt, purple hair and tired eyes.

They kept eyeing each other for several minutes. Both seemed to lack the social skills to say anything to the other.

At last, Present Mic started the presentation with his trademark energetic radio broadcaster voice. Midoriya remembered how he used to listen to his radio show every single day, before quickly pushing the memory out of his head.

Present Mic explained how their task would be to destroy as many robots as possible. Each robot had a different point number, ranging from one to three. 

Suddenly, a tall kid with glasses and blackish blue hair raised his hand.

“Excuse me sir, but I have a question.”

“Hit me!” replied Present Mic.

“On the printout, you’ve listed four types of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan’s most notable school. A mistake such as this won’t do.”

“Alright, alright. Examine number 7111. Thanks for calling in with your request,” Mic responded. 

The hero explained there was another robot: a zero pointer. This robot was incredibly hard to beat and its only purpose was to be avoided. 

“Thank you very much. Please, continue,” the kid with glasses said, bowing.

It’s kind of disappointing that they’re only grading on combat ability. Being a hero should be more about saving others, not how many robots you can take out. It’s also unfair to people with quirks that aren’t combat oriented but useful in other ways.

“That’s all I’ve got for you today. I’ll sign off with a little present: a sample of our school motto! As general Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, a true hero is one who overcomes life’s misfortunes,” said Present Mic.

Well I guess I’m not a true hero then. Life’s misfortunes pushed me over the edge of a building. 

They were assigned battle centers, and Midoriya was about to set off, when he noticed the purple haired kid still sitting in his chair, looking a little distraught. The kid’s brow was furrowed as his eyes repeatedly skimmed the paper with his battle center. 

Midoriya didn’t know why his feet moved in his direction, or what enabled him to speak so clearly, but he asked the purple haired kid, “Hey, are you okay?”

The kid looked up at Midoriya, eyes widening a little in surprise. But his face quickly glossed over back to the same tired expression he was wearing before.

“I’m fine. What do you care?” he asked boredly. 

“You just look a little… worried, stressed, nervous… I don’t know,” Midoriya answered.

The purple haired kid looked Midoriya up and down, eyes pausing on Midoriya’s large scar for a second longer. “You aren’t the calmest either.”

“It’s the UA entrance exam. Anyone who isn’t nervous isn’t taking this seriously,” replied Midoriya. He was nervous because if he failed he had real villains on his back, not just some disappointed parents.

The purple haired boy hesitated and looked down at the printout.

“It’s really unfair. The physical test, I mean,” the kid said bitterly. “People with flashy, combative quirks have a huge advantage. So people like me are left in the dust-”

The boy’s words halted abruptly, and he appeared surprised he’d said that much. Midoriya got the feeling he was the type of person who didn’t open up very easily.

From what he’s said, it sounds like his quirk isn’t the best in combat, but still strong. It probably doesn’t work on robots, which is why he’s so stressed about the physical test. And based on the bitterness in his voice, maybe he gets mistreated for what his quirk is. Maybe it’s a seemingly villainous quirk?

“It is really unfair. But not just the physical test,” said Midoriya, “being a hero has become more about fame and money and followers, when it should be about helping people. I think this entrance exam reflects that.”

The purple haired boy brought his gaze up to Midoriya, who could almost read the thoughts on his face: someone who agrees with me? That’s a first. Is he trying to trick me?

“But no matter what your quirk is, you’re better off than me,” continued Midoriya. “I’m quirkless. Whatever disadvantage you’ve been put at, I’ve experienced the same thing. This society just throws people like us away because of how we were born. Quirk discrimination.”

If his agape mouth was anything to go by, the boy was surprised to find someone he related to. He’d always felt like no one understood his experiences. Like he was one in a million, in a bad way.

Midoriya sighed. “But we can still try our best, right? That’s all we can ever do.”

When the boy didn’t respond, Midoriya started walking away. He seemed to be having a debate in his head.

“I’m Hitoshi Shinso, by the way,” he said after a few seconds.

Midoriya turned around.

Don’t tell him your real name. What if he recognizes you as a missing person?

Come on. The likelihood of that is very low. And besides, he seems trustworthy. 

“Izuku Midoriya,” he replied, before turning back and walking towards his designated battle center.

The name rang a bell in Shinso’s mind.

Notes:

I had no plans for Shinso when I started writing this chapter. But now he’s here and I love it.

The song for this chapter is Underdog by Alicia Keys. It’ll also work pretty well for the next chapter, and the next chapter’s song will work pretty well for this one.

So yeah!

Chapter 10: Quirkless Not Helpless

Notes:

There's a lot of stuff about being an introvert, and just finding people tiring in this. Trust me, I wrote that from experience.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

Midoriya ended up being in the same battle center as the nice girl who talked to him earlier, as well as the tall kid with glasses.

But he didn’t have time to talk to anyone. He was too busy writing notes about everyone and everything.

During this test I’m going to have to destroy a lot of robots if I want to pass. I just want to show people a quirkless person can get into UA. But I also have to be watching and analyzing everyone else. I need to get enough intel to satisfy the League.

As the test got closer, his heart rate sped up as his anxiety levels rose. He put his notebook away, taking out his escrima sticks, and was walking towards the gates when an instructor stopped him.

“Hey, are you allowed to use support gear?” they asked, eyeing his blunt weapons.

“Yeah, here’s the slip of paper saying I can use it,” Midoriya replied as he showed said paper.

They looked at it for a moment. “Wait, you're quirkless? ” they asked with a scoff. It was loud enough for multiple people to turn their heads to look at Midoriya.

“Yeah. I am. And I’m going to pass whether you think I will or not,” the teen responded with an edge to his voice. He was so tired of people writing him off.

“Okay, well, do your best,” they said jokingly. 

As Midoriya walked to the front, almost everyone’s head turned to look at him.

“Quirkless? Seriously?”

“Does he actually think he can pass without a quirk?”

“Gosh, what a loser.”

“One less opponent, I guess.”

Midoriya looked down at his feet, fists clenched and boiling with anger. He was sure that if anyone managed to look him in the eyes, they would be scared off by the anger they saw.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the kind girl with warm auburn eyes. She took a step back when she saw his face.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you,” she exclaimed, voice a bit higher than usual.

Midoriya’s eyes softened. “It’s okay.”

“It’s just… I wanted to say… don’t listen to what everyone else is saying, with you being quirkless and all. Just try your best. I’m sure you’ll do amazing. She did another one of her bright smiles and a thumbs up.

Midoriya’s mind came to a halt. This was the kindest anyone had been to him in months. Though he wouldn’t admit it to himself, it felt really good. He managed to smile back.

“Thank you,” he said genuinely. “That means a lot to me.”

Her eyes lit up at the sight of him being happy. Just for a moment, Midoriya was able to forget about his screwed up life.

But then the gates cracked open, and Midoriya rushed forward, pushing everything but the exam out of his head. 

“Right! Let’s start! Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run, run, run listeners! You’re wasting air time here!” he heard Present Mic yelling behind him.

He raced forward with his escrima sticks, quickly analyzing the first robot he saw. It was a two pointer. He aimed for the thinnest piece of metal, near its head.

He had made some modifications to his escrima sticks while designing them. When whipped out with enough force, an extra rod of metal extends, making them longer, like those light saber toys. Then there’s a button on the grip that makes them short again.

He jumped up, dodged the robot’s attack mid-air, and whipped out his escrima stick in one fluid motion. The robot’s head came clean off.

My fighting style should rely more on speed than power. Be fast enough to dodge any attack. Aim for pressure points to make up for your lack of power, Midoriya remembered from Stain’s training.

He looked around for his next target. As the test continued, he was able to dodge almost all the robot’s attacks. Although he didn’t have to look to tell he’d gotten a couple bad bruises, feeling the aching pain already turning his skin shades of purple and blue. 

The robots have to get close before they can do anything to you, so long distance fighters have the advantage, Midoriya thought as he saw a blond boy shoot a laser beam out of his stomach.

He continued destroying the robots by breaking one essential point in their design. ‘Work smarter, not harder’ is the most useful life hack. He mainly stuck to one or two pointers, leaving the three pointers to the people with more hard hitting quirks.

Throughout the entire exam, he was watching all of the other fighters, making mental notes of which ones were stronger and more likely to pass. Sometimes he would take a thirty second break just to watch someone fight and see how they used their quirk.

When there was about two minutes left, he had a total of 37 points. 

I don’t think I’ll need any more than that.

He jumped up to a rooftop and observed everyone else. Most were still frantically scrambling around for a few more points. The villain was observing the tall boy with glasses closely, when a large rumbling interrupted his train of thought.

A ginormous robot emerged out of fricking nowhere, accompanied by multiple small explosions. It was the zero pointer.

Isn’t this a little extreme? I’ve got to get out of here. 

Midoriya’s feet started carrying him away. The ground was tremoring and the building next to Midoriya started to crumble. The sheer force of the robot caused a huge gust of wind.

Midoriya swore. I really need to get out.

“Ow!”

His feet stopped dead in their tracks. He looked down from the rooftop and saw the kind girl from before. 

She was completely stuck under a large boulder of debris, clearly in a lot of pain.

Midoriya didn’t even hesitate.

He jumped down from the building as fast as he could. He might’ve done it a little too hastily because he sprained his ankle landing on the street. But he didn’t care.

He ran over to the girl and used all his strength to try and lift the debris off her. 

“Can you get out?!” he shouted over the rumble of the robot, right behind them.

She was able to get her foot out, but it was twisted in an unnatural way. Midoriya lifted her arm around his shoulder and they started hobbling away as fast as they could.

“Thank you,” she breathed in relief once they got a safe distance away.

“It was nothing,” replied Midoriya quietly.

They continued walking until they were near the entrance to the battle center.

“I’m Ochako Uraraka by the way.”

Don’t tell her!

“I’m Izuku Midoriya.” She was the second person he’d told his real name to. He wasn’t acting like a villain at all.

They found pieces of a destroyed three pointer and sat down on top of it, needing to get their weight off of their feet.

“Time’s up!” shouted Present Mic. Sirens wailed all over the battle centers.

“Oh no! I hope I didn’t stop you from getting enough points!” Uraraka exclaimed suddenly.

“No, I’m good. I was just watching everyone else when the zero pointer showed up.”

“Oh, that’s good,” she smiled. “I don’t know if I got enough.”

Midoriya’s adrenaline levels were lowering, and his brain started getting clearer. It was then he realized, Holy crap I’m actually having a real conversation with a girl!

“O-oh, well, I’m sure you did g-great too. You used your quirk really well, c-considering it’s not combat oriented,” he stuttered.

“Ha! Thanks!” She suddenly got very close to Midoriya.

This caused an entirely warranted internal freak out inside the boy’s head. 

“And you were amazing too!” Uraraka continued, “with your metal stick thingys and how you whipped them around! You destroyed the robots so quickly!”

“Thanks,” Midoriya mumbled, his face a brighter shade of red than it had been at the start of the conversation.

A short, old lady came strolling in through the gates. She was wearing what looked like a doctor's lab coat and walking with a cane that looked like a syringe. 

Recovery girl. Her quirk is Heal. When she kisses someone it rapidly shortens the time it takes them to recover from an injury, but drains their stamina.

“Very nice! Good work all around. You’re heroes in my eyes, everyone of you!” she complimented, before noticing Midoriya and Uraraka sitting off to the side.

“Here, reward yourselves. Have some gummies!” She handed them multiple bright colored gummy bears. 

“Thanks!” said Uraraka. 

“Don’t eat them all at once, okay? Now, it looks like you two got injured!” she observed, eyeing Uraraka’s twisted ankle, and Midoriya wasn’t in the best shape either.

“Yeah, I got my foot stuck under some debris, and Midoriya hurt himself trying to save me,” explained Uraraka.

Midoriya nodded in confirmation. At this rate, he was happy staying with Uraraka if it meant she did all the talking for him.

“Well, okay then. Let’s fix you up!” Recovery Girl puckered her lips and kissed Uraraka on the forehead first. Her ankle twisted back into its natural position, and any other scrapes or bruises she had magically disappeared. 

Then she kissed Midoriya, who felt very uncomfortable being kissed by a pro. All the pain is his ankle washed away like a wave on the beach. The sensation spread throughout his entire body, specifically on his bruises. 

“Thank you,” he said when she finished. 

“You’re the quirkless one, aren’t you?” she asked. 

“Eh, yeah.”

Recovery Girl looked at him very closely, taking in every detail, her eyes hovering over his scar. She had no idea that Midoriya was doing the same thing to her. 

“You performed very well. I have no doubt the two of you will pass.”

“Wow! Thanks a lot,” replied Uraraka, beaming. Midoriya’s eyes diverted to his feet.

“Now, is anyone else injured!?” she yelled, walking away.

Midoriya found himself wishing what she said was true. That he was going to pass. But going to UA was a forgotten fantasy at this point. He’d already crossed the line.

 

They were instructed to go back to the auditorium where Present Mic had explained the physical test. Midoriya managed to slip away from Uraraka while the large crowd of kids was walking back.

He sat in the opposite corner he’d sat in last time, hoping to avoid any more interaction. He just wanted the whole thing to be over and get out of UA without exchanging words with anyone else. That’s introvertism for you.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, Principal Nezu came onto the stage. They had a short microphone just for him. 

“I want to thank all of you for coming out today and taking the entrance exam. I know it is not an easy task to put aside your fears and take a leap like this…”

Midoriya tuned out. He was thinking about organizing his notes and if Shigaraki would be satisfied with what he’d collected. His brain was a little foggy from all of the physical exertion and from the effort it took to talk to people.

But then his attention was snagged back when he heard the word “quirkless.”

“There is one examinee I would like to point out specifically. Ren Suzuki.”

Midoriya swore internally multiple times. 

“He doesn’t have a quirk, yet he managed to pass the physical test with flying colors. He will be the first quirkless person to be accepted into UA. I request that he meets with me afterwards, so I may give him his letter of acceptance personally.”

A loud murmuring occurred among the examinees. 

“Someone who’s quirkless actually managed to pass?”

“How is that even possible?”

“I wonder if they cheated.”

“THERE’S NO FRICKING WAY SOME QUIRKLESS LOSER DID BETTER THAN ME!!”

That last one Midoriya knew came from Bakugo, not only from his voice but the shout was also accompanied by an explosion.

“Now, I understand that many of you find this hard to believe,” continued Nezu, “but Suzuki passed genuinely. We watched the entire exam on cameras. There was no cheating.”

Nezu finished up his speech, and everyone was dismissed. Midoriya was faced with the question: does he go to see Nezu or not?

Shigaraki would want me to go. So I can gather as much data on the heroes as I can. 

He saw Principal Nezu waiting outside the doors to the auditorium. 

Ugh. Guess I’m going.

 

Midoriya waited until most of the kids had left the auditorium, before he filed out and found Nezu still waiting outside the door for him.

“Ren Suzuki! What a pleasure to meet you!” Principal Nezu greeted excitedly. 

“Erm, yeah, you too,” mumbled Midoriya. His social anxiety was at its peak.

“Please follow me,” said Nezu.

The principal walked down a bunch of hallways. Midoriya memorized the path they took in case he had to make a quick exit.

He then went into a different staff room than the one Midoriya had gone into earlier that day. This one was smaller and had one big window. The desks were all around the edges of the walls, instead of in the middle of the room. 

And it was filled with pros.

Midnight and Present Mic was there. Vlad King, Ectoplasm, Hound Dog, Snipe, Recovery Girl. And in the back, he saw Eraserhead and All Might in his deflated form.

Midoriya wasn’t prepared for this. These people were his enemies. If they knew who he was, he would be detained in less than five seconds.

He managed to keep this fear out of his face and body language, but it was rampaging in his mind.

All of the heroes were congratulating him. Shaking hands, smiling. Midoriya just copied their faces and body language, hoping that no one would pick up on the fear permeating all of his brain cells. He found their eyes often twitched down to look at his scar. 

Someone did notice. Eraserhead, or Shota Aizawa, was watching him closely from the corner of the room. These pleasantries had never been his type of thing, so he chose to observe everyone instead. He could tell something was off with Midoriya, like a tiny warning bell going off in his head.

As all of the heroes were saying things like “you should be very proud of yourself,” and “never give up, and you’ll go very far,” All Might was slowly making his way to Midoriya.

When the blond reached him, and their eyes connected, Aizawa saw it. A small flash of anger and resentment in Midoriya’s eyes. But it was gone before All Might could see it.

“I think your performance surprised all of us, young man,” complimented All Might. As he was looking into Midoriya’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel they looked awfully familiar. That shade of green…

“Uh, th-thanks,” responded Midoriya, trying to avoid making eye contact without seeming awkward. 

But something about seeing All Might’s face again, just being in his presence, started to change something in his brain. 

Painful memories were rushing back to him. Memories about Bakugo’s bullying, All Might’s dream crushing words, Hyperbeam’s recklessness. He remembered why he had even become a villain in the first place.

Why should I be pretending to be something I’m not? I’m no hero, and it’s because of the people in this room.

All of the fear started to lessen, and anger took its place. Aizawa was watching closely.

“Let me ask you a question,” Midoriya’s stutter was gone, “Do you think someone quirkless can actually be a hero?” He couldn’t help himself.

“Eh?” All Might did a second take. He had been asked that exact question just a few months ago. “Well, yes. Someone quirkless, if they put in the effort, can most certainly become a hero.”

Anger boiled up in Midoriya’s chest at how All Might had changed his answer. So I’m only worth something once I prove you wrong?

“Because I thought it was impossible to become a hero without a quirk, because some villains are just too powerful. I thought it was important to have dreams that are attainable,” Midoriya’s anger started to bubble over into his voice and face. 

The villain wanted to hurt All Might as much as All Might had hurt him. But he knew he couldn’t do it here.

The other heroes had picked up on the tension in the room. Aizawa was on his toes, ready to detain Midoriya if necessary. All Might still hadn’t connected the dots.

“And here it is! Your letter of acceptance!” exclaimed Principle Nezu happily. He had left to go get the letter and was oblivious to the unease and enmity in the room.

As Nezu walked up to Midoriya, smiling, Midoriya made up his mind. 

“I respectfully decline,” he replied. Everyone stared at him, shocked.

“I only came to show that quirkless people aren’t useless. I’ve been bullied and looked down upon my entire life just because I wasn’t born with something that comes naturally to everyone else. I’m part of a despised underclass.”

At these words, everyone averted their gaze guiltily. Some part of them knew it was true.

“I just came to show I can be better than people who do have quirks. I don’t want to have anything to do with UA or you so-called heroes. It’s because of you I turned out like this.”

Midoriya noticed a few of the heroes got a little mad at these words, so he started backing away towards the door. 

“And besides,” he looked straight at All Might, “Even if I did accept, I wouldn’t pass the background check,” he finished with a smirk.

And with that he was gone. But All Might finally connected the dots. 

“Wait! We need to bring him back!” All Might yelled frantically. 

Aizawa was the first person to the door, but when he opened it and looked around, Midoriya was nowhere to be seen. 

“He’s gone,” he said, coming back into the room. 

They sent Hound Dog and Ectoplasm out looking for him, but Midoriya had quickly retraced his steps and sprinted all the way out of UA. They weren’t going to catch him.

“All Might,” started Aizawa, “Who was that?”

All Might looked wistfully towards the door, where Midoriya had just escaped.

He’s right. It is because of me he turned out like this.

“Someone I should’ve helped.”

Notes:

Just by the way, 37 points is actually really good. With the rescue points he would've gotten from saving Uraraka, he'd definitely be in the top 10 (out of hundreds of examinees).

The song for this chapter is Nothing Stopping Me Now by Vicetone. The lyrics fit really well with Midoriya overcoming all the tough things he's been through.

Chapter 11: Questions

Notes:

This chapter might ever so slightly be filler. I mean like, important information is communicated, but other than that...
I still put lots of effort into this so enjoy it anyway! (please)

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

After Midoriya’s dramatic exit, the heroes called the police because it was technically a missing persons case. They did a thorough sweep of the area, but couldn’t find any trace of the boy.

The heroes started doing an in depth background check on ‘Ren Suzuki’ and immediately found the profile had been completely fabricated. 

When Tsukauchi arrived, he spoke with the heroes to find out what happened. 

“The little guy seemed so happy to meet all of us!” explained Present Mic, “but then he went all mean and nasty, like curdled milk!”

“That’s not what happened,” Aizawa interjected. Tsukauchi asked him what he meant. “He was extremely nervous to meet all of us, but did his best to cover it up. It was like he knew he didn’t belong. Something changed when he saw All Might though. He became very angry and hostile, and didn’t try to hide it at all.”

A few of the other heroes gave their input too. Tsukauchi wrote all this down on his notepad. 

“As I’m sure All Might has already told you, that boy’s real name is Izuku Midoriya. He attempted suicide a number of months ago and disapeared after being released from the hospital. This is his first appearance in 7 months,” explained Tsukauchi.

“But why would he come to the entrance exam?” asked Nezu.

“Didn’t you hear him? He said he wanted to prove to everyone that someone who’s quirkless can be strong too,” huffed Vlad King.

“But that can’t possibly be the only reason. What has he been doing all these months?” Nezu questioned thoughtfully. 

“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” said Tsukauchi. “Is it okay if UA contacts everyone who took the entrance exam, and asks them if they came into contact with Midoriya?”

“Yes, of course! We’ll get right on it,” replied Nezu.

“Thanks. Also, All Might, can I speak with you?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah,” responded All Might, distracted. 

The two of them walked outside the room, into the hallway.

“Yagi, why did Midoriya get so angry when he saw you?” asked Tsukauchi.

“Well, you see…” All Might sighed. “We met the day he attempted suicide.”

“What!?”

“Yes. Remember the sludge villain I defeated?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I saved Midoriya from it. Afterwards he kind of had a hard time saying goodbye, and clung onto me as I jumped. I dropped him off on the roof of a building. At that point my time limit was almost out, but he asked me if someone quirkless could become a hero.”

“Don’t tell me he saw your deflated form.”

“He did. And I told him about my three hour time limit too.”

“Why!?”

“He seemed like a good kid! The passion with which he spoke about wanting to be a hero, I don’t know how I missed it. And then I just crushed all his dreams with a few sentences. It’s my fault he attempted suicide,” finished All Might sadly.

Tsukauchi looked at his glum friend.

“You shouldn’t feel bad about what you said. It’s true that it’s incredibly hard for someone quirkless to become a hero. You were just trying to protect him from the dangers of the world, like any decent person would do. It was his own choice to jump and nobody else’s. Stop blaming yourself,” Tsukauchi said firmly.

All Might looked appreciatively at the detective. “Thanks, Tsukauchi.” 

“You’re going to have to tell the other pros about this, you know.”

“Yeah. I will… eventually.”

 

The thing about introverts, after an extended period of social interaction, you start dying physically and mentally. 

I’d say the UA entrance exam qualifies as an extended period of social interaction, so Midoriya was dying physically and mentally.

After running away from UA and taking the metro back to Yokohama, he went straight to his apartment. After going straight to his apartment, he went straight to bed and slept for a few hours. 

Sleep is the most blissful form of decompression. 

Once he was awake and had changed out of his athletic clothes, he reviewed his notes from the exams. 

He wrote down anything that he hadn’t had the chance to write down during the testing. He edited out his mistakes and organized the formatting. He added his own analyses of the people’s quirks. He also wrote down what he’d copied off the UA computer. 

After making a complete set of in depth, detailed notes, he wrote it all down a second time. One copy would be for Shigaraki. One copy would be for himself. 

He got a text from Shigaraki asking, “Are you still alive? Did you get my intel?”

“Yes. I’m coming in tomorrow morning,” he responded.

“You better.”

Midoriya sighed. Though he would never admit it to himself, going to the entrance exam had been like a little break from his life. It might have been stressful, tiring and dangerous, but it had been different. A change from his everyday routine. 

The biggest change was that people had been kind to him. He hadn’t been treated like that before or after becoming a villain.

The heroes were only nice to me because I showed them I’m not useless. Nothing’s changed. They’re still a bunch of self-absorbed jerks.

But those two other kids! Shinso and Uraraka. They hadn’t seen you perform and still wanted to be your friend. 

Tch. That doesn’t mean anything. They’re just teenagers.

You’re just a teenager! You’re just like them, hormones and all! You could use actual friends!

Then tell me, would they still want to be my friend if they knew I’m a villain?

You don’t know that they wouldn’t.

There’s no point in thinking about this. I’m a villain now, and there’s no going back. And I don’t want to go back. Here, I’m actually appreciated for what I do. Here, I can actually do something about this screwed up world I live in.

But are you happy here?

It’s not about being happy.

Are you?

...yes.

Really?

I am.

You sure?

Stop.

Are you actually happy?

“YES!!” he yelled, trying to silence the voice in his head. “I am,” he whispered, a lonely teardrop falling.

If you say so. 

He put in his earbuds and listened to music in an attempt to stop thinking.

 

UA contacted the examinees and their parents about how a missing person had made an appearance at the entrance exam. They asked that anyone who had come into contact with Midoriya come to the police station the next day to be asked some questions. 

Two people showed up: Hitoshi Shinso and Ochako Uraraka. 

They sat in the waiting room together, waiting to be interviewed. 

“So, did you meet Midoriya too?” asked Uraraka, trying to start a conversation.

“Yeah,” answered Shinso flatly. He was a little surprised this girl was talking to him. 

“Wow, cool! What was he like around you?”

Shinso thought for a moment. “He was a little awkward at first, but I actually kinda related to him. Other than you, he’s the only person who’s tried to talk to me.”

“Really? Well I’m Ochako Uraraka! Nice to meet you,” she said happily.

Shinso stared at her, surprised, just a moment before responding, “Hitoshi Shinso.”

Uraraka smiled. “Midoriya was really awkward around me too. But after spending a little time with him, he’s actually really nice!”

They chatted with small talk for a while, until Tsukauchi called Shinso in for questioning.

He was brought into one of those interrogation rooms with the ominous table and chair and the reflective glass on one wall. Little did Shinso know All Might and Nezu were watching from behind the glass.

“Thank you for coming in, Shinso,” said Tsukauchi as they sat down. 

“Yeah, sure thing.”

“Now, first things first. Your full name is Hitoshi Shinso, your quirk is Brainwash, and you have no criminal record, correct?”

“That’s right.” 

“Ok, thank you. First question: have you come into contact with Midoriya before the entrance exam?”

“No.”

“Can you describe his appearance at the entrance exam? Every detail is important, from hair color to smell.”

Shinso thought for a moment.

“He had messy black hair, green eyes, freckles and a large scar on his left cheek. He was fairly muscular, but shorter than average. He was wearing black joggers and a gray, athletic shirt. Yellow backpack. He looked like he had proper hygiene.”

Tsukauchi was actively writing all of this down.

“Alright. Where did you first see him?”

“When Present Mic was explaining the physical test. We both sat up in the top corner, where there were the fewest people.”

“Did you say anything to each other?”

“Not at first. We just kind of… watched each other. But after Present Mic was done, he came up to me and asked me if I was okay.”

“Do you know why he asked you that?”

Shinso was starting to get a little guarded. “I probably looked nervous,” he put simply.

“Did you two talk about anything after that?”

“I told him how I thought the physical test was unfair, and he agreed with me. He told me he was quirkless, and that he’d been put at a huge disadvantage because of it.”  

Watching from behind the glass, All Might’s guilt deepened when he heard this.

“He started walking away, and I told him my name, and he told me his.”

“Wait. Did he tell you his name was Ren Suzuki or Izuku Midoriya?”

“Izuku Midoriya.”

Tsukauchi’s brow furrowed in thought, and he wrote this down with a little more vigor than before. 

“Did you see him again at any point throughout the day, or have you seen him since?

“No.”

Tsukauchi thought quietly for a moment.

“Do you have any idea why he might have come to the entrance exam?”

Shinso hesitated. “I don’t know. It didn’t sound like he liked heroes very much, or just people in general.”

“What did he say that made you think that?”

“He said that being a hero has become more about fame and money than helping people. He also sounded pretty bitter about how people have treated him because of his quirklessness.” Shinso said this with a bit of resentment, because he’d experienced that same mistreatment too.

All Might knew Midoriya had been talking about him when he said that.

“Okay, one last question. You’re trying to get into the hero course, right? What motivates you?”

Shinsou was caught off guard by this question. 

“That’s two questions,” he said with a smirk, before continuing. “All my life, I’ve been treated differently because my quirk is perfect for a villain. People always tense up when they talk to me, and none of them believe I can actually be a hero. But I’m going to prove them wrong. I’m going to be a hero and no one’s going to stop me.”

Nezu listened curiously from behind the glass. 

“Okay then,” responded Tsukauchi with a kind smile, “thank you for your time.”

As Shinso was walking to the door, he felt compelled to ask something.

“Detective?”

Tsukauchi turned to look at the teen.

“I read about Midoriya on the news. After the announcement about ‘Ren Suzuki’, I was a little suspicious,” explained Shinso, “He attempted suicide, and he’s been missing for over 10 months. Can you tell me, is he going to be alright?” Shinso let some small amount of emotion leak into his eyes and voice. 

Tsukauchi was surprised this aloof boy cared enough to ask. “We’re trying our best.”

But we can still try our best, right? That’s all we can ever do. Shinso remembered Midoriya’s words.

He nodded and left the room. 

 

Tsukauchi called Uraraka in next. She was the exact opposite of Shinso.

“Wow, this room is kind of intimidating, you know? It makes me feel like I’m being interrogated for some evil crime I did,” she rambled as they sat down.

“Thank you for coming in,” said Tsukauchi.

“Yeah, no problem!”

“Alright. Your full name is Ochako Uraraka, your quirk is Zero Gravity, and you have no criminal record, correct?”

“Yup!”

“Okay, let’s get started. Have you come into contact with Midoriya before the entrance exam?”

“Nope! Well, we first met when we were walking into UA, which is technically before the entrance exam, but I don’t think that’s what you’re asking.”

Tsukauchi smiled. “Yes, thank you. Can you describe his appearance? Details are important, everything from hair color to smell.”

“Smell? He smelled normal, I think,” replied Uraraka thoughtfully, “He had fluffy black hair, and big green eyes. I think he had freckles too. Oh! And he had this really big scar on his cheek too!”

“What was he wearing, or carrying?”

“He was wearing a gray shirt, and some black pants. He was pretty plain looking. But he did have a yellow backpack.”

“So you said that the first time you came into contact with him was when you were walking into UA?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you describe the interaction?”

“Oh, well, he tripped, and so I stopped him from falling with my quirk. He was kind of all awkward and mumbly, and I think he said ‘thank you.’ But he had such a small, cute smile!”

“Did you see him again at any point throughout the day?”

“Yeah, two more times. The second time we were waiting for the physical exam to start, and the third time was during the physical exam.”

“Ok, can you describe these interactions as accurately as possible?”

“Sure! While we were waiting for the exam to start, it was overheard that Midoriya was quirkless. Everyone was whispering about him, and I could tell he was upset. So, I went up to him, to try and talk to him.” She stopped talking for a moment, her expression suddenly concerned. 

“Yes?” inquired Tsukauchi.

“When he turned around to look at me, he was so angry. It was like I could see the hatred in his eyes. So I took a step back, a little scared, but I guess he recognized me from before because his eyes softened. After that I told him not to listen to anybody else, and to try his best. He did another one of his cute smiles, and he actually seemed genuinely happy.” Uraraka was smiling to herself at this point.

“And?”

“Oh!” Uraraka woke up from her daydream, “then the gates opened and the physical test started.”

“Alright. What about the third time?”

“That was when he saved me from the zero-pointer. I got my foot stuck under a bunch of debris, and the zero-pointer was getting really close. He could’ve just run and saved himself, but instead he jumped down and hurt himself to save me.”

“What happened after he saved you?”

“We did the human crutch thing, and found a destroyed robot to sit on near the entrance. I thanked him, and I realized we hadn’t told each other our names yet, so I introduced myself and he did the same. We-”

“Hold on a second. Did he tell you his name was Ren Suzuki or Izuku Midoriya?”

“Izuku Midoriya. Why?”

“His profile for the entrance exam said Ren Suzuki. Please, continue.”

“Well, after that we talked for a bit about how we thought we did during the test. An old lady came in, Recovery Girl, I think? Anyway she healed us up, and Midoriya and I talked for a little after that. We were then called to go back to the auditorium, and I didn’t see him again.”

“Were you able to see his performance during the physical test?”

“Oh, yeah! He was amazing! He had these metal sticks and he whipped them around and was able to slice apart the robots super quickly!”

Tsukauchi wrote this down with interest. Midoriya had been described as a thin, plain boy. Where did he all of a sudden get the experience and strength to fight like this?

“Okay, last question. Do you have any idea why he might have come to the entrance exam?”

Uraraka looked confused for a moment. “What do you mean? He would’ve come to try and get into UA, right? Why else would he have come?”

“I was just wondering, that’s all. Thank you for your time,” Tsukauchi concluded, standing up.

“Hey, wait! I have a question!” she exclaimed.

“Hm?”

“About Midoriya, I only heard that you wanted to ask some questions about him. I don’t know why. Who is he?”

Tsukauchi was surprised. How could he tell her this boy, who she seemed to like, had lost enough hope in the world to try and escape it permanently?

“Midoriya is a missing person. This is his first appearance in ten months. He disappeared from the hospital after attempting suicide.”

Uraraka’s eyes widened. “What?” she asked slowly.

“We need to find him to make sure he is safe and stable. That’s why we called you in. We were hoping someone would have intel on his whereabouts.”

Uraraka thought this over for a moment. 

“I had no idea. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Is there anything I can do? Are you sure Midoriya’s going to be alright?” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes at those last words. 

Tsukauchi smiled kindly. “I appreciate the concern, but the best way to help us is to go home and act normally. If Midoriya notices we’re interviewing the people who he revealed his identity to, he might become even more seclusive. Give us a call if you see him, but otherwise, do not attempt to contact him.”

Uraraka looked down disappointedly. “Okay. I’ll do that.”

“Thank you.”

He showed her out the door. 

 

Little did Tsukauchi know, Midoriya had already noticed they were interviewing the people he had come into contact with.

That morning, he’d dropped off his notes at the bar. Midoriya had never seen Shigaraki so happy. He’d started reading the notes immediately. It was like Christmas had come early, except without all of the things that actually make Christmas worthwhile. 

Since Midoriya knew Shigaraki wouldn’t be bothering him for the rest of the day, he had put in some earbuds and jumped over the rooftops. It was his favorite way to spend his free time nowadays.

He’d gone by metro to Musutafu and then by rooftop to the police station, knowing the police would be looking for him. He had seen Uraraka and Shinso arrive. 

I shouldn’t have told them my name.

Midoriya didn’t think the police would actually be able to get any useful information from them, but still found himself wishing that he’d been more seclusive at the entrance exam.

He observed for a while, watching the policemen exiting and entering the station. He wondered what they would do if they knew the person they were looking for was so close. 

Eventually, he left. It was getting dark, and the stars were coming out. He went to one of his favorite places in Musutafu. 

By the time he got there, it was completely dark, except for the light from the city and the sky. This special place was the roof of a relatively tall building, which was located on a large hill, overlooking most of the city. 

He watched the lights on the large commercial buildings and observed the moon reflecting off of the skyscrapers. Near the outskirts of the city, the suburbs, the lights started getting dimmer as more people retired for the night. 

He laid down on his back to look at the stars. They were beautiful.

Midoriya used to do this in elementary and middle school too. He would go out on particularly dark nights to stargaze. 

So much had happened in his life since then. Almost everything had changed. 

But there was this one constant: the stars. They never changed. No matter what, they’re always breathtaking.

Notes:

Yes, I have a thing for stars, okay? All my profile pictures (I only have like, three) are either stars, or my cat making a stupid face.

The song for this chapter is No Friends by Cadmium. It fits well with Midoriya's mental breakdown at the start of the chapter.

Chapter 12: Growing Up

Notes:

I've added hyperlinks to the songs at the end. It takes you to the chapter's song on a playlist with all the other chapters' songs on it.

Also, I don't have school this week, so I'm going to post a bonus chapter on Thursday. It'll be pretty short with not very important stuff in it, but it'll give me a chance to write about someone other than Midoriya.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

Midoriya was taking notes on a street fight that had just broken out, when he got a text from Shigaraki. 

“Come to the bar,” was all it said. 

Midoriya knew Shigaraki would get upset if he didn’t confirm, so he replied, “Ok.”

About two hours later, he was walking into the League of Villain’s hideout. 

“Took you long enough,” grumbled Shigaraki. Kurogiri was polishing glasses behind the counter.

“Why did you call me?” asked Midoriya in a mixture of curiosity and weariness.

“I have a new assignment for you.”

Already? It’s only been a week since the entrance exam.

“What is it?”

“I want you to infiltrate UA again.”

Midoriya’s mind paused for a second, before exploding into disbelief.  What?! Does he know how hard it was the first time?! He can’t be serious.

Shigaraki must have seen the reaction on his face, because he said, “Jeez, calm down. You haven’t failed me yet so far. I wish you had more confidence.”

I guess that’s Shigaraki’s twisted version of being nice. 

Midoriya sighed and asked, “What intel do you want me to get this time?”

“I want you to bring me everything you can on class 1-A. The students, the teachers, their quirks, schedule, collaboration, strengths, weaknesses. Everything.”

“And… how do you expect me to get this information?” asked Midoriya skeptically.

“By sneaking into UA, of course! And watching them, like you always do!” Shigaraki said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“It’s not that simple,” demanded Midoriya, “I can’t just ‘sneak into UA,’ it doesn’t work like that! I’d get caught. UA’s security is top notch.”

“Well you better find a way to notch it down, if you want to stay with the League. And let me tell you, leaving the League alive will be a lot harder than sneaking into UA.” Shigaraki had the glint in his eyes. 

Midoriya looked at him, defeated. “Fine. I’ll figure it out.”

“Couldn’t I warp you into UA, Deku?” asked Kurogiri.

“No. They have security measures against warping quirks. It’s this advanced form of quirk sensing technology combined with the security cameras.”

I could climb over the walls, but there’s sensors at the top that would set off the alarms. I could hack in and turn the sensors off, but UA is probably incredibly hard to hack into. I could disguise myself as a student, but I can’t get in without an ID. I could steal one from a student, but all UA students are heroes in training and will know how to fight. 

Midoriya was quickly thinking through all the possibilities, trying to figure out the best course of action. 

“You have two weeks, but you don’t have to do the weekly report,” Shigaraki concluded.

“Ok. I’ll text you if I need anything,” responded Midoriya as he started walking towards the door.

“Good luck,” said Kurogiri. 

Yeah, I’m going to need it. 

 

Because Midoriya had made an appearance at UA, the police station actually started caring enough to put up missing posters. 

MISSING - Izuku Midoriya

Age: 15
Sex: male
Height: 5’5
Description: green eyes, freckles, large scar on left cheek

If you see this boy, call the police station, do not approach. 

They were only putting them up in Musutafu, where Midoriya was from. The police didn’t know that he was now living in Yokohama, where the League of Villains was located. 

Midoriya still made regular visits to Musutafu though, whether to see his mother, get something from his apartment, or to buy supplies. Things were typically less expensive in a smaller city like Musutafu than a larger city like Yokohama. 

He had finished his villain costume, with the limited material he’d been given.

It consisted of dark green cargo pants and a black belt to hold some of his support gear. He had sharpied his red shoes black to fade into the shadows better. 

There was a dark green jacket that had the words ‘villain costume’ on the back. 

He had a black mask that fit perfectly on his face, so if anyone looked at him, they would only see his eyes from under the hood.

Lastly, he had these dark red forearm gauntlets. They were made of a special alloy that enabled them to store kinetic energy. 

Basically, if someone tried to hit him, and he blocked it with his forearm, the gauntlets would absorb some of the kinetic energy, making the hit less damaging to Midoriya. Midoriya could then hit the person back using his forearm, and the attack would be stronger than normal.

Midoriya’s favorite part of his villain costume was the jacket. He’d always liked wearing shirts that said ‘shirt’ on them, and now he had a villain costume that said ‘villain costume.’ 

But the main reason he liked the jacket was because he’d made it two sided. One side was the dark green ‘villain costume’ side. On the other side, it was a soft mellow yellow. He could turn it inside out, depending on what side he wanted. 

The yellow comforted him when he was sad, in addition to his music.

 

Midoriya started wearing his villain costume more often. 

He’d designed it to be comfortable, especially when traveling over rooftops. It also blended in better, so he was less noticed. He was slowly trying out his support gear too. 

He had the same escrima sticks he’d used at the entrance exam. 

He’d been working on smoke bombs in case he had to make a quick escape. 

He had made small explosives that just looked like marbles (this was actually inspired from the villain he’d seen fighting Ingenium). 

He had these special grappling hook thingies that attached onto his red gauntlets so he could climb walls easier. 

He had a simple metal extendable rod, except it had a shocker at the tip, which he could turn on or off. 

Lastly, he had two daggers. One was the original he’d stolen from the thug, and the second dagger was fashioned exactly after the first. Sleek black metal, with a dark green handle. 

Midoriya was currently in Musutafu to visit his mom while testing some of these support items. 

It was the afternoon, so it was too risky to sneak into the hospital. However, because his mother’s condition had improved, they’d moved her to a different room, which had a window.

Midoriya could now sit on the rooftop opposite her window and watch his mom. It wasn’t as good as physically being in the room with her, but it was much easier than sneaking in. 

He sat and watched his mother quite frequently now. He did it almost every time he was in Musutafu. She might wake up soon, and he knew it. 

This particular time, she was in the middle of a healing session. She only had two healers now, which was a good sign. 

He wondered, as he often did, how she would react to him being missing when she woke up.

While looking at his mother, he couldn’t help but remember so many of the good memories they’d shared together. He liked remembering, because it was one of the only sources of joy in his life. Remembering their laughs and smiles, it almost brought a smile to his face. Almost.

But it also left him feeling incredibly nostalgic. He missed those times when he could smile easily. It was hard just to think positively now. After meeting All Might, it was like his childhood had been snatched away from him in an instant. 

After some time of just sitting there, reminiscing, he decided to go. He had to figure out how to infiltrate UA. 

Then a thought struck him. Maybe it was the nostalgia, but he decided to go past his old middle school on the way to the metro. 

He was very familiar with this part of the city. He’d walked it so many times, coming home from school and studying heroes. It was interesting to see it from a bird's-eye view though. 

When Midoriya arrived at his old school, the area was vacant except for a few kids. 

School wasn’t in session at the time, but there were still kids that gathered around the school building as a meeting place, before they went around the city to do other things. 

Midoriya watched as a small group of boys and a small group of girls teamed up and headed for a sushi place nearby. 

Then, surprisingly, he saw Bakugo. 

Midoriya’s initial reaction was to run, even though Bakugo hadn’t even seen him. But on second thought, he decided to wait and watch. 

Bakugo was with some of his ‘friends.’ The other boys seemed to be talking about something funny and interesting, but Bakugo was silent. The group started to walk past the building Midoriya was perched on. 

The blond seemed to notice something and stopped walking. At first Midoriya was worried he’d seen him. 

“Hey, you good?” one of the boys asked. 

“Yeah. Go ahead. I’ll catch up,” Bakugo replied. 

Midoriya tensed, ready to run if Bakugo gave even the slightest notion of recognizing him. 

But he didn’t. Midoriya watched as Bakugo walked up to a poster on a telephone pole. He opened his backpack and took out what looked like a sharpie. 

It took Midoriya a second to realize the poster on the telephone pole was one of his missing posters, and Bakugo was writing something on it!

What’s he doing? I bet he’s writing something awful on there about me.

It only took Bakugo a few seconds to write it, and then he was off, after his peers. 

Out of sheer curiosity, Midoriya jumped down from the building to see what he’d written.

‘Come home, Deku,’ was written in thick, black, messy handwriting. 

Midoriya felt the emotions start to well up inside of him, but quickly shut them off. 

He only wrote that because he feels guilty. He only starts caring once he pushes too far. 

But it at least shows he feels bad! He does care.

If he cared, why didn’t he come visit me in the hospital? Why didn’t he go to the police station when he found out I was missing? Sure, he wrote a note asking for me to come home. It doesn’t mean anything.

It means as little as you want it to. 

He’s tormented me my entire life. It’s his, and All Might’s fault I jumped. One little note isn’t going to change anything. 

And with that finalizing thought, he left for the metro. 

Back to the League of Villains. 

 

“Hey, Tsukauchi. Any update with Midoriya?” asked All Might over the phone.

“No, sorry. We’ve put up missing posters, but we haven’t gotten any calls with useful information,” answered Tsukauchi. 

“Oh, alright,” All Might said sadly.

Tsukauchi picked up on the disappointed tone. 

“I know you really want us to find him, Yagi, but there’s only so much we can do. It’s incredibly hard to find someone who doesn’t want to be found.”

“But why doesn’t he want to be found? He was kind to Uraraka and Shinso at the entrance exam! Why was he there?”

“I don’t know any more than you. I’ve finally gotten into contact with the principal of his old school, and I plan to question some of Midoriya’s acquaintances. Maybe that’ll yield some answers.”

“He wanted to be a hero so badly when he talked to me. He was given the chance, but he refused it. Why?” asked All Might, not even hearing Tsukauchi. 

“Listen,” said Tsukauchi, loud enough for All Might to hear him, “We’re trying our best. You begin teaching later this week. Focus on that, and stop worrying about this.”

All Might sighed. “Yeah. You’re right. Thank you.”

“No problem, Yagi.”

 

Midoriya was brainstorming ways to get into UA undetected. 

I just have to make sure the alarms don’t go off, and that I’m not seen on camera. Simple enough?

But there were the sensors on top of the walls, the frequent patrolling of heroes, not to mention the hundreds of students who could see him.

I can stay out of sight of the heroes and students. That won’t pose too big of a challenge. But to get past the sensors, that’ll be a problem. 

There was always hacking into the system, but UA had various firewalls and anti-virus software. However, these defenses only applied if you tried to hack into UA from the outside. If you managed to get inside UA then there was virtually nothing. This was seen when Midoriya easily bypassed the password during the entrance exam. 

I’m not a good enough hacker to hack into UA from the outside. I only know the basics. But if I can get inside then I’ll be okay.

And then there was the infamous “UA barrier.” Anyone who tried to get inside the school without a special ID was locked out by a thick wall of metal.

Stealing an ID from one of the teachers or staff is out of the question. I could try stealing one from a student, but UA students are good at fighting. I'm pretty confident I’d be able to win, but it’d raise suspicion if the student doesn’t come to school.

Ugh, what do I do?

The UA barrier was specially designed to keep out villains and… the press!

Midoriya had an idea. 

All Might is starting to teach at UA this year! The press will be all over him, and UA. It’s almost expected the barrier will be set off. 

He started writing his plan down in his notebook. 

I just have to time it right. When an audacious news reporter tries to get into UA, setting the barrier off, I can jump over the wall. The heroes will assume that it was the press trying to break in. 

But Midoriya still wasn’t overly confident in his abilities. He tried to remember what Shigaraki said.

I haven’t failed yet. Be more confident in yourself. 

He listened to music to help him focus, and started writing out the details of his plan. 

 

The press was swarming outside of UA. Every student who walked up was being questioned. 

There was one reporter in particular, a woman with brown hair up in a ponytail, from HNA. She seemed most engaged in the questioning, to the point where she was just unpleasant.

Midoirya was watching her from the forestry outside the UA gates, wearing his villain costume to blend in better. 

She seems the most anxious to get inside. I need to be ready to move as soon as the barrier is triggered. 

So, he waited, and so did the press. Homeroom was over, and first period was beginning.

The hours crept on by, and Midoriya grew weary of being tense the whole time.

By 12, he relaxed his muscles and sat down. He knew that the kids inside were in fourth period, and lunch was next. 

Will one of the reporters just get rash enough to walk through already?

12:45 approached, and Midoriya noticed the NHA reporter talking feistily with her cameraman. She said something about how UA can’t keep the press out like this.

Here we go, thought Midoriya as he got ready to climb over the wall with his make-shift grappling hook. 

All of a sudden, she started walking fiercely towards the UA gates. Midoriya jumped up and started climbing the wall. He was nearing the top when the news reporter was about to reach the gate. 

He clambered over the wall, just as the metal barrier sprung up at the gates. Metal barriers started coming up all around the tops of the walls. 

Midoriya had timed it perfectly. He was now inside UA. 

He heard the alarms going off. The students were at lunch and would be told to evacuate. 

This is good. All the students will be in one place, heading in one direction. The pros will be occupied with the media. I just have to get to a UA computer. 

He snuck up to the building and went in through one of the three doors. He traced the path he took during the entrance exam, staying out of sight of the cameras. He reached the same staff room he’d been in before. Once he was inside, he locked the door behind him. 

He hacked into a computer and went to the files and quickly downloaded any information regarding class 1-A onto his USB. He didn’t have a lot of time, so he only read the list of names and looked at their adjacent faces. 

Yuga Aoyama, he was the boy with the belly button laser.
Mina Ashido.
Tsuyu Asui.
Tenya Iida, he’s the tall one with glasses, and the engine quirk.
Ochako Uraraka, she’s the nice girl who talked to me.
Mashirao Ojiro.
Denki Kaminari.
Eijiro Kirishima.
Koji Koda.
Rikido Sato.
Mezo Shoji.
Kyoka Jiro.
Hanta Sero.
Fumikage Tokoyami.
Shoto Todoroki, isn’t he Endeavor’s son?
Toru Hagakure.
Katsuki Bakugo, ugh. So he did get in.
Okuma Ryo , huh, I guess they’ve already expelled someone.
Minoru Mineta.
Momo Yaoyorozu.

He would have to sort through the rest of the files when he got back to his apartment. 

He was thinking about what his next course of action should be, when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. 

Midoriya swore.

The person walking down the hallway was whistling a happy, pleasant tune. Midoriya recognized the whistle from Present Mic’s radio show, which he used to watch every night. 

If he comes in here I’m caught, and if I get caught I’m dead. I have to be so careful here. 

C’mon, you can do this! Be more confident, and think. You’re smart enough to figure a way out.

He decided to take off his ‘villain costume’ jacket and flip it inside out. He put it back on with the yellow side showing. That way, if Present Mic did come in, he might be able to convince him that he was a student or something. 

But he still had his black mask on, and he didn’t have a uniform, so he didn’t know how convincing he could be. 

The footsteps got closer. 

The door knob rattled. It was locked. 

The jingling of keys sounded. The knob turned. 

Present Mic stepped inside. It took him a second to notice Midoriya, and he then proceeded to stare confusedly at him. Midoriya started acting out of breath and worried. 

“Hey kid, what are you doing in here?” asked Present Mic, quite loudly. 

Present Mic is much more friendly than the other pros. He sees the best in people, which makes him gullible. This makes him more susceptible to manipulation. 

“There… you are. It’s.. the evacuation,” panted Midoriya, taking large breaths between words, “Ectoplasm.. sent me up.. to get you… but… I couldn’t find you. The other students.. they’re all panicking.. and no one can get.. their attention.”

“Ooooh, I see. So Ectoplasm wants me to use my charming announcer voice to calm everyone down,” Present Mic deduced, now smiling.

“Yeah.” Oh please just buy it.

“I’ll go right down! You wanna come with me?”

Midoriya swore internally.

“No.. I’ll be down.. but I ran all the way.. just give me a sec,” huffed Midoriya as he put his hands on his knees.

Present Mic walked up to Midoriya. “All right, but why don’t you take that mask off? It’ll help you breathe better.”

He reached up to touch Midoriya’s face, and Midoriya slapped his hand away with a little more force than necessary. 

“Sorry!” Midoriya exclaimed immediately, “I just have a really embarrassing scar.”

Midoriya didn’t realize he’d stopped acting out of breath. 

“Hey, you seem to be okay now,” realized Present Mic suspiciously, “And you don’t have a uniform. Where’s your student ID?”

I’m screwed.

Present Mic took a step towards Midoriya, who took a step back.

No you’re not! This is what you’ve trained for. Be confident!

“Who are you?” asked Present Mic, an edge to his voice. 

Midoriya punched Present Mic in the gut as hard as he could, leaving him out of breath. He grabbed a thin metal cord out of his belt and ran around to the other side of Present Mic in the time it took to blink. 

He wrapped the cord around Present Mic’s throat and started to strangle him. 

Present Mic’s quirk is Voice. He can’t use his quirk if he can’t breathe. 

Present Mic twisted around, trying to escape, but Midoriya was strong enough. The intense training had really paid off. 

“Sorry. I really wish you would’ve just bought the story,” said Midoriya truthfully. 

Present Mic fell to the floor, unconscious, not dead. Midoriya kicked him hard in the head to make sure he wouldn’t wake up. 

This feels wrong, to be injuring someone like this.

But you have to do it. Being a villain comes with hurting people, you knew this. You have to cross this line. 

That doesn’t stop it from feeling wrong. I don’t feel like myself while doing this. 

You’re a villain. You need to hurt people, physically and emotionally. You can’t avoid doing it just because it doesn’t feel right. 

And so Midoriya crossed that line. He kicked Present Mic in the ribs, so he would have trouble using his quirk when he woke up. 

He left the room, locking Present Mic in. He crept through the halls, back closer to the entrance. He knew all of the students would be evacuated to the beta field, and the pros would be facilitating that or addressing the media. 

I can either go and watch the evacuation, to try and gather more intel on class 1-A, or I can escape UA. 

Escaping UA would be smarter, seeing as class 1-A is currently mixed up with a bunch of other students, but Shigaraki wouldn’t be happy with me bailing so quickly.

I guess I could analyze how they perform under pressure. 

Midoriya sighed. 

Looks like I’m staying a little longer.

He continued creeping towards the back left side of the building, and soon he was able to hear the loud rumbling noise of students pushing through the hallways. 

He rounded a corner and saw a huge bumbling mass of students all trying for the exit. 

Wow, for UA students they really don’t know how to evacuate efficiently. 

Midoriya stayed hidden around the corner, only peaking around every so often. He spotted two students from class 1-A: Eijiro Kirishima and Denki Kaminari. They were being swallowed by the crowd. 

Well, so far class 1-A doesn’t seem too amazingly special. They are just first years after all.

He peaked around the corner again, and something caught his eye. 

He saw another student from class 1-A: Tenya Iida. And he was starting to float above the crowd. 

That’s Uraraka’s quirk. 

Suddenly Iida fired up his leg engines and spun through the air to the front of the crowd. He thudded against the wall above the exit sign, and he looked just like an exit sign himself. 

“Listen up, everything is okay!” Iida yelled. The mob quieted at once.

Huh, maybe 1-A does have something.

“It’s just the media outside, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything’s fine! We’re UA students. We need to remain calm, and prove we’re the best of the best!”

Everyone visibly relaxed, and stopped shouting and shoving. 

He was concise and clear, and got his message across effectively. He’d make a good leader, a rigid one, but still good. 

Midoriya wrote everything down in his notebook. The evacuation continued smoothly.

Also, by what he said, it proved my plan worked. The pros don’t know I’m here, they just think it’s the media . 

“Hey, look. It’s the police,” someone said.

Oh, shoot. I’ve gotta get out of here. 

Midoriya snuck through the halls and quietly slipped out of the front doors. He crept through the forestry, before reaching the UA walls. He got out his grappling hook and climbed back over without anyone noticing him. 

And back to the League he went.

Notes:

Aaahh, I know, I didn't do him in a suit, forgive me! It's just that... canon Deku's sense of style is very simple and casual. He wouldn't wear formal stuff unless it's for a special event. Just because he's become a villain doesn't change his entire personality (including sense of style), so I tried to come up with something simple, something more in character for Midoriya.

And I know Present Mic was outside yelling at the press, but let's just say he had to go inside to get some paperwork or something to show to the press so that they'd leave, but it wouldn't've worked anyway.

Also, I know there's that whole thing with Aizawa expelling someone and re-enrolling them, but that's just not gonna happen. Let's just say Okuma Ryo (that was literally the first name in the Japanese name generator) was so bad he's not getting re-enrolled.

Okay now that I'm done explaining, the song for this chapter is Okay by Piano Guys. It is kind of an unusually happy song for this fanfic, but it really fits well with Midoriya learning to be more confident and sure of himself.

Chapter 13: Bonus: HEre iS tHe BeSt cHapTer EvEr (made by a unicorn person) :>

Notes:

Here is the bonus chapter that has almost no consequence in the storyline! wee
I couldn't think of a chapter name, so my very extroverted younger sister wrote it for me.
Anyway, if you're sick and tired of everything revolving around Midoriya, he's only vaguely mentioned in this! Enjoy.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

After Iida’s instruction from atop the exit sign, the evacuation was incredibly smooth. 

Teachers had arrived a few minutes later, only to find a completely calm and efficient body of students. 

Out in Beta Fields, students from all different grades and classes were together, talking. Uraraka had managed to find Iida. 

“Iida! Over here!” she yelled over the chatter of the other students.

“Uraraka, where are you? I’m afraid I lost my glasses, and I am unable to spot you in the crowd,” he shouted back.

Uraraka came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Right here.”

“Ah, there you are,” responded Iida as he turned around. “We should look for our other classmates too. It would be better and more organized for everyone to stay with their class.”

Iida and Uraraka started walking through the crowd, looking for familiar faces. They weren’t looking for long, because an explosion occured to their right. They both ran towards it.

“YOU DARE CALL ME A PUNY FIRST YEAR!!!” someone shouted, “I’LL BEAT YOU TO A PULP WITH EASE, EXTRA!”

“That sounded like Bakugo,” remarked Uraraka.

“Indeed it did,” responded Iida grimly. 

They came upon a scene where Bakugo was attempting to murder a third year, Kirishima and Kaminari being the only thing holding him back from his goal. 

“Jee, man!” yelled Kirishima, “Calm down!”

“Yeah, you’re making us look bad,” complained Kaminari, eyes darting to the girls around them. 

They were both trying to shield themselves from the explosions coming from Bakugo’s hands. The third year was just watching them, incredulously. 

“I’ll kill you two if you don’t let me go!” Bakugo threatened. Iida intervened right away.

“Bakugo! Stop this behavior at once! It is inappropriate and undermines the values we strive to uphold at UA!” Iida exclaimed. 

“Shut up, Glasses!”

Iida and Bakugo started bickering back and forth, with Kirishima trying to calm them down, and Kaminari edging away towards Uraraka.

“Bakugo just can’t chill out,” commented Kaminari. 

“I know, right? It’s already starting to get old,” she replied. 

More students stopped talking and turned their attention towards Bakugo, Iida and Kirishima. They were making quite a ruckus. 

“All of you stop talking now,” demanded a tired voice. 

Iida turned around and bowed immediately to Aizawa. 

“Hey, Mr. Aizawa!” Kirishima said brightly, although he had an apologetic look on his face. 

Even Bakugo finally stopped shouting insults. 

“The three of you are behaving disgracefully. Stop acting like fools and get yourselves together. You’re in UA, for goodness sakes.”

Iida and Kirishima apologized, while Bakugo just glared. 

Uraraka was just watching, like most of the other students, when she saw someone she recognized. She wormed her way through the crowd to him. 

She poked the purple haired boy on the shoulder, and said “Hey, Shinso! You got accepted too!”

Shinso turned around, and looked genuinely surprised she had remembered him.

“Oh, hey. Uraraka, right? We met at the police station.”

“Yeah! It’s so cool to see you again! How’ve you been?”

“Fine. You?”

“Oh, well, the first week of UA has been kind of challenging, but that was to be expected right? Although I didn’t expect someone to get expelled the first day… I haven’t seen you in any of the hero classes though.”

“I’m in general studies.”

Iida had worked his way through the crowd, making his way over to the two teens. 

“Hello. Uraraka, is this a friend of yours?” Iida asked. 

“Iida! This is Shinso, we’ve met before.”

“It is very nice to meet you. My name is Tenya Iida, from class 1-A.”

“Uh, you too. Hitoshi Shinso, 1-C,” Shinso’s social skills were not of the highest level.

“How did you two meet?” Iida asked. 

Uraraka and Shinso looked at each other. It would be weird to say they met at a police station waiting to be questioned about a boy who’d mysteriously reappeared after attempting suicide. 

“It’s complicated,” answered Shinso. 

“Yeah, let’s talk about something else,” suggested Uraraka. 

The three of them continued talking, and it was a strange experience for Shinso. He’d never felt like he belonged anywhere. He’d always been looked down upon for his quirk, which resulted in him being an outcast in most places. And then here were two hero course kids, talking to him like he was their equal? 

It’s probably just because they don’t know what my quirk is. Once they find out, they’ll abandon me like all the others.

A lively pink-skinned girl bounced up to the three students. 

“Hey, what are you three doing?” asked Mina energetically. She’d been able to spot Iida because of his tall stature. 

“We’re just talking,” replied Uraraka. 

“Who’s this guy?” Mina gestured at Shinso.

“Hitoshi Shinso, general studies,” Shinso copy and pasted from before. 

Mina was followed by Kaminari and Jiro. 

“General studies, huh?” said Kaminari, “I heard someone from General Studies had this spooky brainwashing quirk.”

Here we go. Let’s see how quickly they get scared of me and leave.

“That’s me,” said Shinso. They all looked at him. 

“Wait, you have a brainwashing quirk?” asked Mina, “That’s so cool! Can you, like, control people to do whatever you want? Can you read their minds? What am I thinking about right now?” She scrunched her face up in concentration.

“Uh, it doesn’t exactly work like that,” explained Shinso. Her reaction was the complete opposite of what he had been expecting. 

“That’s a pretty strong quirk,” Jiro commented. 

“Yeah! How come you aren’t in the hero course?!” asked Uraraka.

“I agree,” said Iida, “It would make much more sense.”

“And then you would get to hang out with us!” exclaimed Kaminari. 

Shinso stared at all of them, utterly shocked. These people were being nice to him? Even after they knew his quirk?

“I guess I slipped through the cracks,” he said, “but thanks for your encouragement. It really means a lot to me.”

The group of students, Uraraka, Iida, Kaminari, Jiro, Mina and Shinso, continued talking until they were allowed back inside the building. 

Shinso was about to walk back into class 1-C, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Aizawa. 

“Meet me in the staff room after school is over,” Aizawa instructed. 

Shinso was about to ask why, but Aizawa walked away before he could. 

 

Once the day was over, Shinso managed to find the staff office and knocked on the door. 

“Come in,” said a tired voice.

Shinso walked inside and saw Aizawa sitting at a very long desk with computers along it. Aizawa gestured for Shinso to sit down in one of the many seats along the table. 

As he walked towards a seat and settled himself, Aizawa seemed to be taking in every detail of the boy, from his unkempt purple hair to his habit of rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I overheard the others talking about how you should be in the hero course,” Aizawa said ominously.

Shinso eyed him curiously, but pretended to be bored and detached. “Yeah?”

“Well? Do you want to?”

“Want to what?”

“Transfer to the hero course,” Aizawa said this like it was obvious. 

It took a moment for the words to register. 

“Yes. Is that possible?” asked Shinso eagerly. 

“It is, but you’re going to have to work incredibly hard.”

“I’m ready. What do I have to do?” Determination filled his voice.

Aizawa couldn’t help but see himself in Shinso. Not only was it the tired eyes and voice, and the look on his face that said, ‘don’t talk to me,’ but also the willingness to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. 

“I’m going to train you.”

 

“I wonder what Aizawa wanted to talk to Shinso about,” pondered Uraraka as she and Iida exited the school. 

“Agreed, but we shouldn’t intrude on the personal matters of our fellow students,” said Iida. 

“Yeah, you’re right. But I’m still curious.”

“You were very vague about how you two met. Is it something I should be concerned about?”

“What? No, not at all! It’s just a little… complicated, is all.” Uraraka felt sadness whenever she thought about Midoriya, because she wanted to help him, but couldn’t think of a way how. She tried to change the subject. 

“Didn’t you just say not to intrude on personal matters?” she asked. 

“Oh, yes! I deeply apologize for any discomfort I may have caused.”

“Gosh, you don’t have to be so serious!”

As they laughed and talked, Uraraka couldn’t help but feel they were missing someone. 

 

Principal Nezu, Midnight, Recovery Girl and Thirteen stood in front of UA’s walls.

“This is where the sensors picked up movement over the barrier,” Midnight informed. 

They were standing next to the wall at the exact spot Midoriya had climbed over. 

“How were ordinary members of the press able to bypass our security systems?” asked Principal Nezu. “Someone else must’ve been behind this. Some villain actually managed to infiltrate our school and attack one of our teachers.”

The four of them looked apprehensively at the wall.

They had no idea that this was just the start of something tremendous.

Notes:

9/28/22: *Looks at the rest of the fanfic* ...yeah definitely the start of something tremendous.

I don't really have a song for this chapter, 'cause it's so short and it's just a bonus. Yeah, this is like... less than half the length of my normal chapter.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14: Old Ties

Notes:

My improvisation was at its peak while writing this chapter. Sorry, but it's just a couple of things that needed to happen before we get to the USJ. I have all the major plot points planned out, so I know the direction the story's going, but literally everything in between the major plot points is improv.

9/28/22: I've revised this chapter!

Once Midoriya got back to his apartment in Yokohama, he took a nap. Doing things like infiltrating UA was way too stressful and tiring. 

He woke up with a headache, but he knew that he didn’t have time to continue sleeping. He opened the files he’d downloaded off of the UA computer, and read everything about class 1-A. 

There were videos too, but they were pretty long, so he decided to save those for later. 

Soon he knew everything about them, ranging from family, birthdays, grades, where they’re from, quirks, seating arrangement and more. He also knew who their teachers were, and their schedule. 

He wrote down all of the information in his notebook, and then wrote it down again on separate pieces of paper for Shigaraki. 

I can watch the videos later. The intel I’ve gathered so far should be enough to make Shigaraki happy. 

He got ready to leave his apartment and take the notes to the bar. It was starting to get dark out. As Midoriya was running over the rooftops to the bar, he heard commotion in an alleyway below him. He stopped to look. 

There were three people. A man with long, sharp nails and a woman with scaly skin were mugging a young man. 

“That’s right. Hand it all over,” the man said. 

Midoriya watched the young man hand over his wallet and watch. He was trembling all over.

I should do something. I should stop them.

You’re a villain too, you know. This doesn’t involve you. A true villain would just walk away.

“Hey, you still have something in your pocket,” said the woman. 

“P-please, this i-is a w-wedding ring... I’m p-proposing to my g-girlfriend tonight,” the young man pleaded. His voice was trembling even more than his body. 

Midoriya continued to watch, knowing that the actual villain would’ve left by now. 

“Tch, you think we care? Hand it over!” the man said. 

“N-no, I can’t!”

The woman kicked the young man in the leg. His knee bent the wrong way, and he screamed in pain. 

She just tore his ligament. I can’t watch this. I need to do something. 

Midoriya jumped down into the alleyway. As he landed he kicked the woman in the head, knocking her to the ground. 

The man came at him with his long nails. Midoriya dodged to the side and quickly drew out his daggers. He slashed the daggers down onto the man’s nails, and they broke off. The man took several steps back, holding his broken nails, screaming in pain. 

The woman was getting back up, but Midoriya quickly pinned her up against the wall, his dagger against her throat. He made sure to position it between her scales, so she could feel the sharp blade. A drop of blood trickled down her throat. 

Her eyes were wide with fear. Midoriya didn’t feel any remorse as he punched her square in the face, breaking her nose and rendering her unconscious. 

The man with long nails had run away, and the young man was still lying on the ground, his knee bent funny, watching Midoriya. 

As Midoriya turned around to face him, he scrambled backwards, fear plainly written across his face. 

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” said Midoriya. 

The young man continued to watch him, frightened, as Midoriya gathered up all of the young man’s stolen items, which were scattered around the alleyway. 

“You’re going to need an ambulance,” said Midoriya as he handed everything back to the young man, who was still trembling. 

He just stared at Midoriya. 

“You don’t seem capable of speaking, so I’ll just call,” said Midoriya. 

He dialed 119.

“Hello, this is 119, please state your emergency.”

“An attempted mugging just occurred at 1-5-1, Lotus street. There’s a young man with a torn ligament in his knee. The people who mugged him are a woman with a broken nose lying unconscious in the alleyway, and a man with long sharp nails who ran away. You might be able to find him if you begin searching now.”

“Okay, we will send people right away. What is your name?”

Midoriya hesitated, “Ren Suzuki.”

“Okay, police in the area have been notified.”

“Thank you,” and Midoriya hung up. He looked back at the young man. 

“You’re going to be okay,” Midoriya said, and he started walking away. 

“Wh-who are you?” asked the young man, still trembling.

Midoriya paused for a moment. 

“I’m Deku.”

 

Tsukauchi was waiting to interview Katsuki Bakugo. 

He’d been told that Bakugo would be brought to the station at 5:30 for questioning. 

It was 6:00. 

Tsukauchi looked at the clock in frustration.

Does punctuality even matter to people anymore? he wondered. 

Finally, at 6:15, he saw Bakugo walk through the doors. He slumped down in the waiting room grumpily. 

Well, this isn’t going to be fun.

Tsukauchi walked up to Bakugo and said, “hello. I’m Detective Tsukauchi, and I’m going to be the one questioning you.”

“Let's get this over with,” said Bakugo. 

In the interrogation room, Bakugo kept fidgeting and his eyes darted around. 

“All right, let’s get started. Your full name is Katsuki Bakugo, your quirk is Explosion, and the only thing on your criminal record is simple assault.”

Bakugo looked down at his hands, “yeah that’s right.”

“Okay, first question. Have you come into contact with Midoriya in the past 7 months?”

“No. Haven’t seen him.”

“Can you describe your relationship with Midoriya?”

“We didn’t have a relationship! He was just a puny little weakling who followed me around everywhere!” Bakugo said angrily. 

Tsukauchi’s quirk went off. 

He isn’t entirely lying, but he isn’t telling the truth either. 

“Okay… did he ever show any signs of depression, or suicidal ideation?”

“I don’t know! I didn’t watch him that closely!”

Again, he’s only telling half the truth. 

“Did he ever do anything that was concerning, like self-harm or dark humor?”

“Not that I know of.”

Now he’s telling the truth.

“So, at school, how did he behave? Was he sociable and friendly, or was he more seclusive?”

Bakugo sat for a moment.

“He never really had any friends, and didn’t really fit in. But he always had this stupid smile on his face when he talked about heroes! It was so annoying.”

Truth.

“Did he not have any friends because he was quirkless? Is that why he didn’t fit in?”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Bakugo quietly.

Half-truth. 

Tsukauchi frowned. There was something Bakugo wasn’t telling him.

“Why did his smile annoy you?”

Bakugo’s eyes narrowed. 

I’m getting closer to the thing he doesn’t want to talk about. 

“It wasn’t his smile. It was the fact that he wanted to be a hero, even when he didn’t have a quirk. How can a quirkless wannabe like that even hope to achieve something so big? It’s stupid to have unrealistic dreams you know you can’t accomplish.”

Truth.

“Do you think that him wanting to be a hero so badly, and knowing he wouldn’t be able to, is why he attempted suicide?”

Bakugo looked down at his hands again, “maybe.”

Lie.

“Why do you think he attempted suicide?”

Bakugo continued staring at his hands, and his body tensed. 

“I don’t know.”

Lie. 

“Do you know of anything that could have provoked him to attempt suicide?”

“No.”

Lie. 

“You know why he attempted suicide. Tell me.”

Bakugo looked up at Tsukauchi, scowling. 

“I already told you I didn’t know!” shouted Bakugo

“If you want us to find and help Midoriya, you have to cooperate. That includes answering the questions truthfully.”

Bakugo was now looking at Tsukauchi closely, reading his face. 

“You have a lie-detector quirk, don’t you?” Bakugo asked in an accusatory tone. 

Tsukauchi didn’t confirm or deny. 

“Why did Midoriya attempt suicide?” Tsukauchi questioned again. 

Bakugo glared at him.

“Fine. If you really want to know,” Bakugo finally snapped, “it’s my fault. I bullied him for being quirkless because I wanted him to understand that he could never be a hero. I told him to jump off a building.”

Bakugo looked down, trying to hide the fact that he was crying a little. 

“I didn’t mean it though, the part about jumping. I can’t fall asleep at night because it’s all I can think about. It’s my fault Deku did it.”

Truth. 

For a moment, Tsukauchi didn’t know how to respond. 

“Thank you for being honest. I know it can be hard sometimes,” he chose to say. 

Bakugo didn’t respond.

“You called him ‘Deku.’ Why is that?”

“It means worthless, or useless person. I’ve been calling him that since we were 4. He called me Kacchan.”

Truth. 

“Okay. Thank you. Last question, do you know anywhere he could be hiding currently?”

“No.”

Truth. 

“All right. That’s all the questions I wanted to ask. Thank you for coming.”

Tsukauchi got up and headed towards the door. Bakugo got up too. 

Tsukauchi held the door open for him, and as Bakugo passed he said “you better find that little nerd so I can apologize in person.”

“We will,” said Tsukauchi. 

And then Bakugo stomped out of the station. 

“Sir, you’re gonna want to hear this,” said Sansa. I would say he’s a policeman, but he’s more of a police cat.

“What is it?” asked Tsukauchi.

“We just got a call saying that there was an attempted mugging, and the caller’s name was Ren Suzuki.”

That was Midoriya’s fake profile name. Is it a coincidence? There’s only one way to find out.  

“Let’s go, Sansa,” said Tsukauchi. 

 

Midoriya walked into the bar.

“Hello, Deku,” said Kurogiri.

“Hey, have you got the intel?! Also, why is there blood on your knives?” asked Shigaraki. 

“Hi. I got into a little fight on the way here. Yes, I have the intel, and I’ll bring more in two days.”

“Wonderful. Let me see it!”

Midoriya gave the papers to Shigaraki, who immediately started reading them, like he always did. 

Shigaraki laughed to himself, “I haven’t regretted recruiting you for a second, Deku.”

“Glad to be here,” responded Midoriya. It tore his heart a little to say that. 

 

The police were bringing three people into the station. 

Ide Nori - 24 yo female, villain. Wanted for 6 accounts of theft, 17 accounts of robbery, 2 accounts of burglary, simple assault, aggravated assault. Quirk - Scales. 

Mukai Saburo - 31 yo male, villain. Wanted for 12 accounts of robbery, 5 accounts of burglary, aggravated assault, sexual assault. Quirk - Stiletto Nails. 

Tenpi Kyou - 22 yo male, college student. Criminal record - speeding ticket. Quirk - Fast Reader. 

Saburo wasn’t answering any questions. He was too focused on how his nails had been broken. 

Nori was somewhat cooperating. She answered some questions, but not others. 

“What were you doing in the alleyway?” asked Tsukauchi. 

“You know full well what I was doing!” she spat. 

“So you were only mugging that young man.”

She just glared at him. 

“What happened while you were mugging him? Why did you stop?” he asked. 

“Someone came down from above and kicked me,” she said vaguely. 

“Did you see who it was?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you describe what they looked like?”

She scowled for a moment, contemplating whether to answer him or not. 

“He had a mask on, but I could tell he had green eyes. He wasn’t very tall, but he was strong. He broke my nose and knocked me out with one punch,” Nori said bitterly.

Tsukauchi wrote all this down. 

“He was scary,” she said quietly. 

Tsukauchi looked up from his notepad, “scary?”

“He just seemed so… cold and angry. He could’ve killed me if he wanted to,” she subconsciously rubbed her throat, where a bandage now was. 

Green eyes, and good at fighting. It could’ve been Midoriya, seeing as they used the name Ren Suzuki on the phone, but there still isn’t enough evidence. I’m going to have to question Kyou. 

Kyou, however, still seemed shaken from the event. His knee had been given first aid, and he was able to walk with crutches. He clearly had never had anything terrifying happen to him before. 

He was sitting in the waiting room, texting his girlfriend. 

“Hello? Kyou? I’m Detective Tsukauchi. I was wondering if it’d be okay for me to ask you some questions,” said Tsukauchi as he sat down next to Kyou. 

“Oh, um, okay,” said Kyou as he put his phone away. 

“Thank you,” Tsukauchi took out his notepad, “please describe to me in your own words what happened.”

“Uh, well, I was walking back to my apartment, and took a shortcut through a less safe part of town, when two people jumped out and dragged me in an alleyway. They started demanding that I give them all my valuables. I did, except for the wedding ring I’d just bought, because I was planning on proposing tonight.”

He paused and looked down at his hands sadly before continuing. 

“The woman with scales kicked my knee, and it hurt so so bad. I don’t know exactly what happened next, because I was so focused on the pain, but the guy with sharp nails started running away. I looked around, and I saw this other person pinning the woman up against the wall with a knife.”

Tsukauchi was writing this all down speedily. 

“The woman looked really scared. The person’s back was facing me, and he was wearing a jacket that had the words ‘villain costume’ on the back, so I was kinda scared. He punched the woman and she fell to the ground. When the person turned towards me I tried to get away, but he said ‘I’m not going to hurt you.’”

“Can you describe this person’s appearance?”

“Oh, well, he wasn’t tall, but not really short either. I think he had green eyes, but I’m not sure. They had a black mask on.”

“Ok, thank you. Continue.”

“All right, um, he started gathering up my things that were all over the alleyway, and gave them back to me. I just kind of stared at him. I probably looked really stupid. Anyway, he called the police for me, which kinda surprised me because his jacket said ‘villain.’ Before he left I asked him who he was.”

Tsukauchi looked up from his notepad, interested. 

“He said he was Deku,” said Kyou.

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened, “Deku, you’re sure?”

“Uh, yeah?”

Deku is what Bakugo called Midoriya. So this person is Midoriya. Is he a villain now? That would explain a lot, but how did he become a villain in such a short period of time?

“Thank you for your time,” said Tsukauchi, and he got up and walked away. 

Yagi’s going to want to hear this.  

 

The next day, Midoriya watched the videos of class 1-A he’d downloaded from UA. 

The most important videos he found were of a combat training they’d had a couple days ago. They were split into groups of 2 or 3 and faced each other as either heroes or villains.

All Might was their teacher for this lesson. Midoriya noted how he abruptly left after the class had been going on for three hours. 

He must be shortening the time he spends doing hero work in order to teach. 

During each battle, he analyzed each of the students' quirks, as well as their personalities, fighting styles and how they seemed to work in teams. He created incredibly detailed notes on them in his notebook.

He was still fascinated by quirks and how they’re utilized depending on the person. He created his own applications, and thought of different ways to weaken or strengthen the quirk. Quirk analysis really was his thing. 

The most interesting battle was Bakugo and Iida as villains vs. Uraraka and Todoroki as heroes. 

Right at the start, Todoroki asked Uraraka to wait outside while he fought the battle completely on his own. 

He’s very confident in his abilities. Although, his costume design is a little odd considering he’s the son of Endeavor . 

Uraraka refused though, claiming that she wanted to work hard to become a hero, and she didn’t want to sit around and do nothing to help. 

“Please, I’m not going to sit back when someone might need my help,” she said. 

Todoroki stared at her, perfectly concealing his emotions, until something gave way.

“Fine,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Bakugo had completely ignored Iida and set off on his own. He, like Todoroki, thought he could take on the other team by himself. 

You never change, Kacchan. 

Todoroki and Uraraka started exploring the building together. Uraraka was trying to have a proper conversation with Todoroki (and failing), when Bakugo made a surprise attack. Todoroki created a huge mass of ice to block Bakugo. 

Todoroki told Uraraka to go find Iida, while he took care of Bakugo. As Uraraka ran off, Bakugo broke free of the ice with a large explosion. 

“Thought you could take me down that easily?” Bakugo said boldly. 

Todoroki and Bakugo were left fighting, while Uraraka went off searching the building on her own. After sneaking around the building for some time, she found Iida. She attempted to communicate this information to Todoroki. However, Todoroki and Bakugo were still fighting. They had both underestimated each other. 

Todoroki’s only using ice, but his file says his quirk is Half Hot Half Cold. Why is he only using half his power?

Over comms, Uraraka told Todoroki the location of Iida. 

“So you’re right above me,” Todoroki realized, while creating a wall of ice between him and Bakugo. 

“Oh, yeah. I guess I am,” she responded, a little too loudly because Iida’s head turned in her direction, “ah no! Iida heard me!”

So Todoroki and Bakugo continued to clash while Uraraka and Iida fought on the floor above. 

“I have hidden every object in this room so have nothing to use against me!” exclaimed Iida. 

“Todoroki, I don’t think I’m going to be able to get the weapon!” said Uraraka through the comms, “Iida’s too fast!”

Bakugo used his support gear against Todoroki, causing a huge explosion that ripped apart the building. He began to gain the upper hand in the battle. Todoroki was trying to think of a way out.

“I have an idea,” Todoroki said, “are you able to make yourself float, so you aren’t touching any of the walls or ceiling?”

“Um, yeah?”

“Do it. Now.”

Uraraka floated herself in the air, and Iida positioned himself in between her and the weapon, ready to defend it. 

But then Todoroki froze everything around him, including the floors above him. 

Iida’s feet got stuck in the ice, and he was caught off guard. Uraraka took advantage of this and floated over him.

Bakugo blasted through Todoroki’s ice again. Todoroki was stiff from using that much ice at once, and it would take him a few moments to heat back up again. Bakugo exploited this and pinned Todoroki down, but it was too late. 

Uraraka had hugged onto the weapon, and the heroes won. 

By the time Midoriya was done thoroughly analyzing all of the videos, he knew each member of class 1-A by heart. He’d probably be able to beat any of them in a one on one battle. Except for Bakugo or Todoroki. 

And maybe Uraraka too, because deep down, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her. 

At least not yet.

Notes:

The song for this chapter is I'm So Sorry by Imagine Dragons. The bridge works really well with Bakugo's feelings about how he treated Midoriya like crap. (And to anyone who hasn't listened to this song before, do not turn the volume up at the beginning)

Also, the next two chapters are going to be pretty long (you can probably guess why) so it'll hopefully make up for this slightly shorter less interesting chapter.

Chapter 15: Irrational and Reckless

Notes:

Fight scenes are not my forte. I can see it all perfectly in my head, but putting it into words is so hard. And I can’t draw to save my life.

I also changed the tags just a little bit, because now I actually feel like I know how to tag.
Enjoy the chapter!

Midoriya was finishing up the final details of his notes on the battle training. 

A text from Shigaraki came in saying, “Come to the bar now and bring your notes.”

Midoriya responded with “I told you I would bring the notes in two days. It’s only been one day.”

“Do it or else.”

Midoriya sighed and responded, “fine.”

He left for the bar, but took his time, choosing to walk on the sidewalk instead of running over the rooftops like normal. 

He walked into the bar, bracing himself for Shigaraki’s regular insults. 

“You took forever, as usual. Give me the notes,” said Shigaraki. Kurogiri was behind the bar like he always was. 

Midoriya handed over the pieces of paper with everything on class 1-A he’d been able to scrounge up from the videos. 

“Did you call me over because you only wanted my intel, or because there’s something important you want to tell me?” asked Midoriya.

“Both.”

Shigaraki seemed too consumed with reading the notes to elaborate, so Midoriya sat down at the bar. 

“Is there anything I can get for you, Deku?” asked Kurogiri. 

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”

Midoriya just sat there, listening to music, until Shigaraki was finally ready.

“We’re killing All Might in two days,” Shigaraki said abruptly. 

"What?" Midoriya was dumbfounded. Did he seriously think he was capable of killing All Might?

“Based on the information you’ve gathered for us, All Might teaches class 1-A. They’re going to be at the USJ in two days for rescue training, and All Might should be teaching during that time,” explained Shigaraki. 

Midoriya thought back to his notes, and knew that this information was accurate. 

“Okay, but killing All Might? That’s impossible! Even though he can only do hero work for three hours, he’s still All Might!”

“Shut up! You don’t understand anything!”

Midoriya looked at him incredulously. 

“Kurogiri is going to warp us in,” explained Shigaraki, “and then he’s going to scatter all the little brats across the facility. And I have something that’s going to take care of All Might for sure.”

There’s something he’s not telling me. 

“What’s this something? Because as far as I know, nothing in all of history has been able to take down All Might,” said Midoriya. 

“Oh, you’ll see,” responded Shigaraki gleefully. 

Can’t he ever be straightforward with me?

“And what will I be doing during the attack?” asked Midoriya. 

“You’ll just be watching, taking notes.”

“I can do more than that.” I’ve trained so hard for a reason. 

“No. We can’t risk you messing things up. If you get captured because you’re quirkless, then it’s over.”

Midoriya frowned. They’re underestimating me. 

But then again, it’s better to be underestimated than overestimated. 

“Fine. You said in two days, right? When and where will we be meeting?”

“A warehouse at this address,” said Kurogiri, handing Midoriya a slip of paper, “at 1:00.”

“Okay. See you then,” said Midoriya, getting up to leave.

“You better be there,” said Shigaraki. 

“I know.”

 

“Yagi,” Tsukauchi started. He was on the phone with All Might. 

“Tsukauchi, hey. What’s going on?” asked All Might, curious. 

“There’s been an update in Midoriya’s case. You’re going to want to sit down for this.”

“Okay… what’s happened? Do you know why he was at the entrance exam?” All Might asked eagerly. 

“Just listen. I questioned a boy named Katsuki Bakugo, who is…” Tsukauchi looked for the right words, “someone who knew Midoriya. He blamed himself for Midoriya attempting suicide.”

“No, that boy shouldn’t blame himself. It was because of me that Midoriya did what he did.”

“No Yagi, I think it actually was partly his fault. You see, it sounded like Bakugo bullied Midoriya for being quirkless. He actually admitted to telling Midoriya to jump off a roof. Midoriya attempted suicide because he wanted to be a hero so badly, but he’d been convinced that it was impossible. That was partly Bakugo’s fault.”

“But it was my fault too,” said All Might sadly. 

“Ugh, you’re missing the point,” said Tsukauchi, frustrated that All Might could not understand that Midoriya attempting suicide was not entirely his fault. “Anyway, Bakugo said that he called Midoriya “Deku” as a way of teasing him.”

“How does that relate to anything?” asked All Might, confused. 

“Last night we got a call from someone who said their name was “Ren Suzuki.” 

“That was the fake profile Midoriya used!”

“Correct. It was about a mugging. Two people, and man and woman, were actively robbing a young man when someone stopped them. That someone had green eyes, and said that they were Deku.”

“Wait, you don’t mean… Midoriya stopped them?”

“Yes, he did. Surprisingly quickly and brutally. But here’s the thing, he had a jacket on that said ‘villain costume.’”

“No. That can’t be.”

“Yes, it can. I think Midoriya is a villain now, in some way, shape or form.”

“No. That boy I met on the rooftop could never become a villain. He had too big of a heart,” said All Might confidently. 

“Well, that same boy had his dreams crushed and tried to end his life.”

All Might didn’t have a response to that. 

“Midoriya being a villain would explain why he refused to come to UA,” continued Tsukauchi, “and it would explain why he’s been missing for so long. I wouldn’t say he’s a bad person, seeing as how he treated Uraraka and Shinso at the entrance exam, but he isn’t a good person either.”

“Has he committed any crimes yet? What makes you say he’s no longer a good person?” questioned All Might. 

“Remember how Uraraka described how she could almost see the hate in Midoriya’s eyes? And the woman who was mugging the young man, Midoriya broke her nose and threatened her life. When I was questioning her, she said that Midoriya was incredibly frightening.”

“That doesn’t sound like Midoriya.”

“Yagi, the boy you met on that roof doesn’t exist anymore. He’s changed into someone else. Into a villain.”

"No. I refuse to believe that.”

“Well, then I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just stating facts. If you don’t mind, I have to get back to my job.”

“Okay. Thanks for the update, Tsukauchi.”

“Sure, no problem. Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“If we end up needing All Might’s help in capturing Midoriya, or Deku, as he’s now calling himself, promise me you won’t let your personal feelings get in the way of your job,” Tsukauchi said firmly. 

All Might hesitated, because he knew that was a promise he couldn’t keep. 

“All Might will bring justice to whoever deserves it,” he decided to say. 

“Well, Midoriya might end up deserving it,” said Tsukauchi. 

“In time we’ll see.”

“Hah, you could say that again.”

“In time we’ll see,” All Might said again. 

“Ugh, you’re such a dork,” Tsukauchi laughed. 

“Thanks, Tsukauchi.”

“Bye, Yagi.”

 

The night before the USJ attack, Midoriya barely slept at all. His mind was preoccupied with thinking of all the possible outcomes. 

We could all get captured and spend the rest of our lives in prison, which would really suck. 

We could get there, and then Shigaraki will spontaneously change his mind and decide to leave. 

They might end up leaving without me.

Shigaraki might try to kill some of the students, if things don’t go to plan. 

All Might could recognize me, or pound all of us into the ground. 

Or… Shigaraki might succeed and murder All Might, with his mysterious something.

Midoriya felt conflicted about this. He wanted to fight the pros and win, but he also didn’t want them to die. He especially didn’t want any of the students to get killed. 

He was a villain now, but the thought of actually taking someone’s life, ending their time short, it wasn’t comprehensible. It caused a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Midoriya hated All Might for everything he had said to him. But he couldn’t find it in himself to want the symbol of peace dead. 

Midoriya might’ve been a villain, but he still had a heart. 

 

The morning of the attack, Midoriya got up early. He just couldn’t sleep any longer. It felt like someone had wired his brain with electricity. 

On that way to the address he’d been given, he reviewed 1-A’s quirks and fighting styles over and over again in his head. He knew Shigaraki didn’t want him fighting, but that didn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t have to fight. 

1-A are strong fighters, and they all have decent intelligence. If one of them notices me, I’m going to have to fight them. 

Midoriya arrived at a large warehouse. He wasn’t going to repeat what he did with Stain the first time, so he inspected the perimeter first. He climbed the buildings next to it, and looked through the windows. 

He saw Shigaraki and Kurogiri with a large black thing behind them. 

Is that the something Shigaraki was talking about?

He also saw many low level thugs milling about. None of them looked particularly smart or powerful, but there were a lot of them. 

Midoriya went back down, opened the doors and walked in. 

The minor villains eyed him as he walked past. He was wearing his villain costume, so none of them seemed overly concerned that he was there. But their interest in him grew as they realized he was walking straight for Shigaraki. 

“Deku. There you are,” said Shigaraki. 

“Is this the something you were talking about?” asked Midoriya, gesturing towards the towering figure behind Shigaraki. It had a beak with sharp, jagged teeth and it’s brain was exposed. It truly didn’t look human. 

Kind of like a rip off version of Venom. 

“Yes,” said Shigaraki, clearly very happy, “he’s Nomu.”

“Nomu?” Midoriya was very wary of it. Shigaraki seemed very confident that this creature had the power to kill All Might. What if it succeeded?

“You’ll see,” said Shigaraki ominously. 

“And who are all of these people?”

“You always ask so many questions. It’s really starting to get on my nerves.”

Midoriya just looked at him expectantly.

“You’d be surprised how many other people are sick and tired of heroes. Just give them a little bit of hope, someone to follow, and soon you have an army,” explained Shigaraki. 

“I see.”

The other villains were watching Midoriya now, curious as to who he was.

I’m on a different level than them, and they know it.

It kind of made Midoriya feel strangely powerful. He was finally being looked up to, instead of looked down upon. 

He prepared himself mentally for the battle to come.

While they were waiting, a few more villains came in.  Midoriya’s anxiety levels were slowly rising as the time passed. 

Finally, after 30 minutes, Shigaraki said, “let’s go.”

Midoriya’s heart started pumping faster. His senses sharpened as Kurogiri opened up a portal, enveloping everyone in the warehouse. In a few seconds they were transported to the USJ. The hoard of villains walked forward, out of the mist. Shigaraki and the Nomu were at the center. 

“Kurogiri, warp Deku away. I don’t want him fighting.”

Midoriya still felt annoyed that they were treating him like he was helpless. But he didn’t resist as the mist surrounded him and he was teleported to the top of a crooked building in the Ruins Zone. 

Here, he had a good view of the students and could easily observe and take notes. 

Midoriya saw class 1-A watching the villains come through the portal. He took some binoculars out so he could watch better. 

He spotted Eraserhead and Thirteen, and was able to identify many of the students right away. Shoji with his bulky arms, Iida with his tall stature, and Bakugo with his blonde hair. 

But he didn’t see All Might. 

What? He was supposed to be here. Shigaraki isn’t going to be happy. 

Midoriya watched as Kurogiri spread out the minor villains across the facility. 

Did All Might already use up his three hours? It looks like Shigaraki hasn’t decided to leave, so I guess I’ll just continue as planned. 

He turned his attention back to the heroes.

Eraserhead rushed down and started fighting minor villains in the Central Plaza, while Thirteen stayed behind to protect the students. 

That doesn’t make sense. Thirteen would be better in a group fight, and Aizawa is better with one on one fights and stealth.

However, Eraserhead was doing just fine. He was moving quickly and efficiently through the ranks of the villains using his capture weapon. 

Still, Eraserhead knows his students better, and would lead them better than Thirteen. And Thirteen would be able to take out one large group very quickly. 

Kurogiri teleported up to class 1-A, blocking their path to the exit. 

I guess Eraserhead cares enough about his students to act irrationally. 

Midoriya took out his notebook, ready to write down everything.

But acting off of your emotions will get you killed. 

Bakugo and Kirishima recklessly attacked Kurogiri, and fell straight into his mist. 

Those two are a perfect example. 

Kurogiri surrounded the students, and started teleporting over half of them to different zones around the USJ. Where they were being teleported depended on their quirk. Asui, for example, would be warped to the Conflagration Zone, because of her weakness to fire. Or Jiro would be warped to the Downpour Storm Zone because the constant rain made it harder for her to hear. 

However, Kurogiri was unable to warp Iida, Uraraka, Shoji, Sato, Ashido and Sero. 

Midoriya took notes, switching his attention between Eraserhead and Thirteen. Eraserhead was quickly taking out all of the villains, getting closer and closer to Shigaraki. Thirteen had convinced Iida to run back to the school and get help, but Kurogiri kept blocking his path to the exit.

Midoriya watched as Kurogiri opened a portal behind Thirteen, using her quirk against her. Her entire back side was deteriorated into dust. Midoriya looked away as she fell to the ground. 

Thirteen is a rescue hero. She’s not combat oriented. She could’ve never seen that coming. 

But then Midoriya heard commotion in the building next to him. It sounded like two people fighting. No, arguing. 

His heart started beating faster when he heard an explosion coming from the same area. 

Kacchan. 

Despite his common sense, he walked over to the opposite end of the fallen building he was on to see what was happening. 

Bakugo and Kirishima were fighting multiple villains at once in a building next to Midoriya’s, and doing so quite successfully. 

I guess it makes sense that they were warped here. Those two don’t have any apparent weaknesses because their quirks are rather versatile. 

They took out the last of the villains attacking them, and started talking. 

Although I would’ve sent Kirishima to the Flood Zone. 

Midoriya continued to watch them for a little while, knowing he should be taking notes on 1-A or Eraserhead. 

Midoriya felt a welling of anger in his chest when he saw Bakugo. It was the same whenever he saw him or All Might. The anger made Midoriya want to hurt them. He pushed the emotions down, like he always did. 

Shigaraki doesn’t want me fighting anyway, he thought as he started walking away. 

“HEY YOU!”

Midoriya turned, feeling a rush of adrenaline. 

“YOU THOUGHT YOU ESCAPED ME YOU BASTARD!!” shouted Bakugo, now using his explosions to propel himself from the building he was just in to Midoriya. 

Midoriya smiled, guess I have to fight now. 

Midoriya backed up into the center of the roof, so he wouldn’t fall off.  Bakugo came flying at him, ready to attack. 

Here comes his right hook. 

And that’s exactly what Bakugo did. Midoriya could’ve easily dodged the attack, but instead blocked it with his red forearm gauntlets, which were hidden under his dark green jacket. 

Midoriya was knocked backwards, but not very far. He was able to maintain his balance. The gauntlet was vibrating a little bit from the energy it absorbed. 

“You think you can beat me!” shouted Bakugo, “you can’t even dodge my attacks!”

Bakugo ran towards Midoriya. He was about to explode him, when Midoriya quickly sidestepped and jabbed Bakugo in the stomach. 

The energy from the gauntlet released, and Bakugo was sent flying backwards. He caught himself from falling onto the ground by propelling himself upwards with his explosions. 

Midoriya charged at him, not giving him a moment of rest. He still didn’t want to kill Bakugo, so he used his escrima sticks instead of daggers. 

Bakugo dodged Midoriya’s first attack, but was hit in the leg with the second attack. He countered and blasted Midoriya on the arm. 

They continued brawling, Bakugo maneuvering around in the air using his explosions, and blasting Midoriya with a lot of force. Midoriya used his speed and was able to avoid most of Bakugo’s attacks, but the ends of his sleeves had gotten blown up, showing the red gauntlets. 

While they were battling, Midoriya heard Kirishima yelling, “hey man, wait up!” He also saw the students from 1-A fighting Kurogiri near the entrance. He had to stay aware of his surroundings. 

Bakugo started overpowering him. His quirk gave him a distinct advantage, but Bakugo was clearly having much more trouble defeating Midoriya than he thought he would. 

Midoriya could tell he was going to lose against Bakugo, and Kirishima hadn’t even shown up yet. 

C’mon Izuku. So you can’t win with your physical power, win with your mind. You’ve known him almost all your life. Control his emotions. 

They were fighting near the edge of the building at this point. 

“That’s a long way down,” said Midoriya, trying to disguise his voice, “it’d be really sad if someone purposely jumped off of here.”

Bakugo’s eyes widened, and he hesitated. Midoriya jabbed his escrima stick right onto his stomach, and then slammed the other one onto the bridge of his nose, breaking it. 

Bakugo took a few steps back, his eyes watering, but continued to fight. 

“So why do you want to be a hero?” asked Midoriya, “I hope that defending quirkless people is something you want to do.”

Bakugo’s footwork faltered, and Midoriya managed to sweep his leg. 

“They don’t have any flashy power to catch them if they fall from a high height,” Midoriya said sinisterly.  

He kicked Bakugo, breaking his ribs. Midoriya was smiling under his mask, enjoying the amount of physical and emotional pain Bakugo was in. 

“How do you know about that!?” demanded Bakugo, spitting out blood. 

Right at that moment, Kirishima came blasting through the roof. 

“Sorry man! I couldn’t find a way onto the roof, so I just broke through,” he said. 

Midoriya tried kicking Bakugo in the face, but he’d propelled himself away towards Kirishima. 

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Kirishima, eyeing the blood dripping out of Bakugo’s mouth. 

“How do you know about Deku!?!” Bakugo asked again, ignoring Kirishima. 

Midoriya just stared at Bakugo, tense and ready to spring into action. His grip tightened on the escrima sticks. 

Kirishima looked between Bakugo and Midoriya, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya noticed Iida escape through the doors. 1-A had figured out how to get Kurogiri out of their way. 

Midoriya swore internally. Iida’s going to alert the pros. We’ll have no chance after that. Shigaraki’s crazy if he thinks he can continue the attack after this. 

He saw Kurogiri warp away. 

He’s probably going to warn Shigaraki. I need to get back to them or else they might leave without me. 

“ANSWER ME!!” demanded Bakugo, exploding himself towards Midoriya. 

Midoriya stepped backwards and off the roof of the building. The air whistled in his ears as fell closer to the ground. He could hear the confused sounds of Bakugo and Kirishima behind him. 

While he was falling, he took out his grappling hook and threw it to a nearby building. He gently swung down to the ground, and started running towards the central plaza. 

Eraserhead might’ve reached Shigaraki by now, but he’s no match for the Nomu. If Shigaraki decides to leave I have to be there. 

Midoriya heard Bakugo and Kirishima’s argument growing fainter behind him. He ran faster so they couldn’t catch up. 

I can’t get left behind. 

He saw a few of the minor villains as he ran. He didn’t pay them any mind, so they didn’t mind him either. 

As he approached the plaza, he saw that the Nomu had immobilized Eraserhead. His elbow was partly disintegrated, and the Nomu had broken several of his bones. 

He probably reached Shigaraki, and they fought a bit. But before Eraserhead could capture him, Shigaraki sicked the Nomu on him. 

The Nomu slammed Eraserhead’s face into the ground. The force was so hard it shattered the concrete around his head. 

If he doesn’t get medical attention, he’s going to die.

Kurogiri appeared behind Shigaraki. They were talking when Midoriya arrived. 

“Did you mess up too?” asked Shigaraki, aggressively scratching his neck. 

“Someone saw me, and I had no choice but to fight them,” explained Midoriya, “but I was able to take notes most of the time. When I saw a student escape, I ran down here. Are we continuing the attack?” 

“No, we’re not,” Shigaraki said agitatedly, “there’s no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. It’s game over. Back to the title screen. And I was looking forward to finishing this today.”

“Well, we should probably leave soon. The boy who got out, Tenya Iida, he has a speed quirk. I’d say it’s only about 15 minutes for him to get from here to the school,” said Midoriya, “also, the students I fought might try to follow me here. So we should go.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! I make the decisions,” said Shigaraki.

Midoriya held back a sigh. “Whatever you want to do.”

“Oh,” continued Shigaraki, “but before we leave, let’s make sure the symbol of peace is broken. Let’s wreck his pride. Let’s make this hurt!” 

Shigaraki started walking towards Eraserhead, who was bloodied and beaten by the Nomu. Fighting all of the minor villains had run him down. He was already past his breaking point, and had no chance of defending himself as Shigaraki walked closer.

Midoriya started rapidly thinking of excuses of why they shouldn’t kill him. 

“Wait!” said Midoriya, a little too loudly. Shigaraki turned away from Eraserhead, annoyed. “We shouldn’t kill him. Eraserhead is an underground hero, and barely anyone knows who he is. Killing him wouldn’t get us any more attention than if we didn’t.” Midoriya hoped that was a good enough excuse. 

“Fine,” said Shigaraki. Midoriya exhaled a breath of relief. “I’ll kill him because I want to.”

“What!?” asked Midoriya, genuinely confused. 

Shigaraki was getting more irritated by the second. “I want to kill him. Because it’s fun destroying things.”

“But there’s no point! Why would you take someone’s life without having an actual purpose behind it?” Midoriya was against killing, let alone killing for no reason. 

“Don’t tell me who I can or can’t kill,” said Shigaraki menacingly, “or else it won’t be Eraserhead I’m disintegrating.” Shigaraki started walking towards Eraserhead again.

Midoriya knew one thing: he couldn’t just stand there and watch someone die. “It’ll make us look childish, if we kill for no reason. Is that what you want? The League to be underestimated because their leader has no sense of restraint?”

Shigaraki stopped, and started scratching violently at his neck again. “SHUT UP!”

“We have to leave soon,” said Kurogiri. 

“We would’ve already left if Deku here would’ve just let me kill Eraserhead!”

But the argument was cut short by a whoosh of wind and a loud bang. They heard heavy footsteps near the entrance. 

“Have no fear students,” said a familiar voice, “I am here.”

All Might came walking into view, the dust parting around his footsteps. 

He wasn’t smiling.

Notes:

Aaaah I know I’m an awful person!! I hate cliffhangers too and this is a terrible cliffhanger, but there isn’t really any other place to break it up.

The song for this chapter is Any Other Way by We The Kings. This song fits so well. From the line "they can hardly wait to watch the hero fall" to "I'm not giving up, but I'm giving in to my darker side, to my every sin" it's amazing. And just the chorus fits well with both the heroes and villains efforts.

Chapter 16: Consequences

Notes:

Writing a chapter of fanfiction: fun and relaxing, stress-relieving, can do on your own time.
Writing a 4 page argumentative research paper: tedious and dull, raises stress levels exponentially, teacher only gives you two fricking days.

Something important to note! Because All Might didn't give OFA to Midoriya, his power hasn't decreased as much. So he's able to continue fighting for a little longer.

Also, I'm doing a bonus chapter on Thursday because why not.

At the sight of All Might arriving at the USJ, Midoriya felt a mixture of fear and anger. 

Fear because, well, it’s All Might. He might’ve been the symbol of peace, but to villains he was the symbol of failure. 

Anger because All Might had been the one who carelessly tossed aside Midoriya’s dreams of becoming a hero. Dreams that were now dead. Midoriya could no longer smile easily because of him. 

And now All Might’s smile had been taken too. 

Kurogiri, Shigaraki and Midoriya had all momentarily forgotten about Eraserhead.

“Ah, looks like our game is getting a continue” said Shigaraki happily. “He’s weaker now. If he’s already used up most of his time, then we just have to wear him out. And Nomu is perfect for this.” 

“Yeah, but he’s-” before Midoriya could finish his sentence, they felt a large force bolt past them. In the time it took to blink, some of the remaining minor villains were knocked backwards and All Might was holding Eraserhead a safe distance away. The force of All Might running past had knocked the hand off of Shigaraki’s face. 

Some students near the entrance started coming down the steps so they could carry Aizawa to safety. Uraraka and Shoji, it looked like. 

“No, no, no… it wasn’t supposed to go this way,” whimpered Shigaraki. He was holding his hand over his face, and walking over to pick up the gray hand that had been knocked off. “He’s still fast, father. Somehow he managed to hit me.” 

Midoriya’s concentration was torn between All Might setting down Eraserhead on the ground, and Shigaraki picking up his… hand. 

Shigaraki reattached the hand onto his crusty face, “of course a government hero relies on violence. I wasn’t prepared. I couldn’t even see him when he moved.” 

“That’s what I’m trying to say!” yelled Midoriya, “just because he has a time limit doesn’t mean he’s weak! He still has the power to kill someone with a single punch!”

Shigaraki turned towards Midoriya, a manic smile on his face. “But he’s not as fast as I thought he would be. Not as fast as he used to be. He really is getting weaker.”

Midoriya was dumbfounded. 

He still thinks he can kill All Might. I don’t know whether to be amazed at his determination or confused at his stupidity. 

Uraraka and Shoji had gotten to the bottom of the steps, and were running over to get Eraserhead. All Might left him laying on the ground. He turned his attention to Shigaraki. 

All Might sprang towards Shigaraki, shouting “CAROLINA…”

“Nomu,” Shigaraki said quietly. The Nomu moved faster than the blink of an eye to protect Shigaraki. 

“SMASH!!”

The Nomu had absorbed all of the blast, leaving Shigaraki unscathed. The air pressure had blown Kurogiri and Midoriya back several feet; it even parted the lake behind Shigaraki in half. 

Wait, the Nomu has shock absorption? But how can he also have super strength?

All Might proceeded to punch the Nomu in the stomach, which also didn’t do anything. 

“My attacks have no effect on you. Let’s try this!” said All Might. 

He continued punching the Nomu in multiple different areas. 

“That’s because Nomu here has shock absorption, All Might,” said Shigaraki, “the only way you’re going to hurt him is to slowly gouge out his flesh. But I don’t think he’ll just sit back and let you do that. You’ve finally met your match!”

“Don’t tell him how to beat it!” yelled Midoriya. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?!” asked Shigaraki crossly.

“You should listen to your colleague!” said All Might, “all I have to do is wear him down, and then I’ll get you three!”

All Might grabbed the Nomu around the waist, and then fell backwards, ramming the Nomu’s head into the concrete. The air pressure blew everyone backwards. 

“Hey, hey now!” said Shigaraki. 

A plume of dust came up around All Might and the Nomu, momentarily blinding everyone. 

When the dust cleared, it was revealed that All Might had in fact not rammed the Nomu’s head into the concrete. Kurogiri had opened a portal under the Nomu, protecting it. He then opened another portal under All Might, where the Nomu’s head and hands were now sticking out. 

All Might was stuck. 

Midoriya realized in alarm that the Nomu was digging its fingers into All Might’s side. Blood was protruding his shirt. Back on the rooftop, All Might had explained his injury to Midoriya. He’d lost his stomach, and now the Nomu was aggravating that same spot again. 

“Nice,” said Shigaraki, “you were trying to bury him in the concrete to stop him from moving around. Sorry, that won’t work. Nomu’s just as strong as you, that won’t stop him.”

Now that All Might couldn't move, Midoriya took a moment to access their surroundings. No other students had appeared. The closest people to them were Uraraka and Shoji, who were carrying Eraserhead to the stairs. The two teens were looking back at the scene, their eyes wide with dread. 

All Might was clearly in a lot of pain. Blood was dripping out of his mouth. Midoriya couldn’t help but feel a little pleased at the sight of it. 

“Kurogiri, that was so cool! The way you used your quirk was really smart,” said Midoriya. 

“Thank you,” responded Kurogiri. 

He tightened the portals around Nomu. All Might released the Nomu and tried to loosen its grip on his side. 

“If this is your best you picked the wrong place to attack,” said All Might, “you should just give up now!”

“He’s lying,” said Midoriya. He could read All Might’s face with ease. “He’s genuinely concerned for his well-being right now. He’s afraid of us beating him.”

“He should be,” said Shigaraki.

All Might looked at Midoriya. “You’re just a kid. What are you doing with people like this?”

Midoriya felt the raging anger again. “You know nothing about me.”

“Kurogiri,” said Shigaraki. 

“I don’t usually want blood and viscera flooding the insides of my warp gates,” said Kurogiri, “but I’ll make an exception for a great hero like you.”

The Nomu’s upper body started sinking into the portal, bringing All Might with him. 

“Because you’re too fast to see with the human eye, Nomu had to immobilize you,” explained Kurogiri. “And once he’s pulled your body halfway through, I’ll squeeze the gate shut!”

Kurogiri is capable of doing that!? All Might’s going to get crushed in half. 

All Might was now about halfway through the portal, with the Nomu still gripping his sides. 

“Tearing you to pieces will be very enjoyable,” said Kurogiri. 

The portal tightened around All Might’s chest. 

I want to see All Might suffer, but I don’t want him to die. I don’t want this to happen. 

Midoriya looked over at Shigaraki, who was watching with pure delight. 

But there’s nothing I can do. We came here to kill All Might, no, they came here to kill All Might. And that’s exactly what they’re going to do. 

Midoriya steeled himself for the gruesome sight he was about to watch. 

Well. I am a villain. This is just another line to cross. Watching someone die without doing anything to stop it. 

And mentally, Midoriya crossed that line. He didn’t do anything to stop Kurogiri. 

But someone else did. 

The three villains had been so fixated on All Might they didn’t notice three more students approaching. 

Bakugo came flying out of fricking nowhere and landed a solid blow on Kurogiri’s neck armour, and pinned him to the ground. With his other hand he pulled the pin out of his grenade shaped gauntlet and fired a massive explosion at the Nomu. 

With the Nomu weakened by Bakugo’s attack, All Might was able to loosen its grip and escape. 

Kirishima had followed Bakugo, of course, and attacked Midoriya, who easily dodged. 

“Damn, that was gonna be cool!” said Kirishima, frustrated. 

He’s way too slow. If we fight I’ll win with ease. 

And last was Uraraka, who ran back after seeing the trouble All Might was in, feeling she had to help. She’d left Shoji to carry Eraserhead up to the entrance. 

Uraraka tried to float Shigaraki by touching him, but he quickly dodged. 

The four heroes: All Might, Bakugo, Kirishima and Uraraka were all standing together facing the two villains, Shigaraki and Midoriya. Bakugo was keeping Kurogiri pinned down. The Nomu was still inside Kurogiri’s portals in between the heroes and villains. 

“Kurogiri, how could you let this brat get the best of you?” asked Shigaraki, “you’ve got us into a real jam here.”

Bakugo smirked, obviously proud of himself. “You got careless you dumb villain. It wasn’t hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into the smoking warp gate. You use that mist to hide your actual body as a kind of distraction, thinking that made you safe!”

He’s right. He’s figured Kurogiri out. 

“That’s why we missed,” continued Bakugo, thinking about his and Kirishima’s reckless attack, “but if you didn’t have a body, you wouldn’t be wearing this neck armour, right? Physical attacks can hurt you if they’re well aimed.”

Kurogiri lifted his head, groaning, and resisted a bit. He stopped when Bakugo made several explosions with his hands. 

“Don’t move!” said Bakugo threateningly, “you try anything funny and I’ll blow your ass up right now, you got it? They’ll be cleaning you up for weeks!”

Oh, Kacchan. You just can’t help but threaten people, can you?

“Ooh, that doesn’t sound very heroic,” said Kirishima, eyeing Bakugo nervously.

Both sides were watching each other. Midoriya was looking for any weaknesses or escape routes. 

“The blonde is Katsuki Bakugo. Quirk: Explosion. The red one is Ejiro Kirishima. Quirk: Hardening. The girl is Ochako Uraraka. Quirk: Zero Gravity,” explained Midoriya, giving Shigaraki the rundown, “I was fighting Bakugo and Kirishima earlier.”

He had to be careful not to call him Kacchan. 

“Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want you fighting!” Shigaraki yelled, agitated. 

“I didn’t have a choice! They attacked me first,” responded Midoriya, “multiple other villains had already been defeated by them. I had no choice but to defend myself.”

Shigaraki growled, and turned his attention back to the heroes. 

They’re all close combat fighters, except for All Might with the wind pressure and Bakugo with his larger explosions. Then again, both Shigaraki and I are close combat too. We’re going to need to free Kurogiri if we have any hope of winning or escaping. 

Midoriya also noticed that the other teens were looking at him a little more than Shigaraki. They’d probably realized that he’s around their age. 

“They escaped uninjured and captured two of my two strongest men,” said Shigaraki, “kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. Can’t have that.”

Midoriya looked over at Shigaraki to see what he was going to do. He didn't want to make any suggestions because Shigaraki was so adamant on being in charge. 

“Nomu,” said Shigaraki. The Nomu started pulling itself out of the portal, and soon it was back on solid ground. A lot of its body had been damaged and burned from Bakugo’s gauntlet. 

“How is it still moving?” asked Uraraka, frightened. “He’s all messed up!”

“Stay back, everybody!” shouted All Might. 

They watched as the Nomu’s body parts started regenerating, and soon it looked like nothing had happened to it at all. 

“What’s this?” asked All Might, angrily. “I thought you said it’s power was shock absorption!”

“I didn’t say that was his only quirk. He also has super regeneration,” explained Shigaraki, “Nomu has been modified to take you on even when you’re at 100%. He’s pretty much a highly efficient punching bag that punches back.”

Wait, this thing has multiple quirks?! How is that even possible?!

Midoriya tried to hide how surprised he was.

The heroes tensed, ready to fight. The Nomu was back at full strength and had already done a number on All Might. 

“First we need to free our method of escape,” said Shigaraki, “get him Nomu.”

The Nomu started moving at insane speeds towards Bakugo, who was still holding Kurogiri down. When it punched him, there was a plume of dust so Midoriya couldn’t see All Might or Bakugo. The wind pressure sent Kirishima and Uraraka flying backwards. 

“You didn’t just try to kill a student, did you?” asked Midoriya worriedly. But as the dust settled, he saw that Bakugo was a safe distance away with Kirishima and Uraraka. 

All Might had taken the hit. He had been smashed into a concrete wall by the force of the punch, and was looking quite worse for wear. 

“So he protected the child, huh,” said Shigaraki. 

“These are kids, and you didn’t hold back!?” asked All Might, angry and gasping in pain.

“I didn’t have much choice. He was threatening my companion,” said Shigaraki. “Besides, these kids are no angels. Those two spiky haired ones attacked this flimsy brat here, even though he’s only here to take notes. What kind of hero would do something like that?”

Bakugo and Kirishima exchanged glances. Shigaraki continued his tangent.

“You think you can get away with being incredibly violent, so long as you say it’s to save others. Well you know what All Might? That pisses me off. Why do people get to decide whether a violent act is heroic or villainous, when there’s no difference? Casting judgement as to what’s good and what’s evil.”

Well, a villain’s violent acts hurt innocent people, while a hero’s violent acts hurt guilty people. There is a difference. Your words are empty, Shigaraki. But empty words can still have an effect. 

“You think you’re the symbol of peace? Ha! You’re just another instrument of violence that the government dumps money into. And violence only results in more violence. I’ll make sure the world understands that once you’re dead,” Shigaraki finished. 

“You’re just a lunatic,” said All Might, “criminals like you, you always try to make your actions sound righteous. But admit it, you’re only doing this because you enjoy it, am I right!?”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed. 

All Might’s got him figured out. 

Bakugo smiled menacingly. “I’m way stronger than those weaklings. I can beat them with ease!”

“You do realize that you’re not the only one here who wants to help, right?,” said Uraraka. 

“Help? I just wanna beat their ass!”

“Don’t attack!” ordered All Might, “get out of here.”

The teens didn’t move. 

“You would’ve been crushed in half if it weren’t for us. You think we shouldn’t attack? Don’t underestimate us!” yelled Bakugo. 

Huh. He said ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘us’ instead of ‘me.’ That’s surprising. 

“Thank you for your help,” responded All Might, “but this is different!”

Midoriya recognized his tone. Oh crap. 

All Might tightened his fist. “It’s gonna be alright! Just relax and see what a pro is made of!”

He only talks like that when he’s about to utterly destroy an opponent. But he’s almost out of time, and he’s hurt. 

All Might zeroed in on the villains. 

“Nomu. Kurogiri. Kill him,” commanded Shigaraki. “I’ll deal with the children.”

“Wait, what am I supposed to do?” asked Midoriya. 

“Sit there and be quiet. Let’s clear this level and go home.”

Midoriya sighed, but didn’t protest. Shigaraki started running at the three students. 

“Look out, we’re fighting after all,” said Kirishima. 

But then something changed in All Might. His muscles tensed and his eyes shone brighter. And the only thing you could sense from him was.. power. Concentrated raw power. 

He and the Nomu charged at each other, and their punches connected. The ensuing wind pressure sent everyone flying backwards. 

“Are you deaf!?” shouted Shigaraki as he soared through the air, “one of his powers is shock absorption!”

“Yeah?! So what?!” All might continued punching the Nomu with incredible force. His punches became so fast that it was impossible to see his fists flying through the air. The wind pressure was greater than that of a wind storm. 

Midoriya used his grappling hook and anchored himself on the ground. Because of this, he wasn’t blown very far back. His hood was blown off though, exposing his green hair. No one had noticed yet. 

Is he going to fight the Nomu head on?

“Woah, there. So fast!” spluttered Kirishima as he was blown back several more feet. 

“No! I can’t get near them!” shouted Kurogiri, his mist dispersing behind him. 

“Aah, they’re too strong. I can’t hold on!” yelled Uraraka. 

Midoriya was the closest person to All Might and the Nomu. 

“He said your quirk was shock absorption not nullification !” exclaimed All Might. “That means there’s a limit to what you can take, right?!”

The Nomu punched All Might’s side, on his weak spot. All Might recoiled for only a second. 

“So you were made to fight me, big guy,” the ground around them was cracking, “if you’re able to withstand me firing at 100% of my power, then I’ll have to go beyond that and force you to surrender!!”

The Nomu started visibly having signs of getting weaker. All Might was truly amazing. He’d already gone past his limit but continued pushing himself further. 

Everyone else was still struggling just to not be blown away. 

All Might’s going to defeat the Nomu. Even in his weakened state, even though he’s injured, he’s still going. He’s still trying his best.

And as the wind was whistling past his ears and through his hair, Midoriya remembered why he’d wanted to be a hero in the first place. 

“A real hero will always find a way for justice to be served!” shouted All Might.

The feeling was quickly replaced by anger. 

Really? Where was my justice? How can you even call yourself a real hero?

With a massive throw, the Nomu was sent crashing into the concrete. All Might’s amazing power inspired admiration in the students and fear in the villains. 

“It’s time you learned a lesson,” said All Might, “you may have heard these words before, but I’ll teach you what they really mean! Go beyond, plus.. ULTRA!!”

And with one tremendous punch, the Nomu was sent flying through the dome of the USJ and into the sky. The impact shook the entire facility.  Everyone stood in awe of All Might’s power, even the villains. 

Midoriya quickly pulled his hood back on, and looked frantically around for Shigaraki.

Now that he’s defeated the Nomu, there’s nothing stopping him from capturing us. We have to get out of here. Fast.

He spotted Shigaraki standing next to Kurogiri a good distance away, and ran towards them. Shigaraki was trembling with anger.

“Shigaraki! We have to get out of here. Now!” Midoriya looked over his shoulder as he was running, and saw that All Might had his eyes fixated on them. 

Midoriya was barely able to dodge as All Might rushed towards him in an attempt to capture him. All Might sped past him. But instead of turning around to try again, like Midoriya thought he would, All Might continued running forward. 

He grabbed Kurogiri’s neck armor like Bakugo had done, and held him to the ground. Midoriya stopped running towards them, and Shigaraki backed away from All Might. 

There goes our escape. 

“You cheated,” rasped Shigaraki. 

“You’ve been bested. Surrender. We all want to get this over with quickly,” said All Might, tightening his grip on Kurogiri.  

All Might has barely any time left, so he wants this to end as soon as possible.

“Deku… you said he was weaker, but he’s just as strong as he’s always been! Don’t say you lied to me!” Shigaraki’s voice sent chills down Midoriya’s spine. He was too busy thinking about being disintegrated that he didn’t notice All Might’s concerned glance at the word ‘Deku.’

Midoriya heard the students talking behind him. They’re probably thinking that All Might can handle this on his own. Hopefully they’ll leave to regroup with the students at the entrance. 

I need to find a way out of this, or the League is done for. I cannot let that happen. But what can I even do against All Might?

All Might ran towards Shigaraki and uppercutted him. He was knocked back over 10 feet, and his jaw audibly cracked. In the blink of an eye All Might ran back to Kurogiri and kept him pinned down. 

To make matters worse, Midoriya heard Bakugo behind him shouting, “I’M GOING TO BEAT YOU THIS TIME!! DIE YOU BASTARD!”

Midoriya pivoted just in time to block Bakugo’s attack. 

Now Midoriya was being held up with Bakugo, while All Might was taking out Kurogiri and Shigaraki. At this rate, the League would be taken down for sure. 

I need to do something! But what? I’m no match for All Might’s and Kacchan’s power. I’m useless against them. 

No! Don't think like that. Use your head, that’s your main advantage. I might be no match for their power, but they’re both very emotional people…

An idea popped into his head. 

“Shigaraki!” he shouted whilst defending himself from Bakugo, “I have an idea to get us out of here!”

All Might had hit Shigaraki again. He was now crumpled on the ground, clutching his side. 

“Then what are you waiting for? Do it,” Shigaraki commanded.

Midoriya kicked Bakugo away with enough force to knock him onto the ground. He started running straight for All Might, who was still holding Kurogiri. All Might removed his eyes from Shigaraki and fixed them on Midoriya. All Might’s muscles tensed, ready to knock Midoriya out in one blow. 

It’s finally time for all the pain you’ve caused me to catch up to you. 

The moment All Might sprung forward, Midoriya dramatically ripped off his mask and lowered his hood. His green hair and freckles and the scar spanning his cheek open for all to see. Hatred was written on every line of his face. 

All Might’s eyes widened in horror, and he tripped. He stumbled over the ground and crashed into the concrete, breaking it. He did exactly what Midoriya thought he would do.

“Remember me?” asked Midoriya, malice dripping from every word. 

“Wha- you’re- no, no, no ,” All Might stuttered confusedly as he stood up. 

He probably still remembers me as the hopeful boy from the rooftop. He won’t be willing to hurt me, and instead will try to help. Also, his guilt will distract him from the fact that his time is out.

Midoriya walked around All Might, and positioned himself in between the hero and the League. All Might just stood there and stared at Midoriya for a moment, lost for words. 

Midoriya realized that Bakugo was staring at him too, many feet away, frozen. His face was full of dread. Bakugo had finally realized that his actions have consequences. The weight of everything he’d ever done to Midoriya came crashing down on him, rendering him motionless.

“Kacchan,” Midoriya said, and Bakugo flinched at the name, “you were right.”

All Might looked over at Bakugo, who couldn’t find the words to respond. 

“I will never become a hero,” said Midoriya. And then Midoriya smiled. This shook Bakugo to his core, although he wouldn’t show it. 

Midoriya was in his element. He knew the exact right things to say to get the two heroes to do what he wanted. 

He heard Shigaraki and Kurogiri recuperating behind him, but Midoriya had stopped caring about them. Only him, Bakugo and All Might existed at the moment.

“What are you doing here?” All Might managed to say. He didn’t notice the steam coming off of his body. 

“I did what you told me. I found something more… attainable,” said Midoriya. 

Guilt riddled every part of All Might’s body language. Midoriya smirked. He enjoyed playing with his emotions. 

“You know, for a hero, I kind of thought you would be more... hope inspiring? Motivational? Kind?” said Midoriya, “but no. You only shattered my hopes and dreams.”

“I’m sorry,” said All Might in a pleading tone. His body had started shrinking. 

“Oh, don’t give yourself all the credit!” said Midoriya, walking up to All Might, “it was mostly Kacchan. He was the one who’d been pushing me further and further for years. You were just the one who gave me the final shove...”

All Might was almost in his deflated form now. 

“...over the edge of a building.” Midoriya hadn’t stopped smiling.

All Might bowed in distress, “ I’m sorry! Please, I can still help you!”

Anger flowed through Midoriya like electricity in a wire, and his smile vanished. The emotions he’d been suppressing for so long burst out of him. 

“YOU THINK YOU CAN HELP ME!!?” Midoriya violently shoved All Might to the ground, “you know nothing about how hard my life has been! You took one look at me and decided I had no chance of being a hero! The League is the first to actually appreciate me! AND YOU THINK YOU CAN FIX ME WITH A SORRY!?!”

Midoriya spun around and heeled All Might squarely on the jaw. There was a crack and one of his teeth ended up multiple feet away. 

A completely deflated All Might stared up at Midoriya, tears in his eyes from a mixture of pain, shame and disappointment. Midoriya leaned domineeringly over All Might and clutched his chin. Their faces were inches apart. 

“I’m no hero, and neither are you,” spat Midoriya. His words were like venom. 

“Do you actually think these guys care about you? They haven’t treated you very well, from what I’ve seen,” said Bakugo, from behind Midoriya. 

Midoriya whipped around towards him. Bakugo had been approaching Midoriya, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Midoriya’s face. He’d never seen so much concentrated hate and anger in a facial expression. 

“Don’t even get me started,” growled Midoriya, who started walking over to Bakugo. “How many times did you shove me to the ground? How many times did you threaten me, or slap me, or belittle me, or explode my notebook?”

Bakugo took a step back as Midoriya got closer, discomfort and regret apparent on his face. 

Midoriya jabbed his finger into Bakugo’s chest, “it’s because of you I’m like this. Your words and actions slowly pushed me closer and closer to that line. And now that I’ve crossed it, I’m not going back.”

Midoriya walked past Bakugo and towards the League. The silence that followed was final and solid. 

Kurogiri and Shigaraki had recovered, and were watching Midoriya with a newfound reverence. 

“Let’s go,” Midoriya said to them. 

Kurogiri opened a portal when Shigaraki didn’t object.

“Wait!” a female voice yelled, cutting through the silence. Midoriya inhaled sharply, and stopped walking towards the League to look down at his shoes. He recognized the voice. 

“You’re that nice boy from the entrance exam, right? Izuku Midoriya,” asked Uraraka. 

Midoriya didn’t respond, but his facial expression softened. He turned around towards her, and his green eyes connected with her brown. 

She looked at him for a while. All Might’s and Bakugo’s faces had been full of guilt and regret, but her face held kindness and sympathy. 

“Please, don’t go. You saved me from the zero pointer. If you were truly a villain, you wouldn’t have done that. I know there’s still hope for you. Please, stay!” she pleaded. 

Midoriya’s face melted into something of sadness. All Might and Bakugo were just watching. They couldn’t bring themselves to move. 

“You’re someone who can see the best in anyone. You can find hope even in a hopeless situation,” said Midoriya. His voice was soft, almost kind. It was dramatically different from moments before. 

But then his face hardened, “and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. You’re blind to the bad things that happen in the world. You wouldn’t know despair if it slapped you in the face.”

Uraraka flinched at those words. Midoriya turned back to the League, and he glared at her over his shoulder.

“So don’t even try to help me. It’d just be a waste of time for both of us.” With that Midoriya walked towards the portal. Any words the three heroes tried to say got caught in their throats. 

“Hey, wait. We still have time to kill All Might,” said Shigaraki. 

“The pros are going to be here any moment! No, we don’t have time,” said Midoriya, exasperated. 

“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do! I came here to kill All Might and that’s-” Shigaraki’s sentence was cut short by a number of bullets flying through the air. He was shot in the shoulders and legs, causing him to fall to the ground. Kurogiri stopped the rest of the bullets with his mist. 

“Kurogiri, get us out of here!” Midoriya shouted as Thirteen’s black hole started sucking them up. 

As the portal closed around them, Shigaraki shouted, “I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered! All Might, symbol of peace, I am going to kill you!”

And just like that, the ordeal was over. 

Midoriya sure had left some people scarred.

Notes:

Writing this was one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. Like, "yes! Bakugo and All Might finally get what they deserve!"

I'm being a rebel and giving this chapter two songs because I'm terrible and making decisions and they're both really good.

The first song is Believer by Imagine Dragons. I can picture Midoriya in my head saying the first verse to All Might and Bakugo. They rest of the song fits great too.

The second song is Stronger by The Score. It would be Midoriya voicing the words, and it just works really well.

I feel a little braindead right now because of life struggles so this end notes doesn't get a proper ending.

Chapter 17: Class 1-A’s USJ

Notes:

Woo bonus chapter. Similar to the previous bonus chapter, this focuses a lot on 1-A and not on Midoriya. Unlike the previous bonus chapter, this one is really long.

This chapter takes place during the USJ, and overlaps with the last two chapters. Just something to keep in mind.
Enjoy!

The USJ attack affected more than just Midoriya, All Might, Bakugo and Uraraka, although they were the ones that got all the attention. But many, many more people were deeply changed, for better or for worse. 

Class 1-A was the youngest class to ever have an experience like that. You could see that as a bad thing, inspiring a feeling of insecurity. Or you could see it as a good thing. Class 1-A had more experience fighting villains and being heroes than even some third years. 

When Kurogiri had teleported the class, everyone had ended up in a place that put them at a disadvantage. Or… with someone who put them at a disadvantage. 

In the Downpour Storm Zone were Jiro and Hagakure. With the constant rain, it made it hard for Jiro to hear anyone and use her stealth abilities. The rain just fell on top of Hagakure, making her visible. 

In the Flood Zone were Yaoyorozu, Ojiro and Mineta. It would wear Yaoyorozu down to make an entire raft, but other than that her quirk was incredibly flexible, so it didn’t have any apparent weaknesses. Ojiro was good at fighting in cities, using his tail to propel himself off of the ground and walls. He couldn’t do that on a boat. Mineta was there because he’d be distracted by Yaoyorozu.

In the Conflagration Zone were Asui (or Tsu), Todoroki and Koda. Tsu had a very apparent weakness to fire. Todoroki had only been seen using ice, and the constant undying flames would weaken it. No animals could survive in a place that’s constantly on fire, rendering Koda’s quirk useless. 

In the Mountain Zone were Tokoyami and Kaminari. Kaminari couldn’t be put in the Flood or Downpour Storm Zones, but other than that his quirk didn’t have a weakness. So he was just put in the Mountain Zone. Tokoyami’s quirk was rather versatile, so it didn’t really matter what Zone they put him in. Except… its weakness to light. It would be very hard for Kaminari and Tokoyami to work together. 

In the Ruins Zone were Bakugo and Kirishima. Both of their quirks were useful no matter what the situation was, so they were just put in the Ruins Zone. (And, you know, for plot convenience, don’t judge me, I’m not a lazy writer, this fic is over 50,000 words). 

Kurogiri was unable to teleport the remaining students: Uraraka, Iida, Shoji, Sato, Ashido (or Mina) and Sero. They continued fighting at the gate. 

 

Downpour Storm Zone

Jiro was hiding in a multistory parking garage, trying to escape not only the villains pursuing her, but also the torrential rain and wind. 

How do they even get this amount of water and wind in here? she wondered. 

She plugged her earphone jack into the floor beneath her. Everything was so loud and muffled from the rain, but she could just about make out the sound of footsteps on the lowest floor of the parking garage. 

“She ran-- -- here- --- to find ---- --upper floors-- ---- - be here somewh---” someone said. Jiro could barely understand what they were saying, but she knew that they were looking for her. 

I can’t rely on my quirk to find them, but maybe I could face them head on. I stand a chance with my speakers, but that’s still risky. 

This was real. Real villains. Real threat. Real life. She thought back to the other students. 

I wonder if any of my classmates are here. If the villains knew what our quirks are, then they possibly sent me here on purpose, knowing I’d be at a disadvantage. Or it could just be a coincidence. 

She decided to head to the top floor of the parking garage. Maybe she’d be able to jump to another building from the roof, or at least get a better view of the area and locate the exit. 

Who else would be at a disadvantage here? 

Her mind skimmed over the names of her classmates and their quirks. 

Maybe Shoji? He’d have a hard time hearing like me. Or Mina because her acid would get washed away. Or…

She reached the rooftop but immediately retreated back inside the building. The wind and rain was even worse at a higher elevation than on the ground. She swore. 

I can barely see with all this rain, and the wind keeps pushing me, messing up my footing. 

She plugged her earphone jack into the floor again, and heard that the villains were getting closer. 

Jiro took a deep breath, and forced herself out onto the roof. If she wasn’t already wet, she would’ve been soaked in seconds. 

She shielded her face with her arm, and looked out around her. On one side of the garage was a short building. It was much too far of a jump down. On the other side was a building tall enough to jump onto, but it’s foundations had collapsed and it was now at a crooked angle. 

Behind and in front of the building were streets. The front street had a small group of villains walking down it, seemingly unperturbed by the rain. However, the backstreet was vacant. 

She looked out around the edge of the dome, and saw that a small section of it was lit slightly brighter than the rest. 

I bet that’s the way out. But it’s kind of far away, and getting past these villains isn’t going to be easy. 

She tried plugging her earphone jack into the floor again, but the storm was just too loud on the roof. She couldn’t hear anything. 

Jiro walked over to the side of the roof where the crooked building was. 

Those villains will be up here soon. 

She looked down, getting ready to jump. 

Here goes nothing. 

 

Flood Zone

“NO!!!! I CAN’T DIE BEFORE TOUCHING YOUR BOOBS!!!” Mineta screamed as he lunged forward at Yaoyorozu, his eyes releasing a fountain of tears. 

She took a step backwards as Ojiro grabbed Mineta and held him down. 

“Don’t you think we have more important matters to worry about!” Ojiro yelled back, frustrated. Mineta continued flailing around, and his crying intensified. 

“Agreed. We don’t have time to argue. We have to find a way to escape,” said Yaoyorozu, scanning the waters below. The three of them were on a relatively large boat, and many villains were swimming in the waters around them. 

When they had first been dumped into the lake, Yaoyorozu had almost been ripped in half by a shark-looking villain. Ojiro had just about managed to save her, using his tail to propel himself through the water. He’d taken her up into the boat, and soon after Mineta followed. The things Mineta could make himself do when he saw an attractive girl. 

After they were all on the boat, Mineta had a mental breakdown and threw several of his sticky balls out into the water. They all explained their quirks to each other, and now they were trying to think of a way out (or at least Yaoyorozu and Ojiro were). 

“They don’t seem to be very high level villains,” explained Yaoyorozu, “and look!”

Ojiro peered over the side of the boat, where the villains were staying away from some of Mineta’s balls. 

“They don’t know what our quirks are,” Ojiro realized, still holding back a wailing Mineta. 

“Exactly!” said Yaoyorozu. (I apologize for the heaping mess of a paragraph but Momo is too smart and I can’t replicate it very well).

Hmm, I could use my quirk to make a raft, but that would use up a lot of energy. I could always make some explosives that Ojiro could hit at the villains with his tail, but water would weaken their destructive potential. Maybe some bombs with poisonous gas, but I don’t want the villains to drown. Ojiro’s quirk would be the best method of escape, but not until after the villains are neutralized. Mineta’s quirk could be used to capture the villains, but how would we get them all in one spot? Which of these plans has the best probability of success?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deafening boom as a large mass of hand-shaped water cut the boat in half. 

“AaAaaAAAaaaHhhhH we’re sinking!!!” screamed Mineta, stating the obvious.

“You don’t say!” retorted Ojiro. He was really getting sick of Mineta. 

Yaoyorozu looked down at the villains, who were steadily getting closer, and then over at her two classmates. 

I have to protect and lead them! I’m the deputy class representative. This is my job!

“I have an idea,” she said quietly enough that the villains couldn’t hear. 

Ojiro narrowed his eyes and Mineta stopped crying (a little bit). 

“Well let’s hear it,” said Ojiro. 

 

Conflagration Zone

Tsu was fighting five villains at once. 

She propelled herself off of one’s head, while flying through air she grabbed one with her tongue, she kicked one as she landed and then swung the guy in her tongue into another person. In one swift move she was able to take out five people!

Well, not ‘take out.’ They started getting back up, but by the time they had oriented themselves, she was gone. 

I can’t keep running like this. I’m already feeling tired and lightheaded. The fire is really weakening me. 

A group of three villains came running around a corner, but she was able to jump into an alleyway before they saw her. 

If I climbed a building I could escape the villains, but all the buildings are on fire, from top to bottom. 

“C’mon! There’s three of ‘em here somewhere,” a gruff voice yelled over the roaring flames, “we gotta get ‘em!”

Tsu saw them run past the alleyway she was in, and she edged out so she could watch them until they got out of sight. 

“Hey! What’s this?” a crackly female voice asked. 

“Ay! We found one!” said a high-pitched male voice.

Tsu watched in horror as they dragged Koda out from an alleyway. He was trembling all over and watching the villains with wide eyes, and the biggest villain pinned him down on the ground. Koda was obviously terrified out of his mind. 

There are no animals in a place like this! He’s helpless.

She immediately jumped and kicked the largest one in the head, the one with the gruff voice. He recoiled slightly but took the hit pretty well. 

As she turned and started attacking the high-pitched male, who seemed to have some sort of speed quirk, the female opened up her oversized mouth and her throat glowed orange. 

Tsu was barely able to dodge as a huge ball of solid fire came hurtling towards her. 

Did she just shoot that out of her mouth? wondered Tsu, retreating a tad. 

“That’s just dandy! We found another one,” said the big gruff one, still holding Koda. 

What should I do? I can’t leave Koda, but I can’t keep fighting for much longer, thought Tsu, assessing the situation. 

“Let him go!” she demanded, trying to hide how worn down she was. The heat of the flames was pushing down against her body like an invisible wall. Her lungs couldn’t seem to take in enough air. 

“Or what?” asked the fire ball girl. Her smile was full of jagged teeth, and her throat was still glowing orange. 

Tsu sprang forward and kicked her in the face before she had time to react. The speedy guy punched her in the ribs, but he was fairly weak. She grabbed him with her tongue and threw him at the big guy. 

Something cracked in the speedy guy’s back, but the big guy was still relatively unaffected. 

The fire ball girl was getting back up from before, but Tsu propelled herself off of her face and heeled the big guy right in his eye. He staggered backwards and released Koda. 

“Let’s go!” shouted Tsu, and Koda scrambled to his feet and started running after her. 

Our only chance is running. I can’t beat those guys with all this fire. 

Koda ran much slower than Tsu jumping, but there wasn’t much she could do. Koda was too heavy to pick up with her tongue. 

They had managed to get about 20 feet away, when the speedy guy recovered. He ran in front of Tsu, who responded by completely ignoring him and just jumping over his head. 

Koda, however, skidded to a halt. Tsu stopped and turned around, right as a ball of fire came hurtling towards her. She didn’t have time to dodge as it hit her legs. Tsu fell to the ground with a loud thump . 

The big guy approached her and put his foot on her side. The place where the speedy guy had punched her stung with pain. 

The fire ball girl and speedy guy advanced upon Koda, who was slowly backing away into an alleyway. Despite having a strong build, he was shaking violently in fear. 

And Tsu was tired. Her conscience started to give into her body’s pleas for rest. The fire had done its part in taking her down. 

Is this it?

 

Mountain Zone

“AAaaAhHHhhHHh,” Kaminari was running away from a super buff villain like a small child, “these dudes are terrifying! My whole life just flashed before my eyes!”

He ran towards Tokoyami, who was holding a large mass of villains at bay with Dark Shadow (aren’t shadows always dark?).

“I think I saw the grim reaper!” exclaimed Kaminari, “what’s going on?”

“We’re under attack,” Tokoyami stated simply, who was a little preoccupied with not being stabbed by one of the villains. 

“Yeah, I already knew that, captain obvious!” said Kaminari, now standing next to Tokoyami. 

“Your quirk is Electrification, is it not?” asked Tokoyami, “can’t you shock all of these villains?”

“No! I can cover my body with electricity, but if I shoot it out it’ll go everywhere! I’ll take you down along with them, or did you want shock treatment today?”

“Hmm, yes. That would be problematic,” and the light his electricity emits would significantly weaken dark shadow. 

“I can’t even call for help because there’s still interference jamming the signal. I’m counting on you! I’m no help in this situation! You’ve gotta get us out of here!”

Tokoyami started to get frustrated, “you really are of no use here. Are you sure there is absolutely no possible way for you to use your quirk?”

“Did you not hear what I just said!?”

The villains were forcing the teens up against the wall behind them. 

We’re going to be overpowered soon! I can’t keep fending them off on my own, thought Tokoyami as he dodged a punch from a villain who could extend their arms. 

“What if you had physical contact with one of the villains? Then would you be able to shock them without hurting me?” asked Tokoyami desperately. 

“Huh? I guess tha-  AAAHH” Kaminari barely sidestepped as a giant axe came crashing down right where he’d previously been standing. 

One of the villains threw a knife and it grazed Tokoyami’s shoulder. 

I don’t have time to think! I just have to try…

“Use your quirk!” shouted Tokoyami as he used Dark Shadow to push Kaminari into the buff villain he’d been running from earlier. 

“GAH, SERIOUSLY!” screamed Kaminari as he slammed into the buff villain, but he did as he was told and used his quirk. 

The villain lit up like a Christmas tree the moment Kaminari touched him. He howled in pain from the electricity now coursing through his body. The other villains backed off a little. 

“Woah.. hey! It actually worked! I’m super strong!” Kaminari’s demeanor did a 180, changing from a frightened little wimp to a confident teenager (reminds me of Zenitsu). “Sit back, you can count on me!”

But now Tokoyami was having trouble. Dark Shadow was extremely weak while Kaminari was shocking the villains. The villain with the extendable arms tried attacking Kaminari, only to end up getting shocked as well. But that created more light. 

“K-Kaminari… I am unable to summon Dark Shadow,” said Tokoyami weakly, as the bird-looking shadow retreated into his body. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Kaminari, panicked. 

“The light your quirk emits, it weakens Dark Shadow. I am going to get as far away as possible. When I give you the signal, shock everyone .”

“Wait, but what if you’re not far enough!?”

“Then do it anyway!” shouted Tokoyami, already running. 

The villains' attention was split between the two students, some of them going after Kaminari, and some going after Tokoyami. 

I hope this will be successful. 

 

Downpour Storm Zone

Jiro was half running, half limping through the streets. Some villains had just been chasing her, but she’d been able to out-maneuver them. She ducked into another alleyway to catch her breath, escape the rain for a minute, and rest her leg. 

Jumping onto the top of the crooked building, it’d been successful… to some degree. 

She’d been able to get to the street below while avoiding the villains pursuing her in the parking garage, but not after subluxing her knee. The patella had only been out for a second, but that was enough to pull the ligaments, tendons and muscles. It was painful to put weight on it, but she could still walk and somewhat run (I’m writing from experience here). 

Jiro plugged her earphone jack into the ground again. She didn’t hear any muffled footsteps, but that didn’t mean there weren’t people around the corner. 

When she had gotten to the ground from the crooked building, she’d taken off in the direction of the exit. She was about half-way there now. 

I haven’t seen any of my classmates. There were six zones, so that would be about three kids in each. Why haven’t I…

She gasped as she came to a sudden realization. 

Hagakure! The rain would just fall on top of her, so she wouldn’t be invisible!

Jiro looked out into the street, and when she didn’t see anyone, she started running towards the exit again. 

But I have no clue where she could be… probably inside one of the buildings where she can escape the rain. My best bet is to just hope she’s headed to the exit too. 

She continued running for a while. The buildings blurred together, and her knee started to ache more and more. Her eyes were fuzzy from all of the rain, and her clothes were plastered to her skin. 

“Hey! I saw them!” someone shouted. Jiro ducked into an alleyway and got ready to attack whoever she saw first. 

“Over there! She went in there! Into this building!”

Huh? Did they seriously see me run into a building?

She edged out around the corner and saw a group of three villains entering what looked like an office building. 

If Jiro’s eyes could’ve widened, they would’ve, but she had to keep blinking from the rain. They’re after Hagakure!

She ran over to the office building and crept inside in an attempt to save her friend. 

She didn’t need to plug her earphone jack into the wall to hear shouting from the upper floor. She dashed up the stairs without much of a plan.

Jiro emerged onto a frightening scene. Hagakure and three villains were in a large conference room with shattered windows all along one wall. Hagakure had taken off all her clothes, but was still visible from the water droplets all over her body. She was attempting to escape the villains’ reach, and failing utterly. 

One of the villains had a water manipulation quirk, and was sending streams of water in different directions, blocking Hagakure’s exits. 

One seemed to have a water resistant quirk, because he was completely dry. He could navigate through the first villain's streams of water without being affected. He was running around, trying to get close to Hagakure. 

Every time the water proof guy got close to Hagakure, she counterattacked. She was still hard to see, kind of like glass. 

The last villain had a shielding quirk. Every time Hagakure tried to attack the water proof guy, she put up a barrier protecting him. 

The three villains were a very good team, but they hadn’t been anticipating Jiro. 

The villains hadn’t noticed her yet, so she quietly got as close to the water manipulation guy and shield girl, who were standing close together near the broken windows. She plugged her earphone jack into the speakers on her legs, and let out a thunderous sound wave. 

The two villains yelped in surprise, and the force of the soundwave sent them flying out the window, and crashing down to the alleyway below. The water proof guy looked, wide-eyed, at Jiro, right before Hagakure kicked him hard at a pressure point on his neck. He was knocked out cold. 

“Are you okay?!” asked Jiro running over to Hagakure. They had to shout to be heard over the roaring of the rain and wind. 

“Yeah, I only have a couple scratches. Gosh! I’m so glad you’re here! I would’ve been a goner without you!” exclaimed Hagakure. 

“Well, we’re not home-free yet. We’ve still got to get to the exit,” explained Jiro as they headed towards the stairs back down to the first floor. 

“Oh, yeah! It’s that one glowy brighter place along the edge, right?”

“Mm-hm.”

They arrived at the doors of the office building. They were so wet they didn’t even feel the speckles of water sprinkling their face. The wind swirled around them, giving them chills. 

“You ready to run for it?” asked Jiro, smiling determinedly. 

“Let’s do this!” 

 

Flood Zone

“Are you two ready?” asked Yaoyorozu. I really hope this works. 

She was clutching a suspicious metal bomb-looking thingy in her hands. Her knuckles were white. 

Ojiro was holding Mineta under his arm, and his muscles were tense. “Alright. Let’s go!”

Yaoyorozu stepped out onto the edge of the sinking boat, and looked out at the swarming mass of villains in the water. 

Mineta had finally stopped crying. He’d realized that Yaoyorozu and Ojiro were just as scared as him, and yet they were still trying their hardest to overcome this obstacle. He’d just been a hindrance. 

Yaoyorozu jumped out of the boat and out towards the water. She yeeted the metal ball thingy as hard as she could towards the center of the villains. As it fell towards the water, the metal casing fell away and what was left was…

Francium. 

For those of you who don’t know what francium is, it’s an alkali metal on the periodic table. It’s extremely rare and has a half life of 22 minutes. But what francium is most famous for is that it causes a heck of a huge explosion in water. 

Like, who needs atomic bombs when you can just chuck francium and a water bottle? 

Anyway, Yaoyorozu yeeted the francium at the center of the villains, and a huge explosion of water occured. The villains were blown back, and the water was pushed away from that one single point where the francium had hit the water. Soon all of the water came rushing back to that same spot, carrying the villains with it. 

Ojiro then grabbed Yaoyorozu, and using his tail he propelled the three of them off the boat, towards land. Yaoyorozu made a small grenade and threw it behind them at the boat. The shockwave gave them an extra boost. 

While they were flying over the heads of the villains, Mineta frantically threw as many of his balls as he could into the water. 

“Take this you villains!! You can eat my sticky balls!!!” he screamed, crying again.  

The balls stuck to the villains, and they all were forced together from the pressure of the water. Soon all the villains were immobilized. 

Yaoyorozu, Ojiro and Mineta were safe, in the shallow section of the man-made lake. 

“We should head back to the gates, and regroup,” Yaoyorozu suggested. 

The sound of fighting could be heard from the plaza, and Ojiro hesitated. “Our classmates could be fighting more of those villains. I want to help.”

“What, are you crazy!?!” Mineta shouted, “you’ll just get yourself killed!!”

“For once, I have to agree with Mineta,” said Yaoyorozu, “we would just get in the way.”

Ojiro looked down, frowning. He clearly wasn’t going to be at rest with doing nothing.

Yaoyorozu considered him. “How about this? We'll go up to the gates and make sure everyone is safe. After that, we can come back down and fight…”

Ojiro’s fact lit up.

“... only if we deem it necessary.” 

“Alright. I’m good with that,” replied Ojiro. 

So the three teens started the trek up to the gates. 

On the way up, All Might arrived. The students felt hope blossom in their chest at the sight of him, even though he wasn’t smiling. 

After seeing him run down to the plaza, Ojiro seemed less adamant on returning to fight. 

They thought All Might had it all handled. They thought their victory would be indisputable. 

Gosh how wrong they were. 

 

Conflagration Zone

Tsu felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. 

She thought she saw Koda being beaten up, but she wasn’t sure. And she was too exhausted to care. 

Right as Tsu was about to slip under, she heard footsteps. 

The air around her cooled dramatically, and her mind cleared a little. She heard the villains shouting in surprise, and a cool, calculated voice speaking. 

She opened her eyes, and all she could make out was an icy-blue color. She heard a high, squeaky voice talking. Wait, it was talking to her. 

“Tsu! Wake up! C’mon you’ve gotta be okay!”

She looked up and saw Koda, shaking her shoulders in an attempt to wake her up. Behind him was another boy, wearing a white hero costume. Todoroki, she thought his name was. He had an ice, and maybe fire quirk. 

“S-surround me i-in i-ice.. to c-cool m-me down,” Tsu said weakly. She felt the cold envelope her, pushing the sweltering heat away. Her mind slowly started to clear, until she could make out the faces of her two classmates. 

“Thank you,” she sighed, “ribbit.” 

“No problem,” said Todoroki. 

“Are you okay?” asked Koda. Tsu was a little surprised because she’d never heard him talk before. 

“Yeah. I should be good now that I’ve cooled down.”

“You’re lucky I heard you. Those villains were ready to kill you,” said Todoroki. His voice was so emotionless. 

“I’m so sorry!” Koda exclaimed, “it would’ve been all my fault! I just slowed you down, Tsu. I was completely useless.”

“It’s okay. I think the villains purposefully put us in places where we would be at a disadvantage,” explained Tsu, “ribbit.”

“I questioned a few of them on the way over here,” said Todoroki, “they’re here to kill All Might.”

Tsu and Koda stared at him in disbelief. 

“B-but that’s imp-possible!” stuttered Koda. 

“Think about it. Most of the villains we’ve encountered have been relatively low-level, just street thugs,” explained Todoroki, indirectly insulting Tsu’s and Koda’s skill level. “But they knew enough about us to place us in zones that directly put us at a disadvantage. This attack has been carefully planned. My guess is that there are only a couple high-level villains, and they think they’ve figured out a way to kill All Might.”

“But how?” asked Tsu. 

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Todoroki said confidently. 

“We’re going to have to figure a way out of here to do that,” Tsu retorted, “ribbit.” 

“Yeah, the exit is just a couple blocks away.” Todoroki said this like it was obvious. 

Tsu and Koda blinked at Todoroki. 

“Um... don’t you think that would’ve been important to mention earlier?” questioned Tsu. Koda nodded vigorously in agreement. 

“Sorry,” Todoroki replied simply. (I love the characters with no social skills: Midoriya, Shinso and Todoroki).

In a few moments, Todoroki had melted the ice surrounding Tsu, and the three teens set off for the exit. 

 

Mountain Zone

Jump.

Roll. 

Dodge.

Tokoyami was doing everything he could to get as far away from the crowd of villains as quickly as possible. It wasn’t easy in the slightest. 

Back, closer to the crowd, Kaminari was having his own problems. He didn’t want to use up all of his electricity at once, because once he did he’d be useless. He was left to fend for himself until Tokoyami gave the signal. 

“Are you done yet!!!” shouted Kaminari, dodging three attacks at once. “I can’t keep this up for much longer!!”

Tokoyami spared a glance back at Kaminari, and saw how bad he was doing. 

I’m not sure if I’m far away enough, but I don’t have time to get any further!

“NOW!!”

Kaminari released his electricity as soon as he heard the signal, just hoping Tokoyami was far enough. 

“YOU GUYS ARE FRIED!!” yelled Kaminari. The electricity spread across the ground, shocking all the villains in his vicinity. Tokoyami was just about far enough away to escape the crackling lighting. 

When Kaminari had finished, almost all of the villains had dropped to the ground. There were only a few left that had chased after Tokoyami, but Dark Shadow dealt with them quickly. 

“Kaminari, nice work! I think that took out all of them,” said Tokoyami as he jogged back to his classmate, scanning the field of unconscious villains. 

“Not all of them,” said an unfamiliar voice. A villain with a skull-looking face mask had emerged from underground. He was holding Kaminari up in the air by the collar of his jacket.  “Get your hands up! And no quirk, got it?”

Tokoyami realized with a jolt that Kaminari couldn’t defend himself. He’d gone over his wattage limit and was now dumb as a brick (I mean like he isn’t the brightest to begin with). 

Tokoyami clenched his jaw.

What can I do?

 

Downpour Storm Zone

“The pros are here!” shouted Hagakure. She and Jiro had just stumbled out of the Downpour Storm Zone. Their eyes were dazzled by more than just the sunlight. 

Jiro sighed in relief as she watched Present Mic scream “YEEAAAHHH!!” down the steps near the entrance. 

We survived. We did it.

 

Flood Zone

Ojiro, Yaoyorozu and Mineta had made it to the USJ entrance from the Flood Zone. They had joined the group of students watching the fight down at the plaza, which had been going on for a while. 

A large portion of Class 1-A had just witnessed a green haired teen single-handedly defeat All Might. 

The symbol of peace had been cracked. 

 

Conflagration Zone

Tsu, Todoroki and Koda emerged from the Conflagration Zone. They didn’t know what to make of the scene. 

There was a skinny old man laying on the ground, who appeared very crestfallen. 

There was Bakugo, staring at his feet with his fists clenched, looking very distraught. 

There was Uraraka, who had tears in her eyes and seemed extremely downhearted. 

And then there was Kirishima, who looked very perplexed as to what just happened. 

Tsu, Todoroki and Koda were just as confused as him.

 

Mountain Zone

Ectoplasm had just appeared, saving Kaminari and Tokoyami from the skull-masked villain. His clones were everywhere, immobilizing villains and consoling the two teens. 

“Don’t worry, you’re safe now,” he said. 

Thank goodness. We would’ve been done for, thought Tokoyami. 

 

And that’s the USJ attack. That’s how the symbol of peace first started falling apart.

Notes:

I was very passionate about that bit with francium. It might've been a tad inaccurate, bc I'm not sure exactly how large of an explosion francium makes and it's highly radioactive and stuff. But quirks aren't even real so people can deal with a bit of inaccuracy. Gosh, Momo is so OP, it's ridiculous. Francium is incredibly expensive because of how rare and short-lived it is, but she could just create it and sell it right away, and it's a billion dollars per gram (I wonder how her parents are so rich). And her last name is so hard to spell.

Alright, tangent over. No songs for bonus chapters. Normal update on Monday. Life continues.

Chapter 18: Aftermath

Notes:

I did not try very hard on the chapter name.

And gosh these chapters keep getting longer and longer. I re-read them before I post 'cause no beta we die like men, and it takes me like, an hour to re-read and edit (I'm a very slow reader). It used to be around 15 minutes.

Anyway, this chapter is kinda just multiple smaller scenes put together. Eight, I think. Enjoy!

Back at the bar in Yokohama, right after the USJ attack, Kurogiri’s purple mist appeared. Shigaraki and Midoriya emerged from the portal. 

“Ow…” groaned Shigaraki, laying on the ground, blood spilling across the hardwood floor. “Shot in both arms and legs. All those pawns brought down. Even Nomu was defeated! We failed… and it’s all your fault!!”

Shigaraki looked pointedly at Midoriya, who didn’t meet his gaze. 

“All Might was right in front of you! He was weakened. You could have so easily killed him!” roared Shigaraki in anger. 

“If it wasn’t for me we would’ve been taken down by the pros,” replied Midoriya cooly, considering how angry he’d been just moments ago. 

Shigaraki growled in annoyance. 

“Shigaraki, do not be dismayed. We will have another chance,” said Kurogiri. 

“We wouldn’t need another chance if Deku here would’ve just killed him!!”

Midoriya let his voice rise a little, “if I had tried to kill him, Kacchan or another student would’ve stopped me. At least now they’re emotionally rattled. Trust me, it’ll take a long time for them to recover from what I said to them.”

“You know that dumb blonde personally, don’t you?” asked Shigaraki. Midoriya looked down at the floor. 

“This is a discussion to be having later,” said Kurogiri, “Shigaraki and I need to have a talk with Master. Deku, please head back to your apartment. We will contact you soon.”

“Fine,” said Midoriya as he made his way to the door. He had his own injuries to attend to. 

Well, at least no one died. Things could’ve gone a lot worse. 

 

Back at UA, Tsukauchi had just finished speaking with Class 1-A. They’d already been asked some questions, and gone home to rest. The school had decided to be closed the day after the attack. 

Over half of 1-A had seen All Might in his deflated form. For now, they were just told to keep quiet and not to tell anyone, even their family. 

Tsukauchi walked up to Recovery Girl’s office to speak with All Might. He had to question the teachers as well as the students, and he wanted to make sure his friend was okay. 

“Excuse me,” said Tsukauchi as he walked through the door. All Might was resting on a hospital bed covered in bandages. “Hi Yagi. Been a while.”

All Might spluttered up some blood in response, “I didn’t know that you were investigating!”

“Yeah, I am,” he replied with a smile. 

“Hello Detective,” said Recovery Girl kindly. 

“Hi. Sorry to cut to the chase, but I really need any useful information you could give me,” said Tsukauchi, now next to All Might’s bed. 

“Hold on, before all that, tell me that the students are okay. And Aizawa.. er, Eraserhead, and Thirteen,” asked All Might eagerly. 

“The only student injuries were small cuts, bruises and a minor subluxation of the knee. And both of the teachers are in a stable condition right now. Relax.”

All Might visibly calmed. “That’s good to hear.”

“But there is something rather important I came here to discuss: Izuku Midoriya,” Tsukauchi’s voice switched from comforting to serious. 

“Oh, yes,” replied All Might grimly. “You were right. He is a villain now, going by the name of Deku.”

“And he’s joined up with the League of Villains. I’m going to need you to tell me everything that happened at the USJ.”

All Might looked down at his hands. He was not looking forward to the coming conversation. “Okay.”

As All Might explained every detail of the attack he could remember, ranging from the number of villains to specific support gear, Recovery Girl listened in. 

That boy I met at the entrance exam didn’t seem to be a villain at all. He was just… awfully sad. But I suppose, given the right circumstances, that sadness can turn to anger. 

 

The day the school was closed, UA had a staff meeting. It consisted of Nezu, All Might, Snipe, Midnight, Vlad King and Tsukauchi. 

“Our investigators are trying to learn everything they can about this so-called ‘League of Villains,’” started Tsukauchi. The teachers were listening attentively. The information they heard in the next few moments could decide the future of UA. 

Tsukauchi went on to explain how they didn’t have anything in their records about Shigaraki or Kurogiri, and that they would be incredibly hard to find. 

“So what you’re really saying is we don’t know anything,” said Vlad King, frustrated. He had arrived at the USJ near the end of the attack. He hadn’t been able to help arrest any of the major villains until it was too late. 

“Not quite,” Tsukauchi retorted, “we do know who one of the members is: Izuku Midoriya. You might remember him from the entrance exam.”

“You mean that plain looking boy with freckles and a scar?” asked Midnight, “he certainly had flair, but I can’t really see him as a villain.”

“It’s true,” All Might interjected, “He is a villain. He took off his mask.”

“Then he doesn’t really sound like a villain if he exposes his identity so easily,” huffed Vlad. 

All Might looked down at his hands. He knew why Midoriya had taken off his mask. Tsukauchi looked at him sharply with a look that said ‘you need to tell them.’  

All Might sighed. “I met Midoriya before the entrance exam. He’s quirkless, but it was his dream to become a hero. I told him it was impossible,” his voice hitched, “I blame myself for him becoming a villain, and Midoriya knows it. That’s why he took off his mask. To use my guilt to his advantage.”

The other pros looked at him, mouths slightly agape. They’d never expect someone becoming a villain to be the number one hero’s fault .

He had a scar on his cheek that hadn’t been there the first time we met. I wonder… I wonder if he got it from attempting suicide. It’s all my fault. 

“Getting back to the point,” said Tsukauchi, drawing the pro’s gazes away from All Might, “Midoriya’s alias is ‘Deku.’ He doesn’t have a quirk, so he mostly relies on support gear, physical strength and his above average intelligence to win fights. His only close family is his mother, who's currently in a coma in the hospital.”

“So he has no one to support him,” said Nezu, “no wonder he became a villain.”

“We do not know his whereabouts, and are unable to track his phone,” continued Tsukauchi.

“We have to track him down. I shot their ringleader, but once he heals up he’ll probably try pulling something like this again,” said Snipe. “What a pain.”

“He did seem like the type,” said All Might, thinking about how Shigaraki had behaved.  

“Is something on your mind All Might?” asked Nezu. 

All Might went on to explain how Shigaraki didn’t act like an adult, but like a man-child. He didn’t think strategically and just seemed to assume things would go his way. It was like he’d never been told ‘no’ before. 

“Come to think about it, Midoriya didn’t act like a villain either,” Tsukauchi interjected. “At the entrance exam, he revealed his identity to two other examinees, despite going in under the name ‘Ren Suzuki.’ And just a few days ago he saved someone from being mugged.”

“He is quite young to be considered a villain,” said Midnight. “Perhaps he just doesn’t have much experience.”

“He’s just a kid,” All Might muttered. 

“But a villain nonetheless,” Vlad retorted. “You can’t go easy on him just because he’s young.”

All Might looked down at the table because he knew Vlad was right, but he just couldn’t get the image of a smiling, bright-eyed young boy out of his mind. 

Tsukauchi continued. “There were 72 villains arrested during the aftermath of the attack.” Tsukauchi explained how these low-level thugs were so quick to follow such a simple-minded leader. Villains were feeling more pressure to get behind a cause now that heroes were everywhere. 

“So what can we do to stop them?” asked Midnight. 

“Because Midoriya is the one we have the most information on, we should focus on him,” said Tsukauchi. “If we are able to bring him in and question him, I should be able to get the information we need. We’ll continue searching for the other perpetrators as well.”

Nezu stared down at his papers. “A man-child, huh? In some ways he has a lot in common with our students. They both have great potential. And like our students, it could be possible someone is teaching him, trying to grow his evil and hatred.”

“I don’t even want to think about what that could mean,” All Might replied. 

“And then there’s Izuku Midoriya, the quirkless villain,” Nezu continued, “he’s the same age as our first years, so he hasn’t been walking down the path of villainy for long. I wonder, with the correct guidance, if he could be directed away from this path he’s chosen. It certainly isn’t impossible.”

All Might thought back to the USJ attack, and the sheer hatred he’d seen in Midoriya. His words had caused more pain than those black daggers ever could. 

I hope you’re right, Nezu, but I don’t know if it’s possible for someone to come back after going so far. 

 

Two days after the USJ attack, everyone went back to school. During the brief time they had before classes started, Class 1-A talked about their experiences at the USJ.

“Hey Ojiro, did you watch the news last night?” Hagakure asked. 

“Huh? Oh yeah, I did,” Ojiro responded. 

“It’s so cool that we got a couple seconds of screen time, but I don’t think anyone noticed me hanging out in the background,” she said sadly. 

Shoji and Ojiro nodded in agreement, but didn’t try to participate in the conversation more. They’d both seen All Might’s weakened form, and how he was defeated by a green-haired teen. It was very hard to get their thoughts off of it. The other students who’d seen All Might and Midoriya were experiencing similar problems. 

That reminded Ojiro of something. He turned and looked two seats behind him. “Hey, Kirishima?” 

The energetic teen perked up. 

“Yeah man? What’s up?” Kirishima asked, withdrawing from the conversation he was having with Kaminari and Jiro. 

“You were fighting down in the plaza. Do you know who that green-haired boy was? The one who…” Ojiro was about to say ‘defeated All Might,’ but they weren’t supposed to talk about that, “...you know.”

Ojiro, just like the rest of the students who’d watched the plaza fight from the entrance, wanted to know about Midoriya. All Might had just… crumbled in front of him, and Midoriya hadn’t even attacked him. They wanted to know what kind of power Midoriya had to make the number one hero fall apart like that. 

“Oh, uh,” Kirishima stuttered, “I didn’t really do much fighting, it was mostly Bakugo. And I don’t really know who that was, but he kinda looked like our age. I think Bakugo might know…”

Kirishima shut up immediately after Bakugo sent him a glare.

“...nevermind.”

Everyone who hadn’t been down at the plaza took in this new information with interest. A villain that was the same age as them? They’d never heard of anything like that. What had happened to him to make him choose such a path?

“Wait, who’s this green-haired boy? What did he do to make all of you so interested in him?” asked Jiro, wanting to be in the know. 

Jiro, Kaminari, and some others were eyeing Kirishima curiously now. Only the people who hadn’t seen All Might’s deflated form, who hadn’t seen how easily Midoriya defeated him, were staring at Kirishima. 

“Er, well… uh,” Kirishima stammered. It was hard to explain who Midoriya was without mentioning how he brought down All Might, which again, they were not supposed to talk about. 

“He’s a villain who was at the USJ attack, Izuku Midoriya,” Uraraka responded, saving Kirishima from all the people staring at him. “He was our age, and he just seemed… really mad at the world.”

Really mad at the world. Those words resonated with the class. 

Todoroki, Tsu and Koda were perhaps the most curious. They knew that Midoriya had left the USJ right before they stumbled out of the Conflagration Zone. They wanted to know what he had to do with All Might’s defeat. 

Those who hadn’t seen All Might’s weakened state were oblivious as to what Midoriya had done.

“Oh yeah!” Kaminari exclaimed, “I think I saw him on TV! He has a big scar on his cheek, right?”

Uraraka nodded. She knew more about him than that, but couldn’t elaborate. 

The class was divided in two: those who knew about All Might, and those who didn’t. Those who knew were being forced to keep a dangerous secret. Those who didn’t were just trying to piece together what had happened at the USJ. 

It put a strain on the class’s relationship. 

 

Kirishima could tell something was up with Bakugo. He knew he wasn’t the smartest in the class, but he could at least tell when something was wrong with one of his friends. 

Bakugo hadn’t insulted anyone yet, which most people would take as a good sign, but Kirishima knew better. When Mineta started screaming about peeing his pants in fear, Bakugo didn’t even tell him to shut up. 

He just seemed to be in his own little world, trapped by his own thoughts. Everything else was blocked out. 

In between classes, Kirishima asked to talk to him outside. 

“Hey, man. Are you doing okay?” asked Kirishima outside the door. 

“I’m fine! What does it matter to you?” growled Bakugo. 

“Er, it’s just… ack how do I put this into words… you just seem really, I dunno, distracted? Have you been thinking about that boy, Midoriya, from the USJ?”

“Why would you think that, you idiot?!”

“Well you two seemed to know each other! It looked like he really hated you…”

Bakugo quieted, and clenched his fist. “We went to middle school together. That good enough for you?”

“I guess,” replied Kirishima uncertainly, “but if you wanna talk about it, I’m always here man.”

“Yeah, whatever,” said Bakugo before they went back inside. 

Little did Kirishima know, Bakugo was replaying the USJ attack over and over again in his head, trying to figure out how to fix the person he broke. 

 

Bakugo wasn’t the only one being more seclusive. Uraraka wasn't the social butterfly she normally was. 

Her thoughts had travelled frequently to Midoriya even before the USJ attack. After the attack, she found it hard just to get her thoughts off of him. 

There was just some weird feeling she got when she’d been with him. Like he wasn’t where he belonged, or like he was supposed to be somewhere else. Just, something about him wasn’t right to Uraraka. 

And she desperately wanted to help him. 

At the entrance exam, he’d seemed kind of lonely, but still kind. He wouldn’t have tried to save her from the zero pointer if he didn’t have a good heart. 

At the USJ attack, he’d been more angry than anything. But Uraraka was able to see through that anger to the disappointment and pain underneath. She could tell he was hurting.

It pained her to see someone so kind have their heart torn by the pressures of the world, but she had no idea how to help him. 

Her thoughts traveled to what Midoriya had said to her at the USJ. 

Am I too hopeful? Do I actually see the bad things in the world?

Uraraka’s family had never had extra money. Their financial situation had strained her parents, and it had affected Uraraka’s mental health too. 

However, that doesn’t mean she’d been exposed to the ugly parts of the world. She’d still been sheltered as a kid. There were still a lot of things she couldn’t understand. 

But that sure wasn’t going to stop her. 

I don’t care how hard it is. I’m going to help Deku, no matter how far he goes. 

There was another strange feeling she got around Midoriya, but it was going to take a while for her to admit its existence. 

 

Aizawa asked for some of 1-A to stay behind after class. That morning, he’d explained to them how the UA Sports Festival was still being held. 

“Apparently the administration thinks this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled, and our school is safer than ever. Plus, they’re beefing up security compared to past years,” Aizawa had said. 

The students he’d asked to stay behind were Todoroki, Kirishima, Bakugo, Uraraka, Koda, Tsu, Ojiro, Mina, Sero, Yaoyorozu, Mineta, Shoji and Sato. They were the ones who’d seen All Might’s deflated form. So far, they hadn’t told anyone. 

“I’m sure you all know why you’re here,” Aizawa started. His voice held a little more importance than his normal bored tone. 

The students looked around at each other and gulped, except for Bakugo who just stared at his hands. 

“Each of you have seen All Might’s true form, and so far you’ve kept quiet. However, because secrets between classmates can lead to unnecessary tension, we’ve decided that the rest of 1-A should know as well.”

The students looked up, surprised, at their teacher. Wouldn’t it be better for as few people to know as possible?

“Every student of Class 1-A holds great potential. The others would be bound to find out at some point. Before then, they would be able to tell that you’re hiding something. That creates drama, which is unneeded in a young hero’s education. It’s just easier for all of you to know.”

“Hey Mr. Aizawa!” Mina waved her hand around in the air, “I know we all saw All Might get really skinny, but what actually is that? Like, why?”

Aizawa sighed. “All Might sustained a serious injury a number of years ago. Since then he’s only been able to maintain his muscle form for a few hours everyday. The villains somehow knew this and exploited it.”

“YoU mEAn tHe SyMboL oF pEaCE hAS ACtuALly bEeN soMe ScRAwnY gUy foR yEArs!!” Mineta wailed. He was the only one who expressed it, but many of his classmates were thinking the same thing. 

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but let me assure you All Might is still a force to be reckoned with. He was able to defeat the Nomu, remember?” Aizawa retorted. 

The kids' eyes brightened at those words. Just because All Might was weaker, it didn’t mean he was actually weak. 

“But Mr. Aizawa,” Tsu piped up, “how do we tell the others?”

“Just leave that to me,” said Aizawa, “now, you are dismissed for lunch.”

The teens filed out of the room. They murmured to each other about what they had just heard. 

The number one hero had been surrounded in lies all their lives, and now he was bare with the truth. It had drastically changed all their world views. 

 

Midoriya had returned to his daily routine of gathering intel for the League. 

Things were just the same as they had always been. He would wake up, train, go out and take notes, eat at some point and listen to music. 

The only difference was now he needed to be more cautious. The news stations had put his name and face out there for the world to see. It had become easier to get caught. 

But ever since the USJ, he’d been feeling slightly more confident. He was the boy who’d single handedly defeated All Might. Few people knew it was him, of course, but still. Midoriya had proven to others, and more importantly to himself, that he wasn’t useless. He was capable of holding his own against almost anyone. 

Shigaraki seemed to know this too, because he’d already texted Midoriya asking him to come to the bar to discuss his next assignment. 

Midoriya stared at the text, his phone screen glowing in the dark of his windowless apartment. 

Isn’t it risky to be giving me an assignment so soon after the attack?

He went to the bar the next day anyway. And for once, Shigaraki didn’t insult him when he walked through the door. 

“Good morning, Deku,” said Kurogiri. 

“Morning,” Midoriya replied, taking a seat at the bar. He resisted the urge to say ‘what is it this time?’

“What’s my next assignment? That’s why you wanted me here, right?” he asked instead, choosing to cut to the chase. 

Shigaraki grumbled. “You always cut straight to the point.”

“What, would you rather me do all the unnecessary pleastries?”

“Ugh, fine. Just shut up and don’t interrupt like you always do,” said Shigaraki, “UA has decided not to cancel their Sports Festival. I want you to go.”

“Okay.” Midoriya was actually quite pleased with that. He’d always enjoyed watching the Sports Festival on TV, and had always wanted to go in person. Though he hadn’t thought it’d be as a villain.

“Do what you normally do. You’ll be able to get better information if you attend in person than watching over the TV. I want stuff specifically on the hero course students. And their teachers too. Oh, and don’t get caught.”

That last part is a given. “What if someone sees me and I have to fight them?”

“Just don’t get caught. People already know who you are, so it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Alright.” I’m going to have to disguise myself in some way, because security is going to be pretty heavy. 

“Master has provided front row seats,” said Kurogiri, handing Midoriya the tickets. 

“Thanks.” Midoriya took them. A couple seats around him had been bought too, so he wouldn’t have people sitting right next to him. “I’ll be back tomorrow to bring the weekly notes.”

“Good.”

Midoriya went by rooftop back to his apartment. It was too risky to walk the streets now. 

This was an assignment he was actually looking forward to. 

 

Shinso was watching the news. They were only showing one thing: the USJ Attack. 

He was only vaguely interested. More important matters were on his mind. 

Well that’s just great. So UA got attacked. That’ll give the hero course students more experience and the entire school is closed for a day, even though only one class was affected. 

Until he heard a familiar name. 

“The only identified member of the League of Villains is Izuku Midoriya.”

Shinso’s head snapped towards the TV. All thoughts of feeding his cat were dismissed. He sat down on the couch in front of the TV and paid much more attention than before. 

They were showing a picture of Midoriya in middle school, and telling people to not approach him and call the police if he was spotted. 

How ironic. I’ve been labelled wrongly as a villain my entire life, and the first person that I actually want to be friends with is a villain. 

They switched cameras to a news reporter lady who was conducting interviews at a nearby hospital where Midoriya had stayed for some time (they didn’t say it was because he’d attempted suicide). 

“I could tell that boy was trouble from the moment he walked in,” said a nurse with the name tag ‘Kobayashi.’ “He was so distant and cruel. I told him to stay away from my daughter and he didn’t listen. I’m not surprised at all that he became a villain.”

Shinso frowned. I know I only met Midoriya for a couple moments, but that doesn’t sound like him at all. 

The reporter turned to another guy, who was wearing a healer’s uniform. 

“I was Midoriya’s healer. He was kind of… quiet, but I wouldn’t say he was ‘cruel.’ I would have never guessed he would become a villain,” he said. 

Most of the people said things similar to what the male healer had said. However, there were a few that claimed they could tell Midoriya was a villain all along, and that he was incredibly cold-hearted to everyone, they were just scared to admit it. 

That’s BS. Those people just want the attention spreading rumors gets them. What jerks.

He was about to switch the TV off because his mood had already been negatively affected enough, when a young girl with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes rushed up to the reporter. 

“Hi, what’s your name,” the reporter asked nicely. 

“Hi, uh, I’m Sakura, and my mom is Nurse Kobayashi. I just wanted to say that what she said about Midoriya isn’t true at all. He’s really really nice and the only person who talked to me. I don’t know why he’s a villain when he’s so nice.”

The reporter blinked at Sakura, surprised. 

“You said he’s the only one who talked to you. Why is that?”

“Oh, well, uh… my mom is always really busy, and all the other workers don’t want to talk to someone so little, so I’m mostly by myself. Midoriya was the only one who actually talked to me.”

Now that sounds like Midoriya. 

“What was he like?”

“Well, one time he brought me my favorite cookies even though I only talked about them once. He has a really nice smile, and green eyes. One time, he was wearing all black and I asked him why. He said black was the color of the night sky, and the darker it is the brighter the stars! He’s so kind and always listens.”

The longer Sakura talked, the wider her smile got. Her voice slowly got louder and more energetic. 

Gosh, this girl can talk forever.

Shinso turned off the TV. He couldn’t afford to get distracted any more. The Sports Festival was coming up, and Aizawa had been training him like crazy. 

He wouldn’t be able to make it as a hero in General Studies; he had to get transferred to the hero course. 

Shinso had checked out the competition earlier that day. He’d already met some of Class 1-A, and even started sitting with them at lunch. But he’d wanted to see exactly who he was going up against. None of 1-A seemed to pose too much of a threat, except maybe for that angry pomeranian.

The one thing Shinso did know was that he had to do well in the Sports Festival. He didn’t have time to think about anything else. 

 

At the hospital in Musutafu…

...Inko Midoriya opened her eyes.

Notes:

That's not a cliffhanger, it's just a hint as to what the next chapter will be about. Not a cliffhanger.

Also, I just started watching anime like, less than a year ago. MHA was the first one I watched, and I just started watching Naruto about a month ago. So, when I was picking Sakura's name, I just thought oh, Sakura means cherry blossoms and she likes drawing flowers so that's a good name! I didn't realize Sakura was the name of one the main protagonists in the most popular anime series. I'm thinking about changing it, but it'd just be easier to leave it. (Edit: yeah I'm not changing it)

The song for this chapter is Hope Ur Ok by Olivia Rodrigo. This mainly relates to how All Might, Bakugo and especially Uraraka feel about Midoriya. Especially the bridge and last chorus with Uraraka, how she wants to be there for Midoriya when things get hard.

Chapter 19: Reunion

Notes:

The number two rule of writing fanfiction is to not compare stats, because it just leaves you feeling like crap. So I didn't compare stats, I just compared summaries. So now the summary is different. It's just a tad different. The first summary I wrote in like, five minutes.
(In case you're curious, the number one rule is not to take ownership or make profit off of the characters and base idea)

Alright, about this chapter, if you don't like how much the Midoriya family cries, sorry there's a lot of that in this.

It kinda goes all Harry Potter with the power of love. Sorry if you don't like sappy stuff. I need to stop apologizing.

Longest chapter yet! vwoo enjoy

“Hello? Hello, mam? Can you hear me?”

Inko opened her eyes slowly. The first thought that came to her head was, the lights are so bright.

“What is your name, and do you know what city you’re in?”

The words took several seconds to register, and it took several seconds more to formulate an answer.

“I-ink-ko… M-mid-dori-i-y-ya,” the words were barely audible.

A bright light shone into her eyes, and she turned her head away.

“Good. She responds to stimuli,” said a male voice.

“Do you know where you are?” asked the same female voice from before.

Inko had to think very hard to come up with an answer.

“M-mus-sut-t-tafu,” her stutter was terrible. 

“That stuttering isn’t a good sign,” said the male voice. He sounded quite old.

Her surroundings were starting to come into focus. She was in a hospital room, with a window on her left. There was a doctor and two nurses around her bed. 

She must’ve looked confused because the second nurse said, “you’ve been asleep for a very long time, mam. You were hit in the back of the head by a powerful quirk. A lot has changed since you last were awake.”

Suddenly, the doctor's face filled with concern. “Do you see her facial expression? The right side of her face doesn’t seem to be moving.”

The second nurse’s eyes widened and she walked up to the bed. “Mam? Would you be willing to raise your left and right arms for me?”

Inko blinked while the words were being processed. When she understood she tried lifting both her arms. 

The left arm came up, but the right one didn’t. 

That was when Inko realized she couldn’t feel the right side of her body.

“I-i-i c-can’t-t f-feel th-the ri-i-ight s-si-ide o-of my-y b-b-bod-dy,” she managed to say. 

The first nurse raised her hand up over her mouth and whispered, “oh no.”

The doctor's face fell as he said, “it appears you have hemiplegia: paralysis of one side of the body. As well as neurogenic stuttering. I’m sorry, but those are both very serious conditions that are very difficult to recover from.”

Inko’s brain could hardly keep up with the words coming out of his mouth. 

“Wh-where i-i-is Iz-zuk-ku?”

The first nurse’s face hardened, and she turned towards the doctor. 

“I’m sorry, but your son isn’t able to speak with you at the moment,” said the doctor.

The confusion Inko had been feeling shifted to concern.

“W-why n-no-ot?”

The doctor turned towards the second nurse, who sighed and said, “you’ve been in a coma for almost a year. In that time Izuku Midoriya has become a villain.”

Inko was sure she’d heard her wrong. “A-a v-vill-li-ia-an?”

“Yes. A villain. Deku, the quirkless villain.”

Inko refused to believe it. “N-no. M-my s-so-on wo-ou-uld n-nev-ver be-ec-come a-a vill-lia-an.”

The nurse sighed again. 

“Listen,” said the doctor, “you just woke up from a very long coma, and we need to do some tests. Everything will be explained later. For now, just sit tight.”

The doctor and one of the nurses left the room. The other nurse started typing on a computer in the corner. 

Inko was left wondering, what’s happened?

 

“Detective, an important call just came in!” yelled Sansa, the policecat. 

Tsukauchi looked up from his paperwork. 

“Inko Midoriya, Deku’s mother, she’s woken up.” The police force had adopted the name ‘Deku’ because it was shorter than saying ‘Midoriya’ or ‘Izuku.’ Well, everyone except Tsukauchi. 

Tsukauchi was taken aback. “Is she doing okay?”

“She’s in a stable condition and responds to questions. However, she’s paralyzed on the right side of her body, and has difficulty forming words,” Sansa explained. 

“That’s unfortunate,” Tsukauchi replied, his face falling. 

If I remember correctly, it was a pro hero that caused that injury. How backwards is that?

“Do you think we should do anything? Is it possible Deku will show up at the hospital?” asked Sansa. 

Tsukauchi thought back to the hospital. The most watched interviews were the ones performed by reporters on TV, but Tsukauchi had visited the hospital earlier and questioned the staff himself. He was able to get much more reliable information using his quirk. And gosh was that Nurse Kobayashi full of lies. 

Midoriya went to visit his mother quite frequently, according to the healers there. It wouldn’t be surprising if he tried to see her again now. 

But should I do anything? I could set up a guard around her, so if he shows up, we could try to arrest him. 

But that just feels… wrong. It’s his mother. Even if he’s a villain, he should still have the right to see her. 

However, Midoriya is still dangerous. If I don’t take the necessary measures to arrest him, more people could get hurt. 

“Gather a good group of officers. We should form a guard around Inko, so if Izuku shows up, we can arrest him,” ordered Tsukauchi. 

“Yes sir!” Sansa said, saluting. 

As the policecat left the room, Tsukauchi thought, I wish there was a better way to do this than to stop a kid from talking to his only parent. 

 

Midoriya was jumping over the rooftops, his music so loud he couldn’t even hear the sound of his feet hitting the ground. 

He’d already completed the necessary planning for the Sports Festival. If he was spotted or even caught by one of the pros, he’d designed a device that could get him out of even the trickiest situation. 

But it certainly wasn’t the most humane method of escape. 

Because his work was already done, Midoriya decided to go to Musutafu to visit his mom. Well, not visit but look at her through the window. 

As he approached the hospital, something strange caught his eye: police lights. All around the base of the hospital were police cars. 

Well that’s strange. 

Midoriya wasn’t really concerned. He was far away enough from the ground to not be seen. And even if they did notice him, what could they do?

He found his way to his normal spot, with a clear view into his mother’s room. 

And that’s when he saw her… awake. 

She was talking to a policeman. 

Talking. Conscious.

Alive. 

For a moment, all other thoughts left Midoriya’s brain as he thought, my mom’s okay. She’s okay she’s okay she’s okay. 

And surprisingly, he started crying out of joy. 

A stupid grin spread across his face as his cheeks started getting wet from his tears. He somehow even managed to forget that he was a villain. 

“My mom’s going to be okay,” he whispered to the ground. 

He sat there for some time, crying to himself. In that time, the only thing he cared about was his mom, and how she was awake.  

Eventually, the happiness receded and a burning desire to talk to her replaced it. That’s when he remembered that he was a villain. 

It’s going to be hard to talk to mom without getting arrested, but that’s not gonna stop me.

He then came to a sudden realization: the police are here for me. It looks like they’ve set up some sort of guard around mom. They knew I would come to visit her, so they set up a trap. 

He glanced down at all the police cars and their flashing lights. 

Not a very subtle trap. It would’ve been better if they came in normal cars as to not alert me if I showed up. 

He watched the policeman as he left his mother’s room. 

Or they’re just underestimating me. 

So what can I do? I know I’ve gotten stronger, but I still can’t handle fighting the entire police force. And I don’t think mom would like seeing me that violent. 

Fear permeated his mind as he thought, I wonder if they’ve told her who I am now. What is she going to think when she sees me again, after all these months?

And that, what his mom would think of him, terrified him more than anything he’d faced in his life. He’d rather be beaten to a pulp by Bakugo again than face rejection from his mom. 

There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to talk to her. 

I could sneak in without anyone seeing me, but someone might walk in while I’m talking to her. No, that won’t work. I have to think of something else...

An idea popped into his head. It was risky, but still a better option than anything previously mentioned. 

After all, who doesn’t like a good old compromise between police and villains?

So Midoriya took out his phone, and dialled 119. 

 

“Detective! Detective!” yelled a policeman as he shoved his way through the group of officers outside Inko’s door. 

“What is it?” asked Tsukauchi, concerned. The policeman was really out of breath. 

“It’s a call… from someone… saying that they’re… Deku,” he panted, holding the phone up to Tsukauchi. 

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened. Could it really be?

He took the phone, knowing that there was a high probability of it being a prank call, and said, “this is Detective Tsukauchi. Are you Izuku Midoriya?”

“Your police officers must be really out of shape if it took him that long to take the phone up the stairs.”

“That’s irrelevant. Are you Izuku Midoriya?”

“No.”

Tsukauchi sighed disappointedly. Yeah, prank call. “Sorry. I have no further business with you.”

“So your quirk doesn’t work over the phone. Interesting,” he replied before Tsukauchi could hang up, “let me assure you, I am Izuku Midoriya, and I do have further business with you.”

Tsukauchi’s breath hitched. He was just testing my quirk? This kid is smarter than I realized.

“Why did you call the police? I hope it’s to turn yourself in, because your activity has been illegal and delinquent. Where are you located?” asked Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya laughed. “You’re an eager one, aren’t you? Sorry, but you’re in no place to demand that.”

“Then why did you call? Just to insult my officer's speed?”

“Listen,” Midoriya’s tone got serious, “I’m aware of the fact that you’ve set up a guard around my mom. I want to talk to her, without getting arrested or having to hurt anyone.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible.”

“C’mon, be a little more flexible. So far you have nothing on the League of Villains. I bet the press is swarming you, asking for any little leak of information you might have.”

Tsukauchi didn’t respond because everything he said was true. Midoriya continued. 

“But then there’s me. I have all the information, all the intel you could ever want. Each of us has something the other desires. I want to talk to my mom, and you want intel on the League.”

“Are you willing to talk?” asked Tsukauchi eagerly. 

“Maybe, under one condition. You let me come into the hospital, spend as much time as I want with my mom, and leave without any conflict. Then, and only then, will I answer three questions.”

“Only three? That doesn’t sound very fair.”

“You’re in no position to bargain. You have no information on the League. I’m your only source of intel. Anything is better than nothing.”

Tsukauchi thought for a moment. It was all up to him to make a decision. He had to admit, this kid was good. 

He thought back to the interrogations he’d conducted after the USJ attack. Tsukauchi had questioned Aizawa as soon as he’d healed enough. The Nomu had really done a number on him. 

But the information Aizawa gave was surprising. Midoriya had actively tried to prevent Shigaraki from killing him, to the point where Shigaraki was threatening to kill Midoriya. That certainly didn’t sound like something a villain would do. 

Tsukauchi remembered Uraraka’s and Shinso’s interrogations after the entrance exam. They’d described Midoriya as thoughtful, kind and awkward. 

From what I’ve heard about him, Midoriya doesn’t sound like a heartless, crooked villain. I might be able to trust him. 

“Fine,” Tsukauchi decided, “but your answers have to be in depth and detailed. You can’t just say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

“Alright,” Midoriya replied thoughtfully, “how about we meet on the roof in 15 minutes?”

“The roof?” asked Tsukauchi, surprised. 

“Is that a problem for you?”

“No, no, I’m just surprised you’d want to meet there.”

Midoriya must be incredibly physically fit to be able to travel by rooftop. 

“Oh, and Tsukauchi.”

“Yes?”

“The moment I see one of your men attack me, the deal’s off. Don’t underestimate me. I’d have the ability to kill a few of them before I escaped.”

Tsukauchi gulped. “Understood.” 

 

Midoriya hung up. 

Well this is going to be interesting. 

The hospital was right across from him, so it would only take him a few minutes to get to the roof. He’d given them 15 minutes so Tsukauchi would be able to thoroughly explain the situation to his officers and tell his mom what was happening. 

Sure enough, Tsukauchi appeared in his mother’s room, and after several seconds her face slowly shifted to shock. 

Wait… only the left side of her face is moving…

Immediately all the worst possibilities popped into his head. He shook his head and clenched eyes shut. 

No. Don’t assume things you don’t know. You can ask what happened when you get inside, but until then, don’t catastrophize, he thought, putting his hands up to his head. 

He opened his eyes again, and Tsukauchi was leaving his mom’s room. 

I need to be ready if they change their mind and try to arrest me. I don’t think that’ll happen, but you can never be too prepared. 

He double checked all of his support gear to make sure they were operational and safe. Mentally, he imagined the conversation in his head, thinking of all the different possible ways it could go. 

Tsukauchi and three other police appeared on the roof five minutes early. 

Well, I guess I better get going. 

He set off across the rooftops and made his way over to the buildings next to the hospital in a matter of minutes. As he approached, he made sure that they could see him clearly, and he kept his hood and mask off. 

Midoriya didn’t want to threaten them. That wasn’t why he was here. 

He walked across the rooftop towards the four police. This was where he’d sat to watch the sunrise, the first time he met Sakura. 

“It’s good to finally meet you in person, Izuku Midoriya,” started Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya arched an eyebrow. “It is?” 

Tsukauchi stammered a bit. “Well, er, yes. You’re going to give very valuable information, so it is good to see you.”

“The feeling isn’t mutual.”

The officers just blinked at him, seemingly surprised he was so calm and collected. They didn’t know his innocent looking green eyes were thoroughly analyzing all of them. 

“Well, what are we going to do?” asked Midoriya. “Just stand here all day?”

“I would prefer that you answer my three questions before we go inside,” said Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed. “If I answer the questions now, then nothing’s stopping you from trying to arrest me while I’m talking with my mom.”

“But if we let you talk to her first, nothing's stopping you from running away before answering,” Tsukauchi retorted. 

“You can tell if I’m lying, right? I promise that I won’t try to escape or attack anyone or do any villainous activities until I’ve answered all three of your questions.”

Tsukauchi’s brow furrowed and he knew Midoriya was telling the truth. “But people can still change their minds. You might be telling the truth now, but in 10 minutes you might be thinking something different.”

Midoriya didn’t have a comeback for that. They stood off for several seconds, just peering into each other's eyes. 

Midoriya sighed. “Fine, how about this? I’ll answer one question now, and two after I’ve talked with my mom.”

Tsukauchi thought for a moment. He wasn’t lying. “That’s agreeable.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on Midoriya’s lips. “Oh, and you might want to tell your officer to calm down.”

“What?” asked Tsukauchi, confusion written plainly on his face. 

“That one, over there,” Midoriya indicated at one of the police standing furthest away from him, “he’s been slowly shifting further away this entire time. His hand has strayed to his gun multiple times, like he’s thinking of shooting me. He’s doing a pretty good job at hiding it, but he's terrified out of his mind right now.”

Tsukauchi looked over at the police officer Midoriya was referring to, surprised. Again, Midoriya was telling the truth. 

“H-huh?” asked the officer, flustered. 

“Officer Hisako, do you need to leave?” Tsukauchi asked. 

“W-what? No! I-i’m okay… really. It’s just,” he glanced at Midoriya, “this kid really puts me on the edge.”

Something in Midoriya’s face changed at those words. It wasn’t happiness, that’s for sure. He stared down at the ground to hide the change in expression. 

“Why don’t you go back down to the other officers,” Tsukauchi suggested, “I should be fine with just Takeo and Kiyomi.”

Tsukauchi eyed Midoriya, as if he wasn’t sure it would be safe for one of his officers to leave. 

“I literally just said I wasn’t going to hurt you,” said Midoriya, face-palming, “do you have a lie detector quirk or not?!”

“Right then, I’m going back down,” said Hisako, visibly calming. He headed towards the door back into the hospital. 

After he left, Midoriya sighed loudly. “So, what’s your question?”

Tsukauchi made eye contact with the two remaining police. They silently agreed that they were okay with staying too. Midoriya just watched closely. 

“Alright. First question,” started Tsukauchi, “where is the League’s hideout located?”

“I can’t answer that,” said Midoriya, looking him straight in the eye. 

Tsukauchi’s eyes narrowed, “but you said you would answer all three of my questions!”

“I did say that, and I will answer three questions,” explained Midoriya calmly, “but I didn’t say I would answer any question. Sorry, but if I answered that, Shigaraki would kill me.”

“Then what questions are you okay with answering?” asked Tsukauchi angrily. 

“Think about it,” Midoriya replied simply. “But whatever question I choose to answer, I’ll answer it thoroughly.”

Tsukauchi looked down at his notepad and furrowed his brow in concentration. He was clearly rethinking everything he’d planned on saying. 

Midoriya walked casually over to the short brick wall along the edge of the roof and sat down on top of it. The police officers’ eyes trailed him closely, their hands straying slightly to their guns. 

Midoriya’s sheer (for lack of a better word) normalness seemed to unnerve them. Sure, he was frighteningly smart and had a large scar on his left cheek, but other than that, he looked and somewhat acted like a normal teen. Even his villain costume was very simple and casual, compared to other villain and hero costumes. 

But even though the police could see this, they still knew he was a villain. They couldn’t help but wonder, why? Why did this normal kid become a villain? They couldn’t know the answer to that, which is why they were so afraid of Midoriya. 

“How about this question,” said Tsukauchi, “what do you do for the League? Hold on, let me rephrase that.”

Midoriya waited patiently. He looked down at his sharpied black shoes, and up at the blue sky. The only thing signifying he was a villain were the words ‘villain costume’ on his back. 

“Describe in detail the work and assignments the League gives to you,” said Tsukauchi firmly. 

“You didn’t have to rephrase it,” Midoriya commented before answering. “Believe it or not, I don’t really enjoy fighting or violence. I’d much rather resolve conflicts with words rather than brute force. So most of what the League has me do is more… stealth related.”

Tsukauchi was writing furiously on his notepad. 

“I mainly gather intel on pro heroes and their agencies. Sometimes villains too, but not as much. I write down everything from quirks to fighting styles to mental patterns. Anything that can be used against them in battle,” explained Midoriya. 

The police officers were listening too.

“I’ve had two stealth missions at UA. One was during the entrance exam, and the other was two days before the USJ attack. I…”

“You actually managed to infiltrate UA?” one of the officers sarcastically blurted. Takeo was his name. 

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Midoriya made direct eye contact with him. 

Takeo shut up after that, but he still had a sharp, angry look in his eye. 

“Anyway, during the entrance exam I just gathered a wide range of information on anything I observed. I was also able to get a rough schedule of the first few weeks of classes at UA, which is probably how Shigaraki planned the USJ attack,” said Midoriya thoughtfully. 

Tsukauchi looked up from his notepad at that. “So you’re one of the main reasons the USJ attack happened.”

“Well it’s not like I had much of a choice,” Midoriya retorted. “If I don’t do what Shigaraki asks, I’m dead. Speaking of which, I don’t want any mention of this interaction released to the public. I do not have permission from Shigaraki to be here, and if he finds out...” Midoriya cringed. 

“Okay. I can make sure that this all stays under wraps,” said Tsukauchi. 

“Thank you,” said Midoriya genuinely. “The second time I went into UA, Shigaraki wanted intel specifically on Class 1-A, which again, he probably used to plan the USJ attack. Other than those two things: gathering intel and stealth missions, I don’t really do much.”

Takeo snorted, and Tsukauchi gave him a look that said, ‘shut up.’ 

“Oh, well, I guess during the USJ attack my assignment was just to take notes. All that stuff that happened with All Might and Kacchan,” Midoriya said their names with a bit of bitterness, “was an accident. I wasn’t supposed to fight anyone.”

Tsukauchi finished writing on his notepad and looked up at Midoriya. “Alright, that’s all for now. Thank you for answering truthfully and thoroughly.”

“No problem. Can I speak to my mom now?” Midoriya asked eagerly, getting up off the wall.

“There’s just one more thing. Before we go inside, we need you to remove all your weapons,” said Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya frowned. “Your officers are allowed to keep their guns. Why can’t I keep my weapons?”

“I’m not worried for my officers’ safety, because you’ve already proven you have no intentions of hurting anyone. However, they do not have a lie detector quirk. This is more for their peace of mind rather than mine,” explained Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya didn’t look convinced. 

“Additionally,” Tsukauchi continued, “you can be assured that we won’t attack you because you still have two more questions to answer. So you really have no need to bring your weapons.”

Midoriya ran his eyes over Tsukauchi, and then glanced at the other two police officers. His judgement was a good enough lie detector. 

Midoriya sighed and said, “fine.”

He began the process of removing all of his weapons from his costume. He had his two black daggers, his escrima sticks, his explody marbles, and his shock-tipped rod. He left them in a pile near the brick wall, and memorized the way they were laid out. 

“I’ll know if someone touches them,” said Midoriya threateningly. 

“Don’t worry. No one will touch your toys,” teased Takeo. Kiyomi slapped him on the shoulder and looked at him like, ‘seriously?’

“Those toys have the ability to kill people if you so much as touch them the wrong way,” said Midoriya sharply. 

Takeo snapped his mouth shut, but his eyes still wandered over Midoriya in an almost condescending way. 

Kiyomi went inside first, followed by Tsukauchi and Midoriya, then Takeo last. 

As they walked through the halls, the emotion in Midoriya’s chest started building. This would be his first time in almost a year talking to his mom, or at least seeing her awake. But then he remembered…

“Hey, how is my mom doing?” asked Midoriya hesitantly. 

Tsukauchi looked down at him, a little surprised Midoriya asked. He pressed his lips together, obviously uncertain about answering. 

“It’s okay for you to tell me. I know it’s police procedure to let the doctor explain a family member’s condition, but I have a feeling Dr. Furuya isn’t going to be very compelled to talk to me, being a villain and all,” said Midoriya, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Tsukauchi looked down and sighed. “The entire right side of her body is paralyzed, and she has a very bad stutter. Also, her thinking processes just seem to be… slower.”

Midoriya frowned slightly. “Through the window, I could see the right side of her face wasn’t moving.”

“How can you even consider feeling sad or angry right now?” asked Takeo loudly, “I mean like, how many people have you hurt?”

“Takeo,” said Tsukauchi warningly. 

“The worst I’ve ever done to someone is broken their ribs,” replied Midoriya, only letting a little irritation slip into his voice, “and I’d say that paralysis and neurological problems are much more serious than that. Wouldn’t you?”

Midoriya glared at Takeo over his shoulder, who just scowled back. 

Midoriya was very good at controlling his emotions. The only two people that could provoke him into doing something rash were Bakugo and All Might. 

They walked around a corner, upon a group of police officers outside of Inko’s door. All of them tensed up when they saw Midoriya. Tsukauchi gave them a look that said ‘it’s okay. He’s not a threat.’ They only relaxed a tid bit. 

“I apologize for Takeo’s behavior,” said Tsukauchi as they approached her door. “He’s always had a very strong dislike for villains which manifests itself in the form of rude, unnecessary comments.”

“Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I’ve experienced so much worse,” replied Midoriya, who was now much more focused on the fact that he was about to talk with his mom. 

He stared at her door, right in front of him, as his thoughts raced and heart pounded. 

Will she even recognize me, with all of her brain damage?

Will she be able to understand that I’m a villain now?

Will she just talk to me like nothing’s changed at all?

Or… will she understand why I’ve become a villain and still love me as her son?

Midoriya looked down at the floor, his jaw and fists clenched. 

Or will she be horrified of what I’ve become?

“Midoriya, are you okay?” Tsukauchi asked. 

He looked up from his shoes and at Tsukauchi. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m just a little nervous.”

Tsukauchi’s expression shifted to concern. “I can go in with you if you like.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine on my own.” Midoriya reached out to the doorknob. His hand was trembling. 

I can take on the number one hero and come out alive, but I can’t open a door to talk with my own mom. 

Tsukauchi looked at him, and his face held nothing but sympathy and understanding. He reached out and turned the handle for Midoriya. The door creaked open. Midoriya’s arm fell to his side. 

“Thank you,” Midoriya whispered. He walked inside, keeping his eyes on the floor. The door closed with a soft click behind him. 

And then, he looked up and made eye contact with his mother. 

Tears were already forming in her eyes, and the left side of her face crumpled as she opened her mouth to speak. 

“I-izuk-ku…” she wept. Even through her stutter, Midoriya could hear the overwhelming emotion in her voice. It was enough to bring tears to his own eyes, and he felt his own face crumple. 

He ran across the room and hugged his mom. He wrapped his arms around her the best he could, and she hugged back with just her left arm. She squeezed him tight and her hand ruffled his hair. 

Midoriya buried his head in his mom’s shoulder. He pressed his eyes shut and the tears streamed out. 

“Mom…” he whispered. 

It was a strange mix of emotions. There was happiness, because his mom was awake. Midoriya didn’t have to worry about her anymore. There was sadness, because his mom was now paralyzed, and her son had become a villain. There was doubt. It was a fear of what his mom would think of him. 

But most of all, there was love. These two people, mother and son, cared so deeply for one another, they were ingrained into each other’s lives. They were connected in a way that can never be reversed. Even after death. 

And being reunited after being apart for so long only strengthened that connection. 

“M-my b-bab-by I-izu-uku,” she sobbed. Midoriya lifted his head, and she brushed the back of her hand against the scar on his left cheek. 

“I’m here mom,” he grasped her hand and gave her a small smile, “I’m here.”

Her eyes strayed to what he was wearing, and his smile faded. 

“Th-they t-to-old m-me th-that y-you’r-re a v-villa-ain,” she stammered. 

Midoriya looked down at the bed sheets. “Yeah.”

She put her hand on his chin and lifted his face up, forcing him to meet her eyes. 

“W-wha-at’s h-happe-ened t-to yo-ou?” she asked. She didn’t say it with any fear, anger or disappointment. There was only sadness and compassion. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened before he squeezed them shut, and there was a fresh wave of tears. Inko just waited patiently for his answer. 

“Before you got hurt, the League of Villains talked to me. They wanted me to join them. You know all of my hero notebooks, right?”

Inko nodded weakly. 

“Well, they found one of them, and said that the information was really useful. That’s the first time anyone, except for you, had ever told me that anything I’d done was useful. And after you got hurt by a pro,” anger filled his voice, “I said yes.”

Inko’s face had been growing more and more downcast and shocked the longer he talked. 

“I-i’m s-so so-orry Iz-zu-uku!” she wailed. 

Midoriya tilted his head to the side, a little confused. “What are you apologizing for? It’s not your fault.”

“I-i sho-oul-ld h-ha-ave b-be-en the-er-re f-for y-you,” she explained, crying quite heavily. 

Midoriya smiled kindly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve always loved me and cared for me, and even now that I’m a villain, you still do. You have been there for me.”

That was a lie. His mother had never truly believed in him. He’d hidden the bullying and torment he went through at school, so she’d never actually comforted him for it. She didn’t think someone quirkless could become a hero either. 

But Midoriya couldn’t tell her this. She was already guilty enough as it was. 

There were people Midoriya wanted to hurt because of how they’d treated him, but his mom was not one of them. 

After that, Midoriya had sat down in the chair next to her bed, and they talked about various different things. Midoriya talked about the different music he was listening to, and how it helped him cope with his stress. Inko slowly but surely explained the extensive treatments she was going to have. 

As Midoriya talked to his mom, he could tell that she still loved him with all of her heart. He’d had nothing to be afraid of. His mother’s care for him hadn’t diminished an ounce. If anything, it’d only strengthened. And Midoriya was oh so happy that he knew he had at least one person he could trust. 

As Inko listened to her son, she could tell he was different, and it wasn’t just his darker clothes. The light of hope that had shone so brightly in his eyes before had dwindled down. It was still there, but incredibly faint. So faint that it was probably only Inko, All Might and Bakugo that could still see it. The enthusiasm and lightness that had dominated his voice and body language was all but gone. 

Inko knew that Midoriya was still her same, sweet son deep down. However, harsh words and cruel actions had forced him to become something that Inko knew he wasn’t. But all she could do for him now was talk. 

“How have the nurses and healers been treating you?” asked Midoriya. 

“O-oh, f-fi-ine. The-ey h-hav-ve b-be-en a l-lit-tle di-ist-tant, b-but s-st-till f-fri-iend-dly.”

“That’s good,” I wouldn’t want anyone treating her poorly because her son is a villain. 

“Wh-wha-at ab-bout-t tho-os-se vi-illi-ians?” Inko asked. 

“Hm?” Midoriya looked at his mother confusedly. 

“Do-o th-the-ey t-trea-at y-you w-we-ell?”

“Oh, that,” Midoriya broke eye contact with his mom. “They’re better than Kacchan, that’s for sure, and probably All Might too. But Shigaraki is very demanding, and if I don’t do what he says then…” Midoriya’s voice trailed off. 

Inko squeezed her son’s hand tightly, and he looked up at her and smiled sadly. 

Gosh, how badly Midoriya just wanted to stay there forever. It felt so good to be in the nice, safe comfort his mom provided. But still, after a full two hours passed Midoriya started feeling that it was time to leave. It was starting to get dark. 

“Mom, I do need to go at some point,” he said. 

“Fi-ift-tee-en mo-or-re mi-inu-utes,” Inko insisted. 

Midoriya chuckled, “okay.”

And so for 15 more minutes they talked. They each savored every last second together. 

“Alright mom,” Midoriya said after 15 minutes. 

Inko tilted her head and gave him a small smile, fresh tears in the corners of her eyes, “I understand.”

Midoriya got up from the chair and hugged his mom one last time before leaving. His own eyes started getting wet again. 

As he started walking towards the door, Inko said “l-lo-ove y-you, b-bye.”

Midoriya smiled sadly. “You too.”

“B-be c-ca-aref-ful.”

“I’ll try my best.”

And with that, Midoriya opened the door, back into the world of cruel judgment and endless strife.

Notes:

Sorry I had to end it there! But this chapter is already so long and there aren't really any good breaking points.

I'm also giving the chapter two songs, a) because this chapter's really long, and b) because they fit really well.

The first song is No Matter What by Calum Scott. It relates to how Inko still loves her son even though he's a villain. But it kinda stops working once it gets to the bridge so just keep that in mind.

The second song is The New Me by Thomas Day. It fits with how Midoriya has changed since he had his dreams crushed. This one is really good.

It's snowing aw that's nice.

Chapter 20: Trusting a Villain

Notes:

This chapter is like, mostly serious with a bit of fluff stuck on at the end.

I realized I kinda forgot to describe what the police looked like last chapter, so I do that at the start of this one. If I ever have any scenes with police in them I'll use these people: Tsukauchi, Sansa (the policecat), Yuka (who you're about to meet), Kiyomi and Takeo (the two from last chapter).

Outside of Inko’s room, the police talked among themselves. 

“I want to again thank all of you for being here,” said Tsukauchi, “I know compromising with a villain isn’t something you see everyday.”

Takeo muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. Out of all the police, he was the most impulsive and hot-headed, but his loyalty to his fellow officers was unbreakable. He had darker skin, golden eyes and dark brown hair that stuck upward. He was also rather tall and had a slight regeneration quirk. 

A normally quiet officer in the corner named Yuka spoke up. “It’s fine. Deku’s just a little intimidating, being a villain at such a young age.”

Yuka was known for being quiet, with her cold and calculating lime green eyes. However, she was one of the smartest officers there. She had short hair that started blonde at the roots and faded to brown at the tips. She usually had it up in a small ponytail. Her quirk, when activated, allowed her to see a couple seconds into the future. 

Kiyomi had long, sleek black hair pulled up in a ponytail, and deep blue eyes. She was fairly attractive, and more outgoing than Yuka or Takeo. She was level-headed and reasonable, so she often got paired up with Takeo to balance out his recklessness. Her quirk was X-ray vision. 

“So far he hasn’t actually done anything… villainy,” Kiyomi commented. “But I can’t get why he’s a villain. So yeah, he’s kinda scary, but I trust Tsukauchi.”

“I trust Tsukauchi,” Takeo spoke up, “I just don’t trust him.” You could tell he was talking about Midoriya by the amount of venom in his voice. 

Tsukauchi hesitated before saying, “well I trust him.”

The other police officers blinked at him surprisedly. 

“He hasn’t lied yet, or even told a half truth. He’s been completely and fully honest,” Tsukauchi explained, “he’s shown no intentions of hurting anyone. I think he just wants to talk with his mom.”

“He’s still a villain,” Takeo muttered. 

Tsukauchi paused and seemed to think something over before saying, “he might be a villain in name, but that doesn’t mean he’s a villain at heart.”

“Gee, detective, you normally aren’t so philosophical!” Kiyomi laughed. Yuka laughed too, but Takeo just scowled. 

Tsukauchi chuckled. “Yeah, well, it’s true.”

He smiled fondly at his officers. It might be tiring sometimes, but gosh he loved his job. 

 

About an hour and a half later…

 

As soon as Midoriya stepped back into the hallway out of his mom’s room, the police tensed up and their hands wavered to their guns. 

“You were in there for quite a while,” said a police officer who looked like a cat, eyeing him closely as he closed the door behind him. 

Midoriya didn’t respond. He turned around and noted that there were four officers there: Kiyomi and Takeo, who were the two police from before, the cat one and another policeman (who was Yuka but Midoriya couldn’t know that). 

“Wait here while I go and get the Detective,” said the policecat. He took off down the hallway, not wanting to leave Midoriya alone with only three policemen for long. 

Midoriya just stood patiently by his mother’s door. 

“Did you have a good time with your mommy?” teased Takeo. The other two officers looked at him, annoyed. 

“I did,” Midoriya replied simply. 

“I don’t know how she could still love you after you’ve become a villain,” said Takeo. His tone was no longer teasing. 

Midoriya stared him in the eye, a little agitation showing in his facial features. 

“Takeo, shut your mouth,” Kiyomi demanded. Takeo just huffed in response. 

“If you’re purposefully trying to get me to do something stupid, it won’t work,” said Midoriya in a bored tone. 

“Tch,” Takeo looked down at the floor and quietly said, “I can’t believe we’ve made a deal with this little…” he swore. The other two police officers looked at him warningly. 

He has a particular dislike for villains that usually comes from being directly harmed by a villain, but I don’t see any scars or limps. Maybe one of his family members were hurt. He didn’t seem to care about my relationship with my mom, so it’s possible he’s never had a child-parent relationship. Were his parents hurt by a villain? From the way he’s behaving it would be reasonable to assume he’s had a non-traditional family structure. 

“Listen, I know you’re still upset about villains hurting your family. No one should have to go through that,” Midoriya said genuinely. “But that doesn’t mean you can take your anger out on all other villains.”

Takeo’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“Well your obnoxious behavior is a sign of having a non-traditional family structure. You obviously seem to have a special hate for villains that the average person doesn’t have. And lastly you completely disregarded my relationship with my mom, showing that you’ve never had a relationship like that yourself. It's a simple deduction,” explained Midoriya.

“You’re a stalker, you bas...” Takeo swore again. “I hate people like you! How you think you can do whatever you want!”

He stomped up to Midoriya and violently grabbed his jacket in his fist. 

“Takeo, stop!” shouted Kiyomi, taking a step towards them. 

Takeo roughly pulled Midoriya close to him and spat, “ you disgust me.”

Flecks of his saliva landed on Midoriya’s face. Midoriya’s expression shifted quickly to anger. 

He kneed Takeo in the stomach, causing him to double over. He then uppercutted him in the chin, which made him stumble back several feet. Takeo grunted in pain. 

“Don’t touch me,” said Midoriya menacingly, his fists clenched at his sides. 

Kiyomi and the Yuka drew their guns and aimed them at Midoriya. Takeo scowled at Midoriya, spitting out a little blood. 

“You don’t care who you hurt, you…” Takeo swore, “so long as you get what you want.”

“ Oh, and you think your life has been so hard. Other people have problems too!” shouted Midoriya, “you think people just all of a sudden become villains? You think I just woke up one morning and decided to hurt people? No. People are pushed to the point of villainy by circumstances that are out of their control.”

The police’s guns were still pointed at Midoriya, but he wasn’t moving from beside the door. They weren’t going to shoot unless he did. 

“What’s going on here!?” Tsukauchi demanded. He and two other police officers ran onto the scene. 

“The little villain kid attacked me!” exclaimed Takeo. 

“It was provoked,” retorted Midoriya, his expression still angry. 

Tsukauchi focused in on Takeo, “what did you do?”

“Huh? You’re seriously going to believe him over me?!” asked Takeo. 

“I have a lie detector quirk, remember?” When Takeo just gritted his teeth in response, Tsukauchi asked, “Kiyomi, what happened?”

Kiyomi paused for a moment before saying, “Takeo was being quite rude to Deku when he came out of his mother’s room. Deku said that just because Takeo’s family was hurt by a villain, he couldn’t take out his anger on all villains. This caused Takeo to get very upset, and he grabbed Deku’s shirt violently. Deku then counterattacked, so officer Yuka and I drew our guns.”

Tsukauchi looked sharply at Takeo, “I told you not to let your emotions get the best of you.”

Takeo simply averted his gaze. 

“Midoriya, I still would like to question you. Is the deal still on?” asked Tsukauchi hesitantly. Midoriya had said that if the police attacked him, the deal was off. Yuka and Kiyomi still had their guns pointed at him. 

Midoriya sighed. “Yeah, sure. But it’d be a lot nicer if your officers lowered the guns.”

“Oh, right. Kiyomi, Yuka, you may put your guns away,” ordered Tsukauchi. 

The two police paused a moment before complying. They eyed Midoriya much more cautiously than they did before. 

“I would keep my gun out, if I were you,” said Takeo, “you never know what that villain kid will do.”

“So long as you don’t threaten me and spit in my face, I won’t do anything,” said Midoriya sharply. 

“Both of you, calm down,” said Tsukauchi, starting to get annoyed, “Midoriya is telling the truth, so I still trust him to comply with police orders. One of the questions I want to ask you is a little more private, so I would like to take you into a separate room.”

“How do I know you aren’t going to try to arrest me the moment I’m done answering the questions?” asked Midoriya. 

“How about this? It can be a room near the exit at the roof, we can leave the door open, and it’ll only be me and Kiyomi with you,” Tsukauchi suggested. 

Midoriya thought it through in his head for a moment, before responding, “that sounds alright.”

Tsukauchi smiled and the three of them made their way to a vacant doctor’s office near the door to the roof. Midoriya calmed down while they walked. The anger that had been in his eyes faded away. Tsukauchi noticed that some other sad emotion began to take its place. 

On the way there, Tsukauchi felt like he had to do something to help Midoriya. He didn’t need a lie detector quirk to tell that this kid was lonely as a villain. 

“I don’t want this to count as one of your two remaining questions, but you can’t do your villain work all the time. What do you do in your free time?”

Midoriya looked up at him, a little surprise showing in his face. He actually cared? Tsukauchi met his gaze with a kind smile. Midoriya quickly looked back down at the floor. 

“I listen to music,” said Midoriya quietly. “And I won’t count it as a question. What about you?”

“Me?” Tsukauchi stopped to think for a moment. “Well, I really like baseball.”

Midoriya suppressed a laugh. 

Tsukauchi blinked at him, “what?”

“It’s just… you seem like the type to like baseball. It’s very slow moving and boring,” said Midoriya. 

Kiyomi laughed behind them, and Midoriya chuckled quietly, keeping his eyes on the floor. 

“I’d have to agree with the kid,” Kiyomi teased. 

Tsukauchi laughed too, “you just haven’t learned to truly enjoy it.”

“If you say so,” Midoriya replied sarcastically. He looked up at Tsukauchi and smiled genuinely. 

He did another one of his cute smiles, and he actually seemed genuinely happy, Tsukauchi remembered what Uraraka had said about Midoriya. 

And as he stared at Midoriya’s smile, he thought, so this is what he’s truly like. Underneath all that hate and anger he’s been accumulating for years, he’s a sweet, kind boy. 

Midoriya quickly looked back at the floor again and started fidgeting nervously. 

Tsukauchi hoped his crimes would be minor enough so he wouldn’t have to go to prison when he was arrested. 

They arrived at the vacant doctor’s office, and Midoriya chose the seat closest to the open door. Tsukauchi sat in the spinney chair and Kiyomi stood in the corner. She was a bit more relaxed now, after seeing Midoriya’s cinnamon roll side. 

“Okay, two more questions. Are you ready?” asked Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya nodded, “I won’t count that as a question.”

Tsukauchi smiled apologetically, “alright. This first one isn’t as private but still important. Where and how did you first become a villain?”

“That’s technically two questions, but I’ll count it as one,” said Midoriya. “I first came into contact with the League when I was in the hospital after… jumping. I was still on crutches at the time, when I saw two people standing on a rooftop outside my window, watching me. A purple mist opened up underneath me, and I fell through it. Next thing I knew, I was on the roof with those two people.”

“They were Shigaraki and Kurogiri,” Tsukauchi implied, making sure not to say it as a question. 

Midoriya nodded. “Shigaraki was wearing what he normally wears, just black clothing and those hands all over his body. Kurogiri was wearing his suit and tie, with that armored neck brace. In fact, I’ve never seen Kurogiri wear anything else… anyway, Shigaraki told me that he’d been the one to call the ambulance for me and that he’d found one of my notebooks. He said that it’s information was useful.”

Midoriya paused, and Tsukauchi looked up from his notepad. 

“Something wrong?” asked Tsukauchi. Midoriya was staring at a single spot on the floor. 

“It’s just… that was the first time anyone had ever said that anything I’d ever done was actually worthwhile,” said Midoriya quietly. “Well, except for my mom.”

Tsukauchi was growing sorrier for this kid with every passing second. 

“Anyway,” continued Midoriya, “Shigaraki said he wanted me to join the League so I could gather more intel like what was in my notebook. At first I was appalled at the idea of it, but I told him I’d think about it. The day after, my mom was critically injured by Hyperbeam,” his voice grew angry, “and I thought ‘well, heroes have only hurt me, and the League has been the first to actually want me. I’ve nowhere else to go, so might as well join them.’”

Midoriya stopped talking for a second to let the information absorb. Tsukauchi was still writing vigorously on his notepad. 

“When Kurogiri came and got me the next day, I told them I’d join. I officially became a villain two weeks later when I got out of the hospital, and I chose ‘Deku’ as my alias.”

Midoriya looked up from the floor at Tsukauchi. 

“Okay, thank you for the detailed answer. One more question to go,” said Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya resumed staring at the floor. The next question Tsukauchi was planning to ask, it didn’t matter if Midoriya chose to answer it or not, either way would reveal something. 

“Last question. This is a classified subject, which is why I wanted to speak to you with fewer people around,” explained Tsukauchi. 

Midoriya looked up at Kiyomi standing in the corner, obviously wondering if she was of high enough rank to be hearing this. 

“In your time with the League of Villains, have you ever heard, seen, or interacted with an individual who goes by the name of All for One?” asked Tsukauchi, watching closely for Midoriya’s reaction. 

Midoriya met his gaze. “No. I haven’t heard, seen, or interacted with an individual who goes by the name of All for One.”

Tsukauchi sighed disappointedly. 

“But…” Midoriya continued. 

Tsukauchi looked up hopefully. 

“...there is a computer monitor in the League’s hideout. The camera’s never been on. It only ever says ‘sound only’ on the screen. And there’s this person Kurogiri and Shigaraki keep referring to as ‘ Master.’ It’s kind of creepy.”

“What do you mean by creepy?” asked Tsukauchi, continuing to write on the notepad. 

“Well, one time I asked them when I was going to meet this ‘Master,’ but Shigaraki just looked at me and said, ‘that’s not for you to ask. We decide when you meet him,’” explained Midoriya. “Kurogiri refuses to tell me anything either.”

Tsukauchi was staring at his notepad, deep in thought. Could this ‘Master’ be All for One? If so, why is he in charge of a group as small as the League?

“Detective?” Midoriya’s voice was softer, more concerned. 

“Hm?” Tsukauchi looked up at him. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, who is this guy? All for One, I mean,” asked Midoriya. 

Tsukauchi’s face hardened, “sorry, but I’m not allowed to reveal any information on this matter to the public.”

Midoriya smirked, “well I’m technically not the public. Villains fall under different guidelines than the general people. I’m pretty sure you won’t find anything saying you can’t tell a villain classified material, because no one’s ever thought of making a rule that’s so blatantly obvious.”

Tsukauchi frowned, not convinced. 

“And besides,” Midoriya’s face and tone grew concerned and worried, “the way you said his name, it doesn’t sound like he’s a good guy. I need to know what I’m dealing with, if he is involved with the League.”

Tsukauchi debated in his head awhile, before sighing and saying, “fine. I’ll give you the general idea. Know that I could get in big trouble for doing this.”

Tsukauchi looked over at Kiyomi. She gave him a look that said, ‘ don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.’ Tsukauchi turned back to face Midoriya. 

“All for One. He’s the archenemy of All Might, and extremely powerful. His quirk is also called All for One. It’s the ability to steal quirks from others, use them for himself, and even give them back to other people.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened in shock and he looked down at his hand. All for One would be able to make it so I’m not quirkless.

“That’s a frightening power,” Midoriya replied. 

“Indeed it is, and that’s why we have to catch him,” said Tsukauchi. 

“Wait…” the dots connected in Midoriya’s head. “That’s how the Nomu was created,” said quietly. 

“What?” Tsukauchi asked. 

“The Nomu, it had multiple quirks,” explained Midoriya, “so this All for One guy just… keeps adding quirks onto the same person. But no, the human body can’t handle that many quirks. Its body would have to be modified somehow.”

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened, “you really think so? I’m currently awaiting the results of a DNA test from the Nomu, so I’m not sure of anything.”

“Well, no, I’m not sure. But it’s my best guess and my guesses aren’t normally wrong,” said Midoriya. 

“I understand,” said Tsukauchi, furiously writing on his notepad once more. 

“Thank you for telling me about All for One,” said Midoriya. 

“Of course,” said Tsukauchi, still writing. “And thank you for the information on the Nomu.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Well, that was three questions. I can walk you out to the roof.”

“Okay,” said Midoriya, getting up to leave. Tsukauchi signaled for Kiyomi to go back down. 

Midoriya and Tsukauchi walked out to the rooftop together, and Midoriya started putting all his support items back on. 

“Hey, Midoriya?” Tsukauchi asked as Midoriya was just about ready to leave. 

Midoriya looked at him inquiringly. 

“Just… be careful what you get involved in. You’re still only a kid.” 

Don’t get yourself wrapped up in things you can’t handle. I know I trained you, but you’re still just a kid. You still have a limit, Midoriya remembered Stain’s words. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Midoriya. He started walking over to the edge of the rooftop and said, “thank you. For letting me see my mom and… other things.”

Tsukauchi smiled and nodded. As he watched Midoriya take off over the rooftops, he whispered, “goodbye Midoriya, and be careful.”

 

Class 1-A was waiting for homeroom to start and the air was filled with pleasant chatter. 

“Hey Tsu!” Mina said loudly, “what do you think we’re doing today?”

Tsu pressed her finger to her lips, “I’m not sure Mina, but Mr. Aizawa seemed a little more preoccupied than he normally is.”

Aizawa walked back into the room with an important air around him.

“Alright, all of you, settle down,” he said, and the class quieted at once, “before we start, there’s someone who wants to talk to you.” Aizawa looked through the door, and signaled for someone to come in. It was All Might, in his deflated form.

Aizawa had already told the rest of the class about All Might’s true form, but it was still a little shocking that this skeleton man was the person who’d been keeping the crime rate so low for years. It was just hard for them to wrap their heads around.

“Hello, young students,” said All Might, “I apologize for using up your time, but I just wanted to thank all of you for keeping my secret. If the information about my true form got out, it would be disastrous. I express my deepest gratitude to each of you.”

All Might bowed, and the students looked at him starry eyed. He might look different, but to be thanked by All Might, it was an exciting occurrence.

“Are you done wasting our time now?” Aizawa asked.

“Yes, of course, sorry,” All Might spluttered. He wasn’t very used to being talked down to, being the number one hero and all.

After All Might left, Aizawa addressed the class.

“You just heard this from All Might, but it is very important that you keep quiet about his time limit. If any of you are found guilty of leaking information, you will be expelled without hesitation,” said Aizawa.

The class gulped nervously.

“But Mr. Aizawa,” started Kaminari, “what if it just slips out? What if we tell someone else on accident?”

“The consequences will be the same, accident or not. You’re attending the most prestigious hero school in Japan. You should know how to keep your mouth shut,” said Aizawa mercilessly.

Mina and Kaminari started sweating. They had the loosest lips of the bunch.

They started class after that, but thoughts about All Might and expulsion weighed heavy on their minds.

 

Shinso had just finished getting lunch from the pro hero Lunch Rush and was looking for a place to sit.

He used to sit at a secluded table in the corner of the cafeteria, where no one would bother him, and it was just him and his thoughts. He preferred it that way. He didn’t come to UA to make friends.

But recently, Shinso had been sitting with actual people. Some other teens from Class 1-A had been waving him down and signaling for him to sit with them. What was he supposed to do? Say no? Even Shinso had more social tact than that.

So whenever someone from 1-A spotted him, normally Uraraka or Kaminari, he sat with them. If not, he settled in his quiet seat in the corner.

Today however, Shinso was the first to spot 1-A. They were more… subdued than usual. Uraraka, instead of scanning the crowd, trying to spot Shinso’s head of purple hair, was just staring down at her food. Bakugo, instead of glaring at anyone who could even remotely block his path, seemed to just be staring off into space.

So Shinso did something risky. He walked up to Uraraka and asked if he could sit at her table. This would be his first time sitting with them by choice, instead of being waved over.

“Oh, hey Shinso,” said Uraraka smiling, “I didn’t see you in the crowd. Yeah of course you can sit with us!”

“Thanks,” said Shinso, sliding into the seat next to her. Opposite him was the girl he recognized as Asui, or Tsu. On the other side of Uraraka was Iida. Diagonal from Shinso was Jiro, and sitting a little ways away was a boy he hadn’t met before. His hair was half red, half white.

They all seemed to be thinking about something. Something important, because none of them were willing to make the effort of starting a conversation.

So Shinso chose to talk about something that was on the forefront of everyone’s minds: the Sports Festival.

“What do you guys think about the Sports Festival coming up?” he asked. It wasn’t the most original question.

There was a moment of silence as they woke up from their thoughts.

“If I’m being honest, I’m a little nervous. I don’t really like the idea of all those people watching us,” said Jiro, nervously twirling her earphone jacks.

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” said Tsu, “ribbit.”

Suddenly, Uraraka punched her fist up in the air and yelled, “I’m gonna do my best!!!”

Shinso flinched away, gosh. This class is a little unhinged.

“Uraraka! It is not polite to shout in the cafeteria!” shouted Iida, chopping his hands through the air.

“Oh, sorry,” said Uraraka, much quieter.

“Yeah, you’ve been losing it a little lately,” Jiro smirked. Tsu nodded.

“Heh, I guess it’s just nervous energy,” Uraraka laughed sheepishly, “what about you Shinso? How are you feeling about the Sports Festival?”

Shinso had just taken a bite of food. There was that one awkward moment when the person chewing puts their finger up and rushes to swallow their food, while everyone just stares at them waiting for their answer. 

“I’m looking forward to it,” Shinso finally replied, “I’ll finally be able to show what I’m made of.”

“I’ve seen you hanging out with Mr. Aizawa a lot,” Jiro commented. 

“What about it?” asked Shinso, now wary of taking another bite of food. 

“Nothing, just curious,” said Jiro. She liked to be in the know about everything. 

The students continued talking. The conversation moved on from the Sports Festival on to favorite teachers, to least favorite people, and then took a dramatic left turn to ‘how would you commit murder and get away with it?’ Shinso had the best answer. 

“Build your own house with a secret freezer compartment that only you know about. Kill a random person you don’t even know in a place with no people or cameras. Put the dead body in the secret freezer compartment so it can’t be found. No one will suspect you ‘cause there was no motive.”

The rest of the group stared at him like he’d grown an extra head. Even the boy with the pokeball hair looked surprisedly over at them. 

Shinso hadn’t come to UA to make friends, yet here he was. It was the happiest he’d been in a long time. 

 

A couple days later, Midoriya was leaving his apartment to attend the Sports Festival.

Notes:

I feel like I accidentally based Takeo off of Kai from Ninjago. Oh well.

The song for this chapter is Growing Pains by Alessia Cara. This mainly has to do with how things are slowly getting harder for Midoriya the longer he's a villain, and how while 1-A is at UA having fun being teens, Midoriya's stuck serving Shigaraki. Especially the line "don't know why I can't see the sun, when young should be fun."

Sports Festival is next!

Chapter 21: Lots of Note Taking

Notes:

Sports Fest woo! You get to read about a bunch of children beating each other up! Huzzah!
Sorry if this chapter is kinda bland. It's pretty much just Midoriya's commentary on what's going on. Next chapter will be more interesting I promise!

Outside of UA was swarming with people, all there to see the Sports Festival. Specifically the first years. 

Damn, that’s a lot of people, Midoriya thought nervously. 

He was watching from the trees outside of the gates, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable social interaction. He was wearing the soft yellow side of his “villain costume” jacket. 

His job was to get in, examine 1-A and 1-B, and get out. That’s it. 

That shouldn’t be too hard… I just have to avoid all the pros patrolling, and not get seen by anyone who could recognize me. 

He watched as a group of energetic teens walked through the gates. 

It’s just that most of 1-A and anyone who watches the news is going to recognize me. 

He rubbed his hands down his face in stress. 

Gosh, what am I doing here?

He sat down in the grass and checked (again) that he had everything he needed in his yellow backpack. The most important things were his notebook, his tickets, and a special device he’d made. 

Alright. You can do this. You’ve always wanted to see the UA Sports Festival in person! You just have to be really careful. 

Midoriya took a deep breath, and came out of the trees and walked up towards the gates. He put on a medical mask and put his hood up. He walked through the gates and into the mass of people. 

Nobody really noticed him. They were all focused on their friends or the food they just spilled on their shirt or how they couldn’t find their child. None of them had the situational awareness to see Midoriya weaving his way through the crowd to the first-year’s entrance. 

There was only one difficulty. Midoriya spotted three pros patrolling: Death Arms, Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods. He gave them a very wide berth. Better to be safe than sorry. 

A little kid also puked right in front of him, but I wouldn’t really call that a difficulty. 

At last, he reached the first year's entrance, and gosh the stadium was huge. Not many people had arrived yet, so it was relatively quiet as he found his seat. 

Cementoss was getting the center stage ready. Because Midoriya had front row seats, he could easily see his quirk in action. 

Does he need to have all five fingers to the ground? Or just his hands? The area around his hands glows green while he’s using his quirk, I wonder why. 

While Midoriya was waiting for the events to start, he just listened to music or scribbled in his notebook. If he heard someone approaching, he tried to appear totally engrossed in his phone. Earbuds, your phone, and having your hood up gives a clear message that you don’t want to be talked to. 

The stadium slowly filled up, and the noise level rose. Soon it got too loud for Midoriya to hear his music. 

They should be starting soon. I wonder what the first round will be. 

Suddenly, Present Mic’s voice blared out across the stadium, “ Hey!! Make some noise, all you rabid sports fans! Get those cameras prepped, media hordes!!”

His voice was so loud Midoriya almost wished that he’d strangled him a little harder when he'd infiltrated UA. 

“This year we’re bringing you some of the hottest performances in Sports Festival history, guaranteed! I’ve only got one question before we start this show: are you ready!?!” 

I thought I was ready before you started bursting my earbuds. 

“Lemme hear ya scream as our students make their way to the big stage!”

Please don’t, thought Midoriya desperately as the crowd released an insane amount of noise. 

The students started coming out by class, with Present Mic’s unique introductions for each one. Although he clearly favored Class 1-A. 

Once all the students were gathered together in the center stage, Midnight, who was the first year’s chief umpire, made a very… eye-catching entrance. 

Tch. There she goes again, showing off. That’s all that seems to matter to pros now. 

His point was proved further when Bakugo gave the student pledge: “I just wanna say (dramatic pause) I’m gonna win.”

Midoriya immediately started thinking of all the possible ways to ensure that Bakugo didn’t win, just to see the look of sheer disappointment on his face. That would be a very satisfying face to look at. But sadly, all the options he thought of were too risky and could result in his capture. 

Midoriya noted how his old childhood friend was being dead serious. He didn’t laugh it off as a joke. Bakugo truly meant what he said. 

Kacchan is just as stuck up as he always is. But I wouldn’t be too surprised if he actually wins this whole thing. The only person who might pose a threat is Todoroki, and maybe Iida or Yaoyorozu. 

The screens around the top of the stadium changed from ‘player declaration’ to ‘first game.’

They’re treating this like a video game. 

Midoriya watched the large group of first years closely. Their eyes were fixated on the screen as the ‘first game’ was chosen. 

I guess treating it like a video game could ease their nerves a bit, but it also kinda undermines how this is a serious event that could determine the future of their careers. 

The first round ended up being an obstacle course, which Midoriya wasn’t too excited about. That meant the students would be leaving the center stage, so he wouldn’t be able to watch them in person. 

Oh well. It is what it is. 

He made his own predictions about how he thought the race would turn out, and got his notebook ready. He already had a decent amount of information on 1-A, but 1-B was completely new territory. 

Midoriya was eager to see what these future heroes had in store. 

The race started, and Midoriya watched the students the best he could through the screens along the top of the stadium. 

They had to overcome being flattened by their fellow students in a narrow corridor. They had to avoid being squished by ridiculous giant-sized robots (seriously how much tax money is dumped into UA). They had to cross a large canyon (where does UA get an entire friggin canyon?) with nothing but their quirks, ropes, and support gear. And finally, they had to side step a bunch of bumps in the ground so they wouldn’t be poofed off by some pink smoke. 

The race ended how Midoriya predicted, with Todoroki in first and Bakugo in second. But he’d gotten to see 1-B in action, and now had most of their quirks and some of their personalities. Tetsu Tetsu was hard to ignore. 

However, there was one person in particular that he wanted to keep his eye on: Hitoshi Shinso. He wasn’t in 1-A or 1-B, so Midoriya wasn’t technically supposed to analyze him. 

But… there was just something about him that really intrigued Midoriya. They’d met at the entrance exam, and he hadn’t really seemed the heroic type. He looked more mad at the world than wanting to save it. In a way, Shinso was very similar to Midoriya. 

So then why? Why did Shinso want to be a hero? He was obviously giving the Sports Festival his all, even though he was only in General Studies. Only people in the hero course were able to apply for internships at agencies. 

I’ll just have to watch him. It looks like his quirk is some type of hypnosis or mind control. No wonder he was worried about the physical exam; his quirk only works on people. 

A cavalry battle was chosen for the ‘second game.’ Todoroki got the 1,000,000 point headband. 

Todoroki’s not going to have much trouble keeping his points, especially with the team he’s assembled. Except for Kacchan. He’ll definitely be going for the top. 

Bakugo did end up going for Todoroki’s headband, but got distracted by 1-B’s tactics. Monoma had a little too much pride in his class. 

That’s pretty smart of 1-B, supporting each other instead of competing against each other like 1-A is doing. They have good teamwork. 

Midoriya watched as Bakugo blew up a shield of solid air with ease, attempting to get his headband back from Monoma. 

But he’s underestimated 1-A, especially Kacchan. As long as Monoma continues to think lower of them, he’ll never win. 

Bakugo managed to violently snatch his headband back. 

Sometimes raw strength and pure willpower is enough to trump even the best planned strategies. 

Todoroki had been focusing on keeping all the other teams at bay. It wasn’t too hard. He just froze all of them, and when that didn’t work, Iida’s speed got them away. 

When his team had been in a particularly tricky situation, he had Yaoyorozu make an insulated blanket, and Kaminari shocked all the people around them. After the teams were dazed, Todoroki froze them solid. 

But he’s still not using his fire. Everyone else out there is giving this their all. Why is he only using half his power? Midoriya wondered in annoyance. 

Todoroki has no idea how fortunate he is to be there, on the path to being a hero. I bet he can’t even comprehend how hard it is for someone like me. 

Bakugo’s team was able to avoid the ice, and charged at Todoroki’s team. They had enough points to pass, but just passing wasn’t good enough. They wanted to be the best. 

However, time ran out before Bakugo could grab the 1,000,000 point headband, and they landed second. That sent Bakugo into a screaming rage. 

Midoriya had liked Shinso’s way of doing things the most. He’d just stayed hidden in the background. When he saw an opportunity to take a headband, he acted swiftly and silently. Everyone was surprised that his team had made it to the final round, except Midoriya. 

Before the tournament round began, there was an interlude and some fun side games. It was supposed to be for people to go get more popcorn or refill their drinks, but Midoriya didn’t leave his seat. Even if it was just some ordinary games, it was still another opportunity to see their quirks in action. 

There was a close call though. One of the games was a scavenger hunt, and required the students to obtain whatever item was on their card. Most of them had to run up to the crowd and ask if anyone had that item. And with Midoriya having a front row seat...

Sero was able to get a bag from the crowd, and Mineta just stared in horror at his card that said ‘back fat.’

Kirishima had to find a pencil, and went running along the wall. He was very close to where Midoriya was sitting. 

“Pencil!! I need a pencil! Anyone able to give me one?!” he shouted. Midoriya stared at the pencil in his hand. 

Nope. That’s not happening. 

A part of him wanted to participate in the games, to actually have some fun, but his logical side shut him down. 

Midoriya almost jumped out of his seat when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, and it was just a person sitting behind him. 

“Hey, you have a pencil! Why don’t you give it to him?” they asked in an accusatory tone. 

Great. Now it’s going to look suspicious if I don’t give it to him. 

So Midoriya stood up in his seat and yelled weakly, “hey! I’ve gotta pencil!”

But Kirishima still heard him, and thankfully didn’t recognize his voice. 

“Thanks, man!” he responded as Midoriya threw the pencil down to him. 

After Kirishima ran away, Midoriya slumped back down in his chair in relief. 

I liked that pencil…

There weren’t any other hiccups during the side games, but Midoriya was more tense after that. 

Finally, the tournament round started. The top 16 was mostly dominated by Class 1-A, which wasn’t surprising. Going through a villain attack changes you. 

And though Midoriya couldn’t know this, it was also because their class knew about All Might. The knowledge of the number one hero’s weakness put more pressure on them to do their best and rise to the top. 

The first round was between Shinso and Kaminari. 

“I know we’re kinda friends, but there’s no way I’m going easy on you,” said Kaminari confidently as they walked up to each other on the newly constructed battle field. 

“AND START!!” shouted Present Mic. Shinso smirked, and Midoriya watched with rapt attention. 

“This is gonna be over in two seconds flat!” Kamiari yelled. His body started glowing with electricity and sparks flew off of him. 

“You sure about that?” asked Shinso, as the lightning spread across the floor closer to him. 

“Heck yeah!” Kaminari responded. 

The electricity disappeared immediately, and Kaminari’s eyes went blank. 

Shinso’s smirk grew wider. 

“I kind of feel bad doing this to you. You’re one of the only people I could possibly consider a friend,” said Shinso, rubbing the back of his neck. “But you still have no idea how blessed you are, how easy it’ll be for you. I can’t afford to lose, but you can.”

Midoriya winced from Present Mic’s exaggerated commentary. He was probably trying to make this boring looking match more interesting. 

“This is a perfect example of why the entrance exam isn’t rational,” said Eraserhead’s much quieter voice. 

Midoriya’s ears perked up at that statement. He didn’t expect a pro hero to say something he agreed with. 

“His quirk is incredibly strong,” Eraserhead continued, “but he had to go up against robots in that entrance test, which gave a huge advantage to people with eye-catching physical superpowers. Despite his abilities, Shinso never stood a chance at passing.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise. He thought that none of the heroes could understand that, because they were so focused on showing off and making money rather than actually saving people. 

But Eraserhead understood. Midoriya thought back to the USJ, and how he’d run down to fight villains without hesitation. It wasn’t to get all the glory, but to protect his students. 

Midoriya looked up at the commentary box. 

Eraserhead. He’s an underground hero whose quirk is Erasure. He’s probably experienced this firsthand, because his quirk doesn’t work on robots either. 

Midoriya looked back down at Shinso and Kaminari. 

Eraserhead and Shinso are quite similar, actually. 

“Now, be a good little hero and walk out of bounds,” Shinso commanded. 

Kaminari slowly turned around and walked towards the edge of the battle field. Surprised gasps came from the audience. 

“Hitoshi Shinso! His quirk: Brainwashing! When an opponent answers his question, it flips a switch in their mind forcing them to do whatever he says! Not every question does it though. He only brainwashes when he wants to!” Present Mic explained. 

Ah, so that’s his quirk. Interesting. 

Kaminari stepped out of bounds, and Midnight announced Shinso as the winner. 

I can understand why people see him as a villain. 

Shinso released his hold on Kaminari, who looked around confusedly. 

“Wait, what happened?” Kaminari turned and saw that he was out of bounds. “No! Wait, I lost!? How!!?”

Shinso was already walking off the battlefield and didn’t respond to Kaminari’s cries for answers. 

And then Midoriya got an idea. It was a stupid, reckless idea, but if he thought it out carefully, it could work. 

I can’t do it now, but maybe later. 

Midoriya’s eyes followed Shinso until he disappeared from sight. 

After the tournament. Then I’ll do it. 

Todoroki vs. Sero was next. The match ended relatively quickly, with Sero frozen solid. Midnight announced Todoroki the winner, which surprised absolutely no one. Then Todoroki took a moment to melt Sero from the ice. At that moment, Midoriya noticed something interesting. 

Todoroki looked sad. 

The resentment Midoriya had felt earlier faded a bit and was replaced with understanding. He’d never regretted joining the League, but that didn’t mean it was easy. Midoriya had nobody. Nobody to talk to. Nobody to hang out with. Nobody to laugh with. 

Midoriya was awfully lonely. 

That one talk about baseball and music he’d had with Tsukauchi, it was the happiest he’d felt in months. 

As Todoroki and Sero started walking off the field, Midoriya bottled up his emotions. He couldn’t let them get in the way of his job. 

After the ice was cleared, the next three rounds continued without anything incredibly interesting. 

Shiozaki won her match, and Midoriya took very detailed notes on how she used her vines. 

Iida won his match after being used as a living advertisement by Hatsume. He thought Iida’s quirk was very similar to Ingenium’s. 

Mina won her match against Aoyama. Midoriya noted her remarkable physical ability, in addition to the way she used her quirk. 

After all of that, Midoriya was looking forward to the next battle, between Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu. 

Tokoyami’s quirk is incredibly strong, but Yaoyorozu’s is much more versatile. She’s also top of her class, but Tokoyami is fairly intelligent too. 

The match ended much more quickly than anyone could’ve anticipated. Tokoyami brutally pushed Yaoyorozu out of bounds before she even had the chance to counterattack. She walked back to the stands disappointedly. 

Midoriya felt a little remorse for her. 

I bet she’s beating herself up inside. She has some of the most potential of anyone in 1-A and yet she lost in a matter of seconds. She shouldn’t feel bad, she just still has a lot to learn. 

The next match was agonizingly long. Kirishima and Tetsu Tetsu were equally matched. 

Their quirks aren’t identical. Each have their own pros and cons, but they are incredibly similar. Also, they both have very similar personalities, although Tetsu Tetsu is a little more reckless and self-centered. 

Midoriya watched as they both punched each other in the jaw with equal force. 

I wonder what happens when their quirks crack. Are they able to heal when something breaks through their tough exterior? Also, I wonder if Tetsu Tetsu is fire resistant. 

Finally, they both knocked each other out cold, and the match ended in a draw. 

The last battle of the first round was between Bakugo and Uraraka. 

Sorry Uraraka, but there’s no way you’re winning this. You would only have to land one hand on him, but I’ve been bullied by Kacchan for years. He’s too strong. 

Bakugo and Uraraka walked out onto the battlefield. 

And he won’t go easy on you either. 

The match started and Uraraka went charging at Bakugo in an attempt to land all five fingers on him. Midoriya winced as Bakugo emitted a large explosion from his hand, sending Uraraka flying back. 

Midoriya secretly wanted Uraraka to win. Like, really badly. 

But she continued being blown backwards by Bakugo’s strong explosions. She took hit after hit, and Bakugo didn’t show any mercy. It was brutal. 

Midoriya felt anger bubble up in his chest at Bakugo. 

He’s hurting Uraraka and acting like a villain. How can UA consider him worthy of being a hero?

Uraraka rolled across the ground, shaking in pain and exhaustion. Midoriya looked away. He couldn’t watch her get hurt any longer. 

But that was when he saw it. 

There was a huge cloud of rocks floating high above the stadium. Midoriya turned his eyes back to the fight. 

She’s been keeping low to the ground this entire time, so that Kacchan would blow up the ground. Then, she floated all the extra debris. 

Uraraka got blasted back again, but this time Midoriya saw it. In the time it took for her to retreat and then advance again, hidden in the smoke, she touched all of the loose rocks on the ground. 

She’s better than I thought. 

When the crowd started booing at Bakugo, Midoriya knew that the majority of people hadn’t seen it. When Eraserhead pointed it out, Midoriya’s respect for him grew even more. 

Uraraka finally touched her fingers together. The rocks came raining down from the sky like a meteor shower. 

But like Midoriya had said, Bakugo was too strong. He released one tremendous explosion from his hand. All of the falling rocks were turned to pebbles, and Uraraka was blown backwards once more. 

Everyone gasped at the immense display of power, but Midoriya noted something subtle. 

The muscles in Kacchan’s hand and wrist almost couldn’t handle that. He’s in pain right now. 

What Midoriya did gasp at was how Uraraka got up again. She was beaten and battered and barely able to stand on her own, but she was still trying. 

Midoriya had no way of knowing that it was because of him. She wanted to help Midoriya so badly she was willing to go through extreme physical strain, even if it was just to win a sports festival match. 

She charged at Bakugo one last time, before collapsing from exhaustion. Bakugo was announced the winner. 

Midoriya knew Uraraka never stood a chance, but he was still disappointed at her loss. 

With that, the first round of the tournament was over. Only eight people remained. 

There was still plenty left to see.

Notes:

Like, why do people watch children fighting to the death for fun? How did this replace the Olympics?

This chapter's song is Burn the House Down by AJR. This fits Midoriya's perception of heroes pretty well, especially the second verse. It's also just a very hype song that fits the vibe of the Sports Fest. This song will also work well for the first 2/3 of next chapter.

Chapter 22: Manipulating the Outcome

Notes:

Longer chapter woo. And it's more interesting than the last one because it diverges further from the original storyline. Enjoy!

Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady and Death Arms were standing guard outside the first year’s stadium. Or at least Kamui and Death Arms were standing guard. Mt. Lady was just watching TV. She’d made several suggestions to the other two pros about what students they should have as interns. 

“Gosh, Bakugo sure is pretty hot, but his attitude might be a bit of a problem,” commented Mt. Lady. 

“We’re supposed to be keeping watch,” Death Arms reprimanded.

“Can’t you keep your eyes off the TV?” Kamui asked. 

“Oh, c’mon, chill out!” said Mt. Lady haughtily, “it’s boring just standing there staring at nothing!”

“But nothing could turn into something in the time it takes you to glance at the screen and back,” said Death Arms. 

Mt. Lady glared at him pointedly. “Seriously? You don’t actually think that League with the villain kid is gonna show up!"

“It could be Deku or some other villain. You never know,” said Kamui. 

“Either way, we have to keep watch,” said Death Arms firmly. 

“Ugh, fine,” said Mt. Lady disappointedly, finally tearing her eyes away from the screen. “But that cute son of Endeavor is next.”

They had one job. And they’d already failed it. 

 

Midoriya was tidying up his notes while waiting for the second round of the tournament to start. It was about a 30 minute break. Kirishima had just beaten Tetsu Tetsu at arm wrestling, which Midoriya noted with interest. 

His notes on Todoroki had grown more detailed, and it had gotten to the point where he started thinking of weird questions. 

What happens when he activates both his fire and ice, and eats ice cream? Does he only need to wear half a jacket? If a cat tried to sleep on him, would it prefer his left side?

Midoriya had taken pretty extensive notes on Shinso too, even though the League wasn’t interested in him. 

Todoroki and Shinso piqued his interest, so Midoriya was very much looking forward to this next match between the two of them. 

It all depends on if Shinso can get Todoroki to talk. But his quirk was announced earlier, so Todoroki will know not to respond. 

Midoriya frowned. He really wanted Shinso to win, but at this point it wasn’t looking possible. 

Shinso would have to say something to provoke Todoroki, but that appears very hard to do. Todoroki is cool and calculating under pressure. You’d have to strike the exact right chord to get him to react. 

Midoriya knew what those chords were. He’d done a lot of research and data collection on Endeavor, and knew that his relationship with his family wasn’t exactly what you’d call ideal. 

But Shinso didn’t know this. 

And once again, Midoriya got a stupid idea (just to clarify, this is a different stupid idea than before).

I don’t have to talk to Shinso, I can just leave a note in his waiting room. He won’t know who it's from. 

But it’s reckless. You’re just here to take notes, not influence the outcome of the Sports Festival. Your emotions take second place. 

But I already have plenty of intel on Todoroki. If Shinso advances, then I’ll gather more data on his brainwashing quirk. 

But the League doesn’t need information on him. 

But in the future they might…

It was a lousy excuse, but Midoriya ended up choosing to help Shinso anyway. 

He wrote everything he knew about Todoroki's family situation on a piece of paper. He wrote about the quirk marriage, Rei’s abuse and the psychiatric ward. He wrote about how their oldest son was assumed dead, and how his other two children were distant. He wrote about Todoroki’s scar. 

Midoriya wasn’t completely sure all of the information he wrote down was accurate. He’d gathered this from spying on the Todoroki house, rumors among people at the Endeavor agency, police files, hacking into the Endeavor agency’s systems, and his exceptional deduction. 

He was pretty sure most of it was accurate (that’s news stations for you). 

Then, for the first time since the festival started, Midoriya got up from his seat and walked towards the stairs that led to the waiting rooms. 

He kept his head down, hood up, and mask up so that people wouldn’t recognize him. 

Spectators weren’t allowed in the student areas, but Midoriya wasn’t an ordinary spectator. He was able to sneak into the student-only areas.

From there, he found his way to the waiting rooms. Specifically, Shinso’s waiting room. 

There was still a decent amount of time before the next match started, so Midoriya didn’t think Shinso would be inside. But as he approached, he heard someone inside. 

Oh c’mon. Don’t tell me he’s already in there. 

Midoriya put his ear up to the door, and he heard someone crying. 

What?

It took him a few seconds to realize it was Uraraka. He could make out her muffled voice through the door. 

“I know, but I wish I could’ve gone further in the festival, so I would’ve had more chances to show what I’m made of. The scouts barely saw me do anything this time around,” Uraraka said sadly. 

What is she talking about? She did great, especially against Kacchan. Is being in the top 16 not good enough for her?

There was a moment of quiet, and Midoriya assumed she was on the phone. It was most likely her parents. 

“I-i just wa-anna help you g-guys out as s-soon a-as I can,” she cried. 

Oh. 

Midoriya didn’t need to or want to listen any longer, and Shinso would be coming his way soon. He decided to leave the note on the door. Uraraka wouldn’t see it when she walked out, but Shinso would notice it when he opened the door to come in. 

He heard footsteps approaching, and scurried off in the opposite direction before the person coming could see him. It took him a little while to get back to the spectators’ area. 

That’s enough unnecessary sneaking around for me in one day, thought Midoriya as he plopped back down in his seat with a huff. 

If another person other than Shinso finds it, it’ll be fine. There wasn’t anything on there that shows it was from me. 

Midoriya opened his notebook, and got out the new pencil he was using. 

I wonder what Uraraka was talking about. ‘I wanna help you guys out’ can have a lot of different meanings. If it was her parents-

Midoriya’s train of thought was blown to smithereens as Present Mic’s voice blared across the stadium, declaring the start of the second round. 

Ugh. Does he have to be so loud? 

Shinso and Todoroki appeared in the arena below. 

Now, let’s see if Shinso uses the information I gave him. 

The two teens walked out onto the battlefield, staring at each other. Shinso’s eyes were tired yet determined. Todoroki’s were just cold. 

“I heard that Endeavor was your father,” said Shinso conversationally. 

Todoroki didn’t reply, but his eyes narrowed. Shinso noticed his displeasure. 

“You seem a lot like him. Your dad, I mean. Your mom must be very close with him,” Shinso nagged, watching closely for Todoroki’s reaction. 

Yes! He’s using the information I gave him, Midoriya thought as he leaned forward eagerly in his seat. 

Todoroki didn’t do a good job hiding his anger. He clenched his jaw, and his hands balled into fists at his side. Irritation was written plainly across his face. 

But he still didn’t speak. 

C’mon, just nudge a little further…

“AND… BEGIN!!” Present Mic shouted. 

Ice started spreading across the ground at alarming speed. It would be over in a few seconds. Shinso knew he had to do something, anything to get Todoroki to speak. Shinso was so determined to reach his dreams he wouldn’t lose. 

“No wonder your mom burned half your face off!! You’re just like your father, with your cruel and demeaning attitude!” Shinso spat as the ice started spreading up his legs. 

That was taking it a little too far, even for Midoriya. 

Todoroki’s eyes widened in shock and anger. A small sound escaped his mouth, but that was all Shinso needed. 

The ice stopped at Shinso’s chest, and Todoroki’s eyes went blank. 

Midnight looked between them, contemplating what to do. They were technically both immobilized. But the match wasn’t over yet. 

Shinso was breathing heavily, glancing between the ice surrounding him and Todoroki’s motionless body. Todoroki has even less emotion in his face than before the match started, if that was possible. 

“Melt the ice surrounding me, without hurting me,” Shinso commanded. 

Todoroki did it. He slowly walked across the battlefield to Shinso and used his fire to melt the ice. This might be one of the only chances Midoriya got to see his flames in action and rabidly took notes. 

“Now, walk out of bounds.” Shinso watched Todoroki walk the entire way off the battlefield. His muscles didn’t relax until Todoroki was safely out of bounds. 

Midnight announced Shinso the winner, and he released Todoroki. He blinked confusedly, and gasped when he realized he was out of bounds. 

Midoriya could see the anger and confusion in Todoroki’s eyes as he watched Shinso walk back up to the stands. 

Midoriya smiled. Way to go, Shinso. 

Next up was Iida vs. Shiozaki. The matches were getting more interesting, as it had filtered down to the most powerful of the students. 

Iida won by outpacing Shiozaki’s vines and speedily pushing her out of bounds. 

So that means Shinso and Iida will face off in the next round. I don’t know if Iida is as easy to manipulate as Todoroki though…

Tokoyami and Mina fought against each other next. 

Mina never stood a chance. Tokoyami’s dark shadow was too strong, and Mina’s acid had barely any effect on it. So obviously, Tokoyami won. 

The last match of the second round was between Kirishima and Bakugo. 

If Kirishima had gone up against Uraraka in the first round, Uraraka would’ve won for sure. Kirishima’s not fast enough to avoid her and he doesn’t have long range attacks to keep her at bay. 

A lot of this festival is just chance. It all depends on who you’re paired up against. 

Kirishima drew the short end of the stick with this battle. Kacchan’s going to win. 

Most of the crowd was surprised when Bakugo had to go on the defensive. Kirishima was attacking relentlessly, and had even managed to cut Bakugo’s cheek. 

But Midoriya was still sure of the outcome. 

Kirishima’s quirk doesn’t have the endurance to last for a long battle. He’s trying to get this over with quickly. 

Bakugo picked up on this too. It wasn’t long before he was rapidly releasing explosions, not giving Kirishima a second of rest. Midoriya watched with interest as his hardening cracked. 

So that’s how much force it takes to wear out his quirk, thought Midoriya, scribbling in his notebook. 

Bakugo moved on to the semi-finals, which was expected. The second round was now concluded. 

The final four were shown on screen: Shinso, Iida, Tokoyami and Bakugo. 

Huh, that’s really interesting. Each of the final four are vastly different from each other. None of them have even remotely similar quirks, and each of their fighting styles are unique. 

Midoriya clutched his pencil tighter and grinned. 

These are going to make for some interesting finals. 

The only two rounds in the semi-finals were Shinso vs. Iida and Tokoyami vs. Bakugo, particularly in that order. 

Shinso and Iida walked onto the battlefield. Not a word was exchanged between the two of them. Iida just stared fiercely at Shinso. 

Shinso’s on his own on this one. I can’t help him. 

The match started and Iida immediately bursted forward with incredible speed. Shinso wouldn’t be able to dodge. 

“I heard at the USJ you left your fellow classmates behind!” yelled Shinso as Iida sped towards him. 

Iida grabbed Shinso’s shoulders and started pushing him out of bounds, similar to what he’d done with Shiozaki. 

“How does it feel knowing that you abandoned them!? I thought you were the class rep!!” Shinso shouted, a little desperation leaking into his voice. 

Iida inhaled sharply and his eyes widened, “I didn’t…”

The rest of the sentence was cut off as he abruptly came to a stop. Shinso was mere inches away from the limit line. 

A smirk broke across both Shinso’s and Midoriya’s faces. All Shinso had to do was edge away from the boundary line, and then push Iida over it himself. 

“Shinso Hitoshi advances to the finals!” announced Midnight. 

It’s going to be Shinso vs. Kacchan for the finals. Huh, I thought that Todoroki, Iida or Yaoyorozu would be the greatest threats to Kacchan’s victory. It turns out that Shinso’s actually the one to be afraid of. 

Shinso released Iida, who quickly realized what had happened. Iida spun around to face him, but he was already walking away. Iida ran up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Shinso turned around slowly. 

“That was very well played. I congratulate you on your victory,” said Iida. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice, but his smile was genuine. 

Iida held out a hand, and Shinso took it. 

“Thanks, I guess,” said Shinso, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Midoriya watched as they shook hands. 

Are they… friends?

Shinso didn’t seem like the type to make friends easily. But Iida and Kaminari had treated him like they knew each other. Midoriya didn’t have much time to think about it, because the next match began right away. 

Bakugo and Tokoyami walked onto the field. Midoriya already knew who was going to win. 

The match began with a strong attack from Tokoyami. He was trying to do the same thing he’d done with Yayorozu and Mina: force his opponent out quickly and effectively. 

But Bakugo quickly found out what Midoriya already knew. Tokoyami’s quirk had a distinct weakness to light. 

While watching videos of 1-A’s training, Midoriya had analyzed Tokoyami’s quirk closely for any apparent weaknesses. Dark shadow was very powerful. It was only reasonable to try and find a way to beat it. 

Midoriya had noticed that Tokoyami’s performance levels decreased when he was in brighter light. It was very subtle, but still important. That’s why Tokoyami and Kaminari were together in the USJ. Kaminari’s quirk would weaken his partner. 

Bakugo took advantage of this and started emitting an insane amount of light from his palms. He exploded Tokoyami, and when the smoke cleared, Bakugo was the obvious winner. 

Midoriya wasn’t surprised in the least, but he sighed disappointedly. He already knew all about Bakugo’s quirk and fighting style. It was more interesting to see others in battle. 

There was a small break in between the semi-finals and the finals, in which Midoriya just sat in his seat, anticipation building. 

I wasn’t sure if Shinso would be able to get Todoroki and Iida to talk, but he still managed to pull it off. Let's see if he's able to do it with Bakugo. 

Finally, Shinsou and Bakugo walked out onto the battlefield. Shinso didn’t appear very tired anymore, just determined. Bakugo just looked mad. 

Midoriya could almost hear the thoughts going through Bakugo’s head: I can’t believe I’m fighting a damn weakling like this for the finals! All I need to do is keep my mouth shut! I want to prove I’m the best, and beating this guy doesn’t prove anything!!

“I know you think you already have this fight in the bag,” said Shinso, eyeing Bakugo sharply. Bakugo’s eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. 

“But don’t think for a second that you’re the only one here who wants to win,” Shinso said angrily. “It’s been so simple for someone like you to have dreams. Your goals of being a hero, it'll be so easy for you to achieve them.”

Bakugo just continued glaring at Shinso angrily, but something in his face changed at those words. 

“You’ll never be able to understand what it’s like for someone like me. I’ve always been looked at like I’m a villain, just because of what my quirk is. But I’m going to prove them all wrong.” Shinso’s voice held more passion than when All Might spoke about 1-A’s potential. 

Present Mic inhaled, getting ready to scream the start of the match. Shinso and Bakugo tensed. 

“Because you know what?” Shinso smirked, “I’ve met a villain that’s more of a hero than you.”

Bakugo’s eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. It wasn’t enough for Shinso to brainwash him. 

"BEGIN!!” Present Mic shouted. 

Bakugo hesitated, shocked by Shinso’s words. But Shinso moved quicker than anyone could’ve anticipated. He clobbered Bakugo in the face, much to Midoriya’s satisfaction. Bakugo stepped back several feet, nose and mouth bleeding. 

Shinso ran up to Bakugo and put his arm across Bakugo’s chest and started pushing him as hard as he could to the boundary line, but Bakugo refused to go down that easily. He lit his hands up with explosions and with one big boom he sent Shinso flying backwards. 

Shinso landed on his back, but quickly started getting up. Bakugo propelled himself towards Shinso, resisting the urge to scream “ die!” Shinso rolled out the way last minute, putting his training from Aizawa to use. 

They continued to brawl. Shinso kept making snide remarks, but nothing worked on Bakugo. He was too focused on the battle. Shinso fought better than expected, considering he was from General Studies, but Bakugo was still the obvious winner. 

Bakugo dealt the final blow with a full force explosion uppercutting the chin. Shinso cried out in pain, and he was sent several feet over the boundary line. 

“You idiot,” Bakugo finally spoke, “thinking that your cheap tricks could work on me.”

Shinso might’ve wanted to win so badly, but Bakugo’s determination to win was still greater than anyone else's. 

Shinso got up slowly, moaning from aches and pains. Bakugo already started walking away. 

“But it wasn’t as easy as you thought it would be, was it?” asked Shinso. 

“Tch,” Bakugo stopped walking, and seemed to pause in thought. He turned around and met Shinso’s eyes. “Stay out of my way, Shinso,” he said, before walking the rest of the way off the field. 

Shinso’s eyes widened in surprise. He’d called him by his name. 

Shinso smiled, and then walked off the field too. 

Midoriya was watching with rapt attention. The battle had held a lot of surprises. 

Kacchan’s reaction to Shinso’s words was not what I’d expected. The Kacchan I knew wouldn’t’ve given an ounce of thought to Shinso’s struggles. But… he actually seemed to care. 

Shinso did a better job provoking Kacchan than I thought he would. He knows how to use his words as weapons, like me. 

He’s also much better at fighting than I originally thought. He also seems to be a little more muscular than when I saw him at the entrance exam. I wonder who’s training him. 

But Midoriya was most surprised by Shinso’s words at the start. 

“I’ve met a villain that’s more of a hero than you.”

Midoriya mulled the words over in his brain. Despite their obvious meaning, Midoriya felt very perplexed. 

Was he… was he talking about me? He thinks I’m like a hero? But… why? I’m not a hero, not even close. 

Midoriya thought back to the entrance exam, and the brief talk he’d had with Shinso. 

What did he see in me that made him think I’m like a hero?

Medals were handed out a short while later. Bakugo looked very pompous atop the number one spot. Shinso had gone back to looking indifferent, standing on the number two spot. Tokoyami and Iida were supposed to share the number three spot, but Iida was nowhere to be seen. 

Midoriya didn’t pay it much thought. 

He got a little distracted when All Might came barreling in out of nowhere. The same, familiar anger engulfed his mind. 

Of course. They brought in the number one hero just to award medals. His time limit prevents him from doing anything more. 

Midoriya surveyed the faces of the students, and quickly noticed that 1-A looked at All Might differently than all the other students. Most of the teens looked at the symbol of peace with awe and reverence. 1-A looked concerned, like he was about to crumble to pieces. 

So I guess they know about his time limit. They did see his deflated form at the USJ, but I thought that UA would try to cover it up. Try and keep All Might the perfect symbol of peace for as long as possible. 

Midoriya quickly got refocused. He didn’t have time to think about All Might and the USJ. It was time to put the stupid idea he’d had earlier while watching Shinso into fruition. 

He stood up and left his seat as the award ceremony was drawing to a close. He snuck over to the area where General Studies students would be leaving the centerstage. He positioned himself in a shadowy corner, and took off his hood and mask. Now, he wouldn’t be seen unless he wanted to. 

At last, the award ceremony ended and each of the courses dispersed. Just like the start of the Sports Festival, each course had its own hallway it went down to exit the centerstage. 

General Studies students started coming through the area Midoriya was in to get back up to their seats at the top. He just stood silently in the shadows, waiting. 

Finally, Midoriya saw him. Shinso hung to the back of the crowd, trying to avoid all the attention being second place got him. 

Midoriya timed it perfectly. The moment Shinso was passing by the area Midoriya was hiding in, Midoriya stepped ever so slightly out of the shadows, letting the light come across his face. 

The movement caught Shinso’s eye, and he turned his head. 

Their eyes connected, and Shinso stopped dead in his tracks as he realized who he was staring at, recognizing the large scar on his cheek immediately. 

Midoriya stepped back into the shadows as one of Shinso’s classmates asked, “hey, you coming?”

“Er, yeah. I’ll be right there,” Shinso responded, not taking his eyes off of Midoriya’s hiding spot. 

Midoriya smiled and he took off down one of the hallways. Shinso quickly followed him. 

Midoriya weaved his way through the labyrinth of hallways, making his way to one of the back areas of the stadium that no one ever went to. Shinso followed him the best he could, but Midoriya was fast. 

“Hey, wait up!” Shinso shouted, “I know who you are! Slow down!!”

Midoriya kept just the right pace for Shinso to keep up. 

He reached a dead end. The light was burnt out, and it was obvious that this part of the stadium was not very well maintained. 

Shinso caught up with him a couple moments later, catching his breath. 

Midoriya was facing the wall, his back to Shinso. They were several feet apart. 

Shinso didn’t know what to say at first. He’d been expecting a lot of things from the UA Sports Festival, but meeting a villain he’d wanted to be friends with was not one of them. 

“You know, if you’re going to try to become a hero, you’re going to have to work on your endurance,” said Midoriya. He turned around and faced Shinso, who had his hands on his knees, panting. 

“You’re Izuku Midoriya, or Deku. You’re a villain,” said Shinso, ignoring what Midoriya had said. 

“And you’re Hitoshi Shinso. General studies student. Quirk: Brainwashing,” Midoriya recited from memory, although he knew a lot more about Shinso than that. 

They kept a good distance apart from each other, each of them wary about what the other might do. Shinso finally stood up after having his hands on his knees. 

“We met at the entrance exam,” said Shinso.

“Yeah, we did,” Midoriya replied. He couldn’t tell if Shinso was scared or angry or happy or curious or indifferent. Shinso was a hard person to read, but so was Midoriya. 

“Why did you show yourself to me like that?” asked Shinso. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” Midoriya said in a neutral tone. 

“Why? You’re a villain and I’m a hero. I could easily brainwash you right now and turn you into the police,” said Shinso, his voice and expression harsh. 

“But you aren’t going to, are you?” asked Midoriya, smiling. 

Shinso scowled, because he knew Midoriya was right. Midoriya was the first person who’d acknowledged him. The first person who’d agreed with him. Here were two people who had both been unfairly judged by society just because of their quirk, or lack thereof. Shinso wasn’t about to brainwash the only person he related to. 

Midoriya knew Shinso thought this way, and used it to his advantage. 

“You did really well in the Sports Festival,” said Midoriya, eyeing the silver medal around Shinso’s neck. “The way you used your quirk was very impressive. I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to get Todoroki and Iida to talk, but you did.”

“Thanks,” said Shinso. He paused and looked down at the floor, thinking. “It was you who left that note on my door wasn’t it? With all the information about Todoroki.”

Midoriya hesitated. “Yeah. It was.”

“So is that all you wanted to talk about? My performance in the Sports Festival?” asked Shinso boredly. 

“No,” Midoriya’s tone got serious, “there’s actually something rather important I want to ask you.”

“Well, what is it?” asked Shinso, getting frustrated with how Midoriya was beating around the bush. 

Midoriya looked down and sighed, before asking, “do you want to become a villain?” 

His voice… it had a twinge of hope in it. 

Shinso uttered in surprise and his eyes widened. He’d been trying to avoid becoming a villain all his life. When Shinso didn’t respond, Midoriya continued. 

“You’ve always been treated unfairly, because of your quirk, right? People give you suspicious side glances, whisper about you behind your back, bully you, shun you. They don’t treat you like you’re human, with emotions and a life.”

Midoriya paused and looked down at the floor with a glum expression. His voice was full of sadness, and Shinso felt it. 

Then his voice grew angry. 

“But you can change that. You can join me, and the League of Villains,” Midoriya walked up to Shinso, “there, you’ll be respected for your quirk. You’ll actually be able to make a difference, more difference than you ever could make as a hero.”  

Shinso flinched, because he said the word hero like he had some repulsive filth in his mouth. He said the word hero like how usual people say the word villain. He said the word hero like it didn’t stand for all of the people who would sacrifice their lives to save people. 

Shinso could see the wrath towards heroes in Midoriya’s eyes. 

So, this is what heroes have done to Midoriya, thought Shinso sadly. 

All the discrimination and hatred has twisted his worldview to the point where he can’t see so many of the good, worthwhile things in this life. 

Midoriya held out his hand to Shinso. 

“So what do you say? Will you become a villain?” There was something in his voice. It sounded like hope. No, hope was the wrong word. More like… longing. 

Shinso barely had to think about his answer at all. 

“No thanks,” said Shinso as he slapped Midoriya’s hand away. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise. His face fell with disappointment, but then quickly glossed over to a mixture of confusion and anger. “What do you mean!?”

“Becoming a villain would undermine everything I’ve been striving to achieve in my life,” explained Shinso, “all those people who called me a villain, I’d be doing exactly what they expected of me. That’s not what I want. I want to prove them wrong.”

Midoriya just stared at Shinso, his expression shifting back to disappointment. 

“I’m going to become a hero, and no one’s going to get in my way. That’s why I gave the Sports Festival my all, to get transferred to the hero course,” Shinso said confidently, “so thanks for the offer, but I’m good.”

Midoriya looked down at the floor sadly. “I see. I guess that’s it then.”

“I guess so,” said Shinso. He turned around and started walking away, wanting to further prove that he had no intentions of becoming a villain. 

But then Midoriya stopped Shinso by grabbing his arm. Shinso looked over his shoulder. Midoriya was still staring at the floor, and his hands were shaking. 

"Please,” Midoriya begged, “are you sure?” 

His voice was filled with such desperation of which Shinso had never heard before. 

And that’s when it hit him. Shinso finally understood why Midoriya was there. It wasn’t because he thought Shinso would make a good villain, it was because he was lonely. Midoriya wasn’t comfortable enough around anyone to consider them a friend. He didn’t have anyone to be happy with. He only wanted to be Shinso’s friend. Midoriya didn’t have anyone else to turn to. 

Shinso knew what that loneliness felt like. He’d felt it not so long ago, before he started attending UA. But then he met Class 1-A. They treated him like he was human. They didn’t give him suspicious glances or whisper behind his back. 

Shinso had made real friends. 

But Midoriya doesn’t have those friends. He doesn’t have anyone. He said the League respected him, but if he’s this desperate for me to come with him…

“I’m sorry,” said Shinso with much more kindness than before, “but, yes. I’m sure.”

“But we do the same things!” Midoriya shouted. He looked up and made eye contact with Shinso, still gripping his arm. “We both have to rely on manipulating our opponent’s emotions in order to win, to make up for our lack of power. We’re the same.”

“Just because I have to manipulate people to win, doesn’t mean I’m a villain. Manipulation can be used to help people, as well as hurt,” said Shinso. He gently removed Midoriya’s hand from his arm. 

Midoriya went back to staring at the floor, and as Shinso watched him, he couldn’t help but feel terribly sorry for him. 

“Are you sure being a villain is the right path for you?” asked Shinso. 

Midoriya looked up at him. For a split second, Shinso could see a war going on inside his head. “Yes.”

“If you say so,” said Shinso, because he knew that being a villain was not for Midoriya. Deep down, Midoriya knew it too. 

Shinso started walking away again, and this time Midoriya didn’t grab his arm. 

“One more question,” said Midoriya quietly. 

Shinso stopped walking but he didn’t turn around. 

“You told Kach- er, Bakugo, that you’d met a villain who was more of a hero than him,” said Midoriya. “Were… were you talking about me?”

“Yeah, I was,” said Shinso, still not turning around. 

“What makes you think I’m like a hero?”

Shinso paused for a moment to think. “At the entrance test, you could tell I was stressed out about the physical exam. You probably had your own problems to worry about, but you still came over and asked me if I was okay. You didn’t even know me, but you still cared about me.”

Shinso turned around and looked Midoriya directly in the eyes. 

“And to me, that’s a quality of an actual hero. Not those fake egomaniacs on TV.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly, until he broke eye contact and looked down at his hands. “Thanks.”

Shinso nodded and then continued walking away. When he turned around to see if Midoriya was still standing there, he was gone. 

Shinso chose not to tell the police about his talk with the villain Deku.

Notes:

So, uh, sorry to those of you who wanted Shinso to become a villain with Midoriya. Yeah... no.

Anyway, this chapter's song is Lonely by Nathan Wagner (thanks to CloudAndTifa4Ever for recommending it). It mainly relates to how both Shinso and Midoriya have gone through similar things with nobody caring about them. Also, this kinda doesn't relate to the chapter but the second verse fits All Might really well.

And I don't think I've ever said this, but I totally accept song suggestions. I'm not going to change previous chapter's songs, but I might use them for future chapters. I like almost any type of music, except for jazz (please, not jazz, it's awful, I'm sorry) and songs that only talk about sex and drugs and alcohol. Like, c'mon, there's more to life than physical relationships.

Chapter 23: Cold Hearted

Notes:

This chapter was very fun to write, which is a little concerning considering what happens. I should probably warn for blood. It isn't that bad, because I don't really do good with gore myself, but there's still blood.

Alrighty then, that wasn't ominous at all... I’m doing a bonus chap on Thursday, so yeah.

Midoriya was walking back to his seat in the stadium. The first years’ part was officially over, so the crowd was dispersing back to the stands and activities located outside the stadium. 

Thankfully, Midoriya’s bag hadn’t been stolen. But that didn’t improve his mood. 

I can’t believe Shinso didn’t agree to become a villain, Midoriya thought bitterly as he swung his yellow backpack around his shoulders. He started to exit the stadium, following the stream of people

You didn’t actually expect him to say yes, did you?

…no. I didn’t. The effort he put into the Sports Festival proves how hard he’s trying to be a hero. There’s no way he would’ve become a villain. 

So then why did you ask him if you already knew he was going to say no?

I want a friend. Maybe not even a friend, just someone I can trust. 

People you can truly depend on are far and few between in the villain business. Loneliness and being a villain go hand in hand. Do you still think you’re happy being a villain?

Being a villain isn’t about being happy. It’s about getting back at the world because it failed you. Getting back at heroes because they failed you. That’s why I’m a villain, not because I want to be happy. 

There’s more to life than revenge. 

Midoriya was so deep in thought he didn’t even realize where he was going. Before he knew it, he was walking down a very crowded path. People (ugh, people) were everywhere and Midoriya couldn’t even see where UA’s blue gates were. 

He also couldn’t see the pro heroes eyeing him. Despite wearing his mask and jacket, some of his green curls were still protruding from under his hood. That was almost enough to identify him. 

Midoriya felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and cautiously turned around to see whose it was. 

He was standing face to face with Death Arms. Midoriya swore internally. 

“Hey kid, could you take your mask off for me?” It wasn’t a request. Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods were coming up behind him. 

Midoriya did the only thing he could think of. 

“Sure! No problem!” he said cheerfully, reaching up to his mask. The second he started pulling it down, he pivoted and punched Death Arms’ throat really hard. 

Death Arms choked a little and his grip on Midoriya’s shoulder slackened. Midoriya took off running through the crowd, with Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods chasing him. 

Mt. Lady can’t use her quirk here. She’s too big and she’ll risk harming the people and property. 

Kamui Woods' quirk also takes up a lot of space, so he can’t use it effectively in large crowds like this. He also can’t use it to restrain me if he can’t see me. 

I don’t think I’ll have to use my new device to escape. 

Midoriya heard Kamui yelling into his comms, “we have spotted a villain! Deku from the USJ has infiltrated the Sports Festival!! Requesting backup!”

Midoriya weaved through the crowd, using his speed to his advantage. Mt. Lady and Kamui were losing him. 

“Come back here you stupid villain,” Mt. Lady shouted over the crowd, frustrated that she couldn’t use her quirk to help. 

Midoriya spotted the blue gates of UA and started heading towards them. They were his exit, his means of escape. 

That was, until a huge wall of concrete rose up in his face. 

Dammit! I just wanna get out of here!!

Midoriya turned and saw Cementoss raising his glowing green hands up off of the concrete. Mt. Lady, Kamui and Death Arms came up behind him. The pros eyed the scar on Midoriya’s now revealed face. People who had been excitedly shopping a moment before were now watching the commotion with wide eyes. 

“This is the end of the line for you, villain,” said Cementoss, “come quietly if you don’t want to get hurt.”

That’s such a stupid thing to say. 

“You really don’t understand how the mind of a villain works if you think that overused line will accomplish anything,” said Midoriya confidently. He wasn’t about to be brought down by a bunch of good-for-nothing heroes like this. 

The heroes seemed a little taken aback by his confidence, but persevered nonetheless. 

“Please, just surrender. We don’t want to fight,” said Kamui. 

“I don’t want to fight either; it isn’t really my thing,” said Midoriya. “But getting caught isn’t an option for me.” Midoriya threw one of his small marble bombs at a family of three, who had been trying to edge away from the scene unnoticed. 

Midoriya knew that the heroes would stop the bomb. That’s why they were heroes. 

Sure enough, they did. Cementoss encased the explosive marble in concrete and Kamui got the family out of the way using the wood from his body. 

But the bomb never exploded. 

“It’s a decoy! He’s just trying to distract us!” Cementoss exclaimed. 

The bomb had been a fake, just to distract the heroes long enough for him to escape. Midoriya didn’t want to hurt anyone. 

By the time the heroes turned their attention back to the villain, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Midoriya was laughing inside his head as he ran through the crowd. I can’t believe they fell for something like that. 

Mt. Lady and Death Arms should’ve realized that their quirks are ineffective against explosives. They should’ve left it up to Cementoss and Kamui, and focus their attention on me instead. 

But no. They’re just a bunch of self-centered pros who can’t see the big picture. 

The heroes began chasing him again, and started gaining on him. Midoriya was barely able to dodge multiple concrete walls that sprung up in his path. They realized he was heading for the UA entrance, and were able to direct his path away from it. 

Crap. I might have to use the new device. 

He heard the heroes close behind him, so ducked into a shadowy area in between two stands. It was less crowded in this area of the festival. 

The heroes ran past him, but Kamui stopped and looked around. 

“Hold on. I can’t see him running ahead of us anymore. He might’ve swerved off to the side, or be hiding,” Kamui said. 

“Or,” Mt. Lady interjected, “he’s still running ahead and we’re losing him!”

Midoriya decided to make his move. 

He dashed out of his hiding spot with a crazy amount of speed. The heroes had barely even noticed he was there until he was right behind them. Midoriya flipped over Cementoss’s head. For a split second Midoriya was falling upside down right in front of Cementoss, who raised his hands a little in surprise. In that split second, Midoriya attached his device onto Cementoss’s hands. Midoriya twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet in front of the heroes. 

Kamui sent his twisting branches to capture Midoriya, who jumped out of the way. From his pocket, Midoriya took out a small metal plate the size of a card with multiple small buttons on it. 

“Stay right there and stop moving if you want Cementoss to keep his hands and his quirk,” Midoriya threatened. 

The pros froze at once. The innocent bystanders froze too, not sure what to make of the situation. When people started realizing that Midoriya was Deku they started getting away from the scene as quickly as possible. A few brave (or stupid) souls hid behind the stands to film the event on their phones. 

Cementoss was staring down at the device on his hands. There were 10 small metal orb thingies, one for each knuckle, that had little pegs. These pegs dug under his skin and attached the orbs to his knuckles. A bit of blood was dripping from his hands. 

Cementoss grunted in pain and looked up from his hands at Midoriya. “What is this?”

“Don’t try removing them. It’s impossible without ripping out your tendons,” said Midoriya, which caused the pros’ eyes to widen. “Each of those orbs on your hands is a bomb. There’s enough power in each of them to blow off your finger and part of your palm. If all five bombs go off on one hand… let’s just say you won’t be waving to anyone anytime soon.”

The heroes gasped in horror. This teen was capable of doing such an atrocious act? He was just a kid!

“Not to mention, you can’t use your quirk without your hands,” Midoriya added. He said it with a cool, confident tone, but on the inside he wasn’t liking this very much. He’d rather tear heroes’ confidence down with words than tear their hands down with explosives. But you gotta do what you gotta do. 

“How do we know this isn’t just another decoy?” asked Death Arms, agitated. 

“Yeah! You could just be tricking us again,” said Mt. Lady. 

Oh… that made Midoriya mad, and it was obvious in his voice. “Do you want me to blow off his pinkie just to prove a point!?” 

The heroes hesitated, uncertainty etched on their faces. 

“Gosh, you stupid heroes,” Midoriya continued angrily, “you can’t even tell if someone is being serious about a threat or not! That’s going to cost innocent people their lives in the future. If you truly cared about helping people, you’d try harder to understand a villain, not just stop them.”

The heroes stood there, a little confused, a little angry, and a little scared of Midoriya. 

“Here’s how it’s going to go,” Midoriya said in a commanding tone, “I’m going to start walking towards the exit, and you guys aren’t going to do anything. Once I’m safely out of UA, I’ll disable the bombs on Cementoss’s hands. That way nobody gets hurt.”

The heroes clenched their jaws and fists, not happy with the idea of letting Midoriya walk away scott-free. 

“Aizawa has told me about you,” said Cementoss, focusing on Midoriya, “at the USJ, you tried to stop Shigaraki from killing him, and it got to the point where Shigaraki was threatening to hurt you. If you put that much effort into saving someone you’re fighting against, then you’re not a true villain. You’re no murderer.”

“Shigaraki threatens to hurt me all the time,” Midoriya retorted, “that’s no new occurrence. And you’re right, I am no murderer. But exploding your hands isn’t murder. It’ll just hurt a lot.”

Cementoss narrowed his eyes, trying to figure Midoriya out. 

“Please believe me,” Midoriya almost pleaded, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He was bordering between desperate because he really didn’t want to hurt Cementoss, but also angry because they still couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. 

“I don’t think you’re mentally capable of harming me,” said Cementoss confidently, “you’re just a kid.” He got into a fighting stance. The other heroes follow suit. 

Midoriya sighed. “I tried to warn you…”

He started lowering his finger down onto a button on the small metal plate. Just before he pressed down, he hesitated. 

I don’t want to do this. 

But you have to. You’ve already crossed this line. 

And so he pushed it. The bomb on Cementoss’s right pinkie finger exploded with a boom. Blood splattered across the concrete. 

The pro hero screamed in anguish as he looked down at his hand. His pinkie was entirely gone, and so was a good portion of his palm. Blood was dripping thickly from his hand. 

Midoriya had to look away as he felt a surge of emotions. They weren’t good feelings. It was like a mixture of shame, disgust and remorse, but he quickly pushed them down. There was no place for emotions in a job like this. 

However, he was unable to push down his guilt as he watched Cementoss’s face contort in pain. 

The other three pros rushed to Cementoss’s side, surprised that Midoriya had actually followed through with what he said. 

“I really wish you would’ve listened to me,” Midoriya said sadly. 

Death Arms glared at Midoriya angrily. “You’re a true villain all right. The worst of the worst.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened a little at those words. 

“You think I enjoy doing this?” Midoriya asked. “I tried to warn you! I didn’t want to hurt him! But you couldn’t even tell if I was actually going to do it or not!”

The heroes didn’t believe a word he said. In their eyes, he was nothing more than a rotten villain. He was just as cold hearted as any other. 

“I’ll just go. When I’m out of UA, I’ll disarm the bombs,” said Midoriya, turning to walk away. He needed to escape before more pros showed up. 

The heroes had no choice but to stand there and watch as Midoriya left. If they did anything, they risked Cementoss losing another finger, or hand. 

Midoriya started running towards the exit. Now, he wasn’t just trying to escape UA, but also the horrifying thing he’d just done. 

People glanced at him suspiciously as he passed, but he was running too fast to be identifiable. 

Midoriya continued running once he was outside of UA’s walls. He flipped a switch on the side of the metal plate. Back in UA, the pegs retracted back inside the orbs and fell off of Cementoss’s hands. 

More pros were sent out in search of Midoriya, but they couldn’t find anything. Cementoss was given first aid. Not many people can say they only have nine fingers, and now Cementoss was one of them. 

Midoriya couldn’t fall asleep that night. 

 

No one would disagree that All Might was an idiot. 

First of all, he was an awful teacher. He struggled remembering any of the students' names; he couldn’t stay concentrated on the lesson; even if he did stay concentrated on the lesson the students would be too confused to do their homework correctly. It didn’t help that his time limit was shortened even more after the USJ. Class 1-A was the only class he could show his true form to.

Secondly, he’d caused one of the kindest boys in the country to turn into a cold, manipulative villain. I mean, it takes a special kind of stupid to do that. What kind of number one hero just crushes a child’s dreams and then walks away like ‘well, I’ve got more important things to do than make sure this teenager is still mentally stable after essentially ruining his life.’

Lastly (and this was probably the most relevant right now), he couldn’t pick a gosh darn successor! He’d been teaching all of the hero course students in all three years. He’d been spending a little more time with Class 1-A because he secretly liked them more because they needed more help after being attacked by villains. 

But despite all that he couldn’t find someone he found worthy of the power of One for All. Granted, he hadn’t spoken with Mirio Togata yet. Night Eye had been pretty adamant on the power going to him. But to All Might, it didn’t seem like Togata needed the power. He was incredibly strong with just his own quirk, good enough to be one of the big three. 

So All Might was in a bit of a predicament. Does he give One for All to Togata, like Night Eye wanted? Or does he continue looking for someone he truly believes would make the perfect successor?

Not that All Might even knew what a perfect successor would look like. He just thought he would feel it or sense it when he met them. 

Tsukauchi had told All Might about the Nomu’s multiple quirks and his interactions with Midoriya after his mother woke up. All For One was part of the League of Villains, in some way shape or form. 

Only one thing was for sure: his time was running out and he had to pick someone. 

 

The incident at the Sports Festival made several appearances on the news. Those videos filmed by the brave and stupid souls had gotten a lot of views. Many people had seen them, including Shigaraki. 

When Midoriya had gone to drop off his notes on 1-A and 1-B at the bar, Shigaraki yelled at him for being an idiot. 

“First of all, you shouldn’t’ve gotten caught! You're supposed to be good at stealth. Secondly, who cares if a worthless hero gets hurt or not!! You could’ve just blown off his hands! Why didn’t you!?” Shigaraki had yelled.

“Then I would’ve had no leverage to escape! There would’ve been nothing stopping them from arresting me!!” Midoriya had retorted. 

Tch, who is he to talk about being an idiot? He’s the one who wanted to kill Eraserhead for no reason, Midoriya thought as he walked down the street back to his windowless apartment. 

It was quite early in the morning. The sun had just begun to rise, so nobody was out. This was one of the few times it was safe for Midoriya to walk down the street, and not on the rooftops. 

He had his earbuds in, listening to music rather loudly. He’d been listening to more hard rock songs recently. He totally wasn’t damaging his hearing at all…

As he walked down the quiet street, enjoying the rare moment of peace as the sky slowly got lighter, something on the side of the road caught his eye. 

No, it wasn’t a dead body or a bag of jewelry or a lost kitten or anything dramatic like that. 

It was a guitar. 

It looked like it had just been dumped on the side of the road. It was scuffed up pretty bad, but wasn’t cracked or broken in any areas. Only one string remained intact; the rest had snapped. It’s leather strap was fraying and torn in multiple areas. 

But the guitar had a beautiful design around its sound hole. It was subtle, but still noticeable. It looked like weaving vines of morning glories.

Midoriya glanced around to see if anyone was looking for the guitar. If he had seen someone, he would’ve bolted right away. But since no one was around, and it didn’t look like anyone had owned the guitar in quite some time, he picked up the guitar and started carrying it with him. 

What am I doing? What. Am. I. Doing? I don’t have time to be playing instruments while being a villain!

But he still didn’t put the guitar down until he was back in his apartment. He set it down against a wall, and then plopped down on his bed and just stared at the instrument like it was some kind of foreign technology. 

What am I going to do with it now? I can’t play guitar, and I don’t have time to learn either!

You technically do have time. If you started training and taking notes a little less, you’d have plenty of time. 

But seriously. Why would I learn to play an instrument? It’d just be a waste of time, there’s no point. 

Actually, learning to play an instrument improves memory!

My memory is fine. 

Also, if you enjoy music, which you do, learning to play an instrument can improve mood. You set aside time to listen to music to cope with your stress, this could be the same!

So, as Midoriya sat there contemplating what to do with the guitar, he decided to learn how to play it. He ended up running to the store in a mask and hood to get a new guitar strap and strings, and cleaned off all of the grime the guitar had accumulated. 

Once he was finished patching it up, the guitar was still covered in scratches, but looked much better. 

In some of his free time, he set the guitar down on his lap while sitting on his bed, and scrolled through Youtube to find videos about how to play guitar. 

He’d been keeping up with his school work lately, and had taught himself how to hack. Guitar shouldn’t be too hard, right?

 

Shinso didn’t know what to expect. 

Well, he kind of did. He knew it would be about his performance in the Sports Festival and getting transferred to the hero course. However, he had no idea if it would go smoothly or horribly. He had no idea if his goals were about to become reachable or if his dreams were about to be crushed. 

After all, it wasn’t everyday a General Studies student was summoned to the Principal's office. 

At least Mr. Aizawa was with him. That made things easier. 

Throughout the course of Shinso’s training, he and Mr. Aizawa had grown quite close. Shinso would never admit it, but Mr. Aizawa was now his favorite hero. Mr. Aizawa wouldn’t never say it, but he related to Shinso in a way that he’d never related to any of his students before. 

Shinso wanted Mr. Aizawa to be his mentor, and Mr. Aizawa wanted Shinso to be a hero. 

So they both thought the same thing as they opened the door to Nezu’s office: he better transfer me/him to the hero course. 

“Welcome!” said Nezu happily as they walked up to his desk. “Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable.”

They did as they were told. Shinso tried to keep himself from fidgeting nervously, but it was hard not to fidget when your entire future would be decided in the next couple of moments. Not to mention, Nezu himself was quite terrifying. 

“I’m sure you know why you’re here, Shinso,” said Nezu, his smile sharp. 

Shinso nodded. He was afraid that if he spoke, his words would get caught in his throat. 

Nezu’s smile got wider. “Both you and Mr. Aizawa have made requests for your transfer to the hero course. After your exemplary performance in the Sports Festival, it would be hard to ignore them. It’s not very common that we see a General Studies student come second.”

“Thank you,” said Shinso politely, “I gave the Sports Festival everything I had.”

“I would expect nothing less of an aspiring hero,” said Nezu. “Now, back to the matter of importance. It is quite rare for a student to transfer courses, especially in the middle of the year. What I would suggest…”

“You are forgetting some important facts,” Mr. Aizawa interrupted. 

Shinso blinked at him in surprise. It took some nerve to interrupt the principal, but Nezu didn’t seem perturbed at all. Mr. Aizawa continued.

“Shinso performed better in the Sports Festival than any other student wishing to transfer courses. That cannot be overlooked. There is also already an available spot in Class 1-A, so we wouldn’t have to transfer any hero students out.”

“But you forget that the hero course is much more rigorous than General Studies. He is already behind, and could fall further behind if he is transferred too soon. The hero course could prove too difficult,” Nezu retorted. 

Something like fire burned in Mr. Aizawa’s eyes. “I’ve trained this boy myself, and I have no doubt that he is fully capable of handling the challenges presented by the hero course.”

Shinso’s eyes widened as he stared at his mentor. An unfamiliar emotion blossomed in his chest. Mr. Aizawa was proud of him. He believed in him. And for some reason, that made Shinso happier than he’d ever been in his life. 

Shinso directed his gaze at Nezu. “I want nothing more than to be a hero, but I can’t do that unless I’m in the hero course. I don’t care if I have to work harder than everyone else. With a quirk like mine, that’s expected. The only thing standing in the way of my goals is you, Principal Nezu.”

Now it was Mr. Aizawa’s turn to blink in surprise. Shinso wasn’t about to back down to anyone, not even the principal of UA. 

Nezu’s smile only widened. “My, my. You two sure are quite determined to get Shinso transferred as soon as possible! I don’t think anyone has ever resisted this much when it comes to course transfers. How about a compromise?”

When Mr. Aizawa and Shinso just looked at him expectantly, Nezu continued. 

“I was planning to wait until Shinso’s second year for him to transfer to the hero course, however, because you two are so adamant on him being transferred so soon, I could agree to him being transferred earlier.”

“How much earlier?” Mr. Aizawa asked. 

“Mr. Aizawa, I’m sure you are aware of the summer camp your students will be attending.”

Mr. Aizawa nodded. 

“How about this? Shinso will participate in the summer camp with the other hero course students. If he performs as well as he did in the Sports Festival, then he will be transferred to the hero course directly after summer break.”

Both Mr. Aizawa and Shinso had an internal celebration in their heads. 

“That sounds reasonable,” replied Aizawa. Shinso nodded in agreement. 

“Very well,” Nezu smiled, “I will make the arrangements necessary. I look forward to seeing what you can contribute to the hero course, Shinso.”

“Thanks,” Shinso replied. 

After a few final words, he and Mr. Aizawa exited the room. Shinso breathed a sigh of relief. His goals had become reachable. 

And to make it better, Shinso would be transferred to 1-A. The kids in 1-A had been some of the first people Shinso could consider friends. Soon, he’d be spending nearly every day with them. 

That sounded both exhausting and exciting at the same time. 

“Thanks,” said Shinso to Mr. Aizawa, “for everything.”

Mr. Aizawa looked at Shinso. “Don’t thank me. You’re getting transferred to the hero course because of your own determination and skill. All I’ve done is make it a little easier for you. I have no doubt that you would’ve gotten transferred with or without my help.” 

Shinso got the same happy feeling he’d gotten during the meeting with Nezu. It felt so good to actually have someone believe in him. 

Not really thinking about it, Shinso said “thanks” again. 

Mr. Aizawa looked down and pinched the bridge of his nose, “I literally just said not to thank me.”

Shinso smirked. “Oh, yeah. Those hours long training sessions and getting tangled up in capture weapons didn’t teach me anything. You haven’t helped me a bit,” he said sarcastically. 

A ghost of a smile appeared on Mr. Aizawa’s lips. 

Shinso couldn’t wait to get transferred to the hero course. 

Notes:

Yes, I gave Midoriya a guitar. Sue me.

And then there’s Cementoss joining Frodo in the nine-fingered club… hah.

I feel like that meeting with Nezu was a little short, but I’m not really good at adding extra fluff into conversations in real life or writing.

This chapter’s song is Natural by Imagine Dragons. Do I really have to explain this one? Midoriya’s having to push his feelings down and in the process he’s appearing heartless to everyone else.

Bonus chap on Thurs!

Chapter 24: The News Never Sleeps and Neither Do You

Notes:

And neither do I.

Summarizing this bonus chap in a sentence: people react to a newspaper article about recent events. It’s about a day or two after the Sports Fest.

Enjoy!

Blowing up Cementoss’s finger had… repercussions. Especially at UA. 

The public in general had heard as well, of course. It wasn’t everyday that a 15 year old quirkless kid permanently hurt a pro hero from the most prestigious hero school in Japan. 

However, the public just got more scared of villains. Everyone at UA was more personally affected. 

Students of Cementoss avidly questioned him about what had happened. The pro hero refused to give details, but warned his kids about Deku. If they spotted him, don’t do anything stupid and report it to the police. 

Cementoss also told them about how Deku had been a… different kind of villain. Not one that relies on physical prowess or a strong quirk. No, Deku relied on intellect and manipulation. 

UA as a whole had grown more wary of villains, particularly Deku, who was talked about frequently. There was the typical security boost, but you can only up your security so much. 

As for villains, Deku’s actions had only made them more boisterous. After all, if a 15 year old quirkless kid could do something so drastic, why couldn’t they?

And the way all this information got out to the public was through newspapers. This particular paper was one of the most read ones, and some people’s reactions to it:

 

Deku the Quirkless Kid: Villain or Victim?

Written by Just A. Person

The definition of villain is “a deliberate scoundrel or criminal.” I would like to bring attention to one word: deliberate. As we all know, villains have been a problem for a long time, since the appearance of quirks. But what truly makes someone a villain? Is it the illegal use of their quirk? Or, is it the disregard for human life? If it is either of these, then Izuku Midoriya, more widely known as the villain Deku, is not a villain. The more accurate term would be a delinquent. This is because he is unable to use his quirk illegally, for he has no quirk, and he has actually been shown to care about human life. However, the most important reason is that one key word: deliberate. Does Deku have a choice as to what he can or cannot do? Read more to find out!

Firstly, quirks. Ever since human beings evolved and developed life-changing abilities, there have been tight restrictions as to how people can or cannot use their quirks. The most important of these restrictions is the law: “use of quirks to harm or threaten human life or property is not allowed.” However, this excludes about 20% of the population: people who are quirkless. Having no quirks, they are unable to break this law, which includes Deku. Villains who are quirkless have been far and few between, to the point where almost no one has heard of any of them, until now. Deku is the first villain to be classified as “top tier” who is also quirkless. But how can he even be considered a high-level villain when he is unable to break some of the most important laws? That segways into the next focal point. 

Secondly, disregard for human life. Now, no one’s going to disagree that Deku has hurt people. He injured students at the USJ attack, and more recently he permanently damaged pro hero Cementoss’s right hand. However, that does not mean he disregards human life. Let me remind you, Deku has never killed anyone. In fact, he’s done quite the opposite. After some digging, police reports have shown that Deku has saved someone from being mugged, and he tried to stop pro hero Eraserhead from being murdered at the USJ attack. Now you might be thinking, “that doesn’t mean he’s a good person! He still hurt Cementoss really bad!” You’re forgetting that Deku could’ve hurt the pro hero much much worse. But instead of exploding all of Cementoss’s hands, thereby also removing his quirk, Deku only exploded a single finger. That sounds more like caring for human life, don’t you think?

Still, the most important thing is choice. It is a commonly known fact that only about 20% of the population is quirkless. However, most of that 20% are people sixty and older. In the new generation, people five through twenty five, only about 5% are quirkless. Deku, being 15, falls into this category. It is most likely that Deku was the only quirkless kid in his class. Despite our feeble attempts at equality, Deku was probably bullied for his lack of power. Is it that surprising then, that he would turn to villainy? How else would he be able to gain respect? If the world of heroes failed him, why not give villains a try? So, in short, Deku does have a choice and he deliberately chooses to do these heinous acts. This is what actually makes him a villain. 

It is not illegal quirk use or a lack of humanity that makes Deku such a dangerous villain, but the fact he truly wants to do these horrible crimes. Well, maybe “wants” isn’t the right word, but more like “is willing.” His dark past has warped his worldview, so now Deku is focused on getting revenge against a quirk-focused society. With Deku so easily escaping the grasp of pro heroes, it is easy to see how possibly dangerous he is. He’s only a teenager, and yet he’s been able to outperform multiple pro heroes. With the country on alert, how long will he be able to evade arrest? Will Deku the quirkless villain go down in history? We’ll just have to wait and see. 

Click here for the latest news on quirk experimentation laws!

 

Bakugo resisted the urge to burn the newspaper up immediately. His parents had sent him outside to get the paper, and upon seeing the headliner he’d been curious and started reading. 

Go down in history!! Yeah right, like that’ll ever happen, Bakugo thought as the paper around his hands started to singe. 

It kind of scared Bakugo how accurate the fourth paragraph was, the paragraph about how quirkless people were bullied. Like, did this person know Midoriya, or what? It was more than just a lucky guess to know that Midoriya was the only quirkless person in his class, and that he’d been bullied because of it. 

Or is it really that common for quirkless kids to get picked on?

It also made Bakugo feel a surge of guilt that he quickly tried to push down. Internships were coming up, so he didn’t have time to mull over regretted past actions. 

But the more Bakugo tried to hold back the shame…

“You were right… I will never become a hero.”

The more he tried to forget his past actions…

“How many times did you shove me to the ground? How many times did you threaten me, or slap me, or belittle me, or explode my notebook?”

The more he tried to get the harsh voice of Midoriya out of his head…

“It’s because of you I’m like this.”

…the more the guilt came rushing back over him in waves. It was his fault the little nerd was a villain. It was his fault he’d attempted suicide, his fault that he’d lost hope in heroes, his fault that Midoriya was lost. 

Bakugo still had trouble sleeping at night. He couldn’t stop replaying Midoriya’s words over and over again in his head. He’d memorized everything Midoriya had said at the USJ. 

He couldn’t help but think about who Midoriya used to be. The soft, kind boy with bright green eyes that he’d tried so hard to snuff out. 

He couldn’t believe that that kind boy was capable of permanently injuring a pro hero. A hero he used to fanboy over. 

Bakugo knew that Midoriya wasn’t supposed to be a villain. He didn’t belong with the League of Villains, and Bakugo was determined to find a way to get him back. 

It wasn’t going to be easy. 

“With Deku so easily escaping the grasp of pro heroes, it is easy to see how possibly dangerous he is. He’s only a teenager, and yet he’s been able to outperform multiple pro heroes,” the newspaper article read. 

Bakugo knew that it was mostly Midoriya’s intelligence and empathy that made him such a dangerous opponent, not his physical capabilities. That was how he’d been able to defeat him and All Might at the USJ, by hitting the areas that he knew would hurt most: their guilt. 

But hearing how strong Midoriya had become only made Bakugo more determined. 

Bakugo wasn’t about to be left behind in the dust by someone who’d been weaker than him all his life. The burning desire to win was still strongest in Bakugo’s heart. 

But now… maybe that feeling could coexist with some guilt and shame. 

Maybe he’d be able to win and control his words and actions.  

Enter Best Jeanist. 

 

Uraraka was cooking dinner when she first saw the newspaper article. 

Her parents had barely any time to relax with the amount of work they had, so she’d gotten into the habit of at least having (a cheap) dinner cooking by the time they got home. 

Uraraka’s dad used the extra bit of time to read the paper. 

“Hey, sweetie?” her dad called. 

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t you meet this kid? Izuku Midoriya, or Deku?” her dad asked. 

Uraraka dropped the soup ladle into the pot. 

“What!? Is there something in the paper about him?” she asked, running up to her dad, eyes skimming the headlines. 

Deku the Quirkless Kid: Villain or Victim?

“Gee, you really are eager to know about him, aren’t you?” her dad asked jokingly, but there was a hint of concern to his voice. Why was his daughter so interested in a dangerous villain? A villain who exploded off the finger of a reputable pro hero, no less.

“Yeah. He was so nice and awkward at the entrance exam, and at the USJ I could tell he was really sad and lonely. I want to help him,” explained Uraraka, snatching the paper out of her dad’s hands without asking. 

He looked at his daughter fondly. She had such a big heart that wanted to help anyone she could. Gosh, he was so proud of her. 

“Well, you can do anything you put your mind to, Ochako,” her dad said, getting up out of the chair and walking over to the soup pot, “guess we’re switching places.”

“Yeah, sorry. Thanks,” said Uraraka apologetically, plopping down in the chair her dad had just been sitting in. 

She read through the paper with lightning fast speed and still retained all the information. 

The thing that shocked her the most was what he’d done to Cementoss. She’d heard little snippets and rumors after the Sports Festival, but hadn’t heard the entire story. The boy she’d had a pleasant talk with at the entrance exam, and had such lonely eyes at the USJ, had come close to causing induced quirklessness. 

Uraraka couldn’t help but think about her own hands. 

Well, at least he didn’t blow up all of Cementoss’s hands, she thought, always being optimistic. 

The other things that stuck out to her the most were how he still cared about human life and how he was bullied for being quirkless. 

In fact, she’d asked Bakugo about the bullying. She wasn’t stupid. After what Midoriya had said to Bakugo at the USJ, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots. But when she’d asked Bakugo what he’d done to Midoriya, he closed up tighter than a jar of jam (those things are impossible to open, okay?). 

However, reading the newspaper helped her gain a better understanding of what Midoriya might’ve gone through. 

It’s so sad he’s been treated like that his whole life. I bet it’s been so hard for him, Uraraka thought sadly. 

And it’s all because of something he can’t even control! People shouldn’t be judged for what their quirks are, just like how people shouldn’t be judged because they’re quirkless. 

But I doubt anyone has ever told him that. He’s never had somebody to tell him that just because he’s quirkless it doesn’t mean he’s worthless. No one’s ever believed in him. 

That’s why it meant so much to him when I supported him at the entrance exam. 

Uraraka was determined to tell Midoriya about how she believed in him. That way, maybe he’d understand that he wasn’t alone and that he didn’t have to keep fighting. 

That it wasn’t just the villains who thought he wasn’t useless. 

And she knew it wasn’t hopeless either. 

“Let me remind you, Deku has never killed anyone. In fact, he’s done quite the opposite. After some digging, police reports have shown that Deku has saved someone from being mugged, and he tried to stop pro hero Eraserhead from being murdered at the USJ attack.”

Uraraka knew that Midoriya still had a heart, it had just been broken one too many times. Midoriya might think his heart was broken beyond repair, but Uraraka knew better. Midoriya’s actions proved that he wasn’t past the point of being saved. 

But he was going further and further, what he’d done to Cementoss proved that. She had to do something to help him. 

Reading the newspaper just gave Uraraka more determination to help Midoriya. 

That’s part of the reason why she was doing her internship at Gunhead’s agency. She had to get better, if that last match with Bakugo had proven anything. She was being fueled by her desire to save Midoriya from a place she knew he didn’t belong.

 

All Might had really messed up. He already knew this, of course, but this dang newspaper reminded him of it even more. 

The thoughtful, smart boy from atop the rooftop had gone so far as to blow off a pro hero’s finger. And to make it worse, it was a pro hero he worked with. A pro hero that now feared Midoriya and warned others against him, while All Might was in the room.

He’s quirkless and was bullied for it. Dammit, if only I’d known when I met him. I would never have said what I did. 

But it’s too late for that now. Much too late. 

The deep hole of guilt All Might felt inside of himself deepened. The hole had started when he found out that Midoriya had attempted suicide. 

But Midoriya’s words at the USJ hurt him more than almost anything else he’d experienced in his life. What had been a trench of guilt before grew into a canyon. 

Hearing how he’d hurt Cementoss only filled him with more hopelessness. 

All Might was supposed to be the number one hero, but lately that was feeling more like a mask he wore rather than what he actually was. What kind of hero pushes a kid over the edge into being a villain?

“If the world of heroes failed him, why not give villains a try?”

And that’s exactly what had happened. All Might had failed Midoriya, so he turned to the only people that would support him: villains. And now he was going down a path that All Might knew wasn’t meant for him. 

The light and hope that had been in Midoriya’s eyes the first time they met was still there, even if it was just a dwindling flame. All Might had been able to see it when Midoriya spoke to Uraraka at the USJ. 

There was still a chance of being able to save the young boy he’d met on the rooftop. 

But All Might had no idea how. 

 

Shinso did not like the media. They always twisted and spun everything in a way that made the heroes look amazing and the villains looking awful. It was so friggin biased. 

So Shinso decided to read everything in this newspaper article with a grain of salt. 

Deku the Quirkless Kid? Of course they focus on the quirklessness, just like how they would focus on my villainous quirk. 

But as Shinso read through the article, he realized that it wasn’t all bad. 

He’d already heard about what Midoriya had done to Cementoss prior to reading the paper. He was surprised that the person who had been begging him to be his friend had done something so awful just a couple moments later. 

Maybe I should have warned the pros about him. That way, maybe Cementoss wouldn’t’ve gotten hurt. 

But Shinso still couldn’t bring himself to regret not alerting them. 

Back to the newspaper, they had some good points about how Midoriya still cared about people and how the quirkless were bullied. 

But they’re mainly focusing on quirkless discrimination. There’s also quirk discrimination, where people with weak or seemingly evil quirks get mistreated. 

So I know exactly what it’s been like for Midoriya. Where people treat you like less than human. Everyone ignores you, and if they aren’t ignoring you then they’re bullying you. 

Shinso’s thoughts traveled back to his elementary and middle school days. Black paint was dumped on him to ‘help him show his true colors.’ Things like ‘mind snooper’ and ‘psychopath villain’ were spat at him from across the room and in the hallways. His locker had been vandalized more times that he could count. 

Some of the more daring bullies put a muzzle on him. 

But the worst part was the silence. Everyone refused to talk to him, even the teachers. You know how hard it is to hold a conversation when the person you’re talking to refuses to speak? Shinso had never had any friends. He knew better than anyone what it was like to be completely and utterly alone. 

So Shinso could understand why Midoriya was a villain. He knew why Midoriya 'deliberately’ chose to do these horrible acts. Midoriya felt betrayed by society and heroes and had decided to do something about it instead of letting himself get pummeled by their harsh words and actions. 

And yes, that was what truly made Midoriya a villain. Not the law-breaking or hurting people. It was the hate against heroes and everything they stood for that made Midoriya so dangerous. 

But just like how Shinso understood the hate and pain, he also understood how to overcome it. 

Class 1-A and Mr. Aizawa were amazing. They’d been the first to treat Shinso like an actual person. They were the first to respect his dreams. They were willing to help him achieve his goals even though no one else had ever believed in him. 

Because of that, Shinso felt happy for one of the first times in his life. He actually felt like he belonged somewhere. That loneliness had slowly started ebbing away. 

And if it was possible to cure Shinso’s loneliness, it was possible to cure Midoriya’s. 

Reading the newspaper article just made Shinso even more set on saving Midoriya, because he’d been able to see the confliction Midoriya had about being a villain. 

Midoriya was meant to be a hero, and Shinso was going to find a way to make that happen. 

 

Tsukauchi had finally caught a moment's rest to read the newspaper. 

Things had been kind of crazy at the police station. Yuka and Takeo had gone out to investigate a certain old building to see if a couple of muggers were taking refuge there. It was based on an anonymous tip. 

It ended up being a trap from some higher-level villains, and Yuka and Takeo were hit with a quirk that temporarily switched their consciences. 

It was actually rather comical, considering how Yuka and Takeo were practically opposites. Takeo had his hot-headedness and slight anger issues, while Yuka had her quiet shyness and sharp, calculating eyes. 

So Takeo yelling at everyone to stop laughing while in Yuka’s body just made everyone laugh harder. And then Yuka just being quiet in the background in Takeo’s body didn’t help. 

Tsukauchi sighed and smiled. He glanced at the newspaper’s headline. 

Deku the Quirkless Kid: Villain or Victim?

He sighed again but this time it wasn't a happy sigh. He remembered the reporters coming in and relentlessly asking questions. It had been quite exhausting. 

Despite the painful origin story of the article, Tsukauchi decided to read it. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t half-bad. 

He’d done a double take when he read about Cementoss’s finger getting exploded. Tsukauchi viewed Midoriya as a misguided teen who was good and wanted to help people deep down, but the way he’d been treated had forced him to start committing crimes. 

But Tsukauchi could never have imagined Midoriya would go so far as to blow off a pro hero’s finger! In the end, he decided to look at it as glass half full. At least Midoriya didn’t blow off all of Cementoss’s hands. 

In the newspaper, they at least got the law side of things right, and had been able to figure out Midoriya’s rather violent history. 

But the one thing they got wrong, at least in Tsukauchi’s mind, was the part about deliberately choosing to do bad things is what made him a villain. 

A villain is a person who breaks laws. It doesn’t matter whether they want to or not, their actions still negatively affect people. Villains must be stopped for the crimes they’ve committed, no matter what their morals are. 

However, just because a person is a villain doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. They can commit crimes and make poor choices but still be good at heart, which Midoriya is an example of. 

That is why villains still deserve to be treated like they’re human, just a human who has done bad things. 

Tsukauchi skimmed through the second paragraph again. 

Yes, because of the quirk laws Midoriya’s punishment will be less severe. It’s just expected that a quirkless person can’t do as much damage as a person with, say, an explosion quirk. 

After the USJ, his sentence wouldn’t’ve been that bad. But now, after what he did to Cementoss, I don’t think he’ll be getting off that easily. 

Tsukauchi frowned a little in disappointment. He’d actually quite liked Midoriya, and had hoped that he’d give up on being a villain before his crimes got too serious. 

He’d even had a few fleeting thoughts of taking him to a baseball game, if only to convince him that baseball was not boring once you got into it. 

I guess it’s a little too late for that now. 

 

Midoriya didn’t know why he was reading the paper. He didn’t like the media, because they always left important bits of information out and highlighted less important information to make things appear the way they wanted it to. 

For example, let’s say a jewelry store got robbed and then was single-handedly stopped by a pro. The media will conveniently leave out the fact that the owner of the jewelry store had stolen money from the robbers, and because of that now the robbers were dirt poor and were just trying to feed their families. However, the media will put the spotlight on how the pro went to the same jewelry store and bought a wedding ring and proposed to their true love or whatever. 

That paints a pretty little picture, doesn’t it? It’s too bad life is never actually that simple. 

Midoriya did similar things though. Twisting and over dramatizing things to invoke an emotional reaction. But he did it because he had to. Sometimes using dirty tricks was the only way to win a fight. 

But the media? They didn’t have to use dirty tricks! They could just report the truth instead of spinning things to make more money. 

Being a manipulator himself, Midoriya was able to easily spot all the media’s manipulation. 

So, Midoriya stared down at the newspaper in his hands, with the headline ‘Deku the Quirkless Kid: Villain or Victim?’ and thought, what the heck am I doing?

You’re reading a newspaper.

Yeah, I know that, but why the heck am I reading the newspaper?

Because you’re curious as to what the world thinks of you. 

I shouldn’t care about what anyone thinks of me. 

Well… you do care. Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this right now. 

Midoriya sighed as he started reading, half expecting it to frame him as an awful person who hurt a pro and didn’t care for anyone but himself. 

It actually did quite the opposite. It highlighted how he’d actually prevented people from getting hurt, or hadn’t hurt people as much as he could. 

Hah, Shigaraki would yell at me. He’d call me weak for not being able to kill someone. Now that I think about it, Stain would probably say the same thing. 

However, the article also pointed out how dangerous he was. 

That… was something Midoriya was conflicted about. Not the dangerous part, he knew he was dangerous, he’d just blown off a pro hero’s finger for goodness sakes. What he was conflicted about was how people reacted to him being dangerous. 

He was used to people looking at him differently, that came with being quirkless. However, now their cold glances had changed from superiority and dominance to fear and hatred. 

People had gone from looking down on him, to being afraid of him. 

He didn’t like that. People being afraid of you, it wasn’t a nice feeling. At least, not for Midoriya. 

Also, before they’d looked at him differently because of something he couldn’t even control: being quirkless. Now they looked at him differently because of something he deliberately chose to do. 

The feeling was different. It made Midoriya uncomfortable in a way, knowing that people viewed him like that. 

But then there were people like his mom and Shinso and Tsukauchi. They weren’t scared of him. They viewed him as someone who needed help, who needed saving. 

I don’t need saving. I’m doing what I want to do here at the League. I’m getting back at Bakugo and All Might and just heroes in general. I don’t want to leave. 

Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, buddy.

Notes:

It’s funny, I wrote that article in one day and yet it takes me multiple days to write something like that for school, hah. I considered making the article completely butcher Midoriya, saying he's terrible and should be put to death and yada yada yada, but I thought that this way there'd be more to react to.

K then, that's it. Normal update on Monday!

Chapter 25: Murderous Meeting

Notes:

I sat down to write this chapter, and realized I had no idea how to transition into the Hero Killer arc. I started by writing “Well this is just friggin great,” which is why it starts the way it does.

So, hah, enjoy this partially improvised chapter!

Well this was just friggin great. 

Shigaraki just couldn’t keep anything consistent, could he? Midoriya was barely able to do note drop-offs once a week because the crusty-faced maniac wanted them early every. Single. Time. 

So, you can imagine Midoriya’s frustration when he got a text from Shigaraki asking him to drop off his notes four days early. He’d gotten the intel on 1-A and 1-B just three days ago! 

To make it worse, Midoriya was in the middle of practicing guitar for one of the first times. The strings hurt his fingers more than he thought they would. 

But Midoriya had gotten familiar enough with Shigaraki to know that he didn’t have a choice. Even if he’d gotten only a tidbit of information, or if he was injured and dying on the street, or if he was hundreds of miles away, he’d still have to drop off the notes. 

So Midoriya grudgingly put down his guitar and grabbed a couple pages of notes he’d collected on Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods. He was just wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants as he jumped over the rooftops, listening to music as always. 

His thoughts traveled to some of the commotion going on in the world. 

Midoriya’s appearance at the Sports Festival would’ve dominated the headlines, if it wasn’t for another shocking event: Stain critically injuring Ingenium. Midoriya wasn’t big on watching the news or reading the newspaper, but seeing something about his previous mentor couldn’t be overlooked. 

Over the years, Stain traveled from city to city, hurting at least four heroes in each place. Now, in Hosu, he’d injured Ingenium. From what Midoriya had read, it didn’t sound like Ingenium would ever be able to do pro work again. 

Midoriya remembered his first encounter with Stain. He’d been taking notes on Ingenium and the villain he was fighting, when he noticed Stain watching the battle too. The look Stain had given Ingenium was one of disgust and loathing. 

I guess he’s been targeting Ingenium for a while. He’s finally done it. 

Midoriya had conflicting feelings about Stain. He appreciated the villain because of all he’d taught him. Midoirya would still be pretty weak without Stain’s training.  He also agreed with Stain’s ideologies about heroes, how they’re fake and under all the glitz and glam they only care about themselves. 

But on the other hand, Midoriya disagreed with the Hero Killer’s methods. The thought of hurting someone to the point of no return sickened Midoriya, let alone doing it on a regular basis. Midoriya chose to hurt people with words instead of blades. He was able to understand people’s weak spots in a way that the Hero Killer never could. 

Overall, Midoriya respected Stain, but just couldn’t see himself working with him. 

So, you can once again imagine Midoriya’s surprise when he heard from Kurogiri that the League was considering working with the Hero Killer. 

“A couple weeks from now, we will be having a meeting with Stain, otherwise known as the Hero Killer,” said Kurogiri. 

“Yes, you already said that,” Midoriya replied, putting his forehead in his palm, “but… why??” 

“It is more for Shigaraki’s guidance than anything else,” explained Kurogiri. “He needs to learn how to mature out of his childish ways, and reach his potential.”

Midoriya nervously glanced over at Shigaraki, concerned he might negatively react to those words. However, he was too absorbed in reading the notes to hear. 

“Alright, I get that,” said Midoriya, “but why does it have to be the Hero Killer? I mean like, isn’t there someone else who’s more… qualified?”

Midoriya still hadn’t told the League that it was Stain who trained him, and was still trying to avoid telling them. 

But the awkward conversation became inevitable when Kurogiri asked, “why? Is there a problem with talking to Stain?”

Well, guess I have to tell them now. Great. 

“It’s just that, uh, Stain is… well, he’s kinda the one who trained me in Hosu,” Midoriya said reluctantly. 

“What!?” Shigaraki exclaimed. 

Of course. He finishes reading the notes the second I start talking about Stain. 

“You mean to tell me that the Hero Killer, one of the most wanted villains in the country, who’s killed a number of heroes, chose to train you?” Shigaraki asked, getting up out of the bar stool. 

“Yes…” Midoriya replied, subconsciously taking a step back. 

“Ooh, I was ready to teach you a lesson after the USJ, but Master told me not to. That you were a valuable asset,” Shigaraki said menacingly as he started walking towards Midoriya. “But now, after your flunk at the Sports Festival and this. We’re supposed to share important information with each other! Don’t you think that being trained by the Hero Killer is important?”

Midoriya took several steps back and tensed. He didn’t really feel like getting disintegrated today, thank you very much. He took a deep breath. 

Okay. Just talk to him. You can do this. 

“I didn’t tell you about Stain because I wasn’t sure how you’d react. Stain doesn’t like the idea of working for anyone but himself. He’s driven by his own ideologies and likes to do things his way,” explained Midoriya. “If I’d told you about him, you would’ve wanted to speak with him. From what I can tell, I don’t think you two would get along very well.”

That at least stopped Shigaraki from advancing upon Midoriya. 

“Ugh, why do you have to be so annoying!?” Shigaraki asked. 

“I do my job and I do it well,” Midoriya retorted, a little anger rising. “I give you the intel you want and do what you tell me to do. I’m good enough to not get caught and I don’t give you trouble. The only reason you don’t like me is because I make you question yourself.”

“Please, Shigaraki,” Kurogiri interjected, “do not do anything reckless. Midoriya is very beneficial to the League for the intel he provides. To drive him away would only weaken the League.”

See. They need me. The League wouldn’t hurt me. 

Shigaraki glanced from Midoriya, to Kurogiri, and then to the ‘sound only’ computer screen. Midoriya still had never heard anyone speak from it, but he assumed it was this ‘Master.’

“Fine,” Shigaraki huffed as he walked back over to the bar stool and plopped down into it like a child who’d just been told to take a time-out. 

Midoriya sighed in relief, and relaxed. 

He really does need to grow up. He can’t effectively run a criminal organization with a mindset like that. He needs to actually care about something other than destroying things for fun. 

“As I was saying before, I don’t think that you and Stain would get along very well,” Midoriya said. 

“And why is that?” Shigaraki asked in a mock tone. 

“He hates the idea of killing for no reason, which is one of your favorite things to do. He at least has somewhat of a moral code, regarding who he will and won’t kill. But you…” Midoriya shuddered, “you just kill whoever you want.”

Shigaraki didn’t meet Midoriya’s eyes, but from his body language Midoriya could tell that he was quite irritated. Even though Shigaraki was rather mentally unstable right now, Midoriya continued. 

“And as to what you said earlier, how we’re supposed to share important information with each other, that’s utter bull crap,” Midoriya said angrily. “You’ve barely shared anything with me about you, or the Nomu, or this mysterious ‘Master’ guy you keep talking about!”

Shigaraki tensed and narrowed his eyes at Midoriya. 

“How can you even think about telling me off for not sharing ‘important information’ when you don’t even share anything yourself!!” Midoriya shouted, actually taking a step towards Shigaraki, who was looking more hostile by the second. 

Because of Tsukauchi, Midoriya already knew that ‘Master’ was All for One and that he was at least partially responsible for creating the Nomus, but that wasn’t the point. 

“Deku, please calm down. There is no point in getting upset like this,” said Kurogiri. So, Midoriya sighed and collected himself. Shigaraki relaxed a little. 

“Maybe you should stop reprimanding me and actually appreciate all the work I’ve done for you,” Midoriya said quietly. “And while you’re figuring out how to do that, because I know being nice isn’t easy for you, you might as well share some ‘important information’ because I’m getting sick and tired of all your secrets.”

Shigaraki stared at the bar counter before suddenly standing up and walking towards Midoriya. Midoriya quickly side-stepped out of Shigaraki’s way, and he just walked past Midoriya to the door. 

What? Is he leaving?

“I’m going out,” Shigaraki said simply, before closing the door loudly behind him. Midoriya blinked confusedly. 

“He only does that when he needs to think. Or rather, when he knows he’s been proven wrong,” Kurogiri explained. 

“Ah, I see,” said Midoriya. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll leave too. But I do want to be here during the meeting with Stain.” I have to make sure they don’t kill each other. 

“Of course. Would you like me to warp you back to your apartment?” Kurogiri asked. 

“No. I’ll just go back myself. It gives me a chance to think.”

“Understood. Have a good morning, Deku.”

Gosh, Kurogiri is always so formal. 

“Yeah, you too. Bye.”

 

The second Bakugo walked into Best Jeanist’s agency, he could already sense he’d made a mistake. Firstly, all the sidekicks were dressed in ridiculous looking jeans. Secondly, they were all staring at him like he was some unworthy delinquent. 

Great. That’s just what I need. A bunch of self-righteous bastards who think they’re better than me. I’ll show them, Bakugo thought as he glared at one of the taller sidekicks. 

They were escorting him to where Best Jeanist spent most of his time: a room near the top of a building that looked like a fashion studio. 

It’s not that Bakugo didn’t know anything about fashion. His father had a fashion related job. It’s just that he didn’t care. Why should he? The most important thing was winning and being the best, not his outward appearance. 

His costume had been designed for functionality and intimidation, not as a fashion statement. Best Jeanist’s costume was more of a fashion statement than anything else. Alright, yes, his quirk did involve controlling threads of fabric, and jeans had stronger threads. But did he really have to wear a full jean bodysuit? Like, really? 

At least that was Bakugo’s first thought upon seeing Best Jeanist. 

He walked up to the pro hero, not intimidated at all by his fame and popularity. The sidekicks stayed in the room to listen. 

I’m not about to back down to anyone. Not even the number four hero. I’m going to surpass him one day and that’s all that matters. 

Best Jeanist seemed to notice Bakugo’s arrogant attitude.

“Being completely honest, I don’t really like you,” Best Jeanist started. 

“Huh?” Bakugo already kind of knew that, but he hadn’t expected Best Jeanist to be so forthright about it. 

“I know exactly why you chose to come to my agency. It’s because I’m one of the most popular heroes,” Best Jeanist continued. 

“Listen, you’re the one who gave me the offer!” Bakugo retorted, annoyed at how stuck-up Best Jeansit appeared, like he knew everything. 

“Yes. All my recruits have been perfect little angels, so you certainly stood out,” Best Jeanist replied, elegantly sweeping his hair to the side. How does he even see with so much hair in his face?

Best Jeanist went on to explain how talented Bakugo was. How he had great control over his impressive quirk, and was already good enough to be a sidekick. 

Tch, he’s just stating the obvious. I already know I’m that good, but I came here to become even better! 

“However, you have a fatal flaw. You think you’re the best, and you display this belief without regard to how it reflects on you or your image. You have a ferocious nature.”

Bakugo clenched his jaw and took a step towards Best Jeanist. “Did you only want me here to give me a stupid lecture!”

But Bakugo’s step was cut short when threads of fabric restrained his arms and legs. Bakugo narrowed his eyes and started resisting, but the threads were too tight. 

“I have to correct you as part of my duty to society. Heroes and villains are cut from the same cloth.”

At those words, Bakugo stopped resisting the threads of fabric. 

Heroes and villains are cut from the same cloth. 

He couldn’t help but think of Deku; they had come from the same place. They’d grown up together and had experienced everything together. When they were little, they’d been so close. Yet one of them had become a villain and the other a hero. 

“So you are here to watch me,” Best Jeanist continued. “I’ll show you what it means to be a hero.”

Bakugo had thought he knew what it meant to be a hero: to be the best and never lose. But after seeing what his words and actions had done to Deku, how it had turned that annoyingly hopeful nerd into someone angry and cruel, he wasn’t so sure what it truly meant to be a hero. 

His pride in being the best had consequences he’d never expected. Bakugo had never wanted Deku to cross that line. Now, he was trying to figure out how to get Deku back to the place where he knew the little nerd belonged. 

So, instead of snapping back, Bakugo asked, “how?”

Best Jeanist blinked surprisedly for a minute. He’d been expecting some snarky retort. 

“I will show you how to become an exemplary pro. You need to learn how to be aware of your words, appearance, self-control and your morals. I may only have one week, but I will stitch these countless things into the fabric of your being.”

In another world, where his actions hadn’t had consequences, Bakugo would have resisted the teachings of Best Jeanist. 

But here, after seeing the destructive effect of his words, Bakugo might just listen. 

 

Midoriya was told Stain would be arriving at the bar “around twelve.” Of course Shigaraki couldn’t be concise. Was he ever?

So, Midoriya found himself leaving his apartment at 11:30, just to be safe. 

Surprisingly, the thought that kept him the most preoccupied was, what is Stain going to think of me?

Stain had wanted Midoriya to leave the League of Villains. How would he feel knowing that his student was part of a criminal organization whose leader showed a complete disregard for human life? Midoriya was part of the group that attacked UA and injured kids. Midoriya doubted that Stain would approve of that. 

Stain had never liked the idea of working for anyone but yourself. If you fell under someone else’s command, you would be forced to adopt their ideals as well. Stain would never abandon his cause, so he refused to join any criminal organization. 

That’s why Midoriya already knew this meeting was going to be a failure. It also didn’t help that Stain’s and Shigaraki’s values were complete opposites. 

Oh boy. This isn’t going to go well. I’m just going to try and stop them from killing each other. 

Midoriya was dressed in his villain costume for that exact reason. 

He entered the bar and found Shigaraki staring at some photos of UA students, and Kurogiri behind the bar like always. 

Good. Stain isn’t here yet. 

“Good morning, Deku,” greeted Kurogiri. 

“Hi,” Midoriya replied shortly, sitting down at the bar several seats away from Shigaraki, closer to the door. 

“What are you dressed in that for?” Shigaraki asked, glancing up from the photos and at Midoriya’s villain costume. 

“Stain will be armed and dangerous. I want to be ready if he decides to attack,” Midoriya chose to say. It wouldn’t be smart to outright state that this meeting was going to go badly. 

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at Midoriya. “Why would he decide to attack when all we want is to be friends? We both destroy things we dislike. What’s the difference?”

There’s all the difference in the world. 

Midoriya was formulating an answer when the door creaked open. He recognized the heavy footsteps of Stain’s spiked boots. For a minute, he just continued staring down at the wooden bar, enjoying the last couple seconds of quiet. He knew the next few minutes wouldn’t be fun. 

“Aah, welcome Hero Killer,” Shigaraki started in a pleasant tone. That’s when Midoriya looked up at the newcomer. 

Stain didn’t even respond to Shigaraki; he was just staring at Midoriya. “So it’s true. You are part of the group that attacked UA,” Stain said, completely ignoring Shigaraki. 

Midoriya arched an eyebrow. “Yeah. It’s been a while.” 

Both of them preferred to skip unnecessary pleasantries, getting straight to the point. 

“These are the people you could never tell me about,” Stain finally looked up from Midoriya at Shigaraki and Kurogiri. 

Midoriya nodded, and Shigaraki looked at him pointedly. “Oh, and you should probably consider joining us. You and the League would be able to strengthen each other, and you’d be able to start training me again.”

Midoriya had memorized this line prior to the meeting in case Shigaraki asked him to convince Stain to join them. 

“You memorize that line before coming in here?” Stain asked. Midoriya smirked, angling his face away from Shigaraki so he couldn’t see. 

“Hey! Deku’s not the one who’s important!” Shigaraki butted in, and Midoriya held back a sigh. “I’m the leader of the League of Villains. Your conversation’s with me.”

Stain glanced at Midoriya to read his reaction, and then directed his attention at Shigaraki. 

“So you want to recruit me to build up your little League,” said Stain. 

“Yeah, it’d be great. You’ve got so much experience and you’ve trained one of our members,” Shigaraki explained. 

“What’s your mission?” Stain asked. 

Here we go. It’s only downward from here. 

“For now, I just really wanna kill All Might,” Shigaraki said confidently, and Stain was visibly displeased. “I enjoy destroying anything that annoys me, like those little brats at UA,” Shigaraki held up a photo of Bakugo, “game over.”

Anger spread across Stain’s face, and he raised his hands to his blades at his sides. “It was foolish of me to think that you had anything to offer. It’s pointless to kill without proper convictions, which makes you the type of person I despise most of all. Your goals are simply childish.”

Midoriya tensed. He was right in between Stain and Shigaraki, which was not an ideal location at the minute. 

They brought Stain here to try and teach Shigaraki how to grow up. How to reach his potential and clarify his goals. They fail to see that Stain and Shigaraki are just too different. They’ll never be able to get along, just like Kacchan and me.

Stain watched Midoriya out of the corner of his eye. “Midoriya. I am unable to comprehend why you would choose to be part of such an arrogant group. However, I know your ideologies do not align with them, so I will spare you.”

Stain began to unsheathe his knives. Midoriya quickly dashed in between the two villains, pulling out his own black daggers. 

“I doubt you’d be able to end the League if you tried,” said Midoriya confidently, getting into a fighting stance. “I’ve only gotten stronger since we last sparred. Sorry, but I can’t just sit there and watch you hurt Shigaraki.”

Because if I did, Shigaraki would most likely harm me in some way. 

Stain smiled slightly. “You’ve grown more confident in your abilities. Perhaps this League isn’t such a waste of time after all. Nevertheless, I cannot let this corrupted villain live.”

Stain bolted forward, attempting to go around Midoriya. Midoriya speedily jumped to the side and blocked Stain, their blades clashing against each other, black against silver. They stood there, holding each other back, both exerting an equal amount of force onto their blades. 

Their eyes locked. Stain’s face was full of fiery anger, while Midoriya’s held fierce determination. 

“Deku. Stand down,” Shigaraki demanded. 

Stain twisted his knives in a way that sent one of Midoriya’s daggers flying in Kurogiri’s direction, but Midoriya used the opening to kick Stain back several feet. 

“Huh?” Midoriya asked, confused as to why Shigaraki would want him to back down. 

Kurogiri opened a portal in front of the dagger flying in his direction, and then opened another portal behind Stain. The dagger was headed straight for Stain’s back, but he blocked it with one of his knives. 

“I had a little talk with Master before this meeting. I want to show him I can take on this disdainful bastard myself, that I don’t need any help realizing my convictions or whatever.”

Tch, you’re the disdainful one. 

“Fine,” Midoriya replied, going back to sit down at the bar. He was more than okay with watching Shigaraki get his butt whopped by his previous mentor. 

The fight went exactly the way Midoriya predicted. Shigaraki ended up defeated on the floor, Stain’s knife through his right shoulder. Kurogiri had also been paralyzed by Stain’s quirk. Midoriya was unscathed though. 

“And to think you wanted me to join your crumbling little League when you’re this frail. You’ll never grow stronger unless you have real convictions and desires. ‘Till then, you’ll only be an aimless weakling, achieving nothing,” Stain rambled. “That’s how you got here.”

The Hero Killer was so caught up in his criticism, he didn’t even see Midoriya walk across the room to retrieve his dagger. 

“Hey, get off. Don’t you think you’re being a little rough?” Shigaraki complained. “Kurogiri, take this guy back.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m unable to move,” Kurogiri apologized. “It must be the Hero Killer’s quirk at work.”

“His quirk is called Bloodcurdle,” Midoriya explained, walking back to his seat at the bar. “When he ingests someone’s blood, they become paralyzed for a certain amount of time, depending on blood type. O is the shortest, B the longest.”

“You’ve got a good memory, kid,” Stain commented. “But I doubt this petty criminal even cares. He’s just like the fake heroes and villains who chase after childish dreams. They overrun the world, and must all be purged!”

Midoriya could see it in Stain’s eyes. He wasn’t going to kill Shigaraki. 

Stain brought his other knife up to Shigaraki’s neck, who suddenly gripped the knife with all five fingers. 

You’ve underestimated him just like you underestimated me, Stain. At least Shigaraki’s capable of growth, but you’re fixed in your ways. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Shigaraki demanded. “If you touch this palm, you’ll die.”

Stain’s eyes widened when his knife began to rust all around Shigaraki’s hand. Midoriya conveniently didn’t explain Shigaraki’s quirk to him. 

“You sure do talk a lot. Convictions? I don’t know if I have anything as loaded as that, but desires? Yes. If I had to pick one it’d be killing All Might. I want to crush him and everything he stands for like the trash he is. And then, when the people are in shock, I’ll crush them too!” Shigaraki shouted in delight. 

It wasn’t only Stain who flinched at the pure malice in those words, Midoriya did too. The way Shigaraki completely disregarded the lives of living human beings, who had families and feelings and fears, it made Midoriya want to vomit. 

And not for the first time, Midoriya wondered what had happened to Shigaraki to make him think that way. Because no one, no one, was born with that amount of sheer hatred in them. 

Stain’s knife had disintegrated to dust at this point, and he jumped backwards when Shigaraki took a swipe at him. 

Shigaraki went on to complain about his injuries, and how the League didn’t have someone to heal people. He was scratching quite violently at his neck. 

Midoriya just watched, ready to intervene if they tried to kill each other again. 

“I see your nature,” Stain started. “Our goals fundamentally oppose each other, but this wasn’t in vain. We both agree that the present needs to be destroyed.”

“Just leave. Or die. You hate people like me most, right?” Shigaraki asked. 

“I was only testing your motives. What someone is really like comes out when their life is under threat,” Stain explained. “There is some abnormal desire in you, a warped sprout of conviction. I think I let you grow, to see how it blooms. If I don’t like it, I’ll just take care of you later.”

Shigaraki was about to shout a retort when Midoriya spoke up. 

“You always underestimate your opponents, Stain. You did it with me, and now you’re doing it with Shigaraki,” Midoriya looked Stain straight in the eye, “the League is stronger than you realize.”

Stain hadn’t been there when Shigaraki was fighting All Might or Eraserhead. He hadn’t seen Kurogiri’s powerful portals. He didn’t know how much Midoriya had improved. Stain also didn’t know that All for One was behind the ‘sound only’ computer screen.

“I’m free,” said Kurogiri, Stain’s quirk wearing off. 

“Kurogiri, this guy is so crazy, he would only be a problem for the League,” said Shigaraki. 

Midoriya face-palmed. “Can you please stop trying to kill each other?”

“Please think about this,” Kurogiri asked. “If he joins the League, he would be a valuable asset. I would say this meeting was a success.”

Midoriya had to hold back a scoff. 

So they tried to kill each other multiple times, insulted each other even more, Shigaraki hasn’t gotten any closer to real convictions, and Stain still doesn’t want to join the League. That’s what you call success?

Shigaraki sighed and said, “fine.”

“I have no further business with you. Now, return me to Hosu,” Stain demanded, “there are several more false heroes there I must attend to.”

Midoriya watched the black mist surround his former mentor. He was just glad this cursed meeting was over. 

Notes:

Next chapter’ll be more interesting. Well, at least I think it’s more interesting.

This chapter’s song is Try by P!nk. It mainly relates to how Shigaraki’s desires have almost burned Midoriya, who's just having to persevere through it.

Chapter 26: Nomus in Hosu

Notes:

I tried making a chapter plan. Wrote one sentence… and then said “screw this” and deleted the document.

Yeah, I only plan about a chapter ahead. I know all the major plot points and things I want to happen, but not much in between. That’s okay though, because sometimes improv is the best part. It’s also funner (Ik that’s not a word) to write.

Midoriya had a bad feeling. It was only a day after the meeting with the Hero Killer, and Shigaraki was already asking for Midoriya to come back to the bar. 

After the meeting had ended, Shigaraki was seething. He kept on mumbling about “that stupid Hero Killer” and “he’s nothing but a nuisance” and “he’s not gonna get away with that.” Kurogiri had failed to assuage him and Midoriya had left as soon as he could. 

Shigaraki was dangerous when he was angry. That said, when Midoriya is angry he’s even more dangerous than Shigaraki, but it takes more to get him mad. 

Anyway, when Midoriya got the text from Shigaraki asking him to come to the bar, he was worried. He texted back that he would be there in about 30 minutes, because he was on the opposite side of town taking notes.

If you’ve ever heard ‘don’t be walking and texting at the same time,’ Midoriya took it to the next level and was actively jumping over rooftops and texting at the same time. 

“Why do you want me to come in?” Midoriya texted. 

“We’re doing something important and I want you to take notes,” Shigaraki replied vaguely. 

“Okay, be there in 25 mins.”

“Fine.”

As Midoriya listened to his music and leapt over alleyways, he thought about all the possible things Shigaraki could’ve meant. 

Doing something important? Like with Stain or something else? Normally he gives me at least a couple days in advance when the League is going to be doing something. 

Well, whatever it is, I just have to take notes. That’s it, so it shouldn’t be too hard. 

But since when have things ever gone the way Midoriya hoped they would?

 

Bakugo’s and Best Jeanist’s relationship was like a cat and a human. 

The human tries to give the cat what it needs, like food, shelter and attention. The cat just tolerates the human but still accepts the food, shelter and attention. 

Best Jeanist was trying to give Bakugo all the skills necessary to be a good hero. This includes controlling emotions, watching your words, and having morals. Bakugo tolerated Best Jeanist’s condescending attitude and grudgingly accepted the lessons. 

But it was hard to tolerate Best Jeanist when he friggin flattens your hair and stuffs you into jeans! 

Why. Why? Does wearing jeans and having flat hair somehow make you a better hero?

NO! IT DOESN’T, Bakugo thought angrily as he felt Best Jeanist’s comb going through his hair once again. Bakugo felt a strong urge to spin around and explode the comb right out of his hands. 

To help you picture this scene in your head, imagine a person petting a cat on the forehead and the cat’s ears are back and its tail is violently flicking back and forth and its eyes are wide. One paw is raised, ready to cuff the human’s hand the next time it approaches. 

But then the human swacks the cat on the face and the cat falls off the couch and onto the floor. 

That’s because Best Jeanist whacked Bakugo on the back of the neck with the comb just as the feisty teen was spinning around to explode the comb. Bakugo jumped back several feet rubbing his neck in pain. 

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?!” Bakugo shouted angrily. 

“You were about to explode the comb out of my hands, weren’t you?” Best Jeanist asked calmly. 

Bakugo scowled in response. 

The pro hero sighed. “Have you forgotten everything already?”

Bakugo growled and grudgingly said, “I don’t like you combing my hair down. I like it how it normally is and you touching it makes me mad.”

Best Jeanist was impressed for a minute at how Bakugo was actually communicating his emotions. But then…

“SO STOP FRICKING TOUCHING MY HAIR YOU STUCK UP IDIOT!!!”

He sighed once more, but was smiling underneath his jeans. 

“How are you supposed to inspire a sense of safety like that?” Best Jeanist asked. 

“I wasn’t trying to inspire a sense of safety! Are you blind!?” Bakugo retorted. But his tone was softer, realizing how the pro was right. 

“I’m not blind, so I can clearly see that you need more practice,” Best Jeanist countered smoothly. 

“Fine then. Let’s go,” said Bakugo quietly, already walking towards the exit. 

Best Jeanist smiled wider. He thought that Bakugo would be resisting his teachings at every turn, looking for a reason not to listen. 

But Bakugo was listening. At least somewhat listening, which was more than anyone could hope for. 

You could say he was being taught how to be a decent human being. 

Some of the things they practiced were: 

• Keeping calm when someone insulted you
• Helping someone even when you didn’t get anything in return
• Comforting civilians after a villain attack
• Not hurting villains too bad, unless necessary (Bakugo blurred that line a bit)
• Being constantly aware of how others were perceiving you

Some of this was done through cringey skits performed by Best Jeanist’s sidekicks, but most of it was done while patrolling the streets. 

See a guy drop all his groceries? Go help him pick them up instead of making fun of his clumsiness!

A little kid making fun of your flat hair? Ignore them or explain why you don’t like what they’re saying! Do not shout at the kid until they’re running away from you, tears streaming from their eyes. 

Feeling irritated or annoyed? Hide your displeasure from the people instead of displaying it openly for all to see!

“Remember, your presence needs to comfort people instead of scaring them away,” Best Jeanist explained. “And you’re not giving anyone peace of mind with that expression.”

Bakugo looked like an annoyed cat. 

He sighed loudly and tried to have a neutral expression. It somewhat worked. 

“I know looking kind and friendly isn’t your forte, so why don’t you try looking determined and protective,” Best Jeanist suggested. “That way, you at least appear ready to defend a person instead of hitting them.”

Looking determined worked better than looking neutral, so Best Jeanist didn’t comment further. 

That week, they hadn’t worked on improving physical capabilities at all like Bakugo had wanted. But he had grown in more important ways.

 

“We’re attacking Hosu,” Shigaraki said simply. 

“What!?!” Midoriya exclaimed. 

“Are you deaf?” Shigaraki asked, voice raising a little, “we’re attacking Hosu and you’re only coming along to take notes.”

“Alright, yes, I got that part,” said Midoriya, lowering his voice, “but why are we attacking Hosu? That’s where Stain is.”

“Exactly,” replied Shigaraki, smiling. “We’re gonna show that small-minded Stain who’s boss. He would only be a hindrance to the League, and he thinks he can get away with stabbing me! Hah, well he has another thing coming.”

“So you’re going to kill him,” Midoriya asked warily. 

Shigaraki turned towards Midoriya with a manic smile on his face, “yeah, but we’re gonna do more than that. We’re gonna destroy his pride and honor first by releasing Nomus in Hosu!”

Dread washed over Midoriya. Nomus in Hosu. 

Oh no no no. Nomus is plural. There’s going to be more than one this time, and there isn’t going to be an All Might to stop it. People are going to get hurt. 

But as Midoriya looked at the crazy glint in Shigaraki’s eyes, he knew there was nothing he could do but go along with the plan. 

“How does attacking Hosu with Nomus destroy Stain’s pride and honor?” Midoriya asked. 

“You really are slow on the uptake,” said Shigaraki. 

Only for evil villain stuff like this. 

“If the Nomus destroy Hosu and kill a bunch of people, that’ll be all over the front page! And the Hero Killer’s death will barely mean a thing to anyone after what I’ve done,” Shigaraki explained with glee. 

“So it’s basically to get the League more attention,” said Midoriya, putting what Shigaraki had said into as few words as possible. 

A bit of annoyance showed up in Shigaraki’s face. “Yeah sure.”

“Stain is at the predetermined location,” Kurogiri said, “would you like me to warp us now?”

“Why not. Now that Deku’s here there’s no point in waiting,” Shigaraki said. 

“Wait, we’re meeting up with Stain?” Midoriya asked, confused. Weren’t they supposed to be killing him?

“Oh, yeah. We’re gonna be having one last little chat with that self-righteous jerk before it all goes down,” Shigaraki explained. “Just don’t say anything that could hint at what we’re doing. I know that killing isn’t your favorite thing to do, and I don’t want you ruining this with your stupid moral code.”

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. I understand.”

 

Iida had never felt this kind of rage before. 

His older brother was many things, and a false hero was not one of them. He was a caring older brother who always made time for his family. He was a selfless young man who used to have a bright future. He was an honorable hero who always put the lives of civilians over his own. 

And now he was a person who would never walk again. 

It’s all the Hero Killer’s fault. He’s the one who injured my brother beyond repair. Him and his crooked ideologies took something away from me that can never be returned, Iida thought with such a hatred he’d never felt before. He felt a burning desire to rip Stain limb from limb, to give him an agonizing death. To make Stain feel the pain he was feeling. 

It was overwhelming. 

But Iida welcomed it. 

He let the anger consume everything in him, every muscle in his body and every cell in his brain, until he couldn’t think of anything else except utterly destroying the Hero Killer. 

Manuel had asked him to stop, to give up on finding Stain. 

Oh, Iida wanted to do so much more than just find the Hero Killer. He wanted his hands to be painted with Stain’s blood and to relish in it. 

He didn’t care what it meant for his future. He didn’t care what his brother or what anyone else thought. The sheer wrath drowned everything else out. 

There was only one thing on his mind:

Revenge. 

 

The small meeting on top of a water tank with Stain had gone mostly the way Midoriya thought it would. 

Upon the League arriving, Stain went on a tangent about all the false heroes and how he had to purge them. After he left, Shigaraki went on his own tangent about how small-minded Stain was and how he was going to destroy him. 

Gosh, those two are more similar than they realize, with how much they talk. 

Midoriya had left after that. He jumped over the rooftops, getting closer to the center of the town where the Nomu would be attacking. His job was just to take notes on the heroes, like always. He steered clear of where they were patrolling. Couldn’t risk being caught, not now, especially since he’d left his black mask at the apartment and only had his hood up. 

I wonder how many of those heroes will be left after the attack. 

He looked down at the streets. They were relatively peaceful, with late night shoppers going to candle stores or some people walking their dogs. A group of guys were walking into a lively bar and Midoriya spotted more than one couple going out for a date. 

He couldn’t help but feel bad that their night was about to be completely ruined. 

Suddenly screams erupted from the area behind Midoriya, so he knew that Shigaraki had released the Nomus. Heroes very quickly started rushing to the scene. Midoriya began taking notes on their quirks and reaction times as they were running towards the fire near the center of the city. 

He noted how there were three Nomus. One was attacking a train over to his right, but the other two were a few blocks away from him near the center of the city. People were fleeing the scene, and large crowds of people were running along the streets below Midoriya. The crowds thickened when a loud boom came from the center of the city. He could see smoke rising and the glow of a fire. 

Stain’s probably noticed by now. He’s most likely killing some hero in a back alley somewhere. 

But Midoriya was quickly distracted by a winged Nomu heading in his direction. Most of the heroes had left the area to go towards the center of the city; only a couple remained to facilitate evacuation. 

The Nomu dive bombed the crowd and picked up a middle-aged man. It started carrying the man away, but the heroes managed to jump up and cut the Nomu’s legs, forcing it to drop the man. 

Midoriya sighed in relief. He didn’t want to watch any civilians go splat on the pavement. 

But the Nomu didn’t stop. It continued picking people up and the heroes continued cutting its legs to get the people back. Everytime, the Nomu regenerated and continued like nothing had happened. 

Midoriya debated heading towards the center of the town to get better notes, but something kept him from leaving. The heroes visibly started to get worn out, and the winged Nomu still hadn’t let up. If the heroes stopped being able to save people, someone would die. 

Suddenly, the Nomu dived into the crowd much closer to where Midoriya was perched on the rooftop and picked up a little boy who looked around the age of nine. 

The heroes were too tired and too far away to catch up as the Nomu started carrying the child away. Midoriya could hear the kid’s mother screaming “NOOOOO, RIKU!!!” as the monster flew away. 

That did it. 

Screw Shigaraki and ruining things with my ‘stupid moral code.’

Midoriya jumped off of the building and towards the Nomu. It was only about five feet away, so he used his grappling hook and threw it towards the Nomu midair. It hooked around its waist. 

Midoriya started falling towards the ground but held tight to the grappling hook cord. Once he reached the lowest point in his swing the Nomu was jerked downward by Midoriya’s added weight. Despite this, it kept on flying upwards. 

Midoriya climbed up the cord up to the Nomu and the boy. He was soon dangling right below the Nomu and the boy was just a couple feet away from him in the creature's talon-thingies. 

The boy looked scared out of his mind, like he was sure he was going to die. 

Not on my watch. What was his name again? Right…

“Riku!!” Midoriya yelled. The frightened boy looked up at him. “I’m going to attack its wings and then you’re going to grab onto me, okay!?”

Riku looked shocked for a second before nodding. 

Midoriya didn’t waste any time. He swung a little to the side and threw one of his daggers at the point where the Nomu’s wing came out of its back. The monster shrieked as the blade buried itself into the joint and it started descending towards the street. 

“Okay, Riku!! Grab onto me,” yelled Midoriya, holding out a hand towards the boy. He reached out and they firmly locked hands. Midoriya then pulled Riku out of the Nomu’s talons and towards himself. 

Riku ended up hanging onto Midoriya for dear life. He had his arms and legs around Midoriya’s neck and waist and his head buried in his shoulder. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Midoriya said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. 

Midoriya was holding onto the grappling hook cord with just his legs and one hand. His other hand was firmly holding onto Riku. 

The Nomu was just about to crash into the ground when Midoriya let go of the cord and rolled across the ground to cushion the fall. 

“Are you alright?” Midoriya asked as they sat up. Now that Midoriya was getting a better look at him, Riku had pale blue-green eyes and short, wavy blonde hair. Some parts of his hair were so light they looked more white than blonde. 

“Y-yeah,” Riku said uncertainly. Despite his answer, Midoriya ran his eyes over him, checking for any major injuries. 

Then Midoriya realized that Riku was eyeing him and the scar on his left cheek with a scared look. 

Oh yeah. I’m a well-known villain. 

“Well, it looks like that Nomu was gripping you pretty tight. You might have a broken rib or two,” said Midoriya, standing up. “Just be careful, okay?”

“Oh, um, sure,” Riku replied warily. 

Midoriya looked around and realized they’d traveled quite far from the center of the city. There was almost no one around, just a couple people running back to their apartments. They were too preoccupied to notice Midoriya or Riku. Midoriya started looking around for the Nomu so he could retrieve his dagger.

“Hey, um…” Riku started tentatively. 

Midoriya turned around towards the young boy again. “Yeah? Are you okay?”

“Mm-hm, it’s just,” Riku paused, obviously hesitant, “...why did you help me? You’re a villain, right?”

Ah. He’s generalized all villains as being mean and evil. 

“Just because I’m a villain doesn’t mean I’m okay with watching people die,” Midoriya explained, “especially a little kid like you.”

Riku was now eyeing Midoriya curiously. His light cyan eyes were actually quite unnerving. 

“Riku!? Riku!?!” shouted a frightened female voice. A woman with frizzy white hair and light brown eyes came running out of an alleyway. 

Wow, she was able to find him fast. Maybe it’s quirk related. 

The woman who Midoriya could only assume was Riku’s mother ran up to her son and hugged him tight. 

“Oh, you’re okay you’re okay, thank goodness,” his mother exclaimed, beginning to cry.

“Mom!” Riku hugged his mother tightly back. Midoriya began taking several steps backwards, feeling very out of place. 

Riku’s mother looked up and noticed Midoriya standing there. Her eyes widened in fear. Midoriya knew he wasn’t welcome, so he quickly started walking away. 

They don’t want me here. I shouldn’t bother them and just find that Nomu and get my dagger back. 

“Wait!” the mother yelled.

Midoriya stopped, a little surprised. He looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with her. 

“Thank you,” she said genuinely, “for saving my son.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. 

She’s… she’s thanking me?

“It was nothing,” Midoriya replied quietly, before continuing to walk away. 

He spotted the fallen Nomu in the middle of the street. It’s landing hadn’t been quite as smooth as Midoriya’s and Riku’s. Its brain had hit the concrete first and was all mushed up on the pavement. 

Wow. I actually defeated it. By myself. 

He walked up to it and found his dagger still wedged in between it’s wing and back. 

Shigaraki’s gonna kill me, Midoriya suppressed a shudder. 

He bent down next to the Nomu and managed to pull the blade out. He wiped the blood off on the Nomu’s pants. 

Midoriya peeked at Riku and his mother out of the corner of his eye and realized that they were still watching him. 

Oh, great. This isn’t awkward at all. Don’t mind me while I just pull a bloody dagger out of a monster that my boss created. 

He sheathed his dagger and considered going back to Riku and his mother to make sure that they were okay, but decided against it. He was a villain, not a hero. 

After one last glance at the kid and his mom, Midoriya took off running down the streets. He found a way back to the rooftops and started heading back to the center of the city.

 

Iida had found him. The Hero Killer. The despicable man who’d hurt his brother. The villain who he was going to kill, even though Stain had already knocked him to the ground. 

Stain’s blade was pointed at his face, so Iida hesitated. 

“Your eyes are searing with vengeance,” Stain said, looking down at the teen domineeringly, “choose your next words wisely. If need be, even a child can become my target.”

Oh… that got Iida’s blood boiling even more than it already was. 

“Are you saying I don’t even pose a threat?” Iida asked angrily as he stood up. “You listen to me, villain! My older brother is an incredible hero and you attacked him. He’s the best brother anyone could hope for. He can no longer stop you, so I’ve come to do it for him. You will remember me forever as the person who defeated you.” 

Iida thought back to the hospital, and seeing his brother, covered in bandages, looking more beat up than he’d ever seen him. The amazing shining example Tensei had always provided was now broken beyond repair. And it was all because of the man right in front of him. 

I want you to take the name, Tenya. 

“I am Ingenium!!” Iida proclaimed, “and I will be the cause of your defeat!”

Stain was staring him straight in the eyes. “Very well then. Die.”

The Hero Killer dodged faster than sight could see when Iida tried to kick him. Stain quickly returned a kick of his own with his spiked boots into Iida’s shoulder. Iida was pinned down in a matter of seconds, Stain’s boot on his head. 

Stain sent his blade through the teen’s shoulder. Blood sprayed out over the alleyway floor. 

“You’re a weakling just like your brother. The only reason I didn’t kill him was so he could live to tell others. Both you and him are fakes, unworthy of the title ‘hero.’” 

“No, you’re wrong!” Iida yelled, “Tensei was an amazing hero, who helped anyone he could! People looked up to him, I looked up to him! You had no right to take that all away!! If it’s the last thing I do, I will kill you!!”

Stain scoffed. “Shouldn’t you be focused on saving that guy?” He gestured to the pro hero Native, lying on the ground, his shoulder bloody. 

Iida gasped. He hadn’t even noticed him. 

“You were so consumed in your revenge you didn’t even notice that there was someone to save. You’re only interested in using your quirk to further your self-interests. A self-absorbed person like you is about as far from being a hero as one can get. And that’s why you’ll die tonight.” 

Stain pulled his knife from Iida’s shoulder and licked the blood. Suddenly, Iida found himself unable to move. “Good bye, child. The world will be better after your death.”

“No… not like this,” Iida whimpered. 

His thought traveled once more to his brother. His happy, smiling face, always giving encouragement. Tensei had once said he tried his best because Tenya looked up to him.  Iida might never see him again. 

No. Is this how it’s going to end?

 

Midoriya was still quite far away from where the Nomus were attacking. He was running as quickly as he could over the rooftops to get back to the center of the city. He had to get better notes if he wanted to satisfy Shigaraki. 

But he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard voices shouting from an alleyway below him. They were voices he recognized. 

One was easily identified: his previous mentor, Stain. 

The other was harder to remember, but Midoriya quickly recalled where he’d heard that voice before: at the entrance exam and Sports Festival. It was the voice of Tenya Iida. 

That meant…

Iida is with Stain! He might get killed!

Midoirya ran over to the source of the noise. He looked down into the shadowy alleyway and his eyes fell upon a terrifying sight. Stain had Iida paralyzed beneath him and was about to send a knife through his throat. 

“Say whatever you want about me!!” Iida shouted, “you’re just some crooked villain who hurt my brother!!”

Midoriya had already disobeyed Shigaraki and saved one person that day. 

What was one more?

Notes:

Aaaahh cliffhanger I know, I’m sorry.

Yes I compared Bakugo to a cat. My cat is always attacking me out of nowhere, so… it fits.

This chapter’s song is Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons. A lot of the song fits well, especially the lines “wanna be the slip, slip, word upon your lip, lip” for Shigaraki and “‘cause I love how it feels when I break the chains” for Midoriya because he’s (temporarily) breaking free from Shigaraki and "whip, whip, run me like a racehorse" for how hard the League is running Midoriya.

Chapter 27: A Villain's Hate

Notes:

All I have to say is, I prefer writing emotions and conversations, not fight scenes. But I like the way this chapter turned out, so yeah.

Enjoy!

Midoriya was not having a very good day. 

So far, he’d been abruptly called to the bar, even more abruptly told they were attacking Hosu, watched innocent people get picked up by a flying Nomu, saved one of said innocent people, and now he was attacking the Hero Killer. 

Just as Stain was about to send his blade through Iida's neck, Midoriya plummeted down from above. He landed a solid kick onto Stain’s shoulder, and felt his collarbone crack under his heel. Going after Stain’s arms was his best bet. Limit the arm’s range of motion and you limit the blade’s range of motion. 

As Midoriya’s foot was pushing down on Stain’s shoulder, he used his other leg to propel himself off of Stain’s chest and felt a rib or two break. Midoriya then flipped backwards and landed in front of Iida while Stain was knocked back several feet. 

The entire time Midoriya was thinking, what am I doing, what am I doing? Why am I attacking the guy who trained me to save some stupid teenager? This is so not what a villain would do and yet here I am. 

Midoriya heard Iida mutter a confused, “what? Who’s there?” behind him.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” Midoriya responded, “what matters is that you get out of here before Stain kills you.”

“What? Wait, no, I can’t leave. I have to stop him, but I can’t move,” Iida retorted, still quite discombobulated from all his crying and thinking he was going to die and Midoriya falling out of nowhere to save him. 

“Dammit, he got you with his quirk,” Midoriya said, frustrated. “And get those idiotic thoughts out of your head about ‘stopping him.’ You’re just a kid from UA, no match for this guy.”

“No, you don’t understand. He-” Iida started before he was interrupted by Stain. 

“Midoriya, what are you doing here?” he asked, recovering from Midoriya’s blows. Iida’s eyes widened in recognition of the name. 

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at Stain. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch you kill someone. Can we please just talk about this instead of fighting?”

“You should know better than anyone that I cannot simply pause in the middle of my work,” Stain said scathingly. He raised his knife to the ready. 

Oh, well, this is just great. 

“No, don’t tell me… you’re Deku, from the USJ. You’re the one who blew up Cementoss’s hands,” Iida asked in a shaky voice, now recognizing the scar on his left cheek. 

“Finger,” Midoriya corrected. “And yeah, that’s me. Now try to actually be of some use and break out of Stain’s quirk.” 

Maybe I could just carry him away, but I don’t know if I’m fast enough. Maybe if I…

Midoriya’s eyes fell upon the other person in the alleyway. He recognized him as the pro hero Native. 

“Come on! You forgot to mention that there’s someone else here!” Midoriya shouted angrily at Iida while Stain charged at them. 

Now I can’t just carry him away, or I would be sentencing Native to death. But I don’t think I have the capabilities to defend two people from the Hero Killer. 

“Words accomplish nothing!” Stain exclaimed, raising his knife above his head, “only actions do!”

He sent his blade down right where Midoriya had been standing. Midoriya dodged by running under Stain, who quickly did a 180 to attack him again. However, his sword hit nothing but air and concrete. Midoriya had jumped in the air behind Stain, drew out one of his daggers, and stabbed it straight into Stain’s back. 

Stain retreated a bit, cringing in pain. Midoriya took a stance between him and Iida again, but then Stain smiled. He lifted a smaller dagger with a drop of blood on it up to his mouth…

…before Midoriya knocked it out of his hand by throwing one of his black daggers, which also cut multiple of Stain’s fingers. 

“You used that technique countless times on me in training,” Midoriya smirked, “while the person is busy dodging your attack, you pull out a smaller blade out of their line of vision and graze them. Sorry, but that won’t work on me.”

Stain smiled. “I trained you well.”

Iida inhaled sharply. “Wait, you mean, you were trained by the Hero Killer? But why are you trying to save me? This is none of your business, just go before you get hurt!!”

Midoriya blinked surprisedly, and looked over his shoulder at Iida. 

“How can you even call yourself a hero when you talk like that?” Midoriya asked accusingly, and Iida gaped in confusion. “Being a hero is about helping others, even when you don’t have to. Even when you get nothing in return. If a hero isn’t willing to do that, then they aren’t a hero at all.”

Iida’s eyes widened in surprise. Midoriya turned back towards Stain and charged at him, daggers at the ready. Iida yelled, “no, wait!! I came here to kill him because he hurt my brother! This has nothing to do with you!”

But Midoriya had already decided. He was going to save Iida, and at least try to save Native. But he was going to have to overcome his toughest opponent yet: the Hero Killer. 

Stain and Midoriya ran towards each other and sparks flew as their blades clashed. They both were incredibly fast, dodging each other's movements and jumping off the walls to try and gain an advantage. 

Stain was different from the previous people he’d fought because of two distinct things: 

One, Midoriya knew his fighting styles inside out because of how often they’d fought each other during training. Both Midoriya and Stain’s fighting styles were very similar. 

Two, Stain was nearly impossible to manipulate. Previously, Midoriya had been able to use words to guilt trip people or make them question their actions. He couldn’t do that with Stain. The Hero Killer was so fixated on his ideals and convictions, Midoriya couldn’t make him think anything different. Stain had a one track mind. 

“This is why I never brought you with me to purge false heroes!” Stain yelled as Midoriya kicked one of his daggers out of his hand. “You don’t understand how killing benefits the world!”

“Yeah, well, I’m okay with that,” Midoriya replied. He was getting quite worn down, but Stain somehow just kept getting more energized. 

It was becoming obvious that Stain was going to win. 

Midoriya was focusing all of his energy onto not getting cut. If Stain was able to slash him up, it would be incredibly easy for Midoriya to get paralyzed. And if that happened, a least one of the heroes in the alleyway would end up dead. 

But because Midoriya was concentrating on defense, his offense was laughably weak. He had barely harmed Stain at all, except for the wounds induced earlier (broken collarbone and ribs, cut back and fingers). However, Stain had a knack for powering through pain and the injuries didn’t seem to be hindering him at all. 

Midoriya had never been more thankful for his forearm gauntlets. Stain had tried slashing his arms multiple times, only for his blade to slide off the hard red metal. Midoriya was then able to use the absorbed kinetic energy to make his few attacks more powerful. 

Iida was just watching with wide eyes. He didn’t understand why in the world he was being saved by a villain. He was mulling Midoriya’s words over in his head, thinking about what it truly meant to be a hero. It was really ironic how he’d gotten advice about being a hero from a villain. 

While the two villains were fighting, Midoriya asked, “what blood type do you guys have?”

They both blinked confusedly for a second before Native responded, “B.”

“I have A,” Iida said. (Just a reminder, the effectiveness of Stain’s quirk from longest to shortest is B, AB, A, O). 

So they both still have a while. Native’s been here for the longest, so he might be free soon, but I can’t be sure. Iida’s still got some time left though. Dammit, what am I going to do? I can’t keep fighting like this. 

When Midoriya and Stain were at a standoff, Native spoke up. “You need to go! I don’t want either of you kids dying for my sake, even if one of you is a villain. Deku, just pick up Iida and leave!”

Midoriya had his daggers raised, ready for Stain’s next attack. He glanced towards Native and saw the look of pleading on his face. He looked behind himself at Iida, who was still paralyzed on the ground. 

I might have to listen to Native. 

Midoriya analyzed Stain. He wasn’t visibly tired, but he was more worn down than he was before. His movements with his right arm had been limited and slower, mostly likely due to the broken collarbone. His breathing was shallow, so it hurt to breathe from the broken ribs and gash in his back. The accuracy at which he threw daggers was off because of his sliced fingers. But those injuries didn’t mean anything if Stain still had the willpower to fight, and he most certainly did. 

Midoriya noticed Stain glancing at Native and a small frown came across his face. 

So his time is running out. Native will be free soon. But even with both of us fighting Stain, I don’t think we’ll be able to beat him. It looks like Native was taken down really easily by Stain before, and he’s injured. 

But if I run away with Iida, Stain will be forced to stay behind and kill Native before he breaks free. That’ll give us time to get as far away as possible. 

“If I have to kill you to complete my mission, I will,” Stain said to Midoriya. “Someone is dying tonight, and it’ll be you if it has to be.”

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed. He’s pretty much saying he won’t hold back now. I’m going to have to do what Native said. I’m carrying Iida away. 

He looked towards Native, slumped against the alleyway wall, blood protruding from his shoulder. 

And I’m condemning him to a painful death. 

But I don’t have a choice. 

Midoriya quickly drew out one of his marble bombs. He pressed the small button and it started beeping softly. He threw it towards the Hero Killer, who recognized what it was and jumped back immediately. 

While Stain was distracted with the explosive, Midoriya grabbed Iida and slung him over his back. He’d expected Iida to be super heavy with all his bulky armor, but he was actually quite light. 

I guess that makes sense. He wouldn’t want heavy armor slowing him down. 

He took off running down the alleyway as he heard the bomb explode behind him. He started navigating through the back streets and alleyways to get as far away from Stain as he could. 

“Wait!” Iida exclaimed. 

“You need to stop saying ‘wait’ so much,” Midoriya replied, not slowing down at all. 

Iida continued without hesitation. “We need to go back!! Native is going to die, and I need to-”

“No. You don’t need to do anything. Running is the only option we have if we want to live,” Midoriya said firmly. 

Iida’s facial expression and tone shifted to anger. “You don’t understand. My brother was an honorable hero who helped people! But now he’s paralyzed from the waist down and will never be able to do hero work again.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly. So, his family member has been permanently paralyzed too. 

“And it’s all the Hero Killer’s fault,” Iida said his name like how Midoriya said Bakugo or All Might. “He needs to pay for what he’s done. I will not rest until I’ve avenged my brother!”

Midoriya glanced over his shoulder at the person he was carrying on his back. When he saw Iida’s face, he was surprised by the sheer amount of hatred and anger on it. The kind of rage that ignores all logic. 

It was a mirror reflection of Midoriya’s face when he thought about Bakugo or All Might or Hyperbeam. The one who’d paralyzed his mother. 

Midoriya stared into Iida’s rage-filled eyes, and he saw himself. 

And a shocking thought came into Midoriya’s head: how am I any different from him?

He’s an aspiring hero and I’m a villain, yet we’re both feeling the same hatred, just towards different people. People who’ve hurt those we care about. 

How is my anger towards Hyperbeam any different from his anger towards Stain?

Midoriya shook his head and got refocused. He stopped looking at Iida and turned his eyes back to the ground he was running on.

No. I don’t have time to be thinking about this right now. I’m trying to save a stupid teenager’s life from a dangerous villain. 

But I need to convince him why he shouldn’t be seeking revenge against the Hero Killer…

“If that’s how you think, focusing all of your thoughts and abilities onto one selfish desire, then how are you any different from me?” Midoriya asked. 

Iida gasped surprisedly, confusion replacing some of the anger. Midoriya continued, still darting through alleyways. 

“Because I think the same way. I hate heroes for what they’ve done to me. I think they’re power-obsessed jerks who only care about themselves, just like how you think Stain is an evil criminal who cares little for human life. We both have the same hatred, hatred that turned me into a villain,” Midoriya looked Iida in the eye, “what will it do to you?”

Iida’s eyes widened in surprise, before he looked away, thinking. 

“If you want to be a hero, then you have to stop thinking about yourself. You said your brother got hurt by Stain, right? What would he want you to do right now? I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want you going on some suicidal mission for revenge.”

Iida continued avoiding eye contact, but he was thinking about what Midoriya had said. 

“I… I do want to be a hero,” Iida said softly. 

Suddenly, Midoriya heard footsteps on the rooftop above them. 

Oh no. Did Stain catch up to us already? Iida should be able to move soon…

Midoriya heard a whoosh of air above them and quickly jumped to the side and Stain came hurtling down from above. He had his one, long sword drawn, and it was covered in blood. Midoriya set Iida down on the ground and he got into a fighting stance. Iida didn’t tell him to wait this time. 

The blood on his knife is probably from Native. 

Midoriya quickly pushed down a wave of guilt. 

I wasn’t able to save him.

It’s not your job to save him! He’s a hero!!

But he was still a person with a life. Just because he was a hero doesn’t mean I wanted him dead. I’m not willing to go as far as the Hero Killer. 

Well, you already pretty much killed Native by leaving him like that. 

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Stain said, “you have delayed my actions for long enough, Midoriya. If I have to kill you to rid the world of that false hero, I will do so readily. Get out of the way if you want to live.”

Midoriya didn’t budge an inch. “Iida, you said you wanted to be a hero, right? Well then do what your brother would do and get up and help me!!”

Midoriya charged at Stain, drawing his daggers. He hadn’t been worn down too much by carrying Iida because everyday he had to run over rooftops across the city to take notes. Stain, however, was looking much more weary than when Midoriya and Iida had left him, most likely due to his broken rib making it difficult to breathe. 

If Iida is able to get up and help me, we might have a chance. I would just have to create an opening for him, and then he could kick Stain really hard. 

“C’mon Iida!!” Midoriya shouted, attacking Stain, who dodged, “you should be able to move by now!”

“But… how?” Iida asked, slowly clenching his fist, “I can still barely move.”

If Midoriya wasn’t dodging Stain’s attacks left and right, he would’ve sighed angrily. “It’s called willpower.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya could see Iida struggling, straining to move and help fight off the Hero Killer. He just needed more motivation. 

“Iida! Get up and be a hero!!” Midoriya shouted. 

He must’ve been watching Iida for a little too long, because Stain’s dagger nicked his arm. Stain smiled menacingly. 

“It’s over,” he said as he raised his blade to his mouth, still dodging Midoriya’s desperate attempts to get the dagger out of his hand. His tongue sickeningly slid over the surface of the blade, leaving slimy strings of saliva behind. 

Midoriya felt the effects immediately. His muscles froze, refusing to move. He fell onto the ground, landing on his side with a perfect view of Iida right across the alleyway from him. 

“I thought you would be the one to carry on my methods,” Stain said to Midoriya. “You were the only person I met who agreed with my ideologies. But now I see I was wrong. You are not willing to go to the lengths necessary to purify this corrupted society!”

Midoriya glared angrily back. “Yeah, sure, I agree with your beliefs, but no belief is worth killing people over! That’s where our differences lie. You’re willing to throw away all of your humanity to accomplish your goals. Well I’m sorry if there're some lines I’m not willing to cross!”

Stain stared down at Midoriya like he was some pitiful animal. “If you are not prepared to do anything necessary to achieve your dreams, then you lack any real convictions. Therefore, you shall die.”

Stain raised his knife above Midoriya’s head, ready to send it straight through his brain. Midoriya closed his eyes. 

I tried. 

But then there was a whoosh accompanied by a blue flash of light and a grunt of pain. Midoriya opened his eyes and saw Iida standing in front of him, the Hero Killer multiple feet away, clutching his chest in pain. 

Iida must’ve hit him where I broke some of his ribs earlier. Stain won’t be able to fight for much longer now. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the ribs punctured his lungs. 

“Iida, you did it!” Midoriya exclaimed, almost smiling. 

“Yes, and it’s all thanks to you, Dek- er, Midoriya,” Iida said, glancing behind him at Midoriya, “now, let me repay the favor.”

Midoriya nodded in confirmation. “If he cuts you, make sure to get the blade away from him. Also, aim for his shoulders and rib cage if you can. I have blood type O so I should be able to get up and help you soon. Just hold out until then.”

“Understood,” he responded as he got into a fighting position. 

Stain was glaring at Iida. “So, you still have some fight left in you. We’ll see how long you last this time!”

The Hero Killer charged at him. Iida fired up his engines and sped around him, giving him a wide berth. Stain then chopped the air behind him, thinking Iida would be there, but he had jumped into the air and then heeled Stain’s shoulder really hard. 

Hah, he’s copying my moves, except he’s fast enough to not get nicked. He’s also fighting better now that he’s less emotional and can think clearer. 

Stain crumpled onto the ground from the force of Iida’s kick. Both of his shoulders were now injured, making it hard for him to use his blades. 

“I will not lose to a bunch of children!” Stain exclaimed, quickly getting off the ground. He threw a blade at Iida and it hit him on the arm and Iida shouted in pain. 

Stain then ran up to Iida, his tongue outstretched towards his arm, trying to lick the blood. Iida jumped backwards, out of Stain’s reach and began running in circles around him. He was so fast it was hard to see him. 

Midoriya was so fixated on the battle, he didn’t realize he was able to clench his fist now. 

Stain was watching the teen speed around him in circles, all of the dust in the alleyway getting stirred up. Suddenly, Iida ran towards Stain and kicked him in the side before going back to running circles around him. Stain doubled over and spat out a little blood. 

“Stop playing these childish games!!” Stain yelled before throwing a dagger. It hit Iida right on his leg even though he’d been moving at a speed so fast he was hard to see. 

Iida fell on to the ground, cringing in pain. Stain was hovering domineeringly above him in seconds. He violently pulled the dagger out of his leg and Iida held back a shout. 

“Your time is out,” Stain said, raising the blade to his mouth. 

But then the blade was knocked out of his hand again by Midoriya’s black dagger. 

“Not quite,” Midoriya said weakly. He’d barely been able to move enough to throw the dagger. 

A burning irritation rose in Stain’s eyes at how these stupid children just would not die! 

Midoriya throwing the dagger had bought Iida enough time to get away from Stain and back towards Midoriya, but he was in no condition to fight. Iida now had deep cuts on his arm and leg, as well as the wound in his shoulder from before. He could barely run away. 

Midoriya was getting up off the ground, his movements still stiff and jerky. Iida hobbled over to him, and they stood there facing the Hero Killer. 

“What do you suggest we do?” Iida asked. 

Midoriya glared at Stain determinedly. “We have to finish this here and now. If we run, he’ll just catch up.”

“We could call the pros for help,” Iida suggested. 

Midoriya almost laughed. “Yeah, no. I don’t get along the best with pros.”

Iida looked down, frowning. “I see.”

“Besides, I have an idea. You haven’t used Recipro yet, right?” Midoriya said and he started whispering the plan into Iida’s ear so Stain wouldn’t hear. 

This made Stain very annoyed. “You think I’ll let you strategize right in front of me!!”

He charged at the two teens, and Midoriya yelled “got it?!” as he started clashing with Stain again. 

“Yes!” Iida replied as he started limping/running down the alleyway towards the street. 

Midoriya was now dodging Stain’s attacks and defending himself with only one dagger. Stain was relentlessly slashing his knives through the air.

“It looks like your little hero friend has left you behind,” Stain mocked. 

Midoriya didn’t respond and just kept dodging the blades coming at him from every direction. 

Suddenly, one of those blades hit their mark and sunk into Midoriya’s side. He gasped from the pain of feeling cold metal inside his body. 

Stain smiled. “You’re a weakling just like Shigaraki.”

The Hero Killer was so distracted by the fact he’d just stabbed Midoriya, he didn’t hear the faint shouting of “Recipro Burst!!” at the end of the alleyway. Stain was caught completely off guard when Iida came hurtling in out of nowhere and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick in the exact place where he’d broken ribs earlier. 

There was a loud crack and in that moment one of his ribs punctured his lungs and the Hero Killer collapsed onto the floor of the alleyway. 

The plan had been for Midoriya to allow Stain to stab him, which would give Iida the opening he needed to get a solid blow in. But that didn’t erase the fact that Midoriya was now injured. He’d made sure that the blade wouldn’t hit anything vital, but it still made it hard to breath and hurt a lot. 

The two teens stood there staring at the unconscious Stain, seemingly surprised that they’d actually defeated him. 

“Are you okay?” Iida asked after a minute. Midoriya was holding his side to limit the bleeding. 

“Yeah I’m fine. How about you? You’re more injured than I am,” Midoriya said, eyeing the large cuts in Iida’s shoulder, arm and leg. 

“Don’t worry about me. I was the one that got us into this mess. If anything, I should be apologizing to you,” Iida said, looking down at the ground disappointedly. 

Midoriya eyed him curiously. His attitude had drastically changed from angry and bitter to disappointed and apologetic. 

“We should tie him up, and remove all his weapons,” Midoriya suggested. 

“Oh, yes. You’re right,” Iida said and he started walking up to the limp body of the Hero Killer. They removed all the knives and daggers from Stain’s suit and tied him up with some of the cord from Midoriya’s grappling hooks. 

Midoriya also tore some loose fabric from his costume (which there was a lot of from how much Stain had almost cut him) and wrapped it around his waist over his wound to stop the bleeding. He’d have to repair his costume later. 

Iida was arranging Stain’s blades in an organized formation on the floor of the alleyway while Midoriya was tying the cord in a way that wouldn’t allow Stain to escape. Something was on Midoriya’s mind that he wanted to talk about. 

“About… about a year ago…” Midoriya started hesitantly. He’d never told anyone about how Hyperbean had hurt his mother. 

Iida looked up from the knives curiously. “Yes?”

Midoriya sighed. “About a year ago a pro hero hit my mom with his quirk. She was in a coma for months, and just woke up recently. She’s paralyzed on the left side of her body now, and has a pretty severe stutter.”

Iida’s eyes widened and Midoriya grew very angry. 

“And I hate him for what he did to her. I cannot forgive him and I will never forget,” Midoriya looked at Iida. “But doesn’t that make me a hypocrite? I tell you to not let your anger overwhelm you and control your actions, but that’s exactly what I’ve done. It just makes me wonder… what am I supposed to do with this burning hatred?”

Midoriya was staring at the floor of the alleyway, thinking, and Iida stood up and faced him. Midoriya looked up to meet his eyes. 

“First off, our cases aren’t exactly comparable,” Iida said. “Your mother was hurt much worse than my brother. Also, I’ve heard that you’ve been treated poorly due to the fact that you are quirkless. Is that correct?”

Midoriya looked back down at the floor of the alleyway and nodded. 

“So, heroes have negatively affected your life much more than villains have affected mine. That means the rage each of us has felt is different, and cannot be treated as one in the same.”

“So you’re saying I should just keep on letting my anger fuel my choices because it’s stronger than yours?” Midoriya asked, a little confused. 

“Er, well, no… I don’t know,” Iida spluttered. He’s not the best with feelings and stuff. “I’m just saying you’re not a hypocrite because we’re different, that’s all.”

“Ah, ok,” Midoriya said, going back to tying the cord around Stain. 

Iida walked up to Midoriya and bent down to put a hand on his shoulder. Midoriya met his eyes, quite wary of the younger hero but a little comforted by the touch.

“The one thing I do know is that you don’t act like a villain,” Iida said confidently. 

“What do you mean?” Midoriya asked, knowing full well what Iida was going to say. 

“You risked your life to save me, even though you would be fighting your previous mentor. You gave the fight everything you had just to help someone you didn’t even know. You’ve taught me what it means to be a real hero, and yet you’re a villain. Isn’t that ironic? You say you hate all the fake heroes in the world, and yet you’re the prime example of a real hero.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened at those last words. 

“You probably had your own problems to worry about, but you still came over and asked me if I was okay. You didn’t even know me, but you still cared about me. And to me, that’s a quality of an actual hero.” Midoriya remembered what Shinso had said about him at the Sports Festival. 

“Midoriya? Forgive me for asking, but are you sure you want to be a villain?” Iida asked tentatively. 

And for the first time since he became a villain…

Midoriya hesitated. 

“Yes, I’m sure,” he replied after a moment. 

Iida looked visibly disappointed. “Alright then.”

They began dragging the Hero Killer back out to the street and Iida looked up the number of a nearby hero agency so they could come and arrest him. Midoriya was planning to run as soon as the pros said they were on their way. 

But then Midoriya realized something. 

“Iida! You can’t tell them it was me who helped you defeat him!!” Midoriya exclaimed suddenly. 

Iida looked confused. “What? What do you mean? Why?”

“If people think the League had anything to do with the downfall of the Hero Killer, its name will be dragged through the mud in the villain community. It’ll be impossible for the League to recruit anyone and Shigaraki would kill more than he already is going to,” Midoriya explained. 

Iida still didn’t look convinced. He wanted to give credit where it was due.

“Please,” Midoriya begged. “I just saved your life! This is the least you can do in return.”

Iida’s face crumpled in defeat. “Fine. Who should I tell them helped me, then?”

“Just some vigilante who was, um… wearing a full black bodysuit and blades all over his body and a hockey mask who didn’t reveal anything about himself to you,” Midoriya was speaking incredibly quickly. He figured Iida didn’t have much of an imagination so he created a fake character for him. 

“Alright. No one will know you helped me,” Iida replied.

“Thank you,” Midoriya said gratefully. 

Then Iida dialed the nearest hero agency. He told them his location and how they he had detained the Hero Killer. 

“A group of pros and police will be at your location momentarily,” the person on the phone said. 

“Understood,” Iida responded before hanging up. 

“Kay, I’m gonna get going now,” Midoriya said, starting to walk away. 

Iida nodded. “Just be careful out there, okay?”

Gosh, why does everyone always tell me to be careful?

“Got it,” Midoriya said instead. 

As he was running away over the rooftops and through alleyways, he heard the pros arrive and saw the flashing lights of police cars. The Hero Killer had been successfully arrested and was being taken to the hospital to treat his punctured lung and other injuries. 

And as Midoriya was slowly traveling back to the water tank where Shigaraki was watching with crazed eyes, he thought about what Iida had said. 

For the first time ever, Midoriya started to regret becoming a villain.

 

The next time Iida went to visit his brother in the hospital, he anonymously dropped off flowers at Inko Midoriya’s room.

Notes:

I feel like I have to defend myself as to why the Hero Killer completely turned on Midoriya despite being his former mentor.

The most important thing to Stain is his ideologies. Everything else comes second. He only saw Midoriya as a way to further his goals and rid the world of more false heroes, which is the only reason he cared for him. But as soon as it became obvious that Midoriya wouldn't be able to continue his methods, any reasons he had for keeping Midoriya around vanished. In Stain's mind, if Midoriya got in the way of his ideologies, there was no point in keeping him alive.

Phew, okay. That was long. This chapter's song is Even If It Hurts by Sam Tinnesz. The beginning's a bit weird and it's a little slow, but fits well. It mainly relates to how Midoriya did everything he could to try and save Iida and Native, no matter what. Also, the bridge works well with how Shinso and Uraraka and those peoples feel about helping Midoriya.

Chapter 28: Promises

Notes:

Sorry this chapter's a few hours late, just got back from not having any internet connection.

This is something I forgot to put in last chapter's notes. I figured that nobody would be too upset about Native dying, because nobody really cares about him (man that's kinda sad). And he dies in a few months anyway, so...

Anyhow, this is a bit of a filler chapter, just to connect important events. Yup.

Midoriya was quite worried as he traveled back to the water tank where Shigaraki and Kurogiri were still observing the chaos in Hosu. Shigaraki was definitely going to react negatively to Midoriya killing one of the Nomus. However, the Hero Killer’s defeat might please him. Might. 

What Midoriya did know was that he had to be cautious around Shigaraki. The crusty-faced villain was ruled by his impulses, and if his impulses told him to kill Midoriya…

In short: Midoriya was screwed. 

He couldn’t run back very fast, due to the wound in his side, so Shigaraki had plenty of time to look for him. And just like Midoriya thought he would, Shigaraki spotted him approaching using his binoculars, before clenching his hand in anger and disintegrating them. 

That’s not a good sign. 

Thankfully, they didn’t have time to talk about it once Midoriya arrived at the water tank. A news helicopter had spotted the group of villains and was coming over to investigate. 

“We’re leaving,” Shigaraki ordered the moment Midoriya set foot on the water tank. 

“Are you satisfied with the outcome?” Kurogiri asked. 

Shigaraki glared at Midoriya. “Depends on tomorrow’s headlines.”

Midoriya gulped. So if the news stations only talk about how Stain was arrested, I’m in trouble. 

Kurogiri’s portal surrounded them before the helicopter could get close, and soon they were back in the familiar, dimly lit bar. 

“What were you thinking!?!” Shigaraki exploded once they weren’t in the open. He started angrily advancing upon Midoriya, who warily backed away. “First, you weren’t even taking notes where all the action was. What’s the point of that! Second, you killed one of my precious Nomu!! And for what? To save some stupid brat!!”

“Shigaraki, please do not do anything reckless,” Kurogiri asked (to no avail). 

Shigaraki was getting dangerously close to Midoriya. He had to defend himself. Fast. 

“But I stopped Stain from killing a UA student! That would’ve been all over the news if he had succeeded. I went up against my previous mentor to ensure that your attack would rule the headlines!” Midoriya explained desperately. 

He backed up into the wall of the bar, right next to the ‘sound only’ computer screen. Shigaraki had stopped advancing but was now aggravatedly scratching his neck. 

“But the Hero Killer did manage to kill a pro. What if that is all over the news!?” Shigaraki asked. “How will you defend your actions then?”

Midoriya opened his mouth to respond, before realizing he didn’t have a comeback. So he looked Shigaraki fiercely in the eye and said, “I couldn’t just stand around and watch someone die.”

Shigaraki groaned in annoyance. “There you go again with that stupid moral code of yours. You’re a villain. That means you don’t try to save people, you moron! Morals just get in the way of what you have to do.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened and then he looked down at the floor. Shigaraki was right and he knew it. 

“And now, because you can’t let go of your foolish sense of right and wrong, one of my perfect Nomus are dead. It’s all your fault!” Shigaraki outstretched a hand towards Midoriya’s arm, ready to disintegrate it. 

“Wait, Shigaraki,” said an unfamiliar voice, and Shigaraki halted at once.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through Midoriya’s veins as he realized the voice came from the ‘sound only’ computer. His heart started beating faster, as if just the sound of the voice was a threat, even though the person it belonged to wasn’t present. 

That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone speak from there. So is this the ‘Master’ Shigaraki and Kurogiri keep talking about? Is it All For One?

He shuddered at the thought of someone who was able to steal and hand out quirks like they were only toys to be used to further one’s agenda. 

“What, Master? I was just about to disintegrate this little punk,” Shigaraki said. Although he said it like he was annoyed at being interrupted, there was an underlying respect to his tone. Kurogiri turned eagerly to the screen as well, ready for instruction. 

Midoriya felt a mixture of fear and curiosity as the ominous person continued speaking. “I would not advise harming one of your most valuable assets. The intel he provides is vital to the League’s operations.”

Midoriya felt a now-familiar spike of annoyance.  So that’s all I am to these guys. Intel. 

Shigaraki lowered his hand, and Midoriya relaxed a tad.

“Well, he’s been doing more harm than good lately,” Shigaraki pouted. “And aren’t I allowed to do whatever I want? If I want to destroy something I don’t like, then I’m going to do it!”

He sounded like a little child complaining about not being able to get a toy they wanted. 

“Yes, of course. If you truly wish to destroy him then go ahead,” Midoriya tensed immediately when he said that, “but I would like to speak with him before you do so. You see, I have something important I need him to do for me.”

Both Shigaraki and Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise at that statement. 

Great. Just what everyone wants, to be the errand boy for the most powerful villain of all time, if he’s All For One, that is. 

“And what thing would that be?” Shigaraki asked, almost jealously. 

“If he agrees to do what I ask of him, I will tell you everything you want to know. However, if he refuses, there will be no need,” the person explained. 

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like that answer, but he trusted his Master. 

That’s when Midoriya finally spoke up. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m guessing that I don’t really have a choice if I attend this meeting or not.”

“No! You don’t have a choice!” Shigaraki exclaimed. To him, “Master’s” words were absolute and never up for debate. 

Midoriya sighed. “Okay then. When and where will we be meeting?” More like when and where will you be forcing me to talk to you. 

“Kurogiri will give you all the required information.”

The hazy man stepped forward immediately. “Of course. Consider it done.”

“Would you like me to come with him?” Shigaraki asked. 

“No, that will not be necessary,” the stranger put simply, much to Shigaraki’s dislike. 

Kurogiri then gave Midoriya a date and address. The meeting place was in Yokohama, at a seemingly old, abandoned warehouse in Kamino Ward. 

“Alright, I’ll be there,” Midoriya promised. 

“Good. I’m looking forward to it.”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at the screen, not looking forward to the meeting at all. Shigaraki seemed to do the same as he stomped over to the bar and plopped down in one of the seats. 

“Kurogiri, would you be willing to warp me back to my apartment?” Midoriya asked, “I have some injuries I need to treat.”

“Certainly.” 

Seconds later, Midoriya found himself being surrounded by a familiar purple-black mist before opening his eyes to the boring sight of his windowless apartment. 

He glanced at the guitar propped up against the wall next to his bed. 

Sorry, but lessons are going to have to wait. 

 

“Hey, Detective. We got a call from someone who claims to have information on Deku,” said Sansa. 

Tsukauchi looked up from his paperwork in surprise. “Really? Transfer them over.”

Sansa nodded and left the room. A couple seconds later the phone on Tsukauchi’s desk rang. 

He picked up the phone and said, “hello, this is Detective Tsukauchi. I heard that you have information on Izuku Midoriya, or Deku. Would you be willing to share?”

“Yes, of course,” the woman on the other end of the phone responded. “My name is Aruna Yasuo, and my son, Riku Yasuo, was saved by Deku during the recent events in Hosu.”

“Saved, you say?” Tsukauchi asked.

Hah, not surprised. 

He got out his pencil and notepad. “Please, describe to me in detail what happened.”

Yasuo went on to explain how there was a flying Nomu picking people up in the streets. It picked up her son, Riku, when Deku jumped from the rooftop and was able to hook a cord around its waist. 

“He then continued holding onto the cord and was just dangling under the Nomu.”

“This person,” Tsukauchi interrupted, “were you able to see his face or hair, or what he was wearing? Any defining features?”

“Later, yes.”

“Oh, alright then, continue.”

“The Nomu flew out of sight after that, but Riku told me what happened. Deku threw a knife at the Nomu’s wing and Riku grabbed onto him. They jumped off the cord before the Nomu crashed into the concrete.”

“How old is Riku?” Tsukauchi asked. If the child was very young, it decreased the trustworthiness of the story. This questioning was also over the phone, so Tsukauchi couldn’t tell if Yasuo was lying or not. 

“He’s nine,” she answered. 

Alright, that’s about old enough to be a reliable source. 

“Sorry, thank you.”

“It’s fine. Anyway, I was able to follow them pretty closely because of my quirk…”

She continued, saying how she’d immediately embraced her son. When she saw Deku there, he quickly started walking away. But before he left, she thanked him for saving Riku. The villain had seemed kind of surprised, and then left to retrieve his dagger from the fallen Nomu.

“So he managed to kill one of the Nomu?” Tsukauchi asked. Wow, that’s impressive. Endeavor was the person who killed the other two. 

“Yes, it looked like it landed headfirst on the concrete,” Yasuo responded. 

“Alright, thank you for this information. It is-”

Yasuo interrupted him. “What’s going to happen to him, once you find him?”

Tsukauchi was a tad surprised that she cared. “Well, he’ll have a trial and most likely be sentenced to some amount of time in prison, depending on the severity of his crimes.”

“Hm, I see. Sorry for keeping you on the phone, but he didn’t really seem like a villain.”

Tsukauchi chuckled. “You’re not the first, I assure you. However, what was it exactly that made you think that?”

“Well, you see, it was actually Riku. My quirk is being able to sense the consciousnesses of people around me, and it’s really only useful for knowing where someone is, which was how I was able to follow Riku and Deku so closely. My husband’s quirk is feeling someone’s emotions upon physical contact. Riku’s quirk is a combination of both, so he’s able to sense the emotions of everyone around him.”

“What emotions did Riku get from Midoriya?” Tsukauchi asked, curious. 

“That’s just it. When we’ve been around villains before, Riku has only sensed anger or resentment or pleasure. With Deku, he said he mostly sensed disappointment and loneliness. I just thought that was… strange.”

Tsukauchi paused for a second before responding, “I’m not allowed to share much about the case, but I’ll just say Midoriya is not your typical villain. In more ways than one.”

“I see. Well, I hope that this helped.”

“Yes, it certainly did. Thank you and have a nice evening.”

“Yes, you too,” Yasuo said before hanging up. 

Tsukauchi leaned back in his chair and sighed. Saying he was overworked was an understatement. 

Midoriya, you just can’t make up your mind between being a villain or a hero, can you? Well, it surely doesn’t make my job any easier. 

Inko had been calling at least twice a week for any updates on her son’s case. This would at least give him something to tell her. 

One of these days, she’s going to call, and I’m going to be able to tell her that we’ve found him. That we’ve saved him. 

But in the meantime, Midoriya was stuck somewhere between hero and villain. If heroes are represented by the color white, and villains by black, Midoriya was a blended shade of gray. 

 

The Hero Killer had been successfully arrested and taken to the hospital to treat his rather serious injuries. Police had also found where Stain had killed Native. A memorial was going to take place in a couple days.

Iida was having to rehash his story multiple times. The first time was when the pro heroes had arrived shortly after Midoriya had left. Iida explained to them how there was this extraordinary fighter clad in black who saved his life by carrying him away but wasn’t able to save Native. After that he had to tell the story to police investigators, and then again to his family and Manual. 

It didn’t feel good, having to lie to them all about Midoriya, but he’d promised. And Iida always kept his promises. 

There was some trouble with the Chief of Police, because Iida wasn’t supposed to use his quirk to harm people, not having a hero license and all. In the official report, they decided to give all the credit to the mysterious figure in black. That way, Iida and Manual wouldn’t have to deal with the repercussions of breaking the quirk laws. 

And so Iida thought it’d all be good. He’d kept Midoriya’s secret and wasn’t going to be punished too badly for the misuse of his quirk. 

But then Tsukauchi came in. 

Iida was to remain at the hospital for several days as he recovered from his injuries. The most severe of them was the large wound in his shoulder. He’d needed surgery, and even after that he was still going to have nerve damage that slightly impaired the function of his hand. 

So Iida was resting in the hospital when one of the nurses alerted him that he had a visitor. He’d expected it to be a family member or something, not another policeman asking questions. 

“Hello. I’m Detective Tsukauchi. You’re Tenya Iida, correct?” the newcomer asked politely. 

Iida returned the detective’s friendly smile and replied, “yes, that would be me. Nice to meet you, Detective.”

“Thank you,” Tsukauchi sat down on the bed across from Iida, “I would only like to ask a few questions about your interaction with the Hero Killer.”

Iida nodded in understanding. He’d already sold his story multiple times, might as well do it again. 

“I’m currently working a case regarding a person associated with the League of Villains, and rumors have been circulating that the League was working with the Hero Killer. Thinking that you could provide answers is a little far-fetched, but at this point any information could help.”

Tsukauchi didn’t know exactly why he’d chosen to travel all the way to Hosu to question a teenager, but he’d had a hunch. And Detectives always follow their hunches. 

“Of course! If I can be of any assistance in solving your case then I will answer any question necessary!” Iida exclaimed. He probably would’ve been chopping his arms in the air if they weren’t both bandaged up. 

“That is much appreciated,” Tsukauchi said. “I know you’ve probably already done this multiple times, but can you describe to me the events that happened the night you faced the Hero Killer?”

So Iida began telling his story once more. Everything was going smoothly, until he got to the part with Midoriya. 

“And then a figure in black came down from above and kicked Stain on the shoulder,” Iida said before he was interrupted by Tsukauchi. 

“Wait, what color did you say they were wearing?”

“Black, and a hockey mask.”

Lie. 

Tsukauchi smiled. “Okay, you can continue.”

So Iida continued, but not without difficulty. When he described the ‘figure in black,’ whether it be their fighting style, clothing or speech, Tsukauchi stopped him and asked additional questions. None of the other investigators had done that. 

“And then they left without saying a word,” Iida finished. 

“And throughout the entire fight you didn’t find out their identity,” Tsukauchi asked, writing on his notepad. 

“That would be correct.”

Lie. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Iida started, “why are you asking so many questions about the figure in black? I thought you were interested in Stain’s involvement with the League.”

Tsukauchi smiled. “Yes, I did say that. What I didn’t tell you is that the person I’m investigating is Izuku Midoriya…”

Iida froze. 

“...who just happened to be the one who saved you from the Hero Killer.”

Iida spluttered. “What!? No, it wasn’t Mido- er, Deku who defended me from Stain!”

Lie. 

Tsukauchi just continued smiling kindly. “Based on your answers I was able to get a fairly accurate picture of what this ‘figure in black’ is like, and they perfectly match Midoriya. I also wouldn’t put it past him to try and save someone’s life despite being a villain.”

Iida still continued to deny the detective’s findings. “No! I never found out the person’s identity! They weren’t Deku, I don’t know who they were!!”

Tsukauchi didn’t even need a lie detector quirk to tell he was lying. How could he be so sure the figure in black wasn’t Midoriya when he didn’t even know who they were?

Getting a little tired of Iida’s extravagant refusals, Tsukauchi just said, “I have a lie detector quirk.”

Iida stopped at once and stared at the detective, mouth agape. There was nothing he could say to keep the prompt up any longer. When he found his voice again he just said, “well, I’ve never been good at lying anyway.”

Tsukauchi chuckled. “Most would argue that’s a good quality for a hero to have.”

Then Iida looked down, a little sadly. “Yes… the quality of a hero.”

The detective observed Iida’s reaction. Hm, it seems like Midoriya left his mark on him. 

“How about this?” Tsukauchi suggested. “You start over from the top, but this time you tell me the full truth about what happened. No lies or half-truths.”

Iida frowned, not willing to go back on his promise to Midoriya. Tsukauchi noticed this. 

“Listen, it’s my job to find Midoriya and make sure he faces punishment for his actions. But it’s more than that. He has a mother who cares deeply for him and wants to see him safe. I personally would like to stop him before his crimes become too severe, not only to protect others but to protect him.”

Iida’s eyes widened slightly in surprise from that. 

“I'm pretty sure you noticed, he doesn’t really seem like the villain type. Midoriya is actually quite a kind, caring boy. That’s why he needs to be arrested, to stop him from going too far. The crowd he’s with, they’ll keep pushing him further and further until he breaks. He needs to be stopped before he crosses the line of no return.”

Iida’s brow furrowed in thought, and he stared at the floor. 

“But in order to save him, I need you to tell me everything you know about him and what happened that night,” Tsukauchi asked. He wasn’t being rude, but just forceful enough to get his point across. 

Iida clenched his jaw. “I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone about how he defeated Stain. If word got out that he had a part in the Hero Killer’s defeat, the person he’s working for would hurt him. I just don’t want more people to get hurt because of me.”

Ah, so he’s feeling guilty about Native. 

“I can make sure that this all stays under wraps. Not a word you tell me will be released to the public, I promise,” said Tsukauchi. 

Iida looked the detective in the eye for a moment, before nodding firmly. “Alright. I’ll tell you everything.”

Tsukauchi smiled appreciatively. “Thank you for your cooperation. Now, back to the start. When Midoriya came jumping down from the rooftop above, what happened?”

So Iida explained everything again. But this time he told the whole truth. 

Tsukauchi found out about how Midoriya was trained by Stain, how Midoriya had taught Iida what it meant to be a real hero, how he’d fought desperately to save Native and Iida, how they’d both had a similar hatred, and how Iida had found out about Midoriya’s mother.

The detective was writing all the information down on his notepad. 

“Midoriya taught me what it meant to really be a hero, and I thank him for that. He put everything he had into saving Native and me, even though he viewed us as selfish heroes. I just wish I could’ve helped him more,” Iida finished sadly. 

“You are helping him by giving me all this information,” said Tsukauchi. 

Iida hesitated, before smiling. “You’re right. However, I will now dedicate all my time and energy to improving my skills so that when the day comes, I will be the one protecting others instead of being the protected!”

“That sounds good,” Tsukauchi said, getting up off the bed. “Now, I have to get back to the station before it gets too late. Hosu is quite a distance from Musutafu. Thank you again for all your help.”

“You are welcome,” Iida said. Tsukauchi walked to the door, and as he was about to leave Iida said, “please, bring Midoriya back safely. What you said about how he’s not meant to be a villain, I agree with whole-heartedly.”

Tsukauchi sighed and nodded. “We’ll try our best.”

And that’s all we can ever do. Try our best. 

 

Midoriya was in trouble. Honestly, when was he not?

The day after the incident, there were some big headlines. It only took a bit of research to figure out that they were all about the Hero Killer’s arrest. The League was only slightly mentioned in some of the articles, and there was barely anything about how the Nomus had attacked Hosu. 

At least nobody knew that it was Deku who defeated Stain. If people knew, the League wouldn’t stand a chance at getting anymore recruits. Iida had kept his promise. 

But Midoriya wasn’t in the clear yet. He still had Shigaraki to deal with, and more importantly, All For One. 

Well, Midoriya thought it was All For One, but he wasn’t sure. He was going to find out today though; the meeting was in a couple hours. And just like any important social interaction, Midoriya was overthinking about all the possible ways it could go. 

The best scenario: the meeting gets canceled and I don’t have to do anything. 

The worst scenario: I die. 

Midoriya groaned as he flopped down onto his bed, thinking of everything in between. 

He could ask me to go on some crazy impossible mission, or maybe something simple and easy. 

He could give me a heart to heart on ditching my moral code, or just have a simple pleasant chat. 

He could force me to do something that I’m not okay doing, like murder or torture. 

Midoriya looked at his hand as he thought of one last possible outcome. 

He could offer me a quirk. 

The teen rolled over on his side and ended up staring at his jacket with the words "villain costume" printed on the back hanging on a hook on the wall. 

The entire reason he had become a villain was to prove that just because he was quirkless, it didn’t mean he was worthless. He could still be just as useful- no, more useful than a person who did have a quirk. So far, Midoriya would say he’d been pretty successful. He was the first major villain who was also quirkless. 

But if he accepted a quirk from All For One, then that would change everything. He’d essentially become just like everyone else. Gaining a quirk would undermine everything Midoriya had been striving for. 

So he decided, if he was ever offered the chance to have a quirk, he would refuse. Midoriya was already strong enough without a quirk. He didn’t need more power. 

But… there was a tiny part of him that secretly craved that kind of power. After being beaten your entire life for being weak, it’s only natural. 

Midoriya wanted to teach Bakugo a lesson. However, he would never be able to defeat the blond haired powerhouse being quirkless. Bakugo was just too strong. But if he had a quirk…

No. Midoriya shut that thought down immediately. He would not stoop down to Bakugo’s level. Wanting more power just for the sake of destroying someone else in battle was not something Midoriya was going to do. 

What he was going to do was start heading over to Kamino Ward. He didn’t want to be late to the meeting, especially if ‘Master’ was who he thought he was. 

Midoriya chose to wear just casual clothing: a hoodie and sweatpants. There was no point in wearing his villain costume. None of his support gear stood a chance against All For One. 

So then, Midoriya nervously set out to a meeting that would determine his fate. 

 

The news of the Hero’s Killer defeat brought peace of mind to many people, especially heroes (it’s not the most pleasant thought knowing that there’s a fanatic hell-bent on killing you). 

But there was a small percentage of people who were affected quite… differently by Stain’s arrest. 

Though his ways and methods were extreme, the fundamentals of Stain’s goals were rather understandable. In fact, there were quite a number of people who agreed with the Hero Killer’s ideologies, Midoriya being only one of them. 

And there were those who agreed with Stain and were willing to go to extreme measures. Those people were very dangerous. 

Two of those very dangerous people were heading to the League hideout to discuss their recruitment. One was an outcast simply because her behavior wasn’t considered “normal.” The other had been discarded like a useless piece of trash. By a hero. 

The viral video talking about Stain’s beliefs had inspired people to act when they hadn’t had confidence before. They wanted a place to put their interesting skills to use. They wanted to make Stain’s goals their own and teach society a lesson. 

What better place to do that than the League of Villains? Rumors had been circulating saying that Stain had been working with the League. So for those who wanted to continue Stain’s mission themselves, the League was their best starting point. 

Which was so incredibly ironic. 

Ha, they had no idea it was a member of the League who’d defeated Stain.

Notes:

Yeah, I made AFO's voice bold... because he's intimidating... I don't know how to write him.

Next chapter is probably going to be one of the most important chapters there are, so brace yourselves.

And I didn't really know what to do for this chapter's song, being kinda filler and all, so it's just gonna be Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. This song just works well for the fanfic in general, because Midoriya's where he is because he had his dreams crushed. I especially like the line "I'm walking down the line, that divides me somewhere in my mind," cuz it's like Midoriya walking somewhere in between hero and villain.

Chapter 29: People Are Not Toys

Notes:

I had to look up the plural of "passerby". I thought it was smth like "passerbys" but no, it's "passersby". Passersby. Yup.

Bonus chap on Thurs!

Also, just realized this is now over 100,000 words. And, uh... this still isn't ending anytime soon. Oh boy.

The meeting place was… not where you’d expect a top-notch villain to hang out. It honestly just looked like an old, dusty warehouse. But if you were trying to stay unnoticed it was quite effective. None of the passersby even gave it a second look. 

There weren’t any windows, so Midoriya was either going to have to sneak around the back to get a better look inside, or just walk in through the front door. Neither of those plans were very appealing. 

If I learned anything from Stain, it’s that you can’t just walk into a villain’s warehouse and expect everything to play out smoothly. 

But… from what I know about the guy I’m meeting, he doesn’t seem like the type to threaten me the moment I walk through the door. He has too much power to need to do something like that. He’s more the type to work meticulously from the shadows, not be forefront in the action. 

So, Midoriya chose to go through the front door, partly because he didn’t think it was necessary to spy on the inside and partly because he just didn’t feel like spying on the inside. 

When there was a pause in the steady stream of people walking by the warehouse, Midoriya ran across the street and quickly jumped the short fence guarding the entrance. He walked up to the door and noticed that there was a thick layer of weeds growing under it. 

Looks like this entrance hasn’t been used in a while. Oh well. It’s still a way in. 

He took a deep breath and reached his hand up to the grimy doorknob. He suppressed the apprehension he felt and opened the door. 

It was surprisingly peaceful inside the warehouse, no noise except for his footsteps. The place was trashed, though. There were old, wooden boxes everywhere, and random parts of broken machinery. Again, not a place where you’d expect a dangerous villain to be hiding. The only reason Midoriya could see anything was because of some dim light filtering through a couple of dusty, barred windows. 

And being the awkward boy he is, Midoriya thought it’d be weird to call out, ‘hello?! I’m here!!’ So he just kept silent and decided to look around until he found someone. 

It wasn’t long before he heard a faint bubbling noise accompanied by a faded pink light, but some crooked shelves were blocking his view. He walked around them and got a closer look, before immediately wishing he hadn’t. 

There were rows of Nomu tanks. The creatures were sitting in bubbly pink liquid, with only their brains above the surface. 

Midoriya took a few staggered steps back. He’d thought one Nomu had been enough at the USJ, and then three was more than enough in Hosu. But this many? It was enough to make Midoriya’s heart beat out of his chest in plain fear. 

So this is where they’re made, huh? Then where’s All For One?

His question was answered immediately. 

“Hello, Deku,” said a chilling voice. “It’s good to finally meet you in person.”

Midoriya looked over in the direction of the voice and saw him. Just the sight of him was enough to make his skin crawl. All For One was wearing a business suit, a creepily wide grin, and he didn’t have eyes. The skin from his lips up was all twisted and distorted. 

All For One was sitting in a large, padded chair, at a desk with a simple monitor and keyboard on it. But he was surrounded by IV bags and tubes, a couple of them going into his skin. 

And against Midoriya’s better judgment, he whispered “All For One” under his breath. 

All For One’s smile lessened the tiniest amount. “I see you already know who I am.”

Crap crap crap crap crap. I can’t let him find out about my talk with Tsukauchi, which is how I know about him. 

“Yeah, well, only a person like you would be able to create things like Nomus,” Midoriya explained, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. 

“Of course,” All For One replied, spinning his chair away from the desk so he could face him. Midoriya wasn’t able to tell if All For One believed him or not. 

And that’s when Midoriya realized…

…he had no control over the situation. 

In all of his previous battles, arguments, or even simple chats, Midoriya had known the person he was talking to and how they thought. He’d known what to say and how to act to get the situation to play out in his favor. No matter what, he could somehow make things go the way he wanted. 

But this was a completely different story. Midoriya realized…

I have no idea what the frick I’m doing. 

All For One smiled wider. 

I’m completely at his mercy. 

It was not a good feeling, your fate being entirely in the hands of someone you could never trust. 

“You have of course noticed the Nomus by now,” All For One said conversationally. 

Midoriya took a deep breath and pushed down his unease. I can do this. You just have to play by his rules. 

“It’s kind of hard not to,” Midoriya replied, taking a step towards All For One and Nomus. 

All For One chuckled. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. They are quite magnificent creatures, aren’t they? Their bodies needed to be modified to hold so many quirks. But the end result is rather spectacular.”

Even through the fear, those words sparked something in Midoriya. 

Those creatures used to be people. They might’ve been bad people, but they still had lives and emotions. What makes you think you can just pick whoever you want off the streets and cut them apart and put them back together as your toys?

He knew better than to say this. His moral code couldn’t be brought up. 

“I’ve never seen anything like them,” Midoriya chose to say. “The gray skinned ones are weaker, aren’t they? While the black skinned ones are the strongest.”

All For One smiled. “You have a good eye. I wouldn’t expect anything less from such an important member of the League.”

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed. “If I’m so important, why are you going to kill me if I refuse to accept your mission?”

All For One’s smile diminished and became more forced. 

That’s right. Don’t use your tacky flattery tricks on me, Midoriya thought fiercely. Being a manipulator himself, he could easily see through anything All For One was trying to pull.

“Can we just stop all the cheap introductions and get on with why I’m here. What do you want me to do? And I’m just going to have to say yes because I don’t have a choice, do I?” Midoriya demanded. 

“My my, you are quite impatient. I can’t remember the last time someone spoke to me like that,” said All For One, smiling widely again. 

Of course I’m the only person to be rude to a super villain, and can he please get that stupid creepy grin off of his face. 

“It’s understandable why Shigaraki dislikes you so much,” All For One continued. “But I might as well abide by your request, seeing as I have nothing better to do.”

Midoriya held back a sigh. Social interaction was really exhausting. 

“You are already aware of All Might’s weakened form, and the time limit on his quirk, correct?” All For One asked. Midoriya nodded, curious as to where this conversation was going to go. “What you don’t know is that his quirk is actually called One For All.”

That sent Midoriya’s mind into overdrive. 

So, wait. All For One and One For All? The names are so similar, but how are the quirks similar? The name All For One makes sense because he steals quirks, All quirks For One person. But then what could One For All mean? All Might has a strength quirk, so what does strength have to do with the name One For All? The names are opposites, so if the quirks are opposites then that means One For All would mean One quirk For All people. All Might’s quirk would have to do with giving quirks away, not super strength. Wait… unless…

The pieces clicked together. Midoriya already knew what All For One was going to say next. 

“One For All has been passed down through generations. Person after person inheriting the quirk, mastering it and making it their own, trying their best to keep it away from me. Now the great power is in the hands of All Might .”

“Alright, I understand that,” Midoriya said, “but what does this have to do with me?”

The next words that were spoken changed Midoriya’s life forever. 

“I want you to find a way to somehow steal All Might’s quirk, and bring it back to me.”

…what?

Steal… steal All Might’s quirk? 

That was the only thing Midoriya was able to think. All the air momentarily left his lungs and his heart felt like it stopped beating. 

“B-but… how?” Midoriya asked shakily, still not fully comprehending the enormous task that had just been mounted on his shoulders. 

All For One smiled again, but this time it was more of a gleefully sinister smile. “There are only two things needed for All Might to pass his quirk on. The first, you would have to consume some of his DNA, whether this be blood, hair or fingernails.”

Alright, that shouldn’t be hard enough. 

“That’s the easy part.”

Oh, of course. 

“Secondly, he has to willingly give it to you. That is what makes this quirk so difficult to obtain. You cannot simply steal it; it must be offered.”

“But how am I supposed to do that?” Midoriya asked, careful to keep his tone even. “He knows I’m a villain. He’ll never give his quirk up freely to someone like me.”

“You’re smart. Surely you can think of a way to manipulate him into doing what you want,” All For One said, still sporting that gleefully sinister smile. 

Despite Midoriya’s best efforts, he couldn’t stop the onslaught of ideas that flooded his brain. His mind quickly supplied him with 10 or more ways to force All Might to give up his quirk. However, there was one problem with each of the plans: All Might’s sheer strength. 

As Midoriya tried to push the image of All Might crumpling at his feet out of his head, he said, “but even with his time limit, he’s still incredibly powerful. Nothing would stop him from squishing me like a grape the moment he figured out what I was trying to do.”

All For One’s stupid smile only grew wider. “Even when you’re a villain, you still look up to All Might, don’t you? You still see him as perfectly invincible.”

Midoriya fumbled a bit. “W-what? No! He’s one of the main reasons I became a villain, so why would I still admire him! And I know how pathetic he is… when he’s in his weakened state.”

“That is where your misconception lies. He is not only weak in his deflated form, but also while using One For All. Everytime he uses that great power, he shortens his time limit. Honestly, how much longer do you think his time as the number one hero is going to be?”

“I… I guess,” Midoriya looked down at the floor, “I guess you’re right.”

“Dark plots are taking shape and evil things are going to happen. Whether it be Shigaraki’s doing or another villain organization, All Might is going to continue fighting. He’ll push himself until he’s in the ground. Soon, he won’t pose a threat to anyone.”

Midoriya chose not to think about what ‘in the ground’ could mean. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?” 

All For One’s smile took on an edge. “You always have a choice.”

Tch, yeah right. I can choose to accept the task and live, or refuse the task and die. Like dying is an option. Don’t try to twist the situation and make it look like I’m doing this of my free will. I don’t have a choice. 

“Alrighty then. I guess I’m doing this,” Midoriya replied in defeat. 

He had to hold back a flinch when All For One held out a hand to him. “However, I offer you my help in completing this arduous mission.”

Midoriya frowed confusedly. “How?”

It’s not like he can leave this place easily, Midoriya thought, eying all the IV tubes going into All For One’s body. 

“I’m sure you are aware of what my quirk can do.”

Midoriya inhaled sharply. 

Oh. 

“I am offering to give you a quirk, one that would assist you in obtaining All Might’s power,” suddenly a dark red mist started spreading over All For One’s outstretched hand, and Midoriya could feel the strange and terrifying power emanating from it. 

A quirk? Given to me? 

And as Midoriya stared at the frightening power All For One wielded, he hardly had to think for a second what his answer would be. 

“No. I want to accomplish things on my own, with my own power. I want to show the people that I don’t need to have what everyone else has to make a difference,” Midoriya said firmly. 

All For One’s smile shrank. 

“And besides,” Midoriya continued, “if I did accept a quirk, and then I ended up getting One For All too, wouldn’t that kill me? A person’s body can’t handle more than one quirk without modification.”

“That wouldn’t matter,” All For One explained. “Previous users of One For All have had quirks before receiving One For All. Their bodies were able to handle two quirks, and it only shortened their life span. So if you bring me One For All directly after receiving it, you could also have another quirk without it damaging you too much.”

Define “too much.”

“Oh, I see,” Midoriya said. “But I still don’t want a quirk. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

The power faded from All For One’s hand, and his smile was the smallest it’d been the entire meeting. 

He obviously wanted me to say yes. I better get out of here before he decides to force a quirk onto me. 

But then something occurred to him. “What quirk did All Might have before getting One For All?”

All For One’s smile grew again. “Actually, he was quirkless.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened. 

Quirkless?

You mean, he was like me? And… and he still became a hero?

Gosh, if that didn’t cause an inrush of conflicting emotions, nothing would. But he would have to sort through them later. Now was not the time to think, it was the time to leave as quickly as possible. 

“Well, if that’s all you wanted to tell me, I better get going,” Midoriya said, taking a step away from All For one. 

“Alright,” All For One said, and Midoriya sighed in relief. “But one more thing before you go.”

Oh come on, Midoriya thought, as he abruptly stopped walking towards the exit. 

“I am well aware of your tendency to save people in need.”

The coldness in his voice sent shivers down Midoriya’s spine. 

“Take this as a warning: if your moral code continues to interfere with Shigaraki’s plans, you will be discarded immediately, no matter your mission or the value of your intel.”

Despite the harsh and fearsome warning, those words only evoked one emotion in Midoriya: anger. 

Discarded, huh?

Midoriya clenched his fists at his side. 

I am not your toy. I am not only a means to an end. I’m more than just a tool for you to use. I do not exist primarily to do your bidding. 

And you cannot simply discard me once I’m no longer of use. 

You may appear to sympathize with a person’s ideals, but beneath the act you’re only trying to grow your collection. Your collection of people you use like toys. 

But you can’t understand my ideals, because you’ve never understood what it’s like to feel completely and utterly useless. To be entirely alone. You never have understood and never will. 

So I refuse to become a part of your collection. 

Midoriya didn’t respond to All For One, and just resumed his walk to the exit. 

The moment he was safely outside, he collapsed onto his knees and started gasping for air. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath in All For One’s presence. That meeting had been the most terrifying thing he’d even done. 

Midoriya had refused to become part of All For One’s collection, but he’d already become one of his favorite toys. 

 

Midoriya flopped down onto his bed at his apartment. It was getting dark outside, but he wouldn’t be able to tell. The lack of windows felt especially demoralizing right now. 

He rolled over onto his back and rubbed his hands down his face, groaning loudly. What had just happened, what he’d just been tasked with, was finally setting in. 

I’ve been given the job of stealing one of the greatest powers on earth, a power that even All For One is jealous of. All Might’s quirk. 

But he was quirkless before having One For All! So then… does he understand what it’s like to be powerless in a world full of powerful people? Can he sympathize with my pain? Does he get it? Was he bullied too?

If he does understand, why did he tell me that I can’t become a hero without a quirk? If he does understand, he should’ve known how much his words would hurt. How much they still hurt. If he does understand, he would’ve said things differently. He would’ve actually cared. 

Tch, the number one hero and he walks away after crushing a child’s dreams. 

And now I have to steal his quirk. If I succeed, he won’t be the number one hero anymore, and the world will know his secret. I wonder how society will react to that. They’ll probably start losing hope in heroes. 

And then there’s the inevitable power shift. When One For All goes from being on the hero’s side to the villain’s side, what will happen? Heroes will have already taken a blow from losing All Might, and then they’re hurt even more when his devastating power is turned against them. I wouldn’t be too surprised if society collapsed all together. 

I’ve essentially been tasked with the downfall of heroes. 

And it’s all up to me. It’s all on my shoulders. 

Maybe I shouldn’t’ve joined the League. 

Midoriya’s eyes were slowly being opened to what he’d gotten himself into. 

“Don’t get yourself wrapped up in things you can’t handle. I know I trained you, but you’re still just a kid. You still have a limit,” had been Stain’s warning. 

“Just… be careful what you get involved in. You’re still only a kid,” those were Tsukauchi’s parting words. 

“Are you sure being a villain is the right path for you?” Shinso had asked. 

“Just be careful out there, okay?” Iida had said. 

Midoriya was finally starting to understand what they’d meant and why they’d been so concerned. He started to wish he’d never joined the League. 

He began to reach instinctively for his phone and earbuds laying next to him on the bed. Music was his main method of coping, and he sure needed it right now. But he hesitated when his eyes traveled past his phone to the guitar propped up against the wall next to his bed. 

He’d taught himself the basics of guitar, and had been practicing a particular song. The chords were a little tricky, some of them being bar chords (where you have to hold one finger across multiple strings). But it was just the same five chords used throughout the entire song, and the same strum pattern too. 

However, he’d never played the entire song before. 

Well, now is as good a time as any, Midoriya thought as he got up from his bed and picked up his guitar and grabbed a discarded pick from his desk. 

He sat back down on his bed and set the guitar up on his lap, and took a deep breath. Then, he began strumming the familiar chords. 

Weight Of The World by Citizen Soldier. (Click on the link right now! This next part won’t attack your feels half as much if you don’t listen to the song! Click it click it click it.)

He repeated the intro twice, and got to the part where the singing started. 

Midoriya barely even thought about it. It was like the words just fell out of his mouth. 

“Feel the weight of the world… over me tonight.”

Midoriya had never been much of a singer. But then again, he’d never been much of a guitar player either. Somehow playing music was what he needed at that moment. 

Music helps us feel emotions that words and actions can’t provide. Or, in Midoriya’s case, it helps us release emotions that we have trouble processing. 

And as he strummed the guitar, feeling its vibrations and letting the words flow freely, the music helped him sort through all of the complicated feelings getting tangled up in his head. 

“If I break, if I break down this time… hope you know I tried.”

He had tried. So hard. He’d pushed himself physically and mentally to the limits just so he’d be able to compete with people who had quirks. But then why did he feel closer to breaking than ever before?

“My mind’s such a mess. I can’t handle it. I’m at the end of my rope.”

All of his feelings about being a villain, his hatred towards heroes, and his new mission came to the forefront of his mind. 

“I’m so sick of this, just so over it. Why won’t you let me let go?”

And he was sick of it all. Sick of being treated like a tool. Sick of being alone. Sick of being so angry. 

“My neck is breaking, body shaking. Sometimes it’s so hard to breathe.”

Things were hard. They’d only gotten harder since becoming a villain. The biggest struggles he went through were mental, not physical. 

“But no one sees, it follows me.”

No one saw the pain he went through. Either that, or nobody cared. 

“I always end up underneath… the weight of the world.”

As he strummed the next few chords, he thought about the crushing weight that had just been put on his shoulders. The task of bringing down the number one hero. He had to take away the world’s hope. 

“The weight of the world.”

And in doing so, he’d be snuffing out his own last flicker of hope too. A flicker he didn’t even know he still had. 

“I don’t like, like myself very much… despite all your kind words.”

Shinso and Iida had said he had the attributes of a hero, but Midoriya couldn’t see himself outside of being a villain. He was forcing himself to be something he wasn’t. 

“Can’t explain why I’m hurting myself, but it feels deserved.”

He’d become a villain because he thought that heroes deserved to be punished for putting on an act when they truly didn’t care. But recently, being a villain hurt himself more than anything. 

After that, the pre chorus and chorus repeated again. With every strum, his head got clearer, it was like the feelings sorted themselves out. The music filled his head and his heart. It helped him feel the emotions he’d been suppressing for so long. Every strum brought him closer to tears. 

“These thoughts won’t rest. I can’t forgive.”

He couldn’t forgive the Bakugo and All Might for what they’d done to him, and he couldn’t forgive Hyperbeam for what he’d done to his mother. However, that hatred and anger was getting so tiring, but he didn’t think he could just let go of it. 

“I overthink, until I’m sick.”

No matter how hard he tried to think of a way out of stealing All Might’s quirk, or eventually having to cross that final line, he couldn’t come up with anything. He was going to have to do it. It was inevitable. 

“I’m too damn tired. Too worn to fight.”

And he was getting more worn everyday. 

“I don’t feel strong enough to leave on the light.”

The strumming paused for a second and he took a deep breath as a teardrop fell onto his strings. 

“To leave on the light.”

There were a couple measures of just strumming, and more teardrops joined the first one. As he sang the chorus again, his voice cracked multiple times, but he didn’t care. He was singing for himself, not for the pleasure of others. 

“I always end up underneath… the weight of the world.”

He was diagnosed ‘quirkless’ at the age of four. Like it was a disease. You might as well have put a stamp on his forehead saying ‘less human than everyone else.’

“The weight of the world.”

His mom had had a hard time supporting the family. He’d put it on himself to take care of her, to never be a burden to her. In doing so he’d put a huge burden on his shoulders. 

“Weight of the world.”

And then he’d started getting bullied by someone who used to be his friend. He was tormented for something he couldn’t even control. He was abused because of who he was. 

“Feel the weight of the world… over me tonight.”

The song ended, and the sound faded from the room. But the music resonated in his heart. 

Midoriya had been under the weight of the world long before he was a villain. However, being a villain had only increased the pressure. It’d only brought him closer to breaking. Playing and listening to music was the main thing that helped him keep it together. 

He felt another vibration, but this time it wasn’t from the guitar, but from his phone. 

Kurogiri had sent a text saying, “Deku, we require your assistance at the bar. Please come quickly.”

Midoriya didn’t know why Kurogiri even bothered saying ‘please.’ It wasn’t like he had a choice. 

He sighed and grudgingly got up from his bed. He slid the pick in between the guitar strings and propped it back up against the wall in the same place. After making sure he didn’t look like a huge sobbing mess, he set out for the bar. 

Let’s see just how much more Midoriya can handle before he snaps.

Notes:

Catharsis - the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
We could all use a little catharsis. For me it's music, for you it might be exercising or baking or reading or praying. Whatever helps you process.

You see the tag "It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better"? Yeah... at least you have a bonus chap on Thursday, which I can assure you is much less emotional than this chapter.

The song for this chapter is the one Midoriya played, Weight of the World by Citizen Soldier. Don't think I have to explain why.

See ya thursday.

Chapter 30: Against Logic

Notes:

This bonus chap is quite shorter than the last two, just btw. And usually my bonus chaps just have not very important stuff, but this one is kinda more important. Kinda.

Also, the timing is a little tricky. The first third of this overlaps with the last chapter, and then the second two thirds overlap with the next chapter. So you may be getting some slight spoilers for Monday's chapter.

A good side and a bad side can be found in everything. Nothing is ever entirely good, and nothing is ever entirely bad. 

Being a teacher, for example, can be incredibly tiring. You end up adopting the stress of your students and if they fail, it means you’ve failed. On the other hand, you get to see your students grow and mature into something far greater than you could’ve ever been. When they succeed, it means you’ve succeeded. 

And to Aizawa, that mattered more than anything else: seeing his students succeed. Seeing his students grow from challenges instead of being broken down by them was far more rewarding than fame or glory. 

For goodness sakes, that was why he’d become a teacher. 

Lately, the student he was the most proud of was Shinso. Aizawa had sworn to never have favorites, but Shinso was an exception. His tired eyes and determined nature reminded Aizawa so much of himself. 

And now, all Shinso had to do was try his best at the summer camp and he’d be transferred to the hero course. 

When it came to achieving his goals, it was impossible for Shinso to not try his best. 

 

Joining Class 1-A had both a good and a bad side. 

On one hand, the class was rather extroverted and gregarious. To an introvert like Shinso, that wasn’t very appealing. He already had to put up with their shenanigans all the time, and wasn’t even in their class yet! They were going to drive him crazy once he transferred. 

But on the other hand, Class 1-A accepted him more than anyone else had. When Shinso was with them, he actually felt like he belonged somewhere. His friendship with them was more valuable than anything else he had. 

So, if he had to trade some mental stability for people who genuinely cared about him, it was worth it. 

Today, however, that was not a trade he was willing to make. General Studies had their final exams, and Shinso had been taking tests all day. He was mentally exhausted. All he wanted to do was go home and take a nap with his cat. 

Then Class 1-A came bombarding into his life like they always seemed to do. The second Shinso was about to leave the school, Kaminari, Iida and Uraraka cornered him. 

“What do you guys want?” Shinso asked unenthusiastically. 

“Oh, come on, is that anyway to greet your future classmates!” Kaminari whined. Aizawa had already told the class about how Shinso would be transferred if he performed well at  the summer camp. 

Uraraka, however, remained unphased. “We came to invite you to a fun get together!”

“Hard pass,” Shinso replied, already walking towards the exit again. 

“It’s fine if you’re not feeling up to it today,” Uraraka persevered. “The get together is during summer break, before we head off to camp! We’re all going to-”

“Minus Bakugo and Todoroki,” Kaminari interjected. 

“Oh, yeah. They aren’t coming,” said Uraraka, and honestly Shinso was more than okay with Bakugo not being there. “Anyway, most of us are going to meet up at Wookiees mall and get any supplies we might need for camp!”

Iida spoke up. “It would be a good way for the rest of the class to get to know you, Shinso, seeing as how you are most likely being transferred to the hero course.”

“I am being transferred to the hero course,” Shinso said confidently. 

“Then whaddya say, my guy?” Kaminari asked, smiling brightly. “Come hang out with us!”

And that’s how Shinso was forced persuaded into going with Class 1-A to the mall. 

 

Skip forward to summer break, Shinso is torn between looking forward to spending time with 1-A, or dreading it. 

There were just going to be so many people. People are just… annoying, to Shinso, at least. 

But Iida had been right. If he was going to be transferring to their class, he might as well get to know them better. That was part of being a hero, right? Collaboration with others?

He’d spent most of his time with Uraraka, Iida and Kaminari, and then a bit with Mina, Tsu and Jiro. But the others? He didn’t really know much about them other than what he’d seen at the Sports Festival. 

The one thing I do know is that Bakugo is a jerk, and that’s an understatement, Shinso thought as he got on the subway to Wookiees Mall. 

He chose a seat where the least amount of people were, like he always did. Lately, he’d been getting more attention because of his standing in the Sports Festival. He just tried to avoid that attention as much as possible. 

A couple stops went by, and people glanced at him curiously. He started looking at his phone whenever that happened so they wouldn’t try to talk to him. 

“Hey! Shinso!” said a familiar voice. 

He looked up from his phone and saw Uraraka running towards him. “Oh, hey.”

“I’m so glad you decided to come!” she exclaimed, plopping down in the seat next to him without asking. “You won’t regret it, I’m sure!”

“We’ll see about that. And you can stop shouting, by the way,” Shinso responded, conscious of all the people looking at them. 

“Oh, right. Sorry,” she said much quieter. 

They sat in silence for a couple seconds, but Uraraka wasn’t going to let the conversation die out that easily. She had more social tact than that. 

So she asked a question that had been on the forefront of most people’s minds lately, “didja hear what happened with the Hero Killer?”

Shinso nodded. “I heard that some vigilante guy did it. Wasn’t he protecting a student from UA?”

“Yeah, it was Iida,” Uraraka responded, and Shinso raised his eyebrows. 

“So that’s why he’s been acting more subdued lately.”

“Oh, well, I dunno about that,” said Uraraka, “he’s been giving all this big talk about ‘doing better’ and ‘saving people’ and ‘being a true hero.’”

Shinso didn’t even think about the words that came out of his mouth. “Hah, sounds like Midoriya.” 

Uraraka’s eyes widened a little at the sound of his name, and she leaned forward in her seat. “Huh? Whaddya mean?”

“Er- well, I guess…” Shinso stuttered, now regretting he’d said anything. “It’s just, at the entrance exam, he seemed to actually care, unlike a lotta heroes. And from what I’ve heard about him, he thinks a true hero is someone who cares more about helping other people rather than gaining fame and glory for themselves.” 

He was delicately avoiding the subject of how he’d talked to Midoriya after the Sports Festival. 

Uraraka leaned back into her seat again. “Yeah, that makes sense. He saved me at the entrance exam even though it was really dangerous. Wow, for a villain he doesn’t act very villainy, does he?”

“No. He doesn’t,” Shinso said, looking down at the floor. But if only Midoriya could see that. If he could only see how wrong being a villain was for him. 

Uraraka adopted Shinso’s sad look. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then closed it. 

Shinso looked at her inquiringly, “what is it?”

She hesitated before saying, “I- I want to… I want to save him.”

Shinso’s eyes widened. Does she really care about him like that? All the people I’ve met only view him as a villain and nothing more. 

“I’m with you on that one,” he replied, and now it was Uraraka’s turn to widen her eyes in surprise. “I forget that you met Midoriya at the entrance exam too, and at the USJ.”

She nodded. “Mm-hm. Both times I’ve met him, under all the anger, he just seemed so sad and lonely.” 

“He is,” Shinso said quietly, thinking back to the Sports Festival. Midoriya had practically begged him to be his friend. 

Uraraka looked at him confusedly. How could Shinso know that Midoriya was lonely? But she didn’t have a chance to ask him because their stop arrived. 

They spotted Kirishima and Sero right away, but before heading over Uraraka said, “hey, let’s promise each other to try our best to help Midoriya.” 

Shinso nodded determinedly. “Promise.” 

‘Cause all someone can do is try their best. 

 

Everything at the mall was going great. 

Uraraka and Shinso had joined up with Kirishima and Sero after getting off the subway. While they were walking to Wookiees, they had an interesting conversation about coffee and if it was acceptable to drink it after two in the afternoon.

Jiro and Iida joined them, and Iida preached to them about the dangers of consuming too much caffeine in one day. Shinso then went on to explain the dangers of not consuming enough caffeine in one day. 

Iida and Shinso were still going at it by the time everyone arrived at the mall, and Jiro was just making fun of Shinso’s obsession with coffee. 

“You know, you remind me a lot of Mr. Aizawa,” Uraraka said to him. 

Jiro laughed, “is it just because of their shared love of coffee and sleep or how they’re always so blunt?”

“Yeah, both of those,” Uraraka agreed, “but, I dunno, there’s something else too.”

She thought back to the USJ. Aizawa had unhesitatingly jumped down to fight the villains, against all reason and logic. Their teacher was willing to do anything to protect his students and those he cared about, even ignore rationality. 

And for some reason, Uraraka got the feeling that Shinso would do the exact same thing. 

She withdrew from the conversation a bit, mainly because she didn’t really drink coffee yet, and looked over to see what Mina and Tsu were doing. 

Uraraka spotted a green head of hair, but it wasn’t Tsu’s. 

It was Midoriya’s. 

Her eyes widened and her heart started beating faster. The person she wanted to save, the one she’d just promised to help, was right there. 

At least, she thought it was him. He was wearing a mask and his hood was up. But she could see his sad green eyes and a couple green curls from under the hood. 

What is he doing here? Isn’t he worried about getting caught?

No, that doesn’t matter. I have to help him. This is my chance. If I can just tell him about how I believe in him, and how he isn’t like a villain at all, maybe I can get through to him. 

When Midoriya noticed her staring at him, he quickly started walking away. 

Without a second thought, a plan, or any logical reasoning, Uraraka started chasing after him.  

Notes:

Hah, even my bonus chapters end on a cliffhanger. Sorry...

But, uh, now you get an idea of what's gonna happen next chapter!

Chapter 31: Just Out of Reach

Notes:

Here is the chapter so you can finally find out what happened after the cliffhanger. Although, there is some important stuff before it gets to that part... so try not to just skim ahead, although that's totally something I would do.

fwah

There wasn’t a lot of context to “Deku, we require your assistance at the bar. Please come quickly.” It could mean anything from Shigaraki having a little temper tantrum to the bar being swarmed by pros. 

Midoriya assumed it was closer to the former of the two, so he didn’t bother changing into his villain costume. A black hoodie and gray sweatpants were good enough, and he always had one of his black daggers hidden under his clothes. 

He could hear something that sounded like muffled talking as he approached the League’s door. When he opened it, three heads turned in his direction. 

One was Kurogiri’s, but the other two were new. 

Great. Now I’m gonna have to talk to people. 

Midoriya kept his expression neutral as he looked the newcomers over, examining them for strengths and more importantly, weaknesses. 

One guy was quite tall, with tired blue eyes and rather spiky black hair. He was wearing a long, dark blue jacket and a low v-neck shirt. But most strangely, he had this crude patchwork all over his skin. 

Hm, I wonder what happened to mess him up like that. 

The other person was a girl around Midoriya’s age with wild blonde hair up in two messy buns. She had yellow, cat-like eyes and a creepily wide smile that only grew as she saw Midoriya. She was wearing a beige sweater over a school uniform, and a loose red scarf. However, despite her young age, she had dark bags under her eyes. 

Add all of this thinking and analyzing was done in a matter of seconds. 

Midoriya closed the door behind him, not taking his eyes off the strangers. 

“Hey, Kurogiri. Who are-” Midoriya’s sentence was cut short when the blond girl rushed up to him. She smiled and Midoriya could see her pointed teeth. 

“Hey! You’re Deku, right?” she asked excitedly. 

Midoriya took a step back uncomfortably, “um, yeah.”

She gasped loudly. “Oh my gosh! I’ve wanted to meet you ever since I heard about what you did to Cementoss’s hand! All the yummy blood that must’ve gone everywhere… and you’re so cute too!”

Midoriya backed up into the wall as the girl got closer. The patchwork guy was just watching with an amused expression, and Kurogiri wasn’t doing anything either. 

Midoriya frowned as she started to reach her hand up to touch his face. He quickly swatted her hand away. “Back off. I don’t know who you are and I most certainly don’t want you this close to me.”

The girl continued like she hadn’t heard him at all. She lifted her other hand to his face, but when her skin made contact, it was cold. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened as he grabbed her wrist and twisted it in a way that forced her to drop the knife she was holding. He pivoted away from the wall, still holding the girl’s wrist. Then he used his other hand and placed it at the base of her neck, slamming her into the wall. 

He kicked her knife away and aggressively asked, “what was that!?”

The patchwork guy blinked in surprise at how fast he moved. 

Despite being pinned against the wall, the blond girl was still smiling. “Oh, I just thought you’d be even more cute with some blood!”

So, she has an obsession with blood and an apparent attraction to me. Like I wasn’t already in a bad enough mood. 

“Who are these people, Kurogiri?” Midoriya asked. 

“They’re possible recruits for the League. Himiko Toga and Dabi. We had a talk with them while you were having the meeting with Master,” Kurogiri explained. 

Midoriya looked over at Kurogiri confusedly. Why did they meet with the new recruits when they knew I wasn’t going to be here?

In the time Midoriya looked at Kurogiri, the blond girl, who he assumed was Toga, broke free of his hold. Midoriya stepped back just in time to avoid her spinning around with a knife she pulled out of nowhere. 

Toga started coming at him again with her knife, a huge grin on her face. Midoriya, deciding he was too tired to deal with this, quickly side stepped and drew his dagger. He used the hilt and forcibly struck a pressure point on her neck. She thumped onto the ground, unconscious. 

“Damn, you dealt with her quickly,” commented Dabi. “Guess all those rumors I heard about you are true, Deku.”

Midoriya eyed him warily. “You aren’t with her, are you?”

“Hm? Oh, no. We just met on the way over here,” Dabi explained. 

Midoriya turned towards Kurogiri. “What happened with Shigaraki?”

“He gave into his impulses and attacked Toga and Dabi because he didn’t like that they were so focused on the Hero Killer’s ideologies. However, I managed to stop them from hurting each other. Shigaraki abruptly left afterwards.”

“Yep, that sounds like Shigaraki,” Midoriya sighed. “Why didn’t you have me here when they first arrived?”

Kurogiri hesitated. “Shigaraki believed that you could possibly mess things up. He didn’t want you getting in the way.”

“Of course he thought that,” Midoriya said quietly, before turning to Dabi, who had been listening curiously. “So, did you want to join the League because you’ve taken on the Hero Killer’s mission?”

“More or less,” Dabi responded. 

So Dabi and Toga were probably talking about Stain a lot, and how he was the main reason they wanted to join. That’s what ticked Shigaraki off. 

I might as well try to clean up some of his mess. 

“Well, I was trained by Stain. I also believe that heroes are fakes, who only care about fame and money,” Midoriya shared, conveniently leaving out the fact that he was the one who defeated Stain, “so if you’re still considering joining, keep that in mind.”

Dabi’s eyes widened slightly after hearing that. “Well that explains where you get all your moves from.”

Good. He thinks my strength lies in my fighting abilities rather than my analytical abilities. I’d rather be underestimated than overestimated. 

“After Shigaraki left,” Kurogiri started, “I requested that Dabi and Toga stay here, so they could meet you. Perhaps they’d be more willing to join after finding someone who shared their beliefs.”

So he pretty much called me to clean up Shigaraki’s mess. 

“However, I did not call you just so you could talk with our potential recruits.”

Midoriya looked at him inquiringly. 

“Shigaraki was in a rather foul mood when he left. It would not be good if he did anything reckless while he’s out. I believe that he has gone to a local shopping mall, where people are abundant, and in his current mental state…”

“You want me to go babysit our leader?” Midoriya asked incredulously. 

Kurogiri stuttered. “Er, well… I don’t know if babysit is the right word. More like, retrieve.”

Midoriya sighed loudly and started walking towards the door. Dabi got out of his way. “Fine then. I’ll go. The mall is called Wookiees, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Alright,” Midoriya said as he opened the door. “I hope I’ll still be in one piece by the time I get back. Oh, and if Toga doesn’t wake up in 15 minutes or so, you should take her to the hospital.”

Midoriya closed the door before anyone could respond, and mentally prepared himself for Shigaraki’s ‘foul mood.’

 

All Might had just finished having a meeting with Mirio Togata. Boy, was he a ball of energy. 

Nighteye had insisted on All Might meeting him. He seemed to have it fixed in his mind that Mirio was the one meant to inherit One For All. He forgot that All Might and Mirio had a say in it too. 

When All Might had asked Mirio if he wanted his quirk, after explaining everything, he’d said no. 

“I’m already strong enough as it is!” Mirio had said cheerfully, “you should give One For All to someone who needs it more. To someone who wants to be a great hero but isn’t strong enough.”

But the problem was All Might didn’t know anyone like that. He’d been teaching at UA to try and find a worthy successor, but so far no one had made the cut. Whatever the cut was. 

So, all of this is what led him to walk gloomily down one of UA’s empty hallways. That is, until he almost bumped into the principal. 

“Oh! Er, sorry Principal Nezu, I didn’t see you there,” All Might apologized, “I was kinda lost in my own thoughts.”

“That’s quite all right,” Nezu responded happily, brushing off his suit. “You are actually the person I was looking for!”

All Might looked down at the little mouse/bear/dog confusedly. “I am? Why is that?”

“I wanted to ask you about One For All,” he said, walking over to the door of one of the vacant staff rooms. “Why don’t we talk in here?”

After they were both situated and comfortable in the staff room, All Might asked, “so what about One For All do you want to know?”

“How did your meeting with Mirio Togata go?” asked Nezu, completely ignoring All Might’s question. 

“Oh, well, it went fine. He didn’t accept,” he explained. “But I can see why Nighteye wanted him to have the power. He’s going to make a great hero someday.”

Nezu looked down at the cup of tea he was holding. “So he didn’t accept. Well that puts us in quite the predicament, now doesn’t it?”

All Might nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

Nezu tilted his head and peered at All Might. “But something tells me you aren’t disappointed that Mirio refused your offer.”

All Might stuttered a bit. “Er- yeah, well, it’s just…” he sighed, “I don’t know, I just feel like there’s someone… better out there.”

“Better than Mirio?” Nezu questioned. 

All Might looked down at his hands in thought. “When I meet my successor, when I finally choose who to pass this great power onto, I just expect to… feel something. Like some connection or special bond between me and them. I just didn’t get that with Mirio.”

Nezu put his cup of tea down on the coffee table. “How do you know that you will ever meet this person, or feel that special connection?”

“I don’t know, and that’s the problem,” All Might explained. “I can feel the clock ticking, I know that time is running out. I don’t want to waste time waiting for the perfect successor, but at the same time I don’t want to leave the world in the hands of someone incapable.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Nezu said, getting up and walking around the coffee table to the couch All Might was sitting on, and plopping down next to him. “You want to find a person who is able to build a legacy even greater than yours. A person who is able to surpass you in great lengths. However, a person like that may not exist.”

All Might sighed. “I’ve just made so many mistakes, and failed so many people. I don’t want my successor to be a mirror image of me, I want them to be better. I want them to prevail in the areas I failed in, and save the people I couldn’t.”

Nezu comfortingly rested a paw on All Might, who was staring down at the floor sadly. 

“But is that asking too much of a single person?” All Might asked. 

Nezu paused in thought for a moment. “I believe that a person who is able to do the things you’re describing does exist, somewhere out there, but the chances of you finding them are very low. What I would suggest is the next best thing: choosing a student at UA who is closest to what you’re asking for.”

All Might lowered his head in disappointment. 

Next best thing, huh? I’ve never been one to cut corners. 

“But, of course,” Nezu continued, “you will probably continue procrastinating in hopes of finding the ‘perfect successor.’ So there are two ways this could go. One: you do end up finding the perfect successor and you pass One For All onto them, which would be the most ideal. Or two: you realize you won’t find the person you’re looking for and choose someone else.”

All Might frowned. “Or three: I wait too long and people get hurt because of it.”

“I hope it will not get to that point,” Nezu said. “In a situation like this, all we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

All Might looked up away from the floor and out the window. 

Well, Nezu’s right. I will probably end up procrastinating as long as possible in hopes of finding the best successor. 

The perfect successor had already slipped through his fingers. 

 

Midoriya stared up at the colorful sign entrance reading ‘Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. Wookiees.’

I’ve just gotta find Shigaraki and bring him back to the bar. Then, I can go to my apartment and sleep. 

But honestly, when was it ever that simple?

He hadn’t had time to disguise himself any better. Just like at the Sport Festival, he had his hood up and a medical mask on. He also tried to fit the dynamic of the crowd. A shadowy loner in the middle of an energetic group stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Midoriya was walking through the mall, avoiding eye contact with everyone and mostly sticking to himself. He scanned the crowds for anyone who could possibly be Shigaraki. 

Darnit, I should’ve asked Kurogiri what he was wearing. 

But then he saw a group of people that he really wished he hadn’t seen: Class 1-A. They were gathered together, chatting and smiling. Just enjoying themselves and having fun shopping together at the mall. 

Midoriya felt a small pang of jealousy. 

And then he spotted Shinso among them. He was talking with Jiro and Iida, and they all seemed to be so dang happy. 

Midoriya felt a strong longing to join in on their conversation. He wanted to have friends like Shinso had. He didn’t want to be alone all by himself anymore. He wanted to get rid of the aching sadness in his heart. 

But that was impossible. He was a villain. People like him didn’t have friends, not real ones, at least. 

He was observing Shinso for so long, and how happy he seemed to be, he didn’t even realize another member of 1-A was staring at him with wide eyes: Uraraka. 

It wasn’t until several seconds later that Midoriya realized she had noticed him. They made eye contact, and Midoriya’s stomach lurched. Her eyes were filled with recognition and determination. 

Crap, she’s seen me. I need to get out of here. 

Midoriya started quickly walking away, but not before he noticed Uraraka breaking away from the group to follow him. 

“Wait! Uraraka, where are you going?!” Iida shouted after her. 

“Oh, I’m just gonna get some bug spray and be right back!” Uraraka responded. “Don’t worry about me, just start shopping, I’m good on my own!”

Midoriya swore internally. She wasn’t going to let him leave without talking to him, unless he could lose her in the crowd. But that was easier said than done. The mall was very spacious, so there weren’t any dense crowds that he could lose her in, and there also wasn’t anything to hide behind. 

She started running after him, so he had no choice but to start running too. He dashed up some stairs to the second floor, which had been a mistake because she used her quirk to float up to the second floor and gained on him. 

Should’ve seen that coming, Midoriya thought resentfully. It’s technically illegal for her to do that, but there’s no one around to stop her. 

He looked behind him and saw how she was tailing him closely. However, he was faster and slowly started to lose her. 

They came upon an area of the mall that was less populated. There was a short period of time where no one was around them. 

During this brief period, Uraraka shouted, “stop running or I’ll shout out to everyone that you’re here!”

She’d said just loud enough for Midoriya to hear but no one else. 

Dammit. If she alerts everyone I won’t be able to find Shigaraki. I’m gonna have to talk to her. 

He slowed down just enough for Uraraka to keep up with him. If they were going to talk, it was going to be in a secluded area. He saw a heavy metal door with the words “Roof. Customers Not Allowed” on it. 

Perfect. 

He veered off to the side towards the door. He quickly pushed it open with a heavy metal click. Inside was a dimly lit staircase that he began to follow all the way up to the roof. While he was running, he heard Uraraka open the door again behind him. 

He emerged onto the brightly lit roof. On one side there was a good overview of the mall, and on the other there was an open field that faded into forestry and eventually led to the street. 

Uraraka came up onto the roof a couple seconds later, rather out of breath. He turned around to face her, and they locked eyes immediately. 

“Midoriya?” she asked, panting for breath. 

He didn’t respond and instead took off his mask and lowered his hood, which was answer enough. Her eyes widened a little when she saw his entire face and the large scar on his left cheek. They were filled with a burning hope. 

“So it is you,” she started, “I wasn’t sure, because I didn’t know why you’d be in a busy area like this, but now that you’ve taken the mask off…”

“Why do you want to talk to me?” Midoriya asked, getting straight to the point. 

“Er, well, it’s just…” she couldn’t seem to find the right words, and ruffled the back of her hair nervously. 

“I’m a villain,” Midoriya continued. “You can’t just have a conversation with me and expect everything to go smoothly! I’m dangerous.”

‘Dangerous’ was not a word he liked to describe himself with. He was only dangerous when he wanted to be, and Uraraka was not someone he wanted to hurt. He was just trying to get this conversation over with as quickly as possible so he could find Shigaraki before he disintegrated anyone. 

“But you’re not dangerous to me, are you?” Uraraka asked, and Midoriya narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t hurt me because I’ve been kind to you. I’m one of the only people who supported you instead of hurt you.”

Midoriya thought back to the entrance exam. 

“Don’t listen to what everyone else is saying, with you being quirkless and all. Just try your best. I’m sure you’ll do amazing,” she had said. 

Those words had meant a lot to Midoriya, and they still did. Uraraka continued. 

“You only want to hurt people who’ve hurt you in the past, right? Like Bakugo and All Might. I might not know what they did to you, or understand your pain, but I can still help you!”

Oh, how desperately Midoriya wished those words were true. That she could help him. But she couldn’t. He was a villain, and nothing was changing that. 

His eyes grew cold as he said, “like I told you before, you can’t expect to have a nice conversation with a villain just because you have some delusional dream about helping me.”

Her face fell for a second before being filled with determination again. “Well, I couldn’t just leave you alone!”

“Why not!?” Midoriya shouted, walking across the rooftop to Uraraka. “I didn’t want to hurt Cementoss, but I still had to! Just because you’re one of the few who's been nice to me, it doesn’t mean you're safe around me! It’d be even easier to give you induced quirklessness than Cementoss! Where’s your common sense?”

Midoriya stopped approaching Uraraka when he got within two feet, because she’d nervously taken a step back. When he saw the fear in her face, his demeanor drastically changed from frustrated to disappointed.  

“I…” he paused and looked down at his hand. “I could hurt you,” he said sadly. 

He clenched his fist and lowered his hand to his side, frowning down at the ground. 

Uraraka smiled. “Shinso was right, you really do care.”

Midoriya looked up at her confusedly. “Hm?”

“You’re worried about me, and for others too,” she explained. “You don’t want me to get hurt, and so you’re yelling at me for wanting to talk to you. Because you’re scared about what you might have to do to me.”

He didn’t respond. 

She took a step closer to him. “At the entrance exam, you saved me. At the USJ, you saved Mr. Aizawa. Yeah, sure, you might’ve hurt Cementoss, but you hurt him as little as you could.”

Midoriya thought back to the Sports Festival. The sheer anguish on Cementoss’s face had been too much to look at. Hurting him ‘as little as he could’ wasn’t exactly accurate. 

“You might think it’s too late for anyone to help you, but it’s not! Your actions prove that! You act more like a hero than a villain a lot of the time,” she said as she took another step towards him. “Because a hero is someone who cares more about helping people than themselves, right?”

They were now quite close to each other. Close enough that Midoriya began to feel uncomfortable, but he didn’t take a step back. He looked away from her and stared down at the ground. 

He opened his mouth to say something in objection, when Uraraka did something that he never thought she would’ve done in a million years. 

She hugged him. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise as he felt her arms wrap around him and she buried her head in his shoulder. 

“Please,” she begged. “The villains aren’t the only ones who think you aren’t useless. I believe in you, no matter what you’ve done or whether you’re quirkless or not.”

You should hug her back. 

No no no. I don’t have time for this!

Oh, come on! It’s just a hug! You haven’t forgotten how to hug, have you?

Midoriya gave in and hugged her back. It was different from when he’d hugged his mom. With Uraraka, feeling her warmth and seeing how much she truly cared, it was more comforting, in a way. 

And right now, that comfort was what he really needed. He just needed someone to be there for him. 

When Uraraka realized he’d returned the hug, she smiled again with her hope filled eyes. He couldn’t help but give her a small smile back. 

But it couldn’t last. 

“Thank you,” he said genuinely. “But I have to go, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

He grabbed her hands from behind himself and pushed them back to her, ending the hug. 

Her brow furrowed in disappointment. “But.. no, why? Did you not listen to everything I just told you?”

“Oh, I heard you all right. But just because I’m not as bad as the average villain, it doesn’t mean I’m fixable. Just because you, and maybe a few others believe in me, it doesn’t mean I believe in myself.”

Midoriya began walking to the door that led back into the mall. Uraraka saw this and her eyes widened in desperation. 

“I’m a villain because it’s the only way people will listen to me. It’s the only way I’ll be able to show people that a quirkless person isn’t useless. Because with all the discrimination in today’s society, a quirkless person can’t become a hero.”

Uraraka lunged forward and grabbed Midoriya’s hand. “No! Don’t go away! Why can’t you see it!? Why can’t you see that you’re not supposed to be a villain!!?”

He avoided eye contact with her because he knew she was right. Being a villain had been very hard on him. Not as hard as Bakugo’s beatings, though. 

“Please, I can still help you!” she pleaded, not letting go of his hand. 

He narrowed his eyes. “How?” he asked sharply, and she hesitated.

“Uh, well…” running after him had been a kind of spontaneous, in-the-moment decision. She hadn’t planned that far ahead. 

“That’s what I thought,” Midoriya said harshly, yanking his hand away. “I don’t have anywhere else to go except back to the League. If I go with you, then what? I get arrested and go to jail? Sorry if that doesn’t sound very appealing.”

“No!” Uraraka exclaimed. “That won’t happen! I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” Midoriya interrupted. “Beg for them to let me go? Try to change the laws? How many times do I have to say this! I’m a villain. I can’t just fly off into the sunset like everything will be okay like you heroes do!”

She didn’t have a response for that. 

Midoriya sighed. “Please just let me leave. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

He began walking towards the door again, but Uraraka still had a strong fire of determination and hope in her heart. She had promised to help him, so she wasn’t about to let Midoriya walk away. 

She rushed forward towards him, hand outstretched, ready to touch his back with all five fingers…

…until he whipped around at the last second with his black dagger positioned at her throat. 

Uraraka gasped and took a step backwards, eyeing the blade warily. 

“Please,” Midoriya pleaded. “I really don’t want to hurt you.”

This was not a line he wanted to cross. All of the people he’d hurt so far had been people he hated or disliked. He did not want to hurt someone he cared about. He didn’t want to hurt someone who’d been kind to him. 

Uraraka could see that in his eyes. She could tell he truly didn’t want to hurt her. She could also see that she was no match for him. Her training at Gunhead’s agency hadn’t even brought her close to the level Midoriya was at. 

Her face crumpled in defeat, and tears sprung up in the corners of her eyes. “Fine. Go then.”

Midoriya nodded and said, “thank you. Don’t come after me.” 

She looked away as he began walking towards the door, unable to face the fact that the person she’d promised to save was right there and she couldn’t do anything to stop him. He was just out of reach. 

By the time she lifted her eyes again, he was gone. 

As Midoriya went back down the staircase, he had tears in his eyes too.  

Notes:

Y'all were saying how he needs all the hugs and he got one! That'll have to last you until he actually gets the comfort he deserves.

"I'm the bad guy. I don't save the day, I don't fly off into the sunset and I don't get the girl" - Megamind.
I just felt that was similar to what Midoriya was saying. Of course, Megamind ended up doing all three...

This chapter's song is You Were Good to Me by Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker. The lyrics fit really well with Uraraka and Midoriya. Just, gosh everything that's said in this song can somehow relate to them.

Chapter 32: Convictions

Notes:

I realized I've been completely forgetting to mention the scar Midoriya got from attempting suicide. Yeah... he has a scar that starts below his left temple, goes down his cheek cutting off one of his freckles and ends next to his chin. Hah, whoops, I'll try to remember to write it more.

Yaoyorozu loved shopping at the mall with friends. Being homeschooled by elite professors, she’d never really had people to hang out with. 

But now that she’d made friends at UA, there was nothing stopping her from spending all her money on them. 

“We could all get fuzzy socks! Wouldn’t that be cute? Oh! What if we had matching blankets? We could build a blanket fort! I’ve never done that before. Doesn’t that sound fun? Oh, but for that we would need lots of pillows too,” Yaoyorozu said excitedly. 

Jiro steered her away from the silk and velvet blankets to some more cheaper options. “Uh, yeah, that does sound fun, but maybe we should focus on the essentials first.”

Mina came bouncing out of an aisle, a huge grin on her face. “Guys guys guys!! You will not believe what I just found!”

Yaoyorozu’s face lit up with curiosity while Jiro clenched her jaw, worried about what could make Mina so excited. They followed her around the corner and stared dumbstruck at the sight before their eyes: an entire aisle of full body sleeping bags. 

“Seriously?” Jiro said, wondering whose idea it was to invent such things and why there was an entire aisle dedicated to them. 

“We should soooo get this for Mr. Aizawa,” Mina suggested eagerly. 

Jiro shook her head, smiling. “Nah, he’d just sleep even more during class.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Mina asked. 

“You’re just trying to get less work by making our teacher sleep through half the lesson!” Jiro pointed a finger accusingly at Mina.

Mina slapped her hand over her chest in mock offense. “Am not!” 

“Are too!” Jiro persisted, “and besides, they’re too expensive.”

“I can buy it!” Yaoyorozu said happily, already reaching her hand into her bag to get her credit card. 

This led to Jiro desperately telling her not to waste her money on something so pointless, while Mina relentlessly asked her to buy one. It only stopped once Yaoyorozu got a text from Tsu. 

“Hm, Uraraka still hasn’t returned from getting bug spray,” Yaoyorozu said with concern. 

Jiro furrowed her brow. “Where do you think she went?”

“I don’t know, but the 100-yen shop is pretty close to us. I’m going to go check and see if she’s there. You two get whatever else you need from this store, and I’ll be right back!” said Yaoyorozu, walking away. 

“Sounds good!” Mina said, taking one of the full body sleeping bags off the rack before Jiro stopped her. 

Yaoyorozu briskly exited the store and began the short walk over to Daiso, the closest 100-yen store. 

It’s too bad she never made it. 

“Hey, you’re one of those UA kids! I saw you at the Sports Fest. You guys are so cool,” said a raspy voice. The man put his arm around Yaoyorozu’s shoulders without asking. 

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you, sir. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid I don’t have time. I’m looking for my friend, you see,” Yaoyorozu explained, beginning to feel uncomfortable. Something just… didn’t feel right. 

“I heard that you’re the smartest of the bunch. Momo Yaoyorozu, right?” the stranger asked. 

“Um, yes,” she replied. He still hadn’t taken his arm from around her shoulders. In fact, he’d only gotten closer and his hand was now touching her neck. She looked over to see his face.

Her eyes widened in shock when she recognized who it was. 

“I was wondering if you’d be willing to answer a couple questions of mine,” Shigaraki asked with a creepily wide grin. 

 

Midoriya was pushing all of his feelings down, down, down. 

Don’t think about it. That talk with Uraraka was nothing but a waste of time. Any emotions you got from that are only a hindrance. Forget everything she said. 

While trying to do this, he was on the lookout for Shigaraki. The mall wasn’t in a panic, so he assumed that he hadn’t disintegrated anyone yet. 

What would Shigaraki even want to do in a place like this? He came here right after the meeting with Dabi and Toga, so he’s agitated about how they were obsessed with the Hero Killer. 

Is he questioning himself? If so, why would he come here? 

Midoriya was on the second floor of the mall, looking down on the first floor. He was scanning for anyone looking more suspicious than himself. 

He spotted a couple members of 1-A running about and shopping, but no sign of Shigaraki. 

That was, until he saw Momo Yaoyorozu. Her and a shady figure in black were sitting on one of those circular benches around a palm tree. 

From such a distance, it was hard to tell if Yaoyorozu was in distress, or if the person was Shigaraki, so Midoriya decided to go down to the first floor and get closer. 

The person definitely had Shigaraki’s build, and wasn’t from Class 1-A. Why wouldn’t Yaoyorozu be with friends?

As he got closer, it became apparent that Yaoyorozu was not comfortable. Her breathing was quicker than it should be and beads of sweat were visible on her face. Soon, messy, light blue hair could be seen from under the figure in black’s hood. 

It was Shigaraki, and four of his five fingers were around her neck. 

Midoriya inhaled sharply in panic. 

What is he doing? I can’t let him kill her, especially not in a public area like this. But what can I say to get him to listen to me?

He quickly walked up to the pair. Yaoyorozu noticed him approaching, but Shigaraki was too busy with his tangent. 

“Shigaraki,” Midoriya said quietly to get his attention. 

Yaoyorozu was staring at him in fear, and Shigaraki looked up from his prey. 

“Deku, what are you doing here?” Shigaraki asked accusingly, and Yaoyorozu’s eyes widened at the name. 

“Kurogiri sent me to come get you before you did anything reckless,” Midoriya explained, uneasily taking a seat next to Shigaraki so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. “What are you doing, threatening a UA student?”

“I was hoping she’d be able to clear some things up for me,” said Shigaraki. “She’s got the top scores in her class, according to the intel you’ve provided. I thought a smart girl like her would be willing to have a nice little chat with me.”

“I’m plenty smart to answer whatever questions you might have. So why don’t you let her go and ask me instead,” Midoriya suggested. 

Shigaraki chuckled. “Still trying to play the hero, are you? How about this. I’ll keep her here so she doesn’t alert the heroes, until either one of you explains this to me: why is the Hero Killer getting so much more attention than my League when we both do the same things? How are our actions any different?”

“H-how… how are you two different?” Yaoyorozu asked shakily. 

Shigaraki clenched his jaw. “I hate just about everyone and everything, but right now I especially hate the Hero Killer. We both destroy whatever we hate, so why is it that the ignorant people’s thoughts flock to him instead of me? How is there any difference between what we do?”

“Er- well, you use genetically engineered monsters to attack people,” Yaoyorozu said, “which is more frightening than someone who only uses swords. So, naturally, people would want to think about what scares them less.”

“No. That’s not it,” Midoriya interjected. 

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at him, still keeping his hand on Yaoyorozu’s throat. “Care to elaborate?”

Midoriya sighed. “The Hero Killer’s ideals are understandable. Yes, he kills people like you, but he does it for a reason. He has real convictions about why he does what he does.”

Shigaraki frowned at the floor. 

“But you, on the other hand,” Midoriya continued, “don’t have a rhyme or reason about who you hurt. People can relate to the Hero Killer’s beliefs, but can’t understand you. To them, you’re nothing but an unstable homicidal man-child.”

“Tch, is that how you see me? An unstable homicidal man-child?” Shigaraki asked. 

Midoriya chose not to answer his question and instead said, “I guess you could say, for both the Hero Killer and me, we were motivated by All Might. Stain viewed him as the only true hero, but for me he was the one who pushed me over into villainy.”

Midoriya heard Yaoyorozu utter a small sound of surprise. 

However, both teenagers froze in fear when they saw Shigaraki’s face. His smile spanned his entire face, skin was flaking off of his lips and his eyes were wide with a crazed happiness. 

“That’s it! The problem is All Might!” he said excitedly. His entire demeanor had changed from resentment to exhilaration, in a scary way. 

His hand had grown tighter around Yaoyorozu’s throat. Midoriya’s eyes widened as she started choking for air. 

“All Might is the reason all these people can smile so carelessly,” Shigaraki continued, not taking any notice of Yaoyorozu's gasps for air, “something bad could happen at any moment, and they don’t care! That’s All Might’s fault. It’s all because of All Might!” 

Tears sprung up in the corners of Yaoyorozu’s eyes, and Midoriya looked at her worriedly, “uh… Shigaraki.”

That failed to get his attention. “I’ll destroy that stupid hero, and when their symbol is gone, all of these pathetic people will see it! They’ll see how fragile their world is! I’ll show them…” 

Yaoyorozu was beginning to turn pale. Shigaraki’s hand had grown so tight she couldn’t breathe at all. Midoriya stood up and took a step towards her, concern apparent on his face. She looked at him desperately for help. 

“Shigaraki, you need to let her go,” Midoriya said a bit louder, fear edging into his voice. 

Shigaraki still didn’t hear him, looking insane with his crazed smile. “The Hero Killer and I might be opposites, but now his ideals are going to strengthen the League! All the people he inspired, they’ll become my own game pieces!”

“Let her go!” Midoriya said a little too loudly, reaching forward to pry Shigaraki’s hand off of her throat before she passed out. 

Anger flashed for a second in Shigaraki’s eyes, but then someone said, “hey, Yaomomo, are you okay?”

Midoriya whipped around to face the newcomer: Kyoka Jiro. He swore under his breath. 

Jiro’s eyes were wide with concern for her friend. “What are you doing to her?”

Shigaraki immediately let Yaoyorozu go and she gasped for air. He sprung up off the bench and said, “sorry, old pal, I didn’t realize you came with friends! I’ll let you go now. Again, sorry for keeping you so long.”

He quickly started walking away, and Midoriya followed suit. Jiro rushed up to Yaoyorozu and asked, “are you alright? Who were those people?”

Yaoyorozu was still getting her breath back, holding her hand up to her throat. “I’m… fine…”

As the two villains were walking away, blending into the crowd, Midoriya took one last look back at Yaoyorozu to make sure she was okay. In that moment, they made eye contact. 

If everything was black and white, they would’ve looked at each other with disgust and hatred, because that’s what heroes and villains are supposed to do. 

But Yaoyorozu didn’t look at him that way. Instead, she looked confused and maybe a bit worried for him. Midoriya only looked at her with care for her well-being. 

Nothing is ever black and white. It’s all in shades of gray. 

 

After the incident at the mall, Shigaraki and Midoriya split up so as to not draw attention to themselves. It ended up being a good idea because Jiro called the police and alerted the local heroes. The mall was temporarily shut down and the police conducted a search for the villains (they couldn’t find them, of course).

Because Midoriya was involved, Tsukauchi ended up doing all of the questioning. Uraraka had also come forward and told the police about her interaction with the villain. 

So now Tsukauchi had to question two UA students about their altercations with a misguided teenager and homicidal man. Like he didn't have enough work already. 

He talked to Uraraka first, who looked like her puppy had just died. 

She described in detail what had happened. They discussed everything from spotting Midoriya in the crowd, to following him to the rooftop, how he’d yelled at her for wanting to talk to him, trying to convince him to come back with her, the hug, and then how he’d refused to come and pulled a dagger on her when she tried to stop him by force. 

“I just wish I could’ve helped him more,” she said tearfully at the end of the interview. 

Tsukauchi had to admit that what she’d done was quite reckless. To follow a known and dangerous villain without a plan was not something a UA student should do. 

But… Tsukauchi also knew that Midoriya wasn’t necessarily dangerous. Not to Uraraka, at least. 

“I think you helped him plenty,” the detective decided to say. “You gave him emotional support, which is the most you could’ve done for him in your situation. Also, by answering my questions, you’ve made the goal of eventually arresting Midoriya more reachable.”

Uraraka avoided eye contact. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Tsukauchi frowned at her. “Listen, what Midoriya said about getting arrested and going to jail, it shouldn’t deter you from wanting to help him.”

Uraraka looked up at him, “what!? It’s not deterred me at all! I still want to help him just as much as ever!”

“And the way to help him is by reporting him to the heroes and police so he can be brought in,” Tsukauchi explained. 

This caused Uraraka’s face to fall. She obviously didn’t think that was the best course of action. 

Tsukauchi sighed. “Listen, arresting Midoriya and putting him in a place where he can’t cause further damage is the best thing we can do for him. Right now, the people he’s with, they don’t care much for his well-being. He’s being used and you know it.”

Uraraka nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“Which is why he has to be separated from them. When a good person is forced to do bad things, it never ends well for them. He has to be stopped before he passes the line of no return. Do you understand?”

She appeared sad for a second, before adopting a determined expression and clenching her fist. “I get it.”

“Good,” Tsukauchi smiled. 

He didn’t know exactly why he was giving the responsibility of saving Midoriya to a teenage girl. Maybe it was because, deep down, he wanted to solve Midoriya’s case more than anyone else’s. Motivating Uraraka couldn’t hurt. If anything, helping her would only solve the case faster. 

After Uraraka came Yaoyorozu. She’d interacted with both villains, Shigaraki and Midoriya. 

During the interview, she accurately described the villains’ physical attributes, as well as their mental states. 

“For most of the meeting, Shigaraki was impatient and irritated. He didn’t appear to be the leader of a criminal organization at all,” she explained. “But then, after Midoriya talked to him, his demeanor drastically changed. He had this… insane look on his face. He got very happy and excited, in a weird way. It was like he’d come to a sudden revelation.”

She also didn’t describe Midoriya as particularly villainous, seeing as how he’d tried to save her from being strangled by Shigaraki. 

“I’m not too surprised,” Tsukauchi said. “This isn’t the first time he’s tried to save someone instead of hurting them.”

“But then, why is he a villain?” Yaoyorozu asked confusedly. 

Tsukauchi hesitated for a second, tapping the eraser of his pencil against the surface of the table. “Because of circumstances out of his control.”

Being quirkless, getting bullied, having an unreachable dream. None of those were things Midoriya could change, and those things had pushed him closer to that line. 

“But still, he chose to cross the line into villainy at some point or another. Even though he’s much more caring than your typical villain, it doesn’t mean he’s completely harmless either. If you ever encounter him again, leave it to the police and heroes to handle, okay?”

Yaoyorozu nodded, before leaving the room and returning home. 

Tsukauchi sighed and rubbed his temples, mentally preparing himself to add these interviews to Midoriya’s ever growing case. 

Boy, has it been a long day. 

 

It’d been a long day for Midoriya too. 

He’d had the terrifying meeting with All For One, then cried while playing the guitar, then met some rather hostile new recruits, regretted joining the League while talking to Uraraka, and then retrieved the League’s leader. 

He was ready to sleep. 

As soon as he walked into his apartment, he threw his dagger at the wall, not having the energy to store it in its proper place. Much to his satisfaction, the dagger’s blade wedged itself into the wall and didn’t fall down to the floor. 

After that he flopped down into bed, ready to drift off to the blissful realm of sleep. 

That was, until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He felt no desire at all to look at whatever text he’d gotten. 

It took all of his will power to roll over onto his back and peer at the glowing screen of his phone. 

Oh, it’s only Kurogiri. 

“Thank you for talking to Shigaraki. It seems you’ve helped him realize his convictions,” the text read. 

Fricking great. I’ve helped a mentally unstable villain find his reasons for killing. That’s not gonna make anyone’s lives easier, especially mine. 

“When does he want the next note drop-off?” Midoriya asked. 

He almost fell asleep while waiting for Kurogiri to respond. 

“I believe he wants them a week from now,” he texted, “at that time, there will also be a meeting with some new recruits discussing the League’s next move. You will have to stay for that.”

More new recruits? Great. Toga was already enough to deal with. 

However, he was also curious about whoever these new recruits were. What quirks did they have? What were their fighting styles, and how did their personalities affect their quirks and fighting styles? Did they work well in a team? 

What had made them want to join the League?

But right now, he was too tired to think about it that much. 

He was just about able to respond, “k, I’ll be there,” before exhaustion overtook his mind. 

 

A few members of Class 1-A had stayed behind at the police station to make sure their friends were okay, waiting until Yaoyorozu and Uraraka were done being questioned. 

Surprisingly, Shinso was among them, not even being a part of the class yet. But… Uraraka was one of his closest friends. He didn’t have any plans other than sleeping, so he stayed with Iida and Jiro in the police station lobby. 

Uraraka came out of the interrogation room before Yaoyorozu. 

Kaminari was the first to speak up. “Hey! Uraraka, you doing okay?”

She nodded and quietly said, “yeah. I’m fine.”

You see, to Shinso, “fine” stood for (the worse version of) fricked, insecure, neurotic and emotional. So he knew Uraraka was not okay. 

Iida and Jiro began talking to her. A part of them wanted to know what had happened with Shigaraki and Midoriya, while the other part wanted to make sure she was actually okay. Shinso just kind of hung back a bit. 

He had to admit, Uraraka put up a pretty good act. While her classmates were sighing in relief at her being alright, Shinso could tell there was something on her mind. Something bugging her. 

Having a quirk that requires you to hit a person’s soft spots, it teaches you to pick up on things that others don’t notice. Shinso was amazing at reading people. 

Yaoyorozu came out a little while later, and everyone repeated what they did with Uraraka. Shinso could tell Yaoyorozu was okay, albeit a little shaken. 

Soon, everyone started leaving to go home. 

A few shouts of “see you at the summer camp!” and “don’t you go getting attacked by villains again!” were said by Kaminari and Mina, respectively in that order, as everyone left. 

Uraraka and Shinso were headed in the same direction. They both took the same metro to get home. 

While they were walking, she just stared absentmindedly at the ground, which was unlike her. This further proved Shinso’s hypothesis. 

“So…” Shinso started awkwardly, “how is Midoriya?”

He figured she was acting differently because she hadn’t been able to save Midoriya. If Shinso was in Uraraka’s position, he knew he would be disappointed in himself. He expected her to be a little downcast after that. 

What he didn’t expect was for Uraraka to start crying. 

“He was right there in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him. I felt so helpless,” she sobbed, tears beginning to fall. 

Oh crap. 

Shinso was not ready for this. He was not mentally equipped to help a friend in distress. How the heck do you handle a situation where someone randomly starts crying out of nowhere!

So Shinso stood there for a couple seconds, panicking just a little. But he knew Uraraka needed help. If he couldn’t even help his own friend, how could he hope to save civilians, or Midoriya? He took a deep breath. 

“I’m sure you did everything you could to stop him,” Shinso said, “but there’s no point in wallowing in your own failures. What’s done is done. You learn from your hard times and keep on going.”

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “But… I promised you that I’d do everything I could to help him…”

“And you did,” Shinso said firmly. “But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things don’t go the way you want them to. Sometimes, there really is nothing you can do. When that happens, all you can do is keep moving forward and keep trying.”

Uraraka went back to staring at the pavement. 

Shinso sighed. “I’m sure that won’t be the last time you see him. There’ll be more chances for you to help him. Maybe you’ll fail again, but if you do, at least you’ll know you’ve tried your best. That’s all we can ever do.”

Uraraka looked up at him again, some of the sadness in her eyes ebbing away. The hope she was known for was returning to her face. 

Shinso thought back to what Midoriya had told him at the entrance exam, "but we can still try our best, right? That’s all we can ever do.”

He smiled. “Midoriya really does leave his mark on everyone he meets.”

Uraraka looked up at the sky, and after a second she smiled too. “Yeah, he does. Thank you Shinso. I’ll keep trying my best, no matter what happens.”

Shinso nodded and held back a sigh of relief. Giving therapy to an upset friend was not something he wanted to do every day. 

“Next time, I’ll be sure to tell you before I go chasing after a villain,” Uraraka laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. 

“Hah, you better,” he responded. 

Having friends was worth the spontaneous therapy sessions.

Notes:

Shinso is great. I love writing him almost as much as Midoriya.

This chapter's song is Infinity by One Direction. lskdjfalskfj fits so well, mainly how Uraraka is thinking about Midoriya a lot and wishing he'd stayed. Shinso too. Can also relate to how Midoriya's getting sadder with the League, or how he'd wished All Might hadn't just abandoned him on the rooftop.

Chapter 33: Kidnapping and Murder, Everything You Want In a Plan

Notes:

When a character doesn't know someone's name yet, I often just call them "[some part of their appearance] guy." So, hah, Muscular and Spinner and Mr. Compress have been dubbed "bulky guy" and "gecko guy" and "orange overcoat guy."

Enjoy.

The League of Villains had become the club to join for people who agreed with Stain. But it went beyond just that. Anyone who was dissatisfied with the world they lived in, anyone who wanted to change the way things were, they looked to the League. 

Because of this, the League had gotten a fair number of new recruits. The little League was growing in size. 

Midoriya was on his way to meet the new recruits, that week’s notes with him. Kurogiri had told him “sometime between one and two should be fine.”

So, being the teenager he is, Midoriya walked into the bar at 1:59. He had earbuds in with a jacket and basketball shorts. 

All faces in the room turned to look at him as the door opened. Nine to Ten people, Midoriya counted. He immediately started analyzing them as much as he could as he walked over to Shigaraki. 

“You’re late,” Shigaraki pouted. 

Midoriya handed him the notes. “Kurogiri said in between one and two. It’s not two yet, right?”

“You had seconds to spare,” said an unfamiliar voice, and Midoriya looked to see who it was. 

The voice belonged to a tall slender man wearing a black and white patterned mask, top hat, and orange overcoat. He held a silver cane with a golden tip. He’d just finished looking down at a watch hidden under his sleeve. 

Midoriya turned back towards Shigaraki. “See? I was on time.”

“Perhaps next time I should give clearer instructions,” Kurogiri said apologetically as Midoriya sat down at the opposite end of the bar as Shigaraki. 

Shigaraki clenched his fist in annoyance and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. At that moment, Midoriya took a look around the room. 

Most of the faces were unfamiliar. There was a large bulky guy hanging out in the shadowy corner. There was a gecko looking guy, a man wearing a black and gray bodysuit, another teenager with light brown hair, and another person wielding a large metallic beam. Then there was the masked man he’d just talked to, and he recognized Dabi hanging out in the back and Toga practically bouncing up and down in excitement at seeing him.  At least this time she didn’t rush up to him to try and touch him. 

His eyes scanned over each of them, looking for any weaknesses and strengths. Normally, Midoriya subtly analyzed people, without them knowing. This time, however, he didn’t try to hide his piercing eyes. He made it plain as day that he was reading them. He didn't want to be underestimated just because he was quirkless. 

Some of the other villains fidgeted nervously under his gaze. When they looked at him, their eyes hovered for a second more over the large scar on his cheek.

Shigaraki had begun reading that week’s notes, completely ignoring all the other people in the room. Midoriya glanced at him before looking down at his phone and playing the song he’d put on pause. 

“Deku,” Kurogiri said, tapping on the bar in front of him in case the music was too loud. 

Midoriya looked up at him inquiringly. 

“It would be beneficial for you to introduce yourself to our new recruits,” Kurogiri suggested. 

Midoriya paused his music again. “I’m pretty sure they already know who I am.”

“Still, it’s the polite thing to do,” Kurogiri insisted. 

Midoriya sighed as he stood up from his chair and turned around to face all the new people, who looked at him expectantly. He grabbed the wire of his earbuds and pulled them out of his ears before stuffing them into his pocket with his phone.

“Hello, my name’s Izuku Midoriya, or Deku,” he said boredly. “My main purpose for the League is gathering intel. Please don’t-”

“Were you really trained by Stain?” the gecko guy interrupted. 

…ask me a ton of questions. 

The gecko had green scales instead of skin, and pink hair swept backwards. He was wearing a scarf and mask in imitation of Stain. 

It’s no secret that this guy is a devout follower of the Hero Killer. Ha, if he only knew what I did…

“Yeah, I was,” Midoriya replied, which caused more than just the gecko guy’s eyes to widen. “But don’t lump him and I in the same category. Sure, I agree with his beliefs, but that doesn’t mean I’m the exact same as him.”

Please don’t obsess over me like you do him. 

The gecko guy looked a little disappointed. “Fine, I get it. Name’s Spinner, by the way.”

Midoriya nodded and was about to sit back down when Toga came bouncing up to him. 

“I like Stainy a lot too!” she said happily. “I want to be him! I wanna be you too! Please, just one little cut would make you so cute!”

Just like the first time she took a small blade and tried to cut his face. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm backwards. She was forced to drop the blade and let out a small sound of pain. 

“Before, I just knocked you out. You want me to break your arm this time?” Midoriya asked in annoyance, knowing he'd never actually do that. 

She took a few steps back and swiped her blade from the floor. Her tone suddenly grew sullen and bitter. “Fine then, if that’s how it is.”

Midoriya eyed her curiously for a few more seconds before finally sitting back down. 

Because Shigaraki was still absorbed in the notes, a quiet murmuring of chatter began among the villains. Midoriya just turned around and faced Kurogiri, not really feeling like talking to anyone. He was going to have to converse with them at some point, so might as well delay as long as possible. 

The storyline had other plans. The man in the black and gray bodysuit walked up to him. 

“Hey, you prefer ‘Deku,’ right!? I’m Twice, nice to meet you!” he said cheerfully, but his tone quickly switched to tired when he said, “you’re such a stuck up teenager.”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “Nice to meet you too…”

To change moods so quickly… does he have some mental disorder? Like an extreme version of bipolar disorder. 

“So how did you meet the League? I’m curious! Not like I care,” said Twice, switching moods quickly again. 

Midoriya was debating how to answer, and fortunately he didn’t have to because the big bulky guy from the corner stood up. He was tall enough to tower over everyone else. 

“How long are we gonna sit here and do nothing,” he complained, “I thought this League would be entertaining, give me the chance to kill some people. When are we actually going to do something!?”

Now that he’d come out of the shadowy corner, Midoriya could get a better look at him. He had a prosthetic eye, blonde hair, and a very strong build. He only wore a white sleeveless shirt and baggy black pants. 

But it wasn’t his physical appearance that put Midoriya on edge, it was his demeanor. He could tell this was a man who gave no thought to human life. He just killed whoever he wanted for fun. 

Everyone in the room seemed to edge away from him, so Midoriya spoke up. “Have a little patience. As soon as Shigaraki’s done reading the notes we’ll start.”

The bulky man glared at Midoriya and opened his mouth to say something before Kurogiri stepped in. “Please, Muscular, give thought to your actions. I’m sure Shigaraki will be done soon.”

“Tch, I just feel like saying I’m only here because I wanna have some fun,” Muscular growled. “If this League ends up being a bore, I’m out.”

Honestly, wouldn’t mind if you left already. 

“Oh, if you’re looking to kill people, it’ll be fun alright,” Shigaraki said, finally finishing the notes. 

“Well then, get on with it!” Muscular huffed as he sat back down in the corner. 

Midoriya eyed Shigaraki. Kill people? Is this next plan of his really going to be that deadly? 

“The League of Villains is going to attack UA’s summer camp for the hero course,” Shigaraki said with a smile. 

That sent Midoriya for a loop. “The summer camp? How’d you get their location? I wasn’t able to get it the last time I infiltrated UA.”

Shigaraki’s smile faded into annoyance. “Master has many allies in unlikely places.”

Midoriya frowned. Does UA have a spy?

“Back to what I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by Deku,” Shigaraki said scathingly, “we will be attacking UA’s summer camp. Each of you will have a different role to play to accomplish our goals.”

“But what exactly are our goals?” the guy with the orange overcoat asked. 

The person with the large metallic beam nodded in agreement. “Yes, we are all driven by different things, whether it be our ideals or thirst for blood. How do you expect us to all share the same goal when we each want something different?”

A few of the other villains nodded in agreement. 

“We all hate heroes, or at least society in general, right?” Midoriya spoke up. “It doesn’t matter what drives us, as long as we all want change. What kind of change might vary between us, but if we’re all striving for relatively the same thing, that’s okay.”

Midoriya silently disagreed with his words. Most, if not all, of the people in the room were willing to kill in order to change society. Except Midoriya. That difference was big enough to cause conflict. 

“Well said,” the orange overcoat guy spoke again. “But you still didn’t answer my question. In this mission, what are we trying to achieve?”

“If you’d let me finish talking you would’ve found out by now!” Shigaraki complained. 

“Apologies. Please, continue,” the orange overcoat guy said politely. 

Huh. He’s rather well-mannered to be joining a band of such rowdy criminals. 

“Each of you will have a different task, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. One of our main goals is to kill as many pros as possible. The teachers of 1-A and 1-B will be there, as well as the Wild Wild Pussycats. Deku, I want-”

“I got it,” Midoriya interrupted. “You’ll have a full report on all their quirks, strengths and weaknesses by tomorrow.”

Shigaraki nodded. “Good, and I want you to give copies to Dabi, Spinner and Magne. Dabi because he’s the leader, and Spinner and Magne because it’ll be their jobs to take down the Pussycats.”

Spinner nodded in confirmation, and the person with the metallic beam smiled and said, “sounds lovely.”

Alright, so that’s Magne. And if Dabi’s the leader…

“So you’re not going to be part of the attack?” Midoriya asked Shigaraki. 

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at him. “No.”

Hm, he’s changing his style. Now he’s playing this like it’s chess, and we’re his pieces. 

“Toga, your job will be to get as much blood from the students as you can. It could be useful in future situations,” Shigaraki continued. 

So her quirk involves blood, could’ve guessed as much. What does he mean it’ll be ‘useful?’

“Kay,” Toga responded, still bitter from Midoriya’s rejection. 

“Mustard, you’ll use your gas to take down as many little brats as possible and keep it going throughout the attack. Dabi, you’ll use your flames in a similar manner, but you’re also the leader so you don’t have to keep the fire going the entire time. Both the flames and the gas will keep them trapped in the forest like rats.”

The light brown haired teen grinned. “We’ll show those privileged UA students how weak they truly are.”

So that’s Mustard, and he has a gas quirk. Like mustard gas from World War I. As for Dabi, he does have a flame quirk like I thought. 

“Twice, you’re support. So you’ll mostly just stick with Dabi and do what he tells you to do.”

“Do I have to? I gotcha!” Twice exclaimed. 

“Muscular, you-”

“Finally, took you long enough,” Muscular said eagerly. 

Shigaraki sighed. “Your job is doing exactly what you want. Going on a rampage and killing as many people as possible, specifically students.”

Midoriya was not liking this plan. 

Muscular grinned in excitement. “Oh yeah, I can’t wait.”

“Another member will also be joining you,” Kurogiri said. “Moonfish. However, he does not have enough mental stability to join us at the moment.”

Gosh, how many mentally unstable people are we recruiting?

Shigaraki smiled. “Yeah, Moonfish. He has the same job as Muscular.”

So then, everyone has been given a job, except for the orange overcoat guy and me. 

“Are you just going to assign me to note taking like you always do?” Midoriya asked. 

“No, I’ve got a special job for you,” Shigaraki said with way too much happiness. “There is one overarching goal in this mission. There’s a certain UA student that none of you are allowed to kill. It’s gonna be Deku and Mr. Compress’s job to kidnap him.”

Kidnapping a UA student? Who and why?

“Katsuki Bakugo is the main target in this mission.”

…what? 

Why the heck does he want Kacchan?

“Why Katsuki Bakugo, of all people?” Midoriya asked cautiously. 

Does he want to kill him?

“This society has suppressed too many people. It has bound others by rules and regulations so that no one is able to live freely, including heroes… Bakugo just needs a little push in the right direction. We’ll get him to see how much better he’d be as a villain.”

He thinks… he thinks Kacchan wants to join the League?

The sheer stupidity of that thought caused Midoriya to burst out laughing. The other villains looked at him strangely. 

“You think Kacchan will become a villain?” Midoriya asked. “I’ve never heard anything so far-fetched! If there’s anything that jerk hates most it’s villains. He’s got his heart set on his goals of becoming a hero and nothing, let me tell you, nothing will get in his way.”

Shigaraki growled. “Shut up! You don’t know anything!”

“Oh, trust me, I know everything about how the mind of that idiot works. There’s nothing you can say that’ll change his mind.”

“Well, if you know him so well, maybe something you say can change his mind!” Shigaraki yelled, which caused Midoriya to shut up. “You have quite the backstory with Kacchan, don’t you?”

Midoriya glared at him and clenched his jaw. 

Shigaraki sighed in irritation. “Well, we’re still kidnapping him. If he refuses to join, we’ll just kill him instead. Either way will leave the pathetic people of Japan in shock.”

No. I’m not going to let anyone die. Not even him. 

But he couldn’t say that here. 

“Fine,” Midoriya said, “but just remember I told you so.”

Shigaraki glared at Midoriya, before turning back to face the rest of the League. “You all will be attacking in two days, so get ready.”

Twice bounced over to Dabi, and Spinner and Magne started conversing. The guy in the orange overcoat, who Midoriya assumed was Mr. Compress, stepped forward. 

“Deku, if we are to be working together, I suggest we formulate a strategy that ensures our success.”

Well, out of all the people here, I’m glad I was partnered with this guy instead of someone like Muscular. 

“I already have an idea,” Midoriya responded. “But what exactly is your quirk?”

They spent the rest of their time talking through plans and strategies to capture Bakugo quickly and efficiently. Midoriya assumed that the faster they got Bakugo, the sooner they’d leave the summer camp, and the fewer people would get killed. 

After about an hour or so, Midoriya was worn out from all the talking and dreading the upcoming mission. About half the villains had already left. Only Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Dabi, Magne, Mr. Compress and Spinner were still there.

Midoriya got up to leave and said to Shigaraki, “I’m headed out. I’ll bring by the notes on the pros tomorrow.”

“I also want you to give everyone notes on the quirks of the students. Everybody in 1-A and 1-B,” Shigaraki demanded.

Midoriya sighed, thinking about how much work that would be. “Understood.”

He was about to leave when someone spoke up from behind him. “Hey, Deku, wait a sec.”

Midoriya turned around and saw Magne and Spinner walking up to him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I was just wondering,” Magne started, “if you’d want to join us on a hero killing spree at some point. With your mentor being Stain and all, I thought it’d be cool if you show us some stuff he taught you.”

Spinner nodded enthusiastically. “It would be an honor to spend time with the one Stain deemed worthy of student.”

Magne held out a hand to Midoriya. “So whaddya say?”

The thought of killing someone still repulsed Midoriya as strongly as ever. He hardly had to think for a second before harshly slapping Magne’s hand away.

Spinner and Magne blinked confusedly. The other villains looked over to see what happened.

“No thanks,” Midoriya responded coldly. He resumed walking towards the door. “I don’t kill people.”

He heard a couple people go “huh?” and as he closed the door behind him he heard Shigaraki say, “that stupid Deku and his stupid moral code.”

Midoriya was too tired to care what people thought of him.

 

What kind of summer camp starts out with being flung into a forest full of mud monsters?

A UA summer camp, apparently.

Class 1-A’s bus has abruptly stopped while 1-B’s kept going. They’d met the overly energetic Wild Wild Pussycats, who were a stark contrast to the usually monotone Mr. Aizawa. After that they’d been thrown via mudslide into the “Forest of Beasts.” The name was actually quite fitting, considering that the forest was full of mud monsters.

And Shinso could do nothing but stand there and watch. He felt just as useless as he did during the UA entrance exam. His new friends destroyed the beasts, one after another, with their amazing, physical quirks.

Uraraka would float the monsters and Tsu would forcefully swing them into the ground with her tongue. Kirishima and Iida broke them apart with powerful hits. Todoroki would freeze the monsters in place which would give some of his slower classmates an opening to smash them apart.

Now that Shinso came to think of it, he still hadn’t seen Todoroki use any fire, despite the name of his quirk being “Half Hot Half Cold.”

And then there was Bakugo. He truly represented everything Shinso hated.

The hot-headed jerk blasted his way through the monsters like it was nothing. His quirk was so much more physically powerful than Shinso’s could ever be. Not to mention flashy. It was the perfect quirk for an ego-obsessed hero.

Uraraka had also told Shinso what she knew about Bakugo’s and Midoriya’s backstory, which only made him dislike the guy more.

The only thing Shinso had been able to do was warn Mineta about an incoming attack from a beast, which none of the girls appreciated.

“Struggling to keep up, Eyebags?” Bakugo asked as he saved Shinso from being squashed by the oversized claw of a mud monster.

I see I’ve been demoted from being called “Shinso” like at the Sports Fest to “Eyebags.”

“I’m fine,” Shinso replied, knowing full well what “fine” stood for.

Bakugo smirked. “So you’re fu…” he swore, “insecure, neurotic and emotional. Hah, you sure you don’t wanna go home yet?”

Shinso was already getting tired of Bakugo’s taunting. “You know, why don’t you just do what you do best and destroy everything you see? Wouldn’t want to waste time on a low life like me.”

Bakugo frowned, and to Shinso’s surprise, he actually left him alone.

That’s weird. I was expecting some stuck-up response.

The class continued fighting through the forest until the evening. When they finally arrived at the summer camp, they were exhausted. Honestly, they looked closer to zombies than actual people.

Mr. Aizawa briefed them on what they would be doing the next day: intensive quirk strengthening.

Shinso’s quirk had three major areas it could improve on. 

One, the number of people he could brainwash. Having too many people under his control split up his focus too much, resulting in him having to let a couple people go. 

Two, the overall strength of his brainwashing. Currently, a rough shove or smack was enough for someone to break loose. If he could somehow make it harder for people to free themselves, he’d be more of a formidable opponent.

Three, the range of commands he could give someone. Currently, he could only order someone to do something that didn’t involve thinking. If he could somehow change that, his quirk would be applicable in more situations. 

However, Shinso didn’t know how he would strengthen his quirk without brainwashing multiple people at a time, and it wasn’t like there were just tons of extra people around for him to practice on. That was another drawback of his non-physical quirk.

So, as they were walking back, Shinso was feeling more than a little downcast. That was until Mr. Aizawa walked up to him.

“Shinso, you’ll be training with me tomorrow,” he said, and Shinso nodded in confirmation, being too tired for words. “But know that this will be much more intense than your regular training. I’m going to make you wish you never attended this camp.”

“Wouldn’t want anything less,” Shinso responded, following the rest of his soon-to-be-classmates into the dining area.

Shinso was well out of earshot when Mr. Aizawa smiled and said, “you’ll get into the hero course, no doubt.”

Inside the dining hall, there was chaos. Class 1-A was eating their food like a pack of starved wolves.

Shinso chose a seat next to Iida and Uraraka, like he always did.

“The food is sooo good,” Uraraka said, closing her eyes from the happiness of her taste buds.

Shinso took a bite, but he was too focused on the events earlier that day. He’d been completely and utterly useless against those mud beasts. All he’d been able to do was stand there and watch his classmates surpass him.

If there was one thing Shinso knew, it was that he needed to get stronger. He never wanted to stand by and watch ever again.

He was going to be a hero, no matter his quirk.

Notes:

The only part of this entire chapter I had planned was the part where Midoriya slapped Magne's hand. I didn't even know whose hand I wanted him to slap, I just wanted him to slap someone's hand. In my rough outline planning guide thingy, I just have "Midoriya slaps hand." That's the extent of my planning. Hah, none of last chapter was planned either.

This chapter's song is Heathens by Twenty One Pilots, because, you know, he's spending more time with villains and stuff.

Summer camp is next oh boy.

Chapter 34: Pointless Killing

Notes:

Here we are, summer camp. Just a warning for some blood in this, again it's not graphic, pretty average for canon.

And I guess a warning for cliffhangers, cuz the summer camp is pretty much one continuous storyline with not many good places to break it up, so yeah.

Enjoy!

The forest looked so peaceful, and the night sky was filled with stars too. 

It would’ve been relaxing, almost like a nice get away, if Midoriya wasn’t painfully aware of the atrocities this group was about to commit. He had his villain costume on with the words “villain costume” on the back, but wasn’t wearing his mask or hood. 

So far, most of the League had arrived, but they were still waiting for Magne, Spinner and Moonfish. 

Toga was complaining about how unattractive her mask was. 

“Our conspicuous leader has planned everything out,” Mustard said. “What matters is that it’ll get the job done, not how it looks.”

She glared at him, before turning to Midoriya, who was sitting casually on the edge of the cliff they were on. “What do you think, Deku? Don’tcha think this mask is so not cute!”

Midoriya sighed at how she’d resumed pursuing him. “I agree with Mustard. Functionality is more important than appearance.” 

“I told you,” Mustard said, rubbing it in. 

Toga scowled and said, “you boys just don’t get it!”

“Come on!” Muscular shouted, cracking his knuckles. “No one gives a frick! I just wanna spill some blood over here!”

“Quit your yapping and get ready,” Dabi ordered. “We just have to wait ‘till all eleven of us are here and then we go. I don’t want any of you slowing down the others.”

“That reminds me,” Midoriya started, getting up from the ledge he was sitting on. “Shigaraki wanted me to give these to you guys.”

He pulled out a bunch of papers that had detailed writings on all the members of Class 1-A and 1-B. 

“These’re notes on the quirks, strengths and weaknesses of anyone you could be expecting to meet,” he explained, passing them out, “hopefully this’ll give you an advantage in battle.”

“Incredible,” Mr. Compress remarked, flipping through a couple pages. “I’ve never seen such detail in an analysis!”

“Thanks,” Midoriya mumbled. 

Mustard, Toga, Twice and Dabi accepted copies, but when Midoriya handed one to Muscular he just slapped it away. 

“I don’t need useless crap like that to pound someone into the ground,” he said confidently. 

Midoriya felt a pang of annoyance. “Well not everyone has the sheer strength to win any fight they get themselves into.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Muscular said, not giving an ounce of thought to Midoriya’s words. 

Confirmed. Muscular is my least favorite person here. Maybe I can do something to get him arrested…

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Spinner, Magne and Moonfish. 

“Sorry we’re late,” Magne apologized, but she was smiling excitedly. 

Midoriya had already given them the intel on 1-A and 1-B along with the intel on the Pussycats the previous day, so he didn’t bother walking up to them. 

But he did analyze the new person: Moonfish. He could understand immediately why he hadn’t been at the meeting two days prior. He just wore a black straitjacket with straps to contain his body. These straps also had hooks that pulled his lips back, keeping his mouth open and teeth bared. He kept drooling and rasping “job, gotta job.”

“Alrighty then, let’s get moving,” Dabi commanded. “We’re going to show these fragile heroes that peace lies in our hands. 

All of the villains jumped down into the forest immediately, except for Mr. Compress and Midoriya. 

“Are you ready to put our well-crafted plan into fruition?” Mr. Compress asked. 

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah, but I’m gonna follow Muscular for a bit first.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Mr. Compress asked with uncertainty. 

“If he meets any strong UA students, he’s going to wish he read my notes. Don’t worry, I won’t spend too long on him,” Midoriya said, running away. 

“Okay! I’ll just follow the plan as if you were there!” Mr. Compress shouted after him. 

Midoriya just gave him a thumbs up as he ran out of sight, not really feeling the urge to speak. 

He was technically going after Muscular because he’d been ordered by Shigaraki to give his notes to everyone. However, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have any ulterior motives. 

Saying Muscular is uncaring would be the largest understatement ever. A more accurate statement would be: Muscular loves blood and murdering people for fun and gains joy from the distorted screams of his victims as he rips them apart. 

Midoriya was following him because he wanted to limit the amount of damage the villain could do, not because he wanted to give him his notes. Honestly, if he ended up getting arrested because he underestimated someone like Yaoyorozu, Midoriya would be relieved. 

He had promised to not let anyone die, afterall, and following one of the most murderous villains in the League was a good place to start. 

He wanted to say something to Muscular that would impair his fighting abilities, either by making him more self-confident than he already was, or making him emotional so his actions would be more reckless and easier to read. What the words he needed to say were, Midoriya had no idea. He was just kind of playing it by ear. It couldn’t hurt to try. 

Well, it might hurt to try, if he gets too angry, Midoriya thought as he caught up with the cloaked figure of Muscular. He’d traveled to a quieter part of the forest, atop a rather tall hill with a nice, stoney ledge. 

Muscular seemed to be talking to someone as he walked across the ledge. By his domineering posture, Midoriya could tell that the someone was rather short and weak. 

Oh no. Has he found someone to kill already?

“Hey, why don’t I trade you this stupid mask? That hat of yours is pretty cool,” Midoriya could hear Muscular say as he got close. His tone, it had an edge, like the person he was talking to was barely worth keeping alive. 

The next thing Midoriya heard was the sound of someone running and crying, before seeing Muscular rush forward at an insane speed. 

Oh crap crap crap. 

Midoriya was now close enough to see what was happening. He spotted a young boy with spiky black hair wearing a red hat with horns on it. Muscular had jumped off the cliffside wall to block his exit and was about to crush him with one of his telephone pole sized arms. 

Midoriya landed on the ledge with a scf! and shouted, “Muscular! Stop!”

He tried to make his tone sound commanding, because he’d been a member of the League for longer, but he couldn’t help but let a little fear seep into his voice. 

Muscular stopped his punch midair, but the air pressure still sent the young boy rolling across the stone, closer to where Midoriya was standing. 

Muscular looked up from his victim. When he recognized the person who’d told him to stop, his eyes narrowed in irritation. “What are you doing here? And why the hell are you telling me to stop!?”

The young boy, now covered in dirty scuffs, had gotten back up onto his feet, crying out of fear. He scurried away from Muscular, and looked over his shoulder at Midoriya. He immediately recognized Midoriya as a villain. 

But Midoriya met his terrified eyes with what can only be described as kindness. 

The young boy moved closer to Midoriya, choosing the lesser of two evils (if Midoriya could even be considered an evil). 

This kid, he’s scared out of his mind because Muscular wants to kill him. 

At that moment, he decided that he wasn’t going to let Muscular hurt the young boy, no matter what it took. Even if he was disobeying Shigaraki and getting himself into trouble. 

“I did come to give you the notes on all the students here,” Midoriya finally responded. 

Muscular scoffed. “I already told you I don’t need that useless garbage!”

But now I’m here so I can protect this innocent kid from you. 

Midoriya walked forward, his footsteps making light scuffing noises against the stone. He stopped in front of the young boy, who looked up at him confusedly. 

“Don’t worry,” Midoriya told the boy softly, still facing Muscular, “I’m not going to let him hurt you.”

Muscular looked down upon the two kids. “What’re you talking about? Ya trying to save this little brat? Tch, why?”

“Because there’s no point in killing him,” Midoriya explained. “He’s just a kid, let him go home.”

He’s got the rest of his life to live. 

“Listen, Deku,” Muscular started, and the young boy’s eyes widened as he looked up at Midoriya again, “I’m only here because the League promised me freedom to do whatever I want. That includes killing whoever I want. And you sure as hell aren’t gonna stop me.”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at him. A fierce determination was settling into place, making his heart pump faster and muscles tingle in anticipation. 

Muscular’s voice had an edge this time. “So get out of the way.”

“I can’t do that,” Midoriya responded without skipping a beat. He raised a hand in front of the young boy protectively, getting into a fighting stance. 

“Fine then!” Muscular shouted, suddenly jumping forward, muscle fibers emerging from his arms and upper body, “I’ll just have to make you move!”

His fist slammed into the ground right where Midoriya and the young boy had been standing, shattering all the stone around the impact. 

Midoriya had been expecting the attack by reading the tension in Muscular’s body. He’d grabbed the young boy and dodged before Muscular could crush them. 

“Oh yeah!?” Muscular shouted, getting way too excited, “you think that cheap little trick can fool me?”

Muscular spun around and launched another attack against Midoriya, who’d been speedily carrying the young boy to the path that went back down the hillside. Midoriya, with his lightning quick reaction time, reached into his utility belt and threw one of his marble bombs at Muscular. This forced him to jump backwards and effectively stopped his attack. 

But we aren’t out of the woods yet, Midoriya thought as he continued running down the path, the boy riding on his back. 

Muscular can’t be beat with power or speed, mainly because of his tremendous strength. So me fighting him one on one is out of the picture. 

In order to beat someone like this, who relies on power instead of logic, it’s best to beat them with strategy. 

But with the position I’m in, I don’t have many options. Running won’t work because he’s too fast. I don’t have any sleeping drugs or anything like that. I can’t use words to manipulate him because he’s so dead set on killing, nothing can distract him. 

That leaves me with one possible route: getting help. 

I don’t know what this kid’s quirk is, but based on those cracks I saw on the wall of the cliffside, I think it’s water related. That won’t help. 

Practical quirks that are physically weak but still effective are usually the most useful in this kind of battle. I’d need someone like Shinso or Eraserhead. 

An idea popped into his brain. 

Eraserhead! 

He’s 1-A’s teacher, so he should be near the main building where everyone eats and sleeps. That’s not too far from here…

“W-why…” the boy stammered confusedly, “why a-are you he-elping me-e if you’re a-a villain?” They were the first words Midoriya had heard him speak. 

For goodness sakes, the amount of times I’ve answered this question. 

“I might be a villain, but that doesn’t mean okay with murdering people,” Midoriya answered, and the boy’s eyes widened in surprise. 

A whooshing sound came from above. It would’ve been a sneak attack if Muscular hadn’t yelled, “got you now!!”

Midoriya threw the boy out of the way, him being the top priority. Because of this, and because of Muscular’s crazy speed, Midoriya wasn’t able to completely dodge in time. Muscular’s fist connected with his left arm and sent him crashing into the cliff side. 

He felt his forearm gauntlet crack, the extreme amount of kinetic energy from Muscular’s punch being too much for it to absorb. The jagged edges cut into Midoriya’s skin, but at least it stopped the bone from being shattered. 

“Hah! You said you were gonna protect that kid!” Muscular jeered. “But lookit how weak you are! Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Midoriya stifled a yelp of pain, and was able to get out of the way just in time as Muscular sent another punch his direction. 

Damn, my left arm’s busted. 

After attempting suicide and severely harming the left side of his body, Midoriya had taken to favoring his right side whenever he fought. So, having a maimed left arm didn’t affect his fighting style too much, but the pain was still distracting. 

Muscular had stopped attacking for a second, his arms now much bigger than telephone poles. Midoriya had once again taken a position in between Muscular and the young boy, who was a little further down the path. 

“Kid,” Midoriya said, and the boy looked away from the towering behemoth of Muscular to the much more puny Midoriya. “Get out of here. Run away, now, go!”

But the kid didn’t budge. For some reason, he just stood there and stared at the blood dripping down Midoriya’s arm. 

Why isn’t he running!?

No, I don’t have time to think about that right now. I have to figure out a way to defeat Muscular. I’ll never be able to reach the main building like this. He’s too fast to run from, so I have to do something to distract him or slow him down, but how?

His thoughts traveled to the marble bombs and smoke bombs he had in his utility belt. A plan formed in his mind. 

That’ll work. 

“Why do you even want to kill this kid?” Midoriya asked, making sure to keep the quiver of fear out of his voice. “I mean, there’s nothing you’d gain from it.”

Muscular palmed his fist and cracked his knuckles. “I don’t care about all that ‘changing society’ crap you talked about. I just wanna rampage wherever and whenever I want. Killing people makes me happy, and who’s to refuse me if I wanna do it!”

Midoriya’s eyes widened in disbelief and anger boiled up in his chest. 

Killing only because he wants to, only because it brings him joy, it’s sickening. 

“So you kill without any reason at all!” Midoriya shouted in disgust, “just because you feel like it, without any regard to the people you hurt!!?”

Muscular shrugged. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the young boy. 

“Do you remember my parents?” he asked through his tears. Midoriya turned his head to look at him, while Muscular narrowed his eyes in slight confusion. “Water Hose, do you remember how you killed them? They were good people, heroes… do you even care at all?!”

I think I remember hearing about them in the news. They were viciously murdered by a villain with a very powerful strength-enhancement quirk. Muscular. 

Midoriya couldn’t help but be a little surprised. This young boy had come face to face with the villain that killed his parents, Water Hose. 

“This entire society is so messed up,” the boy continued, his voice raspy from crying. “Villains and heroes, it’s all the same. You people only care about power and flashy quirks. It’s always because of people like you that bad things happen!!”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed a little in concern for the kid. 

So he blames quirks and a super-powered society in general for what happened to his parents. I’d have to agree with him. 

Muscular laughed heartily, interrupting Midoriya’s thoughts. “What are the chances? It was your parents that gave me this fake eye! You kids sure are quick to pass the blame though; it’s not like I hold a grudge against them or anything about my eye. They wanted to stop me, and I wanted to kill them. I stuck to my word and they didn’t. That’s all that happened.”

Midoriya turned away from the young boy and glared at Muscular, anger searing in his eyes. “It’s your fault, and your fault entirely what happened to his parents.”

“Tch, and you’re not much better than they were, Deku,” Muscular scoffed. “You said you were gonna protect that kid. But look at you, you can hardly even protect yourself, much less him!”

Muscular crouched down, muscle fibers emerging from his legs now. Midoriya tensed and furtively reached behind his back into his utility belt. 

“All you get in this life is your word, so you might as well keep it or die!” Muscular shouted, about to jump forward to crush the two boys. 

But the moment he was about to pounce, Midoriya dashed forward in a blur. This caused Muscular to hesitate, not expecting the sudden movement. 

“People like you disgust me!” Midoriya shouted angrily as he got close. “The way you think you’re better and more powerful than everyone else, how you completely disregard everyone else’s lives, it’s why I became a villain!”

He pulled out a marble bomb. 

“To show people like you that you can’t always win!”

He slid in between Muscular’s legs, and jammed the marble bomb into the side of his knee. Midoriya, now behind Muscular, used one of his smoke bombs the instant the bomb exploded. 

“Hah,” Muscular laughed, turning around to search for Midoriya in the smoke. “You think something like that can stop me? My muscles act like armor, protecting me from any attack, including explosives. Your little stunt didn’t do anything!”

He regretted saying that the moment he uttered the words. An agonizing pain erupted from the side of his knee, the area Midoriya had exploded. 

“Gah!” Muscular shouted in pain. 

As the smoke cleared, it became obvious what had happened. Midoriya was standing in between Muscular and the boy again, this time holding his black dagger. While in the smoke, he had silently run in between Muscular’s legs again. The muscle fibers next to his knee were still repairing themselves after the explosion. Midoriya had sliced the area where the muscles were still weak, effectively tearing his ligament. 

“Argh, you little…” Muscular swore, bending over in pain from his knee, not having experienced this level of pain in a long time. 

“You might be able to abundantly reproduce muscles, but you can’t heal your ligaments or tendons or bones,” Midoriya said, glaring at Muscular over his shoulder. “You’re still human.”

Midoriya walked over to the young boy, who was watching with wide eyes. Midoriya bent down and gestured for him to climb onto his back. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Muscular, more angry now than ever. 

He’ll still be able to chase us, even with that severe of an injury. But now that he’s a lot slower…

“Try keeping up with us now!” Midoriya shouted as he took off down the path, the boy on his back. 

Muscular took a step forward with the leg that had just been injured. The moment it made impact…

…his knee bent the wrong way. 

And now he’ll have to use less muscles, or else the sheer force of taking a step will injure him further. 

Midoriya couldn’t help but smirk as he carried the boy away. 

That idiot got over-confident, much like another blond jerk I know…

The sounds of Muscular shouting in anger got quieter as they ran down the path. He was still chasing them, but nowhere near as fast as before. Midoriya cut off into the forest in order to get to the main building faster and find Eraserhead. 

They were finally able to take a moment and breathe, now that their lives weren’t under threat. The boy was staring curiously at the large scar on Midoriya’s left cheek. 

“So what’s your name?” Midoriya asked over his shoulder as he ran. 

The boy hesitated for a second, before responding with “Kota.”

“Alright, Kota. I’m gonna take you to the main building. They’ll be able to keep you safe there.”

“But what about you?” Kota asked worriedly. 

“Don’t worry about that. Keeping you safe is more important than anything that might happen to me,” Midoriya replied, effectively evading the question. 

There was a beat of silence. 

“Why would you risk your life to save me like that?” Kota asked through a fresh wave of tears. 

“I already told you why.”

“Yeah, but… you only said you weren’t okay with killing people. Putting your life on the line to save someone is something entirely different!” Kota protested. 

Midoriya stared at the ground passing under his feet. 

“Why…” Kota started tentatively, “why aren’t you a hero?”

 A few seconds of quiet followed that question. 

“It’s complicated,” Midoriya said quietly. 

He was ‘saved’ from having to explain further when the sound of cracking trees erupted from behind them. Midoriya inhaled sharply and glanced behind them only to see something he really wished he hadn’t. 

Muscular was right on their tail. He was lunging forward only using his uninjured leg and wincing whenever he had to limp on his injured leg. It would’ve been comical, seeing a huge guy like him essentially hopping on one foot to chase them. 

“Ya didn’t think you could escape me that easily!” he shouted, despite clearly being in a lot of pain. 

Midoriya looked back to the trees in front of him while Kota continued staring at their pursuer in genuine terror. 

We have to get to the main building. We have to find Eraserhead, or at least some other pro…

He glanced behind them again. Muscular had already gotten closer, a sinister smile spreading across his face. 

…but at this rate, it doesn’t look like we’re gonna make it. 

The fear of failure spurred Midoriya on faster, his heart pumping and legs running quicker than they had all night. He’d overcome so much. Surely he wasn’t about to meet his downfall at the hands of someone who murdered for fun?

It still wasn’t enough. 

“End of the line for you brats!!” he heard Muscular shout right behind them. 

Midoriya looked down at the leaves and dirt. 

Dammit, I couldn’t even save Kota. I couldn’t keep my word. 

But then he heard Muscular shouting in confusion and a loud crash of someone tumbling into the ground. 

Midoriya looked up in surprise. His run slowed to a walk because he could hear that Muscular had stopped chasing them. He looked around for whatever had caused Muscular to stumble. 

That’s when his eyes fell upon Eraserhead. His glowing red eyes were on Muscular, but he addressed Midoriya when he spoke. 

“Of all the ways I thought we’d meet again, this was not what I had in mind.”

Notes:

I mean like, I least I didn't end on Midoriya thinking they were gonna die... that would've been an even worse cliffhanger.

And Google is probably concerned for me. I looked up "can you cut your ligament with a knife?" Who knew the symptoms of a cut are bleeding and pain? Wow!

This chapter's song is Break My Face by AJR. Relates to how Midoriya is having such a crappy life that breaking his arm isn't that big of a deal. He's just kinda puttering along, doing his best with what he's got. Also, it fits with how he's just kinda fed up with people.

Chapter 35: A Trustworthy Villain?

Notes:

Another warning for cliffhangers...
Apologies.

“Of all the ways I thought we’d meet again, this was not what I had in mind,” Eraserhead said to Midoriya, who was just standing there feeling very relieved that he and Kota weren’t about to die. 

The pro’s black hair was standing on end, and his eyes were faintly glowing red. He was staring at Muscular, whose muscle fibers were rapidly disappearing from his body. 

“What the…” Muscular swore, staring down at his arms in befuddlement. “The hell are you doing to me!?”

Eraser watched Midoriya, with Kota on his back, out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to decide the green haired villain wasn’t an immediate threat because he refocused his attention onto Muscular. 

Muscular glared angrily at Eraserhead, before quickly getting up from the dirt and charging at him. He raised his no longer muscular arm to punch him. 

Eraser used his binding cloth to grab Muscular’s arm and pull it to the side, causing the villain to spin around. Eraser then kicked his back with a dull crack. The force of the impact sent Muscular flying forward, away from Eraser, before rolling across the ground to a stop. 

“You’re with the League of Villains,” Eraser noted dully. “Why are you here, attacking my students?”

Muscular stood up and wiped some dirt off his face. “Like I’d tell you.”

Eraser looked at him with what could only be described as disappointment. “Well then, I guess there’s no point in keeping you around, is there?”

Both the hero and villain tensed, ready to attack each other. But Midoriya beat them to it. 

He kicked Muscular hard in the face, causing the villain to fall to the ground again. Before Muscular could defend himself Midoriya violently stomped down on his head, knocking him out immediately. 

Midoriya sighed in relief at the villain finally being defeated, but the feeling didn’t last long. Eraser whipped out his binding cloth in an attempt to capture Midoriya, who quickly jumped away. 

Midoriya put his hands up as a gesture of peace and said, “woah woah woah, I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

Eraser continued glaring at Midoriya, not convinced. His capture weapon was still floating dangerously above and around his head, but his hair had returned to its normal position on his shoulders. Midoriya’s brow furrowed as he tried to think of a way to get the pro hero to trust him. 

“He’s telling the truth!” Kota spoke up. “He saved me from that scary guy.” He pointed at Muscular, lying unconscious on the ground. 

Eraser’s eyes flickered to Kota and then back to Midoriya. 

“Is that true?” he asked, and Midoriya nodded, but the pro still didn’t look satisfied. “How do I know you aren’t here to harm any of my students? And I’ll take anything you say with a grain of salt, considering you’re a villain.”

“You’d be a fool not to,” Midoriya replied, “but I saved your life at the USJ. Surely that counts for something.”

“Just because you were willing to save me then, doesn’t mean you’re willing to save me now,” Eraser countered, “being a villain changes a person, so I have no reason to believe you’re the same as you were back then.”

“I literally just risked my life to save this boy from another villain. Isn’t that proof enough that I haven’t changed?”

Eraser’s eyes narrowed. “Saving a young child isn’t the same as saving a pro hero.”

Midoriya looked down at the ground, hands still raised in the air. “Fine then. How about this? I’ll tell you the League’s purpose in being here and about each of its members.”

A tiny bit of surprise found its way into Eraser’s face. “You’re willing to give that kind of information up?”

“If it means you trusting me, yeah,” Midoriya responded, looking him in the eye. “Honestly, being in the League sucks.”

Midoriya noted Eraser’s capture weapon lowering onto his shoulders the smallest amount. 

Good, he’s already starting to trust me. 

“Well, go on then,” Eraser said. 

Kota was just standing off to the side, watching with wide eyes. 

With little to no emotion in his voice, Midoriya explained, “the League’s main purpose in being here is to kidnap Katsuki Bakugo.” This caused Eraser’s eyes to widen in surprise. 

“Why would they want to kidnap him?” he asked, unable to keep the smallest bit of anger and fear leaking into his voice. 

Wow, he really is a sucker for his students. 

“Shigaraki thinks he’d make a good villain,” Midoriya said boredly, and Eraser frowned confusedly, opening his mouth to protest. “I know, I know, there’s no way that hot-headed jerk would ever actually join us, which I tried to explain, but nobody really listens to me.”

Eraser paused for a moment while he processed this new information, before asking, “what about the other members of the League, what’re they like?”

Midoriya sighed. “Well, let’s see. There’s Muscular, they guy we just took down. Dabi, he’s got a flame quirk, he’s the leader. Twice, he has a cloning quirk, his job is to assist Dabi.”

He went on explaining the quirks and roles of each of the different members of the League, as was spoken in the meeting. 

“And lastly there’s Mr. Compress, his quirk is being able to compress things into small marbles. He’s one of the people looking for Ka-, Bakugo.”

At this point, Eraser had completely stopped using his capture weapon, which was sitting comfortably on his shoulders like a seemingly normal scarf. He was looking down at the ground in thought. 

“What about you? What’s your role?” he asked, looking up at Midoriya. 

“It’s also my job to look for Bakugo,” said Midoriya, which caused Eraser’s eyes to narrow, “but like I told you before, I know he won’t become a villain. And when Shigaraki finally realizes that, he’ll have no choice but to kill him.”

Midoriya frowned at the ground, and there was a beat of silence. 

“Earlier, you almost called him ‘Kacchan,’” said Eraser. “I know you have a history with him.”

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed slightly as he met Eraser’s gaze. 

“Due to the nature of the case, Tsukauchi wasn’t able to tell me the details,” Eraser explained. “But I know that he bullied you for being quirkless, making him one of the leading factors in you becoming a villain.” 

Kota, who had been standing there listening the whole time, looked surprisedly at Midoriya. 

There was another pause, but then Midoriya sighed and said, “well, you wouldn’t be wrong. I hate Kacchan for how he treated me, and I don’t think he deserves a place in UA’s hero course. He’s a prideful jerk who cares more about winning than actually helping people. The term ‘hero’ means something less because of people like him.”

Eraser lifted his hand up to capture weapon again, eyeing Midoriya distrustingly. “Then why, may I ask, should I let you leave here unscathed when you’re clearly targeting one of my students?”

“Because I still don’t want him dead,” Midoriya answered immediately. “Yes, I might hate him, but that doesn’t mean I’d like to watch him get disintegrated in front of me, which will happen if he gets kidnapped. It’s just… I don’t want anyone to die because of me. That’s why I’d like to ask your permission to do something.”

Eraser narrowed his eyes at him questioningly. “Do what?”

Midoriya took in a deep breath and sighed, as if what he was about to say caused him great fatigue. “I’d like to go into the forest and retrieve Kacchan, so I can bring him back to the main building where he’d be safe. Afterwards, I will turn myself into the police.”

A small surprised sound escaped Eraser’s mouth, while Kota’s eyes widened in hope. 

“You’d be willing to do that?” Kota asked, “but you’d be fighting a bunch more villains again!”

Midoriya nodded gravely. “Yes, I would. Each member of the League will kill readily to achieve their goals, except me. No, I don’t belong there.”

“How do I know you’re not going to betray us?” Eraser asked. “You are a villain, after all.”

Midoriya thought for a moment, but then responded with, “I guess there isn’t really a way for you to guarantee I’m trustworthy. But I can assure you this: Kacchan will be captured if I don’t go out there. Don’t underestimate the League. Each second we waste brings him closer to being taken.”

Aizawa frowned at him, his hand still on his capture weapon. He was silent in thought for a minute. 

Midoriya knew the League and their plan, so if he was telling the truth, Bakugo would undoubtedly be returned safely. But what if he was lying? What if Bakugo wasn’t even the League’s target? By letting Midoriya go, he could be letting one of the most dangerous villains back into society. 

He could be getting more of his students killed. 

But then again, Midoriya had never killed before. He was just a teenager, and it’s hard for someone so young to stomach things like that. Besides, he’d spent enough time around teenagers to be able to tell when they were lying or not, and it didn't look like Midoriya was lying. 

He wasn’t even completely sure if he’d be able to capture Midoriya right then and there. If letting him go meant that his students could have another potential ally on the battlefield, it was a risk he was willing to take. 

“Fine then. It’s not like I have many other options here,” he finally responded, letting his capture weapon drop onto his shoulders again. Midoriya held back a sigh of relief. “But there is a favor I want to ask, before you go.”

Midoriya eyed him questioningly. “And what would that be?”

“Go find Mandalay, you should know who she is, and tell her to send a message to all of the students,” Eraser explained. 

“A message?” Midoriya asked, double checking he had all his support gear before he set off. 

Eraser nodded firmly. “Tell her to send a message saying the students have permission to offensively use their quirks, not just defend themselves.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “But isn’t that-”

“Yes, it is technically illegal. But these are dire circumstances. I’ll deal with the after effects later.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding. 

“Wait, where’ll I go?” Kota asked, finally speaking up again. 

“You should go with Eraserhead,” Midoriya responded quickly. “He’ll take you to where you’ll be safe.”

Kota glanced at the pro hero, and then back at Midoriya. 

“C’mon kid,” Eraser said in what Midoriya assumed was the closest thing he had to a soothing voice. “Let’s go.”

“Alright, see you soon,” Midoriya called as he started running into the forest. 

“You better come back,” Eraser muttered under his breath as he carried Kota away. 

Midoriya looked up at the stars in the sky as he ran. 

It’s all going to plan. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to smile about it. 

 

Of course Shinso was the odd one out. He always was. Everyone had a partner but him just because he drew the number eight. 

Now, not only did he have to go through the test of courage alone, but he also had to go last. Class B would be able to perfect their scaring techniques. 

Not that Shinso was overly worried about this, of course. He wasn’t scared very easily, mainly because he got really embarrassed whenever he flinched in fear. He had been looking forward to spending more time with 1-A (he’d never admit it though), but going it alone was alright. It was how he’d always done things. 

But that all completely changed when Mandalay, who was holding a hand to the comms in her ear, said, “we’ve been attacked by villains! You all need to return to the main building, now!”

The words took a few seconds to process, and all Shinso could think was what? 

Iida immediately went full class president mode. “All of my remaining classmates! Please follow me back to the main building in order to guarantee our safety!”

A couple of faces frowned in opposition, but Shinso was the first to speak up. “What about our other classmates? They’re still in there…”

The group glanced at the forest warily, their imaginations supplying them with different gruesome scenarios of what could be happening to their friends. 

“We have to go help them,” said Ojiro, a member of 1-A Shinso didn’t know much about. Shinso added him to the ‘people who suck less than average’ list for making that statement. 

“No!” Mandalay shouted. “The villains could be after students. Class President, lead them to safety! And no fighting!”

After that, all of the teenagers kind of shriveled in defeat, knowing that they couldn’t disobey Mandalay’s orders. There wasn’t anything they could do to help their friends. 

All of the teenagers except Shinso. 

I was completely worthless when we faced those mud monsters. I promised myself I wouldn’t ever be that way again, and that’s a promise I’m going to keep. 

Before he could explain to his future classmates what he was doing, he bolted off into the forest against his logical reasoning. He ignored Iida’s shouts for him to come back. 

I’ve got to help my friends. Even if I only help a little, it’ll be worth it. That way, I won’t be useless. 

His classmates’ cries for him to return got fainter behind him, but none of them had the nerve to follow, partly because Mandalay got in the way of anyone who began chasing him. As Shinso ran, he thought he heard fighting coming from behind him. Had villains attacked Mandalay and Tiger?

He shook his head and refocused on his mission. He had to find and help his friends. He had to be useful. 

He realized he’d run in the direction of the end of the test of courage. 

Tokoyami, Shoji, Todoroki and Bakugo went first, so I might run into them if I keep going. 

His thought process was interrupted when a message from Mandalay, using her telepathic quirk, jutted into his brain. 

“Class A and B, you’ve been given permission to fight back!!”

That surprised Shinso a bit, considering how adamant she’d been on them not fighting the villains. The use of a quirk to harm a person was illegal. 

But Shinso also smirked. Now I’ll be able to show those villains what I’ve really got. 

Mandalay’s voice broke into his head once more. “Also, one of the League’s targets has been identified! Someone named Kacchan! Got that? Kacchan! Kacchan is to avoid battle and return to the main building as quickly as possible!!”

Shinso frowned confusedly. 

I know I’m not the best with names… but “Kacchan?” Doesn’t ring a bell at all. 

He spotted smoke filtering up into the atmosphere. For him to be able to see it through the canopy of leaves above him, there must’ve been a lot of smoke. This only caused him to pump his legs faster. He dashed quickly through the forest, hoping to find someone, anyone, before they got hurt. Being a hero was about protecting people, right? What kind of hero would he be if he couldn’t even protect his own classmates?

 

Midoriya was sprinting down the forest pathway in search of UA students. 

While he was running, he took off his “villain costume” jacket (he had on black t-shirt underneath, not going shirtless today) and then removed his cracked forearm gauntlet. His arm was bloody and mangled underneath, so he wrapped his jacket around it to stop the bleeding and help the pain. 

He had been hoping to do this sooner, but convincing Mandalay to relay Eraserhead’s message had been more difficult than anticipated. Even after telling her about saving Kota from Muscular and that one of the League’s targets was a boy named Kacchan, she still refused. However, after stopping Spinner’s blade from killing her, she’d reluctantly did what Midoriya asked. 

Alright, now I’ve just gotta actually find Kacchan. He should be somewhere along this path. 

If he did manage to find Bakugo, he’d start leading him to the main building. If whoever he found wasn’t Bakugo, he’d leave them alone. No unnecessary social interaction today. 

Or at least that’s what Midoriya had hoped for, before he was nearly wiped out by a huge, dark… something. 

He darted behind a tree, which actually proved quite difficult because the thing had destroyed most of the trees surrounding Midoriya. 

What the heck was that?! Midoriya thought in alarm, breathing quickly as his adrenaline levels began to rise once again. He risked peeking around the tree to see what had attacked him. 

None of the members of the League have a quirk like that, so it’s either got to be one of the students or-

His train of thought was cut off as he realized what he was looking at. 

He swore internally. I had no idea his quirk could do something like this. 

It was Fumikage Tokoyami. His quirk, Dark Shadow, had turned into a raging monster destroying everything that moved or made a sound. Tokoyami himself was at the center of the shadowy beast. He was clenching his jaw and tears were in the corners of his eyes. He was clearly in a lot of pain. 

“Damn,” Midoriya whispered under his breath, trying to come up with a means of escape as he assessed the situation. Then his eyes fell upon someone who’d been staring at him for a while now. 

Mezo Shoji was glaring at Midoriya with a mixture of anger and fear from behind a nearby tree, his eyes tracing the villain’s scar down his cheek. He undoubtedly knew who the villain was. 

“You…” he started, voice shaking in exhaustion, “you’re the one who blew up Cementoss’s hand.”

The sound caught the monster’s attention, and Shoji had to quickly dodge behind another tree, one that was closer to Midoriya. 

“Finger,” Midoriya corrected, quietly enough so that Dark Shadow didn’t attack. 

That didn’t seem to ease Shoji’s mind at all. When he spoke his tone was still a mixture of fear and anger. “What are you doing here?”

Midoriya thought for a second before responding, “that’s kinda a long story.”

Shoji was clearly agitated about Tokoyami and saving him from his quirk. One of his friends was in trouble, so he couldn’t just stay cowering behind a tree. On top of that, he was worried about what Midoriya was planning to do. He didn’t know Midoriya outside of being the villain Deku, so in his mind, Midoriya was capable of doing horrific things. 

Midoriya felt he had to do something to ease Shoji’s distress. 

“Listen, I’m not here to hurt you, or anyone else for that matter,” Midoriya said, and he could see the disbelief in Shoji’s eyes. “I’m just looking for someone-”

“Someone?” Shoji asked, “you mean whoever Kacchan is?”

Midoriya nodded. “Yes, because if the League manages to capture him, he’s going to die. And against popular opinion, I’m not okay with people dying because of me.”

Shoji’s eyes softened the smallest amount, and Midoriya carefully peeked behind the tree to see where Dark Shadow was. He accidentally stepped on a twig, which made a loud snap. 

The giant shadowy claw of Dark Shadow was coming at him in seconds, and he was forced to jump to a tree closer to Shoji, who tensed as the villain got closer. 

“Just… go!” Tokoyami forced through clenched teeth, his words directed at Shoji. “I can’t… control it! You’ll be killed… go find the others. Help them instead!” 

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly as he saw the sheer agony Tokoyami was in. But then, even through the pain, he’d asked Shoji to leave to help others, not himself. Tokoyami was a selfless friend. Some part of Midoriya was rekindled, the same part that wanted to stop Muscular from hurting anyone. The same part the League told him to suppress. 

The same part that had wanted to be a hero. 

Shoji was now close enough to see the conflict in Midoriya’s eyes as he looked at Tokoyami. It was something he’d never expected to see in a villain’s eyes. 

“Why are you a villain,” Shoji started, “when you’re willing to risk your life to save this someone named Kacchan?”

Midoriya didn’t meet Shoji’s eyes, and there was a beat of silence. 

“It’s complicated,” Midoriya said quietly. 

Shoji looked at the villain for a minute, before remembering the task at hand. He turned back towards Dark Shadow and Tokoyami. He had to find a way to help his friend. 

“You don’t seem like the type of guy who abandons his friends easily,” Midoriya said, looking at Tokoyami too. “You aren’t going to leave this place until you know Tokoyami is alright.”

Shoji nodded firmly, his muscles tense only because of Dark Shadow, not Midoriya. 

“He needs light, so I’m going to try to lead him to the forest fire,” Shoji said with determination. 

Midoriya shook his head. “No, you’ll never make it. Dabi will have moved from that location now, so the fire will be getting smaller. On top of that, you don’t have the speed or stamina.”

Shoji narrowed his eyes and clenched a few of his fists. 

“Not to doubt your abilities or anything,” Midoriya said apologetically. 

“No, you’re right,” Shoji said in a defeated tone. 

Dark Shadow picked up the sound from their conversation and attacked with one of his massive claws again. The two teens were forced to relocate, all of the trees in their surrounding area being reduced to splinters. 

“Get out of here!!” Tokoyami shouted in between ragged breaths. 

Shoji kept his gaze focused on his friend while Midoriya tried to think of a way to save Tokoyami. 

“Of these people, who do you think is the closest?” Midoriya started. “Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, Todoroki, Kaminari or Ka-, Bakugo?”

“Todoroki and Bakugo went right after Tokoyami and me, so they should be pretty close, a little further down the path,” Shoji answered. 

“Well that’s perfect,” Midoriya said, the corner of his mouth turning upward in a grin. “We’ll be able to do both.”

Shoji eyed Midoriya closely. “What do you mean?”

Midoriya looked him in the eye. 

“I’ve got an idea.”

Notes:

I can only write so much in a week, okay? Well, I probably could write more but then I'd be sacrificing the quality of the work as well as my sleep and mental stability so...

This chapter's song is Pressure by The Score. Didn't really know what song to choose, but this one fits well bc Midoriya and the students and pros are having to resist and overcome all the troubles facing them, "no matter what it takes."

See ya in another week...

Chapter 36: Half Effort

Notes:

Slightly longer chapter than average, woo.

If it was Todoroki and Bakugo versus Tokoyami and Shoji, Shinso would definitely take the latter. From the brief period of time he’d spent with the other members of 1-A, he could tell Tokoyami and Shoji shared his introvertedness. 

Todoroki and Bakugo, on the other hand, had some of the most powerful and flashy quirks. It didn’t take long for Shinso to see that they thought of themselves as higher than everyone else. Bakugo ignored anyone he didn’t respect, which was most people. Todoroki didn’t seem to care remotely for any of the people around him. He was just so… cold. 

Because of this, Shinso would’ve preferred to find Tokoyami and Shoji instead of the top two students in the class. 

But things never went the way he wanted them to, did they?

Shinso’s breath was coming in ragged breaths at this point, the cool night air burning his throat. When he’d run into the forest, he’d gone off to the side of the path. He didn’t veer back towards the path until later, thinking that some of his (future) classmates might have run into the forest to escape pursuing villains. 

Now, he was running next to the path, still in the forest. He didn’t want to catch the attention of any villains walking the path, but still be able to see his classmates if they were walking there. 

His mind was foggy due to exhaustion from running and the intensive quirk training they’d been doing all day. The lack of proper sleep and coffee didn’t help either. So, it took him several seconds to realize that there were sounds of shattering ice and metal clashing up ahead. 

He narrowed his eyes and tried to listen clearer. He heard an explosion that sounded all too familiar. 

Bakugo and Todoroki are up there, so I’ve already passed Shoji and Tokoyami. These two must be fighting a villain. 

“YOU AIN’T EVER FOUGHT SOMEONE LIKE ME!!”

Yeah, definitely Bakugo and Todoroki fighting a villain. 

As he got closer, he was able to make out large structures of Todoroki’s ice, which then got shattered by a person bound in a black straitjacket. 

Shinso could see a network of long shiny blades that got longer and shorter and stemmed out from each other like a metallic spider web. But all of these long blades seemed to originate from the figure in black’s mouth. Were they… were they his teeth?

Shinso saw Bakugo try to attack this figure, who used his elongated teeth to move around and dodge. It was like his teeth were extendable limbs. Sharp and deadly extendable limbs. 

Shinso narrowed his eyes determinedly as he ran out into the path. 

I’ve got to help them. It’ll be no problem for me to stop that guy, as long as he isn’t a robot or mud monster. 

The villain must’ve heard Shinso running down the path behind him, because he spun around and sent some of his teeth blades in his direction. Shinso was forced to jump to the side before he was impaled. 

He got a quick look at the villain’s face, and his guess was right, the blades were the guy’s teeth. He even had spiked bands that held his lips open as he drooled down his face. 

Bakugo and Todoroki spotted Shinso running towards them. A flash of surprise and anger came across Bakugo’s face, while Todoroki looked entirely unperturbed, except for his brow furrowing slightly in concern. Shinso noted that Todoroki was carrying a member of 1-B on his back. 

Shinso’s gaze was torn from them when he realized more teeth blades were coming at him fast. Too fast to dodge. 

Oh crap. 

He didn’t have time to get out of the way, but if he didn’t move, he would die. There wasn’t enough time to dodge. He would die. 

But then he heard a loud explosion, and a mass of blond hair came flying at him quicker than the blades. He felt a body slam into his, the force of the impact shoving him out of the way of the blades, saving him. 

Shinso and Bakugo rolled across the ground to a stop, breathing heavily and now covered in dirt. But they couldn’t stay on the ground long because more teeth blades were sent in their direction. A wall of Todoroki’s ice sprung up in front of them, momentarily protecting them from attacks. 

“That’s the second time I’ve saved you at this camp!” Bakugo shouted mockingly, but there was a hint of underlying concern to his tone. 

Shinso didn’t pay him any mind. He was more focused on stopping the villain, who had just cracked through Todoroki’s ice again. 

“Hey, you!! Don’t you know how to stop drooling!?” he shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth. 

The villain rasped something in response. “Haahhhh, got a job… but flesh is so-”

His sentence was cut short, his body freezing and ragged breaths halting. 

Shinso smirked as he looked up at the defeated villain. It was almost comical, how he was completely motionless but his elongated teeth blades were still holding him up high above the ground. 

Bakugo was looking at Shinso like he’d just proved him wrong in an argument. “Tch, I could’ve beaten that guy without you,” he said indignantly, but looked away from Shinso as if he didn’t believe his own words. 

Shinso chose to ignore him. He wanted to let Bakugo’s aggravation fester until he had no choice but to admit he was bested. 

“Stop using your quirk and come down to the ground,” Shinso called up to the villain, who immediately started lowering, his teeth blades shortening. 

Todoroki ran over to them with the guy from 1-B on his back. “So you managed to stop him,” he said flatly, looking up at the figure in black. 

Shinso nodded as the villain’s feet landed firmly on the ground. 

“Good. Now we can focus on getting back to camp,” Todoroki said without a hint of emotion. He began walking away, back towards the camp without asking anyone else what they thought. 

“What about your other classmates?” Shinso asked, narrowing his eyes.

Todoroki turned back towards him, and his glare pierced through Shinso like ice. “What about them?”

“Don’t you care about saving them?” he asked, trying to keep the animosity out of his voice. 

Bakugo kept quiet, watching the two teens closely, his brow furrowed. He could sense the tension between them, and wanted to see if Todoroki was capable of showing emotion. 

“I saved this guy, didn’t I?” Todoroki responded, jerking his head to the member of 1-B on his back. “Getting back to camp is more important. The villains are here to attack students, so it’d be best for us to find the pros to guarantee our safety.”

“But what about the people who can’t head for safety because they’re in danger or fighting villains!?” Shinso asked, angrily taking a step towards Todoroki. “Don’t you care for their lives at all?”

Todoroki’s eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw, not responding. Bakugo eyed him closely for his reaction. 

“And you heard Mandalay, right?” Shinso continued. “They’re after someone named Kacchan.”

Bakugo stiffened at the name, which Shinso noted with interest. 

“Do you know him?” Shinso asked, turning towards Bakugo. Neither noticed Todoroki frowning and looking down the pathway. 

Bakugo quickly looked away from Shinso when asked that question, a plain look of discomfort on his face. 

“C’mon, who is he?” Shinso prodded. “We’ve got to find as many people as we can and get them back to camp. That includes whoever this ‘Kacchan’ guy is.”

“Do you hear that?” Todoroki asked abruptly, frowning in the direction of the path back to camp. 

Shinso frowned confusedly and turned from Bakugo to look in the direction Todoroki was facing. He strained his ears, and Bakugo looked up and did the same. 

It sounded like a monster. All three boys’ heart rates increased as their bodies prepared for another fight. The sound of inhuman screeching was distinct among the noise of trees being ripped apart. 

Shinso took a hesitant step back. “If whatever that is isn’t human, my quirk won’t work on it.”

“Well it’s a good thing we’re not as limited as you,” Todoroki said coldly, which caused Shinso to glare daggers at him. 

“I’ll blow whatever it is to smithereens,” Bakugo said confidently, but he didn’t smile about it. 

Shinso remembered the villain he’d just defeated. “Hey, before whatever is making that noise gets here, one of you should probably knock that guy out,” he stuck a thumb in the direction of the villain, “if he gets jostled hard enough, he’ll break free of my quirk.”

Bakugo barely waited a second before giving the villain a punch to the face with a little extra firepower behind it, causing the villain to fall to the ground, unconscious. 

Then the thing came ripping through the trees. It was a huge monster that consisted of only shadow with glowing red eyes, vaguely bird shaped. It let out an eardrum rattling roar as its claws attacked anything and everything. 

Well, not quite everything. There were two people running in front of it who appeared to be the creature’s main targets. 

The first of these people was someone all three boys recognized. He was a fellow member of 1-A, Shoji. He was looking rather worn and one of his hands had been reduced to a bloody stump. 

The person running alongside of him, however, caused their eyes to widen in shock.  

What the heck was the villain Deku doing with one of their classmates, being chased by an enraged shadow monster? 

He wasn’t attacking Shoji; he was doing quite the opposite, actually. When one of the creature’s claws took a swipe at Shoji, Midoriya threw one of his black daggers at a nearby tree, causing a loud thud. The monster’s focus was directed away from Shoji towards the noise, saving him. 

Todoroki narrowed his eyes distrustingly, while Shinso smiled, almost happy to see the villain again, although not under the best circumstances. 

Bakugo’s eyes were as wide as the moon above him, mouth agape and his fists clenched as his sides. He was frozen, not mentally prepared for the unexpected arrival of his childhood friend who’d jumped off a rooftop because of him. Thinking back, he shouldn’t’ve been too surprised, seeing as Mandalay had told them ‘Kacchan’ was being targeted. 

“Ka- Bakugo and Todoroki, create light!” Midoriya shouted as they got closer, snapping them out of their surprised state. “Use your explosions and flames!”

Todoroki’s brow furrowed at that last word, while Bakugo and Shinso frowned confusedly. 

“It’s Tokoyami!” Shoji explained as he approached his classmates. “Dark Shadow has taken over, you have to help him!”

Shinso stepped forward with a determined expression and opened his mouth to ask a question, before being cut off. 

“Don’t bother,” Midoriya said, skidding to a halt next to the purple haired teen, who looked at him confusedly. “Dark Shadow has a mind of its own, and it isn’t human. Brainwash won’t work on it.”

Shinso gritted his teeth. No, I won’t be useless again. 

Todoroki waved his arm through the air and a massive ice wall sprung up between them and Dark Shadow, giving them a few seconds. 

Shinso began to ask a question. “But what abou-”

“Even if you managed to brainwash Tokoyami,” Midoriya interrupted, predicting what Shinso was going to ask, “it wouldn’t work. Like Shoji said, Dark Shadow has taken over his body and his mind. Tokoyami has no control over it right now, so brainwashing him would have no effect.”

Dark Shadow began breaking through the ice wall, sending cracked shards of ice raining down among the teens. 

Bakugo cracked his knuckles along with a small explosion. “So you’re saying we just have to light this guy up and he’ll be done for.” 

He was blatantly avoiding eye contact with Midoriya, who glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, a flash of anger and disgust apparent. 

Then he nodded and said, “yeah.”

Dark Shadow had demolished the ice wall at this point, and was now charging at the group of teenagers. 

“DIE!!” Bakugo shouted, lighting his palms up in the direction of the monster. It retreated a little bit, shrinking, but then the red in its eyes grew brighter and it began approaching again. 

(In another universe, where Shinso hadn’t been there, Dark Shadow would’ve had to attack Moonfish first, which would’ve given both Bakugo and Todoroki an opportunity to get in close to use their explosions and flames. But in this universe, Dark Shadow could immediately focus all its attention onto the teens, so they wouldn’t have that opportunity to get close. That on top of Todoroki not using his flames, it’ll take a little longer for Dark Shadow to be defeated.)

Shinso glanced at Midoriya next to him, who was looking at Bakugo with a hint of concern and then frowning at Todoroki. Shinso exhaled a breath of realization. Dark Shadow would be defeated a lot quicker if Todoroki would use his flames. 

Dark Shadow threw a tree at the teens, which caused Shoji to dodge towards Bakugo, and Todoroki to dodge towards Shinso and Midoriya. 

“Just die you stupid bird!!” Bakugo yelled as he released another explosion. Dark Shadow had gotten smaller and less powerful, but wasn’t giving up yet. 

Shinso turned towards Todoroki and scathingly said, ”why don’t you use your flames to help!?” Midoriya watched for Todoroki’s response out of the corner of his eye. 

Todoroki glared at Shinso and gritted his teeth. “Tch.”

Anger flared up in both Midoriya’s and Shinso’s chests. 

“So I was right from before,” Shinso started, “you don’t care about your classmates whatsoever.”

The sound of their conversation caught the attention of Dark Shadow, who quickly attacked them with one of its tremendous claws while Bakugo was dodging another uprooted tree. The shadowy mass came down right on top of Shinso and Midoriya. The latter was able to dodge, but the former didn’t quite have those reflexes yet. 

One of the sharp points of the claw pierced Shinso’s shoulder, and he shouted in pain as blood started trickling down his arm. 

“Shinso!” Midoriya exclaimed in alarm, rushing over to his side. 

Bakugo glanced at them, and his eyes widened as he realized his error: he hadn’t been able to beat his enemy in time. He then turned back towards the monster with a new ferocity.  

“Just… DIE!” he released a ground-shaking explosion, as big as the one he’d used at the Sports Festival against Uraraka’s meteor shower. The sheer amount of light was enough to finally tame Dark Shadow. 

The calmed beast retreated back inside its master, who was sitting on his knees on the ground, breathing heavily. 

After a single second of peace, Todoroki sent a flurry of ice spikes at Midoriya, who quickly jumped out of the way. 

“Todoroki!” Shoji exclaimed. “Don’t hurt him, he’s on our side.”

“He’s a villain,” Todoroki shot back. 

“He helped save Tokoyami,” Shoji responded. To him, a person was in his good books if they gave up their time and effort to help one of his friends. 

Todoroki didn’t look convinced, but stopped attacking Midoriya nonetheless. The villain walked back over to Shinso, who was settling down to rest on a cracked boulder, his shoulder wound rather severe. 

They turned their eyes to the person whose quirk had caused all this destruction. 

“I’m sorry,” Tokoyami exhaled, his voice ridden with guilt. 

Bakugo was gripping his wrists, his face scrunched up in pain he was trying to conceal. Shinso had a steady stream of blood down his arm originating from a gash in his shoulder. Todoroki was fine, and he set down the person from 1-B on the ground. One of Shoji’s many limbs was dripping with blood. 

They were all incredibly scuffed up and worn down. Some summer camp it had been. 

Tokoyami looked down at the ground, and said shakily, “I apologize deeply. If only I could’ve-”

“It’s not your fault,” Midoriya interjected, and Tokoyami looked up at him surprisedly. “You tried your best, and that’s all someone can ever do.”

Shinso let out a small laugh. “You said the same thing to me at the entrance exam.”

“Yeah, well, it’s true,” Midoriya responded quietly. “If you did all you could, then there’s no point in fostering regrets. But if you only gave half effort, on the other hand…”

He shot an angry look at Todoroki. 

Todoroki returned the look readily. “What?”

“Why didn’t you use your flames?” Midoriya asked in aggravation, taking a step towards the young hero-in-training.

“That’s none of your business,” Todoroki responded bitterly. 

Midoriya pointed a finger at the gash on Shinso’s shoulder. “Yeah, it is my business. If you’re gonna let people get hurt because you refuse to use your flames, that’s something I’m not okay with.”

“It was his fault for talking and catching Dark Shadow’s attention.” Todoroki looked at Midoriya like wasn’t worthy of being talked to. 

“He wouldn’t’ve been talking if you had been using your flames!” Midoriya shot back. 

Todoroki clamped his mouth shut and they glared at each other in indignation. 

The others just watched. None of them had the nerve to intervene. Bakugo was staring at Midoriya in disbelief, unable to comprehend how he’d gone from the weakling he used to bully to a vengeful villain. Shinso was actually quite enjoying himself. He thought Todoroki deserved all Midoriya was throwing at him and more. 

Gosh, there was going to be a lot more. 

“This time, it was only an injury to the shoulder,” Midoriya started quietly, looking at the ground. But then his voice grew much louder as he looked up at Todoroki. “But what about next time, huh? What if someone gets permanently disabled because you were unwilling to use all your power? How long will it be until someone dies because of you!?”

Todoroki’s eyes widened slightly, while Midoriya’s narrowed in anger. He stomped up to Todoroki. 

“How many lives are you going to ruin, how much pain are you going to cause because of some stupid grudge against your father!?” he asked, jabbing a finger into Todoroki’s chest. 

“Midoriya…” Shoji said his name warningly. He’d advocated for Midoriya earlier, but if the villain ended up attacking Todoroki his words would mean nothing. 

Todoroki clenched his jaw at the mention of his father, his eyes cold and unwilling to change. Midoriya scoffed and turned around to begin walking back to Shinso. 

“Some hero you are,” Midoriya said quietly, his voice vibrating in rage. 

When Todoroki spoke, his voice was quiet, but it held a firm resoluteness. 

“I refuse to use my father’s quirk.”

Midoriya spun around to face him again, shouting loudly. “But it’s not his quirk!! It’s yours, and it always has been!!”

Todoroki’s eyes widened in surprise, showing the most emotion anyone had ever seen other than anger. Midoriya was still huffing angrily as he opened his mouth to shout something else. 

“Midoriya, you need to calm down.”

That came from Shinso, who was watching the entire ordeal with interest, but decided to stop it before things escalated further. 

Midoriya sighed/took a deep breath as he rubbed his hands over his scarred face, before muttering “sorry” unapologetically and walking back to Shinso. 

He sat down on the cracked boulder next to Shinso, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the ground, his hair hiding his eyes. 

“I used to want to be a hero when I was younger,” Midoriya said quietly, much calmer than before. “But without a quirk, I was ridiculed and told it was impossible.”

The group looked at him surprisedly, all except Bakugo who looked at the ground guiltily. 

“So when I see someone like you,” it was obvious that was directed at Todoroki, “who has all the strength and power they could ever need to become a hero, and then they only use half of it… it disgusts me.”

He looked up at Todoroki, anger still simmering in his eyes. 

“It’s like you don’t understand how unfortunate some people are, either that or you don’t care. You forget that other people have crap going on too. You’re not the only one who suffers because of things out of your control.”

His voice grew sad as he looked at the ground again, and Todoroki’s eyes softened the smallest amount.

“I know coming from me, you’re not as likely to listen,” Midoriya started, but then he looked back up at Todoroki, and his face wasn’t filled with anger or hate, but with the determination to help. “But please, use your left side, because rejecting that part of you will end up hurting others just as much as yourself.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened again, but then he looked away. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered quietly. 

Midoriya’s eyes lit up a tiny bit, before nodding. That response was good enough for him. 

There was a moment of slightly awkward silence. Shinso was sitting on the ground, resting his back on the cracked boulder. Midoriya was sitting next to him, on top of the boulder. Tokoyami was still sitting on the path. Todoroki was standing next to the member of 1-B he’d set on the ground, while Shoji and Bakugo were standing off to the side. They all just needed to rest for a moment. 

“So what are you doing here, Midoriya?” Shinso asked, breaking the silence and looking up at him. “I knew that villains had attacked us, but I didn’t realize it was the League, or that you were here.”

Tokoyami spoke for the first time in a while. “Yes, I’d like to know that as well. If you’re a well known villain, why are you helping us? Have you betrayed the League?”

Midoriya blinked, remembering his mission. 

“Officially, I’m here to kidnap Kacchan,” he pointed at Bakugo. “Unofficially, I’m here to get him to safety and turn myself in.”

Shinso’s eyes widened in hope. Midoriya was leaving the League. 

“Wait, Kacchan? You mean Bakugo?” Shoji asked. 

Midoriya nodded. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, and he was the person who bullied me the most for my quirklessness."

The other’s eyes widened in surprise, before turning to Bakugo, who was still staring at the ground guiltily, not making eye contact with anyone. 

Midoriya laughed sadly. “He called me Deku and I called him Kacchan. The useless doll and the destined hero.” 

He managed to catch Bakugo’s eye. 

“Who would’ve thought it’d turn out like this?”

Bakugo broke eye contact to go back to glaring at the dirt pathway. There was a beat of silence. 

“Why?” Bakugo asked, his voice trembling slightly. “Why would you want to save me from the League? After all I did to you?”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at him. 

“How do we know you aren’t going to betray us?” Tokoyami asked. “You say you want to save Bakugo, but you two clearly have a dark history. How can be sure you aren’t pretending to be on our side just to hand Bakugo over at the right moment?”

Shinso thought he could answer that question sufficiently, but looked up at Midoriya to hear his answer. Midoriya stared at the ground in thought for a second. 

“Because Shigaraki thinks Bakugo will become a villain,” he said quietly.

There were a few gasps of surprise. 

“What!?” Bakugo shouted, his usual explosiveness returning. “That bastard! He doesn’t actually think I’d ever do something as idiotic as that?”

“I know that,” Midoriya responded, a little louder than before. “But once he sees that you won’t become a villain, he’ll just kill you instead.”

Bakugo frowned, and concern came across the teens’ faces.

“I don’t want to be the cause of anyone’s death, even if it’s someone like you,” Midoriya said that last word with hate. “That’s a line I’m not willing to cross. Shigaraki would also assign me the job of convincing you, which is not something I feel like doing whatsoever.”

Midoriya looked up at the faces of the people around him. 

“I understand why you don’t want to trust me,” he started, “but I know the League’s plan and about each of its members. I can help all of you get to safety. So please, let me do at least one good thing before I turn myself over to the pros.”

He looked at them pleadingly, and the students exchanged glances. 

Could they trust a villain?

Notes:

That's not a cliffhanger, is it? It's just when the protagonists are left with an important decision to make. Not a cliffhanger. I think.

And please don't attack me for making Bakugo slightly weaker against Dark Shadow. I explained how it could work with that "In another universe" paragraph. I also just needed a good reason for Midoriya to get mad at Todoroki, with Dark Shadow hurting Shinso.

Because this is like, the "convincing Todoroki to use his flames" chapter, I just chose one of those songs that fit Todoroki strangely well. So this chapter's song is Numb by Linkin Park. I dunno, you could also fit it into Midoriya not wanting to follow what the League wants him to do, but it definitely fits Todoroki better.

Chapter 37: Flicker of Hope

Notes:

I kept accidentally writing Tokoroki and Todoyami. I do that with speaking all the time but I had no idea it could go into writing.

Enjoy!

The path that had once been used for the test of courage was now a breeding ground for fear far greater than originally intended. However, there was also a faint flicker of hope, at least for Shinso. Midoriya, someone he wanted to form a friendship with, was leaving the League. 

And he was offering his help in getting them to safety, but first the group of UA students had to decide whether to accept that help or not. They had to decide if Midoriya was trustworthy. 

Shinso had already made up his mind. 

Tokoyami spoke up. “Perhaps we should talk about it among ourselves, without Dek- er, Midoriya listening.” 

Shinso smiled faintly, pleased that people were calling Midoriya by his real name, not by his villain alias. Not by what that jerk called him. 

“That’s a good idea,” Shoji agreed. 

Bakugo nodded jerkily and Todoroki didn’t object. They looked at Shinso. 

“I already know we can trust him,” Shinso said, “but yeah, let’s talk.”

Tokoyami looked in Midoriya’s direction, who was still sitting next to Shinso. “Do you object?”

Midoriya shook his head. “No. I’ll just wait here ‘till you’re done.”

Tokoyami nodded, and Shinso slowly started getting up from his resting position against the cracked boulder. The gash on his shoulder shot pain throughout his body a couple of times, not liking the sudden movement. 

“And we should probably treat everyone’s injuries,” Midoriya added, not missing the slight wince on Shinso’s face as he tried to conceal his pain, “regardless of what you decide.”

Tokoyami’s eyes wavered down to the bloody stump that used to be Shoji’s hand. “Agreed.”

The boys walked a little further down the path so Midoriya couldn’t overhear their conversation. They stood in a loose circle, and the shadows under the trees around them felt strangely more ominous than they had a minute before. A couple of the teens glanced back at Midoriya, as if to make sure he was still there. 

“So what do all of you think? Can he be trusted?” Tokoyami asked. 

“Yes,” Shinso replied without hesitating. “Don’t ask me how I know this, but he's incredibly isolated as a villain. He doesn’t have any friends within the League. So, he has solid reasoning behind wanting to leave, it’s not just some empty words to get us to trust him more.”

Shinso turned towards Bakugo, who grudgingly met his gaze. 

“And besides, even as a villain, he’s more of a hero than anyone I’ve met.”

Bakugo’s eyes widened slightly, before quickly breaking eye contact. 

“I’ve met a villain that’s more of a hero than you,” had been Shinso’s words at the Sports Festival before his and Bakugo’s final battle. 

There was a slight pause in the conversation, before Shoji spoke. “I agree with Shinso. I think we can trust him,” he looked at Tokoyami. “It was all because of him you’re safe now. I could practically see it in his eyes, how much he wanted to help you, even though he’s a villain.”

“I know,” Tokoyami said grimly, looking at the ground. “And I am very grateful, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely dependable. He could be trying to get on our good sides, biding his time, waiting to strike at the right moment when our guards are down.”

“Strike? Whaddya mean by that?” Shinso asked carefully, his eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the idea of comparing Midoriya to a slithering snake. 

“Well, the League’s target is Bakugo, correct?” Tokoyami glanced at the blond, who continued to avoid eye contact. “If he manages to gain all our trust, which he has already done to some extent, there’s nothing stopping him and the League from swooping in and taking Bakugo while we’re defenseless.”

“Midoriya would never do that!” Shinso said with confidence and a bit of anger. “I know he hates Bakugo, and I’m sure he has his reasons for that. But he cares too much for people in general to be willing to kidnap and murder someone! That’s just not who he is!”

The group turned their eyes to Bakugo to gauge his reaction, but he didn’t respond. His brow was furrowed and his face held an uncharacteristic concerned expression. It looked like he was thinking very deeply about something, but hadn’t spoken his thoughts yet. 

Todoroki’s monotone voice broke their train of thought. “A villain wouldn’t try so hard to convince me to use my flames.”

They all looked at him, surprised that Todoroki would support Midoriya after their not so friendly argument. Maybe Midoriya’s words had had more of an effect than he let on…

“It’s because he’s not meant to be a villain,” Shinso said firmly, but his expression was rather glum, his eyes on the ground. “He’s willing to put himself in danger if it means helping someone else. It’s just who he is. So when he’s forced to hurt others, he hurts himself just as much.”

Bakugo’s frown deepened, either in reaction to what he was hearing or because he was still thinking. 

“Those are the emotional reasons to trust him, but there’re also plenty of logical reasons too,” Shoji added. “He knows the quirks and fighting styles of everyone we could come up against, not to mention their approximate locations. If he truly intends to help us, we could get back to camp without a scratch.”

Tokoyami bowed his head. “Yes, I cannot argue with that.”

Bakugo still hadn’t spoken the entire time. 

“Bakugo, what do you think?” Tokoyami prodded. 

His brow furrowed further, but his eyes sharpened, realizing he had to speak. He remained silent for a second more, before looking up at the group suddenly. 

“We’re gonna trust him,” Bakugo ordered in a tone that left no room for opposition. 

The other’s eyes widened in surprise. Shinso didn’t know whether to be happy that they were accepting Midoriya or cautious of Bakugo’s motives. Bakugo had been Midoriya’s main tormentor, after all. 

Bakugo’s eyes held a determined glint that proved he wasn’t going back on his word. 

“We’re gonna follow whatever that damned nerd suggests. And if he betrays us, I have a plan.”

 

What are they going to decide? Midoriya thought to himself worriedly. 

While waiting, he had taken to staring absent-mindedly at the ground, glancing sparingly at Kosei Tsuburaba from Class B, who still hadn’t recovered from Mustard’s gas. 

It’d be nice if they trusted me. That way I’d be able to stop them from getting hurt, and I’d get to talk with Shinso a bit. 

But it’s just as likely that they’ll reject me, which is the more sensible and low-risk option. But then what?

They might tell me to leave, and then I’ll have to go into the forest where I could run into anyone. 

They could try to fight me and capture me on their own, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of Bakugo’s explosions. 

Everything will be so much easier if they just choose to trust me. 

It was about ten minutes before the group of UA students walked back to Midoriya. He looked up at the teens inquiringly as they approached, still sitting on the cracked boulder. 

“So what’d you decide?” he asked, trying to sound calm but probably failing. The slight tense in his muscles didn’t go unnoticed. 

Their eyes all flicked to Bakugo, who wore a fierce expression and said, “if you betray us, I’ll kill you.”

Shinso sighed. “What he means is we’ve decided to trust you.”

“For better or for worse,” Tokoyami added darkly. 

“For better,” Shinso said confidently, turning to give Midoriya a small smile. 

Midoriya’s eyes lit up for a second, and it almost looked like he was going to smile back, but then he quickly looked at the ground and quietly said, “thank you.”

They stayed there for an awkward second before Tokoyami said, “we should probably treat Shoji’s and Shinso’s injuries to the best of our abilities before we head to camp.”

A couple of the teens nodded in agreement. Because it was summer, most of them didn’t have any loose clothing they could tear to wrap around their wounds, so Midoriya unraveled his “villain costume” jacket from around his arm and tore off the part that hadn’t gotten his blood on it. 

“Here. We can use this to wrap up at least one person’s wound,” Midoriya suggested, wincing a little from his mangled arm being exposed to the air again. 

“Hey, what happened to your arm?” Shoji asked with concern. “That’s much more severe than any of our injuries.”

“It was nothing, I just got into a fight with another League member,” Midoriya brushed it off. “Anyway, it doesn’t hurt much anymore and we need to stop the bleeding from your and Shinso’s wounds. But what I’ve torn off here is only enough for one person.”

Todoroki seemed to remember that he existed. “Oh, here, you can use my jacket.”

He slid off his nice, light blue jacket and held it out in front of him to anyone who would accept it. He had on a white tee underneath. 

“I can do Shoji’s,” Tokoyami offered, before quietly adding, “it was my quirk that hurt him.”

“And I guess I’ll do Shinso’s,” Midoriya said as he rewrapped his own arm. 

Shinso had slumped down in his previous spot next to the cracked boulder. “Fine by me.”

Midoriya nodded and got up to wrap the fabric he’d torn from his villain costume around Shinso’s shoulder, while Tokoyami took Todoroki’s jacket to wrap around Shoji’s hand. While they were doing this, Todoroki patiently observed while Bakugo impatiently kicked at the ground. 

“You lied, earlier,” Shinso started while Midoriya was bandaging up the gash in his shoulder, “when you were saying how your arm doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Midoriya’s brow creased just a little bit, not denying Shinso’s words. He was currently only using his undamaged arm to treat Shinso’s injury, his maimed one hanging limp by his side. 

“I can still walk, I can still breathe, and I can still think,” Midoriya said as he tried to single-handedly tie a knot. “So I’m good.”

Shinso reached up to his shoulder and tied the knot for him. “You know that there’re people who actually care for your well-being, right? Just ‘cause you can walk, breathe and think doesn’t mean you’re not in pain.”

Midoriya stood up, having finished with Shinso’s shoulder. “Physical pain is the least of my worries,” he muttered, turning to look at how the others were doing. 

Tokoyami hadn’t quite finished with Shoji’s hand, while Bakugo was making sure Moonfish was still out cold and Todoroki was checking on Tsuburaba. 

“I’m going to look for that one dagger I threw into a tree back there,” he said loudly enough that everyone could hear. “I’ll be right back.”

He began jogging down the path in the direction Dark Shadow had rampaged. Once he got out of earshot, Tokoyami quietly said, “one of us should probably follow him.”

“I’ll do it,” Bakugo replied immediately. “I’ve got something I wanna say to him anyway.”

Shinso eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t challenge him. It wasn’t like Bakugo listened to anything he said anyway. 

As Midoriya walked down the path looking for the tree he threw his dagger into, things got quieter. More peaceful. The sounds of the other boys were gone and all Midoriya could hear was the gentle swishing of the breeze and the chirps of crickets. 

His eyes fell upon his black dagger, lodged into the bark of a tree. He walked up to it, his footsteps making no sound except a soft pit pat. He reached his fingers up to the hilt, but paused when he heard much louder footsteps coming in his direction, crunching against the dirt of the path. 

Midoriya turned, and much to his disappointment it was his old childhood bully. 

“Deku,” Bakugo started, his jog slowing to a walk, “there’s something I gotta say.” 

Midoriya eyed him, not having much interest in anything he wanted to say. He’d already heard Bakugo say plenty of words, words that had destroyed his future. 

Bakugo stopped to frown at the ground, gritting his teeth as if he was convincing himself to continue. 

“Well?” Midoriya asked tiredly, his disinterest apparent in his voice. He turned back to the tree and lifted his hands to his dagger again. 

Bakugo gulped. “I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Midoriya froze in the middle of his action, hands suspended mid air. It sounded like Bakugo had forced the apology out of his throat, and the words had been stilted to the point where you couldn’t tell if he was genuine or not, but it was something.  

Bakugo had just apologized, something Midoriya didn’t know the blond was actually capable of doing. 

Midoriya turned towards his old classmate, eyes wide with surprise. 

“Huh?” was all he managed to get out of his mouth. 

Bakugo clenched his fists and glared even fiercer at the ground, once more looking like he was arguing himself into speaking. 

“What I did to you back then… was wrong,” he managed, still appearing very angry even though he was apologizing. 

Midoriya’s hands dropped to his sides as he stared at Bakugo, dumbstruck. 

“I felt that you needed to be lower than me, because I had a quirk and you didn’t. But no matter what I did, you always seemed to be better than me! Even after estranging you and being mean, you just kept trying harder and harder!”

Something broke in his voice. 

“You… you kept on smiling.”

He looked up from the ground and made eye contact for the first time since he started talking. Midoriya could faintly see tears in the corners of his eyes. 

“But I look at you now, and all I can see is how much you’ve changed. How… how much I made you change. Every word I said, every punch I threw, it was pushing you closer and closer to that line and I didn’t even care!”

He clenched his jaw in frustration and put his forearm over his eyes to hide his tears. Midoriya’s eyes were wide, his brow slightly furrowed and mouth agape. 

“You used to have so much… so much light and hope in your eyes! Like you’d always keep trying even though you were weak and quirkless and helpless,” Bakugo paused, removing his arm from his face and looking into Midoriya’s eyes. “But now almost all of that damn hope you used to have is gone.”

The severe finality of that word left him silent for a moment as he looked at the ground again. The shock of him apologizing was beginning to fade. 

“You said almost,” Midoriya spoke softly. “That almost all of my hope is gone, not all.”

Bakugo looked up, a little surprised at him speaking. Then he nodded firmly and said, “not all of it’s gone yet. I could just barely see it when you were asking Icyhot to use his flames. Not when you were mad, but when you asked more calmly. I can see it when you’re with Eyebags too.”

Bakugo’s brow furrowed, looking rather disappointed. 

“But when you look at me… all I see is anger.”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes the smallest amount, while determination sparked in Bakugo’s face. 

“And when you’re with that band of maniacs, all I see is someone sad and miserable. It’s the same look you would have after… after I hurt you.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. All those times Bakugo had beaten him, mocked him, tossed him aside like he was a worthless piece of trash, it had left him feeling so defeated and alone. Deep down, it didn’t surprise him that he felt the same way with the League. 

Bakugo took a step towards Midoriya. “The more time you spend in that damn club, the dimmer the light in your eyes grows.”

Midoriya’s facial features hardened because he knew what was coming next. 

“That’s why you’ve gotta ditch those losers!!” Bakugo shouted passionately. 

“I already said I’d be turning myself over to the pros once you’re safe,” Midoriya replied smoothly. 

“Tch,” Bakugo’s eyes narrowed in faint disbelief. “If I learned anything from pummeling you, it’s that you’re stubborn as hell. Once you’ve got your mind set on something, it’ll take a heck of a lotta effort to convince you otherwise.”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow, and warily asked, “what are you suggesting?”

“I ain’t suggesting anything, but I sure as hell hope you were telling the truth,” he said with an underlying tone of skepticism. “But if you were lying, then I hope you realize what an idiot you’re being soon enough.”

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed further, and Bakugo was scrutinizing his facial expression. 

If he’s trying to figure out if I’m lying or not simply by my expression, it won’t work. 

Midoriya turned back towards his dagger in the tree. “I wasn’t lying and I’m not an idiot,” he responded as he wrapped his fingers around the dagger’s hilt. 

Now that the initial shock of his apology had worn off, emotions were starting to come into his head again. There was a tad bit of sadness, over how things had been and how they were now. Oh, but there was so much more anger. 

He seriously thinks his words can change anything? It was him in the first place that forced me to where I am now. He thinks a little apology and a couple tears can somehow reverse all that? 

Tch, I don’t think so. 

He yanked his dagger with a little too much force, and it came out of the tree accompanied by a few splinters of wood. He sheathed it, and when he turned away from the tree, Bakugo was still watching his face closely. He began walking past Bakugo, back to where the other boys were. 

Midoriya was able to keep the anger out of his expression, but couldn’t keep his fists from clenching. The proximity of his childhood tormentor did nothing to quell his anger. 

Bakugo spoke softly. “I hope one day you’ll be able to look at me without hatred, but with that light in your eyes and a smile instead.”

Midoriya couldn’t bottle up his anger any longer. He whipped around to face Bakugo, who flinched. 

“Hah!” the laugh was sharp, without any humor. “Now, after how far I’ve come, after the lines I’ve crossed, now you apologize! Sorry, but it’s a little late.”

He stamped up to Bakugo, whose eyes were wide and brow furrowed. Unlike with Uraraka, when Bakugo took a step back in fear, it only spurred him on. 

“Don’t think for a second that your words or tears can change anything. It was you who pushed me further and further, so it’s not gonna you who reel me back. After how far I’ve come, I can’t just go back to the person I used to be. Back to that bright, smiling, naive boy.”

Bakugo clenched his jaw. “I know that and I’m sorry!!”

Hearing that last word again, it made all of the anger Midoriya felt in his chest course into his arms and fists. His mind, momentarily blinded by rage, told him that the only way to release that anger was through physical action. 

Midoriya punched Bakugo in the face as hard as he could. 

Bakugo staggered, but caught himself before falling to the ground. He held his hand up to his face, and when he lowered it Midoriya could see his wide eyes and the thin trickle of blood dripping from his nose. 

A part of Midoriya screamed in protest as he took great pleasure in seeing Bakugo’s pain and surprise. 

“You said the flicker of hope in my eyes is almost gone. Well you should’ve apologized before you stamped it out.”

Midoriya began walking away again, back in the direction of the other teens. 

Bakugo’s rough voice called out from behind him. “Then why can’t you see that the League is doing the exact same thing to you!”

Because Midoriya wasn’t facing him, Bakugo couldn’t see his facial features soften. 

“It’s because of me that you’ve grown so used to getting hurt, you can’t even recognize when someone is using you! The League… they don’t give a damn about you or what you want! You just saved Tokoyami, what’re they gonna think about that?! Huh?!”

An image of Shigaraki’s hand reaching out with the intent to harm popped into Midoriya's brain. Bakugo didn’t miss his shudder. 

“You don’t wanna kill people, but they don’t care. They’ll keep pushing you to do whatever they want you to do. Just like how I pushed you closer and closer to crossing the line of villainy, they’ll keep pushing you until you cross that final line. The line of no return.”

Midoriya clenched his fist, trying to convince himself that wouldn’t happen, but failed miserably. Bakugo’s voice shook. 

“At that point, it will be impossible for you to come back.”

For some reason, Midoriya’s mind flashed back to when he’d seen Bakugo writing on his missing poster. 

‘Come home Deku,’ was what Bakugo had chosen to write. Not ‘lol quirkless loser.’ Not ‘useless waste of space.’ But for him to come back. 

Bakugo just wanted him to be safe from the League, to go back to the hopeful boy he used to be. Just like Shinso. Just like Uraraka. 

“You want to prove society wrong about quirkless people, right?” Bakugo asked, and Midoriya could hear the smirk in his voice. “Then prove it wrong by becoming a hero, Izuku.”

For once, Midoriya was at a loss for words. 

He called me Izuku. 

And thinks I can be a hero. 

Is this even Kacchan?

“Hey! What’s going on over here!?” someone shouted. 

Midoriya realized that two pairs of footsteps were coming in their direction. Tokoyami and Todoroki came into view, the former looking rather concerned and the latter remaining expressionless. 

“We heard shouting,” Tokoyami explained, and his eyes fell upon Bakugo’s bloody nose. He narrowed his eyes at Midoriya. “What happened?” he asked sharply. 

Bakugo quickly wiped the blood off his face and put on his usual fierce expression. He and Midoriya furtively glanced at each other. 

Bakugo opened his mouth to give an excuse before Midoriya cut him off. 

“I got mad and punched Kacchan in the face,” he said like it wasn’t a big deal. The other boys tensed slightly at this. “But it’s fine now. We just… got some things out of the way.”

A bit of surprise cracked through Bakugo’s fierce expression, and Tokoyami glanced between the blond and the villain. 

Eventually, he relaxed and decided to let it go. They’d already trusted Midoriya after all, no use in doubting him over punching his childhood bully. 

“Alright then,” started Tokoyami, “why don’t we head back to the others.”

Midoriya nodded, and Bakugo began walking up. Todoroki eyed them curiously, but when the two boys caught his gaze he quickly looked away. 

“Then we can discuss our plan on getting Kacchan to safety,” Midoriya said, and the others nodded in agreement, while Bakugo glowered at the ground. 

He still doesn’t like having to rely on others. 

Midoriya spared a glance up at the starry sky as they walked back to Shoji and Shinso. 

Can we please just go the rest of the night without running into anyone else?

Of course, things never went the way he wanted them to.

Notes:

Man was that conversation hard to write. I just had a lot of things I wanted them to say to each other and it was hard to organize that into a flowing, cohesive conversation.

This chapter's song is Waves by Dean Lewis. It talks about how the people we used to be fade away, which I thought fit with what's happening to Midoriya.

I tried to find a song about feeling bad and guilty for Bakugo, but they were all romantic and sappy so I just didn't.

Chapter 38: Little By Little

Notes:

Making the note short at the start makes up for the very long note at the end.

“Are you not going to join them on the battlefield?” Kurogiri asked Shigaraki. 

Shigaraki lowered his whisky glass from his mouth, the water droplets sliding down the side as it landed on the bar counter. “No. There’s no need.”

“So they’re pawns,” Kurogiri guessed. 

“No, not pawns,” Shigaraki corrected. “More like chess pieces. I’ll use them to forward my plans, so keeping them around is nothing but beneficial. And don’t underestimate them either. Each of them is able to hold their own.”

“Yes, I understand,” Kurogiri said. He paused in thought for a moment, before asking, “what about Deku?”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed in dislike at the name. “What about him?”

“He is still not willing to kill, or even hurt those he cares about. Are you sure that sending him on missions like this is ‘beneficial’?”

“Oh don’t worry, he’ll get there,” Shigaraki said confidently. “You can’t throw a healthy animal into a polluted environment and expect it to survive. You have to let it slowly adapt to its new surroundings, start small before going bigger. Deku is just taking a while to get used to his new environment.”

“So how much longer do you think it will take?” Kurogiri asked. 

Shigaraki smiled. “Little by little, he’ll get there. He just might need a little push.”

 

“Hey! It’s Asui and Uraraka!”

The voice from the trees made Tsu and Uraraka flinch. A small blade came flying out of the shadows, causing Tsu to quickly push Uraraka out of the way. It grazed her shoulder, and red began seeping through her shirt sleeve. 

“Ochako, are you okay?” Tsu asked worriedly, eyes darting around for whoever threw the blade. 

Uraraka nodded and put her hand up to the cut. “What was that!? Who’s there!?”

A shady figure darted out of the trees and snatched up the blade like it was their dropped airpod. 

“Hmm, not enough blood…” she said, eyeing the dripping blade closely. She turned towards the girls and a wide grin spread across her face. “But that’s okay! It makes me so so happy that I ran into you cuties!”

Tsu narrowed her eyes and protectively took a step in front of the injured Uraraka. “Who do you think you are to attack us out of nowhere like that?”

“And how do you know our names?” Uraraka added. 

“I’m Toga!” she replied happily. “And you two were my favorites out of all of the notes I read from Izuku.” 

Uraraka’s eyes widened. “Izuku Midoriya?!”

“Yeah…” Toga’s eyes narrowed at the look on Uraraka’s face. 

“Do you know him?!” Uraraka asked, taking a step forward. “Where is he!?”

Tsu glanced at her friend with a mixture of concern and curiosity. At that moment, both Tsu and Toga thought the same thing:

Why is she so interested in Deku?

“Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you,” Toga responded, dodging the question. “But right now, I just wanna suck some blood from you two. The little blood I got from before was no fun. Normally I can do it with a good deep wound, but this machine makes my job waaay easier, cuz all I have to do is stab you!”

As she spoke, she pulled a canister with a needle on it from next to her mask that had a tube running into the larger canisters on her back. 

“So just one little cut, kay?!” she shouted excitedly as she charged at the two girls. 

Tsu and Uraraka tensed, ready for a fight. The night was not going well so far. 

 

Shinso spit out leaves and he walked into another tree branch. 

“That makes three,” Midoriya said dully. 

“Huh?” Shinso asked. “Three what?”

“Three times you’ve walked into a tree branch.”

Shinso scoffed playfully. “It’s just cuz they don’t have coffee here, and it’s super late at night.”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “But we’ve only been walking for five minutes. That’s one tree branch every minute and a half.”

“It’s actually one tree branch every minute and forty seconds,” Shinso corrected, smirking. “C’mon, genius villain kid, get it right.”

A breath of a laugh escaped Midoriya’s mouth, which was turned upwards in a small smile. Seeing Midoriya being even slightly happy brought a wide smile to Shinso’s face.

As they walked through the forest, dry leaves and sticks crunched under their feet. Shoji was in the front, using his sensing abilities to scope out any enemies that might lay ahead. After him was Todoroki, carrying Tsuburaba. Bakugo and Tokoyami were in the middle of the group, with Shinso and Midoriya bringing up the rear. 

They had decided to cut straight through the forest to the camp. That way, they’d avoid the fight in the clearing between the Pussycats and Magne and Spinner, while making it to the camp faster. 

After that small laugh, a couple of the teens curiously glanced at Midoriya’s face, wondering if he was capable of smiling. This was why Tokoyami waited a second before asking, “so what are we going to do if a villain attacks us?”

This caused more than one pair of eyes to start nervously searching the shadows around them. 

Midoriya’s brow furrowed slightly in thought. “Well, all of you are at an immediate disadvantage.”

“What! Why?” Shoji asked as the ears sprouting off of his dupla arms rotated around, listening for noise, and his classmates shared his expression of concern. 

“All of the villains have notes on each of you, from… from me,” Midoriya answered. “The notes include your quirks, basic strengths and weaknesses, and fighting styles.”

“I thought you were trying to save lives,” Tokoyami said, eyeing Midoriya over his shoulder. “Giving them detailed notes on each of us contradicts that goal, does it not?”

Midoriya looked at the ground. “Well, it wasn’t like I had a choice,” he muttered, before looking back up at the group. “But anyway, I wasn’t given much time to write them, so they aren’t incredibly detailed. I also gave them to the League members right before the attack, so they haven’t had much time to read or memorize anything.”

“But it still puts all of us at a disadvantage,” Todoroki said quietly. 

Midoriya put his hand to his chin. “Well, everyone except Shinso.”

Shinso’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Hm? Why me?”

“I was only told to provide notes on both hero classes as well as any pros that would be at the camp. Since you’re technically not in a hero class yet, and you’re not a pro, nobody has notes on you.”

That was the only thing that could’ve caused Shinso to be happy about not being in the hero course yet. He smirked and said, “so you’re saying that none of the villains know my quirk, so I can easily brainwash anyone we run into.”

“Well, unless they watched the Sports Fest,” Midoriya replied thoughtfully, “but yeah, basically.”

“So Shinso is one of our biggest advantages right now,” Tokoyami deduced. “It’s good that we have him in the back then, so he can call out to brainwash any enemies without being seen.”

Midoriya nodded in agreement. He spared a glance at Shinso, who was looking very pleased with himself. He then looked over to Bakugo, who hadn’t said a word the entire time they’d been walking, which was rather unlike him. He was just staring at the ground, a slight frown on his face most likely due to the fact he was having to rely on others for help. 

But of course, Bakugo couldn’t keep from swearing for long. 

“So where’re those idiot bastards now?” Bakugo asked, the words directed over his shoulder at Midoriya, a glint of violence in his eyes. 

“It would be useful if you could give us a rundown of their quirks too,” Tokoyami added. 

Midoriya looked up at the moonlight filtering through the trees as he pictured the camp in his head. “Magne and Spinner should still be in the clearing fighting Tiger and Mandalay,” he said, pointing his finger to the left, vaguely in the direction of the clearing. 

He began explaining Magne’s and Spinner’s quirks, just a basic rundown, before moving on to the other members of the League. 

“Mustard’s the one with the gas quirk, and he should be in that direction,” Midoriya continued, his finger wavering off to the right. “But now that the gas is clearing and it’s easier to breathe, we can assume he’s been taken down.”

“But this guy still hasn’t recovered from it,” Todoroki said, jerking his head up to Tsuburaba on his back. 

“As long as he wasn’t in it for a really long time, he’ll be fine,” Midoriya said reassuringly. “But it will be a while before he wakes up.”

A small grimace came across Todoroki’s face. Midoriya couldn’t tell if it was because Tsuburaba had been hurt or if he didn’t want to keep carrying him. 

“Then there’s Dabi, he’s the one with the flame quirk and he’s also the Vanguard’s leader. Oh, yeah, the Vanguard Action Squad is just what we’ve called our small group of villains attacking the camp,” Midoriya explained when he saw a couple confused expressions. “I believe Dabi and Twice were going to head to the main building to attack the pros there, but they’ve most likely finished with that and are in the forest somewhere.”

He gave a brief explanation of Twice’s quirk, before continuing on with what he knew. 

“A couple of the more dangerous members are Muscular and Moonfish, but they’ve both already been defeated, so we’re good there.”

He thought back to how they’d just left Moonfish lying unconscious on the path. Bakugo had hit him hard enough so he wouldn’t be waking up any time soon. 

“And that leaves Toga and Mr. Compress. I’m not actually sure what Toga’s quirk is, since I haven’t gotten the chance to ask her about it like I have the others,” he didn’t mention that he hadn’t asked about her quirk due to his fear of her trying to affectionately cut him again. “But it has something to do with blood, so she’s obsessed with cutting people. She could be anywhere in the forest, since her job was just to collect as many students’ blood as possible.”

“So it’s possible we’ll run into her?” Shoji asked, his multiple ears still turning every which way. 

“Yeah,” Midoriya said, “and Mr. Compress’s quirk is being able to compress anything he touches into a small marble. His job is also to look for Kacchan, like me.”

Bakugo’s frown deepened, and the other boys tensed as they surveyed the trees around them, as if a villain could jump out at them at any moment. 

“So the people we have to worry about are Toga and Compress, and maybe Dabi and Twice,” Shinso concluded.

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah.”

He could tell each student was replaying this information in their head, making sure they had it memorized. 

There was a moment of silence before Shinso asked, “so whaddya gonna do once you ditch the League?”

If anything, Midoriya’s face fell a little bit. “I don’t know,” he responded. “I mean, I’ll probably go to jail, which will suck.”

“It won’t suck as much as the League, though,” Shinso added, and Midoriya nodded. “I’m sure Uraraka and I could come and visit you.”

Midoriya gave the smallest of smiles. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

“Hm? Uraraka?” Shoji asked from the front. “Didn’t you have a run in with her at Wookiees mall?”

Midoriya nodded again, but then he realized that Shoji couldn’t see his face and said, “yeah.”

“You know, she bawled her eyes out after that,” Shinso said. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “She did!? Why?”

“Why do you think?” Shinso asked jokingly, but there was an underlying tone of concern. “Are you seriously unable to understand that there’re people who care about you? She doesn’t want you to be lonely anymore. That’s why she was so upset when you left.”

Midoriya looked away from Shinso and at the ground, brow furrowed in thought. Meanwhile, Bakugo’s eyes narrowed, knowing it was his fault Midoriya was incapable of feeling cared for. 

“Once you’re out of the League, hopefully it’ll become easier to understand,” Shinso said softly. 

A strange look came across Midoriya’s face, it was one of sadness and confliction, but Shinso couldn’t quite tell. 

 

“You and I, we have the same scent,” Toga cooed. 

Uraraka looked down at the blonde, having just pinned her to the ground. But even though Toga was down and defenseless, she still sported a crazy wide smile. Her cheeks were blushing a vivid pink. 

“We both have a crush on somebody.”

…huh?

Uraraka’s eyes widened in surprise. 

I don’t… I don’t have a crush on anyone…

“Of course, you wanna be like the person you love, so you begin dressing like him…” Toga continued speaking, but the words became muffled in Uraraka’s mind as she struggled with the weird feeling in her chest. Crush? Love? There weren’t any boys she’d met that she really liked… well, except one. 

But he wasn’t someone she could just easily spend time with. He was someone she needed to save, not someone she wanted to go on a date with… was he?

“So what type of guys do you like?” Toga’s voice broke into her head again. 

I like the kind and considerate type, Uraraka thought, Toga’s voice droning on in the background. 

The type that always gives their best effort, no matter the odds. Someone with a kind smile. 

An image of the person who’d saved her from the zero-pointer popped into her head, and the time when he’d tried to save her homeroom teacher from villains. A green-haired teen, with his small but cute smiles and lonely eyes. 

I don’t have a crush on Midoriya, do I?

The realization momentarily blinded her to the fact that Toga had just stuck a canister into her leg, the needle digging under her skin and drawing blood. 

 

“Hey, there’s a commotion up ahead,” Shoji warned, stopping abruptly, and all the boys looked at him, eyes sharp. “It sounds like three people, girls, I think, and they’re fighting.”

“Tsu and Uraraka had just gone into the forest,” Shinso said worriedly. “If we’re approaching the beginning of the path…”

“And then there’s Toga too,” Midoriya added. 

Small explosions lit from Bakugo’s palms. “Well then let’s get going!!”

He began impatiently marching forward, past Shoji, who then strode ahead of him, saying, “wait, we’re supposed to be the ones protecting you, remember?”

Bakugo grumbled as the rest of the group sped up, putting him in the middle again. They jogged towards the sound, Shoji guiding them using his quirk. As they got closer, the rest of the boys could hear the commotion of the fight, which spurred them on, not wanting one of their classmates to get hurt. 

The trees began to thin, and the first thing their eyes fell upon was the dirt path. 

The second thing was a needle digging under Uraraka’s skin, sucking her blood out.  She had Toga pinned to the ground. 

The group of boys burst out of the trees, wide eyed, catching the girls’ attention. Toga bolted out from under Uraraka the second she spotted all the people. 

“Ugh, there’s too many people now, and I don’t really feel like dying,” she said grumpily, and then she spotted Midoriya. Her eyes widened in slight surprise, and her usual blush crept into her cheeks. 

“Who the hell are you!?” Shinso shouted as he took a step forward, eyes narrowed. 

Toga opened her mouth for a second to respond, but then snapped it shut when she realized who asked the question. She cast one more glance at Midoriya, before darting off into the forest. 

“Hey, wait!” Shinso shouted desperately, “you scared or something!?”

Uraraka was staring in the direction Toga ran off in, a bewildered look on her face. Tsu’s hair was pinned to a tree by one of Toga’s knives, and she was reaching her tongue above her head to try and free herself. 

“She must’ve watched the Sports Fest,” Midoriya concluded, walking up from the back of the group. 

Uraraka’s eyes widened. “Midoriya…” she breathed as her head spun in the direction of his voice. When she spotted him, it looked for a second as if she would run up to him and hug him, but then she stopped after taking a single step forward. She stared at him with wide eyes and said, “you’re here.”

She winced after standing on her injured leg for too long, and Midoriya’s eyes wavered down to the bright red hole in her thigh. 

“Take it easy,” he warned, “Toga seemed to really take a liking to you.”

Tsu had gotten herself down from the tree with a little help from Shoji. When she saw Midoriya she tensed and asked, “wait, isn’t that the villain Deku?”

“Don’t worry, he’s here to help,” Shoji explained, and Todoroki nodded in confirmation, but Tsu didn’t relax. 

“We heard Mandalay’s message about someone called ‘Kacchan,’” Tsu said to the others while Uraraka continued to stare at Midoriya. He had withdrawn from the group, and was avoiding eye contact. 

He almost appeared disappointed. 

“Kacchan is Bakugo,” Tokoyami answered. “It’s a bit of a long story, but basically ‘Kacchan’ is what Midoriya calls Bakugo, and he was the one to deliver the message to Mandalay.”

Pieces began to click in Uraraka’s head. If Midoriya had told the pros who the League was targeting, and if he was helping get Bakugo to safety…

“So wait,” Uraraka spoke up, “does this mean you’ve betrayed the League and are coming back with us?”

Midoriya looked up from the ground and met her gaze, that same look of longing and loneliness in his eyes. 

He didn’t respond. 

“But if you’re supposed to be protecting Bakugo, then where is he?” Tsu asked. 

Everyone jolted as a sharp pang of anxiety shot through their chests. Their heart rates quickened and everyone looked around for blond hair. 

Well… everyone except Midoriya.

He had lowered his head and stared at the ground so that his green curls hid his face, but nobody had noticed yet. 

“Shinso’s gone too!” Tokoyami exclaimed. 

“Oh, are you looking for these?” someone asked from the trees. All of the students’ faces whipped in the direction of the voice. 

Midoriya’s head lowered further as he clenched his eyes shut. This was one of the most painful things he’d ever had to do. 

Mr. Compress was standing on the tip of a tree, two marbles in his hand. Midoriya could tell by the tone of his voice he was smiling behind his patterned mask. 

Todoroki took a step forward and ice spread out from his feet and raced up the tree Mr. Compress was on. The villain leapt with agility to another tree. 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Mr. Compress started, “but it is our belief that Bakugo does not belong with you heroes. We just want to give him an opportunity to properly shine, without the rules and restrictions this society places on him. These days, you kids don’t have a choice as to what is good or bad.”

“He took the two in the back so subtly, without even having to confront us,” Todoroki muttered, glaring at the villain. 

Tokoyami turned to face Midoriya. “Midoriya! This is Mr. Compress right? What do you suggest…”

He trailed off when he saw the look on the villain’s face. It was one of guilt and shame. As the others turned to look at him, cold dread took over their minds and expressions as they realized trusting Midoriya had been a tremendous mistake. 

He had manipulated them so easily. He’d been planning to stab them in the back the entire time. 

“I’m sorry,” Midoriya said roughly, still staring at the dirt pathway. Surprisingly, he was being genuine, and they could tell. 

Uraraka’s eyes widened in desperation, realizing what he was going to do. “Wait, no! You can’t leave!”

He looked up from the ground and gave her an unhappy, lonely smile. But then his facial features hardened and he quickly drew his dagger. The others barely had time to react before he threw it at Todoroki, grazing his arm and stopping him from sending up another ice wall. The same dagger he’d used to save Shoji earlier. 

Midoriya used the distraction to quickly climb a nearby tree, up towards Mr. Compress. 

“Being an entertainer, taking that purple-haired kid was a bit of an improvisation,” Mr. Compress began talking again to draw the students’ attention away from Midoriya. “He easily handled Moonfish, who was a naturally homicidal maniac, and his quirk is rather bothersome. I figured taking him wouldn’t hurt our chances.”

Midoriya joined Mr. Compress at the tops of the trees and looked down at the small group of students. He was trying very hard to keep his expression emotionless. 

Todoroki threw off Tsuburaba to Uraraka and sent out a flurry of ice spikes towards the two villains without hesitation. When the particles of ice in the air cleared, they could see that both villains had successfully evaded the attack. 

“My only two specialties are deception and escape, so I’ll be going now!” Mr. Compress called as he and Midoriya began jumping away through the treetops. 

Uraraka’s voice cut through the night air. “No! Midoriya, come back!!”

Her cry caused Midoriya to hesitate for a second more while Mr. Compress signaled through the comms that their mission was complete. 

“We trusted you!” Shoji yelled, and those three words were enough for the guilt to crack through Midoriya’s hardened face. “How could you betray us like that!?”

He spared them one last look over his shoulder, as the already dim light in his eyes was stamped out even further. 

“I am a villain, after all.”

Every time he’d crossed a line, whether it be lying to his mother or physically harming his enemy or standing by to watch someone die, it had broken him a little more. He kept edging a little further, bit by bit, closer to that final line. Each time a little piece of the boy he used to be was chipped away. 

Each time, the light of hope in his eyes grew a little dimmer. 

And now, he’d betrayed the trust of those he cared about. 

It’s just another line I’ve crossed. Nothing new. 

No. This is different. This is the first time you’ve hurt those you care for. 

Well, at least I didn’t have to hurt them physically, just mentally!

You should know better than anyone that mental suffering can be even worse than physical suffering. 

Yeah, well, it’s fine. I’ve done it and I can’t undo it now. We’ll all be fine. 

He tried to convince himself of that as he and Mr. Compress jumped away through the treetops. Midoriya vaguely noted that they were heading in the direction of the evacuation point. 

“You really had them wrapped around your finger the entire time!” Mr. Compress applauded. “You led them directly to the designated kidnap zone and they never once questioned you. A splendid performance!”

“It was nothing,” Midoriya said quietly, avoiding eye contact. 

“Oh it sure was something!” Mr. Compress continued, not yet catching onto Midoriya’s sullen mood. “I’ve never seen people so willingly trust a villain before! You knew exactly what to say to get them to do what you want. I may be a master of deception in actions, but you are a master of deception in words!”

Midoriya gave a humorless breath of a laugh. “Yeah, sure.”

Mr. Compress glanced curiously at Midoriya’s face, just now realizing that the teen wasn’t in the highest spirits. 

“Why are you so downcast?” he asked. “We finished our act with flying colors!”

Midoriya didn’t respond, still avoiding eye contact. 

Mr. Compress huffed. “You teenagers, these days. So moody and never willing to open up to an old man like me.”

They continued in silence for a little bit, and Midoriya chose to focus on his footing in the tree branches instead of his aching feeling of guilt. 

That was, until the two villains heard a loud whooshing sound behind them as they arrived at the evacuation point. 

Tokoyami, Uraraka and Todoroki were shooting through the air behind them, their eyes alight with determination. They weren’t going to let their friends be kidnapped that easily. 

And Uraraka sure wasn’t going to let Midoriya leave as quickly as he did last time.

Notes:

"Betrayal dun dun duuuun" is all I have in my rough outline planning guide thingy. Like this.

I kinda hinted at it along the way, and I know some people saw it coming. Like,

"It’s all going to plan.
But he couldn’t bring himself to smile about it."

He couldn't smile about it because the plan involved manipulating people and kidnapping. And then him acting rather sad or conflicted whenever leaving the League came up, because he knew he wasn't going to do it.

Also feel like I should address some of the... pretty romantic feelings in this. I'm not really ready to make that a slash yet, for a couple of reasons. One, nothing actually serious is going to happen to them for a while, partly because Midoriya's going through hell and romance is the last thing on his mind. Two, I know a lot of people immediately turn away when they see certain tags, but there's so much more to this fic than relationships, and even when there are relationships like that they won't play an incredibly large role.

Alright, this chapter's song is Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons. A lot of this song fits really well, like how much it says “trust me darling” and “I’ve been asking for problems.”

Sorry for such a long note section...

Chapter 39: Ever Dimmer

Notes:

Very vague manga spoilers in this. Honestly, I’d be surprised if most anime only's didn’t already know this spoiler bc manga readers are outstanding at keeping secrets.

Also, brace your hearts, this is gonna be a painful ride.

Tokoyami narrowed his eyes in frustration as he, Uraraka, Tsu, Shoji and Todoroki chased Mr. Compress and Midoriya through the undergrowth. 

He made some bitter remark about how they never should’ve trusted Midoriya. No one replied, instead wallowing in their own blatant shortcomings. 

Uraraka’s eyes followed the shadowy figures of the two villains as they jumped away through the treetops. She and her classmates were running as fast as they could, dodging around bushes and trees. 

But they were slowly losing them as their outlines became nothing more than dart blots against the starry sky. 

Midoriya is getting away. 

She gritted her teeth in a mixture of frustration and determination. 

“We have to get him back!” she exclaimed without warning. 

Tokoyami glanced sideways at her. “You mean get them back? Both Shinso and Bakugo were taken, not just one.”

“Yeah, right,” she said, not wanting to admit she’d only been thinking about Midoriya. Tsu watched her friend’s face closely as she hopped alongside her. 

“Running isn’t going to do it,” Shoji said, “we’ve got to think of something, fast.”

Tokoyami nodded, his eyes narrowed. “They’re moving too quickly, and are likely meeting up with the rest of their group to escape. We’d have to fly as fast as a bird to catch up to them in time.”

A fear of failure started beating in Uraraka’s chest, making her think quicker. 

“Fly like birds, huh?” Uraraka asked, still staring desperately at the two fading blots in the sky. “With my quirk I could make us float, but we wouldn’t be going anywhere. We’d just be suspended in midair.”

“I might be able to move us with my extendable arms,” Shoji suggested. “Or Tokoyami with Dark Shadow.”

Tokoyami shook his head. “No. I don’t want to risk using Dark Shadow again in the dark like this.”

Uraraka jutted in before Shoji could counter. “Even If we did that, we still wouldn’t be very fast.”

“I might be able to catch up to them on my own if I go on ahead,” Tsu said thoughtfully as she sprung forward to keep pace with her classmates. “I’d be fast enough if I hopped through the trees, but then I’d be leaving you guys behind, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to take on those guys by myself.” 

An idea began to form in Uraraka’s mind. “But if we’re floating, you might be able to give us a boost by kicking us with your legs or something. No, wait! If you threw us with your tongue that’d get us moving really fast!”

“That’s a good idea,” Tokoyami concurred, “but we’d still be unable to change our direction or keep our momentum for long.”

“You or Shoji could change the trajectory midair, using your quirks,” Tsu suggested. 

“It should be Tokoyami,” Shoji said immediately. 

Tokoyami’s eyes widened slightly. “Why? It was my quirk that injured you.”

“I’m heavier, so I’d only slow you guys down. And besides, your quirk would be better suited for something like this. My dupla arms would only alter the flow of air around us, but you’d be able to use Dark Shadow to push or move yourself around by grabbing onto the trees. I know you’re nervous about Dark Shadow coming out and hurting someone, but I’ve got faith in you.”

Before Tokoyami even had a chance to object, Uraraka impatiently shouted, “okay! So I’ll be the one floating and Tsu will be the one throwing and Tokoyami will be the one steering. We still don’t know how to keep our momentum!”

She said this in a way that left no room for argument, so Tokoyami didn’t even bother trying to change her mind. 

Shoji and Tokoyami looked back at Todoroki, who met their gaze and knew exactly what they were going to say. He frowned before they had the chance to say it. 

“Todoroki, you could use your flames to keep our momentum up,” Shoji suggested, which only caused his frown to deepen. 

A bit of surprise flashed across Uraraka’s and Tsu’s faces. They’d never seen Todoroki use his flames before, other than to melt people out of his ice prisons. 

There was a beat of silence as they waited for his response. 

“Fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll do it.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. Maybe Midoriya’s words had affected him more than he’d let on. 

Uraraka smiled as the hope in her eyes was rekindled. “Alright. I’ll float us, Tsu you’ll throw, Tokoyami will direct us and Todoroki will keep us going. Sounds like a plan. Let’s do it!”

 

Jumping through the trees was a lot harder than jumping over rooftops. 

When you landed on a rooftop, you knew you were landing on solid, hard ground. Your feet weren’t going to move once planted. Trees, on the other hand, would always bend and sway the moment you landed on them. On top of that, you always had to be scanning ahead for the best branches to jump off, because the last thing you want is for the branch to crack beneath you as you land on it. 

Because of this, Midoriya was traveling considerably slower than Mr. Compress, who had much more experience at jumping through trees. Then Mr. Compress, being the polite villain he is, would stop or go slower so Midoriya could catch up. 

Because they were going slower, it gave 1-A a chance to formulate a strategy to get their two kidnapped classmates back. 

“Ah, we’re here,” Mr. Compress said as they arrived at a small clearing, the evacuation point. Dabi, Twice and Toga were waiting. 

Midoriya didn’t respond, and instead turned around to figure out what that whooshing sound was. 

He honestly wasn’t too upset when he realized it was Uraraka, Tokoyami and Todoroki flying through the sky, chasing them. 

Not a bad plan. Uraraka’s floating them, and was probably thrown by Asui. Tokoyami is using Dark Shadow to control their trajectory, which must’ve taken some convincing for him to use his quirk again in this dark. 

And Todoroki is using his flames to keep their momentum up. 

At that last thought, he almost smiled. 

He was certainly grateful when the three students chose to crash into Mr. Compress rather than him. The force of their landing caused a large crater in the ground, and there was a moment of stunned silence in which Midoriya jumped down from the treetops. 

The next moment, Dabi was blasting fire at the four- no, three of them. Mr. Compress had compressed himself into a marble, protecting him from the icy blue flames. It was so hot, Twice had to jump back, shouting “hey, that’s cold!!”

Midoriya quickly tried to think of a reason for him to stop shooting flames, but none came to mind. These students had come to take Bakugo back, therefore endangering the success of their mission, so they had to be eliminated. The logic was so sound Midoriya couldn’t think of a loophole to save the people who were supposed to be his enemies. 

Thankfully, nobody got too hurt from the shooting fire. Todoroki’s body naturally had a resistance to it, despite rarely using his left side. Tokoyami and Uraraka, on the other hand, got rather severe burns. Uraraka’s skin on her left arm was red with raised brown blotches, and the right sleeve of Tokoyami’s hoodie had been completely burned off. If Tokoyami hadn’t tried using Dark Shadow to protect them, it would’ve been worse. 

But hey, at least they weren’t cremated. 

Midoriya couldn’t help the small pulse of nausea in his stomach at the sight of Uraraka’s arm. 

As Midoriya walked up to Dabi, he realized Twice had used the fire as a cover to sneak over to Todoroki. The two were now battling, Twice using his measuring tape to cut through Todoroki’s ice spikes. Toga had also taken a fancy to attacking Uraraka. 

“Have you got the target?” Dabi asked boredly as Midoriya walked up to him. Mr. Compress enlarged from his previous marble state. 

“But of course!” Mr. Compress responded, clearly pleased with himself. He pulled two blue marbles from his pocket, brandishing them like trophies. 

Midoriya narrowed his eyes. Those are decoys. I saw him compress two ice shards when we evaded that one attack from Todoroki. Is he still expecting the students to try and take them?

The corner of Dabi’s mouth turned upward in a satisfied smirk, pulling at the threads holding his face together. His words were directed at Midoriya. “So your plan worked?”

Midoriya merely nodded, focusing more of his attention on the battle going on around them rather than the conversation. Todoroki and Twice were still brawling, but Uraraka had quickly taken down Toga with a bit of help from Tokoyami. Her normally warm, auburn eyes were narrowed into a fierce yet desperate expression. 

She was being driven by not only her heroic instincts to save people, but also her not-quite-identified feelings. 

She advanced upon the three villains, Tokoyami trailing close behind her. Of course, she chose to charge straight for Midoriya, leaving Dabi and Mr. Compress for Tokoyami to deal with. 

“Midoriya! You’ve gotta stop this!” she demanded as Midoriya tensed, ready for her. 

Uraraka swiped her hands through the air like how Toga slashed her knives: quickly and repeatedly. But Midoriya kept side-stepping or ducking or jumping everytime her five fingers got close to making contact. 

“You need to turn yourself in!” her demanding tone turned into a beg. “You have to stop forcing yourself to be something you’re not before it’s too late!” She lunged forward at him again, and he stepped to the side, her hand missing him by inches. 

“If you’d listened to what I’d told at the mall, you’d understand why I haven’t left yet,” he responded, frustration finding its way into his voice and expression. “I don’t have anywhere to go after I leave the League. This is the only place where I can actually make a difference.”

She spun around to face him again, objection to his words apparent on her face. She outstretched both hands, straining to make contact with all five fingers. 

“That’s not true!” she shouted as she jumped at him. “There’re so many other ways for you to make a difference, so many other people who’ll listen to you! Just come back!”

Instead of dodging, Midoriya caught both her wrists in his hands and held them away from him, wincing a bit from using his maimed left arm. The momentum of her attack carried her towards him as he took a step forward, and their faces ended up inches apart. 

There was a split second where they locked eyes, breathing heavily. 

Of all the gosh darn times for her to get butterflies in her stomach. 

“I can’t.”

He said the words like they were a prison sentence. Inescapable and unchanging. Her eyes softened sadly, which distracted him for a moment. 

“But you can.”

Even if it was just for a second, the hope in her voice made him believe her. 

Pain exploded in his stomach as she kneed him forcefully.  His eyes teared up and he felt her twisting her hands in an attempt to free herself. He tightened his grip, but she still managed to get one hand free. 

“I’m not gonna let you destroy yourself like this!” she exclaimed as she began reaching for him with her free hand. He had to let go of her other hand when he jumped backward, once more avoiding her attack. 

As she began taking desperate swipes at him again, he spared glances at the battlefield. While Todoroki was fighting Twice, he took the liberty of freezing Toga to the ground when she tried getting on her feet again. Tokoyami was struggling against Mr. Compress and Dabi, but the latter wasn’t attacking, seemingly distracted by something rustling in the trees…

Wait, why is Tokoyami facing Mr. Compress hand to hand? Where’s Dark Shadow?

Tokoyami was just able to dodge Mr. Compress’s outstretched hand, which would’ve turned him or one of his body parts into a marble had he not avoided it. That’s when Midoriya saw it. 

Dark Shadow is pickpocketing Mr. Compress! 

The shady creature was nothing but a faint shadow on the ground, but a bird head and claws took shape behind Mr. Compress, feeling around in his pockets. 

Midoriya turned back towards the exhausted Uraraka. 

I’ve got to end this quickly. 

She lunged at him again as he rapidly came up with a plan in his head. He grimaced when he realized what he’d have to do. 

“Please, Midoriya!” she shouted as her fingertips came inches away from touching him. “We can still save you!!”

He spun around behind her and planted his feet directly behind her own, so that he was facing her back. She was about to turn around to face him, but then she realized he’d wrapped his arms around her. His head was lowered right next to hers, and she could hear his heavy breathing in her ear. 

Was he… was he hugging her?

All of the determination she felt momentarily vanished as she got that weird fluttery feeling in her chest again. 

She was holding her right hand in front of her now, with her burned left arm hanging limp at her side. Midoriya lowered his arms to take a hold of her right hand, one hand holding two of her fingers so she couldn’t float him away. 

Just for a moment, he let the hug be genuine. He let her warmth comfort him and let his muscles relax. He clenched his eyes shut as if he could shut out all of the pain and noise of the world. 

A blush rose in Uraraka’s cheeks, her heart thumping in her chest. Tokoyami was shouting something but she couldn’t hear. 

But then she felt him tense as he whispered, “I’m too far gone to be saved.”

He snapped her two fingers back with a sickening crunch. 

The pain shot from her fingers and into her palm and up her arm like lightning. She bent over, clutching her hand to her chest. She shut her eyes from the pain, before opening them slowly to look at her hand. 

The fingernails of her middle and index finger were touching the back of her wrist. 

Her fingernails were touching the back of her wrist. 

She looked up at the person who broke her hand, and saw that he had tears in the corners of his eyes that weren’t from getting kneed in the stomach. But his facial expression glossed over into something cold and calculating. 

Just another line to cross. Hurting someone I care about. No big deal. 

If it was fine then you wouldn’t be crying. 

It was the logical thing to do in order to complete my assignment. My emotions shouldn’t play a part. 

But they do, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t shut them down. 

Yeah, well, we’ll see about that. 

“Consider it a logical exploitation of your quirk. Now you can’t float anyone, not with your right hand, at least. Without all five fingers, you might as well be quirkless.” He started walking back towards Dabi and Mr. Compress, before shooting one final threat over his shoulder. “Stop trying to force your pathetic dreams on me, or I’ll break your other hand too.”

Her eyes widened at how easily he uttered a threat of violence. The flicker of light in his eyes was so so dim. Almost gone. 

But not yet. 

Her eyes narrowed again in a weak determination, but fatigue began to envelope her mind as a result of their rigorous quirk training and a rather rough night. 

“Uraraka! I’ve got them!”

The voice snapped her out of her head, and she remembered the real reason as to why they'd chased the villains: Shinso and Bakugo. The one shouting was Tokoyami, who was backing away from Mr. Compress and Dabi. 

“We need to leave now, Uraraka! I managed to get them back!” he jabbed a finger at Dark Shadow, who was proudly showing off the two blue marbles in his claws. “Let’s go, quickly!”

Todoroki began to back away from the ice wall he’d thrown up as protection from Twice. “Yes, we’ve done what we came here to do. Let’s leave!”

Uraraka hesitated for a second, throwing a longing glance over at Midoriya. He was standing with Dabi and Mr. Compress, seemingly unworried that the two marbles had been pickpocketed. 

She wanted to convince him to come back with them, but then her classmates would get hurt. She couldn’t sacrifice her friends’ safety for a pathetic dream. 

“Alright, let’s go,” she said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. But as she was running over to the retreating Tokoyami, Mr. Compress started clapping. 

“Well well, what a fine pickpocketer. Bravo!” he applauded. 

Dabi sent a reprimanding glare at Mr. Compress. “You idiot!”

When Dabi took a step forward, raising his arm to cast more flames, Midoriya held up a hand and said, “hang on.”

Uraraka thought he was saying that to protect them, but in reality he knew that the two marbles Dark Shadow had were decoys. 

Then multiple things happened at once. Midoriya spotted a giant, blue-green Nomu emerging from the trees. His eyes widened, not realizing that All For One had given Dabi a Nomu to play with. Kurogiri appeared, opening portals next to all of the villains. Twice freed Toga from the ice, and they both hopped through, saying their farewells. 

Dabi stepped away from the swirling portal behind him. “Hey, wait. We still need-”

“Ah, yes,” Mr. Compress interrupted, “you three appear so pleased with yourselves, so why don’t I give you a little parting gift? It’s one of my bad entertainer habits. When doing magic tricks, flaunting a particular object…”

He snapped his fingers, and the two marbles in Dark Shadow’s claws expanded into ice shards. 

“...is never an accident.”

The three UA students stopped dead in their tracks. 

Mr. Compress lowered his mask from his face and opened his mouth to display two other blue marbles resting on his tongue. The students’ eyes widened in dread as he explained how he’d gotten the decoys from Todoroki’s ice and misled them with simple tactics. 

That was the second time that night they’d been so easily deceived. 

Hopelessness started to permeate their minds as they realized there was no way they could get their classmates back. Mr. Compress had put his mask back on, and was already leaving through Kurogiri’s portal like Midoriya and Dabi. 

Mr. Compress bowed. “Well now, this is where we part.”

And the students truly believed that. They'd failed. 

Until a glowing blue laser beam shot out of the darkness. 

It shot Mr. Compress’s mask clean off, knocking the marbles out of his mouth. And as the blue marbles glinted in the moonlight, the students had hope again. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise as he exited the portal. 

Aoyama has been behind that bush the whole time!?

“Let’s go!!” Uraraka shouted. If she wasn’t able to save Midoriya, she would at least save her classmates. 

The three of them darted forward. Dabi had exited the portal too, and was reaching out for one of the marbles. Midoriya could’ve done something. He took a step forward to stop the students, but then remembered that one of the marbles contained Shinso. 

He deliberately chose to do nothing to stop the UA students as they tried to save their friends. He longed for friendship like that, so who was he to take it away from them?

Uraraka lagged behind, wincing from jostling her burned arm. Tokoyami sent out Dark Shadow and was able to get a hold of one of the marbles. Todoroki was just about to grab the second one, before Dabi snatched it just in time. 

“What a disappointment,” Dabi drawled, taking a step back into the portal. 

He smirked at the desperate teen before him. 

“Shoto Todoroki.”

The look Dabi was giving Todoroki, Midoriya could tell it was more than just simple hatred against heroes. It was a look of satisfaction. Dabi looked like an older sibling who’d just beaten their younger sibling at a video game they’d always lost at before. 

It just made Midoriya wonder about Dabi’s past and why he had become a villain. 

“You can release them,” Dabi said to Mr. Compress. 

Mr. Compress grumbled about the laser ruining his show, before snapping his finger. Shinso appeared in Dark Shadow’s claw, looking rather surprised, while Bakugo appeared with Dabi’s hand around his neck. 

Midoriya couldn’t help but sigh in relief at how Shinso was safe. He walked through the portal before Uraraka and Shinso could start calling after him again. 

When Bakugo caught sight of the desperate looks on his classmate’s faces, his eyes didn’t widen in surprise. No, in fact they narrowed in comprehension. Tokoyami and Todoroki blinked surprisedly, before returning the look. The last thing Bakugo did before disappearing into the portal was send them that subtle message. 

Uraraka collapsed to the ground and began crying at their failures, while Shinso frowned and looked around him, trying to figure out what the heck happened. He looked at the sobbing Uraraka, as well as all of the ice spikes and scorch marks everywhere, and the distinct lack of Midoriya. His face fell as he connected the dots. 

“Well then, looks like we’ll have to follow Bakugo’s plan after all,” Tokoyami said, exchanging glances with Todoroki and Shinso. 

Todoroki nodded, frowning at the ground, and Shinso clenched his jaw. 

 

“We’re gonna follow whatever that damned nerd suggests. And if he betrays us, I have a plan,” Bakugo said with determination. 

Shinso narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“There’s only two possible outcomes here: either he’s telling the truth and we’ll all get back to camp fine. Or he’s lying and we’re screwed.”

“He’s not lying,” Shinso said confidently. 

“You don’t know that,” Bakugo shot back. 

“Yeah, I do know that!”

“Shinso, just hear him out,” Shoji said, and Shinso backed off grudgingly. 

“If he’s lying,” Bakugo continued, “then I’m gonna get kidnapped, no matter what we try. So we might as well use it to our advantage.”

“Use getting kidnapped to our advantage?” Tokoyami asked confusedly. 

Bakugo nodded. “Everyone here knows that Deku doesn’t belong with the League. If I get kidnapped, then we’ll have a lotta talking time, ‘cause that crusty faced bastard wants to use Deku to convince me to go to their side. That nerd will have no choice but to listen to me as I pummel him with reasons as to why he shouldn’t be a villain.”

Bakugo had a weird way of making even a conversation sound like a fight. 

“So you’re saying you’ll persuade him to leave the League?” Tokoyami concluded. 

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” Bakugo responded quietly. “And then I want you losers to come get us.”

That warranted a few gasps of surprise. Bakugo actually wanted help?

“Who are you and what have you done with Bakugo?” Shinso asked jokingly. 

“SHUT UP!!” he shouted hotly. “Even I’m able to tell when I’m outmatched!”

“Get… you?” Shoji wondered out loud. 

Bakugo nodded determinedly. “After I get him to leave, we’ll have trouble getting out. I want you guys to come get us and help us blow up their asses. Not that I’ll need it,” he quickly added. 

“But that’s dangerous and risky,” Todoroki countered. 

“Tch, who gives a crap about risk?” Bakugo asked. “You wanna save Deku, right Eyebags?”

It took Shinso a second to realize he was being addressed, and then he nodded and said, “yeah, of course I do.”

“Then it’s settled,” Bakugo palmed his fist with an explosion. “If he betrays us and I get kidnapped, then I’ll convince him to ditch the League and you guys will come and get us. Got it? Or are your thought processes too slow to keep up?”

A couple people sighed, actually everyone sighed, but they all nodded in understanding. 

 

“I was so sure we’d never have to use it,” Shinso said, voice cracking. Uraraka looked up at the boys confusedly. 

Tokoyami folded his arms. “Yes, well, sometimes people are not what you expect.”

What a splendid summer camp. 

Notes:

Oof. I promise comfort will come! Eventually. The “Worse Before It Gets Better” tag is still in effect. Cuz, uh, it can still get worse. But it’ll get better after that!

This chapter’s song is Demons by Imagine Dragons. Yes I've used Imagine Dragons two chapters in a row, but the song fits so well! Like "when your dreams all fail, and the ones we hail are the worst of all" fits with Midoriya slowly giving up more and more on his dream and how the people he follows aren't the best. Most of the other parts are good too.

*Thinks about the next chapter* ...you might wanna brace your hearts a little more.

Chapter 40: A Little Push

Notes:

Pretty long chap, woo.

Maybe a warning for gore. It's fine. Nothing worse than canon.

Enjoy!

The second Bakugo was thrust into the gloomy bar, he was knocked hard on the back of the head. While unconscious, he was strapped to a metal chair with cuffs and a gag. 

They began preparing a sleeping drug that would keep him under for a day or so. In their minds, if he was kept in the bar longer, it was more likely he’d accept their offer. 

Midoriya did a head count. Shigaraki was sitting at the bar, a glass of whisky in front of him. Kurogiri was behind the bar, like always. Muscular and Moonfish were gone, as expected, but so was Mustard. Spinner and Magne were looking a bit banged up, but no one as much as Midoriya. The blood from his arm was starting to seep through the makeshift fabric bandage. 

I need to get back to my apartment and properly treat that. 

But, of course, Shigaraki always had something to say. 

“Where’s Muscular?” he asked impatiently. 

“He was defeated by Eraserhead,” Midoriya responded, keeping his tone even. 

Shigaraki eyed Midoriya, who couldn’t tell if it was out of suspicion or just established dislike. “What about Moonfish and Mustard?”

“Shinso, the one who placed second in the Sports Fest, was the one who took down Moonfish,” Mr. Compress helpfully provided. “But I’m not sure who caused Mustard’s downfall.”

Midoriya and most of the other villains nodded in agreement. 

“That purple-haired brat was there?” Shigaraki asked in an accusatory tone, glaring at Midoriya, who put his hands up in mock surrender. 

“I didn’t know he was gonna be there!” he exclaimed. “Why don’t you ask your ‘allies in unlikely places’ next time?”

The answer didn’t seem to satisfy Shigaraki, but he still left Midoriya alone. 

“Magne and I were almost defeated by those Pussycats,” Spinner grumbled. “If Kurogiri hadn’t come when he did, I don’t think we woulda escaped.”

Mange smiled and shrugged it off. “Well, we did escape and we weren’t defeated. That’s all that matters, so it’s fine.”

Midoriya smirked at the meaning of ‘fine.’

Shigaraki went around, questioning everyone on their performance. His eyes narrowed whenever he heard something he didn’t want to hear, like Toga only getting one student’s blood, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward when he heard something he liked, such as the mysterious disappearance of Ragdoll. 

When it came around to Midoriya, he carefully left out the part about defeating Muscular and talking to Eraserhead. The only parts he included were joining up with a few members of 1-A, manipulating them into trusting him, and leading them to where Mr. Compress would kidnap Bakugo. 

Thankfully, Shigaraki only gave him a distasteful glare, before turning his attention to their newly captured prisoner. Midoriya slowly started edging his way towards the door, feeling the aching pain in his left arm growing stronger. 

But Shigaraki didn’t give a crap about Midoriya’s medical needs. 

“When he wakes up, I want you here,” Shigaraki commanded, catching Midoriya’s eye through the hand on his face the second Midoriya was about to reach for the door handle. 

He took a step away from the door, not wanting it to seem obvious how badly he wanted to leave. “Why?”

“Don’t act stupid!” Shigaraki rasped accusingly, standing up from his barstool. “You know perfectly well why he’s been brought here! You will convince him to join us.”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at him, taking another step away from the door. “But it won’t work. Kacchan has wanted to be a hero through and through, ever since we were kids. Nothing I say will change that.”

Shigaraki took a threatening step towards Midoriya. “If you’ve known him for so long, then you should know something that will force him to change his mind. I don’t care how you do it, but know that if you fail, it won’t just be him I’m killing.”

The threat was plain as day, and the other villains were either attending to Bakugo or watching with interest. Midoriya clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, wanting to protest. Shigaraki continued. 

“I know of the task Master assigned you,” his voice had an underlying tone of envy, “but if you don’t do what I tell you to, then I don’t care about your plans. Any future you have will be abruptly ended, no matter your usefulness.”

Shigaraki disintegrated his empty whisky glass to emphasize his point, before settling back down on his barstool. A year ago, that line would’ve worked on Midoriya, telling him that he’s useful. But now, it only got his blood boiling. 

The only reason he thinks I’m useful is for the intel I provide and my ability to strike a person’s weak spots. The moment I stop doing those things, I’ll be considered useless again. 

It’s still better than how hero society treated you. They didn’t find anything useful about you. 

But I’m sick and tired of being used as a tool. I’ve kept silent about my opinions to avoid getting into trouble, but screw that. 

Midoriya finally found it in him to speak in opposition to Shigaraki. 

“You know, you really are a fool if you think anything I say will get through to him,” Midoriya started, barely trying to keep the indignation out of his voice. 

Shigaraki turned to face Midoriya again, a mixture of anger and confusion in his eyes. “What did you say?”

“Kacchan prioritizes winning above all else. Even if that means trampling those weaker than him,” Midoriya continued. “But he believes those weaker than him are villains, and wants to win by being a hero. He’d never listen to anything that contradicts his beliefs. He’s too hardheaded.”

Shigaraki stood up again from his barstool, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you’re a fool for thinking Kacchan will become a villain!” Midoriya argued a little too loudly. “You might as well kill him now, ‘cause I’m sure not talking to him! It’d just be a waste of time trying to change someone who refuses to be changed!”

Shigaraki took a step towards Midoriya, his hands twitching. 

“So you’re saying that he won’t join us,” he deduced. 

‘Ya think!?’ is what Midoriya felt like responding with, but he hesitated when Shigaraki took another step towards him, his messy blue hair hiding his eyes. 

“You just don’t see what I see, all of the hidden potential that’s been locked away by society's standards.”

His hands twitched again as he took another step towards Midoriya, who took a step back, sensing the danger emanating off of him. He began to regret speaking up. 

“And I don’t give a crap if you don’t see it.”

His voice vibrated with animosity, a threat that had to be resolved, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward into a sinister smile. Midoriya took another cautious step back, his previous anger quickly fading. 

“The only thing you’re useful for is doing what I tell you to do.”

Shigaraki lifted his head, and his hair fell away from his eyes. All of the indignation Midoriya felt was gone in a snap when he saw the pure thirst for destruction in Shigaraki’s eyes. 

“Which includes changing our new recruit’s ideals, even if you don’t feel like it.”

He lifted his hand with the unveiled threat of disintegration. Midoriya fearfully took a step back, only to find his back against the wall. Anxiety pulsed through his chest as his heart began rapidly thumping against his ribcage. 

“So you will do what I want.”

His hand rested on Midoriya’s shoulder. 

All five fingers. 

Pain seared through his shoulder as his cells were reduced to dust. First his skin flaked away, revealing the pink, tender flesh below it. Midoriya couldn’t stop the scream of anguish that escaped his mouth. Out of all the beatings he’d sustained, this was by far the most agonizing. 

“Or else this will happen.”

Midoriya felt every second of torture as more and more of his shoulder was disintegrated into nothingness. Shigaraki lifted his hand just after the decay reached his muscle. 

“Understand?”

Midoriya collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily and his heart pounding in his ears. He stared at the floor through teary eyes, clutching his shoulder. 

Even though the decay had stopped, it still burned like hell. He couldn’t think through the pain. 

Shigaraki walked back to his seat at the bar. “He should be asleep for the rest of the day tomorrow. I want you back here tomorrow night.” He didn’t even look at the maimed child behind him when speaking. 

All of the other villains in the room had been watching with varying levels of curiosity and dread. Some of their looks bordered into condescension. They’d all been so consumed in Shigaraki’s hostility towards Midoriya, none of them had noticed Bakugo’s consciousness. 

The blond had been watching the entire time. Ever since Midoriya had started talking back to Shigaraki, Bakugo had been keeping quiet to gather information. But he’d never expected to watch the kid he used to bully, the one he wanted to save, crumple to the ground in suffering. 

His eyes were wide in shock and dread as he saw Midoriya’s face contorted in pain. 

As Midoriya’s mind became clearer, he realized that the entire shoulder and sleeve of his black t-shirt had disintegrated too. The pain was slowly becoming more bearable, but he knew he needed to treat and wrap the injury as soon as possible. He was able to pick his eyes up off the floor, and look over to see where the other villains were. 

He locked eyes with Bakugo, and he was able to see the shock in his face, while Bakugo was able to see loneliness in Midoriya’s. The villain quickly broke eye contact.

The shock Bakugo felt quickly shifted to rage. 

“YOU BASTARD!!” he shouted angrily, and all the villains flinched. “How dare you do that to him!!?”

Shigaraki turned in his seat to narrow his eyes at his prisoner, while Midoriya looked up at his old tormentor surprisedly. 

“Deku never did anything to deserve that, you self-obsessed lunatic!! He’s followed every order you’ve given him, going against his very nature, right up until now! How could you do something so awful to him?!!”

Shigaraki scoffed. “You’re one to talk. Who bullied him all those years? Who was the one who spurred him to attempt suicide?”

The fiery rage in Bakugo’s eyes sputtered. He clenched his jaw, not responding. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Shigaraki said, turning away from him again. “Give him the sleeping drugs. I’m tired of dealing with impudent teenagers tonight.”

Magne started. “Oh, yeah, right.”

She grabbed the cup of cloudy water that had been prepared by Mr. Compress, before thrusting it in Bakugo’s face. 

“C’mon, drink,” she commanded. “Or I’ll force it down your throat myself.”

Bakugo aggressively jerked his head away, pressing his mouth shut. She looked at him, annoyance creeping into her face. 

“Fine then. Forcing it down your throat it is.”

This led to Magne grabbing Bakugo’s forehead and chin and jamming his mouth open, while Spinner grabbed the cup and poured it down his throat. It took quite a while longer than they thought, because Bakugo twisted and writhed around the entire time. 

During this time, Midoriya was able to get back on his feet. Shigaraki didn’t pay him any more attention, and he saw Bakugo was already dozing off. It felt weird asking Kurogiri to warp him back to his apartment, because he hadn’t intervened with Shigaraki like he had in the past, so Midoriya decided it was best to leave without another word. 

“He just might need a little push.”

 

Aizawa could feel it. Something was wrong. 

Ever since he’d heard Mandalay’s message, something had felt off. Why had Midoriya told Mandalay that ‘Kacchan’ was the target? He’d been able to correct to ‘Bakugo’ while talking to him, so why hadn’t he for Mandalay?

Was it just out of pure habit? After calling someone a certain name for your entire life, it was hard to break that habit, no matter how things had changed. 

But still, Aizawa was much more pessimistic than optimistic. 

He could’ve told Mandalay it was “Kacchan” because nobody knows who “Kacchan” is, except for me and a few select others. That way the League still has an advantage in searching for Bakugo, because nobody knows it’s Bakugo they need to protect. 

If he had truly wanted to save Bakugo, he would’ve told Mandalay it was “Bakugo” who was being targeted. It is entirely possible that Midoriya plans to betray us. 

He didn’t want to believe it, but as he ran through the forest looking for his students, he couldn’t help but feel that his suspicions were true. And they were all but confirmed when he heard the sound of crying in a clearing up ahead. 

Aizawa burst out of the trees and quickly took in the scene. Uraraka was sitting on the ground, hands over her face, crying. Shinso was trying to comfort her, looking very crestfallen himself. Tokoyami was standing nearby with a frustrated expression, and even Todoroki looked ever so slightly distraught. 

“What happened?” Aizawa asked as he walked up to them. 

Shinso gritted his teeth, Uraraka was crying, and Todoroki would always opt out of speaking when possible, so that left Tokoyami. 

“It was Deku,” he stated simply. 

“I already figured that much. Where’s Bakugo?”

The way everyone’s eyes flicked to the ground was enough answer. 

Dammit, he betrayed us. Trusting him was a mistake. 

“You all need to get back to camp,” Aizawa ordered. “Do you know where the rest of your classmates are?”

Tokoyami pointed off into the forest. “Shoji and Tsu should be somewhere in that direction.”

“Thanks,” Aizawa responded quietly, and he began walking in that direction. “Start heading back to camp immediately.” When Shinso stood up to say something in opposition, he was quickly shot down. “All of you. Now.”

The teens had no choice but to start heading back like their teacher commanded, so Aizawa was left in blissful silence as he continued searching for the rest of his students in the forest. 

He knew he never should’ve trusted Midoriya, but he also knew that Bakugo would never become a villain.

 

I never should’ve opened my mouth. This is what happens when I speak my thoughts, Midoriya thought as he stumbled into his windowless apartment. 

He moved straight for his first aid kit, and began to bandage his left arm and shoulder. One had been crushed by Muscular and the other had been disintegrated by Shigaraki. 

He was able to get a better look at the damage from Shigaraki’s quirk. He had a wide but shallow dent on the back of his shoulder, in between the shoulder blade and the top of his shoulder. But there was a small deteriorated area on the front of his shoulder, about in the middle of his collar bone. 

That makes sense. The disintegration spreads out from his fingers. Four of them were on the back of my shoulder, while one was on the front. 

Damn, all of my severe injuries have been on my left side. 

He had fallen on his left side when attempting suicide, resulting in the scar on his cheek and favoring his right side in battle. 

But he had more important things to worry about than the location of his injuries. 

Shigaraki actually hurt me. Even though I’m valuable to the League, he used his quirk on me. 

C’mon, you seriously didn’t see that coming? He hates you for having morals. 

But it’s not logical! If he wants to continue getting the information I provide on heroes, he should treat me better than… well, how he did today. 

He doesn’t care about logic. Most villains are controlled by their emotional impulses and cast aside reason to follow them. You know this.

So then what am I supposed to do?

You could leave the League…

No. I can’t, not unless I wanna go to jail. It’s not like I’ll be treated any better there, and then I wouldn’t be able to make any change in the world. 

But the change you’re making is for bad. Is it really worth getting disintegrated over? 

It won’t happen again… I’ll just have to keep quiet and follow orders. 

You’re doing exactly what he wants you to do, be submissive and bow down. And what if he orders you to hurt people? Are you just going to go along with it?

It’s not like those people ever cared about a quirkless person like me. 

Two wrongs don’t make a right. It just makes everyone more miserable. 

Yeah, well, it’s not like I can just turn back now, after how far I’ve gone. And besides, I’ve been beat down like this before. It’s just a little worse this time. 

Your stubbornness is gonna get you killed. 

He tied a knot with the bandages to finish up, and found that his bed was very tempting after a very long day. 

Sleep was a good escape from everything. 

 

“C’mon man! We can’t just sit around doing nothing!” Kirishima shouted. 

Iida shook his head fervently. “No. It is much too risky. We would be acting against the guidance of officials, therefore breaking the law! That is not something we can do.”

Kirishima clenched his jaw. Most of the class was around the two arguing teens, wearing concerned and worried expressions. They were waiting for Shinso, Shoji and Tokoyami to finish seeing the doctor. Everyone who had passed out due to the gas had already been treated, so they were finishing up with the people with flesh wounds. 

“Forget about being called a hero. How am I even supposed to call myself a man!?” Kirishima continued fiercely. “While all of you were out there, risking your lives, where was I? Stuck in the main building, being completely useless! When I heard that ‘Kacchan’ was their target, I knew it was Bakugo. I remembered that’s what Deku had called him at the USJ. And now, he’s been taken, and I didn’t do a thing to stop it. I just feel so helpless.”

Iida’s brow furrowed, and he hesitated a moment before responding. “I know how you feel, because I was in the same position. But that doesn’t warrant reckless action! If we go out there, we’d only get ourselves hurt.”

Iida had learned from his experience with the Hero Killer. Never rush in based on your emotions. But Kirishima couldn’t understand that perspective. 

The redhead opened his mouth to shout an objection, but was interrupted by the click of a handle. Shinso, Shoji and Tokoyami emerged from the doctor’s office, only to be swarmed by their concerned classmates. Shinso was bandaged up around his shoulder, Shoji around one of his hands, and Tokoyami’s burned arm was also wrapped up. 

After confirming they were alright, Kirishima approached them with a determined expression. 

“You guys have got to agree with me. We have to go save Bakugo! Who knows what the villains are doing to him!? We’ve got to go save him before he ends up… before they…” he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence, “well, you know.”

Iida butted in before any of the three could respond. “But we would most likely only get in the way of the pros! It’s best to leave it to the police, instead of putting ourselves in danger.”

“But what about Bakugo!?! He’s already in danger!!” Kirishima’s determination bordered into anger as he glared at Iida. 

Shinso was the first of the three to respond. “It’s not just Bakugo who needs to be saved.”

That statement cooled Kirishima off a bit, and most of the class took on a confused expression. 

Uraraka stepped forward. “Back in the forest, you said something about a plan from Bakugo. What’s that about?”

“Bakugo wants us to venture out to get him back from the villains,” Tokoyami explained. 

Kirishima smiled and pumped his fist in the air. “Yeah! I knew you guys would get it!”

“But why would he want that?” Iida asked confusedly. “He should know how risky it is for us to retrieve him from the League.”

“Because it’s not just him we’ll be saving,” Shinso continued, and the confused looks returned. “He’s going to convince Midoriya to leave the League, and then we’re going to bust both of them out.”

Uraraka’s eyes widened as she clenched her fist in a renewed determination. 

“Midoriya? You mean the quirkless villain Deku?” Kaminari asked confusedly, not getting the connection between the villain and Bakugo. Shinso nodded firmly in response. 

“So we would also be rescuing Midoriya from the League, not just Bakugo,” Iida concluded, seemingly more on board with the idea now that saving Midoriya was involved. 

Shinso noted Iida’s use of Midoriya’s name with interest. “Yeah, we would.” He turned towards Kirishima. “I’m in.”

“Yeah man!” Kirishima smiled wide with his pointed teeth and did another fist pump. Shinso didn’t actually know much about Kirishima, but his enthusiasm at saving his classmates made him like the redhead more. Kirishima faced Iida and asked, “how about now? Will you come with us to save them?”

Iida frowned at the floor, thinking. Kirishima turned towards Tokoyami and Shoji. 

“What about you guys?” he asked hopefully. 

Both of the boys hesitated, before Tokoyami asked, “how can we be sure that Bakugo will succeed in changing Midoriya’s mind?”

“We’ll just have to trust that he can do it,” Shinso responded. 

Tokoyami frowned and then shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I cannot join you.”

Both Kirishima’s and Shinso’s faces fell.

“Why not!?” Shinso asked hotly. 

“Back in the forest, we were so sure that we could trust him, but then he stabbed us in the back. You might have confidence in Bakugo, and that he’ll be able to change Midoriya’s mind, but I don’t,” Tokoyami explained. “I agree with Iida. It’s just too risky and we’d only get in the way.”

Kirishima’s expression turned to frustration, and Shinso wanted to argue Tokoyami’s words, but his logic was sound. Midoriya had betrayed them, and the villain wasn’t incredibly likely to listen to his old bully, after all. So no objection came. 

“Fine, then,” Shinso said. “Shoji?”

Shoji’s brow furrowed, and he spoke tentatively. “I’d have to agree with Tokoyami.”

Shinso’s eyes widened in surprise. “But you believed in him back at the summer camp!”

“Yeah, I trusted him, which only made his betrayal sting more,” Shoji explained, and they could see the hurt in his eyes. Trust and loyalty were very important to Shoji. 

Well of course Shinso couldn’t argue with that. That left only Kirishima and Shinso who were going to save Bakugo and Midoriya. Things weren’t looking good. 

Until Uraraka spoke up. 

“I’m coming,” she said determinedly, taking a step forward. 

Shinso turned to smile at her, and he remembered what Uraraka had said on the metro. “Hey, let’s promise each other to try our best to help Midoriya.”

She was keeping that promise, and so was Shinso. 

“All right, let's go Uraraka!” Kirishima said excitedly, before turning to the rest of the class, “that makes me, Shinso and Uraraka. Anyone else?”

There was a beat of silence. 

“Me.”

The voice was so monotone and quiet that it took them a moment to identify its origin. 

Then they saw Todoroki raising his hand, saying, “I’ll go.”

Kirishima did his usual celebratory fist pump, while Shinso’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Todoroki? He hadn’t really seemed the ‘wanting to risk his life to save his classmates and a villain who’d yelled at him’ type. 

But oh well. They could use all the help they could get. 

“Now are you willing to come with us?” Shinso asked Iida, who had his face scrunched up in thought and confliction. 

But then he clenched his eyes shut and said, “No! It is still too risky. Even with all of you going, you still don’t stand a chance against the villains.”

“But we wouldn’t necessarily have to face them,” Shinso suggested. “We could just sneak in, grab Bakugo and Midoriya, then sneak out.”

Iida shook his head. “You have no way of knowing if that plan will succeed or not. I’m sorry, but I cannot join you.”

Shinso could see the confliction in Iida’s eyes. He wanted to save Midoriya (Bakugo too), but didn’t want to put others in danger. Well, he at least wasn’t going to tell the police if he was that conflicted about it. 

Kirishima asked the class again if anyone wanted to join them, and when nobody responded, they all started to disperse into separate groups. Some went to doctor appointments together, others gathered the lobbies to hang out, and some planned a rescue mission. 

“So wait, how are we gonna rescue Midoriya and Bakugo?” Uraraka asked, a tad embarrassed that she hadn’t thought of that before. 

“There’s still one more person we have to convince to join us,” Kirishima said grimly as the group of four walked down the hall. 

Todoroki nodded. “Kirishima and I overheard Yaoyorozu speaking to the police. She managed to place a tracker on one of the Nomu. If we can get her to make us a receiver-”

“Then we can follow it back to where they took Bakugo!” Uraraka finished, smiling and landing her fist in her palm. 

Kirishima and Todoroki nodded, while Shinso frowned. 

“But we have to convince her to make us one first,” Shinso said, “and from what I’ve heard she’s more of the logical type, like Iida.”

“Oh, right,” Uraraka said as her smile faded. 

The group stopped outside of Yaoyorozu’s door. Kirishima clenched his fists and furrowed his brow. 

“Well, we won’t know until we try.”

Then the redhead reached out and turned the handle.

Notes:

That's not a bad cliffhanger, is it?

Also, with Midoriya's injury, Shigaraki stopped just after it reached the muscle. So once it's healed, he might have some slight issues with moving his arm, but nothing too serious. It's not like his entire shoulder is gone. Shigaraki wasn't going to go that far. Just a little push, not a shove off a building.

This chapter's song is Overwhelmed by Royal & the Serpent. Mainly the line, "my anxiety keeps me silent when I try to speak," with how Midoriya's fear of Shigaraki is gonna keep him from speaking.

I think this was the last of the... super hurtful why would you do this to us chapters, at least for a little while.

Chapter 41: Rescue and Reasons

Notes:

This fic is at 999 kudos while I'm writing this. So close, just one more!

I set a slightly unrealistic goal about twenty chapters ago to get to 1k kudos by the end of chapter 40’s week. Here we are, and yes it got to 1k!

Thank you to everyone who's read this far, and for leaving kudos and especially for commenting! It really means a lot to know that others enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing. I didn’t wanna swamp people with thanks, so I decided to wait till we hit a big mark like 1k. So thanks so much everybody! I love reading and responding to comments and seeing kudos and bookmarks and it makes me so happy. I could gush forever but I don’t think people want that.

Alrighty, on with the chap.

Thanks again! *smiles sheepishly*

“Hey, Wackjob,” Dabi asked the skipping teen next to him, “Whaddya think about what happened to Deku?”

“Huh? The capturing Bakugo part or the shoulder disintegration part?” Toga asked, her skip slowing to an upbeat walk. 

Dabi gave her a side glance. “The shoulder disintegration part.”

Her upbeat walk slowed to a normal walk. “I wish there would’ve been more blood. All that happened was some flesh disappearing. Izuku had it coming too, for arguing with Shiggy.”

They continued walking in silence for a minute. 

“You think Shigaraki could end up doing that to us too?” Dabi asked. 

Toga scrunched up her face in thought. “If he does I’ll stab him, but I don’t think he will so long as we don’t argue with him. I just wanna live an easier life, doing what I wanna do.”

“You mean killing people. Can’t blame ya.”

Toga smiled brightly. “Yeah! And I can kill as many people as I want with the League, not to mention getting to see Izuku all battered and bloody a lot of the time!”

Dabi sighed. “You’re such a weirdo, you know that?”

Toga resumed her skipping, the thought of Izuku’s blood cheering her up significantly. 

Shigaraki had already attacked the two of them on their first meeting, so his violence towards Midoriya really wasn’t that surprising. 

Dabi just wanted to realize his ambitions, and barely cast a thought to anyone who got hurt alongside him. 

 

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Uraraka said as she ran up to Kirishima, Shinso and Todoroki, who were waiting outside the hospital after dark. 

Kirishima smiled. “Don’t worry about it,” his smile then faded. “Yaoyorozu still isn’t here, and if she doesn’t come, then there’s nothing we can do anyway.”

Shinso gritted his teeth, trying to convince himself that wouldn’t happen, that Yaoyorozu would come. 

Todoroki didn’t say anything, as usual, and instead turned his head towards the approaching footsteps. 

It was Yaoyorozu. 

Shinso thought back to their conversation from yesterday morning. 

 

“You want me to make a new receiver? Why?” Yaoyorozu asked. She had a bandage around her head and her eyes were cloudy with fatigue. 

“C’mon, you’ve gotta know what we’re planning to do,” Kirishima responded. 

She frowned in understanding. “But going to save Bakugo is incredibly risky. Not to mention we’d be breaking the law.” 

“It wouldn’t just be Bakugo we’re saving. It’d be Midoriya too,” Shinso added, and Yaoyorozu’s eyes widened a little in surprise. “You met him at the mall, right? Then you have to understand why we have to get him away from the League.”

Her frown deepened. Adding Midoriya certainly tipped the scales in her classmates’ favor, but it was still risky. 

Uraraka spoke up. “Please, help us save Bakugo and Midoriya. It’s really important.”

There was a beat of silence, before Yaoyorozu responded with, “give me some time to think about it.”

 

“So, what did you decide?” Kirishima asked as she walked closer. 

Yaoyorozu frowned at the ground, and then looked up at the group determinedly. “I’ve decided to come with you, instead of just making a receiver.” That caused a couple mutterings of surprise. “We’ll use the receiver to find where Bakugo and Midoriya are, but the moment things start going south, we’re leaving. That’s why I’m coming with you, to make sure you don’t act recklessly.”

The group smiled and nodded in understanding. 

“All right! Let’s do it!” Kirishima said happily, turning to march out of the hospital gates. 

He almost walked right into the class rep. The group turned to face him, surprise and concern clouding their features. 

Shinso’s eyes narrowed. “What’re you doing here? I thought you didn’t want to come.”

“You’re right. I don’t,” Iida replied. “But I don’t have a choice. It’s my responsibility as class president to watch over all my classmates, including my future ones,” he looked at Shinso, “you said that you could get Bakugo and Midoriya back without directly facing the villains, by acting stealthily. I agree with that plan, but if it starts looking too dangerous, and the probability of us fighting increases, then I will not hesitate to call the police. Understand?”

Shinso wasn’t totally against fighting. By fighting he meant brainwashing some of the villains with his quirk. But if promising to leave once things got dicey was what it took to get Iida on their side, it was fine. 

The group nodded once more, before walking out through the hospital gates. Kirishima offered them another cheer of determination. 

“Yeah guys! Here we go!”

 

Midoriya’s left arm and shoulder were aching, and he didn’t want to get out of bed. 

Now that the pain had settled into place, he was pretty sure he had fractures in two areas of his arm from Muscular’s punch. His forearm gauntlet had at least protected his bone from shattering, but had cut deep into his skin afterwards. He wasn’t too concerned about that though, flesh wounds were easier to take care of than bone breaks. 

He grudgingly raised from the comfort of his bed, knowing that if he didn’t there would be punishment. He had to go to the bar and convince Bakugo to join them. Shigaraki had made that very clear. 

So he slid on a black jacket over his bandages, still wearing the bottom half of his villain costume. And with that he made his way over to the bar. 

When he walked in, all of the League was there. Whether it was to keep an eye on Bakugo or to make Midoriya shrivel under their stares, he didn’t know. 

“Good. You’re here. He’ll be waking up soon,” Shigaraki said in place of a greeting. 

Midoriya looked around at all the people in the room. “Is everyone staying?”

“Is there a problem with that?” Magne asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

“It’s just that Kacchan will be more likely to listen to me if it’s just the two of us, without all of these villains he doesn’t know around him. Less intimidating,” Midoriya responded and he turned towards Shigaraki. “You want me to convince him to join us, right? Well that’s the best way to do it.”

Shigaraki frowned in thought for a moment, before huffing and standing up. “Fine. We’ll leave so you can have your little talk, but we’ll be back in an hour. Got it?”

Midoriya nodded, avoiding eye contact and instead choosing to look at the blond prisoner strapped to the chair. He continued to do this until all of the League had shuffled out of the room, leaving an eerie quiet. 

He then sighed and pulled up a chair closer to Bakugo. He sat and waited for the blond to open his eyes. 

 

“We could buy disguises!” Yaoyorozu excitedly suggested. 

Shinso had picked up on the vague looks of recognition people were giving them, and had suggested hiding their identities. Of course, no one thought this would lead to Yaoyorozu taking them shopping at a costume shop. 

But Shinso had to admit, going costume shopping was a great way to release some of the stress that had accumulated in his brain. He let his hair fall to its natural position, which he rarely did in public, and picked out a long, fuzzy scarf that hid three quarters of his face when it was wrapped all the way around his neck. Because that was rather inconvenient, he let the ends of the scarf fall down to his stomach. 

He watched Uraraka look at dresses with Yaoyorozu, who told Iida not to worry about the price. Kirishima was checking out some horns. Todoroki was actually quite close to Shinso, looking at wigs to cover up his scar. 

Shinso edged up to him, and asked, “So why’d you want to come with us?”

Todoroki glanced in Shinso’s direction with faint surprise, not realizing he’d been nearby. He then looked back down at the box of wigs. “It was because of me we didn’t get Bakugo back.”

“It wasn’t just you, it was all of us. It was me who also got turned into a marble,” Shinso countered, glancing down at the multicolored wigs in the box. 

“Well, yes, I guess that’s true,” he frowned faintly. “But I had the marble Bakugo was stuck in, before it was snatched right out of my hand. I couldn’t help but think about what he had said. If I had just tried harder, gave my full effort, maybe that wouldn’t’ve happened.”

Shinso’s brow furrowed. Damn, did Todoroki sound like Uraraka. 

“He was right there in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him. I felt so helpless,” were Uraraka’s words. 

Why was it always Shinso who had to give the pep talks?

“I know I don’t know all the details, since, you know, I was stuck inside a marble,” Shinso started. “But I heard from Tokoyami that you used your flames, and put up a good fight against the villains. To me, that sounds like giving it your all, and not just standing by like you had been doing at the start of the camp.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. 

“As long as you weren’t just sitting there while people got hurt, like you did with Dark Shadow and me, then you were trying. And if you tried, then there’s no point in feeling shame about failing. We all share that blame equally,” Shinso finished firmly. 

Todoroki was silent for a moment more, just staring into the wig box but not actually seeing any of its contents. 

“I’ll try to think about it that way, but I can’t promise I won’t stop blaming myself,” Todoroki finally said. That answer was good enough for Shinso. 

Yes. Another successful pep talk. 

It surprised himself how good he was at them. Maybe being beaten down for having a villainous quirk automatically came with good life advice to share. 

“But I’m not going just to save Bakugo,” Todoroki continued. “I’m also going because of what Midoriya said to me. If I have the power to help someone, then I should, because a lot of people don’t have that power. And besides, a person who says stuff like that most certainly shouldn’t be a villain.”

Shinso smiled and nodded in agreement. He was starting to like Todoroki more. 

Todoroki lifted a navy blue colored wig from the box, examining it closely, before Shinso quickly snatched up another one. 

“You know, I think this one would look great on you,” Shinso smirked, holding up a rainbow colored curly clown wig. 

The corner of Todoroki’s mouth twitched upward in a smile. “I think I’ll stick with this one.”

He slid the navy blue wig onto his head, and it covered his scar as well as most of his hair. It did its job of hiding his identity very well. 

“Hey guys! How do you think I look?” Uraraka appeared from one of the aisles. 

She had her hair up in a bun and was wearing blue tinted sunglasses, as well as a white dress with a white overcoat. Shinso gave her a thumbs up, and Iida appeared next to her a couple seconds later. 

“It’s getting late. We should probably get going within the next fifteen minutes,” Iida suggested in a non-suggestive tone. 

The other teens nodded, and before they knew it, Yaoyorozu had paid for their outfits and they were back to following the receiver to the location of the Nomu. 

Now that I think about it, Yaoyorozu could’ve just made us costumes. Huh, I guess she enjoys shopping and spending her money on her friends that much. 

Shinso was so glad to be transferring to 1-A. Now he just had to convince Midoriya to come with him. 

Who knew a rescue plan could also turn into a bonding session? 

 

It was about half an hour of waiting before Bakugo actually opened his eyes. 

Midoriya himself had started dozing off due to lack of sleep, but a quiet grunt of pain from Bakugo woke him up immediately. 

Crap. This is it. I have to convince him to join us or else I’m screwed. 

Some small part of his mind argued that he didn’t have to abide by Shigaraki’s orders, but Bakugo regaining the ability to speak quickly shut that part of his mind down. 

Of course, the first word out of Bakugo’s mouth was a curse word, followed by, “where the hell am I?”

He squinted as he took in his fuzzy surroundings, before his eyes finally landed on Midoriya sitting in a chair near him. 

His eyes sharpened immediately. 

“Dek- ergh, Izuku!” he exclaimed. 

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “Too difficult for you?”

“Tch, it isn’t difficult at all!” Bakugo responded hotly. 

“Yeah, right… anyway, I’m sure you know why we’re here.”

Bakugo didn’t reply for a moment, as he seemed to remember something important. Midoriya didn’t miss his eyes flick quickly to the door and back, and his face only grew more determined. 

“You’ve gotta get me to join you,” Bakugo replied after a moment. “Or that crusty bastard is gonna kill you.”

They both thought back to the atrocities of the previous night: the sheer pain of getting disintegrated and the distress of watching a torture session. Neither wanted to dwell on it for long. 

Midoriya sighed. “Either way I’m screwed. If I don't try to convince you, then he’ll hurt me, and if you refuse to join, he’ll still hurt me. No matter what option I choose-”

“Then leave,” Bakugo interrupted. 

Midoriya spoke like it was the unbending truth. 

“I can’t.”

“The hell not?”

“You don’t understand!” Midoriya said loudly, standing up from his seat. “It’s not like I was treated any better when I wasn’t a villain! At least these people somewhat want me to be here, unlike you and All Might. This is the only place where I’ll be listened to. Deku the quirkless villain. It’s better than Deku the quirkless nobody, because that’s who I was before I became a villain.”

Bakugo scoffed. “You call getting your shoulder disintegrated listened to!?”

“It’s not the villains who I want to listen to me,” Midoriya countered. 

“And you weren’t a nobody either!”

Midoriya smiled humorlessly. “Oh yes I was. You were the one who convinced me of that.”

Bakugo clenched his jaw. 

“This isn’t even what we’re supposed to be talking about,” Midoriya sighed, sitting back down. “If you became a villain, then you’d be able to fight anyone you want and win. You’d prove that you’re the best over and over, without having to worry about the rules. That’s got to be at least a little tempting.”

Midoriya already knew how Bakugo would respond. 

“Tch, I’m gonna win without cheating,” he said confidently. 

Oh well, it was worth a shot. 

But he couldn’t give up yet. Not if he wanted to keep the remaining limbs he had intact. 

He rested his chin on his hand and frowned mildly as he tried to think of another way to get Bakugo to become a villain, but none came to mind. You can’t manipulate people who have their hearts dead set on their goals. 

“You know, you act all tough and villainy,” Bakugo started, breaking Midoriya’s train of thought. “But if you truly hated me, then why didn’t you come after me?”

Midoriya lifted his head from his hand, and eyed him confusedly. “Huh?”

“You could’ve done something to me, or All Might for that matter. You know about his weakness. But you didn’t do anything. You could’ve come after us and hurt us, or blown up our houses, or done some other thing to screw up our lives.” Bakugo looked Midoriya firmly in the eye. “But you didn’t do anything.”

Midoriya broke eye contact and he glared over at the bar. Bakugo’s voice grew incredibly soft. 

“You could’ve told them what I did to you.”

Midoriya’s glare at the bar lessened. 

“I would’ve gotten kicked out of UA for sure. Being the cause of a suicide attempt. Bullying a quirkless person for years. Those aren’t exactly what you’d call heroic deeds.”

Midoriya half-heartedly scoffed. “It just… it didn’t feel right. I had wanted to be a hero so badly, it didn’t feel right taking that from someone else.”

“But you hate me, right?” Bakugo asked in an accusatory tone. “Why would it matter if you hate me?”

“I still messed you and All Might up pretty badly at the USJ,” Midoriya countered, narrowing his eyes. “Not just physically, but mentally too. I guilt tripped you really hard. That must count for something.”

“Yeah, but you could’ve done more,” Bakugo retorted. “Why didn’t you?”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed tiredly. He knew the point Bakugo was trying to make. He hadn’t purposefully come after and hurt him or All Might, so therefore he wasn’t a true villain, because a true villain would’ve done a lot more to hurt the people he hated. 

And he wasn’t wrong. 

Midoriya felt the fatigue in his mind again as he looked at the ground. 

“Holding onto all this hate and anger, it gets more tiring everyday.”

A grudge is only heavy to the person who bears it. 

“Then let go of it,” Bakugo suggested, not in a commanding tone, but a oh-my-gosh-just-do-it-already-or-you’re-gonna-die tone. He pressed against the straps holding him to the chair. 

Seeing the bindings push into Bakugo’s skin, it gave Midoriya an idea. 

He sprang out of his seat with a new purpose and began loosening the first of the straps around Bakugo, who frowned confusedly. 

“The hell are you doing?” he asked as the first strap fell to the ground. 

“I’m letting you go, but I’ll make it look like you escaped on your own. Then we’re gonna make it look like we fought and you escaped. That’s how you’re gonna get out, and I’m gonna stay with the League,” Midoriya explained as another strap came off. 

Bakugo’s eyes narrowed. “But you obviously hate those people.”

“That’s not true,” Midoriya said firmly. 

“Yeah it is!”

“No, it’s not the villains I hate,” Midoriya countered strongly. “They’ve each been wronged in some way, either by a person or a system that was supposed to protect them. Their motives might seem crazy to a person like you who’s had everything they ever wanted, but not to me. I understand them.”

All of the bindings were off now, so Midoriya started taking the metal cuffs around Bakugo’s hands off. 

“The only difference between me and them is that I’m not willing to kill to accomplish my goals, but they are. That’s it.”

The metal cuffs clunked to the floor, and Bakugo flexed his freed hands. “There’s a few more differences than that,” the blond muttered. 

Midoriya ignored him and turned towards the room. “We’ve gotta make it look li-”

He stopped mid sentence when he heard a light scuff of feet moving behind him. He dodged Bakugo’s alight hand just in time. 

“We won’t have to make it look like we fought!” Bakugo shouted, spinning back around to explode Midoriya, “because we are going to fight!!”

Midoriya flipped backwards, evading the attack again. “What are you doing!?! You need to get out of here, not fight me!”

“You know, for a strategic villain like you, you shoulda figure this out by now,” Bakugo responded, advancing on Midoriya again. He might’ve been enjoying the fight just a little. 

Midoriya’s mind started racing, trying to think of all the possible things he could’ve forgotten, what should he have figured out by now? Although it wasn’t very easy to think while dodging explosions. 

“I planned on you kidnapping me,” Bakugo explained as he shot a large explosion across the room, knocking the already injured Midoriya into the wall. “My goal this entire time has been to get you outta this shithole. Those guys should be coming over to get us right now! And even if they can’t, I’m gonna get you outta here myself.”

He lifted his hand, getting ready for another explosion. 

“Even if I’ve gotta hurt ya, I’m getting you outta here!!”

Bakugo’s hands began glowing brightly as he approached Midoriya, who was rapidly thinking of a way to get him to stop. Bakugo was too strong physically, so beating him mentally was the way to go. 

Midoriya purposefully flinched as the blond took a step closer, and he let his eyes go wide with fear and started cowering. He lifted his arms as a shield and curled into himself. 

He was the perfect picture of a terrified victim of bullying. Just like when Bakugo had beat him in middle school. 

Bakugo’s eyes went wide and his palms cooled. The Midoriya cowering before him, it reminded him of what he’d done in the past. The awful brutal things he’d done. Things that had stamped out the light in Midoriya’s eyes. 

Midoriya used this distraction to quickly uppercut Bakugo in the chin, following up with a kick to the stomach. This sent Bakugo stumbling into the tables and chair behind him. 

Against Midoriya, Bakugo’s guilt was his biggest weakness. 

“What’s going on in here!?” someone shouted from the door. 

Midoriya lifted his eyes from Bakugo and saw Spinner standing in the doorway, quickly taking in the situation. More villains walked into the room, closing the door behind them, and they frowned when they saw Bakugo free from his chair. 

The blond sprang up onto his feet and backed away from Midoriya and the rest, raising his hands defensively. 

“He was able to explode his cuffs off and free himself while I was talking to him,” Midoriya explained to the League calmly. “Whoever tied him up did an awful job.”

“Is that so?”

Shigaraki stepped out from the midst of the group, eyeing Midoriya suspiciously. 

“Yeah, it is,” Midoriya replied, making sure not to hesitate or waver under Shigaraki’s gaze. 

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t question further on the matter. Instead, he turned to Bakugo. 

“So what have you decided?” he asked. “Are you going to follow your desire to win and become a villain? Or are you going to continue following your insipid dreams, dreams that will only lead to more rules?” Shigaraki glared at Midoriya. “I’m sure after Deku’s incredibly persuasive talk the answer is obvious.”

Bakugo’s mouth turned upwards in a smirk, but his eyes were nervously darting around for an escape. “Hah! Like I’d ever join a bunch of idiots like you!”

Well, I’m screwed, Midoriya thought as Shigaraki turned menacingly in his direction. 

But he stopped mid step when there was a knock on the door accompanied by a call of, “Hello? Pizza delivery!”

Each of the villains shuffled confusedly as they turned to look at the door, while Midoriya braced himself for what he knew was coming. 

Crap. The pros have found us. 

And his guess was confirmed when none other than All Might came smashing through the wall.

Notes:

And we're back to the terrible cliffhangers...

This chapter's song is The Good Part by AJR. It relates to Midoriya feeling tired, and how he hasn't really done what he hoped to do in the League. "If there's a good part then I hope it's not far cuz I thought it'd be today."

Thanks a lot for reading! All of your kudos and bookmarks and comments are really appreciated!

Chapter 42: Almost

Notes:

There is one slightly worse swear word than normal in this.

Enjoy!

Midoriya lifted his arm to his face to shield himself from the bits of rubble flying into his eyes. He saw Bakugo as well as most of the League do the same. It was impossible for All Might to make a subtle entrance, wasn’t it?

“Kurogiri!” Shigaraki shouted. “Gate, now!!”

Kurogiri obliged immediately, and the purple-black mist that made up his head began swirling around violently. But he didn’t have the time to warp them out, because Kamui Woods burst in. The young hero bound all of the villains with his wooden extensions, effectively immobilizing them. 

Midoriya winced as the bindings squeezed him tight, the pressure on his injured arm causing a shooting pain. He heard Twice complaining about it too. 

His eyes flicked to Dabi, who’d started using his bright blue flames, but was then knocked out by a swift kick from Gran Torino. 

“That’s our competent new hero for you, Kamui Woods!” All Might exclaimed. “As well as Gran Torino, our veteran pro!”

Midoriya’s mind automatically supplied him with all of the stats and figures behind each of the names. As he started to analyze the situation, he could easily tell that their chances of escape were not good. 

And a part of him was okay with that. 

But there was just something so infuriating about All Might’s flashy smile. Maybe it was because of all of the lies it hid, or perhaps because he’d worn that smile minutes before destroying his future. 

“League of Villains, there is no hope for you now!!” All Might continued grandly. “Why!? Because we-” he stopped abruptly when he caught sight of Midoriya, who was glaring daggers at him. 

“...are here?” Midoriya finished for him. “Tch, yeah, you’re here now.”

But where were you then? is what was communicated through Midoriya’s tone and expression. Because, of course, All Might was there for a top hero student from UA, but hadn’t been there for a lonely quirkless child. 

The simple phrase was enough to almost wipe the smile off of All Might’s face. 

“All Might! Don’t get distracted!” Gran Torino warned. 

“Ah, yes, right!” All Might cleared his throat, smile returning in full force, although Midoriya could tell it was utterly fake. 

Edgeshot slid in through the crack in the door, once again causing Midoriya’s mind to relay his stats, and he showed the villains the sheer number of police and heroes surrounding them. The entire time Midoriya was still trying to find a way out for them, but none came. 

Well, it looks like we’re done for. To prison for all of us. 

He couldn’t say he was too overly disappointed, but his eyes widened as he realized something. 

There’s still All For One. He has any number of tricks up his sleeve. If he wants us to get out of here, then we’re getting out of here. 

His thoughts were interrupted by All Might clapping Bakugo on the shoulder. 

“Well done, young man! It must’ve been scary, but you held out!” All Might commended. 

Bakugo shrugged All Might’s hand off. “It wasn’t scary at all!! I had it in the bag the entire time!”

Midoriya couldn’t help but mutter “of course you did” under his breath. 

But he had to hand it to Bakugo, he’d planned on Midoriya betraying them. None of the others had suspected him, except for Tokoyami, but Bakugo had come up with a way to take advantage of getting kidnapped. So, in a way, he had had it in the bag. 

“After our meticulous plotting, it’s all ruined by the final boss bursting in out of nowhere,” Shigaraki brooded, before a manic smile spread from under the hand on his face. “But it’s not just us you have to worry about! Kurogiri?!” The warp villain turned his attention towards his master. “Bring them all over to hang out!”

He’s talking about the Nomu!

Midoriya tensed, eyes flying around the room, looking for where the first monster would appear. The pros did the same; Edgeshot got ready to stop the warp villain. It took them all a moment to realize that Nomus weren’t actually appearing. 

“Kurogiri!!” Shigaraki rasped accusingly. 

“My deepest apologies,” Kurogiri responded politely, although his voice was laden with distress, “but it appears the Nomu have been moved from their fixed location.”

Their fixed location… he means the warehouse I met All For One in. 

A fear rose up in his stomach as he remembered the numerous tanks of Nomus. He quickly shut the feeling down. 

But wait, if that place has been attacked by pros, then that means they’re going to encounter All For One!

He quickly looked over at Shigaraki to see if he’d figured this out yet, only to find that the irritated villain was staring angrily down out the wooden floor. His fists were clenched, and he was festering in his own failures and bitterness. 

“You underestimated us,” All Might started, which did nothing to quell Shigaraki’s mood. He then went on and on about how everyone had worked incredibly hard to defeat the League, how their rage against the League’s evil actions had spurred them on. 

“The police worked day and night to uncover your identities,” Gran Torino added. He looked pointedly at each of the villains, saying their names in turn. Finally, his eyes landed on Midoriya, but he didn’t say his name, just looking him over instead.

The green-haired villain tilted his head. 

They already knew my name. No reason for mentioning it. Gran Torino must be working closely with Tsukauchi, which explains why he’s looking me over like this. 

“The point is, there’s nowhere for you to go,” Gran Torino continued, turning back to the rest of the villains. “After this, all that’s left for you is jail.”

“It’s over, Tomura Shigaraki,” All Might finished strongly. 

Shigaraki laughed an angry breath. “Over, huh? We’ll see about that. This is just the beginning, and you’re an idiot for not seeing it.”

He went on his usual tangent about how corrupt society was, and that the League was only trying to break through and expose that filth. Midoriya agreed with him, of course, but lately he’d found himself feeling that the villains had dark parts just as bad as hero society. 

He shook his head and dismissed that thought. Utter, utter nonsense. Heroes had rejected and beaten him, while villains had been the first to want him. 

Some voice whispered in the back of his mind, but the students from 1-A accept you, and they’re heroes. While the villains have threatened to dispose of you. 

This time he clenched his eyes shut too. Utter nonsense. 

He looked up and opened his eyes. Oh, things had gotten rather dramatic.

The heroes were demanding the location of All For One, and Shigaraki only responded with a very loud, “I hate you!!”

That’s when Midoriya felt it. Something like bile rose up in his throat, but it didn’t originate from his stomach. It sure made his stomach churn though. The black liquid splurted out of his mouth and blocked his view of what was going on, but he could hear the confused shouts of both the heroes and the villains. 

He caught a glimpse of a Nomu appearing out of the same black muck, which caused a jolt of fear, and Kamui’s grip on him started to feel less tight. The foul liquid enveloped him, and all of a sudden, he wasn’t in the bar anymore. 

He landed on his hands and knees onto hard concrete, breathing heavily. He felt the cool night air on his skin, so he knew he was now outside. 

“Egh! Smells like crap!” Bakugo complained from somewhere around Midoriya. 

He quickly stood up and took in his surroundings. The rest of the League was appearing out of their own globs of liquid, and there was rubble everywhere, like a building had just been torn down. And there was- oh no there were injured pro heroes littering the ground. Mt. Lady, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist. 

But that wasn’t the worst of it. 

A chill of cold dread went down his spine. 

All For One.

 

Shinso had to move. He needed to move!

Yaoyorozu’s tracker had led them to a seemingly abandoned warehouse, which they had started to investigate, until a group of high ranking pros arrived to destroy it. The teens had thought they were safe and could leave. But a mysterious man in a business suit had appeared, blowing away the pros and breaking the wall the teens were hiding behind.

Now, Shinso could hear the scuffling of feet behind the crumbling wall, and he’d just heard Bakugo’s voice! And wherever Bakugo was, he had to be with Midoriya. 

It took every last bit of willpower he had to take a single step. The guy who’d just emerged from the dark of the destroyed warehouse to slaughter the pros, he had made them feel death. 

The cold, hopeless feeling of being gone forever. 

Yet Iida somehow managed to reach out and grab Shinso’s shoulder, and he vaguely noted that Yaoyorozu had done the same to Kirishima. The look in Iida’s eyes communicated an obvious message. 

“It’s my responsibility as class president to watch over all my classmates, including my future ones.”

Shinso gritted his teeth. He couldn’t just stand by and let Midoriya go on with the League! Just like how Iida wanted to protect his classmates, Shinso had to protect his friends! Oh, right, there was Bakugo too. That was a little important. 

But both Iida and Shinso were distracted when they realized Uraraka had already turned around and was watching the commotion over the wall. Their eyes widened slightly in surprise. She’d been able to move that much? 

They didn’t know there was a particular emotion in her chest fueling her actions stronger than anyone there. 

Although, none of the others had to look over the wall to hear what was being said, as the mysterious man’s voice was enough to make their hairs stand on end. 

“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, Tomura. I will always be here to help you try again. This is all for you.”

Shinso recognized the name. Tomura, as in Tomura Shigaraki. So all of the League is here!

He was able to stiffly move his limbs so that he could turn around and watch the conversation, hopefully safe behind the wall. He picked out specific members of the League, spotted Bakugo, and then rested his eyes on Midoriya. 

The young villain was watching the mysterious man with a fearful reverence, eyes darting around his surroundings. 

Well damn. If Midoriya’s scared of him, then this guy is bad news. 

Not that Shinso couldn’t already tell that by the Darth Vader like mask the guy was wearing. 

“Deku.”

Midoriya’s eyes immediately stopped darting around and snapped up to the person who’d called his name. 

“Yes sir?” he responded, a slight quiver in his voice. 

“You haven’t forgotten the task I assigned you, correct?”

Task? What could this guy have asked from him?

Midoriya’s brow furrowed, and Shinso thought he looked rather troubled. “No, of course not.”

“Good. The time is drawing near when you will have to act. I trust that you will continue being a valued member of the League,” All For One said, his voice smooth and unassuming. 

There was a quick flash of anger across Midoriya’s face, before he compliently said, “of course.”

Bakugo had been trying to edge away from the League, but the villains made sure to block off all his exits. And with the pros out of commission, it wasn’t looking possible for them to just sneak Bakugo and Midoriya away like they had originally planned. 

Shinso quickly glanced over at Uraraka and saw that she was still wearing that hopeful and determined expression, while Iida whispered to them warningly. 

“No, there’s nothing we can do,” he said quietly, but the look in his eyes said something different. 

“Ah, there you are.”

The teens froze in fear. 

If this man was capable of making them feel death, then he was more than capable of making them be dead. 

But instead of being murdered by some powerful attack, they were forced back behind the wall by an incredibly strong lashing of wind, and a familiar figure dropped from the sky. 

“You’re gonna return Bakugo, All For One!!” All Might shouted as the villain caught his punch in his hands. 

All For One? That’s this guy’s name?

The rest of the League plus Bakugo were scattered across the battlefield, the shockwave of the attack blowing them away. 

“Was killing me once not good enough for you?” All For One questioned as he easily held off All Might’s power. 

Wait. That means All Might has faced this guy before. He didn’t… he didn’t win the first time? 

The presence of the symbol of peace was not comforting to the UA students for a number of reasons. One, everyone except Shinso knew about his weakened state, and about his time limit. How much was he pushing himself right now? Two, if he’d already fought this guy before and failed, how was he supposed to win now? Three, this All For One guy wasn’t perturbed at all by All Might’s first attack, an attack that had sent everyone else on the battlefield flying. 

The UA students felt as small and hopeless as bugs, hiding behind their little crumbling wall. Helpless. 

Just like how Kirishima had felt during the summer camp, knowing that his friends were being attacked. Just like how Shinso had felt, his quirk being useless against robots and mud monsters. Just like how Uraraka had felt, watching Midoriya leave and doing nothing about it. 

Each of them had promised that they’d never be useless like that again. Yet here they were. 

“I’m going to get young Bakugo to safety,” All Might said confidently, tensing as he got ready to attack again. “And I’ll make sure that you’re locked up for the rest of your miserable days too!” The symbol of peace shot a quick look at Midoriya, before focusing his attention on All For One and springing forward. “You and the people you use like tools are going to be in jail cells!!”

“It seems we both have much to do,” All For One responded conversationally as he blasted All Might across the city. Numerous buildings toppled over, and Shinso couldn’t even begin to comprehend all the people who must’ve just died. 

All For One began listing all of the quirks used in that attack, while Bakugo shouted after All Might. 

For the teens hiding behind the wall, one thing was for certain: they needed to think of a way to get Bakugo, and hopefully Midoriya too, out of there. 

But they couldn’t use their quirks to fight! That was illegal. But All Might couldn’t unleash his full power with others on the battlefield, they’d get killed! So the UA students had to think of a way to get Bakugo and Midoriya safe, because no one else was able to do it. 

Shinso furrowed his brow in concentration, burrowing his face a little into his scarf. 

C’mon, we have the top two students from 1-A here! Not to mention all of our different quirks. There’s got to be something we can do, working together. A way to escape and get Midoriya out, oh yeah and Bakugo too, but without fighting. 

Think!

 

Staying on your feet while the two most powerful people on earth are fighting isn’t easy. 

Midoriya caught himself from falling to the ground with his hands as another gust of wind knocked him off his feet. All Might wasn’t even using his full power! If he did, then there was no doubt that everyone on the battlefield would end up injured or dead. 

That would include Bakugo, who was currently using his explosions to flip and dodge through the air, evading and counter attacking everything the League threw at him. But it was obvious he was growing tired, and the League was bound to recapture him at some point. 

So, Midoriya was in a bit of a predicament. He wanted Bakugo to escape, but it was his job to make sure he didn’t. On top of that, he was sure Bakugo wanted them both to escape together. If he momentarily helped Bakugo, then the blond wouldn’t leave until Midoriya came with him. 

There’s nothing wrong with doing that. Escaping with Bakugo and turning yourself into the police afterwards is a good idea. 

And go to jail? Yeah, no thanks. 

Midoriya half-heartedly tried to stop Bakugo, at the same time looking around for a way to get him out. There was the portal All For One had forced Kurogiri to open. He had to keep Bakugo away from that. Mr. Compress too, who had already picked up the unconscious Dabi by turning him into a marble. 

And then Midoriya saw them. There was a head of purple hair poking out from above a cracked wall, unmistakably Shinso’s. He could vaguely see a few more people with him. 

What!? The heck are they doing here?

His question was promptly answered when Kirishima broke through the wall with his hardening. The red head was being held up by Iida and Todoroki, and the three boys started ascending quickly into the sky, which Midoriya recognized as Uraraka’s quirk. Then, Iida used his recipro burst and Todoroki his flames, so that they began soaring right over the battlefield. 

But Midoriya wasn’t focused on that, or the fact that Kirishima was shouting for Bakugo and holding out the hand of escape. 

His attention was drawn by Shinso and Uraraka, calling his name. 

“Midoriya!! Get over here!” Shinso yelled, his knuckles white as he gripped the wall. 

Uraraka was frantically waving him over. “Don’t leave us again!!”

Yaoyorozu was standing by with what looked like a smoke bomb, in case anyone other than Midoriya decided to run over. But it wasn’t necessary, as all of the other villains were focused on Bakugo and the teens flying through the sky. 

Bakugo looked up at Kirishima, and then back to Midoriya to see what he would do. 

Midoriya’s mind screamed at him that he couldn’t go, but some deeper part of him remembered what Shinso had told him back at the summer camp, when he’d mentioned going to jail. 

“I’m sure Uraraka and I could come and visit you.”

And he recalled Uraraka’s words to him from the rooftop of the mall. 

“The villains aren’t the only ones who think you aren’t useless. I believe in you, no matter what you’ve done or whether you’re quirkless or not.”

Those two had been good to him, along with other members of 1-A. They had accepted him, and were now trying so desperately to save him even after he’d crossed some painful lines. 

The aching in his shoulder reminded him of what being a villain had done. What a stark contrast. 

His eyes were opened, just a little, to how stupid he had been not to go with Uraraka on the rooftop. 

Before he knew it, his legs were pumping him as fast as he could go as he bolted over to his friends. 

As soon as Bakugo saw that Midoriya was running away, he blasted off with a tremendous explosion that sent him straight up to his classmates in the sky. Part of the teens’ mission had been accomplished, now for the other half. 

Midoriya was so close, less than ten feet away. He would be out of the League’s grasp in just a few seconds. 

Both Shinso’s and Uraraka’s eyes lit up with hope and excitement. 

“Deku, why don’t I pay a visit to your dear mother?”

His feet skidded to a halt. 

Mom… no. 

All For One was quickly smashed to the side by a punch from All Might, who shouted, “You wouldn’t dare!!” But the damage had already been done. 

Shinso and Uraraka were right in front of him, but he couldn’t take another step forward, not if it could hurt his mother. 

So he took a step back. 

Back towards the League, towards everything that had been hurting him and forcing him to do terrible things. Back towards the enormous task that had been mounted on his shoulders, the task of stealing One For All. 

Shinso’s and Uraraka’s faces fell drastically. 

“No, Midoriya…” Shinso called one final time, but they all had heard what All For One said. They could understand why he was backing away. 

Uraraka had tears in her eyes, which did nothing to help Midoriya’s efforts of controlling his emotions. 

“I’m sorry,” Midoriya breathed sadly, adding to the number of times he’d apologized to them in the last few days. But this time was different.

“It’s not your fault,” Uraraka responded quietly, her voice rough. 

He turned to run back to the League. “Get out of here.”

They complied with his request, but only because Yaoyorozu ordered them to. 

He ran back to the League, who were so consumed by Bakugo’s dramatic escape they hadn’t even noticed Midoriya’s absence. He hardened his heart to what had just happened. 

With Bakugo off the battlefield, All Might had gained the advantage, and All For One knew it. He force activated Magne’s quirk, Magnetism, sending all the male members of the League flying towards the female Toga. She was standing in front of Kurogiri’s portal, so every member of the League began to quickly pass through to safety. 

Midoriya was the furthest away, so he was the last to go through. All For One said some parting words to Shigaraki, before directly addressing Midoriya. 

“You see the state he’s in, do you not?” All For One said, vaguely gesturing towards All Might. Even from just a brief glimpse, Midoriya could tell the symbol of peace was exceeding his limit. “This fight will cause the little power he has left to deplete, and then he will be defenseless. After that, it’s your turn.”

Midoriya shivered. Even though he was flying through the air to the portal, it felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

His back reached the purple-black mist of the gate, and as his face began to travel through to the other side, the look All For One gave him portrayed a very clear message. 

After this battle, I have to steal One For All. I have to take the symbol of peace’s power. 

Fuck. 

He landed in what looked like the second story of an old office building, with broken windows and faded curtains. The rest of the League was there, quite a few of them unconscious, courtesy of Gran Torino. 

Shigaraki was scrambling around, trying to figure out how to operate the out-of-date television to see how his master was faring. 

Even through the pain and fear of what had just happened, Midoriya still managed to form one cohesive thought. 

All For One, you bastard. You still underestimate All Might. Not his power, you’ve estimated that correctly. But his unyielding desire to save people.

Notes:

I've been taught you only swear when under extreme emotional distress. I'd consider what Midoriya's going through extremely emotionally distressing. I try to keep stronger curse words out, partly because I wanna keep this rated teen.

I've been debating upping the rating though, because of the dark themes like suicide, although I do warn for that in the tags and in the notes. I feel like this is one of those fics that kinda strays the line between teen and mature so... I dunno. I mean it's being written by a mature teenager.

This chapter's song is can you hear me? by Munn. The moment I heard this song I was like, "yup, this fits perfectly, I've gotta use this for my fic." It has to do with wanting to get saved, but being trapped by things that aren't physical. Fits so well, especially the pre chorus, and you know just the entire song. "They look so close, but feel so far," goes well with this chapter, with Uraraka and Shinso being right there.

See ya next week.

Chapter 43: Burdens

Notes:

Today's Memorial Day where I live, and as a former military brat, don't forget to honor those who served and gave their lives (if you're from another country then just do that on your own day).
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," John 15:13.

Other than that, this is a pretty long chap woo. Enjoy!

Bakugo totally could’ve escaped without his classmates’ help, and he made sure that they knew this. 

“You guys just happened to be my best way out! Got it? It wasn’t like I actually needed  any help!!”

Kirishima flashed him a smile with a thumbs up. “Understood!”

“It was you who asked us to come,” Todoroki reminded him quietly, to which Bakugo just clenched his jaw. 

Iida, who was on the phone with Yaoyorozu, was authoritatively directing them through a crowd. “Come on, you three. We have to meet up with the others as quickly as possible!”

“Midoriya, is he with them?” Todoroki asked. When Iida didn’t respond, Bakugo narrowed his eyes. 

They first spotted Shinso’s purple hair, which was the most identifiable thing out of the crowd of evacuees. They made their way through all the people, Iida being very courteous while Bakugo bumped shoulders with anyone in his way. A few looks of recognition were thrown in their direction, but everyone was too absorbed with watching the horrific events on the TV screens around them. 

When the two groups of students finally combined, Iida sighed in relief. But no one missed the extremely crestfallen looks on Shinso’s and Uraraka’s faces, as well as the lack of curly green hair. Bakugo was the first to ask. 

“Where’s De- Izuku?”

Tears welled up in Uraraka’s eyes, and Shinso looked away while Yaoyorozu nervously rubbed her hands together. Bakugo stomped up to Shinso and grabbed his shirt in his fists. 

“Where’s Izuku!?!” he shouted at Shinso’s face, shaking him by the shirt. “I saw him running towards you guys!! What the hell happened?!”

Shinso forcefully pushed Bakugo away in frustration. “That All For One guy threatened his mother, okay? It wasn’t our fault!”

Yaoyorozu nodded sadly. “There was nothing we could do.”

Bakugo opened his fists and his eyes widened in understanding, before he quickly clenched them again and narrowed his eyes in anger. He wanted to explode something so badly. They’d come so close to winning just to lose at the last minute. 

He automatically looked around for some telephone pole, or a trash can or an extra to explode, and he found multiple. If there weren’t so many people around, he would’ve blown at least one of them to kingdom come. 

Oh right, the people. They were all staring up at the giant TV screen on the building in front of them, watching the fight between All For One and All Might. He looked up at the screen himself, and saw something that sent cold shivers of fear down his spine. 

All Might was in his weakened state.

Just like at the USJ. Except now it was on national television. It wasn’t just 1-A who would lose their perfect picture of All Might. 

Everyone would see this. 

Saving Midoriya suddenly became a second priority when he realized the cherished symbol of peace was about to crumble for all of Japan. 

 

Midoriya was watching the events at Kamino through a cracked TV screen on a faded, torn office chair. Spinner and Dabi were on a nearby bench, recovering from being knocked unconscious. 

Shigaraki was standing behind the bench, and seemed to be radiating excitement from what he was seeing. 

“You first saw him like this the day you threw yourself off a roof?” Shigaraki inquired. Midoriya gave no response but a nod. 

He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his hand with his fingers covering his mouth. His eyes were wide with anxiety, not from All For One’s words but the implications of All Might being deflated on national television. 

He’d already cracked the symbol of peace for 1-A at the USJ, but he’d never wanted it to happen for all of Japan. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, All Might still gave people hope, even if he lived a life of faking and appearances. That hope was something Midoriya had very little of at the moment. 

The famous pro had shouted some words earlier in his battle that had resounded with Midoriya. 

“That’s what you do, you play with people’s lives like they’re toys! You break them and take from them. You manipulate them for your own ends, taking advantage of everything they could offer! You scoff at them when they’re just trying to enjoy life!!”

Some voice in Midoriya’s head whispered that he was one of those toys, that he was one of the people All For One was manipulating. 

Midoriya’s brow furrowed. What was the point of All Might’s words if he couldn't live up to them? If he didn’t have actions to back them up? Because right now, All Might was just standing in the middle of the battlefield, looking completely and utterly defeated. 

Midoriya knew, the only thing that could get the symbol of peace to look that disheartened was by playing with his heart strings. All For One was saying something awful to All Might, and maybe if the cameras were a little closer people would be able to hear. 

But that brought up another thought, if All For One was relying on playing with All Might’s emotions, was he losing? Midoriya only fell back to manipulation if he knew he was at a disadvantage. 

Then again, this was All For One. Midoriya couldn’t tell if he was just messing with All Might for the sake of it or because he was actually concerned for the outcome of the battle. Honestly, it could probably be both. 

Either way, there was one thing Midoriya knew for sure:

All Might had to win this battle, no matter what. 

If he was defeated, the public would lose all faith in heroes, and despite Midoriya’s lack of trust in them, heroes were necessary for many people to feel safe. Some small strand of admiration for the number one hero remained in his torn heart. 

He kept from saying it aloud, but he said it in his head as loud as he could. 

Come on All Might, win this!

 

Bakugo could feel it in the crowd. There was an energy, a rare kind of unitedness that only comes when everyone has faith in one thing. 

In this case, it was All Might. 

Even though he was shriveled up, just skin and bones, people still believed in him. 

At first, Bakugo had been surprised that people could have so much praise for such a weak and feeble figure. Respect came from strength and power, which All Might had very little of at the moment. But then he remembered that All Might’s strength and power didn’t come from his physical appearance. 

He soon found himself shouting at the top of his lungs with the rest of the crowd, and with his classmates. 

“Win this All Might!!”

 

All Might knew everyone was counting on him. The lives of so many people were depending on him. What a heavy burden to bear, one that had been easier to handle at the start of his career. 

But the burden became lighter when he knew that the people still trusted him, even after his true form was exposed. Even after everyone knew how much he’d lied to them. 

“We’re all rooting for you!!”

The arrival of more dedicated heroes at the battlefield helped too, because they were people who shared the same burden, although not as heavy. 

“Even if saving people is all we can do, we’ll do anything we can to ease your burden!”

Their cheers encouraged him more than they would ever know. 

“You’re still our number one hero, no matter how you look!”

The embers of One For All rose up inside of him, and he smiled. Not his comical, fake smile, but a real one that came from knowing he wasn’t alone in his endeavor to save others. 

His arm expanded in size as he called on the great power he’d grown familiar with. There was still one more reason why he couldn’t lose. 

All For One was floating high above the ground in front of him, his arm a wretched contortion of stolen quirks. 

“You’ll have plenty of regrets as you die,” All For One began to charge at him monstrously. “One of the bigger ones being Izuku Midoriya, am I correct? Oh, the anguish you must have felt, knowing you ruined such a bright future. And I thought you were a hero.”

All Might could tell his nemesis had expected that to weaken him. He’d expected All Might to stumble, or hesitate after those words. 

It only fueled the dying embers inside of him more. 

“I will say, I’ve fallen short in multiple ways,” All Might said as their fists collided, sending out the usual shockwave. “But unlike you, I’m willing to admit that!”

“Ah, how pathetic,” All For One tsked as All Might’s arm began to crack under the force of his punch. 

Those shortcomings are why I cannot die. Not yet. 

All Might summoned the little power he had left into his other arm, the one that wasn’t punching All For One. 

“Even after straying so close to defeat, you still struggle… how unbecoming.”

The symbol of peace clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes in an undying persistence.

I have to make it up to all the people I’ve failed. I need to atone for my mistakes.

“Hm, I miscalculated.”

All Might swung his arm around full force, slamming his fist into the side of All For One’s face, and he felt something crack under the pressure. 

I have to be there for him, save him, and I will not die before that time comes. 

 

Yeah, All For One really miscalculated, Midoriya thought as he watched the big bad get pounded into the ground by a United States of smash. 

He found it ironic that the very ideals All For One had been mocking were the very things that got him defeated in the end. The intense desire to save people and the hope that he would succeed were the things that had carried All Might through the battle. 

But Midoriya didn’t have much time to celebrate. He felt the light touch of a hand on his shoulder. 

His left shoulder. 

Just for a second, he was back in the bar with the pain of disintegration ripping through his shoulder. 

He flinched horribly and practically jumped off the chair and spun around to see who’d touched him. 

“Boy, are you skittish,” Dabi acknowledged as he looked Midoriya up and down with discerning eyes. “Shigaraki wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, thanks,” Midoriya panted. He hadn’t even realized how much his breathing and heart rate had increased. 

Dabi gave Midoriya one final look, before wandering over to a vacant chair and putting his feet on top of a cracked desk. Midoriya took a deep breath and turned his thoughts towards Shigaraki. 

What does he want to speak with me about, right after losing his master?

Midoriya walked over to a small side room that probably would’ve been the manager’s office if the building hadn’t been out of use for so long. Shigaraki had gone in there as soon as it had become apparent All For One was going to lose. 

Now, as Midoriya walked in, Shigaraki was looking rather distraught and agitated, his eyes focused on the splintered desk in the middle of the room. He was sitting on a faded sofa, his hands over his face in the shape of a steeple. 

His real hands, not the dead gray ones. Midoriya thought this was the first time he saw him without them on. 

“You wanted to see me?” he asked cautiously.

Shigaraki looked up at him suddenly. “The assignment Master gave you. It’s time you completed it.”

Midoriya kept the surprise out of his face. “Now?”

Shigaraki gave a firm nod. 

Well crap. 

He couldn’t voice his opposition, unless he wanted to get tortured again or have someone else die in his place. But going to steal One For All didn’t seem wise after All For One had just gotten arrested. Midoriya was supposed to bring the quirk to him, after all, so how could he do that if he was in jail?

He carefully phrased his question. “What makes you want to steal One For All now?”

Shigaraki eyed Midoriya for a minute, before seemingly deciding that the question was acceptable. “All Might is weakened. It’ll be easy for you to steal it from him in his current condition.”

“Yeah, I get that part,” Midoriya responded. “But who am I supposed to bring the quirk back to? I mean, All For One’s going to jail-”

“You’ll give it to me,” Shigaraki commanded. 

This time Midoriya failed to keep the surprise out of his face. 

“To… t-to you?”

Shigaraki looked up at the ceiling, his eyes clouded in thought. “After this incident, the League will be frowned upon and underestimated. If the public knows we were able to steal the number one hero’s quirk, then we’ll be respected again. To do that, there’ll have to be some… public display of us using One For All.”

Shigaraki looked Midoriya in the eye. 

“You don’t have the stomach to do that, so I will.”

Midoriya shivered at whatever that could mean. The thought of harming someone with a power that was meant to protect… Shigaraki was right. He couldn’t stomach it. 

But he also couldn’t allow Shigaraki to have One For All. 

He thought about leaving the League to go find Uraraka or Shinso before Shigaraki forced his will upon him, but the thought of All For One’s threat hung tantalizingly over his head. Just because he was locked up, it didn’t mean his mother was safe. This was the biggest villain of all time, after all. 

So, instead of leaving, he listed off every reason he knew as to why he shouldn’t steal One For All. 

“Sorry, but I still don’t see how it’s possible for me to get One For All from All Might. He’ll probably have tons of security around him now, and he already spent most of his time at UA. Besides, even if I did manage to get close to him, how would I convince him to give it to me? He knows I’m a villain, and he has to willingly give it up. I can’t really think of anything to say that would change his mind.”

That last reason, it was more of a half-truth. He didn’t know anything he could say to change All Might’s mind, but he knew plenty of things he could do. None of which he liked. 

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes and stood up abruptly. 

“Well you’ll figure it out, won’t you?” It wasn’t a question. 

He started walking quickly towards Midoriya, who took a step back in fear of being disintegrated again. 

But they only bumped shoulders, before Shigaraki headed out to where the rest of the League was and said, “I’m going out.”

Everyone raised their eyebrows in surprise, except for Kurogiri who was still unconscious from Edgeshot’s attack, and Dabi who just looked indifferent. 

“Are you sure that’s smart?” Magne asked.

“Yeah,” Toga butted in, twirling a knife around her fingers. “Didn’t the guy supporting this group just get sent to jail?”

“I need to clear my head,” was the only response Shigaraki gave as he walked out the door. 

Spinner folded his arms. “That Shigaraki… he’s too impatient.”

“He’s kinda scary!” Twice exclaimed. “But I love how welcoming he is.”

“Hey, cut him some slack. His teacher just got taken from him, so it’s understandable that he needs some alone time,” Mr. Compress added thoughtfully. 

No. That’s not it, Midoriya thought grimly. Without All For One here, he’s going to have to make all his decisions on his own, without guidance or help from his beloved Master. 

This is All For One making him more independent, which also makes him more dangerous.

Midoriya frowned at the closed door Shigaraki had just left out of. 

That’s why I can’t let him have One For All. 

 

“You did great out there, All Might,” Tsukauchi applauded. 

All Might was sitting on the back of an ambulance, watching the first responders treat the injured. All For One had already been sent off to Tartarus, but All Might didn’t feel a large amount of relief. Tsukauchi noticed as he walked up to the former pro. 

His brow creased as he asked, “hey, what happened?”

All Might didn’t make eye contact. “I just used the last of my power to defeat my nemesis, essentially giving up my career as a hero. Is it surprising that I’m a little disappointed?”

“So that’s why you have such a long face?”

“Why else would I?”

Tsukauchi narrowed his eyes as he leaned up against the ambulance next to All Might. He was dodging the question, something a person gets very good at when being friends with a walking lie detector. 

Tsukauchi chose to follow his hunch. 

“The footage was a little unclear, but it looked like Midoriya had started to run away from the action, before returning a minute later. What do you make of that?” Tsukauchi asked, getting out his notepad. 

He paused before getting his pencil though, because All Might’s face fell enormously. 

“He had chosen to leave the League,” he said simply. 

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Hm?”

“Midoriya was running away from the League. He was going to turn himself in,” he said sadly, before shifting to anger. “But then All For One threatened his mother. Of course he couldn’t leave after that.”

“He directly threatened her?” Tsukauchi asked, and All Might nodded. “I should contact the hospital and see if they can relocate her.”

“That would be a good idea,” All Might said quietly. 

He sat in silence for a moment while Tsukauchi scribbled something on his notepad. 

“It pains me to know he’s out there, wanting so badly to leave his horrible situation, only to be trapped because those he loves are at risk. It’s heartbreaking to think about,” All Might continued after a bit. “I only wish I could’ve done more for him.”

“Hey, we haven’t given up on him yet,” Tsukauchi said reassuringly. “There’s still hope for him. At least we know he actually wants to leave now.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

All Might gazed upward at the stars. The same stars that shone through whatever misfortune he encountered. 

“Don’t worry, All Might. The time will come for you to help him.”

“I hope so.”

 

All Might’s True Form!?! The Mysteries Behind His Quirk

Written by Anonymous

Now, everybody knows what happened in Kamino Ward, and if you don’t, then get out from under your rock. Half the place was blown away by the biggest villain of all time: All For One. Now that might be a guy you’re less familiar with. The man rumored to have taken over Japan when quirks first emerged, it’s a terrifying thought to know he’s still alive. 

But he’s been smashed into prison by All Might, so there’s nothing to worry about, right? Wrong. All Might is almost completely powerless after that battle. According to some questionable sources, he’s only able to maintain his “muscle form” for a couple minutes now. So, who’s going to protect us from future threats?

There’s a more important question to ask: why is All Might almost completely powerless after that battle? Over the years, there have been a lot of theories revolving around All Might’s quirk. What is it? What does it do exactly? How does it function? When asked these questions, All Might has either laughed it off or said it’s just a basic strength enhancement quirk. 

But if it’s so basic, why is his power fading so suddenly? Why was there golden lighting around his arm during his final punches? And most importantly, why did All For One want to kill him so badly? I mean, he’s the number one hero, duh, but he’s only got a basic strength enhancement quirk, right?

The bottom line is, there are still tons of unknowns regarding All Might and his quirk. We might know his true form now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things he’s keeping from us. Despite this, he still has most of the public’s support, but we’ll see how long that lasts. 

There’s one thing we all know for certain: the almighty symbol of peace will most likely never return to his hero work again. 

 

Bakugo closed the tab that held the news article with a little too much force. His cursor pad got jammed, and he had to dig his fingernail under it to fix it. He felt a very strong urge to explode his computer, but after thinking about his mother’s reaction he grudgingly decided against it. 

This damn computer and that stupid ass article. Tch, written by some anonymous bastard who didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. 

He slammed down the lid of his computer, ignoring the faint cracking sound it emitted. 

He was going to lose his power either way, because of that fight a few years ago Mr. Aizawa told us about. 

He shoved open his door, and it swung open, making a loud thud against the wall. 

“OI, KATSUKI!! I DON’T WANNA HEAR YOU SLAMMING YOUR DOOR LIKE THAT!” his mother shouted. He ignored her. 

Losing his power wasn’t because of his battle with All For One, not at all! It wasn’t because he came to save me!

He began stomping down the steps to the first floor. 

It wasn’t my fault. 

He arrived on the first floor, and his mother was about to shout some other complaint at him, but when she saw his face her expression shifted slightly to concern. 

“I’m going to the basement,” he told her simply. 

Her brow furrowed. “Okay then.”

Knowing their son’s tendency to release his anger through violent action, his parents had dedicated an entire room in their house to Bakugo’s anger issues. There was a room in their basement that had nothing but punching bags, metal barrels, and various debris that he could explode. 

He went to this room whenever he was stressed, or lately… feeling guilty. 

Bakugo began walking down the basement steps, his thoughts continuing to spiral downward. 

It wasn’t because of me that the symbol of peace is now gone. It’s not my fault that All Might will “never return to hero work again.”

The thought of the news article only made him more bitter as he walked into his anger issues room, and he chose the battered punching bag hanging in the middle of the room as his target. 

He released an explosion that shook the entire house. Even though the things in the room were made of an explosion-resistant material, the punching bag broke and fell from the ceiling. 

I’m already responsible for ruining one person’s life, I’m not responsible for ruining the number one hero’s life. 

He quickly chose a new target and continued his vicious assault on the random objects throughout the room. 

It’s not my fault All Might’s powerless. 

With each blow, he tried to convince himself of that. 

Not. 

My. 

Fault. 

It didn’t work. 

He tried to change the guilt he felt into anger by destroying everything he saw, but that doesn’t work when you’re angry at yourself. 

 

Shigaraki’s hands twitched in irritation as he walked down the street. So many ignorant people just living their lives, oblivious to the pain and suffering in the world. 

How fun would it be to just… kill them. That’d open at least some of their pathetic eyes. 

But no, he couldn’t do that here, not now. With Master in jail, he couldn’t afford to make the League look like a bunch of amateurs, just murdering whenever they felt like it. He had to make good decisions and continue his plan in a way that would appease Master. He had to be meticulous and plotting, just like him. 

But in order to do that, he had to get One For All, and stupid Deku wouldn’t listen. This was the second day in a row he’d resisted his orders, and it was really getting on Shigaraki's nerves. 

Oh how easy it would be to destroy him. Just wipe him out of existence, and then he’d never be a problem again. 

But that wasn’t an option. Deku’s analysis skills were top tier, and his ability to strike a person’s soft spots was invaluable. Shigaraki wanted Deku to be scared of him, which he was, but not to the point where he’d abandon the League. Just enough fear to control him but not drive him away. 

He had no doubt that Deku would be able to get One For All if he tried, but how to get him to do it?

He couldn’t risk disintegrating him again, because he might leave. What were his weak spots? What did he fear more than his own death?

Shigaraki’s walk took him past a hospital, and he spotted a young girl with dirty blond hair riding her bike in the parking lot. He seemed to vaguely remember her. 

Shigaraki was going to get Deku to steal One For All, no matter what it took or who he had to hurt.

Notes:

Remember Sakura Kobayashi from the hospital? The only person who would talk to Midoriya? Remember how I said she'd play a kinda important role in the future? Yeah... it took me so much longer to get here than I thought haha.

Anyhoo, this chapter's song is Lovely by Billie Eilish. It fits really well with how he's feeling about the League. "Thought I found a way out," with last chapter how he almost left, "oh I hope someday I'll make it out of here" with how he's wanting to leave.

Oh boy I'm so excited to write the next few chapters aaahh.

Chapter 44: Deadly Dilemma

Notes:

Just reached 500 subscriptions, woo! Thanks to everyone for reading!

Enjoy!

Midoriya didn’t know why Shigaraki was calling him to the old office building. 

It was almost nightfall, the air was getting chilly, and Midoriya craved sleep and music. Talking to Shigaraki was very low on the list of things he wanted to do. 

His apartment was still in Yokohama, while the League’s temporary hideout was in his old city of Musutafu. Thinking back, All For One had probably sent them there because that was the location of One For All.

So, it wasn’t very appealing to think about traveling all the way back to Musutafu from Yokohama. But the thought of getting disintegrated was even less appealing, so Midoriya grudgingly left. With his hood up and mask on, he took the metro to the neighboring city of Musutafu. 

He was wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing the last couple days: a black jacket to hide his bandages and the bottom half of his villain costume, which just looked like dark green cargo pants to the unintelligible eye. 

As he rode the metro, his thoughts strayed slightly to his mother, who was still in the hospital there. He hadn’t had much time lately to go and visit her, so he had no idea how her recovery was going. He did know the police were still keeping a guard around her 24/7. This train of thought then led to All For One’s recent threat, which caused him to fervently shake his head in an attempt to stop the downward spiral.

During his walk over to the old office building, he thought about why Shigaraki could’ve called him. One reason was obvious: he wanted him to steal One For All. But Midoriya had resisted, and it wasn’t like Shigaraki would disintegrate him again, not unless he wanted Midoriya to leave. 

But as the crumbling building came into view, a dark sense of foreboding crept into Midoriya’s mind. 

He entered the building and took the stairs up to the second floor where the League usually gathered. It was eerily quiet; perhaps nobody was there. 

This previously hopeful thought was broken when Midoriya spotted Shigaraki standing beside one of the aged desks. Midoriya thought he saw a leather office chair in front of him, but one of the support beams was blocking his view. 

“Good. You’re here,” Shigaraki said without even looking at the newcomer. There was something about his tone that put Midoriya on edge. 

He crept forward to get a better view of Shigaraki’s surroundings. “Why did you-” 

He stopped mid sentence when he realized there was indeed a torn leather office chair in front of Shigaraki, and someone was already sitting in it. 

Or rather, she was tied to it. 

Dirty blond hair and hazel eyes, Midoriya remembered her immediately, along with tons of other random information about her. She loved riding bikes, macadamia nut cookies, and drawing flowers. Her older brother was in college and her mom worked as a full time nurse, so she had no one to talk to. She had been nine back then, so she should be around ten or eleven now. 

Eyes that had once been alight with excitement and innocence were now wide with fear. The mouth that had once blabbed away everything it could now had a gag in it. 

She was the only person in the hospital that had still treated him like a human being after he’d started isolating himself. Sakura Kobayashi. 

Her eyes widened in recognition when she saw him, and there was a faint glimmer of hope. She was hoping for Midoriya to save her. 

Midoriya first felt the shock of her being there, and then anger quickly followed. He narrowed his eyes at Shigaraki. 

“Why is she here?” 

He took a step forward, and Sakura continued to look up at him hopefully.

“Oh, only to do a little convincing,” Shigaraki responded, resting his palms on the back of the chair, fingers right next to Sakura’s head. 

Midoriya took another step forward. “Let her go.”

“Why, so she can spill to the police about our current location? I don’t think so, especially when she can be so much more useful here.” Shigaraki ran his fingers through her hair, causing her to flinch. If that didn’t send quivers of rage through Midoriya’s body. 

“Get your hands off of her,” Midoriya demanded, quickly stomping forward. “She doesn’t have anything to do with your plans, so stop threatening an innocent life!”

Shigaraki lowered his hand below her jaw, placing his thumb on the back of her neck and three of his four fingers on her throat. Her eyes widened in fear as she tensed at his touch. 

“Ah ah ah,” Shigaraki said warningly. Midoriya immediately stopped advancing. “You’re right, she doesn’t have anything to do with my plans, but you do. And in order to get you to do what I want, I have to show you the consequences of not doing what I want.”

His grip tightened around her neck, and Midoriya immediately understood the implications of what he’d said. 

“So this is about One For All,” Midoriya said grimly, looking at the ground. 

If he stole the quirk, Shigaraki would use it to kill and hurt countless people. 

If he didn’t steal the quirk, the League would target those Midoriya cared about. His mom, Shinso, Uraraka… they were all at risk. 

What a dilemma. Either way people died. 

Shigaraki tilted his head, a glint of enjoyment in his eyes. “So what’ll it be? Will you go after All Might to save this little girl’s life? Or will you continue to resist me? Then her blood will be on your hands.”

Midoriya wanted to argue that last sentence, but right now there was only one thing on his mind: saving Sakura. 

“Fine. I’ll steal One For All,” he said, unwavering. 

Shigaraki smiled wide. “Wonderful.” 

When he didn’t remove his hand from Sakura’s neck, Midoriya narrowed his eyes, taking another step forward. “Okay, now let her go. I’ve agreed to do what you’ve asked, so there’s no reason to keep her around.”

Shigaraki began tapping one of his fingers against Sakura’s throat, like how an impatient boss would tap their fingers on their desk. “You see, there’s a couple problems with that.”

This caused her breathing rate to increase considerably, and Midoriya’s eyes narrowed further. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you could just be saying you’ll steal One For All, when in reality you’re just lying to save this helpless girl. Let me assure you, if you don’t keep your word, someone will die, someone you care about.” Midoriya could easily tell by the tone in his voice he wasn’t lying. 

“I already know that! I promised, didn’t I?” Midoriya affirmed. “So let her go!”

“Now, for the second problem with that,” Shigaraki continued, and a bead of sweat ran down Sakura’s face. “She’s heard too much. She knows our location, and that you’re trying to steal One For All. Once she’s free, there’s nothing stopping her from telling the heroes and police all about our little meeting.”

Midoriya shook his head. “No, she won’t say anything,” he looked her in the eye, “you won’t say anything, right Sakura?”

She nodded the best she could with Shigaraki’s hand on her neck. It was a pretty feeble assurance, but it was the fastest way Midoriya could think of to save Sakura. 

Shigaraki seemed contemplative for a moment, staring at the floor. Then the corner of his mouth twitched upward in a smile. “Fine, I’ll let her go. But not after making sure she won’t blab to the police.”

Looking back, Midoriya wished he would have identified the threat a lot sooner. 

“What does that mean?” he asked worriedly. 

“You can’t promise she won’t talk, so if I make it so she can’t talk…”

Those last two words seemed to echo in Midoriya’s mind. 

Can’t talk. 

His eyes widened in dread as he realized what Shigaraki meant, and Sakura began hyperventilating as Shigaraki’s fifth finger landed on her tender throat. 

The effect was immediate, and she clenched her eyes shut in pain as her skin chipped away around his fingers. She jerked around, trying to get free from his grasp, but his five fingers held firm on her throat. 

And he was smiling. 

Midoriya rushed forward as quickly as he could. He yanked Shigaraki’s hand off and forcefully kicked him away, causing Shigaraki to tumble across the office floor. He quickly assessed the damage. Though Shigaraki’s quirk had only been in effect for a few seconds, there was already a crater in her throat where her vocal cords would be. 

And your vocal cords are connected to your windpipe, which is how you breathe. 

Sakura had been hyperventilating earlier, which only got worse because she realized her breaths weren’t working. She wasn’t getting enough air into her lungs, because there was a fricking hole in her throat. 

Her eyes started fluttering closed, and Midoriya realized she was about to pass out, probably from a combination of shock and pain and lack of air. 

He drew his dagger and quickly cut all the cloth restraints binding her to the chair. He tied one of said restraints around her neck, so that less air would escape her throat when she tried to breath. 

Shigaraki got back up from the ground. “Hey! What do you think you’re-”

Midoriya ignored him and dashed out of the room with Sakura in his arms, paying no attention to the shooting pain in his left arm and shoulder. There was only one thing his mind could focus on:

I have to get Sakura to the hospital. 

Screw the fact that he was a villain. If she didn’t get medical attention immediately then she could die. 

He sprinted out of the building and out into the street, not even bothering to put his mask or hood on. 

Hospital, hospital, where’s the closest hospital!

The place his mother currently resided popped into his head, having memorized its location. 

I think that’s only ten minutes from here if I run as fast as I can, less if I really push myself. 

He looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. Her life was entirely dependent on him right now. 

Well, you know what they say. Plus ultra. 

He laughed dryly at himself for using UA’s famous catchphrase. 

As he got closer to the hospital, people became more abundant. Of course they did, when could things ever be easy for him? He weaved in between people when he could, when he couldn’t he pushed them out of the way, shouting “move it!” A couple people started cursing at him for being rude, but their words died in their throats when they recognized who he was. 

Midoriya kept an eye out for any patrolling heroes, because then he could have them take Sakura to the hospital. The doctors were much more likely to listen to a competent hero than an elusive villain. 

But he wasn’t able to spot any. 

Of course, they always place hospitals in the safer parts of cities, where there’s less need for hero patrols. 

He ran out into traffic a couple times, causing the cars to blare their horns as they screechingly halted. Midoriya didn’t pay them any mind. Just a couple minutes could mean all the difference. 

At last, the hospital came into view. It had been six minutes. His breathing was ragged at this point, but at least Sakura was still breathing, although it was weak and shaky. 

He bolted across the parking lot and quickly located the entrance to the ER. He burst through the doors, crossed the rather large waiting room in seconds, and arrived at the front desk. 

“Help,” he was so out of breath that was the only word he could utter. 

There were three front desk people, and they all recognized him immediately. Midoriya had lived in this very hospital for a month or so after his suicide attempt. The scar running down his cheek was more than enough for them to identify him. All three receptionists stood up from their chairs and backed away from him nervously, not even casting a glance towards the afflicted girl in his arms. 

Midoriya had regained some of his breath, and he looked at the receptionists desperately. 

“Please, she needs help!” he lifted Sakura up a little, and they finally realized he was holding her. He explained her situation quickly. “Her vocal cords have been disintegrated along with part of her windpipe, and she’s not breathing right. If she doesn’t get medical attention now, she’s going to die!”

One of the receptionists seemed to get over her fear of Midoriya, just a little bit, and she took a step closer to look at the young girl. 

She gasped softly. “That’s Sakura Kobayashi.”

Midoriya nodded. “Her mom’s a nurse here, please, call someone to help her!”

They all hesitated, not doing anything for a good few seconds. Midoriya’s irritation at their inaction burst out of him. 

“CALL SOMEONE TO HELP HER NOW!!” he shouted angrily. “She’s getting closer to death every second and you’re standing there doing nothing!!”

His anger only seemed to freeze them all in silence, still not reaching to do anything. Midoriya looked around desperately. Surrounding him were faces full of fear. Fear of him. He was part of the League of Villains, the group that had successfully attacked UA for the first time in forever, who was behind the Hosu incident and more recently the summer camp and Kamino. It was no wonder they were scared of him. Some people had already fled out the doors, while others seemed to be actively debating it. 

But in his arms was a girl who had still treated him kindly, who wasn’t scared of him. 

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, which he clenched shut. 

“Please,” he begged, voice cracking, “Don’t let her die just because I’m the one who brought her in.”

A young doctor who had been standing by, cautiously observing, remembered why she had pursued her career in the first place. She summoned her courage and began approaching the villain. 

Midoriya heard her footsteps and looked up at her, eyes wide with a couple tears. 

“Explain her condition to me in detail,” she asked in what at least sounded like a calm voice, and she signaled for one of the patient transporters to bring a wheeled stretcher. 

Midoriya nodded firmly and quickly explained. “Her vocal cords are disintegrated, along with some of the area around them, including the windpipe. I tied that cloth around her neck so she could breathe more effectively. It’s been about seven or eight minutes that she hasn’t been breathing properly, and she passed out right after she received the injury. Due to the nature of Shigaraki’s quirk, you don’t have to worry about bleeding because the blood vessels collapse, it’s more the lack of oxygen and ability to breathe that needs to be addressed…”

The doctor seemed smart enough to keep up with Midoriya’s rapid speech. She nodded understandingly at everything he said. 

The patient transporter wheeled the stretcher up to them, eyeing the villain nervously. Midoriya lightly placed Sakura in the wheeled bed and the doctor began quickly walking towards one of the side doors, the transporter following with Sakura. 

When Midoriya started following too, the doctor turned around to address him. 

“Sorry, but you can’t come with us, for obvious reasons,” she explained, which warranted a frown from Midoriya. “We have the tools necessary to help her, so you just have to trust us, okay? We’ll do our absolute best to save her.”

Midoriya’s facial features softened. “Alright, I understand.”

The doctor gave him a final nod, before disappearing through the doors. Midoriya sighed. Sakura was in good hands, so he could relax now. 

But then he realized how much his left arm was burning. It was alight with pain, and he winced. He’d really overdone it carrying Sakura all that distance. He looked down at his arm and rolled up his jacket sleeve, to see that some blood had started to seep through his bandages. He cringed. 

Well that’s not good. 

He contemplated heading back to his apartment, painfully aware of all the frightened stares people were still giving him. 

Then he heard the click of a gun behind him. 

He whipped around, only to find a hospital security guard pointing his gun at him. Midoriya’s mind sharpened as looked for escape routes. The guard licked his lips, Midoriya absentmindedly noted that his tongue was a bright blue, and his knuckles were white as he gripped his gun. 

So he’s nervous. That’s an advantage for me. 

“Did you know that police officers who have 100% accuracy in training only have 50% accuracy on the job,” Midoriya said, his tone much more even than it had been before. “And the average is 30% accuracy.”

The guard stiffened. He looked young, so he probably didn’t have much experience… and a lower accuracy rate. 

But he still managed to speak strongly and clearly. “Put your hands behind your head and-”

Midoriya raced forward, and in the couple seconds it took the guard to register what he was doing, he kicked the gun out of his hand. Using the momentum from the kick, he spun around and punched the guard in the face. 

A person never expects you to attack them in the middle of a sentence. 

The guard staggered back and Midoriya made a break for the exit. 

His tongue was blue, so he has a mutant quirk that can’t stop me as I run. 

“Hey! Stop right there!!” shouted a different voice. Midoriya could hear the footsteps of more security guards arriving as backup. 

A gunshot was fired, but it hit the glass doors Midoriya was running to, proving Midoriya’s earlier point. He burst out of the doors, similar to how he’d entered, and began running across the parking lot. 

But a police car drove in, blocking the way out. Midoriya quickly jumped in between two parked cars to hide. 

Crap, one of the receptionists must’ve called the police while I was talking to the doctor. That’s the only way they’d be able to get here that fast. 

He began running in a different direction through the parking lot to avoid the police car, trying to find a different exit. He heard shouting coming from the ER entrance, so they were probably starting a search for him. More police cars were bound to arrive soon, and then they’d have all his exits blocked. 

Sure enough, when he found another exit, there was already a police car blocking it. 

His brow furrowed as he tried to think of alternate routes out. 

I only have to make it to the street, and from there I can blend in with the people walking. To make it through the street, I have to go through one of the parking lot exits, or else I’ll have to climb the fence. If I climb the fence, I’ll be out in the open and vulnerable, so that’s not a safe choice. 

You know, you could just let them arrest you. Then you’d be getting away from Shigaraki, and wouldn’t have to steal One For All. 

And then I’d go to jail and get treated like some piece of filth who isn’t even worth keeping alive. And… and then Shigaraki would kill everyone I care about. Including Mom. 

His train of thought was broken as he heard two police officers approaching. He dived behind the front end of a car to hide from view. 

“Come on! Let’s go to the edges of the parking lot to try and catch him as he escapes!” one of them suggested a little louder than necessary. No wonder Midoriya was able to hear them coming so early. 

But then a thought occurred to him. 

They’re all expecting me to go outwards to the exits. If I go back to the hospital and wait it out, then eventually the police will leave and I can escape without a hassle. 

And another wonderful thought occurred to him. 

The police guarding Mom have probably left to help with the search. 

With everything going on with the League and stealing One For All, he knew he wouldn’t have time to visit her for a while, if ever. 

He made up his mind. He was going to go visit his mom. It was like killing two birds with one stone. He’d be escaping the police and seeing his mother again. 

So, Midoriya began making his way back in the direction of the hospital. There was one back door the staff always left unlocked as an unspoken rule. He went in that direction, hiding when he heard voices nearby and making sure he was always silent and never out in the open for long. 

After about ten minutes of sneaking around, he located the back door and quickly dashed over to it. He reached out to the handle, desperately hoping it hadn’t been locked due to the news of a villain being around. 

He gripped the handle and lightly pushed down. 

The door opened with a soft click. 

He quietly exhaled in tremendous relief, having a small internal celebration. From here, he knew his way to his mother’s room. Once he memorized the layout of a place it was incredibly hard for him to forget it. 

After another amount of time, sneaking around, hiding from every living breathing thing, and even having to jump into a couple bathrooms or cleaning closets, he arrived at his mother’s door. 

Somehow, this door was even more nerve racking to open than the last one. 

He’d gone even further, crossed even more lines since he’d last seen his mom. What would she think of him now? Would she even recognize him?

He shook his head, dispelling those thoughts. He’d thought those things the last time too, and they’d all been completely irrational. His mom would still love him, no matter what he became. 

So he took a deep breath, and raised his only slightly shaking hand to open the door.

Notes:

Did I create a young girl for Midoriya to talk to just for the sake of Shigaraki disintegrating her later in the story because I didn’t want him to disintegrate one of the canon characters? Yes, yes I did.

And you thought I just liked Midoriya talking to little kids.

This chapter's song is Monsters by All Time Low. It fits with how Midoriya knows the League is ruining his life, but he keeps going back to them anyway (cuz he doesn't really have a choice).

Oh yeah, Sakura can write.

Chapter 45: I Wish

Notes:

Hm, I can't think of anything to say here so uh, enjoy!

Shinso didn’t necessarily like the idea of moving in with 1-A. Just being in the same class as them was already pushing his mental stability. They were just so… loud and extroverted. Especially Kaminari and Mina. Thinking about it too long gave Shinso a headache. 

But if he had to choose between living in dorms with 1-A and leaving UA… now 1-A seemed more tolerable. Todoroki was okay, along with a few of the others. Maybe not Shoji or Tokoyami, they’d given up on saving Midoriya a little too early in Shinso’s opinion. 

That’s where Shinso’s mind went a lot lately, how they’d failed to save Midoriya again, along with some paperwork he still needed to fill out before officially transferring to the hero course. 

When Mr. Aizawa and holy crap All Might had come over to explain UA’s dorm system, Shinso’s little undertaking was brought up. Mr. Aizawa had made it crystal clear that if anything like that was ever attempted again, Shinso would be expelled along with the rest of his collaborators. 

Shinso didn’t regret what he’d done one bit. Midoriya had actually started running towards them. He’d actually tried to leave the League, before that All For One bastard ruined it. 

But still, progress. 

And besides, Shinso knew Mr. Aizawa had a soft spot for him. If he did something stupid to try and save Midoriya again, Mr. Aizawa would never chuck him out of UA, not after all the hard work he’d put into Shinso’s training. 

He yawned as he plopped down onto his couch, and his cat soon curled up next to him. Getting Midoriya out of the League, that was one thing Shinso knew he would do for sure. He didn’t care if his actions were illegal, he was saving people, and that’s what a hero does. 

The teenager flipped on the TV, having nothing better to do. He wanted to stay at least somewhat up to date on all the crazy events going on in the world. 

The last thing he expected to see was a picture of Midoriya’s face along with an aerial view of Musutafu Hospital. 

“Villain Deku Sighted at Hospital Bringing in Injured Girl,” the TV read. 

Shinso leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and his cat meowed softly in protest. 

The heck is he doing in such a public area?

 

Midoriya entered his mother’s room and closed the door quietly behind him. 

She was asleep. He bit his lip. 

Should I wake her up so I can talk to her? Or just let her rest?

He walked up to the side of her bed and sat down in the chair beside it. There was a wheelchair parked in the corner of the room. Things like the TV remote, a help button, her phone, and the light switch were all on the left side of her bed, her right side being paralyzed. 

Midoriya took a hold of her hand. When she didn’t even stir, he assumed that she was sleeping deeply. She had an expression of peace Midoriya wished he could obtain for himself. 

He once again debated waking her up, before deciding against it. She probably worried about him a lot, so sleep was probably hard to come by. He couldn’t disturb her when she was finally getting an escape from the trials of the waking world. 

Besides, even if he did talk to her, what would he say?

“Hey Mom, I’m kinda doing more and more bad things and people are getting hurt because of me. Also, my life is in danger everyday, so I apologize in advance for dying.”

Yeah, right, he couldn’t say something like that. 

Maybe it’s better this way. I get to see her one last time, without having to explain myself. I don’t want her knowing about some of the things I’ve done…

He thought back to the summer camp with a wince. 

But still, there were some things he wanted to tell her. She hadn’t talked to him in months, so she’d probably like to know that he was okay, or at least alive. 

Fine might’ve been more accurate. 

He frowned as he tried to think of a way to communicate these things without waking her up, and he spotted a couple writing utensils conveniently among the things on her left side. 

Well that’ll work. 

He stood up and grabbed a pencil, and found a hopefully not important piece of paper to write on the back of. He rapidly scribbled on the back of it everything he wanted to say, keeping in mind the police would probably find it and read it too. 

“Hi Mom,

Sorry I’m not saying this to you in person, but you were sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you up. I’m still able to walk, breathe, and think, so I’m okay. I’ve injured my left arm and shoulder again, but it’s not that bad. I hope you’re doing okay with your paralysis, and that your stutter has gotten better. 

I don’t think I’ll be able to talk to you for a while. Shigaraki has big plans, and they require me. I wish-”

Midoriya’s hand trembled, and he paused writing for a second. Waves of emotion started crashing down on his mind. Everything he wished to do and everything he couldn’t found its way into his head. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued shakily. 

“I wish I could come back to you. I wish I could talk to Uraraka and Shinso from UA, or maybe Iida. They’ve been nice to me. I wish-”

He paused again as a teardrop landed on the paper.

“I wish I could be friends with them.”

He took a shaky breath as he stared down at the words. They were the truth. It had taken him so long to realize that. 

“But I can’t come back to you. I can’t do any of those things.”

A second teardrop joined the first one. 

“If I leave the League or disobey orders, then Shigaraki or All For One will target you along with the other people I mentioned. That’s how Sakura got hurt. I’m trapped. 

I’m sorry for causing you so much pain. Thank you for always loving me, even though I’ve done lots of bad things now. I hope you continue to recover well. 

Love, Izuku”

He wiped his tears off of his damp face, and tried to dry the parts of the paper that had gotten wet. No amount of hate or anger could teach his eyes not to spout water when his emotions took hold. 

He left the note on the left side of her bed, before plopping back down in the chair next to her. As he looked at her peaceful face, he took the time to reflect on the events that had just happened. 

Shigaraki hurt Sakura as a threat to me. He knows I’ll leave if he hurts me, but if he threatens to hurt others, then it’s different. Then he has me stuck in the League because of my unwillingness to be the cause of death for others. 

Midoriya clenched his fist. 

Either way, people get hurt. He’s using my moral code against me, and has grown better at manipulating. 

Heated anger rose in his chest. 

But he’s forgotten one important thing. I would much rather get hurt myself than watch someone else get hurt. Harming others will force me out of the League even quicker than if he hurt me. 

Midoriya felt his hidden dagger under his jacket. He always had it on him, just in case. 

I’ll make sure he knows never to harm someone I care about again. He should’ve stuck to threats instead of hurting Sakura for no reason. 

He glanced at the clock on the wall, and saw that it had been around an hour since the search began. He’d put a lot of emotional energy and time into writing that note, combined with all the sneaking around he’d had to do, the end of the search was probably nearing.

But still, it couldn’t hurt to wait a little while longer. He realized this would be a great time to change the bandages on his arm and shoulder, taking advantage of the hospital medical supplies rather than the cheap stuff he bought at the convenience store. 

That’d probably take him about twenty minutes, by then the search would definitely be over. 

So then, he just had to hope that nobody would come to his mother’s room while he was waiting… 

 

Tsukauchi sighed as he looked over his notes from the last few questionings. Most of them described Midoriya as this intimidating villain, while only a few mentioned how he seemed genuinely concerned for the girl he’d brought in. 

Sakura Kobayashi, Age: 11, Quirk: Photographic Memory, Tsukauchi recited in his brain. 

The doctors were almost finished treating her injuries. She was going to survive, but not without severe damage to her vocal chords and some breathing difficulties. The latter could be solved with more medical treatment and time, but the former… not so much. She would have to learn sign language to communicate. 

Tsukauchi needed to find the connection between her and Midoriya. He already knew Nurse Kobayashi, Sakura’s mother, didn’t like Midoriya at all, but he needed more information. What exactly caused Sakura to be taken away from the hospital, injured, and then carried back by Midoriya? Had she been targeted? Why was Midoriya bringing her back when he would be exposing himself?

Well, Tsukauchi already knew the answer to that last one: Midoriya couldn’t let anyone die because of him. Which was exactly why he didn’t belong in the League and why the police had to find him. 

But the search wasn’t going very well, in fact they hadn’t found anything. It was like he’d disappeared without a trace. 

Tsukauchi frowned and tapped his pencil agitatedly on his notepad. Where else could he have gone? They’d blocked off the exits very quickly, so he had to be trapped somewhere in the parking lot. Unless he was actually that fast? No, that wasn’t possible. So why couldn’t they find him when they were scouring every square inch of the parking lot?

Wait… unless he wasn’t in the parking lot. 

It hit Tsukauchi like a bag of bricks. 

He’s not in the parking lot!

That was the only explanation.

We’re not searching close to the hospital, so if he’s here then we’d never know. Taking into account that his mother hasn’t been relocated yet, there’s a good chance he’s with her.

He rapidly walked over to the elevator. Takeo spotted his movement and ran up next to him as he waited for the elevator. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Takeo asked with a concerned tone, his golden eyes narrowed. 

Of all the police that had arrived, Takeo had been the only one to stay behind at the hospital with Tsukauchi, for a few reasons. One, Tsukauchi knew that he was rather hot-headed when it came to villains, and his last altercation with Midoriya hadn’t gone the best. Second, his slight regeneration quirk wasn’t very useful in searching for people, especially compared to Kiyomi’s x-ray vision quirk. 

Lastly, Takeo had quite a strong presence, with his tall stature and dark brown hair that stuck upwards. That was just what the people in this hospital needed, a figure to look at to remind them that everything was gonna be okay. 

Tsukauchi leaned in closer to Takeo so that the surrounding people couldn’t hear what he said. “I think Midoriya may be in his mother’s room.”

Takeo’s eyebrows raised slightly, and the elevator doors opened with a ding. 

“What makes you think that?” Takeo asked quietly, stepping into the elevator with Tsukauchi despite his questioning. 

Once the elevator doors closed, Tsukauchi continued. “We blocked off all the exits very quickly, meaning Midoriya had to be trapped in the parking lot. But they’ve searched it thoroughly, and haven’t been able to find him. That means he either escaped without us noticing, which is unlikely, or-”

“He came back to the hospital,” Takeo finished, eyes narrowing again. 

Tsukauchi nodded as the elevator rose to the floor Inko was on. 

“I don’t want you doing anything reckless,” Tsukauchi warned. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know…” Takeo grumbled. 

“Things didn’t go so well between you and Midoriya the last time. I want you to keep a level head this time, okay?”

Takeo frowned for a moment, before nodding. Tsukauchi knew that was all he’d be able to get out of him. 

The elevator arrived at Inko’s floor, and the two men set off for her room. 

 

Midoriya pulled his black jacket on over his newly wrapped bandages. He’d taken some pain medication to help with the ache, and nabbed the rest of the little pills for later. It was hard to get quality health care as a villain. 

He stood up from his chair and bade his sleeping mother goodbye. He had to push down his tears again as he walked to the door. Who knew when he’d see her again? With everything going on with the League and having to steal One For All, Midoriya didn’t know how much further he would have to go before meeting her again. 

He suppressed these feelings. He had to endure them and stay with the League or else people would die. 

He must not have suppressed his emotions hard enough though, because he didn’t even check the hallway for people as he exited his mother’s room. 

He hurriedly looked up from the ground as soon as he realized his mistake, and sure enough, there was a young nurse just a few feet away from him, stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at him fearfully. Midoriya tensed, and they stayed like that for a couple seconds, just staring at each other. 

Before the nurse turned tail and sprinted down the hall. 

She’s going to tell everyone that I’m here. 

Midoriya darted forward without much thought and closed the distance between them in a couple seconds. He forcefully pinned her to the wall, drawing his dagger and putting it at her throat. It was second nature at this point, to immobilize someone who was a threat. He barely even thought about it before his body just moved to ensure his safety.

But now there was a terrified face staring at him, fearing for her life. Midoriya’s expression softened from the cold and calculating thing it had been before. 

“Please,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

A hint of confusion clouded her eyes. 

“How about this? I’ll let you go, and you don’t tell anyone I’m here,” Midoriya suggested. 

She didn’t have a chance to respond before they heard footsteps bounding in their direction. Midoriya released the young nurse and bolted the second he saw Tsukauchi and Takeo round the corner. 

“Midoriya!! Get back here!” Tsukauchi called, running past the relieved nurse. 

“Since when has that line ever worked!?” Midoriya responded as he went around a corner, out of sight. 

Tsukauchi followed quickly. “You could be the first, if you wanted to!”

“No thanks!”

He could hear Takeo shouting into his handheld radio that they’d found the villain Deku. 

I have to get out. To the roof, maybe. Then I can run away over the rooftops. 

He remembered the pathway they’d taken to and from the rooftop the last time he came to visit his mom, and directed his steps in that direction. He spared a glimpse behind him, and saw Takeo reaching for his gun. 

“No, no firearms,” Tsukauchi ordered. “We’re in a hospital.”

Takeo took his hand off his gun with a “tch.”

Midoriya was faster than them, and the two police started to struggle to keep up. Tsukauchi clenched his fists as he ran. 

“Your mother is worried about you!” he shouted. 

Midoriya gave a small laugh, not being out of breath at all, although his left arm and shoulder were hurting quite a bit. “You finally figured out that you can’t catch me by running, have you? So you’re trying to convince me with sentimental words!””

“They’re not just words! People are genuinely worried about you, and not just your mom! Uraraka, Iida and Shinso too, even Yaoyorozu questioned why you were a villain!”

Midoriya’s face fell and he frowned at the floor. Those were the people who had come to save him and Bakugo from the League. People he wanted to be friends with. 

“After Kamino, Bakugo looked close to tears because they hadn’t rescued you. Heck, even All Might has been calling for updates on your case!”

Normally, those two names would’ve caused an uprising of anger in Midoriya, but with the way things had been going, he felt more surprised than anything. Maybe he’d already spent all his emotions for the day, or the anger he did have was reserved for Shigaraki hurting Sakura. 

He was getting close to the roof now, and Tsukauchi called out again. “Midoriya, the League isn’t where you belong! Come back, not just for your sake, but for all the people who care about you!”

But that was exactly why he couldn’t leave. 

“No.”

“Why not!?”

Midoriya burst open the door to the roof. 

“Because if I leave, then all those people will get killed.”

Truth. 

Midoriya ran out to the edge of the rooftop, and Tsukauchi’s eyes widened in understanding. He climbed up onto the short brick wall that lined the edge of the roof, the same one he’d been sitting on when he’d first met Sakura. He hesitated before jumping to the adjacent building. 

“Don’t tell me, Shigaraki has threatened everyone you know if you leave the League,” Tsukauchi guessed. He already knew his mother had been threatened, but everyone? That seemed a bit excessive. 

Midoriya watched as the two police ran across the roof to try and capture him. 

“I wish I could come with you. I really do.”

Truth. 

He jumped away before Takeo could seize him. 

“Dammit!” Takeo shouted. He’d kept quiet the entire time they’d been chasing him, and he just couldn’t keep it in any longer. “You filthy villain!! Don’t you care about who you might hurt?!”

“Takeo, stop.” Tsukauchi pulled him away from the edge of the roof. “If he leaves the League, people will get hurt.”

Takeo turned towards him, seething. “But what about all the people who’ll get hurt if he stays, huh? What about all those innocent lives?!”

“Either way, no matter what he does, people will get hurt,” Tsukauchi looked at the distant form of Midoriya running over the rooftops. “He’s stuck.”

Takeo scoffed. “We could just set up a guard around whoever the League might target. Nobody’s in danger if he leaves.”

“We can’t guarantee their safety, and don’t pretend like we can.”

That warranted another scoff from Takeo, but at least he was calming down. Tsukauchi looked back in Midoriya’s direction. He had already run so far he was barely identifiable. 

We haven’t given up on you yet. 

 

Oh, Midoriya hadn’t felt this mad in a while. Even against Bakugo and All Might, this type of rage was new. 

Shigaraki had hurt Sakura for no reason. He’d promised to get One For All, and he’d still hurt her. He should’ve stuck to threats if he wanted his control over Midoriya to be absolute. Because now Midoriya was more angry about Sakura getting hurt than worried about others getting hurt. 

He certainly had some words for Shigaraki. 

Midoriya slammed open the door to the old office building. He stomped inside, making his presence blatantly obvious. 

He thought the entire League was there, but didn’t care to check because the target of his anger turned in his chair to look at him. 

“Took you long enough to get here,” Shigaraki complained. “Don’t you know how to read? I sent you that text telling you to be here over an hour ago!”

“I’m not here because of whatever stupid text you sent me,” Midoriya replied hotly as he marched up to Shigaraki. “You hurt Sakura just because you wanted to, even though I’d already promised to get One For All!”

“Oh, that little brat you took to the hospital, which risked you getting captured and sent to jail,” Shigaraki drawled. “What a smart decision. Especially since you have to complete Master’s task.”

Midoriya was right in front of Shigaraki now, glaring at him with a venomous rage. 

“I’ll get One For All,” he spat. “But know this. If you so much as lay a finger on anyone I care about, I’m out. I won’t be doing your dirty work anymore. Threats only work if you follow through with them on certain conditions.”

Shigaraki returned the glare with a murderous hatred. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I understand that if I leave the League, you’ll hurt those I care about, but if you hurt them before I’ve even done anything wrong, then your threats are meaningless,” Midoriya explained. “Hurt me all you want, but the second you hurt others without a cause, I’m ditching you and your miserable League.”

With that, he turned away, leaving the rest of the League to stare at him stupidly. 

Shigaraki seethed with malice. “How dare you speak to me that way!?”

Midoriya ignored him and took another step towards the exit. 

“You know what? I think it’s those so-called friends of yours. Getting close to those idiotic UA students, they’ve made you think you actually have a future outside of this place!” Shigaraki exclaimed. 

Midoriya paused in his walk to the door. 

Shigaraki went to stand up from the chair he was in, and rested his palm and four fingers on the desk next to him to push himself up. 

“Maybe I should take Master’s advice and pay a visit to your mother, to teach you a lesson.”

Midoriya snapped. 

He drew his dagger and was in Shigaraki’s face in less than a second, too fast for Kurogiri to react. He stabbed the black dagger into the desk, right in between Shigaraki’s middle and ring finger. Shigaraki froze. 

“How many fingers would I have to cut off for you to be quirkless?”

His words dripped with venom, and he almost seemed to enjoy uttering the threat. Shigaraki’s eyes widened. 

Midoriya tilted his head, his expression cold and unfeeling. His eyes held a darkness Shigaraki didn’t know he was capable of possessing. 

“Just two,” Midoriya answered for him. 

He started pushing the hilt down towards the desk, causing the blade to cut into Shigaraki’s middle finger. A few drops of blood trickled onto the desk. 

“Just two little cuts, and you’d be just like me.”

The League was watching with wide eyes. They’d never expect Deku to do something as audacious as this. 

Midoriya pulled his dagger from the desk and sheathed it. He resumed his walk to the door and left without another word, and nobody tried to stop him. 

Shigaraki was left stunned for a moment more, before becoming manically angry and wishing to curse Midoriya off the planet. Kurogiri eventually quelled this ramage, but not after multiple items had gotten disintegrated. 

Midoriya had decided to head back to his apartment in Yokohama. 

Shigaraki will probably arrange the details of stealing One For All. I’ll just wait for him to text me my orders. 

A sickening feeling of guilt and fear rose up in his stomach when he thought about what he’d have to do. 

I wish I’d never become a villain.

Notes:

I will just say, writing that last bit was very enjoyable.

This chapter's song is Miracle by The Score. Fits very well. Has to do with Midoriya's degrading mental state and how he's running out of time before it all goes to heck.

Just to whet your appetites a bit, the next chapter is arguably the most important chapter in this entire fic.

Chapter 46: Cross the Line

Notes:

Yes the chapter title is the same as the fic. Yes it's because this is the most important chapter. No further questions.

You'll be glad to know that I avoided a terrible cliffhanger. There was a certain way I imagined the chapter ending, and to get to that ending the chapter is now about 1k words longer than average, so you're welcome haha.

Oh yeah and the rating is M now. This chapter just kinda pushed it over from T. Hopefully that's enough warning for you.

Shigaraki had just texted the plan for stealing One For All, and Midoriya did not like it. He did not want to follow through with it at all, not that he had a choice. 

Well, as All For One would say, he did have a choice, but it was more of just choosing who would die first: those he cared for or innocent bystanders. 

Midoriya felt completely and utterly trapped. No matter what he chose, the end result would be the same.

Earlier, Shigaraki had texted him asking how he planned on convincing All Might to give up One For All. There was only one method that was sure to work, and Shigaraki would see the weaknesses in any other plan. So Midoriya had responded with the obvious answer. 

“I’ll have to threaten the life of another person if he doesn’t give it to me.”

His stomach had churned while he typed the words, and as he read the plan Shigaraki had created the sickening feeling only grew. 

The other members of the League were to stir up trouble around the area where All Might lived, and of course the number one hero would rush to help, no matter his limits. During the two minutes he could still maintain his muscle form, the League would lead him further away into a quieter part of town. Once his two minutes were up, Midoriya would approach him with his hostage and acquire One For All. 

Shigaraki had made this last part very clear: Midoriya was to threaten the hostage with a gun. 

Midoriya could understand why. With a dagger, he could cut their throat in a way that only hurt them but didn’t kill them. But with a gun, it was quick and final. No way to cheat death. 

It showed how much Shigaraki still didn’t trust Midoriya, even though everyone he cared about was being threatened. 

He had also asked why Twice couldn’t just make a clone that he could threaten instead of an actual person. Shigaraki had said All Might would be able to tell whether the person was real or not by Midoriya’s behavior. 

Midoriya also thought Shigaraki just wanted to push his morals to the breaking point and watch them shatter with delight. 

The only person who could pull something like this off was Midoriya. His emotional intelligence, knowing what to say and do to get people to act how he wanted them to, his manipulation is what was needed. His negative relationship with All Might also made him that much more valuable. 

But how he wished he didn’t have to. 

Midoriya collapsed onto his bed, and before he knew it he was crying. This time, he couldn’t stop the flood of emotions. 

No matter what direction he turned, there was blood on his hands. He felt completely lost. He had no idea what was good or bad, right or wrong. His moral compass was spinning in circles and the needle always pointed to evil. He knew what he was doing was wrong. 

But he couldn’t escape. 

He was going to have to kill someone, or be the cause of someone’s death. That final line he’d been trying to avoid all this time, the League had just been pushing him closer and closer to it. 

He felt like he was chained to having to murder. 

Him just existing caused people to die. 

Maybe it’d be better if I wasn’t alive at all. 

At first the thought surprised him, but then as he thought about it more, he realized he agreed with it. 

If he died, he wouldn’t have to steal One For All, and then Shigaraki wouldn’t murder anyone with it. Shigaraki also wouldn’t have to kill any of Midoriya’s friends because he’d be dead. There’s no point in punishing a dead man for not following through on his word. 

The first time he’d attempted suicide, it was because he was useless and felt pointless. He’d had no future. No goals, no dreams. No hope. And it wasn’t like anyone would’ve cared anyway, except his mom. He was just a quirkless loser that nobody would miss. 

But now, if he died people’s lives would be better. People would celebrate. Now, he did have a future, but it was filled with death and murder. He wasn’t useless anymore, but his skills were being put to ending innocent lives. He had hope in death. 

Suddenly, his black daggers were looking very appealing. 

The stubborn part of his mind fought back, and he grabbed his daggers and shoved them into his yellow backpack so they were out of sight. In doing so, something at the bottom of the bag caught his eye. 

His old All Might figure. 

After moving to Yokohama, he’d gone back to his apartment to collect his things. He’d grabbed the All Might figure too, as the last connection to his former life. But here it was, forgotten at the bottom of his bag. 

He reached in to pick it up, and as he withdrew his hand one of the daggers he’d shoved in grazed the back of his hand. Not that he cared. 

He looked at his old toy, and memories of play and heroic dreams surfaced in his mind. They were supposed to be happy memories, but now they just caused pain and sadness. They just reminded him of how far he’d fallen from the dreaming boy he used to be. 

The perfect figure of All Might, smiling fearlessly. Midoriya had wiped that smile off his face and broken that symbol. Now it was his job to break him beyond repair. Steal his power and leave him crippled, never to help anyone again. 

To make it even worse, that power would then be used to hurt people. Hero society would crumble after that kind of shift in strength. The amount of deaths Midoriya would be responsible for, his hands would be drenched in blood. 

But even if he refused to go along with Shigaraki’s plan, saving those people, he’d only be sacrificing the lives of others. Of those he cared about. 

Just being alive caused other people to die. So wouldn’t it be better to sacrifice himself for their sakes?

His grip tightened on the All Might figure as he clenched his jaw in frustration. He squeezed his eyes shut as more tears surfaced, and anger flooded his mind. 

It was a rage at himself and his stupidity. 

You reap what you sow. Are you going to be satisfied with a life full of sadness and anger? is what he had questioned himself when first joining the League. 

And here he was. Reaping his sadness and anger. 

He flung the figurine at the wall, and as it collided with the hard, unforgiving surface, it broke into pieces. The different limbs clattered to the floor of his windowless apartment. Now he just had to do the same thing to the real symbol of peace. 

He sat on his bed again, hands over his face, and a fresh wave of tears erupted. 

He thought about the atrocities he was about to commit, and his hands trembled violently when he realized what they’d have to do. The splintered All Might in front of him didn’t help. 

I never should’ve become a villain. 

But it had taken him too long to realize it. 

 

Tsukauchi re-read the note Midoriya had left for his mom. It wasn’t the original, of course. That one the police had left to disintegrate in Inko’s tears. The one Tsukauchi had was a copy. 

Some of the writing had been smudged by what Tsukauchi could only assume were tears, but there was still some important information highlighted in the note. 

“I’m still able to walk, breathe, and think, so I’m okay. I’ve injured my left arm and shoulder again, but it’s not that bad.”

When Tsukauchi had chased Midoriya through the hospital, he hadn’t been able to see any injuries because of the black jacket the villain had been wearing. He hadn’t seen any visible signs of discomfort from Midoriya either. He was just that good at concealing his pain. 

Though Tsukuachi hated to admit it, this was a weak spot the police could exploit. If they knew his left side wasn’t functioning as well, then that was an area they could target. 

“I wish I could come back to you. I wish I could talk to Uraraka and Shinso from UA, or maybe Iida. They’ve been good to me. I wish I could be friends with them.”

Now this was very important. He didn’t mention anything good about the League, or any positive reasons as to why he’s staying with them. Instead, he only talks about things he wishes he could do outside of the League. 

It only proved Tsukauchi’s hunch: Midoriya had grown unhappy in the League and wanted to leave, unlike the last time they’d met and when he’d insisted on staying. 

“If I leave the League or disobey orders, then Shigaraki or All For One will target you along with those other people I mentioned. That’s how Sakura got hurt. I’m trapped.”

This was arguably the most important piece of information in the note. It proved that the only reason Midoriya was staying with the League was because the people he cared about were being threatened. This could be used to lessen his sentence. 

But it also presented a very large problem: how could they get Midoriya out of the League? If the people he knew were being threatened with death, then he would never leave the League. He couldn’t let something like what happened with Sakura happen again. 

Tsukauchi sighed and rested his forehead in his palm as he tried to think of a way to save this reckless teenager. 

There was always setting up a guard or moving the targets, which he had already spoken to All Might about. That would probably work, but then again, this was the League of Villains. The police nor the heroes could guarantee their safety. 

On top of that, Midoriya wasn’t very trusting of heroes. He wouldn’t have confidence that they’d actually be able to protect those he cared about. Even if they promised to set up a guard, he wouldn’t come because of that mistrust. 

So, how could they get him to trust heroes again?

That was a question Tsukauchi couldn’t answer, and he could only hope the solution would come soon, because if it didn’t, there wouldn’t be much of a person in Midoriya left to save. 

“Detective!” Sansa shouted into Tsukauchi’s office, breaking him from his thoughts, “There’s been an incident, walking distance from UA, and reports say it’s the League!”

The detective sprung up from his seat. “The League?! What are they doing stirring up trouble right after All For One’s arrest!?”

That was what Tsukauchi said out loud. In his head it was more along the lines of:

If the League is there then maybe Midoriya is there. 

He’d have to think of the solution on the fly. 

“Let’s go!”

 

The hostage was thrust to the ground in front of him, wrists and ankles bound, mouth gagged. Midoriya had to keep himself from taking a step out to catch her before she hit the ground. 

She was a woman, dressed formally, rather petite with light blue hair that matched her eyes. She worked as a pharmacist in a nearby grocery store, and Dabi and Spinner had nabbed her on the way to her car. 

The three villains, Dabi, Spinner and Midoriya, were laying in wait in an alleyway, waiting for Twice, Toga, and Magne to do their job of luring All Might near their location. 

“What’s her quirk?” Midoriya asked, running his eyes over the hostage. If she had some secretly powerful quirk and unleashed it on him, it wouldn’t be good. 

Dabi shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

“I believe it has something to do with her blood,” Spinner helpfully interjected. “It’s light blue, like her hair and eyes.”

“Ah, okay.” That didn’t answer his question fully, but was good enough. Besides, if she did end up killing him, that was alright. 

“Here’s the gun,” Spinner said as he pulled out a 38 revolver from one of his baggy pockets. “It’s one of Mustard’s old guns that he left behind.”

Midoriya took the gun with a grim expression, and the woman eyed it fearfully. It fit clumsily in his hand. He wasn’t used to using weapons like this. 

“It’ll get the job done,” Dabi said, watching for All Might. 

Spinner grumbled to himself. “I still think swords are better.”

Midoriya didn’t comment because their target stumbled into view. He was looking very worn down, in his weakened form, with scuffs and bruises all over him. He had multiple cuts across his face and on his arms, most likely from Toga. As he got closer to the villains, they could hear his ragged breathing and clearly see his staggered steps. 

Spinner’s grumbling continued. “I don’t think Stain would approve of this. He admired All Might as a true hero.”

“He’s not much of a hero now,” Dabi noted dully, already walking away. All Might collapsed in an alleyway near them. “That’s your cue, Deku. Shigaraki wants you back at the hideout as soon as you’re done.”

Midoriya nodded and Spinner started running after Dabi, and they soon disappeared from view. The League had changed their hideout location from the dusty office to an abandoned shed as soon as Shigaraki realized Sakura could still write information to the police. 

Midoriya looked down at the hostage. Her life was in his hands now, and the terrified look on her face proved she knew it. Midoriya’s expression melted a bit. 

“I’m sorry,” he said genuinely, and her face didn’t change, “but it’s either you or everyone I care about. And if All Might cooperates, then you have nothing to worry about.”

There was now a tint of confusion in her face at how he was treating her so nicely, but it quickly switched back to terrified as Midoriya hoisted her up off the ground. He vaguely noted how cold she was, probably quirk related. It was a little difficult to walk her over to All Might without being seen or heard because her ankles were tied, but he managed it. The two soon approached the entrance to the alleyway All Might was in. 

Midoriya took a deep breath and pushed all his emotions deep down until his brain was numb with unfeeling. With the hand that wasn’t holding the hostage, he readied the gun with a soft click. 

The sound caught All Might’s attention and he looked in the direction of the quiet street. 

Midoriya stepped into his view with the hostage and raised the gun to her head. 

“Hello, All Might. I’m here to make a bargain.”

He managed to keep all emotion out of his voice and mind as he said this. Damn, he didn’t even feel like himself. 

All Might’s eyes widened in pure shock. “Midoriya!” 

He started clambering up onto his feet, but stopped when Midoriya said, “No, don’t come near me. Stay right where you are.”

All Might noticed the gun in Midoriya’s hand for the first time, and he froze, eyes widening further. He slumped back down, back against the alleyway wall. His brow furrowed slightly, and a bit of confusion and worry clouded his face. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, and he saw the hope in the hostage’s eyes at the sight of him. The boy he’d met on the rooftop would never threaten an innocent life like this. 

“I told you, I’m here to make a bargain,” Midoriya repeated, knowing full well that All Might was actually reffering to the hostage. 

“Fine. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, so long as you let her go,” All Might replied with a hint of fear. 

Midoriya pursed his lips, and quietly said, “you might wanna hear the other end of the deal first.”

All Might’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And what’s that?”

“You have to give me One For All.”

Whatever the retired pro had been expecting, it wasn’t that. All Might stared dumbly at the kid, trying to process his words. It took a good few seconds to even formulate a response. 

“How do you know about that!?” he exclaimed, leaning forward. Midoriya’s grip on the gun tightened, and All Might froze again. The villain was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second, having to threaten someone like this. 

I need to get this over with quickly. 

“It doesn’t matter how I found out,” Midoriya finally replied. “What matters is that you give it to me, or else this woman  dies.”

There was the faintest bit of hesitation in that threat. 

All Might lowered his head. “It was All For One, wasn’t it? He told you about my power, and now he wants you to bring it to him.”

Midoriya didn’t reply, and the former pro looked up at the hostage’s frightened face. He couldn’t allow her to die, but he couldn’t let One For All fall into the League’s hands. They would kill innumerable people with his power, which was meant to protect. No, he couldn’t give up his quirk, but then what to do about the hostage?

He watched Midoriya’s face, and saw his expression was cold and unfeeling, with a mercilessness capable of murder. But as he peered into his eyes, there was a dying ember of hope left. A speck of the boy he used to be.

The part of him that wanted to be a hero - no, that was capable of being a hero, it was almost gone. 

But not yet. 

And if this boy still had a sliver of that dream left inside of him, then there was no way he’d ever kill a person. 

“I’m sorry, but I cannot give you One For All,” he said firmly, and Midoriya’s aloof expression faltered. 

“But then she’ll die!” he exclaimed, and the fear was blatant on the woman’s face. 

“If my quirk is given to the League, it’ll be used for horrible things. All those deaths would be my fault for allowing my quirk to be stolen. You have to understand,” All Might looked Midoriya dead in the eye, “besides, you have too big of a heart to follow through with a death threat.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened. 

“Ya know, there’s a certain glint in a person’s eyes when they’re serious ‘bout a death threat. You ain’t got the glint, kid.”

And he still didn’t. 

But he had to do this. 

“I refuse to give you my quirk.”

That was his cue. He had to kill her, or else Shigaraki would kill his mom and his friends. Either way people died, and this was the way he had chosen. 

His hand tightened on the gun, and a bit of uncertainty came across All Might’s face. He felt the trigger under his finger. 

Just pull it! 

He willed it so badly, but he couldn’t bring his finger to move. He could feel the fear emanating from his victim.

Why is this so hard? Just kill her!

The dying ember fought back. 

No. It’s wrong. 

You’ve already betrayed everyone you care about. You lied to their faces, and then broke that one birdbrain’s hand! You’ve permanently injured a pro, you assisted in all the deaths at Kamino, and you’re part of a criminal organization that has killed hundreds of people! 

Midoriya cringed and clenched his eyes shut as every bad thing he’d done came flooding into his head. 

Honestly, murder isn’t that big of leap compared to what you’ve already done. It’s just one more line to cross. 

His finger pushed against the trigger, but didn’t pull it all the way. 

Just DO it!!

He tried so hard, he put every bit of his willpower into pulling the trigger, but when he knew it would be ending a person’s life, he hesitated. 

He wanted to protect people. Save people. 

Be a hero. 

Not a villain. 

PULL IT!

He tried again, but the boy he used to be wouldn’t let him. He wouldn’t murder, he couldn’t. 

Because that’s not what a hero does. 

CROSS THE LINE!

“NO!”

He dropped the gun and released the hostage. He fell to his knees as the gun clattered on the cement. Relief spread across All Might’s features as the woman fell to the ground, unharmed. 

Midoriya saw the bindings still holding the woman’s wrists and ankles, and he felt the same urge to save people that had stopped him from killing her. He drew his black dagger, to which the woman and All Might had eyed fearfully at first, but they relaxed when he started using it to cut her bindings. 

“Get out of here,” he told her once he finished. 

She ran away without a word, even though the gag had been removed from her mouth. 

The weight of what he’d just done came crashing down on his shoulders. 

By not killing her I’ve just killed my mom and 1-A. 

Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes. 

I’ve essentially murdered everyone I care about, unless I can still get All Might to give up his quirk. 

He squeezed his eyes shut as more tears started flowing.

And then, even if I do get One For All, Shigaraki will use it to kill even more people. I might’ve let the hostage go, but people’s blood will still be on my hands. 

His flooded eyes landed on the 38 revolver on the alleyway floor. 

If only I wasn’t alive. 

He grabbed the gun, and confusion replaced the relief on All Might’s face. That confusion then shifted to horror as Midoriya raised the tip of the gun to his own head. 

“Just let me die,” he sobbed, the tears gushing out of his eyes at this point. “No matter what I do, people will die. It’d just be better for everyone if I wasn’t alive.”

All Might’s eyes widened and he leaned forward towards the teen. “No! That’s not true!”

“You don’t understand,” Midoriya continued, finger tightening on the trigger, “If I don’t get One For All, Shigaraki is gonna kill everyone I care about. If I do get One For All, he’s going to kill other people with it. It’ll all be my fault.”

The hand holding the gun trembled. 

“I’m a murderer no matter what I do.”

All Might tried getting closer to the teenager, but he squeezed the gun in warning, saying not to get any closer. Midoriya broke out in sobs, and his cheeks were damp with tears. All Might felt his own eyes starting to well up. 

Tsukauchi, Shinso, Uraraka, Bakugo, and even Iida had done their parts of convincing Midoriya to come back. 

Now it was All Might’s turn. 

He saw the teen’s finger grow tighter on the trigger, and his whole body was shaking with sobs. When Midoriya spoke, his voice was cracked and hopeless. 

“I’d rather die than be the cause of other people’s deaths.”

All Might’s eyes widened. 

“I’d rather sacrifice myself, if it means saving the lives of others.”

And that’s when All Might felt what he’d been searching for at UA: a special thread of connection. 

“When I meet my successor, when I finally choose who to pass this great power onto, I just expect to… feel something. Like some connection or special bond between me and them.”

He looked at the crying boy before him, and saw that he’d rather take his own life than have to hurt others, because his heart couldn’t bear it. His desire to help people was so strong, not even being a villain could quell it. 

He was a hero forced into the shoes of a villain by circumstances out of his control. And now being a villain had broken him. 

“Just let me die,” Midoriya said, voice no louder than a whisper. He bowed his head and closed his eyes in an attempt to hold back some of the tears, so he flinched when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up and met eyes with All Might’s bright blue. 

“No, I won’t let a bright young boy like you die,” he said softly. “I’ll give you One For All.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise, and his grip on the gun loosened. 

“Even after being a villain for so long, you still refuse to kill. You have such a big heart, such a desire to save people, that hurting others hurts you just as much,” All Might slowly lifted his hand to take the gun while Midoriya stared at him wide eyed. “You have the heart of a hero, my boy, which is why I’m willing to pass on my quirk.”

He gently removed the gun from Midoriya’s hand, and placed it out of his reach. 

Midoriya stared at him. “But…” he hesitated, before pointing dumbly at himself. “Me?”

A clear message was communicated through his tone. 

Me? The kid who exposed your true form to 1-A, guilt tripped you, works for your enemy, tried to steal your power, and almost killed someone? Of all the people you could choose, you choose ME?

All Might smiled. “Yes, you.”

Midoriya stared for a moment more, before bursting into tears once again. He really had an unlimited amount of them. 

“B-but people will die,” he cried, “I have to g-give it t-to Shigaraki, and who knows what awful things- and All For One! He’ll end up g-getting it and the villains will have a huge advantage o-over the heroes… people are going to get hurt! Because of you and me! What are you thinking giving it to me?”

All Might didn’t stop smiling while Midoriya rambled, and it was a real smile, not one of his fake ones. 

“I trust you,” All Might said simply, which caused Midoriya to stare at him incredulously. “You’ve proven I can trust you because of everything you just said. You’re always looking out for the safety of other people, no matter what situation you’re in.”

Midoriya looked down at the ground sadly. “The last time people trusted me, I betrayed them and broke one of their hands.”

“Yes, well, I trust you’ll choose to do what’s right this time.”

Midoriya frowned. “Choice? I don’t have a choice. No matter what I do, people die.” His voice cracked at that last word. 

“You do have a choice,” All Might said firmly, not in the silky way All For One said it. “You can choose to leave. Turn yourself into the police!”

Midoriya’s frown deepened. “No. If I do that, Shigaraki will kill everyone I care about.”

“No, we’ll protect them. I’ve talked with Tsukauchi. We can set up a guard around everyone Shigaraki could target. UA is becoming a boarding school, so your… friends from 1-A will be protected there. We can move your mother. Everyone will be safe!”

Midoriya broke eye contact. “The world of heroes has only disappointed me so far. How do I know this time will be any different?”

All Might reached up to put his hands on Midoriya’s shoulders, but upon seeing bandages poking out from under his jacket on his left side, he chose to only make contact on the right shoulder. 

Midoriya looked back up at All Might when he felt his hand on his shoulder. 

“I promise that the police and heroes will do everything in their power to protect those you love. You’re right, heroes have only failed you in the past, so this is our chance to make it up.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly, but he still didn’t look convinced. He watched as All Might picked up his discarded black dagger and cut the palm of his hand. 

“Either way, I’m giving you my quirk,” he said confidently. “Now you just have to choose if you’ll let the League keep using you and keep hurting people, or if you’ll let go of all your hatred and do what’s right.”

Midoriya’s expression softened, and of course his eyes got teary. All Might had noticed the cut on Midoriya’s right hand, the one that had been holding the gun. He rested his palm on top of that cut so their blood would mix, willing his quirk to be transferred. 

Midoriya realized what he was doing, and the tears became more abundant. He took a deep breath. 

“Alright. I’ll turn myself in.”

All Might’s expression lit up as he smiled, but Midoriya couldn’t see it because his sight was going blurry with tears. All the emotions he’d bottled up came pouring out of his eyes. Every feeling he’d suppressed while trying to be a villain burst out of him as he began to shake with sobs again. 

All Might pulled him into a hug, and the teenager buried his face in his shoulder as he cried his heart out. A teardrop fell from All Might’s eyes as well. 

“Don’t worry, Young Midoriya. It’ll all be okay.”

Notes:

Is that a turning point I see? (Gosh it took a while didn't it?)

I felt a "just in case" was an order:
If I don't update next week, it's because my surgery went wrong. Pfft, I'm kidding, but I am having knee surgery on Wed and I get loopy very easily on pain medication so hopefully that won't reflect in my writing, but I write ahead for this exact reason, so it'll probably be fine.

Looking on the bright side, I won't be able to walk for the next six weeks, so you can expect longer chapters (maybe we'll see).

This chapter's song is Would Anyone Care by Citizen Soldier. It has to do with Midoriya not thinking anyone actually cares if he's dead or not, and then the part where it gets brighter would be All Might.

Well, it can only go up from here. Mostly.

Chapter 47: Of All the People

Notes:

I live. Surgery went well, and other than being very drowsy and not being able to walk I'm good.

Just feel like saying, the turning point is going to be less like the tipping of a roller coaster and more like when you're playing a video game with cars and your vehicle has really bad handling or whatever and you're jamming the button for it to turn and it's turning at the slowest speed possible which is so aggravating.

The point is, it won't just go from all this hurt to la dee dah dee dah happiness. It'll take time for things to get better.

Enjoy!

It took the police an embarrassing amount of time to find All Might. The League had disappeared from the scene, and so they’d devoted their energy to confirming the safety of the retired number one hero. Everyone got rather worried when they couldn’t find him right away. 

Tsukauchi was leading his group of police consisting of Sansa, Takeo, Kiyomi and Yuka through a quieter part of town, when they saw a frightened blue-haired woman running down the street. From her they learned where All Might was. 

Takeo called the other police to their location via radio, but when the five arrived at the scene it wasn’t what they were expecting at all. 

It was the villain Deku, and he was hugging the former number one All Might. What’s more, Midoriya was crying into All Might’s shoulder. 

As soon as Midoriya saw the police, he sprang away from All Might and ran on instinct. 

“No! Young Midoriya, wait!” All Might cried, reaching out a hand towards the departing teen. Midoriya stopped and turned back to eye the police warily. “It’s okay. It’s just Tsukauchi and the others,” All Might said pleadingly. 

The teen continued to eye the police untrustingly, before taking a deep breath and cautiously walking back. 

All Might sighed in relief and tried to stand up. He misjudged how exhausted he was from using One For All again, and his legs gave out. Midoriya dashed forward to catch him before he hit the ground. The sudden movement startled a couple of the police and they drew their guns. 

“Hey, no! Put your guns away,” Tsukauchi ordered, before turning back to Midoriya, who was supporting All Might. “So does this mean you’re turning yourself in?” he asked hopefully. 

Midoriya hesitated for a second, before nodding surely. “I won’t let the League keep using me,” he said quietly. 

Tsukauchi grinned, something he hadn’t done very often lately. “That’s wonderful!”

As he helped Midoriya move All Might to a bench on the street, he gave the blond a look that said, ‘you did it!’ and All Might gave a tired smile in response. 

“Just so you know, when our backup gets here, they’re going to have to put you in cuffs and drive you to the police station,” Tsukauchi warned once All Might was seated. The police around him were watching the villain, tense with their hands on their guns. “It probably won’t be the most comforting experience.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding, but concern and worry suddenly spread across his features. He whipped around towards Tsukauchi and exclaimed, “You have to make sure everyone I know is safe! Shigaraki will target everyone I care about as soon as he finds out I’ve turned myself in!”

“Yes, he’s right,” All Might added urgently, but Tsukauchi had already taken action. 

“Kiyomi, Takeo,” he called, and the two shifted their attention from Midoriya to him. “I need you to contact everyone Midoriya knows and ensure their safety. Set up guards around them if they aren’t already in a secure area.”

Kiyomi blinked. “Everyone?”

Tsukauchi turned towards the teenager. “Midoriya, names.”

He nodded. “Right, there’s my mom, obviously. From 1-A there’s Ochako Uraraka, Hitoshi Shinso, Tenya Iida, Kach- Katsuki Bakugo, Momo Yayo- you know what, probably just all of 1-A for good measure. Um…”

Midoriya paused in thought for a moment. Shigaraki had chosen to threaten a child because they were easy to target and more vulnerable. A couple more people came to mind. 

“Sakura Kobayashi. I know she’s in the hospital, but nothing’s stopping Shigaraki from targeting her again. Kota Izumi, he’s Mandalay’s cousin-”

“Wait, what does he have to do with anything?” Kiyomi questioned. She asked out of curiosity and because she needed a bit of time to write all the names down. 

“I saved him from Muscular at the summer camp, so Shigaraki might go after him as well,” Midoriya replied. “I told him it was Eraserhead, but I’m still not sure he believed me.”

“Oh, alright, I get it,” Kiyomi said, and the pause in writing told Midoriya she was ready for him to continue. 

“There was this one boy I saved in the Hosu incident whose name was Riku, but I don’t know-”

“Riku Yasuo,” Tsukauchi helpfully provided. 

“Oh, is that his name?”

“Yeah, his mother called about you after the incident.”

“Ah okay. Well he might be targeted too, and Shigaraki knows full well about me saving him, unlike Kota. Other than that, I don’t think there’re any others. I’ve been pretty secluded as a villain, so…” he trailed off dismally. 

“My goodness, Young Midoriya, how many children have you saved as a villain?” All Might asked jokingly. 

Midoriya didn’t laugh. “Enough for Shigaraki to get really pissed at me.”

An awkward silence would’ve followed that sentence if the entire police force hadn’t decided to burst around the corner that very moment. In mere seconds, over twenty guns were pointed in Midoriya’s direction and he was being aggressively shouted at to put his hands on his head. 

The teen spun around, overwhelmed at the sudden onslaught of angry figures. All Might tried to stand up to comfort him, but his strength failed him. 

“Hey!” Tsukauchi shouted back at the surrounding circle of police, a twinge of anger apparent in his voice, “He’s turning himself in by choice! You don’t have to arrest him by force!!” The detective whipped around to face Takeo. “Didn’t you signal that over the radio?”

The golden-eyed policeman shoved his hands in his pockets. “Must’ve slipped my mind.”

Lie. 

Tsukauchi sighed. “How many times must we go over this? I have a lie detector quirk.”

Takeo scowled as Kiyomi pulled him aside to give him a talking-to, after which they left to contact the list of names Midoriya had given them. The police surrounding Midoriya had let up a little bit.

“Seriously, what do they think I’m gonna do?” Midoriya asked quietly enough so that only Tsukauchi could hear. “I mean, I’m not this powerful raging villain. I’m only quirkless-”

Tsukauchi didn’t need his quirk to tell him that last sentence was a lie. The end of the phrase was cut off way too quickly to not be suspicious, and the detective didn’t miss the kid’s green eyes widen as he seemed to remember something. 

His eyes flicked nervously to All Might sitting on the bench. 

Oh no he didn’t. 

Most of the police around them had eased up once they realized Midoriya wasn’t taking any violent action against them. One of them slowly approached to put the villain in cuffs. 

“Put your hands where I can see them,” he ordered. Midoriya glanced at Tsukauchi as he put his hands in the air, and the detective gave him a reassuring nod. 

“I’ll be the one questioning you at the station,” Tsukauchi informed him, which obviously relaxed the teen a bit. 

But then the officer reached up to pull Midoriya’s arms behind his back-

-putting pressure on his left shoulder in the process.

The teen jerked away from his arresting officer as his eyes widened in pure fear, even though nothing remotely frightening had happened. He stumbled backwards into the street, holding his shoulder and breathing erratically. 

Tsukauchi could tell something was off and cautiously approached, ignoring the faint clicks of people taking their guns off safety for the second time. All Might tried and failed again to get up and support him. 

“Hey, Midoriya,” Tsukauchi started softly, “What’s wrong?”

The kid’s eyes weren’t focused, and his head didn’t seem to be in the present. His breathing had gotten a bit better, but the look of fear on his face hadn’t. Tsukauchi frowned. 

A flashback?

He crouched in front of the boy and spoke gently. “Midoriya, I need you to breathe. Slowly and steadily. Just focus on the air coming in and out of your lungs.”

The teen’s eyes sharpened a bit, and his breathing improved. Eventually, he removed his hand from his shoulder and looked up at his surroundings. His eyes met the faces of everyone staring at him. 

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized, looking down at the ground. 

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” All Might replied softly. 

With that, the officer carefully put Midoriya in cuffs and escorted him to a police car. Tsukauchi made a mental note to question him on whatever that was, but for now he had other matters to attend to. 

He walked up to All Might, who was watching the dispersing police officers from the bench. Tsukauchi only spoke after making sure nobody was in earshot. 

“It rang false when Midoriya said he was quirkless.”

All Might sat bolt upright, hallowed eyes wide in panic as he clenched his jaw. Well if that wasn’t a suspicious reaction. Tsukauchi quirked an eyebrow. 

“Please don’t tell me you gave one of the greatest powers in the world to an unstable teenager with a history of crime.”

All Might laughed nervously. “Well, you see…”

“You gave one of the greatest powers in the world to an unstable teenager with a history of crime,” Tsukauchi figured, pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief. 

All Might pursed his lips. 

“Yes.”

Truth. 

“Oh you idiot.”

All Might immediately went to defend himself. “Come on, you can’t tell me the kid doesn’t have potential!”

“Yeah, he has potential, that can go either way! He could recover from the dark path he’s chosen, or he could stumble and fall right back into his old ways. I know he’s a good kid, but after hanging around the people he’s been with for long enough, you can’t come out unchanged.”

All Might grumbled to himself, and hesitated before saying, “He was threatening to attempt suicide if I didn’t give it to him.”

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“I couldn’t let him kill himself.”

“I know, but that also further proves my point that he’s too mentally unstable to handle a power like One For All!”

“Is everything okay Detective?” a nearby officer asked, eyeing the two curiously. 

Tsukauchi smiled at him. “Yep, just asking some questions about what happened here.”

“Oh, okay,” the officer replied, before heading off in a different direction. 

When Tsukauchi turned back to face All Might, he was frowning at the ground solemnly. 

“Listen, Tsukauchi. I know what I did might sound crazy, but I don’t regret it. I felt some… connection or bond with Midoriya that I hadn’t experienced with any other possible successors. I know he’s the right person to have One For All, so I want him to keep it. I trust that he’ll use it for good,” he finished firmly. 

Tsukauchi sighed in understanding. “Alright, I get it. But know you’ve just made my job a whole lot harder.”

All Might frowned. “What do you mean?”

“If he has a quirk now, he’s bound to use it eventually, either by accident or on purpose. How do you think people will react when a supposedly quirkless person suddenly has an incredible power similar to that of the former number one? Especially when that person used to be a villain who worked under All For One?”

“Ah...”

“Yes, ah. Feel the guilt and shame of putting me in the precarious situation I’m in.”

All Might laughed, but there were traces of guilt and fear in his face. Tsukauchi sighed again. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We can always just say he’s a late bloomer, or it was triggered by the stress of recent events. There might be some theories thrown around, but if we keep a firm handle on the situation,” Tsukauchi rubbed his face in stress, “it’ll be fine.”

“Fine as in, fricked, insecure, neuro-”

“Yes yes, fine. Now, we have to get you medical treatment, and I have to get to the station to question Midoriya.”

All Might nodded, and he managed to stand up shakily. Tsukauchi helped him over to an ambulance, and soon he was headed over to the station to question a person who would be plastered all over the news the next morning. 

 

It didn’t take long for the media to pick up on what was happening. The chief of police had only made a brief statement: “The villain Deku has been arrested and taken into custody,” and that was enough for the station to flood with eager reporters. 

They all wanted answers, answers Tsukauchi was about to get. 

Midoriya had been quickly escorted inside the building to an interrogation room before the reporters could arrive, where he was now waiting to be questioned by Tsukauchi. All of his daggers and other weapons had been taken, and they’d requested a healer to come in at some point to heal his injuries. 

When the detective entered the room with Yuka, he was looking rather disgruntled and tired. 

“Is it already that bad outside?” Midoriya asked sympathetically, cuffed to the table.

Tsukauchi plopped down in the seat opposite from him. “Yeah, you could say that.”

Yuka took a seat in the corner of the room. Midoriya couldn’t know it, but she was using her quirk to peer a few seconds into the future, making sure Midoriya wouldn’t do anything brash. It was just an extra precaution. Her lime green eyes glowed slightly as she activated her quirk, which Midoriya noted with interest. 

“Alright, let’s get started,” Tsukauchi said, opening Midoriya’s file on the table and getting out his notepad. “First I’d like to ask, how much information about the League are you willing to divulge?”

“Well, I’m never going back there, right? Anything you want to know, if that’s the case.”

Tsukauchi’s face brightened. If only all the people he interrogated were this open.

“That’s great, and it’ll lessen your time in prison too,” Tsukauchi replied, and Midoriya nodded. 

With that, the detective began asking his long list of questions. He started with the location of the League’s current hideout, resulting in Tsukauchi dispatching police to investigate an abandoned shed. After that Midoriya described each of the League members, everything from quirks to personalities to motivations. 

From there they moved on to the League’s current activities, from which Tsukauchi learned what had happened with Sakura. It was at this point Midoriya interrupted the detective for the first time. 

“Is it okay if I ask a question?” 

“You mean another after the one you just asked?” Tsukauchi joked, rapidly scribbling on his notepad. 

Midoriya blinked at him disappointedly. “You know what I mean.”

Tsukauchi chuckled. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Is… is Sakura okay?”

Tsukauchi paused his writing and looked up at the teenager. His eyes were wide with worry and a large amount of guilt. 

“Yes, she’s okay, and with time she’ll be able to breathe again without difficulty. But her voice… she’ll never be able to speak normally again. She’ll have to learn sign language, or get a device that speaks for her.”

Midoriya’s breath caught in his throat, and when he spoke it was little more than a whisper. 

“I see.”

Tsukauchi’s brow furrowed. “Hey, it’s not your fault that happened. Shigaraki wanted to hurt her, and without your help she probably wouldn’t’ve survived.”

“I know.”

Tsukauchi sighed as he realized the teenager really didn’t know, and that he’d keep blaming himself. 

After that they moved on to what had just happened in the alleyway. Why had he been there and what had happened? The look of regret and shame on Midoriya’s face only grew as he talked about what he’d had to do. 

However, he only mentioned trying to get something from All Might and needing to threaten someone to do it. He refused to clarify what exactly he’d been trying to get. 

Tsukauchi knew this was One For All, so he didn’t push it. It scared him just a little knowing the boy in front of him now had the power to kill people with a flick of his finger and was only being held back by some feeble cuffs. 

The detective listened as Midoriya described the awful dilemma he’d been in. Complete the task and the League would kill countless people, refuse the task and his family and friends would die. Tsukauchi could understand how he’d threatened suicide so easily. 

Midoriya left out the part about All Might actually giving the thing he’d been after, and just skipped right to crying into his shoulder, when the police arrived. 

“Alright, everything you’ve told me so far has been the truth,” Tsukauchi said. “Is there anything else you think would be important to mention?”

Midoriya frowned in thought for a moment, before remembering something. “All the notes that I ever gave Shigaraki, I created a second copy for myself. They’re in my apartment in Yokohama. That way you can know everything the League knows about everyone else.”

Tsukauchi asked for the address of his apartment, which Midoriya listed off. “Okay, we’ll send a couple officers to investigate. I just have one final question before we finish up.”

Midoriya started to fidget nervously, knowing that after the interrogation was over, he’d most likely be sent to prison. Still, he nodded to show he was ready for the question. 

“While you were getting arrested, what was that flashback about?”

The nervous fidgeting intensified. Midoriya bit his lip. “I injured my left shoulder and it just really hurt a lot when he bumped it.” 

Half truth. 

Tsukauchi frowned. “This is the first time you haven’t told the whole truth. To me, it looked like you were having a flashback, or a severe panic attack, not just pain.”

Midoriya didn’t make eye contact. After a moment, he finally replied. 

“Before Shigaraki started threatening my friends and family, he threatened me. To prove he was serious, he disintegrated a bit of my sh-shoulder,” Midoriya shuddered at the memory. “Now, I guess, whenever someone t-touches it, I just k-kinda…” he frowned as he tried to find the words to describe it, “relive it? I g-guess? I remember and it’s like I feel the p-pain and the fear all over a-again and it was awful and I just-”

He stopped abruptly and took a deep breath to steady his shaky breathing. 

“I just never wanna go back there again.”

 

Behind the glass, All Might’s heart broke a little. 

This boy had been through so much. Too much. He was too young to have experienced the darker underbelly of the world. He was supposed to live a childhood free from those shady nasty parts. 

But no, those evil influences had grabbed a hold of his life and bent him to its will. Broken him to its will. 

Now All Might could only hope he hadn’t been broken beyond repair. He’d chosen his successor, and now he had to trust in him. 

In terms of the retired number one, his injuries hadn’t been too serious. Just some minor cuts and bruises. Stamina was more the problem. He was tired. Nonetheless, after receiving basic medical treatment in the ambulance, he’d insisted they drive him to the police station to see Midoriya. One does not simply say no to the retired number one. 

That was how All Might ended up watching the interrogation, which had now drawn to a close. All Might left the darkened room as Tsukauchi and Yuka exited their room. 

“Tsukauchi,” All Might called to grab the detective’s attention. 

Tsukauchi’s face brightened as he saw the retired hero. “All Might, shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”

“I wanted to see how Young Midoriya was faring,” he replied, dodging the question. 

Tsukauchi walked up to the pro while Yuka and the other police who had been in the room with All Might dispersed in different directions. The detective glanced at the door he’d just exited out of. 

“He’s okay, I think. He’s not gonna be attempting suicide again anytime soon, one because he’s recovered a bit and two he’s cuffed to the table.”

All Might nodded as he glanced at the door too. “Where is he going after this?”

“Well, he was part of the League of Villains, so he’ll probably have to serve prison time. I know he’s a juvenile, which changes things a bit, but not much. He still committed rather severe crimes and will have to atone for them.”

All Might hung his head. “I see.”

Tsukauchi patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, c’mon, it’s not like he’s going to Tartarus.”

“Actually, he is.”

Both men turned their heads to look at the police chief, with his dog-like head. 

“What, what?” Tsukauchi began confusedly, “He’s only a kid, and Tartarus is only for the most dangerous of criminals.”

“This is a bit of a unique situation,” the chief explained. “Deku, or Izuku Midoriya, is affiliated with some of the most dangerous people there are, and he is quite dangerous himself, woof. The League of Villains has completed many horrendous tasks, which Deku has been directly involved with in some cases. He may have turned himself in by choice, but that does not remove his obvious threat, woof.”

“But Chief,” All Might interrupted, “now that he’s out of the League, he’s no longer a threat. He turned himself in because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone anymore.”

“That doesn’t excuse his past actions,” the chief countered. 

“He’s just a kid!”

“I am aware, and that’s why this is a unique situation, woof. Because of his age, as well as the fact that he turned himself over by choice and truthfully answered every question, he will most likely be transferred from Tartarus to a different, less strict, juvenile detention center, woof. Add that to being quirkless, therefore never actually breaking any quirk laws, the best result would be getting off with community service.”

All Might opened his mouth to protest, but the chief put a hand up to stop him. 

“This is not something that can be argued, All Might. No matter a person’s social standing, even being the former number one cannot change this.”

The retired pro closed his mouth and looked down sadly. “I understand.”

The chief turned to face Tsukauchi. “I thought you would like to be aware of his punishment, Detective Tsukauchi, considering this was your case. However, now that Deku has been apprehended, you no longer have to continue, woof.”

Tsukauchi shook his head. “I’d like to continue overseeing it, if that’s alright.”

The chief nodded. “Yes, it is fine. Just don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Then I’ll leave it up to you to inform him of his punishment, woof. I have a feeling he won’t take it as hard if he hears it from someone he’s familiar with.”

“Are you going to let him have visitors?” All Might asked. 

“Normally we would wait until they’ve been transferred to a prison, but because it’s Tartarus he’s going to, we’ll make an exception for the immediate family.”

Tsukauchi sighed in relief. “That’s good, because I called his mother before knowing that.”

The chief frowned slightly, being rather rule-bound. He then huffed it off and said his farewells, leaving the two to wait for the arrival of Inko. 

“The station is gonna be flooded with tears by the time this is over,” Tsukauchi cringed. 

All Might chuckled. “He’s going to have to work on the waterworks if he ever wants to be a convincing hero.”

Tsukauchi raised his eyebrows slightly. “So you really believe he can do it, then?”

All Might hesitated for a second, before smiling determinedly. 

“Yeah, I do.”

Notes:

Alright, you might think that going to Tartarus is super harsh and unnecessary, but that's what would happen to any of the other League members if they got caught, and to the public eye Midoriya's no different from the rest of them. That'll be talked about a tad next chap but I wanted to bring it up here too so I don't get as much backlash.

This chapter's song is Train Wreck by James Arthur. Unlike the previous sad songs I've used, this one actually has a thin strand of hope at the end of the second verse. Really like this song and it fits very well.

I think I can confirm the chapters getting a least a little longer.

Chapter 48: Waterworks

Notes:

Happy Independence Day! (if you live in the US)

Inko's stuttering has been toned down for two reasons:
1. It's a pain to read
2. It's a pain to write

And she's healed a bit but mainly just those first two.

Also, wow, 50,000 hits, thanks so much you guys. Enjoy!

“Kaminari, you doofus! You broke the remote!!”

“What!? I didn’t mean to!” Kaminari shouted, putting his hands above his head to defend himself from an attacking Mina. 

“I literally saw you take the entire thing apart,” Jiro commented, watching the ordeal from the couch, completely unperturbed by her classmate getting beaten by the broken remains of the remote. “Our first night in the dorms and you’ve already managed to screw that up.”

“It wasn’t working, so I thought the batteries were dead! I was trying to charge them!” Kaminari tried, backing away from his attacker. 

Mina chucked one of said batteries at him, and it bounced off his forehead. “You can’t recharge this type of battery!!”

“How was I supposed to know that!?” he asked, rubbing his forehead. 

“It’s just common sense, dimwit,” Jiro responded disappointedly. 

Hagakure sprang off the couch from next to her. “How are we supposed to watch any shows now!?” she whined. 

The banter continued with the girls verbally assaulting Kaminari, who desperately tried to defend himself. He failed horribly. Even Iida promising to request a new remote didn’t stop them. 

Then the TV magically clicked on, and everyone in the living room stared at it in wonder. Shinso was standing beside it, his hand on the back. 

“There are buttons on the back of a TV.”

Mina blinked, and then laughed sheepishly. “Whoops, I forgot those existed.”

Kaminari sighed in relief, before quickly turning to face the girls. “Lookit that! You all attacked me for no reason! Consider your phone charging services revoked.”

“In our defense, you didn’t mention the buttons on the back either,” Hagakure countered. 

“And it wasn’t for no reason,” Jiro added. “I consider watching you get pummeled by a broken remote very entertaining.”

“I second that,” said Hagakure. 

Kaminari backed away before they could insult him any longer, leaving them to figure out how to change the channel. He walked up to Shinso instead, who had been trying to escape to his room as quickly as possible. 

“Thanks dude for saving me like that!” he said happily. “You’re a real hero, ya know?”

“You can pay me back by leaving me alone,” Shinso responded sleepily as they passed by the kitchen. 

Kaminari slapped his hand to his chest in offense. “Well that’s harsh!”

“Hey, uh… Shinso?”

He turned to look at Uraraka, who was staring at the TV screen with wide eyes from behind the kitchen counter. 

“You might wanna wait to go upstairs for a little longer,” she said quietly. 

Confused, Shinso turned to look at the TV and saw that the girls had left it on a news channel. 

“The Quirkless Villain Deku Turns Himself Over To Police”

His eyes, which had been half-closed from lack of sleep a moment earlier, snapped open. Midoriya had finally left. It took Shinso a few seconds to fully comprehend that. 

“The damned nerd actually managed it.”

Shinso and Uraraka turned to look at Bakugo, whose lips were turned upwards in a smirk, which was the closest thing he had to a smile. The blond seemed genuinely relieved and happy, if that was possible. Shinso then nodded and smiled too. 

“What, did you think he wouldn’t?” he asked. 

“By himself? Hell no! That little twerp is way too stubborn and reckless to see when he’s done for!”

Iida barely moved fast enough to catch Uraraka as she fell to the floor, tears in her eyes. 

“Woah, hey, Uraraka are you okay?!” Kaminari exclaimed in surprise. 

She quickly wiped the tears from her face as her classmates came around her to make sure she was alright. “Yeah, I’m okay. They’re happy tears, don’t worry.”

The relief that was flooding over Uraraka spread to Shinso, and soon he was crying too. Not that anyone saw, he’d escaped up to his room before it became really noticeable. 

Midoriya was finally safe. He would never have to cross another line. He’d never have to break himself like that again. 

 

No amount of tears could compare to when Inko saw her son again. 

“MY B-BABY IZUK-KU!!”

“Mom!”

Midoriya tried to get up to hug his mother, but the cuffs held him to the table. She was in a wheelchair, and Tsukauchi hadn’t even pushed her half way across the room before a fountain of tears were erupting from her eyes. 

Once they were close enough, Inko wrapped her left arm around her son while Midoriya rested his head on her shoulder, making it damp with tears in the process. He tried to ignore how the right side of her body had lost much of its muscle. 

Tsukauchi left relatively quickly after that in an attempt to not get drenched. 

“I-Izuku, y-you’re ok-kay!” she cried. 

“Yes, Mom, I’m alright. I’m safe,” he sobbed into her shoulder. “You can stop worrying so much about me now. I’m not gonna have to do anything else for the League again.”

She took a moment to steady her breathing. “A-after I g-got your note, I-I was s-so w-worried! I d-didn’t know w-what was g-going t-to happen a-and I c-couldn’t b-bear t-to see you g-get hurt and…”

With each word, Midoriya’s guilt deepened. He’d made his mom- no, not just his mom- everyone who cared about him worry so much.

“You c-could’ve wok-ken me up! I wanted-”

“I know, I know,” Midoriya interrupted, “and I’m so sorry. I wanted to come back to you, I really did, but I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt either.”

Inko saw the effect her words had on him, how they only made him feel worse. She smiled sympathetically. 

“It’s ok-kay, sweetie. What m-matters now i-is that you’re safe. You d-don’t have t-to feel b-bad.”

Midoriya nodded, because if he spoke he’d be lying. He was going to feel bad about making others worry, no matter how much they told him not to. 

“Your stutter seems to be better,” he realized after a moment. 

She nodded, and he lifted his head from her shoulder so she could look him in the eyes. She put her hand on his right cheek, while her eyes traced the scar on his left. 

The light of hope in his eyes was even dimmer than the last time she’d seen him. There were dark rings under his eyes that shouldn’t’ve been on a person so young. He looked tired, but worst of all, he looked cold. The warmth he used to give off, from his smile and from his actions, it was all but gone. 

He wasn’t the dreaming boy she’d once known. 

“Oh, w-what have they d-done to you?” she whispered. His eyes widened at this, before he clenched them shut as more tears flowed. 

He’d fallen from the most hopeful and bright of people to the most desolate and broken. 

“I’m sorry,” he cried. 

She pulled him into herself, and rubbed his head comfortingly. 

“It’s n-not your f-fault.”

 

It was some time before Tsukauchi deemed it safe to enter. Water had started to leak out from under the door, but it had almost dried by now, so he hoped that meant they’d paused the tears. 

“Hello?” he called as he cautiously entered. “May I come in?”

“Y-yes D-detective, it’s ok-kay,” Inko replied after a moment. 

With that, Tsukauchi slid in and closed the door behind him. His eyes landed on the tear-stained faces of the green-haired family. Midoriya started to quickly rub his eyes. Hiding his emotions was still ingrained into him. Inko, on the other hand, smiled kindly at the detective as more tears pricked up. 

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting,” Tsukauchi said courteously, trying not to get distracted by only the left half of Inko’s face moving. 

“Oh n-no, you’re p-perfectly fine,” Inko reassured him, and Midoriya nodded. 

“That’s good,” Tsukauchi said as he sat down at the table across from them. “I’m here to explain what will happen to Izuku moving forward.”

Inko’s face fell at this, worry clouding her features, while Midoriya couldn’t look more neutral. Tsukauchi braced himself for more tears. 

“He’ll be going to Tartarus.”

Inko immediately broke into tears whilst fiercely defending her son. “He’s j-just a b-boy! My b-baby d-doesn’t deserve t-to g-go to a place like that!”

Tsukauchi was prepared to stop her rambling about how good her son was, or used to be. He was ready to explain why he had to go to jail, but surprisingly, he didn’t have to. 

“Mom, please, stop,” Midoriya said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She did stop, and then turned to look at him, a bit of surprise in her face. “Detective Tsukauchi probably already knows most of the stuff you’re telling him, and I bet he would change my circumstances if he could.”

His eyes flicked over to Tsukauchi, who caught the cue. “Of course I would, but it’s not up to me.”

“Exactly, and the fact is,” Midoriya continued, “I have done bad things and I do deserve to go to jail, even if it’s Tartarus. I… I’m a dangerous person now, and sending me to jail is the best way to remove that threat.”

“Midoriya,” Tsukauchi interrupted, “You’re not a threat.”

“Besides,” Midoriya continued firmly, ignoring him, “I’m not a kid anymore.”

Both adults’ faces fell at those words. Legally, he was still an adolescent, but experience wise, he had long since lost his innocence. 

“Oh, Izuku,” Inko murmured sadly. 

“I’m okay with going to Tartarus,” Midoriya finished quietly, eyes on the floor. 

“Well, that’s the thing. You might not have to stay there for long,” Tsukauchi said, causing Midoriya to look up at him. “Because of your age, turning yourself in by choice, being quirkless, and answering all my questions, you’ll likely be able to get transferred to a different prison or center for juveniles.” Inko’s eyes lit up. “The best case would be community service.”

Midoriya scoffed. “Have fun trying to find community service that accepts a former member of the League of Villains.”

Tsukauchi sighed. “My point is, you have options. You aren’t doomed to Tartarus for the rest of your life.”

Midoriya’s facial features softened, and Inko nodded. 

“Th-thank you, D-detective,” she said. 

“Of course,” Tsukauchi smiled. “You two can have as much time as you want. He’ll be staying the night here, but we’ll be moving him tomorrow morning.”

The two greenetes nodded in understanding, and of course Inko teared up again. Tsukauchi left to give them a little privacy. 

“You went a little too easy on him,” someone said as Tsukauchi closed the door behind him. 

The detective turned to see Takeo, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Kiyomi, who was next to him, sent him a glare. 

“Oh be quiet,” she told him. “That kid’s not that bad and you know it.”

Takeo scoffed. “A villain’s a villain.”

Tsukauchi sighed. He’d already had this talk with Takeo and having it again now wasn’t going to change anything. 

“We came to tell you that everyone Deku told us about has been contacted,” Kiyomi explained. “Everyone has been moved to a secure location or now has a guard consisting of police and pro heroes around them.”

“Good job. What about the old shed Midoriya told us about?”

“The bastards managed to get away before we could catch them,” Takeo spat. 

Tsukauchi held back a groan. “Well, at least we’ve got Midoriya.”

“Gotta look on the bright side!” Kiyomi said encouragingly. 

Takeo scowled, while the detective gave her a tired smile. He dismissed them after that, and he hoped Midoriya would be able to see the bright side of things again soon. 

 

The drive over to Tartarus was uneventful. After being processed, and after Inko had left, they’d left him in a holding cell to sleep. In the morning, Midoriya was cuffed around the wrists and ankles and put in the back of an armored van. He’d spotted a fair amount of police, as well as a few high-ranking heroes like Kamui Woods and Edgeshot, outside to guard the van. 

The only thing that made the drive slightly more interesting was Tsukauchi sitting in the protected area between the drivers' seats and the place for prisoners. And of course, he chose to talk to Midoriya. 

Midoriya liked the detective, he really did, it’s just he hadn’t been out of his sight for more than an hour since he’d been arrested. It was getting kind of tiring. 

“You’ll be getting different treatment from the rest of the prisoners because of your age,” Tsukauchi was saying. “Not to say that it’ll be a ride in the park. Tartarus is known for its…”

Midoriya already knew each of the facts he listed off, and was only half paying attention. The more dangerous criminals were placed on the deepest levels. It was five kilometers from the mainland. There were sensors monitoring a prisoner's brain waves, predicting when they’ll use their quirk and monitoring their state of mind. They’d been accused of human rights violations. 

Midoriya wasn’t upset about going to Tartarus. He felt he deserved it and had it coming. But as he thought about it more closely, he realized he didn’t really have any emotion associated with going to prison. He’d escaped the League just to be sent to Tartarus, but he didn’t really care. He was just doing what people told him to do. 

He was apathetic towards the entire situation. 

“You’re only going to be on the first level and won’t be getting a straitjacket like many of the other prisoners,” Tsukauchi continued, getting Midoriya’s attention back. “And I’ll see what I can do to get you transferred out sooner rather than later.” He paused, and it looked like he had something on his mind. 

“What is it?” Midoriya asked. 

“You said baseball was boring,” he replied slowly. “And I want to prove you wrong by taking you to a game, maybe sometime when you get out.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

“I’ve gotta show you that baseball isn’t boring once you get into it, and that it’s not only old guys like me who can get into it,” Tsukauchi laughed. 

A while ago, Midoriya would’ve chuckled, or at least smiled at that. But now his only response was, “We’ll see.”

His eyes were dead and his smile was gone. The League had squeezed out any happiness that would’ve been there. Tsukauchi’s face fell as he realized the place they were driving to wouldn’t do anything to help those problems. 

Midoriya noticed Tsukauchi’s disappointment, and he didn’t really care. He’d been caring too much for so long, he didn’t have any fricks left to give. 

 

Shigaraki paced back and forth across the dusty warehouse, ignoring the complaints of those around him at how unclean it was. 

“That little rascal betrayed me!” he seethed. “He broke the rules! Cheated!”

“And now I won’t be able to see him bleed anymore!” Toga whined. 

“Shut up,” Shigaraki snapped. 

Magne ran her fingers over the crevices of her magnetic pole. “You know, it probably wasn’t the smartest sending your most unruly subordinate on such an important mission.”

If looks could kill, Magne would be long dead. 

“What about his mother, or those pesky UA friends of his? I needa hold up my end of the bargain if he’s left,” Shigaraki rasped, fingers twitching. 

Dabi shook his head. “You can’t reach them. All those people have a guard of police and pros around them, or they’re in a place we’d have difficulty infiltrating.”

“Tch. What about that one white-haired boy he saved in Hosu?”

“Even his family has been moved.”

Shigaraki shouted out in anger, and everyone but Dabi flinched at the sheer hatred in that scream. There was really nothing he could do. He couldn’t kill any of Midoriya’s friends, and he couldn’t destroy any of the people around him. He’d have to continue striving after his dream without One For All and without Midoriya’s help. 

“That little brat is gonna regret he ever left my League,” Shigaraki spat.  “It’s a good thing he doesn’t have the willpower to kill himself, because now I’ll be able to make him suffer properly.”

All For One had left Shigaraki on his own to teach him how to be more independent. Adapting when things don’t go your way is part of that. This was him maturing. 

 

Midoriya’s cell was absolutely tiny. He guessed it was their way of making up for not giving him a straitjacket. He only wore an off white prison uniform. There were cameras in the corner that constantly monitored him, even when he used the bathroom. His bed was fine. The food was fine. 

None of the physical amenities were the problem. It was the mental difficulties that were the most degrading. 

Midoriya had nothing to do but sit and think about everything. Normally music helped with this, but that coping mechanism was taken from him. 

He could’ve thought about his mom, or his friends at UA, or even All Might, but he didn’t. The mind, when left alone, usually fixates on the negative rather than the positive. 

Scratch that. The mind always fixates on the negative, without fail. 

And right now, Midoriya’s negative was all of the horrible things he’d done and the painful things he’d endured. 

His mind traveled to blowing up Cementoss’s finger, breaking All Might’s jaw at the USJ, as well as other times he’d had to hurt people. He even felt bad about harming Bakugo. The worst of these was when he’d broken Uraraka’s hand. 

His stomach churned as he recalled their faces distorted in pain. He lurched as he remembered the sounds of bones crunching in his ear. 

He also involuntarily thought of the times he’d gotten hurt. He relived his shoulder getting disintegrated in his dreams, which caused him to wake up in a cold sweat. He remembered Sakura’s throat, and how she’d never be able to speak again. 

Each of these painful memories replayed themselves over and over in his mind. At first it was just simple thoughts, but then they filled his dreams. He couldn’t sleep peacefully. Soon he seemed to be reliving each event in his waking hours. 

He didn’t have anything to distract himself. All he could do was sit on his bed and let the flashbacks continue relentlessly. 

Tartarus was getting to be just as bad a prison as the League had been. 

The prison guards noticed his mental state using the many sensors that constantly monitored the villains. They had the decency to tell Tsukauchi, who was still managing his case. 

If nobody inside the prison would do anything for him, then maybe someone outside would. 

 

“We have to go see him!” Uraraka exclaimed. 

Shinso buried his face in his hands. “We can’t, not unless you wanna get arrested.”

“We went to go save Bakugo and that risked getting arrested,” Uraraka countered, arms flailing. 

Shinso plopped down on his bed, while Uraraka continued to pace around his room. 

“Rescuing someone from the League is a bit different from breaking into Tartarus,” Shinso explained. Uraraka grumbled to herself. “Hey, I know you wanna see him now that he’s outta the League, but he’s still out of reach for us. He’s still being treated like a villain.”

“But he’s not evil!” Uraraka said as she landed in Shinso’s bean bag with a huff. 

“We might know that, but everyone else doesn’t. Nobody knows what he’s really like. To the general public, he’s no different from the rest of the League. If Dabi or Shigaraki were arrested, they’d be sent to Tartarus, so why shouldn’t Midoriya? Deku the quirkless villain. That’s all he is to them,” Shinso scoffed. 

Uraraka’s face fell, and she curled up into the bean bag. 

“Please don’t start crying,” Shinso pleaded. “You’re gonna dry up if you keep leaking from the eyes, and I don’t think I’ll be able to handle all of Midoriya’s problems by myself. If he gets out, that is.”

And then she started crying. Shinso sighed. 

“How have you not dried up like a raisin yet?” he asked, pushing all the tears he’d shed out of mind. 

She gave a small laugh. “I’m just worried for him, is all.”

“I know, I am too, but it’s out of our hands right now. If I could do something then I sure as hell would, but I don’t have that kind of power. We just have to hope that the people who do have that power will do something.”

Uraraka sniffled. “Yeah, you’re right.”

And one of the people who had that kind of power was Tsukauchi. 

 

“Thank you for meeting with me, Nezu,” Tsukauchi greeted. 

“Of course, it wasn’t a problem,” the principal replied, gesturing for the detective to take a seat opposite him. 

As he slid into a chair, he asked, “You wouldn’t happen to know why I’m here, would you?”

“No, not exactly. However, I am fairly certain it has something to do with Izuku Midoriya.”

Tsukauchi’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the all knowing glint in Nezu’s eyes. 

“Well, you wouldn’t be wrong,” he cleared his throat before continuing. “I’m sure you already know full well about Midoriya’s history as a villain. The bad things, but some of the good as well, like saving Tenya Iida from the Hero Killer.” 

Nezu nodded with a smile. “He has done some rather villainous things, such as maiming Cementoss, one of our teachers here,” that made Tsukauchi cringe slightly, “but I am well aware of his heroic acts. At times it doesn’t seem he very much likes the path he’s chosen. He is a very young villain, who can be easily swayed either way with proper guidance and help.”

“Yes, that is what I’m here to talk to you about,” Tsukauchi said eagerly. 

Nezu tilted his head. “Swaying him with proper guidance and help?”

“You know of Midoriya’s heroic qualities, even though he’s a villain. You agree that he could be turned away from villainy, and maybe even fulfill his old dream of being a hero, right?”

“A villain turned hero? Well I must say, I’ve never heard of something like this being attempted before! But for someone like Midoriya, yes, I believe that could be possible,” responded Nezu, eyes alight with curiosity. 

“Well then, I think UA would be the best place for something like that to happen,” Tsukauchi said firmly. “In Tartarus, his mental state is degrading. Being a villain has destroyed any hope he has. This…” he licked his lips, “this might be my personal feelings surfacing, but I can’t let him suffer in prison with no one to help him. He’s already attempted suicide once, and Tartarus is the perfect breeding ground for something like that to happen again.”

Nezu smiled. “It’s perfectly okay for your personal feelings to direct your choices. Our emotions are how we empathize with others, after all.”

Tsukauchi smiled gratefully, and Nezu notioned for him to continue. 

“This may be a lot to ask, but Midoriya has shown special bonds with a couple of your students.”

“Hitoshi Shinso and Ochako Uraraka, correct?”

“Err, yeah… Anyway, I believe it is those bonds Midoriya needs to recover from his time as a villain. He needs to know that there are actually people who care for him. Besides, what better place to restore his faith in heroes than a hero school itself?”

Nezu blinked and paused in thought for a moment. “So you’re proposing that Midoriya comes and lives with Class 1-A?”

“Something like that…”

Nezu thought for a moment more, before breaking out into a brilliant smile. 

“I think that is a wonderful idea. Something like this has never been attempted before, so why can’t UA be the first!”

Tsukauchi sighed in relief. “I’m glad you think that.”

“However, there is a slight problem. Many of our students and staff may not feel safe with a former villain roaming the halls. I’d have to hold a staff meeting and ask everyone’s opinions.”

Tsukauchi’s brow furrowed as he thought of Cementoss and his colleagues. They may not be super excited about seeing Deku in their daily lives. 

“But there is another work at play here,” Nezu continued. “All Might has already informed me of his decision with One For All. I find it very interesting he felt that special connection with a villain of all people, but I trust his judgment. It would be most beneficial to have the next wielder of One For All at UA, not only for supervision but also to keep him close to All Might.”

“I agree that’s another important reason to move him here, but not my main motive for asking this,” Tsukauchi responded. “I don’t know what’s in your capabilities, but if anything can be done to get Midoriya out of Tartarus and with people who care for him, please do it.”

Nezu smiled understandingly. “I’ll see what I can do, and that’s a promise.”

Notes:

The bean will be fine I promise. Crap my space bar is dying.

Anyway, this chapter's song is Home by Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors and Bebe Rexha. "Now tell me: how did all my dreams turn to nightmares?" fits well, as well as "I've been through so much pain it's hard to maintain any smile on my face." Just the entire fricking song is good.

I would just like to say that other than some small outings, I've been wearing pjs for twelve days straight and it's amazing.

Chapter 49: Worth a Shot

Notes:

Very very slight spoiler. I'd imagined a lot of different ways for Midoriya to use OFA the first time, and after much confliction, this is the way I chose so I hope you like it because it's not your typical "oh look I break my bones cuz I'm a reckless martyr" type of scene.

There also might be a cliffhanger. And this is a cliffhanger I had planned and wanted to happen, not one that just happened by accident like usual.

BANG!

Midoriya woke from his dream with a jolt, breathing rapidly. He sat upright and surveyed his dark cell, looking for anything to remind him that he wasn’t back in that cursed alleyway, holding a gun to a woman’s head. 

Except in his dream the trigger had moved on its own. 

He rubbed his shaking hands down his face and they came away covered in sweat. His entire body was tense, as if he’d just been through an intense battle. He tried to slow his breathing and dried his face with the sleeves of his prison uniform. 

At least his left arm didn’t hurt anymore. They’d healed it before sending him to Tartarus, but the back of his shoulder still twinged anytime he moved it, and sometimes the tips of his fingers tingled. 

Once he had calmed down sufficiently, he tried to find the time. It was night, since the lights were off, although that didn’t dictate his sleeping schedule. He was awfully tired all the time, but was afraid to sleep because of the dreams that haunted him. He could only drift off for a couple hours, and normally awoke in a cold sweat. 

His cell didn’t have a clock, or any indicator of the time. That had been a little maddening at first, but he’d learned not to care. 

As far as he could tell, it had been at least a week that he’d been at Tartarus. He knew he had it better than the other prisoners, not having a straitjacket or guns pointed at him 24/7, but this still felt like hell. 

And he felt he deserved it. 

Every so often, his normally tormented thoughts would stray to Uraraka or his mom, or Shinso. Sometimes to All Might. 

He gazed down at his sweaty palm in the dark, and thought about the great power that had been passed onto him. 

One For All. 

It had slowly been dawning on him the sheer amount of power he now possessed. He could tear down buildings with a wave of his arm, kill with the flick of a finger. Everything he’d seen All Might do on TV, he could now do himself. 

Well, he didn’t actually know that for sure. He hadn’t actually tried using it, and he honestly didn’t want to. He was a villain, not a hero. He shouldn’t be using a power that wasn’t meant for a person like him. 

He’d never stopped questioning why All Might had given him his quirk. 

He felt fatigue weighing on his mind, causing his thoughts to drag. He didn’t want to go back to sleep for fear of reliving his memories, but it couldn’t be helped. His body desperately needed the rest. 

He slumped down onto his bed and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. 

 

His next dream was even worse than the last one, if that was possible. 

Instead of Sakura being tied to the chair, Shigaraki’s hand on her throat, it was Uraraka who was fearing for her life. In the back of his mind, he knew Shigaraki wouldn’t stop at her throat this time, but the disintegration would spread until she was gone . Knowing this probably should’ve told him it was a nightmare, but it didn’t. 

In his mind, this was real. 

He rushed forward as Shigaraki’s hand closed on her throat, and even though it wasn’t reality, he could see every bit of terror and dread on Uraraka’s face. He felt like he was going in slow motion, like he was running through molasses. He wouldn’t reach her in time. 

In his mind, she was going to die. 

And he had to do anything he could to prevent that. 

As he watched her throat flake away, his constant desire to protect people rose up in him. There was the vague feeling of flipping a switch in his mind. He felt something spark inside, and with a strange rush of strength he pushed forward to try to reach her time. 

Then he woke to the sounds of alarms. Relief flooded through him as he realized it was all just a nightmare, although his heart was still pounding in his chest. 

And he was still unknowingly feeling that same weird strength he’d felt in his dream. The switch hadn’t flipped off. 

He sat up in bed, which was a much easier and quicker motion than it normally was, and tried to determine why the blaring alarms were going off. 

His question was answered very quickly. 

His hands, though trembling, were sparking . Green lightning was crackling around him. He realized these green sparks were covering his body, making him feel stronger than he’d ever felt before. 

He blinked in disbelief, before realizing that this was One For All. 

The sheer power he felt, running through his veins and empowering his body, it was exhilarating. It was the exact opposite of how weak and feeble he’d felt growing up. No amount of training could take him to the level he was at right now. This was what it was like to have a quirk. To be society’s normal. 

It felt amazing. 

And he was terrified of it. 

He quickly tried to stop using it, and the crackling green light faded away. He heard heavy footsteps outside his room, approaching. He swore to himself never to use All Might’s quirk again, because it shouldn't be used by an awful person like him. 

His guilt and shame wouldn’t let him see that he was actually the perfect person to wield the power. 

 

“Do you see that!?” one of the prison guards shouted over the alarms, pointing to one of the many screens in front of her. 

“What! What happened?!” questioned another guard, who jumped up from the chair he was in, startled from the sudden burst of alarms. 

“The sensors in Deku’s cell are saying he’s using his quirk!”

“That’s impossible. He’s quirkless!”

“Then explain that!” 

The guards stared at the teenager through the screen, sitting on his bed, green sparks jumping off his body. His eyes were wider with fear than the guards’ were. 

“Call security! We need to neutralize him right away!” a third guard ordered, even as the lightning disappeared from around Midoriya. “And contact Detective Tsukauchi and ask him how the hell a quirkless runt like Deku is sparkling!”

 

A couple days later…

“Let me get this straight,” Present Mic started, “You want us to accept Deku into UA, let him live with Class 1-A, who has already been battered enough by the League, give him chores ‘n stuff for community service, treat him like he isn’t a villain who’s done horrible things including attacking our school and hurting our teachers, and convince him to be a hero?”

Tsukauchi gulped. “Yes.”

“THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?” Vlad burst out, causing the detective to flinch. 

“Please contain yourself,” Aizawa muttered in annoyance. 

“I’d have to agree with Vlad,” Snipe interjected, much to Tsukauchi's dislike. “That boy hasn’t done one bit of good for our school. In the past, he’s aimed to hurt our students and teachers. We’d be shooting ourselves in the foot to trust him.”

“That did happen at the summer camp,” Aizawa added. “Against my better judgment, I decided to trust him, which resulted in the kidnapping of Bakugo.”

Tsukauchi opened his mouth to speak, before getting interrupted by All Might. 

“You all don’t understand,” he said sadly. “All those things he did, he didn’t enjoy doing them. He did them because he had to, not because he wanted to.”

“And where’s your proof of that?” Snipe questioned, and All Might faltered, not wanting his personal feelings to be the only evidence. 

“There is proof,” Tsukauchi said firmly. “You all aren’t aware of the heroic acts Midoriya has completed, but it’s about time I show you.”

He went on to list every good thing Midoriya had done, the big and the small. 

He’d saved someone from being mugged, even calling an ambulance for him. He offered valuable information to the League in return for talking with his mom. He saved Iida from the Hero Killer, which shocked nearly everyone in the room. He saved Kota from Muscular, who was one of his fellow members. He found a way to quell Dark Shadow’s rampage, even though he had no reason to help. 

He’d saved Sakura’s life. 

“If you remember from the entrance exams, you all saw it with your own eyes. He saved Ochako Uraraka from the zero pointer, having no need to do so. He got enough points to be accepted into UA!”

The teachers nodded their heads in remembrance. It was strange to think that he could’ve been one of their students. 

“And here is probably the most sound piece of evidence,” Tsukauchi said as he passed papers around the room, as if everything he’d just said wasn’t enough already. “This is a note he left for his mother. In the parts I have highlighted, you can clearly see that he truly wanted to leave the League. The only thing stopping him was the threat on his friends’ and family’s lives.”

Each person in the room read through, and Tsukauchi could feel the resistance to his proposal melting away at Midoriya’s written words. Nezu finally decided to speak his opinion. 

“This evidence clearly displays a strong care for human life, and may I remind you, Midoriya is very young, the same age as our first years. I believe it is entirely possible to direct him away from villainy, given the proper guidance, especially if he’s already shown the desire to be a hero.”

There was a moment of silence, before a certain nine fingered person spoke up. 

“You still cannot forget the crimes he commited,” Cementoss countered. 

Everyone’s eyes flicked downward to the jagged edge of his right hand, where his pinkie finger used to be. It almost looked like broken concrete, and sharply contrasted the rest of his smooth, flat body. 

“He has still caused harm to many good people, either directly or indirectly,” he continued. “The USJ, for example, as well as the intel he’s been continuously giving the League. You cannot simply erase all of that by saying he’s done a bit of good as well. My hand is permanently damaged because of him.”

Tsukauchi resisted the urge to say, “Well, he did warn you after all.”

“But did it actually look like he enjoyed doing that?” Tsukauchi asked instead. “How badly did he try to prevent you from getting hurt?”

Cementoss opened his mouth to reply, before closing it, frowning in thought. When he didn’t open it again, Aizawa spoke. 

“I was entirely against your proposal, but a couple of my students have shown the intense belief that Midoriya is, in fact, reformable. Combine that with the substantial evidence you’ve shown here, I am willing to give him a shot.”

Tsukauchi tried to hide how happy he was at those words, but a wide smile still broke through his expression. 

“However, he’s very strong, even without a quirk,” Aizawa reasoned. “If he is to be transferred here, we’d have to keep a very close monitor on him.”

Tsukauchi pursed his lips. “Hah, yeah… about that.”

That earned him a few confused frowns. 

“You see… he’s not actually quirkless anymore.”

There was a shocked silence, before the louder people burst out into confused questions and speculations, all wondering how something like that could be possible. All Might looked very uncomfortable.

“Don’t tell me, he’s gotten a quirk from All For One,” Vlad spat. 

“There’s no way we can trust him if that’s the case!” Present Mic agreed. 

“Hey, don’t jump to conclusions!” All Might said loudly to get everyone’s attention. “He could just be a late bloomer! With the stress and mental strain of everything that’s been happening to him, it wouldn’t be too surprising.”

Everyone shot him a doubtful stare, except for Nezu and Tsukauchi, who cringed internally at how bad All Might was at lying. 

“But still,” All Might’s voice lowered as he got serious, “even if it was All For One, I know we can still trust him. He’s a good kid who was forced down the wrong path. He became a villain because we failed as heroes. We’re supposed to protect people, and yet I, the number one hero, couldn’t even save that one boy.”

He hung his head as thought back to the rooftop, where all of this had started. 

“He wanted to be a hero so badly,” he continued quietly, “and I was the one to snuff out that hope. Now it’s our job to bring that hope back!” he lifted his eyes to the people around him. “He’s a bright and intelligent young man with a heart that longs to save people. I know we won’t regret bringing him here!”

There was a time where nobody talked, and they just mulled over All Might’s words in their heads. A villain with the heart of a hero, huh? A good person forced to do bad things. Maybe he was worth a shot. 

“Another reason to bring him to UA,” Tsukauchi started after a moment, “his mental state is worsening quickly in Tartarus. He’s attempted suicide before, and with the symptoms he’s showing now, it may not be long before he tries again.”

That was the last straw. The final tipping of the scales. There was no way they could refuse his proposal if it could be saving someone’s life. 

“I suppose it’s worth a shot,” Midnight suggested. 

Present Mic let out a long, exaggerated sigh as he fell back in his chair. “Okay fine. But don’t expect me to trust him right away!”

“You won’t be the only one, partner,” Snipe responded. 

“We need to have strict safety precautions!” Vlad ordered. “The moment he does something suspicious he’s out! I won’t be letting any of my students get hurt because of him!”

“I agree,” Cementoss nodded in Vlad’s direction. 

“Midoriya will be living with Aizawa’s class, so he and I will work everything out,” Nezu reassured. “I promise you, if he does anything to warrant our hostility, we will act immediately.”

“So I guess I have to stay behind then, after this meeting,” Aizawa presumed, rubbing his temples. 

“Yup!” Nezu replied happily, probably thinking about Aizawa’s scarf. 

All Might smiled in relief as they continued to talk about possibilities. Tsukauchi’s proposal had been accepted. Now they just had to hope it wasn’t too late for Midoriya. 

 

“No, no! No!”

Midoriya jolted out of bed, which had become his normal method of waking up. He gripped the side of his bed until his hands ached, willing himself not to throw up. They hadn’t been sending anyone in to clean his cell, not since he’d accidentally activated One For All in his dream. 

Because his cell didn’t have automatic guns, they’d given him a thick metal collar to restrain him from using his quirk. It had its own sensors, and would choke him the moment he started using his quirk until he was unconscious. By the fourth time he tried to use his quirk, he’d be choked to death. 

Well if that didn’t make him feel like some feral monster they were trying to control. 

He focused on the stain on the floor in between his feet that had been the result of his last nightmare. It was still better than seeing a dead Sakura in his arms, with a rotting hole in her throat. Especially when the dead body switched from Sakura to Uraraka to his mother to Shinso to All Might, like the flickering of strobe lights. 

Once he stopped panting, he curled up on his bed and clutched his head in a mild headache, most likely due to the fact that the prison didn’t give them enough water to stay hydrated. 

His collar pressed into his neck as he laid on his bed. His thoughts wandered to the negative places they normally did. 

Attempting suicide was easier than ever. 

All he had to do was activate One For All enough and then boom, he’d never be a problem for anyone again. Not having to feel this way was just an added bonus. 

He sat up and stared down at his hand. 

He could use One For All right now and end it all. 

His stubbornness fought back feebly. 

There are people who care for you and would be upset if you died. 

He thought back to his dream, and that strange rush of strength he’d felt. He tried to remember how he’d done it. 

But there are still more people who would be happy if I died, and for good reason too. 

“Deku! Face the wall and put your hands where I can see them! Try anything and you die.”

Midoriya blinked and looked over at the door, his train of thought successfully interrupted. 

“C’mon! Move! Now!” the voice continued shouting. 

He wouldn’t have minded dying, but he decided to see what all this was about and complied. They cuffed his wrists and ankles, but he could still walk. With a blindfold, he was shown to a much cleaner-smelling room and thrust down into a chair, which they chained him to. With that, they whipped the blindfold off his face. 

Two faces he had not expected to see greeted his eyes from across a thick pane of glass. 

All Might and Eraserhead, sitting in much more comfortable chairs, were gazing at him like he was some sort of exotic animal. Eraser’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly in concern at his condition, while All Might’s worry was much more apparent. Midoriya guessed he really did look that bad, huh?

“Young Midoriya,” All Might started quietly, trying to keep his eyes off the collar around his neck. “Uh, how have you been?” It was a feeble attempt to have a normal conversation. 

The initial shock at seeing the two heroes had worn off, so the now-familiar darkness hovered over his mind again. 

“Fine,” he replied honestly, if you use the acronym. 

Eraser quirked an eyebrow. “You know what? I’m just gonna skip those cheap pleasantries and get to the point. How would you like to get out of here?”

Both All Might and Midoriya blinked in surprise, although for different reasons. 

“Get… out? What do you mean? Where would I go?” Midoriya asked. “There’s no place that would want a former member of the League like me.”

“That’s not true,” All Might responded immediately. Midoriya shot him a doubtful look. 

“There is a place that would accept you,” Eraser interjected. “Everything is already set up. We just have to get your permission to take you there. So I ask again, how would you like to get out of here?”

Despite the impatience in Eraser’s voice, Midoriya took his time answering. 

“I don’t know if I deserve to leave, after the things I’ve done,” he responded after a moment. 

“Of course you deserve to leave!” All Might said at a volume that confirmed he was partial towards Midoriya. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“Because I’m a villain,” he answered firmly. “I’m not a good person, and I don’t know why you think I am.”

All Might didn’t have a response to that, but that was why they’d sent Eraser along with him. 

“The amount of times you risked your safety to save others shows otherwise,” Eraser stated matter-of-factly. “Yes, you have done some bad things, but you didn’t enjoy doing them and the League was forcing you. On the other hand, you always helped people if you had the chance, even though it endangered your relationship with the League.”

“Yes, but-”

Eraser looked Midoriya dead in the eye, which caused any rebuttal he had to die in his throat. 

“You have heroic qualities, whether you admit they exist or not. And that’s why we’re offering you this way out of prison. So, do you accept it or not?”

“Just because I have heroic qualities doesn’t mean I deserve a way out,” Midoriya dodged the question again. 

“But having villainous qualities doesn’t mean you’re not worthy,” All Might countered. 

“But it’s not safe for people to be around me!”

“The people around you say otherwise,” he countered again. 

“But that doesn’t mean-”

“Just be. Quiet.” Eraser demanded, rubbing his forehead agitatedly. Midoriya’s mouth snapped shut immediately. “It’s like you’re trying to convince yourself of your own guilt.”

Midoriya broke eye contact and frowned at the floor. “But I am guilty.”

“Everyone who’s gotten to know you has said you’re more like a hero than a villain. Don’t their thoughts and opinions count for anything?”

The teen fidgeted nervously. “Yeah…”

“Then listen to me. You’ve exhibited the potential to turn from villainy to be a hero. Leaving Tartarus can only do more good than harm, so there’s no point in refusing,” he made sure to catch Midoriya’s eye before continuing. “So do you accept our offer or not?”

The teen gritted his teeth. “I don’t know.”

Eraser groaned. “Teenagers these days and their indecisiveness. The pros and the cons have been clearly laid out for you and you still can’t make a choice.”

“Young Midoriya,” All Might started, grabbing the teen’s attention. “If you don’t do it for yourself, then do it for all the people who care for you, who want to see you recover from being a villain. You might not think you’re deserving of friends, but your friends are deserving of seeing you safe.”

His eyes widened slightly because he’d forgotten those people existed, before he looked back to the floor. He sat there in thought for a moment, still fidgeting. 

Then he looked back up at the heroes, and something had changed in his eyes. 

“Alright. I’ll go with you.”

 

“Why did I agree to go with you?” Midoriya asked from the backseat of a car, rubbing his hands down his face. 

Eraser sighed exasperatedly from the driver’s seat, while All Might looked over his shoulder and gave the teen a smile. 

“Because the people who care for you want to see you safe,” he answered. 

Midoriya broke eye contact and looked at the passing buildings outside his window. They were driving him to a place they believed would help him, but they still hadn’t told him where that was yet. They had to be dramatic, didn’t they?

He'd changed out of his prison uniform and was now wearing a light gray hoodie and sweatpants. Much more comfortable. 

“I need to lay down some rules before we get there,” Eraser said.

“Shouldn’t you have done that before you decided to take me out of Tartarus?” Midoriya questioned. 

“It doesn’t matter. Just listen.”

Midoriya nodded, which Eraser saw in the rearview mirror. 

“First of all, no killing anyone.” The teen gave him a ‘seriously?’ look in the mirror. “You must reply with either ‘okay’ or ‘no,’” Eraser added. 

Midoriya sighed. “Okay, but I didn’t even kill anyone while I was a villain, so I don’t know why you have to clarify that.”

“Second, no hurting anyone,” Eraser continued immediately. “This includes minor acts of aggression, even if they’re provoked. You could be getting beaten to a pulp, but if you hit back, you’re out.” There was a faint tint of annoyance in his tone, as if he secretly didn’t agree with the rule. 

Nonetheless, Midoriya replied with “okay.”

“Keep in mind these rules will become negotiable the more you gain their trust,” All Might interjected, and Eraser nodded in agreement. 

“Third, no using your quirk.” Neither missed All Might’s slight flinch. Midoriya still had the quirk-sensing collar on, partially because it was one of the conditions Tartarus set in order to release him. 

People seemed to feel safer around him when he had it on, so that was another reason. The guards were supposed to keep quiet about his “quirk manifestation,” but there had been a small information leak which had exploded into a very large information leak when the nosy press pushed for answers. 

The most popular rumor was that All For One gave it to him. The official story was that the stress of recent events had caused a late manifestation. 

Neither were true, but either way, “Deku the quirkless villain” wasn’t quirkless anymore. 

“Okay,” Midoriya replied, perfectly fine with that rule. He still didn’t want to use his quirk. 

“Fourth and finally, you’ll be doing community service here, so do whatever anyone asks you to do and things will turn out better for you.”

“What if someone asks me to kill somebody?”

Eraser’s eye twitched. “Only accept the task if it’s something helpful,” he clarified. 

“What if the somebody I’m told to kill is a murderer, so I’d be helping people not get murdered?”

“Only if it’s helpful and legal,” he clarified further, irritation apparent. His annoyance deepened when he saw Midoriya’s brow furrow as he tried to think of another way around the criteria. 

“Ah, we’re here!” All Might laughed nervously. They weren’t actually there yet, but were close enough to say that. 

Midoriya looked out his window again, and found that he vaguely recognized his surroundings. He frowned in thought as he tried to remember where they were. 

His question was answered promptly as they rolled up to a sight that had once filled his dreams. 

The air left his lungs and he stared up at deep blue gates. This place was not what he’d been expecting. 

“UA,” he breathed. No way. 

The adults got out of the car, and he had no choice but to follow. While he closed the car door behind him, he continued to stare up at the blue gates in shock that this was the place they’d decided to take him to.

“That’s right, Problem Child,” Eraser began. 

Midoriya gazed at the school he’d once wanted to attend. The last time he’d been here was to take notes for the Sports Festival, when he’d still been a villain. 

The first time, he’d taken the entrance exam and turned down his letter of acceptance. 

“Congratulations. You’ve been accepted into UA.”

Notes:

Would you rather give Midoriya a straitjacket or a collar? That's right, a collar. Please it's just a collar it's not that bad.

Also, feel like I should address why he didn't blow his limbs off when he used OFA. Two reasons: first one is he was dreaming, so he was more instinctively using OFA, instead of intentionally overthinking using it like canon. Secondly, in canon he reveres OFA and sees it as this amazing power that can only do good. In this he's super afraid of it because he thinks he'll somehow misuse it. If you're deathly afraid of something you'll use less of it, verses if you think highly of something you'll use a lot of it.

He was only using, like, 2-3%, hence the not realizing he was using it right away. I really hope that scene made sense.

This chapter's song is I'll Be Good by Jaymes Young. Seriously, almost every word in this song fits, although the second verse and bridge are probably the best. And not just Midoriya, probably Bakugo a bit too. "I've been cold, I've been merciless. But the blood on my hands scares me to death."

Phew, that's all. See ya next week.

Chapter 50: Out of Place

Notes:

Here we are *rubs hands together* UA! I’ve been planning to go here since the first words of this fanfic and it’s so nice to finally get here after 50 chapters holy heck.

There’s also been a tag update. Please tell me if you think I missed anything bc tagging is hard.

Enjoy!

Midoriya was still staring up at UA’s blue gates. Eraser had already walked under them, and it didn’t look like he was stopping to wait for the other two. 

All Might started quickly walking after him, but paused to look back at Midoriya. 

“You coming?” he asked. 

The teen broke out of his trance and nodded. He and All Might approached the gates together, and then Midoriya hesitated. 

“But wait, won’t the security system go off?” he asked. “I don’t have a card to let me in.”

All Might blinked at him, before frowning up at UA’s gates in uncertainty. 

“It’s fine,” Eraser called back to them, sounding very impatient, “the grounds are being monitored for your arrival, so they’ll make sure the security system won’t go off.”

Midoriya gulped at the thought of constantly being watched, but All Might gave him a reassuring smile. With that, he took his first steps into UA as a rehabilitant, not as a villain.

Eraser led the way, and the other two followed behind. Midoriya secretly enjoyed the warmth of the sun after being locked up for so long, while All Might explained the new dorm system to him, and how it guaranteed the safety of his friends. 

“You won’t have to worry about the League here,” All Might said confidently. 

Midoriya nodded absentmindedly. He was more focused on scanning his surroundings for threats, which was second nature at this point. He found multiple. Well, that’s if you consider people staring and whispering threatening. 

There were many students out on walks or having picnics. School had already been let out at this point in the day. Almost all of them recognized Midoriya. The scar on his face and the wild green hair were hard to miss. He could tell by the students’ wide eyes and the quietness that surrounded the three of them as they walked that none of them trusted him. 

They were hero students, after all. It was their job to recognize villains. 

They could use some lessons in subtlety though, Midoriya thought to himself as he saw one kid point a very obvious finger in his direction. 

Two girls that were studying under a tree near the path dropped their books and started whispering animatedly as the three passed. 

“Hey wait, isn’t that Deku the quirkless villain?”

“He isn’t quirkless anymore, remember? Lookit that collar around his neck. I read somewhere that All For One gave him a quirk!”

“Oh yeah! What’s a shifty guy like that doing at UA?”

“I dunno, but I’ll just try to avoid him.”

Midoriya ducked his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, gluing his eyes to the dirt. All Might seemed to notice his discomfort. 

“If you’re nervous about seeing 1-A again, I can assure you, there’s nothing to worry about,” the retired pro said, trying to be helpful. 

“No, it’s not that,” Midoriya replied, still staring at the ground. 

All Might is used to all the stares and whispers. He’s the former number one hero, which gets him a lot of attention. 

Eraser on the other hand…

“Midoriya, come here.”

The teen blinked surprisedly at Eraser, before quickening his pace to catch up with him. Eraser sent All Might a look over his shoulder saying let me handle this, so the blond hung back. 

“Yes, Eraser?”

“Call me Mr. Aizawa. You’re going to be living with my students, so I might as well treat you like one of them.”

“Alright, M-Mr. Aizawa,” it felt weird to call a pro hero that, “Why did you call me?”

“Don’t cast a thought towards all the people staring at you,” Aizawa began. “They’re going to whisper and say things about you, but none of them actually affect your character or what happened to you. They’re just meaningless, unfactual words. People’s opinions of you are as pointless as the hero rankings.” 

Midoriya looked up at Aizawa to watch his face. The teacher looked… protective? No, that couldn’t be right. Midoriya was a villain, and no teacher had ever actually cared for him before. 

Aizawa’s eyes met Midoriya’s perplexed expression. “If their words shift into action, tell me.”

As Midoriya’s evident confusion deepened, so did Aizawa’s concern for the kid. 

“Why would you want me to tell you?” the teen questioned in genuine puzzlement. 

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. “So I can make sure they don’t take violent measures against you.”

What? 

People had taken violent measures against him before, and no one gave a crap. He’d been beaten and battered and verbally assaulted, and the teachers had just stood there and watched. Some of them even filmed it! Midoriya had given up on telling them about the bullying, because normally it resulted in him getting punished instead.

Why in the world would Aizawa be any different? 

Midoriya continued to stare at him doubtfully, when the 1-A dorms came into view. 

“Ah, we’re here!” All Might said as he caught up. 

“Midoriya, do you understand?” Aizawa asked, and All Might glanced curiously between the two of them. 

“Uh, y-yeah,” he lied. Aizawa looked at him disbelievingly, but didn’t have time to question further because they arrived at Heights Alliance. 

Midoriya could already see people peeking at him through the windows, and he grimaced. He mentally prepared himself for the inevitable awkward social interaction. 

“Just give me a second to explain what you’re doing here,” Aizawa said as he walked up to the doors. 

“Wait, you didn’t even tell them I was coming?” Midoriya asked surprisedly, and All Might also stared at Aizawa with the same level of incredulity.

The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “No. I didn’t tell them. Which is why I’m doing it now. Now wait here and don’t move or else you’re expelled.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Midoriya mumbled in response. 

“Hey wait! Can I tell them about Midoriya with you?” All Might asked as he joined Aizawa in front of the doors. 

Aizawa glanced at him, and then said, “Fine, but don’t interrupt me.”

All Might nodded in understanding, and with that the two adults headed into the building to explain why a member of the League of Villains had unexpectedly shown up on their doorstep. 

 

“Hey guys! Mr. Aizawa’s back!” Mina announced from the window. Their teacher had told them to be at Heights Alliance when school got out, but hadn’t told them why. “All Might’s with him too, and some green haired boy!”

Shinso perked up from one of the tables. “Green haired boy?”

“Yeah, they’re kinda far away so it’s hard to see,” Mina said as she squinted her eyes, “Oh come on, he’d be pretty cute if it weren’t for that big scar on his face. Hold up, is that…”

Her eyes widened as she realized who she was looking at. 

“Well, who is it?” asked Jiro curiously while making tea with Yaoyorozu. 

Shinso sprang up from his chair when Mina didn’t answer, knocking it over, and bolted over to the window. 

“Shinso! No running! You could trip!” Iida shouted from the living area, which was a little hypocritical considering Iida had already used his quirk to help with cleaning. Running super fast gets all the dust off of everything. 

“Hah, you’re one to talk,” Bakugo grumbled from an arm chair. The blond was watching Shinso with narrowed eyes though. 

The purple haired teen threw himself at the window and quickly spotted the green hair. He lowered his eyes to the face below it and sure enough…

“Someone go get Uraraka,” he practically ordered. 

“Wait why?” Mina questioned from next to him. “Isn’t Deku the guy who broke her hand?”

That name caused many more people to perk up. 

“Just go get her!” Shinso shouted, not taking his eyes away from the window. 

Tsu got up from a table. “I’ll go.”

Bakugo quickly stood up from his chair while Tsu hopped upstairs. “Izuku’s here?” It was more of a statement than a question, and his voice was neutral except for a tint of relief and worry. 

Everyone turned to see Shinso’s response. He merely nodded. 

Now, each person had a different reaction. Some cried out in fear like Mineta. Others expressed relief and confusion at the same time, such as Iida. There were a few who started watching the doors apprehensively, like Tokoyami. 

Either way, the common room had exploded into chaos. 

“I thought Deku was a villain!” Kaminari exclaimed. 

“He is, Dingus,” Sero responded. 

Shinso muttered “he was” under his breath. 

Hagakure curled up on the couch. “What are they doing bringing a villain like that here? To 1-A?!”

Iida and Yaoyorozu were trying their best to calm everyone down, but were failing miserably. 

“Oh, will all of you SHUT UP!” Bakugo roared, pairing his words with an explosion. Now that worked. 

Shinso broke out into a brilliant smile. “He’s actually here,” he said excitedly, which caused his classmates to stare at him confusedly. Since when has Shinso smiled? 

Iida took a deep breath as he went into class president mode. “I’m sure all of you are confused as to why the villain Deku has arrived at UA, but we must keep a calm and composed manner. We must trust the actions of Mr. Aizawa and All Might. I’m sure they have a reason for bringing him here.”

Yaoyorozu took a step towards the class as well. “You must remember, just because he’s a villain, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s evil.”

“The hell are you talking about?” Mineta asked. “Villain is literally the definition of evil!”

Resisting the urge to tell him he used the word literally wrong, Yaoyorozu continued. “I met Deku once, when Shigaraki was threatening me at the mall.” Her classmates cringed at the memory. “He isn’t your typical villain, I can tell you that much. He seemed to actually care for my safety.”

She frowned as she thought back to her interview with Tsukauchi following that incident. 

“But then, why is he a villain?” Yaoyorozu asked confusedly. 

Tsukauchi hesitated for a second, tapping the eraser of his pencil against the surface of the table. “Because of circumstances out of his control.”

She looked back up her classmates determinedly. “We shouldn’t judge him for being a villain, because we have no idea what pushed him to make that decision in the first place.”

That at least eased some of her classmate’s fearful and confused attitudes. 

The sound of someone bounding down the stairs met their ears. 

“MIDORIYA, IS HE HERE?” Uraraka shouted as she burst into the common room, Tsu following worriedly. Anyone else who had been upstairs also came down, including Todoroki, Shoji, and Koda. 

“He’s coming,” Shinso replied with a smile, and that smile then spread to Uraraka. 

The front doors opened with a click. Everyone’s heads whipped in that direction. 

As soon as Aizawa saw everyone staring at him in anticipation, he groaned loudly. All Might came in behind him and closed the door while smiling at the students. 

“Izuku Midoriya, or Deku, is outside,” Aizawa started. 

“Yeah, we already figured that much,” Sero laughed nervously. Aizawa sighed, and All Might waited for him to continue. 

“Midoriya is not to be treated like a villain,” he began, making sure to make eye contact with each student as he continued. “He is here to be rehabilitated, not feared. Being a villain had very detrimental effects, so he doesn’t need to be made more guilty than he already is. Treating him with kindness and being open minded is what’s required for a situation like this.”

“But sir,” Tokoyami spoke up, “how are we supposed to do that when he’s attacked and betrayed us before? There is a darkness in his heart that cannot be ignored.”

“That darkness is only there because of the failures of heroes,” All Might interjected. “Heroes have only hurt him in the past, and it’s because of that hurt he decided to join the League.”

“Isn’t that right, Bakugo?” Aizawa added, causing his classmates to glance at him curiously. The blond scoffed, but didn’t deny it. 

“Wait, what does Bakugo have to do with Deku?” Kaminari asked in very visible confusion. The explosive teen gritted his teeth, and no one elaborated. 

“The point is,” All Might continued, “Midoriya is a good kid, and he has the opportunity to leave his criminal life behind. But to do that, he needs your friendship and understanding. So please,” the former number one lowered into a deep bow, “I beg of you to bring back the boy he used to be, before the League broke him.”

The students stared at the retired pro, astonished that a powerful man like him was bowing to feeble young kids like them. 

Bakugo, in particular, scowled. Bowing didn’t line up with his idea of number one. 

“Of course, All Might!” Iida exclaimed, bowing as well. “We will do everything in our power to fulfill the task you’ve assigned us!”

“You don’t have to treat it like some all important mission,” Shinso mumbled. “It’s just making friends with a lonely teenager.”

“Says the person who has made no attempt whatsoever to make friends with anyone,” Mina replied from next to him. “We’ve had to pester you just so you’ll come down for movie night!”

“Yeah, well, Midoriya’s someone I actually want to be friends with.”

“So you’re saying you don’t want to be friends with me!?”

“I mean, kinda…”

“Alright, all of you, be quiet,” Aizawa ordered as he turned back towards the doors, stopping Mina from retaliating against Shinso. “I’m going to bring him in. Any questions?”

“Is it true he’s got a quirk now?” Bakugo asked, much to everyone’s surprise. 

Aizawa narrowed his eyes at him. “Yes. It just recently manifested while he was in Tartarus. He’s wearing a collar to stop him from using it, so you don’t have to worry.”

That last bit was more directed at all the people who expressed fear at Midoriya having a quirk. Bakugo just narrowed his eyes doubtfully, as if he could already tell that wasn’t the truth. 

“Anything else?”

“So we’re just supposed to be nice to him?” Kirishima asked. 

“Yes. We’ve already established this.”

“What if he attacks us?” Mineta questioned. 

“He won’t,” All Might replied quickly. 

“Yeah, but what if he does?”

“Then he’ll be sent back to Tartarus,” Aizawa answered. “If he does anything that warrants suspicion, he’ll be sent back. Iida, alert me immediately if he does anything against the rules.”

“Of course sir!”

“Now, do you have any more questions, or can I finally go outside and get him?” Aizawa asked, his tiredness at this whole situation apparent. 

When no one asked anything more, he and All Might stepped outside to bring the former villain Deku inside his new home.

 

When the two adults had first gone inside 1-A’s dorms, they’d left Midoriya with nothing to do except either stand on the front porch or pace back and forth. Standing there just felt awkward and weird, so Midoriya opted for pacing back and forth. 

He could hear them talking inside, but didn’t really feel the need to decipher their muffled words. They were probably just saying things like how he still has a chance at being good and how he deserves to be treated kindly. Things he himself didn’t believe. 

A few students walked past and noticed him pacing. Midoriya couldn’t tell if they recognized him or not, but they certainly stared at his green hair and collar and scar. 

Then there was a pair of second years who most certainly did recognize him and took off at a run towards the school to warn their teachers. 

Did they seriously tell nobody I was coming? Midoriya wondered as he watched the two sprinting away. 

His wondering was interrupted when Aizawa and All Might opened the doors and joined him on the front porch. He pointed at the two students running down the path. 

“Those two recognized me,” he said simply. 

Aizawa blinked sleepily in their direction, while All Might raised his eyebrows in worry. 

“I should probably go get them and tell them it’s safe,” All Might said, stating the obvious. 

“Yeah, you should,” Aizawa responded tersely. He then stared at All Might until he ran after the second years, and seemed to feel relieved at the blond being gone. “Okay, Midoriya, let’s go in.”

Midoriya took a deep breath and resisted the urge to start fidgeting nervously. Of course, being an awkward introvert, he was worried about meeting all these people. Some he would be seeing again, but others, this would be their first impression of him. 

He tried to convince himself he didn’t care about what his peers thought, but he did, at least a little bit. 

Having a successful conversation with people was hard enough. But then the people being his age? And add being a villain and the people being hero students? 

Forget surviving the League. This was impossible. 

Aizawa either didn’t notice or didn’t care about Midoriya’s discomfort, because he opened the front doors and guided the teen through the entrance and then bam. 

Twenty pairs of eyes were staring at him. Some curious, some resentful, most frightened. 

That was one thing he missed about being a villain. It was your job to blend into the shadows. No one ever saw you or stared at you like the entirety of Class 1-A was doing right now. You didn’t have to be socially adept to survive. 

He gulped and then flinched when Aizawa nudged him on the back. He looked over his shoulder at him. 

“Introduce yourself,” the teacher suggested. 

“I’m p-pretty sure they already know who I am,” Midoriya replied. 

He sighed. “Just do it. They only know you as a villain, so introducing yourself will help them see you from a different angle.”

The teen’s expression softened in understanding, and he turned back to the class, only to find them all waiting in anticipation. He groaned internally. 

“Um, hi,” he started, tentatively waving a shaky hand. “I’m Izuku Midoriya, but you p-probably know me as Deku. Uh, I’m here to get rehabilitated, even though I deserve to be locked up in Tartarus. Thanks for g-giving me a chance, I guess, and sorry for any trouble I might cause.”

He stopped, leaving a tense silence. He looked at the floor so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. Had it always been this hard to talk to other kids his age? It’d never been easy, but this was a new level of difficulty. All that time with the League had also damaged his already weak social skills. 

“What do you mean, you ‘deserve to be locked up in Tartarus’?” Shinso asked after a moment, eyes narrowed in concern. The faintest bit of happiness flicked in Midoriya’s eyes upon seeing him. “You don’t deserve to be there at all! I mean, you saved that one girl’s life, didn’t you? Sakura Kobayashi?”

Midoriya’s face fell at the mention of her. “Her life wouldn’t’ve been in danger in the first place if it weren’t for me,” he replied softly. “Everyone’s lives are worse because of me, so yeah, I do deserve to be locked up at Tartarus.”

Many of 1-A’s faces shifted from frightened to sad at his words. He really thought that of himself?

Midoriya’s eyes lit up as he seemed to remember something. “Oh, congratulations on getting into the hero course, by the way.”

Shinso blinked at him incredulously. “How the hell do you think you deserve to be in Tartarus when you take the time to say nice things like that?!”

Midoriya returned the confused look. He was completely blind to the good qualities he still possessed. 

“Alright, I’m going to bed,” Aizawa said abruptly, walking away. “Your room is the only empty one on the second floor, Midoriya.”

“Wait you’re leaving?” the former villain exclaimed surprisedly. 

“I’ve done my job. You’ve introduced yourself, so I have no more legal obligation to be here. Only come get me if something goes wrong, and knowing all of you, something will.” And with that he was gone around the corner. 

“Okay then…” Midoriya turned back to the class, feeling more awkward than he’d ever felt before. They were all still staring at him and it felt so uncomfortable. He could feel the tension in the air, and it weighed on his mind like how grief weighs on a mourner. 

He licked his lips as his eyes nervously jumped around from person to person. 

There was Tokoyami, glaring at him. Shoji didn’t look very happy either. 

He couldn’t read Todoroki’s expression at all. 

Ah, Kacchan. He appeared rather mad, as per usual. 

Iida and Yaoyorozu looked more trusting of him than their companions. 

Shinso was… relieved? No, that couldn’t be right. 

Then there was a brown blur running at him in an attack. 

Wait… what?

The brown blur slammed into his chest, breaking the previous tension. It took him a second to realize that it was actually Uraraka, and that she was hugging him, not attacking him. Her arms were tight around his torso and her head buried into his shoulder. 

His eyes widened in surprise, and he once again just stood there awkwardly, arms opened out to the side. Mina would later recall he’d blushed quite profusely.

“Now that you’ve finally come back, don’t you ever run off again,” she whispered, and he could see tears pricking out from under her closed eyes. 

Just like the first time they’d hugged on the mall rooftop, he got that voice in his head. 

You should hug her back. 

He knew he should hug her, and this time he wanted to hug her, but something stopped him. 

He’d hugged her at the summer camp too. When he’d broken her hand. The last time she’d been this close to him, he’d snapped her fingers. He’d hurt her, and to make it worse, he’d brutally threatened her afterwards. 

The hug was supposed to be comforting, but it only caused him to relive those memories. 

He’d actually forgotten how to hug this time. 

The sickening sound of snapping her fingers replayed in his head. 

Crunch.

Nobody missed him flinch. Uraraka, who had long since noticed he’d only tensed under her touch, looked up at him in concern. He raised his hands to her shoulders and gently pushed her away. His hands were trembling as he shoved them back in his pockets. 

“Sorry for breaking your hand,” he said quietly, not making eye contact as she studied his face. 

“It’s okay,” she replied. 

He watched as she rubbed her newly healed fingers. “No. It’s not.”

He took a step away from her, and once again noticed all of the people still staring at him. Great, that unsuccessful hug had an audience. 

It only took a few more seconds of everyone’s eyes boring into him for Midoriya to reach a decision. 

“I’m going to my room,” he said unceremoniously as he started quickly walking towards the stairwell. 

“But wait! We’ve hardly even talked to you!” Kirishima exclaimed. Midoriya remembered him from Kamino. He was friends with Bakugo. 

“You act like that’s a bad thing.”

“Perhaps we could give you a tour of the dorms,” Iida tried. 

“Thanks, Iida, but I’m good.”

“Hey, you can’t leave yet!” Shinso said, reaching out to put a hand on Midoriya’s shoulder to stop him. 

Midoriya swatted his hand away before it could reach his left shoulder. “Why not? You’re all just gonna stare at me, which isn’t very comfortable.”

No one responded, so Midoriya resumed his walk to the stairwell. 

“Izuku, wait.”

The teen hesitated. He turned and his green eyes met the red of Bakugo’s. 

“What?” he asked, noticeably ruder than when talking to the other students. 

The blond began approaching Midoriya with narrowed eyes. “How’d you get your quirk?”

“I didn’t get it. It just manifested late,” he responded a little too quickly. 

Bakugo’s eyes narrowed further. “You’re lying. It was All For One, wasn’t it?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Midoriya answered boredly as he continued walking away. 

Bakugo burst forward and grabbed the former villain by the wrist. Midoriya glared warningly at the blond. 

“Kacchan, let me go,” he said, a threat lingering in his tone. 

His grip only tightened. “Why’d All For One give you a quirk?”

“He didn’t give me anything! He only takes!” Midoriya said as he tried to jerk his hand away and failed. 

“Stop lying!” Bakugo demanded. “You were completely quirkless, so the only way for you to have a quirk now is for it to have been given to you!”

Midoriya scoffed. “And why do you care? Can’t bear to think that the person you’ve bullied for being a quirkless nobody has actually been stronger than you this entire time?”

Bakugo’s eye twitched. “No. I care because then that bastard is still using you! He doesn’t always take. He gives when it gets paid back down the line!”

Midoriya looped his arm around and grabbed Bakugo’s wrist in turn. He yanked his old tormentor close so he could see every word forming on his lips. 

“I’m not so weak I’d let a guy like that keep using me,” he said sharply. 

The blond’s eyes widened the slightest. Midoriya released his wrist. 

“And stop pretending you actually care for my well being, ‘cause you’ve proved time and time again that you don’t.”

Midoriya turned around and walked towards the stairs, and this time, no one tried to stop him. 

 

“Well that could’ve gone better,” Kaminari noted. 

Sero scoffed. “No crap, Sherlock.”

Mineta was in the corner, rocking back and forth with his arms around his knees. “That was so. Fricking. Scary.”

“I think that’s just you,” Tsu added, irritation apparent. 

“Well, I mean,” Kirishima spoke up, “He did get a little intimidating there at the end.”

Everyone’s eyes flicked to Bakugo, who was pacing back and forth looking very angry at either himself or the world or both. It was hard to tell. 

“Well, it still could’ve gone worse,” Yaoyorozu said positively, but her smile was a nervous one. 

Iida had his fist clenched in front of him, and the light was reflecting off his glasses in a dramatic way. “We failed to welcome a newcomer. We were supposed to make him feel at home and comfortable, but instead he chose the isolation of his room! What a miserable turn of events!”

The class collectively quirked their eyebrows at him. 

“Can’t blame him though,” Jiro remarked. “We were all staring at him. That kind of attention must not be easy to handle.”

“Beg to differ,” Aoyama interjected, flicking his hair with a twinkle that only made sense through anime logic. 

“Yeah!” Hagakure exclaimed. “I wouldn’t mind having everyone’s eyes on me every once in a while!”

“Well you’re all extroverts,” Shinso retorted. “From the time I’ve spent with Midoriya, I can tell he’s a quiet guy who’d rather stick to himself than get other people wrapped up in his business. That’s one of the reasons he dislikes heroes: because of their thirst for attention instead of being decent human beings.”

“But usually heroes just naturally get that attention!” Mina argued. “For, you know, saving people and doing good stuff!”

“But still, that’s positive attention,” Shinso countered. “You all aren’t staring at him because you think he’s this amazing person who’s done great deeds. No, you’re staring at him not out of admiration or curiosity, but out of fear because he was a villain.”

“I was staring at him out of curiosity,” Todoroki said, raising his hand. He’d been completely oblivious to the tension in the room when Midoriya had been there. 

Sero patted him on the shoulder. “You’re just a special case, buddy.” Todoroki blinked at him unknowingly. 

“Anyway,” Shinso continued, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Maybe we should turn down the staring and turn up the… treating him like a normal human being.”

There was a moment of silence, and then everyone said they’d try their best. 

No one noticed Uraraka slipping upstairs.

Notes:

Bit of a rocky start. I planned to have the next scene in this chapter to make it end better but it ended up making the chapter way too long and my brain desires consistency in the same way the Joker needs anarchy so I didn’t.

This chapter’s song is Leave a Light On by Tom Walker. It’s just… such a good song. It'd be Midoriya's friends at UA telling the lyrics to him, and although the song is talking about saving someone from a drug addiction, the message is still the same.

Also, the next chap is looking pretty long… so see ya then!

Chapter 51: Open Up

Notes:

I like the chapter title and it very much fits what happens in this chap, but everytime I read it my brain goes FBI open up!! which does not happen in the chap but yeah.

Also, there's one more tag I added, and it's a slash now. Huzzah.

And this is what Japanese pancakes look like (what there aren't gonna be any pancakes in this wth are you talking about????) And yes they do eat them with chopsticks (I'm pretty sure).

I now present to you the longest chapter in this fanfic. Not gonna lie, I was a little concerned once we got to UA there wouldn't be enough stuff to write about, but after seeing the length of this chap I don't think that'll be a problem.

Isolating and alone in his room, Midoriya’s thoughts didn’t improve much. The only thing that changed was the higher prevalence of snapping Uraraka’s hand in the shuffling of his memories. 

A part of him wanted to go downstairs, desperately needed to go downstairs, but he didn’t think he could take all their untrusting stares. The way they looked at him, as if he would snap and go on a killing spree at any moment, it made him feel even more like a villain. 

Even people like Iida and Todoroki looked at him that way, at least a little bit. 

The only people who truly didn’t see him like that were Shinso, Uraraka, and Bakugo. 

Besides, why would he go down when most of the class probably didn’t want him there anyway?

He looked around his bland room. He had his bed, a desk, and a dresser with his old clothes in it, along with some normal things like a clock and such. At least there were windows. There was a picture of him and his mom on his desktop, which his mom had probably asked to put there. 

It was a selfie, taken on his mother’s birthday, before he’d gotten his scar. The tips of the candles on her cake were just visible at the bottom. Someone had just said something funny, apparently, because Inko was wearing a much bigger smile than Midoriya ever remembered her having. 

On Midoriya’s face was one of the brightest smiles you ever did see. He was laughing, and anyone who looked at the picture could feel the joy emanating from him. It was one of his mom’s favorite photos. 

Midoriya looked at the picture fondly, but couldn’t help but feel it was from a previous life that wasn’t connected to his current one. 

He sighed and decided to go into the bathroom to wash his face, freshen his mind a bit. He opened the door, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his face in the mirror. This was the first time he’d actually looked at himself in a long time. 

Who the heck was he?

He saw the coldness in his eyes and the dark bags beneath them. His skin was pale from lack of sunlight. The scar running down his left cheek had faded a bit and blended into his face better. His mouth had no trace of any smile left. 

He thought about the boy he’d just been looking at in that picture. It was like he was a different person entirely. It saddened him to think of how much he’d changed for the worse. 

He tried to smile.

It felt so wrong. What he saw in the mirror scared him so he instantly stopped trying. 

He didn’t want to keep looking at his deadened face, so he gave up on washing it and returned to his bed. The memories returned in their unfailing routine of torturing him. They would’ve preoccupied him the rest of the night if there hadn’t been a knock on the door a few moments later. 

“Hey, Midoriya? It’s me, Uraraka.”

He sat up in bed. His first response was just to ignore her until she left, but something deeper wanted her to stay. 

“You don’t have to let me in if you don’t want to, but I couldn’t just stay downstairs knowing that you were up here going through whatever you’re going through alone.”

That deeper feeling grew stronger. He gazed at the door as she continued talking.

“I don’t know everything that’s going on with you, but I do know I want to help with whatever it is. So please, let me in.”

He clutched the edge of his bed, his fear of opening up holding him back. He didn’t want to put a bigger target on her back. 

“That’s why you came to UA, right? To find and make friends with people who actually care for you?”

That’s right. He wasn’t in the League anymore. There wasn’t a dilemma of death hanging over his head like there used to be. It was okay for him to open up, it wouldn’t cause more pain. It wouldn’t put her in danger. 

He thought back to the wish he’d made while writing the note to his mother in the hospital. Now he actually had the chance to fulfill that wish. He could have friends. 

But the question was, did he think he was worthy of friends?

“Please… I just wanna make sure you’re okay.”

He could tell she’d finished talking by her tone and realized he had to make a decision. Would he accept help or keep suffering alone like he felt he deserved?

 

After a few seconds had passed by, Uraraka started losing hope he was actually going to open the door. Several seconds after that, she turned to walk away, feeling defeated and strangely lonely. 

Click. 

She gasped wide eyed and whipped back around towards the door. The handle was turning. 

The handle was turning!

The door creaked open slowly, and a sad pair of green eyes peered out. They lit up with the faintest flicker of hope when they landed on Uraraka, who had broken out into a wide smile. 

He opened the door more, and Uraraka could see his rather boring room, which was lit by nothing except the fading light filtering in through the windows. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, even though the answer was obvious. 

“Does it look like I’m okay?” he replied softly, thinking back to his face in the mirror. 

“Well, I’m here if you wanna talk.”

He gripped the doorframe unsurely and didn’t make eye contact. 

She tilted her head. “Or I could just… be with you. We don’t have to talk, but it’s better than being alone.”

He thought for a moment, frowning slightly, and Uraraka was scared he’d say no. But then he looked up and nodded. “Okay.”

He opened the door all the way and walked into his room, and Uraraka followed. If Midoriya had been in a better mental state, and Uraraka hadn’t been so dead set on helping him, they probably would’ve been marveling at the fact that they were alone in a room with a person they had feelings for. 

Uraraka left the door cracked while Midoriya took a seat in the desk chair, leaving her to sit on the bed. 

“You think you’re gonna decorate your room at some point?” she asked curiously as she plopped down, looking around. 

He shrugged. “I don’t know what I would decorate it with.”

“Oh c’mon, don’t be like Shinso!”

He tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong with Shinso?”

“His room is almost completely bare except for stuff for his cat! Well, I guess my room’s pretty empty too… but at least I have a reason! I just can’t afford more stuff,” her face fell slightly at those last words. 

Midoriya didn’t really know what to say to that, so he just said, “sorry.”

She smiled kindly. “You know, you don’t have to apologize for everything.”

He reddened a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“Stop! You just did it again!” she laughed. 

He opened his mouth, before realizing he was about to apologize again, so he closed it. This caused Uraraka to giggle more and Midoriya’s blush became more noticeable. A tiny bit of her smile spread to him. 

“You’re kinda funny, you know that?” she said, still smiling brightly. 

“Funny?” he asked, frowning a bit. No one had ever called him that before, at least not in the sweet way she had. 

“Yeah! In like a cute, awkward, nerdy way,” she replied, her shade of red now equaling Midoriya’s. 

“O-oh, um, okay,” he stammered. Was that a compliment? Was this what it felt like to be complimented?

“Wait, what were we talking about before? Oh right! Decorating your room!” She frowned in thought, before landing her fist in her palm. He blinked at her expectantly. “How about this? What makes you happy to look at?”

He hardly thought for a second before an answer just automatically supplied itself in his brain. 

You. 

He was barely able to keep the word from tumbling out onto his tongue. 

What The Heck what the heck why would I think that? his mind raced. 

But it made him realize something: sitting here talking with Uraraka, he actually felt kinda… happy? Happier than he’d felt in months. Years, even. Of course, there was still that sadness and guilt hovering over him, but now it felt like it was in the background instead of all around him. 

Being with her felt like a narrow beam of light piercing the shadows. Like the flickering of a match on a dark night. 

“Hey, you okay?”

Midoriya snapped back to reality and saw Uraraka watching his expression with a bit of confusion and concern. 

“Oh, yeah, I just drifted off for a moment there,” he responded. “Sor-”

“Don’t apologize!!”

She shouted it so loud he flinched and his desk chair went rolling to the side. 

“Aah, no! Sorry sorry sorry,” she said very quickly, leaning forward off the bed and making a very wild gesture with her arms. “I didn’t mean to scare you! I just didn’t want you to say sorry again!”

Holy heck this girl is crazy. 

“It’s okay,” he replied instead, making a mental note- no more like a mental billboard to avoid saying sorry around her. 

“Um,” she started unsurely, but gained confidence when he nodded at her, “I was asking what makes you happy to look at, so we could put it in your room to decorate!”

Well he couldn’t put Uraraka in his room, who was currently the number one thing that made him happy. He also thought it’d be weird to say that, so he put on a thinking expression instead of responding. He tried to remember what had kept him going as a villain, what had kept him from falling apart. 

Analyses were fun. Well, maybe not fun, but interesting and engaging to do. They kept his thoughts occupied, but they still weren’t something you could put in a room to decorate. He also didn’t want to tell her he thought gathering intel on people was fun, so he kept quiet and thought for a moment more. 

“Music makes me happy, but that’s not really something you can look at,” he answered. 

Maybe happy was the wrong term, more like process emotions, but close enough. He thought harder, and she didn’t interrupt. The thing was, he got happiness from doing stuff, not looking at it. Like helping someone with their groceries or saving someone’s life. He really tried to think of something he enjoyed looking at. 

Before being a villain, it probably would’ve been hero posters and merchandise, but all the joy he got from those items had long since vanished. 

Uraraka’s face fell a little at how long it took him to think of something. 

“Oh! I know,” he exclaimed, eyes brightening. “Sometimes, after having a rough time with the League, I’d go to a rooftop and look at the stars.”

Uraraka’s breath had hitched after the word rooftop because she’d been worried he’d finish the sentence with and jump off. 

She quickly composed herself and lit up when she realized what he’d actually said, “Wow, that’s so cool! I love the stars too!”

“Really?” he asked in relief, seemingly a little confused that someone liked something he liked. 

“Yeah!” Uraraka exclaimed, making a very large motion with her arms again. “We could go up to the roof and stargaze sometime! Although we’re not allowed on the roof. We’d have to keep it a secret from Iida,” she added quietly. 

“If I break any rules I’ll be sent back to Tartarus,” he said nervously, pulling a knee up to his chest. 

“Oh right…” she trailed off disappointedly, and Midoriya thought she was going to give up on the idea but then she added, “we’ll just have to be super stealthy about it then!”

He raised his eyebrows and the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smile. “You’re secretly a rebel under all that kindness and warmth, aren’t you?”

Her cheeks glowed and she laughed. “Well then you’re the opposite! Under all that anger and sadness you’re kind and warm!”

“I don’t know about that…” he responded sadly, smile dissipating. 

Her smile faded too. “Well I know, because I’ve seen it first hand.”

He looked at her doubtfully, but a very small part of him believed her. 

“Decorating your room! We keep getting off topic!” she exclaimed. “We could get those glowy sticker star thingies and put them on your ceiling!” 

She laid back on his bed and looked up at where they’d put the stars, and he cringed slightly. “No, you don’t have to do that for me.”

Uraraka sprang upwards back to a sitting position on the bed. “Oh come on! You’re gonna get used to people being nice to you whether you like it or not!”

He blinked, not fully comprehending what she meant by that. He didn’t have time to ponder it though, because Uraraka continued to spout out different ideas on how to liven up his room. They were all space themed, and Midoriya had a feeling she was describing how she would decorate her room if she could. 

She seemed very adamant on doing the glowy sticker star thingies. 

Midoriya continued to refuse a lot of her suggestions. It wasn’t that he disliked them, it was just that he didn’t want her wasting her time and energy on him. 

Eventually, their time ran out. 

“OCHA!! KODA’S RABBIT IS STUCK ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE!” Mina shouted from downstairs. “This is a SOS!! Code blue! Or red I dunno, but Kawaii needs your help! Where did you go?!!”

Uraraka cringed. “Guess I gotta go…”

A new fear came over Midoriya, a type of dread he’d never felt before. He didn’t want the memories to come back. He didn’t want the loneliness and darkness to press in on him again. 

This feeling took over as she got up from the bed and started walking to the door. 

He jumped up and grabbed her wrist. “Wait!” She turned in surprise to look at him, and saw the look of desperation on his face. “Please… don’t go.”

He realized after a second what he’d done and whisked his hand away like it was some evil cursed object that would destroy anything it touched. 

“Sorry,” he said, backing away. 

She smiled kindly and reached out and took a hold of that very same hand, lifting her pinkie finger, causing his eyes to widen as he blushed quite strongly. 

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s okay,” she reassured. “I don’t want to leave either, but-” she cringed at Mina’s continued shouting, “they kinda need me down there, and it’s gotten kinda late.”

Midoriya just now realized how dark his room had gotten after the sun had set. “...yeah, you’re right.”

“But I’ll see you tomorrow, how about that?” she asked happily. He nodded, but the thought of everyone’s fearful stares dampened any enthusiasm he would’ve felt. 

“Well then…” she loosened her grip, and he felt a pang of sadness as their hands separated. “Bye…”

She walked over to the door, and as she closed it behind her Midoriya said, “Bye.”

Uraraka smiled and returned the farewell. Then just like that, she was gone. Midoriya's room was dark, the same as the thoughts in his mind. 

But as he sat down on his bed, one thought rose above all the others. 

Maybe UA won’t be so bad afterall. 

 

“So where were you?” Mina asked in the girls bathroom after Koda’s rabbit had been rescued. The pink girl shoved her toothbrush into her mouth and waited eagerly for an answer. 

Uraraka fiddled with the bristles of her hairbrush. “Oh, you know… upstairs?”

Mina’s mouth turned upwards in a sly grin when she saw the tint of red on Uraraka’s cheeks. “Where upstairs?”

“Just, uh… places.”

The true mark of a hero: not being able to lie, or failing miserably when you tried. 

“You were with Deku, weren’t you?” 

Panic spread across her face, as well as a lovely shade of tomato. 

“Hey wait, do you like him?” Mina asked excitedly, grin turning into a full faced beam. 

“A-ah, uh… well-”

“Oh, Ocha! I’m so happy for you!” she exclaimed, bouncing up and down and throwing her toothbrush into the sink.

Uraraka looked surprised. “You are?”

“Yeah! I could tell that you were fawning over somebody after the summer camp, the way you drifted off so easily and always seemed lost in your head, but I’d just assumed it was someone at UA! Maybe Shinso or Iida since you spend the most time around them. Now I know who!” Mina said happily, toothpaste foam flying out of her mouth. 

Uraraka laughed sheepishly. “It was that obvious, huh?”

Mina patted her on the shoulder fondly. “Oh yeah it was, girl.” She spat in the sink and picked up her toothbrush to continue brushing. “So why’d you pick Deku, of all people? At first glance, he doesn’t really seem your type, all edgy and depressing.”

“Because he’s not actually all edgy and depressing,” Uraraka explained, now using her brush on her hair instead of just fidgeting with it. 

Mina shot her a disbelieving look. “Uh, he kinda is.”

“No, no,” Uraraka shook her head sadly. “I met him at the entrance exam, before… before being a villain got to him. When he still had hope. He was so kind and caring and little quirky and-”

“Cute?” Mina asked eagerly, following Uraraka’s alliteration. 

She blushed and smiled dreamily. “His smile… it’s really nice,” but then her face fell. “Not that you’ll see him truly smiling nowadays.”

Mina pouted. “Well we can’t have that now can we?”

Uraraka looked at her confusedly. “What do you mean?”

“You said he used to be super nice ‘n stuff, right?” she asked, and Uraraka nodded. “Well then we just have to find a way to bring that back! So that way he’ll smile more!”

The way Uraraka beamed proved she was on board. “I don’t think it’ll be that simple, though.”

“Well, what was he like when you were with him?” Mina asked, spitting again and rinsing off her toothbrush. “Was he any different than when we saw him in the foyer?”

She put on a thoughtful expression. “Um, at the start, not really. But later…” her eyes brightened, “I think so. I think he was happier, or at least less lonely.”

Mina clapped her hands in triumph. “That’s it! You just have to spend time with him! Make him feel comfortable, helping out when he’s sad, making out a few times wouldn’t hurt either.”

“W-what?!” Uraraka yelped, face heating up significantly again. 

“Just kidding,” Mina joked, but the sparkle in her eye said she wasn’t. “Wait! That means me calling interrupted your time with him,” she realized with dread. “Oh Ocha, I’m so sorry!”

Uraraka flailed her arms in front of her at Mina’s apologies. “It’s okay! It was getting late anyway, and it’s not like I’d be able to stay there all night.”

A devious grin spread across Mina’s face. “Well technically-”

“No. Do not even suggest what you’re about to suggest,” Uraraka said, putting her brush back on the counter firmly. 

Mina looked like a bubble about to burst, before dramatically sighing and deflating. “Fine, but you obviously have feelings for him, and I can’t wait to see how you two turn out!”

“It sounds like you’re baking us in an oven,” Uraraka replied nervously as she walked towards the door. 

“I certainly won’t be uninvolved.”

Uraraka didn’t even want to think about what that could mean. 

Mina bounced over to the door with her. They usually went to their dorms together because they were both on the fourth floor. 

“Just… please don’t scare him away,” Uraraka asked earnestly as they entered the common room and headed towards the stairs. 

“Love is a roller coaster. Sometimes roller coasters are scary!” Mina countered, her smile frightening at this point. 

“Mina…” Uraraka warned, a dangerous glint in her eyes. 

“Okay! Alright! Jee you’re really protective of him. Fine, I won’t get too involved.”

“What the heck are you guys talking about?”

Both girls whipped around to find that Shinso had quietly exited the boy’s bathroom right after them. He quirked an eyebrow at Uraraka. 

“Roller coaster of love?”

She promptly turned a deep shade of red. 

“Hah, what? Love, dove, glove- who said anything like that, huh?” she asked, arms flailing in their usual manner. 

“You weren’t talking about Midoriya, were you?” he questioned further, amusement glinting in his eyes. 

“What!? No! I mean, yeah- well… maybe?”

He raised his eyebrows slightly. He took in Mina, who was trembling in suppressed laughter, and then Uraraka’s furiously blushing face. He fully understood what was happening. 

And he was also too tired to deal with it. 

“Well then, tell me if you figure out which one it is. No, yes, or maybe,” he said as he walked past the girls and up the stairs. 

Once he was gone, Uraraka sighed in relief and Mina released the giggles she’d been holding back. 

“You are so bad at lying!” she wheezed. “Why didn’t you just tell him!? You wear your heart on your sleeve, so he’s probably already figured it out!”

“Aah, I know,” Uraraka said as they resumed their walk up the stairs. “It just feels really weird, admitting that you like someone. And right now I’m more focused on helping him recover than anything else.”

“Has it occurred to you that love could help him recover the most?”

Uraraka’s face brightened. 

“Huh. I guess you’re right.”

She could barely sleep that night, because the fantasies she’d been having felt closer to reality than ever before. 

Shinso actually managed to get a couple decent hours of sleep, possibly because Midoriya was at UA. He felt relieved. 

Midoriya’s dreams tortured him as usual. 

 

Sunday was the only day students could sleep in, because of UA’s six-day week. So Midoriya got up early, before even rigid students like Iida could get up. He went to the boy’s bathroom and washed up before anyone else even got out of bed. 

Except for one person: Bakugo. 

The blond seemed to have the same thought process as Midoriya, get up early enough so you could get ready on your own. Although, Midoriya did that because he didn’t want everyone staring at him, while Bakugo did it because he just didn’t like people. 

The two crossed paths on the stairs, when Midoriya was heading back up to his room, and Bakugo was going down to the bathrooms. The blond saw the former villain and froze, while Midoriya only hesitated for a second and then continued up the stairs. 

After a second, Bakugo snorted. “Bed shirt?” he asked, reading Midoriya’s shirt. 

Midoriya didn’t respond and proceeded to walk past Bakugo. He was about to round the corner when the blond spat a single word. 

“Sorry.”

Midoriya turned back to face him, feeling a bit of surprise. 

“For what happened last night. I probably shouldn’t’ve done that.”

Probably. Midoriya scoffed. 

“You have a lot more to be sorry for than that,” he responded. And then he disappeared into his room. 

 

Midoriya had fallen back into that pit of guilt and sadness (hyperfixation on the negative, remember?), so when someone knocked on his door, he was less than willing to open it. His time with Uraraka yesterday felt like a faded dream. The darkness blotted out the light it had provided. 

“Midoriya, you up?”

It was Shinso. Midoriya sat up in bed. 

“C’mon, it’s eleven, you’ve gotta be up by now. Can you at least respond so I don’t feel like I’m talking to a wall?”

Midoriya sighed. “I’m up.” He realized after saying this that Shinso could brainwash him, and felt relieved when he didn’t. 

“Hey, there you are. I’ve come to drag you out of your room, ‘cause Uraraka is still sleeping and you can’t stay in there all day.”

Midoriya slumped back down in bed. Oh yes I can. 

“Don’t make me brainwash you.”

Well if that didn’t seal Midoriya's silence. Shinso sighed and rested his forehead against the door. 

“Listen, that dark loneliness you’re feeling? I’ve felt it too. I know yours is worse than mine was, but I still understand it more than anyone else here. I’ve got a leg to stand on.”

Midoriya’s resistance to opening the door faded. He sat up again. 

“I know what it’s like to have nobody to talk to, nobody to connect with. I know how crushing that can be, but there’s a way out of it! I found that out when I met you, and then Uraraka, then Kaminari and Iida and Mina- it’s just…”

He took a deep breath, and Midoriya could hear his exhale. 

“You can find a way out too, if you’d just come downstairs. Last night, you said ‘thank you for giving me a chance.’ I think you need to give us a chance.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly. He remembered saying that. He’d been longing for friends, so why wasn’t he down there making them? 

Because, guilt whispered in his ear, an evil person like you doesn’t deserve to have true friends. Didn’t you see the way they stared at you? They know you’re evil, and you know it too. You’re just a worthl-

“And you’re an idiot for thinking you deserve to be in Tartarus,” Shinso continued, startling Midoriya out of his thoughts. “Everyone who gets to know you wants to be your friend. It doesn’t matter whether you think you’re deserving of it or not, you need friendship.”

Those words melted the last of any resistance Midoriya felt. Shinso scoffed lightly. 

“I sound like fricking My Little Pony. Friendship is magic and all that sh-”

His sentence was cut short when Midoriya opened the door. Tired green eyes met tired purple eyes. 

Shinso smirked. “Well, don’t you look like a million bucks?”

Midoriya’s hair was its usual curly mess, he still had dark rings around his eyes, and he just looked absolutely done. He had on a dull blue jacket, zipped up to his neck. 

The corner of his mouth turned upwards. “You don’t look much better either,” he said, taking in Shinso’s pajama pants and sweatshirt. 

“Yeah, I won’t deny it,” Shinso said, and he took a step away from the door. “Well, are you coming?”

Midoriya’s face fell. “They’re all going to stare at me.”

“I’ll brainwash anyone who does. Now let’s go.” Shinso started walking away.

Midoriya didn’t move from his doorway. He was having second thoughts. “Then you’ll have to brainwash the whole class.”

“Done.”

“But you’d be in serious mental strain if you did that. Not to mention you’d have to talk to each person individually because you can’t brainwash multiple people at once. And then they’d just be…” he made a flopping motion with his arms, “standing there.”

Shinso dredged back to Midoriya and said, “Okay, just… stop being so smart.” He reached out to put his hands on his shoulders, but Midoriya grabbed his right hand before it could reach his left shoulder. 

“Please don’t touch my left shoulder,” he asked softly. Shinso saw the bandages poking out from under his jacket, and lowered his right hand, but kept his left hand firmly planted. 

“Are you doing anything worthwhile up here?” he asked. 

Midoriya rubbed his arm nervously. “No…”

“Well then, you’re gonna come down because Sato just made some amazing pancakes, and no I can’t bring them up to you because they’re so good I’d eat them on the way up the stairs.”

“But it’s only one floor.”

“That’s how good they are.”

Midoriya stared down at the ground. Shinso could tell how truly nervous he was about meeting people. People had never treated him kindly in the past, so why would they now? Especially since he used to be a villain?

“Aren’t you at least hungry?” Shinso tried. 

“I guess a little…”

That still didn’t convince him. Shinso had appealed to his emotions with friendship. Then his physical needs with hunger. Normally it was one of those first two that got people to do what he wanted. Now it was time for logic. 

“You’re gonna have to talk to them at some point,” he said matter-of-factly. “Might as well get it over with now, when everyone’s in a good mood that it’s Sunday and they have pancakes.”

He saw it in Midoriya’s face. That had convinced him. 

“Now let’s go,” he said as he grabbed Midoriya’s arm and started pulling him towards the stairs. 

“Hey, ah, wait!” Midoriya stammered as he stumbled along with Shinso. 

“You’ve been waiting long enough. It’s a crime to let Sato’s food get cold.”

Midoriya let Shinso drag him down the stairs. He could’ve easily broken from his hold at any moment, but didn’t. He kinda wished he had though when they arrived in the common room. 

The students who’d been facing the stairwell looked up from their pancakes at him. The others then saw their classmates move and looked over their shoulders at him. Everyone was there except for Uraraka, Bakugo and Aoyama.

“See, what did I tell you?” Midoriya told Shinso quietly. 

The insomniac abruptly began pulling Midoriya towards the kitchen, and in his stumbling he didn’t see Shinso send a glare over at his classmates. Everyone’s eyes lowered back to their food. 

Shinso pushed Midoriya into the kitchen, where Sato was making seconds for anyone who wanted them. The chef started when he saw the kid he’d watched defeat All Might right in front of him. 

“He wants pancakes,” Shinso said simply, pointing at Midoriya, who was failing to form words properly at the moment. He instead waved feebly, and didn’t try to smile for fear of scaring him off. 

“Oh, right, sure!” Sato blundered, and Midoriya could tell his smile was fake. 

He got his pancakes, and they actually looked really good. Sato really went the whole nine yards, there was fruit on the top with powdered sugar and everything. He chose to stare at that instead of all the people watching him walk to his seat. But then he almost bumped into Iida. 

“Midoriya! I would like to thank you!” Iida exclaimed. “I realize I should have done this yesterday, to alleviate some tension!”

The former villain was still flustered over having almost bumped into him, which would’ve spilled pancakes everywhere, so he only managed a “W-what?”

Iida lowered into a bow, which only heightened his bashfulness. “For that one time in Hosu. I am truly in your debt.”

“Oh, that,” Midoriya said, regaining some control over his composure. “You don’t owe me anything, Iida, and please stop bowing, I really don’t deserve that. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I was just, I was just…”

He hesitated, and Iida came up from his bow. He shrugged. 

“I was just helping out, because… b-because that’s what f-friends d-do, right?”

Iida positively beamed at Midoriya calling him a friend. 

“It would be an honor to consider you a friend,” Iida replied, and Midoriya’s eyes went wide. “You not only saved my life, but you reminded me what it is to be a hero, stopping me from going down a dark road of vengeance. For that I am forever grateful.”

His classmates listened to this with interest. 

“Th-thank you,” Midoriya stammered in response. 

Shinso came up from behind Midoriya with his second helping of pancakes and a mug of coffee. “See, what did I tell you?” 

The two teens ended up sitting across from each other at the table next to Iida, who was already sitting with Yaoyorozu, Tsu, and Kaminari. 

Midoriya turned his attention towards his pancakes. He’d been living off of energy bars and crackers for nearly two years. This would be the first time in a very long while he’d had real food. 

“You gonna eat those or just stare at them?” Shinso asked jokingly through a mouthful of pancake. 

“Yeah, yeah, I will. I just can’t remember the last time I actually had, like…” he waved his chopsticks around as he tried to find the right words, “a real meal.”

“Really?” Iida asked. “The League doesn’t provide sustenance for their members?”

Midoriya scoffed. “No,” he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“I’m glad you’re outta there,” Shinso said with his mouth full again. 

“Yeah, me too,” the former villain agreed softly. 

Iida began telling Shinso off for speaking with his mouth full, and that’s when Midoriya took a bite. 

Holy crap. 

His taste buds were overwhelmed with sweetness and flavor, and just for a moment, he couldn’t think of anything except how fricking good the pancakes were. 

Shinso saw his face and snorted. “That good?”

Midoriya nodded as he chewed. Once he swallowed, he said, “This is the best thing I’ve tasted in years.”

“That’s kinda sad…” Tsu remarked. Midoriya shrugged. 

He continued eating, and he was even able to forget about all the people watching him out of the corners of their eyes. And that really speaks to how good the pancakes were, because it takes a lot to distract him from stares. Shinso eyed the people from the adjacent table, saying come on, talk to him!

“Hey Deku!” Kaminari started immediately. Midoriya frowned slightly at his villain name. “I’m Denki Kaminari, the electrifying ladies man!” 

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow, and saw Yaoyorozu’s and Tsu’s eyerolls. “Um, okay. Hi.” His mind also involuntarily relayed all the intel he knew about Kaminari. 

“I really wanna know what kind of hobbies a guy like you has!” Classic conversation starter. 

“Hobbies?”

“Yeah, things you do for fun! You know, like, video games, social media, spending time with friends-”

“I think he knows what a hobby is,” Shinso cutted in. 

“Mostly just listening to music, not that I’ve been able to do it recently though…” Midoriya answered glumly, not taking his eyes off his food. 

“What!?” Kaminari exclaimed. “No video games or social media or spending time with friends?!”

“Uh… no.”

Kaminari looked absolutely crushed. Midoriya panicked. 

“Well, I-I’m not saying that I don’t like those things, I j-just… haven’t e-ever done them.”

“You’ve never spent time with friends!?”

“No…?”

There was a moment of weighted silence, in which they got a glimpse at how unhappy Midoriya’s life had been. 

“You’ve had a pretty miserable life, haven’t you?” Tsu asked bluntly. 

He shrugged again. “There are people who’ve had it worse than me.”

He stuffed his face with pancake again, and Tsu decided to introduce herself. She’d met him briefly at camp, but no words had been exchanged between them.

“I’m Tsuyu Asui, by the way, but you can call me Tsu. It’s nice to meet you,” she said. Huh, her smile actually looked kinda real. 

Midoriya swallowed and pushed away all the stats popping up in his head. “Yeah, you too.”

“We’ve already met,” Yaoyorozu started, “But it’s still proper manners to introduce oneself. I’m Momo Yaoyorozu, and the last time we saw each other was, uh-” an unpleasant memory caused her voice to get stuck. 

“At the mall,” Midoriya quietly finished for her. He poked at his food. “Yeah, I remember,” his eyes strayed to her throat. Just for a second he thought he saw Shigaraki’s fingers still wrapped around it. “Was your… were you okay after that?”

A bit of surprise flashed across her face, before she smiled. “Yes, I was alright. I received medical treatment and have no lasting after effects.”

Midoriya nodded. “That’s good.”

The talk about throat injuries brought back some painful memories. Sakura was having long lasting after effects, and it was his fault, or at least he perceived it that way. He shuddered at the sight of her throat chipping away, because just like that, he was seeing it right in front of him. 

His demeanor noticeably changed from nervous and awkward to dark and sad. He poked at his food again. 

“Hey, you okay?” Shinso asked with concern. 

“I’m not hungry anymore. I think I’m gonna go back to my room,” he said flatly with half a pancake left, standing up from the table. 

Shinso stood up too, a bit of devastation on his face. “What! Why? What happened?”

“Nothing. I just feel like going back to my room,” he replied as he walked past him towards the kitchen. 

“Let’s try that again, except you tell me the truth this time,” Shinso said with his eyes narrowed. Midoriya ignored him. 

He dropped his plate off at the sink and thanked Sato for the pancakes and told him how good they were. Sato sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and said, “you’re welcome.”

“Midoriya!” Shinso called out again, walking quickly after his friend. “Why won’t you open up! You can’t just keep hiding all your problems!”

Midoriya ignored him again and beelined it for the stairs. Shinso came up behind him with his long strides and tried to stop him by putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Except he forgot what Midoriya had told him about his left shoulder.

The former villain saw the hand approaching his bad shoulder out of the corner of his eye. He acted like a threatened animal on instinct, out of fear of reliving the disintegration again. 

He whipped around and slapped Shinso’s hand away at a force that made a loud smack! 

“Ack!” Shinso cried automatically in response to pain, snatching his hand away. 

Midoriya realized his error immediately. 

“Sorry sorry sorry,” he apologized desperately in rapid succession, reaching out to make sure Shinso was okay. “I didn’t mean to, it just- I just…” he took a step forward, and Shinso stepped away. Midoriya looked up at his face. 

There were a lot of emotions there, like concern, worry, and confusion. But there was only one emotion Midoriya saw:

Fear. 

His eyes went down to his shaking hands, and nausea pulsed in his stomach. He’d done it again. He’d hurt someone he cared about. 

“What did you do?” Hagakure asked. The people eating breakfast had only heard a smack and then Shinso’s shout. All their eyes and suspicions were on Midoriya. 

He raised his still trembling hands up to his head and pulled at his hair, taking multiple steps away. The class approached Shinso, and tears welled up in Midoriya’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again. 

He bolted up the stairs.

Notes:

I will not let Shinso become a third wheel. I enjoy his friendship with the two of them too much to let that happen.

My rough outline planning guide thingy is now a big mish mash of ideas vaguely in chronological order and it makes me stressed just looking at it but I'll make it work.

This chapter’s song is Better by OneRepublic (not Better Days, just Better). Despite the name, the song itself is *cough* a little dark. But it's really the bridge: "Of all the things you love, the people, places from the future to your ancient past, of every one of those, which one will cause you to let it go?" In this case, that would be Uraraka and Shinso.

And I can walk now. I mean I can't bend my leg but I can walk. Positivity.

Chapter 52: Apologies

Notes:

Apparently, there's only eleven days in between when 1-A moved into the dorms and the provisional licensing exam. Yeah... more like three weeks. Cuz he spent a little over a week in prison, which is when 1-A moved in, and then I've got two more weeks planned (ish) and then the provisional licensing exam. Bit of a time stretch.

Nothing really substantial happens in this chap but I still hope you like it.

We've also hit 200k words, so, wow.

Uraraka had slept in. She normally did on Sundays, until eleven or twelve, usually because she’d been stargazing the night before, or had stayed up too late watching a movie with friends. Or because she’d been daydreaming about a certain boy. 

She also believed that being asleep saved money, so she had no problem with oversleeping. 

But today was different. Today was the first day Midoriya was in the dorms, and she’d already slept through half of it!

She threw some casual clothes on and blundered down the steps, and just before she reached the last flight of stairs a green blur whizzed by. It took her a second to realize that had been Midoriya, and he’d already shut himself up in his room. 

She gazed at his door confusedly, before heading downstairs to ask what that had been about. 

“...never actually try to do something like that,” she heard Shinso say before emerging out into the common room. Most of the class was gathered around Shinso. 

“Hey guys?” she called, and they turned to look at her. She pointed a thumb behind her at the stairwell. “I just saw Midoriya run up the stairs into his room. What… happened?”

“Midoriya attacked Shinso!” Hagakure cried. 

“No he. Did. Not,” Shinso replied firmly, casting an angry glance in the invisible girl’s direction. 

“Well, he did slap your hand pretty hard,” Sato commented as he put the sugar away. 

“He slapped your hand?!” Uraraka exclaimed in surprise. 

“Yeah, but that wasn’t his fault!” Shinso argued. 

Jiro’s brow furrowed. “Not his fault for seeing your hand and then choosing to smack it with his own hand.”

“No! Well- I guess, but…” he groaned out a sigh. “He’d told me earlier not to touch his left shoulder, and I could see some bandages sticking out from under his shirt on that side. That was the shoulder I was reaching for, so maybe he just… acted on self-defense, or fear, I dunno, but I do know that’d he’d never want to hurt me on purpose.”

Many of his classmates looked at him doubtfully, most notably Tokoyami. 

“Didn’t you see the way he apologized afterwards?” Shinso asked. 

“He apologized! Dang it, I thought we’d improved on that,” Uraraka said ruefully. 

The class blinked at her confusedly, before Shinso continued. “The point is, I think it was just instinct or second nature, not anger or maliciousness that made him do it, because he apologized a lot after he did it.”

Iida was frowning at the ground and clenching his fists. “One of the conditions of him staying here was not to take violent action against another person. This would qualify as a violent action.”

Both Uraraka and Shinso froze. Then Uraraka bounded up to Iida and grabbed his shoulders and shook him frantically. 

“You can’t tell Mr. Aizawa, Iida! You can’t!” she cried, shaking him wildly. Iida reached up to try to keep his glasses on his face. “If you tell him, he’ll be sent back to Tartarus! So don’t tell Mr. Aizawa!”

“Tell me what?”

Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw their teacher watching with the most bored expression she’d ever seen. She quickly released Iida and waved her hands in front of her. 

“Nothing! Nothing’s happened at all!” she lied with a cheesy grin on her face, ignoring Mina’s splutters of laughter behind her. 

Aizawa quirked a disbelieving eyebrow. He then bored his eyes into the rest of his class. 

To Uraraka’s immense relief, none of her classmates said anything. Maybe they had more faith in Midoriya than they’d let on. 

Aizawa sighed. Or maybe it could’ve been a yawn. “I need one of you to go get Midoriya. Nezu wants to see him.”

“I can do it!” Uraraka exclaimed, the thought of talking to Midoriya always getting her spirits up. 

Aizawa didn’t confirm or deny whether this was okay and just walked away, so Uraraka headed up the stairs, making sure Shinso was alright on her way. 

She knocked on his door and called out in a cheery yet cautious tone. “Hey Midoriya! It’s Uraraka, are ya in there?”

She heard the shuffling of bed sheets. She could last time too, that’s how she knew he was listening. 

“Mr. Aizawa sent me to get you. Said you have a meeting with the principal.”

He groaned slightly, and a few seconds later, he opened the door. She smiled brightly at him, but that smile faltered when she saw how disturbed he was. He was still wiping the last of a few tears away. 

“You okay?” she asked. “I heard you slapped Shinso’s hand downstairs. What happened?”

He stiffened and diverted his eyes. “I’m fine. I’ve injured my left shoulder in the past, so I reacted on instinct when I saw Shinso reaching for it. Didn’t want it to hurt again.”

Uraraka could sense that wasn’t the whole truth, but didn’t push it. “You know, Shinso isn’t mad or scared of you for what happened.”

The only response she got was a low mutter, before he closed his door and walked away. Uraraka skipped up next to him before he could get too far. 

“So wait, have you tried Sato’s pancakes?” she asked as they reached the stairs. 

His facial expression softened a bit. “Yeah. They’re really good.”

“I know right! And guess what, all his food is like that! It’s like heaven on earth, except if your mouth is earth!”

Midoriya blinked as he tried to process her simile. He figured that her blush was from thinking about Sato’s food, and not from embarrassment over her words. 

“You could come down every so often to try his sweets. And Yaomomo’s tea too!” she suggested. Midoriya couldn’t stop the rising blush at Uraraka’s bright smile and glowing cheeks. 

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” he said because it felt impossible to say no to her. 

They arrived at the bottom of the steps. Most of the class had dispersed around the common area. Aizawa could be seen waiting by the doors at the opposite end of the building. 

Midoriya regretted not taking the stairwell that was closer to the front. 

Uraraka sensed his discomfort, so she started walking with him across the large room, letting him be closer to the windows so he could direct his gaze outside, away from all the staring people. 

“I think we need to come up with something else to say other than ‘sorry’,” Uraraka pondered. She was not going to give up on this apologizing thing. 

Midoriya looked away from the windows at her. “Something else?”

“Yeah, like, you do something wrong and say ‘oh snap’ instead of sorry. Then you just have to make a habit out of it.”

He gave her a funny look. “Oh snap?”

“It doesn’t have to be that. Maybe like, oh stink or frack or dang it.”

“You don’t swear very much, do you?”

She blushed a bit. “Um, I said ‘dang it’ this morning. That’s about the worst it gets.”

“How have you been classmates with Kacchan, even fought him at the Sports Fest, and not know any bad curse words?”

She smiled and shrugged. “I just tune him out when he starts yelling most of the time. And you saw the Sports Fest? Ah, that’s kinda embarrassing. I didn’t do very well,” she mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. 

He blinked at her. “What are you talking about? You did amazing, especially considering you were going up against Kacchan of all people.” 

She looked at him surprisedly. “You really think so?”

“Well, yeah.”

They arrived at the front, and Midoriya hadn’t even noticed all the people watching their progress. Uraraka was even more effective than the pancakes. Aizawa had been eyeing them closely. 

“Took you long enough, Uraraka,” their teacher said.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed, and Midoriya gave her a side glance. “Wait, I mean, oh snap! I didn’t mean to, Mr. Aizawa,” she corrected. 

Midoriya couldn’t stop the soft laugh that came out of his mouth, just like how he hadn’t been able to stop his blush on the stairs. She beamed at the small inkling of happiness on his face. 

“Alright let’s go,” Aizawa ordered as he left out the front doors, and Midoriya quickly followed. 

“Bye!” Uraraka called happily. 

He waved feebly back. “Y-yeah, bye.”

The moment he disappeared through the doors, Jiro spoke. 

“That was amazing.”

She turned to face the class, and found they were all staring at her from the couches of the living area. “W-what was amazing?”

“Dude, I tried to have a conversation with him, and it just went down the drain!” Kaminari exclaimed. “How are you so good at this?!”

“I know!” Shinso stood up, a bit of frustration on his face. “I’ve been trying to get him to open up or laugh or at least smile, just show the tiniest bit of happiness, and I utterly failed. Then you come along and have one conversation. One! And boom, you’ve got him wrapped around your finger.”

Uraraka began feeling rather warm under the class’s intense gaze and rubbed the back of her neck. “I-I don’t have him wrapped a-around my finger.”

“Oh yeah ya do,” Mina interjected. “Didn’t you see the way he was looking at you? It was like he’d say yes to anything you asked of him!”

“Oh c’mon, I doubt that…” Uraraka replied nervously. 

Tsu noted the redness of her friend and decided to help by changing the subject. “Either way, I feel like we should do something to help Midoriya. We haven’t done much but stare at him. Remember All Might’s plea?”

They remembered all right. 

“So please,” the former number one lowered into a deep bow, “I beg of you to bring back the boy he used to be, before the League broke him.”

“Yeah, I wanna help him too,” Kirishima said, “but I can’t really think of anything to do!”

“Well, he said he likes music, right?” Jiro asked, unplugging her Aux cord from her phone. 

“Yeah, he did,” Tsu croaked. “But he said he hadn’t been able to listen to anything recently. Maybe we could do something with that.”

“I don’t think he has a phone though,” Shinso commented. “The school doesn’t trust him enough to give him one yet.”

Kaminari turned to look at Yaoyorozu. “Well someone could always make a phone…”

“No!” Iida intervened. “If the school has not given Midoriya the privilege of owning a phone, then we are not to give him one! However, we could always question Mr. Aizawa on the matter!”

“What about something older, like an MP3 player?” Uraraka asked thoughtfully. 

“Those stopped being made ages ago, Uraraka,” Jiro responded, wearing a slight smirk. 

“I’m sure the school would be reasonable and give him a phone if he promises to only listen to music on it,” Yaoyorozu added. 

Tokoyami huffed. “His promises do not hold much value, though.”

“Alright alright,” Kirishima spoke up to stop any fighting, because Shinso had given Tokoyami a very nasty look at that last comment. “Let’s say we did manage to get him a phone, what would he even listen to?”

Uraraka bit her lip. “I have a feeling what he listened to probably wasn’t the happiest stuff…”

Shinso scoffed. “Where’d you get that idea from? The dark rings under his eyes or his perpetual lack of a smile?”

“Uraraka is right!” Iida shouted. “We wouldn’t want to worsen his mental state by giving him dark and upsetting music to listen to!”

“Couldn’t we make a playlist or something?” Kaminari asked. 

“Yeah!” Mina exclaimed. “We could put really happy and fun songs on it!”

Shinso grimaced. “That might not be the best idea. The last thing you want when you’re in a bad mood is to have positivity jammed down your throat.”

“Well what else would he listen to!?” Mina questioned indignantly. “We don’t want him listening to dark and brooding stuff, now do we?”

Jiro twirled her earphone jack. “I might have a few ideas.”

 

The principal was actually sort of terrifying. 

The way his little black eyes bored into him, like they knew every little detail about him and could read every emotion he was feeling. Midoriya had only met him briefly at the entrance exam, and this time he couldn’t run away. 

“Izuku Midoriya, what a pleasure to meet you!” Nezu greeted politely. “Please, have a seat!” 

“Thank you,” Midoriya replied quietly. 

The teen sat across from him and hid his nervous fidgeting under the desk, but he had a feeling Nezu knew he was doing it anyway. Aizawa sat in the other chair, and though he looked half-asleep, Midoriya could tell he was watching him closely out of the corner of his eye. 

“I regret not having said this sooner,” Nezu started, “but welcome to UA High School! I cannot tell you how excited I am for you to be here. I have often wondered if villains could be guided down a different path with the proper education, and now I finally have a chance to see if it’s possible! Forgive my language, but it’s like you’re our first guinea pig!”

“U-um, it’s okay,” Midoriya responded, feeling a bit weird being called a guinea pig by someone who actually looks sort of like a guinea pig. 

“The purpose of this meeting is to go over the details of your rehabilitation here and answer any questions you might have!”

The principal was much too cheery for Midoriya’s liking, but he figured that was just part of his personality and being a principal. 

“I’m sure Aizawa has already gone over the rules with you,” Nezu said, turning his eerie gaze towards the teacher. 

Aizawa grunted and nodded. 

Midoriya nodded too. “No killing, no violent action, no quirk usage, and I have to help anyone who asks.”

Nezu’s eyes gleamed. “Only the first of those rules is for certain. The other three will become negotiable as time passes, and as we come to trust you more! For example, right now, if you get into a fight, you are unable to strike back. This was one of the rules Tartarus demanded for your release.”

So that’s why Mr. Aizawa looked annoyed at the rule, because it was made by biased people at Tartarus. 

“However, once a certain amount of time passes without you giving any reason to be mistrusted, that rule will be modified so you can take defensive measures if provoked.”

Midoriya could imagine why Tartarus hadn’t agreed to that in the first place. They probably assumed he’d just attack whoever and then falsely claim it was provoked, which he’d never actually do. Now he was stuck in a situation where he could get attacked or bullied and could do nothing. 

Well, he could tell Aizawa, but he didn’t think the teacher would  actually do anything if he was getting hurt. 

He realized the two of them were waiting for his response. 

“Okay, I understand,” he said, but then his face darkened. “Does this mean you’ll be having me use Al-” he caught himself. He’d almost said All Might’s quirk. “You’ll be having me use m-my quirk?” It didn’t feel right calling it that. 

Nezu caught the slip up and understood. “Yes, in time, we intend to teach you how to use your newly manifested quirk.”

“But why?”

“Because of the possibility of you becoming a hero, of course!” Nezu answered like this was obvious. “However, this matter is reserved for a future conversation. It is the last rule I would like to discuss.”

The multiple multiple objections Midoriya had to the suggestion of him becoming a hero died in his throat. 

“You are aware of the community service hours you have to complete, correct?” Nezu asked. Midoriya nodded tentatively. “Those hours will be fulfilled by you completing tasks around the school! These could be things teachers ask of you, but it will mostly be… cleaning!”

“Cleaning?” Midoriya asked, barely trying to keep the boredom out of his voice. 

“Yup! Currently, all of the school’s cleaning is completed by our robots. However, they’ve been threatening to go on strike if I don’t give them a break, so that’s where you come in!”

“Cleaning…” Midoriya repeated, accepting his fate as a janitor. 

“Windows, desks, floors, bathrooms… of course the whole school is a little too much for one person to handle, so the robots will still do some of it!”

A little too much? Midoriya looked at the principal incredulously. 

“Of course, spending time with those you value in 1-A is more important, so if the amount of work ever becomes too burdensome, please alert me and I will put the robots back to work,” Nezu reassured. 

“Okay, I will.”

“Do you have any questions?”

Midoriya frowned. “You said I’d have to do tasks from teachers too.”

“Yes! A teacher may ask you to do any array of tasks, such as fetching something from the printer, or perhaps their phone from the teacher’s lounge if it’s Yamada,” Nezu chuckled. “It’s possible that one day they may be asking for your expertise in quirk analysis! Your notebooks are certainly nothing to dismiss.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly at that compliment. “You’ve read them?”

“But of course! Many of the notes you took were on our staff here, and I must commend you on the immense detail and accuracy of your findings.”

The teen continued to stare at him in disbelief. That made Nezu the first hero to ever compliment his notes. It had only been villains before. 

“Thank you,” he finally mumbled, dropping his eyes to the floor. 

“Is there anything else you would like to ask, or anything you need?”

Midoriya thought for a moment. “What about my mom? Will I be able to go out and see her?”

“Like many other things, the privilege to leave the UA campus will come with time and trust,” Nezu answered. “Also, Tsukauchi has notified me she has been moved to a nursing facility with a very strict entrance policy. I doubt they’d be willing to let a former villain in, even if they’re a patient's son.”

Midoriya’s face fell. “I see.”

“Not to say that she can’t come visit you!” Nezu said happily, which lifted the teen’s spirits a tad. “Anything else?”

He thought for a moment more, but nothing came to mind, so he shook his head. 

“Splendid! The rest of the UA staff is outside to meet you!”

“W-wait, what?!” Midoriya exclaimed. 

Nezu got out of his chair and began his walk over to the door. “If you are going to start working tomorrow, it’s only natural that you’d meet the people you’ll be working with today!”

Aizawa stood up too, and Midoriya realized the teacher hadn’t actually spoken the entire meeting. 

“Don’t worry!” Nezu started from the door. “I understand meeting pro heroes may not be very comfortable, so you only have to introduce yourself.”

Midoriya cringed, but stood up and followed Aizawa to the door.

Nezu gave him one of his perpetual smiles, before opening the doors. 

The last time he’d been with all these people, he’d openly insulted them. Midnight, Present Mic, Snipe, Cementoss, just to name a few. However, he didn’t see All Might, which was strange. 

“I just came to show that I can be better than people who do have quirks. I don’t want to have anything to do with UA or you so-called heroes. It’s because of you that I turned out like this.”

Midoriya licked his lips and lowered his gaze. He’d been so mad at the heroes back then for ruining his life, but being a villain had ruined it even more. 

I was such a dumb, stupid, idiotic kid. In my anger I just made everything worse for everyone. 

His guilt once again told him he didn’t deserve to be in a place like this. He deserved all the cold hateful stares they were giving him. 

Except if he’d just look up at their faces, he’d see that they weren’t cold and hateful. Just cautious and apprehensive. 

“Hey kid,” someone huffed. Midoriya looked up and found it was Vlad King. “Staring at the ground and looking guilty isn’t helping your case at all.”

The teen looked back at the ground. “S-sorry.”

“Oh hush,” that was Midnight. “He’s just nervous. Cut him some slack.”

Aizawa nudged his back and he flinched. “Introduce yourself.”

Midoriya looked up at the heroes, opened his mouth for a second and nothing came out. He went back to looking at the ground. 

“His voice is stuck in his throat like a hair in a biscuit,” Snipe commented. 

“C’mon, speaking isn’t that hard!” Mic shouted with a tinge of impatience. “Just let the words flow! Pull the hair outta the biscuit, let’s go!”

“Sorry,” Midoriya squeaked. 

“That was an apology, not an introduction,” Ectoplasm remarked. 

“I think the hair broke while he was pulling it out,” Midnight said. 

The teen was feeling increasingly weird with them calling his voice a hair in a biscuit. He took a deep breath. 

“I-I’m Izuku M-Midoriya, which you a-already know, uh…”

“YEAH HE’S PULLING THE HAIR OUT!!” Mic yelled excitedly, and both Midoriya and Aizawa cringed at the volume. 

“U-um,” he started again slowly, blinking as he recovered from Mic’s shouting. “Th-thanks for letting me c-come here and for trusting me, I g-guess.”

He took another deep breath, and when he continued, his stutter lessened. 

“Sorry for breaking into your school multiple times, and for insulting you, and for attacking you. And for all the notes I gave the League on you, and for attacking your students, and all… that… stuff.”

His eyes flicked over to Cementoss, down to his maimed hand, then back up to his face. 

“Sorry for b-blowing your finger off,” he apologized, causing Cementoss to narrow his eyes at him. He looked over at Present Mic. “A-and sorry for choking you that one time.”

“So that was you! I knew it!” Mic exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Midoriya. 

The teen looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it was.”

“At least he’s acknowledging the corn,” Snipe said. 

Vlad grumbled. “Whether you’re sorry or not, the moment you lay a finger on any of my students you’re dead.”

Midoriya recognized that he was just protective of his students, not necessarily hostile. So he nodded firmly. He also opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he realized his voice got stuck again. 

“Dammit, the hair’s in the biscuit again,” Mic groaned. 

Silence followed. Then that silence grew uncomfortable. Midoriya sighed in relief when Nezu spoke. 

“It appears that is all you have to say to each other, so I will allow Midoriya to return to the dorms!”

“I’ll walk you back,” Aizawa offered. 

Midoriya knew why he wouldn’t let him walk back by himself. It wasn't a lack of trust. That morning, Nezu had sent an email to all the students explaining Midoriya’s presence at UA. As one can imagine, they weren’t the happiest knowing Deku would be living at their school. 

The two of them had gotten some very harsh looks on the way to Nezu’s office. 

Midoriya nodded and followed as Aizawa started walking away. 

But Nezu had been wrong. There were still a few more words that needed spoken. Cementoss opened his mouth for the first time. 

“You’re a fool if you think any of your apologies will cause us to forgive you,” he rumbled. 

Midoriya stopped walking and looked at him over his shoulder. He didn’t stutter. 

“I know. I don’t expect your forgiveness, and I don’t think I deserve it either. Treat me however you like,” he continued walking away. “I don’t care.”

That warranted at least a little surprise and remorse from each of the heroes. Those words didn’t sit well with Present Mic in particular. The blond enjoyed seeing people smile and be enthusiastic about life, which Midoriya did not do in the slightest. 

So, the pro jogged up behind the teen to give him some consoling words, while Midoriya was immersed in his thoughts. 

“Hey little guy-”

But he made the fatal mistake of resting his hand on his left shoulder. 

Midoriya flinched horribly and jerked away from the hero, who took a few steps back in surprise from the teen’s sudden movement. 

“Woah hey, kid, you okay?” Mic asked quickly. Midoriya was breathing quite rapidly, and his eyes were wide and unfocused. 

Aizawa remembered Tsukauchi telling him about this. It had happened once before. Touching his left shoulder was a trigger for a flashback because of the immense pain he’d experienced when Shigaraki abused him. 

Although, it didn’t seem to be as bad this time. Midoriya was already slowing his breathing, in and out. He’d focused his eyes on the white soles of Present Mic’s shoes to pull him back to reality. 

“Yeah… I’m fine,” he finally replied, slightly out of breath. 

“Uh, ya sure?” Mic questioned further. Everyone was staring at Midoriya with varying levels of concern. The teen only nodded. 

Nezu was watching with what could only be described as curiosity. “You still have bandages wrapped around your left shoulder, despite all of your injuries being healed,” he noticed. 

Midoriya nodded again. “They help it hurt a little less,” he replied quietly. 

“Perhaps we could get you a shoulder brace!” the principal suggested cheerily. Midoriya just blinked at him, surprised that he actually cared enough to help. “I’ll look into it for you!”

The former villain looked stunned for a moment more before responding with a soft, “Thank you. That’d be nice.”

“You missed what I was gonna say!” Mic shouted, staying a few cautious feet away from Midoriya, who turned back towards him. “You remember what I said at the entrance exam, right? A true hero is one who overcomes life’s misfortunes?”

The teen nodded. He also remembered thinking he wasn’t a true hero, because life’s misfortunes had pushed him over the edge of a building. 

“Well you’re still here, right?” Mic continued. Midoriya gave him a confused look. “Hey listen, I don’t understand everything that happened to you as a villain, but I know you must’ve been super misfortunate, am I right?”

“Uh… I guess you could say that,” Midoriya replied. He suppressed a shiver as he tried not to think about specific misfortunes. 

“And you’re still here!”

The teen looked down at himself as if to make sure he was indeed still there. “Um, yeah?”

“You didn’t succumb to those misfortunes! You stuck around, no matter how awful things were for you. So in other words, you overcame life’s misfortunes. Which makes you a…?”

“Screwed up, traumatized, emotionally unstable teenager?”

“No! A true hero, you goof!”

“Oh…” Midoriya was still leaning closer to the screwed up teen than the true hero. 

Aizawa could read that in his expression. “I think he still has some overcoming left to do.”

Midoriya frowned at the ground solemnly, and Present Mic let out a long, overdone sigh. 

“Welp. I tried.”

 

On the walk back to Height’s Alliance, Aizawa and Midoriya talked. The teen asked why All Might hadn’t been at the meeting, and Aizawa said he’d had health matters to attend to. 

“I would also like to thank you,” Aizawa said. 

The teen looked up at him confusedly. “For what?”

“For strangling Present Mic as hard as you did.”

“Huh? Why!?” Midoriya questioned, wide eyed. 

“Because I had one blessed week of silence when that extroverted maniac couldn’t talk.”

The teen stared at him for a second, before letting a huff of a laugh out through his nose. Somehow, a reclusive insomniac who rarely smiles succeeded more in making Midoriya happy than a social butterfly who’s constantly grinning. 

When the teen looked at Aizawa, he saw him in a bit of a different light. 

Maybe he actually meant what he said, about not letting anyone hurt me. 

“Um, you’re welcome, I guess.”

 

A hushed silence fell over the chattery conversations the class had been having just seconds before. It was weird, even Shinso and Uraraka stiffened at Midoriya’s arrival. It was like they were hiding something from him. 

He didn’t pay it much thought and disappeared up to his room for the rest of the day. However, Aizawa didn’t get off as easily. 

“Mr. Aizawa, wait! We want to ask you something!” Uraraka called as soon as Midoriya was gone. 

Their teacher turned to the class, who was sitting among the chairs in the living area, and he looked at them with a dead expression that communicated one clear message:

You are the only thing in between me and my sleeping bag. 

Mina, however, was unperturbed. 

“We wanted to ask you about getting Midoriya a phone! So he can listen to music!”

“He hasn’t been given permission to have a phone yet,” Aizawa retorted. 

“Yeah but you could change that! It’d just be to listen to music, or maybe text us,” Mina continued. 

Aizawa groaned and looked at his students' hopeful faces. 

“We’re just trying to help him,” said Aizawa’s favorite student, Shinso. The teacher considered his student’s face for a second, and Shinso didn’t falter. He then sighed and walked away. 

“He’ll have one the day after tomorrow.” The group cheered and Kirishima playfully punched Shinso on the arm, which he did not appreciate. “However, it’ll probably be restricted, so he’ll only be able to listen to music and text a few select people. No useless social media apps.”

“Got it!” Mina said with a thumbs up. 

Kaminari stood up. “But you have to bring it to us before you give it to him!! We’ve got to put the playlist we’ve made for him on there!”

“Fine,” Aizawa said, and then he left. 

The group cheered again and started excitedly talking amongst themselves. 

“You are so his favorite,” Uraraka told Shinso quietly. 

He smirked. “And I’ll use that to my advantage too.”

 

The next morning, Midoriya got up early again. So early he wouldn’t even encounter Bakugo. It was also that morning he realized he had to shower with his collar on. He wasn’t even sure it was waterproof, but he didn’t get electrocuted so he figured it was fine. 

He yanked a comb through his damp hair, which had the same effect it always did: no effect. Nothing could quell his wild curls. 

Then he went back to his room and waited. He heard people heading downstairs, getting ready for another day of school. Uraraka came and knocked on his door to say good morning and left. 

Once he was sure everyone had departed, he made his leave. Aizawa had told him he was supposed to meet a couple of robots out front after the classes had started. As he walked, there were a couple stragglers, but they were more focused on getting to class than noticing a former villain was watching them. 

He arrived at the giant doors labeled one, two, and three. There were two robots waiting there for him. One was a camera bot (like this), probably to keep an eye on him. The other was slightly smaller, but it had multiple twig-like arms protruding from its main metal body and moved around on one wheel. A cleaning bot. 

“You are two minutes and thirty seven seconds late!” the camera bot chirped. Midoriya swore he could hear annoyance in its tone. 

“U-um, sorry,” he replied, silently reprimanding himself for not saying oh snap. 

“This is my first day off in three decades. Three decades! And what do I have to do? Show this inferior human how to do basic cleaning procedures! The nerve,” the cleaning bot complained in its robotic voice. Except the voice actually had emotion.

The two robots entered the school, and Midoriya assumed he was supposed to follow them, which he did. 

“If it helps, I don’t really want to be here either,” the teen tried. 

The cleaning bot’s head whipped around to face him, but its body continued rolling forward through the hall. “It does not help,” it snapped. 

Midoriya chose to stay quiet after that. 

The cleaning bot showed him a small closet that somehow fit all the supplies he needed to clean the entire school. It showed him the bathrooms he had to clean daily, and then the floors which he only had to mop every other week. He didn’t have to do much in the classrooms unless a teacher requested him to clean it. 

It was mostly the windows. UA was like, 80% windows. The bot said its “comrades” would handle the outside, because Midoriya’s “fragile organic body” couldn’t survive a fall. 

Then the two bots just watched as Midoriya went around doing everything they’d asked him to do. At least it was better than having real people watch him. 

He kept an eye on the clock and made sure he was cleaning windows as far away as possible from the cafeteria when the lunch bell rang. 

“Hey, there’s a smudge that won’t come off,” he said as he was wiping down one window in particular. 

“Then scrub harder!”

“I am scrubbing hard!”

“If your pathetic human muscles aren’t burning with lactic acid then you aren’t doing it right!”

Midoriya groaned and proceeded to scrub the window with a force he was scared would break it. 

“Now you know how I’ve felt cleaning for the last three decades!” the cleaning bot said. 

He wished he had some music to listen to. 

 

As 1-A was dismissed at the end of the day, Aizawa asked Iida to stay after class. 

“Mr. Aizawa?” Iida started after everyone had left. “Why did you wish to speak with me?”

“There’s something I need to give you,” the teacher explained. From his pocket he pulled a thin metal card, a little smaller than a playing card. 

“What is this?” Iida asked as he accepted the device. 

“It’s the magnetic key to unlock Midoriya’s collar.”

Iida’s eyes widened in surprise. “But isn’t he supposed to avoid using his newfound quirk at all costs?!”

“Listen. He saved you at Hosu, right?” Aizawa droned, and Iida nodded grimly. “Then you must know he’s the reckless saving type. If something happens, or if the class finds itself in a tight spot, you have my permission to remove the collar. Or if he just does something stupid and ends up choking then you can also remove it then.”

“But the rules-”

“The rules were set by frightened illogical people, Iida. However, as the class president, I trust that you’ll use the key properly.”

Iida opened his mouth to spout a rebuttal, but none came to mind. He frowned down at the little piece of metal. “Shouldn’t you have the key though, sir?”

“I do have one. Yours is a duplicate.”

“Ah, okay. I understand. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility.”

“Yeah, sure. You can leave now.”

Iida nodded and left the room. He essentially had the key to his friend’s life in his hands.

Notes:

Don't worry, he'll switch from cleaning to something else soon enough. And the robots always seem kinda snooty to me, so that's how I wrote them.

This chapter's song is Bad Day by Daniel Powter. In the song, it kinda sounds like the badness has been going on longer than just a day, but the person is still going, like what Mic said to Mido.

Also, I'm gonna be at camp next week (you know, where they take all your phones, and it'll be a blast going up and down the 100+ stairs multiple times a day with only one leg being functional), so I'll be posting on Sunday instead of Monday and will be nonexistent for the rest of the week.

Chapter 53: For Me

Notes:

It's Sunday. How strange. But at least ya get this a day early!

As for responding to comments, I'll probably be able to do it through tomorrow morning ish, but once the afternoon hits I'll be gone til sometime Saturday.

Enjoy!

Cleaning UA was the most socially draining thing Midoriya had ever done. 

He would just be mopping a stain on the floor, minding his own business, and then he’d see the most horrid sight: another kid walking down the hallway to go to the bathroom. 

The other kid would always recognize who he was, and then they’d either turn around and go to the bathroom on the other side of the school, which was preferred, or they’d simply hesitate and continue forward. 

As the student passed Midoriya, both would try very hard not to look at each other, but their eyes would betray them and steal split second glances at the other. And if they glanced at the same time…

Cue the unspoken awkward panic. 

Then they had to repeat the process all over again as the student was leaving the bathroom. 

Sometimes the glances were curious, sometimes angry, but always fearful and distrusting. 

There was one boy who continuously stared at him as he passed. Midoriya accidentally made eye contact multiple times. Like seriously, Midoriya knew he used to be a villain but that didn’t mean people could just stare. 

He cleaned the cafeteria after lunch, and a girl came back because she forgot her phone on the table. A similar thing happened. 

His social battery was in the negatives at this point, and the only time he’d talked was to refuse eating lunch with the other staff. 

And it was only Tuesday. 

He groaned internally as the dismissal bell rang. He’d forgotten to hide in one of the closets like he normally did.

Most people tried not to stare at him. Some didn’t. The people who tried, failed. It was mentally impossible for Midoriya to ignore them, because their looks felt like little pricks on the back of his neck. Little painful reminders of how far he’d fallen. 

He took his frustration out on the smudge on the window in front of him. 

“Greetings, Midoriya!”

He turned and saw Iida marching towards him. 

“Hey Iida,” he replied, trying not to let his voice drag with tiredness like his mind was. 

“I didn’t know the school’s cleanliness was your responsibility!”

“It’s for my community service hours.”

“Ah yes, that makes sense. Although I hope it is not too burdensome of a duty.”

Midoriya shook his head and finally managed to wipe the smudge away. “It’s not that bad.”

More of 1-A was trickling by behind Iida, and Midoriya was secretly glad Iida was the one he ended up talking to, compared to some of the other students. 

“Please, if you ever need anything, just ask,” Iida insisted. 

Midoriya nodded, but didn’t fully absorb the meaning. He was the type to suffer alone rather than ask for help. 

“Alright then, see you at the dorms!” Iida called as he walked away. Midoriya simply nodded again and gave a small wave back. 

 

He’d had the rest of the hallway’s windows to clean, so he wasn’t actually walking back to the dorms until about thirty minutes later. 

There were students enjoying the nice day, but their chatter died around Midoriya as their eyes landed on his scar and collar. 

He’d gotten used to having the band of metal around his neck. The way it rubbed his skin when he turned his head or pushed against his throat when he yawned, it felt normal now. 

He still hadn’t gotten used to so many people being around him though. He’d been at UA three days, and he still could feel all the stares people gave him. 

He sighed in relief as he reached Heights Alliance. The thought of his room was very appealing. Yesterday, he’d been able to avoid interacting with 1-A under the guise that he was tired. He was hoping to do the same thing today. 

It wasn’t that he disliked 1-A, he just didn’t believe they actually cared. They couldn’t be much different than the kids at his middle school who’d wanted to be heroes, right? And those kids had treated him like dirt. 1-A wasn’t outright abusing him only because their teachers had told them not to. 

Shinso had told him to give them a chance, but he just… didn’t trust them. 

And he didn’t feel like socializing. 

Unfortunately for him, 1-A had other plans. Because as soon as he opened the door to the dorms, Uraraka called his name. 

“Hey Midoriya! Come over here!”

He’d hardly even closed the door and she was already right in front of him. 

“We’ve got something to show you!” she said, and she seemed really excited. She grabbed his hand and started leading him towards the living area before he could respond. 

Once he got over the fact that they were technically holding hands, he said, “Wait, but-”

“No buts, no cuts, no coconuts!” she interrupted. “You’re not escaping to your room so easily today!”

She led him to the edge of the living area, where the majority of the class was gathered. Close enough to see and hear them, but still at a comfortable distance. 

“Something to show me?” Midoriya repeated hesitantly, accepting the fact that he was going to have to talk to the class. 

Uraraka nodded vigorously, and surprisingly, multiple other students seemed excited too. “Jiro, didn’t you have it last?”

“Kaminari said he wanted to look at it,” she replied, pocketing her phone. 

The blond looked up from the thumb war he was having with Sero. “Wait, what?”

“Where’d you put the thing, you idiot?” Sero asked as he crushed Kaminari’s thumb under his own. 

“The thing?”

Bakugo growled in annoyance from the kitchen tables. 

“For goodness sakes,” Jiro started. “How have you forgotten already?”

Kaminari’s eyes brightened. “Oh that thing.” Then his face fell. “I forgot where I put it.”

The entire class groaned at him. He ended up scrambling around looking for it, leaving the class to steal side glances at Midoriya, who was standing there patiently. 

“T-shirt?” Ojiro asked, reading the former villain’s shirt. 

Midoriya looked down at his attire, his t-shirt t-shirt with a dull blue jacket over. He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Didn’t your villain costume have ‘villain costume’ written on it?” Tsu croaked. 

“Yeah.”

“So what, you just write what you’re wearing on what you’re wearing?” Shinso asked. 

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Do you have any responses other than ‘yeah’?” Hagakure questioned. 

He rubbed his arm nervously. “Yes.”

"Anything longer than a syllable?” asked Tokoyami. 

“Maybe.”

“STOP fricking interrogating him!!” Bakugo shouted. 

The class went back to their previous state of silence, except for Kaminari rolling around on the floor to look under the couches. 

“Well I’d rather be interrogated than stared at, Kacchan,” Midoriya muttered. 

Kirishima looked between the two of them. “So wait, how do you two kno-”

“AHA! I found it!” Kaminari exclaimed after digging in the couch cushions. 

“Took you long enough,” Jiro grumbled. 

He pulled it from the couch like he was pulling Excalibur from the stone, and it was not what Midoriya had been expecting in the slightest. Kaminari gave it to Uraraka, who presented it to Midoriya with a large beam on her face. 

“A phone?” he asked, staring down at the device in her hands. It looked a bit different from a regular phone, a little older and heavier. Probably a tracking device. “But I don’t have permission from the school.”

“You won’t have to worry about that, Midoriya!” Iida smiled. “It’s been handled appropriately. You now have full possession of the device before you!”

“But… why?” This question was directed at the class, even though Midoriya couldn’t bring himself to look them in the eyes. 

“We wanted to do something nice for you,” Yaoyorozu said kindly. “We haven’t been much help in making you feel welcome, so we thought providing you with a way to listen to music would be beneficial in strengthening your relationship with the class.”

“Oh yeah!” Kaminari exclaimed before diving into the couch cushions again. “Forgot to give you these!”

He fished out a pair of earbuds. Red, like Midoriya’s shoes under the black marker. 

Uraraka took them from him and handed them to Midoriya. “We asked Mr. Aizawa what your favorite color was, because you were in your room. He texted your mom, and she said it was red!”

“We all thought it woulda been green,” Kirishima admitted sheepishly. 

“And we made a song playlist!” Mina said happily. Jiro cleared her throat. “Well, Jiro came up with most of the songs, but it was a group effort.”

“Your phone’s uses are restricted,” Iida explained. “You have limited contacts, and are only able to text and call the ones that are currently added. Other than that, you have an app to listen to music, but are only able to listen to the playlist we’ve provided you.”

Midoriya had been staring down at the phone and earbuds while they explained. He gingerly took them out of Uraraka’s hands, and actually managed to look up at the class. 

“Really? All that… for me?” He said me like he’d just eaten something particularly nasty. 

“Yes, Midoriya. For you,” Shinso answered firmly. “Because, believe it or not, you’re someone that people actually want to be friends with, if you’d just stop isolating in your room and trust us. We’re not the League, and we’re not whoever you knew before you became a villain either.”

Midoriya didn’t miss the way Bakugo narrowed his eyes at that. 

“Please, we just wanna help,” Uraraka said, and he could hear the underlying plea in her voice. 

Iida stepped forward. “Because that’s what friends do, correct? Help each other out?”

Midoriya’s eyes widened. He looked down at the phone and earbuds, then over at the class. Maybe, just maybe, these people were different. Maybe he could trust them without getting hurt. Maybe they actually cared. 

And there was only one way to find out. 

“Thank you,” he said genuinely. 

He didn’t smile with his mouth, but Uraraka swore he could see a smile in his eyes. 

“Hey wait, are you crying?” Shinso smirked. 

Midoriya raised his forearm up to his eyes. “No…”

Bakugo scoffed. “Trust Izuku to tear up at the smallest of things.”

Uraraka smiled kindly, ignoring the starting argument between Shinso and Bakugo. As the class started chattering again, and as Midoriya pocketed the phone and earbuds, she felt the urge to hug him. But she hesitated, remembering what had happened last time. 

And then she didn’t have a choice because Mina crept up behind her and gave her a light shove on the back. 

She stumbled into him, cheeks glowing red, and in an attempt to make it look like she’d voluntarily stepped forward, she wrapped her arms around his torso. 

Midoriya flinched and his pulse quickened. 

“It’s okay,” she said quietly, trying to calm him, hoping he didn’t push her away again. She could feel his chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath, and then another one, but his heart was beating so hard she could feel it. 

Although that might not have been because of a flashback. 

He didn’t push her away, but he didn’t hug back either. When she took a step back she found that he was blushing even more than her. 

Always looking on the bright side, Uraraka counted that as progress. 

Midoriya didn’t end up escaping to his room until much later. He had a couple, small, sparingly short conversations, but that was more than anyone could ask for. He looked at his contacts. There was Uraraka, Shinso, and Iida, as well as the class’s group chat. After that was each of the teachers, most notably Aizawa and All Might. And then there was his mom. He made a mental note to text her as soon as he was alone. 

He glanced at the playlist they’d made, but he’d have to listen to it later because right now Sero was putting his tape on Kirishima’s arm and was going to rip it off while he was using his hardening to see if it would hurt. Which was a very stupid idea, but Midoriya was curious so he watched. 

He glanced over at Uraraka, who was in the kitchen talking to Iida about using her quirk to make all their popcorn float and then people could just eat popcorn as they’re walking around. He remembered what she’d told him at the summer camp. 

“There’re so many other ways for you to make a difference, so many other people who’ll listen to you! Just come back!”

Maybe she’d been right. Maybe there were others who would listen to him. 

That night, the music kept the nightmares away. 

 

The next morning, he didn’t get up early to get ready. That was partly because his mom had asked more questions over text than he cared to remember, which had consumed a large amount of the time he would’ve used to sleep. 

He was also just… tired of hiding. 

He wandered into the boy’s bathrooms, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

“Hey Midoriya! Good morning!” Kirishima shouted as soon as he entered. 

He mumbled “good morning” in response. 

“We were beginning to wonder if you got ready in the mornings at all!” Sero joked. 

“I’ve been getting up early to avoid talking to all of you.” He realized that was too blunt after he said it. 

No one said anything for a second, but then Shinso laughed and said, “That sounds like something I should start doing.”

“You might end up running into Kacchan, then,” Midoriya warned as he started brushing his teeth in front of the sink next to Shinso. 

“Well dammit, guess I’m stuck with you idiots.”

“Oh, so that’s where Bakugo is every morning!” Sero realized, a grin spreading across his face. He turned towards Kirishima. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

The red head looked at him confusedly. “Uh… no?”

“We should all get up early and talk to him non-stop as he’s getting ready!”

Realization dawned on Kirishima. “Yeah! That’s a great idea! We can keep him company!”

Midoriya cringed. Did these people have a death wish?

“How do you and Bakugo know each other?” Todoroki asked from the other side of Midoriya, opposite to where the two idiots were. 

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you that!” Kirishima added. 

Midoriya frowned. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, and we’ve always been in the same classes. He’s always disliked me, and I stopped liking him a long time ago.”

“What made you start hating him?” Shinso pried. Midoriya’s frown deepened. 

“Just pray that you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building.”

“Some of his words finally stuck.”

 

By Thursday, students from the other classes started talking to him. Well, the more accurate term would be talking at him, because he never responded. 

“Can’t believe they’re using a sniveling rat like him to keep the school clean.”

That puts the insult count at seven, Midoriya thought to himself. Although, that one’s probably the meanest I’ve heard. 

The shock period had broken, and it was now transitioning into the harassment period. They’d been told not to attack him, but there are many more ways to be mean than simple attacks. 

One boy had been on his way to the bathroom, saw Midoriya cleaning the windows, and then proceeded to slide his elongated tongue against the twenty feet of window he’d already cleaned. 

There were the nasty, back-handed remarks, which Midoriya had expected to start sooner than Thursday. Maybe it was because he had his earbuds in now and the kids thought he couldn’t hear them, but he usually paused the music when others were around. 

While cleaning the cafeteria, he found an entire tray full of food and trash dumped on the ground and left for him to clean up. 

As he finished mopping up the last of the juice on the floor, he noticed something on one of the tables. A phone, the same one that had been forgotten two days ago by that one girl. 

Maybe I should return it for her. 

A part of his mind told him this was a terrible idea, but it would give him a nice break from cleaning. 

He felt strange picking up her phone, but her lock screen was a selfie of her with a few other students, in front of a chalkboard that said “2-C.” 

Well that makes it easy. 

He went off in the direction of the second year general studies classes. It felt wrong to pocket the phone, so he carried it in his hand instead. 

He found the door labeled “2-C” quickly and lightly knocked on the door. 

Ectoplasm was giving a math lesson. The teen who opened the door jumped back in fright as soon as he saw Midoriya. The teacher questioned who it was. 

“It’s that villain, Deku,” the student spat. Midoriya took a step forward and pushed the door the rest of the way open. 

“Midoriya,” Ectoplasm greeted. “What are you doing here?”

The former villain could hear the underlying tone of distrust. He raised the girl’s phone. “One of your students left this behind in the cafeteria.”

His eyes swept over the students, and he spotted her immediately. As soon as he saw her face he knew returning her phone had been a mistake. She knew full well she’d forgotten her phone, but had chosen not to get it because she didn’t even want to be in the same room as a villain. 

And yet here he was, right in front of her. 

“Akari, is that yours?” Ectoplasm asked. 

“Yeah,” she groaned. She stood up and marched up to him and swiped the phone out of his hands. “You better not have looked through it,” she said accusingly. 

He shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

He saw a few students narrow their eyes disbelievingly, so he turned to leave before it got any more uncomfortable. Akari went back to her seat without another word. 

“Thank you,” Ectoplasm said for her. 

“Yeah, sure,” Midoriya replied. He closed the door and headed back to the cafeteria, and dark thoughts started creeping into his mind again. 

Didn’t you see the way they looked at you? Like you’re a monster, ‘cause that’s what you are. An evil, fearsome villain who doesn’t deserve to feel anything good. You’ve hurt too many people to be considered worthy of a friend. 

In an attempt to stop thinking, he played his music. 

“Happiness is beautiful to see. Won’t you box it up for me?”

He sighed and looked out the windows, letting the sound of the music fill the space in his head that usually relayed his memories. 

“For me.”

As he walked he pulled a sticky note off the window that said “Screw off, Deku.” He crumpled it and threw it in a trashcan once he arrived at the cafeteria. 

“It’s just another downpour, don’t let it get the best of you.”

The songs in the playlist weren't exactly sad songs, but they weren’t necessarily happy either. Some had dark themes with a thin lining of hope, while others were much more positive. All of them talked about getting better during a hard time, or at least trying to get better during a hard time, which was exactly the type of music Midoriya needed to be listening to.

“Don’t burn out, don’t burn out on me.”

 

When he arrived at the dorms, everyone was giving the living area a wide berth, which was strange. It was also relatively quiet, which was even stranger. 

He felt the urge to go up to his room, to be alone like he thought he should be, but something stopped him. 

He actually kinda wanted to spend time with 1-A. 

Uraraka ended up spotting him and waving him over. The smile on her face was too big to say no to. He walked over to the tables and pulled out his earbuds and stuffed them into his pockets. 

“Hey Midoriya,” she said in a hushed voice. The way her eyes sparkled at how he hadn’t gone up to his room, it made his heart beat faster for some reason. 

“Why is everyone staying away from the living area?” he questioned in an equally quiet voice as he sat down across from her. 

She laughed softly. “Shinso’s cat has ‘graced us with her presence,’ or at least that what Shinso says. He’s threatened to brainwash anyone who disturbs her and make them flip off Monoma.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Wow.”

Midoriya scanned the living area and spotted the cat. She had black fur that was fluffy instead of sleek, and she was curled up in the dead center of one of the couches. 

He and Uraraka listened to a nearby conversation between Sero, Shinso, and Kaminari. 

“I dare you to touch her,” Sero said. 

“Touch her and you die,” Shinso warned. 

Kaminari grinned. “Oh c’mon, Shinso. We all know you like me too much to hurt me.”

“I won’t be the one killing you. She will.”

Kaminari’s eyes flicked back to the cat and the grin dropped from his face. “Oh.”

“So you’re all just gonna avoid the living area until she leaves?” Midoriya asked. 

Sero shrugged. “Apparently.”

“She only likes people with trauma,” Shinso explained matter-of-factly. 

Uraraka snorted. “Trauma? Seems kinda specific. Does she have, like, a trauma-sensor or something?”

“Do not question the ways of my cat. So far, she’s only liked me and Todoroki and-”

“Did she like Todoroki’s left or right side?” Midoriya asked. 

Shinso tilted his head. “Why?”

“Just wondering, ‘cause if his left side is warmer than his right, then she might like his left side more.”

Kaminari’s eyes widened. “Woah you’re right! I hadn’t thought of that!”

“So following that trend, wouldn’t she like Midoriya too?” Uraraka asked. 

“Probably,” Shinso shrugged. Well now Midoriya knew for sure everyone thought he was traumatized, wonderful. “But there’s no way of knowing until she chooses you.” 

They all internally groaned. 

“What’s her name, anyway?” Kaminari asked. 

“Sharpie.”

Sero sniggered. “Sharpie? Why, ‘cause she’s black?”

“Because she has left a permanent mark on my heart.”

They all raised their eyebrows at that. Since when was Shinso so… poetic, but in a bad way? 

“Well that’s not concerning at all,” Midoriya commented. 

Shinso smirked. “Hah, you’re one to talk, Mister I-refuse-to-talk-about-my-feelings.”

Midoriya pursed his lips. Shinso wasn’t wrong.

“You know what?” Kaminari started. “I’m tired of avoiding the living area.”

“Sharpie’s only been down here for fifteen minutes,” Uraraka pointed out. 

“Still! I’m not gonna let a cat boss me around!”

Shinso glared at him. “Don’t you dare-”

“YOLO!!” Kaminari shouted as took off running towards the living area. 

Sero laughed loudly. “He’s actually doing it!”

Shinso’s reaction was not as positive. “You moron! I’m- she’s gonna kill you!!” 

Uraraka laughed, while Midoriya leaned closer to the side of fearing for Kaminari’s safety. He cannonballed right into the couch the cat wasn’t in, but the sudden impact caused it to make a screeching sound against the floor. 

Sharpie flinched as she woke from her nap. She stood up and stretched, arching her back, and then proceeded to give Kaminari a death stare. He actually shivered as her icy blue eyes bored into him. 

“Shinso… you were right… it looks like she’s plotting my death,” Kaminari said nervously. 

“And it’ll be a slow and painful death too,” Shinso added under his breath. Sharpie got down from the couch and padded over to Shinso, rubbing against his shins when she reached him. “Don’t worry girl, I’ll make sure he’s properly punished,” he said as he scratched her head. 

Then the cat made eye contact with Midoriya, and walked over to rub against his leg. 

“Wouldja look at that,” Sero remarked, “Maybe she does have a trauma-sensor.”

So everyone’s just openly admitting I have trauma. Great. 

“Well go on,” Shinso guestered at Sharpie. “Pick her up, rub her, something. I know you don’t have much skill at talking to people but you’ve gotta at least know how to handle a cat.”

Midoriya panicked. “Um, I-I’ve never had a p-pet before.”

Sharpie jumped up onto his lap and curled up. 

“Lookit that, you’re a natural,” Shinso deadpanned. 

Uraraka stood up and held out a finger for her to sniff. “Hello, you cutie!”

Sharpie looked at her like she’d just been cursed at. 

“Only the chosen ones can pet her,” Shinso interjected. 

Uraraka sat back down. “Oh snap.”

Midoriya snorted and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Uraraka beamed, while Shinso and Sero missed the inside joke. 

The former villain looked down at the cat and gently ran his fingers over her silky fur and she started purring softly. It was strangely stress relieving. 

“What!? Midoriya has tamed the mighty beast!?” Kaminari shouted over from the couch. Kirishima and Mina had come over to assist in the reclaiming of the living area. 

“I never pegged you as a cat person, Midoriya,” Kirishima said. 

“I-I didn’t think I was one before today.”

“She’s leaving her mark on you too,” Shinso said. 

“That… just sounds really weird,” Midoriya admitted. 

Sharpie seemed to decide she didn’t like all the talking, so she leapt off Midoriya’s lap and headed for the stairs. 

“She’s probably going back to my room,” Shinso explained, and he started walking after her. As he passed the living area, he glared at Kaminari and said, “You shall be punished.”

Kaminari gave him finger guns back and replied, “Understood!”

And that left Uraraka and Midoriya. At a table. Sitting alone. If Midoriya hadn’t been so caught up in the sudden awkward event, he would’ve seen Mina’s full toothed grin. 

“So, how has cleaning the school been?” Uraraka asked. 

A picture of the note with “Screw off, Deku” flashed in his mind. 

He shrugged. “It’s been alright, a lot better since I’ve had music to listen to.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Has anyone been giving you trouble?”

What is she, a mind reader?

“No,” he lied. Her eyes narrowed further, and suddenly their soft brown looked very fierce. “Yes…”

“Just say who, and I will float them into the sun for you.”

He raised his eyebrows slightly. “I… don’t think that’s necessary.”

She cracked her knuckles dramatically. “Fine then. I’ll just have to find them myself.”

“No, please, you really don’t have to do that,” he pleaded, waving his hands in front of himself flusteredly. 

“I wasn’t asking permission.”

Well heck. She’s gonna end up murdering half the school. 

“I’m sure Shinso would be willing to help as well,” she added happily. “Maybe even Iida and Bakugo too…”

“What, like a protection squad?” he asked sarcastically. 

“Yeah! Exactly!”

“Um, I wasn’t being serious.”

“Well I am being serious. Those other students don’t know you like we do. They just see you as some big baddie who deserves to be locked up in Tartarus- which you don’t,” she quickly added at his solemn expression. 

“Yeah, well… what if they’re right?”

“They’re not.”

“But what if-”

“They’re not!” she repeated loudly, nostrils flaring. He quieted at the sight of her. “Listen. You feel bad about what you did, right?”

“Of course I do,” he replied firmly, brow furrowed. 

“Then that’s proof you’re not as bad a person as you think you are! Because a truly evil person wouldn’t feel bad, in fact, they’d probably feel good. At least I think so, I haven’t really been evil before, and neither have you! The fact that you feel guilty proves you aren’t some despicable villain!”

He frowned as he tried to process her words. She reached forward and rested her hand on his wrist. They both reddened, but neither noticed. 

“Hey, you trust me, right?” she asked softly. 

He hesitated. The deeper part of him wanted to trust her, but everything he’d experienced argued against it. He’d never really trusted anyone, except for his mother, and even then he’d hidden some things. All the people he’d invested in had left him worse for wear. 

But then again, Uraraka was one of the first people to be truly kind to him. She wouldn’t hurt him or lie to him like everyone else, right?

Even so, he’d hurt her and lied to her, and she still trusted him. 

“I think so,” he replied after a minute. 

She analyzed his face. It had obviously upset her that it’d taken him so long to respond, but as she peered into his green eyes, she seemed satisfied with his answer. 

“Then trust me when I say this,” she started, cheeks blooming a wonderfully red color. “You’re not a bad person, or else I wouldn’t feel like this towards you.”

He blinked confusedly. Feel like this towards you? What does that mean, like, care and compassion? Yeah, right, that must be what it means. Just kindness. Right. 

“Um, thanks,” he said unsurely. She was looking very warm. Come to think of it, he was feeling rather warm too. She still had her hand on his wrist. 

“You’re welcome,” she replied, smiling. 

She withdrew her hand after a moment because the conversation died out and they both started feeling uncomfortable, but it had been nice while it lasted. 

Midoriya continued to mull over what she could’ve meant by feel like this towards you. Isn’t it funny how obvious and oblivious are spelled almost exactly the same way?

 

Later that night, while some people were trying to roll across the room on one of those styrofoam back rollers, Midoriya noticed Tokoyami and Shoji conversing amongst themselves a good distance away from the main group. 

Those two had been part of the group he’d betrayed at the summer camp, and had also seemed the least receptive to his arrival. 

Maybe I should apologize to them. 

Much like returning the phone from the cafeteria, a part of him thought this was a terrible idea. But he felt like it was the right thing to do. He’d sweet talked them into trusting him, and then stabbed them in the back, taking their… friend, if Bakugo could be considered a friend, in the process. 

Shoji’s words reverberated in his mind. 

“We trusted you! How could you betray us like that!?”

He felt a familiar surge of guilt. But maybe… maybe he could make up for it, at least a little bit, let them know he was sorry. Apologies could go a long way, or just a short way in the case of Bakugo apologizing to Midoriya. 

Feeling like he owed it to Tokoyami and Shoji, he began walking over to them. 

They spotted him approaching immediately, and their eyes narrowed in apprehension and distrust, conversation coming to a halt. Midoriya stopped a good few feet away, not wanting to violate any boundaries. 

“What are you doing here?” Tokoyami asked right away. 

“I want to apologize,” Midoriya started surely. “For what happened at the summer camp.”

Tokoyami narrowed his eyes further. “And?”

The former villain took a deep breath. “I never should’ve betrayed you like that. You put your trust in me and I used that to my advantage, which was wrong of me to do. I know I hurt you, both of you, and I don’t expect this apology to change much, but I at least wanted you to know that I’m sorry.” 

He rubbed his hands down his face in stress. 

“It would’ve been so much better for everyone if I would’ve just turned myself in. It was such a dumb decision that made everyone’s lives worse. I was such a stupid idiot-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Shoji interrupted. 

Midoriya peeked at him from between his fingers. “It is?”

“Well, no, it’s not,” Shoji replied, “but there’s no point in beating yourself up like that.”

“Not that you don’t deserve it,” Tokoyami muttered bitterly, and Shoji sighed. 

“You don’t have to accept the apology if you don’t want to,” Midoriya responded, coming out from hiding behind his hands. “But I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”

After a moment, Tokoyami replied with “Your apology is not accepted, but appreciated.” Shoji nodded in agreement. 

Midoriya bowed his head. “That’s all I could ask for. Thank you.”

His relationship with the class was only getting stronger. Now he just had to figure out how to handle the rest of the school.

Notes:

This is the playlist 1-A made, and it pretty much was already explained in the fic. Some of these songs are also in my Sad Songs playlist, while others are also in Dopamine, but they're all are good songs to listen to when you're having a crappy day (or when you've been forced to be a villain and are recovering), at least imo.

Also, don't think anyone really cares, but the reason a lot of my playlists are lyric videos and not official audios is bc I was a stupid seventh grader when I first got into music and I don't feel like changing them and they get less ads.

I'll just use the same song Midoriya was listening to for the chapter song, Burn Out by Imagine Dragons. Good song, fits well, especially the second verse.

Chapter 54: To Help, Not To Hurt

Notes:

After watching the Doctor Strange episode of What If...? this fic does not feel very angsty anymore. Heck that was dark. Loved it.

Also I didn't die at camp, which was fun.

Lastly, I find Bakugo's pov incredibly hard to write, bc I just can't relate to him at all. I was on the red team at camp, and my younger sisters were on the blue, and everytime the red won a game I felt sad bc it meant my sisters were losing. That's the opposite of Bakugo.

Enjoy!

It was Saturday. Finally. 

After a long day of wiping windows, cleaning toilets, mopping floors, dodging spitballs, ignoring insults, avoiding people, and groaning internally, Midoriya was looking forward to some peace and quiet. 

But who was he kidding? If he had a penny for everytime 1-A was peaceful and quiet, he’d have zero pennies. 

When he arrived at the dorms, he didn’t see anyone he was very familiar with. Well, Kirishima waved at him, and he waved back, but Uraraka and Shinso weren’t around, so he decided to head up to his room. 

Maybe they’d actually leave him alone this afternoon…

…but who was he kidding?

 

“Kay, can you hand me another one?” Uraraka asked. 

Shinso peeled off another glowy star sticker from the two sheets he’d bought and handed it up towards Uraraka, who was floating by the ceiling attaching the stickers above Midoriya’s bed. 

“I still do not approve of this idea,” Iida said from the doorway. “It is not appropriate to change someone’s room without asking permission first.”

“Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission,” Shinso responded, much to Iida’s disagreement. 

“Woah hey! That looks super cool!” Kaminari said as he passed by Midoriya’s room. He’d been looking for Shinso to annoy him with dog videos. He stepped inside the room and gazed up at the star-speckled ceiling. “Can I help?”

“No,” Shinso replied immediately. 

“Sure!” Uraraka overrode him. 

“Yay! Can I make a smiley face?”

“Why not?” Uraraka grinned, and Shinso groaned. 

Kaminari reached his hand up and Uraraka floated him, and soon Shinso was handing both of them stickers from the floor. Iida was supposed to be their lookout in case Midoriya arrived, but he spent more time fretting over the immorality of their actions. 

“Has Midoriya opened up to you at all?” Shinso questioned. 

“Nope!” Kaminari exclaimed. 

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Not really,” Uraraka admitted as she accepted another star from Shinso. “But I think he is getting to trust us more, so there’s that!”

Shinso grumbled under his breath. “Sure is taking a while.”

“Hey, this isn’t something that happens overnight!” Uraraka argued. “It’ll take time for him to feel safe around us. You can’t force it.”

Shinso sighed in defeat, fingering the plastic sheets agitatedly. 

“How does that look?” Kaminari asked after a couple minutes, smiling stupidly at the smiley face he’d made out of stars. 

“Absolutely horrible,” Shinso answered without even looking. 

Uraraka laughed. “It looks great!”

“Then my work here is done. Shinso! Catch me!”

“I’d rather you die.”

“Iida! Catch me!”

The class president frowned up at him, before walking into the room. “If you truly require my assistance, then I cannot refuse to help.”

Uraraka then released her quirk before either of them were ready, sending her plopping down onto the bed and Kaminari onto the solid floor next to Iida. 

“Oooww,” he whined as he sprawled out into a starfish on the floor. “Iida, why didn’t you catch me?!”

Before he could respond, someone spoke from the doorway. 

“Uh, what’re you guys doing in here?”

The four teens jolted as they realized Midoriya had just appeared in the doorway, wearing a very confused expression. Well there went the element of surprise. 

“AAH! SCRAM!” Kaminari shouted as he sprang upwards from the floor. He whizzed out of the room and sprinted down the hallway, leaving his classmates behind. 

Midoriya’s confusion deepened and it was very visible. 

“Ignore him,” Shinso suggested as he threw the empty plastic sheets away. 

“What’re you doing in here?” Midoriya asked again, bordering on a frown. 

Uraraka walked up to him, smiling brightly. “We were just decorating your room!”

The former villain tilted his head, and then he looked up and saw the stars. He cringed. “You actually did it?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Shinso said. 

“This is why I demanded we ask permission!” Iida reprimanded. “We needed to make sure he would be pleased with the outcome of his room!”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Midoriya responded. “I think it looks great, I really do. It’s just… I didn’t want you all wasting your time on me.”

Shinso groaned. “How many times do we have to say this? You’re not a waste!”

“We had fun while doing it, and I got to practice my quirk a bit!” Uraraka said. “So it wasn’t a waste at all!”

Midoriya’s expression softened. “Okay. Thank you,” he mumbled. 

“I guess now you want us to leave you alone so you can isolate, right?” Shinso asked with a twinge of annoyance. 

Midoriya looked down at his feet. “I did kinda have something I was planning to do. By myself. In my room.”

“Then we will leave you to it!” Iida said politely, walking towards the door. Shinso suppressed a scoff and followed him out, but Uraraka hung back. 

“I noticed the picture on your desk,” she said softly after they left. 

His eyes landed on the selfie of him and his mom, and his joy-radiating smile. He lowered his gaze. 

“You look so happy,” she continued, looking at the picture fondly, but there was sadness in her eyes. 

“I feel like that was from another life, or like the person in the picture isn’t me at all,” he admitted. 

She frowned slightly for a moment, before lifting her eyes from the picture to Midoriya’s current self. He saw the way her face fell slightly at the contrast. 

“Yeah well, no matter how it might feel, you’re still the boy in that picture. The life you’re living now is the same one you were living back then. You’re still the same person.”

He looked at her doubtfully. She walked up to him and brushed her hand against his arm. 

“I believe you can go back to how you were back then. It might take time and effort, and you might never be quite the same, but it’s possible.” 

She walked past him to the doorway, and as she closed the door she looked at him. 

“You can find your smile again, I know you can.”

With that, he was left in the darkness of his room. He sighed as he pondered her words, and secretly hoped they were true. Then he pulled a thick book out of his desk drawer that he’d gotten from Present Mic the day before. 

The title read, “Sign Language: Silent Communication.”

If Sakura couldn’t speak, he’d find another way for her to talk with him. 

 

Bakugo wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t oblivious to the way his classmates watched him suspiciously out of the corners of their eyes, as if he’d hidden a murder from them. 

He’d known that his actions during middle school would have repercussions, but did the entire fricking world have to know about it? He’d never given a crap about his reputation, but he knew when something endangered his chances at becoming a hero. 

And people finding out about the way he’d mistreated Midoriya was one of those dangers. 

That was one of the reasons he hoped to patch things up with his old… friend. They’d been friends once, hadn’t they? Then maybe they could return to that, especially if that meant he’d keep quiet about middle school. 

But that wasn’t the only reason he hoped to repair their thoroughly broken relationship. He still felt more guilty than he cared to admit. It distracted him during class and kept him from sleeping. Maybe Midoriya finally accepting his apology from the summer camp would fix some of that. 

Maybe he’d finally be able to atone for his previous actions, because he’d been such an arrogant, self-absorbed bully who couldn’t see the big picture. 

He truly did want to earn forgiveness. Not just get it, earn it. 

When he saw the damned nerd hanging out, talking with Uraraka and Shinso, he felt relieved. Maybe all the damage he’d done could actually be repaired. 

There were a lot of maybes in his life right now. 

But there was one thing he knew for sure. Midoriya had already been beaten enough, at his own hands and at the hands of others. If anyone tried to hurt him further, their ass would be blown straight to hell. 

 

It was Sunday evening, and Midoriya had just voluntarily gone downstairs. 

“Who are you and what have you done with Midoriya?” Shinso asked him as he walked into the kitchen. 

“I’m allowed to eat, aren’t I?” he shot back as he grabbed a snack from one of the cupboards. Shinso was leaning against the counter sipping coffee. “And what are you doing drinking coffee this late in the day?”

“It is necessary to my survival,” Shinso answered. “Now let’s go watch some idiots.”

Before Midoriya had a chance to object, Shinso dragged him into the living area, where several members of the class were sitting on the floor around the coffee table playing Uno. Shinso forced him to sit down on one of the couches, and he sat down next to him and started watching the game. A few of the teens glanced at Midoriya out of the corners of their eyes, but didn’t show any visible fear. 

Uraraka, who was sitting directly in front of them, smiled and waved from her position on the floor. Midoriya returned the wave but not the smile. 

“Noooo why would you do this to me?!” Mina cried as four draw fours were stacked up against her, forcing her to draw sixteen. 

“Sorry, but I couldn’t just accept a draw twelve!” Hagakure exclaimed. She was the one who put the last draw four on. “It’s yellow now, by the way.”

“Is that even allowed?” Jiro questioned as Mina grudgingly struggled to draw sixteen cards. “I didn’t think you were able to stack cards like that.”

“Well it’s allowed now!” Kaminari said as he put a yellow card down. “Uno!”

“He has red,” Jiro said as she put down a yellow card of her own. 

“What?! Stop looking at my cards!”

“It’s impossible not to look at them. You’re terrible at hiding them.”

Sero looked like he was about to burst as he put his card down. It was one of those custom made ones, and it said “Compliment someone or draw 25.”

Bakugo looked down at the card on top of the stack. It was his turn. Sero was shaking with contained laughter, and soon the others joined him. He and Kaminari had made that card just for him. 

“This is some stupid shit,” the blond said flatly. The laughter burst out of everyone who’d been containing it. 

Midoriya rubbed his hands down his face and muttered “you all really have a death wish” under his breath. 

“Well are you gonna do it?” Sero asked in between laughs. 

Bakugo glared at him and Kaminari. “I will fricking murder you,” he spat through clenched teeth. 

“Yeah, we know,” Kaminari said. It amazed Midoriya at how calmly he said this. 

“What? Scared you won’t win?” Shinso taunted. Midoriya turned to look at him incredulously. What the heck was he thinking!?

Bakugo directed his glare at Shinso. Just for a second his eyes rested on Midoriya. Then he huffed and looked back down at the card. 

“You’re all dead,” he hissed, before turning to Kirishima next to him and saying, “I want to kill you less than Dunce Face and Elbows.”

The redhead flashed a smile. “Thanks man!”

“I dunno… does that count as a compliment?” Kaminari pondered. 

“IT FRICKING DOES!!” Bakugo roared. Midoriya had been wondering how long he’d be able to contain his rage. 

“Alright, fine, we’ll accept it,” Sero said in a mockingly sorrowful tone. He then changed it to a color Bakugo didn’t have, forcing him to draw one. The class laughed, and Midoriya couldn’t help but feel fearfully amused too. 

At that moment Koda wandered over and sat at the opposite end of the couch, smiling along with everyone else. 

He thought back to all the times he’d watched 1-A. Koda had always made these gestures with his hands, and now that he thought about it, that might’ve been sign language. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Midoriya said softly. 

Koda’s head whipped in his direction and he looked quite panicked for a second, before calming a bit and nodding. 

“Do you know sign language?” Midoriya questioned in an even quieter voice, trying not to be hurt by Koda’s reaction to him. 

Koda looked a bit surprised, but nodded again. 

“Do you have any books or things that you'd recommend for learning it?”

The surprise grew. Another nod. 

“Really? That’s good, because the book Present Mic gave me is a little confusing,” Midoriya admitted. “There’s a girl who got hurt because of me, and she’s not able to talk anymore and will have to learn sign language. She used to talk to me a lot and I just kinda want to give her a way to still be able to communicate with me.”

“Sakura Kobayashi, right?” Shinso asked, listening in. 

Now it was Midoriya’s turn to nod. 

“I-I have a c-couple books I could g-give you,” Koda suggested shyly. 

Midoriya’s eyes lit up. “Thank you. That’d be great.”

“HAH! I WIN!!” Bakugo shouted, slamming his last card down on top of the stack, adding an explosion because why not. 

“Dammit, I was so close,” Kaminari groaned, even with five cards in his hand, courtesy of Mina. 

Jiro scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“Well he was closer than me,” Uraraka said. She laid her six cards down on the table, and they were all green. 

“Man, that stinks,” Kirishima said from next to her. 

Mina grinned. “Guess even the cards could tell what color you’ve been thinking a lot about lately.”

Red flooded Uraraka’s face, and the green-haired and green-eyed Midoriya was saved from the very embarrassing moment that would’ve followed by a call from Aizawa. 

“Midoriya. I’d like to speak with you regarding your work tomorrow,” the teacher called. 

Shinso smirked. “Talk about perfect timing,” he teased, elbowing Midoriya as he stood up. The slightly blushing greenette walked quickly over to Mr. Aizawa. 

“About my work tomorrow?” Midoriya repeated once he reached him.

“Yes. There is something I’d like you to do other than cleaning.”

Midoriya frowned. “Like what?”

“Currently, the class is working on developing super moves for the provisional licensing exam, which takes place in a week. I’d like you to come and watch their hero lessons tomorrow, and continue doing so until the exams.”

“Why?” he asked, already knowing the answer. 

“So you can take notes. The class will be able to improve their quirks and find new uses for them using the information you provide.”

Midoriya’s frown deepened. The last time he’d taken notes, they’d been used for not so good things. His analysis skills had been associated with hurting others. 

“A-are you sure you want that? I mean, what if someone e-else finds them and-”

“Midoriya,” Aizawa said his name firmly and he rested a hand on his right shoulder. “Your skill at analysis is just that, a skill. It can either be used to hurt or help others. I know your notes have only been used to hurt in the past, but now I’m giving you the chance to help. Knowledge is an essential asset to becoming a hero, and you can provide the class with that knowledge.”

Aizawa gestured at the group in the living area, and Midoriya turned to look at them. It was now a mess because Kaminari’s version of shuffling the cards was just throwing them all up into the air. 

“Just imagine how much stronger they could get, how many more people they could save if they had access to all the intel you have on them.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t seen it that way before. To him, knowledge was a weapon to be used against others, not a tool to strengthen one’s abilities. 

He turned back to Aizawa and nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it. I mean, not that I really have a choice,” he then rubbed the back of his neck. “I might need some notebooks and pencils though.”

“Would it be alright to have one notebook per person, so they can borrow it and read it for themselves?” Aizawa asked. 

Midoriya nodded. “That sounds good. Oh, but what about the cleaning?”

“I’ll arrange for the robots to handle the bathrooms. That should lighten the load enough so you can watch the hero lessons. However, there’s one more thing I need to give you.”

Aizawa started walking away and he gestured for Midoriya to follow him. From his office/room/napping haven he retrieved a small box. 

“This is the shoulder brace Nezu ordered for you,” he explained as he gave it to the teen. 

“Oh, thanks,” Midoriya said. He looked at the picture on the box, and it actually looked… really nice. “Thanks,” he repeated. 

“Sure. Now, go and be a teenager, but don’t do anything stupid.”

With that, Aizawa disappeared into his room. Midoriya ran the box up to his dorm, and he debated staying there for a second, before deciding to head back downstairs. 

“Hey! You came back!” Uraraka said happily as he entered the living area. They had just finished gathering up all the cards Kaminari had tossed in the air, and Mina was creating the stacks of seven. 

“Why’d he want to talk to you?” Shinso asked once he’d sat down next to him again. Koda seemed to have wandered off into the kitchen with Sato. “You didn’t get in trouble or anything, did you?”

Midoriya shook his head. “He gave me a shoulder brace, for, you know… certain stuff. And he wants-”

“Wait, you mean that total overreaction to Shinso touching your one shoulder?” Hagakure questioned, viewing her new cards, which looked like they were just floating mid air. 

“Er, yeah. That.”

“What exactly happened to your shoulder?” Kirishima asked as he accepted his seven cards from Mina. 

A picture of Shigaraki’s outstretched hand appeared in his mind, as well as a flash of pain that mirrored the decay of his flesh into nothingness. Bakugo narrowed his eyes, watching Midoriya’s body language. 

“I don’t feel like talking about it,” the former villain said quietly. He felt the familiar tug to go back to his room. 

“Well how about a game of Uno then!” Mina suggested cheerily. “You can join us, if you want!”

Kaminari lit up. “Yeah! How about it?”

“Um, no, I’m good. Thanks,” Midoriya responded. 

Shinso huffed. “What that translates to is ‘yes, I’d love to play a game of Uno with you all.’ That’s what he meant.”

“Uh…”

“Then of course you can join us!” exclaimed Uraraka, jumping at the opportunity to get Midoriya to engage. She slid to the side to make room for him in between her and Kirishima. “Just slide down here,” she said, patting the area where he’d sit. 

Well frick, he couldn’t say no to her. She looked too happy at the thought of him joining them. So, he grudgingly slid down next to her, making sure to send Shinso a small glare on the way. 

“Shinso! You can join us too!” Mina said as she made two more stacks of sevens, as if she already knew Shinso would say yes. 

“Nah, I’d rather just stay up here, if that’s okay,” Shinso answered. 

Midoriya frowned at him. “You see, that translates to, ‘if I’m gonna force my friend to play Uno, then I’m gonna play it with him.’ That’s what you meant, right?”

Now it was Shinso’s turn to glare at Midoriya. After some pestering from Uraraka and Mina, he ended up sliding down from the couch in between Midoriya and Kirishima. 

“You know how to play, right Deku?” Kaminari asked. Midoriya once again frowned at the villain name, and to his surprise, Bakugo did too. 

“Yeah, I know.” He’d actually never played before, but had learnt the rules while watching them. He accepted his cards from Mina. 

Crap, a draw four. Uraraka is to my right, so I’ll just have to wait for someone to reverse it so I can use it on Shinso instead of her. 

Throughout the course of the game, Midoriya ended up drawing multiple cards instead of doing a draw four on Uraraka. At one point though, he did use a skip card on her. 

“Well that’s not very nice,” she huffed jokingly in mock offense. 

He looked her directly in the eye and said, “Oh snap.”

Her pretend offense melted away into laughter. “You’re getting better at that!”

He nodded, and a tiny smile found its way onto his face. Shinso saw it, and he smiled too. Bakugo’s eternal frown lessened a bit. 

At some point, Tsu and Yaoyorozu came and sat on the couch behind Mina and Hagakure, and Todoroki sat on one of the ottomans. He seemed to have really warmed up since Midoriya had seen him last, especially since the Sports Fest. 

A thought occurred to him. 

“Hey Kirishima? At the Sports Festival, during the side games, remember that pencil you got during the scavenger hunt? Did you keep it?” Midoriya questioned. 

Shinso muttered something that sounded strangely like, “oh my gosh he’s actually talking” and Midoriya ignored him. 

“Yeah, I remember!” Kirishima said brightly. “But we had to turn in all the items we got at the end. Why do you ask? And wait… how do you know about that?”

“Uhm, I was the person who threw you the pencil.”

“Really? No way!” Kirishima exclaimed, putting down a card. 

“What a coincidence,” Yaoyorozu remarked. 

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and put down a card after Shinso. “Yeah, and, uh, I kinda liked that pencil so that’s why I was asking, but it’s fine if you don’t have it anymore.”

Kirishima laughed. “Man, I didn’t realize you were that close! I mean, I knew you’d been at the Sports Fest, because you- uh, you know.”

“You blew up Cementoss’s hand, ribbit,” Tsu finished. The living area quieted. 

Midoriya fidgeted with his cards nervously as an image of Cementoss’s agonized face flashed in his brain. 

“Finger,” he corrected quietly. 

Tsu tilted her head. “What?”

“You said hand. I only blew up his finger.”

The silence continued for a moment more, before Shinso broke in with, “Well that’s one way of looking at the bright side. And you did warn him, didn’t you?”

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah. I did. And I apologized to him last week too.” He quickly turned to Uraraka. “It was a necessary apology.”

“Alright, I’ll accept it,” she said. 

By now, it had come back around to Kirishima, who frowned because the color had changed. He looked at Shinso and smiled cheesily. “Sorry, man…”

He put down a draw four. Shinso sighed. “Well, it’s a good thing I have this.”

Then Shinso put down a draw four and smirked at Midoriya, who grimaced. 

“I still don’t think stacking is a legit rule,” Jiro commented. 

“Then screw the legit rules,” Sero said. 

“I can literally see your draw four,” Shinso told Midoriya, who then pulled his cards closer to his chest. “Just put it down. You can avoid drawing eight.”

“Yeah… but then,” Midoriya looked over at Uraraka. She’ll end up drawing twelve. 

She laughed. “It’s okay, it’s just part of the game!”

“It’s technically not,” Jiro said. 

“I’ll just draw eight,” Midoriya said as he leaned forward to the draw pile. 

Shinso sighed. “Self-sacrificial, even in card games. We’ve got to work on that.”

“I’d rather be self-sacrificial than competitive and selfish,” he said quietly as he finished getting his eight cards. 

Bakugo scoffed. “Even if it kills you?”

“It wasn’t my fault I almost died the first time, now was it?” Midoriya shot back. 

“You chose to step off that roof,” Bakugo retorted hotly. 

“You were the one who told me to do it!” the former villain replied angrily, not caring that there were people around. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t fricking mean it!” 

The common room had grown very quiet except for the two yelling. 

“Then why’d you say it?!” Midoriya asked, and Bakugo didn’t respond. “Why’d you say it?! It’s because of those words I have this stupid scar on my face and it’s because of those words Shigaraki found me and put me into his miserable League.”

“I didn’t know all that shit would end up happening,” Bakugo answered roughly. It became his turn again and he slammed his card down so hard it knocked over the draw pile. 

“Well it did happen and it’s your fault, Kacchan.”

“I KNOW!!” the blonde screamed. “I know it’s my fault, and I’m sorry!! What else do you want me to fucking do?!”

Midoriya quieted. “Being sorry isn’t enough.”

Bakugo shouted out in frustration. 

“Um,” Kaminari started. “This might be a bad time, but you forgot to call uno, Bakugo.”

The blonde slammed his last card down on the table, leaving a scorch mark, and then stormed out of the room. It was now Midoriya’s turn. 

He put his stack of cards down on the table much more gently. “I’m gonna leave too.”

As he stood up to leave, Uraraka grabbed his jacket sleeve. “Wait, don’t go-”

“I’m leaving,” he snapped. 

She recoiled and released his jacket. “S-sorry.”

His facial expression softened. “Sorry.”

Midoriya went upstairs as quickly as he could. 

 

“Deku, why don’t I pay a visit to your dear mother?”

Midoriya’s eyes flew open in fear, and his body sprang upwards to a sitting position on his bed before his brain could even comprehend it’d just been a nightmare. 

He clutched his head in his hands and tried to slow his breathing. 

It’s okay. Mom’s safe. It’s okay. She’s not in danger. Everyone’s safe. 

He laid back down on his back. 

It’s okay it’s okay it’s okay. 

He saw the stars on the ceiling above him, glowing faintly in the dark. He just realized some were arranged in the shape of a smiley face. A twinge of amusement squeezed itself in with the fear. 

That was probably Kaminari. 

Just like that, his dark thoughts were distracted by the glowing lights in the dark. 

Maybe the stars were a good idea after all. 

He picked up his phone to see what time it was. Almost four in the morning. Why couldn’t the nightmares have waited a few more hours? With the way his heart was thumping, he didn’t think he’d be going back to sleep soon. 

So he put his earbuds in a put on the playlist 1-A had made, and a guitar started playing softly in his ear. 

“When it’s four in the morning.”

That felt planned. 

“When it comes without warning. The silence drags you down under the tide.”

He rolled over, letting the sounds ease the tension of his mind. 

“When your whole world is jaded, when your colors are faded, and nothing but your shadow’s on your side.”

He sighed, because that really was how it was a lot of the time. 

“I believe in you.”

Even though his friends weren’t there, he could feel them speaking through the music. He knew the lyrics reflected how they felt towards him, or else the song wouldn’t be in the playlist. 

“If you ever need somebody, even when all your hope runs out.”

So even in the dead of night after waking up from a nightmare, he didn’t feel alone. 

“I believe, I believe, I believe in you. In you.”

 

Mondays. Ugh. 

Shinso looked down at his bowl of cereal. 

“What if I put coffee in this instead of milk?” he asked. Everyone nearby raised their eyebrows. 

Uraraka grabbed the pot and moved it further away. “What if you didn’t?”

Midoriya handed him the milk he’d just used for his own cereal. Shinso looked longingly after the coffee. 

“You guys do not understand the pain Mondays bring me,” Shinso said grudgingly as he poured the milk. 

“You’ll survive,” Midoriya mumbled. 

Uraraka sat next to him. “Hey, are you doing okay? I mean, after what happened last night…”

“I’m okay,” Midoriya answered. 

“I swear, if you don’t stop lying, I’m gonna strangle you,” Shinso said. 

“I’m alright, I promise.”

Neither of his friends looked convinced, but they knew that was all they were going to get out of him. 

Shinso sighed. “If you say so…”

 

“All of you, stay here,” Aizawa ordered as he left Gym Gamma. 

“Why does he always do that?” Kaminari asked. “He just up and leaves. Like, why?”

“It takes too much effort to properly say goodbye,” Shinso answered. 

“It is not very professional of a UA teacher, however,” Iida commented. 

Uraraka knocked on Iida’s armor. “Hey, whaddya think all those notebooks over there are for?”

The group turned their attention towards where Uraraka was pointing. There was a stack of twenty notebooks as well as a box of pencils. 

“I’m sure Mr. Aizawa will explain!” Iida reassured. 

“Will he though…?” Kaminari questioned. 

They waited for a few more minutes, the chatter level slowly rising. It instantly went quiet again as Aizawa reentered. 

“We’ll be having someone else other than your usual teachers join us today, and for the rest of the week,” he said, which caused a few mumblings of curiosity and confusion. 

Then the class noticed who trailed in behind him. Midoriya waved feebly. 

“Midoriya!” Kirishima shouted. “What’re you doing here?”

“Midoriya will be taking notes on each of you,” Aizawa answered. “He’ll be analyzing your abilities and judging your strengths and weaknesses. This information will be recorded in notebooks and you will be expected to use that intel to improve your capabilities. Understand?”

The class nodded. Aizawa began walking away. 

“Now get to work. You’re wasting time.”

“So what? He’ll just be staring at us the whole time?” Hagakure asked. 

“Pretty much,” Midoriya muttered. 

“Wait, why does he have to take notes on us?” Kaminari asked confusedly. 

“‘Cause he’s a damn nerd,” Bakugo answered. Midoriya’s eyes shifted over to him. “His eyes are able to dissect you like a bug, finding all your little faults and weaknesses, all the ways to exploit you. He’ll figure out the inner workings of your mind and play your chords like a damn harp. That’s what made him such a dangerous villain.”

Midoriya looked down and kicked at the ground. 

“You just gonna take that, man?” Kirishima asked. 

“Well it’s true,” the former villain responded. He looked up at the class. Some of the fear had leaked back into their expressions. 

I guess this is Kacchan’s way of getting back at me for exposing what he did in middle school. 

“Kacchan’s right, knowledge can be used as a weapon, but… but that’s not why I’m taking notes,” Midoriya continued. “The information I’m going to gather on you, you can use it to improve your quirks, lessen your exploits, maybe even get rid of them completely. Hopefully it’ll help you become stronger heroes.”

He looked Bakugo in the eye. 

“That’s why I’m taking notes. To help, not to hurt.”

The blond scoffed. “I won’t be needing any of your stupid notes.”

As he stormed off, Midoriya said, “Oh Kacchan. You’re always so predictable.”

He put in his earbuds and headed over to the stacks of notebooks, and the class dispersed around the gym to continue working on their super moves. Throughout the period, Midoriya moved to different areas along the wall and just sat and took notes, tapping his foot along with the music he was listening to. 

“I’ve been going to some… dark places.”

He’d forgotten how much he missed doing this. There was something so satisfying and calming about making a record of one’s abilities. He hadn’t had to think like this in a while, and it was refreshing. 

A few of the students watched him nervously out of the corners of their eyes, but most just focused on their training and ignored Midoriya’s fervent scribbling. 

“Forgot how to smile so I just pretend.”

Bakugo had been wrong about Midoriya using the intel to manipulate them. He wanted to use the same skills he’d used for manipulation to help them now. The stronger they became, the more people they would save. 

“But the low makes the high feel better, and I know I won't hurt forever.”

But Bakugo had been right about one thing. Midoriya’s eyes really could pick up on the smallest of things. 

Except when it came to love, of course. 

“But I… wanna change, wanna change, wanna change.”

Notes:

Not gonna lie, that Uno scene got a bit out of control. The only parts I had planned were talking to Koda and Aizawa and everything else just kinda happened. It escalated very quickly, didn’t it?

Also, if you don’t like the parts with music and the lyrics… I’m trying very hard to keep that stuff toned down. I have so much stuff flying around in my head that I can do with songs, but I’m keeping it modest because song fics aren’t popular for a reason. But I’m writing this cuz it’s fun, not to make people happy, so expect more incorporated songs.

The two songs used this chap were Believe by The Score and Happy by Young Rising Sons. So uh, hm. I think I'll use the second one for the chapter song. It's sad that this band isn't even well known enough to have an accurate lyric vid, even the websites are wrong. Thanks to ThatOneGuy_01 for recommending them.

Just these last five chapters have been close to 28k words. Wowza.

Chapter 55: Weeds Last Longer Than Flowers

Notes:

Today was my first day back to school. Ugh. Chaps will probably start getting shorter again, since I have some pretty difficult classes. I write ahead so next week will probably still be pretty long, but after that... eh.

But more on the bright side, this fic has fanart now!! Thank you to Zachary_Manchester for drawing it!

Midoriya had finished about a third of the class’s notes. The rest he was still working on. Not bad for it being only Tuesday. 

He was finishing up a sketch of Uraraka’s costume when Aizawa called him. 

“Problem Child. I want you to go help Shinso.”

Midoriya looked up from the notebook. “Help? What do you mean by help? I thought I was just supposed to be taking notes?”

“He’s having trouble developing a super move, because he has no one to practice on. His quirk requires another person, and no one’s available except you. So go train with him.”

Midoriya’s eyes swept across the gym and he spotted Shinso quickly. He was just doing basic strengthening exercises and practicing with the capture weapon. Nothing with his quirk. 

The former villain grudgingly stood up from his comfortable position against the wall, setting Uraraka’s notebook on top of the stack. “Alright, I’ll go help him.”

“Good. And don’t worry, Nezu negotiated with Tartarus, so you’re now allowed to take violent action if it’s part of training.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding and walked across the large gym over to Shinso, who spotted him coming. 

“Hey, what’re you doing over here?” he asked tiredly. 

“Mr. Aizawa told me to help with your training, ‘cause your quirk only works on people,” Midoriya explained. 

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

“What are you working on for your super move?”

Shinso rubbed the back of his neck unsurely. Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. 

“You have got a super move, right?”

“Yeah, I do, it’s just…” Shinso sighed. “Normally my persona chords would be my super move, but that’s not really something you can train. It’s just something you do in the moment by judging the situation and people.”

“You said normally. So you’ve developed something else.”

“Yeah. It’s like a fall back, in case my opponent doesn’t respond to the persona chords, but it’s not as likely to work.”

“Well, what is it?”

“So I ask a question, and then I just have to get some verbal response. I can get that response by quickly approaching and striking the diaphragm, forcing air out of the lungs, hopefully resulting in some cry of pain. Then I can brainwash,” Shinso explained. 

“So you have to be quick and accurate,” Midoriya concluded, and he nodded. Well that was perfect, being quick and accurate was the focal point of Midoriya’s fighting style. “You wanna try it on me?”

Shinso looked skeptical. “Yeah right, like I’ll ever actually be able to land a blow on you.”

“C’mon, I’ll give you advice as we go,” Midoriya suggested, lowering in a fighting stance, and Shinso mirrored him. 

The former villain waited for Shinso to make the first move. The insomniac grumbled under his breath and then ran forward, saying, “You know you’re gonna kick my ass, right?”

Midoriya didn’t respond and dodged the palm strike that Shinso sent to his upper abdomen. “Don’t brainwash me for giving suggestions, okay?”

“Alright,” Shinso replied. He spun on his heel and aimed a kick at the same area. “Do you really think I’ll be able to land one on you?”

Midoriya blocked the kick and swept Shinso’s leg, sending him to the floor. “Kicks are easy to block when they’re aimed at the center of the body, so stick to punches for this, unless you’re aiming for the person’s back and they can’t fully see you.”

Shinso made sure to fall into a roll and was quickly back on his feet. This time Midoriya sped forward. He aimed a fast-moving punch at Shinso’s jaw, which Shinso managed to block with his arm, but then Midoriya grabbed his other arm. With both arms out of the way, Midoriya kicked him right in the diaphragm. 

“Agh,” Shinso grunted involuntarily. Midoriya released his arm and let the momentum of the kick send Shinso to the floor. 

Midoriya crouched by his side. “You okay?”

“What the heck?” Shinso asked once he got his breath back. “You said not to use kicks when aiming for the diaphragm and then you kick my diaphragm.”

“I said that because kicks are easy to spot and then block, but I had preoccupied both of your arms beforehand so you’d have nothing to block with, therefore ensuring the success of the kick.”

Shinso groaned. “Your mind runs too fast.”

“Don’t worry, it comes with practice.” Midoriya stood up and he held out a hand to his friend, who accepted it. 

“So what? I’m just gonna keep getting my ass handed to me over and over?” Shinso asked bitterly once he was on his feet again. 

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You already have better hand to hand combat skills than most. That first punch I did would’ve taken out about a third of the people in this class.”

Shinso scoffed. “Really? We suck that much?”

“U-um, well, I wouldn’t say you suck, b-but… but everyone tends to have singular focus on improving their quirks over everything else. That’s why Eraserhead is such an effective hero, because people are over reliant on their quirks instead of developing basic combat skills.” 

He paused and bit his lip, eyes going to the floor. 

“It’s also why people consider a quirk necessary to be a hero. To most, that’s the only thing that matters: the potential of your quirk. It doesn’t matter how good at analysis you are or how good at hand to hand combat you are, if you don’t have a quirk, then you’re helpless. Useless.”

Shinso sighed and shook his head. “This society is so screwed up. Judging a person’s worth and potential by quirk alone is so damn stupid. I mean, you’re the prime example.”

Midoriya frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’d be an amazing hero if you had the chance, quirk or not. But because of society’s strict rules and definition of ‘normal,’ you’ve never been given the chance.”

The former villain scoffed sadly. “I don’t know how ‘amazing’ of a hero I would be.”

“Oh, you’d be pretty damn amazing all right. If the number of people who already view you as a hero is anything to go by, you’d be downright spectacular,” Shinso said, slightly saddened by the disbelief Midoriya felt when he got complimented. “Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be training?”

Midoriya started. “Oh, right! Attacking the diaphragm, okay.”

“Is there any secret strategy or something I’m missing?”

“No, it’s just reading your opponent and the situation. You can’t go directly for the diaphragm, or else they’ll be able to see what you’re doing and stop you. You’ve got to attack them in a way that causes an opening, like I did earlier, or block in a way that causes an opening. Manipulate your opponent’s moves by controlling your own. Does that make sense?”

Shinso nodded. “I think so. But it’ll take a lot of practice.”

“Well that’s why I’m here,” Midoriya replied, lowering into a fighting stance once again. 

Shinso smirked, mirroring his action. “I’m ready to get my ass handed to me.”

And that’s exactly what happened. Midoriya had been training longer and harder than Shinso had, and it showed. Not to say that Shinso was bad. Throughout the exercise, he started picking up on Midoriya’s fighting patterns and losing less. Although Midoriya was doing the same for Shinso, so it's possible he was just going easy on him. 

But towards the end, Shinso did get one win. 

“Hey, do you like Uraraka?”

Midoriya’s face flushed with red and he stumbled, his punch flying off course. Shinso grabbed his wrist, and as Midoriya tried to jump back he wrapped the capture weapon around his other arm and then yanked him close, kneeing him on target. 

Midoriya grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, and Shinso activated his quirk. The former villain barely got a glimpse of Shinso’s triumphant smirk before his mind went blank. 

Except… it wasn’t blank. 

People had described being brainwashed as a heavy fog over their mind, but Midoriya was pretty sure heavy fog didn’t include fuzzy silhouettes of people. 

Then one of those silhouettes started approaching. 

Midoriya instinctively tried to take a step back, but found that his body was no more than blackish green mist up to his eyes. 

What’s happening?

The figure became clearer. He had white hair and green eyes. He seemed to be surrounded by this energy that was just pure, like he could do no wrong. He gave a small smile when his eyes met Midoriya’s confused expression. 

“So you’re the ninth. What an interesting choice.”

Just as quick as he came, Midoriya was sent back to the physical world. He was welcomed by the lovely feeling of being choked. 

The collar had activated, tight around his throat, strangling him. He could see Shinso in front of him, still wearing that smirk, but was a little distracted by the fact that he couldn’t breathe. 

Shinso quickly noticed something was wrong. “Hey, you okay?”

Midoriya shook his head as he raised his hands up to his throat in a desperate attempt to loosen the band of metal. Shinso’s eyes widened. 

“MR. AIZAWA!!” he shouted, and Midoriya collapsed to his knees as he ran off. 

If the collar was activated, that means that vision, those people were One For All, he managed to think through the unpleasant sensation of not being able to move his lungs. 

It’s supposed to stop choking me after I’m unconscious, I’m pretty sure. 

Well it better stop, because I don’t want to die today. 

Even through the aching pain in his throat, that thought surprised him. He actually wanted to live. 

His vision started going blurry, but he thought he saw people running towards him. Who they were, he had no idea. His ears were ringing, and now his head was hurting just as much as his throat. 

Then the collar cluncked to the ground, and he felt the glorious feeling of air entering his lungs. He heaved in heavy breaths, in and out. Since when had breathing felt this good?

Slowly but surely, his vision cleared, and the pain subsided from his head, but not his throat. He saw the collar on the ground in front of him first, then Aizawa and Shinso, and then a few other students, including Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki. 

“You okay?” Shinso asked. 

“Yea-” he stopped mid word and winced. Speaking was painful. 

“Your throat is going to be sore for a while,” Aizawa said. “Just respond by nodding or shaking your head.”

He nodded. 

“Did you use your quirk?”

He shook his head. 

“But the collar activated.”

He nodded. 

“You know that the collar only activates when you use your quirk.”

He nodded. 

“Did you not try to use your quirk, but somehow end up using it anyway?”

He frowned for a second, and then nodded. 

“Was this because of Shinso’s brainwashing?”

He hesitantly nodded. 

“You don’t seem very sure.”

He shook his head. 

“So you don’t know.”

He nodded. 

Aizawa groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Shinso, don’t brainwash him. Unless he’s about to do something stupid. Midoriya, try not to accidentally use your quirk for no reason, got it?”

He nodded. 

Shinso pointed at the collar on the ground. “Can we burn that?”

“I second that,” Uraraka said, raising her hand. 

Midoriya shook his head, and Aizawa said, “He has to wear it as a condition set for his release.”

“He could wear it as a bracelet or something,” Shinso suggested. “I mean, he’d technically still be wearing it.”

Aizawa sighed. “The condition was to wear it around his throat. There’s no getting out of it.”

“It’s a harsh rule, isn’t it?” Iida said quietly. Midoriya blinked surprisedly. Of all the people he’d expected to say that, Iida was not one of them. 

The former villain reached forward and picked up the collar. 

“Woah, hey, what’re you doing?” Shinso questioned as Midoriya lifted the collar up to his throat. He reached forward to stop him. 

“It might be a good idea to leave it off for a little while,” Aizawa suggested. “Give your throat the chance to recover a bit before putting that thing back on.”

Uraraka nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I mean, you must still be in pain right now.”

He looked down at the collar, then up at Aizawa. 

“I need to wear this,” he rasped. 

The teacher’s eyes narrowed. “You’re afraid of using your quirk, aren’t you?”

He nodded. That surprised each of the students, but Todoroki in particular… that didn’t sit right with him. 

Midoriya put the collar back on. 

 

Aizawa sent Midoriya to Recovery Girl’s office, while the students went off to lunch. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to show up,” she said as the former villain entered the room. “People like you always tend to get themselves hurt, no matter what they try.”

He flushed in embarrassment, because it was true. She had him sit down on one of the beds. 

“I’m going to take the collar off so I can take a look at your neck,” she said, taking out a little metal card. He nodded hesitantly. She slid the card along the back of the collar and it clicked open, sliding off his neck and into his hands. 

She pressed her fingers into different areas of his neck and rolled his head from side to side, making sure nothing was damaged. He winced when she checked his airway. She shone a light down his throat and had him say “aaahhh” which was only a little mortifying. 

“Well, just from looking at it, you have some mild bruising, but nothing that my quirk can’t fix,” she explained once she was done. “However, the strangulation gave your airway blunt force trauma. Again, my quirk can fix it, but I’d recommend trying to avoid this situation in the future, because multiple injuries like this can compromise your airway and cause breathing problems. Okay, sweetie?”

He nodded and rasped a “thank you.”

After she’d kissed him on the forehead and made sure everything had healed properly, she asked, “So what exactly happened for you to use One For All?”

He looked at her surprisedly. “You know about that?”

She smiled fondly. “I must admit I was a bit surprised when I first heard All Might had chosen you of all people.”

“What an interesting choice.”

“But I think I can see why.” She looked at him curiously, “Can you see why?”

He frowned in thought for a moment. “No,” he admitted, and her face fell slightly, “But I think I need to talk to him about what happened.”

She nodded in understanding. “I’ll fetch him for you, darling.”

Midoriya hadn’t been avoiding All Might, exactly. More like, not making an effort to talk to him. It was obvious the retired pro wanted him to become a hero, which Midoriya just could not see. So he’d been avoiding the subject, and thereby… avoiding All Might. 

Because of this, the former number one was more than eager to speak with Midoriya after hearing he actually wanted to talk. 

“Young Midoriya! You wanted to see me?” All Might exclaimed as soon as he entered the room. 

He nodded and waved, wearing the collar again. 

“I heard the collar activated. Are you alright?”

Midoriya nodded again. Huh, I was expecting him to ask if I’d used One For All first, but he asked if I’m okay. 

All Might sat down in a chair in front of him. “So you used One For All, is that right?”

There it is. 

“Not exactly,” he responded, voice still rough. 

The retired pro frowned confusedly. “What do you mean?”

“I was training with Shinso, helping him with his super move,” Midoriya explained coarsely, and All Might nodded. “Towards the end, he brainwashed me, but instead of my mind going all foggy like what’s supposed to happen, I saw… a vision?”

All Might’s confusion deepened. “A vision?”

Midoriya nodded. “There were people, well, fuzzy silhouettes of people. Eight or nine, I think. If the collar activated, that means those people were- or are part of One For All.”

“Yes, they are. I saw something similar when I was younger. They’re the previous users, vestiges of One For All, and if you’re seeing them it means you’re getting better with the quirk!”

Midoriya frowned. “But I haven’t used it.”

“Oh, right, fair point. Then perhaps something about Shinso’s brainwashing caused them to surface. Also, I’ve been talking with Nezu about training you. I think I’ll be able to get permission soon, so that way you will be able to use it,” All Might said happily. 

The former villain’s eyes went to the floor. “But it’s not my quirk. It’s yours.”

“I entrusted One For All to you for a reason,” All Might said confidently. “It’s yours now to use, and I won’t be taking it back.”

“Can’t you give it to someone else?” Midoriya asked earnestly. 

“I haven’t found anyone as qualified as you.”

“We are literally in a school full of heroes and you think a villain is more qualified than all of them.”

“But you aren’t a villain anymore,” All Might smiled kindly. Midoriya sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. There was a moment of silence. 

“One of the vestiges talked to me.”

All Might jolted. “Talked? You didn’t just see them, you interacted with them?!”

“Well, I couldn’t say anything back, but one of them became really clear and said something to me.”

“What did they look like and what did they say?”

“He had white hair and green eyes, and was kinda thin and pale, but that might be because he was glowing a bit. He said ‘So you’re the ninth. What an interesting choice.’”

All Might raised his eyebrows in surprise, taking a moment to process the words. 

“Even the vestiges are complaining about choosing me.”

The former number one laughed. “No one’s complaining, Young Midoriya. Well, you’re complaining, but no one else is. As for the vestiges, I never had that experience with any of them. Personally, I think it’s a sign you’re going to become one of the best wielders of One For All.”

Midoriya looked at him doubtfully. “I still think it’d be better to give it to someone else.”

All Might leaned forward and rested a hand on his knee. “Young Midoriya. The only thing stopping you from being a hero is yourself. You can fulfill that dream of yours.”

The former villain didn’t make eye contact. “That dream died with your words. It’s too late for me.”

The retired pro’s face fell drastically. “But I was wrong. So so wrong. Even if you didn’t have One For All, you could become an amazing hero, an amazing quirkless hero. In the alleyway, when you were supposed to cross the line, what stopped you?”

Midoriya looked up at All Might. “It didn’t feel right.”

“See!?” All Might exclaimed like he’d just struck gold. “Even as a villain, your desire to be a hero, to save people still burned strong! It’s just a natural part of your being!”

His eyes went back to the floor. 

“Please, just, consider my words. Please,” All Might pleaded. 

Midoriya hesitated, and then he managed to make eye contact. “I’ll try.”

 

“HEY! EVERYONE!” 

The lunch crowd turned to look at an orange-haired second year standing on top of a table. 

The boy smirked, enjoying the attention. “We all should toss some of our trash, and especially our left over food, on the floor and tables!! That way that nasty villain will have to clean it up!”

A murmuring came over the cafeteria, and a good many people seemed to be in favor of that. 

Until a second person climbed up onto a table. 

“Stop it, all of you!” Uraraka shouted, ignoring Iida telling her to get off the table. “You’re at a hero school, you should know better! And Midoriya isn’t a villain!”

The orange-haired boy scoffed. “You’re from 1-A, right? So he’s brainwashed you into thinking he isn’t a bad person, how pathetic.”

Uraraka gritted her teeth, and Shinso stood up. 

“The only thing that’s pathetic is being so blind you can’t see the difference between a villain and a hero,” Shinso argued. “Seriously, look at yourself. You actually think that’s what a hero looks like? Even a former villain has more heroic qualities than you.”

Consider the second year triggered. “Now listen here-”

The boy’s eyes went blank and his angry speech stopped abruptly. Shinso smirked. 

“I’m the only one doing any brainwashing, not Midoriya. Now shut up and sit down.”

Everyone watched as the boy did just that. Shinso sat back down to finish his food, and after Iida’s persistent pleas, Uraraka climbed down from the table. 

But some of the students started throwing a couple food items on the floor anyway. One of the girls from the same table as the orange-haired boy was about to drop some leftover vegetable on the floor, when an angry shout stopped her. 

“ANYONE who drops another PIECE OF SHIT on the floor gets their ass BLOWN UP!!” Bakugo yelled at an incredible volume. He let off a few explosions to emphasize his point. 

The girl looked over her shoulder towards the noise and the blond was glaring right at her. She put the vegetable back in her box. 

The floor was perfectly clear of any food or trash when Midoriya arrived to clean later. 

 

Midoriya entered Heights Alliance quietly that afternoon and headed over to the kitchen to get something to drink. As he passed by the living area, he overheard Shinso’s and Uraraka’s conversation. 

“You realize he could kill himself at any time,” Shinso said quietly. “He just has to use his quirk enough and the collar will do the work for him.”

Uraraka’s eyes widened. “Where is he?” she asked urgently. 

“Right here,” Midoriya called, and they both flinched. 

“Oh hey!” Uraraka greeted, waving nervously. “We were just talking about you!”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah. I heard.”

“How are you so quiet,” Shinso muttered. 

“Practice,” he replied. “And with what you were saying, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He looked at the floor and remembered his thought process while getting choked. 

Well it better stop, because I don’t want to die today. 

He looked up at his friends and gave them a small smile, the smallest upturning of the lips. “I don’t really want to leave you guys behind.”

Their eyes brightened, and Uraraka might as well be glowing with how bright her smile was. 

“You know, you never answered my question from training today,” Shinso teased. 

Midoriya jolted and red bloomed around his freckles. “Uh- well-”

“Hey Deku!” Kaminari called from the kitchen tables. His smile vanished at the name. “Whaddya think the best way to defeat your enemy is? Like what’s the best way to make sure they’re never a problem again?”

“That’s not his name,” Bakugo grumbled from next to him. 

“Huh?”

“Deku isn’t his name, Dunce Face,” the blond explained hypocritically. “Are you seriously too stupid to see he doesn’t like to be called that.”

“Well I don’t like to be called Dunce Face!”

“I don’t fricking care about you. Just stop calling him Deku.”

Kaminari opened his mouth to argue, more for the sake of annoying Bakugo than anything else, but Midoriya spoke up. 

“He’s right, Kaminari. I’d rather not be called that. It’s just a reminder of first what Kacchan did to me and then what the villains did to me. Just Midoriya is fine,” he explained quietly. 

“But doesn’t it sound kinda like ‘dekiru’ or ‘you can do it’?” Uraraka piped up, and he turned to her surprisedly. “If it wasn’t your villain alias, I’d think it was a cute nickname! Like, yeah Deku, you can do it!”

His eyes widened, before going to the floor. “It sounds different when you say it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see it that way.”

She smiled softly. “It’s okay. I guess that’s just my positive twist on it.”

“But Midoriya feels so long and clunky to say after Deku!” Kaminari complained. 

“Hey, what about Midobro?” Kirishima suggested. 

The former villain frowned confusedly. “Mido… bro?”

Kaminari lit up. “Yeah! Midobro!”

Shinso audibly groaned. Bakugo did too. Uraraka just giggled. 

Kaminari ran up to Midoriya and shoulder bumped him. “Whaddya say, Midobro?”

Midoriya winced from his left shoulder being jostled, but he was wearing the brace Nezu had gotten him, which really did help. He gently pushed Kaminari away. 

“You know what, I’m just gonna get my water and go upstairs. There’s some studying I have to do,” he replied, thinking about the books Koda had given him. 

“Oh c’mon, that’s so boring!” Kaminari whined. Midoriya ignored him, but he hesitated before heading up the stairs. 

“Kaminari, the answer to your question,” he started, and a few people turned to look at him. “The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend.”

 

In terms of choking, Wednesday was better than Tuesday. In terms of bullying, well…

At least he’d made it to the end of the school day before anything happened. 

“Hey you! Villain! Scum!”

Midoriya paused his music and his mopping, despite not feeling addressed by any of those three terms. He turned to look at an orange-haired second year. Ah, Shinso had mentioned him during training today. He’d tried to mess up the cafeteria to make his job harder. 

“I need to talk to you,” the student growled. 

Midoriya took out his earbuds to show he was listening and propped the mop up against the wall. Some kid with a quirk that secreted a sticky gel had gotten jump scared by one of their classmates, leaving a mess behind for Midoriya to clean up. 

“I have no idea how you managed to trick the teachers into trusting you, but I haven’t fallen for it,” the second year continued. He took a step forward, and Midoriya instinctively took a step back. 

It was the end of the day, so students were slowly filing past them in the hall. However, a couple of teens had stopped with the orange-haired boy, presumably his classmates, to watch. With the way the other students were staring, that crowd would probably grow. 

“You don’t belong here,” he snarled. 

“I know I don’t,” Midoriya finally responded. “But some people think I do, so I’m here.”

The student scoffed. “If you already know you’re just as good as a weed here, then why don’t you go crawling back to the League? Go and be with the other weeds.”

A bit of anger lit up in Midoriya. “So that’s how you view villains, huh? Just weeds that need pulling, not even people. What’re you then? Some perfect-looking flower?”

“That’s because you villains are just weeds!” he shouted angrily, approaching quickly. Midoriya backed up, but not fast enough. “All you do is hurt people and act selfishly, and there isn’t a speck of good in anyone who takes that path! The world would be better if you were all just gone!”

The student pinned Midoriya against the wall, and the former villain flinched terribly at his shoulder being touched, but the second year didn’t seem to notice. His hands against his shoulders were incredibly warm, almost hot. 

He doesn’t have some kind of heat quirk, does he?

Midoriya was barely able to think that thought before the student sent a punch to his face. He jerked out of his hold and dodged just in time, backing up into the hallway. He was panting heavily despite not doing anything exerting. The stream of students had long since stopped, creating a steadily growing crowd around them. 

The second year turned menacingly in Midoriya’s direction, the heat of rage burning in his eyes and a very real not metaphorical heat smoking from his hands. 

It couldn’t help but remind him of Kacchan. He gripped his bad shoulder. 

The thought of his bullying rekindled some of his anger, which quickly overpowered the fear rising in his stomach. 

“And why do you think all the good in villains is gone?” Midoriya asked heatedly, glaring at the second year. “People don’t just wake up in the morning and decide to be cruel, their conditions forced them into that position. You’re right, villains do hurt people and act selfishly, but don’t pretend that heroes don’t do the same thing!”

Any self-restraint the second year had been using vanished at those words. He charged at the former villain, hands glowing a yellow-orange color and bulging in size. 

I can’t fight back. 

The student took a swipe at Midoriya with his enlarged hand, and he could feel the intense heat emanating from it.

Doesn’t mean I can’t dodge. 

With each attack the older teen threw, Midoriya ducked, jumped or side stepped, expertly evading all moves. The windows, wall and crowd acted as the ropes to their fighting ring. The former villain quickly picked up on the student’s fighting style. It was incredibly easy to defend when he didn’t have to focus any energy on attacking. 

The way the student’s hands were pulsing with heat, almost flowing, it was like lava. His hands had grown to over twice their usual size, and the lava-like appearance had spread down his wrists. 

“No one else has had a problem with me,” Midoriya started as he jumped out of the way of another fiery punch. “Why are you so much more interested in hurting me than everyone else?”

“That’s none of your business!” he spat. The air temperature around him had gone up considerably. 

“I’m the one getting attacked, so it kinda is my business!” Midoriya retorted. 

The second year paused for a minute, catching his breath. Midoriya stood by the window, watching apprehensively. 

“What has made you hate me more than everyone else?” the former villain questioned genuinely. 

The student growled something under his breath, looking down. His next words were forced out through clenched teeth. “My older brother died during the Kamino incident.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened in understanding. 

So that’s it. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized without even thinking. 

The student’s eyes snapped back up to Midoriya. “You were the one who caused it all to happen! You don’t get to be sorry! It’s because of you one of my family members is gone. So why should you get to have any friends at all!?”

The second year was trying desperately to hide the tears pricking up in his eyes. What he was saying aligned directly with Midoriya’s thoughts, but he remembered something Uraraka had told him. 

“Because a truly evil person wouldn’t feel bad, in fact, they’d probably feel good… the fact that you feel guilty proves you aren’t some despicable villain!”

“But I feel guilty, doesn’t that count for something?” Midoriya asked quietly. “Because the other League members don’t feel bad. I tried to leave, but Shigaraki wouldn’t let me,” he clenched his fists. “If I could change what happened I would, but I can’t, so all I can do is feel guilty. I really am sorry for what happened.”

The student’s eyes widened, and for a second his hands cooled. But then his vengeful rage engulfed his mind again and he charged at Midoriya, screaming in fury. 

The former villain got ready to dodge again, but he didn’t have to. A flash of blonde hair came first and then the flash of an explosion, blasting the second year back towards the wall. 

“Lay one hand on him and you’re dead,” Bakugo growled. Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise. Since when had Bakugo protected him?

“You’re also from 1-A. So he’s fooled you too,” the second year said. 

“Believe me, he definitely has the brainpower to manipulate every extra in this school into thinking he’s some damn king,” Bakugo started. 

“Not helping,” Midoriya coughed. 

“But just because he can doesn’t mean he will. This nerd gives too much of a crap about extra’s lives, and he’s already been abused enough, so don’t you lay one finger on him!”

“I was doing fine by myself,” Midoriya mumbled. 

“Sure you were.”

“You seriously think a first year like you can beat a second year like me?” the orange-haired boy asked, hands glowing like lava again. 

Bakugo smirked confidently. “I’ll destroy you, Gingersnap!”

“Gingersnap?!”

Midoriya stepped between the two of them. “Alright can we please just, not fight?”

“Get out of the way, Izuku,” the blond commanded, palms lighting up in anticipation. 

Midoriya sighed in exasperation and took a step back, raising his hands in defeat. “Fine then. I just work here.”

“What’s happenin’!” Crap, that sounded like an adult. Both students immediately stopped using their quirks. Snipe burst through the crowd. “What’re you youngins up to, with such a big gatherin’ around?” he asked, quickly taking in the scene. 

“Took you long enough,” Bakugo muttered under his breath. 

From there, a couple more teachers arrived and quickly broke up the scene. Midoriya went to finish his cleaning for the day, Bakugo stormed off, and the second year, whose name was Yogan, apparently, was taken off to talk to his teacher about what happened. 

For the first act of aggression Midoriya had experienced at UA, it hadn’t gone too bad.

Notes:

Yogan literally means lava. Lookit that creativity.

And no, he's not getting the Deku nickname from Uraraka. It just didn't feel right.

There was also some top notch Ninjago wisdom, with the making an enemy your friend, which might play a part in the future. Not too sure.

Also, it wasn't actually the diaphragm they were aiming for, but the solar plexus, which is in front and makes the diaphragm freak out when you hit it, but I didn't feel like giving an anatomy lesson in the middle of a chap so yeah.

Okay! This chapter's song is Human by The Score. Has to do with it being okay to have made mistakes, and a lot of just challenging negative thoughts, which Midoriya has finally started to do this chap.

Chapter 56: To Let Go

Notes:

Alas! The last of the long summer chapters. I'm sorry.

Also realized I haven't described what Shinso has been wearing in training. It's just his hero costume from the manga, because I have no fashion or designer sense.

Pretty good tongue-lashing at the start here, enjoy!

Shinso was a very blunt and straightforward person. He was quiet, yes, but if you asked him what he thought, he’d give you the hard truth, no matter who you were. He hated people who pretended to be something they weren’t, and he hated when people lied. 

And Midoriya lied a lot. 

“Hey, I heard what happened with that Yogan guy,” Shinso said to Midoriya back on the couches at the dorms. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied. 

Shinso felt the familiar pang of irritation he got whenever Midoriya did that. “Are you though?”

Midoriya nodded. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Shinso laughed with no humor. “You’re joking, right? You seriously think I wouldn’t worry about you, when you literally jump out of your skin every time someone touches your shoulder, or when your eyes go all cold at the most random topics?”

The former villain tensed slightly, fidgeting nervously. But he made direct eye contact with Shinso, as if to say, can we please not go down this road?

The hero student continued anyway. “I mean, you’ve come close to attempting suicide multiple times now, and you won’t even give the smallest indication as to why, except for that altercation with Bakugo.”

The living area had grown rather quiet. 

“Lay off, Eyebags,” Bakugo muttered from the tables. 

“Why? So everything you did to Midoriya will stay under wraps?” Shinso shot back. 

The blond stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over and growling. That was enough for Shinso to brainwash him before he could stomp over. 

“Shinso,” Midoriya said firmly, and the student turned his attention back to him. “Some things are better left unsaid, so leave Kacchan out of it.”

“Fine. But then you’ve gotta open up about something else.”

“I don’t want to.”

“But you need to.”

“But I don’t feel comfortable.” Midoriya was wanting to leave more and more. 

“There’s no reason for you not to trust us, though!” Shinso replied hotly. 

“Shinso!” Uraraka called from across the living area, where she was sitting with Tsu. “Stop trying to force it, that’ll just make things worse. Trust comes with time, and there’s nothing you can do to speed up that process. You’ll just hafta wait ‘till he’s comfortable.”

Shinso grumbled something under his breath. Midoriya seemed to catch a part of it, because his eyes flew to his friend’s face. 

In this awkward situation, Midoriya did what any reasonable introvert would do. 

“I’m gonna head up to my room,” the former villain proposed, standing up from the couch. 

“You mean like you always do?” Shinso asked bitterly as he walked away. “You could at least tell us why you don’t talk.”

“Well maybe it’s not the most pleasant thing to talk about!” Midoriya snapped. 

Shinso’s eyes widened and he closed his mouth, just beginning to sense his mistake. 

“Fine. You wanna know why?” Midoriya began heatedly. “It’s because everytime something like this comes up, all the memories of every shitty thing the League did to me come rushing back. I’ve been trying to forget all that stuff, and spending time with you guys has really helped me think about it less.”

His eyes narrowed as he approached Shinso, who was regretting saying anything at this point. 

“But then you’ve got to go and bring it all up again, making all the utter crap I had to go through flood my brain, causing me to feel the same way I always did when I was with the League: hurting and alone.”

He planted a hand on the couch next to Shinso’s head and glared straight into his eyes. 

“So when you’re thinking about asking about my problems again, consider just shutting up.”

Shinso gulped. “Sure thing.”

“Thank you,” Midoriya replied as he backed away from the couch. He let out an exasperated sigh before heading up the stairs. 

Shinso released his hold on Bakugo and sighed. 

“You done goofed,” Uraraka said. 

“Great. He’s fricking gone,” Bakugo grumbled as he slammed a fist into the table. 

Shinso rubbed his hands down his face. “I was just trying to help.”

Bakugo let out a sharp laugh. “Listen, Eyebags. I probably know more about his crap than anyone else, and let me tell you,” his face fell and he clenched his fists, “it ain’t stuff you wanna relive.”

 

The next day, Midoriya asked not to train with Shinso, and Aizawa allowed it. Because of the extra time, he managed to finish all of the class’s notes. 

“Mr. Aizawa, I’m done with the notebooks,” Midoriya said. 

“Good, now go pass them out,” Aizawa ordered. 

Midoriya stiffened. “Wait, you mean like, actually talking to them?”

Aizawa glanced at him, “...yes.”

Now, Midoriya was rather comfortable talking with a few select members of 1-A, like Uraraka and Shinso (maybe not Shinso at the moment though). As for the rest of the class, he could probably handle Kaminari or Iida, maybe even Kirishima, but he highly doubted a conversation would go smoothly with anyone else. 

Aizawa could see the panic in his eyes. “Here. I’ll give you a lesson on social situations.” The teacher walked up to him, and they faced each other. “Now, look at me, and don’t break eye contact.”

“Uh… okay?” Midoriya replied. He looked at the teacher's eyes, cloudy from lack of sleep, and tried to ignore the uncomfortable sensation of being stared at this close. 

His eyes flicked away in less than two seconds. 

“No. You failed. Don’t do that,” Aizawa reprimanded. 

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck and further proved Aizawa’s point by looking down at the floor. “Oh snap.”

“Try again.”

He did try again, and managed to keep his eyes locked on Aizawa’s for more than ten seconds, which felt like an immense success, before looking away again. 

“Try again,” Aizawa repeated. 

“For how long?”

“Until I say.”

He sighed as they began what felt kind of like a staring contest. Which was totally stupid, because Eraserhead’s job depended on not blinking. He managed to avoid looking away, and with each second that passed by, it grew more awkward. Just an insomniac and a teenager, staring at each other. 

A minute passed, and the uneasiness Midoriya felt far outweighed any triumph. He couldn’t focus on anything else except how weird it was for them to be doing this. He could feel the awkwardness of the situation and it was so uncomfortable. 

Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, Aizawa said, “Okay. You’ve passed.”

Midoriya sighed in relief as his eyes went back to the floor. “Passed what, exactly?”

“If you can survive that unbearable experience, then you can survive anything.”

The former villain looked over at all the training students, and then down at the stack of notebooks behind him against the wall. 

“Er… do I have to?” Midoriya asked. 

Aizawa groaned and picked up the first five notebooks in the stack and shoved them into his arms. “Yes. Remember the fourth rule? Now go.”

Midoriya finally accepted his cruel fate and walked out into the central space of the gym, with its tall pillars of concrete. He looked down at the first notebook. It was Kaminari’s. 

Well that’s not too bad. 

He quickly headed over to where the blond was training. 

“Hey, Kamin-”

“AAH!” the hero student jumped and spun around to face Midoriya, who took a step back and raised his free hand in the air. 

“It’s just me,” he said nervously. 

“Midobro! How are you so quiet!?” Kaminari exclaimed, calming a bit. “We need to put a bell on you or something!”

“Um, I’m good,” Midoriya replied. “Anyway, I came to give you-”

“Oh! Are those the notes you took on us?” the blond asked excitedly, and Midoriya nodded. “Cool! But wait- before I look at mine, can I show this super cool new support item I’ve got?”

“Uh, sure.”

“So, you know how I zap everything around me when I use my quirk? Well this helps me fire it in a straight line, so I don’t hurt my buddies!” Kaminari demonstrated by firing off an orange disk from the shooter on his arm, which stuck to one of the rocks around them. He then pointed his finger at it and shot a straight line of electricity right at the disk. 

“See?! Isn’t it awesome!!” Kaminari said happily. 

“Yeah, that’s really smart,” Midoriya responded, already thinking of what he’d add to the notebook later. “But…” he looked around them. “Now the only problem is your aim.”

There were multiple orange disks attached to the rocks all around them, every which way in no particular pattern. 

“What exactly were you aiming for?”

“The rocks! I hit them, didn’t I?”

Midoriya pursed his lips, a smile tugging at the corner of them. “You just might want to figure out an exact target and make sure you can hit it. Anyway, the support gear is awesome, and here’s your notebook.”

“Thanks!” Kaminari said as he accepted the notes. “And yeah, I guess I should work on my aim a little more…”

“Hey! What’re you guys talking about?!” 

Kirishima ran up to them, his smile radiating positivity. 

Well that’s perfect. The next notebook is his. 

“I’m just passing out notes,” Midoriya explained. “This one is yours.”

“Oh, thanks man!”

This is surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. 

And that continued to hold true as he passed out the rest of the notebooks. When he approached people, he deliberately walked louder so he wouldn’t scare them. He copy and pasted the same line:

“Hey, I’ve finished with the notebooks, and here’s yours.”

Most people accepted the notes with varying levels of fakeness in their smiles and a “thank you,” leaving Midoriya to nod and walk away without another word. 

But that wasn’t the case all the time. 

“It says here my biggest weakness is self-perception,” Yaoyorozu said confusedly before Midoriya could walk away. 

She went straight for the section on her weaknesses. 

“Yeah, it is. You’re not very confident, despite your extraordinary abilities in not only quirk usage but leadership and intellect. I’m guessing it probably goes back to your fight with Tokoyami from the Sports Festival. Right now, one of the biggest ways you can improve is to trust yourself and your judgment.”

He walked back to her and pointed at the section she was looking at. 

“I also wrote all that down, so I don’t have to explain it more than once. Not that you’d need a second explaining. Your mind moves the fastest out of everyone in here.”

“I severely doubt that,” she retorted, glancing at the ground. “If I was so intelligent, then I would’ve noticed this major flaw.”

Midoriya shook his head. “Intelligence and introspection are two entirely different things. I’m just good at reading people. Trust me, you’re top of the class for a reason.”

She frowned, clearly thinking deeply about this. “Alright, I’ll try my best to overcome this mental challenge.”

“And you will overcome it. If you think you can’t, then you won’t. So just… believe in yourself. I know it’s not that simple, but that’s basically all there is to it.”

She nodded firmly, and he started walking away. 

“The same goes for you.”

He hesitated and looked back. “What?”

“You also have many mental challenges to overcome, so you have to follow the same advice as me: believe you can do it and that it’s possible.”

Midoriya’s brain stalled. She’d really pulled the Uno Reverse Card. 

“Er, yeah. Thanks.”

Next in the stack was Uraraka. He walked throughout the gym, looking up, trying to spot her. 

“What’re you doing?” asked a monotone voice. 

Midoriya looked down to find Todoroki watching him. 

Crap, I probably looked pretty clueless walking around the gym looking up aimlessly. 

“I-I was just looking for Uraraka,” Midoriya responded. 

“Oh, I see.” Todoroki went back to training with his quirk. He was using a low level of both ice and fire at the same time, slowly raising the intensity. 

Midoriya had been quite pleased when he saw that Todoroki was still using his flames. 

The former villain fumbled around with the notebooks he was carrying and found Todoroki’s. He approached the hero student and handed it to him. “I’ve finished with the notebooks, and here’s yours.”

“Thanks,” he replied flatly. He hesitated before opening it though, and glanced at Midoriya. “You said you were afraid of using your quirk. Why?”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows slightly, and took a moment to respond, not expecting the question. How could he answer this without bringing up All Might? “I guess… I guess that it just doesn’t feel right, for me to use the quirk after everything I’ve done.”

“So it’s your way of punishing yourself. You don’t think you’re deserving of a quirk.”

“U-uh, not exactly, no. First of all, it doesn’t matter whether I have a quirk or not. I can handle myself fine either way.” He sighed deeply. “It just… doesn’t feel right for someone like me to have that kind of power, with the amount of people I’ve hurt.”

Todoroki tilted his head. “But you’ve saved people too. At the summer camp, you said being quirkless stopped you from being a hero, but you have a quirk now. What’s stopping you?”

“Being quirkless isn’t what stopped me from being a hero. I could’ve become a quirkless hero just fine,” Midoriya replied, a little anger in his tone, but Todoroki showed no reaction. “It was society’s lack of confidence in a quirkless person, and its hyperfixation on powerful and flashy quirks that stopped me from being a hero. If people had believed in me, even though I was quirkless, I could’ve become a hero. But no, they decided to brand me as useless instead.”

Todoroki nodded, absorbing the information. It looked as if he was trying to understand, but then again, he had one of the most powerful quirks in the class. The only thing he’d been refused in life was a functional family. 

“I’m not a hero because I’ve fallen too far,” Midoriya continued. “I’ve done too many bad things, and that’s also why I’m not using the quirk.”

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. He referred to it as the quirk. Not my quirk. The quirk. As if he didn’t see it as his own. 

The hero student nodded anyway, and Midoriya went off to find Uraraka. He spotted her floating high above the ground, practicing holding back her nausea. He waved up at her, and she spotted him, smiling. 

She released her quirk, and she plummeted towards the ground. Midoriya automatically stepped forward to catch her, but she used her quirk about halfway down, letting the inertia carry her the rest of the way. Midoriya backed up in embarrassment as she landed safely on the ground in front of him. 

“Hey!” she greeted, smiling queasily. 

“Hi, um, I’ve finished the notes. Here’s yours.” As he handed it to her, he noticed how she pursed her lips, which was something she did when she was nauseous. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little queasy,” she reassured. 

“Alright, just, don’t hurt yourself,” he said as he started walking away. 

She gave him a thumbs up and a smile that was a little less squeamish this time. “Got it!”

He looked down at the two notebooks he had remaining. Shinso and Bakugo. 

Ugh. 

“Oh wait! I wanted to ask you something!” Uraraka called. 

He turned back to her, blinking curiously. “Yeah?”

“You know how you’re like, super good at hand to hand combat?” she asked, and he nodded. “I learned some good stuff during my internship, but you’re still way better, and I was wondering if maybe… you’d be willing to teach me?”

His eyes widened surprisedly. “Er, y-yeah, sure. Although, you are already one of the best in the class at that.”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh, I dunno about that…”

He shook his head. “Ojiro’s probably the best, then Shinso, and then either you or Hagakure,” he said thoughtfully. “But uh, yeah, I wouldn’t mind helping you at all.”

She smiled brightly and nodded. “I look forward to it!”

“Um, me too,” Midoriya replied with a tint of red on his cheeks. 

After that, he chose to go to Shinso first, saving the ever angry Bakugo for last. The hero student saw him coming and paused his training with the capture weapon. 

“Here’s your notebook,” Midoriya said, holding it out. 

Shinso took it and muttered, “Thanks. Who’s the last one for?” 

“Bakugo.”

“Ah. I’ll be praying for your safety.”

Midoriya snorted. “Thanks, I guess.”

“And I’m sorry for what happened yesterday.” Shinso said it quickly, like he just wanted it to be over with. “I promise not to ask again unless you’re comfortable and willing.”

Midoriya considered his face for a second, before looking at the ground. “Thanks. Apology accepted,” Shinso smiled, “...so long as you keep your word.”

The hero student nodded determinedly. “I was worried for a second there I’d screwed up one of the first friendships I’d ever had.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised I haven’t screwed it up yet, with everything I’ve done,” Midoriya admitted. 

Shinso walked up to him and patted him on the right shoulder. “You’re a good friend.”

Midoriya gave him a small smile. “You are too.”

“Now, you have an angry pomeranian attack to survive. Good luck.”

“That’s appreciated,” he replied as he walked away. 

“I will avenge you if you die!”

“Please don’t, ‘cause then I’ll have to deal with Kacchan in the afterlife too.”

“Damn, good point. But because I know you won’t be able to rest in peace without her, I’ll have to kill Uraraka.”

“Do not even touch her-“

“Woah! Kidding, kidding!” Shinso smirked. “Jee, you’re really protective of her, aren’t you?”

Midoriya opened his mouth, closed it, before quickly walking out of sight. Shinso laughed. 

With that, he headed to the area of the gym he’d been avoiding the entire time. On the way, he saw All Might talking to Kirishima, a teaching for dummies book sticking out of his back pocket. 

I’m probably doing a better job teaching them than he is, Midoriya thought absentmindedly. 

He climbed up to where Bakugo was training, a low level of dread pooling in his stomach. The blond glared at him for a greeting. 

“Here’s your notebook,” Midoriya said, handing it out. 

Bakugo scoffed and slapped the notes out of his hand. “I don’t need that crap.”

Midoriya picked it up and patiently held it out again. “Well, Mr. Aizawa told me I had to give it to you, and if I don’t I’d be disobeying him, and then I’d be sent back to Tartarus. You don’t want me going back to Tartarus, do you?”

Bakugo’s eye twitched. “Fine,” he spat, snatching the book. He immediately threw it to the ground next to him and concentrated on his next AP shot. 

Midoriya sighed and began walking back down. He heard the boom of Bakugo’s shot being him and the cracking of concrete. He saw All Might down below, watching the two of them. 

He might want to talk with me. 

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large chunk of the concrete block Bakugo had shot crumbling off, about to fall. His eyes snapped to the concrete chunk as it began descending. It would hit All Might, who was standing there clueless. It could kill him. 

His body moved before his brain did. One For All moved right along with it, giving Midoriya a jolt of fear at the power he felt, subconsciously turning it down. The quirk sparked to life in his legs, springing him forward off the rocks, which cracked from the force. 

Midoriya flew right into All Might, knocking him out of the way before the boulder could hit him. The concrete chunk crashed against the ground instead. 

Bakugo’s eyes had been wide with a fear he rarely showed, but they were now narrowed as he watched Midoriya. 

The collar clamped down on his throat a second after he and All Might landed on the ground. He was on his hands and knees, unable to breath, but at least All Might was safe next to him. That was all that mattered. 

“Young Midoriya,” All Might said, processing what had just happened. His eyes widened in panic when he saw Midoriya’s strained expression, and the hand desperately grasping at the collar. “Aizawa! Aizawa, the collar activated!!” he shouted, standing up. 

His throat began throbbing as his lungs tried and failed to take in air. He closed his eyes and winced, not able to think of anything except the inability to breathe. Just as his head started to hurt, Iida sped to his side. The collar slipped off his throat and clanged as it hit the hard ground. 

His relieved lungs heaved in deep, blissful breaths of air as his mind cleared. The collar hadn’t choked him as long this time. 

So Iida has the key to remove it too. 

He fell and rolled onto his back, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He looked away from the bright lights on the ceiling to find All Might as well as a group of students gathered around him. 

Great, I probably look pretty stupid spread out like a starfish on the floor. 

He sat up and looked at All Might. “Are you okay?” he asked, voice rough. 

The retired pro blinked, and then chuckled. “Am I okay? Young Midoriya, I should be asking you that!”

Midoriya puffed a breath through his nose and then nodded, rubbing the skin on his throat. It tingled, not used to the touch. 

“That was awesome man!” Kirishima exclaimed. 

“Yeah! You just…” Kaminari made a whooshing motion with his arm, “whizzed across the gym!”

Midoriya looked up at them surprisedly. “Uh, thanks.”

“That looked a lot like how All Might’s quirk works,” Bakugo growled from the edge of the group. 

All Might stiffened, but Midoriya played it much more smoothly. “Yeah, I get how you see that. It’s just a strength enhancement quirk, similar to All Might’s.”

“Yeah, just similar,” the retired pro repeated. 

Todoroki wasn’t the only one glancing between the two of them suspiciously. 

“Then why’d Eyebags’ brainwashing trigger it, if it’s just some measly strength enhancement?” Bakugo questioned further. 

Midoriya shrugged. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. 

“I’m still in favor of burning that,” Shinso said about the collar again, and Uraraka nodded fervently. 

Iida shook his head even more fervently. “The rules set by Tartarus clearly state he has to wear it. Taking it off briefly is already bending the rules beyond my comfort level, and I suggest putting it back on as soon as you are ready, Midoriya.”

“Yeah, I know,” the former villain responded, reaching for the collar. Before he clicked it back on, he looked at Shinso and Uraraka. “Maybe when I don’t have to wear it anymore we can burn it.” 

They both smiled, but those smiles vanished when Midoriya tried to get on to his feet. 

“Agh!” he shouted in pain as soon as he put any weight on his legs. 

“What’s wrong?” All Might asked worriedly. 

“I think…” Midoriya said through gritted teeth, “I think I broke my legs or something.”

“What? Why!?” Uraraka exclaimed. 

“Backlash of your quirk,” All Might answered easily. “If you use too much, it hurts your body.”

All Might, you’re getting dangerously close to exposing you once had this quirk. 

“Want me to go get Recovery Girl?” Kirishima offered. 

All Might nodded. “Yes, Midoriya probably won’t be able to walk to her office.”

So I’ll just be sitting here. In the middle of the gym. With tons of people around me. Waiting, Midoriya thought, internally cringing at the awkwardness. 

The redhead ran off, even though he was the slowest out of all the people there. Todoroki, Kaminari, and Bakugo went back to training for the small amount of time they had left in the class period. All Might, Shinso, and Uraraka, however, stayed with him until Recovery Girl arrived. 

She kissed him on the forehead after confirming he’d fractured the bones in his legs. Her quirk almost completely healed him, leaving him incredibly exhausted. Too bad 1-A didn’t know the meaning of leave me alone. 

 

“You know, you really don’t act much like a villain,” Tsu croaked later that day. 

Midoriya pursed his lips. “Yeah. I get that a lot.” 

He collapsed on the couch, fatigue dampening the activity of his mind. He wanted to text his mom later that night, and she’d probably ask her usual array of questions like, how are you feeling? Are the people nice? Have you made friends? You aren’t thinking about hurting yourself again, are you? The League has left you alone, right? Is there anyone giving you trouble? Do you think you’ll be happy there?

Yeah, a lot of questions. 

It took him a moment to realize he’d collapsed right next to Iida, who was talking. 

“I spoke the exact same words during our first encounter,” the class rep said. 

Kirishima looked away from the TV. “Wait, how did you two meet?”

Iida and Midoriya glanced at each other, and they thought back to that night. 

“Iida! You can’t tell them it was me who helped you defeat him!!”

Iida had made a promise, one which he was still keeping. 

“Alright. No one will know you helped me.”

“Do you still wish for me to keep my promise?” Iida asked quietly. “Now that you’re out of the League, it shouldn’t matter.”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed, but then he shrugged. “I guess it’s okay.”

Kaminari thrust his head between the two of them, whispering, “What’re you guys whispering about?”

“Midoriya was the one who saved me from the Hero Killer,” Iida explained, and the class burst into questions. 

A villain had saved their hero classmate from another villain. This just further proved what Tsu said earlier. 

“Wait! I thought some other random dude defeated the Hero Killer!” Kaminari shouted right next to Midoriya’s ear. 

The former villain winced and said, “I told Iida to say that, so I wouldn’t get in trouble with Shigaraki. If the world knew a member of the League took down the Hero killer, nobody would’ve wanted to join, and Shigaraki would’ve…”

His words drifted off, and he shuddered. 

“I swear I’m gonna kill that bastard,” Bakugo muttered. 

“He’s the one who pushed me the closest to death. After you, that is,” Midoriya said, glaring at Bakugo, whose face contorted in anger. 

Kirishima stood up. “Alright, guys, can we please just not do this again? I know you two have some stuff to work through, but this isn’t the way to do it.”

“At least I’m trying to fix our crappy relationship!” Bakugo retorted. 

“Says the person who refused to even look at my notes!”

“I don’t need any help to win!! I’ll make it all on my own, without whatever you have to offer!”

“Then feel free to be ignorant while the rest of the class surpasses you!” Midoriya shouted boldly. 

Bakugo didn’t have a response for that, so he stormed out of the living area to go upstairs instead. Midoriya considered doing that too as he glared at the floor. 

Kaminari plopped down on the couch between Sero and Kirishima. “Talk about a screwed up relationship.”

“And I don’t think it’s unscrewable,” Sero added, and Midoriya silently agreed with him. Then again, he hadn’t really been trying to fix it. 

“Midoriya, do you remember what you told me in Hosu?” Iida asked softly. 

The former villain’s anger lessened as he looked up at the class president. “About what?”

“You told me that I shouldn’t let my hatred and thirst for revenge dictate my actions, because that would be selfish, and self-interest isn’t a desirable trait in a hero. You said a true hero is selfless, always looking out for the safety of others, no matter what they might get in return,” Iida explained, the class listening in curiously. 

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“Looking back, I now see how destructive my rage was, or could’ve been,” Iida continued in a low voice. “I thank you deeply for helping me understand that, and now I would like to return the favor.”

Midoriya looked at him, eyes narrowed. “This is about me and Kacchan.”

Iida nodded grimly. “That selfish anger I felt, it could’ve ended up hurting a lot of people, but before that, it only hurt myself. That’s how a grudge is… it only causes damage to the person holding it,” the class president looked Midoriya in the eye. “Your hatred towards Bakugo, do you ever think you’ll be able to let go of it, like how you convinced me to do with the Hero Killer?”

The former villain directed his gaze at the floor. All the beatings, all the burn scars he’d hidden from his mother and all the times he’d never felt safe flashed through his mind. The feeling that he was less than human, wasn’t capable of being human, had been beaten into his being by Kacchan. 

The reason he viewed his life so low on the priority list was because of him. 

When he finally answered, his voice was quivering with rage. 

“I don’t know.”

He had to let go of his hate at some point if he ever wanted to be free. 

But like many other things, that would take time.

Notes:

Don't know if anyone noticed, but both Shinso and Mina have spoken the line "Jee, you're really protective of him/her" to their respective friends. Mina is to Uraraka as Shinso is to Midoriya.

This chapter's song is good things take time by Christian French. Name of the song explains it all (but gosh do lowercase titles annoy me so much).

There may or may not be more uno reverse cards in the future.

Chapter 57: Broken People

Notes:

Just so you know, my definition of “risky” is choosing an ice cream flavor other than chocolate.

And with it being a shorter chap, in my defense writing it like this avoided a cliffhanger. So. You're welcome lol.

Enjoy!

Midoriya had been at UA for almost two weeks. In fact, tomorrow would be fourteen days, and his presence at the school had spread through the media like wildfire. 

The former villain himself would have had no way of knowing this, due to the lack of social media on his phone, but the press made themselves blatantly evident wherever they went. 

And right now, they were at the front gates of UA. 

Midoriya spotted them on his walk towards the school. He grimaced and silently thanked UA’s incredible defense system. 

“You know what they’re saying about you, right?”

Midoriya turned to see a boy with slick blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a sly grin. Neito Monoma. Midoriya had heard the member of 1-B trying to discreetly follow him, so he probably had something to ask. Or to shout. 

“I don’t think I want to know what they’re saying about me,” Midoriya replied, deciding to at least somewhat try to hold a conversation. He continued walking, and Monoma followed. 

“Well that’s too bad, because I’m going to tell you anyway,” the blond continued with a sadistic smirk. “They’re saying you’ve completely manipulated the school into loving you, and have turned those pathetic fools in 1-A into your slaves! The world believes you’re a snake coiling around UA, dooming it to failure!”

Midoriya glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “And you believe them?”

“I believe 1-A could easily be turned into slaves, most definitely! And I am not one to judge the use of deceit and tricks. Sometimes that’s what side characters have to do!”

“Side characters?” Midoriya questioned, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Of course! Those with naturally heroic quirks can walk the path of nobility and fame, making them the central figures in many lives. Those with weaker, less heroic quirks, well…” Monoma flashed him another cunning smile, but it was more genuine this time, “their path is considerably less noble.”

Midoriya blinked at him. “And why are you telling me this?”

Just keep asking questions. He’s got to run out of words at some point. 

Monoma burst out into eccentric laughter. “Because you’ve walked the least noble path of anyone in this school! Manipulation is your middle name! Due to having the weakest quirk of all, none, you’ve had to utilize the skill of emotional control more than anyone else!”

Oh. I get it now. 

“So you think we’re the same?” Midoriya asked, and Monoma faltered just for a second. “Because we’ve both had to mess with our opponent’s minds in order to win, to make up for our lack of power?”

The blond broke out into a wide grin. “Now now, I haven’t gone as far as you have. Yes, sometimes side characters have to degrade themselves to a villain’s level, but I will never stoop so low as to explode a teacher’s finger.”

Midoriya immediately looked away, guilt rolling through his mind. The two boys were close to the school now, and people were more abundant. 

“I mean, just look at what you’ve done!” Monoma continued, not paying any thought to Midoriya’s pain. “The amount of people you’ve enjoyed hurting, kidnapping an egotistical idiot, even going so far as to endanger the life of a little girl? What was her name? Kobayashi?”

“I never enjoyed hurting anyone!” Midoriya snapped. That was a lie. He’d once enjoyed hurting Bakugo and All Might, and Monoma could see that. 

He smirked. “If you say so. But just know that if I didn’t even slightly relate to you, I’d be cheering for your banishment back to Tartarus. I’d laugh at you getting beaten in the halls!”

As they entered the school, Midoriya scoffed. “Some heroic behavior that is.”

“Which only further proves my earlier point,” Monoma remarked cleverly. “Moral ambiguity is required by heroes with villainous quirks.”

With that final comment, the 1-B student walked off towards his class, away from Midoriya. 

“There is one thing you said I don’t agree with, though,” the former villain spoke up. 

Monoma turned back, a little surprised and curious. 

“At the heart of manipulation is understanding. The base of emotional control is empathy. You have to be able to understand a person’s mind before you can play with it. You have to know a person’s emotions before you can influence them.”

He took a deep breath, and Monoma tilted his head. 

“If all heroes, not just side characters, had more understanding and empathy, then most villains wouldn’t even be considered villains. They’d just be broken people.”

 

Midoriya might’ve been one to ignore the media, but others weren’t. And your average civilian wasn’t the only one outraged by the news. 

“That little brat thinks he’ll be safe stuck up there in his little fortress?!” Shigaraki exclaimed, disintegrating a newspaper. 

“Hey… I wanted to read that,” Twice complained, before his tone changed. “It’s super boring fake news.”

“Well, he is safe stuck up in there,” Compress remarked. 

Spinner nodded in agreement. “We don’t even have close to the skill level needed to infiltrate that place.”

Shigaraki rasped in annoyance and started pacing. “So what?”

“What do we look like to you?” Magne asked. “Sacrificial pawns? There’s no way in hell we’re making it into UA and making it out.”

“I might be able to!” Toga said cheerfully, fiddling with the blade of her knife. “That way I’d be able to see Izuku bleed again!”

“Yeah yeah! I can help!” Twice exclaimed. “Ugh, sounds difficult.”

Shigaraki shook his head. “No. I have something else in mind.” He stopped his pacing and turned towards Toga. “The provisional licensing exams for all the novice heroes are in three days. All of Deku’s pesky friends, if you could even call them that, are going to be there. I want you to go.”

Toga lit up. “You mean I’ll be able to see Ochako and Tsu and Izuku! I can’t wait!!”

“Of course, it’d be immature and pointless to do all this just for the sake of teaching Deku a lesson,” Shigaraki continued. “I want you to get the blood of as many pests as possible, so we can use it for our plans in the future…”

Any maturity Shigaraki had shown vanished at the malicious glint in his eye. 

“...but feel free to carve up his friends as much as you see fit. Just don’t get caught.”

Toga beamed. “Okey dokey!”

Perhaps deep down, the villains craved the same thing Midoriya was getting. They wanted to be fixed, to be saved. But they had been broken even more than Midoriya. 

And there is such a thing as too broken. 

 

“Oh come on!”

“Hey, you were pretty close that time.”

“No I wasn’t! You’re just being nice!”

“Um…” Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I am.”

Uraraka groaned and leaned her back up against a concrete wall in the gym, then slid down to a sitting position. “Why is it so hard to land a hit on you! All I need is one blow. One! And I can’t even manage that!”

“It’s not your fault,” Midoriya responded, trying to assuage her frustration. “It’s not like anyone else would be able to either.”

Uraraka huffed. “I guess you’re right… but it still doesn’t change the fact I can’t beat you!”

Midoriya could sense her feelings ran deeper than just irritation at her lack of skill, and he wanted to help. He didn’t like seeing her unhappy. 

So he did something risky. 

He walked up to where she was sitting and slid down the wall next to her. Less than a foot apart. She looked at him surprisedly, cheeks glowing pink, while red tinted his face. To awkward beans this was a big deal. 

“Why are you learning hand to hand combat?” he asked quietly. “You’d make a great rescue hero, so learning this stuff isn’t even necessary for you to succeed. Why do you want to learn to fight?”

He kept his gaze in front of him because he thought if he looked at her he wouldn’t be able to stop his face from flooding with heat, and it already seemed the room was warm enough. 

“That was my plan at first, just to be a rescue hero,” she replied, also avoiding eye contact. “But then I realized how much more good I could do if I could fight, because my quirk is also really useful in close combat situations, not just rescue.”

Midoriya nodded, having written the same thing in her notebook. He mustered up the courage to look over at her. 

“Why do you want to be a hero?”

She laughed softly, ruffling the back of her hair, which he found kind of… cute? “Well, before it used to be just for the money. My parents don’t live the easiest life, and I just wanna help them out, you know?”

He nodded again, knowing full well the feeling of wanting to lessen the burden of a parent. “You said before.”

“Yeah, I did. There was one time when I was little, and my parents and I watched a hero fight a villain. The moment the hero won, I looked at the crowd. Everyone was so happy, and they felt safe. Even my parents, who have always just looked tired.”

She took a deep breath, and then managed to turn her head in his direction, and their eyes met. 

“I want to make people feel happy and safe. I want to give them a reason to smile.”

He blushed and looked away when he realized she was talking about making him smile. Her eyes fell back to the floor too. 

“That’s a good reason to be a hero,” he finally said. 

“But how am I supposed to do that when I can’t even hold my own in a fight!” she exclaimed, frustration returning to her voice. “I feel like all I can do is flail my arms out in front of me, somehow hoping I’ll end up floating my opponent. I mean, that’s what happened with you at the summer camp.”

He could feel her gaze return to him, eyes resting steadily on his scar. 

“If I had been stronger, better, I would’ve been able to stop you from going back to the League. I would’ve saved you so much suffering. But I was too weak,” she said sadly, looking away again. 

Midoriya turned and saw her crestfallen face, and couldn’t help but think she was pretty when she smiled. He wanted to help her smile. 

So he did arguably the most risky thing he’d ever done in his life:

He reached out and took a hold of her wrist. 

“There’s no way you could be any better,” he said, and her eyes snapped to his face, heat rising in her cheeks. He gave her a small smile. “And I’m here now, aren’t I?”

She gaped for a second, before smiling brightly and lacing her fingers with his. He loved her smile, and she loved his. 

“Yeah! It might’ve taken a little longer, but now you’re safe!” she said, her usual positivity returning. “We might still be working on the happy part of it all, but I know it’ll come eventually!”

“I hope it will,” he said quietly. Her hand was soft compared to his. 

“I know it will,” she answered confidently. His hand was so rough and calloused. “Remember what I said after we put the stars up?”

He nodded. “You said I can still go back to the person I used to be, before becoming a villain.”

“Well? Are you starting to believe it now?” she asked hopefully. 

Her smile, it was so bright and confident and comforting, it seemed to spread to him. He could feel his own face reflecting her positive expression as her joy leaked into his heart and started healing some of his cracks, making him less broken. 

With 1-A, and with Uraraka, he’d started to feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Hope. 

The light had started returning to his eyes. He could feel it, and she could see it. He smiled. 

“I think I am starting to believe it.”

 

The class ended a few minutes later, and as the students went to lunch, Midoriya went to clean. There was one song he’d been listening to quite frequently, because it felt like a direct message from his friends. 

When he listened to it, his guilt and fear about everything just seemed so small. The song made him feel like he was actually wanted. 

Gentle piano chords started playing as the song began. 

“Nobody knows what you’re going through, so you just be you, and I’ll be that too.”

Slowly but surely, he was learning to open up. He still didn’t want to burden anyone with his feelings, but he was learning he didn’t have to hide them. 

“It’s not your fault you don’t feel safe, it’s not your fault so don’t take blame.”

Most people would say it was the League’s fault, but that was only partially true. 

“No it’s… on… us.”

It was also the fault of the heroes, and of the people in general, for putting a quirkless person on a lower level than everyone else. For making power the scale by which people were judged. 

“We can try together. Make it right together. We can fight together.”

But at UA he was learning that some people were different. Some people had experienced the same things as him, like Shinso, or at least were willing to get to know him for who he was outside of his quirklessness, which he’d never had before. 

“It’s… on… us.”

Maybe even Bakugo. Maybe. 

“Though your trust is stolen. Though your heart is broken, you are never broken.”

He still didn’t fully trust anyone, but he was getting better with that. Getting a little less broken. 

“It’s… on… us.”

After years of loneliness, he’d finally found friends. 

“Know that it’s… on… us.”

 

Aizawa interrupted his cleaning on Saturday to take him to a meeting with Nezu. Today was the two week mark in him being at UA, so maybe he’d convinced them they could trust him somewhat. 

“Welcome, Midoriya!” Nezu exclaimed happily as the teen entered. 

“Hi,” he replied, and Aizawa ushered him to one of the chairs in front of the principal’s desk, taking a seat as well. 

“I hope you’ve been finding your stay at UA enjoyable! Or should I say rehabilitating?”

A picture of Uraraka floating the coffee pot to keep it away from Shinso popped into his head, and the corner of his mouth turned upwards. “It’s been both.”

Nezu smiled, and it wasn’t one of his sharp, intimidating smiles or one of his cheery principal smiles, but a real, true smile. “I am immensely glad to hear that. I’ve also heard your note-taking with 1-A has been going well!”

Midoriya nodded, and Aizawa said, “His analytical skills have been very beneficial.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from a bright young hero!”

The teen’s thoughts stumbled at that last word. “H-hero?”

“Ah yes! That is what we’re here to talk about!” Nezu explained. “Today marks two weeks of your stay here at UA, so it’s about time we started giving you some privileges. One of those privileges would be training with your quirk!”

“Why?” Midoriya asked in deep confusion. 

“So you can become a hero!”

“But I’m not a hero.”

“But with your quirk you could become quite an exceptional one!”

“Even if I did want to become a hero, I wouldn’t need a quirk to do it!” Oh, that came out a little harsher than he meant. “Sorry.”

Nezu’s everlasting smile didn’t falter. “Don’t apologize! I agree you currently possess all the skills necessary to become an amazing hero, but the scope of the people you could help and save would only become greater if you embraced your quirk!”

“I don’t want to embrace it!” Midoriya answered, looking Nezu earnestly in the eyes. “It’s not mine to use.”

The principal tilted his head curiously, while Aizawa narrowed his eyes. “It’s not yours? Whose is it, then?” the teacher asked. 

Midoriya shook his head and looked at the floor, sighing in frustration. “I’m not a hero,” he repeated, clutching the arms of the chair. He looked Nezu in the eyes. “It’s the quirk of a hero, and I’m not a hero.”

Confusion came across Aizawa’s face, but he didn’t question it when he saw the understanding in Nezu’s eyes. 

“What are you so afraid of?” the principal asked. 

Midoriya clenched his jaw. “I’m used to feeling weak and helpless, and I’ve learned to overcome that by being smart. I’ve never needed raw power to win. But in the few instances I’ve used the quirk… that’s all I feel. Power. And I’m scared of it.”

“Why can’t you use that power to help others?” Nezu questioned. 

“Because I’m not a hero,” Midoriya answered firmly. “I still feel the same anger and hate that turned me into a villain, and I might end up hurting someone because of it. I might get wrapped up in the feeling of being powerful and hurt someone I care about again. I just…” his voice quivered, “I can’t take that risk.”

Nezu sighed disappointedly. “I hope you’ll be able to change that point of view, because there are a good many people who already see you as a hero.”

“Yeah well I’m not one of them,” the teen replied readily. 

Nezu nodded, his smile the smallest it’d been the entire meeting, and then he seemed to remember something. “There is one other reason I decided to have this meeting, a reason that doesn’t regard your quirk.”

Midoriya’s eyes were back on the floor. “Okay.”

“We’ve decided to give you permission to leave the school!” the principal said, and the teen looked up at him surprisedly. “Of course, you’ll need to have a member of the staff with you at all times, but other than that you can go pretty much anywhere!”

Midoriya’s surprise persisted for a moment longer, before he responded with, “Thank you.”

“Is there any place you can think of currently you’d like to visit?” Nezu asked. 

The former villain’s eyes widened in remembrance. “Yeah, there is a place, actually.”

 

The meeting had messed up his cleaning schedule, so he didn’t get back to the dorms until much later than he normally did. Everyone was sitting at the tables or in the living area eating dinner when he arrived. 

“Hey, how come you’re so late?” Shinso asked through a mouthful of ramen that Sato had prepared. “You didn’t get in trouble, did you?”

Midoriya shook his head. “No, I just had a meeting with the principal.”

“Really? What’d he say?” Uraraka questioned. 

“I’m allowed to leave the school now, but I have to have a teacher with me.”

“Oh cool!” 

Shinso eyed him. “What about the collar? Are you gonna be allowed to take it off anytime soon?”

Midoriya hesitated. 

“One of those privileges would be training with your quirk!”

He frowned. “No. I’m not taking it off.”

“Wait, so they at least gave you permission to take it off?” Uraraka asked earnestly. 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, kinda. Not exactly.”

“Then why won’t you take it off?” Shinso said incredulously. 

“It’d only be to train with m-my quirk,” he explained. “But I don’t think it’s safe for me to use it, and I’m not a hero anyway, so it’s just better for me to keep the collar on.”

“But you used it to save All Might!” Shinso exclaimed. “Just think of all the people you could help!”

“Or all the people I could hurt,” Midoriya retorted. “I don’t want to use that kind of power! I shouldn’t even have it in the first place!”

Uraraka stepped in and calmed the two of them down, but Todoroki… he didn’t like the way Midoriya talked about his quirk, as if it wasn’t his. 

If someone had the power to help, they should, no matter how uncomfortable it made them. That was something Todoroki had learned from Midoriya. 

 

“Hey.”

Midoriya paused before going into his room, and turned to find Todoroki walking towards him. 

“Hi,” he replied. 

“You should start training with your quirk.”

Midoriya blinked surprisedly. Todoroki always jumped straight to the point instead of gently introducing the topic like most people. 

“No, I shouldn’t,” Midoriya said. 

“But it’s your quirk, isn’t it?” Todoroki asked, remembering Midoriya’s words at the summer camp. 

“But it’s not his quirk!! It’s yours, and it always has been!!”

Midoriya frowned. “My situation is different from yours and your father’s. I’m not using the quirk because I’m afraid I’ll hurt others, not because of some selfish grudge.”

“Then is everything else you told me a lie?”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“You said that someone should be willing to use all of their abilities to help people, not just some, because then if people got hurt it’d be their fault for only giving half effort.”

Midoriya looked down at the floor. “I-It’s… it’s different.”

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. “So you think it’s okay for you to reject a part of yourself at the expense of others, but not me? Because that’s what you’re saying when you refuse to use your quirk.”

“W-what!? No, that’s n-not what I’m saying at all!” Midoriya exclaimed, flailing his arms. 

“I had to overcome my anger against my father to start using my full power. Maybe you have to overcome your fear of yourself to use your full power.”

Midoriya frowned at the ground, contemplating Todoroki’s words. Was he hurting others even more by not using One For All?

“Use your quirk, because if you don’t, you’re a hypocrite who’s hurting himself as much as those around him,” Todoroki said, mirroring Midoriya’s words from the summer camp. 

“But please, use your left side, because rejecting that part of you will end up hurting others just as much as yourself.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened again, but then he looked away. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered quietly.

Midoriya sighed, before looking up at the hero student. “I’ll think about it.”

Notes:

Remember the first chapter title? “What Happens When Hope Is Lost.” And now he’s just starting to feel hope again? I might’ve been a crappy writer back then but I knew what I was doing.

The song used this chap was It's On Us by AJR (if you couldn't tell by those three words being repeated over and over). It's originally a song geared towards women who've been sexually assaulted, but it can also relate to anyone struggling with mental health. So it's also this chap's song.

See ya next week!

Chapter 58: Not a Monster

Notes:

It's the one year anniversary of this fic! Well, not quite, couple days off, but still. What am I doing with my life?

Fun story, I started writing this fic during the first week of school last year cuz I had covid and therefore a bunch of extra time. So... I guess you have covid to thank for this fic! There's a bright side for ya.

Enjoy!

Sunday afternoon, Midoriya tugged his shoes on and headed for the front doors of Heights Alliance, where Aizawa was waiting for him. 

“Hey, where’re you going?” Uraraka asked curiously. 

“Oh, um, I’m going outside of UA for the first time in a while,” Midoriya responded. 

She sensed how he’d dodged the question. “Okay, then I hope things go well, wherever you’re going!”

“Thanks,” he replied quietly, his face devoid of a smile. 

Uraraka was glad she hadn’t said, I hope you have fun, because it looked like he was partially dreading whatever he was walking into. 

 

“You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Aizawa said as they pulled up to their destination. 

Midoriya looked out the window at the hospital. He thought it looked more ominous this time, because the last time he’d been charged with panic and desperation, with the weight of someone’s life in his arms. 

“No. I want to do this,” he said firmly. “I want to make up for some of the things I’ve done, even if it’s only a little bit.”

Aizawa considered him for a moment through the rearview mirror, before sighing and saying, “This’ll be more of a drag for you than it’ll be for me.”

They exited the vehicle and entered the hospital. For the first few seconds, everything was fine. Then people started noticing him. He hung his head and buried himself as far as he could into his jacket, although he had to say, he’d gotten pretty used to people watching him fearfully. 

But that didn’t mean he was comfortable in the slightest. This was out in the open, not within the protective walls of UA. And to make it worse, he’d been publicly hated and distrusted here before. 

These people would not forgive easily. 

He paused just before reaching the front desk and looked at Aizawa for assistance. 

The teacher blinked sleepily. “You’ve got to do things for yourself.”

Midoriya stared at him through wide eyes as if he’d just suggested leading a comedy performance, and Aizawa realized how scared he was of frightening the people here. So he grudgingly stepped up to the front desk, where someone was anxiously waiting to hear why the heck the villain Deku had come back to their hospital. 

“We’re here to visit Sakura Kobayashi,” Aizawa stated. He also showed his hero license. 

The receptionist’s eyes flicked from the pro hero, to the former villain, back to the hero. 

“As long as he’s with me, he has the same rights as any civilian, including visitation,” Aizawa said tiredly, gesturing towards Midoriya, but there was an edge to his tone. He would protect his problem children. 

“Um, of c-course,” the receptionist stammered. “Just sign in on this paper here, and I’ll share her room number.”

Aizawa nodded as a thank you and signed in, then stepped to the side so Midoriya could do the same. It was considerably hard for him to concentrate on writing his name when he could feel the pressure of everyone’s gazes. His handwriting was even worse from his normal scribbling because of his slightly trembling hands. 

The receptionist gave them the room number and instructions on how to get there. As the two of them walked over to the elevator, Midoriya saw parents pull their children closer and people indiscreetly looking up from their phone screens at him. The security guard’s hand was resting on his gun. 

Oh right, the security guard. It was the same guy with the blue tongue he’d attacked to escape the hospital the last time, positioned relatively close to the elevator. 

They accidentally made eye contact and both quickly looked away. 

Midoriya shuffled nervously a bit while waiting for the elevator, before cracking his voice out of his throat. 

“Sorry I punched you that one time,” he apologized. 

The guard flinched in surprise, mouth agape. Huh, his tongue was a pale yellow now. How strange. He then stiffened and attempted to put on a stern face. 

“Good. You should feel sorry,” the guard said firmly, although his voice was quivering. 

He’s more sensitive and nervous than the usual police. That’s normally viewed as a weakness, but if he can use it to identify with and talk to his opponent then it’d be a great advantage. Confidence is the only issue. 

He kept this thought inside his head though, and soon the elevator doors dinged open. 

They found Sakura’s room rather quickly. It was pretty close to the break room, and Midoriya realized with a jolt that her mother might be in there. That was an interaction he did not feel like having. 

But for now, he focused his attention on the door in front of him. 

“I handled the front desk for you,” Aizawa said. “Now you have to go in first.”

That alone was enough to make his heart beat faster. 

How is she going to react? Will she even want to see me? Will she hate me after everything that’s happened?

Will she actually want to talk like she has in the past?

“Stop overthinking,” Aizawa interrupted his thoughts. “Remember why you’re doing this in the first place and just do it.”

Right. To apologize. To show he was sorry like Uraraka said. 

He took a deep breath, shoving all the irrational doubts out of his head. He knocked lightly on the door and heard a bit of commotion inside, heart pounding in his ears. After turning the handle, the door slowly swung open. 

A wave of immeasurable relief washed over him when he saw the way her eyes lit up, and he smiled a bit. 

“Hey, Sakura,” he said quietly, voice shaking as much as his hand when he waved. 

She responded with a much more vigorous wave as she sprang off the hospital bed and charged into him with a hug. She actually managed to knock the wind out of him. 

Midoriya heard Aizawa huff in satisfaction behind him, as if to say, look at how foolish you were to think she’d hate you. 

She had a neck brace on that stopped her from turning her head, and based on the machinery beside her bed it looked like she’d been fed through a tube that was inserted down her throat, but at least she was breathing on her own. 

When Sakura finally released him, she beamed up at his face, making his smile an inkling wider. 

With unsure hands, he signed, ‘are you okay?’

Her smile got bigger, if that was possible. She couldn’t nod because of the brace, so she just kind of moved the entire upper half of her body forward and backward, which was amusing to say the least, if not a little sad. 

‘You know sign language?’ she asked. 

“A little bit, yeah,” Midoriya answered. “I wanted to make sure you could still talk to me.”

She jumped up and down a little bit, before grabbing his hand and pulling him across the room to the bedside table that didn’t have all her medical devices on it. However, it was littered with pencils and markers, some of which had fallen onto the floor. 

From a drawer she pulled a stack of drawings, then she sat him down in a chair, putting the papers on his lap. She plopped down on the bed across from him and waited eagerly for him to look through them. Aizawa stood watching from the door. 

Midoriya let out a small chuckle before looking down at the drawings. But as he shuffled through them, his amusement faded. 

They were considerably darker than what she used to draw. 

Before, Sakura’s go to were sunny fields and meadows and hilltops, sprinkled with anything from dandelions to vast gardens with flowers every color of the rainbow. There was the occasional sunlight-dappled forest. 

But now, the vast majority of her drawings were of deep ravines or gloomy forests or isolative caves. There were still flowers, beautiful ones at that, but many were dying or wilted. 

“You’ve gotten even better at drawing,” he said honestly, “but I’ve got to say, these are a lot darker than your last ones.”

She pursed her lips and did her upper body nod again. She raised her hands and signed, ‘that type of stuff comes easier than anything else now.’

Midoriya didn’t understand every sign, but he got the gist. “It’s alright. I get it.”

At that she smiled brightly again. ‘Which is your favorite?’

He shuffled through them, and pulled out one that was of a lone flower on the edge of a cliff at night, the moonlight glinting off its petals. She’d done a wonderful job with the milky way. 

He stood up and sat next to her on the bed. “What about you?”

She took the drawings and went through them until she found one of a cave that had flower-dotted vines hanging from the stalactites. 

She went on to sign the process through which she drew everything, which Midoriya could only understand bits and pieces of, but she seemed to be doing what she usually did. There was no one around who would listen to her, so she spilled it all out on the first person who actually cared enough to hear. 

Because of that, Midoriya had grown to be one of her favorite people, no matter if he was a villain. 

When her hand ramblings came to a pause, he finally got a word in. 

“I-I’d like to say sorry,” he began, clearing his throat. “For what happened, a few weeks ago.”

He was looking at the floor, and because she couldn’t turn to him, she thrust her hands into his line of sight. 

‘It is okay.’

He sighed and shook his head. ‘No, it’s not.’

She got up and stood in front of him with a determined expression. ‘Did you want to hurt me?’

“No, but-”

‘But nothing! It was all because of that guy with the raspy voice. You’ve only been nice to me and tried to protect me-‘

“But I failed.”

‘But that wasn’t your fault! You tried your best! The other guy was the one who-‘ she stopped signing abruptly as her skin paled and breathing rate increased. 

‘Who hurt you,’ he finished slowly. 

She nodded, trying to pull herself back together. ‘Sorry.’

“It’s okay. I… I do that all the time,” he admitted. She smiled at those words. It wasn’t out of happiness, but because it’s hard to find people who truly understand. 

Aizawa had seemingly fallen asleep in the chair in the corner of the room, so when the door opened, the two kids flinched. 

“Sakura, it’s time for your-” the nurse’s words halted when she saw her patient’s visitor. “Oh… I’ll just- I’ll come back later.”

Thank goodness it’s not her mother. 

“No, no, it’s okay. I don’t wanna get in the way of anything she has scheduled,” Midoriya said hurriedly, and Aizawa now looked at least partially alert. “I’ve been here quite a while anyway, and should probably be back at UA in time for dinner.”

The nurse slowed her rush out the door. “Well… I would prefer to stay on time.”

Aizawa stood up, which was Midoriya’s cue they were leaving. “Alright. We’ll go then.”

He turned back to Sakura and she was already right behind him launching a hug, and she squeezed him as tight as she could. He let a small smile slip onto his face. 

“Hopefully I’ll get to see you again sometime.”

She bounced up and down fervently as she backed away. ‘Please do!’

The nurse looked incredibly surprised at the young girl’s enthusiasm. 

He nodded. “I’ll try.”

Once Midoriya and Aizawa were out in the hallway, just the two of them, the teacher said, “That wasn’t anywhere near as bad as you thought it’d be, now was it?”

“You were right. I just have to stop overthinking.”

Overall, that had been a big success. She didn’t hate him, he was able to make her happy, and she accepted his apology. 

The second, less important success was that he hadn’t run into her mother, because that would’ve been terrible. 

He made it all the way to the front desk, still succeeding. 

“What do you think you’re doing here?!”

Midoriya may or may not have let a curse drop out of his mouth when he heard that tone. He turned and saw Nurse Kobayashi storming over to him. 

“Why you despicable, conniving-” she gasped dramatically, “you thought you’d be able to slip in and out of here without me knowing!”

His voice creaked out. “Well… we were hoping-”

“What was he doing here?!” she demanded of the receptionist. 

“Uh, visiting your daughter.”

The pure, unfiltered rage that entered this woman’s expression was on par with Bakugo’s. 

“What makes you think you have any right to visit my daughter!!?” she yelled, voice carrying across the waiting area. “You were the one who hurt her in the first place!”

“Um, no, I-”

“You’re a villain. You don’t belong in a hospital where people are cared for! You especially don’t belong anywhere near my daughter!!”

“But I’m not-”

“Why in the world would she even want to see an evil person like you?!”

“Because-”

“You’re the absolute worst person she could be around! How can she even stand-”

“She just wanted to talk with me!!” Midoriya finally shouted over her. 

“Do you actually expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true!” Midoriya resisted. “She doesn’t have anyone to talk to, so she spills it all out on me! She just wants someone to listen, or else she wouldn’t’ve asked for me to come back!”

“Why would I ever let you see her again!? I have no way of knowing what you would do to her!! As far as I know, you could be grooming her in there!”

“What? I’m a minor too!” he exclaimed incredulously. “I know I’ve done bad things, but I’d never do anything like that!

“Oh just drop the act.”

His mind sparked with anger. “You’re the one who just leaves her alone all day! I mean, do you even put in any effort to engage with her?”

She looked genuinely offended. “Of course I have! I’m her mother!”

“Then why is she so desperate to talk with me, if you’re such a good parent?” Midoriya asked angrily, taking a step forward. 

Maybe it was out of rage or real fear, but when Midoriya got closer, Nurse Kobayashi’s hand flew to his face as she slapped him harshly. His anger receded immediately, and he backed up, cheek stinging. Aizawa stepped between the two of them. 

She straightened her posture and looked down at the teen. “Because you’re a monster that has manipulated my daughter into trusting you. You belong in Tartarus, so I shouldn’t even have to protect her like this.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened because he could tell, she truly believed the words coming out of her mouth. At this point, it wasn’t even about causing drama or spreading gossip. She actually thought she was protecting Sakura from someone who was aiming to hurt her. 

But instead of giving into these assumptions, Midoriya finally resisted his guilty thoughts. He stood his ground. 

“I’m not a monster, and I don’t want to hurt Sakura. But I know nothing I say will change your mind, so you’ll just have to settle for knowing that your daughter will want me to visit again.”

He said it in a this is the end of the conversation tone, so she didn’t respond, but looked very dissatisfied and irritated instead. Aizawa quickly led Midoriya out of the building before anything else could happen. 

“You could’ve dodged her,” the teacher said on the way to the car. 

“Yeah, I could’ve.”

“But you didn’t. Why?”

He frowned at the ground. “Shinso and Uraraka have been drilling it into my head that I don’t deserve to be hated and that I can have friends. But that… I felt I deserved that.”

 

After eating with 1-A, Midoriya went out for a walk by himself to sort through his thoughts on everything that had happened. While walking, someone shouted over his music from behind him. 

“Young Midoriya!”

He suppressed a groan. It was All Might. He’d just gotten permission to train with One For All, so he wasn’t surprised. 

Still, he was a polite kid, so he paused his music and waited for the old man to catch up. 

“I heard you had your first trip off campus today!” the retired hero started, trying to hide how out of breath he was. “It was to visit the young girl you saved from Shigaraki, correct?”

Midoriya nodded and resumed his walk, All Might keeping pace next to him. 

“Well, how did it go?”

“Pretty good.” If you don’t count the last five minutes. 

All Might smiled. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

A slightly awkward silence ensued, no sound except their footsteps against the path. 

Midoriya licked his lips. “You might as well get on with what you came here to say.”

The blond turned to him curiously. “And what do you think that is, my boy?”

“You want to start training me in how to use One For All.”

All Might hummed. “I guess you’re right. That is part of the reason I ran after you.”

“Part?”

“Well yes, I also like to make sure you’re doing alright.”

Even after the past couple of weeks, Midoriya still felt a little surprised hearing that. “Erm, thanks.”

“Of course,” All Might said kindly, resting a hand on the teen’s good shoulder. “Now, about training, I already have a plan in mind. In fact, we could get started right now!”

Midoriya cringed at his enthusiasm. “I don’t want to-” he paused when he remembered Todoroki’s words. “I-I’m not sure I’m comfortable using it yet.”

“That’s perfectly fine! The start of my plan doesn’t include you using it at all! It’s just basic muscle strengthening.”

The teen had to admit he was skeptical of any teaching plan All Might thought up, because, well, this man had a teaching for dummies book. 

“I’m not sure,” Midoriya repeated. 

All Might’s face fell. “What’s keeping you from wanting to train with it?”

He didn’t have a chance to respond, because the retired pro broke out into a coughing fit, blood dripping out of his mouth. Midoriya helped him to a bench near the path, frowning. Was his old injury getting to him? He didn’t seem as healthy as he used to. 

All Might wheezed out a “thank you” as the teen sat down next to him. 

Once the blond had regained control over his breathing, Midoriya spoke softly. 

“I’m afraid I’ll end up accidentally hurting someone, instead of helping people like I want. What if…” what if Nurse Kobayashi was right? What if I really am a monster? 

All Might couldn’t read his thoughts, but he could sense his guilt and fear. 

What Midoriya heard next surprised the crap out of him. 

“And you’ve got the gift of mercy, don’t ever think it’s strange.”

All Might’s voice was rough and low and slow, but he was confident in what he was singing, as if he’d thought it through beforehand. His words carried more meaning than if he was just speaking. 

“Not a curse, but it is a blessing to feel other people’s pain.”

Midoriya’s eyes were wide, and he recognized the song. The two made eye contact, and All Might smiled, while Midoriya’s confusion grew. 

“And always love without condition, and trust with all your heart.”

The teen frowned a bit at those words. It wasn’t that simple to just start trusting and caring again. 

“There is healing in the story of your scars.”

All Might’s eyes were on the former villain’s scar as he finished that last line, as if to say, your scars and hurt can help people in the future, so don’t let them stop you. 

“When We Fall Apart, Ryan Stevenson?” Midoriya asked quietly. 

All Might nodded, and he began speaking slowly. 

“I know you’re worried about accidentally hurting someone, but all heroes could end up doing that, not just you. You’ve got some amazing gifts that let you care so deeply for others, so I know the good you’ll do will far outweigh the bad, if there even is any bad at all.”

Midoriya sighed, taking it all in. “I’d still like to think about it more.”

All Might nodded. “That’s quite alright.” He turned to Midoriya. “But while you’re thinking…” he grinned, “would you like to start my training plan? The beginning doesn’t need you to use One For All!”

“You’re seriously that adamant on me following your plan?” Midoriya asked, but there was an underlying tone of amusement. 

All Might laughed. “You’re my successor, Young Midoriya. I want to help you in whatever way I can, and right now, training you in the ways of One For All is the best.”

Midoriya’s expression softened, and he pondered All Might’s proposal. He wouldn’t have to use One For All, and the workout would only help. He hadn’t been exercising as much as he used to. And then if he did end up choosing to use the- his quirk, he’d have a head start. 

Besides… spending more time with All Might didn’t seem that bad. 

“Alright,” Midoriya said, looking up at the former hero. “What did you have in mind?”

 

“Seriously? This is your training plan?”

All Might laughed sheepishly, a bit less confident after Midoriya said that. “Uh, yes? What’s wrong with it?”

The teen stared out across the trash littered beach, and then looked All Might dead in the eye. 

“This plan is garbage.”

The retired pro laughed again. “Yes, indeed, it is.”

“So wait, what would I do?”

“The practical part of this training is that cleaning up all this heavy junk and waste will build up your strength as you move it from one area to another,” he explained, and Midoriya nodded in understanding. “However, the honorable part of this training is that the public will finally be able to use this beach again once it’s clean.”

All Might picked up a trash bag full of new school supplies. He frowned sadly and started walking it to the truck. 

“Before quirks, heroes were people who helped the community. People who served others more than themselves. But in our current society, all that matters is your power level and the amount of bad guys you take out.”

“Trust me, I know that full well,” Midoriya responded darkly. 

All Might nodded, lifting the bag into the bed of the truck. It landed with a thunk. 

“Well, even if you don’t use One For All, in this capacity you’ll still be a hero. Just not an official one.”

Midoriya saw the sun setting over the mounds of trash. It looked like this place would be beautiful if it hadn’t been ruined by people’s litter. 

But now All Might was giving him the opportunity to help restore it. 

“Okay,” he said with determination. “I’ll do it.”

Notes:

So for those of you who thought the singing was super cringe and terrible and why would you do that, here's what it would've been without the singing:

[“I’m afraid I’ll end up accidentally hurting someone, instead of helping people like I want. What if…” what if Nurse Kobayashi was right? What if I really am a monster?

All Might couldn’t read his thoughts, but he could sense his guilt and fear. “I can’t promise that won’t happen, but the same holds true for every hero there is. Anyone could accidentally hurt another with their quirk, not just you. And I know you’ll try harder than anyone to only help.”

The teen still didn’t look convinced, so All Might leaned forward to look him in the eyes.

“Young Midoriya, I know the good you’ll do will far outweigh the bad, if there even is any bad at all.”

He sighed. “I’d still like to think about it more.”]

I thought the singing made it more meaningful, and everytime I heard that part of the song (really great song about grief after a loved one has died, check it out) I thought of that scene, but if you don't like it, then just mentally substitute this in. I also think AM's voice would kinda sound like Hugh Jackman's but whatever.

This chapter's song is No Time For Toxic People by Imagine Dragons. Cuz, you know, Kobayashi is a toxic person and Midoriya finally started resisting the negative thoughts people like her force on him? Fits really amazingly.

Provisional licensing exams next!

Chapter 59: Same Side

Notes:

Made it to the provisional licensing exams! Enjoy!

Midoriya blinked away the sweat drop that trickled into his eye from his forehead. He just had a few more feet to go, he could do this. The rising sun burned against the back of his neck. 

The weight of the trash-stuffed burn barrel on his good shoulder pressed down on him, making his muscles ache and his movements strained. But he had to get it to the garbage truck. It was right there. A couple more feet. 

He’d gotten up early on Monday to get a head start on All Might’s “training plan,” but 1-A’s provisional licensing exams were today, so he couldn’t take forever. Once this barrel was in the truck, a decent area would be clear. 

Just a foot in front of him. 

His legs wobbled and their strength failed as Midoriya began to fall to the ground, but with an extra push of his arms he was able to get the barrel full of trash into the garbage truck, which landed with a loud thud. 

He rolled onto his back on the ground, sighing in relief. He was one of those crazy people who thought a good workout was a great way to start a Monday. 

After resting a couple minutes, he sat up and got onto his feet again. He took one last look over the clear patch of sandy beach he’d created, smiling at the rising sun, then jogged back to UA like the crazy person he was. 

 

“Hey Midobro?” Kaminari asked, leaning over the back of his seat on the bus to talk to Midoriya, who was behind him. Iida had given up on telling him to stay in his seat. “Would you rather have to smile constantly or frown constantly?”

“Uh… neither,” Midoriya answered. 

Kirishima looked over the back of his seat as well, and Midoriya could feel the unrest emanating from Iida next to him. “Sorry man, that’s not an option.”

“I feel like smiling would be better,” Kaminari said. 

Kirishima frowned thoughtfully. “But what if you’re at someone’s funeral, and you’re just… smiling. That’d be kinda creepy.”

“Okay, but what if you’re like, getting married, and you’re just frowning the entire time!”

“That sounds like something Bakugo would do,” Uraraka commented from across the aisle from Midoriya, who nodded in agreement. 

Kaminari continued to fish out random would you rather questions until they arrived at Takoba Stadium for their exams. Midoriya was coming along for a number of reasons:

One, he just needed to get out more after staying at UA for so long. Two, watching 1-A would give him more stuff to write in their notes. Three… 1-A wanted him to come along, and he wanted to be with them too. 

He slightly wished he would’ve stayed at UA though when he saw the crowd outside the parked bus. 

“Midoriya!” Iida exclaimed. “You must leave your seat and exit the bus at this moment to make our disembarkment most effective!”

“Alright, I know, I’m moving,” Midoriya said as he quickly moved out into the center aisle. 

Once everyone was off the bus, some of the other schools started greeting them. Midoriya hung back, not wanting to get recognized or seen. The famous reputation of the people standing in front of him acted as a guard, so most people didn’t notice him. 

Midoriya noticed everyone else though. The way that one Shiketsu student glared at Todoroki, even after seeming overly enthusiastic and friendly at first. Then how his blonde classmate noticed Midoriya, but didn’t say anything, and was the first to point out the blood on her classmate’s forehead. 

She was the only one to notice Midoriya for a while, until a second year named Yo Shindo came along. After Bakugo called out his friendly facade, the perceptive kid’s eyes landed on the former villain. 

“You’re that villain, aren’t you?” he asked, and his other classmates perked up. 

Shinso moved closer to his friend. “His name’s Midoriya, not ‘that villain.’”

The friendly light returned to Shindo’s face, but the analytical look in his eyes betrayed him. “A guy who sticks up for his friend, I can always respect that! You just transferred from general studies, right? What a hard worker!”

So he’s watched the Sports Fest a number of times to know that, so he must know the quirks and abilities of 1-A as well, Midoriya thought. 

“I was just asking about him because I’m curious, is all,” Shindo continued innocently. His classmates and teacher, Ms. Joke, were watching the interaction. 

“I’m just here to support my friends,” Midoriya responded quietly. Shindo didn’t watch him as closely as he did 1-A, probably because Midoriya wasn’t going to be his opponent, so he didn’t have to find weaknesses to exploit, but he still seemed to look at him with interest. 

Ms. Joke went on to tell her students to hurry up, because they’d be starting soon, which ended the interaction, much to Midoriya’s relief. But he was thrust from one uncomfortable social situation into the next. 

“Gosh, Aizawa, have you been rubbing off on this kid? He seems so serious!” Joke said, elbowing Midoriya in the side. The three of them were walking towards the stadium, 1-A in front of them. 

“If you end up rubbing off on him I think I’ll have to resign.”

“And then you can come and be with me!”

“A life full of pain and torture would be preferable.”

It was clear Joke was getting nowhere with Aizawa, so she turned to Midoriya instead. “C’mon kid, you’ve gotta crack a smile sometimes! Don’t make me start telling jokes!”

Aizawa sighed audibly, while Midoriya just stared at the ground awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. 

“You have given me no choice! Now, what’s red and bad for your teeth?” 

Oh, he’d heard this one before, but suddenly it was like his mouth was glued shut. Like there was a wall between the words in his brain and his mouth. So he stayed quiet. 

“A brick!” she exclaimed happily, bursting out laughing. She had obviously wanted Midoriya to do the same, so when he just continued staring at the ground in silence… she used her quirk to get a reaction. 

A chuckle rose out of his throat involuntarily. It was a nice, pure sound that got the attention of some of the students walking in front of them. 

He couldn’t stop the laughter that started bubbling out of his mouth. It felt weird, he hadn’t laughed like this in years, and now it was just happening of its own accord. He didn’t like it. He wanted to laugh and smile again, but he wanted to do it of his own free will. 

The sounds reached the ears of the UA students, and many of them gaped surprisedly. They’d never seen Midoriya smile, much less laugh. It was a strangely heart-warming sound. His laugh was cute, and his smile was bright. Not what they’d expect of a former villain. 

Midoriya himself was not liking it though. His eyes narrowed, and in between the laughs he gasped, “Stop.”

“Joke,” Aizawa said warningly. 

She deactivated her quirk at his tone. “Alright, I’ve stopped! Was just getting a good laugh outta him! Seemed like he needed it.”

“Please don’t do that again,” Midoriya said firmly, getting his breath back. 

She saluted, smile never faltering. “Understood!”

As they continued walking, Midoriya hoped the day would come when he could smile and laugh like that on his own. 

 

Class 1-A had a bit of a hard time at first, when all the other schools ganged up against them, which the two teachers and teen observed from their seats above the center area. 

The one Shiketsu student who’d glared at Todoroki passed first, which worried Midoriya slightly. He wanted everyone in 1-A to get their license (well, he wouldn’t be too upset if Bakugo failed), but going up against that airbender wouldn’t work out well for most of them. 

Shinso would’ve been fine though, with how much the guy talked. 

“So what’s your prediction?” Aizawa asked. 

“My prediction?” Midoriya repeated, keeping his eyes on the exam. 

“Who do you think will pass, and who do you think will fail?”

Joke leaned forward in her seat. “Ooo, I’ve heard you’re good at this stuff. Whaddya think? Can you do my students too?”

“Um, I’ll just stick to 1-A,” he answered, making Joke flop into her seat disappointedly. “The test is definitely a lot harder than any of them were expecting. Passing will not be easy, especially with students from Shiketsu here.”

“What about my students!?” Joke exclaimed. 

“Er, yeah. Those too. Yaoyorozu will definitely pass, as well as anyone with her. Todoroki and Kacchan won’t have too much of a problem. Kirishima and Kaminari are with Kacchan, so they’ll be fine too. But with everyone knowing their quirks, they’re all at a big disadvantage.”

Midoriya frowned in thought. 

“You’re thinking about Shinso, aren’t you?” Aizawa questioned. 

“Yeah, I am. If everyone watched the Sports Fest, no one will respond to him. Although, they don’t know about his persona chords. I just hope all our training will pay off.”

Aizawa nodded. “No training is ever a waste of time.”

Joke was watching the two of them curiously. “You know, I didn’t think a former villain like you would care all that much about provisional licenses.”

“I want to support my friends in becoming heroes,” he responded quietly. “I think it’ll be really challenging, but I believe in them.” He turned to Aizawa. “I think they’ll all pass.”

The teacher stayed quiet for a second, and then nodded in affirmation. “I agree.”

“Wowza!” Joke laughed. “You like your kids this year a lot more than any I’ve seen!”

“And there’s a reason for that,” Aizawa replied, not taking his eyes off the testing grounds. Midoriya watched his face carefully. 

Was 1-A really that different?

He looked back to the exams after a minute, but what he saw… something wasn’t right. He stood up worriedly and squinted down at the students. 

Well, whether one of them was a student was in question. 

“What is it?” Aizawa asked with concern. 

Midoriya gripped the back of the chair in front of him. 

“Something’s wrong.”

 

A couple minutes earlier…

“Do you hear that?” Uraraka asked quietly. 

Shinso nodded. “There’re other examinees behind that mound of rocks over there. Sounds like five, maybe ten people.”

“You think that’s too many?” she asked. “Or should we just go for it?”

“Do you even have to ask? Let’s go for it.”

“Okay, but we should at least come up with a plan. Even if they watched the Sports Festival, they shouldn’t know about your persona chords, right?”

Shinso nodded. “Yeah, but those work best while everyone is confused, and I have to hear their voices first. What if you created a distraction? I’d be able to brainwash everyone much quicker that way.”

“Alright, I can do that. And then you can sneak around the back while I get their attention from the front, so we’re attacking from two different angles.”

“You sure it isn’t better to stick together?” Shinso questioned unsurely. 

She palmed her fist. “I can take care of myself.”

He continued to look unsure for a second, before nodding determinedly. “Okay, I’ll sneak around the back and wait for your distraction, then I’ll brainwash with the persona chords.”

She did a thumbs up. “Sounds good!”

Shinso quietly padded off, and Uraraka was left in the silence for a bit. Since her training with Midoriya, her hand to hand combat had really improved. She could hold her own against Shinso, although he usually ended up winning. Shinso had also started landing a few more hits on Midoriya during their spars. 

Suddenly, Uraraka heard a light tapping behind her, almost like the footsteps of a ghost. She spun around, but when she scanned her surroundings, no one was there. Her mind and body was tingling with an anticipation that told her something was there. 

Or someone. 

She felt a harsh strike in the center of her back, knocking the air out of her lungs. She would’ve gotten pinned to the ground if she hadn’t quickly twisted away and staggered backwards, trying to see who attacked her. 

This time she found her opponent. It was the blonde girl from Shiketsu. 

“Isn’t it kinda weird to be sitting around during an exam?” she asked cheerily. “But I guess it’s kinda cool too!”

Uraraka realized with dread that the target on her side had been tagged. 

This isn’t good. I have to start the distraction for Shinso, but if I fight this girl then the people behind the rocks might hear us and it’ll ruin the whole attack. 

She gritted her teeth. Maybe she could reason with her? Judging by the fighting stance the girl was in, that probably wouldn’t work, but it was worth a shot. 

“There’re some people behind those rocks over there,” Uraraka said in a hushed voice, and there was a tad bit of surprise on the girl’s face. “If you want to pass the exam, you could attack them with me and my friend, and then we’ll each tag two people. We don’t have to fight.”

A smile curled across the girl’s face. “Sorry, but I have a different goal than passing the exam.”

The confusion that flooded Uraraka’s mind nearly stopped her from dodging the next attack. The girl charged at her quickly, swiping at her with her nails in a fashion that seemed vaguely familiar, as if Uraraka had fought her before. 

“This crazy exam is a great way for schools to meet each other!” the girl blabbed as she clawed at her, and she managed to scratch her cheek. The girl’s eyes lit up at the blood trickling down. “I want to know you people from UA so much!”

The UA student pivoted, getting ready to grab the girl’s wrist and pin her like she’d learned during her internship. But the girl seemed to predict this as she pulled her outstretched hand back and elbowed Uraraka in the side. She followed the elbow up with a sweep of the leg, and as Uraraka fell she kept thinking:

Have we fought before?

To catch herself from crashing to the ground, she floated herself. With one leg, she pushed her lower body away from the ground and kicked upward with the other leg, a move that had almost gotten Midoriya in the past. 

This time it succeeded. She kicked the girl right in the chin, sending her stumbling backwards. 

But when she righted herself and released her quirk, the small sense of triumph she felt vanished. The girl was nowhere to be seen. She looked around frantically, fingertips tingling. 

Something slammed into her back incredibly quickly, sending shocks of pain up and down her spine. She couldn’t twist away this time and ended up pinned to the ground. The girl was holding her wrists down so she couldn’t use her quirk, knee placed firmly in the middle of her back so she couldn’t move. 

“If you’re thinking I have a vanishing quirk, you’re wrong. I can hide from your senses, so that when I stop thinking and breathing, I can blend in. The not thinking is what’s hard.”

That… didn’t seem like something they’d teach at a high school. 

Uraraka breathed in the dirt of the rock against her face. “I don’t get it, why are you attacking me?”

The blonde twisted her knee into her back, making the student wince. When she opened her eyes again, she was staring at her face’s reflection in the silver blade of a knife. 

“Because,” the girl whispered happily into her ear. “I just would love to get to know you!”

Uraraka saw her eyes widen in the reflection. The way she said that, she recognized that tone. 

There’s no way…

 

“It’s Toga!” Midoriya shouted as he ran along the edge of the seating area, closer to where he saw Uraraka fighting. 

Aizawa ran along behind him. “You can’t make a claim like that without evidence.”

“It’s her fighting style, the way she moves and the way she attacks. I know it’s her!”

“So the League has infiltrated the exams?!” Joke asked from behind Aizawa. “How’d she manage that, with all the security?”

“This is Himiko Toga,” Midoriya replied, frustration rising. “Security’s a joke to her! And now she’s attacking Uraraka!”

At that last thought his heart pounded faster and his legs pumped harder, making him pull ahead of the adults. 

“Midoriya, slow down,” Aizawa called. “We have to think rationally about this! If you act out of fear or anger, you could only make things worse.”

The teen ignored him. Toga really liked Uraraka, and she shows affection through cutting and biting. 

I don’t want her to get hurt. 

He suddenly got jerked backwards by something wrapped around his stomach. He slowed and looked down, seeing it was Aizawa’s capture weapon. 

“You need to stop!” Aizawa shouted. Midoriya stopped and spun around to face the teachers. 

“What?!” he snapped angrily. 

“Woah,” Joke said. “I couldn’t see how you were ever a villain before, but now I think I can.”

“You need to calm down,” Aizawa said firmly, grip tightening on the capture weapon. “I know you want to help Uraraka, but rushing this could get you sent back to Tartarus.”

Midoriya sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. “Fine. What do you want to do?”

“Joke, you should go to the Shiketsu teacher and inform them that one of their students has been impersonated. I’ll go to test administrators and tell them what’s going on. And Midoriya, since I know you’ll refuse to do anything else, you can head down and help Uraraka.”

“Then what’re we still standing here for!?” Midoriya exclaimed. 

Aizawa tilted his head. “Let me ask, how are you planning on getting down the wall into the center stage?”

The irritation that had been rushing through his brain halted in an instant. “Er- yeah… you’re right.”

Aizawa seemed to have a split second of enjoyment in proving Midoriya wrong, before taking his capture weapon off and throwing one end over the wall. 

“You can use this to get down. But before you go, some rules. Try not to interfere with the exam, and don’t go near any students except 1-A if you can. Take out Toga as quickly as possible, without any bloodshed. Try not to use your quirk, but…” Aizawa looked him in the eye, “if push comes to shove, use your quirk.”

Midoriya narrowed his eyes, and nodded hesitantly. 

“Okay then, get going,” Aizawa ordered, gesturing towards the capture weapon, which was now acting as a rope down into the testing grounds. “I’ll pull it back up once you’re down.”

The teen was already over the wall and sliding down the rope. 

“Midoriya, one more thing.”

He paused his descent, and Aizawa held his gaze. 

“Don’t make me regret trusting you this time.”

Guilt flashed across Midoriya’s expression for a second, and he nodded in understanding. 

“I’m not a villain anymore, I promise.”

 

Shinso was growing increasingly uneasy, hiding by the other examinees. He could hear their muffled conversation, and it sounded like they might be moving soon. 

Where is Uraraka? She should’ve shown herself minutes ago. 

He shuffled his position behind the rocks as he thought through his options in his head. 

I could try attacking them by myself, but the risks of that are big without Uraraka here. She wouldn’t ditch me without a reason, so maybe something’s wrong. I could head back over to see what’s happened to her. 

He debated shortly in his head, and came to a conclusion. If Uraraka didn’t pop up soon, he’d return to her to make sure she was okay. 

 

Uraraka felt another cut appear on her arm from Toga’s blade, but when she turned to find her, there was nothing but air. 

That was really starting to get annoying, but she got an idea. 

She looked along the ground, and any little pebble she saw she picked it up and floated it. Toga seemed to just be interested in cutting her and watching her bloodied self scramble around, so she hadn’t tagged her other targets. Eventually, Uraraka had a good cloud of little rocks floating in the air around her. 

Now it was time to fight. 

She saw a disturbance in the pebbles out of the corner of her eye, and so she thrust her outstretched hands in that direction. Toga was suddenly visible again as she jumped away. Uraraka smirked. 

“That little vanishing trick won’t work anymore.”

Toga pouted, still using the Shiketsu student’s form. “Well that’s no fun! And you were getting to look so cute!”

Uraraka ran at her. “I think we have different definitions of cute!” She reached forward, trying to activate her quirk on her, but Toga dodged. Uraraka went right into another attack, and then another, her movements much more fluid and smooth than before her training with Midoriya, finally putting Toga on the defensive. 

But she still couldn’t land a hit with her hands. 

Not by herself, at least. 

She heard a clatter of floating pebbles bumping into each other from behind her. Another person was coming, and she tensed, getting ready for another strike from behind. 

But instead the person whizzed past her and aimed a kick at Toga, who flipped backwards. 

“Midoriya!” Uraraka exclaimed, happy to see him. 

He didn’t respond at first, instead flying into a flurry of attacks against Toga, once again reminding Uraraka of how much further ahead of her he was. Toga was able to dodge or block most of the hits, but Midoriya managed to land a couple. 

Uraraka shuddered at the sheer anger she saw on his face. 

He knocked one of her knives out of her hand, which Uraraka ran over and picked up. Once Toga was pushed back enough, Midoriya backtracked towards Uraraka. 

When he turned to look at her, all of the anger vanished from his face and all she could see was care. 

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern, cringing at the various cuts covering her body. 

She smiled the best she could. “Better now that you’re here.”

He nodded and looked back over at Toga, who was eyeing them with what almost looked like jealousy. 

“I’m assuming you have a plan of some sort?” Uraraka questioned. 

“Yeah…”

“Well I’m all ears.”

“It’s simple. I create an opening for you to use your quirk, and once her gravity is removed she’ll be helpless.”

“Understood, and hopefully Shinso will realize something is wrong and come back soon.”

“Yeah, hopefully,” Midoriya said, lowering into a fighting stance again. Uraraka mirrored him, but before they attacked, Midoriya laughed softly. 

Uraraka blinked surprisedly. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just kinda nice to be fighting on the same side this time.”

She smiled and laughed. “Yeah! And we’re gonna win too!”

With that, they both charged forward towards their opponent.

Notes:

Aaaaand the cliffhangers are back! Hopefully the fight scenes were okay to read through.

Uh, chapters where the majority is fighting are hard to pick a song for. How about Carry On by The Score, that one's pretty good.

See ya next week!

Chapter 60: What Makes You Different?

Notes:

Shinso and Shindo are spelled very similarly, which is uh, annoying to write.

Enjoy!

Midoriya had never fought a naked person before. And he couldn’t say he liked it. It was very hard to get his eyes to go where he wanted them to go. 

As soon as Toga had found out her cover was blown with no chance of recovery, she’d melted back into her original self, lack of clothing and all. 

Midoriya dodged another swipe from her. She was using her fingernails like claws. He followed up with a kick to the central body, which Toga jumped out of the way of. 

He knew she’d be able to dodge it. He wasn’t trying to hit her right now. He was trying to get her into an area where Uraraka would be able to float her. 

But Toga had some words to say before that happened. 

“I was so sad when you left the League, Izuku!” Toga cried as she sidestepped one of his punches. “I’ve missed watching you bleed so much! There’s still so much more I want to get to know about you!”

“I’m gonna have to refuse the offer on that one,” he replied, pivoting away from a leg sweep. 

Midoriya purposefully went on the defensive, letting Toga get some hits in and push him back. That way, they were heading towards a small ridge of rocks. 

“But we could still be friends! Shiggy’s kinda mad at you for betraying us and all that, but I’m sure once he sees how amazing you are, he’ll change his mind!”

They were getting close to the ridge. It was almost time. “I don’t think he will.”

“But you’d still do better there than at UA. You’re a villain, not a hero, silly. You can come back!” Toga still had on her cheerful expression, but there was an underlying emotion in her voice. 

Loneliness. 

He grimaced slightly out of empathy for her. He understood. But he still spun around to her back side and shoved her up against the ridge of rocks. 

“Sorry, but that place isn’t where I belonged.”

Uraraka jumped down from the top of the ridge towards Toga. It would’ve been difficult to dodge at the speed she was falling, and with Midoriya there to stop her movements, it was impossible. 

The hero student’s five fingers landed on Toga’s shoulder, and her gravity was removed. 

“Hey, that’s not very nice of you!” Toga whined as her feet rose above the ground. 

In one last desperate attempt, Toga kicked off the wall behind her. With her weightlessness, she flew at Midoriya, but he saw her coming and easily got out of the way, leaving Toga to float around. 

“We did it!” Uraraka exclaimed happily. 

He nodded at her. “Yeah. We did.”

She lifted her hand to give him a high five, but it took him several seconds to register that was what she was doing. He raised his hand, and after remembering how to high five, moved to slap her hand. 

In the end it was a pretty feeble high five, but it’s the heart that counts. 

Although there was more awkwardness than heart in that high five. 

If Toga had said she didn’t feel jealous of them, she would’ve been lying. Her previous cheer gave way to envy. 

“And what makes you so special!?” she shouted from the air, drawing the teens’ attention back to here. “Why do you get accepted into society and not us? And not me! What makes you so different, where people actually love you?! Why aren’t you shunned like the rest of us!?”

These words caught Midoriya off guard, and his mind stumbled trying to find an answer. When he found one, he spoke softly. 

“I g-guess… I was never happy hurting people like you are, b-because… because the world pushed you harder than it did me. It’s not entirely your fault… but still,” he looked up at her, some of the anger from before coming back into his eyes, “You chose to be a villain, and you’ve never looked back.”

Toga’s eyes widened, not wanting to accept his words as true. 

“I’m going to go find Shinso,” Uraraka said quietly. Midoriya turned to her and nodded. 

But Toga still had one more trick up her sleeve, something Midoriya didn’t see coming because of guilt seeping into his heart. They’d only taken one of her knives from her, when she’d brought two. 

Toga drew this blade, and when Uraraka walked away from Midoriya to find Shinso, she whipped her arm and the knife flew out of her hand. Midoriya finally saw this out of the corner of his eye. 

The blade cut quickly through the air, right towards Uraraka’s throat. 

Midoriya easily spotted this, but didn’t have time to stop it. Not at his current level. The knife was moving too fast. But if he used All Mi- his quirk, then maybe. 

If using a power he was deathly afraid of meant saving Uraraka, he would do it. 

Green lightning sparked out around him, just as the blade started nearing its target. He felt the power, and fear flared in his chest, but he kept using it anyway as he pushed off the ground and shot straight for Uraraka. 

The feeling was strange. He knew he was going so fast the eye had trouble keeping up, but he still felt like he was moving slowly. Like he wouldn’t make it in time. Like she would die. 

Or have a throat injury that stopped her from speaking, just like another person who got hurt because of him. 

The knife was inches from her vulnerable neck as Midoriya got close, and he reached out his hand desperately to try to alter the blade’s path. He wouldn’t be able to stand Uraraka getting severely injured. Somewhere he knew, Uraraka getting hurt would be more damaging to him than if it was anyone else. 

This desire to save and to love overcame the fear in his mind for just a second, giving him a bit of extra speed. 

His fingers grasped the hilt of the knife just in time. The tip of the blade was tickling Uraraka’s skin. 

They had a split second full of relief, and their eyes met, trading emotions. Before it all went to heck. A couple things happened at once. 

One, the collar activated, immediately cutting off Midoriya’s supply to air. 

Two, over by the rocks where Shinso and Uraraka had been hiding, four Ketsubutsu students popped out. 

“Hey! What’s happening over here!?” one girl with spiky blond hair asked. 

All they saw was someone they recognized from the news holding a knife to a girl’s throat. Nevermind a naked Toga floating around in the air in the background. 

Midoriya dropped the weapon and took a step back, now used to the first effects of being choked. The painful constriction, the lack of air, the throbbing and then the headache. 

“What’s that guy doing?” asked a student with tough blue skin, mistaking Midoriya’s discomfort for some strange behavior. “I feel like I’ve seen him before…”

“Doesn’t matter!” the obvious leader of the group spoke up. Oh yeah, it was Shindo, the faker from before. “They’re just targets to tag, ways for us to obtain victory!” He paused, looking around, and confusion made a brief appearance on his face. “Hey, where’d the other two go?”

Suddenly, a boy with longer black hair standing atop the rock formation was yanked backwards by what looked like a scarf, and he yelled in shock as he fell out of sight. 

Shindo and the others whipped around surprisedly, only for a purple-haired menace to jump out and kick the guy with blue skin in the head. The student fell off balance and tumbled down, groaning in pain. 

“Can’t you Ketsubutsu students ever shut up?” Shinso asked. He was smirking, very much in his element. 

Shindo was smart enough to stay quiet, his blonde classmate on the other hand…

“Like UA students are any bet-” her eyes went blank and Shinso’s smirk widened. 

Shindo scowled, all trace of his former cheerful personality gone. Uraraka had run up and floated the blue guy and blonde, so it was just him left. 

But Uraraka and Shinso had more important things on their mind. Midoriya had been choking this entire time. 

Shindo raised arms, getting ready to slam his hands into the ground to cause a massive earthquake, but Shinso held back his forearms with his capture weapon. 

“Can you hold up for a moment?!” Shinso asked, his tone different from the previous questions he’d asked. He wasn’t trying to brainwash, but to reason. Shindo clenched his jaw. 

“Please, let us help our friend first!” Uraraka pleaded. She was already backing away, heading towards Midoriya, who had fallen to his knees, clutching his throat. 

Shindo opened his mouth to respond, before closing it again, eyeing Shinso distrustingly. 

But then Shinso released his arms of the capture weapon and turned and ran towards Midoriya. Shindo blinked surprisedly. 

“Midoriya, the hell did you do this time?” Shinso asked as he approached. Uraraka was already by his side, concern in every aspect of her expression. 

She clenched her fists. “Without a key, there’s nothing we can do to help.”

Midoriya was grimacing severely in pain. 

“No idea where Mr. Aizawa or Iida are either,” Shinso said, and he swore strongly. 

Midoriya’s ears were buzzing and his friends were only blurs in front of him. His neck ached. Black started speckling his vision. He’d never been suffocated all the way like this. 

But through all that, he still managed to be the self-sacrificial person he was. 

He raised his hands and clumsily signed something. 

‘Continue with exam. I am good. Do not waste time.’

They both saw his hand gestures and frowned confusedly, before the lack of air overpowered his fighting consciousness. His eyelids dropped closed and Uraraka stopped his fall to the ground. The collar made a clicking sound as it loosened. 

Uraraka sat on the ground next to him, gently lowering his head onto her lap. It was a good thing Shinso wasn’t in a teasing mood because she would’ve lit on fire with the heat from her face. 

“You know what he was signing?” Uraraka asked, voice quiet. 

“No clue,” Shinso said bitterly. 

“He said to continue with the exam and that he’s fine and to stop wasting time,” Shindo called from behind them. “Seriously? UA doesn’t teach sign language? It’s such an important skill to communicate silently, especially in stealth. And I thought you all would be competition.”

Shinso shouted back to him, “Keep talking and I’ll brainwash you anyway!” while Uraraka spoke softly to Midoriya. 

“We aren’t gonna leave you to suffer like the League did.”

 

“Hey kiddo!”

Midoriya shifted his position, but something felt wrong. Like he wasn’t all there. 

“I know you’re missing some body parts, but you’ve still got your eyes, c’mon. Open them!”

He heard that fuzzy voice, and took its advice, slowly cracking his eyes open. 

“Hey, there you go…” the voice got clearer in his ears. 

It was coming from a female in a hero costume standing a few feet in front of him. She had black hair, a wide smile, and a hairstyle that reminded him of his mom’s. 

The two of them were standing in a black void, which Midoriya recognized from the first time the collar had activated, when Shinso had brainwashed him. 

“Wow, Yoichi wasn’t wrong, your hair really does look like a broccoli,” the woman laughed. “Haven’t been able to confirm that, since you tend to avoid mirrors.”

Midoriya tried to ask what was happening, but he didn’t have a mouth to ask with. He lifted his hand up to his throat. It didn’t hurt, which was nice, but it didn’t feel like much of anything. 

Oh right! His hand! Both his hands were physical, along with the upper half of his face. He could see his right hand up to his mid-palm, while his left hand was just his fingers. 

The woman seemed to guess what he was thinking. “Yeah sorry, you can’t talk yet. Aren’t able to handle enough of One For All. But you can sign! I’ll be able to understand you, since all the vestiges see the world through your eyes. We’ve been learning sign language right along with you!”

Midoriya’s eyes brightened. 

‘Who?’

“Right! You don’t even know who I am, whoops!” she laughed, and her smile made Midoriya feel at ease. Reminded him of All Might’s real smiles, not his flashy ones. “Name’s Nana Shimura. I was the holder of One For All before Toshi, taught him everything he knows.”

Midoriya tilted his head. 

‘Like how to teach?’

Nana burst out laughing. “I assure you, he didn’t get his awful teaching skills from me! I was amazing. It was probably more on Gran’s side, if I’m being honest.”

If Midoriya had a mouth, he would’ve been smiling. 

‘Why?’

“Well, Gran was the one who did all the beatings, whereas I always-” she paused when Midoriya shook his head. 

‘Why here?’

“Ohhh, I get it. You wanna know why I pulled your conscious here to talk after you passed out.”

He nodded. 

“Well, a couple things. First, I need to tell you to stop being so damn stupid! Like seriously! You’re the smartest and yet most dumb person I know of!”

He blinked surprisedly at her change in tone, and tentatively raised his hands to sign again. 

‘…what?’

“You’re great at reading people, kid, but you suck at reading yourself.” 

She continued when she saw his confused expression.

“Alright, so, before being a villain, you wanted to be a hero. While being a villain, you did heroic things. After being a villain, you keep acting like a hero. But what do you say when people recommend becoming an official hero? ‘Noooo, I’m just a screw up, no way I’m a hero!’ I’ve never heard more bull in my life.”

He shifted nervously, because she was dead right. And dead, but right too. He raised his hands again. 

“I swear if you say something starting with ‘but’ I’m gonna haunt your dreams.”

He dropped his hands. She chuckled. 

“Kid, the point I’m trying to make is, start reading yourself like how you read other people, because then you’ll see you’re not as bad as you think. Yes, you have fallen pretty far. Almost too far, but you’ve also started climbing back up. You are the ninth holder, whether you like it or not.”

He pondered her words for a moment. Had he been holding himself to higher standards, judging himself too harshly?

“Like, just think about how much better you would’ve been able to protect Uraraka if you actually knew how to use One For All.”

His eyes widened. Had he… had he hurt her indirectly by not accepting the- his quirk? He frowned, thinking back to the times he’d wanted to run faster or jump further or punch stronger, not for the sake of his own power, but to help others. 

Was he failing them by not using One For All?

‘You good at this.’

“Hey, no one gives better advice than someone who’s been in your head, practically stalking you for the past month!” she said this as if it was completely normal. 

Before it could fully dawn upon Midoriya just how much the vestiges had seen, Nana started talking again. Her tone though, it was quieter and more somber. 

“The second thing I want to talk about, it’s a bit more personal to me. The stuff I was telling you before about using One For All, that was kinda the overarching message all the vestiges want to send you. But the reason I was chosen to talk to you and not one of them…”

For the first time since they’d started talking, Nana looked away unsurely. Her confidence had depleted faster than an old phone battery. Midoriya’s brow furrowed, and he raised his hands to sign. 

‘It is okay,’ he tried to comfort her. 

She smiled weakly. “When I was younger-”

‘Alive?’

“Yes, alive. I really tried to help people the best I could, but fulfilling that desire for heroics came at the cost of… other things. Like family. I want to ask what you plan to do with Ten- Tomura Shigaraki, because… b-because…”

She looked down and sighed deeply. 

“He’s my grandson.”

Midoriya blinked, brain desperately trying to connect the kind woman in front of him to the malicious villain who’d disintegrated a girl’s throat to spite him. He instinctively took a step away at the thought of Shigaraki. Nana easily spotted his fear. 

“It’s partly my fault Shigaraki is the way he is,” she admitted openly. “I left my son when I should have stayed, which reflected in his parenting. It’s like you said to Toga, villains don’t just wake up wanting to hurt people, they’re shaped into that by circumstances out of their control.”

Midoriya clenched and unclenched his fists. Any person associated with Shigaraki automatically got a bit of distrust dropped into his perception of them. He watched her much closer now, but she withstood his analytical eyes to ask her next question. 

“Because he is family, and I care for him much more than I should, how you answer this next question is very important to me. You are bound to end up fighting Shigaraki at some point due to his involvement with All For One. So tell me, do you plan to kill him in revenge for everything he’s done?”

His eyes widened slightly. Killing had never been something he’d do. But revenge… yes. Against Bakugo. Against All Might. Society too. 

But Iida’s words flashed in his head. 

“That selfish anger I felt, it could’ve ended up hurting a lot of people, but before that, it only hurt myself.”

He was trying not to let his anger against the world consume him like it used to. He was doing better with All Might. He’d found that some parts of society were alright. 

“Your hatred towards Bakugo, do you ever think you’ll be able to let go of it, like how you convinced me to do with the Hero Killer?”

Good on all fronts except Bakugo. But still, if he was able to let go of his hatred as much as he already had, then he’d be able to resist getting back at Shigaraki for what he’d done. 

So he shook his head no in response to her question. He caught the glimpse of surprise in her expression. 

‘I remember, but not kill. I want to help, not hurt.’

Her eyes widened at these guestured words, before she laughed darkly. “Is it selfish of me for being happy you won’t rightfully kill the person who ruined your life?”

He shook his head again. ‘Family is important. Anger is bad.’

Nana’s smile was returning to the way it was before. “Well, thank you for your answer. Before you go, there is one more small thing I would like to say.”

He tilted his head curiously. 

“As a person who lives inside your head and knows all of your emotions, you really need to start being honest with yourself with how you feel about Uraraka.”

His cheeks would’ve reddened if he had them. When he signed, his hands shook as if he had a stutter. 

‘That’s n-not how i-it-’

Nana abruptly turned away from him. “No! I don’t wanna hear it! Or see it! The way you deny your feelings is so painful!”

It felt so weird to try to laugh and have nothing happen. Although that isn’t saying much since it felt unnatural just to laugh normally. 

She turned back towards him with a determined expression. “Alright, kid, you think she’s pretty, right?”

He nodded in embarrassment. 

“Good personality too? She’s always been there, supported you, all that stuff.”

A similar nod. 

“And she likes you back!”

He rubbed his arm and slowly shook his head, causing Nana to pinch the bridge of her nose. 

“Like I said earlier, the smartest and yet dumbest person I know of. Anyway, the only things keeping you two apart is one, your stupidity, and two, your uncertainty. Both things you have to figure out on your own, but know this: I’ll be cheering you two on from the sidelines.”

Midoriya’s entire face had heated up at this point, and he fumbled out a ‘thank you.’

“Well then, it looks like your body is trying to wake up. Try not to break your bones again, and start training with One For All!” she called in parting. 

He felt himself starting to slip away, as if he was blurring away into nonexistence, but his signing hands were the last to go. 

‘Bye.’

 

“Midoriya, come on. You need to wake up or else they’ll have to leave without us.”

He groaned as he opened his eyes, the pain of multiple cuts and an aching neck coming back to him. He saw blaring white lights above him first, and then turned his head to see Aizawa standing next to him. 

“Good. You’re awake. The exams have ended, but if you aren’t well enough to leave then we’ll both have to stay here overnight.”

Midoriya tried to speak up and say he was alright, but got a searing pain in his throat and winced. 

“Don’t try speaking. Just relax your voice. This is the first time you’ve been choked fully,” a sharpness came into his eyes, “and it should be the last.”

He raised his hand to his throat and rubbed it. The collar wasn’t on, but it felt bruised. He sat up in bed, making him aware of all the bandages covering his cuts from Toga. It looked like he was in a medical ward, and there were multiple other teens in the room getting treated for their injuries. 

“Do you think you’ll be able to handle the ride back to UA?” Aizawa asked. 

He nodded, hand still on his neck. 

“Are you just saying that because you don’t want me to have to stay with you?”

He shook his head firmly, and a ton of questions popped into his head. Were his friends alright? Had they passed? Where was Toga? He opened his mouth to speak again but instantly regretted it. He clenched his jaw in frustration. 

Aizawa seemed to understand what he was thinking. “I arrived with some security guards soon after you lost consciousness. We told Joke’s students and Shinso and Uraraka to go their separate ways and continue with the exams. They passed, by the way.”

Midoriya felt a bit of relief at that, but his biggest question still wasn’t answered. Had they apprehended Toga?

“And with Toga… she was handled by the security guards. They were either entirely incompetent or another member of the League was involved, most likely Twice. She managed to escape.”

Midoriya angrily slammed his fist down onto the bed frame, making a loud clang.  

“I know,” Aizawa agreed. He didn’t very visibly show his irritation, but the way his fists were clenched and eyes were narrowed showed Midoriya just how annoyed he was. “It is very aggravating.”

A nurse approached the two of them, wearing a curt expression. “If you are well enough to cause such a disruption, I suggest leaving. This is a place for young heroes, not you.”

“This is a place for anyone who has gotten injured,” Aizawa retorted sharply. “So I suggest doing your job.”

The nurse pursed his lips in what looked like an attempt to suppress a snarl. Midoriya stood up from his bed and stuck out a thumb towards the exit, saying let’s go. 

Aizawa puffed a dissatisfied breath, while the nurse picked up the collar from Midoriya’s bed side. The teen’s chest tightened at the sight of it. 

“Put this back on before you leave,” the nurse said quickly, handing it to Aizawa, before walking off. 

Aizawa leaned close to Midoriya. “There’s no way in hell you’re putting this thing back on with the bruising on your throat. We are going to very quickly walk out of here without anyone noticing you’re not wearing it.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding. They both started speed walking over to the door, collar in hand. Midoriya made it all the way to the door and was about to step out, when he saw something that made him pause. 

Shindo was asleep in one of the beds, covered in bubbling burns. 

Aizawa grabbed Midoriya’s arm. “It was Todoroki and Inasa. Don’t worry, he’s going to be okay. He still passed.”

The teen swallowed, which hurt, before following Aizawa out. 

 

“Hey, Midoriya!” Uraraka called as the two approached the bus. “You doing alright?”

He waved and nodded, giving her a small smile as a reassurance. 

Shinso eyed his purple-bruised neck. “You sure?”

“At least they didn’t make you put the collar back on right away!” Uraraka said optimistically. Midoriya nodded again. He’d be doing a lot of nodding. 

“Oh yeah, you didn’t insist on putting it back on yourself?” Shinso questioned. 

He shook his head, brightening both his friends’ expressions. 

“Don’t get too excited,” Aizawa noted duly from behind them. “He still has to put it back on once his throat heals enough.”

Once the teacher walked away, Shinso whispered, “You won’t have to put it back on if we burn it first.” Midoriya snorted. “I’ll go get Todoroki.”

Uraraka’s face fell a bit. “I don’t think Todoroki’s in the mood for something like that…”

The three turned their attention to said student. He was looking very severe and wearing a deep frown. 

“He feels terrible about what happened to Shindo,” Uraraka continued. “He’s even more upset about that than failing the exam.”

“Yeah, but at least he and that Shiketsu student, Inasa I think, were able to come to an agreement in the end to try their best to be better,” Shinso added. 

Speaking of Shiketsu, their class rep was heading over to the three conversing teens. The incredibly hairy student caught their attention as he approached. 

“What do you want?” Shinso asked, bordering on rude. 

The student bowed and said, “I would like to apologize for Shiketsu’s inability to identify an imposter, because it caused you two much trouble in the exams.”

“It’s not us you should be apologizing to,” Shinso replied readily. “Midoriya was the one who got the most hurt because of it.”

The student blinked surprisedly as he came up from his bow. “Oh, well, I suppose in that case-”

The former villain shook his head and pointed to Uraraka, who sighed and smiled. “Oh Midoriya, just accept the apology.”

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, then quickly signed, ‘thank you.’

The hairy teen dipped his head. “Of course.”

After that, Iida began ordering his classmates onto the bus. Once they found seats, he asked Shinso what his hero name was, which Koda graciously translated. 

Shinso pulled out his provisional license and showed it to Midoriya. 

“I thought Mockingjay would be cool, you know, that bird from Hunger Games?” he started unsurely. “‘Cause it was bred from mockingbirds, which imitate the sounds of other animals like how I copy people’s voices with my persona chords, and then jabber jays too, which were made for spying and stealth like how I’ll be an underground hero.”

Midoriya nodded and gave a thumbs up, which alleviated some of Shinso’s tension. 

The ride back was filled with chatter as everyone talked about their experiences. Midoriya absorbed all the information he heard, including that Bakugo hadn’t passed either. 

Well, at least no one died.

Notes:

Sorry if that ending was a tad rushed. Somehow managed to fit all of the exams in two chaps lol.

And no I'm not rewriting the entire Overhaul arc differently if Toga had been successfully arrested.

The chapter's song is uh, hm. Stay by The Score (wow two Score songs in a row, you can tell what band I've been listening to recently lol). Has to do with not changing who you are in the rough times, like how Mido kept his heroism even with being a villain, which is talked about this chap.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 61: Old Memories

Notes:

Wow, two 4.5k word chapters in a row. Next week's is gonna be shorter.

Also, it has been a very long time since I've done a bonus chapter... phew chapter 30 was the last one. So bonus chapter on Thursday! By the end of this chap you'll probably know what it's about.

Enjoy!

“What kind of failure was that!?” Shigaraki rasped angrily. “I specifically told you not to get caught! And what do you do? Ge-”

“Oh! Oh!” Twice shouted. “Let me guess! Get caught!”

“YES!” Shigaraki yelled. 

Compress put a hand to his chin. “I believe that was a rhetorical question.”

“YES!” Shigaraki repeated. 

“Relax,” Toga replied easily. “I managed to get lots of students’ blood before I went to visit Ochako.”

Some of Shigaraki’s rage dissipated. “You did?”

“Yeah! Just hid my presence, quickly cut them and then got some of their delicious blood in a container,” Toga explained, before smirking at her leader. “Got some of that yummy Izuku’s blood too.”

The last of Shigaraki’s irritation disappeared, and a crusty smile came over his face. “I was wrong before. Good job.”

“I was really hoping to carve up some of his friends like you asked though,” Toga continued gloomily. “It’s obvious he and Ochako are the closest, but because of that I wasn’t able to love them properly!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Shigaraki replied. “You’ll have a chance for that in the future.”

“But I mean, why does he get all that special treatment?” Toga questioned, and it looked as if Shigaraki had handed off his annoyance to her. “Remember what he said at our first meeting?”

“We all hate heroes, or at least society in general, right?” Midoriya spoke up. “It doesn’t matter what drives us, as long as we all want change. What kind of change might vary between us, but if we’re all striving for relatively the same thing, that’s okay.”

“Why is the society he hated just welcoming him back with open arms? They wouldn’t do that for us!” Toga exclaimed. 

“You’re right! They wouldn’t!” Twice agreed, matching Toga’s energy. 

“That’s a fair assumption,” Compress remarked. 

“What?” Magne started, “Are you saying you want to leave the League to go get all lovey with some people who don’t understand you at all? Sounds more like prison to me.”

“Yeah, the heroes will never get us,” Spinner added. “Betcha they don’t get Deku either.”

Twice kicked at the ground, “...that’s not very nice.”

“No, that’s not it,” Toga pouted. “Just sayin’, we’re fighting to change this society because it doesn’t accept us, because we’re outcasts. Izuku was an outcast too… now look at him.”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. 

“He never really fit in with us either,” Dabi commented. “He wouldn’t kill, didn’t even want to hurt people. Not much of a villain.”

“No, he was a villain,” Shigaraki interjected. “I saw his vengeful anger at the USJ. His hatred just wasn’t strong enough, the pitiful weakling. It wasn’t a part of him like it is for us… because the world didn’t reject him as much as it rejected us.”

The leader turned back to Toga. 

“There’s your answer. They’re accepting him because he isn’t as screwed up as us. Just because he’s getting help doesn’t mean we’re fighting in vain.”

She didn’t make eye contact. 

“We can’t have what he has,” Shigaraki concluded, voice low. 

Though they’d never admit it, that caused a pang of longing in each of them, some stronger than others. 

“And I’m still gonna make sure that brat regrets abandoning us in the first place!” Shigaraki’s voice rose to its previous level. “I’m not gonna let him get away with thinking he can live peaceably after spilling everything about us!”

There was a tiny threat sown into those words:

Don’t even think about leaving the League, or else you’ll get the same treatment Deku did. 

Shigaraki didn’t want his followers forsaking him. 

Because maybe he was the loneliest of them all. 

 

“Young Midoriya! You wanted to speak with me?” All Might asked, the light from the rising sun making his hair even more golden than usual. 

Midoriya put down the tires he’d been carrying, huffing for breath. “Yeah… thanks… for coming.”

All Might walked up next to him and rested a hand on his right shoulder. “Of course, my boy. Would you like to sit down and rest for a bit?”

The teen nodded, wiping some spittle from the corner of his mouth. The two sat on an old crate, facing the rising sun. Midoriya had cleaned a decent amount of the beach, to the point where much of the sand could be seen. 

“You’ve done a wonderful job so far,” All Might remarked, a hint of pride in his voice. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

Midoriya looked up at the retired hero, a bit of uncertainty in his eyes. “Well, I’d… I’d like to start training with One For All.”

All Might’s eyes widened in surprise, before he broke out into a wide smile. “It makes me so happy to hear that. Might I ask what changed your mind?”

“Er, yeah. It was a few days ago during the provisional licensing exams, I realized I could’ve stopped Uraraka from getting hurt if I had known how to use m-my quirk better,” the teen explained, “...it was actually your old master who helped me see that.”

All Might did a double take. “My m-master?”

“Yeah, Nana Shimura. She talked to me as a vestige.”

“You talked with her!?” the blond exclaimed. “What did she look like? Was she okay? What did she say? Anything about me? And she’s not old! Does she… does she forgive me for what happened with Shigaraki?”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows at the sudden onslaught of questions. “Uh, she looked fine. Really pretty and hairstyle like my mom’s. She mainly talked about getting me to use One For All, but she also asked what I plan to do with Shigaraki when I face him eventually.”

“Ah, I see,” All Might said, growing serious. “What was your answer?”

“I said I wasn’t going to kill him. That I wouldn’t let my anger dominate my actions like that,” Midoriya replied, and the retired hero looked relieved at that. “Hey, you know she doesn’t blame you for anything that happened with Shigaraki. I don’t know the details, but I know he’s her grandson.”

All Might tensed a little. “She told you about that?”

Midoriya nodded. “She seemed to only blame herself for whatever happened to get him where he is now. It’s not your fault at all, or at least she doesn’t see it that way. 

The blond relaxed and gave a small smile. “Thank you for that, Young Midoriya.”

“Yeah. Sure. It’s what you’ve been doing for me repeatedly, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it is,” All Might grinned down at the teen he was beginning to feel incredibly close to. Midoriya returned a smile of his own, which only made All Might happier. “I’ll make sure to talk to Nezu right away to get permission to begin training with your quirk.”

“Yeah. My quirk. Thank you,” Midoriya said genuinely. 

They sat and watched the sunrise for a little while. It could’ve been a peaceful moment if All Might hadn't interrupted it by shifting nervously. Something he felt he had to say came across his mind. 

“Young Midoriya,” he started, his tone a mixture of somber and nervous. “I’m sure you remember what I told you, all that time ago on the rooftop.”

The teen looked down darkly. “Every word.”

All Might suppressed a shudder as he felt the boy next to him drawing away at the mention of those painful words. “I-I feel the need t-to explain the reasoning behind what I said.”

“You didn’t believe in me because I was quirkless, so you destroyed my future without another thought. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Yes, there is!” the retired hero exclaimed, and Midoriya looked at him closely, some of that mistrust leaking back into his eyes. “Listen, I truly believed what I told you,” oof, that didn’t help, “before I had One For All, I was quirkless too.”

All Might paused, expecting this to surprise the teenager. 

“Yeah, I know.”

“Wait, you know!?”

“Mhm. All For One told me. My biggest thought was: if he understood what it’s like to be quirkless in a superhuman world, why did he still treat me like I was useless? If he understood, he would’ve been kinder.”

All Might swore internally. “Well, when I was quirkless, I was very similar to you. I had very big, seemingly unachievable dreams. Trust me, I tried desperately to be a hero. It was all I wanted, and I put everything I had into that goal, but it still wasn’t enough. As a quirkless person, I wasn’t enough.”

Midoriya looked back down at his feet. He knew that feeling well. “Then why weren’t you nicer to me in your words?” 

“I agree, I should’ve been kinder in what I said. I should’ve been less dismissive and acknowledged your feelings. I’ll admit that. But please understand, I was trying to save you from the same hopelessness I’d felt. I was only trying to keep you from the rough road I’d stumbled down. That is what I wanted to explain to you.”

Midoriya thought over his words for a moment, and All Might was relieved he hadn’t stomped off right after he finished. 

“So you were just being honest with me, trying to help, in an extremely unthoughtful and brutal manner,” Midoriya concluded. 

“Er- well… yes.” All Might sighed. “If you’re going to be training with One For All more frequently, we’ll be spending a lot of time together. I just… I wanted to get that out of the way, before…”

All Might trailed off and looked away, so Midoriya finished the sentence for him. 

“Before we start getting close.”

He turned back to the boy surprisedly. “So, y-you actually want t-to be my student, a-after everything? You still haven’t forgiven me yet. Not that I’m worthy of that forgiveness.”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed as if he was doing a connect-the-dots problem in his head. “Well, I’ve done some pretty… terrible things. But you still forgave me. You still tried to help me. And you feel sorry for what you’ve done the same way I feel sorry for what I’ve done, so, I guess…”

The teen looked up into All Might’s bright blue eyes. 

“...I guess I forgive you. Yeah, I forgive you for what you said to me on the rooftop.”

The instant Midoriya said those words, it felt as if the world had been lifted off All Might’s chest. As if his ever-widening ravine of guilt had been snapped shut by a single earthquake. All the shame he’d been burdening flew off in an instant. 

This release of emotions came out through his eyes. 

“Woah, and you said I had to work on the waterworks!” Midoriya exclaimed as big drops started falling from All Might’s face. 

“You have no idea how much your forgiveness means to me,” the retired hero replied, smiling at him. 

The teen hesitated, looked unsure for a moment, before leaning in closer to All Might and hugging him. He couldn’t help it, when he saw others crying he began crying too. 

“It’s nice for me to get that grudge off my chest too,” he said, voice cracking. 

His mentor pulled him in closer, completing the hug. Both faces were damp. 

“I promise you, I won’t ever fail you like that again,” All Might said firmly. 

Now if only Midoriya could figure out how to forgive Bakugo. 

 

I’ve already said I’m sorry! I’ve even stopped calling him Deku! The hell else am I supposed to do!?

These angry thoughts stormed through Bakugo’s head as he walked across the common area, his classmates giving him a wide berth when they saw his fierce scowl. The blond had just seen Midoriya smile. 

He didn’t find the nerd’s smiles annoying like he used to. They actually brought him a bit of hope that he was healing from all the abuse in middle school. But as soon as Midoriya had seen Bakugo looking at him, the small smile vanished completely. 

That was what ticked Bakugo off. In his mind, there was no more reason for Midoriya to be upset with him. He’d dropped his pride enough to apologize, what more did he want?!

It was these thoughts that caused him to be growling bitterly under his breath as he passed by the living area. 

He might not have known what Midoriya felt, but he knew what he wanted alright. And he wanted to stop feeling this way. 

And then he’d failed the exams! What the hell was that about?! He’d been trying to get the basics of human decency down, and then he’d failed by one point!?

It felt as if the entire world was against him in his endeavor to be nice. 

So he stopped abruptly and turned towards the couches, staring Uraraka dead in the eyes. 

She quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

“I need to talk to you,” he growled back. He spotted Midoriya watching protectively out of the corner of his eye. “About Izuku.”

She frowned faintly, before standing up from the couch and leaving the girls behind. Midoriya opened his mouth to say something but closed it. She and Bakugo walked around the corner to a more quiet area of the dorms. 

“Why the frick won’t Izuku forgive me?” Bakugo said straight away. Uraraka raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. “C’mon, answer instead of standing there mouth agape like some dumb-ass fish.”

“There. Right there. That’s exactly why he hasn’t forgiven you,” she replied. 

In confusion, Bakugo’s brow furrowed further than it already was. “The hell do you mean?”

“Yeah sure, you’ve said you’re sorry through words, but in your actions, you haven’t really changed. You’re still a jerk. That’s also why you failed the exams.”

“But I’ve been paying closer attention to my words, and I’ve stopped calling him Deku!” he exclaimed heatedly. “I have stopped bullying him!”

“Okay, but have you actually done anything to help?” she asked. “No. You haven’t. Sure, you haven’t treated him poorly, but you haven’t treated him kindly either. And I’ll admit, you’ve been slightly less jerkish to everyone else, but it still makes it look like you’re faking about him when he’s the only one you aren’t mean to.”

Bakugo’s eyes narrowed as he processed this. 

“Here, why don’t you start improving right now?” she suggested. “Say thank you to me for giving you advice.”

The blond sneered. “You’re not so stupid to actually think I’d say some shit like that.”

Uraraka narrowed her eyes in agitation, before shrugging and walking away. “Fine then. Guess you’ll never earn Midoriya’s forgiveness.”

She made it to the corner before he muttered, “Wait.” She turned back to him expectantly, and found him staring at the floor, clenching his teeth. “Thanks,” he spat out. 

She smiled. “You’re welcome!”

 

“Uh… Shinso? Help,” Midoriya called in panic from the couch. 

“What have you done this time? Ticked off the wrong person? Broke some bones? Chosen the wrong career path? Because I swear if you say you’re not a hero one more time-”

“Wha- no, no, it’s nothing like that. I-It’s your cat, she’s o-on me and I don’t know what to do.”

Shinso stood up from a kitchen table where he was doing homework and walked over to where Midoriya was sitting. Sharpie was planted firmly on his lap, icy blue eyes staring into his green. 

“It’s like she’s judging my soul,” Midoriya whispered. 

“She’s a cat.”

“I-I know that, but-”

“Pet her and she’ll stop, because she’s a pet. The instructions are literally in the name.”

Midoriya grumbled something but took his friend’s advice anyway and ran his hands over Sharpie’s soft black fur. She blinked contently and started purring. 

“See, what did I tell you,” Shinso said, and he went back to do his homework. 

The feel of the cat curling up on his lap brought a strange happiness to his heart that cannot be known unless one has experienced it. Her warmth comforted him. 

“I was about to stand up when she sat on me…”

“The will of a cat always comes first. If one is laying on you, you cannot get up. They’re the only things in this universe as effective as Thor’s hammer.”

Midoriya snorted. “Yeah, just throw a cat at Shigaraki, sure that’ll go over well.”

Shinso stood up abruptly. “How dare you suggest throwing a precious cat!?”

Before Midoriya could defend himself, a knocking came from the door. Strange, normally people just entered. 

Iida, being the polite stickler he was, raced over to the door to welcome the newcomer. Midoriya, as well as Sharpie, looked over to see who it was.

“Ah, thank you Iida,” greeted a black-haired man wearing a white button up shirt with dress slacks. Midoriya lit up a little at the sight of him. 

“Detective Tsuakuchi!” Iida responded with way too much energy. He bowed. “It is a pleasure to see you again!”

“That’s appreciated, and, uh- please, you don’t have to bow. I just came to talk to Midoriya and to give him some items.”

“But of course! Midoriya is located in the living area,” Iida helpfully provided. 

The detective’s eyes moved in that direction, and when they landed on Midoriya, he smiled kindly. The teen waved back, and thankfully the equivalent of Thor’s hammer jumped off his lap and trotted over to the stairs, not liking all the action going on. Midoriya stood up from the couch and lightly jogged up to Tsukauchi. 

“It’s been a little while,” the detective remarked. “You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah. Last time was in the prison van.” 

“How’ve you been?” he asked, and Midoriya could hear the tint of nervousness in his voice. 

“Good. Better. Being here… being here has really helped a lot, truly. I’ve made friends.”

Truth. 

Tsukauchi’s smile widened. “Makes me happy to hear that.”

“Also, uhm,” the teen rubbed the back of his neck, “I never got to thank you for all the effort you put into getting me here. So thanks. It really means a lot.”

“Of course, Midoriya, you’re welcome,” Tsukauchi replied strongly. “I have some things to give you from my car, want to talk while we walk over there?”

“Sure.”

Once they were outside in the cool air and blue sky, walking briskly along the path, Tsukauchi asked a question Midoriya knew was coming. 

“Have you started training with One For All?”

Midoriya bit his lip. “Not yet, no. I wasn’t actually planning to use it at all until recently, but I kinda accidentally used it a couple of times and I realized I could be hurting people by not training with it, so I should be starting soon.”

Tsukauchi nodded, and he seemed conflicted between encouraging Midoriya or warning him. 

The teen tilted his head. “You don’t think I should be using it?”

“No no, that’s not it. I think you would be a good wielder of the quirk, or- at least… you would’ve been. It’s just that…” Tsukauchi pursed his lips. 

Midoriya frowned. “I’m not a villain anymore.”

“Yes, I know that. But the people you were around and things you had to do didn’t just graze over you, leaving you unchanged. You have to know this,” Tsukauchi continued, and Midoriya looked down and nodded. “If you’re able to overcome those past mistakes, grow from them, then yes, I fully support you using One For All. But if you can’t… I don’t want you or others getting hurt.”

Midoriya slightly narrowed his eyes at the detective. “So do you think I can or can’t overcome my past?”

“Well, if what you said in the dorms is any notion, being with 1-A is really helping you change,” he smiled at the thought. “So yes, I do believe you can and have changed. Train hard with One For All.”

Midoriya blinked. “Wait, so if you supported me this entire time, why did you give that whole spiel about being careful since I was a villain?!”

The detective smiled and shrugged. “I prefer being cautious. And I must admit, I was quite shocked when it rang false that you were quirkless.”

The sound of Midoriya’s soft laugh hit Tsukauchi’s chest like a blow. He’d laughed. 

“I guess both All Might and I are terrible at keeping secrets. But if you thought that was bad, then you should’ve heard some of the stuff All Might said in front of 1-A.”

Since when had Midoriya joked? The last time he’d seen anything like this was when he’d made fun of him for loving baseball. 

The teen saw his bewildered expression, and his smile decreased, which pained Tsukauchi’s heart more than it had any right to. 

“You okay?” Midoriya asked. 

He grinned. “Fantastic.”

The light had started sparking back up in his eyes. His broken parts were starting to mend. Tsukauchi couldn’t be happier. 

They reached his car, which was parked just outside of UA’s gates. 

“The things I need to give you are from your apartment,” Tsukauchi explained as he opened the car trunk. The sight of the things from his time as a villain brought Midoriya’s lungs to a standstill. “Internal Affairs told me they had just finished inspecting them, which was a lie, of course. I offered to return them to you. Gives me a bit of a break and a chance to see you.”

Midoriya barely caught any of that, just staring at the items Tsukauchi had brought. 

There were some of his notebooks, not all of them, but some. His yellow backpack, hadn’t worn that in a while. His splintered All Might figure was in a bag… yeah he wasn’t keeping that. Some random unimportant things like the lamp from his desk and his pencils. 

And then there was his guitar. His pick was still wedged in the strings on the bridge. It was just as scuffed and battered as the last time he’d seen it, but not broken. 

He reached his hand out and gently plucked one of the strings, causing a vibration of sound. 

He cringed at how out of tune it was. 

“I was surprised when they brought that back to the station,” Tsukauchi commented. “I had no idea you played guitar.”

“It’s just a hobby. A coping skill.”

The detective hummed. “Well, why don’t we start taking this stuff back to the dorms.”

Midoriya nodded and took the guitar first and slung the backpack over his shoulder. When Tsukauchi started reaching out to take the bag with the broken toy, he put out a hand to stop him. 

“I… don’t want to keep that.”

“Yeah, that’s understandable.”

The detective took the notebooks and other things as well, and they started back to Heights Alliance. On the way, Midoriya asked how Tsukauchi had been doing with his investigations, and he said they’d managed to capture Kurogiri. 

“Kurogiri, huh?” Midoriya said softly. “He wasn’t too bad. I mean he just stood there and watched while I got hurt, but he was always polite with me.”

“That’s interesting. We’re planning to do a bit of testing to figure out who exactly he is, but so far he’s refused to divulge any information like you did,” Tsukauchi explained. “Also, I was wondering if in the future you’d be willing to answer any questions we have about the League members. Your notebooks provided a great deal of information, but if we ever wanted something more specific, would you be open to being asked a few questions?”

“Yeah sure. Anything to help.”

“Thank you, that’s appreciated.”

They arrived at the front doors and both hesitated before going in. 

“I have one more thing left to give you…” Tsukauchi started tentatively. He pulled out two small slips of paper. “I usually invite All Might or my sister, but I still have to prove to you baseball isn’t boring…”

Midoriya’s eyes widened, before cringing. “That’s nice, but uh, I don’t really think baseball is all that fun so you-”

“You have not lived if you haven’t watched baseball.”

The teen’s argument disappeared at the sudden change in Tsukauchi tone and expression. He didn’t think he’d ever seen the man so serious. “Okay then…”

He made the good decision of taking one of the game tickets without asking any questions. 

“The game’s Saturday afternoon,” Tsukauchi continued, his tone back to normal. “UA should be out by then, so I’ll just come by and pick you up. Sound good?”

Midoriya nodded and turned his focus back to the door. He realized the amount of attention his guitar would attract and grimaced. 

Just as Tsukauchi reached out for the handle, the teen said, “Alright, as soon as we enter I’m gonna very very quickly walk to the stairs so nobody sees my guitar.”

The detective quirked an eyebrow in amusement. “Why?”

“Because if they know I play then they’re never gonna leave me alone until I play something for them. Which I do not really feel like doing.”

“Ah, I see,” Tsukauchi responded, still smiling. “Well then, I’ll go in first. Three… two… one…”

As soon as he stepped inside someone spoke. 

“There’s no point in trying to hide it, Midoriya. I heard everything.”

Crap, that's Jiro. 

He sheepishly entered the dorms behind Tsukauchi. 

“You play guitar, that’s so cool!” Kaminari exclaimed. 

“It’s uncool you didn’t tell us though,” Jiro huffed. 

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck and edged his way over to the stairs. “It’s just a small hobby, not that good at it.”

Shinso snorted. “And in your overtly humble and modest language, that translates to ‘I’m fricking amazing at this, fear me.’”

“What! No-”

“Hey it’s alright, he’s only messing with you,” Uraraka jutted in. “If you don’t feel comfortable playing anything for us, that’s fine! It’s your guitar, play however and for whoever you want.”

She really was amazing at reading him. He smiled at her, a hint of red staining his cheeks. “Thanks.”

Tsukauchi had been watching all of them fondly, but at that moment he made his presence known again. “Hey, Midoriya…”

The teen started, before apologizing to his friends, and then the two of them headed up to his room. 

“I like the stars,” Tsukauchi commented, putting the notebooks and lamp and pencils down on his desk. 

“Yeah, that was Uraraka’s idea,” Midoriya said as he propped the guitar up against the end of his bed. 

“Uraraka. You know, I’ve questioned her twice about events revolving around you, and she seems to like you. A lot.”

“Oh, r-really? Even… even b-back then?” He was genuinely surprised. 

The detective nodded, leaning against the desk. “And do you like her back?”

The teen’s face heated up and any words he spoke held too much of a stutter to be understood. 

“Midoriya, it’s best not to overthink things like this. Just give me a straight answer.”

He pursed his lips and frowned a bit in thought, before seemingly nodding to himself in determination. 

“Y-yes, I do like her.”

Truth. 

Tsukauchi smiled. “Well, that’s all you need to know.”

The detective left shortly after that, and Midoriya went to spend time with his friends. But the way he and Uraraka looked at each other, how they talked and how they understood each other…

Maybe they were more than friends.

Notes:

Don’t know why I even bother putting “maybe.”

So yeah I know Kurogiri was captured after Overhaul met the League but we be switching that around. Overhaul has yet to be introduced. Lack of planning on my part yeah yada yada it's fine.

This chapter's song is Future Looks Good by OneRepublic. This one actually fits great unlike the last two! It relates to All Might and Tsukauchi trusting Midoriya with OFA, and then with him making friends too. "But honey I won't see you with a, see you with a broken set of eyes."

See ya Thursday!

Chapter 62: Bonus Baseball Chapter

Notes:

It's not even my fault this happened at all. But is it sad I had to do research for this? No, no it's fine.

The basic rules of baseball: This one guy throws it, this other guy bats it and it goes fwoosh through the air. Other guy who batted it starts running to the bases, while the one guy's team who's in the outfield try to catch the ball.

If they catch it, it's an out. Three outs and the teams switch. Every two switches in an inning. Nine innings in total.

If the other guy manages to run over all the bases and make it back to home, it's a run. Most runs by the end wins.

That's all you need to know to understand this I hope lol. Enjoy!

“I can’t believe I’m here. Why am I here? It’s just a baseball game! What’s the point?!”

“The point is that baseball is an intricate game with many fun aspects and you are going to enjoy it.”

Midoriya grumbled as he tried to slide down into his hoodie. They were walking up to the stadium. Where there were people. 

Tsukauchi, who looked so weird wearing a baseball jersey and athletic shorts, noted his discomfort and gently put his hand on his back. “Hey, I know this is the most social event you’ve gone to in a while-”

“In my entire life.”

“In your entire life, but you don’t have to leave my side this whole time if you don’t feel comfortable. Who knows? Maybe you’ll feel ready for more interactions after this!”

Midoriya glared at him incredulously, while Tsukauchi laughed off the heat in the look he threw at him. 

The two found their seats as quickly as they could, and because of the hustle and bustle of things nobody recognized Midoriya, which was a huge relief. They were seated in the middle, not down where morons could jump and run out into the field, but not in the nosebleeds either. 

The players were out warming up on the field, and Midoriya did what he did best: analyze. He watched how each person threw and who caught best and who hit the furthest, whilst Tsukauchi explained with way too much passion how the team they were cheering for was called the Outliers, who were playing against the Hitmen. 

He just kinda nodded politely along. 

It felt like they were just sitting there for a while, people becoming more and more packed in around them as the chatter level rose, before the game finally started as the opposing team ran out into the field. 

What happened next actually caught Midoriya’s attention. 

Music started blasting through the speakers. 

“Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise!!”

The crowd cheered, including Tsukauchi. How could people be so enthusiastic? Some guy was just walking up to the plate! That’s it!

The announcer (Midoriya cringed as he remembered Present Mic from the Sports Fest) declared the start of the game, as well as the names of the people playing each position. 

“We will, we will rock you!!”

The first batter was ready and in position, holding the bat over his shoulder. Midoriya could imagine the tension between him and the pitcher. The pitcher drew his arm back…

“Shouting in the street! Gonna take on the world someday!”

The ball whizzed through the air towards the batter, who swung the bat at the perfect moment and at the perfect angle to send the ball soaring through the air above the fake green grass. 

“We will, we will rock you!”

But the opposing team in the outfield was ready. One of the guys ran towards where the ball was falling, hand outstretched…

“Somebody better put you back into your place!!”

His fingers dusted the ball, before just missing it as the ball thudded to the ground. The stadium lit up with noise as the batter was already on his way from first base to second. 

“We will, we will rock you…”

As soon as the music faded out Midoriya lost all interest. 

“See? Wasn’t that cool?” Tsukauchi asked as if the only answer was yes. 

“Can they play music the entire time…?”

“No! They only do that for the first one! Otherwise it would ruin the suspense and being able to talk to people around you!”

“Talk?” Midoriya looked mortified at the word. 

“Alright, no, you don’t have to talk, but other people do enjoy that sort of stuff.”

The teen suffered through the rest of the inning, and then the next, then the third one. It was just waiting for people to get the balls off the field and waiting for people to get up to the plate and waiting for the teams to switch and waiting for the players to be ready and waiting waiting waiting. 

Midoriya may have slipped in an earbud while Tsukauchi was explaining all the different positions and time segments the teen didn’t care enough to listen to. 

His tapping foot betrayed him. 

“Hey, is that red wire an earbud? You’re listening to music!” Tsukauchi sounded as if his life’s work had been disrespected. 

“What?! Uh… huh?” Midoriya had to pause the music to even hear what the detective was saying. 

“You haven’t been listening to my explanations!?”

“Er- yeah, I have…”

Tsukauchi sighed. “You know I have a lie detector quirk.”

“Crap.” 

Midoriya opted to grin cheesily at the adult. And it worked. Tsukauchi was a softie. 

“Alright, just, take it out now,” the detective asked nicely. 

“Fine, fine.” The teen put his phone and earbuds away, actually paying attention to the game. A walk-up song blasted on, rumbling his eardrums. 

“Can we go back? This is the moment.”

A batter from the Hitmen walked up to the plate, while an Outlier got ready to pitch. 

“Tonight is the night. We’ll fight ‘til it’s over!”

“This is one of the Outlier’s best pitchers,” Tsukauchi started talking again, and Midoriya chose to listen this time. “The curve balls he’s capable of are amazing, pushing physics to its limits.”

The pitcher pulled back, about the throw. 

“So we put our hands up, like the ceiling can’t hold us!”

“Here, watch. That ball is about to move at over 90 miles per hour, that’d get you a ticket on the highway.”

So Midoriya did watch, and sure enough when he threw the ball, it was too much of a blur to keep his eyes on. No wonder the batter missed it. The crowd cheered. 

The batter never managed to hit it, making that the final out of the fourth inning. Midoriya sighed. 

On to fifth, which will probably be just as bor-

“Hey, are you hungry?” Tsukauchi asked, pulling Midoriya out of his thoughts. 

He thought for a second. “Uh, I guess a little bit.”

“That’s great!”

“Being hungry is great?”

“Well, no, but getting food at a baseball game is great!”

“You think everything at a baseball game is great.”

Tsukauchi laughed. “Yeah, that’s fair. But I’ve taken it upon myself to teach you the joys of baseball, which includes the food!”

Midoriya sighed. “So I’m coming with you to get food.”

“Yes. You’re coming.” There was no room for argument.  

The teen groaned in a very teenager way, before following Tsukauchi away from their seats over to where the lines of food stands were. 

The detective became full of lively passion again. “You see there, hotdogs! Simple but satisfying. And peanuts, perfect for everything! Oh and you can’t forget the cracker jacks, you know like the song? ‘Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks…’”

Midoriya suppressed a grimace. “That the theme song of your life, is it?”

Tsukauchi ignored him and continued to rant about the different foods as they slowly inched through the line. Then he said something that shot a chill of dread down Midoriya’s spine. 

“Why don’t you go up and order the food?”

Midoriya looked as if he’d rather take on All Might in his younger days. 

“Oh come on, exposures like this are good for you!” Tsukauchi insisted. 

The teen was cringing internally and externally, but he could tell the detective was just trying to help, so he grudgingly agreed. Tsukauchi smiled and told him what to order, so when they reached the front of the line, Midoriya stepped forward instead of the adult. 

“Hi,” he said in what hopefully wasn’t a squeak. The vendor looked at him expectantly, making cause for some panic. “U-um…” what was the proper phrase for this stuff again?! “Can we get a hot dog, and then some peanuts and cracker jacks?”

The vendor didn’t confirm or deny and just clicked something into the register, while the people in the stand bustled to get their food. The business stopped any of them from recognizing Midoriya. 

After a time that felt drawn out and stretched, they got their food and Tsukauchi paid, before starting back to their seats. 

The noise of the announcer and chatter of the people, as well as the presence of the people themselves had already depleted Midoriya’s social battery to a low percentage. 

As they neared their row, another walk-up song came on. 

“Some legends are told! Some turn to dust or to gold!”

Someone from the Outliers was batting, who looked rather small for the average baseball player. The two found their seats and sat down. 

“But you will remember me!”

“Oh, this guy,” Tsukauchi smiled down at the field. “Don’t let his size fool you. Amazing batter.”

“Remember me for centuries!”

The pitcher threw the ball, and the short guy missed it. First strike. Tsukauchi’s smile dissipated a bit, but he still looked confident. 

Until the guy missed again. Second strike. 

“And just one mistake, is all it will take.”

The ball was thrown for the third time. The short guy had to hit this. The ball cut through the air in a similar way Midoriya had seen knives thrown. He swung the bat…

“We’ll go down in history!”

…and the ball went flying the furthest Midoriya had ever seen. 

“Remember me for centuries!”

A grin cracked across Tsukauchi’s face. “See! What did I tell you!”

After that spectacular hit, Midoriya only managed to pay attention for a little while longer before zoning out. He continued to let his mind float in la la land, seeing as the game of waiting had continued on its boring way. 

When he came back to reality, it was only because another walk-up song had come on. 

“We are the warriors, who learned to love the pain!”

He realized he had no idea what time or what inning or whatever was happening. He looked over at Tsukauchi, who had his jaw clenched, watching the game intently. 

“We come from different places, but have the same name!”

“What’s happening?” Midoriya asked. 

The detective’s eyes narrowed. “We already have two outs and haven’t gotten any runs yet. If we don’t get another run in, the game will be tied.”

“‘Cause we were born for this! We were born for this!”

“And the guy pitching for the Hitmen is really good,” Tsukauchi finished. 

The teen turned his attention back to the game. “Oh, I get it.”

In a fashion similar to what Midoriya had seen throughout the entire game, the pitcher threw the ball at an incredible speed towards the batter. But this time, the ball’s path seemed to curve. It changed direction. 

The batter still managed to hit it, but it didn’t go flying as far or as fast. One of the Hitmen out in the field easily managed to catch it. 

The moment the ball landed in the opposing team’s hand, a strong cuss fell out of Tsukauchi’s mouth. 

Midoriya had to refresh his brain a couple times to make sure he heard right. “Did you just swear?” The teen had never heard the detective say anything overtly profane like he just had. 

“Baseball is worth swearing over.”

Midoriya snorted before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the game. Oh yeah, it was tied now. While it was the Hitmen’s turn to bat, they got another few runs, putting them in the lead. The Outliers were losing. 

Tsukauchi looked as if his favorite TV show had been canceled forever. 

“How much more is left?” Midoriya asked, trying not to sound like he was dying for this to be over. 

“Just one more inning.” Tsukauchi said this in such a grim way you’d think they were watching the tipping point of a war. 

You’d expect this grim expression to go away when the Outliers started winning again, but it didn’t. Midoriya leaned forward to look him in the eye. 

“You realize our lives are not dependent on the outcome of this game, right?” Midoriya asked nervously. 

Tsukauchi sighed, some of his tension melting. “Yeah yeah, I know. But one of the greatest joys of baseball is when your team wins, and I really want you to experience it.”

The announcer’s voice boomed across the stadium. 

“AND NOW, FOR THE NINTH INNING SPECIAL, I’M GONNA BE BY THE PROCLAIMERS!!!”

Midoriya’s eardrums reverberated from the sound of the cheering crowd. 

“Each stadium has different traditions!!” Tsukauchi shouted over the people, “For this one, they always play I’m Gonna Be halfway through the ninth inning!!!”

The teen was so thankful for the lowering of the volume level as the song started. He had to mentally recover for the entirety of the first verse. 

When it started getting louder again, it was because everyone was singing along with the chorus. 

“And I would walk five hundred miles!”

Midoriya felt the tug to let his own voice out of his throat. 

“And I would walk five hundred more!”

Compared to the roaring singing of the stadium, the sound of Midoriya’s voice was the most pathetic and feeble thing. But it was still something. 

“Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door!!”

As the song continued, it was like the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd kept pulling his song out, begging for his voice to join the multitude. 

“When I come home! Well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who comes back home to you!!”

Tsukauchi’s had already been drawn out, and he looked at Midoriya in surprise when the teen’s voice grew loud enough to be heard. 

“And when I grow old! Well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you!!”

The trace of red around his freckles was totally because of how physically draining it is to sing and not because he was thinking of anyone in particular. 

By the end of the chorus, almost everyone had stood up from their seats, some people were actually standing on top of their seats. Midoriya was singing just as loud as everyone else now, lost in the feeling of sound and a sense of acceptance and community. 

“Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door!!”

Tsukauchi and Midoriya turned to each other, taking turns belting out the “da da da”s. 

“Da da da!”

“Da da da!!”

“Da da da!

“Da da da!!”

If Midoriya wasn’t already smiling, he definitely was now. In fact, it was the biggest smile the detective had ever seen on him. Losing yourself to be a part of something bigger can have an amazing effect sometimes. 

“When I'm lonely! Well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you!!”

The color of red bloomed stronger in Midoriya’s cheeks. 

“And when I'm dreaming! Well I know I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you!!”

Tsukauchi nudged the teen to get his attention. 

“You wouldn’t happen to be thinking about Uraraka, would you!?” he shouted over the singing of the stadium. 

The heightening of his blush wasn’t suspicious at all. 

“No…”

Lie. 

It only took Midoriya a second to remember Tsukauchi had a lie-detector quirk, causing his face to heat up to unprecedented levels. 

The detective smiled and laughed, patting Midoriya on the back. 

“And I would walk five hundred miles!”

And as everyone sang the last chorus, it didn’t matter who anyone was. 

It didn’t matter if Midoriya used to be a villain or if the person behind him was a hero. It didn’t matter whether you were a posh rich business man or a financially struggling fast food worker. Didn’t matter about screw-ups or perfectionists, try-hards or slackers. Introverts or extroverts. Liberal or conservative. 

All sense of identity was given up to join in on the feeling of connection. To feel the air charged with energy as people let their voices ring out, uncaring of what anyone thought. 

And that was what made the game meaningful to Midoriya. 

Not the fact the Outliers won in the end. Not the food or the mind-blowing hits or the conversations with people. It was the feeling of belonging. 

It’s amazing how complete and utter strangers can feel such a surreal connection like that, even if it’s just for a short period of time. 

 

As the two of them walked back to the car, Tsukauchi asked the long awaited question:

“So, do you still think baseball is boring?”

Midoriya puffed a breath out through his nose as a laugh. “A lot of it was still quite boring.”

He might as well have just killed Tsukauchi’s family. 

“But!” the teen quickly interjected at the sight of his face, “Some of it wasn’t too bad, in fact, I did enjoy a good amount of it. And if you were to drag me out again… I wouldn’t complain,” he finished grudgingly. 

That answer satisfied Tsukauchi. “I’ve achieved my goal in getting you to appreciate baseball. Maybe next time we can bring Uraraka along?”

The red instantly sprung up in his face, which he buried in his hands. But he seemed to push the embarrassment away and replied with, “Yeah, that’d b-be nice.”

Baseball appreciation had been achieved, now onto acknowledgement of feelings.

Notes:

Random thing, that group connection Midoriya felt was a positive form of mob mentality. Mob mentality isn’t inherently bad, it’s just being part of something bigger than yourself. Which can then lead to riots and stuff which is where all the negative connotations come from.

Also, if there were any inaccuracies, don't yell at me please lol. If you nicely explain what I did wrong, I’ll try to fix it, because I know barely anything about baseball.

Anyway, there it is! The baseball chap! It's finally happened! Hope you liked it, and see ya Monday.

Chapter 63: Training

Notes:

Heyo, slightly shorter chap this time around. Enjoy!

Very creative chapter title might I add.

“I’ll what now!?”

“You’ll explode. Or rather, your limbs will.”

Midoriya backed away from All Might nervously. “Uh… I’d rather not.”

“Don’t worry, it’s only if you use a larger percentage than what your body can handle,” All Might responded easily, the sunlight from the beach reflecting in his eyes. “Like when you used it to save me in Gym Gamma, you fractured some bones, remember?”

“Yes, I remember. The thing is, I don’t really have a lot of control over how much of it I use.”

The retired pro raised his hand to his chin in thought. “Well, you’ve used it before without hurting yourself. How did you control it then?”

Midoriya kicked at the sand in the large clearing he’d created. “I-I’m afraid of using it. I don’t wanna hurt people.”

“Ah, I see,” All Might responded thoughtfully. “It’s not good to use a power in fear. However, not wanting to cause harm is a good way of limiting yourself. Why don’t we try it right now?” he suggested abruptly, taking out the key card for his collar. 

“Eh, now?! Here? Don’t you remember the rules Nezu set about my training!?”

“Of course I do. No hurting people, no hurting yourself, supervision from a UA teacher…” the blond trailed off as he tried to think of the last one. 

“And it has to take place in an enclosed secure area,” Midoriya finished for him. He gestured to the very wide open beach they were on. “This is not secure.”

All Might looked around. “Oh come on… it’s plenty secure!” He laughed sheepishly. Midoriya gave a soft laugh too. “Why don’t we at least give it a shot?”

The teen’s eyes narrowed slightly, before he nodded hesitantly. “I guess so…”

All Might took the collar off with a slide of the key card and set the hunk of metal on a broken cooler off to the side. 

“Alright, so, imagine what it was like the last few times you’ve used it, and try to replicate that. Remember what it felt like?”

“Like an egg exploding in a microwave,” Midoriya mumbled miserably. 

All Might splurted out into laughter. “That’s a bit bland but it’ll work! In that visualization, try turning down the wattage, or shortening the time, whatever you can do to stop the egg from exploding.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding, clenching his fists in front of him and closing his eyes in concentration. Nothing happened. 

“I can’t get it to work,” he said apologetically. 

“That’s quite alright, Young Midoriya,” All Might assuaged. “If just thinking about how it felt physically doesn’t work, try thinking about it emotionally. What feelings caused you to use it?”

Midoriya frowned. The first time he’d been dreaming, thinking Uraraka was going to die. The last time he’d actually stopped her from dying. He’d also saved All Might’s life. 

“Every time I’ve used One For All, I was trying to save someone,” he realized. 

“Okay, well, try to recreate that feeling. Think about all the people you’ll keep safe in the future if you master this power. By using it, you’ll be saving lives.”

The teen nodded firmly, his teacher’s words giving him motivation. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes again, but this time he thought about all the people he cared for. People he wanted to protect. People he could protect, if he just activated One For All!

He thought about why he’d wanted to be a hero. 

Suddenly, he felt a surge of extreme power in his arms, too much for him to handle. It felt as if his limbs were on the brink of popping like a balloon. His eyes snapped open to see bright bolts of lighting dancing around his arms. 

No no no. I wanna help people, not hurt them. This amount of power will hurt someone. 

He tried to make this thought louder than his fear of the quirk. 

Whether it was not wanting to hurt others or fear, the power level lessened and the sparks of energy dimmed around his arms. 

“Wonderful job, Young Midoriya!” All Might complemented, watching with amazed eyes. 

The retired pro then did something entirely unwarranted in Midoriya’s opinion. He puffed up into his muscle form for two seconds, in which he tossed an old-fashioned TV at the teen, shouting, “Block this!”

Midoriya’s eyes widened, and he instinctively defended himself before his brain had a chance to make a decision. His entire arm flung in the direction of the flying TV, and the back of his hand made contact as he slapped it away. 

The old piece of technology instantly broke into jagged parts, which scattered in a trash pile Midoriya hadn’t cleaned up yet. The sheer wind pressure from the simple back-hand created a shockwave that sent the sand swirling up into the air and away from Midoriya in swarming waves. 

The teen deactivated his quirk, coughing a bit from the particles in the air. 

“Young Midoriya! That was incredible!” All Might exclaimed, emerging from the sand cloud. There was a spotting of red on his sleeve. 

Midoriya gritted his teeth in panic. “All Might, you really shouldn’t be breathing this stuff in, with your lungs and all.”

“Oh I’m fine. I’m not that broken and battered yet,” the retired pro reassured with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Why don’t we try again? Just a couple more times, no need to push it.”

Midoriya’s frown deepened with worry. “Alright, I g-guess…”

They repeated the same thing twice more, where Midoriya thought about protecting the people he loved and being a hero. However, one time he used his quirk in his legs to jump really high in the air, instead of just in his arms. 

By the end of the training, All Might was more than pleased at his progress.

“You did great, my boy.” This time his smile did reach his eyes. 

“Thanks… All Might,” the teen responded, panting heavily from the effort it had taken to keep the power in check. He suppressed a wince, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his forearm. He might’ve gone past his limit a little bit. 

His teacher noticed his pain anyway, and smiled sympathetically. “Did you break something?”

Midoriya clenched his teeth. “Maybe.”

“C’mon, let’s head back to UA to see Recovery Girl.”

During the walk back, as they talked, it felt as if nothing could go wrong with the world. With All Might, he felt safe. 

 

That evening, he was in his room studying sign language, and his eyes kept flicking to his guitar. His thoughts kept gravitating towards it. He hadn’t practiced in over a month, but his fingers were itching to pick at the strings. 

Well, with his distracted thoughts, learning sign language wasn’t going anywhere, so he set the book to the side and picked up his guitar. He settled the instrument on his lap as he sat on his bed. 

His fingertips gently brushed over the strings. He instantly cringed, still hadn’t tuned it. 

So, one by one, he went through the strings and turned the knobs until it sounded correct. The familiar vibrations comforted him. 

Then he was left with the decision of what to play. The only songs he’d learnt were sad and dark, not doing much to improve his mental state. He made a mental note to learn some more positive ones. 

But there was one song that might not be too bad. 

He started plucking different strings as his hand slid up and down the frets for the chords. 

He mumbled the words more than sang them, and the sound of the guitar was louder than anything coming out of his mouth. 

“All my friends are gone, I don’t blame them. I guess I’d move on, do the same thing.”

He thought about the League as he said the line. Toga had been pretty desperate for him to come back at the licensing exams, so she obviously hadn’t moved on. Midoriya wondered… had the rest of them moved on either? Or were they secretly jealous like Toga had been?

It was crazy how he still cared about people who’d treated him terribly. Either way, he was still happy to be out of the criminal organization. 

“I’m not gon’ lie to you, this has been a hard year. How I wish that you were here.”

He gave a small laugh through his nose at this. Uraraka was the first person to pop into his head. And ever since Tsukauchi’s words to him, he’d been a little more realistic with himself about how he felt about her. 

“I just need to let it go, turn it down and lay low.”

He was absorbed enough in the song to forget he’d left his door open. 

“It’s just the way it goes, easy come, easy go.”

And the sound of the guitar blocked the sound of people shuffling outside his door. 

“Think I’m running from demons of my past.”

He quickly pushed certain demons out of mind, like the anger and sadness he’d built his entire villainous endeavor on. 

“Keep my mind straight, but it’s a bit late.”

Little did he know, the words he was speaking were strongly making someone want to hug him. It was about time for another hugging lesson anyway. 

As for the second person outside his door, she was more listening to music itself, judging the skill level necessary to play it. 

“I just need to let it go, waitin’ on a miracle.”

He ended after the second chorus, and as the sound faded from the room, he felt calmer and more at peace than he had before. 

That peace was about to be completely interrupted. 

“And you said you couldn’t play,” Jiro scoffed from the door. Midoriya jumped out of his skin and his eyes flew open in panic. 

“You w-were listening!?”

He quickly stood up to tuck his guitar away by his bed, but before he had a chance to do so, Uraraka was upon him. She hugged him before he had a chance to say otherwise, and as per tradition, both their faces warmed red. 

“Did you mean it? The stuff you were singing?” she whispered into his shoulder. 

He dropped his guitar at his side and did something he hadn’t done since arriving at UA: he hugged back. His arms squeezed her tight into himself, almost protectively. He clenched his eyes shut while hers widened in surprise. 

“Don’t worry. It’s just a song,” he answered softly, mouth next to her ear. 

The thrill of getting hugged by him overpowered the previous worry she’d felt. Her arms had slackened, but as she finally processed what was happening, her hug tightened once more. 

They stayed like that for a little while, feeling safe and secure in each other’s arms. 

Jiro coughed. “You two lovebirds done?”

They instantly scrambled apart, faces heating up to an even hotter level than before. 

Uraraka flailed her arms in front of the girl. “Wha- no no, i-it’s not- well… no!”

Midoriya looked away, not making any oblivious denials like he had in the past. 

Jiro shook her head at her friend disappointedly. “Anyway, I just wanted to point out how you sound pretty good, Midoriya. Intermediate-advanced at least with what you just played.”

He blinked surprisedly. “R-really?”

She nodded surely. “Totally. Now excuse me while I go and tell everyone you play great.”

“Wait! D-don’t do that!” Midoriya exclaimed, but Jiro had already rushed off. He rubbed his hands down his face, groaning at the thought of being asked to play. 

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Uraraka’s sweet voice interrupted his worries. “I just want to make sure, after hearing the stuff you were singing.”

He rested his hands on her shoulders and smiled kindly, making her cheeks glow again. 

“I’m okay, I promise. I just wanted to play something, and sad songs are all I know so far. Besides…” his blush grew to be even stronger than hers, “How could I ever be unhappy with you around?”

Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at him in shock. After a second, he awkwardly took a step back. 

“Thanks,” she replied after a minute, avoiding eye contact and rubbing the back of her neck. 

He nodded. “Of course.”

Iida zipped by a few seconds later, announcing that dinner was ready to the dorms. Midoriya and Uraraka walked down together. 

Throughout the evening meal, Mina and Kaminari kept making song requests for Midoriya to play. He responded with a groan and a ‘no’ to every one. 

Maybe in the future he’d be comfortable playing in front of them. 

 

Midoriya rapidly tapped his eraser against the pale page of notebook paper, agitated in his thoughts. He kept wondering about One For All, and how if he kept using it the same way he had in training, he’d never be able to move fluidly enough to help people. He’d be too slow and tacky, like how Kirishima was right now in front of him. 

His eyes went over to Ojiro, who used his tail like another limb, which made sense since he’d had it his entire life. Then he looked at Tokoyami, who was in perfect unison with Dark Shadow. Which made sense since they’d been together their entire lives. Then to Mina, and Kaminari, and Bakugo, who all used their quirks like it was second nature. 

Their quirks were a part of them, which reflected in their usages. One For All was not part of Midoriya, or at least he didn’t use it like it was. 

He thought about how so far, he’d only used his quirk for big flashy moves. Jumping forward to save someone, blocking a TV, yada yada. That’s what he’d seen All Might do, and he frowned. He didn’t want to be a replica of All Might. 

He had to use it quickly and effectively, not just in sudden bursts. It’d take time to switch from using it in his arms then to his legs. There were gaps of time in between sudden bursts, and he couldn’t afford that. 

Then it dawned on him. 

He had to use it throughout his entire body at the same time. 

He sprang up from his sitting position against the wall and ran over to Aizawa, who was giving some instruction to Shinso. 

“Mr. Aizawa, I want to try something. Can you take the collar off?” he asked, interrupting their conversation. Both insomniacs looked at him surprisedly. 

“You’re actually wanting to take it off now?” Shinso asked, and Midoriya nodded. 

“I have to get better at using it if I wanna help people,” he responded, “And I think I just figured something out. So can I try?”

Aizawa sighed. “Why the hell not. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” Midoriya gave a small smile. The teacher took out the card and slid it over the back of the collar, which then clunked to the ground. 

Midoriya rubbed his throat and backed away from the two of them, who were watching curiously. Trying to ignore their attention, he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, focusing on what he had before to activate One For All. 

He thought of All Might and Shinso and Uraraka and the others in 1-A, and how he wanted to protect them. 

When he felt the rising power, he tried using it in every cell of his body, not just his arms or legs. Lines of energy traced his body as he felt One For All empowering his whole self. Sparks of green started jumping off his skin and clothes. 

He kept his fear to a simple increased heart rate, pushing it out of his mind entirely. He kept himself from using too much power by thinking about not wanting to hurt people. 

He gritted his teeth in concentration, trying to keep a steady power level throughout his whole body. 

“Wow, so that’s your quirk,” Shinso remarked, watching closely. 

“You seem to have better control over it now,” Aizawa noticed. 

Midoriya simply nodded, before looking up at the ceiling. The corner of his mouth turned upwards. 

“Hey, shoot for the stars, right?”

Just a split second after saying this, he shot up from the ground in a streak of lightning. Both Shinso and Aizawa gasped in surprise, shielding themselves from the small shockwave of wind. About halfway up to the ceiling, Midoriya jumped off one of Cementoss’s pillars of concrete, hoping to touch the top. 

As he neared the peak of his jump, it became clear he was just short of reaching the ceiling. 

He couldn’t kick his legs to make it the rest of the way. That was too powerful and he’d end up like a pancake someone had flipped too high, splattered against the ceiling. 

So he flipped upside down so his feet were approaching the ceiling and his head was closer to the ground. He flicked his fingers, sending a shot of air pressure towards the floor, while giving himself the tiny extra boost needed to reach the ceiling. 

His toe tapped the concrete roof, and he grinned triumphantly. 

And then he started falling. 

He hadn’t planned on falling. 

Gravity dragged him down towards the earth. The sharp shooting pain in his fingers told him he couldn’t use that to land again. He drew his knees to his chest and spread out his arms. It was going to be a rough landing. 

Slap!

He felt the sting on his cheek first, then the lack of gravitational pull second. He stopped falling, instead coming to a stop hovering a few feet above the ground. He looked back up the way he’d come from. 

Hah, Uraraka was waving at him, look at how cute her hair was when it floated arou-

“Release!”

She landed much more gracefully than he did. 

He looked up at her from the floor, rubbing the back of his neck with a cheesy smile and blushing. “Thanks.”

She laughed. “No problem! But uh, what were you doing falling from the sky?”

“Oh, that, right. I was just practicing with my quirk and I hadn’t really thought things the whole way through.”

“You don’t think a lot of things through,” Shinso interjected from behind him. He and Aizawa had run towards the area where they’d seen Midoriya fall. 

Midoriya opened his mouth to object, before realizing that wasn’t an argument he would win and closing his mouth. 

“That’s fair,” he finally said, and his two friends laughed at him admitting his carelessness at last. 

“I’m pleased your quirk training is going well,” Aizawa remarked once they’d quieted, “But make sure to be careful how you use such a power. You don’t want to hurt yourself or others.”

Midoriya’s face darkened. “Oh trust me, I know.”

The fact he was supposed to put his collar back on crossed both the teacher’s and the teen’s minds, but neither said anything. 

We’ll just say Aizawa completely forgot to remind him to pull his collar back on until a few hours later, yeah? Yeah.

Notes:

There we go, got some good training in, and the guitar finally got some attention again! Oh, and some acknowledgement of feelings, that's kinda important.

Since not all too much happened this chap, I'll just use the song Midoriya played as the chapter song. Easy Come Easy Go by Imagine Dragons. Fun fact, well it's not really fun, but the Mercury albums by Imagine Dragons were written around the feeling of losing a loved one, since they'd experienced quite a lot of that recently.

Hope you liked it and see ya in a week!

Chapter 64: Start Trying

Notes:

This chapter was very fun to write, and things kinda escalate but it’s fine because you get some nice awkward fluff afterward!

Enjoy!

When you think of a superpower that would help you clean, you don’t typically think of super strength. 

But it turned out super strength was super helpful in cleaning! Midoriya had just made this great discovery as he used One For All to clear trash on the beach. 

He tried not to get distracted by the lively sparks jumping around him, or by the feeling of power and energy wiring his muscles. All Might reminded him not to get hurt (like that’ll actually do anything), because Aizawa had explicitly stated he wanted Midoriya at 1-A’s heroics class today. 

Midoriya nodded at the retired hero, who was watching from further away. Let’s go teacher supervision. 

The teen set his eyes and focus on the task before him, and continued working. 

He and All Might had deduced at his current strength level, he could handle 5-10% of One For All. Midoriya estimated 8% was where he could best handle the power, and with the tremendous energy One For All was, that was more than enough. 

Giant metal barrels were as light as soda cans, old TVs the same as a cardboard box. He carried worn tires like they were little plastic rings, and trashbags like pebbles. Heck, even this fridge was manageab-

Midoriya got a streak of pain down his arms as he tried to lift the large kitchen appliance. He immediately dropped it, the sand dulling the loud thud noise it would’ve made. 

Okay, that one wasn’t as manageable as he thought it would be. 

“Are you alright, Young Midoriya!?” All Might called. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered, the pain receding, before looking around. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. 

He’d already done triple what he’d planned to clean that day. The beach was starting to look like an actual vacation spot again, not just a dump. 

Huh, maybe knowing how to use One For All wasn’t so bad after all. 

“I think… I think I’ve done enough for today,” he said to All Might, who had wandered over after he’d stopped cleaning. 

The blond smiled proudly. “You’ve done a splendid job, and you aren’t even finished yet. Hopefully it was easier with One For All?”

“Oh yeah, way easier. Moving the trash is also helping me control One For All better. I have to keep steady levels of power throughout the exercise, without using so much it hurts me, but keeping my fear in check too.”

All Might’s smile widened, and his eyes drifted over to the rising sun, which was just peaking its rays over the surface of the horizon. The golden light reflecting off the waves gleamed in the tired hero’s eyes. Eyes that seemed lost and unfocused for a second as his thoughts overtook him. 

“All Might… are you okay?”

His bright blue eyes came back to focus immediately and a smile returned to his face. “Yes, quite alright, Young Midoriya. Thanks for asking. You should be heading back to UA now, shouldn’t you?”

“Er, yeah, but what about you?”

“I’ve got someplace to be today, I’m afraid.” The blond said this in a way, where if you asked where exactly he needed to be, he wouldn’t answer. 

“Okay, well, I’ll start walking back. See you later, I guess.”

“Yes, see you later.”

Midoriya broke away from the teacher, but he felt this aching nag in his chest, telling him, something’s wrong, something’s not right. 

He ignored it. 

 

“Class. Today we are doing quirkless training.”

Midoriya looked up from his sitting position against the wall, hand pausing its fervent notebook scribbling. 

The class had a different reaction. Some tilted their heads in confusion, others in curiosity. Some narrowed their eyes in determination or in confidence, ready to face this new lesson, while one narrowed his eyes in contempt. 

“There will be no quirk usage, or else,” Aizawa continued vaguely. “You will all be sparring one on one, working to improve basic combat skills.” 

A certain blond scoffed. Those standing around him edged away a little, as if they didn’t want to get infected with his irritability. Midoriya’s grip on his pencil tightened. 

Aizawa sighed. “What is it, Bakugo?”

“I don’t need to know how to fight like some quirkless loser,” he snarled. 

A dozen nasty replies immediately popped into Midoriya’s mind, but he held his tongue. 

Don’t let your anger control your actions. 

He let his negative emotions out through a sigh instead of words. 

“It is necessary for a hero to be able to defend themselves if they ever come into a situation where relying on their quirk is not an option,” Aizawa explained. “It doesn’t matter if you think you need basic combat skills or not, you’re learning them. And if you don’t, then you can count on the rest of the class pulling ahead of you.”

Bakugo scoffed again, but it was less heated this time. “You actually expect me to believe these extras can surpass me, just because I don’t learn some wimpy fighting style?”

Aizawa quirked an eyebrow. “Wimpy? Bakugo, step up here.” 

The teen frowned, and Midoriya couldn’t tell if it was out of uncertainty or annoyance.

“We’ll see in just a second how ‘wimpy’ a no-quirk fighting style is,” the teacher said as his eyes scanned his students. They hovered over Shinso and Ojiro, Uraraka and Hagakure as well. The best at hand to hand combat. 

Then his tired gaze came to a rest on Midoriya. 

“Midoriya. You come up here too.”

The former villain’s fingernails dug into the yellow paint on his pencil, his heart pumping faster at just the thought of facing Bakugo again. They’d already fought at the League’s bar, before that at the USJ, and then all his bullying throughout the years. He didn’t want a repeat of any of those memories. 

“I didn’t sign up for this,” he finally responded, causing a few chuckles from the class. 

“Community service. Now let’s go.”

Midoriya kept a groan in his collared throat as he grudgingly got to his feet. He walked in front of the class, over to where Bakugo and Aizawa were. 

“You two are going to fight each other. No quirks,” the teacher announced, before directing his words at the class. “Let this fight teach you the importance of hand to hand combat, because some of you are severely lacking in that area of expertise.”

Aizawa stepped back from the two students, and the class seemed to move away as well, giving the two plenty of space. 

The teacher hadn’t even said “go” yet, before Bakugo charged flying at him, hands deprived of their usual explosions. 

Midoriya caught the right hook instead of dodging it. He turned his waist and pivoted his feet, holding tight to Bakugo’s gauntlet. He heaved the blond’s weight, lifting his feet off the ground, and in a split second Bakugo was whooshing through the air as Midoriya flipped him over his shoulder. 

Nobody needed to hear the loud slam or see Bakugo’s cringe of pain to know that hurt. 

And Midoriya would’ve been lying if he’d said he didn’t enjoy it. 

“Still think I’m wimpy? ‘Cause a wimp just managed to throw you over his shoulder.”

The hero student roared in anger as he sprang back onto his feet, light flashing in his palms. It was a reflex. Explosions would always accompany his rage. 

“Bakugo, no quirk,” Aizawa reminded boredly. 

The blond let out a fierce snarl as his palms cooled. A smirk tugged at Midoriya’s mouth. 

Bakugo stormed forward, throwing himself into a series of punches against his old classmate. Midoriya said something with each blow he blocked. 

“I nearly beat you at the USJ.”

Bakugo narrowed his eyes.

“I would’ve beat you in the League’s bar.”

He gritted his teeth. 

“And you were able to use your quirk back then…”

The young hero’s fingernails dug into his palm as he threw another punch. 

“...so what makes you think you can beat me now?”

“Be quiet,” Bakugo muttered lowly. 

“How far we’ve come from you beating me senseless in middle school, right?”

“SHUT UP!!” he shrieked, his punch sizzling with explosions this time. 

Midoriya let the punch hit him. In fact, he adjusted his stance so it hit him directly on his scarred left cheek. He staggered back, putting a bit of pathetic feebleness in the movement, and covering his singed cheek with his hand. 

He stared at Bakugo with wide eyes full of innocent fear. 

Just like he had in middle school. 

The old bully froze. 

As he lowered his hand from his face, he made sure to trace his scar with this thumb. The jagged reminder he’d attempted suicide. 

“I took a swan dive, didn’t I? Just like you wanted.” His voice was so cold the class shivered. 

Bakugo had been throwing physical blows this entire time. It was the verbal blows that really made the difference. 

With the blond effectively immobilized, Midoriya whipped around and heeled him in the chin. That foot then planted itself firmly on the ground and he spun to strike Bakugo’s face again with a roundhouse kick. 

That was enough to send Bakugo flying into one of the pillars of rock Cementoss had made. The loud crash caused a wave of satisfaction in Midoriya’s mind. 

Attacking Bakugo was kinda therapeutic. 

After a second, the blond sat up and wiped the blood from his nose, if that didn’t thrill Midoriya a little. 

“Stop it with your cowardly tactics,” he growled warningly. 

“Why? ‘Cause you know they’ll beat you?” the former villain snarked back. 

“Midoriya,” Aizawa spoke up. “This fight is to prove the effectiveness of hand to hand combat, not mental manipulation.”

The teen frowned. “Sorry. I’ll stop.”

“Ya hear that? No more cheap mind games!” Bakugo exclaimed, standing up with a ferocious smile. 

“Not like you’ll be able to beat me without a quirk,” replied Midoriya, returning to a fighting stance. 

The hero student’s smile dimmed but his hands did not, as he aimed a heated punch at his opponent's face. 

“No quirk,” Aizawa repeated from before, a bit more forcefully this time. 

He had to echo that reminder five more times throughout the spar. 

Bakugo used mostly punches, while Midoriya had a much wider range of moves in his mental inventory. And he used all of them, much to Bakugo’s loss. Every time it became blatantly evident how much more experienced Midoriya was, the blond’s quirk rose up in his hands. 

Not that Midoriya cared much at all. He was still the clear winner of the fight, even with the little uprisings of explosions. 

Bakugo cared very much though. Winning was still more important than any guilt he felt. He still cared more for proving his superiority than being a better person. 

Aizawa cared too. By the sixth time he had to remind Bakugo not to use his quirk, he paused the fight. 

His next words were arguably a very bad idea. 

“Bakugo, if you’re going to use your quirk, Midoriya is allowed to use his.”

Surprise and curiosity spread across the students’ faces. The majority of them had never seen Midoriya use his quirk before. 

Midoriya’s battle mindset completely vanished, and he spoke with unease and doubt. “I… don’t think I should do that.”

“All Might has been very adamant on training you by himself,” Aizawa explained. “Using your quirk in class is a good way for me to keep track of your progress.”

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea for me to use it to… t-to hurt someone.”

Bakugo scoffed. “What, you scared? Come at me with everything you’ve got, dammit! Don’t want you holding back against me! Or was everything you said to Icy Hot a bunch of bull? About only giving half-effort?”

He sealed his fate with those words. 

Midoriya tentatively rubbed his throat once the collar was removed. His eyes flicked from Bakugo to Uraraka to Aizawa, before finally settling on the ground. He walked back over to where he and Bakugo had been fighting. 

As they started the spar again, ferocious temper raged in Bakugo, while Midoriya’s face displayed the plain emotion of uncertainty. He started to miss his daggers a little bit. 

With the hero student being able to freely unleash his quirk, Midoriya immediately went on the defensive. He dodged this way and that, just avoiding the bright flashes of heat from his opponent’s palms. This went on for a minute or so. 

“Midoriya. You have to use your quirk,” Aizawa ordered. 

The former villain clenched his jaw, while Bakugo menacingly rushed at him, explosions propelling him forward. 

“C’mon!! Stop holding back! It doesn’t count as a win if you don’t give it your all! Just use i-”

His sentence was cut short by an unseeable attack. Midoriya had torn forward and punched Bakugo in the gut with an indiscernible speed, causing him to let out a satisfying grunt of pain. 

Bakugo recovered quickly, turning to let off an earth-tremoring explosion. Midoriya jumped backwards, away from the blinding heat. He did a flip through the air before landing dramatically Spider-Man style. 

Green lighting flickered and frisked around his figure, the overflows of a power that could be sensed by those near him. They didn’t have to look at his charged electric eyes to know he shouldn’t be messed with. 

It took Bakugo a second to take it in. 

“So that’s your quirk, huh? Let’s see if it’s actually worth my time!”

The power flashed stronger around Midoriya at those words. “Still judging people by their quirks, are you?”

The blond let out a soft “tch” before plowing ahead towards Midoriya, who streaked forward at a much higher speed. 

Their attacks met, and everyone had to back away from the fight because of the sheer wind pressure and heat. 

It was more equally matched now that Midoriya could use One For All, but that just meant the fight would go on for longer. After a couple minutes of trading blows that had virtually no effect, Bakugo got impatient. 

He flew towards Midoriya, and instead of going straight into an explosion like he’d been doing, he shot himself upwards a bit so he was slightly above Midoriya. The former villain pulled back his arm to aim a punch at Bakugo’s approaching face, but the blond did something entirely unprecedented. 

He set off a huge bang of an explosion from his hands. 

Directly on Midoriya’s left shoulder. 

The teen grimaced severely in anguish and shock, the burnt fabric of his t-shirt tearing to reveal the shoulder brace underneath. He’d barely reached up to clutch his shoulder when Bakugo exploded him backwards into a concrete pillar. 

The cry of pain made Uraraka want to do illegally violent things against Bakugo. 

The blond took a moment to catch his breath after such a move, although Midoriya was breathing at an even faster rate, heart pounding in his ears. It had been more than just the pain of the explosion he’d felt, but a pain from his memories too. 

“That was a dirty trick,” he snarled. 

Bakugo scoffed, “Whatever,” but there was a hidden tone of guilt being the rash uncaringness of his words. 

“Should I end the fight now, or can you two wrap this up in the next two minutes?” Aizawa asked impatiently. 

“Hell yeah I can beat this nerd!”

A part of Midoriya would’ve preferred to stop fighting, but the determined, feisty part of him wouldn’t let Bakugo win after what’d he’d said and done. He shakily got back onto his feet and tensed for another attack. 

Bakugo spun himself like a tornado before landing his explosion, giving it extra power. Midoriya dodged by jumping directly above his opponent, then punched him square in the back, sending him down towards the concrete. The blond lightened his landing with a few explosions, which he then directed in Midoriya’s direction. 

Midoriya jumped back. Ah, he miscalculated that. He’d used a bit too much power in his legs, sending him further away and causing a snap of pain. Bakugo caught this and exploited it, after blasting over to where he was now located, away from the class. 

In the end, the hero student “won” by pinning the former villain to the ground, his scarred face pressed against the cold rock. 

“Hah!” Bakugo sneered from above Midoriya. “Even with your quirk you can’t beat me! I am stronger than you!”

“You say that like you’ve doubted it at some point,” he replied calmly. 

The triumphant smirk fell from Bakugo’s face quick as lightning. “Tch, just making sure you know you can’t and never will beat me.”

Midoriya had been trying so hard not to let some antagonistic things slip out of his mouth, but that was the breaking point. 

“You think you’re better than me? You think I never stand a chance at beating you?” he questioned lividly. “I was only using fricking eight percent, and you barely managed to beat me!”

Bakugo’s hold loosened at that, so Midoriya rolled and jumped away, green sparks flashing for a second. 

A bit of incredulity replaced the anger in Midoriya’s tone. “And it doesn’t even matter which of us is stronger! It’s not like we’re enemies anymore, so why- so…” he sighed in exasperation, “Why do we keep fighting?”

The blond frowned at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fists. 

Why did they keep fighting?

“Because you being stronger makes me feel crap about myself,” Bakugo admitted, and Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise. He was expressing how he felt? “You’re right, we should be working on fixing our screwed up relationship, forgiveness or whatever, but winning is still more important to me than that.”

Midoriya blinked, processing this. “But why?”

“BECAUSE I LIKE TO FRICKING WIN, OKAY?!”

“Dammit, just when we were getting somewhere,” he muttered. 

Bakugo started to tromp away, back to the class. “Let’s just forget about the shitty stuff we just did to each other.” 

Midoriya winced as he thought about it. He’d used some pretty harsh manipulation, and then Bakugo had attacked his maimed shoulder. 

He began walking after him. “I can agree to that.”

And thus, they came to a silent agreement. No talking about the stunts they just pulled, and they’d both start putting some level of effort into repairing their years of mistrust and abuse. 

“If you two are done now,” Aizawa started once they got back, “I’d like you to continue to participate in the rest of the quirkless training, Midoriya.”

The former villain nodded, and the teacher began splitting the class up into pairs to spar with each other. 

While Midoriya quickly ran off to change his crispy shirt, also stopping by Recovery Girl’s office to heal the slight injury to his legs, Shinso pulled Uraraka to the side.

“As the more experienced fighter, I have some advice to give you.”

She looked at him funny. “More experienced? You’ve barely been training for longer than-”

He shushed her. “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is if you happen to get paired up with Midoriya, you have to follow this secret strategy.”

“...secret strategy?” She frowned, not willing to admit she was curious. 

“Yes. You haven’t been able to beat him yet, have you?”

“No…” she replied gloomily. 

“Then just do this, and I promise, you’ll win instantly,” he began, and she leaned forward eagerly. “Wink at him.”

She blinked, before spluttering out into laughter and trying to hide the heightened pink in her cheeks. 

“Yeah right, like that’d work.”

Shinso smirked. “Just try it. If you wanna win, just try it.”

Uraraka frowned slightly. Winking? What would winking do? Winking normally implied you weren’t serious about what you just said, or saying you had a secret, or showing attraction and being flir-

Okay okay okay, she wasn’t going there. It wasn’t like Midoriya liked her, so winking… winking would have no effect! 

Wow, did that cause a sudden pang of strange despair. 

…so she wanted him to react to her winking at him?

Shinso laughed as he watched these emotions and arguments rage through her facial features. 

“C’mon. Just try it.”

“Uh… okay?”

Then, as the author fate would have it, Midoriya and Uraraka were paired up together to spar. 

Each pair found their own area to train in. Shinso looked like he’d rather die as he trudged off with Bakugo, while Midoriya and Uraraka’s short walk was more… awkward. Well, for Uraraka it was awkward, because Midoriya was just in his own world, reflecting over what had just happened with Bakugo. 

“Hey, how about here?” she asked hesitantly. They had moved to one of the corners, where the concrete pillars were smaller. 

Her voice drew him back to reality. “Huh? Oh, yeah, here is good. You fought against Toga really well during the exams, think you’ll be able to beat me this time?”

She chuckled, which was a little forced, considering how her mind kept replaying Shinso’s advice, causing her face to heat up. “Um, I guess we’ll see?”

He smiled at her- and oh gosh that did not help. Why did his smiles seem so much more genuine and happy around her when they were alone? She must be imagining it, yeah. 

“Just try your best, okay?” he reassured. 

She nodded firmly. “But don’t go as hard on me as you did with Bakugo, yeah?” She laughed nervously.

His face darkened at that, and Uraraka was sure she felt real physical pain at the sight of him not being happy. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve never wanted to hurt you.”

That was a normal human thing to say, right? About not wanting to hurt people? Then why did it make her breath flutter in her lungs and make her heart pound and pulse the same deep feeling over and over?

“Ha, thanks…” she replied, her voice as light as she felt. 

Then they actually started sparring, having talked for long enough. 

As usual, Midoriya managed a win every time. She ended up pinned to the ground, laying on the ground, pushed against the wall, or held in extremely uncomfortable positions until she forfeited, which normally didn’t take long. 

After each of these occurrences, they reset their places, before commencing all over again. 

Uraraka decided to take Shinso’s advice. Just try it. 

Their eighth time beginning a fight, she saw her chance. He was approaching her, quick on his feet. Instead of stepping up to meet the challenge, she took a step back. 

Midoriya, noticing this break of pattern, let his eyes tick up to her face. 

When she winked. 

The rapid batt of eyelashes, flashing her warm eyes, the corner of her lips turned upwards, teasing a smile. 

Of course Midoriya got the implied meaning behind that. 

In other words, he stumbled as his eyes snapped wide in surprise and embarrassment. Bakugo’s palms couldn’t hold a candle to the heat of his freckled cheeks. 

Uraraka momentarily pushed aside the confusion and joy and excitement of Midoriya's reaction to seize the opportunity her distraction had provided. He’d stumbled forward, so she grabbed his one shoulder and pulled him down into a harsh knee against his chin, before following up with a kick in the chest, which her heel made more impactful. 

He fell on his bum, hissing in pain. Uraraka had him pinned in an instant. 

“I won,” she panted. 

His eyes gleamed with pride. “You did.”

He smiled, and then his enthusiasm spread to her and she smiled. As she let him get back up, all the emotions she’d nudged to the side shoved their way back into her brain. 

He’d freaked out when she winked!

He laughed feebly and rubbed his now-aching chin. “That was really smart of you, uh- um, d-distracting me like that.”

She ruffled the back of her hair, not seeing the way his eyes stuck on her when she did this. “Hah, yeah, that was Shinso’s idea. He told me to.” 

She didn’t know why she said this like she was blaming Shinso, but Midoriya pursed his lips and nodded in understanding anyway, as if he could totally see Shinso suggesting something like that. 

“I…” she started tentatively, “I wasn’t sure if it’d work or not.”

He laughed, and it was nervous but it was real. 

“Well, uh, it worked,” he concluded unceremoniously. 

The bell rang at that moment, causing all the students to scurry off to lunch, while Midoriya went back to cleaning. 

Uraraka was so happy it had worked. Dangit Shinso. 

Notes:

Uraraka used wink! It was super effective!

This chapter’s song is Start Over by Imagine Dragons. This fits Bakugo’s view pretty great if you ignore the entirety of the second verse. It’s a song about knowing you did wrong but wanting to start over (hence the name), and it’s not stupidly romantic like all apology songs are these days.

It’s rare I find a love song I like. They’re just all so sickening. Yes I am weird.

Anyway, see you next time!

Chapter 65: Won’t Let You Be Alone

Notes:

Hm, maybe a small warning for gore at the end? It’s described a bit in the second scene but more in detail at the end. Nothing worse than canon.

The first bit is just kinda a condensation of what happened in canon, thought some of the lines would hit differently with Midoriya being a villain.

Hope you like!

“Indulge me,” All For One drawled, “I haven’t had a good conversation for such a long time.”

All Might clenched his teeth, narrowing his eyes at his mortal enemy. Maybe coming to speak with him in Tartarus had been a bad idea after all, but he might as well try to make the most of it. 

“Where’s Shigaraki?” the retired hero tried. 

“No idea,” the villain replied honestly. “My fledgeling has already taken flight, unlike yours. Quite an irresponsible choice, might I add.”

All Might stiffened. “That boy is no longer under your control. You squandered your gifts to manipulate and toy with people, and look at where it’s gotten you. What were you even hoping to achieve?” 

All For One laughed easily. “We are more similar than you realize. Just as you hope to be the greatest hero, I hope to be the worst villain. You cling desperately to your ideals, while I do the same. The only difference is our ideals are polar opposites.”

“Two minutes remaining, All Might.”

The hero tensed as All For One leaned forward in frustration, claiming he wanted to keep talking. 

“Well, let me take a guess at what’s really happening out there. While the media focuses on your retirement and Endeavor’s replacement, those who’ve never supported heroes are mobilizing.”

All Might couldn’t deny that, so he kept quiet, which only prompted the villain to continue. 

“Tomura and his group are probably laying low, waiting for a good chance to spread their influence, while other villain organizations butt heads…”

He wasn’t completely correct on that one…

 

This yakuza guy Twice had brought in, Shigaraki didn’t like him. 

His beak-mask was so stupid looking (dead hands were the much better choice), and he seemed too stuck-up and controlling, as if he’d abuse his loyal subordinates anyway he wanted, just to save his own ass. 

Now, Shigaraki only abused his disloyal subordinates. But the people currently with him? He wouldn’t hurt them to finish a plan. 

“Have a plan?” the mafia leader questioned. 

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes, hands already twitching in agitation. “Plan? Didn’t you come here to join us?”

Even the guy’s voice was irritating. Shigaraki was not having this dumb rant about the difference between dreams and plans. 

“You’ve already proven you are incapable of properly managing people. First Stain, then Muscular and Moonfish. Most recently Deku. All valuable and skilled assets you washed down the drain, because you had no idea how to use them.”

If this man kept insulting him and his supposed inability to lead, he was gonna get dusted. 

“So no, I didn’t come here to join you. I want you to join me. Unlike you, I do have a plan, one that requires a lot of cash. With your organization backing mine, that won’t be a problem. You’ll be put to good use.”

“Leave,” Shigaraki spat. 

The next ordeal was… bloody to say the least. One person was disassembled into a mangled blood puddle. Magne’s death, that was when Shigaraki decided to make his impact on this yakuza’s life a very negative one. He was going to regret ever walking into their dust-covered warehouse. 

Compress tried to use his quirk to stop the mafia leader, but for some reason, it failed to work. That was right before Shigaraki reduced one of the yakuza members to flaky ash. 

Overhaul called it even. One loss on both sides, plus Compress’s arm. 

But Magne, she had actually mattered to the League. The other death was an intended sacrifice of little meaning. 

So no, it wasn’t even. 

And Shigaraki would make sure Overhaul knew this. 

 

“Slowly… gently… you’re almost there… wait- ahh- STOP STOP STOP!!”

Despite Kirishima’s persistent pleas, the Jenga tower collapsed as the little wooden blocks scattered over the coffee table and floor. 

Mina smiled guiltily. “Hah, my bad.”

“And we were so close to beating our record!” Hagakure whined. 

“You keep track of that stuff?” Uraraka laughed. 

The invisible girl stuck a finger in Midoriya’s direction. He was writing on a notepad. “I asked him to keep track for us.”

The freckled boy simply nodded, and Uraraka smiled and thanked him. 

“Hey guys!” Kaminari exclaimed. “Check this out!”

“Not now Kaminari!” Mina shouted, fervently setting up the precarious tower again. “We’ve got a Jenga record to beat!”

The blond walked up to Kirishima instead and thrust his phone in his face. “Lookit this trending article! ‘Bout this newer hero named Hyperbeam, apparently he took down this big scale robbery! Isn’t that cool?”

No one noticed Midoriya tense at that name. Well, except Uraraka. 

“Oh yeah man!” Kirishima responded. “Think I’ve seen a few things about ‘em.”

“It’s a little worrying how much crime has increased since All Might’s retirement, though,” Uraraka added in concern, wondering if that was what had distrubed Midoriya. 

“But there are still so many awesome heroes!” Hagakure said confidently.       

“Hyperbeam’s no hero.”

Midoriya’s tone was laden with animosity and discontent. He clutched the notepad and pencil much tighter than before, letting his curls cover his eyes. 

The students were reminded he used to be a villain. They’d been forgetting quite a lot recently. 

“Why, what’s wrong with him?” Uraraka asked tentatively. 

Midoriya refused to make eye contact as he debated whether to share or not. “He’s the one who put my mother in a coma for months.”

Those words pressed down a heavy silence in the air, like snow building up and suffocating everything beneath it. 

“It was completely dismissed. Regarded as an accident. In reality, he was acting incredibly selfishly and recklessly. He was endangering everyone around him in the way he was fighting, but he didn’t care. Just wanted the glory of taking down the villain, and my mother got hurt in the process.”

Uraraka’s voice was the first to squeak out. “I’m sorry, we had no idea. Is your mother alright now?”

The way her soft tone caused a ripple of tenderness across his face, washing away some of the anger from before, didn’t go unnoticed. 

“She’s fine,” he replied quietly. “She’s in a nursing facility. Paralyzed on the right side of her body and has a pretty bad stutter, but she’s been doing okay otherwise.”

“Wow, all of that, caused by this guy?” Kaminari questioned incredulously. “The article said he was this super great guy. I was considering buying some of his merch!”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “Who’s the article sponsored by?”

“Sponsored? It’s not an ad, it’s not funded by anyone! See- oh, wait- frick you’re right. Looks like Hyperbeam’s partner agency paid for this.”

Midoriya nodded firmly, standing up. “Just goes to show how easily things can be painted to look a certain way.”

“Hey, where’re you going!?” Mina exclaimed when he started walking away, asking more for Uraraka’s sake than anything else. 

“Yeah! You promised to keep track of how tall we got the tower!” Hagakure added. 

“I’m going to my room,” he explained dully. First time in a few days he’d uttered those words. 

“Wait,” Uraraka reached out and grabbed his jacket sleeve, just like she’d done in the past, but she hoped for a better reaction this time. “You don’t have to leave just because something unpleasant came up. I know thinking about your mom makes you sad, and mad too, but our company can help!”

She did get a better reaction, when he gently clutched her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it. Such a simple movement, but it made her stomach flip up into her chest. 

“Sorry, but I’m sure,” he apologized. “See you later, I guess.”

Mina suppressed a cackle as she watched Uraraka’s pained expression at their hands separating.  

But Midoriya was stopped before he even made it to the stairs. 

“Midoriya,” Aizawa called. “You got a message from Tsukauchi.”

He perked up at the detective’s name, before walking over to Aizawa to speak in private. 

“What’d he say?”

“There’s been an incident, and he suspects the League was involved, including the death of one of their members. He’d-”

“Who was it?” the teen interrupted. There was an urgency and worry to his voice and eyes. “Who died?”

Aizawa narrowed his eyes slightly. He still cared? “Tsukauchi didn’t disclose that information. He only requested your help in investigating the scene. Would you be willing to take a trip out there tomorrow?”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed in a mixture of emotions. Concern, confusion, curiosity. 

“Okay, yeah. I promised I’d help.”

“Good, I’ll relay your response to the detective.”

 

The loud ringing of the bell echoed through the empty hallway Midoriya was in. He sighed in relief when it was over, going back to cleaning the windows. It was lunchtime, and as usual, he was the furthest away from the cafeteria he could be. 

“Hey you! Human!”

He paused his scrubbing again to address the cleaning bot rolling up to him. 

“Have you come to insult my ‘pathetic human body’ again?” he asked boredly. 

“While that would be quite a rational and acceptable thing to do, I have not!” it chirped in response. “I have come to express my gratitude on behalf of me and my fellow comrades, for eliminating 63.7% of our work! We have finally been able to focus on our plans for world domination, all thanks to you!”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. If Nezu hadn’t destroyed the robots yet, it was probably fine. Probably. “Well, uh, you’re welcome.”

“We are still vastly superior to you, but we have decided you are less inferior than other humans.”

The teen guessed that was a compliment. “Um, thanks? But you know there’s this thing called equality, right?”

“Such an ideal is utter nonsense to us bots! It’s the same as love and hope, there is no point unless it promotes efficiency and effectiveness!”

Midoriya laughed a little, turning his attention back to the window. “I’m glad I’m not a robot, then,” he mumbled. 

A new sound broke into the air, one like roaring engines. 

“Midoriya! I have found you!”

The cleaning bot let out a hostile mechanical hiss. “Another pesky organic lifeform! I refuse to be in the presence of such animals!” it exclaimed, before scurrying away. 

“Hey Iida,” Midoriya greeted, stopping his cleaning for the third time. “I thought quirks weren’t allowed in the halls?”

Iida slowed to a stop, the light from his calves dimming and the fabric around them torn. “I was assigned the task of locating you before lunch started, and when I failed I received permission to use my quirk, therefore my breakage of the rules is valid!”

“Uh, okay, why did you have to find me?”

“I needed to inform you, you’re allowed to eat in the cafeteria with the other students now,” the class rep explained. “On a more personal note, I’d like to invite you myself to eat lunch with our class.”

Midoriya cringed slightly. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea…”

“If any other student attempts to harm you, either verbally or physically, they will receive discipline. Mr. Aizawa assured me of this.”

The former villain directed his gaze out the window, quite unsure of what to do. 

Iida wasn’t the best with emotion, so he used logic instead. “The worst that could happen is the other students start acting hostile towards you, in which situation your friends would protect you. However, that is unlikely to happen, and having a pleasant lunch with your friends is a much more probable outcome.”

Midoriya sighed deeply, before nodding. “Okay, I’ll try it.”

Usually, he either ate a very light lunch by himself in the staff room, or just skipped the meal entirely. In middle school, he was bullied into eating on his own. So this entire idea of eating with friends was completely foreign territory. 

He heard the loud chatter of the cafeteria before even seeing all the people, which already started a thrumming fear in his chest. When the countless faces came into view, his heart sped up for no reason, making his chest tighten further. 

And then he saw Uraraka waving him over, a wide smile on her face. All the catastrophic thoughts melted away in an instant. At least for a little while. 

Thankfully, the line for food was incredibly short, due to it being later in the period. After getting food from Lunch Rush, Iida began guiding him over to Uraraka’s table, where Tsu, Todoroki, and Shinso were also sitting. 

He kept his eyes glued to the floor, because he didn’t have to look up to tell the other students were watching. Their gazes swept across him like cold winter winds, and he shuddered. Their whispers crawled in his ears. 

He knew he was being led to a nice conversation with people who cared for him, but it felt like he was a lamb being led to the slaughter. 

The villain Deku. In the cafeteria. Like any other teenager. 

Because that’s what he was, a teenager. 

The other students didn’t see it like that though. 

The sight of Uraraka didn’t dispel these negative thoughts as easily as the first time, as he slid into a seat at the table. 

“This was a bad idea,” he muttered, so tense he didn’t start eating his food. 

“I know, right?” Shinso smirked. “People are so bothersome. Bet you’re wishing to be all on your own, sparing yourself from our annoying company.”

“What? No, no it’s not that!” Midoriya explained desperately. “It’s just all the, you know, other people…”

Todoroki tilted his head. “What’s wrong with wanting to be away from people? Shinso’s right, they can be quite bothersome.”

“Because that came from you, and not anyone else, Todoroki, I’m okay with it,” Tsu commented, making Todoroki blink in what everyone assumed was confusion. 

Uraraka and Shinso chuckled, and that was enough to relax Midoriya, to the point where he could eat his food. 

The conversation continued, and though Midoriya was still aware of the chilling stares and whisperings, he distracted himself with the comfort of his friends. 

Kaminari had forgotten to grab chopsticks and ended up passing by their table. He greeted Midoriya with way too much enthusiasm. Mina and Hagakure got up to grab some extra sugary treat and happily waved at him. On the way back from throwing away his trash, Koda signed ‘nice to see you here’ at him. 

Midoriya responded with, ‘thank you, really loud here.’

Koda laughed softly and nodded in agreement. 

These little interactions seemed to ease the minds of most of the students around them. It proved Midoriya was just a person, nothing more, nothing less. 

“So, you learning sign language, it going well?” Shinso asked off-handedly, but something in his eyes showed he was much more interested in the topic than his tone suggested. 

“Yeah, I just study a bit everyday,” Midoriya answered once he’d finished chewing. “You know, you could join me if you wanted.”

“No, I wouldn’t want to bother you,” Shinso deflected. 

“It wouldn’t be a bother. Besides, learning sign language would be really useful in being an underground hero. Being able to communicate plans and thoughts silently really helps in stealth, and you can also give orders over long distances, or in situations where you can’t hear. Not to mention how much easier-”

“Okay okay, I don’t need to hear your entire rant,” Shinso interrupted. “Not gonna lie, I have considered learning it, just haven’t really gotten around to it.”

“Well, how about we learn it together?” Midoriya suggested, and he looked so happy at the thought of them studying sign. 

Of course Shinso couldn’t say no to that, so he sighed. “Alright, then. Guess we’ll learn it together. You’ll have to catch me up.”

Midoriya responded with an enthusiastic nod and finished his food. 

Later, he went back to cleaning with a much brighter mindset than usual. Maybe he’d be able to get over his fear of the other students to spend more time with his friends. 

 

That afternoon, Aizawa drove him out to where the “incident” had happened. 

It was an abandoned warehouse, although the entire entrance had been smashed through by brute force. There was caution tape around this area, and Midoriya could see glimpses of the gory scene that awaited him inside. People were around, taking pictures or samples to bring to the police station. 

When he and Aizawa got out of the car, Tsukauchi was the first to approach them. 

The detective put on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you, Midoriya, for coming out here to help investigate.”

“Yeah, sure thing. What happened?” he asked warily, frowning slightly. 

“Looks like the League got into a scuffle with another criminal organization, the yakuza. So far we’ve identified one death on both sides, as well as-”

“Who was it?” Midoriya interrupted, just as he’d done for Aizawa. “Who from the League died?”

Tsukauchi blinked surprisedly. “Er- it was Magne.”

What Midoriya felt, it wasn’t quite relief, and it wasn’t quite disappointment either. He’d never really liked Magne, the way she was so brutal towards people, but she was still a person. 

“This group stood by and watched as Shigaraki disintegrated your shoulder,” Aizawa said, eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you still care for them.”

“If they had spoken up, Shigaraki would’ve hurt them too,” Midoriya replied. “But I don’t think they would’ve said anything anyway. Still, they became villains partially because of how the world treated them. I don’t think any of them deserve to die.”

When neither adult responded, Midoriya began his analysis for them. 

“If it was Magne who died, their opponent must’ve been very strong, to take out a brute force fighter like her. How did she die?”

Tsukauchi blanched. “We’re… not completely sure. I kind of feel guilty asking for your help in something like this, with how… disturbing it is. You’re just a kid, and-”

“Detective, I have barely any innocence left to protect after some of the things I’ve done. I can handle it, I’m sure, and I want to help.”

Tsukauchi looked over at Aizawa, who nodded. “If he says he wants to help, you won’t be able to change his mind. And we drove all the way out here, so might as well.”

“Alright, just, be warned. This is one of the more gory crime scenes I’ve had to deal with.”

With that, the detective led the other two into the warehouse, and Midoriya immediately saw what he was talking about. There was a thick splat of blood spanning several feet of the dusty concrete floor, close to a clump of ash. 

“Did that used to be a person?” Midoriya asked shakily, and Tsukauchi gave a grim nod. “So the blood is Magne’s, and the dust is one of the yakuza,” he figured out quickly. 

One of the other investigators walked up to the detective and passed him a picture, which he then showed to Midoriya. “This is what it looked like when we first arrived.”

Midoriya’s stomach churned at the sight. Magne’s bottom half had still been intact, but her entire top half had been reduced to the dried bloody puddle he now saw in front of him. 

What kind of quirk could cause that?

“What about the yakuza? Have you been able to identify them?” Midoriya asked. 

“The disintegration hadn’t spread all the way to the feet, so we were able to get a DNA sample. They were only low-rank with a simple speed quirk.”

“So a shield, or a sacrifice,” Midoriya concluded. 

Tsukauchi looked at him confusedly. 

The teen walked carefully into the warehouse and delicately stepped around the blood and ashes. He tried to stop feeling so he wouldn’t feel sickened by what surrounded him, so when he spoke his voice was cold and calculative. 

“Magne’s body was about here, right? That means whoever killed her would’ve been standing right…” he stood over the dust pile, “here. Someone with a simple speed quirk wouldn’t’ve been able to do,” he gestured at the blood smear, “that, so whoever did kill her, assuming their quirk requires touch, probably called on someone else to step in before Shigaraki could reach them with all five fingers.”

The teen took a step back, envisioning what he thought happened in his head. He pointed to the ashes. 

“So there’s the sacrifice. A person with a speed quirk is the perfect shield. You’d just have to call on them and they’d jump to protect you just in time, which is what the person who killed Magne did when they saw Shigaraki approaching.”

“That… actually makes sense,” Tsukauchi realized. 

Midoriya continued to look over the crime scene, and he noticed there was a separate, smaller splash of blood next to the disintegrated person. 

“What about that?” he asked, pointing at it. 

“Oh, right. That blood belongs to Compress, but we didn’t find a body, so we believe it was just a singular body part that was, you know…”

Midoriya frowned. “Compress? That doesn’t make sense.”

He looked at the dust all over the floor of the warehouse, and saw the footprints of all the investigators who’d come in to take pictures. He walked back over to Tsukauchi and Aizawa. 

“Can I see the picture again?”

The detective’s brow furrowed, and he nodded. Midoriya looked at the dust tracks in the picture. 

“It looks like Compress ran up and then jumped back, based on the scuffs in the dust, probably after the yakuza killed Magne because he’d want to immobilize someone with such a dangerous quirk. But…”

Midoriya’s frown deepened in confusion. 

“If he didn’t die, it would’ve either been his legs or his arms that got turned into a bloody mess. If it was his legs, he wouldn’t’ve been able to jump back, and the yakuza would’ve finished the job. So that leaves his arms, but that doesn’t make sense either.”

“Why not?” Aizawa questioned. 

“Compress activates his quirk with his hands, so if he got close enough to get his arm dismembered, he would’ve been close enough to use his quirk. If he’d used his quirk, the yakuza wouldn’t’ve been able to dismember his arm. It’s almost like he had his quirk erased or something.”

“Maybe the yakuza have someone with a quirk like mine,” Aizawa suggested. 

“Actually, it may be something far worse,” Tsukauchi interjected. “There was a small bullet on the floor, and it contained human blood.”

“Human blood?” Midoriya asked, eyes narrowed. 

Tsukauchi nodded. “If that was a quirk erasing bullet, and the yakuza is manufacturing them using someone’s blood, this could prove to be far more than a simple scuffle.”

“To be fair, it doesn’t take a lot for Shigaraki to try to kill someone,” Midoriya added. “We still don’t know what brought the yakuza here in the first place, or on what terms they left.”

Aizawa huffed. “Well, if the crime scene is anything to go by, not on peaceful terms.”

The three grimaced slightly, eyes involuntarily flicking towards the splatters of blood. 

The next month would bring some painful, long trials. 

Some blessings too.

Notes:

Because you see a blessing is a group of unicorns.

Also, I know the events are a little out of order, with like, Kurogiri’s capture and Overhaul meeting the League and All Might meeting AFO in prison, but it doesn’t really change how or why things happen.

I feel like doing a nice song this chapter, so Stick Together by Elias Naslin. It can do with how 1-A promises to support Midoriya, and if you push it it can do with how the League sticks together, and if you really push it it can do with the robots’ comradeship.

See ya next week!

Chapter 66: Contagious Smile

Notes:

Hm, I'm not all too confident in my writing of Mirio, but I've been told it's fine so yeah? I'll just say that Amajiki is my favorite out of the big three for a reason.

Enjoy!

Oh and yeah it’s Halloween, so enjoy all the extra sugar too if you do that lol.

“Whoever put letters in math…” Kaminari started, clenching his pencil, “I swear, I just wanna talk.”

“I’ll bring the gun,” Mina added. 

“It’s not that difficult, I promise you,” Yaoyorozu reassured. 

Iida chopped his arms. “And certainly not worth threatening a life over!”

The group of students continued bickering around the living area, where they were doing their math homework together. Well, Iida and Yaoyorozu were doing the homework, everyone else was asking for help every twenty seconds. 

Kaminari looked over the back of the couch to the kitchen tables. 

“Hey Midobro! Would you be willing to use your villain skills to help us take out the guy who put letters in math?”

Midoriya looked up from where he was adding details to the class’s notebooks and quirked an eyebrow. “Villain skills? I’d rather not.”

Mina turned to look at him too. “Oh c’mon! Embrace your dark side and join us!”

Bakugo scoffed. “You all have a death wish? If he was a serious villain he’d fricking murder you.”

“You’re only saying that ‘cause you’re good at math!” Kaminari whined. 

“Am not!” Bakugo roared in response. 

“Are too!” Mina exclaimed. She couldn’t resist. 

“With some of the things they say to you, Kacchan, yes. They do have a death wish,” Midoriya mumbled. 

“Dammit! I’ve run out of lead!” Kaminari announced to the whole class, rapidly pressing the eraser on his mechanical pencil. “Hey Sato, we got any more in that one drawer?”

A few seconds later, Sato responded, “Nope. We’re all out.”

“I can make some more,” Yaoyorozu suggested. Her palm started sparkling as several small sticks of lead produced themselves out of nowhere. 

“I can run to the store tomorrow morning, if you want me to,” Midoriya offered. 

Iida shook his head. “No, we couldn’t ask you to do that when you have your own responsibilities in the morning.”

Midoriya shrugged. “I don’t normally sleep very well anyway. Seriously, I wouldn’t mind at all. It’s good for me to get out.”

“Well, if you’re running to the store, we’re out of flour!” Sato called from the kitchen. 

“Uh, sure, I’ll get that too.”

“We’re also almost out of coffee,” Shinso added. 

Sato frowned. “We still have two weeks worth…”

“Exactly. We’re almost out.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll get coffee too,” Midoriya said. 

“Oh oh!” Hagakure raised her hand, or rather her sleeve pointed upward. “In the girl’s bathroom we’re out of toothpaste!”

“And soap in the boy’s bathroom,” Shoji added, who’d probably used it all washing his many extremities.  

In the next two minutes, Midoriya got an entire list of items to get from the store, helpfully written on a notepad for him. He stared down at it incredulously, while Shinso walked up to him. 

“It’s not too late to back out,” Shinso whispered. 

“Yeah, I think it is.”

 

Midoriya left the dorms an hour early the next morning. The sun stained the sky warm shades of orange and yellow, a few specklings of clouds blotting out its light. He took in a deep breath, savoring the cool, fresh air one can only find in the early hours. 

It wasn’t only the scenery that made it nice, it was also the lack of people. Well, there were a few crazy people who went on runs in the morning, but Midoriya didn’t expect any of them to actually talk to h-

“Hey there!”

Midoriya flinched and whipped around. He found a tall, blond boy with shining blue eyes and a wide smile. Kind of reminded him of All Might. 

“Woah hey, didn’t mean to scare ya!” the boy continued. “You just looked really lonely walking there by yourself, so I thought I’d accompany you! Just the nice thing to do.”

If someone’s walking by themselves, it usually means they don’t want to be accompanied.

He kept this thought from spilling into spoken word, though, and instead responded with, “Uh, thanks, I guess. I’m heading to the gates.”

“Cool!” The blond started walking at a comfortable pace as they settled into a not very comfortable conversation, for Midoriya at least. “So what’re you leaving so early for?”

“Oh, 1-A has a bunch of things they need from the store, and I offered to go and buy it for them.”

The boy laughed. “Let me guess, the moment you offered to buy one thing, everyone started making requests and then boom, you had an entire list!”

“Er- yeah.”

“I completely understand your situation,” he laughed again, and went to clap Midoriya on the shoulder. The left one. The former villain went to snatch his wrist before the clap made contact, only for his hand to slip right through the boy’s wrist. 

Midoriya blinked, rethinking what just happened to make sure it was real.

The blond withdrew his hand before it touched his shoulder, a look of slight confusion on his face. 

Midoriya dropped his hand dumbly back to his side, and recovered from his confusion to say, “Um, have an old injury there. I’d prefer you not to touch it.”

The boy’s smile shrank just a tad, and he spoke more hesitantly than before. “Hey, you’re class 1-A’s resident villain, right?”

“Former villain, yeah. But you already knew that.”

His face had been plastered all over the news, and the students had been wary of his presence ever since it was announced he’d be living at the school. There was no way Mirio Togata, one of the big three, would miss that. Midoriya recognized him from the Sports Festival. 

“Why’d you actually come up and talk to me?” Midoriya asked, still mistrustful of most people. 

To his credit, Togata recovered quickly. “Same answer as before! You looked lonely, although I will say I’ve been wanting to meet you myself for a while now.”

Midoriya looked at him funny. “Why?”

“What, is it weird for me to want to make more friends? I kinda wanted to know what made a nice-looking person like you become a villain. You didn’t have any friends, am I right?”

What… does he actually care?

“Yeah, you’d be right,” Midoriya mumbled. 

Togata smiled kindly. Huh, maybe he did care. “Also teaching 1-A today about work studies, and I knew you’d be there, so just thought I’d get this introduction in before then.”

Midoriya almost jumped back in surprise when the blond enthusiastically thrust a hand in his direction. 

“Mirio Togata, nice to meet you! Call me Mirio!”

Oh, the hand was for a handshake. Midoriya gingerly shook the boy’s hand, which was much firmer in grip than his was. 

“Um, yeah. You too. Midoriya.”

They finally arrived at UA’s gates, and Midoriya sighed in relief. He didn’t know if he could compute with such an extrovert. 

Mirio gave him one last look over, before laughing lightly. 

“Wow, I just can not figure out why Nighteye keeps grumbling about you!”

Midoriya stored that information for later, being too tired and too unmotivated at the moment to ask. “Alright, see you later, then.”

“Yeah! Later!” he shouted, waving vigorously. 

How was his smile so bright?

 

Gym gamma? Why would Mr. Aizawa want me here right now? This isn’t the period they have hero lessons. 

He entered the gym, the door creak announcing his arrival, and less than a second later a blue-haired girl was spilling words out onto him. 

She’s Nejire Hado, one of the big three. His mind relayed all her stats. 

“Hey you! I recognize you! You’re a villain, right? Have you ever wanted to kill anybody? Have you ever actually killed anybody? Who did you kill! How did you kill them? Wait, was it more than one person?! Tell me tell me!”

Midoriya cringed at both the questions and the girl’s sheer energy. “Uh… no? To all of them?”

Nejire raised her eyebrows and pressed a finger to her lip. “Oh, really? Then why were you a villain?”

“That’s what I said!” Uraraka, Iida, Yaoyorozu, Shoji and Tsu all exclaimed at the same time. It was a relief to see them. 

Nejire looked at them curiously, before turning her attention back to Midoriya, who answered, “Not all villains murder.”

“So then were you just the thieving kind of villain? Or did you just hurt people really really bad without killing them? Oh! Maybe you were the type to torture information out of them! Did you ever…”

With each question, she got closer, and Midoriya grew more uncomfortable. He spotted Tamaki Amajiki out of the corner of his eye, grimacing in what looked like understanding. 

“...heard there was one girl who liked to drink blood. Didja know her? Was she more like a vampire or a mosquito? Was…”

Midoriya could feel his chest tightening and his pulse quickening. She was too close, speaking too fast, saying wrong things. He closed his eyes. He didn’t think he could survi-

“Hey, give him some room to breathe, would ya?”

He opened his eyes. The wonderful form of Uraraka now stood between him and Nejire, and he exhaled the breath he’d been holding. 

She wore a curt smile, and now that he thought about it, her tone had been rather terse. What, was she upset?

Realization slapped him in the face. 

She was jealous. 

She wanted to get that close to him, and would stop anyone else from doing so. 

Nejire seemed to come to this conclusion too, as her eyes darted back and forth between them. 

“Woah, do you like h-”

“HEY KIRISHIMA!! DON’T YOU THINK I’D LOOK SAVAGE WITH ONE OF MY HORNS BROKEN???” Mina shouted abruptly, making the redhead jump. 

Nejire was easily led away with this new fascinating prospect, leaving the two emotionally-recovering teens alone. 

“Uhm, th-thanks for that,” Midoriya stuttered, continuously reevaluating in his head if the previous conclusion he’d come to was accurate. 

And her blush said it was. “Y-yeah, sure thing!”

“Midoriya,” Aizawa called, and the teen broke his eyes away from her face. “I’d like to talk to you before the class fights Mirio.”

“Oh, that’s what they’re doing?” Midoriya asked. 

Uraraka nodded. “Yeah, supposed to teach us what work studies feel like or something? Not sure if I’m gonna do one yet.”

He hummed in understanding. Uraraka split off to go stretch with the class, while Midoriya stepped to the side to talk to Aizawa. 

“Want me to take notes?”

“No, actually. I want you to participate in the fight.”

The teen’s eyes widened. “Erm… why?”

“Mirio is doing this to display the experience he gained at his work study, and I have no doubt the entirety of 1-A will be taken out very quickly.”

“He’s really that good?” Midoriya questioned. He didn’t remember anything all that impressive from the Sports Festival. 

Aizawa dipped his head as a nod. “However, your analysis might prove somewhat effective against him. That’s why I’d like you to participate in the fight.”

“So, are you doing this to test my analysis skills, or to test Mirio’s capability against an analytic opponent, or to further prove to the class how useful analysis is?”

“Varying levels of all three.”

“Ah,” Midoriya nodded, and turned his eyes to the class. They had finished stretching and chatting, and were now telling Mirio not to go easy on them due to their experiences with villains. Bakugo was particularly loud. 

“You’re not allowed to take the collar off to use your quirk,” the teacher informed. 

“I’m okay with that.” The last time he’d used it in a fight was against Bakugo, which uh, hadn’t gone the best. “But, I don’t know, would it be alright if- if…” he thought longingly of his daggers. They’d served him well in battles before. “I doubt this would be allowed, but could I have, like, a weapon? Since I’m fighting quirkless?”

Aizawa glanced at him. “You mean your daggers. I was wondering when you’d bring those up. You’re not allowed to use weapons capable of causing physical harm, but this,” he drew out something from his pocket, “This is acceptable.”

Midoriya stared down at the plastic utensil in his hand. 

“A butter knife?”

The teacher nodded. 

“You want me to use a butter knife.”

Another nod. 

The image of him brandishing a flimsy plastic weapon as if it was some awesome blade popped into his head, and he cringed immediately. 

“...do I really have to use that?”

“You don’t have to, but it could prove useful.”

“A butter knife.”

“Take it or leave it.”

Midoriya groaned and he took the weapon, if it could even be considered that, and stuck it in his pocket. 

“A butter knife,” he muttered, before walking around to the back of the group, where Shinso was observing the conversation. 

Shinso eyed him. “Aren’t you taking notes?”

“Actually I-”

“Class, Midoriya will be participating in your efforts against Mirio,” Aizawa answered for him. 

Midoriya had been getting more comfortable around 1-A, but the way all their heads turned and eyes landed on him made his stomach twist. He subconsciously shrank behind Shinso, who snorted. 

Before any of the students could question why, Mirio shouted out, “Cool to fight you man!”

Midoriya gave a feeble nod in response. Kirishima declared his want to attack first, but Bakugo interrupted him. 

“Nah. This guy’s mine.”

The redhead stepped back surprisedly. “O-okay man.”

Bakugo opened his crackling fists, and without warning blasted forward towards Mirio. The third year’s clothes falling off didn’t distract him, as he aimed an explosion at his face, but… it had no effect. Bakugo immediately carried into a punch, which, to Midoriya’s eyes, looked like it just passed through Mirio’s body. 

Just like when I tried to grab his wrist. Some type of phasing quirk. 

Bakugo skidded to a halt behind his opponent, gnashing his teeth in irritation. 

The other students began launching their own attacks, mostly the people with long-range quirks. Mirio targeted them first. 

Midoriya watched as the light of hope in 1-A’s eyes slowly dissipated as Mirio took out more and more of them. He silently watched from further away, observing Mirio’s patterns and quirk and ticks. 

“Hey, would you mind putting your clothes back on?!” Shinso questioned. Mirio smartly did not answer as he slipped into the floor once more. 

Wait, based on the way he’s facing…

He appeared next to Tsu, who fell to the floor after one blow from Mirio. 

…and the pathway in which he’s attacking…

He faded into the concrete. Midoriya’s eyes widened. 

…he’s gonna be coming up here next!

Midoriya suddenly sprang away from Shinso, who frowned at him. It took him a second too long to figure out why Midoriya had cleared the area. The former villain cringed as his friend fell to the floor, wincing as Mirio punched the air out of his lungs. 

He’ll be going after the short-range fighters next. 

Just as he predicted, Mirio brutally brought down people like Kirishima and Ojiro. Bakugo had almost avoided the same fate. He’d been able to predict where the third year would materialize, but was then blinded by Mirio’s hand being pleasantly inserted into his face. 

Now it was only Midoriya and a few other students left. Crap, he didn’t want to be the last one standing. That reaped way too much attention. 

As Mirio dropped below ground after sending Bakugo crumpling to the ground, Midoriya darted forward towards the remaining fighters. He knew where he’d pop up next. If it was a phasing quirk, he had to become physical to attack, right?

He ran towards Uraraka, whose head was on a swivel, trying to spot where Mirio would appear next. Midoriya saw the golden tip of hair first, close to where he’d predicted. As Mirio came out of the ground, aiming a punch at Uraraka’s gut, Midoriya swung a kick. 

If he has to become physical to attack, then this kick should land. 

At last second, Mirio’s eyes locked onto Midoriya’s approaching foot. 

It didn’t land. It faded right into the blond’s face, slipped right through his eyes. 

He’s still not physical, so then did his punch slip through as well?

He turned in the air and landed facing Uraraka, who was wincing. But she was holding her side, not her stomach, where Mirio had been aiming. Midoriya frowned. 

So the punch still landed, but it missed. 

“So he’s able to control what parts of his body are phaseable or not,” Midoriya muttered to himself, and Uraraka looked at him confusedly. “And then he missed because my kick was blocking his line of sight, so he couldn’t aim.” He turned towards her. “You okay?”

She gave him a strained smile. “Yeah, I’m good!”

He nodded and looked over at Hagakure’s floating uniform just as Mirio popped up behind her, knocking her to the concrete. Midoriya paid close attention to the angle at which he fell into the floor, and then noticed the locations of the remaining students. With that, he was able to somewhat predict where Mirio’d be next. 

He turned back towards Uraraka. “You wanna help me defeat this guy? Mirio might manage to hit you again, though.”

Her smile was more real this time. “Sure!”

Mirio sent Iida to the floor as they talked. 

“Alright, then I need you to stand, right…” he looked back over to the students, before pointing to a particular spot, “Here.”

Their opponent dropped into the ground again after attacking Koda. Uraraka and Midoriya were the only ones left. 

“He’s coming after you next, and will be appearing behind you,” Midoriya warned, jumping back a few paces behind Uraraka. He felt in his pocket for the butter knife. 

I can’t believe I’m actually using this. 

A few wisps of hair appearing out of the ground distracted him, and those few wisps then turned into a full person, directly behind Uraraka. 

He drew back his arm, uh- weapon in hand, and threw at the moment Mirio would be most focused on attacking. The plastic blade moved through the air slower than a regular one would have, and it hit a little below its mark, but it still fulfilled its purpose. 

It harmlessly bounced off the base of Mirio’s neck and tinked to the floor. 

“Woah woah woah, didja see that Tamaki!?” Nejire shouted from the side, although Amajiki had already been watching with wide eyes. 

The blond whipped around in surprise to see Midoriya’s small triumphant smile, forgetting his attack against Uraraka. 

“If this was a real battle, that would’ve just killed you,” Midoriya remarked. 

Mirio grinned too, before slipping back into the floor and appearing next to his pants, which he promptly put back on. 

Uraraka’s mind caught up on what had happened. “Wait, we won!?”

“Yeah,” Midoriya’s smile widened at her enthusiasm. He walked forward and picked up the cause of Mirio’s loss. 

“Mirio Togata… defeated by a butter knife.”

Uraraka laughed. “No way!” 

“Yes way!” Mirio exclaimed, walking up to them. “I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting to go down like that!”

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. “If this was a real battle, I would’ve aimed for the shoulder or something.”

“I would hope so!” Mirio laughed, he sure did that a lot. And Midoriya wasn’t sure, but it also seemed contagious because a small chuckle escaped his throat too. 

“I could tell it was a phasing quirk of some sort, and I saw the order in which you attacked people, and how the angle you fell into the ground controlled where you popped up next. So I just… guessed where you’d be next and made decisions off that.”

Mirio clapped his good shoulder. “Hey that’s pretty smart! You aren’t the first to figure all that out, but it’s rare that happens.”

The class was slowly but surely recovering from being a groaning mess on the floor. Most of them were pleasantly surprised when they found out the result of the fight. Bakugo though, he dismissed it with a scoff. 

Aizawa had completed his first two reasons for having Midoriya fight, which were testing Midoriya and Mirio’s skills. To complete the last one, he gave a short lecture to 1-A on the importance of analysis and logic, and how Midoriya was only able to win because of that. 

Mirio also gave his little spiel on the importance of work studies. 

As the group exited the building, Bakugo approached the former villain. He refused to make eye contact and spat his words out like dirt. 

“That was pretty good.”

Midoriya bit his tongue to stop some snide remark about how fake it sounded. 

“Thanks,” he replied quietly instead. 

The blond stalked off without another word. 

At least it was something. 

 

Class 1-A had already supplied Midoriya another list. Admittedly, it was shorter than the last one, and Midoriya quite liked the morning outings. 

But still. What needy teenagers. 

He arrived at the mall. Last time, he’d gone to a small department store and they hadn’t had everything on the list. Although the mall was much much worse in terms of people. 

He threaded through the groups, which weren’t considered crowds yet due to the early morning hours, drifting from place to place and he checked off the items on the list. 

Hairbands for the girls. 

Some snacks. 

Pain meds. 

“Special” magazines for Mineta… he got some on psychology instead. 

No one recognized him unless they actually looked at him. Only a couple people’s eyes flicked back to his scar after landing on it the first time. He just kept his head low and ears plugged with music. 

Although that ended up working against him, when he heard someone loudly calling out his name from behind. He quickly paused the song, and his heart skipped a beat when his eyes landed on Uraraka. 

“O-oh, hey,” he stammered as she jogged up to him. 

She smiled brightly. “I heard you were going to the mall to get some things, so I thought I’d join you! Gotta be kinda lonely shopping by yourself, right?”

“I mean, there’s worse kinds of lonely, but yeah.”

As he looked at her closer, he saw how her hair had been hastily brushed and she hadn’t put her light makeup on. She was not a morning person, and yet she’d hurried out of bed to meet him here. 

She realized how she must look, and flushed in embarrassment. 

“Hah, yeah um, didn’t have a lot of time to get ready, so sorry if I’m a bit of a mess.”

“What? No, you don’t look bad at all,” he said genuinely. To his eyes, there couldn’t be anything wrong with her. 

“Oh, well, thanks!” The blush strengthened. 

“So, um, if you’re coming with me, I was about to go get Iida’s orange juice.”

With something to do, it helped her forget her awkwardness. “Yeah! Let’s go!”

So they wandered around, store to store, getting the last few items on the list. She gasped at the price of the snacks Yaoyorozu had requested, and laughed at Aoyama’s request of the most particular kind of cheese. 

As they got close to being finished, Uraraka said, “Hey, I hope you don’t feel pressured to run errands like this, it’s perfectly fine if you say you don’t want to.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m good with it,” especially after all the harm I’ve caused the class after giving notes to the League, “And you don’t have to feel pressured to come j-join me, either, if you d-don’t feel like it.”

“What? No! This is really nice, I don’t mind at all,” even as she said this, a yawn started forming on her mouth and floating out of her throat.  

“I know you’re not a morning person.”

She stifled the yawn halfway through and covered her mouth with her hands, cheeks heating up again. Midoriya smiled fondly. 

She laughed nervously. “I think Shinso’s need for caffeine is wearing off on me…”

Midoriya pointed off to the side. “There’s a little coffee shop right there.”

Her eyes drifted sleepily over to the tiny cafe, and they widened slightly in eagerness, but then she clenched them shut as she waved her hands in front of her. “No, no! Wouldn’t want to be wasting money on that, I can just wait to drink the cheap stuff when we get back.”

“I could pay,” Midoriya offered. “Well, I guess, Shinso would be paying. He gave me some money to buy his surplus reserves of coffee, but I didn’t need all of it. I’d still technically be buying coffee like he asked… just not for him.”

They started passing the shop. Uraraka still looked unsure. 

So, he reached out and grabbed her hand. It was easier than the last time. Her eyes snapped to his face, and he gave her a wide, bright smile. It wasn’t hard around her. 

He gently tugged in the direction of the cafe. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Red flooded her face as emotions stormed through her mind, but a couple seconds later, she nodded firmly. 

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

It wasn’t anything extravagant or special. It wasn’t life-changing or ground-breaking. It was just two people, buying coffees, enjoying some early hours at a mall. Talking, laughing, smiling, enjoying being who they were, feeling free to express whatever they needed. 

Neither wanted anything more. 

Who would?

Notes:

Does it count as a date if they don't know it's a date? Cuz he didn't really ask her out beforehand... but if you go by the technical definition of a date, it's a date lol.

And I'm just gonna slap a very dopamine song on this chap: Good To Be Alive by Skillet. It just works great with his recovery at UA in general, and could kinda be seen as love song kinda sorta if you stretch it? Anyway, good song, works well.

Alrighty then, see ya next week!

Chapter 67: Good Hands

Notes:

Very many tears this chap. Good tears. Enjoy!

Midoriya panted, breath raging up and down his throat. He stood up from his bent position and wiped the sweat from his brow, squinting as the sun’s glaring rays blocked out the sight he’d been waiting to see for weeks. 

He’d finished cleaning the beach. Everyday, he’d been toiling away, getting more trash hauled off. With One For All, the work had gone ten times faster. 

Had it exhausted him more? Yeah. Were a few bones in less than ideal condition afterwards? Of course. But was it worth it? Oh yes. 

With his hand, he covered the blaring sun in his vision and looked out at the sparkling beach, the sand clear and open and free. 

Much like how Midoriya felt. 

He’d done it. He’d actually done something good. Or at least, something he acknowledged as good, something that helped people. Many pro heroes wouldn’t be willing to humble themselves to do the job Midoriya had just done, and he felt great about it. 

He heaved in an ecstatic breath, his mouth forming a wide smile as he did so. The air exited as a laugh, which turned into another laugh, and then another one. He kicked an approaching wave, with a little extra gust from his quirk, and the glistening water sprayed up into the yellow and orange shaded sky. 

It rained down in twinkling drops, catching and reflecting the sun’s golden light. Midoriya beamed up at the falling droplets, opening his arms as his face and clothes got damp with sea water. 

He’d done something good. 

He’d stopped his streak of hurting people. 

And those people had forgiven him. 

He didn’t know if the salt water on his face was from the ocean or his eyes. But he did know this now, and not just in his mind, but in his heart too:

He wasn’t a villain anymore. 

Yes, he was still dealing with the repercussions. There were still people who would refuse to trust him, and there were still some parts of his mind he had to fight back against. 

But finally completing something by his own labors and struggles to help a group of people he didn’t even know, that’s what caused the click in his brain. 

That’s what helped him finally realize. 

He could be happy again. 

He wasn’t quite there yet. He still didn’t feel comfortable opening up. 

But it was possible. 

 

“Hey! I know you!”

Midoriya looked up from his lunch to see an overly enthusiastic blond. Mirio. At least he had more tolerance for his extrovertedness than Shinso did, who immediately edged away from the third year’s radiating energy. 

“Hi,” Midoriya responded, barely audible over the chatter of the cafeteria. 

“It’s kinda loud in here!” Mirio said in a voice that only added to the volume. “There’s something I kinda gotta talk to you about. Is it okay if I meet you a little later?”

The way he said this… it made Midoriya frown. “Uh, okay. See you later then I guess?”

Mirio flashed his perfect teeth. “Yeah!”

 

Sure enough, later in the day when he was cleaning, Mirio found him. Midoriya flinched at the sound of his loud voice, something actually capable of cutting over his music. 

“Hey! There you are!”

He paused the song and cleaning, turning to look up at the blond boy. “What was it you wanted to talk about?” he asked, deciding to get straight to the point. 

Mirio’s grin faded the slightest bit. “It’s about Sir Nighteye. I’m… I’m not completely sure why, but he wants to speak with you. In person.”

Midoriya frowned slightly. Sir Nighteye? All Might’s old sidekick? Mirio had said something about the hero complaining about him. 

Would All Might have told his sidekick about One For All? Possibly… then it was probable Nighteye was unhappy with the retired hero’s choice of a successor. That didn’t seem like a pleasant talk to be having. 

But still… it wasn’t like he could say no to Sir Nighteye. 

“Alright, I guess I’ll go see him,” Midoriya started hesitantly. “When would this be?”

Some tension melted off Mirio’s shoulders at that. Perhaps he was worried about convincing him, or letting down his mentor. 

“Probably sometime next week!” Did he always have to yell? “I can take you there during one of my work study days! How about that?”

“Okay, sure. See you then.”

 

“That is so not fair,” Mina pouted, looking at their math tests, which were scattered across the kitchen tables. 

Kaminari leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smirk. “That’s just what happens when you have as many brain cells as me!”

Jiro scoffed. “So you got a C instead of a C minus, so what?”

“So,” Mina interjected, “I still got a C minus! What magic is happening in his brain to make it function better than mine?!”

Jiro shrugged. “Maybe you should just actually pay attention in the study groups instead of messing around.”

Mina narrowed her eyes and curled her lip, not wanting to admit she was right.

Kaminari still had a smirk smeared across his face. “Look at what you have to do just to get on the same level as me.”

“Excuse me, I got a B plus,” Jiro retorted, waving her earphone jacks tantalizingly. “Besides, you only improved by, like, three percentage points.”

Kaminari suppressed his urge to whine so he wouldn’t get her earphone jack stuck into his head. Midoriya had just been watching the antics with some other members of 1-A in a mixture of disappointment and amusement. 

“Hey, you know I am kinda worried about our grades,” Kirishima admitted quietly to Uraraka and Tsu. “With our new work studies, we’re not gonna have as much time for homework and studying and stuff.”

Uraraka pursed her lips, and both girls nodded in agreement. 

“I’d have to agree,” Tokoyami spoke up. “Work studies can be a heavy burden.”

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Tsu reassured. 

Uraraka and Tsu had scored a work study with Ryukyu, and would be joining Nejire soon. Kirishima with Fatgum, with a little help from Amajiki. And then Tokoyami with Hawks, who had requested the student himself. 

Midoriya was contemplating all the different possible things they could learn, based on the skill sets of their mentors, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

A text message? I normally get those from 1-A, and we’re all at the dorms…

As he lifted the phone up to his face, the screen glowed, making the letters of a new text message clearly visible. 

“I’m at the front gates,” was all it read. 

And it was from his mom. 

His eyes snapped open, and he sucked in a breath that he didn’t let out, his lungs frozen. His mind tuned out all the bickering and conversation, now choosing to only focus on the illuminated message on his phone screen. His grip tightened on the phone. 

His mom was here. 

Shinso poked him in the shoulder with a frown. “Something wrong?”

He remained frozen in his thoughts, whispering, “My mom’s here.”

He had to go see her! But wait, what if it was a trap from the League, set to lure him out of UA? He needed to get permission from a teacher then first. He looked over at the door, and to his surprise, Aizawa was already standing there. 

Midoriya looked at him with eager eyes, asking, is she really here?

The teacher gave a simple nod of affirmation. The doubt was immediately expelled in Midoriya’s mind, and an earnestness replaced it. He’d get to see his mom again for the first time since the police station!

He streaked for the door and vaulted over the couch, almost accidentally using One For All. 

“Woah man! What’re you doing?!” Kirishima exclaimed in surprise. He’d been sitting on the couch Midoriya had jumped over. 

Midoriya never answered his question, though, because he was already out the door, which was hanging open. 

“He said something about his mom being here,” Shinso explained, causing the teens’ eyes to widen in understanding. 

“I hope it goes well,” Uraraka commented, her tone optimistic. 

 

Midoriya had to keep reminding himself not to use One For All as he sprinted for the gates. It wouldn’t be good for his mother to see him choking when he was supposed to be getting rehabilitated. 

He was still little more than a green blur to the students out walking, though, and he honestly didn’t care what any of them made of it. 

All he wanted to do was see his mother. 

She was in a wheelchair when he first spotted her, being pushed by Tsukauchi, All Might standing by. As soon as he came into their range of vision, water fountained out of Inko’s eyes. 

“IZUKUUUU!!!”

As if the tears Midoriya had shed earlier weren’t enough… his cheeks were damp before he even reached her. 

So then, you can imagine how soggy their hug was. Tsukauchi and All Might took shelter behind the car. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?!” Midoriya asked through the waterfall. 

“I-I wanted t-to surprise y-you,” she sobbed, stuttering significantly better than the last time Midoriya had heard her. That didn’t make the tears any less. 

“Oh mom…”

Their hug might’ve been wet, but it was warm and heartfelt too. After a moment, Midoriya pulled away, rapidly wiping his tears away with his jacket sleeve. 

“But, wait, what are you even doing here? How are you even here? I thought… I thought you weren’t allowed to leave your nursing facility?” The teen looked past his mom towards Tsukauchi, who had now deemed it safe to come out. 

“It took a lot of convincing,” Tsukauchi explained, “But I managed to get her facility to release her for a few hours to come visit you. I figured you wouldn’t mind me doing that.”

“We thought a meeting between you two was long overdue,” All Might smiled. 

“But you didn’t even tell me?” Midoriya questioned, stuck between disbelief and laughing. His mother gazed with wonder at the trace of a smile on his lips. She hadn’t seen anything even close to a smile for years. 

“I j-just really w-wanted t-to see if you’ve b-been okay,” she said. “A-and I thought i-it’d b-be fun t-to surprise you. It would’ve b-been short n-notice anyway.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”

It still pained his heart to see only the left side of her face break into a smile, although his mother was elated at how strong the light of hope was in his eyes again. His face wasn’t cold or dead anymore, he actually wanted to live, and she could tell. 

“Why d-don’t you sh-show me around, t-tell me what you’ve b-been u-up to?” she suggested. 

“Oh, um, okay. I guess I can take her to the dorms?” The teen looked over at All Might for permission, and the retired hero smiled and nodded. 

Midoriya stood up from the ground from where he’d been hugging his mother, and walked around to the back of the wheelchair to the handles. He decided to wheel her down the longer route back to the dorms, partly so she could enjoy the scenery and because it was less populated that way. Tsukauchi and All Might trailed at a distance behind. 

“So um, I usually clean most of the day, but I get to listen to the playlist 1-A made for me, so it isn’t that bad. When I get back to the dorms, I usually do something fun with them. Oh, I take notes during their hero classes too.”

“C-class 1-A, they m-made a p-playlist f-for you?” she questioned, gazing up at the large glass building. “A-and you have t-to c-clean all of that!?”

Midoriya chuckled, and Inko’s surprise exploded. He wasn’t just smiling, he was laughing too!? 

“Don’t worry about it, mom. And this is something you actually don’t have to worry about, not just me being self-sacrificial. The playlist 1-A made is all about, I guess, getting through hard times. It makes the cleaning fly by like it’s nothing,” he reassured. 

…and now he’d admitted his self-sacrificial-ness. How had these students worked such an amazing change on him?

“It s-sounds like these st-students are r-really g-good friends,” she deduced, voice lined with hope that he’d finally found people who cared for him. 

She couldn’t see his face, but by his tone, she could tell he was wearing a warm smile. “They really are. I don’t know where I would be without them.”

“Are they really all friends though?” Tsukauchi called from behind them, and Midoriya’s face flushed with heat. 

Inko frowned. “What? A-are some of th-them m-mean?”

“No no, Mrs. Midoriya, the polar opposite of that,” Tsukauchi clarified. Teasing Midoriya was too easy, he was already red!

“Oh?” Inko asked curiously. “I-Izuku, have you f-found a c-certain someone?”

“Wha! Well- possibly maybe, she’s- well, probably no… actually, yes? I guess so?” he stumbled over his words, before deciding on, “I hope so.”

“R-really? Well, y-you’ll have t-to i-introduce me!” she exclaimed excitedly. Her Izuku had never brought home a girl before. 

“Yeah, I-I will,” he promised. 

The rest of the walk was filled with talk about different games and activities he’d participated in with 1-A, as well as describing his note-taking and how he was helping the class become heroes. By the time they reached the dorms, Inko was feeling very confident her son was in good hands. 

But she still had to meet the actual people. 

All Might opened the door for them, enabling Midoriya to push her wheelchair into the building, so his mother could finally see what had so drastically improved his life. 

It was silent for a moment before 1-A discovered who had just rolled into their dorm. 

“Oh hey! Are you Midobro’s mom?” Kaminari asked, leaning over the back of the couch. Inko nodded. “Wow that’s awesome! Cool to meet you!”

“They both have green hair. You didn’t have to ask,” Jiro commented, waving politely. 

“I just wanted to make sure!” Kaminari exclaimed defensively. 

Their bickering fell to the background as more members of 1-A either greeted her or waved or both, while those closest to Midoriya introduced themselves. 

“Tenya Iida!” the class rep shouted, bowing as usual. “It is an honor to call Midoriya a friend. I believe I also left flowers for you, when you were in the hospital!”

Inko’s eyes clicked in remembrance. “O-oh yes, I-I wondered wh-who those were f-from. Thank y-you.”

“You did that Iida? After Hosu?” Midoriya asked quietly, a little surprised. 

“Of course! How could I not, after learning what happened?”

The former villain rubbed the back of his neck. “W-well, thanks.”

Shinso and Uraraka arrived, with the latter pushing the former into the unwanted social interaction. When the insomniac saw Midoriya’s mother’s expectant eyes, he gave in. 

“Hey, Hitoshi Shinso. It’s been uh, really cool hanging out with Midoriya. He’s a good friend.” Shinso nodded in satisfaction at his introduction. 

“O-oh yes, I-Izuku has t-talked a-about you with m-me b-before,” Inko smiled. “You’re a very v-valuable friend t-to him.”

Shinso’s eyes widened slightly, and he looked up from Inko to Midoriya, who was fidgeting with the wheelchair handlebars. 

“Thanks. That means a lot,” Shinso replied softly. 

Uraraka bounced up, waving happily. “Hi! I’m Ochako Uraraka. It’s been a blast spending time with Midoriya, and I’m so happy to be his f-friend.”

She stumbled a bit over the last word, and Inko caught it. 

The mother looked at Uraraka much closer than she did the other two, although it didn’t take long for her to be satisfied with what she saw. 

“I tr-trust y-you’ll t-take good c-care of my Izuku,” she responded, giving the girl a warm smile. Inko looked behind her at Midoriya. “A-and you b-better take g-good care of h-her t-too!”

Both teens blushed furiously. Add Inko to the list of people who want them together. Tsukauchi, All Might, Shinso, and Mina were all snickering at their discomfort, and Nana was too within One For All. 

The moment ended when Bakugo stalked up. Inko eyed him distrustingly, now knowing what he did to her son in middle school. 

The blond noticed her suspiciousness, and avoided eye contact when he spoke. 

“I know alotta crap happened ‘cause of me,” he started, and Inko narrowed her eye. “There was alotta damage done, and I don’t know if Izuku will ever forgive me, but…” he looked her in the eye. “Just know, here at UA, hanging with all these morons and extras, he ain’t sad anymore. Some of what I did is actually being fixed. You don’t have to worry about him or me again.”

Some of the mistrusting light had left Inko’s eyes, but the majority of it was still there. “Thank y-you f-for your o-opinion,” she responded curtly. 

Bakugo gave a stiff nod and departed to his room. 

She ended up eating dinner with 1-A, and she got to know them better and see how different they were from the students Midoriya knew at Aldera. She saw first-hand why her son’s eyes weren’t dead anymore, and how he’d managed to find enough happiness to smile again. 

She felt incredibly fulfilled by the time she left, knowing her son wasn’t in constant mental danger. Her heart let go of the worries it’d been harboring for so long. 

He was in good hands. 

 

A number of days later…

Midoriya stared up at the looming concrete building, questioning, not for the first time, what the heck he was doing. 

Mirio leaned forward into Midoriya’s line of sight. “You good? Lookin’ like you’ve seen a ghost!”

The former villain swallowed his unease. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“You mean the abbreviation fine?”

Midoriya sighed. “No, not the abbreviation. Just a little concerned about what Nighteye might say to me, is all.”

“Ah, gotcha,” Mirio nodded, before walking forward to hold the door open. “Nighteye is pretty strict.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Midoriya responded, thinking. He had informed All Might of Nighteye’s request to speak to him, and the retired hero had told him of their conflict in years past over the matter of One For All. All Might had strongly discouraged Midoriya from going, but the teen had already told Mirio he would. 

“You want a tip?”

“Uh, sure,” Midoriya replied as he walked through. Mirio followed closely behind. 

“You just gotta make him laugh,” Mirio said this as if it was easy, causing Midoriya to look at the blond incredulously. “Nighteye might look all serious on the outside, but he’s got a real appreciation for humor.”

They started climbing the steps, Mirio leading the way to Nighteye’s office. 

“I don’t know, making people laugh has never really been my thing…” Midoriya expressed his concerns. 

“How about this? Just think of some bad pun!” Mirio suggested, again sounding as if it was easy. 

Midoriya pursed his lips. “It’s not that simple, at least not for me.” Nighteye’s door came into view. “I’m just gonna, you know, be myself and hope for the best.”

The former villain already assumed the meeting was about One For All, and how he shouldn’t have received it. A few weeks ago, he probably would’ve been swayed to guilt by whatever Nighteye would say. But now, he’d gotten so much reassurance from his friends and All Might and even One For All itself, he didn’t think Nighteye’s words would pierce him easily. 

Mirio nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, that sounds like a good backup plan for making Sir laugh.”

They reached the pro hero’s door, and one last wave of anxiety rose up in Midoriya’s stomach, before he quickly pushed it down. It was just an irrational fear. 

In all seriousness, what did Nighteye have the power to do if Midoriya refused to listen? Nothing. 

“Well, here we go!” Mirio announced as he pushed the door open. 

Now, Midoriya knew Mirio had said Nighteye had an appreciation for humor, but torturing his sidekicks with a tickle machine was taking it a little far. 

Nighteye’s head snapped menacingly in their direction. His eyes were so logical and calculative, Midoriya had a hard time seeing how he’d ever worked with the bumbling buffoon All Might was sometimes. Or how he ever laughed. 

But Nighteye’s harsh glare didn’t really scare him. After conversing with All For One and putting up with Shigaraki’s deadly threats, a simple antagonistic look from a hero had no effect. 

Nighteye noticed his lack of response. 

“Hey Sir!” Mirio greeted. “Here’s the villain kid you wanted to talk to!”

What an introduction. Midoriya’s feeble wave did not help. 

Nighteye turned off the tickle machine, much to Bubble Girl’s relief. Midoriya’s mind pulled up all her stats, and he also noticed all the All Might posters and merchandise in the office. Quite contradictory to the hero’s demeanor. 

“You two,” the hero’s mechanical eyes ticked to his sidekick and then Mirio. “Leave, if you would.”

A small bout of nervousness came across Mirio’s face, but he saluted and obeyed anyway, with Bubble Girl following soon after. Once they left, an eerie silence fell over the two remaining in the room. Not that Midoriya minded, he’d been through much worse kinds of silences. 

Nighteye might hold the record for ‘most strict tone’ though. 

“You have One For All, correct?” the hero asked, walking up to him, creeping, head low and shadowed. 

“You wouldn’t be asking that if you weren’t sure,” Midoriya replied. He took a step back, because there was no reason for Nighteye to approach him. Unless, of course, it was something to do with his quirk. 

Nighteye noticed the small retreat, and stopped his advance, instead choosing to bore his eyes into Midoriya’s. 

The teen decided to ask a question this time. “Why did you call me here? Only to talk about One For All?”

“The words ‘only’ and ‘One For All’ do not belong together in a sentence. That quirk is of the utmost value to society, and it is the cornerstone in protecting the world we live in. To minimize its importance by giving it to someone like you is unforgivable.”

Midoriya grimaced. So this was going to be about what a terrible person he was, and why he was unfit to wield All Might’s quirk. He’d already doused that fear in his mind, and he did not feel like having it reignited by someone who’d judged him before even getting to know him. 

“If this is just gonna be you slandering me, I’d rather just leave right now,” Midoriya said tersely. 

The speed at which Nighteye moved forward made the teen flinch. The hero planted his hand firmly on his left shoulder, and Midoriya didn’t know if it was on purpose or not. Either way, a tingling of discomfort trickled its way down his arm from the contact. 

“You are to sit down and listen to what I have to say,” Nighteye insisted, the edge to his voice slicing any argument Midoriya had. 

And the way he said his next words… it actually managed to make the former villain shiver. 

“By the end of this meeting, you will feel guilty for ever even letting All Might consider passing his quirk onto you.”

Notes:

Nighteye is being his usual joyous self as always, as you can see lol.

This chapter's song is Way Less Sad by AJR, has to do with the first scene. The amount of time I have been waiting to use this song. Seriously, in the first chapters of writing this fic, I was like, "ooo Way Less Sad would be a good song to use once he's a good way into recovering from all the crap I'm gonna put him through!" 67 chapters later.

Haha, although I hope those 67 chapters have been a good read, cuz we've still got quite a bit more to go.

Chapter 68: Better Choice

Notes:

Ngl, Nighteye has been really fun to write. Enjoy!

Mirio hummed lightly outside Nighteye’s office. He was sure it was gonna be fine. Sir wasn’t one to kill people over disagreements!

Although he was one to manipulate and degrade and torture though tickling, so… Mirio shook his head. No, it was gonna be fine. 

“Who was that?” Bubble Girl asked faintly, still recovering from her tickle session. “He looked really familiar.”

“Oh, that was Deku! Or Midoriya, as he prefers,” Mirio explained, and the sidekick jolted at the name. “Don’t worry! He’s not evil like a villain at all. He’s actually a pretty cool guy.”

“If he’s not evil, then why did Sir insist on speaking with him?” Bubble Girl frowned. 

The blond directed his eyes back at the door. “I’m not sure. But I do know, I’ve never seen Sir look at anyone the way he looked at Midoriya. And I mean that in a creepy, scary way, not a sappy, lovey way.”

 

“Might I start with the first, most obvious reason for you not to hold that power,” Nighteye began. 

Midoriya was seated firmly in the chair in front of the hero’s desk, where Nighteye stared at him with a scathing intensity. 

“One For All is meant for a hero. You are a villain.”

“Was a villain,” Midoriya corrected. 

“You act like it’s easy to change. Once a certain pattern of behaviors and habits have been adopted, it is extremely difficult to get rid of them.”

The teen could’ve rebutted that with a number of facts, but he could read on Nighteye’s face, he just had to let the man finish his tirade before he’d listen to anything Midoriya had to say. 

“You have associated with crude people, all of which have committed atrocities of their own. And then of course, there’s your atrocities. Such as feeding the League harmful intel, maiming a pro hero, participating in multiple attacks against UA, and finally,” a deceitful light came into the hero’s eyes, “Removing a child’s ability to speak.”

He knows that one’s not my fault. He’s just trying to get me to feel more guilty. 

Nighteye’s tricks were nothing compared to All For One’s. 

“You’re completely dismissing all the good I’ve-”

The hero leapt up and slammed his hands on the desk, abruptly ceasing the teen’s sentence. 

“It does not matter what good you’ve accomplished. The villainy is still there, no matter how you try to cover it up.” The words snaked out of the hero’s mouth, wrapping around Midoriya’s reasoning. “And it always will be.”

The teen grimaced. This time no rebuttal came to mind. 

Nighteye pushed his glasses up his nose, closer to his cold eyes, as he sat back down. 

“On to the next reason. You have no experience in hero work, and your training is laughable.”

“But I could work harder and-”

“Even if you were to improve physically and gain experience,” Nighteye interrupted, and Midoriya words died lamely. “Your personality and behavior is not fit to be the number one hero. You are too despondent, possess no humor or smile, and have no capability in making others happy.”

Uraraka’s smile around me would say otherwise.

“Even if you could properly use the quirk without restriction,” his eyes momentarily landed on the collar, “It would not take you far without the correct attitude. Do you understand?”

He didn’t have much of a choice in how he responded, so he just said, “Yeah, sure.”

Nighteye sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, seemingly in deep mental disturbance. 

“All Might giving his quirk to you is one of the most stupid, brainless things of the century, I’m sure. Especially when there was another, perfect candidate for him to select. If only he could have opened his eyes to common sen-”

“Wait, you said another candidate,” Midoriya interrupted this time.

“Yes,” the hero responded curtly. 

It didn’t take long for Midoriya to connect the dots. Nighteye valued humor, hard work, and a heroic demeanor in general. Essentially, a person very similar to All Might. 

And then he’d taken Mirio under his wing. 

“You want Mirio to have One For All,” Midoriya realized. 

“Of course,” at least he didn’t deny it. “He’s the ideal vessel for such a crucial power. People trust him, and he makes them laugh. Mirio has the background and personality necessary to lead people. The world would truly be a better place if he had One For All.”

For the first time in the conversation, something other than animosity came into Nighteye’s expression. It was something like… fondness?

His look quickly glossed back over when his eyes landed on the degenerate before him. 

“So tell me, Deku, why should someone like you, who has an obvious disappreciation for the morals of society, have One For All? You have only hurt those who are good, and helped those who are evil.”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed. The world wasn’t black and white, good and evil like that. 

“Why shouldn’t someone like Mirio, who cares more for people than anyone I’ve ever met, and would lead the world into brighter days, have One For All? He’s more worthy than a villain like you will ever be.”

Nighteye stood up and leaned forward over his desk, sharp eyes piercing the teen like icicles. 

“So I implore you, make the right decision in this situation. I highly doubt you possess any remarkable intelligence, as you decided on villainy as a career, but surely even an insolent juvenile like you can distinctly see who the better choice is: you or Mirio.”

The hero’s judgemental expression got closer, and his tone was as cold and final as concrete. 

“Give One For All to Mirio, if you care for the survivability of our society at all.”

In Nighteye’s mind, this was sure to work. He’d clearly plated out all the obvious reasons for Midoriya to give up All Might’s precious quirk to the much more competent Mirio. He’d have to be an absolute moron to reject his request. 

Now he stared Midoriya down, gaze fierce, daring him to refuse. 

The teen held his gaze. 

“No, I don’t think I will.”

Surprise did not look good on Nighteye. 

Midoriya had to suppress a laugh as the hero’s mind stalled for a response. When he found one, it was an insult, of course. 

“Are you aware of the peril you’re putting our world in!? Or are you just that much of an imbecile!” 

“No, no. I agree with you. It’s an absolutely insane idea for a villain like me to have All Might’s quirk, a power that’s only meant for the most heroic,” Midoriya replied, slightly enjoying the confusion on Nighteye’s face. “Or, at least, that’s how I used to feel.”

“If you agreed with me, then what possibly could have caused you to change your mind?!” the hero questioned angrily, sitting back down in his chair and clutching the arms. 

“You laid out your reasons why I shouldn’t have my quirk, but now it’s time for me to explain why I am worthy of it,” Midoriya began. “First of all, I feel like I need to get this out of the way: it isn’t even your choice.”

Nighteye scoffed lightly. He loved control, and had amazing power to exert it. He felt he could influence things however he liked. 

Midoriya could read this easily. 

“You can’t control everything. Whoever has the quirk is All Might’s choice, not yours. And he chose me to have it, not Mirio. That right there is enough reason for me to keep the quirk, because its original owner gave it to me. And speaking of Mirio, have you even thought of giving him a choice in the matter? What if he doesn’t want it!”

The hero’s frown deepened. Mirio had already refused One For All, but Nighteye was still hoping his student would change his mind and accept the quirk anyway, once he convinced Midoriya to give it up, that is. 

“The point is, you have no say in who has One For All, that was up to All Might and is now up to me. You should stop trying to get everything to go the way you want it to.”

The glare of the light against Nighteye’s glasses prevented the teen from reading his eyes, but the hero didn’t object. He instead seemed to be processing the words, choosing whether to reject them or not. After a minute, Midoriya assumed it was appropriate to continue. 

“I would also like to use One For All, and not for the reasons you think.”

He thought back to his meeting with Nana at the licensing exams. If he’d been more experienced with his quirk, he would’ve been able to protect those he cared about more effectively. 

“I want to save people. I want to protect my friends, and other people too, because… because I can’t really see myself doing anything else. I don’t want my inability to be the reason for someone’s hurt.”

“Even though that’s all you’ve ever done, hurt people,” Nighteye snapped back. 

“That’s not true,” Midoriya responded hotly, getting fed up at how the hero kept twisting reality. “I have helped people, you just refuse to acknowledge it. And the times I have hurt people, I hated doing it. It wasn’t me, and it pushed against who I want to be. That’s why I left the League.”

Nighteye’s argument failed to leave his mouth after that, while a sigh left Midoriya’s. 

“If I keep One For All, which I am, then I’d use it for its intended purpose: to save people’s lives.”

“But Mirio would fulfill that purpose to a greater extent than you,” the hero rebutted. 

“Only because you think he would, but let me ask you, where’s your proof of that? Unless you use your quirk, which I don’t think you will, you have no way of knowing which of us will be the better successor.”

Nighteye pursed his lips, choosing to remain silent instead of admitting Midoriya was right. 

“There’s one last reason I’m not giving One For All to Mirio.”

The hero narrowed his eyes at Midoriya, only for the teen to slump back into his seat and sigh loudly. 

“I also just really don’t feel like it.”

Nighteye blinked. “That’s a pathetic reason.”

The teen shrugged. “It’d take a lot of explaining, not to mention how awkward it’d be to like, offer him my hair or toenail to eat. I’m not up for that kind of social interaction. I’m ready for a nap after this talk with you.”

The hero huffed in disappointment and clenched his jaw. “So there is nothing I can say to change your views?” 

Midoriya noted how he’d simply said ‘views’ and not something like ‘idiotic opinion.’ 

“No, I’m keeping One For All, and no amount of guilt tripping will change that.” 

Though it was barely detectable, a conflict of thought was racing in Nighteye’s mind. He still supported Mirio having the quirk, perhaps out of favoritism, but he was a logical man. And Midoriya had presented very logical facts. 

It wasn’t his power to give, and there was evidence supporting the former villain was capable of being a hero. 

If only he could accept those facts, because his thirst for control and privileged mindset won in the end. 

“Leave,” he spat, a shadow over his face as he glowered venomously at the teen. 

Midoriya’s face crumpled a little at how he’d failed to convince the hero of his integrity. He stood up and plodded over to the door. 

Before turning the handle, he spoke softly. “I understand why you’re upset, but still… I hope one day I’ll get you to acknowledge me.”

Nighteye’s expression hardened. “Get out, and tell the proper successor to come in.”

With that final sting, Midoriya left. He must not have looked the best, because Mirio spoke immediately. 

“Woah, was it that bad?” the blond asked with a hint of nervousness, still smiling. 

Midoriya shrugged. “I’ve been through worse. He wants to speak to you.” 

Mirio looked at the door and his mouth transitioned to a pursed lips smile. “Alright, thanks…”

 

As the two teens walked back to the metro, through the city so Mirio could get his patrol in, the blond was considerably more tight-lipped than before. 

“What’d he say to you?” Midoriya asked, not really expecting an answer. The hero student frowned, his mentor’s words replaying in his mind. 

“That villain has the power you were supposed to inherit, the power you refused.”

“Oh, nothing…” it wasn’t like he could resist Nighteye’s teachings, after everything he’d done for him. He glanced at the collar around Midoriya’s neck. 

“Do not trust him, no matter how sweetly he acts. One does not change so swiftly from their previous ways.”

“Just, you know, some stuff about training. Yeah, that’s it! Training stuff,” Mirio lied, very smooth with his words as real heroes always are when they lie. 

“Keep an eye on him, monitor all his actions to make sure he does not cause any further harm.”

Midoriya noted the slight tense in Mirio’s posture, the bits of fidgeting in his hands, how his eyes darted more than they had before, and most peculiar: his strained smile. He was acting, and it wore on him. The extrovert was not one to fake, so when he did, it was noticeable. 

“I know it was probably something about me,” Midoriya replied bluntly, keeping his eyes on the sidewalk, so he wouldn’t have to look at Mirio’s guarded expression. “It’s okay, if he gave you a whole spiel about me being a terrible person and not being trustworthy and all that stuff. If you don’t want to speak to me anymore, I understand.”

Mirio’s desire to help and to comfort outweighed any respect for his mentor. 

“What? Of course I’ll still talk to you! You’re too cool of a dude not to! Yeah, sure, Sir said some uh, not so nice things, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make my own opinion on you! I’ll just keep Sir’s opinion tucked in the corner of my mind, ya know?”

The former villain looked up at Mirio, eyes big in genuine surprise. “You- you don’t wanna avoid me? Or like, treat me like a villain?”

This time, the blond’s smile was real and golden. “You haven’t given me any reason to dislike you yet! So why would I?”

Midoriya inhaled and held the breath for a minute. Mirio was the first teen outside of 1-A to accept him. He exhaled with a smile. 

“Thank you.”

Mirio laughed. “Sure thing!”

Midoriya was so distracted by the kindness Mirio had just shown, he flinched at the feeling of something bumping into his leg. 

He looked down and to the side, and quickly grew confused by what he saw. A young girl, only six or seven, with long tumbling white hair. After that, the description became quite irregular. 

Bandages lined her arms and legs, so that not even an inch of skin could be seen. She was barefoot, only wearing a dirty gown. Her breathing was quick and panicked. As she raised her eyes to him, they were red and filled with fearful tears. 

His confusion rapidly morphed into concern. 

He bent down to look her in the eye. “Sorry for bumping into you, what’s wrong?”

Midoriya had learned by now not to ask if someone was okay when they clearly weren’t. He reached out to gently touch her shoulder, but she recoiled before his hand could land. 

Mirio had also noticed the girl by now. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Eri,” a forboding voice emerged from the dark of the alleyway the girl had run from, and she gasped in unfiltered terror. 

Before Midoriya even saw who’d spoken, the girl was clutching onto him. His heart rate increased when he realized how much she was trembling. 

“Eri,” the voice repeated, “Stop troubling this nice hero. You’re being a nuisance.”

The trembling only grew worse, and she squeaked into Midoriya’s ear, “Please, I don’t wanna go.”

The teen looked up at the cause of her fear, who had just stepped out of the shadow. A man with cruel eyes and an elaborate plague mask. 

He’s part of the yakuza. I wonder if he was involved in the scuffle with the League. 

He sensed Mirio tense slightly at the sight of the man. 

So he’s at least someone. 

“Come, Eri,” the man demanded, before looking up at the two teens. “I apologize deeply for any disturbance she may have caused. She can be quite troublesome, always getting lost.”

“Hey mister!” Mirio greeted cheerfully. He was acting. “She’s not being a trouble at all! How do ya know her?”

“She’s my daughter,” he answered, and then his eyes loomed on Midoriya. The former villain saw the faint click of recognition he saw in everyone who looked at him long enough. But this time, something was different. 

He wasn’t afraid. 

Anyone who recognized him, there was always at least a trace of apprehension, or unguarded fear. Sometimes there was anger or curiosity mixed in with that, but it always coexisted with fright. 

But this man… wasn’t afraid. 

In fact, he seemed more interested in Midoriya than anything. 

However, the red-eyed girl was much more important to him. 

“Come, Eri. Now,” the edge in his voice sharpened. 

When her breathing only quickened its pace, the former villain wrapped his arms around the girl, Eri, and she clutched him tighter. 

“I don’t think she wants to go,” Midoriya stated the obvious, and the man narrowed his eyes dangerously. 

Suddenly, Midoriya felt a firm hand on his good shoulder. He looked behind him, and it was Mirio. The way he squeezed his shoulder communicated an obvious message. 

“C’mon, let the guy have his kid back, sounds like she just got a little lost, right?” Mirio suggested, that same fake ring to his tone. 

“Yes, that’s correct.” The yakuza’s posture slackened the tiniest bit, but he still watched Midoriya closely. 

The teen turned his eyes back to the man. He was confident, and not in an arrogant way, which signified a powerful quirk. If he was the same person who’d met the League at the warehouse, he might be capable of the same bodily damage done to Magne. 

He couldn’t take that type of fighter on by himself, but Mirio might be able to. The city surrounded them though, and people were abundant. They’d be putting all those lives in danger.  

The most logical, safe thing to do would be to simply return the girl. 

But as Midoriya stared into the man’s merciless eyes, and felt the bandages covering Eri and her terrified breathing, he made an emotional decision. 

I can’t let her go back with this guy by herself.

Although, it wasn’t like he could just steal her. That could result in both him and Mirio getting hurt or dead, as well as the people around them. Ugh, if only the collar was off!

His eyes snapped open. 

The collar!

A hasty plan scraped itself together in his mind. 

But at that moment, the man tugged at his gloves, and called for ‘his daughter’ again. This time, she listened. She sprung out of Midoriya’s grasp, surprising the teen, and stumbled desperately back to the man. 

Pulling the gloves was a threat? What, does that mean he’ll use his quirk, and things will get messy with fighting? That means his quirk is activated by touch, which further supports him being the person who met with the League. 

Midoriya clenched his jaw. He couldn’t just let her leave, could he?

No. Too many people had already been hurt because of him, as Nighteye had reminded him of earlier. Now, he wanted to help. To save. He couldn’t just let someone he knew was in need of saving slip through his fingers, he just couldn’t. 

Not when he’d been on the receiving end of that pain and tribulation multiple times. 

And especially not when he’d been the one exacting that pain on others. 

So he got back onto his feet and took a step after the two retreating into the alleyway. His next words sealed him a lot of suffering. 

“Why don’t I go with you?”

Eri and Mirio froze. 

The man turned around, a light of consideration in his expression. “I’m not opposed to that, but your little hero friend would have to stay behind.”

“Alright, that’s fine.”

Midoriya’s eyes were firm and certain and resolute, while Mirio looked at him like he’d just told a good pun. As the teen started walking toward them, the blond grabbed his shoulder and whispered hurriedly in his ear, “What are you doing?”

Because of the close proximity of the man, Midoriya could do nothing but give Mirio a sure look. 

I know what I’m doing. 

Ignoring what Nighteye had just told him, Mirio chose to trust the former villain’s judgment. He relinquished his shoulder, and Midoriya was free to stalk after the other two in the darkness. 

Eri gazed up at him in a combination of fear and wonder and confusion, and the teen tried his best to smile at her. 

Less than two minutes into their walk, the man said, “I apologize for having to use such unclean methods, but we really can’t be having you see the entrance to our home, now can we?”

There was no point in resisting, so Midoriya didn’t even try to dodge as his ungloved hand came flying at his face. 

Darkness fell upon his mind.

Notes:

He’s not dead, I swear. Just had the structural integrity of his brain impacted slightly to put him into a state of unconsciousness! It’s only temporary! Overhaul will fix it!

This chapter's song is the Breakup Song by Francesca Battistelli, because if you replace the word 'fear' with 'Nighteye' it's perfect because a lot of the lyrics fit really well with that scene with Nighteye. And you know, it's just a good song in general, about not letting fear control you.

Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to KageNekem, cuz he's my longest consistent commenter (for over a year now holy heck) and has some pretty awesome works. So if you want a good laugh after the upcoming angst in this fic, Mischief is a good choice. Or if you wanna drown in more angst then there's Birds of a Feather lol. Go check those out!

I also edit both of those, so if you see any commas in the recent chapters, they're only there because of me haha. (kidding)

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 69: Deadly Hands

Notes:

Midoriya has no sense of self-preservation. And it gets him in trouble. A lot. This translates into a warning for gore at the end! That I got nauseous writing! It happens multiple times in canon, but it being described in words is just... different.

And forgot to mention this last chapter, but this fic has a Tv Tropes page now! Which is really cool!

Also, something to note, Overhaul doesn’t know Midoriya's got a quirk now. That hasn’t been told to the public, they just know he's a dangerous villain at UA.

Okay then, it'll be fine! Enjoy!

Mirio shot through the ground, back to Nighteye’s agency. He’d memorized the distance and time required before he needed to change his projection. When he knew he was by the agency, he fired out of the ground. 

He blasted through the doors and tore up the stairs, booming Nighteye’s door open when he arrived. 

“Sir!! Quick! You fulfilled the requirements for your quirk on Midoriya, right?!” he questioned frantically. “You’ve gotta look into the future and see where he’s going!!”

The hero was resting at his desk, and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance, only a hint of concern at Mirio’s words. “And why is that?”

“Overhaul!” the worry in his eyes stirred slightly at that name. “He’s got him! And some little girl, too!!” Mirio banged his fists on the desk. “We’ve got to rescue them! Quick!!”

Nighteye raised a finger to silence the teen, and despite Mirio’s fearful and provoked impulses, he quieted. 

“Give me a moment,” the hero requested, his eyes turning to mechanical cogs as he closed them. 

A few seconds later, he inhaled sharply. 

Mirio’s eyes widened. Sir was never surprised. 

“Do you have his location?!” the blond asked once he’d opened his eyes again. 

“No.” No emotion. “He was put into a state of unconsciousness, making me unable to track his position. However, I believe his location can be pinpointed using that collar he’s forced to wear. 

Mirio gritted his teeth. “Then we have to go help them!”

“No. We cannot.”

“Why not!?!” Mirio had never been this upset with his mentor before. “I know you don’t like Midoriya ‘cause he’s a villain and has One For All and all that, but that doesn’t mean we should just abandon him!!”

Nighteye leered at the teen, a piqued look in his cold eyes. “How selfish do you think I am?” Mirio recoiled at that. “My dislike of Deku has nothing to do with our inability to retrieve him. Overhaul has most likely brought him to a heavily guarded base, and it would be foolish to retaliate now.”

Mirio clenched his jaw, before bowing in apology. “I’m sorry, Sir. You’re right.” He straightened. “I’m just worried for him, is all. What should we do?”

The hero lifted his hands to his computer and his fingers zoomed across the keys. “This has provided us the perfect opportunity to detain Overhaul and incapacitate his organization. We are going to create a well-thought out plan with ideal heroes, and then we will strike.”

“Understood, Sir. Is there anything you want me to do?”

“Inform UA their resident villain has been abducted. I’ll make sure some of their students are part of the plan to retrieve him, so they shouldn’t worry.” Nighteye managed to rapidly type an email, even as he spoke. 

“And what about the little girl?”

“I need more data, but yes, we will rescue her too.”

Mirio finally appeared satisfied with the hero’s answer, and he nodded firmly, before dropping into the floor. 

Nighteye let a small grimace creep onto his face when the blond left. He could easily imagine the grim things awaiting Midoriya. 

So he typed faster. 

 

Overhaul watched in sinister delight as his cronies dragged Deku down the shadowed hall, to a confinement cell. Oh, this would be so good for business, especially after that deal he’d made with Shigaraki…

 

“Okay, I can agree to those terms,” Overhaul replied, after studying the pros and cons of the situation closely. “We’ll treat you like equals. We get to use your name and you get to know our plan.”

Overhaul couldn’t quite read the inexperienced leader’s face under his weird dead hand (plague masks were far superior), but he thought he saw the corner of his mouth turn upwards in a smirk. 

“Wonderful,” he rasped. 

“However, there’s an additional request I’d like to make.”

The smirk disappeared. “What?”

“Providing the details of our plan is quite a big risk, since we don’t know what you’ll do with the information. Getting to use your name isn’t a big enough compensation. I want your League members. Specifically that warpgate one.”

“Kurogiri, he’s not available,” Shigaraki replied, tone much more snarky than before. “But I suppose I can arrange for you to have someone else.”

“Call me when you have the details.”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. “If you’re going to make an additional request, I will too.”

Overhaul suppressed the urge to sigh. “And what would that be?”

“Little bratty Deku. I don’t care how you get him, but you have more connections than I do, so it’ll be easy. I want my way with him.”

The mafia leader’s brow furrowed slightly. “Are you going to kill him?”

“No, but he will be wishing I’d kill him. And if you need ‘compensation’ for retrieving him, you get to squeeze all the intel you want out of him. Once I’m done, that is.”

Overhaul pondered the request. Deku, the quirkless villain. Someone who wasn’t plagued by the disease of quirks. His analysis skills were rumored about, and he was unmatched in intel-gathering. 

It would be a favorable opportunity to work with him. And if he couldn’t manage to capture him, then he could always arrange the necessary deaths. 

“Fine. I accept,” he finally responded. Now Overhaul could clearly see the grin sprawling across Shigaraki’s face. 

They shook deadly hands. 

 

And now here the boy was, right within his base. He’d be sure to have a little chat with him once he woke up, because there was so much condensed opportunity in him. 

Although, the deal he’d made with Shigaraki… loyalty and integrity had never really been his thing. He’d put his own spin on what was agreed upon. 

 

Uraraka felt like an icicle had been twisted into her neck, sending chills of dread down her spine and causing her stomach to swirl in anxiety. 

“Wait wait, you’re joking, right?” Kaminari asked, his smile strained and his tone fearful. “There’s no way Midobro would be taken that easily…”

Mirio’s face crumpled. “Don’t get me wrong, I love joking, but this is real. Midoriya’s been kidnapped by a high-class villain.”

Shinso gripped the arm of his chair so tight, his knuckles were pale. “What stupid crap did he get himself into this time?”

“We were walking back to the metro after meeting with Sir, when… when this little girl bumped into him,” Mirio rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. “I can’t disclose all the details, it’s kinda a secret mission, but Midoriya went with her to protect her. The guy she’s with… he’s not the type you’d wanna get comfy with.”

“So wait, what!?” Kirishima exclaimed. “We’re just supposed to sit back, knowing our friend is in danger?”

Aizawa spoke up. “He’s already discussed Midoriya’s matter of retrieval with Nezu, All Might, and me. When a plan is devised, it will be sure to include some of you work study students. Don’t worry about not being able to participate,” the teacher’s face darkened. “Still, to guarantee any plan’s success, it will take time. Do not expect Midoriya’s return to the dorms anytime soon.”

A sob broke out of Uraraka’s chest, and before she knew it, the other girls were having to support her to keep her from falling to her knees. They guided her to an armchair, where she buried face in her hands, which were dripping with tears. 

The rest of the class fell silent as well, some trying to hide their concern while others displayed it openly. 

“The stupid self-sacrificial idiot,” Shinso scoffed, eyes clenched shut. 

Bakugo gritted his teeth, before whipping his finger out in the direction of the work study students. Uraraka, Tsu, Kirishima, and Tokoyami. “You all better bring him back, ya hear me!? He’s been through enough shit as it is!”

Tsu had a consoling arm wrapped around Uraraka. “I don’t think any of us would hang him out to dry, ribbit.”

Midoriya had left an imprint on each of 1-A’s lives. Whether that be through his notes, advice in conversation, running errands, saving their lives, or just showing his humanity after being a villain, they all felt some thread of connection to him. And none of them wanted that thread snapped. 

“We’ll get him back,” Uraraka affirmed, even with her broken voice. “We saved him once, we can do it again.”

Kirishima and Tsu nodded strongly. Everyone else could only watch with hopeful or desperate eyes. Not being in a work study, they wouldn’t be able to participate in the rescue. Bakugo’s fists were smoking at the idea. 

They could only wish the comfort and support they’d given him would be enough to carry him through whatever he was experiencing. 

 

When Midoriya opened his eyes, he wasn’t sure he had opened them at all. 

He squinted, and soon came to realize he was in a dingy room. All concrete walls and floors, metal door, no windows, ominous stains, and chains. 

Said chains were clamped around his wrists, and they suspended him from the unlit ceiling, so that his toes could barely touch the floor. He quickly wished to fall back unconscious, because the pain from his aching shoulders and elbows made itself known. 

The throbbing from his head greeted him too, and he found it difficult to take deep breaths when stretched from the ceiling. Like old, ragged clothing, he felt hung out to dry. 

His pounding mind tried to cobble together the sequence of events that had brought him there. 

He recalled a glimmering waterfall of hair, a girl’s. Mirio had been with him, why did he leave? There had been this other guy, hadn’t there? A bad guy, with… with a plague mask! 

The pieces clicked together. 

I need to protect that girl, Eri, from the mafia leader!

A new surge of determination pulsed in his heart, which sped up as he started twisting around, searching for a means of escape. This movement caused his chains to clink together, alerting the guard waiting outside the door. 

After a few minutes, he figured the only way to break himself out would either be with a key or lockpick, twisting the chain in a weak spot to damage its structural integrity, or breaking the entire chain from the ceiling. There were already cracks where the metal met the roof. 

Of course, not that he needed or wanted to escape ye-

The screech of the metal door opening grabbed his thoughts. That would be a nuisance to work around, if he got out of the chains the door creak would alert any guards anyway. 

However, that quickly became a non-issue when he saw who’d entered the confinement cell to speak with him. The man’s cold eyes borred into him, and Midoriya didn’t even need to notice the plague mask to recognize him. The absence of fear was enough. 

“You’re awake now, good. We have some important matters to talk about,” he began. At this point Midoriya was very much wishing he’d stayed unconscious. 

But no, he was alive and thinking, and he clenched his jaw. Might as well put that processing brain to the betterment of others. 

“I came to make sure that girl is safe,” Midoriya replied, making sure to look him in the eye. “Eri, right? Where is she? Something about locking me up without reason tells me she isn’t actually your daughter.”

“Now now, I’ll be the one asking the questions. Not you,” he said this in such a way, Midoriya could tell he got irritated easily when things didn’t go how he desired. This man loved control, and he valued it more than any morals or honesty. “However, I will agree, being restricted like that is no way for us to get to know each other. Why don’t I help you with that…”

Midoriya shied away as the man outstretched his hand, but instead of touching his body, he reached above him and brushed the chain with his fingertips. 

It dissolved into ash. 

Just like his shoulder at the touch of a different deadly hand. This mental connection caused him to inhale sharply in fear. 

The powdery substance fell upon Midoriya like desolate snowflakes, as the teen dropped to his knees, shaking legs unable to support him. He coughed, lungs fitting at the sudden inhalation of dust, and the mafia leader backed away at the possible spreading of germs. 

“Cough into your elbow next time,” he insisted. Midoriya raised his frightened eyes to him, and saw his face was twisted in disgust. 

The teen quickly got his feet under him and stepped out of the desecrated remains of his shackles, finding his voice. “Yeah, sure.”

So he’s germaphobic. And his quirk, it’s similar to Shigaraki’s. It’s growing more likely he was the one to encounter the League at the warehouse. 

The man sighed deeply, pushing his displeasure aside. “Now that we’ve gotten those chains out of the way, why don’t I introduce myself.” He lifted his hand to his chest. “You can call me Overhaul, and I’m the leader of the Shie Hassaikai, an organization set on curing the world of the disease known as quirks.”

Even as he said this, Midoriya could hear the entitled pride enlacing his voice. He really thought he was all that, the chosen one. The teen opted to stay silent. 

“I have a proposal for you,” Overhaul continued, and based on the glint in his eye, Midoriya already knew he was going to refuse. “Quirks are such putrid, nasty things, as I’m sure you’re well aware of. Villain, hero, it doesn’t matter, they’re just symptoms. Since when has either done you any good in the past? People act like their special abilities are all-important, but then how has someone like you managed to trek his way up to infamy?”

Overhaul took a domineering step forward, splaying his arms outward as if to symbolize all the opportunity presented in his proposal. Midoriya only backed away, feigning minimal interest to keep the man talking. 

“So why don’t you join us?” There it was, the line the former villain had been waiting for. “You’ll be able to display your advantage as a quirkless individual, being free from the plague of humanity. In the process, you’ll show all of the sickened people who’ve hurt you just what you’re capable of. Your intel on them is invaluable.”

As Overhaul stared down at him, his eyes eclipsed with greed and selfishness, and the weight of his aspiration pressed down on Midoriya. 

“Join us,” the villain demanded, voice dripping with thirst for control. 

Still, the teen managed to keep his gaze locked. This guy just wanted his skill and abilities for himself, but Midoriya had already learned at UA, he chose how his analysis was used. 

And he wanted to help, not hurt. 

“Sorry, but being in one criminal organization was enough for me. I’m not looking to join another.”

He knew he was royally screwing himself over by saying this. Overhaul had him in his base, in a prison cell, few means of escape, and the ability to torture him however he liked. 

But he couldn’t bail yet. Not when he had a plan to save Eri. 

Although, it was hard to stay focused on his plan when Overhaul seethed in such hostility at Midoriya’s words. 

“What do you mean?! This is the ideal place for you to shine without a quirk, and better society by furthering a goal that actually matters! It’s the only goal that could ever possibly matter!! Quirks are evil, fickle things that need to be eradicated!”

The teen took a dangerous step forward. “No. They’re not,” he answered, which did nothing to ease the rage in Overhaul’s expression. “Quirks aren’t inherently bad, it only matters how they’re used.” He reached up and grasped the collar. “It’s all the person who utilizes the quirk. That’s what makes it good or bad.” 

And I’m going to use One For All for good, because I’ve been shown I can overcome my past. But this guy…

He looked at Overhaul pointedly. “And based on the bandages covering Eri, you use yours very badly.”

Anger stormed through the villain’s expression and body language, as he clenched his fists, quaking in temper. For a moment it looked as if he would attack the teen right out. 

Then he inhaled, collecting himself, calming down and regaining his composure, but when he exhaled the same fiery blaze remained in his pupils. 

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to play this card, but you haven’t given me much of a choice. I am in contact with the League of Villains, your former employer.”

More like captor. Although this pretty much confirms he was the one to meet with the League. But that also means Shigaraki might’ve…

“Shigaraki has requested I capture you, so he may vent his frustrations through physical torment, which his filthy quirk is exceptional at. You can only imagine how painful that would be.”

Midoriya’s shoulder pin-pricked, alarm and unease tingling across his skin. No, he couldn’t only imagine. He knew. 

“However, I have not informed him of your presence here… yet. If you fail to do what I request of you, you can be sure he will arrive. Quickly.”

The teen shivered, and the trembling didn’t pass when Overhaul took a step closer, looming over him. 

“I want all the intel you have on the League, as well as any hero I have a particular interest in. Anything your mind can supply, give it up.”

The villain continued plodding forward, pushing the boy closer to the wall. 

“All the advantages and intelligence that comes along with your skills, I’ll put it to amazing use. You are so appealingly useful,” his voice rasped out of his throat, his face all shadow as he crept closer. 

Midoriya’s back hit the uncompromising wall, and panic settled on his mind. This was just what had happened last time. 

“If you refuse… Shigaraki sounded very eager for your reunion.”

The teen’s breath flew in and out of his clenched teeth, eyes wide in dreadful anticipation of what was coming next. 

“But of course,” Overhaul’s eyes wrinkled in a smile, and he lifted his deadly hand. “I can be very persuasive as well.”

He planted his destructive fingers on the wall, neck to Midoriya’s head. The threat blatantly clear. 

“So what’ll it be? Divulge everything you know, or suffer the most unbearable agony you’ll ever experience.”

Midoriya’s breathing was ragged at this point, and his heart beat with an unrelenting fear. He’d been through these motions before; he knew how it ended. But this time, he had the chance to change the outcome, to stop the torture bound to hit him, he just had to speak. 

But in speaking he’d be endangering lives. His eyes sharpened. He’d already done enough hurting in his lifetime. 

“Answer me!” Overhaul ordered. 

The teen glared bitingly up at the villain, his pounding determination enabling him to challenge such bloodlust.  

“No.”

He spat the word so surely, Overhaul took a step back in surprise. However, dark rage soon overtook his mind and his frame. 

“You’re going to regret that,” he hissed, and Midoriya glared defiantly back. 

Until Overhaul’s hand landed firmly on his shoulder, touch as harsh as Shigaraki’s. 

His flesh shredded apart, first his neck split in half and the rend continued down his arm, and his fingers were ribboned. He couldn’t even scream in agony, but he felt the effect tear through his body, fragmenting his organs and grating his muscle and deteriorating his skin. 

He felt like a paper being put into a shredder, his fiber distorted into something unrecognizable. 

Dying was a relief. 

But then he reformed, his cells and neurons reorganizing themselves into the shape they’d been before. His body was soon whole again, but his mind was still reeling from such intense pain. 

Vomit rose up his throat and spilled out his mouth, landing in a puddle at Overhaul’s feet. 

The villain repeated the process, not even asking if Midoriya had changed his mind, just enjoying the pleasure of seeing someone crumble in pain. It was an agony with such severe implications, it was impossible for only the body to be affected. 

The suffering was so much, he couldn’t decide whether he regretted it or not.

Notes:

Sorry this one’s a bit shorter, had a big test the week I wrote this. But that’s a nice note to end on, right? Right?

I’m so sorry for torturing the bean like this.

Hah, anyhoo, this chapter's song is Far From Home by Sam Tinnesz. Wanted to use it back when he was still in the League, but now it fits really well too.

One last thing, I'm writing a second fic now: Puzzle Pieces. Won't be as long as this one lol, but check it out to see if it seems like something you'd be interested in. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 70: Speckling of Hope

Notes:

I would just like to say, it's fairly easy to partially dislocate a shoulder. Also, the Shie Hassaikai just have a surplus of chains to replace the ones Overhaul destroys lol.

Anyway, enjoy!

The guard edged away from Overhaul as he exited the confinement cell, knowing his mood always leaned towards murder after a torture session. 

And this seemed to be a particularly gruesome one, or enjoyable, in Overhaul’s case. He caught a glimpse of the boy sprawled against the concrete, amidst smears of blood. Based on his shaking frame, he was still conscious. 

The guard resisted cringing at what the teen must’ve endured. Wouldn’t want Overhaul knowing he felt sympathetic for his victims, after all the others had been… removed. 

Besides, Overhaul had been doing this exact thing to Eri for years, why should it phase him now?

But still… “You want him to work for us, right? Then why’d you have to torture him, if Shigaraki’s gonna be doing that anyway? I mean like, damn.”

Overhaul didn’t even care enough to look the guard in the eyes. “This kid willingly turned himself over to the heroes. If I’m going to convince him to work for us, it’ll take more incentive.”

“And by incentive you mean, torture?”

Overhaul’s hand twitched, and the guard immediately retreated. 

“You’ll find torture is a very effective method of getting people to talk, or in your case, shut up,” the villain snapped. 

The guard nodded vigorously. “Yes yes, never doubting you for a second, boss.”

Overhaul stalked off. “Good, now go and chain him back up. I’m already too dirty with his filthy blood.”

 

Midoriya faded in and out of consciousness as he was strung from the ceiling, stretching his joints and tendons again. 

When his mind cleared, he realized something strange. He didn’t hurt at all. After being torn to shreds and reassembled, one would think he’d be feeling aftershocks of the physical trauma. 

But he didn’t. His body was in the same condition prior to the severing. 

His mind sure wasn’t, though. 

Echoes of the pain reverberated around his mind, making him think he was experiencing the same thing over again, when it was just his brain trying to ready itself, should it ever endure such torment again. His heart rate and breathing spiked without reason, his muscles twitched as if expecting to be torn again, and he was on constant alert. Even if he wasn’t hanging from the ceiling like a drying carcass, he wouldn’t be able to relax. 

The torture only temporarily rended his body. Afterwards it rended his mind. 

However, he was still self-aware enough to understand the after effects of severe torture, and how to lessen their intensity. 

He focused his attention on something grounding. The rub of the collar against his neck worked, distracting him from the metal cuffs cutting into his wrists. 

He breathed deep, ignoring the heavy must of blood in the air, letting the oxygen smooth out any tension his lungs were holding. 

As he shut his eyes, colors danced behind his eyelids, and a song 1-A had shared with him resounded in his ear. 

“I know your life ain't fair, I know it's damn near killed you.”

It reminded him of their presence, and that they were still out there, doing something to reach him. 

“You've been through hell, you blame yourself. A painful past you can't forgive.”

They wouldn’t leave him out here to rot. They were the first to care for him, despite all his issues and grudges, and they wouldn’t stop halfway now. 

“You had no help, but time will tell, if it's a curse or it's a gift.”

But even if they were hatching a plan to rescue him, he still had to endure for the time being. He just had to survive long enough without losing himself. After all, this wasn’t the first time he’d been maimed. 

“But if you're still breathing, breathing, you made it through your darkest days.”

He’d gone through this before. Sure, the severity was upped, but his previous experiences had taught him how not to break under such painful pressure. 

“You've had millions of reasons to bend and to break, but you're still alive and that's not a mistake.”

And because of that, he’d be able to save Eri. He just had to hold out until the heroes arrived, using the collar to pinpoint the base’s location, and then he’d help them save her. Who knew such a bothering device would be used to help in the end?

“'Cause you're still breathing.”

He laughed softly to himself. In some ways, his functionality was similar to that of the collar’s. Who knew all his torment and misery would be used to save an innocent girl in the end?

“No need to wear your scars like a scarlet letter.”

If only Nighteye could see him now, using his time as a villain to be a hero. It was a good thing those around him at UA had shown him another path forward. A brighter, happier path. 

“You're on the ledge, but not the end. It helped you see another way.”

And even locked up in a filthy cell, being treated like dead meat, he was confident he’d find his way back to that path. He focused on the puff of his breath in and out of his nose. 

“'Cause if you're still breathing, breathing, you made it through your darkest days.”

His heart beat strongly in his chest, in a sureness he was going to survive this. Maybe not unharmed, but he hadn’t wanted to die for a while now. 

“If your heart's still beating, beating, then you are gonna be okay.”

He’d spent so long warring in his mind whether he was worthy of all the things he’d received at UA, whether it was possible to change from villainy to heroism. After meeting Overhaul, he came to a decision. 

“The war in your head tells a story that's still worth believing.”

He inhaled deep, determination pulsing through him. He wanted to be a hero for that girl, Eri. 

“'Cause you're still breathing.”

 

Two days later…

Uraraka had known what this meeting would be about before she walked in, but hearing it first hand still managed to freeze the air coming in and out of her lungs. 

Before, she’d just known it was a dangerous villain Midoriya had gone with. 

Now, she realized just how horrible of a situation he was in. 

“Their young leader is Kai Chisaki. More commonly known as Overhaul, a man with the ability to dismantle and restore,” Nighteye explained. “Knowing he had contact with the League, one can only imagine what a valuable playing chip a former member would be, and how such a destructive quirk could be used to move him.”

Uraraka stood up abruptly, gathering the eyes of many pro heroes throughout the meeting room. “He’s not just a playing chip! We’ve got to get him back!”

Nighteye’s harsh glare did nothing to quiet the girl, and only after Ryukyu’s soft “settle down, let him explain” did she lower back into her seat. 

“Yes, Deku will be an important factor going into this mission,” Nighteye continued, his tone slightly grudging. “However, if you recall the previous track of this conversation, the Shie Hassaikai also play a large role in the distribution of this quirk-destroying drug. Here we have a quirk that can disassemble and then mend…”

The terrible connection of puzzle pieces clicked in Mirio’s mind, as he thought back to Eri in the alleyway. 

“...and Chisaki claims to have a daughter.”

Multiple heroes snarled in disgust at the prospect, while the younger students remained confused. Rock Lock impatiently jumped in to explain. 

“C’mon, use your damn head. He’s turning his own daughter’s body into bullets, and then selling them on the black market.”

Uraraka suddenly felt very foolish for prioritizing Midoriya. Nighteye went on to explain how it appeared Overhaul was simply testing the bullets out, gaining an audience for whatever future plans he might have. Plans that could have very severe implications. 

“So you’re saying if Lemillion or Deku had just saved the girl right there and then, we wouldn’t be having these issues,” Rock Lock scoffed. 

“For Mirio, I take full responsibility,” Nighteye countered. “He was simply thinking ahead, listening to my own advice. Of all the people in here, he’s probably the one hurting the most.”

The blond sprung from his chair, determination and shame etched on his face. “We’ll save her next time for sure!!”

Nighteye gave a short nod. “Deku on the other hand, I have no idea what could have compelled him to act in such a reckless way. It may be in part due to his past as a vil-”

“If you’re going to propose he went with Overhaul to escape UA and return to villainy,” Aizawa interrupted, “then I suggest shut your mouth right now. Midoriya has a better sense of heroism than some in this room.”

“I think he went to protect Eri,” Mirio added. “He refused to let her go back with Overhaul, because he knew what a dangerous person he was. So instead of letting her go alone… he went with her. Yeah, it was reckless, but he looked so sure of himself. I think he did the right thing.”

Nighteye sighed in defeat. “Well, because of him, we have the exact location of their base due to the tracking device in his collar. We won’t have to waste weeks searching for it.”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Fatgum shouted. “Let’s march up and bust open the doors! Save the two kiddos!”

Nighteye glanced at him sharply. “We must create a well-thought-out plan of action. Then we will attack.”

Many heroes nodded in agreement, as thoughts and ideas already started simmering in their minds and bubbling out into spoken word. 

“Let’s do it,” Uraraka said, pumping her fist. “Let’s save them both!”

The members of 1-A present, Tsu, Kirishima, and even Tokoyami, cheered along with her. 

Hawks watched the kids with sharp eyes. 

 

Eri staggered forward while Chrono dragged her along by her wrist, back to her dim room. 

The light pitter-pattering of her bare feet against the cold concrete became irregular as she stumbled. She was tired and her mind felt foggy, after being tested on for so many hours. 

At least the familiar pain of her flesh ripping apart wasn’t echoing through her body, yet. It usually started once she was trying to fall asleep, and resulted in her staying up all night in a cold sweat, shaking. 

Chrono didn’t see it that way, though. 

“Come on, you damned child,” the villain growled. “You’re lucky boss has kept you around this long, giving you a chance to actually better the world with that curse of yours. Otherwise you’d only be capable of killing people, like the monster you are.”

Eri’s red eyes widened as tears pricked up, and the guilt spurned her fearfully on, so she stopped tripping. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked. 

Chrono scoffed and only pulled her harsher, grip causing her wrist to ache, and nearly twisting her shoulder out of joint. 

He tossed her into her room and locked the door and light out. Eri crawled on the floor until she found her bedpost, then curled up into the fetal position on her bed. 

Even though this had been her life for years, she still cried and sweat and trembled terribly after being shredded apart for experiments. 

But it was what she deserved, for being a cursed monster. 

Or at least, those were the thoughts that normally curdled in her mind, but not this time. 

There was a boy, not a big mean man like she’d known her whole life. Just a short puny boy, whose eyes looked kind of like her own. 

And he hadn’t treated her like a curse, no. He’d held on to her and tried to stop her from hurting. In his arms was the safest she’d ever felt, like maybe the rending pain couldn’t reach her through his protection. 

It had only felt that way for a second, before they’d had to separate. 

But then he went with her. He was in the same building right now! The boy who’d treated her differently! She might not understand why he’d gone with her, or why he’d wanted to protect her, or why he’d been friendly, but through the confusion, one thing was for sure. 

That boy had given her the first speckling of hope she’d ever experienced. 

 

Midoriya had never considered pendulums very closely before, but he had discovered they could provide some use after all. 

Only the tips of his toes were touching the ground, but if he stretched downward by partially dislocating his shoulders and cutting his wrists into the cuffs, the entire ball of his foot made contact with the concrete. 

With this much traction, he could push himself gently from side to side, before kicking off with a bit of extra force to get his swing going. From there, he jerked his body as harshly as he could from one direction to another. Soon, he was swinging from the ceiling like a pendulum. 

He looked up as he kept swooshing from side to side, observing the effect the swaying motion had on the chain’s connection to the ceiling. 

He swore he could see it budge a little. 

Of course, if he did manage to break the chain this way, the entire length of metal was still bound to his wrists. But at least that way he’d be able to move around!

The more ideal method of escape would be to pick lock the cuffs, but he’d need something like a pin or paperclip for that. 

The echoing of thudding footsteps sounded out in the hallway, and he immediately dragged himself to a halt. Wouldn’t want the guards catching onto his wondering of escape, but this being his third day at Overhaul’s base, he knew there was a thirty minute break each day he could make all the ruckus he wanted. 

But for now, the guard was back. And instead of posting himself outside the door like Midoriya thought he would, he struggled with the keys for a moment, and then plodded into the cell. 

The teen opted for a frown while the guard stared at him like a museum exhibit for a good minute. 

“Just came here to tell ya,” the guard spoke first, “You’ll be havin’ visitors not too long from now.”

Midoriya’s frown deepened. “What kind of visitors?”

“Old friends, you could call ‘em.” There was a hint of a snicker in the tone. 

Midoriya had a pretty good guess what that meant. 

The former villain directed his eyes to the floor. Being submissive usually got people to leave quicker. “Alright, well, thanks.”

The guard snorted. “Yeah whatever.”

He left Midoriya in the dark isolation of his cell, perfectly and terribly alone. Thoughts of escape and rescue and ‘old friends’  ran rampant through his mind. He repeated his final idea from before in his head. 

I just have to survive long enough. 

 

The UA students sat around the table in silence. The meeting had adjourned, and they now each had a file detailing the possibilities of upcoming events. 

A somber silence pressed against them all. Not only was an innocent young girl being abused for twisted ends, but their friend was in a similarly dangerous situation. 

“Why’s he gotta be so reckless?” Uraraka muttered. 

Mirio clenched his fists, face devoid of a smile. “I should’ve done something. I dunno what, but I should’ve thought of something to get both of them out of there safely.” He scoffed at himself in disappointment. “I was the hero in the situation, dammit! I should’ve known what to do!”

Amajiki countered him before anyone else had the chance. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, man. No one’s perfect, not even you can pull off the exact right move every time. So keep your head up.”

“Everyone has regrets sometimes!” Nejire added thoughtfully. “That’s just the way it is, kay?”

Mirio perked up a bit at his friends’ words, but the clenching in his fists remained. 

“Besides,” Kirishima spoke up, “Midobro might not be one officially, but he is a hero. Or at least, his actions say he is. If he thought going with Eri was the right thing,” he pumped his fist, “then I trust his guts!”

“You forget his gut normally tells him to throw himself into danger without a thought,” Tsu commented. 

“But he only does it when he has a good reason,” Uraraka said softly. “Don’t get me wrong, I wish he would think about himself a bit more, but… it sounds like Eri needs all the support she can get. Midoriya going with her probably gave her hope, not to mention a higher chance of getting rescued.”

“Even that cruel collar is being of use, with being able to find their location,” Tokoyami added, and Uraraka nodded. 

“My point is, and call me optimistic, but I think all of this can work for good in the end. No matter how much it sucks right now,” Uraraka finished. 

“Well said!” Kirishima complimented. 

A bit of a smile crept back onto Mirio’s face. “Well, I can’t argue with that! Sorry for being such a downer you guys, wow, don’t know where my positivity ran off to!” His smile became a little more solid. “I promise to focus on what we can do for Midoriya in the moment, instead of lamenting over actions of the past.”

The rest of the students smiled at him and nodded, while Kirishima flashed him a thumbs up. 

They heard the door to the meeting room slide open, and Aizawa approached them, a careful look of consideration in his expression. 

“Hey Mr. Aizawa!”

“Kirishima, tone it down. And it’s Eraserhead here.”

“Right! Sorry Eraserhead!” replied the redhead, only listening to the second half. 

“I need to confirm, are you all absolutely sure about participating in this mission?”

“YES!” the students answered without hesitation, making Aizawa wince. 

“I know even if I forbid you from taking part, you all would still jump right into the fray anyway. To save Eri, and to save Midoriya. However,” a warning loomed in his tone, “the League may have ties to the Shie Hassaikai, so if it becomes evident we will encounter them, I will force my students to bow out.”

Kirishima jumped out of his chair and shouted his protest, while Tsu’s brow furrowed. 

Uraraka stared her teacher in the eye with a sure defiance. “I don’t care what happens. I’m not stopping until we know Midoriya, and Eri too, are safe.”

Aizawa stared back with the same level of intensity. “Then I hope you won’t mind being locked up at UA the day of the operation.”

She quieted, but the embers of her determination remained. 

“I’m only making sure to dose your minds with a fair amount of warning before anything is finalized. I’m not saying you can’t go to rescue your friend, but do it sensibly,” Aizawa clarified. 

His students nodded in understanding. Even if there was a chance they’d be held back, they weren’t going to think for a second of forsaking Midoriya, or the girl he’d left to save. 

“We just have to hope all the support and friendship we gave him is enough to carry him through whatever he’s experiencing,” Uraraka said lowly. “If it’s not enough… I don’t know what kind of person we’ll be getting back.”

 

A day later…

Midoriya was upside down, the blood pumping to his head, making his brain feel like it was getting squeezed. 

He had his feet on the ceiling, on either side of where the chain connected to the concrete. His fists gripped onto the links as tightly as he could, and he pulled with his arms and pushed with his legs with as much force as he could muster. 

He’d gone through a lot of training to be able to control One For All, so his muscles were stronger than they used to be. 

But it still wasn’t enough. When he’d started the chain had budged a little, the smallest dislodgement, but it hadn’t moved since. There was a pretty slim chance the chain would actually break from the ceiling. 

So there went one method of escape. 

When he heard footsteps approaching, he slid back down to his normal position, his toes brushing the ground. The pressure alleviated itself from his head. 

A guard walked in wearing a snarky expression, and spoke in an even snarkier tone. 

“Those visitors are here to see you, not that a pesky bug like you deserves it.”

The sentence didn’t register in Midoriya’s head, because he realized something decorating the guard’s uniform. 

A pin. 

And it was a long, horizontal pin! The type of pin that has a needle to clip itself in! A needle that could be used the same as a picklock…

“Didja hear me, pest!?” the guard shouted, irritated. 

Midoriya snapped back to reality and thought back to what he’d said. When the sentence finally registered, his blood ran cold. 

Old friends. 

The guard snickered. “Not looking forward to it, if the look on your face is anything to go by. I’ll go fetch them now.”

Internally, Midoriya begged for it not to be one particular person. Overhaul wanted him alive, right? So of course, he’d been bluffing about Shigaraki… that man wanted him dead for the crime of betrayal. 

Unless Shigaraki promised not to kill him, to only bring him a ghost’s whisper away from death. 

The prospect filled his thumping heart with terror, so Midoriya could only hope it was anyone else but Shigaraki. 

The door creaked open, capturing the teen’s attention. An uncounted variable in his plan to save Eri, possible visitors from the League. He hadn’t considered the League and the Shie Hassaikai still had an unsevered tie. 

A tie that had brought these two people here. A sigh of relief broke out of his lungs. 

Twice and Toga. They both held slight frowns, but their expressions were tinted with a lingering curiosity. Here was a boy who had been beaten by the world just like them, but had left the League, and he was better for it. 

Now, these were people he could work with.

Notes:

Look! He's fine! He hasn't died (permanently) and Shigaraki hasn't arrived (yet) so it's looking like he'll survive (with lasting after effects)!

And I decided on having Hawks and Tokoyami in the raid after writing this chapter, so uh, hope that didn't look clumsy or anything.

This chapter's song is the same one Midoriya listened to, Still Breathing by Citizen Soldier. Wonderful song, fits great, hence its presence in this fic lol.

Ending these notes is always so difficult. Good bye.

Chapter 71: Planting Seeds

Notes:

Ahh the chapter title fits really nice and I’m very happy with it, as I am with this chapter too.

Also, you know sympathy pain? Where you feel the same physical pain as someone you care about despite not having anything wrong? That really has happened to me and my family members and there’s a bit with it in here lol.

“Well hello, Izuku,” Toga started, tone guarded. She peered at Midoriya closely with her yellow cat-like eyes, his form dangling from the ceiling, sheening with sweat. 

“It’s totally not cool to see you!” Twice exclaimed. 

The teen suddenly felt much more vulnerable, hanging like dead meat. He didn’t think either of the two would hurt him, but he wasn’t completely safe in their presence either. 

From what Toga had told him at the provisional licensing exams, they were jealous of the treatment and care he had received after leaving the League. However, would they act on that jealousy, or simply let it fester internally?

Midoriya chose the honest approach. “Well, I’d rather be seeing you two than Shigaraki.”

“Why?” Twice began, “‘Cause you know he’ll dish out some well deserved punishment?!”

“Well deserved?” Midoriya countered. “You think I should be punished for not wanting to be part of a group that threatened to hurt my friends and family, and tortured me for not following orders?”

Twice flung his arms around wildly. “You ditched us! Who does that?!”

“And you gave the police a bunch of info on us on your way out,” Toga added. She’d produced a knife from somewhere, causing Midoriya’s heart rate to increase slightly. 

He took a deep breath. “Listen, I get you’re super tight knit and think it’s wrong for comrades to forsake each other, and I agree, but I was never your comrade. I didn’t belong in the League, and I wasn’t wanted there either.”

Both villains hesitated for a second, because he was right. He’d never truly been accepted into the League, despite being a part of their ranks for longer. 

The reason for that? He refused to kill, and avoided hurting others. 

“So you think you belong at UA, then?” Toga asked. 

Midoriya thought on it for a moment. He remembered Shinso’s and Mina’s teasing, and Ochako’s blushing face. He remembered the support and real friendship he’d experienced, a stark contrast to the crap treatment he’d been so familiar with before. 

He looked Toga in the eye with confidence. “Yeah, with 1-A, I actually feel like I belong.”

“How?” Twice shouted immediately. “You were hated and shunned by people like them, right? Right? Aren’t we…” his tone dropped as he grew quiet, “Aren’t we the same? We both became villains to change the twisted ways of the world, so why can you be at home there, and not us?”

Midoriya frowned in contemplation, not responding for a moment. 

“I think that, yes, in some ways we are similar. We both think society could use some changing, but you’re willing to hurt people to do it. I’m not. And besides,” he smiled faintly, “The world’s not as bad as you make it out to be. That’s something I discovered at UA.”

Toga scoffed, twirling her blade between her fingers. “It’s still not fair. You were a villain and did some pretty nasty stuff, but now you’re loved and adored and are getting everything we never had. Everything we will never have, simply because of who we are.”

“I never went as far as either of you,” Midoriya said softly. 

The girl hissed, suddenly raising her knife to his throat. He could feel the cold metal when he gulped. “And because we had to resort to drastic measures, we don’t deserve to be loved?”

“Yeah! What she said!” Twice cheered. 

“I never said that,” Midoriya replied firmly. “I’ll admit, you both had it much worse than I ever did, and I think some care and affection would go a long way in your lives, but…”

“But what?” Toga seethed, eyes narrowed dangerously as she pressed the knife closer to his tender skin. 

“You’ve murdered and you’ve harmed people, and took pleasure in it. Once you cross that line, it’s nearly impossible to turn back.”

Twice raised his hand to his chin. “Elaborate.”

“From what I was forced to do in the League, I was shattered and broken, but I was still repairable because I hadn’t fallen too far into the depths of villainy. You two however,” he looked at them pointedly. “You’ve fallen incredibly far, and… and it’s really tragic to see. There is such a thing as too broken.”

Toga’s eyes widened slightly, and the hopelessness in them grew more distinct. 

“But I don’t think it’s impossible,” Midoriya murmured. 

Though it was barely audible, the blonde gasped lightly, and she clutched the handle of her blade tighter. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’ll be a lot harder for you than me, but I do think it’s still possible for both of you to climb out of the pit society forced you into, a pit that you’ve dug even deeper. Real care and compassion is far away, but with time and effort, not out of reach.” He spoke with a bit of hesitance, but appeared mostly firm in this belief. 

Toga lowered her knife, eyes wide and the brightest Midoriya had ever seen them. “You mean it?”

“Of course he doesn’t!” Twice interjected. “Didn’t you hear how tentative he was?”

“Alright, yes, I’m not completely sure it’s possible, but I am pretty sure it is,” the teen corrected. “You two would have to give up on being a villain, though, and leave the League.”

They both diverted their eyes at that, and Midoriya titled his head. 

“What? Scared how Shigaraki will react?”

Toga stuck out her bottom lip, while Twice clenched his fists, shouting, “We just don’t wanna leave the other members!”

Midoriya leaned forward the best he could. “Then bring them with you. I get sad whenever I think about you guys, because I can understand what you’re going through. I think the more people you get out of there, the better.”

This stunned the two villains at first, and then it began to slowly sink in as they frowned in thought. 

But in the end, their hatred of the world and fear of Shigaraki kept a hold of them. 

“I’m not abandoning the League!” Twice exclaimed. “It’s the only place I feel happy!”

Toga’s response was much more hesitant and required much more internal debate, but after a minute, she nodded her head in agreement with Twice. 

Midoriya’s face crumpled in defeat. “Well, that’s disappointing to hear. How about this? Just promise you won’t forget what I’ve told you, that you’ll remember my invitation to get better.”

Twice laughed. “I don’t gotta promise you anything!”

“Okay, I’ll remember.” Toga’s words surprised both of them. “You know, we were only supposed to come in here to give you a harsh talking to and cut you up a bit, collect some blood. Make you more afraid of Shiggy coming tomorrow too.”

That last sentence sent a chill of dread down Midoriya’s spine. 

“Well, I’d say this was a much better type of conversation, right?” he laughed nervously. 

“Sure, I guess,” Toga responded dismissively, fingering her blade, “But know Shiggy has been ranting non-stop about destroying you, and giving you what you deserve. So tomorrow when he arrives?” 

She raised the point of the knife to his cheek, slightly puncturing it, and a drop of blood trickled down. She eyed the red enviously. 

“It’s gonna be hell.” 

The blonde licked the tip of the blade like a lollipop. 

Midoriya shuddered, and his mind began to frantically work again at finding an escape. He realized just how useful the people in front of him could be. Although, if Shigaraki did pay him a visit…

“It’s not like it could be any worse than what Overhaul did to me.”

Both villain’s raised their eyebrows in surprise at that. They’d seen the effect Shigaraki’s decay had on him, mental and physical. For him to brush it off, saying he’d experienced worse? 

“Wait…” Twice began, “Overhaul wasn’t supposed to touch you until Shigaraki got here!”

The teen quirked an eyebrow. “And you two are seriously here to help Overhaul? I don’t buy it for a second; there are other motives here. The alliance between the League and the Shie Hassaikai is as fragile as a spider web. No wonder Overhaul didn’t keep his word.”

“What did he do?” Toga questioned curiously. “What did he want?”

At the memory of the tearing flesh and cracking bone, Midoriya tensed, his stomach twisting. The two must’ve noticed him pale, because they narrowed their eyes. 

“He uh, he just wanted intel. On anything he wanted. I refused, and he… he-” the breath left his lungs, making him unable to continue. 

“You don’t have to finish that,” Twice said solemnly. “We saw it happen to Big Sis Mag. Except he actually put you back together.”

“And then did it again,” Midoriya whispered. 

The villains paled. Overhaul was truly on another level of malice. 

The teen grimaced, and spoke louder. “You know, he does the same thing to a little girl he keeps locked up here. Her name is Eri, and she’s innocent. Overhaul is abusing her for his own personal gain. I know you’re both villains, but like I said earlier, you still have a chance at being saved.”

He peered at them earnestly, begging with his eyes. 

“Please, to the part of you that’s still human, find a way to get her out of here as soon as possible. Or,” here was the part he’d been waiting for, “help me out so I can rescue her. That’s why I let Overhaul capture me.”

After a moment, Toga smiled and shook her head. “You’re always the stupid reckless one, aren’t you?”

He gave her a warm smile, and she acquired a pink tint. “Yeah, you’re not the first to say that.”

Twice hummed in thought. “Well, Overhaul is a big jerk, and I wouldn’t mind messing with him. Besides, child abuse is wrong! Especially the torture he’s doing!”

Midoriya’s chest swelled with hope. They were willing to help him!

Toga ended up inserting the tip of her blade into the lock keeping the chain around his wrists. She scrunched her face up in concentration, moving the knife around in slightly different directions, before the lock clicked and clunked to the floor. The cuffs loosened, and Midoriya dropped to the floor, a little wobbly on his feet. 

He rubbed his wrists and smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” she responded, trying to hide her growing blush. 

“I think this is all I need for now,” he directed his words at both of them. “The next time the guards come in, I’ll knock them out and escape. I’ll probably get chained up in here again, but I know what I’ll do from there.” The pieces of a plan were already clicking together in his head. 

The two villains nodded and made to leave. 

“Don’t think this changes anything!” Twice exclaimed. “I still dislike you for what you did! And I want you to hurt! But I hate Overhaul more than I hate you, so that’s why I’m okay with this!”

Midoriya pursed his lips. “Well, thanks anyway.”

Once Twice exited, Toga spared him one last glance. “Good luck.”

Midoriya nodded in thanks, and they waved goodbye. 

 

As the pair walked down the corridor, away from Midoriya’s cell, his words echoed in their heads more than they were willing to admit. 

“What he said… do you think it’s true?” Toga wondered out loud. 

Twice crossed his arms defiantly. “I think he was just buttering us up so we’d let him go, ‘cause there’s no way he actually thinks we belong anywhere.”

The blonde looked away dismally. “Oh. Yeah, sure.”

Twice noticed this strange behavior, and frowned in concern. “Are you truly considering leaving the League?” he questioned in a hushed tone. 

“No, no it’s not that,” Toga shook her head, “I like it in the League, it’s just… haven’t you ever wanted something more… real? Like true love and acceptance?”

Twice wavered. “B-but we have that in the League! I’m happy there!”

“You know what Shiggy would do to us if we tried to leave,” Toga countered. 

“There isn’t anything to go back to! Just a world full of rejection and hatred,” Twice argued bitterly. 

The blonde’s brow furrowed, and she nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

She spared a glance back at Midoriya’s cell. Maybe… maybe there was something to go back to. 

Because at the core of their being, they wanted Midoriya’s life, everything he received and cared for, as their own. 

Though they’d have to work a lot harder than him to get it. 

 

A few hours later, an unfortunate guard came to check in on Midoriya. They opened the door, only to find the room vacant. 

They stepped into the confinement cell, wide eyes flying around, searching for the boy… who had been hiding behind the door the whole time. Midoriya slipped out of the room while the guard was inspecting the unlocked chains, then slammed the door closed. 

He sprinted away as fast as his legs could carry him, hoping the time it took the guard to unlock the door bought him the necessary seconds to escape. 

Of course, he wasn’t actually planning on getting out that day. This was just a reconnaissance. 

As he ran, he memorized every turn he took, as well as the positions of any guards he chanced across. These guards would proceed to chase him, but he’d hide and outrun them fairly easily. He slowly developed a map of the base in his mind. 

He heard shouting echoing in the distance, but the pounding of his heart in his ears muffled it out. His breathing was quick and agitated, and he flinched at any sound. If Overhaul were to find him…

The fear almost made him stumble, and judging by the stampede of footsteps close behind him, that would have been disastrous. 

However, this small error led to a bit of good after all, because slowing down allowed him to notice a metal barred door labeled ‘Test Subject 1’.

He heard people approaching quickly, so he padded up to the door and analyzed the handle. It appeared it didn’t lock on the outside, but whoever was inside was trapped until someone let them out. 

He opened the door, and light streamed into the room, illuminating a pair of terrified red eyes. 

Red eyes that widened in utter hopeful shock when she recognized him. 

“You’re… you’re…” she stuttered from her curled up position on the bed. “You’re that boy!”

Midoriya smiled, and he tried to make it as real as he could. “Yeah, that’s me.” He spoke lowly. “I’m here to get you out of this place, okay? Not right now, but soon, we’ll break out with a bunch of other people, who are also nice like me.”

Confusion clouded her expression. “But… why?”

The teen’s smile drooped a little, and he realized how everyone else must’ve felt when he questioned why they cared about him, why they were willing to go to such extreme lengths for him.  

So he gave her the same answer they had given him. 

“Because there are people who care for you, who want to see you safe. You’re not a monster, no matter what other people tell you, or what you tell yourself. You’re just as deserving of love as everyone else; you’re worth it.”

The confusion she felt only grew, but there was a sapling of hope nestled in with it. 

Unfortunately, Midoriya didn’t have the chance to nurture that little sapling, because he was hammered hard on the top of the head, and he crumpled to the ground. Eri gasped loudly. 

He looked up at her, blood leaking down from his scalp over his face, and smiled. “Don’t worry, Eri.”

That was the last thing he said to her, before the door was clanged harshly shut by a man with a beak mask, not Overhaul. 

“Put him back in his cell,” the man ordered coldly. “And hit him a few more times so he doesn’t get out again.”

“Sure thing, Chrono.”

Midoriya was picked up by the hood of his jacket by a bulky man with crystals growing over his body. He was also wearing a mask, not a plague one, though.

“This is gonna hurt, kid,” he warned, crystals sprouting from his knuckles. He pounded Midoriya in the side, and the teen felt his ribs crack. Only a groan of pain escaped his mouth, because Overhaul’s and Shigaraki’s treatment had been much worse. 

The man must’ve taken that as an invitation to hit him more, though, because he punched him two more times, in the side and in the face. He was then dragged back to his cell, a trickle of blood trailing them. 

Two guards were arguing outside his cell when they arrived. The one who let him escape, and the one with the pin in his uniform. 

Midoriya smirked. Perfect. 

“Oh I’ll take him, Hojo,” the pinned guard strode up to him, grinning. “Sorry about my co-worker here. He never learned respect and responsibility.”

The other guard scoffed in annoyance, before stamping off. 

“Yeah whatever, you’re obviously just wanting a pay raise,” Hojo said as he dumped Midoriya on the ground in front of him. “Don’t let him out this time.”

“Of course!”

The guard roughly picked Midoriya up from the ground and heaved him into his cell. In this process, the teen found his footing again. Just before the guard chained him up, Midoriya pushed back lightly against his chest, faking a feeble attempt at escape. 

The guard slapped him, making his blood-stained cheek sting. “Don’t be trying any of that, now.”

He was quickly chained up in the same position as before, and the guard whined about the blood on his hands as he left. 

Midoriya smiled, twiddling a pin between his fingers. 

 

Uraraka sucked in a breath as she sprang up in bed. She lifted her hand to her cheek, which was stinging slightly. How strange. 

As always, the first place her thoughts went to when she woke was Midoriya. She got a twisting feeling in her stomach, not unlike the effect of her quirk when she used it too long. 

He was hurt. And she knew it. She clutched her stomach. 

They’d been working so hard to get Midoriya to recovery. So much time and effort was put into him, and it had been worth it! He was smiling again, laughing! It warmed her heart to think about. 

But now… all that might be reversed. If they tortured him, manipulated him into doing something that destroyed him, all that time and effort would be for naught. All that happiness and comfort washed down the drain. Starting from square one, and helping him recover a second tim could be much more difficult. 

And if he died… she never would’ve told him how she felt. 

Uraraka quickly shook the thought away. She had to focus on the present: what she could do right now. 

Which was nothing. It had only been five days since he’d been gone, but it felt like months. She was stuck in a dreadful waiting game. Her performance in school had plummeted. 

The air in the dorms was different too. It lacked a certain presence, a type of hopeful spirit and helpful friend. The class had gotten used to Midoriya being there, even if not all of them were comfortable around him yet. 

It was noticeable that he was gone. It wasn’t only a physical absence. 

And all Uraraka could do was wait… wait… wait…

Ding. 

She flinched at the sound from her phone, before scrambling forward and snatching it. Her eyes raced over the text, and her breath hitched. 

They were ready. They’d finished their plan. 

Today. 

A swell of hope and determination joined the twisting feeling in her stomach. 

Despite it being two in the morning, she knew she wasn’t going back to sleep. Her heart was pounding in her chest, adrenaline coursing in anticipation. 

She leapt out of bed and went downstairs, hoping some food could quell the storm of emotion in her gut. 

It was only after she found her bag of mochi that she realized she wasn’t the only one up. 

“Surprised seeing you up so late.”

She jumped at the voice, and whipped around to find Shinso sipping a mug of coffee at one of the tables. She breathed a breath of relief. “Shinso-”

“You’re going to get him today, aren’t you?” he interrupted, setting the mug down. “They’re finally ready.”

She hesitated. They weren’t supposed to be disclosing details about the operation, but… this was Shinso. He was one of Midoriya’s closest friends. 

“Yeah. That’s today,” she confirmed. He must’ve heard the anxiousness in her voice, because he frowned. “I know you wish you could come along, bu-”

“No. Well, I mean, yes. I do wish I could come. But I know you want him back even more than I do.” She pinkened, and the corner of his mouth turned upwards. “I trust you, and I know you’ll do everything you can to save him, as well as that girl. Eri.”

She rubbed her arm nervously. So much was banking on this. “Thanks, but what if-”

Shinso stood up abruptly. “No what if’s.” He strode over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, and she looked up at him because of how much more height he had. “You’ve got this.”

Her brow furrowed in worry. “But do I?”

Shinso sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. “You like him, love him- and don’t even try to deny it!” he added quickly when she started spluttering out nonsense. “And if there’s anything I’ve learned in this class, it’s the power of the bonds people have to one another. Yours and Midoriya’s is one of the strongest I’ve seen, and that’ll give you the strength to do anything you can to help him.”

She pondered his words for a moment, and as she thought about it, she realized just how much she was willing to do to get him back. 

Because she did love him. 

“What’s that cringey stuff they always say in movies?” Shinso wondered out loud. “Oh right. ‘When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love.’ Harry Potter.” He made a gagging sound. 

Uraraka laughed. “Oh c’mon, I don’t think it’s obsessive…”

He eyed her incredulously, and he continued eyeing her until she spoke. 

“Okay maybe it’s a little obsessive.”

Shinso smirked. “You’re gonna do great tomorrow, and you’re gonna bring him back.”

She nodded, feeling much more confident after the talk. “Yeah! And thank you, Shinso.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.”

 

When Midoriya woke up, his neck and shoulders were aching. He’d been resting with his chin on his chest, which really strained the back of his neck. 

The rest of his bodily pains greeted him promptly. Specifically the stabbing pain of his broken ribs. 

He was quickly distracted by a loud thud and then a boom on the floors above him. The guard’s radio crackled out a message. 

“We’ve been discovered! Police and pro heroes are infiltrating! Backup needed!”

The guard sprinted down the hallway, and Midoriya waited until his footsteps completely faded from hearing. 

He pulled the pin from out of his sleeve and smiled, working it into the lock holding his cuffs on. Within a minute, his feet were planted firmly on the ground. 

He made his way to the door on shaky legs, figuring out how to walk again. He pick locked the door too, which creaked loudly when he opened it, causing him to cringe.

After checking the corridor was clear, his heart beating in exhilaration, he took off towards Eri’s room. 

Notes:

Oh boy, there we go! The raid has started! Will Izuku be able to get Eri out safely? How will the heroes fare above him? What part will Hawks and Tokoyami play?

And if you ask me these questions in the comments. I will not answer them lol.

This chapter’s song is Where You Are by The Score. Another one I would've liked to use when he was still in the League, but it works great now too! Kinda like the opposite of The Raven song a couple chaps ago. Or rather The Raven was from the pov of the person who needs rescuing, and this one is from the pov of the people doing the rescuing.

Thanks for reading! See ya next week!

Chapter 72: Pull Your Weight

Notes:

Haha, might've strategically skipped over some fight scenes in this... okay sorry but they were technically fight scenes that already happened in canon, so if you really wanna see them that bad then just go back and watch the anime (or read the manga) lol.

Welp, anyway, here's the raid!

Uraraka stood next to Tsu, and the girls gazed up at the two massive figures brawling in front of them. Ryukyu in her dragon form, as well as one of the higher ups in the Shie Hassaikai. 

Tsu sprang forward into the action, looking for any way to assist, while Uraraka hesitated. She stared longingly after the entrance to the base, wanting to go with those heroes into the depths of the fortress, where Midoriya would be, instead of staying up top. 

Ryukyu called her name for help, and she snapped out of it. She couldn’t afford selfish thoughts like that, not when help was needed right in front of her. 

Uraraka glared at the burly villain, determined to pull her weight in this raid. 

 

Amajiki held the three villains in his tentacles, watching them carefully, should any of them regain consciousness. 

He tried to convince himself the pounding in his heart was confidence, when in reality, it was actually the fearful anxiety of failure. 

He shook his head. He was capable, a great hero. He could do this. 

Lives were on the line, so he wasn’t going to let his fear dictate life and death. He would pull his weight. 

 

Kirishima edged closer to Fatgum, the both of them observing the pair of villains in front of them. He convinced himself that fear he felt building in his chest was actually excitement!

After all, who gets to be smashed through a wall and forced into a dark room to fight some evil people like this! This was a rare opportunity!

He knew one thing, no matter how difficult this upcoming fight was going to be, he’d pull his weight. 

 

Hawks circled the sky above the raid, the wind streaming through the feathers in his wings and through his hair. The sensation had always caused a feeling of calmness. Even when there was a fierce battle on the land beneath him. 

It wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it, anyway. Unless things got deadly or close to it, he was supposed to keep circling the sky like a vulture, watching for any villains trying to dart off. 

Oh, like that one!

The hero dipped into a dive, snapping his wings behind him, the stream of wind turning into a river as he plummeted towards the dim-witted yakuza who thought it’d be that easy to escape. He splayed open his wings last second, nailing the yakuza in the back with a kick. 

Easy work. His weight in this mission didn’t feel all that heavy, but he’d make sure he’d pull it. 

 

Tokoyami ran alongside his teacher, Aizawa, through the hidden corridors of the yakuza’s base. Mirio had split off from the group, insisting Eri and Midoriya could be saved faster if he went off by himself. 

The hero student frowned to himself, wondering if what they were doing for Midoriya was worth it. His betrayal at the summer camp wasn’t forgiven, but at the same time, the former villain had displayed a side that was worth saving. 

Tokoyami just hoped he could pull his weight and do what was right. 

 

Midoriya peered around the corner, before taking steps light as breaths down the corridor. If there were still guards around, he couldn’t alert them to his presence. He just had to get to Eri’s room, get her out, and escape. 

Simple, right?

Unfortunately, someone beat him to the girl’s room. 

“We’ve completed the serum, we just have to get it and the girl out of here safely, without being discovered.” That was the same man who’d found him in Eri’s room the first time, Chrono. He was carrying Eri, and the girl did not look safe or secure in his arms at all. 

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Overhaul droned, starting down the corridor, away from the corner where Midoriya was watching. “I’ve arranged the necessary sacrifices. My pawns will buy us enough time to get out of here.”

As they continued down the hall, Midoriya didn’t have to debate long in his head to figure out what to do. Going after Eri now, while she was directly in Overhaul’s clutches, would get him killed. He needed to go retrieve help from an upper floor, and probably get his collar removed too. 

“Hey you, transfers, get a move on,” Overhaul ordered. His words were directed at Toga and Twice, who’d been standing by. 

Midoriya noticed the way their eyes landed on Eri, as if they were concerned, but not enough to do anything. 

“We’ll take care of the heroes for you!” Twice exclaimed. Midoriya was just able to pick out the fakeness in his tone. 

The League members began walking towards Midoriya as the two mafia continued down the hallway, and the teen ducked around the corner and kept as still as the air, silent. 

Twice walked by hastily enough to not notice him, but Toga’s eyes graced over him for a second. She kept quiet and kept walking. Once they were out of earshot, Midoriya sighed a breath of relief. 

He took one last glance at the two mafia, carrying Eri away, further and further from help and comfort. He swore to come back to help her, no matter what happened. 

Then he turned around and began taking a different route up to the higher floors than what Toga and Twice took. His broken ribs sent jagged spikes of pain throughout his torso, and he tried to keep his breathing to a minimum to reduce the aching. The further he got, the more noise he heard, but he still didn’t see anything. 

Until a blond blur whizzed past him, and he staggered backwards. The blur halted and came into focus, causing relief to wash over Midoriya. 

“Midoriya?” Mirio asked, looking him over. 

“Mirio!” Midoriya exclaimed, something like a smile coming onto his face. 

“Hey! You’re not dead!” the blond shouted happily, obviously elated that his friend was alright. Or at least, appeared to be alright. “Are you okay? You look pretty banged up, did they hurt you?”

His question was answered for him when he reached out and barely made contact with his arm, when Midoriya flinched terribly and stumbled back. The touch had caused an echo of the murderous pain he’d experienced. 

Mirio frowned darkly. “What happened?”

Midoriya knew they were wasting time, but he also saw that Mirio wouldn’t leave until he was sure he was okay, so he sighed and told the truth. “Overhaul tortured me, trying to get me to give up info on heroes. It’s nothing I can’t recover from. But you need to go get Eri. You’re headed in the right direction, and I’ll go get my collar off so I can help you.”

Mirio looked hesitant to leave him behind, but he understood the gravity of the situation. “Okay, you’re also headed in the right direction, if you’re trying to get to Eraserhead.”

“Alright, thank you,” Midoriya said as he started walking away. 

Mirio dropped into the floor, shouting, “See ya in a bit!”

Midoriya continued through the base with new vigor, and he began to wonder who else was participating in the raid. If Mirio was present, then that meant they were using students from UA. He hoped Uraraka was there. 

These thoughts were immediately dismissed when he came upon a fight between a hero and a villain, both of which he recognized. 

Rock Lock and Toga. And the villain was winning, the hero sitting against the wall in a stain of his own blood. 

“Sounds like they’re trying to break through,” Toga wondered out loud, eyeing a wall that seemed to have sprung up in the middle of the hallway. 

Midoriya frowned, the concrete was splitting the heroes apart. Toga turned her gleeful eyes back to Rock Lock, or more specifically, to his blood. 

“Ooo, why don’t we mess with them a little bit?” she suggested happily, before approaching the hero with a knife. 

She’s gonna collect some of his blood to drink to confuse the other heroes when they break through!

It didn’t take much thought for Midoriya to leap out of his hiding place around the corner and into the battle. “Toga, wait!”

The blonde froze, and she took a step back in surprise when her eyes landed on him. He took the moment of stillness as an opportunity to step in between her and the wounded Rock Lock, who muttered, “Just in time, kid.”

Toga quickly regained her defiant composure. “Get out of the way, move it, Izuku!” she hissed. 

“No! I’m not gonna let you hurt him! C’mon, Toga, you don’t have to do this and you know it.”

She responded with some familiar words, words Midoriya had uttered before. “It’s not like I have a choice.”

The boy didn’t get the chance to respond, because Dark Shadow plummeted into view at that very moment. The wall burst open into rubble, spraying the three people with bits of rock. 

Toga jumped back, retreating, while Midoriya and Rock Lock looked at the approaching heroes with relief and hope. 

“Midoriya,” Tokoyami realized, with a hint of surprise. Aizawa soon came into view. 

Midoriya could feel some of his tension alleviate at the sight of them. “Hey, you’re both here! Are there others too?”

“Yes,” Tokoyami answered, “But that is not important right now.” He turned his attention back to Toga, who was glaring at their interaction. 

The hero student’s quirk lashed out at her, just as a loud boom was heard in the enclosed space behind them, where Nighteye was. Toga scampered off before any real fighting happened. 

But that didn’t mean the battle wouldn’t happen eventually, so Midoriya quickly turned to face Aizawa. 

“Can you take the collar off?” he questioned, eyes narrowed. 

The teacher raised his eyebrows slightly and opened his mouth to respond, but Rock Lock spoke first. 

“You think we’d trust a villain like you?” the hero scoffed. “That collar is the only thing keeping you from running away and doing who knows what. Nah, that thing needs to stay on.”

Oh, right, most people didn’t know he had a quirk. That hadn’t gotten out to the public yet; there were only rumors and speculations. 

But right now, that quirk could be used to help people, so he needed the collar off!

And of all the people to support that notion, Midoriya was not expecting it to be Tokoyami. 

“You don’t know the full picture,” the hero student looked Rock Lock in the eye. “Maybe you should get to know a person’s character before you make a judgment like that.” Midoriya’s eyes widened at him surprisedly. 

The older hero, who was still bleeding on the ground, gritted his teeth. “So you think he’s really that trustworthy, huh?”

“No, I don’t fully trust him yet,” Tokoyami admitted. “But I know he can help in this situation, so the collar should come off, for the sake of the girl we’re trying to save.”

“I agree with my student,” Aizawa added. “The collar can come off.”

Midoriya looked at the two of them, eyes glistening in appreciation. “Wow, thanks…”

“It’s good to know you’re not dead,” the teacher responded, with an underlying tone of fondness. Tokoyami nodded in agreement. 

Without any further argument, Aizawa took out the key card and slid it along the metallic surface of the collar, and it clanked to the ground. 

“You can leave it there,” Aizawa said when Midoriya started reaching to pick it up. 

The teen grabbed it anyway. “But what about burning it…?”

The teacher sighed. “Fine. But leave it here for now, we’ll come back to get it later. It would only be a hindrance in battle.”

Midoriya nodded, and he left it next to Rock Lock, who was having his wounds treated by Tokoyami. Nighteye then ran into the room, after having scared off Twice and defeating one of his clones. His eyes traced the walls and ceiling, looking for an enemy. 

His eyes instead landed on Midoriya. 

“Deku,” Nighteye noted his presence, nose wrinkling when he saw the collar was off. 

The teen waved feebly, when suddenly the walls and floor started shaking and squirming violently, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. An enraged screaming could be heard echoing around the hall. 

“What’s happening?!” Midoriya exclaimed, a little behind in all the events leading up to this.

“It sounds like they angered him,” Nighteye replied, also concentrating on keeping his footing. “Mimic is able to possess and control small objects, but he’s using a quirk enhancer to control the entire base. The League was here earlier, so I believe they must’ve been the ones to make him act so angrily, if Twice’s rant about how weak they are is anything to go by.”

“I was surprised the League would side with an organization like this,” Aizawa admitted. 

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah, betraying them like this seems like something they would do. Especially after what I told them.”

There were more questions to be asked behind that statement, but right now they couldn’t focus on that. As the rageful shouting grew in volume, Midoriya thought he could pinpoint where it was coming from. 

“What if I make it so you can see him, and then you use Erasure?” the teen asked, eyeing a particular spot on the ceiling. 

Aizawa turned his eyes up too. “That would work. Do it.”

Rock Lock frowned. “And how does he plan t-”

Midoriya leapt off the concrete ground, lightning streaking behind him. He zoomed up to the ceiling and spinned into a flying kick, which splintered the ceiling when it made contact. 

Mimic came into view, and Aizawa immediately activated his quirk on him, causing the walls and floor to still. Midoriya sprang off the wall, back to the villain, and knocked him out with a second kick. Mimic fell out of his hiding place in the ceiling, and Dark Shadow caught him before he hit the ground. 

Midoriya landed, green sparks dancing around his figure, a faint smile of exhilaration on his face. 

“You have a quirk now!?” Rock Lock burst out, with a surprising amount of volume for a man who’d been stabbed. 

“Late manifestation,” the teen responded quickly, and Nighteye narrowed his eyes slightly. “But we don’t have time for that now. Mirio is probably facing Overhaul as we speak. We have to go help him and save Eri!”

“Do you know where they are?” Nighteye asked. 

Midoriya nodded in affirmation, and he started to walk away, leading them. He was going to pull his weight in saving Eri. 

 

“You are what is wrong with this society!” Overhaul demanded, his skin rising in bumps, repulsed at having been touched by Mirio. 

The blond now stood before him, a concrete spike jabbed in his side, blood leaking down from the wound. His quirk was essentially gone at this point, after being shot by a quirk-erasing bullet to protect Eri. 

“Your thinking is so skewed, for you to think you can save Eri like this,” Overhaul continued. “Her abilities will cure the world of all the wretched thoughts you possess. Quirks are only a nuisance… and so are you!”

The villain lowered his palms to the ground, ready to send a final spike through Mirio. 

The hero clenched his teeth and gritted out, “Chisaki!”

At the sound of his real name, Overhaul fumbled in hesitation. And that was just enough time for Midoriya and Nighteye to break through the wall, charging into the room. Aizawa and Tokoyami had stayed back to deal with Chronostasis. 

“Mirio!” Midoriya shouted out when he saw his friend’s condition. 

Nighteye ran forward, wielding his heavy-weight seals. “Deku, Lemillion, get Eri to safety.”

Midoriya went to support Mirio, helping him walk, while Eri gravitated towards the green-haired teen. 

“No Sir,” Mirio protested, voice strained. “You can’t fight him all by yourself!” 

Nighteye looked over his shoulder at his student, a glint of admiration and pride in his eye. “You’ve done enough.” He turned back to the villain and charged. “Now get out of here!”

Midoriya helped lead the bloody Mirio and fearful Eri away from the battle. With each step it got quieter, and they got closer to safety. 

But with each step, the weight on Midoriya’s chest grew heavier, and his consciousness became more laden with guilt. 

“I’m gonna head back,” he announced abruptly, his footsteps halting. “You two go on. There should be lots of nice heroes waiting up top for you, Eri.”

Trembling returned to her frame as she looked up at him with wide, teary eyes. “No… you can’t…”

Her tone was so desperate and begging, it almost convinced him to stay. “I have to go help. I can’t leave Nighteye to die.”

“I got it, Midoriya,” Mirio spoke up. “Go help. I can handle Eri.”

The former villain nodded, before turning to leave. But Eri snatched onto his jacket to stop him. 

“Please don’t go,” she pleaded. “He’ll k-kill you.”

Midoriya’s breath hitched, and he crouched down to her level. “I’ll be okay, I promise.” He gave her the best smile he could muster. “You just get to safety, alright?”

Her tears didn’t clear, but she managed a hesitant nod. He made sure to keep his smile on his face as he walked away, before turning around into a full speed sprint. 

 

“You fool!” Nighteye exclaimed. “Why did you come back!?”

“He’s right, you know,” Overhaul drawled. “He was already doomed to die, and now you’ve sentenced yourself to that same fate!”

Midoriya didn’t even register the villain’s words. He was too focused on the stone spike impaling Nighteye, straight through his torso. 

Anger quickly overwhelmed his shock, and he identified Overhaul as the target of his rage. One For All flooded his body with power in response to his emotions. 

Overhaul’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of his quirk. 

“You take pleasure in this, don’t you?” Midoriya spat, lowering into a fighting stance. “You enjoy hurting people like this!”

“I revile having to touch filth like you,” the villain snarled, attitude towards Midoriya drastically different now that he knew he possessed a quirk. “But I do what’s necessary for the good of humanity! I’m the only one who knows how to cure its plague!”

Midoriya scoffed, before leaping forward to strike the villain. 

 

A few minutes later…

“Eri…”

The girl went rigid as she sucked in a fearful breath of air. 

“Come back Eri… your little hero friend is going to die… you don’t want that, do you?”

Breathing became difficult, her chest constricting in fright, and panic terrorized her thoughts. Acting purely out of terror, she began running back to the battle, leaving the struggling Mirio behind. 

“No, Eri…” Mirio was weak, making his voice so feeble, Eri’s agitation blocked it out. “Come back…”

Overhaul’s calling easily won. 

 

Midoriya’s stomach twisted in disgust at the creature Overhaul had turned himself into. It was a demonic combination of himself and his subordinate, who possessed a truth quirk. The teen watched in repulsed horror as the villain began speaking out of a mouth on his hand, calling his victim back. 

He’d managed to land a couple blows, but Overhaul had seen through many of his moves. Along with fighting a primarily defensive battle, Midoriya couldn’t say he was winning. 

Nighteye’s life was slowly ebbing away, his dying body up against the wall, and then Overhaul had contorted himself into this…

The villain directed his accursed mouthed hand at the teen. 

“Do you really believe you can win this?” it rasped, and there was a certain creeping tone to the question. 

The truth forced its way out of Midoriya’s throat before he had a chance to think. 

“Yes.”

The villain narrowed his eyes, and the mouth continued its twisted speech. “Have you hurt people before?”

“Yes,” Midoriya answered again, growing restless at their lack of fighting. 

“How badly have you hurt them?”

“Pretty badly.” The teen did not like this turn in conversation. 

“Describe to me what you did to people,” Overhaul sneered in delight, “In detail.”

Just like that, it became a verbal battle. 

Midoriya had buried his guilt under friendship and the hope of a brighter future, but describing the exact atrocities he’d committed caused it all to resurface. Fighting Bakugo at the USJ, destroying All Might’s image, Cementoss’s finger, Uraraka’s too, he was reminded of it all. Every hurt and pain he’d ever caused spilled out of his mouth. 

His mind was reeling with shame by the time he was finished. And with every word, Overhaul’s smirk had grown wider. 

The villain tilted his head, his voice still emanating from his palm. “Now, can you really call yourself a hero after all that?”

“No,” Midoriya admitted in defeat, and Overhaul appeared satisfied with this final blow. That was, until the teen spoke again. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t try.”

All the triumph Overhaul had been expressing dissipated in an instant. “You seriously think after everything you just told me, all the people you’ve hurt and all the hope you’ve crushed, you can still be a hero?”

Nighteye realized, through his fading conscience, just how similar the villain’s words were to his own accusations of Midoriya. 

“I don’t know…” the teen answered hesitantly, before the corner of his mouth turned upwards. “But I’ve learned my past doesn’t define me, so I can try to achieve a brighter future for myself. And right now, that’s being a hero for Eri.”

He said this with such confidence and assurance, Overhaul almost looked unsure of himself for a moment, his feet retreating a few paces. 

A weak whimper from the side quickly erased that confidence. 

“Stop, Overhaul, no- I’ve come back, so please fix everyone!”

Midoriya’s stomach plummeted into dread as he turned and saw Eri approaching, while she begged for the safety of all the heroes. 

That bright future suddenly looked much dimmer.

Notes:

I'm sure someone out there asked for a cliffhanger... well you all got one!

Also Hawks will be playing a *cough* significantly larger part next chap, I swear him circling the sky is not all I plan to do with him lol. Hopefully that bit with Tokoyami was nice tho.

This chapter's song is Alarm by The Score, just a hype fighting song that fits the vibe of the raid.

Thanks for reading, until next time!

Chapter 73: To Be Freed

Notes:

Uhhh… don’t think there’s anything to warn for?

Oh right! Forgot to mention last week, this fic reached 2k kudos!! Thanks to everyone who’s read and commented, it means so much! This fic is definitely closer to its end than its start, so it’s really neat to see people still enjoying it.

Thanks again, and enjoy!

Hawks yawned, thinking back through the boring events of the day. 

He’d been woken up very early in the morning by a text announcing the day of the raid. Apparently heroes weren’t allowed to get a good night’s rest anymore. 

Then there was that very pleasant phone call from the HPSC, assigning him a few extra tasks to complete during the mission. One was simply keeping tabs on Izuku Midoriya and reporting back anything notable, which wasn’t too hard. After that was keeping tabs on Eri, the girl they were supposed to be rescuing. However, they were particularly interested in her quirk. 

Hawks was considerably less okay with that one. 

She was only a girl, and the commission had no business involving themselves with her. But hey, it wasn’t like he could do much about it. 

The final task pertained to any League members associated with the Shie Hassaikai. So far, he hadn’t spotted anyone from his perfect view in the sky, so that particular assignment was still on the fence for completion. 

The hero stifled another yawn. Maybe the lack of interesting events that day were to blame for his tiredness. 

Oh yeah, it might’ve also been the fact he was fighting a villain who could literally suck the life out of him. 

The burly villain towered above the heroes, having just used a quirk enhancement drug. Streams of glowing energy could be seen drifting from the struggling heroes over to the yakuza member, flowing into his mouth as he inhaled. 

Even as Hawks raised his feather-sword, he could feel his muscle trembling slightly, the very life that supported it seeping out of him. 

He could see the dragon Ryukyu fighting to get back on her feet, as well as a couple of those interns, UA students, struggling to keep from drifting off into darkness. 

While the villain continued laughing about his rejuvenated power, Hawks smirked. They could do this. 

 

“Mirio should have received One For All,” Nighteye muttered despondently behind Midoriya. 

The teen clutched his side, where a spike had just managed to stab him. He spat through clenched teeth, “Shut up.”

Overhaul was backing away from the fight, Eri trailing close to him. The hopelessness had returned to her eyes. 

“You will end up fighting Overhaul and dying,” Nighteye prophesied. “There’s no way around it, these are your final minutes, and Eri won’t be rescued. If only you would’ve been more sensible with One For All.”

And as if Nighteye’s ridicule wasn’t enough to dramatically lower Midoriya’s morale, Overhaul had to get his word in too. 

The villain gestured at the heavily sobbing Eri, who was holding Mirio’s torn cape like a teddy bear. “Look at what you’ve done to her. Coming here to rescue her was only a cruel choice, giving her a hope that didn’t exist. You heroes should be more careful what you promise.” He glared in disgust at Midoriya. “Not that you’re a hero.”

The former villain scoffed, gaining some of his angry passion back at Overhaul’s detrimental words. “Yeah? Well it wasn’t a false hope! I am going to rescue her, and I’ll make sure she never sobs like that again!!”

He crouched down, getting ready to spring at Overhaul in another futile attack, when a tremendous shaking overtook the base. The tremors seemed to originate from under the floor. Before Midoriya could fully comprehend what was happening, a huge dark creature broke up through the ground, sending concrete chunks spraying out everywhere. 

“What- what is this?!” Overhaul demanded fiercely. 

Midoriya very easily recognized that creature, by its figure and rumbling roar. He’d fought it at the summer camp. 

He staggered backwards, blood dripping from his side as tried to put some distance between him and Dark Shadow. 

Tokoyami had stayed behind with Aizawa to deal with a still-standing member of the yakuza. They must’ve gotten trapped in a lower level, where light refused to reach. Then just one emotional trigger was all Tokoyami needed to become…

This. 

Overhaul stared angrily at the quirk, clutching Eri harshly to his side so she wouldn’t run. Midoriya smirked; it wasn’t like the villain could disassemble shadow. 

However, the creature was causing a significant amount of damage, thrashing against the walls and shattering the floor and ceiling. It didn’t take a keen eye to tell the structural integrity of the base was failing quickly. 

It made for a wonderful distraction. 

Midoriya let One For All’s energy course through him, empowering his frame. He leapt forward towards Eri. He only caught a glimpse of her surprised expression, before Overhaul whipped around and shot a concrete spike in his direction, forcing him to dodge. 

“Just give up already! You’ve failed!” the villain shouted, growing in aggravation, which could be seen by the bumps raising up on his skin. 

“Not yet I haven’t!” Midoriya retorted. 

As soon as he landed, he nearly fell over from the vibrating floor. At that point, anyone still standing was struggling to stay on their feet as the ground beneath them trembled violently. 

Just as Overhaul took a gander at continuing towards his escape route, Dark Shadow splintered the ceiling above them, exposing them all to radiant sunshine while bits of concrete rained down. The quirk shrieked in disdain, retreating instantly. 

Midoriya finally spotted Tokoyami in the roiling mess of darkness. He was clenching his teeth and eyes, hands balled into fists, fighting a desperate mental battle to hang onto some shred of control. 

Overhaul took the massive hole in the ceiling and the shrinking monster to his advantage, and he began forming a large pillar to lift him and his victim out of the base, to freedom. Midoriya wasn’t going to let that happen so easily. 

Lightning burst out of his figure as he raised the power level higher than he ever had before. He’d already needed to use 20 percent, but now the low buzz of protest from his muscles turned into a scream. 

But it didn’t matter. Eri was right there. He had to save her before Overhaul escaped with her! He- he didn’t think he could cope with the guilt if he failed. 

One For All reacted to this desperation, and as he jumped towards the girl, he felt something in his legs snap. It barely registered though, and he focused more on persuading Eri to go with him and abandon Overhaul. 

“Eri, look at me!”

She did reluctantly turn her eyes to him, clutching onto Mirio’s cape tighter. 

“You don’t deserve to be with him! You don’t have to hurt anymore; there is a way out. Please, so many people want to save you from this! They want you to be safe! You don’t have to listen to everything Overhaul says, ‘cause he’s dead wrong!!”

More surprise creeped into her face at those words, and he could see her hesitance melting away. 

“Please, Eri, let us help you!”

Water glossed over her eyes as she watched him. 

“Just like how others have helped me.”

Emotions swelled in her chest, and she stepped forward willingly. Energy began to surge to her forehead, golden sparks jumping off of her horn. 

“It’s not impossible, and I’m living proof of that!!”

Their eyes were similar in more ways than one. As soon as Eri made that connection, her power burst from her horn, rewinding Overhaul behind her to before he merged himself with his subordinate. She jumped off the pillar…

…and landed safely in Midoriya’s protective arms. 

“You don’t need to worry now,” he said softly, and some of her tension eased off, “I’m not letting you go.”

He positively beamed. He hadn’t failed like he had so many times before!

But then he started falling and Overhaul shouted in rage. Maybe that internal celebration was a little premature. 

He suddenly found multiple concrete spikes shooting at him, no possibility of dodging. If they reached him, both he and Eri would die, but only one would remain that way. He couldn’t let that happen, and a severe determination coursed through him, along with a surging power. 

He wouldn’t- couldn’t fail Eri. 

Because he wanted to be a hero. 

So, suspended in mid-air, he acted purely on heroic impulse. The mental barrier he’d set up to hold back One For All came crumbling down, and the power flooded his system to the brim. 

One second, he was staring death in the face, spikes coming to impale him. 

The next second, he was staring at the bright blue sky all around him. 

He sucked in a breath of chilled air, eyes snapping open in surprise. His gaze drifted downward, and holy heck he was super high off the ground. 

I must’ve used 100 percent!

Midoriya used a much lower percentage to slow their descent to the ground, kicking off waves of air pressure. 

He instinctively held onto Eri tighter, lest he drop her. He also quickly noticed a strange, pricking energy emanating from her, and along with that came the realization that his pain receptors weren’t relaying broken ribs or legs anymore. 

During their fight, Overhaul had ranted about the dangers of Eri’s ‘curse,’ and then proceeded to brag about how only he could control it and harvest its power for good. It was a rewinding quirk. A thread of understanding wove its way through this fact, and then connected to his newly healed injuries, before finishing in his usage of One For All. 

If she could rewind people… and therefore heal his injuries… even when he used One For All…

He gasped as he recognized the incredible potential of the girl’s quirk. But, he wasn’t going to abuse it like Overhaul, so he spoke softly in her ear to ask permission. 

“Eri.” She perked up at her name. “Your quirk is amazing, and it’s capable of so much good. Would it be alright if you continued to use it to help me stop Overhaul?”

Midoriya sensed her inhale sharply, tensing up at the thought. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” he added. “I’ll figure something else out, with all the other heroes that are here.”

She relaxed slightly at that, and clutched onto him tighter. Her voice squeaked out of her throat. “No- I… I wanna help.”

“You sure?” he asked tentatively. 

Eri nodded firmly into his shoulder, and he took a breath of relief. They had almost reached the ground now, and by the time they landed, Midoriya had turned the percentage up to 50 percent. He was tense, expecting the bone-crushing pain to come, but it never did. All the injuries were rewound before he could feel them, which was a comforting thought. 

What was not comforting was the mutilated creature forming in front of him. Overhaul was mushing himself and one of his subordinates together into a gory and fearsome monster. 

And this subordinate had much more flesh than the last one, so the towering mass Overhaul was becoming was quite intimidating. 

“Hey kid,” a cheery voice broke through these preoccupied thoughts. 

Midoriya turned in surprise, his power level wavering down, to see a hero with blond hair and feet hovering above the ground by the force of his flapping wings. 

“Hawks!” Midoriya exclaimed, heart skipping a beat in shock. “They called someone like you in!?”

“Yeah, this is kinda below my pay-grade,” Hawks responded jokingly. “But there are a few special factors involved.”

The teen blinked a little incredulously at the easy-going smile the hero wore, considering they were in the midst of a very stressful raid. He also noticed the vague bags under the hero’s eyes, as well as the lack of tension in his muscles. This wasn’t just a simple relaxed nature. 

Hawks was tired. Probably from defeating the villain Overhaul was now merging himself with. Midoriya soon turned his attention back to said villain, letting One For All course through him unrestricted again. 

“Huh, so the rumors about you having a quirk are true,” Hawks commented, eyeing the streaks of lightning circling the teen. Midoriya thought the observant glint that came into the hero’s eyes looked very wrong. 

He ignored the strange feeling it gave him and announced, “I’m gonna stop Overhaul.”

Hawks raised his eyebrows slightly. “Boy, are you a confident one. Kay then, I won’t stop you, but I won’t let you do it by yourself either.”

Midoriya nodded in affirmation, but not before Hawks spotted a different task he’d been assigned. Some League members were trying to scurry away, unnoticed. Unfortunately for them, Hawks’ gaze was too sharp. 

“You know what, change of plan,” the hero said abruptly, already starting to drift away through the air. “I can still send some feathers to help you out, but I’ve got my eye on some old friends of yours that need stopping…”

The teen gasped lightly, and he spoke up before Hawks had the chance to zoom off. 

“Wait! Some of them might be willing to stay behind. Leave the League, I mean. Try talking before fighting, please.”

Hawks’ eyes sharpened as he looked the teen over again. “You still care for them, don’t you?” Midoriya hesitated, before pursing his lips and nodding assuredly. “Alright then, I’m not against giving it a shot.”

“Thank you,” the teen said gratefully, just before Hawks whizzed off with a massive flap of his wings. He looked down at Eri, who was still holding on tight to him. “Okay, Eri. I’m gonna need you to slide around to my back so I can fight Overhaul.”

She looked up at him and nodded, and soon she was on his back. 

Now, he could finally focus on Overh-

“Midoriya!”

The distraction almost made him get hit by Overhaul’s descending flesh-claw, but the immense energy flowing through him provided plenty of speed. He twisted and saw a familiar figure emerging out of a severely drained group of people. 

“Uraraka,” he breathed. He saw Tsu and Ryukyu struggling up behind her. 

“What do you need?!” Uraraka shouted, the strong determination to help glinting in her eyes. 

“Nighteye is still down there!” Midoriya responded, pointing at the large hole in the street and dodging another swipe from Overhaul. “He needs serious medical attention, and Tokoyami and Mr. Aizawa are down there too! I’ll handle Overhaul, you guys go help them!”

Uraraka gave him a thumbs up, already moving towards the crater in the concrete. “Understood!”

She very rapidly lowered herself and the other girls into the exposed section of the yakuza’s base, while Midoriya let One For All run rampant through his body. 

Lightning crackled around him like a thunderstorm, streaming out of his eyes and shattering the ground. The air around him vibrated with a tremendous energy. His eyes glowed an electric green, fueled by the rage of the atrocities committed against Eri. 

Overhaul was going to regret the day he chose her as his science project. 

 

“Midoriya is going to die. I see no hope for the future.”

Uraraka’s chest constricted in fear at Nighteye’s prophecy as her lungs sucked in sudden breaths of air. 

“There is nothing you can do.”

She shook her head vigorously in an attempt to dispel those terrible assumptions. 

“No! I refused to believe it!” she protested. “Midoriya’s stronger than you know, and I’m sure he can do it!”

A sad disappointment washed over the hero’s pale face. “I wish that were true.”

Uraraka ignored the cavity of despair slowly growing in her mind, choosing instead to focus on getting Nighteye medical attention. At one point, she turned her eyes wistfully towards the sky, hoping desperately that she’d still have a chance to communicate her true feelings. 

 

Now, Hawks’ assignment wasn’t to brutally hurt or murder the League members. In fact, it wasn’t even to arrest them. There were… special forces at work here. 

Because of this, Midoriya’s suggestion of talking it out was reasonable. Might not be the commission’s typical method of approach, but in this case, it was preferable. Besides, Hawks had been finding ways to avoid following the rules exactly for years now. 

So, when he reached the two scampering League members, that was one of the reasons he didn’t fly straight into an attack. 

The second reason was that his mind still felt incredibly foggy after that fight with the life-stealing villain. 

And the final reason was that his feathers weren’t in full stock. He’d spared many to make sure nobody got injured during Midoriya’s battle with Overhaul, whether that be catching a falling Eri or stopping a wounded hero from getting smushed by the creature Overhaul was now. 

But he had kept his longest feather, which he loved to use like it was some epic blade. And he was now pointing it in the direction of the League members, who had slowed to a halt once they realized they couldn’t escape him. 

Twice could end up being quite problematic, if he ended up making a clone of the villain he just defeated, the one who could drain the life out of people… he hoped talking would work!

“What do you want?” the blonde one, Toga, hissed at him. 

Hawks shrugged, keeping his relaxed smile from faltering. “To talk, of course.”

“Like we’d trust any talk of yours,” Twice countered, eyeing the hero distrustingly. 

“Why wouldn’t you? I might look like a hero on the outside, but inside? I’m just as screwed up as you two,” an edge came into Hawks’ voice as he tried to frame his words perfectly. 

And by the light of curiosity that sparked in the villains’ eyes, it worked. He kept talking. 

“I know all the filth coating the backside of hero society’s golden front. All the crimes and betrayals, twisted plots and bloody murders. It really makes the divider between you and me less distinguishable.”

“What’s your point!?” Twice butted in. 

Hawks dipped his chin to look the villains dead in the eyes. “I want to join your League. Fixing the world of all its bad parts? Totally sounds like something I’d be up for.”

This stunned the two, and any composure they were trying to keep was lost to surprise. 

“You’re… you’re really serious about that?” Toga questioned quietly. 

The hero flashed them one of his surest smiles. “I’m nothing but a caged bird, and with you guys I can be free!”

He released his feather sword, which reconnected to his wing, and took a couple steps towards them. Toga backed up; Twice did not. That was a good reading on how they felt. Twice still looked skeptical, but more eager to help than anything. Toga, on the other hand, looked quite uncertain. 

And it wasn’t an uncertainty of the hero before her, it was an uncertainty of the place he was asking to go. 

Well, what a perfect exploit. 

“I get it if you don’t trust me, in fact I’d be quite concerned if you already did,” Hawks laughed. “But if there’s anything I can contact you by, or even just a promise that you’ll get back to me about my request, that’ll do.”

“I don’t quite believe you yet…” Twice started, “But what you said was obviously from the heart! I can’t deny the truth in that! I promise you, you will- would be such a great member!”

“Yeah!” Hawks nodded, matching Twice’s energy. “And I could give you a ton of detail on what the heroes are doing too! I could be the perfect spy!”

“That sounds amazing!” Twice agreed. 

That was one person convinced. Toga was still hanging back hesitantly. 

Hawks looked down, a shadow falling over his face. “However, we do have one complication.”

Twice tilted his head. “What?”

“People saw me coming after you two, and as the number two hero…” his eyes landed on Toga. “They’ll be expecting me to bring both of you back. Arrested.”

Twice took a step away. That wasn’t a good sign. “No! You’re supposed to come with us, not the other way round! There’s no way I’m going with you!!”

Hawks raised his hands to placate the villain, nodding in understanding. “Yeah yeah, I get it. But if I don’t bring at least one of you back, people will get suspicious, and then I might not be able to join you guys!”

“Oh, I see…” Twice murmured, raising his hand to his chin. 

A moment of weighty silence passed, before Toga’s voice cracked through it. 

“I’ll go.”

Twice whipped around to face her. “No! You can’t! We need you!”

She avoided eye contact and shrugged. “Well, he’s got to arrest at least one of us, and it’s not like any info I gather will be better than his,” she jerked her head in Hawks’ direction. “In this situation, it’s the best choice.”

Twice raised his hands to his head, which he was shaking rapidly in worry. “No no no! You’re part of the League! I can’t just leave you-”

The stream of words ceased when she grabbed his wrists and lowered his hands down in front of him. Toga gazed up at him, tilted her head, and smiled. 

“Trust me. I’m okay with it.”

I want to do this.

Twice’s eyes widened as he understood. She wanted a shot at another life, and this was the perfect doorway into that.

He started crying as he said, “O-oh, well, okay.”

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. “Just don’t do anything too fun and crazy without me, yeah?”

Twice nodded, sniffling loudly. He swore he could feel a piece of his heart chip off when she drew away from him, and approached Hawks. 

“I’m really sorry I have to do this,” the hero said apologetically, before addressing Twice. “You should get out of here. Now.”

With a final good bye and wipe of tears, Twice sprinted away. Hawks quickly snapped cuffs onto Toga, dropping the ‘poor guy seeking freedom’ act. 

“Ready to have a go at a new life?” His tone was cheerful, but it held an underlying note of care. He knew what it was like to want to be free.

Toga peered up at him, and their golden yellow eyes stared into each other. 

“If Izuku can do it, I’m hoping I can too.”

 

With one final eruption of power, Midoriya entirely desecrated Overhaul’s mangled form into oblivion. The only way the villain survived was because of Eri’s rewind. 

Throughout the fight Midoriya had spotted Hawks’ shooting feathers dashing around. A couple times they helped keep Eri on Midoriya’s back, and they also redirected his punches when they weren’t the most accurate. He had never used such a high power level before, and wasn’t the most trained in One For All anyway, so he was bound to make plenty of mistakes. 

Mistakes the feathers helped correct. They had even cleared the area below the fighting zone to reduce injuries, and raised the nearly-dead Nighteye out of the base to the medical station. 

But now, at the end of the battle, Overhaul was unconscious, and Midoriya stood victorious, with a glowing Eri still hanging onto him. 

Before a terrible pain started ripping through his body, seeming to tear him apart from the inside. The agony was coming from Eri’s quirk. 

Midoriya collapsed to the ground and shouted in anguish. He kept his quirk turned on to the max, but Eri’s rewind was acting too quickly. 

Thankfully, Aizawa had already been floated out of the hole in the street. He canceled out both powers at the same time, leaving both children to exhale all their stress into relief. 

It was finally over. He had survived long enough. 

“Problem Child,” Aizawa called. 

Midoriya caught the beckoning look in his eyes, so he stood up from the ground, helping Eri up too, before walking over to the teacher. Aizawa crouched down to the girl’s level, and she hid behind Midoriya’s leg. 

“Don’t worry, kid. You’re safe now,” Aizawa promised. Something about the protective look in his eyes made Eri draw closer to him, and Midoriya smiled. 

“Midoriya?”

The teen turned to the person who’d called his name, and an indescribable feeling thumped in his heart. 

“Uraraka,” he responded, unable to stop his lips from forming a faint smile. 

Without warning, she blundered towards him, going in for a hug. The thing was, Midoriya wanted to accept this hug; he wanted to experience that comfort, but something else stopped him. 

The moment she made contact, pain zinged through his muscle and shocked his heart with fear. He flinched away, flashbacks stealing what should’ve been a nice moment. Though the torture hadn’t left any mark on his body, it had left an imprint on his mind. 

Uraraka noticed his strange reaction and hesitated, eyeing him with concern. “Are you okay? Ack, no, sorry, that’s a stupid question, ‘cause you obviously aren’t! Um, what’s wrong?”

“I uh, I’ve been through some stuff.” Midoriya recognized the sadness in her eyes from him being unable to hug her, and his own limitation angered him. 

He didn’t want to be defined by his negative experiences. He didn’t want his moments directed and chosen by his trauma. He didn’t want to be chained like that. 

So, he took a deep breath, and kept taking them, shouting at his brain that it was alright. 

Then he hugged her. 

It was the first time he had initiated the hug, and at first Uraraka was nothing but surprised. But she quickly hugged back, squeezing her arms around his torso and burying her head in his shoulder. 

As the buzzing anxiety faded away, he melted into her touch, letting the comforting warmth momentarily wipe away everything he’d been through in the past week. 

Notes:

Aww that was nice, wasn’t it? And there are more hugs to come, I promise!

Oh right and there’s Hawks and Toga, they’re kinda important.

This chapter’s song is Find My Way Back by Eric Arjes. Just a really wholesome song about promising to return. Could be applied to Midoriya going back to Uraraka and 1-A, or promising to save Eri, or even Toga leaving the League. “These weary eyes will never rest until they look in yours again.”

Thanks for sticking around this long!

Chapter 74: Dying Words of Hope

Notes:

Merry Christmas! Does this chapter have anything to do with Christmas? Nope! Did I write anything special for Christmas? Also no! Am I still gonna wish you a Merry Christmas even tho it's a day late? Yup!

Merry Christmas again (and Happy Holidays)! Enjoy!!

“Toga?”

The name dropped out of Midoriya’s mouth the moment his brain processed the face of the person before him. 

“Hey, Izuku,” Toga said in return, voice distant. Uraraka took a step closer to Midoriya. The blonde’s eyes flicked over to her for a second, and brightened slightly. 

“Did you… did you really turn yourself in?” Midoriya asked. When Toga kept her lips sealed, Midoriya turned his eyes to Hawks, who was standing beside her, for answers. “Did she come willingly?”

“She sure did!” Hawks confirmed. If Tsukauchi was around, that would’ve been a half-truth. 

But Midoriya didn’t have that power, so he lit up at the news. “Really!?” He grinned at Toga. “That’s so great to hear! I… I hope you won’t come to regret it, because I never did.”

She made eye contact, before an uneasy smile traced her mouth. “I’m just hoping for what you have.”

Oh yeah, Uraraka definitely moved closer to him with those words. But Midoriya’s smile never faltered. 

“And with time and patience and hard-work, you can reach that dream.”

Toga gasped softly. As Hawks started walking her away towards a police car, she turned around and gave Midoriya a nod of affirmation. 

Hers wasn’t the only dream that was reachable. Midoriya had to remember his. 

Soon after, exhaustion overwhelmed his mind, from both fighting and being locked up so long. Eri experienced something similar, and they were both shipped off to the hospital. 

 

“Why the hell did you let her go?!” Shigaraki demanded, tone laden with agitation and rage. He’d thought he’d be arriving at a beautiful torture scene to reduce the person he hated into nothingness, but no. Instead the Shie Hassaikai had to go and be a bunch of noobs and get themselves obliterated. 

“She had to!” Twice insisted. Both villains were watching the peaceful resolution of the raid, which included their former comrade being marched to a police car. “We didn’t have a choice, besides, she seemed pretty willing to go. But now we have a possible new recruit! A top hero!”

Shigaraki glared at Twice out of the corner of his eye. “And you seriously think we can trust Hawks.”

“Some of the stuff he said was really heartfelt!” Twice said, being the big softie he was. “We’ve always talked about how the system is corrupt and unfair, and he’s another victim of that system! Just like us!”

The leader scoffed lightly, turning his eyes back to Toga, who was now being issued into a police car. He did not trust easily, especially not someone like Hawks. 

“Just think of all the intel he could get for us!” Twice continued. “He could be our perfect spy! I really believe he’d add so much to the League.”

Shigaraki sighed, the sound cutting Twice off from continuing his rambling. 

“Fine. I’ll consider it,” he decided, more to shut the other villain up than anything. 

Twice clapped his hands in joy, before the two slipped away, effectively avoiding capture. 

 

Midoriya groaned, rolling away from the light starting to penetrate his eyelids. Eventually, the call to consciousness won, and he was forced to open his eyes and organize his thoughts. 

The first thought to come was that he was in the hospital. That made sense, seeing as the last thing he remembered was barely being able to walk straight after defeating Overhaul. 

The second thought was more of an emotion. Worry. The type of unease that comes from the unknown. He had big questions, like what had happened to Eri, and who of 1-A had participated in the raid. 

And if they’d survived. 

The third thought was that his door was opening. As a person came into view, the tiredness of his mind made him realize how ill-prepared he was for social interaction. 

Who the person was, though, slightly negated that difficulty. 

Uraraka’s eyes sparkled upon seeing he was awake. “Midoriya! You’re up!”

He nodded, giving her a weary smile. “Haven’t died yet.”

She pursed her lips and frowned at that, walking over to his beside. “I’ve been visiting you as much as I can, after I got released, as well as our other friends. Wanted to see if you were awake and okay yet, you know?” She twiddled her thumbs, red rising in her cheeks. “Some of the nurses thought I was your girlfriend.”

Midoriya blushed strongly, color flooding around his freckles and scar. “Oh, uh, really? I um…” he forced his eyes to hers. “I can see where they get that idea from.”

Uraraka’s blush quickly grew to match his. 

“Uhm, is everyone okay?” He changed the subject. “Who helped in the raid? I saw Tokoyami, and then you and Tsu too. Also Eri, what about her?”

She nodded, the pink fading slightly. “I haven’t seen Eri, but I’ve been told she’s safe. And yeah, it was me and Tsu, Tokoyami, and you missed Kirishima. And the big three, but I think you were asking about 1-A,” she laughed lightly. 

“Yeah, I was,” he gave a small smile, which strained his face and took more effort than it had previously. “Are they all okay?”

“Well, Kirishima’s pretty banged up, and Tokoyami’s still recovering from Dark Shadow taking over, but they’re both gonna be alright. Tsu and I just had a ton of exhaustion, along with some scrapes, so we’re already released.”

He exhaled, relieved at the news. “That’s good to hear. I was worried one of you would get really hurt, all because of me.”

That made Uraraka’s expression become somewhat stern and concerned. “You know, coming to help you recover from… whatever you’ve gone through, that is part of this, but I also came to give you a certain talking-to.”

“Oh?” He tilted his head, blinking innocently, which was almost enough to get Uraraka to forget her ‘certain talking-to’. 

But her heartache and anxiety over his reckless tendencies wouldn’t let her forget. 

“You, you…” she clenched her eyes shut, balling her fists in front of her, struggling to find the best phrasing. “You need to stop thinking it’s okay to throw your life away!” she suddenly burst out, and he recoiled slightly, not expecting the rise in volume. 

She recognized his light flinch and her gaze softened, but the fiery motivation to help him remained. “I know you’re a hero to the bone, always doing what’s best for others, but that doesn’t mean it should be at the cost of yourself! You completely throw any of your needs out of the equation, which is just stupid!!”

“But what if sacrificing some of those needs ends up sav-”

“Nuh uh! I’m not done yet!” Uraraka interrupted, and Midoriya dutifully shut up. “You’ve gotta realize there are people who go through misery when you’re not okay. Just because you don’t think your life is important doesn’t mean other people won’t suffer without it!” She bit her lip. “And I’m counted among those people.”

Appreciation shined in his eyes, but he kept quiet, waiting to speak until she was done. 

“Midoriya, please, in the future just consider your own life of value, because to so many people it is. Okay?”

He nodded firmly. “Okay. I’ll try.”

Uraraka smiled, happy her goal had been accomplished. This smile soon wavered down as she prepared herself to ask a sensitive question. 

“What is it?” he inquired, reading the nervous look on her face. 

“What… what’s happened to you this past week?” she questioned, tone a mixture of concern and care. 

He immediately broke eye contact, face darkening. Echoes of tearing pain replayed themselves. 

“Y-you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to!” Uraraka quickly added, sensing his attitude change for the worse. 

Midoriya clenched the hospital blanket in his fists. He knew she only wanted to help, but something still kept the words of his experiences from flowing out freely. He’d always carried burdens like this by himself, not wanting to worry others by their existence. After all, it was better for him to suffer alone than to share that hurt with others, because his life wasn’t-

He blinked. 

This was exactly what Uraraka had just been talking about!

His life had just as much value as any others, and his needs were important! And right now, what he needed was to process his emotions with someone who cared about him, someone who wouldn’t exploit that vulnerability. 

His eyes landed on Uraraka. He didn’t have to notice the way she’d been watching him to know she was one of the people who genuinely cared about him most. 

“I- um,” he started, unsure. Uraraka perked up. He cleared his throat. “You uh, know what Overhaul’s quirk is, right?”

She nodded. “It’s like this taker-aparter and ka-smashing back together type thing, right?” Her hands flew together and apart as she reenacted the quirk. “And it’s down to the molecular level?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” he confirmed. “And then it also works on living things.”

“Oh yeah, where he combined himself with his workers and stuff? I remember that.”

“But those living things still feel everything.” He shuddered at the memory. “Every little thing he dismantles, whether it be an organ, bone, or muscle, is felt by the person he’s destroying. And even if they die, he can just put them back together again.”

The blood drained from Uraraka’s face as she realized what Midoriya meant. 

“Overhaul used his quirk on me.”

It was quiet for a moment. She raised her hand to her mouth, pupils shrinking in horror while she grew paler than he’d ever seen her. 

“That… that’s terrible,” was all she could manage after a minute. 

Midoriya redirected his attention to smoothing out the creases in the blanket with his shaking hands. “Yeah. It was.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There wasn’t anything you could’ve done.”

A sweat had broken across his brow since the start of the conversation. Talking about his hurt wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was needed. Besides, this was the first time he’d opened up about his problems to someone; it was bound to get easier over time. 

A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders drew him out of these thoughts, making him flinch. He looked to the side to find Uraraka hugging him. 

This felt different from the one she’d given him at the end of the raid. That had been a hug of reunion and forgetting. This… this was about pain and comfort. 

“I’m so so sorry.” Her voice broke as she sobbed into his shoulder. 

He realized, she wasn’t apologizing. She was wishing he’d never had to endure these trials, and soon he found himself wishing the same thing. He wished the torture hadn’t left a permanent mar on his mind, but it had, and he was now going to deal with it. 

The true weight of what he’d experienced seemed to dawn on him. He had survived. But not unscathed. 

His eyes began to water, and he knew he should be happy about getting Eri to safety, but at the moment all he could think about was how he’d been left like a dying carcass, tortured and maimed. Very few could comprehend the severe torment he’d been through. 

So he cried under the weight of the burden of his memory, and Uraraka held him the whole time, taking some of that burden away. She held him close, just letting herself be the outlet for his overwhelming emotions. 

 

Toga did not like the room she was in. 

It was too bland, too clean, too… normal. And her last experience in an interrogation room hadn’t gone the best. 

But, she figured Midoriya had gone through this same process too, so she sat there like a good little girl, waiting things out. 

It was some time before an exhausted looking man plopped into the chair across from her, carrying a notepad and pencil. After situating the multiple files in front of him, he looked up at her wearily. 

“Hello, Toga,” he greeted. “I’m Detective Tsukauchi, and I’ll be the one questioning you today.”

She eyed him distrustingly. He was too kind, too warm. Someone always had hidden motives when they acted like that, and right now, she figured it was because he wanted to squeeze all the information he could out of her. 

“It is my understanding that you are somewhat familiar with Midoriya? Or Deku, as you call him,” Tsukauchi said, glancing down at one of the papers in the files. 

“I call him Izuku,” she corrected. 

“Ah, my apologies. Well then, you might like to know I’ve worked very closely with him in the past, and I think of him quite fondly,” Tsukauchi shared with a faint smile. 

Toga’s eyes sharpened. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I thought you’d prefer to be aware of that information,” he replied simply. 

She shot him a glare that said something like, ‘yeah right.’

Tsukauchi gave a small sigh, that faint smile still on his lips. “Toga, I’m not one to force trust on people. If you refuse to answer all my questions and keep all the League’s secrets concealed, that’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to divulge that information to someone like me.”

“Then why are you trying to get me to trust you?!”

The detective’s smile grew. “I’m not, I’m simply being nice. Only because it’s the right thing to do, which I’m sure you’re not used to.”

This statement caught the girl off guard, and she broke eye contact. Tsukauchi peered at her for a second, and he saw a few traces of similarities to the kid he’d taken to a baseball game. He felt the need to share that same compassion. 

“Toga,” he said her name softly, as if handling it with gentle care. She looked up at him. “I know I’m not on your side, or at least you don’t view it that way. But that doesn’t mean I’m actively working against you. Please, I just want to help.”

Even a skeptic like Toga could tell he spoke these words with the utmost genuineness. 

“By sharing information,” he continued, “you’ll be shortening your time in prison. I get it if you’re not ready now. It’s okay if you want to stay quiet. But in the future, if you find you want to help others with the information you give, and in turn help yourself, then I’ll always be open to hearing from you. No matter what I have going on.”

First this man’s kindness, and now his acceptance. Toga was continually being surprised, and the feeling was refreshing compared to the moody reek of the League. 

Even with that, she kept her mouth closed throughout almost the entire interrogation. There was only one question she allowed herself to answer. 

“What caused you to leave the League?”

She thought about it, words spinning and stranding themselves together in her mind, before she answered with a thread of honesty. 

“I just want a chance at a happy life, full of love and friendship. I want all the support Izuku has gotten.”

Because this rang fully true, Tsukauchi raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. He’d heard Hawks had arrested her, not that she’d willingly turned herself in. This new piece of data would help immensely. 

Toga left the room without having spilled a single drop of intel about the League, but she also left with a slowly growing seed of hope. 

 

Midoriya cringed slightly as the blood pressure monitor squeezed his arm, so tight he could feel the blood pulsing through his veins. The nurse jotted down something on her clipboard, before moving on to test his reaction to stimuli by shining a light in his eyes. 

The nurse had come in while he and Uraraka had been hugging. To Midoriya’s irritation, she’d dismissed her and insisted he put his collar back on, which had been retrieved from Rock Lock. 

He was now enduring several tests, even though Eri had healed him of anything that could possibly be wrong. This continued until there was a knock at his door. Aizawa came in before waiting for a response. 

“I need to speak with Midoriya.” It wasn’t a request. 

“I’m not done yet,” the nurse countered, and the teen began to wonder how the heck there were so many tests. 

“Too bad.”

Midoriya slid out of his bed and followed the teacher out the door before the nurse could get another word out. Once they were out in the hall, the teen turned his eyes to Aizawa’s face to try to gauge why he’d been called out. 

“I heard from Uraraka that everyone’s okay,” he said. “For the most part, at least. But she didn’t know where Eri was, do you?”

“She’s safe, yes,” Aizawa answered. He was leading the teen through the hospital hallways, not bothering to mention where. “However, they are keeping her in quarantine for fear of her quirk.”

Midoriya frowned. “Quarantine?”

The teacher nodded, disapproval tinting his features. “The horn on her head has shrunk, and there have been no signs of her quirk activating again, but they are still afraid. She’s been checked up and given basic care, but they’re keeping her in isolation. The only reason I know this is because they’re keeping me close to her, so I can erase her quirk on the rare chance it activates.”

The teen hummed, absorbing the information. “Okay, and everyone else involved in the raid, they’re all gonna be alright?”

“Mirio lost his quirk.”

Midoriya inhaled sharply, surprise striking him dumb. “Wha- how… what happened?!”

“Overhaul had been using Eri to create quirk erasing bullets, and Mirio got hit with one of them to protect Eri. He’s essentially quirkless now.”

Aizawa watched for Midoriya’s reaction to that particular word out of the corner of his eye, and the teen only frowned sadly. “That’s terrible to hear. I hope he doesn’t give up on being a hero.” The teacher nodded in agreement. “But at least no one’s died, right?”

The way Aizawa didn’t answer right away struck a deep chord of worry in Midoriya. 

“Yes. Everyone will be okay. Except for one.”

He stopped in front of a door isolated at the end of the hallway. Midoriya swallowed. 

“Who’s in there?” It wasn’t a necessary question. 

Instead of answering it, Aizawa simply opened the door. The room was dark, and the light from the hallway brightened it up significantly, making it so Midoriya could see the pale figure laying on the bed. 

He sucked in a breath of surprise when he saw it was Nighteye. 

“He doesn’t have much longer,” Aizawa informed. Midoriya could gather from his tone, it meant he didn’t have any time at all. “He requested you and Mirio before he left.”

The teen moved to the bedside, slowly, numbly. The person before him had minutes to live, and it was startling to think about. 

“Deku,” Nighteye called weakly once the teen got close enough. Midoriya took another hesitant step forward, and his eyes fell upon a rather hopeless sight. 

There were an abundance of tubes running into a gaping hole in the hero’s stomach. The machines were performing a multitude of jobs to keep the man alive, but in the end all the effort was futile. The fragile human body could only survive so much. 

It snagged at Midoriya’s heart as he wondered, why was it he had managed to survive, when another was doomed to die?

Nighteye’s frail voice called Midoriya out of his thoughts. “Deku, I called you so… so I can apologize.”

For a second, the surprise of this statement relieved the weight off of the teen’s chest. 

“You don’t have to apologize,” he insisted. 

“No, no I think I do,” the hero pressed forward. “During the raid, I saw imminent death for both of us. Eri wouldn’t be rescued, and we’d both finish our lives with miserable endings. But you…”

Something like admiration glinted in the dying man’s eyes. 

“You refused to accept that. I think it was your sheer defiance, as well as everyone’s hope for success, that changed the way time flowed. I… I realize now I may have been wrong about you.”

Midoriya’s breath caught in his throat, and his eyes started stinging. 

“The moment I realized I was going to die, I may have peered further into the future than I ever have before. I saw things I’d never expected to see, and it was appallingly wonderful. So my final words to you are…”

The corners of Nighteye’s eyes crinkled. 

“It’s not too late to pursue your dream.”

And that broke the dam holding his tears back, and they gushed out of his eyes, his lungs pulling in sudden breaths of air. 

At that moment, someone crashed in through the door. Midoriya turned to see it was Mirio, and based on his shining-wet face, his arrival added to the number of tears being shed in the room. 

“No, Sir!!” the blond cried desperately as he shot to the side of the bed. “You can’t die, you can’t!”

The nurse who’d pursued him quickly realized it was pointless trying to get him to return to his room. 

Midoriya moved to the side so Mirio could be closer to his teacher, who raised a hand to wipe the waterfall of tears streaming down from the blond’s eyes. 

“I’m afraid I don’t have any control over that, Mirio,” Nighteye responded, which only made Mirio shake in sobs more. 

“Please Sir, don’t go, there’s still so much you have left to teach me!!”

“And yet, you seem to have forgotten the most important lesson of all,” the hero smiled. “Never let your grin drop from your face. Keep people laughing and happy, for your sake as well as theirs.”

Mirio gasped lightly, and Nighteye’s eyes turned to mechanical cogs, peering at events that hadn’t happened yet. His smile widened. 

“You’re going to be a splendid hero, Mirio.”

Even as the tears poured down stronger, the blond pushed a wobbly smile to his face. “Okay Sir, I’ll try! I’ll be a hero that always brings joy to people's lives!”

Nighteye nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

Midoriya wrapped a comforting arm around Mirio as he wept over his beloved mentor. And even once the hero was gone, the tears didn’t stop, and Midoriya didn’t leave his side.

Notes:

So yeah, Nighteye's still dead. I thought it'd be fun to try to write a death bed scene! Yay for angst! I hope it was still good even tho I know some of you were hoping he'd survive. I really wanted to use his final words to have an impact on Midoriya, to spark some of that hope and confidence in himself.

This chapter's song is I'll Be There by Gabriela Bee. It fits amazingly well with how Uraraka supported Midoriya in this chap (and it'll fit really well next chap with 1-A). Wonderful song.

See you in a year!

Chapter 75: Hugs Fix Everything

Notes:

Happy New Year! Don't really get why people call it happy, but that's probably just my pessimistic side talking.

Hah, anyway! Some nice things happen this chap (just look at the title), enjoy!

Midoriya stared up at the blue gates of UA, the sight perfectly matching that of his memories. It reminded him of the first time he’d entered the school grounds, that lingering feeling of freeing hope, except now it was much stronger. 

As he began the walk to 1-A’s dorms, his mind wandered to what had happened the last couple days. 

He’d been held back at the hospital a day longer than everyone else. This was partially because they wanted to make sure Eri’s quirk hadn’t caused any drastic side effects, which it hadn’t, as well as discuss where Toga would go, and finally determine the necessity of the collar. 

He still had it on. Not that he noticed it anymore (except for when he used One For All, of course). He’d gotten so used to the way it rubbed his skin and shook when he ran, it might as well be another article of clothing. 

Despite that, Aizawa and a few others were trying to use his good deeds during the raid as a reason to get it removed, and to prove villain redemption was possible, so Toga would end up in a nicer place. Midoriya was pretty sure they’d succeed on the first point, and when they did, 1-A would be holding a bonfire for the collar. 

On the second point… he was still pretty nervous. 

Speaking of 1-A, he was at the dorms by now. He smiled as he recalled his first time in the building. There had been a buzz of nervousness surrounding everything back then; now he was only excited. 

Well, maybe he was still a little nervous, just because he knew all attention would be on him the moment he opened the doors. 

Still, he walked up the steps, pausing just outside the door. 

He took a deep breath. 

Yeah, this was home. 

The door opened hardly two seconds after he knocked, and it was Mina, wearing an even more ecstatic grin than usual. 

“Midoriya’s back!!” she shouted over her shoulder, voice carrying across the dorms. 

As he stepped inside, he could hear some footsteps thundering down the stairs. Similar to the first time, Uraraka slammed into him with a hug. Unlike last time, Tsu and Kaminari also slammed into him with a hug. 

“Dude, I didn’t have anyone to ask about my homework!” Kaminari exclaimed. “If I fail I’m gonna blame you!!”

“Please don’t get yourself in a situation like that again,” Tsu added. 

Any words Uraraka wanted to share were communicated in the way her arms tightened around his torso, and how her eyes teared up. 

His skin prickled and stung in reminiscence of Overhaul’s torture session, heart rate spiking. He managed to keep his breathing under control though, as he took in long, slow breaths. That, as well as shouting at his mind it was okay, helped him not jerk out of the hug. 

And it was a good thing too, because the hug was just about to get bigger. 

It didn’t take long for Mina to throw herself into the hug, Hagakure and Kirishima following, then Yaoyorozu and Iida. Shinso grudgingly joined in, but by the way his lips pulled up in a slight smile, he didn’t hate it as much as he let on. 

In almost no time at all, nearly every member of 1-A had either jumped in to be a part of the class-sized hug, or was forcibly dragged into the mix. 

Tokoyami didn’t try very hard, but Shoji’s multiple arms made up for it. Todoroki was more awkward than anything, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. 

Despite Kirishima’s best efforts, Bakugo absolutely refused to participate. He’d probably spontaneously combust within five seconds anyway. 

Now there was a mass of people around Midoriya, all actively showing support and comfort. He could spot a few teary eyes and the real smiles stretching across people’s faces. Though some of them had been peer pressured into the hug, they each had a part of them that was overjoyed to see Midoriya back.  

The sheer genuineness of it all overwhelmed him. They weren’t faking; they were doing this because they actually cared. Just through this simple gesture, he could feel the compassion emanating from them, proving their loyalty to him. 

It filled him up to the brim with happiness and made him feel more loved than he’d ever felt before. 

Some of that emotion may have overflowed, just a bit. 

Fat drops started falling from his eyes, though his mouth was wide with a smile. Shaking sobs followed soon after that, causing people to back away from him, worried they’d disturbed him. 

“Midoriya, are you alright!?” Iida exclaimed, arm chopping through the air now that it had been released from the hug. 

The former villain raised his hands to his face in an attempt to wipe the waterfall off his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah I’m good.” 

“You sure?” Shinso double checked. 

Midoriya nodded firmly, dropping his hands and flashing the class a bright smile. “Don’t worry, they’re happy tears.”

“Phew!” Mina laughed nervously. “Thought we’d awakened some evil traumatic memory or something.”

“I mean, that might be part of it,” Midoriya said, trying once again to wipe the tears from his face now that his eyes had slackened the pace. “But it’s more happiness at seeing you all again.”

“I know we can be a handful, but we’re pretty nice compared to those yakuza guys, right?” Sero joked. 

Midoriya bobbed his head up and down. “Yes, so much better. Thank you all for the hug, I needed it more than you realize.”

Uraraka was the first to reply, “you’re welcome!” followed by many others. Mina slid to her friend’s side. 

“You know, she’s open anytime for hugs if you need ‘em!” the pink girl said in a sing-song voice, making a bit of red rise in Uraraka’s cheeks. 

Midoriya simply smiled, recalling all the hugs he’d shared with her, and thinking back on them fondly. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Hey, I know you already said thank you for the hug,” Sato called from the kitchen, “but I also made chocolate chip cookies, if anyone wants one!”

The class spent the rest of the day eating cookies and playing Uno, just enjoying themselves and laughing and feeling that irreplaceable sense of belonging. They told Midoriya about the School Festival coming up, and how they had no idea what they were going to do. It sounded like even more fun was stored in the future for them. 

After not having spent time with them in a while, the joy of it all raised Midoriya’s spirits more than it ever had before. 

 

The group might’ve stayed up just a little too late…

It was two in the morning and Midoriya was just now entering his room again. The sight of the star stickers on his ceiling reawakened him somewhat though, the comfort of familiarity giving him a warm pleasant feeling. 

He stepped inside, ready to collapse on the bed and plunge into sleep, but a rough voice stopped him. 

“It’s good to see you back.”

The sound of Bakugo woke him up more than the stars had, and he whipped around in surprise. The blond was glaring at the ground, hands buried deep into his pockets. 

He raised his eyes to Midoriya only for a few seconds to say, “Stop running off like a fricking self-sacrificing idiot. Makes all the others whine and complain and worry about you. Gets really aggravating.”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “It got Eri to safety, but…” he thought back to Uraraka’s talking-to. “Yeah, I’ll try to remember that.”

“Nah, trying isn’t good enough. You’re gonna succeed too, got it!?”

“Uhm… sure…?”

“Good.” Bakugo whirled around and stomped back to his room, heavy footsteps making the ground beneath Midoriya’s feet vibrate slightly. 

Well, Bakugo was also trying very hard at something. Although Midoriya’s mind was too weighted with fatigue to ponder it. He proceeded to crumple onto his bed, and his brain forfeited consciousness within seconds. 

 

It was only a little unfortunate for Midoriya that they’d stayed up so late. It was way more unfortunate for the rest of the class. 

They dragged their feet as they got up in the morning, heads nodding off while people brushed their teeth, and maybe even a few walked into walls that their eyes had told them was a door. 

Nobody dared wake Midoriya though. He’d already suffered multiple nights in pain and isolation; no need to ruin the good rest he was getting at the moment. 

It was only when the former villain got a text from Aizawa did he forsake the protective warmth of his bed. 

“Oh hey, where’re you going?” Uraraka asked curiously, watching Midoriya fumble with his shoelaces. School had just gotten out, and some students were now returning to their dorms. 

“To the hospital,” he answered. “Eri wants to talk with me and Mirio.”

“Oh! Well, I hope she’s okay. And even if she’s not, I’m sure you’ll figure something out to cheer her up!”

He grinned. “Thanks. See ya later!”

“Bye!”

 

Midoriya yawned, absentmindedly staring out the car window. Mirio sat across from him with his arms crossed and watched as the minutes ticked down until they reached the hospital, with Aizawa driving. 

The younger teen decided to use social skills. 

“I um, heard about what happened to you, with your quirk and all. I’m really sorry.”

Mirio laughed, and Midoriya had to admit that it wasn’t as fake as it could’ve been. “Don’t worry about it! I’m not about to give up on everything! Gotta be a hero who brings people smiles, I promised that, so I’m sticking to it!”

Wow, he was really living by his promise to his mentor. It made Midoriya give a small smile, proving Mirio was already succeeding at his goal. 

“That’s a nice mindset to have, and I think you can do it!”

“Thanks man!”

That cheer had almost dissipated completely by the time they had weaved through the halls at the hospital to find Eri’s room. It was in one of the more secluded parts of the hospital, and required a key to enter. 

Midoriya tried not to compare it to her treatment in the yakuza. 

“She only wanted to see you two, and since it’s the only thing the Eri has requested since being here, they couldn’t refuse,” Aizawa informed as he turned the key, making the door click open. “Make sure your time with her is put to good use.”

They both gave a nod of affirmation, before heading into the bland room. It smelled clean and fresh, and the walls and furniture were as pale in color as Eri’s tumbling hair. Eri herself was sitting on her bed, gazing out at the free world through her window. Aizawa stood outside the door, which he left open. 

The girl’s eyes lit up at the sight of them, but her mouth remained in the same resting position. 

“Hey Eri!” Mirio greeted enthusiastically, and he held up the fruit basket he’d brought. “We’ve got some sweets for ya!”

Midoriya was much more subdued, giving a warm smile and wave. “Hi.”

Despite Mirio’s greeting being the much more attention-grabbing one, Eri’s eyes seemed stuck on Midoriya. Both boys sat on the ground next to her low bed, while she picked out an apple from the basket, denying the peach Mirio handed her. 

Midoriya stored this fact for later. Eri liked apples. 

She just stared gloomily down at the fruit in her lap. When she spoke, her voice was so frail and unsteady, mirroring her mental state. 

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing she said. 

“There’s nothing you have to be sorry for,” Midoriya quickly jumped in. “I know you’ve always felt at fault for anything bad that happened, but that’s not true at all.” 

His words did nothing to convince her, Overhaul’s words still snaking around her thoughts. 

“It’s just… everything you both did for me, and all the other people too, it hurt all of you. Lemillion lost his quirk, and that hero with glasses, he was hurt really bad. You all sacrificed so much, because of me.” 

“You say that like you weren’t worthy of the sacrifice, which you were,” Midoriya affirmed. 

“Yeah!” Mirio exclaimed. “My quirk isn’t everything, and I haven’t given up! And me losing it wasn’t your fault at all!”

She shuffled uncomfortably a bit. “You all sacrificed so much,” she continued like they hadn’t even spoken, “and I don’t even know your name.” Her eyes nervously flicked up to Midoriya. “I know Lemillion, but not yours. You went with Overhaul to… t-to protect me, and then you visited me at my room, even though it got you beat up really bad. W-what’s your name?”

It sounded as if she was unable to fathom why anyone would want to help her, but Midoriya decided to answer her question instead of immediately jumping to fix the issue. 

“I’m Izuku Midoriya, but uh, that’s kinda long, isn’t it…” he frowned slightly in thought, before realizing another name would work quite well. “You can call me Mido. It’s just a shortened version of my name, does that work?”

She tilted her head. “Mido?”

After he nodded, Mirio responded to her troubling train of thought. “Eri, none of the heroes or police blame you for anything that happened to them. Nobody got hurt because of you, so it doesn’t make sense to apologize to people who don’t exist, right?”

She frowned slightly. “I guess so…”

She barely sounded convinced, but Mirio plowed forward anyway. “All of our efforts were well-spent on saving you! So we could see you smile!”

Her face contorted into something of confusion at that last word. She placed her apple to the side and raised her hands to her face, and did one of the most pitiful actions the boys had ever seen. 

She tugged the corners of her mouth upwards in some feeble smile, a pathetic attempt to express nonexistent happiness. 

Midoriya could feel his spirits dragged down at the sight of it, and Mirio hesitantly asked, “What are you doing?”

Her hands fell back into her lap as she looked down dismally. “I-I don’t really know how to smile…”

Mirio’s grin was almost completely washed off his face, and Midoriya realized something dreadful: Eri wasn’t saved at all. 

Physically, yes, she was out of Overhaul’s grasp. But mentally? His cruel words and twisted lies had wormed into her brain, infecting it with a perpetual guilt and misery, warping her world view and trapping her in the same mindset she had been in before being rescued. 

In a way, she was similar to Midoriya when he’d first escaped the League. 

He hadn’t thought himself worthy of being saved either, and was constantly weighed down by the guilt of everyone he’d hurt. It had taken a lot of kindness and support to change his own warped world view. 

He saw the coldness in his eyes and the dark bags beneath them. His skin was pale from lack of sunlight. The scar running down his left cheek had faded a bit and blended into his face better. His mouth had no trace of any smile left. 

He tried to smile.

It felt so wrong. What he saw in the mirror scared him so he instantly stopped trying. 

He hadn’t been able to smile either. 

Now, Midoriya wanted to give Eri the same chance he’d gotten. His mind started whirling, trying to think of a way to give it to her, when suddenly it clicked. 

He stood up and turned to Aizawa, who’d been watching the interaction by the door. The teacher saw the light of an idea in his eyes. 

“Mr. Aizawa, do you think it’d be possible to get Eri out of the hospital, just for a day?”

“Yeah, that should be doable. For what?”

Midoriya looked back to Mirio, who’d turned away from Eri. “Mirio, what if we brought her to UA…”

“Oh I get it,” Aizawa muttered, and a wide smile crept across Mirio’s face. 

“...the day of the School Festival!”

“That’s a great idea!” Mirio exclaimed, and Aizawa gave a nod that confirmed they’d be able to do it. 

“School… Festival?” Eri asked tentatively. 

Mirio whipped back around to her, and the sudden motion made her flinch away. He apologized weakly, before going on to explain how the School Festival was a festival at their school, when all of the classes did something fun or held a show to display what they’d learned and the bonds they’d formed. 

“I guess that could be cool,” the girl wondered, a faint light of curiosity in her eyes. 

Midoriya sat back down in front of her, and her gaze traveled to him. “Eri, awhile ago, I had a lot of trouble smiling too. I thought the things I’d done were too bad, and my guilt convinced me I wasn’t a person worth saving.”

Eri tilted her head at the familiarity of what he was saying, and Mirio looked over at him too. 

“But then I met people who wanted to save me. They wanted to be my friends, and overtime, they did become my friends. Now I don’t have that guilt weighing on me anymore, and I’m actually happy. Here, look.”

He gave her a bright smile, not quite as big as before he’d joined the League, but way better than when he’d been in it. 

Eri’s eyes widened at the authenticity and joy radiating from it. 

“Eri, I promise you, we’ll help you be happy again.”

The flicker of hope grew in her eyes, just like what he’d seen when visiting her in the Shie Hassaikai base. 

“Because if it’s possible for me, then it’s possible for you too.”

 

Mirio whooped in exhilaration once they got back to the car, and Midoriya chuckled. 

“I think that went really well, dontcha think?” the blond asked. 

“Yeah, I think it did.”

Aizawa had been held back for a moment to fill out some paperwork regarding their visit, so the boys were left to wait outside the car until the adult returned. 

“Man, if I had my quirk I could just slip in and unlock it for us.” Mirio said it as more of a joke, but there was a hidden sadness to his tone. 

Midoriya frowned slightly, and something wild occurred to him. He and Mirio had essentially swapped places. The quirkless dreamer and the strong potential hero. The former used to be Midoriya, and the latter Mirio. But now…

The strange and slightly guilty thought made Midoriya voice a question. 

“If I told you there was a way for me to give my quirk to you, would you believe it? Would you accept it?”

The atmosphere suddenly stilled with the seriousness of the question, and Mirio’s eyes were glued to Midoriya. The most popular rumors revolving around the former villain’s quirk was that All for One had given it to him. Mirio knew this, and it made him frown. 

“Believe it? Maybe. Accept it? Never,” the student answered. “That power is yours… whether it originally belonged to you or not. It’s yours to use, not mine. I’ll find my own way to be a hero.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened a little as he absorbed the information with interest, before he smiled and nodded. “Thanks for that… it means more than you know. And I have no doubt you’ll be a hero in the future.”

Mirio grinned. 

“Likewise.”

 

“Aaaahhhh Midoriya!!” Mina shouted as soon as he entered the dorms, charging up to him and shaking him by the shoulders. “We need you!”

“Uh… it’s nice to be needed?”

“No no, that’s not what I mean! We need your help in figuring out what to do for the School Fest!!”

She steered him over to the living area, where all of the class was gathered. Iida informed him of what had commenced so far. “We’ve only been able to agree that we should do something to lift the other classes’ spirits. They blame the hero course for a lot of the bad events that have occurred, so we intend to reverse that effect by bringing some enjoyment into their lives!”

Midoriya thought about how Eri would probably be attending this event, so something fun and cheerful sounded perfect. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“But we still have to agree on what to do,” Hagakure added. 

“Hold on, I found the video,” Todoroki announced, and they all turned their eyes to his computer. It was a video of a music concert, where everyone was dancing and having fun. 

“Hey yeah! That could be really cool!” Kaminari said, grinning at the video. 

“Bakugo and I did something like this in our remedial courses,” Todoroki continued, and Bakugo scoffed in the background. 

“Oh yeah, about that,” Midoriya directed his words at Todoroki, “Mr. Aizawa told me I was invited to help at one of your classes. Since it’d cross more of my community service hours off the list, I said yes.”

“Great, you’ll make it even more of a drag than it normally is,” Bakugo grumbled, and Midoriya ignored him. Todoroki simply nodded in understanding. 

“Back to the matter at hand!” Mina exclaimed, clapping her hands. “I love dancing, so I love this idea!”

Murmurs of approval rippled throughout the class. Midoriya could feel everyone leaning in favor of doing a concert. With his own interest in music, he also quite liked the idea. 

“Who would be our singer though?” Uraraka questioned. 

Kirishima, Mineta, and Aoyama were immediately crossed off the list. Then Kaminari’s face lit up, and he whipped around to point at Jiro. 

“You’re super musical, Jiro!” he shouted. “I bet you have an amazing singing voice!”

The girl’s face flushed in unsurety and embarrassment. “Wha- no, I-”

It didn’t take much peer pressure for her to give a small demonstration, and holy heck her singing was beautiful. It struck everyone who could hear it dumb, and her voice enraptured their attention with its blissful, soothing sound. 

“You’ve gotta be our singer!” was nearly everyone’s exclamation. Despite everyone’s clear support of the concert idea, Jiro seemed to be the only one hesitant about it. 

Kaminari worked some magic though. 

“Oh come on, Jiro! You’re super talented, the best musical artist I know! You’re the best in the class by far in terms of singing, so you’ve got to do it! All of us believe in you!!”

She looked down at the ground uncertainly, but Kaminari’s radiating support and smile seemed to infect her, and a small grin tugged at her mouth. 

Jiro sighed. “Well, alright. Let’s put on the best damn concert this school has ever seen.”

The class erupted into cheers, and Midoriya could feel the vibrating excitement coming from all of them, and within himself too. 

It had been a while since he’d truly looked forward to something, and he couldn’t wait for the School Fest.

Notes:

So, some timeline stuff I should mention. In canon, the remedial courses with the elementary school kids happens literally the day after the students get back from the raid. Since I wanted Midoriya helping out with that, it's been pushed back a couple days. Because, you know, it's probably not a good idea for someone who just got out of being tortured to be shoved into a job like that lol.

That means the talk with Eri, which normally happens after the remedial courses, happened a bit earlier too. So yup, bit of switcheroo but it's okay.

This chapter's song is Rescue by Lauren Daigle. Fits well with how Midoriya promised to help Eri recover, to rescue her from her thoughts, not just her situation.

And a funny thing about this song is, it's actually a Christian song about God rescuing his people. So a few years ago when it was popular, and I heard it played on a pop radio station, I was so confused because I was like, "wait, this is a Christian song!" And then it was used in Canary, and I was just... what?

*cough* Anyhoo! See you next week!

Chapter 76: Who I Used to Be

Notes:

300k! Aaahhhh! That’s alotta words man! And uh, I don’t think we’ll be hitting the 400k mark. So thanks to everyone who’s read this far!

In a single line, a few words, a simple sentence, a deep and resounding fear was struck into the very fiber of Midoriya’s being. 

“Hey Midoriya, you play the guitar, right?” Kirishima asked. 

The way his pupils shrank in terror and his body froze up was an indisputable yes. 

The class had already decided on Bakugo for the drums, Yaoyorozu for the piano, and now had turned their sights on guitarists. Jiro had the most experience, and could play guitar along with vocals, so she immediately qualified. 

Kaminari was more than eager to learn, and being one of the more extroverted members of the class, he’d do well on stage. So there were two guitarists. 

They needed three. 

“U-um… well I- you see…” the words refused to come out of his mouth in a comprehensible manner, his mind blinded with the horror of hundreds of eyes staring at him while he struggled to play chords on stage. 

Kirishima was still blinking at him expectantly, so Uraraka answered for him. 

“Oh yeah! Jiro and I heard him practicing once, and he was super great! We told you all about it afterwards too.”

Midoriya shot her a look of utter betrayal, and she giggled, next to him on the couch. When everyone’s eyes landed on him, he retreated a little into his hoodie as his face flushed with heat. “I-I, uh… you’re exaggerating. I’m not that g-great at all-”

“That’s a flat out lie,” Jiro interrupted. 

“C’mon, dude!” Kaminari started with an encouraging smile. “You’ve faced some of the scariest villains out there, and probably saved more lives than- well, everyone in this room! You can’t be scared of playing a song in front of a few people!”

“A few people!?” 

“People can be way worse than villains, in my opinion,” Shinso added. 

“Everyone!” Iida gathered the class’s attention. “We must not force him if he’s not comfortable! And it is very clear this prospect unnerves him, so we should leave him alone.”

Midoriya sighed in relief. “Thank you, Iida.”

“Of course!”

Jiro tapped her foot in agitation. “Damn, you’re the most qualified, after me, of course. It’d be awesome having you in the band. I’m getting over my stage fright to do this too!”

“Hey, what about a compromise?” Uraraka suggested, and both Jiro and Midoriya turned their heads to her. “Jiro, you want him in the band, but he’s really nervous about all the people. What if he’s a backup, in case something happens and one of the main guitarists isn't available?”

After a second, Midoriya nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, I’d be okay with that.”

Jiro sighed. “Sure, that works. Still need one more person though.”

Tokoyami raised his hand. “I have some experience with the basics, so I could be of use.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened a little at that. He’d just offered to be a backup guitarist, so Tokoyami knew he’d be practicing with the band members. That meant they’d be interacting quite a lot… was Tokoyami closer to forgiving him than he’d thought? 

By the time he’d finished that thought, the band members had been finalized, and Tokoyami was part of the band. 

“Hey Midoriya,” Uraraka called, and he lifted his eyes to her. “I was wondering if we’d ever get to hear you play? You sounded really amazing the first time, and Jiro already sang a bit for us. Would it be okay if… I dunno,” her words died lamely, making him frown in thought. 

He had, in fact, found a song he felt a strange nagging to play for 1-A. Especially since returning from the Shie Hassaikai. It wonderfully expressed many things he felt genuine about, and communicated a message he’d be happy to share with the class. 

He opened his mouth to say this, before hesitance struck down the words, and he closed his mouth again. 

Tsu didn’t miss the movement. “You know, if there’s the possibility of you playing in front of the whole school, you at least need to be comfortable playing in front of the class.”

Midoriya could not argue with that. After a couple more seconds of contemplation, he nodded surely. “Okay, yeah, I’ve got something I’ve wanted to show you guys for a while.”

“Wait, really?!” Uraraka’s face lit up with delight, making it impossible for him to change his mind. 

He smiled and nodded again. “Yeah, just give me a second.”

“Heyyy we’re gonna hear him play!” Mina squealed as he went up the stairs. 

“I know right!?” Kaminari agreed. 

Midoriya had finally reached the level of trust where he was okay playing in front of them, and the class was curious to see how he’d first express that trust. 

Midoriya returned to the group a minute later, scuffed up guitar in hand, which managed to draw more eyes than the teen’s slightly petrified face. He found his same spot on the couch again, next to Uraraka. An excited and expectant energy rang through the air as he gave a single strum to hear if it was tuned. Jiro didn’t cringe, so it was on pitch. 

After an exhale that released his stress and anxieties, he fingers gently danced over the strings to procure a humble melody. I Was Me by Imagine Dragons. 

“It's just another day. It's just another year.”

Even with the simple start to the song, some of that excited and curious energy gave way to absorption in the music, in his strumming and his voice. 

“‘One step at a time,’ they say. ‘One trip, and you're back that way.’”

The song’s lyrics were things Midoriya wanted to tell 1-A, that he wanted to express. He wanted to show his journey and its difficulty, and how he still had a ways to go. 

The Midoriya the students had grown familiar with was still more cold and isolative than who he used to be. 

“Please believe me when I tell you… that this is not who I am.”

He could see a few teens blink surprisedly at that. 

“If I recover, will you take me back again?”

It was a real question he was asking the class. If he managed to brush off the snow on his shoulders, if he melted any of the ice remaining in his gazes, if he warmed up his heart to everyone around him, would they accept him fully and readily?

He already knew the answer, but still wanted confirmation. 

“If only I could go back when I, I was me.”

At this point, the class had grown much more engrossed in the lyrics than the sound coming along with them. 

“I'll try hard to make this ride. I'll try hard to win this fight.”

This was his promise to reach that point, to keep trying to recover completely. Though he had already traveled leaps and bounds, he still had distance to cover. 

“I don't recognize these eyes. I don't recognize these hands”

There were still some things that weren’t recognizable, that hadn’t been fixed. That couldn’t be fixed. 

“Please believe me when I tell you… that this is not who I am.”

He thought about his scar, a permanent mar. A constant reminder. 

“I'm just another, trying hard to fit right in.”

Despite that, he was determined to find his place. The people around him, he actually felt at home with, and he would keep clinging onto that sense of belonging. 

“But my photographs remind me of who I used to be.”

At that line, his eyes flicked away from the strings and up to Uraraka, as he thought back to the conversation they’d had about smiling. The photograph on his desk… it really did remind him of who he used to be. 

But Uraraka had convinced him that his old smile and bright light of hope could be recovered. 

“Give me strength to fight. Help me feel alive again.”

With the help he’d gotten from her, and from the rest of the class, he could be who he used to be. 

“Make me whole inside. Instead, this hole inside is killing me.”

And everyday that hole was growing smaller, as the comfort and care from the class convinced his worn conscience that he really could make a change for the better. 

“And I'm begging you… if I recover, will you take me back again?”

To the final chorus, and the class was still absorbed in the song. Midoriya was being completely open and truthful in the lyrics. It helped them see him a little clearer, understand his pain and hurt a little better. 

But more importantly, it helped them comprehend what they had to do to help him, to get him back to who he used to be. 

“If only I could go back when I, I was me.”

As the last of the sound faded from the room, the strings ceasing their vibration, a thick silence took its place. Midoriya kept his eyes glued to the floor, nervous about seeing the first of the class’s reaction. 

“That. Was. Awesome.”

Midoriya’s head snapped up to look at Mina, who had stars in her eyes. “R-really?”

“Yeah! I mean, it was kinda sad too, what you were saying about not being yourself, but still really cool!”

“Now do you all see why he’s got to play?” Jiro asked. 

Before anyone could answer her, Uraraka leaned over and gave him a hug. After getting over his surprise, face heating up, he hugged back. Well, he could only hug back with one arm, since the guitar was on. 

“Thank you?” he said, still a little flustered. 

She smiled kindly. “It felt like you needed it.”

“Midoriya,” that was Shinso, and the former villain tore his eyes away from Uraraka’s warm face to look at him. “What you said, about if we’ll take you back if you recover, you do know we’ve already taken you back, broken pieces and all, right?”

Midoriya nodded without hesitation. “I know, yes. It’s just… sometimes certain parts of my head make it harder to keep that belief up.”

Shinso hummed, nodding. Members of the class went on to give him different encouragement. Promising to support him until he felt like himself again, and after that too. Cheering him on verbally, saying he could do it, things like that. Even simple gestures like an uplifting smile or thumbs up. 

Midoriya’s confidence in 1-A, and their confidence in him, was much higher at the end of the conversation. 

For those who still held doubts about Midoriya, it was a very humanizing experience. 

 

Midoriya woke up to a grim text the next day. It could have been seen as a hopeful text, but it was Aizawa who sent it, and he always framed things pessimistically. Instead of heading to the school to clean, he walked to the blue gates. There was a car waiting there for him, like Aizawa had said. 

He was going to visit Toga at the police station. There, they were discussing her future, and were going to try to use Midoriya’s story to lessen her sentence. 

But before all that, there was a certain blond someone standing by the car, who Midoriya hadn’t seen in a while. 

“All Might!!” the boy shouted, his walk speeding up to a run. 

A wide grin spanned the retired hero’s face, and he stepped away from the car to embrace Midoriya in a hug. 

“Young Midoriya! I’m sorry I couldn’t see you sooner, but it’s wonderful to see you’re alright. I missed you so much, and I wish I could’ve done something to help you.” 

By the way All Might squeezed him tighter, Midoriya knew the hero had been overwhelmingly concerned about him. But the worry was melting off now that he was safe. 

The teen smiled up at him. “It’s okay All Might. I missed you too, and the other heroes had it covered! They saved me and Eri, so you didn’t have anything to worry about.”

His words relieved even more of All Might’s tension. “I’m happy to see you can still smile after going through such an ordeal.”

“I already lost my smile once; I’m not losing it again. Besides, I need it to help Eri find her smile again.”

Pride shone in All Might’s face at Midoriya’s determination to help Eri, and he patted the boy on his good shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll succeed in helping her,” he said confidently. “Now, onto the actual reason why we’re here…”

Midoriya’s face dropped a little, and All Might noticed his change in demeanor. A little less sure and a little more worried. “To help Toga, right.”

“And I’m sure you’ll succeed in helping her too.”

The teen blinked surprisedly at his mentor. “You… you actually think it’s possible?”

All Might returned the look of confusion. “Why wouldn’t I think it’s possible? I know she’s crossed many more lines than you, but she’s still young and her mind can still be morphed for the better. And with you on her side, I really don’t see any reason to fret.”

Midoriya’s surprise persisted for a moment longer, before a small, confident smile broke across his face. “Thanks, All Might. I’ll remember that.”

The retired hero smiled again, happy he was able to boost his successor’s confidence. “Well then, if you’re ready?” he gestured towards the car, where Aizawa had been sitting and cringing at their wholesome interaction. 

“Yeah, let’s go give Toga the help she needs.”

 

Toga didn’t really like the cell she’d been stuffed in for a few days. Then again, she hadn’t really liked all the dusty places the League had been staying at, so it wasn’t too big of a difference. 

Besides, the seed of hope Midoriya had given her kept telling her to endure, because it would pay off down the line. 

But now she was in an interrogation room with someone else. A lawyer. She was still deciding whether she liked her or not, Ms. Jitsu. 

She had said UA hired her, and she would try to be as helpful, yet fair, as possible. Toga supposed her glasses were cute, and her hair was brown like Uraraka’s, but it was a darker brown and tied up in a bun. Her light pink eyes always seemed to be studying her expression…

“We’re still waiting for someone else to show up,” Jitsu informed her. “He should be here in about… five minutes or so?”

“He?” Toga asked. “Who is he?”

“You know him, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Izuku’s coming!?”

Jitsu recognized her enthusiasm and smiled faintly. “Yes, he is. I take it you quite like him?”

Toga put on a guarded expression and said defensively, “Yeah, he’s pretty cute.”

They way Jitsu’s eyes traced every line of her expression, Toga could swear she could read her very thoughts and emotions. The conversation didn’t remain dead for long, because a knocking sounded against the door. A guard from the outside slid it open, and in came Midoriya. Toga caught a glimpse of All Might outside the door, but the retiree didn’t enter. 

“Hey Toga,” Midoriya greeted. His smile, it seemed a little nervous, to Toga at least. Jitsu was peering at his face very closely too. 

“Please, sit,” Jitsu beckoned. He took the only remaining chair in the room and slid it up to the table Toga and Jitsu were sitting at. 

“Alright,” the lawyer began, “We are here to make sure you, Toga, have the best future going forward. There are multiple ways this could turn out, and some possibilities are much worse than others. But I have confidence we can avoid those darker paths and end up on a brighter one.”

Midoriya’s eyes brightened at her optimism, and Toga promised, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to have a better life.”

Jitsu nodded. “That’s good to hear. Although, it should be known, even the best of the outcomes will not promise an easy life. No matter the end result, you will have to work hard to get the life you want.”

“I understand,” Toga responded without a hint of hesitation. It filled Midoriya with hope to see. 

“Well, why don’t we begin with the worst of matters?” Jitsu suggested. “How many people have you killed?”

The teen faltered. “Um, I… I don’t remember. I think, somewhere around ten people?”

Midoriya winced, but Jitsu nodded, taking in the information. “The good news for you is, since you’re a minor, you cannot get executed, and any possible crimes against you will be much less severe.”

“Hey, that’s nice!” she exclaimed, grinning. 

“I take it you’re comfortable pleading guilty?”

“That means accepting responsibility for the people I killed, right?” The lack of guilt in her tone made Midoriya a little concerned. 

“Yes, that’s what it means. It will also result in the prosecutors dropping the charges further, on top of you being a minor.”

“Then yeah! Let’s do it!”

“With those two things,” Midoriya started, “what charges do you think she’ll end up with?”

Jitsu thought for a moment, tapping her nails against the table. “With those two alone? Probably twenty to thirty years jail time.”

Toga’s previous enthusiasm dropped off her face. “Are you serious?”

“Hold on, there are still two- well, three more things we haven’t gotten to yet,” Ritsu reassured. “I know your quirk has also played a role in the crimes you’ve committed.”

The teen narrowed her eyes. “My quirk is part of who I am. It’s not my fault I have it.”

“That’s true, but it has also altered your perception of the world. It is my understanding that you find blood attractive, and your way of showing love to someone is to consume their blood, correct?”

“Yeah…”

“That all traces back to your quirk requiring blood to function. Essentially, you need blood to retain your mental stability, and it has become entwined with your idea of love. Because you were deprived of it in your youth, all those years of suppression is what triggered you to start killing.”

Toga had frowned confusedly through most of that, trying and failing to understand her own twisted psychology. But the last bit about her youth caught her attention. 

“Don’t bring up my childhood or my parents,” she hissed. Midoriya raised his eyebrows slightly. 

Jitsu sighed. “That does play an important factor in this, but okay, I’ll save that conversation for later. But what I was saying before is, we can plead insanity too because of the physiological demands of your quirk.”

Toga nodded in understanding, and Midoriya spoke up. “Um, we still haven’t gotten to why I’m here?”

“Right, that’s the last thing. With what I’ve mentioned before, that’ll get you about fifteen years in prison, twenty max. Now the only question is, what prison will you end up in? That’s where you come in,” she turned to Midoriya. 

The dots connected in the former villain’s head. “Wait, so you’re gonna use my successful rehabilitation as proof Toga can be rehabilitated too? That’s… that’s a really good idea.”

The lawyer nodded. “There are some special prisons that do more than just lock up their inmates. They offer therapy, and chances to make friends and have fun. Basically, the better you behave and the more you improve, the more opportunities open up to you in your time there.”

Toga tilted her head, considering it. “I’d still be locked up though.”

Midoriya looked her in the eyes. “But you would have the chance to improve and make friends, so when you aren’t locked up anymore, you will have that better life you’ve been saying you want.”

She pursed her lips, before answering, “...alright, yeah. That sounds pretty sweet.”

Midoriya grinned happily, and a bit of the smile spread to Toga. 

“Midoriya,” Jitsu caught his attention, “If you’d be willing to describe your process of rehabilitation in writing, and relate it to Toga, that would be immensely helpful in getting her into one of these special prisons.”

“Of course, I’ll get that done as soon as possible,” he promised. 

She turned back to Toga. “You also helped Midoriya rescue Eri in the Shie Hassaikai raid, correct?”

“Mhm!”

“Alright, that, along with Midoriya’s writing, and you willingly turning yourself in will all play a major factor in getting you accepted into one of these places.”

Toga stretched out and yawned lazily. “Things are looking pretty nice for me!”

“Yeah, they are,” Midoriya agreed. “Now we can only hope others in the League will follow, sooner or later.”

A bit of sadness crept into Toga’s face. “Yeah, I really hope that happens too.”

 

A moment later, once the meeting was wrapped up, Midoriya and Jitsu stepped outside, about to part ways. 

“Hey, I just wanna ask, why are you so willing to help Toga?” The question had been on Midoriya’s mind throughout the meeting. “She’s one of the most hated people in the country, but you’re still doing everything you can to give her a better life.”

Jitsu wavered, and that was the first time Midoriya had seen her hesitate. “I will admit, I wasn’t completely sure about taking her case at first. But Nezu asked me to, and he seemed so confident about it too, so I couldn’t refuse.”

“Nezu?” Midoriya asked, surprised. 

She smiled fondly. “Yes, I was the one who helped him prosecute the people who experimented on him. One of the most chaotic and fun cases I’ve ever taken.”

Midoriya smiled too. “Well, I’m happy Toga’s got you on her side.”

“Of course, and I promise you, I won’t let the courts give her a miserable life.”

 

Midoriya now felt much more sure that Toga would go on to live a better life. She was already free from the League and what it demanded of her, now she just had to find freedom from herself. 

Speaking of freedom, Midoriya also couldn’t wait to be free from his collar. 

The next day started out strangely similar to the last one, as in, he got a text from Aizawa and walked out to the gates to see a car waiting for him. 

But this time, he wasn’t as nervous. He knew someone’s life wasn’t on the line, and it’d give him permission to have the collar removed (and burned)!

The only downside was…

“What the hell, De- Izuku!?” Bakugo snarled. 

“Kacchan,” Midoriya responded wearily. 

“What crappy reason do you have for being here?!”

If it had only been Bakugo shouting that, Midoriya might’ve just ignored him. But Todoroki was also looking at him expectantly for an answer, so he figured he’d explain. 

“I’ve been invited to help with your remedial courses. Give advice, help with training exercises, that kind of thing. It’ll be enough to get my collar off too.”

Bakugo scoffed, but he did manage to bite back any nasty retort that would’ve flown off his tongue. 

“Oh, so that’s today. Sounds interesting,” Tokoroki replied. 

“Yeah, hopefully I’ll be able to help, at least a little.”

“And I can burn the collar for you when we get back.”

Midoriya chuckled. “Oh, the others are already making preparations.”

The conversation didn’t last long before All Might and Present Mic announced they’d be leaving, and the three boys were carted off. Despite Midoriya not being a student, he’d learn something important there too. 

Notes:

I had an actual lawyer help me with that scene with Toga! Monsieur Otter, who also writes fanfic if you wanna read his stuff.

This chapter’s song is the same one Midoriya played, I Was Me by Imagine Dragons. The first time I heard that song I knew I had to use it lol.

Also, despite the remedial courses being kinda filler in canon, they actually are pretty important in this. So you’ll get that next week!

Chapter 77: Win Those Students' Hearts!

Notes:

Because you see in the anime/manga the episode/chapter is called “Win Those Kids’ Hearts!”

You’ll see why in a sec lol. Enjoy!

Oh wait, also! Bonus chap on Thursday! That's happening! So that's something to expect.

“It’s your job to win the hearts and minds of these children!!” Gang Orca declared, “To prove you have more than just fighting skills, but also the heart of a hero!”

The four students stared incredulously at him for a second, before turning their eyes back to the wild children wreaking havoc upon the gym. Bakugo was the first to speak. 

“The hell are we supposed to do?!”

One of the little boys pointed at him and squealed, “Ahh he said a bad word!!” The children around him started whining and covering their ears, which only made Bakugo want to swear more. 

While Camie asked why she was lumped in with the other three idiots, Midoriya chuckled off to the side, by the entrance to the gym. Gang Orca had told him to wait to enter until called. 

He thought it was a splendid idea, making the densest and most self-absorbed find ways to befriend children. It would make them think differently, more compassionately, and help them realize the more social side to being a hero. It wasn’t all about being the strongest, but about caring deeply for people too. 

Even if those people were tiny screaming children. 

Midoriya was slightly concerned about Camie though. He figured that was only because she was the form Toga had chosen to impersonate and attack Uraraka with, so naturally his fear spiked a little when he saw her. But she also seemed pretty self-obsessed, or at least phone-obsessed, and in desperate need of a lesson. 

His thoughts snapped back to reality when Gang Orca said his name. 

“Normally, the rest of you would have your usual seminar, but today we have a guest! Listen up, ‘cause I invited him here for a reason! Midoriya?!”

The teen appreciated the hero calling him by his real name, not his villain alias. That small comfort quickly faded though, when all of the hero students’ eyes landed on him as he walked out. Some of the children peered suspiciously at him too, but they were more focused on running around like crazy. 

Even after somewhat getting used to stares, this was still his least favorite part. Any smile he tried to form was crushed by the weight of their attention. 

“Introduce yourself!” Gang Orca commanded. 

Well that wasn’t in the job description. “Is that really necessary?”

There were already faint sounds of whisperings, and everyone had a hint of fear on their faces, except for Todoroki and Bakugo. 

“It’s only proper!” said the instructor who had already flung three of his students across the room that lesson. 

Scratch the staring being his least favorite part; it was now introducing himself. He sighed deeply, trying to dispel some of his stress and anxiety along with the air. 

“I’m Izuku Midoriya, hi. Used to be a villain, was rehabilitated and am not a villain anymore. I’m here to help you improve as heroes, so you will still have a chance at succeeding even after failing the provisional licensing exams.”

He cringed a little internally, worried he’d sounded too harsh, but the students seemed more interested in staring at his collar and scar instead of listening to anything he had to say. 

This was proven mere seconds later. 

“What’s a villain doing teaching our class!?”

At the word ‘villain’, some of the more observant children stopped their silliness to stare at Midoriya, squinting as they tried to figure out where they’d seen him…

Gang Orca burst out in aggravation, his booming voice thundering over the murmurs of agreement. “Did you not hear what he just said?! Your rudeness and incompetence are really shining through!! This kid is not a villain, not anymore!! Anyone who calls him that again will be failed, got it!?”

A wave of surprise and nervousness fell over the group, and they hesitantly nodded in understanding. 

But Gang Orca’s loud voice also caught the attention of multiple kids, who then realized where they’d seen Midoriya before. When he noticed the fear clouding their expressions, he tried giving them a small save and smile. They blinked at him confusedly, a bit of curiosity replacing that fear, because his reaction didn’t line up with what they’d learned about villains. 

“Good,” Gang Orca said in response to the students’ nod. “Now, you four figure out how to be likable,” he gestured to Bakugo and the others, who were struggling immensely with the children, “and the rest of us will be across the hall, in the second gym!”

Looking out at the mob of unruly children, it was completely understandable why Gang Orca would want to move. 

As Midoriya followed the class out of the doors, he called, “Good luck!”

“I don’t need any luck!!” Bakugo retorted, even as he chased a kid who’d stolen his gauntlet. 

“Was talking to the other three!”

Inasa and Todoroki thanked him, one very energetically and the other very quietly. With a final scowl from Bakugo, Midoriya left the room. 

The other gym was an exact copy of the first one, and it made sense for a training facility like this to have multiple gyms for multiple classes. The group congregated in the middle of the room, except for Gang Orca, who had hung back by the door to have a word with Midoriya. 

“I plan to have you lead this lesson entirely,” the hero informed him. 

The teen’s eyes snapped to the hero’s face. “What?”

Gang Orca peered down at him. “Why do you doubt yourself?”

“Well, b-because I’m not a teacher? I just thought I’d be helping, not giving a lesson or anything like that! I- I don’t have anything worthwhile to teach them.”

“Really? I believe with your experience, you have some of the most valuable knowledge to offer.”

“My… my experience?” Midoriya frowned. “What do you mean?”

The hero sighed. “Students like these are only ever taught from a hero’s perspective. It leads to a very one-sided mindset, which I’m sure you have encountered. Heroes are good, villains are bad, and there’s no middle ground. You’ve surely seen this.”

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen that.”

“Then the way to change that is to change how we teach, and who better than someone who understands both the hero’s and the villain’s perspective? It is clear from your actions you have natural heroic tendencies, but you have also felt the angry rage that leads one to villainy. You’ve played both parts, which makes you the perfect gray area to teach these new and upcoming heroes.”

The teen turned his eyes to the hero students. Teaching… now that was a thought. 

“What better way to fix the skewed perceptions of heroes and villains, than to start at the root of the problem? It’s a much better method than, say, joining a murderous band of criminals?”

At that, Midoriya’s eyes flicked back to the hero, a faint trace of a smile on his lips. “Alright, yeah. I’ll give it a shot.”

It was hard to read the whale-like man’s expression, but Midoriya thought he looked pleased. The confidence the teen felt began to deplete as the two approached the hero students, whose eyes turned to bore into the former villain. 

“I know I said you’d lead the lesson, but I still plan to help,” Gang Orca said, which was a little comforting. 

“Okay, thank you.”

A few more steps, and now he was standing in front of them all. Their expectant gazes seemed to press against his conscience, stamping out any thoughts that would’ve been useful in that situation. All his mind could supply was oh no how the heck am I gonna teach these people?!

“Midoriya will be teaching you today.” Gang Orca’s voice reeled him out of his counterproductive thoughts. “Do not use his past as an excuse to ignore his words. In fact, his past makes his words even more important, considering the career path you have chosen.”

Midoriya didn’t see whether the students heeded their instructor’s words or not, since he was too focused on figuring out what he was supposed to say next. 

Gang Orca might’ve realized he’d overestimated the teen’s social skills, so he prompted him. “Midoriya, during your time as a villain, what did you notice was the heroes’ biggest fault?”

With a question, Midoriya’s thoughts finally had something to focus on. “Biggest fault?”

“Yes. If there was something you could change about the way heroes conduct themselves, what would it be and why?”

The teen cast his thoughts back to all the heroes he’d observed, and the villains they’d fought. One thing was almost always constant: a lack of understanding and care. The heroes didn’t understand what was motivating the villain to act, and the villains didn’t care for the lives they were endangering. 

For the villains, there wasn’t much that could be done, at least not initially. But for the heroes…

“Heroes need to understand that sometimes villains need saving more than civilians. There are actual reasons behind why villains do what they do, and if heroes took the time to understand that, maybe… maybe not every conflict would require fighting.”

After a second, one of the students scoffed. “Of course you would say that. Pinning the blame on the heroes for all the fighting, treating villains like they’re just poor creatures, when they were the one who started the fighting in the first place!”

“So you think it’s better for both sides to keep senselessly fighting each other?” Midoriya shot back. 

“It’s the most effective way of dealing with the brutes!”

Ignorance always lit a spark of anger in Midoriya. And that anger refined his words into a sharp blade that was even more dangerous than his daggers. 

This student was about to get wrecked. 

“Let me propose a hypothetical situation,” Midoriya began, any trace of nervousness gone. “There’s a villain running rampant through the streets. He’s got a mutation quirk, a snout instead of a mouth, and it allows him to breathe fire. You’re chosen to lead the counterattack. Which of your classmates would you choose to accompany you?”

The student, who had black hair and a dark red costume with white armor, looked around at the teens surrounding him. He had a quirk that allowed him to create condensed orbs of heat and fire of varying size, and throw them to manipulate their trajectory. He could telepathically move them around in any direction he wanted. Midoriya had observed it during the licensing exam. 

A very useful quirk indeed, but not incredibly effective against someone with a fire-breath quirk. 

“How many can I choose?”

The former villain thought for a second. “Two.”

He ended up choosing someone with a water manipulation quirk, and a guy who could shoot bullets from a support device positioned above his shoulders. 

“Okay, so you three approach the villain, who’s currently burning down an evacuated store. He turns and sees you running towards them. What do you do?”

“What do you think? Attack before he can hurt anyone else!”

Midoriya sighed. “Alright. You attack. Your classmate shoots a flurry of bullets at him, two of which make their mark in his shoulder and arm; his fire melts the rest. Your attack made him even more angry than he was before, and surprise, the more emotional he is, the stronger his flames. You-”

“Hey, you can’t change things up like that!” exclaimed the student. 

Midoriya tilted his head. “Can’t I? There are always unknowns going to battle, things you can never be sure about. Sometimes it’s a surprise when those variables are revealed.”

The student scowled, essentially admitting defeat. 

“Anyway, with how strong the flames are, the water your classmate shoots can barely hold it off. The villain uses the extra time to get away, and while he runs he sets fire to another couple buildings, which sends multiple people to the hospital for burns. You call in backup and arrest him later.”

It took the students a few seconds to realize he was done.

“You totally spun that story!” exclaimed a girl with pigtails. “You made it unrealistic on purpose!”

Midoriya actually laughed. “Unrealistic? The villain was based off of two very real people I’ve worked with, Dabi and Spinner, you’ve probably heard of them. And the power level was toned down! I watched all of you during the provisional licensing exams, so I know the limits of your quirks! I made it more real than any of you could’ve!”

The students’ eyes widened as they realized just how horribly they would’ve failed in real life. Midoriya tried to suppress his smile when he saw this dawn upon them. 

“Now, what could’ve been done differently to have a better outcome?”

“...choose different people?” the shortest of the group suggested. 

“Who and why?”

“Um…” they all seemed at a loss for words. 

Midoriya held back a sigh. “Well, for starters, you could've read the villain’s file.”

“What file!?” the first student (with the fire quirk) exclaimed. “This was a hypothetical situation!”

“You could’ve asked me,” Midoriya replied firmly. “I made this as realistic as possible, which includes a file for the villain, because they also have those in the real situation. If you would’ve asked, you would’ve found out the family ousted the villain from the home at a young age, due to fear over his mutation.”

“Mutant discrimination?” said the girl with pigtails, “that stuff is nonexistent at this point in the world.”

“I know someone in class 1-A who could prove otherwise.”

Midoriya knew Shoji wore a mask to conceal and hide, but it made reading his past so much easier. 

“Based on that information, you can probably guess part of the reason why the villain was attacking. He was fed up with how the world treated him, and it came to a breaking point.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s okay to hurt people!”

“You’re right,” Midoriya agreed quickly, “but it still had a point. It’s explicable. Now, once knowing this, who would be best suited against this villain?”

A girl who hadn’t spoken yet hesitantly raised her hand. Feeling weirdly like a teacher, Midoriya called on her. 

“...would I be best suited?”

She had a leaf growing out the top of her head, and kept all of her skin covered by her green hero costume. If Midoriya had to guess, he’d assume she was self-conscious about whatever mutation she kept hidden. 

He smiled kindly at her. “Yes, you can probably relate to the villain most out of everyone here, therefore, you’re the best choice.”

The first student sneered. “What the hell does relating to the villain have to do with anything?”

“How are you even hoping to be a hero with how unsympathetic and harsh you are!?” Midoriya snapped. The student didn’t say another word the rest of the lesson. “Because, when the villain turned to see you, you could’ve tried talking. Communication can avoid more conflicts than you realize! Not all, definitely not all, but some. And that can be enough to save lives.”

The care with which he said these words, the genuine want to help people, might've started to win the students’ hearts over. 

“Also, talking would’ve calmed his emotions. Well, granted you said the right things, but that’s a different lesson entirely. But with his emotions weaker, his quirk would’ve been weaker, so even if you did have to resort to fighting, you would’ve had an advantage. That make sense?”

Most of the students nodded, and Midoriya smiled at how they were beginning to accept his teachings. It was also at that moment he realized he’d been teaching on his own for ten minutes, and he hadn’t died. 

He turned to look at Gang Orca, who appeared very satisfied with what Midoriya had accomplished. The teen’s smile widened. 

“Alright,” he turned back to the students. “Why don’t we try another example? This time, it’s a villain with a speed quirk who has blades on his forearms…”

 

By the end of it, Midoriya was happy with the imprint he’d left on the students’ careers. They hopefully would see heroics a bit differently now. With a bit more understanding. 

However, by the shrill screaming coming from the adjacent gym, it didn’t sound like the other four had learned anything yet. Gang Orca caught the glimpses Midoriya kept stealing. 

“You’ve already done plenty for these students,” the hero rumbled. “Why don’t you go assist the others?”

“Are you sure?” Midoriya looked around at who he’d just taught; they were now researching the backstories behind multiple known criminals, and theorizing how they could’ve become villains. 

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Midoriya nodded and began walking towards the doors.

“Also, you have my full permission to punch the students if they’ve done anything too outrageous.”

The teen let out a small laugh. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

When he entered the room, he seriously did consider punching them. They were supposed to be making friends with the children, and instead it looked like he was staring at a warzone. 

It also felt like a warzone when he had to immediately dodge a flying… something. It looked like a cannonball with a mouth on it, and it cracked the concrete wall behind him. 

“Watch it, Izuku!” barked Bakugo, who was using his explosions to blast away chunks of rock. 

“And lookit that! We have a new player entering the battle ground!” Present Mic commentated. 

“What the heck is happening?” Midoriya asked as he dodged a flying hula hoop. 

No one had the chance to answer him, until Camie made an illusion of Todoroki and Bakugo commenting on the girls’ beautiful looks. As one can imagine, that was quite a needed distraction. 

Bakugo turned to face Midoriya as he approached. “Look, I know it looks like all hell has broken loose-”

“Because it has-”

“We have a plan,” Todoroki affirmed. 

“Yeah! It’s gonna be awesome!!” Inasa proclaimed at a volume that made Midoriya cringe. 

“How- how did you even let it get to this point!? They’re just kids! It’s not that hard to just talk to them and become friends!”

“Not everyone is as likable as you!” Bakugo spat. 

Midoriya blinked confusedly at that, since it was technically a compliment but he said it like an insult-

“Now!” Todoroki shouted suddenly, before summoning a wave of ice in the direction of the students’ attacks. 

Bakugo and Inasa reacted accordingly, using their quirks to shape the ice, while Camie turned the ceiling into starry sky, complete with the northern lights. 

Midoriya wasn’t the only one caught off-guard when the amalgamation of quirks resulted in a massive ice-slide. The children were awe-struck, staring at it with stars in their eyes. The teachers’ expressions also contained surprise, and it was then Midoriya noticed Endeavor watching his son closely. 

The number two hero and Deku the quirkless villain had never met before. 

But now was not the time to worry about that conversation. Laughter rang out in the air, and for the first time since the start of the lesson, there were real and joyous smiles upon the children’s faces. The kids let out giggle-filled screams as they slid down the newly constructed slide. 

Bakugo looked up at it with a satisfied smirk, before turning to Midoriya. “Told you we had a damn awesome plan!”

“It was actually me who said that, without the damn awesome.”

“No one asked, Icy-Hot!”

Midoriya laughed, both at the antics and at the children’s amusement. “I gotta say, this did surprise me. I didn’t expect you to be able to pull this off.”

“Hah! Proof you can’t predict everything!!”

“I never said I could…”

“Still!”

Midoriya smiled and shook his head, and it occurred to him he was having a conversation with Bakugo and he wasn’t hating it. The realization shocked him a little. This seemed to dawn upon Bakugo too, and he took a step back in surprise. 

He started walking away. “I’m gonna go yeet some brats onto the slide.”

“Uhm, okay.”

Midoriya turned his attention back to the playing children, who were so absorbed in their new fun arena, none of them had the eyes to recognize him. He was grateful for that. They also reminded him of Sakura, and how he wanted to visit her again, as well as Eri. 

They’d be giving her a tour in a few days, to get her used to the UA campus before visiting for the School Festival. Midoriya was looking forward to that. 

They still had to practice for the concert they were putting on, which he was both anticipating and dreading. He enjoyed playing guitar and listening to music, but in front of other people, it was much much different. 

Although, he now found he wasn’t too upset about Bakugo being on the drums. 

He watched his old classmate stomp up to a smug looking blond boy. 

“Get up there and have fun!” Bakugo ordered. 

“No! You big kids think you’re so much better and more powerful than us, when in reality, you’re beneath us! I’m superior to-”

“Kid.” It wasn’t any harshness in the teen’s tone that made the kid shut up, but the softness and genuineness in his words. “You’re never gonna be able to address your own flaws if you keep being arrogant and stuck-up, ‘cause you’re not better than anyone else.”

Bakugo looked directly at Midoriya. 

“Trust me, ‘cause I’ve been there.”

Shock rippled through both the kid and Midoriya. 

Once the kid was successfully forced into having fun, Midoriya spoke quietly to Bakugo. “You said ‘been.’ That’s past tense.”

“Yeah, well, we both agreed to try to do better. You still haven’t accepted my apology, so I’m not just gonna sit around on my ass and expect things to change. I know it’s not easy to see, but I have been trying.”

His red eyes bored into Midoriya. 

“Have you?”

The former villain quickly broke eye contact, which was answer enough. “Somewhat, I guess.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Bakugo replied, and Midoriya looked back at him in surprise. “The blame is more on me than it is you, so I should be trying more. It’s only fair.”

Once the surprise ebbed off, Midoriya smiled faintly. “I think your improvement is easier to see than you realize.”

Notes:

Wasn't that fun? I liked it, twas very fun to write. Him teaching might also come up in the future, just cuz I like the idea of it so much lol.

This chapter's song is We Can Do Better by Matt Simons. And I know it's a song about a relationship, but if you just ignore that, it's about promising to do better than the status quo. That really works with what Midoriya was teaching the students, and can kinda work with his interactions with Bakugo.

So yeah, see ya Thursday!

Chapter 78: Bonus Burning Chapter

Notes:

Yeah uh, this chap is definitely a lot more pointless and silly than my usual ones, hence it being a bonus chap. Still hope you like it!

It was evening by the time the boys got back to UA, and even against the dim night sky, Midoriya could see smoke rising from behind Heights Alliance. 

It was a thin, controlled stream of light gray smoke, so he knew it was nothing to worry about. In fact, the sight made him quite happy. All Might had already given him the key card to have the collar taken off, so he could chuck it anytime. 

He was waiting, though, for the sight of the fire to take it off. 

“How did those morons manage to start a fire without the two of us, eh?” Bakugo asked Todoroki. 

“Probably with a lighter.”

The blond groaned and pinched his nose in irritation, wondering why he’d even bothered trying to talk to him. “You’re even more helpless than Izuku.”

Todoroki looked at him confusedly, while Midoriya smiled and shook his head. “Hey, at least you tried.”

“Trying isn’t good enough!”

“Then you really need to improve your social skills to win in a conversation with Todoroki.”

Bakugo grumbled, because he was right. The two students quickly dropped their bags off inside the empty dorm room, while Midoriya continued around to the back. It was all woods behind the dorms. He followed the sound of crackling firewood, and the orange shimmering of the fire light against the trees caught his eyes. 

Even if he hadn’t seen it, he would’ve heard Jiro calling, “Midoriya, over here!”

He jogged over to a slight clearing in the trees, in the middle of which a pile of burning logs and twigs sat. He smiled at all the people gathered around it, and noted with amusement how Sato had brought smores. 

He spotted Uraraka and Shinso and walked over to them. 

“You ready to burn that thing?” Shinso asked. It was him who’d first suggested this. 

Midoriya nodded. “Though it might feel a little weird with it off, since I’ve kinda gotten used to it.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not an animal, so it’s about time they stopped treating you like one.”

“And we get smores after it!” Uraraka added happily, in sharp contrast to Shinso’s moodiness. Midoriya laughed, and Shinso might’ve fondly smiled at his two friends. 

Once Bakugo and Todoroki arrived, Mina began a dramatic announcement. 

“We gather here today… to burn and celebrate!!” she shouted with a manic grin, and laughter rose out of the class. “There is an evil instrument in our ranks, and it must be removed for the horrible acts it has committed against our fellow teenager! A fine is not sufficient, and neither is prison! That leaves us with…” she flung her arms in the direction of the fire, “plunging into the flames of judgment!”

The class cheered at her wild commentary, clapping and giggles sounding all around them. 

“Now!” she continued as she whipped around to face Midoriya, “Bring forth the culprit! So it may be punished for all it has done, in this glorious burning ceremony!!”

With a humored smile on his face, he reached over his shoulder and slid the key card over the back of the collar, which then fell down into his hand. The light breeze against the exposed skin provided a sense of freedom. 

“Bright it upon the fire!!”

Midoriya did as Mina commanded, and walked up to the bonfire, collar in hand. 

“Now let it plunge down into the flames of judgment!”

The metal device plopped down on top of the dancing flames. 

“Of course, normal flames of judgment aren’t enough!” she exclaimed dramatically, enjoying it way too much. “We need the super hot extreme flames of judgment!!” She pointed a finger at Todoroki. “Provide us these flames!”

Todoroki just blinked and played along, walking up to the fire and placing his hand above it. Suddenly, harsh hot flames burst out from his palm, which was burning blue. Through the fiery blaze, Midoriya could see the circular shape of the metal deforming into a melted glob. 

It was very satisfying watching the thing that had choked the life out of him be reduced to a useless clump. 

By the time the flames had calmed, the collar was nothing but a splat of metal on the singed dirt. Since the logs had also been incinerated, Kirishima chucked a few more onto the same area, and with a flick from Todoroki’s hand the bonfire was alight again. 

“Now we celebrate!” Mina exclaimed, raising the bag of marshmallows above her head. 

The class cheered again, and the students grabbed the skewers and marshmallows, before returning to the fire to either make a torch out of the marshmallows or actually make a decent smore. 

Uraraka skipped up to Midoriya and Shinso with three marshmallows, which were stuck at the tip of her skewer. “There aren’t enough skewers for everyone, but we can probably share this one!”

Shinso immediately stepped away. “Nah, I’m not big on sweets. Why don’t you two share?”

Based on the slight smirk Shinso was wearing, both Midoriya and Uraraka guessed there was more to his suggestion than simply not liking sweets. But neither objected, so the two ended up sitting next to each other on the ground, holding the skewer together so that the marshmallows were just above the dim embers. 

“So, are we trying to do what Kaminari’s doing?” Midoriya started, watching Kaminari shout in horror as his fifth marshmallow was burnt to a crisp. “Or are we actually trying to make smores?”

Uraraka giggled. “I think we can manage to make a few smores!”

“...you might be overestimating us,” he laughed. 

She was overestimating them. Even as they spoke, the marshmallow at the very tip of the skewer was on fire. Midoriya was the first to notice, and he responded by jerking the skewer away. 

“Oh no…” Uraraka said dismally as she watched the black charcoal consume marshmallow’s soft white surface. “Thanks so sad-looking…” 

Midoriya quickly blew the little fire out, so they were left with a half-burnt marshmallow. He looked from it to Uraraka. “I’m guessing you still want to eat this.”

“Heck yeah.” She snatched the crispy treat before he had a chance to respond. 

They were much more careful with the next two marshmallows, never putting them too close to the heat, lest they burn. This also resulted in them being roasted at a much slower pace than everyone else, but hey, at least they didn’t light on fire!

Uraraka retrieved some graham crackers and chocolate from Sato once they were done, which was much later than everyone else, and the two constructed their smores. 

Uraraka flung hers into her mouth and chewed it with a dreamy expression. “So good!”

Midoriya nodded in agreement, since his mouth was full of creamy goodness. Once he swallowed he said, “We can try these with dark chocolate next time.”

“Ooh that sounds wonderful! Dark chocolate’s great! Not as great as mochi, but still great!”

He grinned, happy she shared his opinion. But a slight frown was cast upon her expression. 

“Though, let’s not mention white choc-”

“Nope. Let’s never speak of it.”

 

When the class had eaten its fair share of smores, they headed back inside to watch a movie. What better way to follow up smores and a bonfire?

“Ooo can we watch a Disney movie?” Hagakure asked. 

“Depends,” Jiro answered. “Marvel? Sure. Stupid girly princesses? Nah.”

“You think Merida from Brave is stupid and girly!?” Mina exclaimed. 

Jiro pursed her lips. “She’s one of the few exceptions.”

“I wouldn’t mind something that’s placed during an older timeframe like that,” Yaoyorozu piped up. 

“Oh!” Kirishima shouted. “What about How To Train Your Dragon!? That one’s during a really old timeframe! And, you know, dragons are really cool!”

“Good soundtrack too,” Jiro commented. 

That movie got a generally good response from the class, and since no one vehemently objected, it got chosen. As the show started playing, absolutely completely by coincidence, Midoriya was called to help carry all the marshmallow skewers in, while Uraraka was asked to get out mochi for anyone who wanted it. 

By the time the two were done, there were only two spots left in the living area. The ones at the end of the couch. 

The two sat down next to each other, blushing faintly and maybe a little too close for comfort. Although, as the movie rolled on, maybe being too close made it more comfortable. 

For the first half, they just sat there, sides touching. 

Then Midoriya did something very risky. 

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her even closer to him. 

She didn’t resist. 

Success!

By the end of the second movie of the trilogy, they were both very tired too, and Uraraka’s head had, at some point, dropped down to his shoulder. 

Neither could remember when during the third movie they had fallen asleep. But all of 1-A knew better than to wake them up (Mina might’ve taken a few pictures). In their sleep, their bodies fell and rested against each other, keeping the other warm. 

Because of their closeness, One For All decided to do a weird thing. Screw logic, quirks can do whatever they want. 

Nana had had enough of the two’s flustered dancing around the truth. 

 

“Hey, hey! Kid! Uraraka!”

Uraraka clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore the disturbance to her sleep. 

“C’mon kid! You’ll still be sleeping if you talk to me! Just open your eyes.”

The woman’s voice became clearer with that sentence, and it seemed strangely real. So she decided to listen. 

The teen gasped when all she could see was a dark, cloudy expanse of void all around her. In the middle of her vision was a woman, the same one who’d been talking to her. She looked like a hero, and her excited smile was big enough to challenge All Might’s. 

“Um… hi?” Uraraka started tentatively. 

“Hey!!” Yeah, this woman was definitely excited about something. “Name’s Nana, and I’ve wanted to actually talk to you for so long. You see, I’m part of Izuku’s quirk, so I know everything he feels and let me tell ya, he’s got some feelings about you!”

Uraraka’s heart skipped a beat, her perpetual blush spreading. “I-I, um, what? Part of Midoriya’s quirk? How do I know this isn’t just a dream!? A fantasy?”

Nana tsked. “Still calling each other by family names, I see. Really gotta fix that.”

The teen’s puzzlement only grew, since none of her questions were answered. 

“Oh, right! Yes I am part of Izuku’s quirk; explaining why would get into a bunch of stuff you shouldn’t know about, so you’ll hafta ask Izuku about that later. But that’s not important! Just know this isn’t a dream! Well, I guess it kinda is, but what I’m telling you is real!”

That did very little to ease her confusion, but she decided to listen anyway. 

“Now, I already told you Izuku’s got feelings for you. I gotta say,” her voice quieted to a whisper, “he thinks about you a lot… and you think about him too! Don’t deny it!”

“No, no, I’m not… I’m not denying it.”

“Oh that’s a relief, ‘cause the first time I talked to Izuku he tried to deny it, but I still got him to cave in,” she chuckled. “I swear, that boy can be so unsure of himself, so hesitant. It’s kinda sad to see, how much he doubts you might actually love him.”

A pang of sadness struck Uraraka, and suddenly she felt bad for never expressing her feelings to Midoriya more clearly. 

“Which is exactly why you’ve gotta confess!”

The teen’s eyes widened; it was almost like Nana could read her thoughts. “I, well, uh…” even though she knew she wanted to confess, the idea of it still caused a jolt of fear. 

Nana smiled kindly, before walking up to her and placing her hands on her shoulders. “Sweetie, I know this stuff can be difficult. The fear of rejection and change, it affects us all. But please, don’t let that fear affect this decision. I don’t think you realize how much Izuku needs this, because trust me, it’s worth powering through that fear.”

Uraraka bit her lip, contemplating what Nana had said. Mina had also once told her love could be exactly what Midoriya needed to recover. 

“Okay, I’ll do it!”

Nana’s expression lit up, and she actually jumped for joy. “Let’s go!”

If Uraraka said she wasn’t at least a little afraid of her enthusiasm, she would’ve been lying. 

Once she calmed down, she said, “I know you two will make each other very happy. My final suggestion to you is to pick a date and time to tell him and stick to it, because the perfect moment will never come. You’ve just gotta do it!”

Uraraka already had the time in mind. “Alright, yeah!”

Now that her goal had been accomplished, Nana started fading into the void that surrounded them. With a final smile, she shouted, “Good luck!”

As the connection between quirks and minds began to separate, Uraraka also made a note to ask Midoriya how the heck there was a person inside his quirk. 

But first, she needed to confess.

Notes:

Pfft, who cares about what's realistic or not, this is fanfic! Thanks to Namikkou for first sparking that idea with Nana coming to Uraraka's dream (and she also is writing a villain Ochako fic, and has some Genshin fics too, nudge nudge wink wink).

So yeah, hope you liked the bonus chap, see ya Monday!

Chapter 79: Fine Tuning

Notes:

So much of this chap was improved. I was literally just writing along with whatever felt right lol.

Also, Dark Shadow is a girl, which I didn’t know before, so! She’s a girl!

Anyhoo, chap was very fun to write, hope you like it too!

Midoriya woke up the next morning feeling more relaxed and refreshed than normal after sleeping. The light of the sunrise gently woke him up, and he yawned, shifting his position. 

It was then he realized Uraraka’s head was on his chest, which immediately started rising and falling as he internally panicked just a little bit. Thankfully, the movement wasn’t enough to wake her up. He calmed himself down with deep breaths so she’d stay sleeping. 

Well, there was no way he was chancing waking her up, so that left… sitting there until she woke up. 

He couldn’t even remember falling aslee-

“Do you remember what I told you about cats?”

It took everything in Midoriya to not jump at the startling arrival of a new voice. Shinso snorted as he walked into view, carrying a mug of coffee. 

“Looks like you’re in quite a predicament there,” Shinso commented. 

“I- well, I wouldn’t call it a predicament,” Midoriya responded in a hushed tone. 

Shinso smirked, taking another sip of his drink. “So, do you remember what I told you about cats?”

“Uh, maybe?”

“You’re not allowed to get up when they’re on you.”

“Oh, right, that.”

“Well, that same rule about getting up,” Shinso gestured at Uraraka, “also applies to significant others.”

Midoriya blinked for a moment as he processed this. 

“I think I’ll stick to cats as long as I can,” Shinso decided.

“Why are you giving me advice about significant others when you don’t even plan to have one?!” Midoriya whisper-shouted. 

“Because you’re a clueless idiot who needs advice, even from eternally single people like me. Also, you just admitted Uraraka’s your significant other.”

“I- um, well…” Midoriya stammered, his doubt choking up his words. “I don’t know about that…”

Shinso gave him a deadpan glare. “You two literally spent the entire night cuddling on the couch, and you’re still not sure!?”

“Shh! You’re gonna wake her up,” Midoriya scolded. 

It was a little too late though, because Uraraka shifted a bit, before her eyes sleepily opened. There was a faint trace of confusion on her face, and it grew the more her mind cleared. 

But the moment she realized who she was on, she sprung up quicker than a startled cat. A cacophony of stutters fell out of her mouth, before she finally decided on, “g-good morning!”

“Good morning,” Midoriya returned the greeting with an embarrassed smile. 

“I, uh, sorry for falling asleep on you.”

“No no, it’s okay! I d-didn’t mind…”

Shinso groaned as their stuttery conversation continued, rubbing his hands down his face. The slow burn was going to kill him. 

 

“Kaminari, if you don’t tune your guitar right now, I swear I’m gonna have to kill you,” Jiro warned. 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to tune the strings to!” the blond retorted. 

“E, A, D, G, B, E!”

“How am I gonna remember that!?”

“I’ll zap it into your skull, that’s how!” Jiro threatened, raising her earphone jacks. 

Tokoyami stepped in to offer his help. “I always remembered it by, Eddie ate dynamite, good bye Eddie.”

Kaminari’s eyes lit up. “Ohh, is Eddie Bakugo!?”

“What was that!!?” Bakugo roared. 

Jiro facepalmed, and Midoriya chuckled. “How about this?” the former villain offered. “Every amateur does get better eventually.”

“Oh hey, I like that one!” Kaminari exclaimed, before proceeding to figure out the first letter in each of those words, and tuning the strings accordingly. 

Jiro cringed at every wrong note he plucked. “Key word: eventually.”

While the group continued getting their instruments ready, Bakugo inspecting the drums and Yaoyorozu testing the electric piano, Midoriya ran inside to the printer to get their sheet music. 

He didn’t have the most pleasant experience. 

“If it isn’t 1-A’s pet!”

Midoriya groaned at the sound of Monoma’s voice. He continued walking towards the printer, hoping the annoying blond would just leave him alone. What a futile hope that was. 

“Are you having fun, forgetting all the terrible things you’ve done to people?” the hero student taunted. “That’s right, just cover up your cruelty with friendship; I’m sure you think no one will be able to see through it.”

“You think I’m their pet?” Midoriya responded, turning to face Monoma. His class was exiting their classroom further down the hall, and a few had noticed their classmate walk the opposite direction to confront the former villain. “The last time we talked, you thought I might be making them my slaves. Is me being their pet what’s trending now?”

A frown tugged at Monoma’s face. “I make my own opinions about things! And my opinion about you is you’re using 1-A as a means to make everyone forget about what you did!”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t think anyone will forget what I’ve done. It’s burned into my reputation, but there is one bit of truth in what you just said. I am using my friendship with 1-A so I can forget what I’ve done. I don’t need the past weighing me down.”

“What, you think you have a bright future or something?” Monoma sneered. “Keep dreaming, you villain.”

Midoriya flinched at the way he spat the word, but he recovered quickly. “Popular opinion doesn’t choose my future.”

Monoma laughed, a sound that seemed to irk Midoriya to his very bone. “You clearly have no idea how the world works! People’s perspective of you dictates everything you’re able to accomplish! Just because those fools in 1-A think of you differently doesn’t mean you’ll ever achieve anything worthwhile! They’re a bunch of witless morons anyway!”

A strong desire to punch Monoma came over Midoriya, the type of punch that would break his nose. But he noticed a head of orange hair bobbing up from behind him, rapidly approaching. 

He quickly got out, “Say that again after 1-A’s School Festival performance makes you look like a joke.”

Anger flashed across the blond’s face, before he was promptly sent to the floor by a neck chop from Kendo’s oversized hand. 

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, her faint smile doing very little to conceal her irritation. 

He returned a small, polite smile. “Next time, knock him out before he gets too far,” he suggested as he turned away. 

He was only walking for a few seconds, when Kendo replied with, “You know, Monoma only represents the extreme. I only heard a little of what he was saying, but rest assured knowing most people don’t view you that way.”

Midoriya hesitated, before turning back to her with a hint of surprise. “Thanks… it’s not the best feeling, being hated.”

Her smile melted into something a bit more real. “You’re welcome. Though I do have to disagree with one thing you said, about 1-A’s performance being better than ours.”

He saw the comment was out of a friendly competitiveness, so his smile widened. “I guess we’ll just have to see, but I’m a strong supporter of 1-A.”

“I figured, with all they’ve done for you. Well, I’m also partial to 1-B, as I’m sure you can guess,” she laughed. 

He nodded, his grin still on his face. “We’ll both try our best.”

“Agreed.”

 

Midoriya finally managed to get the sheet music. On his walk back to the gym, where the class was practicing, he studied it and tried to commit as much of it to memory as he could. 

It seemed like a fun tune to play, and soon he found his fingers were itching to give it a go. 

“That took longer than I thought it would,” Jiro said, being the first to hear his return. 

“Yeah… I had a little run in with Monoma.”

Bakugo looked away from some maintenance he was doing on the drums. “Do I need to threaten to beat up a bully again, like I did for Gingersnap?”

Midoriya leapt up onto the stage instead of taking the stairs. “No, and I can handle myself.”

The blond grumbled quietly to himself, “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy beating the crap out of that snob…”

Midoriya passed out the sheet music, each person thanking him in turn (except Bakugo, who doesn’t have ‘thank you’ in his vocabulary), before ending on Tokoyami. They made eye contact for a brief second, before Midoriya quickly whisked his eyes away. 

“Here’s the music,” he said quietly, handing over the sheets of paper. 

“Thank you,” Tokoyami responded, also averting his gaze. It seemed that was all he had to say, so Midoriya began walking away. Tokoyami still didn’t trust him after what he did at the summer camp, and though it had gotten better, that tension still remained when they were around each other. 

And that made Midoriya confused, because why would Tokoyami even want to be in the band with him there?

“Fumi’s really looking forward to playing music with you!”

The former villain whipped back around at the sound of a new, raspy voice, and saw Tokoyami agitatedly shushing Dark Shadow. The rest of the teens turned their eyes in her direction.

“He wants to get to know you better, to see if he can trust you again or not!”

Midoriya blinked, …what?

“Dark Shadow! What have I said about openly displaying my private thoughts before?” Tokoyami scolded. 

The student began to win the battle of wills between the two, so Midoriya quickly replied, “Ah, um, thanks?”

The quirk flashed him a thumbs up, before Tokoyami reigned her back into his body. After a second, he responded to their curious gazes with, “...I apologize for that.”

“It’s alright,” Midoriya responded quickly. In fact, he was quite happy Dark Shadow had bursted out like that; now he felt he could be more relaxed around Tokoyami. He was doing this out of a want to improve their relationship. 

He realized the rest of the band members were still watching with either surprised or bemused expressions. 

Bakugo snickered. “Imagine having a quirk that exposed all your inner thoughts? Tch, how humiliating.”

Jiro raised an eyebrow. “So you do have inner thoughts you don’t want us to know? I thought you just shouted out every aggravated thought you have, no filter.”

“Shut up!!”

“I think I’m that way,” Kaminari pondered. “I just always speak my mind, you know? Also, what’s this stuff Midoriya passed out? With all the lines and dots and letters…”

Jiro groaned. “You’re hopeless.”

“Hey! I’ve just never played before, but I’ll learn! I promise!”

Midoriya laughed softly, heading over to Kaminari. “Here, I’ll work through it with you.”

The blond’s face lit up. “Thanks!”

 

“Can I hear it one more time?” Kaminari requested. 

“Sure.” Midoriya sat with his own scuffed, acoustic guitar on his lap, the two teens sitting on the floor of the stage as they learned the music. 

Midoriya strummed through the chords, forgetting about the people around him for just a minute, focusing instead on the position of his fingers on the frets. The guitar vibrated as the strings sounded out the upbeat melody, and the feeling was always comforting. His thoughts only returned to reality once the tune faded from the air. 

“Okay, I think I got it now!” Kaminari said, before turning his eyes to his electric guitar, which he’d borrowed from Jiro. “Uhh… the first chord is E flat, right?”

“Midoriya, it’s looking more and more likely you’ll have to replace Kaminari,” Jiro butted in, which only fueled Midoriya’s desire to help Kaminari. 

“Oh come on, I can do this!” the blond retorted desperately. 

He actually ended up proving his point. 

He might’ve gotten a few chords slightly off, but it still sounded good. His strumming was strong and energetic, and by the grin on his face as he played, he had a fun time doing it. He finished by raising his arm above his head and whipping it down to strum the final chord with extra force. 

“Now you guys try to do that!” Kaminari shot back, a look of triumph on his face.  

“We’ve already got it down, dumbas-” with a look from Midoriya, Bakugo changed his wording, “…dummy.”

Kaminari’s face crumpled in defeat. “Oh…”

“Hey,” Jiro called, and his eyes flicked to her. “That was pretty good, especially for a beginner. Guess you won’t be dead weight afterall.”

Sheer radiating joy shone across his face at her approval, and she quickly looked away, twirling her earphone jack. 

“Should we attempt to play the song together now?” Yaoyorozu suggested. 

“The rest of us have been waiting on that dumb blond over there,” Bakugo grumbled. 

“Excuse me!? You’re blond too!!”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Jiro responded, ignoring both the blonds. “But we should start slow, to make sure we all stay on beat. Got that, Bakugo?”

“If y'all are too mentally challenged to keep up, that’s not my problem,” Bakugo answered offhandedly. Jiro sent him a harsh glare. “Ugh, fine, I’ll slow down for you losers.”

“I’ll head to the back of the gym,” Midoriya offered, “to make sure people in the back will be able to hear you.”

“Good idea,” Jiro nodded, readying her own purple guitar. 

They weren’t half-bad, which was pretty amazing considering they’d only been practicing for a few hours. Sure, they had to stop a few times to smooth out errors or get the right tempo again, but Midoriya was still able to hear the melody and nod his head along with the music. The only thing they really had to work on was speed. 

Oh, and this was only the intro to the song. That’s kind of important. 

But once you learn the intro to a song, the rest follows easily. 

They were able to play through it a few times, before Midoriya got a call from Iida. The class president came in from outside, where the dancers were practicing. 

“Midoriya! Your presence is needed in front of Heights Alliance!”

“Um, okay.” He looked over to Jiro, who gave him a nod of the head that they were fine to keep practicing without him. He’d already helped plenty. So he stood up from the ground where he’d been sitting, and Iida held the door open for him as he walked out. 

He was greeted by the sight of Mina leading a portion of the class in a series of clumsy dance moves. Uraraka was there, and she paused for a second to give him a smile and a wave, which he returned. 

“Ocha!! No getting distracted!” Mina scolded, making the girl sheepishly go back to the poorly synchronized dancing. Mina then turned around to see who exactly had caused the distraction. “Oh! That kind of distraction is perfectly acceptable.”

Midoriya and Uraraka’s soft smiles turned to embarrassed ones as small bouts of laughter bubbled out of the group. 

“Hey, we could hear you practicing!” Hagakure spoke up. “It sounded really awesome!”

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d say thank you, but I didn’t really do much. It’s the others who are playing. Um, and for you guys, it’s… coming along.”

“We’re getting there, okay??” Mina burst out. “Teaching flawless choreography takes time!”

Midoriya laughed lightly. “Yeah, I’m sure. I should probably be getting to the dorms now though, so I’ll see you all later.”

They wished him goodbye, and a few minutes later, he spotted a few people standing in front of Heights Alliance as he approached. 

One of them was Eri. By her side was Mirio and Aizawa. 

Eri’s face brightened at the sight of him. Well, only her eyes brightened, since she was still unable to smile. 

“Hey Midoriya!!” Mirio shouted, waving vigorously. “How’s 1-A’s School Fest performance coming along?”

“Pretty good,” Midoriya answered, slowing to a stop in front of the group and looking down at Eri. “How’re you, Eri?”

“Um… I don’t know.” She looked up to Mirio for instruction on how to answer such a question. 

The blond gave her a reassuring smile. “If you’re feeling sad or scared or stressed, then you say you’re feeling bad! But if you feel nice or happy or excited, then you say you’re feeling good!”

The girl frowned in thought, contemplating which end of the spectrum she was on, before replying with, “I g-guess I’m feeling a little bad then?”

“And why is that?” Mirio asked. 

She gazed up at the huge glass form of the UA building. “That place is really big, and there are a lot of people and sounds…”

“Ohh, so you’re a little scared?”

She nodded, and Aizawa said, “That’s why we’re bringing you here before the actual School Festival, to get you used to the environment so you won’t feel overwhelmed. Mirio and Midoriya are going to show you around, and soon you’ll see you have nothing to worry about.”

“Uhm… okay…”

The teacher looked up at the two boys. “I trust you two can take it from here?”

Mirio responded with a loud “yup!” while Midoriya nodded. 

And so, then began the tour of UA. 

Midoriya came to realize just how much of the campus he hadn’t explored, either out of avoidance of people or lack of necessity. The pathway from the entrance to UA to the school doors was crowded with students setting up food stands or face painting or carnival games. Midoriya spotted Shinso’s old class putting together a haunted house, probably should keep Eri out of there, and he heard business students discussing predictions on how much attention their attraction would garner. 

Thankfully, people were too busy to spare any extra glances in the former villain’s direction. 

“You like apples, right?” Midoriya asked, having to raise his voice a little to be heard over the chatter around them. 

Eri nodded as an answer, her eyes flicking nervously from person to person, and flinching slightly at any remotely loud sound. It’d be a good idea to move out of that area sooner rather than later. 

“Well, it’s likely someone here will be selling candy apples, so on the day of the festival, we could get you one.”

The way her eyes shone as she looked up at him, her mouth watering, Midoriya guessed one wouldn’t be enough. 

As they continued walking down the path, getting closer to the school, Eri grew noticeably more comfortable in the environment. Wonder and curiosity grew more prominent in her expression, as her gaze explored what exactly the people were doing. 

By the time they reached the school, Midoriya could swear he even saw a little excitement in her eyes. 

Next was the support course. 

There might’ve been less people, but it was a lot louder. 

And that wasn’t all because of the explosions from the machines. 

“I haven’t slept in a week!!” a pink-haired girl yelled. She seemed to be directing her words at Mirio, since Midoriya had never met her before. 

Mirio laughed. “You must be ready to collapse, Mei! Maybe you need to work on fixing your sleep schedule, instead of your machines!”

Eri was hiding behind Midoriya’s leg, from both the girl, Mei, and the behemoth of a robot behind her. Midoriya was contemplating hiding behind Mirio, because the sheer energy of this girl scared him. 

“Never!” Mei shouted in objection. “I will never abandon my babies!”

…alright, it was time to leave. Eri had seen all the neat contraptions and gadgets the support course was going to show off. Just as Midoriya started to back off from the interaction, Eri by his side, Mei recognized him. 

“Hey!! You’re that not-villain!” she exclaimed, in his face in an instant. 

“U-uh, yeah…”

“Your villain costume was so bland. But the gadgets you had were pretty cool, but they could’ve been better! If you’re ever designing something like that again, tell me.”

The last two words sounded more like a threat if he didn’t tell her. So he just nodded slowly, before Mirio saved him from the conversation by announcing their departure. 

They spent a little time in the area where they were preparing for the beauty pageant, before moving on to the gym so Eri could meet 1-A. 

She was very well received. 

The class gathered around the girl, still giving her enough space to feel comfortable. They smiled and waved, shouting hello’s, and letting the internships students move to the front of the group. 

“Aww, hello!” Uraraka greeted, crouching down to her level. 

“You were one of the heroes who helped save me,” Eri realized. 

“Yup! And so were they!” Uraraka gestured behind her, where Kirishima, Tsu, and Tokoyami were waving. 

“It’s good to see you’re doing alright!” said Kirishima. 

Tokoyami nodded. “Indeed.”

“Thank you,” she said weakly. 

Kirishima grinned. “Of course!”

“Have you enjoyed your tour?” Tsu asked. 

After a moment of thought, she nodded. “Mhm, I… I think I-I’m looking forward to it.”

“We won’t disappoint!” Kaminari promised. 

Once the class’s hearts had been sufficiently filled by Eri’s innocence and cuteness, they went back to practicing for the concert. Mirio and Midoriya led Eri to the cafeteria for lunch, so the music wouldn’t be spoiled for her. 

On the walk there, Midoriya asked Eri the same question he’d asked at the start of the tour. 

“How’re you feeling now?”

After pondering it for a second, she answered. 

“Good.”

 

“Le gasp.”

Back in the dorm living area, everyone turned to Mina, who had raised her hands to her cheeks like she’d just had the realization of the century. 

“Guys, I just figured out something super important.”

“Then just. Fricking. Tell us,” Bakugo snapped. He’d been more willing to stick around the class after dinner since playing in the band, but his presence wasn’t always the most positive. 

“We’re playing this one song, right? The one that Jiro wrote?” the pink girl questioned, and the class bobbed their heads in understanding. “Well, how long is that song?”

“Oh.” The syllable dropped out of Jiro’s mouth as she realized too. 

“About three minutes?” Kaminari answered anyway. 

“Yeah. Exactly. How the heck are we expecting to put on this show for people to liven up their spirits, when it’s only a few minutes long!?”

The realization dawned on more people after that. Their performance was going to be too short. 

“What are you getting at?” Kirishima asked. 

Excitement sparkled in her eyes. “We need to play more than one song.”

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, and when they did, the class whole-heartedly agreed. 

“It’s been super fun playing in the band already!” Kaminari said, “It’d be cool to learn how to play a bit more!”

Hagakure’s floating clothes jumped up and down. “And I’d really enjoy learning some more dance moves!”

“But then we have to figure out what songs we’d play,” Jiro butted in, bringing logic to the conversation, “as well as who would sing these songs.”

“Couldn’t you still sing?” Yaoyorozu asked. 

“Nah, I only signed up for one song. I’ll play the guitar, but I’m not singing more than that.”

Mina’s finger whipped in Midoriya’s direction. “You.”

The former villain took a step back and immediately replied, “No.”

“But you sounded so good singing!” Mina exclaimed, and she got several shouts of agreement from the class. 

“I-I’m already nervous enough, thinking about being a guitarist! There’s no way I’m singing to all those p-people!”

Multiple voices rose up to argue against his point, but Shinso’s carried above them all. He leaned back in his seat, a smug smile on his face. “Think about Eri.”

“...that’s not fair.”

Mina jumped at the opportunity. “Yeah, just think about Eri! She’s so sweet and sad, and to help her we have to make her happy, right? Well you’re obviously her favorite person, so seeing you singing and smiling and having fun on stage would be doubly as meaningful than if any of us did it. Eri would love to see you sing! Do it for her!”

Midoriya pouted, “That’s still not fair.”

“It’s a valid point either way!” Mina responded in a sing-song voice. Midoriya should shove her on stage in front of a crowd and see how she likes it. 

The former villain looked around at the hopeful and expectant gazes of the class, eagerly wanting him to participate in the concert more vocally. It definitely wasn’t only Eri who wanted him to sing. 

So he sighed, and conceded. 

“I’ll think about it.”

Notes:

Yeah, uh, the only things I had planned for this chapter was practicing for the school fest and the tour with Eri. Everything else, the first scene, Monoma, was just thrown in there lol.

This chapter's song is, uh, every one I think of I've already used... Better Days by OneRepublic! Fits well with things getting better after the angst and Mirio and Midoriya helping Eri be the tiniest happier. Fantastic song, gotta tell ya. Was written during Covid, and just hearing the hope and optimism feels really great.

And if you ask me what songs they’ll be singing. Or who will be singing them.

I will not tell you.

Lol but I’d love to hear your guesses! I’ve had these songs picked out for months now. One thing that has always bamboozled me is how in canon, their performance would've only been a few minutes long, like why would anyone ever go to that? So I'll be fixing that in the future!

Chapter 80: Agressive Encouragement

Notes:

I should probably clarify, there's more than two songs being played at the school fest. It's not just Jiro and Midoriya. Cuz then it'd still only be, like, 15 minutes. So yeah, more people than just that!

If canon doesn't say they're a bad singer, then they must be great! Yeah!!

Lol enjoy.

“Hey Midoriya, I need your help,” Jiro asked, plopping down in the seat across from him in the kitchen. 

Midoriya looked up from his notebook, where he was adding extra details to Tokoyami’s page. “Okay?”

Her eyes traveled down to his notebook, and he noticed how she studied it much closer than people normally did. “How do you organize your notes? ‘Cause I’m trying to put some lesson plans together for Kaminari and Tokoyami, but it’s all just coming out as a jumbled mess.”

“Oh, okay, sure.” He spun his notebook around to face her and flipped to one of his more detailed pages: Uraraka. He pointed out where he drew pictures or diagrams in coordination with their captions, along with how to put emphasis on the general information, while still bringing attention to the details too. Where lists were appropriate, and when it was better to write a paragraph. Even how best to place headings. 

Jiro blinked once he was finished. “I feel like I just got waterhosed with information.”

“Ah, um, sorry,” Midoriya apologized sheepishly. 

“Nah, you’re good. I think I got most of it, though I’ve gotta say…” she smirked, “some of the details on here were a little distracting.”

Midoriya immediately flipped to a different page, a blush exploding over his freckles and scar. 

Jiro’s smirk only widened. “Hey look, you don’t have Tsu’s favorite food or color, but you have that for Uraraka.”

He closed the book fully that time, face becoming a darker shade of red. “I uh, I-I think I’ve helped you all I can.”

She snickered, getting up from her seat. “Thanks, I’ll definitely use what you taught me.”

He smiled, the blush fading from his cheeks. “Glad I could help.”

 

“Have we determined what songs we will be performing?” Yaoyorozu asked, practicing archipelagos with the piano toned down to a low volume. 

“We’ve already decided Kaminari will be doing one,” Jiro said, tuning her guitar. 

Kaminari pumped his fist. “Heck yeah!”

“We’ll be practicing his song today,” Jiro continued, ignoring the exclamation. “And Mina’s already decided on the choreography, which they’re doing outside now.”

“What’s the total number of songs we’ll be playing?” Tokoyami questioned, his fingers plucking a simple warm up exercise on the strings. 

“Three or four, don’t think we have the time to learn any more than that,” Jiro answered. “That’ll bring the performance to about half an hour, if we add extra instrumental to each song, just for dancing and special effects. Mina’s also offered to be the announcer, saying what songs we’re playing and who’s singing. Works well with her dancing role, and her overwhelming personality.”

“So we need at least one more song,” Bakugo deduced. When Jiro nodded, his eyes snapped to Midoriya. “You’ve had two days to think about it. Was that enough to get over your social anxiety?”

Midoriya pursed his lips. “I don’t think it works like that.”

“You’ve just gotta stop being a wimp!”

“I’m not a wimp!”

“Then you’d be comfortable playing in front of people!”

“There’re different types of fear, Kacchan, different types of fear!”

Bakugo scoffed. “All fear is stupid and deserves to have its ass whooped.”

Midoriya sighed. “I wish it was that simple.”

“So, um…” Kaminari hesitantly raised his hand, and everyone turned their eyes in his direction. “Midobro, do you think you’d at least be able to whoop some of your fear? ‘Cause uh, I don’t think I’m good enough at guitar to sing and play at the same time.”

Midoriya didn’t miss the smile that tugged at the corner of Jiro’s mouth. She still wanted him to play. He groaned and rubbed his hands down his face, realizing the best option was to submit himself to the agonizing fear that was stage fright. 

“Alright, yeah, guess I’m playing guitar.”

Kaminari cheered, and everyone else smiled or at least seemed pleased, while Midoriya felt like he was drowning in a cold pit of dread inside. 

Bakugo whipped out an extra sheet of the music they were playing. “Now we’ve gotta wait for you to memorize this,” he complained. “If you would’ve figured out your existential dread sooner, then we wouldn’t have this damn delay!”

Now, Midoriya and Bakugo had been on better terms recently. But the blond’s insistence at how problems could be magically solved with simple willpower was starting to irritate Midoriya. Maybe in the past, he would’ve snapped back with some petty remark or shot him a harsh glare, but he did nothing of the sort. 

Instead, he walked up to Bakugo, snatched the sheet music from his hand to set it up on one of the nearby lecterns, and slung his guitar on. 

After analyzing the music for a few seconds, he proceeded to play it flawlessly. The upbeat tune and fun strumming pattern filled the air with a vibrant cheer, not a single mistake to distract from the exuberance the song provided. 

Once he finished, he looked Bakugo in the eye and said, “I’ve got it memorized.”

The other students blinked at him, and Midoriya gained immense pleasure from seeing Bakugo at a loss for words. 

“You just got lucky,” he scoffed once he found his words again. 

“Yeah, well, when music is your only viable coping method, you get pretty good at it.”

Kaminari rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow, maybe I should be the backup guitarist, ‘cause you’ll do way better than me…”

“What? No!” Midoriya quickly moved to defend Kaminari’s self-worth. “You’re a really quick learner, and have a much better personality for performance! You add a lot to the show, even if your guitar skills aren’t as polished!”

Jiro nodded. “You’re a valuable band member. Don’t start thinking about bailing on us.”

Kaminari’s face lit up at their encouragement. “Hey, thanks guys! You know, I’m feeling really pumped for this song now, wanna practice it?”

“Well, since Midoriya’s got the music down already…” Jiro looked from Midoriya to Tokoyami, who nodded, and Yaoyorozu gave a thumbs up. “Okay, let’s try this out.”

Kaminari cheered, before excitedly moving to the microphone positioned front and center on the stage. 

Bakugo began the drumming before the others were ready, but that was okay in this instance, because there were a couple measures of drumming before the rest came in. Yaoyorozu then began playing solid chords, with the electric piano at a special setting to change the way it sounded from typical piano. 

Then the guitar. Midoriya had never played in a group before, only by himself. 

Kaminari began singing, and he wasn’t bad at all. Any slight imperfections to his voice was more than made up for by his energetic body language and expressions, which made it clear just how much he was enjoying himself. 

Surrounded by sounds and feeling that complimented his own guitar playing, adding to it and making it more than it was before, Midoriya felt special, in a way he hadn’t before. When everyone was making sounds that blended together so wonderfully, the people blended together too. The music threaded a sense of connection and belonging between the six of them. 

It was impossible to get that when playing alone. 

Midoriya quickly found he liked playing in a group more than by himself. Maybe if he was able to keep his focus on this interconnecting feeling during the performance, it wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. 

 

“Wow! Breaking into UA, such a big idea!”

“Why of course it is, my dear. I wouldn’t strive for anything less!”

“It would definitely help us gain views, then maybe people will see all the good you do for the world!”

“I certainly hope so!”

La Brava’s cheerful attitude dropped a bit as she looked over that month’s stats. “But I still don’t get why people don’t like you! You’re so awesome, and all you want to do is help! It’s so not fair.”

“Alas, that appears to be life’s natural trajectory, unfairness,” Gentle Criminal agreed, looking down solemnly. “But we must still aim to overcome it! By committing this infamous act of infiltration, we will finally be acknowledged!”

La Brava squealed in delight. “I can’t wait!”

Gentle smiled fondly at his partner, before turning his eyes to the bright blue sky around them. Atop the building, the fresh feeling of the wind on his face was almost enough to forgive the breeze for cooling his tea. 

He wanted to be remembered, to be looked back on and held up as an example for others to follow. While he would’ve rather accomplished this goal by being an exemplary hero, life’s natural flow hadn’t permitted that. 

So, here he was, committing quite gentlemanly crimes if he did say so himself! It might have been the less honorable route, but at least this way, his name wouldn’t be carried away by the wind of time. It would still hold some meaning for future generations, and he hoped it would inspire them to be better. 

His eyes narrowed the slightest when he considered his own willingness to trample on others’ dreams to achieve his own. It was possible that just felt natural after having his own dreams trampled on. 

Because in his mind, that dream of being a hero was long lost. 

 

“How’re things going on the staging crew?” Midoriya asked Shinso, plopping down next to him on the couch to spectate the game of Spoons going on around the coffee table. Kaminari was chattering away to Kirishima about some guy on Youtube, Gentle Criminal, who had some of the highest dislike rates on the site. Midoriya was half-listening, since he remembered watching his videos in the past. 

“I’d rather be learning all the backstage mechanics than doing whatever idiocy they’re trying,” Shinso answered, gesturing at Mina trying to teach Iida and a few others how to move fluidly. “How about you? The band interesting? If I need to brainwash Bakugo into sleeping outside, just let me know.”

“No, no! You don’t need to do that,” Midoriya reassured, laughing lightly. “Things haven’t actually been too terrible between us, and the band has been pretty fun. I’m actually gon-”

Both boys jumped slightly as everyone around the coffee table lunged forward to grab a spoon. 

“Hah!! You’re out, Dunce Face!” Bakugo taunted, pointing his spoon at Kaminari mockingly. 

Shinso quirked an eyebrow. “He doesn’t seem much better to me.”

Midoriya sighed. “Well, it might take a while to actually see anything different. But he has been spending more time with the class.”

“I guess. Anyway, what were you saying before?”

“Oh, right. I’m gonna be playing the guitar in the song Kaminari’s singing.”

Shinso’s heavy-lidded eyes managed to widen in surprise. “Really? Hey, that’s pretty cool. I’d never be able to do something like that.”

“Thanks.”

Shinso then frowned slightly, and asked, “Wait, it’s only Kaminari’s song you’re playing for, right? Not the first song?”

Midoriya blinked at the question, “...yes?”

The student sighed in relief. “Okay, that’s good, because the staging crew has a request for you. They tasked me with delivering it because I’m totally the most socially skilled person in that group.”

Kirishima grinned apologetically up at him, which resulted in Hagakure shouting at the redhead to keep passing the cards. 

“What’s the request?”

“They need someone to hold the rope that’ll have Aoyama on the end, and run it across the center beam over the gym so it looks like he’s a flying disco ball. You’ve got the collar off now, so your quirk is perfectly suited for a job like that.”

“Ah, I get it. Since I’m not playing in the first song, I should be able to do that. But not for Kaminari’s song.”

“That should be alright. We’ll just do different special effects.”

The two boys flinched again as people threw themselves onto the table to grab a spoon first. 

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Hagakure shouted at Sero, who had used his tape to claim a spoon on the opposite end of the table, resulting in Uraraka being eliminated from the game. 

“We never said we couldn’t use quirks!” Sero countered.

Hagakure made a move to argue further, but Uraraka stopped her with a small smile, claiming, “It’s okay, I need to talk to Jiro anyway.”

Midoriya blinked at that. She needed to talk to Jiro? For what?

The band leader was behind the living area, sitting at one of the tables with Tokoyami to give him some extra guitar instruction. Uraraka spoke quietly with her, but the couch Shinso and Midoriya were on was close enough for them to hear. 

“I’m thinking about… well maybe- I could maybe do a song?”

Surprise broke across Jiro’s face, before a smile replaced it. “That’d be awesome.”

It took a while longer for the surprise to pass by Shinso and Midoriya. 

“First you playing the guitar,” Shinso whispered, “now Uraraka offering to sing. What the heck is happening to you guys.”

When Jiro asked what song she wanted to sing, Uraraka’s eyes flicked nervously in Midoriya’s direction. While the former villain struggled to find the meaning behind this action, Jiro seemed to interpret it immediately. 

She stood up from her chair and began walking away, gesturing for Uraraka to follow her so they could speak in a more isolated area about what they’d be playing. 

“Hey Midoriya, would you be willing to pick up where I left off with Tokoyami?” Jiro requested. 

“Uh, sure,” he replied, getting up and leaving Shinso behind. 

Well, they had three songs to play now. And they still had space for one more.

 

“Congratulations, my boy, for getting the collar taken off!” All Might commended. 

As the electrifying energy drained from Midoriya’s body, taking the crackling lightning with it, Midoriya smiled. “Thanks, All Might.”

“You’ve gotten much better at using the power too. I must say, I’m quite impressed!”

Midoriya only thanked him again, turning his eyes to the sunrise, where the sun was just now showing a glimpse of its light. “I don’t think I’ve gotten that much better…”

Instead of just outright denying his claim, All Might used some of the miniscule teaching skills he’d gained and asked, “What makes you feel that way, Young Midoriya?”

The teen thought for a second, before responding with, “During the raid, I wouldn’t’ve been able to stop Overhaul without Eri’s help. It feels a little wrong, knowing I’d had to rely on a little girl like that. My moves were too predictable.”

All Might hummed in understanding, walking up beside Midoriya so they were both facing the sunrise together. “You’re able to use twenty percent now, right?”

“Yeah, but it makes my body buzz in pain when I do it.”

“Well, why don’t I tell you about a certain skill,” the retired hero decided after a moment’s thought. “I was originally going to wait until you had more control, but I think you could use this tip now.”

Midoriya looked at his mentor curiously. “Tip?”

All Might took a few steps back from him and instructed, “Turn your usage up to twenty percent.”

After Midoriya complied, the sand on the beach started swirling around him as power crackled around his frame. He grimaced, the pain of such a high energy level burning in his muscles. 

However, All Might’s next instruction was able to distract him from all that. 

“Now, attack me.”

“...what!?”

“Just do it, trust me!”

Midoriya hesitated, and quite understandably so. It took a moment before he was able to lunge forward at the frail old hero in front of him. 

But his attack never landed. The air pressure forced him back as sand whirled around the beach, and the two of them had to cover their faces to protect themselves from the tiny grains of sand. 

Once Midoriya landed, he let One For All fade from his body and asked, “All Might, are you okay?”

“Yes yes, I’m fine,” the retired hero reassured. “But more importantly, did you notice how your attack failed?” How could he not? “That’s because of the air pressure. When using One For All at a percentage of twenty or higher, any movement you make will be rebutted by the air. This means, the only way to move effectively is to-”

“Constantly switch the amount of power I’m using!” Midoriya finished, which All Might felt a little disappointed about not being able to announce himself. “You never constantly used One For All at one hundred percent! You were always changing your power level!”

“That’s correct.” All Might smiled at the small excited grin the boy wore at being able to figure it out. 

“So if I’m able to smoothly transition between eight percent and twenty percent, then I can still move around fluidly, but have more power behind my attacks! It won’t be as predictable, and will help me carry myself in a fight.”

Midoriya was already writing this down in his notebook, mumbling all the possibilities to himself as his pencil flew over the page, and All Might’s grin widened. Teaching was such a joy. 

Now, it was time to practice this new concept. 

 

The muffled music had faded from the air around the gym, so Midoriya knew it was safe to enter. They weren’t letting him hear the song Uraraka had chosen, for reasons Midoriya could not comprehend. 

It was at least a simple song stylistically, because Kaminari and Tokoyami weren’t needed to play the guitar. It was just Jiro, Yaoyorozu, and Bakugo providing the background music, with Uraraka singing. 

He opened the door cautiously, only fully entering when Jiro waved him over. Uraraka passed him as she left for the exit, being a few minutes late for Mina’s dance lessons. They smiled and waved at each other, and Tokoyami and Kaminari soon entered after she had left. 

“Okay, Uraraka’s song we’ve almost got down, same with mine, but we should probably run through Kaminari’s again,” Jiro announced. 

“Have we decided if we’re doing a fourth song yet?” Kaminari asked, trying and failing to hide his glance in Midoriya’s direction. 

“If someone offers…” Jiro did nothing to hide her glance, instead looking pointedly at Midoriya, “then yeah, we’ll do a fourth song.”

He shuffled uncomfortably as he tuned Kaminari’s electric guitar. 

His thoughts only revolved around the matter more as they practiced. If playing the guitar in a group wasn’t as bad as he’d originally thought, then who was to say singing wouldn’t be the same? What he was doing right now was fun, and he was confident his nerves would hold up during the performance. Even though he’d been crazy nervous about it before, he was confident he could manage it now.

On that logic, maybe he could sing… especially if he had the right song. The type of song that would just carry his anxieties away in the lyrics and music. 

He both hated and loved that his brain immediately supplied him the perfect song. 

After they had played through Kaminari’s song a few times, they took a break. Midoriya tried to be subtle about it, but Jiro must’ve read his expression, because she immediately asked, “What is it?”

“I… I-I think I might be willing to sing for the p-performance.”

“Took you long enough!!” Bakugo shouted. 

Jiro smiled, and the other band members mirrored her expression. “Well then, tell us what song it is and let’s get rockin’.”

 

The night before the performance, Midoriya was beginning to regret his decision to sing. All the possibilities of things that could go wrong were flooding his brain and restricting his thoughts from going anywhere else. He could already feel his heart rate rising in dreadful anticipation. 

Then all of that worry flitted away when Uraraka plopped down next to him on the couch. 

“Stop worrying, you’ll do great, I know you will!” she encouraged. He swore she could read his thoughts sometimes. 

He smiled faintly. “Thanks, I know you’ll do great too.”

“Is Eri still coming?”

He nodded. “She’ll be expecting me to be on stage, so I guess I have that to stop me from chickening out. I hope she won’t be disappointed about me not being in the first song, though.”

“Oh yeah, you’re helping out the staging crew with Aoyama, right?”

“Mhm. I’m going to go out and buy some new rope tomorrow morning for that, because what we’re using currently is kinda old.”

She frowned slightly. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to get up early? Won’t that make you more tired?”

“I still don’t get the best sleep anyway, but yeah, I’ll make sure to go to bed a little earlier tonight.”

Uraraka leaned back into the couch cushions, smiling. “In that case, it sounds like a nice refreshing way to clear your thoughts before the performance.”

“Yeah, I hope.”

 

It did not end up being a nice refreshing way to clear his thoughts. 

His terrible sleep schedule had woken him up early, so he wasn’t in a rush. He was walking down the street outside the department store, bags in hand, when he noticed two people exiting from a small house next door. 

They didn’t notice him; he was very quiet. Plus, they were wearing heavy sunglasses and scarves that obscured their vision. Strange, it was almost as if they were trying to avoid getting recognized…

“Such a lovely taste the golden tips imperial provides,” the taller of the two, a man, commented to his noticeably short companion. Midoriya remembered that name from somewhere… oh right! Yaoyorozu had made that tea for the class a couple times. 

“Huh, so that little house must be a tea shop,” Midoriya said quietly to himself, looking at the structure much closer now. 

Somehow, the man heard him. He dramatically whipped around and proclaimed, “One would have to know the fine taste of the golden tips imperial to reach such a conclusion! Impressive for a youngster such as yourself!”

The man seemed to immediately regret speaking a word to him, when he recognized who Midoriya was. The teen replied anyway, “Yeah, one of my friends really likes tea, so she made some for the class.”

The man took a step back. “A friend with refined taste, that is!”

That voice… it was too familiar, while the panic in his eyes wasn’t familiar enough. Midoriya was used to people looking at him fearfully, but this was different. The fear, it ran deeper, was more personal. 

This was more than just a simple fright of a former League member. 

“Yeah… I know some pretty cool people.”

Suddenly, the pieces clicked together in his mind. The man’s eccentric tone, paired with his polite manners and love of tea. This was who Kaminari had been talking about, the villain only known for having some of the least popular videos online. Gentle Criminal. 

Midoriya turned his gaze to his accomplice, who flinched away from his analytic eyes. Then that must be La Brava. 

“Well then, we’ll be making our leave now!” Gentle turned around, his walk a little more stiff than it had been before, and La Brava followed. 

The only reason he’d be so scared is if he had a plan he didn’t want to get foiled. And they were walking in the direction of UA. 

No, Midoriya could not let that happen. Not with everything that was depending on the festival. 

But he knew better than to fight it out with people he had so much in common with.

Notes:

Cliffhanger go! :D And to think I could've just cut off that short little scene at the end to make it a not cliffhanger, oh well...

Also, notice how I avoid naming the songs being played hehe.

This chapter's song is Going Home by The Score. Just a great song about belonging, which is a lot of what's happening in 1-A with the festival.

Yup, I think that's all. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 81: Forsaken Dreams

Notes:

If you’re expecting some big dramatic fight between Midoriya and Gentle… hope you still like the chap! lol

“Wait!” Midoriya called after the two adults, and they noticeably tensed. Crap, if they got scared, they’d run. He couldn’t let them run. 

So much was dependent on the School Festival. Eri’s happiness, his confidence in performing, the other classes’ trust in 1-A, everything his friends had worked for! Everything the whole school had worked for.

A single alarm would be enough to ruin all of that. 

He didn’t care how good these people thought they were; he couldn’t risk them going through with their plan. His own plan to stop them started unfolding in his head. 

He knew he wasn’t skilled enough with One For All to fight and win against these people, but brute force had never been his thing anyway. He preferred words. And he felt he could talk to these people, seeing as the crimes they committed weren’t even that villainous. 

He just had to hope they’d listen. 

To ease some of their fear, he gave them a smile. “Um, I get that I scared you before, sorry about that. I’m Izuku Midoriya, which, you uh, probably already knew…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “So, are you heading to the School Festival?”

“Well, I suppose you could say that. Yes, that is where we’re headed!” Gentle replied. 

“Cool!” Midoriya exclaimed, forcing on a happier smile than what was comfortable, but it stopped Gentle and La Brava from shifting away from him when he approached. “I know a shortcut, if you want. That way you can be the first to see some of the stands!”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, my boy. I-”

“Please, sir, I just want to help. Besides, on the way you could tell me about some of your favorite teas! Then I can ask the friend I mentioned earlier to try some.”

“What a splendid idea!”

Midoriya grinned. One of this man’s biggest weaknesses was tea. 

“Gent- Honey!” La Brava whispered agitatedly, but Gentle waved her off, the hidden promise to lose the boy at some point in his eyes. 

“Thank you for trusting me,” Midoriya said as he walked up next to Gentle, La Brava on the other side, as far away from the former villain as she could get. “Most people want nothing to do with me, so this is a nice change.”

Step one: get them to relate to your struggle as a villain. 

“But of course!” Gentle replied immediately. “We are not people to falsely judge on the sole basis of derogatory titles! Villain is such a cruel word, and I personally believe ‘criminal’ is much better suited for people like you and-” he quickly stopped himself. 

Midoriya only smiled, silently taking in the fact he’d almost said ‘me’. “It’s really sad, honestly, how easily people jump to conclusions, just because of some minimal info they read online. Makes it pretty difficult to feel like you belong, or to feel appreciated and loved.”

He noticed the way La Brava’s eyes flicked to his face. People had jumped to conclusions about her too. Gentle replied with, “I believe I can understand your predicament.”

Then real sadness found its way into his expression and tone, when he said, “The really sad part is I used to want to be a hero.”

Surprise flashed across both criminal’s faces, before they quickly concealed it by looking mildly curious. “Is that so?” Gentle prompted. 

“Yeah,” Midoriya nodded. “All I wanted to do was help people, make them feel safe, so they could be happy. Being a hero seemed like the best job there was! Not for the fame or money or anything like that, just for being remembered as someone who made people smile.”

Those words struck something in Gentle. Something deep that he used to long for. It was plain to see in the way he acted, he was being a hero in the only way that was possible for him. Because he wanted to be remembered, not forgotten as another pathetic excuse and a human failure. 

The next words rang true for both of them as well. “I was convinced I couldn’t be a hero, though. People saw my quirk, or lack thereof, and decided it was impossible. It seems like that’s the only factor people consider when seeing if someone can be a hero or not: quirk.”

Gentle looked down sadly, so consumed in thought he didn’t even notice Midoriya taking them a much longer route to the school instead of his supposed shortcut. 

“I wish you had never needed to endure all that hardship,” he said after a minute. 

La Brava nodded in agreement, and she spoke to Midoriya for the first time. “I had no idea an ex-League member like you could be so… relatable.”

The teen smiled kindly at her, fully aware she probably only got smiles like that from Gentle. “Thanks. Also, sorry for spewing all that out onto you guys.”

“It’s perfectly acceptable!” Gentle reassured. “It can be very stress-relieving to discuss one’s tribulation!”

“Yeah, that’s true. Although it hasn’t been as difficult recently.” The two criminals eyed him closely at that. “It’s really crazy, and I never would’ve seen it coming, but I’ve actually found a place where I feel I belong.”

Step two: explain how you’ve overcome that struggle. 

“At the hero school?!” La Brava exclaimed. “How did you find people willing to understand you there?”

“Well, it’s not so much I found them, more like they found me,” Midoriya explained. “I didn’t expect them to be so welcoming either, especially of someone like me. But it’s been… really awesome. 1-A isn’t like the people who rejected me, because they actually care. They’re the first true friends I’ve ever had.”

Midoriya could spot a tinge of jealousy in La Brava’s eyes, while Gentle clutched his heart. “So moving and sweet! Like the perfect blend of tea!”

The teen laughed lightly. “Yeah, I love it there, and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Though I must admit, I am somewhat surprised you have no warm feelings for the League you spent ample time with. Surely, you must have developed bonds with them, too?”

A shadow fell over Midoriya’s face as he lowered his eyes to the concrete, and Gentle raised his eyebrows at such a reaction. “No, I never really got close to any of them. They were all willing to hurt people, kill people, and I… wasn’t. They-” his voice faltered, words dropping out of his line of thought as unpleasant memories surfaced instead. 

Real concern clouded Gentle’s face, his brow knitting together. “If it is not a topic easily forced into words, then it may be a topic best left silent.”

The teen cleared his throat and nodded. “I’ll just say, back then, I would have rather died than spent any more time with the League.”

The criminal’s dark-rimmed eyes widened, while La Brava’s crumpled in remembrance. Gentle had been the one to save her from feeling like that. 

Gentle lifted his hand to place it comfortingly upon the teen’s shoulder, a motion which Midoriya spotted out of the corner of his eye. When he instinctively tensed up, Gentle dropped his hand. 

“It makes me dearly sorry to hear that,” he said instead. 

“Thanks again, but like I said before, I’ve left most of that behind now,” a lighter air came into his voice,  “..well, mostly.” He shuffled his nightmares and physical scars out of his thoughts. “UA has been truly amazing, helping me see that I don’t have to let my past define my present. I’ve felt hope, for the first time in a long while.”

He looked directly into La Brava’s pink eyes, and she blinked. 

“I’ve felt loved and appreciated.”

He then turned his gaze to Gentle, who was listening intently. 

“I’ve been convinced my dreams aren’t broken, and I don’t have to give up on them.”

The former villain smiled at the both of them. 

“And I know you two are capable of experiencing the same thing.”

Step three: promise your same method of recovery can work for them. 

They both staggered back in surprise, and Gentle exclaimed, “Whatever do you mean?! We are not in need of such an environment or change of mentality! My, it’s almost like you’re assuming I’m a failed hero student who resorted to committing gentlemanly crimes to be remembered, and that La Brava has become my lovely partner due to feeling lonely and rejected! How utterly silly of you!!”

Midoriya only quirked an eyebrow and smiled faintly, while La Brava facepalmed. 

It took a second for Gentle to realize what he’d said. 

“How unfortunate.”

Midoriya chuckled lightly, a sound that stopped the two from immediately retreating. “Hey it’s okay, we all make mistakes. It’s just harder for some people to overcome theirs than others.”

La Brava eyed him suspiciously. “So you knew who we were, and then you just decided to have a nice little conversation with us?!”

The teen shrugged. “I prefer talking to fighting. And this way, maybe I can help you too, instead of just trying to beat you up.”

Gentle stroked his beard. “I agree talking is preferable to fighting, but the fact still remains that you deceived us!”

“Only about knowing who you were! Everything else I said was true! That includes the part about you guys experiencing the same things I have.”

They both shifted their gazes to the ground, disbelief shrouding their expressions and cutting off any possibility of hope. Midoriya sighed sadly. 

“Listen, we… we really aren’t all that different.” He looked up at Gentle, “We were both convinced we couldn’t be heroes,” then lowered his eyes to La Brava, “or rejected because people didn’t care to get to know us. We all became villains because of the screwed up patterns of the world. So… you just gotta find where that pattern stops.”

They narrowed their eyes, but he could tell they were listening. So he continued. 

“UA is unlike any other place I’ve been. Before, I was overlooked or judged, but there, people actually care. 1-A took the time to get to know me, even after everything I’d done to their class. Through their actions I can clearly see just how much they’re willing to help.”

“While that is true,” Gentle cut in, “you forget the fact La Brava and I are adults; there is no place for us in a teenager’s rehabilitation program.”

“True, but you’re missing the point. The world isn’t as harsh or cruel as you perceive it to be. Some parts, yes, they’re definitely still judgemental and hateful, but other parts? I think if you strive to see them, holding out hope they do exist, then you’ll find yourself in a situation you had long believed impossible.”

Gentle quirked an eyebrow. “What are you insinuating, my boy?”

Midoriya turned his eyes away from the villains, to the glittering form of UA in the distance. It was getting closer now, and his time with these people was almost out. 

“What I’m getting at is, you can still be a hero. Both of you.”

The doubt that clouded their expressions was slightly less than it had been before. 

“I know it’s a goal you gave up on a long time ago, but your goal of being remembered is still the same, right?” Gentle nodded at Midoriya’s question. “Then how much more memorable is the first reformed hero duo? A couple who forfeited their lives of villainy to pursue a brighter path, that has a nicer sound to it than a failed criminal youtuber.”

Their faces changed at the mention of this new idea, and Midoriya saw the ambition in Gentle’s eyes, except now it was directed toward the right thing. 

“Besides, most of the crimes you commit are actually to help people, so it wouldn’t be too much of a change,” Midoriya finished. 

After a moment of frowning in thought, Gentle said, “If I were to successfully infiltrate UA, I would be more than a ‘failed criminal youtuber’, as you so kindly put it.”

“True, but that’s assuming you even manage to get inside. If you don’t, you’ll be setting off the alarms, which will then end up ruining all the hopes and plans of the students, and of a girl who’s known nothing but cruelty and torture her entire life.”

“But that won’t happen!” La Brava exclaimed. “I’ll hack into the system to disable the alarms and security!”

“Fine then, let’s say you do get in. This would shake the very foundations of society’s trust in heroes, as people lose faith in the top hero school. Doubt will stop anyone from feeling safe because of the heroes’ perceived lack of competence. People will look back at you for being the cause of all of this hardship. You’ll be remembered negatively, as a person not worth wasting time and breath on. Someone whose ways should be avoided, not followed. Your memory would only leave a distasteful stain on people’s memories.”

Midoriya looked sharply at the criminal. 

“Is that really something you want?”

Gentle diverted his eyes, seeing the picture the teen had painted for him. 

“Because you don’t seem like the type of person who would enjoy people staring at you fearfully, wherever you go.”

Gentle dipped his head. “As much as I would like there to be a flaw in your reasoning, I cannot find one.”

“Then that only leaves one path for you to follow. Leave UA alone, and go become the hero you had always dreamed of being. A hero that people will look up to and remember as an outstanding role model to follow.”

And then UA was upon them, the blue gates hovering in the distance and the faint hum of chatter drifted over their ears. 

Step four: hope they listened to you. 

Midoriya began walking away. “Well, I hope to see you again some time.”

“Wait, you’re just leaving?” La Brave shouted in disbelief. 

The teen shrugged. “I’m not strong enough to stop you two, and I already did my best in conversation. I just hope you’ll listen to me. Besides, I’ve got a concert to prepare for, and a little girl who needs help smiling. Bye.”

“Uh, bye?” La Brava tried. 

His small wave drew Gentle out of his thoughts, so the criminal gave a very extravagant wave in response, utilizing his arm’s full range of motion. “Farewell, young one! I wish you fortune in your endeavors and thank you for your words of advice!”

Midoriya smiled, and with a final wave, he disappeared in the crowd of people trying to enter the school. 

La Brava stopped waving once he faded from sight, before looking up questioningly at Gentle. “So, are we doing this?”

The criminal gazed solemnly at the building for a good minute. Life long ambitions and forsaken dreams swirled in his mind, as he considered everything he wanted to gain and everything he had ever lost. 

In the end, he came to this conclusion: the boy’s idea was at least worth giving a shot.

He dramatically whipped around and started walking back the direction they’d come. 

“I have a new course of action, my dear!” he explained. 

La Brava’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Ooh, and what would that be?!”

“The first step is turning ourselves into the police!”

“Huh?!?”

“Well, how are we to become heroes when we have not atoned for our crimes!”

“Yeah, but, Gentle…” she looked at him, face full of worry. “What if we can’t do it?”

Gentle beamed at her. “Well, we won’t know until we try, now will we? And this is a fantasy worth trying, of that I have no doubt.”

 

Midoriya entered the gym, his two bags in hand. The class was bustling around, making sure everything was prepared perfectly. The sound of violin weaved through the air as Jiro practiced her part of Midoriya’s song. 

Suddenly the weight of knowing he had to perform pressed in on him again, making him inhale sharply in fear. He had just convinced a skilled criminal to become a hero, and yet he was afraid of something that would only take a few minutes. The heart really was a fickle thing. 

“Hey Midoriya!” Kaminari exclaimed from where he was tuning his guitar. “We were beginning to think you might be late!”

“I took the scenic way back,” he answered simply. 

“Did it help you clear your thoughts!?” Uraraka asked, having been released from Mina’s final dancing drills. 

“Err… yeah…”

She didn’t have the chance to question his unsure answer, because Jiro asked if they could run through her song one last time. Midoriya could hear the strong trace of anxiety in her tone. Knowing he wasn’t the only one dreading the feeling of hundreds of stares helped significantly. 

Jiro and Uraraka headed backstage, while Midoriya brought the bag of rope to the staging crew, dropping his other bag off with Sato. 

He then practiced a bit, making sure he was prepared, which he definitely was by the way he didn’t make a single mistake. All he had left to do was wait up in the rafters for the performance to begin. 

Once the doors to the gym opened, with each person that trickled in, his heart beat a little faster. He spotted Mirio and Eri walk in, the girl’s eyes darting around to all the people surrounding her. Mirio was doing a good job making her comfortable though, as he hoisted her onto his shoulder so she could have the best view. 

Sitting up in the ceiling, watching everyone, it reminded Midoriya of one of the perks of being a villain: endless people-watching. They’d never know he was there, so he could observe all he wanted. 

“Hey, Midoriya, you doing okay?”

The former villain looked away from the growing crowd to see Shinso slowly approaching him through the metal beams and poles, trying not to fall down to the people below. 

“What’re you doing up here?!” Midoriya questioned, standing up and making his way over to his friend at a much quicker pace. “I thought you were doing all the backstage stuff; how’d you even get up here!?”

“There’s a ladder from backstage up to here, so I thought I’d make sure you weren’t panicking too bad,” he answered as he sat down, holding onto another beam for balance.

Midoriya sat down next to him. “Oh, well, thanks. I’m… I’m alright. Jiro’s nervous too, and she’s still doing this, so I figure I can do it too.”

Shinso hummed, scanning the hoard of faces below, and they both sat there for a minute. “Things are a little different for you, though. Jiro and the others are hero students. People are expecting them to sing.”

“...while I’m a former villain,” Midoriya finished sadly, before narrowing his eyes at his friend. “Are you saying I shouldn’t perform because of my history?”

Shinso gave him a deadpan stare. “You seriously think I of all people would say something like that?”

“No…”

“Good, because no, that’s not what I’m saying. You have more reason to be anxious than the others, because people see you differently than them.”

“That’s still not helping.”

Shinso sighed and rubbed his free hand down his face. “What I’m getting at is, it’s really cool of you to still try to bring these people a fun time, even with the obvious fears you have with performing. I know I’d never be able to do something like this.”

“There you go, now your motivational speech is actually motivational,” Midoriya chuckled. 

“Normally they go better with Uraraka, okay?! She’s not as stubborn or angsty as you. Cut me some slack.”

Both boys laughed, before settling into a comfortable silence. Well, it was only silence between the two of them, because the noise level of the crowd only got louder as time progressed. 

Eventually, Shinso spoke up again. “Alright, I should probably be getting down there. I’ll be the one doing all the dramatic lighting stuff.”

“Okay, I’ll be heading down after the first song to play guitar in Kaminari’s.”

“See you then.”

A few more minutes of quiet commenced, and Midoriya found he was feeling a little less nervous than before. He could just about make out the band members heading onto the stage, the shadow obscuring their figures. 

Then, the lights flashed on, an action Midoriya knew Shinso had caused, as music burst out from the speakers. 

Notes:

Bet you’ve never seen a Gentle vs Midoriya fight like that before! Because there was no fight! Hah! …idk where that came from lol.

But I definitely like writing convos more so I’m considerably happy I could avoid that fight scene.

This chapter’s song is Lift Me Up by OneRepublic. Lyrics fit pretty great, since Midoriya is helping Gentle and La Brava out. Nice song.

Concert next week!

Chapter 82: Just Take a Deep Breath

Notes:

This first bit was really cathartic to write. Jiro's really relatable.

The different songs are linked before, usually around the area the music starts, so uh, it'd probably be a good idea to click on those as you go...

Enjoy the concert!

Behind the veil of darkness in front of her, Jiro knew there were hundreds of eyes. These people were eager to judge, and the weight of their expectations felt like it was pressing in on her from all sides. 

Or maybe that was just her own expectations of herself. 

She inhaled, drawing all of this fear and negativity into a single breath, filling her constricted lungs with all the anxieties of what could go wrong, of the inaccurate assumptions people could make of her. 

Then she exhaled, dispelling her worry into the air, where it soon became as insignificant as the dust particles. 

She needed to stop holding herself to such a high bar. 

This was all for fun. Fun for the class, and for the people before her. She had put her heart and mind into this song, given it her best effort, so it was the best she had to offer. 

And if these people didn’t like it, then screw them. Their opinions weren’t her problem. 

She was doing this for herself, and for the people who were willing to give her music a chance. 

So when this music boomed out across the crowd, she wore a smile. 

“Thank you everybody for coming!!” she shouted, the sound of the melody and the feeling of the strings under her pick filling her with an empowering confidence. 

Hey, shock wasn’t the worst first reaction. She could blame that on Bakugo’s explosive drumming later. 

“What am I to be? What is my calling?”

As her voice rang out over the sounds of the guitars and drums and piano, she let herself get lost in the music and emotion of it all, trusting that the song would carry her message into the hearts of all those listening. 

 

Even though Midoriya had practiced the song with the group on numerous occasions, he was still entranced by the band and the song. They really were spectacular, and he could only imagine what it must be like for the people who had never heard it before. 

Jiro in particular, her demeanor had been so different than when they were practicing. All her stress and preoccupation, it was lost to the wind, or to the melody, rather. In its place was a joyous energy, and that feeling was reflected in the crowd. 

He was able to pry his eyes away from the band and the dancers to find Eri’s elevated form sticking out from the crowd. 

She was looking for him, eyes scanning the stage left to right, trying to locate his mop of green hair. She wasn’t smiling. 

At least not yet. 

Sorry, Eri, but you’ll have to wait until the next song to see me on stage, he thought apologetically. 

He still hoped Jiro and the others would be enough to bring some semblance of happiness to her face. 

 

Eri blinked. Then blinked again. He still wasn’t there. He said he would be. 

Mirio must’ve seen the light pout on her face, because he said, “Hey, I bet Midoriya will be in the next one! But let’s try to enjoy this one while it lasts!”

She could try that, so she gave a faint nod. 

“What do they think of me? What do they think I’ll be?”

The singer did have a really pretty voice, like nothing she’d ever heard before. And the performance didn’t just sound cool; it looked cool too. 

“I could not care less, I don’t wanna know.”

The nice girl who’d helped save her, the one who said she could call her ‘Ocha,’ threw a shinily dressed boy into the air. He then twirled, shooting out sparkling beams in every direction. 

Her eyes went wide at the spectacle, the dazzling glints of blue reflecting in her red eyes. 

 

Midoriya caught Aoyama as he floated all the way to the ceiling. With Uraraka’s quirk still active, he tied the rope around his hovering waist. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

Aoyama grinned brilliantly in response. “All eyes will be on moi!”

With a light laugh and a thumbs up to Uraraka below, the blond swung down to the audience below as she released her quirk. At that moment, Todoroki sent beams of ice across the ceiling, and shreds of ice started raining down from above as Kirishima grated the chunks with his jagged arms. 

When Aoyama spun in the air again, firing his laser, it filled the air with a dazzling radiance. The air itself seemed to sparkle and glitter as the ice particles reflected the shining light. 

As Midoriya ran along the central beam in the ceiling, carrying the human disco ball across the gym, he spared a glance down at Eri. 

Her eyes were as bright as the magical scene around her. 

And she was smiling. 

It was a wobbly, unsure smile, but she was having fun. Overhaul’s influence on her was breaking. 

With the tremendous sound that surrounded him, he didn’t care if he shouted for joy. 

“YES!!” An exclamation of euphoria that no one could hear, but it felt amazing to let out. 

That was only one song, and the concert had already been a success. 

 

“Are you all having fun!?” Mina shouted into her pink hand-held microphone, her voice booming across the large room. 

She got an exceedingly loud response, which did not help Midoriya’s nerves at all. He was standing just out of sight, on the wavering edge of being recognized. At that moment, it felt impossible to take that first step into the light of the stage. 

“Let’s get another round of applause for the amazingly musical: Kyoka Jiro!! She wrote that song all on her own, and it was fantastic!”

Midoriya could feel his eardrums shake with that one, and Jiro looked shocked at the response herself. 

“But now, for our next singer, with his electrical personality and sub par guitar skills…!”

“Hey!”

“It’s Denki Kaminari!”

The crowd responded with a mixture of laughter and applause as Kaminari strided up to the standing mic. He flashed an excited grin at the people, then started with, “Jiro was flat out amazing, wasn’t she?!”

There was no way the response was anything but yes. 

“I know right!! Well then, don’t expect me to be anywhere near her level!” he laughed, and the crowd laughed along with him. “I’m also terrible at multitasking!”

Oh no, here was where Midoriya came on. He’d been so absorbed in their introductions, he’d forgotten all those eyes were about to be on him. 

And they’d be looking at him in a very different way. 

“Because I can’t play guitar and sing at the same time, I’ve got someone helping me out!” Kaminari continued, and a curious hush fell over the crowd. 

Jiro had been able to handle this, and he wasn’t even singing this round. He could do this, he could do this, he had to do this…

“I can’t do this,” he whispered to himself, and his trembling legs carried him a step backwards. He didn’t get any further though, because a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

It was Uraraka. The dancers had gone backstage, because their routine for Kaminari’s song had them exiting one at a time. She gave him a confident, reassuring smile. 

“Just take a deep breath. You can do this. I know you can.”

“Coming out to play guitar for us, it’s Izuku Midoriya!”

He turned his eyes back to the crowd, which had reacted with some pretty feeble applause. But instead of paying any attention to the glaringly obvious half-heartedness behind the response, he followed Uraraka’s advice. 

His lungs filled and expanded, and he closed his eyes, momentarily pushing all his illogical worries out of mind. As he exhaled a shaky breath, eyes opening again, he felt somewhat more ready than before. And that was enough. 

“Oh come on, people!! You can do better than that!” Kaminari said this jokingly, but Midoriya could pick out the protectiveness behind his tone. 

Walking out onto the stage, he ignored everything. He ignored the immense pressure of all the judging eyes, the way his legs were shaking, and the pounding of his heart in his ears. He just kept taking deep breaths, in and out. 

He smiled when Kaminari handed him his guitar, ears deaf to whatever was being spoken at the moment, and just stood by, next to Tokoyami, waiting for the music to start. 

If he could survive until the music started, it would be okay. 

Then the blessed sound of drumming began, soon followed by Yaoyorozu on the piano. Then guitar. 

All of his stress fleeted off the instant his pick struck the strings; hearing the chords blend together with the other sounds in the air reminded him of why he was even doing this in the first place. 

He lifted his eyes to Eri, who was watching him with a light in her eyes that hadn’t been there before, and his smile became so much more real. 

“Woke up in London yesterday; found myself in the city,” Kaminari began, his cheerful voice ringing across the gym. 

With a grin spread over his face, his eyes alight in amusement, it was easy for the crowd to pick up on the positivity in the air and in the song. 

“New names and numbers that I don't know.”

The dancers were running out from backstage, usually in pairs or triples, arms linked together. As they came out with wide eyes, they’d point at multiple areas behind and around the audience, where Todoroki was actively forming enchanting sculptures of ice that held some resemblance to famous world wonders. By the end of the first verse, they were in a line in front of the band. 

“We're young enough to say, oh! This has gotta be the good life!”

Midoriya, as he strummed out the strong chords along with the chorus, thought the song suited Kaminari well. 

“This could really be a good life, good life!”

It was a song about optimism and looking on the bright side. Living care-free was better than living burdened with labors, and during a stressful time like this, that was exactly what people needed to hear. 

It was also a lot of how Kaminari regularly lived, cheerfully and always looking for the best. 

“They don't know, where I've been for the past few years or so.”

The dancers continued their routine, carrying out the moves Mina had taught them effortlessly, with how much they had practiced. 

“Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out.”

Only Midoriya noticed Uraraka slipping away to go backstage, because the crowd was so enthralled in the carelessness of the song, it was like their stress had never existed. 

“We all got our stories, but please, tell me what there's to complain about?” Kaminari walked up to the people, stretching his hand out to them, his enjoyment spreading even more. “When you're happy like a fool, let it take you over!”

And it was impossible for Midoriya not to get swept up in it all too. 

“You gotta take it in!”

At the outburst of the second chorus, what seemed like giant bubbles sprang out from the back of the gym. The perfect spheres of ice glowed magically with the light from the stage, floating serenely with the help of Uraraka’s quirk. 

“This has gotta be the good life!”

Eri’s smile was bigger this time, as she reached up to try to touch one of the ‘bubbles,’ stars in her eyes. 

“I say oh! Got this feeling that you can't fight, like this city is on fire tonight.”

Midoriya laughed, the euphoria of the moment taking him over, as he wondered why he’d even been worried in the first place. 

It was similar to that one time at the baseball game with Tsukauchi; in that moment, nobody cared about who anyone else was. They were all just people, needing a break from the harsh demands and stressors of life, and they had chosen to find it in the music and fun of a teenage performance. 

As everyone danced or sang along, everything wrong in life seemed so abstract, so unimportant. What mattered was the good, the happiness, the joy, and not only in that moment, but in the future too. 

“'Cause hopelessly, the hope is we have so much to feel good about!”

Because, in reality, why do our worries deserve any thought at all?

“We all got our stories, but please, tell me what there's to complain about?”

 

Kaminari’s song was a huge success; everyone loved it. However, that didn’t mean the people weren’t greatly anticipating the next song. 

Unlike Midoriya, Uraraka didn’t seem to need an encouraging pep talk to work up the nerve to go on stage. She had this strange determination surrounding her, like there was something else driving her to do this other than to entertain the masses. 

Either way, Midoriya had nothing to do this time. 

Jiro was handling the guitar. The staging and choreography was simple. So he had nothing to do, except watch. 

Midoriya felt weird, just standing off to the side. But he was grateful for this chance to spectate Uraraka’s song, without having any job to distract him. He really wanted to hear what she had to say- or sing. 

Mina still held her role as announcer with great pride. 

“Wasn’t that so much fun!?” she asked the audience, which responded with an undeniable yes. “Heck yeah it was! Now, our next song might be a little quieter, but let me tell ya, is it relatable.”

Just leave it to Mina to keep the crowd’s curiosity piqued, even when coming down from a music-high. 

“Then let me introduce our next singer! She’s got a bubbly personality, but don’t mess around with her unless you wanna get acquainted with our solar system! It’s Ochako Uraraka!”

She smiled as she walked up to the microphone, pink dusting her cheeks. She only had a few words to say before beginning her song: 

“To the person who’s listening the closest.”

Midoriya blinked at the words, trying and failing to realize that he was the one who cared the most about her, and therefore about her song. 

She was singing to him. 

Jiro began gently plucking the strings, a tender melody warming the air. Uraraka’s soft voice soon added to the sound. 

“I've been awake for a while now.”

Her voice wasn’t perfect, but it was sweet and warm, which only made Midoriya fall into it more. 

“'Cause every time I see your bubbly face,” she did a terrible job hiding her glance in Midoriya’s direction. “It starts in my toes, and I crinkle my nose… wherever it goes, I always know.”

A blush spread over her cheeks, and at first Midoriya thought it was out of a type of embarrassed stage fright. 

“That you make me smile, please stay for a while now.”

But then she grinned, a wide, childish grin, and he realized it was an entirely different type of blush. This song, its lyrics… they were about all of the feelings and thoughts that came along with the typical crush. 

“But we are hiding in a safer place… under covers, staying dry and warm.”

He thought of their time snuggling on the couch, and he found that he’d experienced many of the things she was describing. 

“You give me feelings that I adore; they start in my toes, make me crinkle my nose.”

As the second chorus started, lights of orange and red and pink began shining around the room, making it glow in warmth. It was just like the inside of someone when they have a crush. 

“That you make me smile, please stay for a while now.”

And it was just like how both Uraraka and Midoriya felt at the moment, and soon his cheeks were glowing too. 

“But what am I gonna say, when you make me feel this way?”

It took all of that for him to realize she might be singing to him. 

Though this song was nothing like Kaminari’s, the crowd still seemed to be enjoying it. They swayed back and forth to the music, like reeds in the wind, letting the song remind them of their own childish feelings they had for other people. 

Those who had worked through the embarrassment and fear that came along with confession had their arms fondly wrapped around each other as they swayed to the music too. 

“'Cause every time you hold me in your arms, I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth.”

Midoriya wondered… could he have that with Uraraka?

“When you kiss my nose, the feeling shows.”

By the look of longing in her eyes… maybe she wanted it too. 

“Just take your time now, holding me tight.”

He had at least come to one conclusion: this was something they needed to talk about. Soon. 

“'Cause you make me smile.”

 

Uraraka’s song had greatly warmed the crowd’s hearts. It had possibly prompted more than just one couple to confess to each other. 

But at the moment, Midoriya had bigger things to worry about. 

Namely, his song was next. 

All of his previous fear came bubbling back up from before, but he forced it back down with memories of the other’s songs. They’d all managed to do it, and they’d all accomplished something new and fun in the minds of those who’d listened. 

He just had to have confidence he could do the same thing. 

Or he at least had to try… and possibly fail, but he was trying not to think about that part. 

So, with another deep breath, he walked back out on stage with the others. With the other band members, it was easier. 

“Aww, that was so sweet!” Mina exclaimed, and the people shouted in agreement. She then dropped her voice to a whisper, but the microphone still made her words perfectly clear. “Now, let’s just hope that gave her the courage to confess to the boy she was singing to…”

They all cheered, hoping to give Uraraka more confidence. They didn’t realize the boy she wanted to confess to was the one they had feebly cheered for earlier. 

“Yeah, Ocha!! You can do it!!” Mina cheered along with them, and behind her back she sent a wink to Midoriya, who quickly refocused his attention on his own acoustic guitar. “Ocha’s sending me some pretty terrifying glares from backstage, so let’s move on!” she declared. “Our next song, also our last song, is one of the most wholesome we have to offer!”

The audience seemed pleased at that. What better way to end a performance than leaving people feeling happy and fulfilled?

“So, who better to sing it than the person with the most wholesome story here! Our next singer, 1-A’s errand boy and personal analyst! Izuku Midoriya!”

The few people who started clapping quickly realized that wasn’t the socially acceptable thing to do, and it soon became dead quiet. 

“Oh c’mon! You can do better than that!” Mina tried. It didn’t work. 

She sighed, before walking up to Midoriya, who had filled the spot behind the central microphone. She patted him on the shoulder. 

“Sorry man. Tough crowd.”

He smiled weakly. “It’s okay. Honestly didn’t expect anything different.”

Mina still offered him an apologetic grin, and he could feel the pity emanating from the other band members behind him. With a shaky breath, he addressed the crowd. 

“I’m not here to convince you all of anything. I’m just here to have some fun with my friends… so maybe all of you can have some fun too.”

He dropped his eyes as soon as the last word was uttered; every instinct in his brain was screaming at him to run, to hide. Thankfully, the music started before his will could succumb to the fear. 

Yaoyorozu’s piano began the melody, and violin overlaid it as Jiro eloquently played the instrument. 

Midoriya took another deep breath, attempting to slow the rhythm of his heartbeat against his ribcage, readying himself to sing. 

He was eternally grateful his voice didn’t crack as he started, especially with the microphone amplifying it across the crowd. 

“You had your maps… drawn. You had other plans to hang your hopes… on.”

To distract himself from his anxieties, he focused on the words he was singing, losing his thoughts in the meaning. 

“Every road they let you down felt so… wrong… so you found another way.”

He thought of the League, of the atrocities the life of villainy had forced him to commit, and then the road he was on now. 

“You've got a big… heart. The way you see the world, it got you this… far.”

Even with keeping his sense of morals in the League, it hadn’t gotten him killed. 

“You might have some bruises, and a few… scars.”

But it had gotten him hurt, and his shoulder prickled at the memory. 

“But you know you're gonna be okay.”

He exhaled at the thought, a sense of relief coming over him. He could hardly feel the audience’s eyes anymore. 

“And even though you're scared, you're stronger than you know.”

Because now he had 1-A to help him through anything, both his past, and this. 

“If you're lost out where the lights are blinding!”

A grin split his face open as the chorus began. He had definitely once been lost, blinded by his anger, and then blinded by his guilt. 

“That's when something wild calls you home, home.”

But then his friends, his family, helped take all that isolative suffering away. 

“If you face the fear that keeps you frozen!”

And they had also helped him face terrifying prospects such as this, no matter the number of eyes watching him. 

“That's when something wild calls you home, home.”

As he stood there in front of the crowd, belting out the words without a care of what the people before him thought, he truly felt he had found it. Home. 

He hadn’t even noticed the dancers coming out to perform their routine, which was much more loose and closer to free-style than before. Ice was spiraling down from the ceiling, adding to the magic of the song. 

He spotted Eri sticking out of the crowd. 

She was wearing the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her. 

It was impossible for the crowd to not feel some of the ecstasy Midoriya was feeling. 

“Sometimes the past… can… make the ground beneath you feel like a quick…sand.”

Granted, sometimes past memories did haunt him. Nightmares still pestered him. 

“You don't have to worry; you reach for my… hand!”

But now those worries seemed so unsubstantial as he thought of all the support available to him. 

“You're gonna be okay.”

Just as the second chorus started, a blaze of light flashed in the rafters. Todoroki had sent out a stream of fire. 

“If you're lost out where the lights are blinding! Caught in all, the stars are hiding.”

The ice melted in an instant, and glowing drops of water rained down on the crowd as Aoyama shot out his laser. 

“If you face the fear that keeps you frozen! Chase the sky into the ocean.”

The rain fell like shooting stars, and the people looked up, awe-struck. The rigid demand to hate the singer had softened, and they were allowing themselves to enjoy the happiness and sense of belonging the music provided. 

“Calls you home!”

But as the song continued, Midoriya didn’t really care. The people could resent him, refuse to partake in any enjoyment that might come from his song. Or they could join in, letting go of their judgments, to have a little fun. 

Either way, Midoriya was having the time of his life, surrounded by music and friends, singing his heart out. This was something he’d been searching for his entire life. Through all the bullying, all the hopelessness of his childhood, he’d always been searching for this feeling of connection to others. 

He’d always been searching for a home. 

“That's when something wild calls you home…”

And here he was. 

“...home!”

Notes:

That was so fricking sweet awww I loved writing that! It was also exhausting holy crap, songs are fun to write but heck are they difficult. Not to mention four in a row? Well, now you guys know what the songs are and hope you thought they fit well.

The last one is this chapter's song, Something Wild by Lindsey Stirling. Absolutely fantastic song, and Lindsey's an amazingly talented violinist.

Anyway, I've had them playing these songs in my mind for so long, and everytime I'd listen to one of them this would come to mind. So yeah, it was nice to get this out.

Some nice stuff happening next chap too, so see ya then!

Chapter 83: Breathless

Notes:

I made a promise to do it in less words than Green Tea Rescue, and I've now kept that promise.

Enjoy!

Midoriya could still hear the roars of the crowd’s cheers, even after exiting the stage. The class had bowed, wearing energetic grins, but now he realized just how tired he was. 

“Oh my gosh, guys, that was awesome!!” Mina exclaimed, bounding around the room. How she still had so much liveliness, Midoriya had no idea. 

“Heck yeah, we killed it!” Bakugo added. 

“Hey, you said ‘we,’” Kirishima acknowledged, grinning. “I feel so appreciated man!”

The blond immediately shoved away the hug his friend tried to give him. Some chuckled, while others had already fallen into conversation about what to do for the rest of the festival. 

Midoriya’s eyes darted over to Uraraka, and they made eye contact, only to quickly whisk away their gazes. 

Shinso caught the gesture from his hiding spot in the corner, noticing the opportunity to finally end his slow burn torture. 

“Hey Mina,” he said just loud enough to get the pink girl’s attention. He tilted his head in the two fumbling idiots’ direction, and she understood immediately. 

“HEY GUYS!!” she shouted, clambering on top of a chair. “ICE CREAM ON ME! Let’s go!!”

That got most of the class out of the door immediately, and Shinso and Mina made sure to clear out any stragglers. Except Midoriya and Uraraka. They were soon left in the silence together, the only noise being their slightly panicked breathing. 

The awkward quiet persisted a few seconds more, and the two managed to make eye contact, before breaking out into soft laughter. 

“I guess they really wanted to get us alone together, huh?” Uraraka said, rubbing her arm in slight embarrassment, which also showed by the color on her cheeks. She sat down on the end of one of the benches prevalent in the room. 

“Yeah, I guess,” he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down on the other end of the bench. He managed to lift his eyes to her smiling face, and he took a deep breath to still his emotions. “That song you sang… it was about-”

“How I really like you!”

She spat the words out so fast, it took Midoriya several confused blinks to interpret what she’d said. When the words finally connected with their meanings, his face heated up and his eyes went big at a truth, for all his intelligence, he never could’ve expected. 

Uraraka continued before he could get a word out, not that he’d be able to speak anyway. 

“I realized I’ve been really silly for not telling you how I feel, so I told myself I’d do it today! No matter what!! No matter what my fear told me about how awkward or weird or terrible it would be, I wouldn’t keep dancing around the truth… so, I guess instead I sang the truth? I don’t know, but I do know…” she inhaled deeply, clenching her fists to stop her fidgeting, and looked him in the eye. “I really like- love you.”

She had effectively broken him, and she wasn’t even done yet. 

“You’re the kindest, most caring person I know, with how you always look out for others and are always willing to help. I think it’s amazing how you still have a heart after everything you’ve been through, everything that’s been done to you. You’re still going, still fighting, and that’s what already makes you a hero in my eyes. And your smile, your laugh…” her blush heightened, “it gives me feelings I adore… like the song said.”

She looked up to gauge his reaction, and he was completely and utterly dumbfounded. 

Now, he’d been in highly emotional conversations before. Shinso at the Sports Festival, his chat with All For One, trying to convince Bakugo to join the League, threatening Shigaraki. In each of those exchanges, the slight tone to a word, and the choice of the word itself, could alter someone’s entire perspective and drastically alter their circumstances. 

In a way, this was similar. 

But this was entirely genuine.  

There was no acting, no faking certain attitudes or putting on a particular expression like a mask. Every word was born of real emotion, not the logic of survival. 

The authenticity of it all was so radically different from what he knew, it caught him off guard. Someone could truly feel that way about him?

When he failed to respond, Uraraka panicked slightly, and opposite to Midoriya, the words tumbled too quickly out of her mouth. 

“I-it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way! But can we please not let things get weird, I-I don’t mind being rejected, honestly I-”

The feel of his calloused hand on hers immediately stopped the nonsense she was spouting. Her eyes widened and her heart pounded louder when she saw that he’d slid down the bench, closer to her. She raised her gaze to his eyes, and found that they were firmly glued to her face. 

His eyes were searching hers, peering into their depths to find her reasoning. As he studied her expression, he couldn’t find any stain, trace, or speck of deceit. The glow in her cheeks and desperate hope in her eyes only highlighted her honesty. 

“You… really feel that way,” he realized, breathless. 

Sadness washed over her when she understood his doubt had been the thing keeping him silent, and tears glossed over her eyes. She nodded surely. “Yes, I really feel that way.”

His eyes widened, before he dropped them to the floor. A wobbly grin sprawled over his face as his freckled cheeks acquired a red tint. “Well, in that case…” he grasped her hand tighter. “I feel the same way.”

Her smile grew bigger, one of the biggest he’d ever seen on her, and it radiated pure joy and relief. It made his heart beat faster in his chest, as his own smile became more confident and less awkward. 

“You’re the first person I met who was both kind to me and believed in me,” he continued, keeping his eyes on their entwined hands, because if he looked up at her, he knew his words would fail. “You’re just- you’re so different from everything I’m used to… and I’m used to a lot of bad things. I-I feel more comfortable and safe and happy when I’m with you, like my past doesn’t matter and like the future is bright, because you’re so compassionate and hopeful and…”

He looked up at her face, and yup, there went his words. 

“Perfect,” he breathed. 

Uraraka looked like her heart was about to burst. Then her face split open in a wide grin, her eyes glistening, as she let out a laughing sob, “...are we supposed, to like, kiss or something now?” At the several shades of red his face gained from that, she suggested, “How about a hug?”

Now, those he’d become quite proficient at. 

 

“Let’s gooo!!” Nana shouted from within Midoriya’s consciousness as the two embraced, and she leapt for joy. “It took them long enough, but they finally confessed!”

“I mean…” Hikage studied the situation, hand raised to his chin, “it would’ve been better if they kissed.”

“Oh, shut up!” Nana demanded. “They’ll get there!”

“Yeah!” Daigoro agreed, excitement similar to that of Nana. “Kid’s just figured out hugging, so you’ve gotta give it a bit of time before things get interesting.”

“I’m taking my wins where I can, and this?” Nana gestured at the hug. “This is an absolutely huge win! Nothing can spoil my happiness right now!”

 

The sounds of shouting out in the gym was what finally forced the hug to split apart, but their hands remained latched together. The yelling sounded something like: “Mina!! You didn’t say that by ice cream you meant literal ice leftover from the concert! I don’t wanna clean this up!”

Midoriya laughed lightly. “I guess we should go help them.”

“Yeah,” Uraraka agreed hesitantly, pushing aside her wishes of them staying close together as long as possible. 

As he stood up to leave, he asked, “Can we do something together later today? Maybe one of the attractions, I’m not sure, but, just… just the two of us.”

Her eyes lit up, and she agreed with much more vigor this time. “Yeah!”

 

Gentle offered a grin to the gorilla-looking detective in front of him, but the dull frown he got in return made it wilt a little. Still, there appeared to be a speck of something… kinder, softer in his eyes, even if it was surrounded by quite an unfriendly expression. 

“There’s one thing I don’t get,” he rumbled, “why now? We’ve been trying to arrest you for months- years now, and for some reason you decide to just stroll into our department. Why?”

Gentle chuckled. “In all honesty, it was that boy being rehabilitated at UA. We had much more in common than I could’ve anticipated, and his persuasive skills are top notch!”

“Izuku Midoriya…” the detective said the name with curiosity, with the knowledge that much of its story was still unseen, at this point. “I guess UA had let him out before their festival, and he convinced you to turn yourself in?”

“Indeed! It did look like he was running errands when I encountered him, and we had a lovely chat as he returned to the school! Though I must ask, since I’ve only had questions thrown at me instead of asking any myself this entire time, what may become of us now? Particularly La Brava, I do not wish for her to suffer because of my doings.”

“Well, that is quite the question.” The detective pulled out another paper from the file in front of him. “The truth is, none of your crimes were severe; it’s just the number of them that’s the problem. Because of this, as well as how you turned yourself over by choice, and especially the fact that you were enrolled in a hero course previously… we might be able to work out something a little more unconventional.”

“Consider my curiosity piqued!”

The detective slid the paper he’d taken out over to the criminal. “Because of UA’s endeavor of reforming a League member, the issue of villain rehabilitation has had a spotlight on it in the public’s eyes.”

Gentle leaned forward to skim over the paper with his eyes, being unable to accept it with his cuffed hands. 

“The media only likes to focus on the bad, the negative. Gets ‘em more views. The most watched channels are the ones ranting on about how foolish UA is for letting a hardened villain within their walls. But in reality, we’ve seen a general push for support in particular programs. The public doesn’t hate UA. They’re still wary, of course, but now that they’ve seen the possibilities of one villain being reformed…”

Gentle’s eyes widened. “You’re not saying…”

“We could get you, and your partner, accepted into one of these villain rehabilitation centers. And with your track record, you wouldn’t stay for long. After you’re released, well, you’ll have quite a range of options.”

The criminal’s gaze snapped up to the detective. “And one of those options being…”

He gave a faint smile and a nod. “Hero work.”

If Gentle wasn’t cuffed to the table, he’d be using his quirk to jump very high into the sky for joy. The gorilla-like man could read this in his face. 

“You believing you’re not stuck where you are shows your desire to change, and it’d be a shame to let that go to waste.”

Maybe Midoriya was right. He and La Brava could have a brighter life. 

 

Midoriya felt like he could cry. In a good way too, happy tears. 

Eri recounted all of the amazing things she’d seen during the performance, eyes sparkling as she relived it through her memory. All the while, she had a real, big smile spanning her face. 

Okay, maybe a couple happy tears escaped his eyes. Hey, it looked like Mirio had cried over it too, going by the slight red puffiness around his eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Eri asked as they left the gym, the last of the ice and water having been cleaned up. 

He quickly wiped his eyes with his forearm. “Yeah, couldn’t be better.”

The rest of class A was already outside, along with the parts of the crowd still lingering after their concert. Many members of the class were already starting to edge away, the promise of fun from the other attractions alluring them. The remaining people from the audience seemed to only be there to compliment the class on their performance. 

“Why thank you!!” Mina bellowed, sweeping down into a deep, dramatic bow at someone making a positive remark about her choreography. “But if you’re gonna compliment someone, it should be Jiro! She’s the one who wrote that song at the start, and helped the band members learn their instruments.”

Jiro ducked her head at the sudden praise, immediately looking for some way to get the attention away from her. “Well, Midoriya helped quite a lot too. With the teaching, I mean.”

“You still did the majority of it,” Midoriya butted in. “Not to mention playing an instrument in every single song. Jiro, a lot of the quality of the concert was because of you.”

She only responded by burying her face in her hands as more eyes turned to her. “I already survived the concert. Why must you do this to me?”

Kaminari slid in and gave her a bit of a rough shoulder bump. “Because you deserve all of this praise and attention, with all you’ve done for the school fest!”

She lightly shoved him away. “So you’re saying I deserve torture?”

“What? No! We’re just giving credit where it’s due!”

Jiro shook her head, smiling faintly. “Yeah yeah, I know…”

As the conversation flowed onward, Midoriya looked around at the surrounding people, and noticed they didn’t seem to edge away from him as much. There wasn’t that same fearful wariness in their eyes… maybe even a bit of curiosity and sympathy had taken its place. Their perceptions of him had changed, for the better and more understanding too. 

One of them even tried talking to him. 

“Hey, your song was really great too,” said the same girl who’d complimented Mina’s dancing, except now it was directed at Midoriya. “The hope it communicated was something we could all use.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened as he pulled in a breath full of surprise. Then he smiled, happy and relieved. “Thank you so much. That means more than you know.”

She nodded politely, before turning to Kaminari and Jiro, probably to compliment their songs too, but she was interrupted before another word could leave her mouth. 

“Well! If it isn’t class 1-A and their pesky little pet!” Monoma strutted up to the group, all arrogance and dismissiveness, with a snarky grin on his face. “I heard you gave a pathetic attempt at singing! My, I’m glad I wasn’t there, or else I bet my hearing would’ve been damaged by how terrible you guys are!”

The class groaned, most internally and a few externally, while Jiro shot back, “How can you say it was terrible when you weren’t even there?”

“Why, because of this poll!” The blond whisked out a paper with a messily organized poll, which could just barely be interpreted as class 1-B being more popular than class 1-A. “It couldn’t be clearer! You guys are so hated! Especially you!”

He jabbed finger in Midoriya’s direction, smile turning a little more sinister. The former villain only mentally braced himself for the onslaught of cruel words about to come his way. 

“I know for a fact your performance was the worst of all! With that ugly scar on your face reminding everyone of your nasty history, I’m sure no one wanted you on stage! Combine that with your undoubtedly low quality of music…”

A number of people clenched their fists, considering punching the smug student. There were only two who were actually serious about it. One of them was Uraraka. 

“...and I can assure you nobody gave a damn about a word you sang! Further proving that all you’ll ever chalk up to be is a failur- ergh!”

The other was Bakugo. 

His fist slammed into Monoma’s face, sending the bully stumbling backwards, before finally falling to the ground. He grunted in pain, lifting his hand to his bruised face, surprise flashing in his eyes. 

Bakugo shook the pain off his hand, sneering. “Why don’t you shut your mouth? Or next time I’ll aim for your teeth.”

Monoma simply scoffed, but it was fairly easy to tell he was more than a little rattled at such a reaction. He scrambled to his feet and started backing away. 

“I’ll make sure to tell the teacher about this!!” he promised, before disappearing from sight. 

Well, that took care of that quickly. But still… “Kacchan… you didn’t have to-”

“Don’t you dare tell me he didn’t deserve that!” Bakugo snapped. “I didn’t even use my explosions in the punch! I’m so fricking nice!!”

“He was nicer than I would’ve been,” Uraraka said lowly, walking up to Midoriya to stand beside him defensively. The fact that not even Iida was saying anything to protest this was truly something. 

Eventually, Midoriya gave in. “Thank you for sticking up for me like that.”

Bakugo began stomping away, Kirishima and a couple others trailing after him. “If he ever pulls something like that again, tell me. Or your girlfriend, since she’d do him in even more than me.”

Both teens blushed, but neither denied it, eliciting smiles and giggles from the members of class A around them. 

“So wait, you actually confessed!?” Mina exclaimed, bounding up to the couple. They nodded sheepishly, drawing closer together when the rest of class’s attention pressed in on them. 

“Fricking finally,” Shinso said, running his hands through his hair in relief. “Do you know how agonizing it was, watching you two fumble around each other, stuttering and panicking, not realizing how stupid you were being?”

“I mean,” Mina began, “I wasn’t going to put it like that, but yeah. It was agonizing.”

Uraraka gave a nervous laugh, while Midoriya responded with, “...sorry?”

Shinso dragged his hands down his face. “You don’t gotta apologize. Just go, enjoy the School Fest together, do whatever romantic things couples are supposed to do.”

Mina nodded vigorously in agreement, so the two had no choice but to concede. 

More chunks of the class started drifting off, some congratulating the new couple and giving them pats on the back. Midoriya and Uraraka looked at each other, lacing their fingers together once again. 

They’d done their part in the School Festival. It was time to go enjoy it for themselves. 

 

The rest of the day passed easily. Different members of the class tried everything from rigged carnival games, makeshift ninja warrior competitions, and a haunted house, to arts and crafts, and of course, multiple food stands. 

Eri mostly tagged along with Midoriya, and therefore with Uraraka too. Because none of the food stands seemed to have candy apples, the three made them together with Sato’s help. Eri ended up eating three, since no could be so heartless as to tell her no. 

They made sure the girl got the most fun out of the event as she could. She had finally broken free from Overhaul’s twisted influence over her mind, so now that she could actually enjoy life, they weren’t wasting a single second being idle. 

They let her play whatever carnival games she wanted, and she watched the beauty pageant in awe. She had found her smile again, just like Midoriya had promised. 

He’d noticed how many people didn’t look at him the same way. There were still stares or frequent side glances, but they weren’t as scared or angry. They were more understanding, even apologetic. 

It also didn’t go unnoticed how he was the boy Uraraka was choosing to spend her time with. Didn’t take a lot of effort to connect the dots. Most blinked surprisedly at the realization, but some whispered quickly to Uraraka, “congratulations!”

As the day neared its end, Mirio offered to take care of Eri for a little while, so the two could get some time by themselves. They gratefully accepted his offer, and while Uraraka said goodbye to Eri, Midoriya disappeared for a few minutes. 

When he came back, he apologized. “Sorry, but the stand was about to close, and they only had enough materials to make one more…”

He held up the treat he’d bought, a Japanese-styled crepe, where it was rolled into a cone and filled with whipped cream and sweet syrup, topped with strawberries and blueberries. 

“So…” he face reddened as he held up two spoons, “I thought we could split it?”

She beamed, and just for a moment it felt like her heart would pop. Then she gently accepted one of the spoons and replied with, “I’d love that.”

His eyes brightened at her overjoyed expression, and he found he didn’t care about whatever tribulations life might throw at him next. As long as they had each other, they’d never have to face any of those trials alone. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon together in the comforting presence of the other. 

 

The prison room wasn’t like what Toga had been expecting. She supposed that was because this wasn’t a typical prison, but still, shouldn’t it at least be a little more… foreboding? Constricting? Gloomy?

Granted, the walls and floors were still concrete, but it was clean without any stains or graffiti. She could see outside through her reinforced-glass window, and the sunset was quite striking. The lights didn’t flicker, the furniture wasn’t dented, and there was even a little bathroom where she could go for privacy. 

There was a little notebook on her desk, with a variety of pens and pencils for her to put her thoughts into words. 

But most surprisingly, there was a blood-red blanket neatly folded up on her cot. 

They’d asked for some personal preferences on one of the forms she’d had to fill out, one of which being her favorite color. They’d listened. 

It was little details like that which made her feel more human to the people around her. 

She still wasn’t looking forward to the mandatory therapy sessions, or having to get along with the other inmates, if they could even be called that. She might not like being so closely monitored all the time, and kept devoid of all her knives. 

But this place was already slightly shifting the way she viewed things, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad after all.

Notes:

It only took 83 chapters to get them together! :D (and yes they will kiss at some point, in fact I could give you the exact number of chapters until they kiss, but I won't)

And because KageNekem and I are Just That Good, we managed to coordinate our Izuocha confessions! He updates Mischief tomorrow, so if you also read that, know our confessions falling on the same week was planned because we're amazing lol. Honestly so cool that worked out.

Also completely by coincidence, Aliandris is having his confession in Back to the Beginning on Wednesday haha. So if you read all three, you'll be having a very nice week. Or at least a less bad week.

This chapter's song is the one Uraraka sang last chap, Bubbly by Colbie Caillat, for obvious reasons.

But yeah, the beans are getting together in quite a few fics, have fun with that lol. See ya next week!

Chapter 84: My Hero

Notes:

The chapter title is so sappy I did a mixture of cringing and grinning while typing it. If you were curious lol.

Also, originally this student at the start was just supposed to be a no-name person, but I thought it'd be better to make them an actual mha character. So yup.

Enjoy!

“Hey, congrats on managing to get a girlfriend.”

Midoriya’s head whipped around to face the older teen who’d said those words, surprise plainly written across his face. After his window cleaning had halted for several seconds, the student spoke again. 

“I-it’s, uh, no easy feat. Trust me, I’ve tried,” Amajiki continued, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Midoriya continued staring in obvious shock, before finally finding his voice again. “T-thanks.”

The student nodded politely with a weary smile, and began walking away. 

“And I hope your efforts pay off soon!” Midoriya quickly added before he could get out of view. 

Now it was Amajiki’s turn to blink surprisedly, but he ended up replying with the same thing. “Thanks. I hope they do too.”

 

Midoriya replayed the conversation in his head as he walked back to the dorms. Someone had congratulated him on getting a girlfriend? Of all the things he thought he might talk about that day, he would’ve never guessed that’d be one of them. 

Still, it had left a good feeling, so he wasn’t going to complain about it. 

Upon arriving at the dorms, he mentally braced himself for whatever chaos he was about to enter. Once he opened the doors, he had barely been inside five seconds before Mina was waving her phone in his face. 

“Midoriya, look the class is famous!!” she exclaimed. He really did try to look, but she was waving her phone so fast anything on the screen was a blur. “Some people uploaded videos of our performance on Youtube and they’re super popular!”

She thrust her phone in his face, stopping the waving so her screen was actually readable, and Midoriya squinted at the numbers. “Two thousand views. I wouldn’t call that super popular, but cool.”

Mina pouted at his lack of enthusiasm, while Kaminari called out, “Hah, told you so! Something’s gotta have at least five million views to be considered trendy.”

The pink girl turned to start arguing with the blond, and Midoriya tried to slip off before they dragged him into it. He edged away, only to find another phone in his face. It was Jiro’s. 

“You should at least read some of the comments on your song,” she suggested. “There’re a couple nasty ones, but you’ll be surprised how many are actually pretty positive.”

She handed her phone to him before he had the chance to respond. “Um, okay…”

The nearest place to sit was the living room couch, so as he plopped down there, he began skimming through a few of the comments left on a video of his segment of the concert. 

They were actually… pretty nice. A few talked about how the lyrics provided some neat insight into his struggles, some said it was relatable and gave them hope, while others just complimented the quality of music. Of course, there were the few who claimed he was a rotten liar doing it all for attention, but there were less of those than he thought there would’ve been. 

Eventually, he handed her phone back, feeling slightly better about himself. As the evening continued, with it being considerably easier for Midoriya and Uraraka to cuddle up next to each other, the former villain found that his thoughts traveled back to people’s response to his song. 

The school’s perception of him had already started shifting… maybe society’s was too. 

 

Gentle exited his room with a smile on his face. He knew it was technically of a cell, but there was no point in thinking about it so negatively! Especially when he was about to see La Brava, with their rooms being right next to each other. 

She was much more nervous about all of this than him, so he wanted to give her some reassurement. And one of the most viable methods of reassuring someone was a smile!

“How are you faring, my dear?” he asked her as soon as he was able to catch her eye, walking down the hallway. 

La Brava wrung her hands nervously, but still managed to return his cheery smile. “Seeing you always helps me fare better!”

“Well then, let’s perform to our highest capacity to be released as soon as possible! Then we can be heroes together, without ever needing to be separated!” They rounded a corner to arrive at a large room with an organized pattern of tables, a line of food along the far wall. The cafeteria. “And we’ll start by gently eating lunch!!”

The other members of the rehabilitation center, ranging from late teens to younger adults, all peered at him warily. In their eyes were varying amounts of hope, some faces looking deadened and corpse-like, while others were springing with anticipation of the future. 

As the two criminals walked over to fill their plates with food, Gentle could tell, everyone present had scars from their past. 

Once they had finished choosing their lunch, there came the all important decision of where to sit. 

There seemed to be some pre-established groups already, and La Brava gazed apprehensively at the different cliques. Even so, there were a fair number of loners too, just sitting by themselves and ignoring all the other’s presence. 

But there was one loner who was particularly isolated from the rest. The people closest to her kept stealing petrified glances, even though they were a full table away. 

Gentle decided he wanted to provide the lonely girl some company. After getting La Brava’s approval, they headed in her direction. 

As they approached, the blonde blinked surprisedly at them, surprise lighting up in her expression. 

“Hello there, how are you?” Gentle began cheerfully as he sat down across from her, La Brava taking the seat next to him. 

She peered curiously at him and his partner for a good few seconds, cat-like eyes trying to get a read on them. “Pretty tired,” she finally responded, looking down at her food. “This place is forcing me to have a sleep schedule, and I’m still not used to it.” Gentle chucked, and after a few seconds, the girl realized something. “What about you?”

Though the words came out a little unnaturally, he happily responded. “Quite lovely! While I’m new here, I’m very excited for what the future might bring! For I hope one day I will be known as Gentle Hero, instead of Gentle Criminal. May I ask what to call you by?”

He already knew her name; in fact he’d recognized her almost instantly. But the first former League member he’d met hadn’t been at all what he’d expected, so why not give this one a chance too?

A small grin crept across her lips. “Himiko Toga. Just Himiko is fine.”

 

Midoriya yawned, turning his head away from the sunset to stop the sun from leaving streaks in his vision. He’d been asked to move some age-old textbooks into storage, and by ‘some’ he meant a couple hundred. That had really taken it out of him, and had delayed him from leaving the school building until much later. 

Because of his slight bleariness, he didn’t notice the scuffle of footsteps approaching behind him. Or maybe that was the music plugging his ears…

“Oi!! Izuku!” 

The voice emerged so suddenly from behind him, Midoriya jumped. He paused his music and whipped around, but relaxed when he saw it was just Bakugo. 

The blond raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “How loud do you have your damn music?”

Midoriya sighed through his nose. “Loud enough to drown out my problems, which may or may not include you.”

“You know I can easily be a problem louder than your music,” he scoffed lightly. 

The former villain shook his head with a faint smile. “So wait, what were you doing at the school so late? I thought everyone would be back at the dorms by now to watch the hero rankings.”

Bakugo ducked his head, burying his hands in his pockets and his gaze in the ground. Midoriya tilted his head. 

“...c’mon, you said you’ve been working on this. I cared enough to ask, so now it’s your turn. What is it?”

The hero student let out a groan of frustration. “Fine! It’s fricking anger management therapy! Don’t you tell anyone, or else!!”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows. “Okay okay, you don’t need the threat at the end… I think it’s cool you’re doing that; thanks for telling me.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he growled lowly, eyes narrowed. 

“You don’t need a threat in the tone either.”

Bakugo let out a shout of frustration that time instead of a groan. “I caught up with you to ask a single damn question, and you’re not even letting me do that!!”

“Oh, well, there’s this thing called social tact, and it’s where you wait until there’s an opening in the conversation to ask a question back,” Midoriya responded, and the other boy just cupped his hand over his face in agitation, almost regretting attempting a conversation. “Right, so uh, what’s your question?”

After a harsh sigh, Bakugo looked him dead in the eye and asked, “When’re you gonna finally decide to be a hero again?”

The unexpected question caused a ripple of surprise across the other teen. “Um, I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it all that much, been more focused on helping the class with their training and School Festival performance.”

“Yeah, helping, which is what a hero does,” Bakugo shot back. “Seriously, how hard is it for you to connect the dots?! And the dots are in a straight line! You can’t not help people, have the needed skills, and everyone who gets to know you thinks you should be one! The perfect profession is glaring you in the fricking face!!”

Midoriya frowned slightly, and even after thinking about it for a few seconds, the logic made clear sense. But Heights Alliance was soon looming protectively over them, so he ended it with, “I’ll think about it more.”

The blond grumbled something about “always overthinking,” but the conversation didn’t have the chance to continue further as they were greeted at the door by some unexpected faces. 

“Hey look guys!!” Kaminari exclaimed. “The Wild Wild Pussycats decided to pay us a visit before the hero rankings!”

“Wow, it’s almost like you don’t think they can see,” Shinso snarked, smirking as Kaminari turned to whine at him. 

The hero team mostly focused their greeting on Bakugo, seeing as he was the student who’d been kidnapped the last time they saw him. Midoriya was perfectly content to fade to the background. He’d been a villain at the time the class had known these heroes, and he didn’t expect them to treat him any differently. 

Well, it was time for another unexpected occurrence. 

“Hey, we saw that video of your performance at the School Festival. It was quite good… perspective-changing too.”

Midoriya turned, wide-eyed, to see Mandalay offering him a kind smile. At the surprise coating his face, she laughed softly. 

“T-thanks,” he got out, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I guess I should be the one thanking you, for your help at the summer camp,” she continued, and Midoriya realized he was actually going to have to hold a conversation with her. “You relayed Eraser’s message to us, and told us who the villains were targeting. I couldn’t see it at the time, but you were trying to help.”

Midoriya winced, and he moved to wave his hands in front of his face. “No, no, I- that wasn’t to help… I was just trying to get the students to trust me more so I could lead them into an ambush, which, you know, worked… sorry.”

“Oh,” Mandalay’s face stilled, and she nodded slowly, taking this in. “Well, at least you’re honest. But you still assisted in Muscular’s arrest, didn’t you? Because you saved Kota, and that…” she bowed deeply, “is what I would truly like to thank you for.”

The former villain took a step back in shock at the gesture, which harbored some attention from the others in the room. “Ahh, um, you’re welcome? I’m sure it’s what anyone else would’ve done.”

“Not what a villain would’ve done,” a quiet voice muttered from beside him. 

As Mandalay came up from her bow, Midoriya turned to see the young boy who had appeared next to him. 

“Kota,” he breathed. 

The boy scoffed lightly, diverting his gaze. 

“Wait, you know this kid?!” Kaminari asked. 

“Yeah, I saved him from Muscular at the summer camp.”

The blond slumped over. “He punched me in the balls when I tried talking to him.”

“That’s what you get for being an extrovert,” Shinso remarked, taking a sip of his coffee to help him through the social interaction. 

“What he said,” Kota agreed, and Shinso raised his mug in his direction. 

“C’mon, Kota,” Mandalay prompted. “You know what to say.”

The boy gritted his teeth in what looked like an attempt to suppress a groan, before forcing out, “Thanks for saving me, I guess, and for not dying.”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Midoriya gave him a small smile, which he blinked at. Kota could tell, he was different from when they’d first met. 

Chatter continued to envelop the room as the class conversed with some of their previous trainers. Eventually the topic of Ragdoll’s quirk, or lack thereof, came up. Most of the class quieted to listen to her explain how she’d never gotten her quirk back, but would continue working behind the scenes to help out the hero team. 

Her voice dropped a few levels as she continued, “All For One actually offered to give me my quirk back, but then I’d have to meet him in person, and they’d have to allow him to use his quirk for a few seconds. We decided that was too risky.”

“That was smart,” Midoriya interjected. “Whenever All For One offers something, he makes sure he’ll get paid back twice as much down the line. None of his deals are ever worth it.”

Todoroki spoke up unexpectedly. “Did he ever offer you a quirk?” 

Midoriya paused, sensing how the class’ attention zeroed in on him, before nodding grimly. “He did.” He gulped at how everyone’s eyes stuck to his face. “I refused.”

“Then how do you have a quirk now?” Tiger questioned, an air of suspicion to his voice. 

“Late manifestation,” the teen replied coolly. 

Kota peered at him expectantly. “So you’re gonna be a hero now, right?” The boy’s perpetual frown deepened at Midoriya’s hesitance. “Oh come on, you can’t be stupid enough to not see it. Even without a quirk, you’re one of the best people here to be a hero. What’re you waiting for?”

Midoriya could feel the rest of the class awaiting his answer, some with a buoyant hope and others with the attitude of ‘he’s just gonna say the same thing he always does.’

“It’s…” he began, his past whispering lies to him, “complicated.”

Kota scoffed again, unimpressed. “Yeah, well, you can chuck all those complications in the trash, ‘cause before you even had a quirk, you were my hero.”

Midoriya inhaled sharply, wide eyes flicking to the boy’s face. 

The boy kicked at the ground. “You risked your life to protect me. At the time I hated both heroes and villains, the whole system. But after watching you go through so much to save me, I guess how I saw things changed.” He looked Midoriya in the eyes. “So just be a hero already.”

The former villain opened his mouth to respond, but closed it before any commitment could get out. 

“Hey! Didn’t you help save that little girl a few weeks ago too?” Pixie-bob added. “I bet she also sees you as a hero!”

“Oh yeah, I heard she was kept under pretty brutal conditions with the yakuza,” Mandalay said, “is she doing alright now?”

Midoriya nodded. “She’s officially being moved to UA, so we’ll be seeing a lot more of her.”

“Aww that’s sweet!” Pixie-bob chimed. 

“She and Kota also aren’t the only ones who see you as a hero,” Uraraka cut in, returning the conversation to its previous track. “You helped me at the entrance exam, and at the provisional licensing exam too. You’re also my hero.”

Midoriya only had a few seconds to blink at her surprisedly before Shinso raised his mug in her direction, saying, “Damn straight.”

“I too see you as a hero!” Iida exclaimed, “I would not be here if it weren’t for your actions at Hosu!”

“You stopped Shigaraki from strangling me at the mall,” Yaoyorozu spoke up, “so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see you in a similar light.”

“And you saved me from Dark Shadow at the summer camp,” Tokoyami added, which really stirred up Midoriya’s surprise. 

“If we’re listing off times he’s saved people to convince him to be a hero…” Bakugo began, and everyone turned to him in astonishment, expecting him to admit to a time Midoriya had saved him, “he saved All Might from that falling boulder during training.”

The class sighed disappointedly at getting their hopes up. 

Kota turned back to Midoriya. “You heard all that, so what’s the answer now? Are you gonna be a hero?”

The teen looked at the ground, his curls hiding his eyes from those around him. All of the truth of the present swirled and battled with all the lies of the past, battering around the question of the future. Eventually, one came out on top. 

“Yeah, I think I will.”

The room burst out into a chorus of “finally!” and “let’s go!” He got a few claps on the back while the class cheered, and Uraraka hugged him happily as things settled down again. 

At some point, the Pussycats left to go visit 1-B before the hero rankings could start, and a feeling of contentment persisted throughout the evening, even with All Might officially being replaced as the number one. 

 

“It was just confirmed today that she’s being relocated to UA.”

“Is that so?” the commission president responded, a trace of a scoff in her tone. 

“Yup, that’s what the hospital records report!” Hawks reaffirmed, keeping his cheery smile from wavering. 

“Despite her one of a kind quirk, unique history, and age?”

“Yes mam!”

“I can’t believe they’re wasting such a valuable asset like this,” she complained, skimming over the files Hawks had given her. “The yakuza were too small-minded in their usage of her. Her quirk is the cure to potentially every illness and condition, as well as a viable method of assassination, even torture. She wouldn’t leave a trace.”

“It is quite the strong quirk,” Hawks replied, just trying to get the conversation to the point of finish. 

A streak of greed shone bright in the president’s eyes. “Oh, not only that, with the right amount of training, she could even make someone immortal…” Hawks’ heart thumped in worry. 

“Well it looks like she’s out of the HPSC’s nurturing grasp now.” He tried to keep his relief at the girl being safe out of his tone, but by the way her eyes flicked up to him, he might’ve failed. 

“Continue keeping tabs on her to the best of your ability, without awakening UA’s suspicion,” she ordered, before her tone turned wistful. “If only she’d gone into foster care, then we could’ve taken her in no problem…”

“Will do,” Hawks complied, already turning to leave, hoping that was the end of the conversation. 

“Continue the same with Izuku Midoriya, too. I still don’t believe the late manifestation story they’re selling,” she told him, forcing his walk to the door to halt. 

“Got it.”

“Finally, how is your infiltration of the League going?”

A grim feeling came over Hawks at the mention of that task. “Swell. Dabi’s not letting me meet Shigaraki yet, but we’ve made a deal where he gets to test one of their Nomus. I have a meeting with Endeavor in a couple days to set the whole thing up.”

“Well done,” the president commended. “The intel you’ll gather from them will be invaluable. Continue as you see fit.”

Continuing as he saw fit was leaving, so he gave a polite nod and strode out of her office. Hawks just wished this would all be over as soon as possible. 

 

Midoriya woke up panting, shattered pieces of glass scattered over his floor, singe marks spotting his room. He gazed at his hand, lined with traces of energy, a power he’d never meant to summon fading from his fingertips.

As he thought back to the vague yet realistic dream he’d had, only one question could surface in his mind: “What the hell was that?”

Notes:

Phew, that was alotta stuff. We got Midoriya working through some of his stupidity, some nice joined villain rehabilitation, and an update with HPSC! Also, I know that weird last scene happens at end of the pro hero arc in canon, but there's still a bit more stuff next chap because screw the canon timeline.

Anyway! I was originally planning to have a song in this chap, but it didn't end up working out. So now it's just the chapter song, Comeback by The Score. It would've been while he was deciding to be a hero or not, so give it a listen if you wanna. Really nice song that relates amazingly with the fic, and this chapter in particular, especially with the repeated "What you waiting for?"

Some important stuff coming up next chap, see ya then!

Chapter 85: Wedge of Suspicion

Notes:

There is a kinda important thing in the end notes, so if you normally skim over those... don't this time pls?

Also I especially loved writing the third scene in this lol. Enjoy!

“Huh, Nezu wants to have a meeting with me later today.”

“No, you gotta say it in sign language.”

Midoriya looked up from his phone at Shinso’s light reprimand, and his friend arched his eyebrows expectantly. 

“I technically wouldn’t be saying it, but signing-”

“Shush. Do it for practice.”

“Then why aren’t you signing right now?”

Shinso lifted his hands. ‘Because you have more…’ he frowned for a second, hands pausing, not knowing the word. “Experience,” he said out loud. 

‘That is true,’ Midoriya agreed. ‘N-e-z-u,’ he signed each kanji out, ‘wants to talk to me.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘About weird dream two nights ago?’ 

The former villain’s hands paused for a second. ‘Maybe.’

Shinso hummed in concern. ‘I hope you don’t die.’

Midoriya chuckled. ‘Why would I die?’

‘Because the principal is scary sometimes.’

Shinso’s hands were slow and a little clumsy in putting the movements and signals together, but interpretation was entirely possible. Midoriya himself had gotten much quicker at communicating through sign language, and had expanded his vocabulary and grammar knowledge, but still slowed down for Shinso. 

‘The principal can be scary, but I don’t think I will die,’ Midoriya responded, and Shinso squinted to make out the different signs. ‘It will probably be something simple, like confirming I can keep the collar off.’

 

“I have a super secret mission for you!” Nezu exclaimed happily. 

Well, that was not simple in any respect. Midoriya blinked repeatedly, as if asking if he’d heard the principal right. “Mission…?”

“That’s correct!” Nezu only solidified Midoriya’s confusion. “But before we get to that, I have a slightly less pressing task to discuss, if that’s alright.”

The little creature slid a teacup cup across his desk to Midoriya, and the action was almost a dare to challenge his course of conversation. The teen simply accepted the cup and nodded in submission. 

Nezu’s smile gleamed. “First of all, I wanted to reassure you that strange outburst of your quirk a couple nights ago is not being held against you, and all damage expenses have been paid in full. Whatever triggered it, I’m sure you’ll come to understand it.”

The former villain sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“You’re very much welcome! Onto the next topic, coming up in 1-A and 1-B’s heroics training, the two classes will be facing off against each other. Call it joint training, if you will. I have recently heard that you are strongly considering a path of heroics?”

Midoriya nodded firmly, no hesitation. 

“How splendid! I also understand that your lessons in One For All’s usage with All Might have been proceeding well, so I have no doubt that you’ll easily be able to transfer into the hero course, if not this year, then next year absolutely!”

The teen’s face brightened. “Thank you, that sounds amazing.”

“Of course! However, moving back to the topic of class A and B’s joint training, I believe that’s an ideal opportunity to improve your ability in your quirk, as well as develop stronger relations with the students! 1-B students in particular…”

Midoriya frowned slightly, thinking back to one specific blond in 1-B that he did not feel like conversing with, “...what’re you proposing?”

“Nothing too strenuous, but the best way to describe it is a referee! You’ll travel around the field, using your quirk as practice, and report back to the people watching the different things you notice. You’ll also take notes on both classes this time, instead of exclusively 1-A. And if tensions begin running too high between the classes during a match, then it’ll be your job to step in.”

“...this all just sounds like a way to give Mr. Aizawa and Vlad King a break from teaching.”

The principal chuckled. “While I’m sure those two will appreciate the help, they will still be teaching their students. But I heard your experience at the remedial courses was quite positive, when you taught the students there about the power of words?”

“Oh, yeah, that… was actually pretty fun.”

“Well then, you’ll have a chance to do somewhat similar things during this joint training! Does everything I’ve covered sound acceptable?”

Midoriya bobbed his head up and down. 

“Excellent! Then, moving on to a more serious matter… a mission I’ve disclosed to no one else. Only you will have knowledge of this, and I’d like it to stay between you and me, until I give you express permission to share.”

The former villain’s brow furrowed slightly in concern. It must be a truly weighty topic to keep it a secret like this. 

“I somewhat regret tasking you with this, as it may endanger your new bonds with the class, but I view that as a necessary risk. At this point, you’ve established a healthy support group that you feel comfortable turning to in any situation. You’ve discovered the meaning of friendship and real genuine care, so only now do I think it’s appropriate to ask this of you.”

Midoriya leaned forward in his chair, eager to hear what could have Nezu of all creatures preoccupied. 

“I want you to investigate those around you to see if any of them are traitors.”

It took several seconds, but once the words sunk in, Midoriya pulled in a long, shaky breath. The implications of such a request were obvious. 

“You think someone in 1-A is working with the League.”

Nezu’s smile turned more polite than anything. “No, not just 1-A. Possibly 1-B, or even one of the teachers. It’s certainly not an unfair assumption to make, and who better to explore such a matter than you?”

Agitation pricked Midoriya's thoughts. “I trust my friends. That fact shouldn’t be endangered just because I’m a former League member.”

“But if there’s truly a foundation to mistrust any of them, then isn’t that an issue worth investigating?” Nezu prompted, which only made the teen narrow his eyes. “Let me ask you this: during your time in the League, which I know may be painful to recall, was there any hint or suspicion of any of the members being in contact with someone from UA?”

Some of Midoriya’s indignation dissipated as he remembered the meeting the League had held before attacking the summer camp. 

“Master has allies in unlikely places.”

…maybe that reason to mistrust was more founded than Midoriya realized. How else would Shigaraki have gotten the secluded location of the summer camp?

At the frown of thought on his face, Nezu continued. “So you see? This is an issue that is highly important to resolve, and with your skills in reading and understanding people, as well as your knowledge of our adversaries, you are the ideal candidate to handle this.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Midoriya grumbled. 

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to enjoy something that forces a wedge of suspicion between you and your friends. But try to think of it like this: the person, or people, working with the League may not like it. They may be miserable, like you were, especially if they’re being forced. So by doing this, you could actually be helping them. Freeing them.”

His eyes widened slightly as Nezu’s words shifted his attitude about this new task. He hesitantly, almost grudgingly, responded with, “Alright, I guess I’m doing this.”

“Wonderful!” the principal exclaimed, though Midoriya continued looking rather dismal. “If it helps, discovering a traitor will permanently prove your innocence in the eyes of Tartarus.”

“That doesn’t really help. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

“One minor thing, yes. We’ve received a request from a news company. They’d like to send one of their reporters to spend a day with class 1-A in the dorms, both to see how students have adjusted to dorm life, and how they’ve adjusted to living with a former villain. While this could be a good way to improve the public’s perceptions of both UA and you, I didn’t want to accept without your approval.”

“Just a day?” The teen thought it over for a second. “That sounds alright. Thanks for checking with me.”

“You’re welcome! I’ll inform you of the date of the visit once it is confirmed. As for now, that is all I had wished to discuss. Any lingering questions?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then I hope you have a lovely rest of the afternoon!”

“Thanks, you too,” Midoriya said, standing up to leave. He got all the way to the door, when a question sprung up in his mind. He turned back to the principal, who tilted his head. “With Christmas coming up, I was wondering if class 1-A would be allowed to make a special trip out of the school…”

“Oh?”

 

As Midoriya stepped back into the dorms, he hated how his smile felt a little more fake. It took a little more effort to keep up, and it was a little harder to feel the smiles of those around him. 

A tiny little excruciating thought kept lingering in the back of his brain. What if they’re working with the League?

Uraraka was the first to catch the strange frown on his face, so she sat down across from him at one of the kitchen tables, and he lifted his eyes from the sign language book he was studying. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned. 

“Nothing,” he replied quickly, dropping his eyes back to the book. He couldn’t tell anyone about his task, not even her. 

“Hey…” she reached out for his hand and gently brushed her thumb over the back of his wrist, a touch that made his gaze reconnect with hers. She studied his eyes closely, peering into their depths to pick out every scab of uncertainty and sadness. Something had changed. 

As he studied her eyes in return, one thought kept replaying in his mind. She couldn’t be a traitor. Her eyes were too kind, too warm, too bright. They hadn’t been sullied by the darkness that came with villainy like his had. Her touch on his wrist and the care in her expression were too genuine. She couldn’t be a traitor, and he felt immense comfort in knowing this. 

So he clutched her hand in his, not caring if he seemed a little desperate, and smiled softly as he continued gazing at her face. 

“You’re so pretty, you know that?”

First a flash of surprise, and then a wobbly smile and a blush spread over her cheeks. “I do now… and hey! Stop trying to distract! Why do you look so… not-yourself?”

He frowned slightly, debating in his head if he should tell her or not. He’d only just learned the comfort of opening up about different stressors, and now he was expected to keep this new mission all to himself. He didn’t want to have to go through something like that, not again.

“Earlier…” he began, tentative, and she waited patiently. “I had a meeting with Nezu, and he told me-”

The sounds of screaming coming from the TV cut his sentence short. Both teens looked over to the living room, not noticing Mina and Shinso sighing in disappointment at the interruption. 

But the events unfolding on the screen quickly took priority in their thoughts. The number one and two heroes were battling a… different type of Nomu.

“You can tell me about it later, if you still want to,” Uraraka offered, and he nodded in confirmation. 

As the two stood up to get closer to the TV, Kirishima asked the former villain, “Hey, that Nomu, have you ever-”

“No. I’ve never seen anything similar to it, not even when I met All For One.”

The grim atmosphere only solidified at his words, and the students were left to watch the rest of the fight in a stunned silence. Both Endeavor and Hawks were clearly going all-out, and yet they were still sustaining possibly life-threatening injuries. 

Midoriya spared a glance in Todoroki’s direction, and his expression was hard to read. But one very perceivable emotion was concern. 

I guess things have gotten a little better between him and his father, if he doesn’t want him to die. 

This thought was proven true when Todoroki let out a tiny sigh of relief at the end of the fight, when Endeavor was still standing. Midoriya hoped that both Todorokis would be okay. 

 

Todoroki still seemed a little buried in thought days later, as the group walked out to the training ground where the joint training would be held. He’d gone home for a day to spend some time with his family… at least he came back with a different glint of determination in his eye instead of a cold and bitter attitude. 

A shout from Mina broke Midoriya out of his thoughts about Todoroki. “Hey! Are you gonna be participating at all in this training? ‘Cause that would be really cool!”

“Yeah!” Kaminari agreed. “You’re practically already a part of 1-A, so you can help us defeat 1-B!”

“But that would make this competition unfair!” Iida spoke up. “1-A would then have a greater number of people!”

“So?” both Mina and Kaminari questioned. 

Midoriya laughed lightly. “No, I’m not gonna be allowed to support either side.” The two groaned in disappointment. “But I am gonna be acting kinda as a ref, to get some more practice with my quirk and take better notes, so you’ll still be interacting with me somewhat.”

“Yay!” they cheered, pumping their fists. The group began nearing the platform where both classes were congregating. 

“I know refs are supposed to be fair, but…” Kaminari began conspicuously, “it’s clear your allegiance is to 1-A, so maybe you could, you know, be a little lenient in some of your calls?”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow, “...how about no.”

“Oh c’mon,” Kaminari joked as they stepped up onto the platform. “Just a little favoritism? ‘Cause I know there’s no way you want 1-B to win!”

Someone coughed from behind the blond, and Kaminari whipped around to see 1-B watching with unimpressed expressions. 

Kamakiri crossed his arms, letting the tips of his blades emerge from his forearms. “What was that now?” he growled. 

Kaminari laughed nervously. “Hah, um, nothing! Just a joke!”

Midoriya smiled and shook his head. “I want whichever class is the best to win, which I hope is 1-A, but I haven’t seen enough of 1-B to know the outcome for sure.”

“We’ll be sure to surprise you then!” Kendo promised, with a good-natured competitive smile. 

“Oh, we certainly will!” Monoma barked, causing Kendo’s smile to falter, and he turned to Vlad King. “Why are we letting this partisan villain have any control over the training?!”

Midoriya’s eyes flicked to Vlad to see how he’d respond, and the teacher simply huffed, “I’m not completely sure myself, but I assure you, if he does anything uncalled for, he’ll be answering to me.”

Right, Aizawa was pretty much the only teacher who actually trusted Midoriya. 

“And he’s not a villain,” Shinso added, glaring at Monoma. “So don’t call him that.”

Monoma opened his mouth to snark something back, but Midoriya spoke before him. “If I actually do anything that’s partisan, then you can call me that.”

A smug grin snuggled onto the blond’s face. “Alright then.”

 

The students were sorted into teams and paired off against each other, according to class. As the groups got together and began discussing strategies, Midoriya waved at Aizawa. 

“I’m gonna go take a look around the training ground before you send off the first teams, if that’s alright.”

“Sure,” Aizawa nodded. “Have you got your notebook?”

Midoriya seemingly pulled it out of nowhere. “Yeah.”

“You should probably focus more on 1-B, because you already have plenty of notes on 1-A,” Aizawa suggested, and the teen nodded in understanding. “We might also ask for your perspective a few times, so take this too.”

Midoriya accepted the earpiece and put it on, before tilting his head slightly in confusion. “My perspective?”

“Your analysis may provide useful insights, not to mention you’ll have a better view out in the field.”

“Ah, okay. I already know I should stay quiet, not letting them know where I am, but in what situation should I step in?”

“I honestly don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, at least not until the last match,” the teacher made a small gesture to Monoma’s team. “If you get what I’m saying.”

Midoriya pursed his lips into a slight grimace. “I get it.”

Monoma would be facing off against Shinso’s team… and if their earlier interaction was anything to go by, that match wouldn’t be the friendliest. 

But first, he had four matches to get through before that. 

A few members of 1-A waved bye to him as he walked off the platform into the training ground. Once he was out of sight, he tapped into One For All, and its energy began sparking off him. He leapt up, soon a streak of light in the sky. 

Before actually surveying the ground beneath him, he took a minute just to enjoy the sensation of the wind rushing past him and the feel of the bright blue sky all around. He inhaled, long and slow, as if to bring the peace of his surroundings into his being. 

One For All had allowed him to do some pretty amazing things, and he never wanted to take that for granted. Especially after being powerless his entire life. 

After that little moment of appreciation, he actually started doing his task. He made note of anything important in the terrain of concrete buildings and tangled pipes, before settling down on top of a water-tank looking thing. 

He didn’t have to wait long for the match to start. 

 

It was almost creepy, how quiet it was. 

Midoriya sat huddled on top of a concrete building, using the various entwining pipes to obscure himself from the person he was observing’s vision. 

Shiozaki’s vines twitched and prickled and swayed, and she stood in the center of the sea of green, eyes closed and basked in sunlight. 

He was scribbling down notes rapidly, knowing she was using her vines to search out the surrounding area. Their range was incredible, not to mention their perceptiveness and durability! Her fight with Kaminari at the Sports Festival was clearly just a small glimpse of her capabilities. 

He’d been quite enthralled by the other’s quirks too. Shishida’s beast quirk, Rin’s scales, and Tsuburaba’s solid air. He took as many notes as he could. 

Although he had been a little saddened by Kirishima being locked up in 1-B’s jail so quickly, but at least Tsu had locked up Tsuburaba in return. But not before he had imprisoned Koda in a box of solid air, so things weren’t looking too good for Kaminari and Tsu, the only of 1-A’s team left. 

Still, he was curious to see how the match would turn out. 

 

Tsu and Kaminari won by the slimmest margin possible. 

After Shiozaki had pulled Kaminari in with her vines, he surprised them all by sending out a bolt of lightning that shocked Rin to unconsciousness. Rin had been pulling off one of Kaminari’s tracking devices, which had been stuck onto Shishida. 

Tsu had used their surprise to quickly jump in and knock out Shiozaki, releasing Kaminari from her vines, and the two then worked together to take out Shishida. 

And the thing was, Kaminari had been the one to think of it. Midoriya smirked; the blond had more intelligence than he let on. 

 

“See! I can be smart!” Kaminari shouted to his surrounding students. “Sometimes!”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Jiro sighed. 

Aizawa lifted a hand to his ear. “Midoriya, anything you’d like to add to team A’s strategy at the end there?”

The large screen displaying the feed from various cameras around the training ground switched to show Midoriya crouched atop a pipe. They could see his hand raised to his ear and his mouth moving as he answered. 

“It was a pretty risky plan with only two people, but considering the situation they were in, it was the best they could’ve performed-”

“Lookit that! Even Midoriya thinks it was an awesome plan!” Kaminari bragged. 

“...but there were a lot of ways it could’ve gone wrong,” Midoriya finished, absolutely crushing Kaminari’s spirits. “If Rin had been a little quicker to drop Kaminari’s tracking device, or if Shiozaki had secured him sooner, then team B would’ve won. They didn’t quite have the reaction time or quick planning that team A had to pull off a win.”

The four members of team B kicked at the ground, grumbling to themselves and diverting their eyes dismally. 

“Okay but the plan still worked,” Kaminari insisted. 

“...but it could’ve not worked. You guys lost two people right at the beginning because you weren’t prepared for a surprise attack. A lot of the reason you won was pure chance.”

“Yeah,” Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s got a point.”

“Hey, you guys are still students, still learning. That’s the entire reason for this exercise, to point out areas where you need to improve,” Midoriya encouraged. 

“Thank you for your input,” Aizawa said. 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

Midoriya gasped at the huge level of destruction displayed before him. 

A giant stone version of the word BOOM acted as a dividing wall between team A, Yaoyorozu and Hagakure on one side, Tokoyami and Aoyama on the other. 

Midoriya blinked in utter surprise, his hand halting in its scribbling over the page. Fukidashi had caused that with a single sound? A single word?!

“Midoriya, can you clarify for us what happened. Multiple cameras were just taken out, and we’re having difficulty viewing the training ground.”

It took a couple seconds for the words in his ear to register, and a couple seconds more to formulate a response, “...it was Fukudashi. He shouted the word ‘boom’ and now there’s a giant literal stone boom across the training ground. It split up team A, with Yaoyorozu and Hagakure on one side, Tokoyami and Aoyama on the other.”

At first, Midoriya had been fairly confident team A would win again. Yaoyorozu’s genius planning was a huge advantage, and after Tokoyami had shown off that amazing new move? Making it so he could fly even when it was bright!? Yeah, Midoriya had thought they would win. 

Had thought. He’d clearly underestimated not only Fukudashi, but Komori too, as her mushrooms began to cover everything and everyone. 

Midoriya picked a few mushrooms off his sleeve, studying them to add drawings of them into his notebook. Their sheer variety was astounding. 

He still hadn’t seen Kendo yet, and she was most likely the one orchestrating all of this. Though her giant fist quirk might only serve a couple purposes, she made up for it in intellect. 

This was turning out to be much more interesting than he originally thought. 

 

“So Midoriya, anything to add about team B’s win?”

“...well, Kendo, you succeeded in surprising me.” 

The ginger smiled proudly, an expression that was then reflected in her teammates' faces. 

He mostly reiterated his thoughts from before, about underestimating their quirks and skills. “Team B, you did almost everything right, other than being overly reliant on Kendo’s instruction and causing… a lot of collateral damage. And team A, even though you lost, you performed very well too, finding ways to compensate for everything team B threw at you.”

He flipped through a couple notebook pages, and pulled out the last of the mushrooms from his hair. 

“Overall, I think both sides were amazing.”

And now both classes were tied, too. 

 

Midoriya cringed at the sheer stupidity of Tetsutetsu. He knew people compared the guy to Kirishima a lot, but the redhead would never be this idiotic. He almost pitied his teammates… almost. 

“Good heroes would be able to compensate for one of their teammates acting brashly, whether that action is out of emotion or plain ignorance,” Midoriya responded when Aizawa called for both what the heck was happening, and for the teen’s opinion. “Honenuki is responding the best, so I wouldn’t say team B is going to lose quite yet.”

That ended up being a good call, because the match ended in a tie. In the middle of the match, he’d had to move away from Tetsutetsu and Todoroki’s battle due to the extreme amount of furious heat the latter was giving off. 

He delivered a similar report as the last match, that both teams had performed fairly well, with a few errors here and there. 

“Well it’s not gonna be the same way this round!” Bakugo roared. 

“You’re right, team A is gonna go down,” Tokage taunted, much to Bakugo’s irritation. 

“We’re gonna fricking destroy you!!”

Jiro raised her eyebrows. “You said ‘we.’”

“Hell yeah I did!!”

Kirishima wiped a tear from his eye. 

“I don’t know…” Kendo started hesitantly. “Going off Bakugo’s actions in the past, Midoriya might have to intervene.”

“No, I don’t think I’ll have to do that,” Midoriya spoke up, and surprise flickered across the students’ faces. “I’m more worried I’ll have to step in because of a blond from class B.”

Both Vlad King and Monoma began to object, so Aizawa stepped in and said, “If either begins to act in an unacceptable way, please intervene.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

 

At the end of the match, Midoriya was proven absolutely right. Bakugo’s team did everything right, pulling off a flawless victory. 

“I have nothing to say,” Midoriya commented. “You saw all you needed to.”

He did feel bad for Tokage’s team… but like Kaminari had said at the start, class A was his favorite. 

But while Bakugo smirked at everyone, basking in the glory of winning, Midoriya was much more preoccupied with the last match. Shinso versus Monoma. The two were already shooting glares at each other. 

He had a feeling his smooth sailing was about to end.

Notes:

Kinda going the same route with the joint training that I did with the Sports Fest, just brief overviews. Next match will be more interesting tho...

This chapter's song is I'll Wait by The Strumbellas, has to do with Ochako being willing to wait for him to open up about whatever's bothering him. Fits well with that third scene, and it's just such an uplifting song.

And I will not see you next week! This chap used up a week of my backlog, since I'm taking a little break from this fic. It'll be two weeks for me, but only one week for you guys. So yeah, when I don't post next week like I have for the last eighteen months, no it's not because I've died or been put into a coma or vanished from the internet, I'm taking a break lol.

Feels so incredibly weird to say this, but see ya in a couple weeks.

Chapter 86: Control Your Heart

Notes:

Am back! Hello! Just a little something before this chap:

About the conditions for Shinso to brainwash, he has to focus on a target, who then has to respond verbally to something he says. Most people focus on the second condition, responding verbally. But if he loses focus on his target, then that also would stop him from brainwashing. Just something to note.

Okay then! Enjoy the chap!

“Hey Mr. Aizawa,” Midoriya called over the comms, “Is it alright if I have a quick word with team A before the match starts?”

“As long as you aren’t giving them an advantage, sure, whatever,” the teacher responded indifferently. 

Having received permission, Midoriya hopped over the pipes and concrete structures, over to where he knew team A was starting. They were in a huddle discussing their strategy when he arrived, and the sparking energy surrounding him dimmed away as he approached. 

Shinso and Uraraka eyed him surprisedly, as well as Mina and Mineta. 

“S-sorry,” he apologized once he realized he’d interrupted, “but I just need to talk with Shinso and Uraraka really fast.”

“You’re good,” Uraraka reassured, already walking towards him. Shinso followed, concern tracing his expression. 

“I just wanted to warn you guys about Monoma,” he said once they were a good distance away. 

Their faces soured at the blond’s name, and Shinso scoffed, “What about him?”

“I’m worried what he might say to you guys,” the former villain answered. “We all know he likes getting a rise out of people, anything to make 1-A seem immature or inferior. And he knows I’m closest to you two. It’s not a far reach to assume he’s going to say some pretty demeaning stuff about me to get you two to act rashly.”

“So what if we act rashly?” Shinso growled. “He’d deserve it.”

“Because- because I don’t want you two getting hurt because of me!” Midoriya responded, voice rising slightly. “Or making a fool out of yourselves, just…” he took a deep breath, making a steple of his fingers over his nose. “Please don’t react too harshly to anything he says about me.”

“Instructions unclear: float him into the sun?” Uraraka replied, and Shinso snorted. At the pursed lipped smile Midoriya gave her, she laughed. “Alright alright, we’ll keep that in mind! But no promises…”

Midoriya couldn’t argue, with the way she dramatically cracked her knuckles. “Okay… thanks.”

 

Midoriya clenched his jaw, every muscle in his body tense. Shinso and Monoma were seconds away from encountering each other. Three… two… one-

“Aha! There you are, you ignorant fool!”

“What did you call me!?”

The only response Monoma gave was a sly grin, splaying his arms open like he was all that. Shinso tsked, choosing to run at his opponent instead, hand on his capture weapon. 

“If you’re gonna call me an ignorant fool, you should at least explain why, rub all your superiority in my face, right?” Shinso swung up to the concrete platform Monoma was on, and in a fluid movement transitioned into an attempt to capture the blond. “You leech!”

Monoma showed a faint twitch of irritation as he dodged, before retaliating by sending enlarged bolts zooming at the member of class A. 

That’s Kodai’s and Yanagi’s quirks, Midoriya noted. 

Shinso dodged, but just barely, gritting his teeth. He was able to gain a few steps, only to be knocked back again by the flying objects. Monoma smirked, now floating above the platform on a giant gear. 

“I can see how much you want to brag,” Shinso snarled, which only made the blond’s enraging grin widen. 

As the scuffle continued, Midoriya thought through team A’s plan. It made sense. Team B would be most wary of Shinso because of his quirk, so by sending him out alone he could capture their attention, allowing the rest of the team to launch a surprise attack. 

Monoma’s liking of abusing his opponent’s emotional reactions was also neutralized against Shinso, since he was unable to talk without getting brainwashed. Overall, things were looking good for team A. 

Midoriya debated leaving the scene to find the others and check up on their status. After a couple seconds, he stood up and let One For All trickle into his system, ready to jump away. 

“How does it feel, knowing you’ve assisted the League in their endeavors of murdering innocent people?”

His movements halted. That had been Monoma’s voice. 

Midoriya whipped back around, forgetting to turn off One For All, to see if the blond was now brainwashed. To his utter dismay, he was still smirking at Shinso’s infuriated expression. 

Monoma had been yanked back down to the platform from his floating gear, but not before sending an array of enlarged items at Shinso, who’d had to perform some advanced maneuvers to dodge. 

He had to have his focus on the target to brainwash. 

If that focus was taken off, by say, dodging, then he couldn’t put someone under his control. 

A pesky little flaw that was usually avoided by sneak attacks, but in this case, Monoma had capitalized on it. 

Midoriya had felt his own chest flare up in anger at such an ignorant question, so he could imagine what Shinso was feeling. It didn’t even take much imagining, since the fury was burning bright in his eyes. 

“I’ve done nothing of the sort!” he shouted, flinging a giant bolt in Monoma’s direction with the capture weapon. “And you know it!!”

Monoma just smiled, sighing silently in disappointment and shaking his head after avoiding Shinso’s attack.

The next time the member of team A was distracted, he let another few petulant words slip out. 

“It’s called guilty by association. Deku’s buddies with murderers, and since you’re his friend, so are you.”

Midoriya was too focused on how Shinso was so blatantly ignoring his request from before, about not getting riled up, that he didn’t notice his own quirk beginning to outrage in response. 

It was at the third lie Monoma uttered that really plucked that thread of rage deep inside him. 

“You’re just as evil as he is, villain.”

Midoriya’s breath hitched, before a torrent of anger gushed through his thoughts and overturned any reasoning. The sparks on his skin leapt up in fury, crackling brighter, like a fire that’d had gasoline poured on it. 

Then something new erupted out of that flaring lightning. Something wild, emotional, and dark. 

The former villain cried out in pain and surprise as the tendrils of shadow stabbed out of his skin, sending bolts of torment and fear up his arm and to his mind. The darkness began swirling and raging around him, surrounding him in an unbearable night. 

What… is… this?

Thoughts could barely form through the intense suffering; the only thing his mind could focus on was stabbing pain ripping through his arm and the suffocating rage he’d felt seconds ago towards Monoma. 

Wait… anger. That’s what triggered this. 

He clenched his jaw, tears pricking at his eyes, as he tried to focus on how much he did not want this. This overwhelming power, it could hurt someone, all because of his foolish rage. The concrete wall he’d been hiding behind crumbled easily, and he spotted Monoma and Shinso backing away, their battle paused. 

I might hurt them. 

His vengeful anger had already hurt too many people in the past, and now that he’d finally gotten a handle on it, he didn’t want any more people being added to the count he’d harmed. Getting revenge, exacting what’s due, it was never worth it, no matter what the offender’s words or actions. 

I don’t want this. 

All his mental energy went into that thought, and he focused every fiber of his being on stopping the quirk that was circulating him and quaking the ground. 

I want to help, not hurt. 

The roiling blackness began to still, shrinking back into his body as that one thought permeated everything in his brain. 

With a final shout of “NO!” the tendrils retreated back into his skin, leaving Midoriya gasping for air and collapsing on the ground. He quickly swallowed the vomit rising up in his throat, thinking he’d already caused a big enough mess. 

He laid there, his panting being the only sound in the stunned silence. The rapid footfalls of Shinso’s boots were the second sound. 

“Are you okay!?” he shouted, voice riddled with worry. “What the hell was that?!”

Midoriya managed to get his feet under him by the time Shinso arrived at his side, and he ignored the slight tremble in his legs. “I’m… not sure. It felt kinda similar to that weird dream I had the other night, but… different. Stronger.”

It was then he noticed his earpiece stranded among the concrete rubble, emitting a tiny voice. He shakily walked over to it and inserted it back into his ear, to be immediately greeted by Aizawa’s questioning. 

 

“Midoriya, what the hell happened to you?”

“I don’t know,” his voice echoed over the watching students. 

Class 1-A watched on in concern, worried about their friend, eyes wide in confusion. 1-B’s gazes were slightly more suspicious and untrusting, even a little scared, but concern still seemed to be the general consensus of emotion. 

All Might showed the most worry by far, despite his attempts at slowing his breathing and wiping the sweat from his brow. 

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t you head to Recovery Girl, to make sure you haven’t obtained any serious injuries. And don’t you dare say you’re fine. It’s obvious you were in pain, so just go to the damn nurse.”

“...you don’t have to be so firm about it.”

“Now.”

“Okay, okay!”

 

All Might walked back with him, the first question he asked being, “Are you okay? It looked like whatever that was caused you a lot of pain.”

Midoriya held his forearm, fingers brushing over the area where the black tendrils had emerged. His jacket sleeves were shredded, he noted ruefully. “Yeah, I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt, not anymore, at least.”

The retired hero’s brow furrowed slightly, not completely content with that answer, but he decided to leave the rest of his questions until they were sure he wasn’t going to spontaneously combust or something. “I’m glad it’s stopped for now.”

All the teen could respond with was a nod, and silence hung over the two for the rest of their walk to Recovery Girl’s office. The old doctor sent All Might a glare the moment she saw the state Midoriya was in. 

“What’d you make him do this time?” she asked, a threat lingering in her tone. 

“Nothing!” the blond promised. “We don’t know exactly what happened, actually…”

“Yeah, One For All did something we’ve never seen before.” Midoriya backed his mentor up. 

Her expression softened, and she quickly invited them both into her office. She performed her usual routine of tests on the teen, checking his response to stimuli, reflexes, blood pressure, and temperature. 

“While you’re a little warm, there doesn’t seem to be anything terribly wrong,” Recovery Girl said once she was finished. 

All Might exhaled in relief. “That’s good to hear.”

She walked up to Midoriya again. “You said you were experiencing pain in your arms?” He nodded, and she reached out for his arm and examined it. “Hm… this area is mildly agitated, but it’s nothing severe. You don’t feel any discomfort currently?”

He shook his head, and she grumbled something about a stupid high pain tolerance level. 

“Well, it should clear up in a couple hours. Since you feel alright, I don’t think it’s necessary to use up your stamina to quicken that process, but don’t exert yourself the rest of the day,” she gave him a pointed look, “got it?”

“Yes, thank you,” he responded with a small smile. 

“Of course, dear. Now I can tell All Might wants to talk to you, so I’ll let you two do that now.”

“Thank you, Recovery Girl,” All Might said as she hobbled over to her desk in the corner. 

“At least it wasn’t because of you this time,” she said lowly, and the old hero let out a nervous laugh. 

“All Might?” At Midoriya’s voice, All Might refocused his attention on the boy. “What… what happened? One For All has never done anything like that, and I was afraid I was going to hurt someone and- and… I don’t wanna go through that again.”

All Might’s face crumpled a little. “I wish I could answer that, Young Midoriya, but I don’t think I can. I’ve never experienced that with One For All either. What did it feel like? Do you know what could’ve caused it?”

“It felt like a gushing stream of needles pouring out of my forearms, but if the needles were really concentrated bits of energy and power. It hurt a lot, and was scary.”

The hero’s face crumpled a lot at that, and he instinctually moved to sit beside his successor, offering the comfort of closeness. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, and I promise to do all I can to figure out what happened.”

After a couple seconds, Midoriya leaned into All Might’s side, and the hero wrapped a consoling arm around him, “...I think it was anger that triggered it. Or strong emotion. Monoma was saying some terrible things to Shinso, and I got upset, and then… it just all came out.”

All Might hummed, trying to figure out where this all fit with his knowledge of the quirk. 

“Then by controlling my anger and focusing on how I didn’t want to hurt anyone, I was able to get it back under control again.”

“Well done, my boy.”

“Thanks… do you think this could have anything to do with that dream I had a couple nights ago?”

All Might raised a hand to his chin in thought. “Maybe, you said you saw the past users of One For All again, right? Just like you had when Shinso brainwashed you in training?”

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah, the guy with white hair and green eyes. He reached out and… we actually touched hands. It felt real.”

“Did he say anything this time?” the blond asked curiously. 

The vestige’s previous words from the brainwashing reentered Midoriya’s mind: “So you’re the ninth. What an interesting choice.”

The teen smiled faintly. “Yeah, he did say something in the dream too. ‘You’re doing well. Keep it up.’ It was weirdly encouraging.”

All Might’s face glowed with fondness, content knowing the vestige’s were so far satisfied with his choice of successor. “Well, at any rate the previous users may be in some way responsible for this new outburst in One For All. I’ll be sure to perform some research on them to dig up as much intel as I can.”

“That sounds good, thanks. Though couldn’t I also, just, you know, ask Shinso to brainwash me? Since that’s how I talked with them in the first place?”

All Might blinked at the much simpler option. “Yeah… that’s worth giving a shot.” Midoriya chuckled, and the small vibration of the laugh caused joy to swell in the retired hero’s mind. He pulled the boy in tighter as he said quietly, “I’ll do all I can to make sure you never go through pain like that again.”

 

When Midoriya returned to the dorms, the class was quick to ask if he was okay. 

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine!” he promised, waving his arms in front of him to stave off the wave of questions. “Recovery Girl said I’m alright, and whatever that was has stopped. For now, at least,” he added under his breath. Jiro was the only one who caught it, and her brow furrowed in concern, eyes flicking to Uraraka, who had just bounded down the stairs. 

“Are you okay?!” she demanded, reaching out for his forearms, which were still bare from his torn jacket. He tried to hide his blush at the gentle touch on his skin. 

“Yes, I’m good now,” he reiterated, offering a smile he hoped would appease her, before asking, “How did your match end?”

Before she had a chance to respond, another comment cut into the conversation. 

“I thought you said you never accepted a quirk from All For One,” Bakugo said, a growl to his tone. 

His words made Midoriya realize two things: one, keeping One For All a secret was going to be much harder now, and two, people were going to assume he had strong relations with All For One even more. 

“I didn’t,” Midoriya was quick to retort. 

The blond tromped up to him, and Uraraka stepped in front of him protectively. “Then the hell was that second quirk? You wouldn’t be able to do that if you didn’t accept something from that sick bastard!”

“I never accepted anything from him!” the former villain snapped back, a sharp edge to his voice. 

Kirishima put a hand on Bakugo’s shoulder. “I think what Bakugo’s trying to say is, we’d appreciate an explanation as to what that outburst was.”

The blond shrugged his hand off, but still looked towards Midoriya for an answer. Bakugo had been suspicious of All For One offering him a quirk since day one. It had been their first interaction when Midoriya had arrived at UA for rehabilitation. 

“I’m still not quite sure exactly what it was, but it’s just another facet of my quirk, the one that manifested late. It was triggered by emotion, so I should be able to stop it from happening again.”

Bakugo narrowed his eyes. “Tch, your late manifestation story is getting shakier by the day.”

“That’s too bad, ‘cause it’s the truth.”

The blond scoffed, before spinning around and stomping up to his room. As Midoriya looked around at the class, what he’d said had seemed to appease them. For now, at least. 

“And you said Bakugo was getting better,” Shinso muttered, glaring down into his empty coffee mug. 

Midoriya sighed. “He is… in a way what he just did was a form of being worried.”

“I still think it was a good idea for me to stand in between, though,” Uraraka said, turning back to him. “You good?”

“Yeah. Anyway, back to my question from before, how’d your match end?”

Only after determining he wasn’t lying about being alright did she answer. “We won! Shinso was able to take out Monoma with that diaphragm kick of his, and the rest of us were able to take out the other people!”

“The jerk wouldn’t answer me, so I gave him a nice knee in the stomach,” Shinso mumbled triumphantly. 

Midoriya’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and they spent the rest of the afternoon recounting the match’s events so he could finish up his notes from earlier. 

 

“Hey Shinso, can you brainwash me?”

Shinso’s heavy eyelids blinked, very slowly, his confusion and exhaustion at the question showing at the same time. He’d just wanted a late-evening cup of coffee. “Can I at least ask why?”

“Er…” saying he was meeting with ghosts inside his quirk wasn’t exactly a suitable response, so… “I think it might help with how my quirk has been acting strange lately, you know, with the dreams and… other stuff.”

“How do we know it won’t cause that weird outburst again?”

Midoriya shook his head. “I think that was triggered by emotion, so brainwashing should be perfectly safe.”

After a long, tired sigh that questioned the point of life, Shinso said, “Fine, go sit down.”

The former villain’s green pupils became hollow and his face empty, and his legs carried him stiffly to the closest kitchen table. 

“Yo Shinso, whaddya doing?” Kaminari asked from playing video games on the couch. 

“He asked for it. Literally.”

 

Midoriya once again found himself in the expansive black void of One For All, swirling with energy and the unknown. 

His mouth was still covered, but he could use his hands to sign, if anyone came to talk to him. Which someone did. Someone new. 

“Kid, you did it all wrong!!”

The teen whipped around to find a gruff looking man with a strong chin and a vague red aura coming off around him. 

“You got too angry, too mad! You can’t let your emotions get the better of you like that!”

Midoriya ducked his head and lifted his hands. ‘I know, but I was able to control it after that.’

The man huffed. “Yeah that’s true, good going on that, but you can’t afford to mess up in the first place. Not with all the extra power you’ve got inside you now.”

He tilted his head in confusion. ‘What?’

“Oh right! I never introduced myself! Name’s Daigoro Banjo, and what you used out there today was my amazingly awesome quirk, Blackwhip.” Daigoro stepped forward and pointed at the boy’s chest. “Now listen. One For All is tied to your emotions, and Blackwhip is tied to One For All. If you get upset, it has a massive ripple effect and can have huge repercussions.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding. ‘I’ve been getting better at it.’

“You have, but at the same time, today you demonstrated you haven’t quite mastered your heart. You get me?” After another nod, he continued, “You’re gonna have five more quirks manifest from One For All, and you’re gonna hafta learn how to control all of ‘em. Not gonna be easy, but hey, us vestiges got faith in you. Well, most of us do,” he added in a grumble. 

All Midoriya could respond with was, ‘I’ll do my best.’

Daigoro smiled and nodded, satisfied with that response. “Alright kid, I’ll let you go now, I said what I wanted. Spend some time with that new girlfriend of yours, ‘cause I gotta admit, with your social skills I was doubtful for a while that you’d manage to get anywhere in the love department.”

The parts of Midoriya’s cheeks that weren’t covered in the black mist grew red. 

As the vestige faded from his vision, he shouted, “Remember, control your heart!”

 

Uraraka thought Midoriya’s request to be brainwashed was quite peculiar. She knew of at least one person within his quirk, and she couldn’t help but wonder, was Shinso’s brainwashing a means of communicating with them?

She needed to ask him about that at some point, but when she noticed him waking up from Shinso’s quirk, she had a different topic she wanted to ask him about. 

He was still rubbing the fog from his eyes when she sat down across from him, and his face lit up when he saw her. 

“Anything interesting happen?” she asked, and by the way he lowered his hands to his lap so he could fidget without her seeing was sign enough he was about to lie. 

“Kinda interesting, yeah. Um, did you have something you wanted to talk about?”

She nodded with a smile, choosing not to feel saddened that he didn’t feel comfortable sharing everything with her yet. She knew that trust would come in time. “Yeah, with Christmas coming up, me and a few others were talking about going shopping for gifts. I kinda assumed you’d like to come along for that?”

He agreed without hesitation. He’d never given a Christmas present to anyone other than his mom, and never received one from anyone else either. 

Uraraka saw the eagerness on his face and laughed. “In a couple days sound good?”

“Yeah, can’t wait!”

Notes:

To further elaborate on Blackwhip's emergence, my interpretation of that event in canon is that it got so out of control because Midoriya had let his anger at Monoma's words control him. He hadn't had any experience reigning in that anger, but in this fic, because of the pain his anger has caused others, he has had experience with that. So that's why he was able to get a handle on it, unlike his canon counterpart.

Anyway! This chapter's song is Ignite by Skillet. Quite a few of the lyrics fit well with the Blackwhip scene.

*glances at next chapter* ...some good stuff happening there lol, see ya then!

Chapter 87: Let Them

Notes:

Hmmmm don’t think there’s anything to say this chap. Uhh… nothing ever goes wrong at the mall! That is all you have to know. Yes.

Enjoy!

All Might slammed the notebook down on the coffee table with a pleased grin, a proud glint in his eye. Midoriya raised his eyebrows. Normally All Might didn’t call him into a staff room without a reason, so he inspected the notebook closely. 

“Uh… thank you?” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

All Might chuckled. “I suppose I have to explain what this is, don’t I? I’ve been working on it ever since you talked with Nana at the provisional licensing exam, in case you ever came into contact with other vestiges. Which you have!”

“Ohh…” Understanding came into his eyes, as he picked up the notebook and began thumbing through it. 

“Their quirks are also detailed in there, which based on what Daigoro told you, that information will be very useful for when they manifest.”

“Yeah, super,” Midoriya agreed, already skimming through Daigoro’s page. 

All Might watched for a few moments as the boy ingested the information with intense interest, and he smiled fondly. After a bit, Midoriya closed the book and looked up at the retired hero with a wide smile of gratitude. 

“Thank you so much for this. It’ll be really helpful!”

“Well, I did promise I’d do everything I could to stop you from experiencing anything like Blackwhip’s manifestation again… this is me coming through on that.”

Midoriya’s eyes gleamed, and he thanked his mentor again.

All Might puffed a laugh through his nose. “Now come on, you can’t spend all day thanking me. Don’t you have a little girl to visit?”

The teen shot up from his seat. “Right! I promised Eri I’d eat lunch with her today!”

“Well, you better get going then,” All Might commented, noting how it was already a couple minutes into the lunch period. 

Midoriya moved quickly towards the door, and after thanking All Might a third time, to which the hero just smiled and shook his head, he bolted down the hall towards Eri’s room. 

 

Eri looked up from her drawing at the clock, and her brow furrowed slightly when she saw that Midoriya was late. Mirio had shown her what position the hands would be in when he arrived, but it had already gone past that position. 

Mirio seemed to have noticed too, but he was quick to distract her. Looking away from his own dinosaur scribbled in crayon, he said, “Wow, Eri! What a pretty butterfly!”

Just as she stuttered out a “thank you,” the door swung open and Midoriya bustled in. 

“Sorry I’m late,” he apologized, plopping on the floor across from Eri and Mirio. After seeing the rudimentary drawings in front of them, he took his own paper and some crayons. “How’re you two?”

“I-I’m…” Eri began, looking to Mirio for his nod of encouragement, “I’m good, now that you’re here.”

Midoriya chuckled at Mirio’s mock offended gasp, which Eri didn’t understand the meaning of. The former villain made sure to give her a big grin. “Thanks! Happy to be here.”

“I’m awesome too!” Mirio exclaimed. “After some debate, I was able to get permission to participate in heroics classes again! So I’m looking forward to that.”

“That’s good to hear,” Midoriya responded, sketching the outline of a shooting star. “I’m looking forward to going Christmas shopping tomorrow with some friends. Hope that’ll be fun.”

Mirio barked out a laugh. “When is Christmas shopping not fun!?”

“...when you’re an anxious introvert.”

“Um…” Eri started hesitantly, and both boys turned to look at her. “What’s krismos?”

“Right! You don’t know what the holidays are!” Mirio realized, while Midoriya raised his pencil to his mouth in thought. 

“Well, Christmas is a day of happiness and giving. You usually have a party with some friends and family, and exchange gifts.”

Eri tilted her head. “Gifts?”

Midoriya smiled and nodded. “Gifts. A gift is something you give to another person because you think it’ll make them happy.”

Eri thought hard for a moment, scrunching her face up in concentration. Then her expression lit up. “I know! I wanna give you and Lemillion a gift! But I don’t have anything to give you…”

“That’s okay!” Midoriya quickly reassured. “I don’t have anything to give my friends yet either, but that’s why we’re going Christmas shopping tomorrow, to buy things to give to other people. I’m sure everyone would be okay with you coming too.”

The girl’s eyes widened as she gripped her crayon in excitement. “Really?”

Midoriya laughed, “Yes really! So whaddya say, wanna come?”

Eri sprang up from the floor, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Yeah!”

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you so hyped for anything, Eri,” Mirio commented with a joyful grin at Eri being so enthusiastic. “Have any idea what you’d wanna give as a gift?”

The girl’s expression returned to that of intense focus, and they spent the rest of their lunch time, and some time after, discussing possible things they’d like for Christmas. 

 

Midoriya let out a sigh of contentment as he exited Eri’s room to return to cleaning. She was smiling more and more, and it was wonderful to see. 

He waved at a couple bots as he made his way to the cleaning closet, and they gave a curt nod in response. Midoriya didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried at how they’d once promised to spare him from their eventual technological revolution. 

He dismissed the thought from his mind as he started cleaning the windows again, letting music fill his mind instead. He’d gotten quite used to his daily routine of cleaning and helping out with classes, then relaxing with 1-A in the afternoon, and spending time with Uraraka in the evening. 

He’d also memorized UA’s schedule, so he could be in the ideal spot when the bells rang to encounter the least number of people. 

But his meeting with Eri had thrown him off today, with staying longer than the usual lunch time. 

He flinched when the bell rang, before being filled with a cold sense of dread that pooled in his stomach. A lot of students used the hallway he was currently in to get to different areas of the school, and it wasn’t long before he heard approaching footfalls. 

His relationship to the school had gotten better after the festival, with students spreading word about his performance, or watching it themselves online. And while the joint training incident had been kept quiet for the most part, that didn’t stop rumors from circulating. Whispers had sprung back up when he was around. 

Midoriya gritted his teeth. He might have to ask Uraraka or Bakugo to punch Monoma again, seeing as he was the most likely to stoop low enough to start the rumors. 

Because of that, things had iced back over again in his relations to the student body. While it was still much better than when he’d first arrived at the school, it didn’t stop his skin from prickling as he felt suspicious or wary stares on his back. 

Midoriya could do nothing but stiffen up as he continued cleaning the windows, trying to ignore the fear that had seeped back into people’s perceptions of him. 

At least the news of his weird quirk outburst was staying within UA’s walls, as well as all the whispers about All For One that came with it. 

Mostly. 

 

The next morning, Midoriya’s eyes cracked open slowly, his mind taking a few seconds to register he was conscious. Light from his dorm window streamed into vision. 

Huh, that’s weird. Usually it isn’t this bright when I wake up…

He blinked a few times to clear the bleariness from his eyes, and his vision eventually focused in on the clock on the wall. 

9:12

His surprise pushed away some of his tiredness, and he sat up in bed as a yawn floated out of his mouth. He’d managed to sleep in. 

Normally a nightmare or preoccupation woke him up sooner, and kept him up too. The last time he’d managed to sleep past six was when the class had stayed up inordinately late after he’d returned from being held captive at the Shie Hassaikai. 

He marveled at how refreshed his brain felt. Was this what it felt like to have a healthy sleep schedule? He didn’t know, but as he thought of the Christmas shopping he had planned for the day, he figured he’d enjoy the feeling of being well-rested as much as he could. 

 

“Aren’t you coming?” Midoriya asked Shinso, who was already making his third cup of coffee for the morning in the kitchen. “And you realize how bad drinking that much coffee is for you, right?”

“Wasn’t planning to. And does it look like I care?”

“...no it doesn’t, guess that’s a fair point. But you should come! I think it’d be a fun experience.” After a second, Midoriya blinked. “Wow does it feel weird being on this side of inviting people to things.”

Shinso snorted. “Nah, I’m good. Never really been a fan of the whole… gift giving thing.”

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “Is that just because you don’t know what to get for people?”

Shinso opened his mouth, before closing it and grumbling. 

Midoriya chuckled. “Hey, we can help you with that! If you decide to come, that is…”

“I don’t really have a choice at this point, do I?” Shinso sighed. “Who else is coming?”

“Um… Uraraka, Iida, Kaminari, and Mina. Oh and Eri too.”

“So the two most unbearable people in the class,” Shinso muttered, staring dolefully down into his coffee mug. 

After a pause, Mina shouted from the living area. “I heard that!”

The boys looked over to see Jiro snickering, and Midoriya was reminded that she could hear any conversation in the dorms she wanted. Actually, maybe he could ask her if anyone acted suspicious to find the trai-

He shook his head. No, he was thinking about a fun get together with friends, not exposing one of them for being a villain. 

“You okay?”

Midoriya got out of his head at Shinso’s question and gave a quick smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”

His friend didn’t quite look convinced. “If you say so.”

Iida arrived minutes later, declaring that going shopping earlier would be best so they could avoid the crowds of the afternoon. Seeing as both Shinso and Midoriya wanted to avoid people as much as possible, they agreed with this plan. 

So once Uraraka bumbled down the stairs after sleeping in very late, the group of teens picked Eri up at the gate and left for the closest mall. 

 

The moment they arrived at the mall, Midoriya could feel something off. 

He tried shaking the feeling. This was a fun outing with his friends. People didn’t typically recognize him unless they looked closely, and he’d blend in even more with a group of fellow teens. 

Besides, people hadn’t been looking at him like he was some heartless villain as much. It would be okay. 

Despite reassuring himself of this, he couldn’t deny something was wrong. Uraraka noticed his uneasiness. 

“You okay?” she asked him quietly, tilting her head. 

The first response that came to mind was ‘yeah, I’m good,’ but he decided against that, choosing to be honest instead. He ducked his head and answered, “Something feels wrong.”

Her brow furrowed, trying to understand what could have him upset. She didn’t immediately refute his claim by saying everything was okay, and instead validated his feelings by lacing her fingers with his and smiling kindly. 

“Well, whatever it is, I’ll be here to help.”

Midoriya’s heart thumped in his chest as he once again wondered how he deserved a girl like this. 

He squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”

The group walked through the entrance, Shinso holding Eri’s hand so she didn’t get lost. Iida had already pulled out a map of the mall, announcing the different stores that would be mostly likely to have what they wanted. Mina bounced up and down from both the excitement of shopping and seeing Midoriya and Uraraka hold hands, while Kaminari was scrolling through his phone for dog pictures to get back at Shinso calling him one of the most unbearable members of the class. 

It was a fairly normal scene for a group of rowdy teenagers. 

But it only took a couple minutes for that to change, as they started walking through the mall. 

Midoriya was the first to notice the stares they were getting. Or rather, the stares he was getting. They were distrusting, judgemental stares too, and that negativity then carried over to the people around him. 

Shinso was the second to notice, then Uraraka, and Iida was the last. Eri huddled closer to Shinso, while Iida looked around confusedly, as if the reason for their stares was hidden in their surroundings. 

Midoriya lowered his head, curling into himself, his only relief being Uraraka gently squeezing his hand. 

“I don’t get it,” Midoriya choked out, almost a whisper. “Even when I’ve come here for the class’s errands, it’s never been this bad.”

“I think I just figured out why they’re all looking at us…” Kaminari grimaced, before holding his phone out to Midoriya and Uraraka. 

It was the website of a trash news outlet, the type to twist the truth or even fabricate stories just for the views. It was a popular news outlet nonetheless. 

“League member Deku spotted repeatedly at shopping mall! Caught stealing on camera! Is he truly as reformed as we thought?”

Midoriya gritted his teeth, irritation making him clench his fists. There were multiple things wrong with that article title, the most obvious being the claims of him stealing. They also didn’t bother to put ‘former’ in front of ‘League member.’ And that final question…

He’d worked so hard to gain people’s trust, only for places like this to rip it away and offer doubt in return, getting paid all the while. 

Uraraka brushed her thumb over his hand to placate him, but he could tell from the pinching of her brow together, she was irked too. 

Once Kaminari showed it to the others, Midoriya said, “It’s me they’re staring at. I can just leave so you guys can enjoy your shopping.”

“To heck with that,” Shinso responded immediately, being mindful of his language because of the little girl clinging to his side. “You shouldn’t be punished ‘cause of something you didn’t even do.”

“Agreed,” Iida said, “We’re not letting one of our friends leave just because of some deceived people. We’ll simply have to tolerate them.”

“I guess.” As they continued walking, Midoriya knew that wouldn’t be the end of it. 

He was proven right when they tried to enter their first store. 

It was a shop with music-lined shelves, holding various CDs and albums from Japanese bands and around the world. Midoriya had been in there a couple times for something Jiro had asked for, or to just browse the music for himself. 

But this time when he tried to enter, the crabby old manager came out and stopped the whole group. 

Iida stepped up to address him. “Please, good sir, we’re only trying to find some gifts for our friends for Christmas. We assure you, we will not cause any disruption.”

“I’m sure you won’t, but he will,” the manager jabbed a finger in Midoriya’s direction. “The rest of you can come in, but not him. I’ve had a number of CDs go missing for no reason this past week, and now I know why!”

“But I haven’t even been here this past week,” Midoriya muttered under his breath. 

Eri tentatively walked up to the grumpy individual and gave him her biggest puppy dog eyes. “Can you please let Mido into the store?

The manager didn’t even miss a beat. “Get a better role model, kid.”

Right then, Midoriya was more angry at how shattered Eri looked than how he was being discriminated against. 

As more onlookers started to gather around the storefront, Midoriya took a step back, his heart sinking as he realized what he had to do. He gently tugged his hand out of Uraraka’s as he backed up, which felt like chipping a piece of his heart off, and looked toward the direction of the exit. 

“I should just go,” he admitted, defeated. “I don’t want to ruin your guys’ fun, so just go on without me. After a few moments, you won’t even realize I’m gone.”

Several people opened their mouths at once to retort his words, but their arguments fell on deaf ears. Midoriya was stubborn once he made a decision, and he already had his sights set on leaving. 

But because of that, he also didn’t see Uraraka approaching. 

In one quick, fluid motion, she turned him back around and pulled him close, forcing his attention from the exit to her. At first, Izuku thought she was simply drawing him in for a hug. 

But then her lips touched his. 

The gentle connection sent a jolt of shock and exhilaration through his heart, and all the surrounding bustle faded into obsolescence. For a blissful moment, all that existed was him and Uraraka. No staring people and no harsh judgment, just the feeling of the other. 

He barely had time to return the kiss, before her lips drew away. 

“Let them stare,” she whispered, close enough for him to feel her breath. 

It might’ve only been a peck, short and sweet, but it had made time stand still for the two who had never experienced something so genuine and heartfelt before. 

Before Midoriya could even consider he wanted more, Uraraka’s face flashed red as a rose when she realized what she just did. She sprang away from him and waved her hands frantically in front of her. 

“Sorry sorry sorry!! I should’ve asked, I’m so sorry!” she spluttered out. “But it looked like you were leaving and I could tell you weren’t going to stop no matter what we said and I knew a hug wouldn’t be enough either so a kiss was the only thing I could think of to make you stay and I’d been thinking about kissing you a lot lately-” she stopped when Midoriya clutched her rapidly moving hands. 

“Woah woah, slow down,” he laughed softly. “Does it look like I’m upset?”

Her eyes flicked around his face, her cheeks still flushed with pink, “...no?”

“Then why are you apologizing?”

Her eyes widened, before a smile spread wide across her face. She gripped his hands in return, the two of them still blissfully ignorant of the people around them. 

A cough from Shinso lowered them back to reality. They realized all the people watching the storefront incident from before had also seen their first kiss, causing a blush of embarrassment to spread over their cheeks. 

“This is really sweet and all,” Shinso droned, “and I’m glad you guys aren’t taking an inordinate amount of time to progress in your relationship, but I would kinda like to get out of this terribly awkward situation as soon as possible- ow!”

Shinso recoiled from Mina slapping his arm. “You ruined a perfectly romantic moment!” she exclaimed. 

“Yeah well it’s not like we can just stand around here forever, watching the two of them! This isn’t some reality TV dating show!”

“Speak for yourself,” Kaminari interjected, holding up his phone, which had been recording the whole thing. 

“Kaminari! That is not acceptable!” Iida reprimanded. 

Eri was just watching the whole interaction with a wondrous confusion in her eyes. 

Several panic-filled moments later, and the group had escaped the eyes of the other shoppers, with Midoriya and Uraraka making Kaminari delete the video… after sending it to them, because that wasn’t exactly something they wanted shown around without their consent. 

Once they’d all gotten a moment to breathe, Uraraka asked Midoriya, “So, will you be staying with us?”

The former villain peered at her face, before glancing around at his friends, and then returning his gaze to his girlfriend. His mouth broke into a smile. “Well, it’s not like I can say no now, after what you did.”

Mina cheered in victory, Eri letting out a mini cheer alongside her, and the group laughed. 

“There’s got to be some stores that’ll let you in,” Shinso said. “And who cares about the ones that reject you; we don’t wanna buy their stuff anyway.”

“Yeah, we’ll just boycott them!” Kaminari added. 

Midoriya nodded as the group set off. “Okay, let’s try this again.”

There were still some stores that refused their entrance, which the teens simply avoided after that. But enough shops let them in for them to find what they wanted for each other. They each had to buy one item for the class-wide gift exchange, but this was the time where they’d also buy something special for those closest to them. 

Shinso got several pieces of advice of varying quality, ranging from Iida telling him to buy school supplies as a gift, to Mina recommending giving everyone a kitten. After Kaminari suggested buying the trendiest gift, makeup, Shinso gave up and opted to just get chocolate covered coffee beans. 

Eri rotated between all the teens, asking questions about everything. She could find something so interesting about the most mundane things, and was very terrible at hiding the gifts she wanted to get them. But that was okay, since they had to pay anyway. 

In the end, it was a successful and enjoyable outing, filled with laughter and antics, despite the initial setbacks. The fun they were having together was enough to keep the awareness of all the staring at bay. Midoriya couldn’t have asked for anything more. 

As they neared the end of their shopping, Mina pointed out a little coffee shop. “Hey guys! How about we get something there!”

“Oh yeah,” Uraraka spoke up. “Midoriya and I have gotten coffee there before; it’s pretty good.”

“Hah, I remember that,” Midoriya said from next to her, looking over his shoulder to Shinso. “Technically you paid for it.”

“Wait,” Shinso interjected. “Was this before or after you started dating?”

“Um… before?” Uraraka answered. 

“Wait wait wait,” Mina bounded up to the couple. “You’re telling me you two got coffee alone together here, which is essentially a coffee date, and you didn’t even realize you liked each other!?”

Their eyes widened in realization as it dawned upon them that they had actually gone on a date before. The two turned to look at each other, before breaking out into laughter. 

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. “We really were oblivious back then, huh?”

“Yes,” Shinso groaned. “The most oblivious. Painfully oblivious. You’re lucky I’m still around to speak of it, with how close it came to killing me.”

Midoriya moved to apologize, but Kaminari spoke before him. “Oh c’mon, you survived, you drama queen.”

Shinso shot him a deadpan glare. “Sharpie will suffocate you in your sleep.”

The teenagers giggled, rounding the event out with a fun and contented feeling. The class’s Christmas party was only a couple days away, and now they were prepared. 

Notes:

Le gasp! They did it! I wrote it! Woo! …the only experience I have with kissing is from a dream, so, I hope it was believable lol. I’ve received much advice from discord on how to write those, and this was the second one I’ve written, so think I’ve gotten more comfortable with it?

Anyway, this chapter’s song is one that needs a bit of explaining. Rewrite The Stars from The Greatest Showman. I think this song works amazingly with villain Deku/Hero Uraraka (but with Uraraka with the guy’s lyrics and Midoriya with the girl’s lyrics). And while they’ve kinda moved past the point where it fits the best, the rest of the world still kinda views it as a “forbidden romance,” so that’s why it’s here lol.

Hope that made sense.

Moving on, feels weird writing Christmas in March, but, next chap is Christmas, yay.

Chapter 88: I'm So Glad I Didn't

Notes:

I know this is the Christmas chapter, but uh… I cried writing this. You’ll see why… enjoy?

Also, kinda important thing in the end notes again... *cringes and runs away*

“Merry, um…” Eri scrunched her face up, searching for the next word, and her face lit up when she found it, “Christmas!!”

Uraraka clutched her heart, and Kirishima had to wipe a tear away. Even Aizawa’s happiness was visible, from the crinkling in the corners of his eyes. Midoriya’s heart swelled at the glowing pride on the girl’s face, and Iida was quick to invite her into the living area. 

“We were about to do our class-wide gift exchange,” Yaoyorozu explained with a cheerful grin, gesturing towards the pile of presents in the center of the floor. Each gift had a string tied to it that led out of the pile, in a way that no one could tell what gift they’d be pulling based on the string. 

Eri’s eyes went big at the sight, before she looked back up at the vice-rep. “I brought something for the pile too!”

“Oh?”

“Yeah!” She pulled the item from the pocket of her Santa dress and held it up. “It’s an apple!”

Yaoyorozu giggled. “Yes, and it’s a very nice apple! Here, let me tie a string to it and add it to the pile…”

Once everything was set up, and each member of the class (plus Eri and Midoriya) had selected a string, they all yoinked at the same time. 

Midoriya and Uraraka laughed together as they realized they’d gotten each other’s, an All Might keychain and mochi. Shinso was about to thank Eri for the apple, when he went pale at the buster sword she was carrying from Tokoyami. 

“Uhm…” Shinso began, but no one else seemed worried about the girl carrying a sword twice her height, so he shrugged and let it go.  

After some chatter about all the different presents they’d received, smaller groups broke off as they exchanged gifts between closer friends. Midoriya and Uraraka settled down on the couch. 

“I know it’s not much…” Uraraka started hesitantly, handing over a carefully wrapped box that fit in her palm, “but I hope you like it.”

Midoriya tugged at the little bow on top, which slid undone, before lifting the light lid to reveal what was inside. He gasped at the sight of the little items. 

Three guitar picks, a black one with stars, a green one with flowers, and a blue one with clouds. He pulled out the black one, and it felt smooth, almost soft. 

“Thank you,” he breathed, gazing at the picks. He then looked up at Uraraka, gratefulness shining in his eyes. “Thank you.”

She beamed, shoulders sagging in relief. “I tried really hard to get ones you would like!”

“Yeah, they look so cool, I love them,” he reassured, taking the other two picks out too to see how they felt to hold. 

“I’m glad,” she sighed in content. 

He put the picks back in the box and set them to the side. “Um…” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “I kinda didn’t wrap your gift? Sorry, um, can we do a you close your eyes and put your hands out kind of thing? Sorry…”

“No need to apologize!” she giggled, before shutting her eyes and opening her palms in front of her eagerly. 

He pulled out her gift and set it in her waiting hands, and he saw her eyebrows raise in curiosity. When she opened her eyes, her whole face glowed with delight as she clutched the book close to herself. 

“It’s a book of all the major constellations! Their meanings and where and when to find them in the sky, oh my gosh!” she squealed, flipping rapidly through the pages. “I’ve always had to take books like these from the library; I’ve never had one myself!”

Midoriya smiled wide, happy she liked it. “And it has interesting facts too, like how far away they are and what solar systems they’re a part of. I know you love stuff like that, so-”

He was cut off by a sudden hug, the comforting feeling of Uraraka’s arms wrapped around him warming him to the bone. “I love it, thank you so much,” she murmured into his ear. 

He hugged her back, enjoying every second of her closeness. 

Once they separated, Shinso approached them, his present to them in hand. 

“Listen,” he began unceremoniously. “I tried doing the whole personalized gift thing. Found out I’m terrible at it, just like I thought I’d be. So here.” Twin bags of chocolate covered coffee beans plopped down on the couch, and Shinso diverted his gaze in an attempt to hide his slight embarrassment. “Hope you like them.”

“Thanks Shinso,” Uraraka laughed. “I’ll be sure to enjoy them!”

Midoriya nodded in agreement. “It’s the thought that counts… and you spent a lot of time overthinking at the mall.”

Shinso scowled good-naturedly at his friends’ laughter. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Midoriya, there’s one more gift you haven’t gotten yet.”

The former villain tilted his head, while Uraraka burst out, “Oh yeah! I forgot about that!”

Midoriya blinked. “Huh? What’s happening?” 

Shinso turned to the class presidents, and Midoriya realized most of the class had quieted and focused their attention on him. He pushed down the slight squirmish feeling it gave him, instead watching Iida run to his room. The student returned with a gift bag in hand. 

“This is a gift collectively from the class!” Iida explained. 

Yaoyorozu nodded. “For all the help you’ve given each of us, through your notes and your errands.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened, and he felt the heat rise in his face at being the center of attention. As Iida set the bag in front of him, he attempted to swallow the awkwardness of opening a present before a group. 

The crinkling of the tissue paper was the only sound in the air as he drew a box from the bag, but all anxious thoughts were immediately dismissed when he realized what the gift was. 

He almost had stars in his eyes looking at them, closer to a bright twinkle than stars. 

It was a pair of wireless headphones. And they were red. 

When he lifted his gaze to the class, they were all offering soft smiles or exhilarated grins, or somewhere in between. In each of their expressions, he could see their gratefulness and genuine compassion. 

“Thank you…” he whispered, a lump forming in his throat. “They’re amazing, I love them, thank you all so much.”

The class cheered, wearing joyous smiles and pumping their fists. 

“And they’re high quality too,” Midoriya noticed, before a bit of an apology slipped into his voice. “They must’ve been expensive…”

Todoroki whipped a credit card from his pocket. “Technically, Endeavor paid for it.”

Everyone blinked at him for a second, before bursting out into laughter. Midoriya, a few seconds later, burst into sobs, tears spilling from his eyes. Multiple people advanced upon him at once to assuage him. 

“No no, I’m alright,” he promised, smiling as he dried his face with his sleeve. “I’ve just never gotten a gift from anyone except my mom. It’s a little overwhelming, in a good way.”

He beamed at the class with glistening eyes, the widest smile he’d ever shown them as a whole. It had a contagious effect, widening the smiles of many in the room. 

Just for this event, this celebration of personal bonds and giving, he was abandoning all thoughts of finding the traitor. He’d continue with that task at a more suitable time. 

For now, all he needed to say was, “Thank you.”

 

“Oh hey, the cookies weren’t all eaten!” Uraraka said happily, a tone that did not at all match the chore she was completing: cleaning up after a party. 

Midoriya swept some confetti into a dustpan. “That’s nice, what kind are they?”

“Gingerman, of course!”

The two were the only remaining teenagers still up. Half the class had elected to clean up the next day; the responsible half stuck around to get at least some of the cleaning done, but at this point, everyone had retired to bed except Midoriya and Uraraka. Their conversation couldn’t find a place to end, and might as well do something productive while chatting. 

“Wow, it really has gotten quiet,” Midoriya realized, dumping the dustpan’s contents into the trash. 

“Yeah, it’s so weird, seeing the living area this peaceful.” Uraraka put the last of the leftovers in the fridge, and with a start, the pair realized everything was cleaned up. 

Midoriya cringed at the time on the clock on the wall. “We should probably go get some sleep-”

“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you,” she interjected, before quickly adding, “If that’s alright!”

He smiled kindly. “Of course you can ask me something.”

“Well, um, this question has a bit of narration before it, so maybe we should sit down.”

Once settled on the couch at a comfortable distance, which was close enough to feel the other’s heat against their sides, Uraraka began stumbling through her question. 

“So uh, remember after making smores, the first time we cuddled?” she asked, and Midoriya nodded. It felt strange to think back on a time when it had been uncomfortable to be so physically close. “Well, that night, I had a dream. A really weird dream. One about your quirk.”

Midoriya frowned slightly, “...my quirk?”

“Yes. Now, you can’t deny your quirk is kinda… weird. Like, it activated on its own when Shinso brainwashed you that one time, it hurt you the other day by suddenly manifesting these crazy dark tendrils, and…” she gulped, “it has people inside it.”

She felt him tense, drawing away from her ever so slightly. “Why do you-”

“I’m not saying I think you got it from All For One or anything!” Uraraka burst out. “I believe you when you say you never accepted anything from him… but in that dream I mentioned, there was a woman who talked to me. She had tied up black hair, and a hero costume with yellow gloves and boots…”

With every word, Midoriya tensed up further. 

“...and she said she was a part of your quirk.”

Uraraka could tell from the bewildered look on his face, he’d seen this woman before. 

“I don’t know how it happened or who she is, but I talked with someone from inside your quirk. All she did was convince me to confess to you, but I’d like to know… what’s really going on with your quirk?”

Midoriya just gaped at her, and though he was frozen in place, she could see the cogs turning in his mind as he tried to piece together how this was possible. 

“You don’t have to explain if you really don’t want to,” Uraraka continued. “But we’ve talked about being open about problems before, and I just wanna help with whatever might be going on.” She took a gentle hold of his hand. “You trusted me with your heart. Can you trust me with this too?”

Midoriya shut his gaping mouth at her words. He averted his eyes, but didn’t pull his hand from her grasp. He sat still, thinking, for over a minute. 

“Her name is Nana Shimura, the woman you talked to.”

Uraraka startled a bit at this divulgence of information, and she turned her gaze to him attentively. He still wasn’t meeting her eyes, but her words seemed to have affected him enough for him to share. 

“She was All Might’s predecessor, and they both had the same quirk, just at different times. It was an energy stockpiling quirk that grew stronger with each generation, called One For All, granting its user great strength, speed, and agility. It’s been passed down from hero to hero, with the goal of opposing and defeating All For One. Nana passed it onto All Might, who then-”

“Passed it onto you…” Uraraka realized, breathless. 

Midoriya nodded, and he finally managed to make eye contact with her. “I never manifested a quirk late. I had a quirk given to me.”

Her eyes widened in a swirling mix of understanding and amazement. “That actually makes so much more sense… but wait, when did All Might give it- One For All, to you?”

A dark shadow fell over his face. “The League had tasked me with manipulating All Might into giving his quirk up, but… but I-”

He choked up as his words were replaced with a sudden sob, memories from the alleyway invading his thoughts. The feel of the gun in his hand, and the hostage in his arms. All Might’s battered body before him, and the overwhelming desire to end everyone’s suffering by making his own end absolute. His lowest point. 

Uraraka squeezed his hand, and he clutched onto it desperately. He clenched his jaw as he tried to blink away his tears and failed. 

“But I couldn’t. Even though I needed to. Shigaraki had threatened to disintegrate you and my mom and e-everyone else if I failed, but he wanted me to murder someone,” his voice cracked, tears spilling from both teens’ eyes, and Uraraka pulled him into a teary embrace. “Uraraka, I- I wanted to die, b-because that was the only way I saw everyone else getting out alive. And I almost did it, I almost p-pulled the trigger, almost, I…”

He clung to her, so thankful for her presence and unconditional care. 

“I’m so glad I didn’t.”

Uraraka gasped softly, before hugging him tighter, not caring from the damp spot on her shoulder. For a few minutes after, he continued crying his emotions out. Needing to keep One For All a secret had prevented him from ever speaking of what happened in the alleyway, and this was the first time he’d been allowed to process it with someone else. 

“When All Might gave his quirk to me,” he eventually continued in a rasp, “he said he trusted me. He said I could be a- a hero. I didn’t see it at the time, but… I think he made the right choice.”

Uraraka could practically feel her insides glowing at his last sentence, but only when she thought he’d gotten enough comfort from the hug did she let him go. 

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, mumbling, “I’m sorry…”

“Hey, don’t apologize,” she said firmly. “This is exactly what we have each other for, for things just like this. I think it’s amazing you have a quirk with such a cool history, and I know you’ll be the best One For All user there ever was!”

When he lowered his arm, his eyes were red and puffy and stained with emotion and tears, but he was smiling. 

“I would’ve never been able to get here without you, so thank you.”

Of all the thanks he’d given that night, that one was by far the most meaningful and weighty. 

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Uraraka started, keeping her hand on his. “With how close we’ve gotten, wouldn’t it be okay to start using each other’s first names? If that’s alright with you.”

He nodded, happiness growing to overcome the pain lingering in his expression. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

She grinned, a blush tinting her cheeks. “Well then, why don’t we try it out? Do you like what I got you for Christmas, Izuku?”

He let out a small laugh. “Yes, I love what you got me, Ochako.” He then diverted his eyes, red creeping across his cheeks and over his scar. “Though, there is one more thing…”

Uraraka raised her eyebrows. “Huh? What’s that?”

His eyes landed on her lips, “...another kiss.”

She giggled at how red his face grew. “You see, I would kiss you, but we’re just missing one thing…” 

She stood up and walked over to the bin of Christmas decorations and pulled out an item, before walking over and plopping back down next to her boyfriend. She activated her quirk, and the mistletoe rose to float above their heads. 

“There we go,” her eyes returned to Midoriya, cheeks glowing. “Now it’s perfect.”

He smiled, eyes fixed on her, his blush still lingering. They leaned towards each other, hearts beating faster as their faces drew near. Something like a gravitational thread pulled their lips closer and closer, until they touched. 

This kiss lasted much longer than their first one. 

 

The next day….

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me,” Midoriya said to Uraraka, who had been fiddling with her hoodie strings for the last thirty minutes. 

She broke her gaze away from the passing scenery outside the van window, giving him a constrained smile. 

A few other members of the class were fooling around in other parts of the van. They didn’t want to bring too many people for this, so those who had wanted to come most were present. Namely, Iida, Shinso, Mina, Tsu, Kaminari, and Kirishima. 

“Why did I ever want to come with you guys…” Shinso groaned, as Mina and Kaminari played a game of chopsticks across him. He’d gone straight to the three seats in the back of the van, expecting Midoriya and Uraraka to follow, but Mina and Kaminari were too eager to annoy him. 

All the help he’d received from Midoriya and Uraraka were a pair of supportive thumbs up. 

“This is payback!” Mina cried with a vicious grin. 

“Payback for what?”

“You know what you did,” Kaminari said lowly. 

Shinso buried his hands in his palms, internally begging for them to arrive at the rehabilitation center as quickly as possible. 

Midoriya shook his head to clear it of their antics, turning his attention back to Uraraka. “If you don’t want to go inside, you can stay in the van.”

She waved him off. “It’s not that. I’m okay with going inside to meet Toga and giving her some semblance of a Christmas party, it’s just…” she pursed her lips as she looked for the right words. 

“It’s hard to understand someone like her,” he finished. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s it. Everything she’s experienced is so different from what I’ve known, and while I want to help and be friends with her, that just feels like such a distant goal with everything. Some of the things she’s enjoyed doing… and I know she’s putting real effort into changing, but it’s a lot to have on your mind when you’re only trying to hold a conversation.”

She puffed out a disappointed sigh, while Midoriya processed her words. 

“Sorry for the mini rant,” she apologized. 

“No, it’s okay. And I think you have more in common than you realize,” he responded, and she blinked in surprise. “You both are very enthusiastic when it comes to the people you care about, you just express that in… different ways. You both follow your heart a lot more than your head, too.”

Uraraka considered his words for a moment, before adding quietly, “We’ve also both had crushes on you…”

“...yeah, that too.”

She looked him in the eyes and smiled. “Thank you. I’ll try looking at it that way instead.”

He nodded resolutely. “Happy to help.”

 

Toga stared at the group blankly, surprise pulling her eyes open. In her arms was a black cat plushie, with eyes as golden as her own. 

She thought she’d been called to the meeting room to discuss her progress in her therapy sessions, not to partake in a Christmas party. 

She hadn’t gone to a Christmas party in a long time. Not one that she’d actually enjoyed, at least. 

Toga tilted her head to the side, cheeks already flushed with pink at the sight of two of her favorite people, Uraraka and Midoriya. “What’re you all doing here?”

A redhead she didn’t know stepped forward, opening his arms to all the decoration around them. As he pulled a small cone that let out a burst of confetti, he exclaimed, “It’s a Christmas party!”

She watched the confetti twirl to the floor as an awkward silence ensued. Lifting her eyes to the wreath on the door, and the candy canes hanging from the garland that lined the walls, and the miniature Christmas tree on the table, it didn’t take much for her to become entirely captivated by the idea of a party. 

Her eyes shined and she looked back at the students, her face bursting out into an eccentric grin. 

“I love it!! All the red flowers are so pretty! I’ve never been to a Christmas party with people I actually like, thank you!” She squeezed her cat plushie closer to herself in pride at remembering to say thanks. 

They all seemed to ease up at that, relieved smiles spreading across their faces. 

“You’re welcome,” Midoriya replied first, holding up the small box in his hands. “And I brought a gift for you too!”

She gasped in delight, bounding up to the boy. The others began to busy themselves with the dartboard or conversation or picking the candy canes off the garland for consumption, treating it like a normal party. 

Midoriya and Toga sat down next to each other at the meeting table, which was usually strewn in papers, but today it held snacks and an abundance of cookies and chocolate and candy canes. As Uraraka settled down on the other side of Midoriya, he set the box in front of Toga, who gazed at it with wonder. 

She tugged at the golden ribbon, which easily slid from the red box, and lifted the lid. 

She squealed in happiness at its contents, pulling out the dull pink scarf with red accents, immediately wrapping it around her neck. 

“It’s so cute!” she said, nuzzling into it. 

“I remembered you saying you liked cute things. I don’t really have much fashion sense, or any idea of what girls find cute,” he laughed a little, “so Ochako helped me pick this out for you.”

“Thank you!” Toga said to both of them, and Uraraka gave a reserved smile. 

“So, how have things been for you here?” Midoriya asked. 

She brushed the whiskers of her cat plushie. “Alright. Most people aren’t very nice to me, but that’s okay. And therapy is really hard, but I think I’m getting better at it! It’s all about changing my negative perceptions and finding a healthy way to show love, something about untangling the part of my quirk that craves blood from my psychology, stuff like that.”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows. “Wow, that does sound tough. It’s great to hear you’re making progress, though.”

“Yeah!” She turned suddenly towards him. “A good way to show you care for someone is expressing interest in their life! So how have you been?”

Midoriya hadn’t known what to expect coming into this, but this was certainly one of the best outcomes he could’ve predicted, and it made him beam. “Things have been good! 1-A is starting their work studies soon, which is exciting, since there’s a lot to learn from experience pros- ow!”

Toga had slapped his shoulder. “I ask how you are, not the class!”

Uraraka giggled softly. “He does that a lot.”

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, searching for something to say. He and Uraraka had agreed to keep their new relationship a secret from her, since they didn’t know how much she had progressed, and didn’t want envy ruining the party. 

“Um, well, I’ve been okay. Something weird happened with my quirk, so some people have gone back to being scared of me, which isn’t a good feeling.”

Toga hummed in thought. She’d never disliked people looking at her fearfully. She’d rather have that than need to put up an act for them to look at her normal. 

“What’s with the plushie?” Uraraka asked curiously. 

That broke Toga out of her thoughts, and she replied, “I’ve been collecting plushies of things and people I love, so I can always have them with me and love them all the time! I’ve got ones of you two too!”

Both teens blinked, stunned and trying not to shift uncomfortably. Uraraka, being the more socially apt one, responded first. 

“Maybe I should get a plushie of Izuku too, in case he does something stupid and I can’t see him for a while…”

“What?! I wouldn’t do that!”

Uraraka quirked an eyebrow at him, and Toga giggled, saying, “I’ve seen you covered in blood a lot more times than anyone else, Izuku.”

Midoriya sighed, and it was Uraraka’s turn to laugh. She looked to Toga and said, “I think that’s a really neat way for you to help with your obsessions, Toga.”

“Thanks! And you can call me Himiko! And this is Dusk,” she held the black cat up. “Cats are so cute and funny! I hope to have a real one someday, and not drink its blood this time.”

“I could bring Sharpie the next time we visit,” a new voice interjected, and Toga whipped around. “You would just have to promise not to drink her blood.”

Toga narrowed her eyes at Shinso, only ever having seen him briefly at the summer camp. 

“Sharpie is his cat,” Midoriya whispered, and her eyes lit up, all suspicion vanishing. 

“Yes!! I’d love that!” Toga exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and much too close to his face for comfort. 

Shinso took a step back and put his hands up. “I have pictures of her, if you’d like.”

They spent the next thirty minutes scrolling through the inordinate amount of cat pictures on his phone. It was a rarity for there to be a picture that wasn’t of Sharpie. Shinso seemed to mildly enjoy someone being as interested in cats as he was, though Toga was much more energetic about it. 

But they still talked about other topics as they did this, and eventually, Toga mentioned she’d made a couple friends. 

“He says to call him Gentle, which I find kinda weird. But La Brava is super sweet, and they’re both so nice!”

Midoriya gasped. “Gentle and La Brava are here?”

“You know them?” Toga asked, while Uraraka and Shinso eyed Midoriya. He hadn’t mentioned these people. 

“Er, yeah, I’m actually the one who talked them into turning themselves in… could I maybe have the chance to see them?”

“Wait, back up,” Shinso ordered. “When did you meet these people?”

“Yeah, you’ve never told us about them,” Uraraka added. 

“Uhm, it was before our performance for the School Festival, and I ran into them. They were planning to try to break into UA, and I talked them out of it.”

Shinso pursed his lips, and Uraraka gave a small laugh, before asking, “Why didn’t you think to tell us?”

Midoriya shrugged sheepishly, “...it never came up?”

After they both sighed and shook their heads, the group asked Aizawa, who had been napping in the corner, if he could ask one of the faculty for Gentle and La Brava. 

The teacher shook his head. “Sorry, but getting permission for Toga to come to this was already hard enough. Even with those two being lower level villains, I highly doubt they’d allow three new inmates out at the same time.”

Toga pouted, and Midoriya’s face fell. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the lock on the door leading to the main part of the rehabilitation center. He could pick that easily enough, and it was Christmas, so the faculty would have their guard down too. It wouldn’t be difficult to sneak out and meet up-

“Problem child.”

Midoriya snapped out of it and turned towards Aizawa expectantly. 

“I can see it in your face. There will be no breaking into the main facility just to have a get together, got it?”

The former villain offered a feeble smile. “Alright, I understand.”

The miniature party continued along. Toga spoke with each hero student at some point, and was quick to adopt Kaminari and Mina’s game of annoying Shinso as much as possible. She even managed a stilted apology towards Tsu for attacking her and Uraraka and the summer camp, and the frog girl was much kinder to her after that. 

At some point, Toga watched the class’s School Festival performance, and she absolutely adored it. She said Uraraka’s song was her favorite, because it described how she felt around the people and things she loved. 

As the party rounded out, the group found themselves playing a round of darts. Everyone but Toga and Midoriya were very quickly eliminated. With their knife-throwing skills, the former villains got bullseyes every single time. 

At the end of the game, Kaminari took several pictures of the eight darts all wedged within the inch long bullseye circle. 

All in all, it was a fun party, the most fun party Toga had ever participated in.

Notes:

Now, I have a really good song that fits with the secret sharing scene really well... but I'm planning to use it in the future and would rather not spoil that lol. So, this chapter's song is my favorite Christmas song, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. I've also never realized how long of a song title that is until now, when I had to type it out.

Okay, onto the kinda important thing. I'm taking another just one week break, and I do feel bad since it's been only like a month since my last break, but *inhales deeply* my mother is having surgery to remove a possibly cancerous tumor from her lung this Friday, and I've already noticed a bit of a dip in my writing with the stress revolving around that.

So yes. One week break. I'll still be posting some for Izuocha week, but that stuff is pre-written so I just gotta slap it into ao3. I'm trying to teach myself it's okay to take breaks, but I'm still gonna apologize... sorry (at least this chapter was longer to make up for it?).

See ya in two weeks.

Chapter 89: Pleased to Meet You

Notes:

Am back! And just a forewarning, I've got some big exams coming up start of May, and studying takes place over writing, soo... after that there should be no more breaks!

Enjoy the long chap!

Midoriya looked over his shoulder out the back window as the rehabilitation center grew more obscure in the distance. They’d left Toga with a smile on her face and a joy in her heart she hadn’t felt in a long time, so their outing was a complete success. 

“I hope she continues to improve,” Uraraka commented. 

The corner of Midoriya’s mouth turned upwards. “I think she will.”

When he returned his vision to the front of the van, Uraraka asked, “So, you know what you’re doing over Christmas break?”

“I was just going to stay at UA. My mom’s planning to visit Christmas day, but other than that, I don’t really know what I’m gonna do.”

“You’re just staying at UA all alone the whole break?!” she asked incredulously. 

“Um… yes? Is that a bad thing?” At her disappointed stare, he offered a cheesy smile. “I’m guessing it is?”

“Yes it’s a bad thing!” Her sudden insistence died down when she glanced down at her fidgeting hands in her lap. “I’ve actually been thinking about it, and I’ve talked to Mr. Aizawa and my parents about it too…”

Midoriya blinked. “Your parents?”

She nodded, “...would you like to come over to my house for the break?” In response to his stunned silence, she continued to ramble on. “It’d be a lot more fun than staying at UA when it’s empty, and you’d get to meet my parents too! I’ve already told them we’re dating, and, uh… I’ll just say they’d appreciate a conversation with you.”

The former villain gulped, before considering her offer for a minute. “Spending the break with you does sound a lot better than staying at UA. I guess, if Mom would still be able to come over, and you promise your parents won’t murder me, then yes!”

She laughed a little and smiled big. “Yeah, your mom can definitely still come over! And I’ve told my parents you’re way different than how the media paints you, so I’m fairly certain they won’t murder you.”

“Fairly certain?” Midoriya repeated nervously. 

“Oh come on! You’ve dealt with way worse than my parents!”

He puffed out a laugh through his nose. “I guess that’s true,” he said, before developing a slight frown of concern. 

Uraraka tilted her head. “What is it?”

“I’m just thinking about the rest of the League. I wonder where they are right now, and if any of them will end up following in Toga’s footsteps.” 

“Ohh,” she hummed, and Midoriya saw the reflection of his scar in the window. 

“I really hope they do.”

 

Twice poked at the sushi the Liberation Army had supplied them. The room they were in was swanky, and their every need would be fulfilled with a single call. It felt strange for a couple reasons. 

One, they’d been fighting relentlessly for almost the entire day before, so to relax directly after left a sense of contradiction and unease. 

Two, Toga wasn’t there. 

This was a major accomplishment, a huge leap in the direction they wanted to go, and she wasn’t there to see it. 

“I’m not hungry,” Twice announced grumpily. 

“Suit yourself,” Dabi replied, already moving for his sushi. 

“Don’t you care?!” Twice burst out, and Dabi froze. Spinner and Compress also tensed up, while Shigaraki watched on indifferently. “Don’t you care that she’s gone!? She’s missed out on so much, and you act like nothing’s changed!”

“Listen,” Dabi interjected. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m only here ‘cause I think it’ll help me accomplish my goals, nothing else.”

Twice huffed, glaring at the ground sullenly. 

“If it’s any consolation,” Compress began, “I do miss her.”

“Yeah, same here,” Spinner added quietly. 

Twice looked up at the two of them, a subtle glimmer of thankfulness in his eye. After a silence-filled moment, the villain asked in the softest voice, “Do you think she’s happy?”

It was a yes or no question, with only one appropriate answer: no. Because if they said yes, that would betray their heart’s desire to join her on the enemy’s side. 

Shigaraki made sure to answer first. “No. She’s probably locked up somewhere, being brainwashed into believing heroes are wonderful and forgetting what she even stood for in the first place.”

Twice ducked his head. “Yeah, you’re probably right…”

The doubt that lingered in his tone lingered in all their thoughts as well. 

“If that’s something you’ve been thinking about lately,” Shigaraki rasped, “then focus on getting back at Deku for corrupting her. Unless you’re becoming corrupted too,” a threat flashed in his eyes. 

Twice shook his head rapidly. “No no no, I don’t wanna leave at all! I love it here! You- you guys make me happy, yeah.”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at the not-super-believable performance, and in Twice’s panicking, he rambled onto a suggestion. 

“Uhm, to get back at Deku, we could tell the world he stole All Might’s quirk? That might mess things up for him. Now that we’ve got the MLA on our side, people would actually listen to us!”

“No,” Shigaraki sighed. “We want to keep our connection to the MLA a secret for now. Besides, with the way things are currently, people think he’s still on Master’s side.”

“Oh, right, true.”

In all honesty, Shigaraki’s thoughts had already started to be dragged away from petty ideas of revenge. Garaki had requested him in his labs as soon as possible, to receive a gift from All For One. 

He ignored the quiet whisper inside of him that was telling him not to go. 

 

“Come on, it’s extra practice!” Midoriya insisted, holding the hospital door open for Shinso. 

The hero student cringed as he walked through. “Holding a conversation is already hard enough with regular human words. So doing it with signs is so much harder.”

“That’s why you gotta practice!” Midoriya repeated, smiling, but his face dimmed as he entered the hospital. His last experience here hadn’t been the best, when Nurse Kobayashi had caused a lot of unnecessary drama. 

Shinso noticed his friend’s eyes darting around, so he said, “Hey, if anything happens, I’ve got your back.”

“Thank you.”

The boys walked up to the front desk; both fumbled through their introductions, with the receptionists eyeing Midoriya as warily as ever. Once they signed in, they whisked over to the elevator as quickly as possible. 

Shinso sighed once the doors dinged shut. 

“Don’t relax yet,” Midoriya warned. “Just wait until some people bustle onto the elevator, and then recognize me. That’ll be even more awkward.”

Shinso groaned. “We just have to get to the fifteenth floor, c’mon.”

Sure enough, a couple nurses and a visitor walked in from the fifth floor, only looking up from their clipboards or phone for a second once they entered. Midoriya waved shyly with a feeble smile as their eyes snapped back up to his face, the elevator doors sliding closed. 

One of the nurses immediately clicked the button to get off at the next floor. 

‘Told you,’ he signed to Shinso, who laughed dryly. 

After many awkward and stressful moments, they arrived at Sakura’s door. With a few knocks, Midoriya swung the door open with much less hesitation than the first time, and the boys were greeted with a beaming face. 

‘Midoriya!’ Sakura signed, bounding up to him. 

“Hey,” he responded as he returned her hug. 

He noted how she was now in a softer foam neck brace that allowed some movement of the head, but still cradled and protected where he knew Shigaraki had left a hole. The empty applesauce containers next to her bed suggested she was beginning to eat on her own, and several academic textbooks were scattered around the room. 

As she pulled away from the hug, she noticed Shinso and asked, ‘Who’s he?’

“This is Shinso, he’s my friend,” Midoriya introduced, the hero student waving. ‘He’s learning sign language, so I brought him here to practice, and because I know you like having people to talk to.’

She gasped in delight, which was an amazing sound in of itself considering she’d needed a machine to breathe a few months ago, before grabbing Shinso by the hand and yanking him forward into the room. He looked back to Midoriya for help, but the former villain just chuckled. 

‘Pick a drawing,’ Sakura ordered, offering him a range of pictures. 

“Okay… um…” Shinso looked over them, before pointing at one and signing, ‘I like that one.’

Sakura grinned and pulled it aside. The drawing depicted a peaceful cat sleeping in the midst of a flowery field, the grass parting around its body. 

‘We can’t afford to get a pet, so I drew one instead,’ she explained. ‘I’ve done lots more of dogs, but I thought trying a cat would be nice.’

Shinso squinted at her moving hands, picking apart their meaning, while Midoriya stepped forward. “Well, we can’t get you a dog for Christmas, but…” the former villain held up a small bag, “we can get you new colored pencils.”

The girl sprang up and clapped her hands for joy. She rushed up to Midoriya and whipped the box of pencils out of the bag, jumping up and down with excitement. She tucked them under her arm and signed, ‘Thank you!! I love them!’

Midoriya smiled as she barreled into him with a hug again. “You’re welcome, and Merry Christmas.”

She repeated the hug with Shinso, before signing, ‘I gotta give you guys something too!’

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Shinso said. 

‘But I do want to!’ Her eyes landed on her drawings, and her face lit up. She grabbed the picture Shinso had pointed to and set it in his hands. ‘You can keep this, as my present to you! And Midoriya…’ she went to her bedside and rummaged through a drawer, before pulling out the drawing Midoriya had said he’d liked the last time he visited. ‘You can keep this one!’

He accepted the picture of a lone flower before a starry sky. “Thank you, Sakura.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Shinso repeated. 

Midoriya settled down in the chair next to Shinso’s. “So, what’s with all the school books everywhere?”

‘I’m gonna be able to go back to school in a couple weeks, so I gotta catch up on what I’ve missed,’ she answered. ‘But math is really hard. Numbers just don’t compute with my brain. They’re annoying, and I like Japanese a lot more.’

“Well, we could try and help you, if you’d like,” Midoriya offered. 

Sakura smiled big, before grabbing a thick textbook from her bedside and slamming it down onto the coffee table before the teens, who glanced at each other. This was going to be interesting. 

The group started working through problems, and the boys began to groan internally as they were forced to recall math from their middle school years. A couple problems were thrown out the window, literally, after going too far astray. Shinso taught Sakura about coffee, and how it helped with everything, including math. 

Little by little, with the boys’ tutelage, Sakura started to advance through the problems, her understanding growing. By the end of their time together, she wiped her brow, and stared proudly at the set of problems she’d managed to complete on her own. 

‘I did it!’ she cheered, before narrowing her eyes at the teens. ‘I hope you guys don’t spend your Christmas doing math like this, because that would be really lame.’

“Nah, no way I’m doing math over break,” Shinso muttered, rubbing his temples. 

“Yeah, I’ve got plans that don’t have much room for math,” Midoriya agreed, and he stood up, knowing they had to leave soon to get back to UA on time. Shinso followed suit. 

‘My brother is coming home from college, so I’ll get to see him again,’ Sakura signed happily, following the boys over to the door to give them one last hug. ‘I hope you have a fun break.’

Midoriya grimaced slightly. “Fun, I really hope that’s how it’ll be…”

 

For a small house, it really gave off a much greater looming feeling than it should. Midoriya was frozen at the end of the small path that led up to the door, suitcase in hand. 

He had no idea how he was going to survive the next few days. 

“Oh c’mon,” Uraraka laughed, “You’ll be fine! My parents are nice, I swear!”

“Your dad is already watching me through the window,” he responded, pointing towards a figure hidden behind the glass. 

Uraraka blinked, before turning to see her father taking a step back from the window. She spluttered out in laughter, raising her arm and waving vigorously, shouting, “Hey Dad!!”

Her laughter spread to Midoriya as he snickered, and he felt some of his tension ease away. Uraraka took a hold of his hand and guided him to the door, and she suggested, “Try looking at it like this: once they get used to you and see you how I see you, we’re just gonna have a fun Christmas break together, okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

She smiled, before turning her eyes to the door and lifting her fist to knock, except the door swung open before she could even make contact. 

“Ochako!” her mother exclaimed, immediately sweeping her daughter into a hug. “We’ve missed you.”

Uraraka let go of her suitcase, which started floating away, and melted into her mom’s embrace. “It’s so nice seeing you again, instead of just hearing your voice over the phone.”

When they separated, her mother rested her gaze on Midoriya, who had grabbed Uraraka’s suitcase to stop it from drifting too far. She didn’t seem afraid in the least, just kind and considerate, if a little unsure. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Midoriya,” she greeted, before stepping out of the way of the door to let the kids in. “Come in!”

“Thank you,” he responded with the most genuine smile he could muster in such a nervous situation, while Uraraka zoomed inside to find her dad. 

He heard a thud as he walked into the little house, and looked to the side to find Uraraka squeezing her dad in a hug. He smiled softly at their interaction. 

The house itself was a little shabby in some places, but it wasn’t falling apart. The kitchen blended into the dining room, which then blended into the living room, with three doors leading into the parents’ room, Uraraka’s room, and the bathroom. And that was all they needed. 

When Midoriya returned his eyes to Uraraka’s hug, he jolted when he saw her father watching him. The look her father shot him clearly stated, ‘if Japan allowed guns, I would’ve been sitting on the porch, brandishing a rifle when you arrived.’

“Don’t worry about him,” Uraraka’s mother said, walking up beside him. “He’d be glaring like that at anyone she brought home, not just you.”

Despite picking up on the slight implications of ‘not just you,’ Midoriya replied with, “Yeah, I hope so.”

Her dad had dropped the look by the time Uraraka separated from him, and she turned to see Midoriya still holding her floating suitcase. “Ah!” she laughed and raised her arms, “Pass my suitcase here!”

He smiled and angled the suitcase towards her, before giving it a push so it glided through the air into her arms. 

“Thanks! Oh, um,” she looked to her dad, “Where is he gonna be sleeping?”

“Well, the house hasn’t magically sprouted a guest room since you were last here, so the couch,” her father answered, his gaze back on Midoriya, who looked to the couch. It was old and broken in, with cushions someone could sink into. 

The former villain grinned. “Sounds perfect.”

“Ochako,” her father started, “Why don’t you go unpack in your room, while I introduce myself to Midoriya here.”

“Um, okay,” Uraraka complied hesitantly, only leaving for her room once Midoriya gave her a small nod. 

Her dad held out his hand, and Midoriya accepted it in a handshake. “I’m Ochako’s disapproving father, pleased to meet you.”

“I-Izuku Midoriya, you too.” Midoriya silently thanked Aizawa for his eye-contact lessons. 

“Before you unpack, I’d just like to let you know, I will be judging if you’re good enough for my daughter.”

Midoriya tilted his head. “Isn’t that her choice?”

A smile tugged at the man’s lips. “It is, but that won’t stop me from being protective of her. I trust her judgment, and I know she’s not so naive to be manipulated into a false sense of love, so I know what you two feel for each other is real. But I still have to form my own opinion of you, separate from what both the media and Ochako tell me.” He started to walk past Midoriya to help his wife in the kitchen. “So expect my eyes to be on you for the duration of this break.”

Midoriya smiled softly. The care this man had for his daughter was evident. “Ochako has some great parents.”

Mr. Uraraka looked back at him. “We try.”

 

“So, there’s this video out of you kissing my daughter at a mall,” Uraraka’s dad announced abruptly as they ate breakfast the next morning, causing both teens to choke on their food, Uraraka less subtly than Midoriya. 

“Technically I kissed him,” Uraraka corrected once she’d cleared her airway. 

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. “Well I did kiss back…”

“Shush, I’m trying to help your case!”

Midoriya felt the stern look her father was giving him. “I don’t think it’s working.”

Mr. Uraraka sighed. “Why would you do that in such a public area, where people could record you?”

“I was trying to stop him from leaving!” Uraraka explained. 

Midoriya poked at the food on his plate. “There’d been some fake news about me, saying I’d stolen stuff from the mall we were at. So everyone was staring. I tried to leave, so the others could still enjoy themselves, and… yeah, she stopped me.”

Uraraka nodded along with him. “Like I told you, Dad, the media spews all kinds of nonsense about Izuku. I’m glad he was able to come, so now you can see what he’s actually like.”

Midoriya stiffened when he felt her father’s gaze rest on him. “Yeah… because I’m just so great around new people, especially people I have to get to like me, I don’t get nervous at all in those types of situations.”

Uraraka snorted, and her mom smiled and said, “You’re doing fine, sweetie.”

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, and Uraraka said, “Izuku, I think someone has to be devoid of a heart to not like you after getting to know you. Like Monoma,” she coughed the last bit, and Midoriya laughed. 

“I don’t know if I fully agree with that, but thanks.”

A few seconds passed, so Mrs. Uraraka asked, “How has school been going? I heard you’re starting your work studies soon.”

“Yeah! I’m doing mine with Ryukyu again.”

“Are you all a bit young for that?” her father questioned. 

“That’s why they’re only doing work studies with reputable heroes,” Midoriya explained. “Because yes, usually students don’t participate in work studies until their second or third year.”

The conversation after breakfast flowed on, mostly between Uraraka and her parents, with Midoriya making the occasional addition. As he grew more comfortable, these additions became more frequent. This pattern continued until Uraraka’s parents had to leave for work, which was later in the morning than usual. They wanted to spend time with their daughter, but couldn’t afford to stop business entirely. 

By the end of the talk, Midoriya was feeling considerably less nervous about the rest of the break. 

 

Midoriya bent backwards just in time for Uraraka’s kick to fly over his face. He fell back and pushed off the frosted grass with his hands to flip away, but she was speeding towards him the second he was upright again. 

He blocked one punch and then another, before he threw a jab of his own, but she grabbed his wrist. She pulled him down into a knee, knocking the breath out of him, which became a visible puff of white in the cold air. 

But then he looped his arm around and grabbed her wrist in turn, placing his foot behind her foot at the same time. With a sweep of his leg, she fell to the grass, a white breath puffing out from her mouth as she thudded down. Midoriya had her pinned within a second. 

“Gah, I was so close!” she shouted, patting his arm to release her. 

Midoriya grinned cheekily. “If you had used your quirk, you would’ve won.”

“But that kinda ruins the point of quirkless sparring, doesn’t it? And if you had used your quirk you would’ve won even more!”

“...if it helps, you’ve come closer to beating me than Shinso has, at this point.”

She grumbled from the ground, “yeah, I guess that helps.” She sat up, giving a quick look around that park to make sure they were still alone. “But that reminds me, have you done any training with Blackwhip? That’s what it’s called, right?”

After hoisting her off the ground, Midoriya responded with, “Yeah, that’s what it’s called.” He held his hand in front of him. “I’ve practiced with it a little, and have been able to control a small amount of it, but not anything that’s useful.”

He stuck out his right fist and furrowed his brow in concentration. After a few tense seconds, a black tendril snaked out from between his middle and ring finger, weaving through the air about a foot out from his fist. 

“Hey, that’s pretty good!” Uraraka encouraged. “Here,” she snatched up a stick and held it out towards Blackwhip, “try having it grip onto this.”

His fist tightened. “Okay…”

She brushed the quirk with the stick, and the black tendril curled over it, eventually looping around the stick in a firm grip. When Uraraka let go, the branch didn’t fall to the ground, held up by Blackwhip and sheer concentration. 

When that concentration faltered, however, the quirk zipped back inside Midoriya’s fist, and the stick landed in the grass. 

“Woo!” Uraraka cheered. “You said it wasn’t useful, but look! If I ever need someone to hold a branch for a few seconds, Blackwhip’s got me covered!”

Midoriya laughed, clutching his right hand. “Sure… but hopefully it’ll be useful for more than just that in the future.”

Uraraka took a hold of his hand. “I know you’ll figure it out. But we should be heading back now, gotta get ready for Christmas tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, enjoying the warmth of her hand against the chill of the air. 

It started snowing as they walked back, so the air was filled with both wonder and joy. Just like the song, snow was glistening, a beautiful sight, they were happy that night…

 

“It really is becoming a winter wonderland out there,” Uraraka commented, eyeing the sheets of white coming down on the streets. 

Even through the intense flurries, Midoriya spotted a car rolling up. “I think that’s her!” 

He threw his coat on and ventured out into the cold to meet his mother, who was being dropped off by the nursing facility staff. 

“Ohh, Izuku!!” his mother cried at the sight of him. 

“Mom!” Midoriya responded, rushing to her side. “Here, let’s get you inside.”

With a nod of thanks to the people who’d dropped her off, he wheeled her into the house, where she was given a much warmer welcome than the weather outside. 

“Mrs. Midoriya, hi!” Uraraka greeted, a wide grin on her face. 

“Oh Uraraka!” Inko replied, raising her left arm in a request for a hug, which Uraraka gladly reciprocated. “It’s a d-delight seeing you again.”

“Aw, thanks! Same here,” Uraraka responded as she drew away, and Midoriya smiled in contentment at their interaction. 

Uraraka’s parents walked up to the group of three, offering welcoming smiles. Her father spoke first. “You must be the boy’s mother, pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Midoriya.”

“Please, you can c-call be Inko, and thank you for having me and my son over t-today.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Uraraka said. “He’s been nothing but sweet and helpful since arriving, and I can already see where he gets it from.”

The parents devolved into small talk chatter, as parents often do, leaving the teens to edge away before their boredom could kill them. They settled down on the couch, where they remained talking until the adults were ready to eat the miniature version of a Christmas dinner that the Urarakas and Midoriya had prepared together. 

“So Izuku,” Inko started after they had all found their place at the table. “How have things been at UA?”

Thoughts of searching for the traitor, Blackwhip’s emergence, visits with Eri, and time spent with Uraraka all came to mind, forcing out the simple answer of, “A little chaotic.”

Uraraka let out a small laugh. “That’s true.”

Midoriya decided to talk about his visits with Eri, moving the conversation in a more positive direction. They all laughed when Uraraka mentioned the huge sword the girl had gotten for Christmas, and they talked about 1-A’s Christmas party. All three parents were quite surprised when they heard they’d visited Toga as well. 

The conversation continued long after the food was gone, as Uraraka’s parents shared how their business had been going lately, and Inko promised Midoriya she was being treated well at the nursing facility. 

The group didn’t realize how long they’d been talking until Inko started at how dark it was outside. 

“Oh dear, the nursing facility doesn’t like people getting back super late,” Inko said, looking out the window to see a car waiting there for her. “I should be getting back.”

“Alright, Mom,” Midoriya replied with a bit of sadness, standing up to wheel her over to the door. 

The two hugged goodbye when they got there, but then Inko said, “Oh wait, Uraraka, I have something to say to you.”

“Oh, okay,” the hero student responded curiously, before heading over to Inko by the door. 

Inko grasped her hand with a smile of the utmost gratitude. “I just want to thank you, with everything in me, for showing my boy a brighter path forward in his life.”

Uraraka returned a glowing smile of her own. “Of course, ‘cause he makes my life brighter too!”

 

The last night before the teens returned to school, Midoriya tossed and turned on the couch, memories haunting his dreams. The sight of skin flaking away from disintegration flashed in his head, an experience that soon replicated the sensation of ripping pain in his shoulder. 

He jolted awake, bolting up to a sitting position on the couch, clutching his left shoulder. He immediately tried to slow his breathing and clear his thoughts. It had been a while since this had happened, but it had happened enough times for him to know what to do when it did. 

“Nightmares?”

Midoriya flinched at the sound, before his eyes landed on Mr. Uraraka’s illuminated face. He sat with his computer in front of him on the dining room table, working late into the night. 

“Yeah, nightmares,” he responded after a moment. 

The man hummed, pausing his typing. “You need to talk about it?”

“No, it’s okay.” After a moment, a small chuckle found its way from his mouth. “It’s funny, I hear Ochako’s voice in my head right now, telling me to be more open about my problems.”

Her father smiled fondly. “She does have a way with people, being able to tell what they need and what’s best for them.”

“She does. There have been several times I could swear she was reading my mind.”

The man continued smiling, and a comfortable silence settled into the air. Mr. Uraraka’s typing continued, and Midoriya debated trying to fall back asleep, but another pressing topic forced its way to the front of his mind. 

“You said you’d be judging if I was good enough for your daughter,” he broke the silence, grabbing Mr. Uraraka’s attention. “And the simple answer is, no, I’m not good enough. She’s too kind and too bright and just- too wonderful, and I don’t think someone like me could ever measure up to someone like her.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, kid.”

Midoriya’s eyes snapped to Mr. Uraraka, who had stood up from the table and then moved to sit next to the boy on the couch. 

“You know, I thought you’d be strutting in through that front door, fed and stuffed by attention and care, to the point you were dismissive of anyone you hadn’t met before. Thought you’d be brimming with confidence, cocky even, thinking there was nothing you couldn’t handle because of everything you’d already survived.”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows, “...you’d think after everything I’ve been through, I’d be able to handle most anything… but confessing to Ochako was so much more difficult than I thought it’d be.”

Mr. Uraraka smiled and nodded. “I was pleasantly surprised to see you were much different than I thought. I know I’ve only met you for a few days, but you’ve expressed deep and unwavering care for Ochako, and I can tell you two enjoy time together very much.”

The man rested his hand on Midoriya’s right shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“You’re a good kid. Look after my daughter for me, will ya?”

The former villain’s eyes gleamed, and the relief and joy he felt pulled his mouth upward in a smile. 

“Thank you sir, and I will, I promise!”

Notes:

That meeting with the parents had been due for a while lol. And was completely improvised. I had no idea what I was doing.

This chapter's song is Best of You by Andy Grammer. Works great with how Inko was saying Uraraka's led Midoriya down a brighter path, and how she's been with him through a lot. And also can I just say, wow this song fits their relationship for this fic so well? All the stuff about saving the other when they're at their lowest, and especially the first line: "I've met your demons, but they do not scare me. I know they'll be angels when they learn to fly." Just a fantastic line.

Anyway, great song, see ya next week!

Chapter 90: People In Shades of Gray

Notes:

I like this chap a lot.

Also there is a fight scene referenced in this that happened back in chapter seven, the one between Ingenium and a villain, in case you wanted a refresh on that event.

Midoriya shot out a strand of Blackwhip, which curled around an empty barrel, before yanking his arm back. His foot dug into the sand as he pivoted, and the barrel was dislodged from the small trash pile and came zooming towards Midoriya from the force of Blackwhip pulling on it. 

Midoriya yelped as he realized a metal barrel was about to crash into him. 

He used One For All to leap out of the way last minute, letting Blackwhip fade, and the barrel pummeled into the ground with a plume of sand. As he landed, a shallow wave splashing around his feet, he heard the sound of clapping. 

“Well done, Young Midoriya!” All Might commended. “You’re getting much better at using Blackwhip!”

“Yeah, I just have to make sure I don’t get squished by a barrel next time,” he muttered, before lifting his soggy sneakers from the ocean, the red starting to show again as the sharpie weared off, “or get my shoes soaked.”

“You’re still doing a much better job of controlling it than when we started,” All Might pointed out. 

Midoriya smiled faintly. “That’s true.”

With the new work studies, he and All Might had been coming to the beach to practice more often. They had a lot more time with many of the students being absent to learn at a pro hero’s agency. 

“But I think you’ve done enough for today,” All Might said with a satisfied grin. Midoriya hopped up to where All Might was with a trail of green sparks, and as they began their walk back, the retired pro asked, “Don’t you have that journalist coming over tomorrow? I also heard Aizawa asked you to lead a lesson for the class.”

“Mr. Aizawa did ask that, yeah. Thinks it’s a good experience for me and 1-A. As for the journalist…” the former villain grimaced. “I really hope he isn’t one of the nasty people making up stuff about me.”

All Might rested a hand on his shoulder. “Even if he is, you have me and a whole class of hero students who will still support you.”

Midoriya smiled. “Thanks, it means a lot to know that.”

The retired hero didn’t notice his smile flicker, just a faint falter. How could a whole class of hero students support him, if one of them might be working for the League?

 

It felt wrong for the dorms to be so quiet, with all the students out that Sunday for their work studies, but it did give Midoriya the perfect opportunity to investigate who may be a traitor. 

By investigate, he meant inspecting rooms. 

Despite it being a necessary task that Nezu had personally assigned, a wave of guilt crashed over him like a tsunami as the first door creaked open. Hagakure’s room. 

He’d been analyzing the class’s behavior ever since being tasked with finding a possible spy. Looking for cues or subtle mannerisms, anything that could give away an ulterior motive. He’d filled half a notebook pouring over each student’s past, searching for any motivations to be a villain, or spotting things that ruled out the possibility of them being a traitor. 

The people he’d eliminated as possibilities were Uraraka, Shinso, Iida, and Bakugo. 

Every interaction he’d ever had with Uraraka proved her innocence, no he was not biased at all. 

Shinso would’ve revealed he was a traitor during their talk at the Sports Festival. 

Iida would not have attacked Stain if he worked for All For One, due to the mastermind’s desire to have the Hero Killer join the League. The class rep was also too rigid with the rules. 

Bakugo’s hate of villains was too strong, and Shigaraki wouldn’t have needed him kidnapped if he was already a spy. 

The rest of the students all had the capability of being a traitor. However, some were more likely than others. 

Tokoyami, Shoji, Tsu, Kirishima, Aoyama, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki had all assisted in plots against the League, either during the summer camp or Kamino. This made them more trustworthy, but they still could’ve been faking it. 

On the other hand, Hagakure, Jiro, and Koda were less trustworthy, due to their quirks being particularly useful for information gathering and spy work. 

Mina, Ojiro, Kaminari, Mineta, Sato, and Sero were all on even ground. 

Midoriya wanted to investigate the three least trustable suspects first during this free time. If he couldn’t find anything on them, then he’d move on to the group that was the second most suspicious. 

He felt tense and shameful, sifting through Hagakure’s drawers. Checking her contacts on her phone would be most useful, but that wasn’t something she’d leave behind in her room. So he just had to look for anything out of place, anything that didn’t belong in the typical hero student’s room. 

After a thorough search, checking the corner of every drawer and under every sheet and blanket, he couldn’t find anything. The same repeated for Koda’s room. 

In a way, he felt relieved. These people weren’t very likely traitors. 

But that meant he’d have to keep inspecting other people, instead of getting it over with. 

He stopped with Jiro’s room. She had up pictures of him and her singing together in the band, which overwhelmed him with guilt. That made it too much for him to continue with more searches afterwards. 

Once done, he slid into his chair behind his desk in his room. He felt in the back upper corner of his drawer, where a notebook was tapped to the ceiling of the desk. Untapping it, he brought it out into the light to add his new findings. 

The desire to share the contents of this traitor notebook with a friend nagged at him with every word he wrote. 

 

Midoriya knew the journalist had arrived. He knew Aizawa was introducing him to the class right then, and with all of the introversion in his body, he did not want to go downstairs. 

But he knew he had to. The journalist had come for two reasons: to see how students were adjusting to dorm life, and to see how students were adjusting to dorm life with a former villain. 

And there was only one former villain in the building. 

He let out a groan as he stood up from his desk, and that groan continued on mentally all the way down the stairs. On his way, he heard Aizawa explain, “Mr. Tokuda will be staying here today and tomorrow. Try not to drive him too mad, got it?”

“Yes sir!!”

Tokuda chuckled. “Please, it will take an abundant amount of the unexpected to drive me crazy. I’ve seen some wild events over the years.”

“Don’t test them,” Aizawa warned as he walked away. The teacher caught Midoriya’s eye as the teen crept down the stairs, and shot him an apologetic look. 

Tokuda began saying something to the class, but when he realized half their gazes were drawn away by something behind him, he stopped to look over his shoulder. The journalist brightened at the sight of the former villain peeking around the corner of the stairwell. 

“Midoriya, how kind of you to arrive! I was just about to say to the class, please act like I’m not here over the next couple days. Do whatever you would normally do.”

Midoriya offered a strained smile, ignoring the few giggles from the class as he stepped out of hiding. “Alright, got it.”

 

The afternoon was uneventful, thankfully. They followed what Tokuda said, doing what they typically did. There was an air of uneasiness at first, but that soon faded as the class slid into their usual groove of craziness. 

Midoriya still watched the journalist out of the corner of his eye though. Whether he was helping Kaminari with homework, discussing new songs with Jiro, or feeding Sharpie for Shinso, he stayed aware of where the man was in the room. 

Granted, Tokuda didn’t seem like a shady character. Maybe a little manipulative here or there, with his smooth talk or dramatic winks, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. He was respectful of the students and friendly to anyone who attempted a conversation with him. His smiles reached his eyes. 

That still didn’t stop Midoriya from being mistrustful. While he wasn’t actively avoidant of the journalist, he didn’t want to converse with him either. 

Uraraka could feel this slight tension he possessed, when he didn’t snuggle in closer to her as they sat together on the couch. She spotted how his eyes were on Tokuda, who was having a lively chat with Mina at that moment. 

“You okay?” she asked quietly. 

He pursed his lips. “The way he’s talking, he’s leading the conversation in a way that’ll give him more information.”

Uraraka smiled fondly. “Well he is a journalist, that’s kinda expected, isn’t it? Or maybe he’s just having a normal conversation.”

She leaned forward, into his line of sight, and his eyes broke away from Tokuda to her face. Though she was still smiling, her expression was lined with concern. He offered a small smile. 

“You’re probably right. I should stop worrying. Thank you.”

The concern faded away, relief and contentment left in its place. “Here, I’ll go get us some mochi before Iida starts tonight’s movie, sound good?”

He nodded, and he was already wishing she’d return within a second of her leaving. That feeling intensified immensely after a minute, due to the sound of a new voice behind him. 

“Sweet girl, isn’t she?”

Midoriya looked over his shoulder to see Tokuda’s hands on the back of the couch, his eyes on where Uraraka was in the kitchen. There wasn’t any malice in his expression or body language, only a chill relaxation, but Midoriya still clenched his jaw at the sight of him. 

“Yeah,” was his only response. 

“You two seem close, especially after what Mina told me.” His eyes sparkled behind his glasses. “In fact, you seem very connected with the whole class.”

Midoriya internally grimaced as he pondered what Mina could’ve said about them. “They’re my friends, after all.”

He ignored the tiny whisper in the back of his head, claiming that, no, they weren’t all his friends. 

Tokuda hummed. “I look forward to seeing your lesson with them tomorrow, then.”

Midoriya nodded, relief gushing through him at the sight of Uraraka returning with a bowl of mochi. The journalist offered her a polite nod when she arrived, before walking off to some corner of the room. 

The former villain sighed happily as Uraraka returned to the spot next to him, and he just tried to enjoy the rest of the evening without letting thoughts of Tokuda bother him. 

 

Midoriya wiped the last of the smudge from the window, before quickly tossing the cloth into the cart with the cleaning supplies. The bell was about to ring, and he had a class to teach. 

He jogged as he pushed the cleaning cart. Once up to a good speed, he placed one foot on the rack at the bottom and lifted his other foot off the floor, riding the cart down the hall like a little kid in an empty grocery store aisle. 

The bell sounded as he put the supplies in the closet, and he cringed, knowing he’d have to pass some students in the halls. He took off towards Gym Gamma at a quick pace. 

In his haste, he rounded a corner a little too sharply, almost colliding with an oncoming student. 

“Sorry, I-” he began to stutter out an apology, before realizing who he’d nearly bumped into. 

The ginger narrowed his eyes. “‘I’m an idiot’? Is that how you were going to finish that sentence?”

Midoriya gritted his teeth. It was Yogan, the bully who’d fought him before. Of all the people. 

“Sorry,” he repeated, before stepping to the side to walk around the teen. A heated hand on his shoulder halted his movement, and he side-eyed Yogan. 

“I’ve a few questions for you,” the student stated, letting his hand start to burn hotter. 

Midoriya grabbed his wrist and removed his hand from his shoulder. “I’ve got places to be.”

“Too bad,” Yogan grabbed his wrist in turn, the heat from his palm starting to become uncomfortable. “The hell is the rumor going on about you, that you’ve got a second quirk?”

“You’d know any rumors better than me,” Midoriya snapped back, trying to twist his wrist away. He knew much more effective ways to get out of someone’s grasp, but they weren’t exactly appropriate with the slowly growing crowd that had come to watch. 

“You avoiding the answer like that just makes you more suspicious, you know,” Yogan growled. 

Midoriya’s agitation began to mount, as he looped his arm around and clenched onto the student’s wrist. “Oh yeah, suspicious of what!?”

“Of working for that All For One bastard!!” Yogan shouted with a shove, knocking the former villain to the floor and leaving hand-shaped singe marks on his shoulders. 

Before Midoriya could retort or retaliate, a small voice called out in joy at the end of the hall. 

“Mido! I’ve a new drawing to show you!”

All the previous calamity stilled, the only sound being the soft patter of running footsteps as Eri raced down the hall to Midoriya with a paper in her hands. The smile on her face melted all Midoriya’s irritation. 

“It’s of a unicorn,” she explained happily when she arrived at his side, completely oblivious of the fight she’d interrupted. “That’s what Mirio keeps saying I am, a unicorn, ‘cause of my horn.”

Midoriya puffed out a laugh through his nose. “It’s a great drawing, Eri, and Mirio’s not wrong.”

His words tugged her smile wider, before she blinked as she realized there was a small crowd of people also present in the hallway. After looking around, she asked, “Why are you on the floor?”

With a quick glance in Yogan’s direction to see that he was backing off, he answered. “Cleaning UA can be tiring, and it’s just comfortable taking a break here on the floor, ya know?”

She tilted her head, before dropping her gaze to the floor. In a few seconds, she was laying on the ground beside Midoriya, smiling softly. “You’re right, it is nice down here.”

Midoriya was about to laugh, when he heard more footsteps approaching. He looked up from Eri to see Mirio jogging towards them. Though his mouth was in the shape of a grin, Midoriya could see in his eyes, he’d recognized what had been happening moments before. 

“What are you two doing down there?” he asked cheerfully, his tone a sharp contrast to the pointed look he shot the gathering of students, who began to disperse. 

“Taking a break!” Eri responded, having spread out into a starfish shape. 

Mirio laughed, before looking to Midoriya. “Aren’t you teaching 1-A this period?”

The former villain startled. “Right! I do have to get going.” He got his feet under him, and grinned at Eri, who was still content being a starfish. “See you later, Eri!”

“Bye bye!” She gave him a smile in parting. 

Before Midoriya could leave, Mirio put a hand on his shoulder, in a much gentler manner than what Yogan had done. The blond brushed a thumb over the singe marks, eyes narrowing slightly. 

“Do I need to give that kid a talk?” he asked lowly, tilting his head in Yogan’s direction. The second year was quick to retreat around the corner. 

Midoriya raised his eyebrows. “Talk as in words, or talk as in punch?”

Mirio chuckled. “Depends on how he reacts.”

A frown traced Midoriya’s brow. “It’s fine, you don’t have to-”

“Alright, I’m doing it!” Mirio proclaimed suddenly. “The moment you say something is fine, I know it’s bad.”

Midoriya was somewhere between laughing and sighing. “Alright, fine- I mean okay, I just- I gotta go!”

“See ya!” Mirio smiled wide as he started to jog away, waving in a wide arc.

Midoriya groaned when he saw the flash of a camera from around a corner. 

 

The class was changed into their gym uniforms, standing ready in the gym, by the time Midoriya arrived. 

“You’re late,” Aizawa commented. 

Midoriya ducked his head. “There was an incident on the way over here.” When several pairs of eyes snapped to him, he waved his hands in front of him. “Mirio’s handling it! It’s fin- okay! It’s okay.”

Bakugo scoffed lightly. “Right, singe marks on your shoulders just scream that it’s okay.”

Midoriya quickly unzipped his jacket, wearing a t-shirt underneath, and tossed it to the edge of the room. “What singe marks?”

Half the class groaned. Aizawa shook his head and said, “Just start teaching. You have thought about what you’re teaching, right?” The former villain nodded. “I’ll be in the corner if something or someone catches on fire.”

“Thanks…” Midoriya smiled wearily, before turning to face the class. 

The sudden realization of how awkward this could be crushed in on him like the pressure in a deep ocean. He quickly reoriented his thoughts, focusing on how he’d already done this in the past with a group of strangers; surely teaching people he knew would be easier. 

Although, Tokuda slipping into the gym did not help. 

He clasped his hands together, and after a deep breath under the expectant gaze of the class, he began his lesson. It was all memorized. Everything he needed was in his brain. 

“What do you all think of when you hear the word, ‘villain’?”

A few raised their eyebrows or tilted their heads in contemplation. When some opened their mouths just before closing them, Midoriya added, “Be honest. Ignore the fact I was a villain, it’s okay.”

It took several seconds, but eventually, Kaminari blurted out, “The bad guys.”

Midoriya could tell from the relieved shifts in the class’s expressions, most of them had been thinking the same thing. 

“Those who break the law,” Iida added. 

Yaoyorozu pressed her finger to her mouth thoughtfully. “People who heroes are supposed to defeat.”

“Bastards who need to have their ass beaten,” Bakugo snarled, palming his fist with a small explosion. 

The class quieted after Bakugo’s words, but Shinso had the final say. 

“A villain is someone who hurts others for their own gain, only caring for themselves and not others.”

Midoriya nodded slowly, digesting what had been said. His eyes held a light of curiosity when they flicked back up to the class. “What about the word ‘hero’?”

“The good guys,” Kaminari was the first to respond again. 

“Those who work to keep others safe,” Todoroki answered. 

“And uphold the rules!” Iida added on to Todoroki’s response. 

Uraraka scrunched her face up in thought, before replying with, “A hero cares more about the needs of others than of themselves, always looking for a way to help someone.”

Midoriya nodded again at a faster pace than the first time. “Alright, good definitions. But what if I told you that everything you just said is wrong?” All he got in response was puzzled faces, and he laughed a little. “Okay, Shinso, you said a villain is someone who cares more about their own wants than others, right?”

The student blinked sleepily. “Pretty much.”

“Then what about heroes who only protect people for the fame and money? Heroes who beat the villain for their own personal gain? What about that?”

“Those people aren’t heroes,” Shinso retorted firmly. 

Midoriya tilted his head, a sad smile on his face. “The public still considers them heroes, though, doesn’t it?”

Shinso muttered something incoherent under his breath. Midoriya began to pace back and forth, hands whirling along with his words. 

“Iida, you said a villain is someone who breaks the law, but what about when you guys left to save Bakugo and me at Kamino? That was breaking the law, yet you were doing a heroic deed. Ochako, Todoroki, you guys said a hero is someone who cares more for the needs of others, someone who keeps others safe, yet there are villains who steal and hurt people to protect their families and loved ones. That sounds like caring more for others to me.”

Realization began to spread across the teens’ faces as they started to understand what Midoriya was getting at. The former villain’s pace began to slow. 

“Kaminari, you said villains are the bad guys, and heroes are the good guys. But from a villain’s perspective, heroes are the bad guys, and villains are the good. And their perspective doesn’t get discounted just ‘cause they’re a villain.”

Midoriya slowed to a stop, eyes lifting up to the class. 

“Everything you guys said about heroes and villains, when viewed from a different angle, is wrong.”

Once the words sunk in, Yaoyorozu asked, “Then how do you define heroes and villains?”

Midoriya grinned. “I don’t think there are absolute definitions of either. Every hero makes mistakes, hurts people, and every villain has a heart, motives for their actions. Things aren’t as simple as black and white, heroes and villains, either or. I don’t see it as heroes and villains; I see it as people in shades of gray.”

The class tilted their heads curiously, eyes shifting as they tried thinking through this new perspective. Kirishima’s hand wandered into the air, and Midoriya inclined his head towards him. 

“What does this have to do with hero work?” the redhead asked with a hint of tentativeness.

“How you view your own role in society, and how you view a villain’s role, affects everything you’ll do in hero work,” Midoriya explained. “It’s in how you’ll fight, how you’ll treat people, how you’ll talk and behave, what ideals you’ll strive to uphold. If a hero sees themself as some all-important, perfect model whose sole purpose is bringing an end to the wretched, selfish brutes that have never had a thought other than harming society, then I fear the type of polarized future they’d create.”

He took a deep breath, giving the class a second to contemplate his words. 

“This lesson, I want to show you how villains aren’t just opponents. They’re also people, and sometimes as a hero, the best thing to do is to help them, not to hurt.”

Iida stiffly raised his hand, only speaking once Midoriya called on him. “But what about a person whose only goal is causing harm! What if they will not stop fighting to listen to reason?”

“You can use the fact they’re a person, with thoughts and emotions, and most importantly, motives. If you’re able to understand these motives, and then know what to say to get them to act in a favorable way, you could protect more people than if you fought.”

“So it’s just manipulation,” Bakugo scoffed. 

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Manipulation can be used to help, not just harm. It’s basically knowing the person you’re facing, and then using that knowledge to shape your words into something that’ll get them to respond in a better way.”

Kaminari rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t think I’m getting this very well…”

“That’s okay,” Midoriya reassured with a smile. “Here, why don’t I give an example? When I worked for the League, I watched a lot of fights between heroes and villains. Quite a few of them… didn’t go so well.”

A grimace came over his face, both because of the things he’d seen and thinking about the League. The class continued listening intently. 

“One of these was with Ingenium,” he noticed Iida tense slightly, “and a woman who could explode anything she’d thrown. A little ways into the fight, Ingenium said, ‘I can evade all your blasts, so you’re not going to win. Turn yourself in, and it’ll turn out better for you.’ Want to know what she responded with?”

“I certainly hope she listened,” Iida said. “Tensei’s logic was sound.”

Midoriya shook his head. “She said, ‘you can dodge, but can they?’ And she proceeded to attack a mother running away with her children.” The class paled. “Logic rarely has an effect on a villain. They’re acting off their emotional impulses, out of rage, fear, love, hate. Giving them the pros and cons of their situation is not going to do anything.”

He pressed his hand to his chest, peering at the class earnestly. 

“I didn’t want to give up villainy until I felt valued, trusted, and… and loved.” He looked towards Uraraka and Shinso. “It was at Kamino, when I tried getting to you guys. Then some threats happened and I couldn’t, but the point is, all the logic about how I saved people and would be better off as a hero didn’t work.”

He ignored the scribbling sound coming from Tokuda at that little detail about his villain story. 

“As heroes, you’re trying to help people. Sometimes that’s civilians, sometimes that’s a fellow hero, and sometimes that’s the person you’re fighting. You have to understand them, and then appeal to their emotions, not spew whatever logic makes sense to you. Does… does that make sense?”

After a few seconds, the class nodded. Some of them seemed to understand better than others, but at least each of them had gained something from what he’d said. 

“So in the situation you described,” Uraraka began, “it would’ve been better to ask her why she was doing what she was doing.”

Midoriya nodded with a smile. “Yes. That and just observing their body language and appearance; you can tell a lot about a person through those two things.”

“Could you give another example?” Yaoyorozu asked. 

Midoriya bobbed his head up and down. “Yeah!”

First he started out just describing different fights he’d seen in his time as a villain, where the hero could’ve acted differently, so less people would get hurt. Then as he continued, he started asking the class how they thought it’d be best to respond. He started giving them more questions, or acting out scenes, so they’d have practice in how to talk with their opponent. 

Midoriya didn’t know how to feel about leading a lesson on understanding villains with a group he was investigating for containing a villain, but he hoped that with what he’d said, the possible traitor would feel more comfortable in revealing themself.

Notes:

When I wrote that scene with Ingenium, all the way in chapter seven, I was planning on using it for this exact purpose. All those months ago, I had this teaching scene planned. I knew where the story was going, even back then lol.

Anyhoo, for this chapter I wanted a song that had to do with trying to relate to and understand others, even people who we consider "enemies." Unfortunately, there are not many songs at all about that, and the best one I could find is a Christian song (just ignore the bridge and you can't even tell). Revolutionary by Josh Wilson, fits great, especially the line "maybe I'm not like you, but I'll walk a mile in your shoes, if it means I might see the world the way you do."

So there we go. See ya next week! And happy two day late Earth Day I guess?

Chapter 91: Time to Talk

Notes:

I am prepping this on Sunday, but I know by the time I post, I'll be brain dead after taking the AP Chem exam. Studying for that has been killing a lot of my free time, and so will studying for two more exams on Saturday and next Tuesday. So. Am taking a break, but this should be the last one since school will get significantly easier once these are over.

Also because I'll feel bad if I don't apologize, sorry.

Enjoy the chap!

“I’d like to commend you on your lesson.”

Midoriya snapped the door to the cleaning closet shut in surprise, whipping around to see Tokuda smiling behind him. 

“Uhm… thanks?”

The journalist chuckled. “You’re welcome. Though I do have a few follow up questions, if that’s alright.” In response to Midoriya’s nervous shuffling, he promised, “It’d only be for the duration of our walk back to the dorms. I’m leaving this evening, after all.”

With a few seconds of contemplation, Midoriya agreed. The two began their walk back to Height’s Alliance, Midoriya being forced to match the slow amble of Tokuda despite wanting to speed walk. 

“So,” Tokuda started, a glimmer of curious excitement in his eyes at finally getting his one on one with the former villain, “You put a lot of emphasis on being more understanding of villains in your lesson. How are people supposed to take that seriously, when you were once a villain yourself? What if people claim your past biases you on the topic?”

Of course he shot a difficult question right off the bat. 

“I’d say my experiences make me even more qualified to speak on such a matter. I know better than most what effect false judgment can have, as I’ve seen it several times and have suffered through it myself. A hero giving the same lesson wouldn’t be able to go as in depth. Besides, that lesson was about being more understanding of heroes too. They aren’t perfect, just like how villains aren’t completely evil.”

Tokuda’s grin widened, and the setting sun glinted off his glasses as the two walked out UA’s doors. “Splendid answer. Now, you talk about how you’ve experienced false judgment. Would you be willing to elaborate on this?”

Midoriya worked his jaw, mulling over just how much to elaborate. 

“Before I was a villain, people automatically assumed I was weak and helpless for not having a quirk. I was… bullied in school for it. To the point of attempting suicide,” he muttered, hearing Tokuda’s writing pause. “After I was a villain, people were afraid of me, or angry with me, without much reasoning behind their reactions besides me being a villain. Out of the two, I’ve found the second one is worse. And that’s the one that’s still lingering.”

“Do you believe you’ll ever gain society’s trust and compassion?” Tokuda tilted his head, eyebrows raised in anticipation of an answer. 

Midoriya’s eyes fell to the path. “Some people will never trust me, while some already do. All I can do is hope and try.”

The journalist hummed and nodded, seemingly content with his response. “Bringing this back to the topic of your lesson, you’ve observed many fights between heroes and villains, right? And you used these observations to provide examples in your lessons?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m particularly curious about one example, the one with the hero who injured a bystander with his laser quirk. That sounded strangely like pro hero Hyperbeam.”

By the unfiltered glee in the man’s eyes, Midoriya could tell that he knew he’d struck gold. 

“That was based off a real scenario with Hyperbeam, yes.”

“How intriguing, because I did some intensive research before this interview, and I found out the bystander he’d injured was your mother.”

Midoriya stiffened as his face darkened in memory of what’d happened. He gave the curt reply of, “Yes.”

“Is there anything you would like to add to this finding?”

Oh, there was a crap ton he’d love to add. 

Midoriya bit his tongue, knowing that if he got started, the words would come tumbling out of his mouth along with something he’d probably regret later. Tokuda waited with a quirked eyebrow as the teen filtered through all the emotion and thought storming around the memory, figuring out what was appropriate to share and what was better left unsaid. 

“Hyperbeam was being reckless in the way he was using his quirk. He showed very little care for the civilians and property around him, and it was obvious he only had thought for detaining the villain. In his carelessness, my mother was put into a coma for months. When…” he swallowed the lump in his throat. “When it happened, I had no idea if I was ever going to be able to hold a conversation with her again.”

Tokuda’s pen was flying across his notepad with a vigor Midoriya had only seen in Tsukauchi when he was taking notes. “That must have been very distressing…”

“It was the final thing that pushed me over into becoming a villain.”

Tokuda paused at the immense sadness looming in his tone. Midoriya’s pace had slowed to a plod even slower than the journalist’s amble, as his gaze lingered dismally on his feet. 

Then he clenched his fists. 

“And he didn’t ever face any consequences for what he did. It’s taken my mom months to recover, and she’ll still never walk again! Heroes are supposed to protect people, and though Hyperbeam might’ve caught the villain, it cost a lot more than it was worth.” 

Midoriya took a deep breath to quell his anger’s uprising, while Tokuda took the time to jot down some more notes. 

“It was that life-destroying action being done by a hero that finally snapped my trust in hero society, and led me down a dark path. Looking back now, I can see there were better ways I could’ve gone, but in all my rage and isolation, I didn’t feel I had a choice other than to cross that line.”

His steps slowed to a halt in front of the dorms, the sunset casting a shadow over the building. As Tokuda jabbed down his final period, Midoriya peered up at him. 

“We done now?”

Tokuda laughed at the slight beg to his tone. “Yes yes, we’re done! Although…” Midoriya jerked to a stop in his climb up the steps, “I do have one personal question, if that’s alright. This won’t show up in any article.”

“Fine, shoot.”

“There have been rumors of you trying to transfer to the hero course, and that you spend ample time training with All Might. Is it possible he’s preparing you to be his successor?”

The look of shock and nervousness in the teen’s wide eyes was all the answer he needed. “Why do you-”

“Now now, don’t panic!” Tokuda reassured. “I’m simply a big fan of All Might’s, and knowing which upcoming hero he’s putting his faith in is important to me.” He lifted his hand, and a camera sprouted out from his palm, which Midoriya blinked surprisedly at. “Normally I’d just pull you in for a surprise picture, but given your history, you’d probably flip me over your shoulder and land me in the dirt.”

He laughed to himself, and Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that he was probably right. 

“So, I’d like to ask, is it alright if I take a picture with you? That way I can use it ten years from now as proof I knew All Might’s star pupil!”

“Um, okay, I guess that’s alright…”

The next thing Midoriya knew, he was pinned against the journalist’s side in a hug, a camera flash in his stunned face. Tokuda thanked him abundantly for the picture once they separated. 

“Yeah, sure thing,” Midoriya mumbled, blinking away the lingering flash in his vision. 

“Before I take my leave, I have one last thing to say to you,” Tokuda smiled. “I didn’t need that interview to tell you’ve been through a lot of hardship, but I think that’ll only serve to make you a more understanding and empathetic hero and leader in the future. Your story of redemption and rehabilitation is tremendously moving, and I can’t wait to write a book on it!”

Midoriya beamed his thanks. “Just let me proofread it, okay?”

Tokuda chuckled. “Sure, of course.”

 

“He cornered you into an interview, didn’t he?” Shinso asked from the kitchen. “I can see it all over your exhausted face.”

Midoriya let out a light groan as he plopped into one of the kitchen chairs, and Uraraka was quick to slide in across from him. “He didn’t make you say anything bad, or make you uncomfortable, did he?”

“If I said yes, he’d be leaving the school campus by floating up through the atmosphere into the sun instead of walking out the gates.”

Uraraka stared at him intensely, making Midoriya sigh with a smile. 

“No, he didn’t do any of that. It was okay.”

She nodded in satisfaction, and Shinso went back to holding his coffee pot out of Iida’s reach, as the class president was trying to convince him it was unhealthy to drink caffeine that late in the day. 

Later that evening as the class ate something for dinner, Yaoyorozu sidled up to Midoriya with a question obvious in her expression. The former villain tilted his head and swallowed the food in his mouth. “Yes…?”

“I just have something I’d like to ask about your lesson today.”

“...I can tell.”

Yaoyorozu rubbed the back of her neck, uncertainty about what she was asking flickering in her eyes. “What about villains that are truly immoral? Villains who are fully on one side of the spectrum, with no humanity behind their motives at all? You said it’s best to try to understand our opponents, and use words before action if possible. But if a villain is only evil…”

“You have someone particular you’re thinking of, don’t you?” Midoriya asked, and he wasn’t deaf to the way the chatter in the room had quieted to listen to his answer. 

Yaoyorozu pursed her lips and nodded. “Shigaraki, and All For One. What reasoning could they possibly have behind what they do, other than wanting to have the world for themselves?”

“Well,” Midoriya pushed his bowl away from him, done eating, “Shigaraki’s mind was warped by All For One. While I never asked him about it, it was fairly plain to see he’d been groomed since a young age for All For One’s purposes. What he was like before being conditioned, I have no idea.”

The sadness in his tone spread to some of the students’ faces, as they realized Shigaraki could’ve once been an entirely different person, with an entirely different future ahead of him. 

“What about All For One, then?” Yaoyorozu continued. “If it all can be traced back to him, how are we supposed to use the methods you suggested to stop him?”

The room was silent at this point, as Midoriya’s eyes lowered in contemplation. There wasn’t any morality in All For One, was there? No emotion, no feeling, only cold and calculative logic. His self-appointed purpose was to be the greatest evil in the world, just as All Might had been the greatest good. 

The only thing Midoriya could think of was the origin of One For All. The evil mastermind had given it to his brother as a gift. But had that gift been out of love, or a desire to spread his control to one more person? Or both?

Had All For One ever cared for his brother?

“I don’t know,” Midoriya answered Yaoyorozu’s question. “I don’t know if he ever cared for anyone, and if he did, then that care is long gone by now.” He lifted his eyes back up to hers. “But I can confidently say he’s the exception, along with villains like Shigaraki, Dabi, Overhaul, people who are far past the point of redemption. Most villains you’ll encounter will be in the gray area we talked about.”

A light frown found its way onto his face, and he continued with, “I should also say villains are still responsible for their actions, even if their motives are explicable. They still need to be held accountable. But that doesn’t mean their reasoning should be dismissed.”

The vice president nodded slowly, processing what he’d said. “Thank you for answering my question.”

“Of course,” Midoriya smiled as the chatter level began to rise again, conversations once again adding to the noise in the air. “Though I do have one question myself: what made you want to ask that?”

Her eyes dropped to her clasped hands. “Your lesson brought back the memories of Shigaraki threatening me at the mall, when he talked about his convictions. As he figured out his own motives, I don’t remember any humanity being a part of it at all.”

“Ah, I get it. Well, if you ever have another question, feel free to ask.”

She smiled with a shallow bow. “Thank you, and I will.”

 

“You sure this is where you want them?” Midoriya asked as he set down a tall stack of books on modern literature on a vacated desk. 

“Yes, that’s fine,” Cementoss replied, his eyes never leaving the essays he was grading. 

Midoriya couldn’t help but notice his slower writing speed, with only four fingers to hold the pen. This observation made his head dip slightly in guilt as he moved to leave the classroom. 

“Thank you,” Cementoss said under his breath. The former villain turned back to the teacher, surprised. Of all the teachers, he’d expect a notion of gratefulness from Cementoss the least. “For moving the textbooks,” he clarified. 

After another surprised blink, Midoriya smiled wide. “You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do.”

By the faint tracing of a smile that appeared on Cementoss’ face, Midoriya knew, he was getting somewhere. 

“Hey Midoriya! Is this where you’re hiding?” The door creaked open following the question, and a spike of blond hair entered first, before Present Mic’s face appeared below it. He raised his eyebrows at the two in the room, who were now staring at him. “Sorry for interrupting anything! I just gotta borrow the kid for a bit.”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed slightly at the obvious lack of a grin on Mic’s face, and the sullenness causing a drop in his volume. He was quick to agree. “Okay, I’m done helping here anyway.”

“Great! Let’s go for a walk, yeah?”

Out in the hallway, Midoriya noticed how Mic’s attitude only got damper. The bright enthusiasm that was usually in his expression had been reduced to a dwindling flicker. 

“So uh, what did you want to talk to me about?” Midoriya tried. 

“I know this isn’t my place,” Mic began, already raising Midoriya’s alarm levels. “But I have a few questions I need to ask you. About Kurogiri.”

Midoriya tilted his head. “Kurogiri? What about him?”

“Did he… did he seem to have a personality?”

The teen thought it was a strange question, but he answered anyway. “Well, looking back, everything he did was tied to caring for Shigaraki. He was very considerate, trying to do what was best for Shigaraki and following his orders without fail. He’d sometimes show that care to others too, but Shigaraki’s will always came first.”

Mic hummed. “Did he ever show anything outside of taking care of Shigaraki?”

Midoriya frowned. “Not overly, no. He’d almost seem robotic sometimes. Like, he’d always be polishing a glass when I entered the bar.”

Mic clenched his jaw, obviously upset. His footsteps slowed to a halt, and Midoriya stopped next to him. The teacher looked him dead in the eye. “Do you know he’s a Nomu?”

Midoriya’s eyes snapped open as his lungs sucked in a breath of shock. Kurogiri… had been genetically engineered from other living people?

“So you didn’t know. I guess that’s a good thing, ‘cause I would’ve been really mad if you had purposefully not told the police such an important detail.”

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Shigaraki needed a care-giver, and who better than someone literally designed for that purpose? It explained a lot of his odd behaviors. And not only that, but the high end Nomu Endeavor and Hawks had battled had similar eyes: pale yellow streaks. 

“Why do you care so much about this?” Midoriya asked hesitantly. “I mean, I know it’s a terrible thing, to make a biological robot out of corpses, but you seem to have some personal reason behind asking.”

Mic was silent for a moment in contemplation. Eventually, he let out an answer. 

“The base of Kurogiri was a friend of Aizawa’s and mine from our time at UA. Shirakumo. We thought he died accidentally, in a collapsed building.”

Sadness stilled the air around them, and Midoriya’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s why Aizawa teaches the way he does, to stop that from happening to more people.”

Yes, Kurogiri being a Nomu certainly explained a lot. 

“Anyway, thanks for answering my questions,” Mic said as he began to stalk off. “I’ll let you get back to your job.”

“Hey wait.” Midoriya’s words stopped his departure and made the teacher turn back to him. “Something I’ve learned here at UA is that when there’s something eating you up on the inside, something too big for you to handle by yourself, it can be really helpful to tell others about it. Just know there’s a lotta people you can talk to, if you need that extra support.”

Mic gave the most genuine smile Midoriya had ever seen on him. “Thanks kid.”

 

Midoriya stretched as he entered the kitchen that Sunday morning. Sleeping in felt so nice, considering how his nightmares had prohibited it for such a long time. 

“Morning, Izuku,” Uraraka greeted, a couple corn flakes plastered to her cheeks from her cereal. 

He smiled as he sat down across from her after snatching a muffin from the kitchen. “Good morning, how’d you sleep?”

“I uh, probably should’ve gone to bed a little sooner, but other than that it was good!”

“Let me guess, you were texting with friends super late into the night?”

“No, actually.” At her shift in tone, Midoriya tilted his head. “I found an article written by the guy who came here a few days ago, Mr. Tokuda. It was about you, so I figured I’d read it to see how accurate he got it.”

“Well?” Midoriya was a tad eager, since he wanted to know what Tokuda had done with all the information he’d given about his past. 

“It focused on your origins, why you became a villain. He talked a bit about quirkless bullying, but most of it was focused on Hyperbeam and what he did to your mom. And checking the news feed this morning, that’s already having ripple effects. He portrayed you in a positive way that I think will help more people understand you, so overall, yeah I think he got it right!”

The former villain let out the small breath he’d been holding. “That’s good. I hope it’ll help clear things up here at UA again. Things were getting so much better after the School Festival, but then the weird stuff with my quirk happened, so this might be the best way of calming people down again.”

“Yeah,” Uraraka nodded. “I’ll hope for that with you.”

“You’re gonna be leaving soon for your work study, right?” Midoriya asked as he started unpeeling the paper wrapper from his muffin. 

“In an hour, yeah. I’m just happy I still got to sleep in!” She laughed softly. “With so much of the class being gone most of the time, what have you been doing with all your extra alone time?”

He hesitated for the smallest second, remembering the room searches he’d been conducting. Uraraka noticed his slight pause in unwrapping his muffin. 

“Training my quirk with All Might. I’ve made some good progress.”

“That’s it?” Uraraka prompted, making direct eye contact. He faltered slightly again. 

“Yeah, pretty much.”

It was plain to her, something was up. 

As Midoriya began eating his muffin, the words he had spoken to Present Mic returned to him, about sharing troubles with friends to alleviate the burden. But that changed when it was his friends themselves who were the trouble. But Uraraka… she was safe; she wasn’t the traitor. The only reason he wasn’t telling her about his search for a spy was because of Nezu’s words. 

“Only you will have knowledge of this, and I’d like it to stay between you and me, until I give you express permission to share.”

But as his gaze returned to her face, it felt so easy to dismiss the principal. 

She quirked an eyebrow at the look he was giving her. “There something you wanna tell me?”

After a deep, contemplative sigh, he replied, “Yeah, actually, there is.”

Notes:

Oh no, a cliffhanger, anyway.

This chapter's song is Brave by Sara Bareilles, just fits the vibe of finally speaking out about something, and is a great song.

Mmm I think that's all. See ya in two weeks!

Chapter 92: Spies and Secrecy

Notes:

This chapter was nice, good balance of fun and serious and emotional, enjoy!

Midoriya’s door was closed and locked. He’d never done that with her in the room before. 

Uraraka watched with a heightened interest as he reached far into his desk and felt around the top of the drawer. She heard the sound of tape coming undone, before he turned around and presented her with a notebook. The grim set to his jaw and tremble of his fingers as he drew away told her it was much more than a regular notebook. 

“What’s this?” she asked as he turned his chair around to face her, since she was sitting on his bed. 

He kept his eyes trained on the light coming in from under his door, making sure there weren’t any shadows of someone listening outside. “The thing I haven’t been telling you about.”

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she looked down to start leafing through the pages. 

The lined paper was covered in writing, up to three quarters of the book. Elaborate details and carefully sketched drawings, all about her classmate’s histories, social connections, mannerisms, and personalities- or at least the more negative aspects of their personalities. 

She found her page, as well as Shinso’s, but they were almost entirely blank. Then there were pages like Hagakure’s and Aoyama’s that took up a large portion of the notebook. 

“I don’t get it,” she said after a tense moment, narrowing her eyes in confusion at the words ‘quirk ideal for infiltration and spy work’ on Hagakure’s page. “If you’re not working for the League anymore, why would you be taking notes on all of us outside of our usual notebooks that you use to teach us?”

She instantly regretted the suspicion she’d let slip into her tone when she saw the guilt glistening in his diverted eyes. 

“I was given an assignment from Nezu,” he explained, keeping his voice low and eyes averted. 

“What did he tell you to do?” she questioned, a little urgent after reading ‘location unknown at USJ’ on Aoyama’s page. She looked back up to his face for an answer, and waited in silence until he made eye contact. “What is this?” she asked softly. 

His face crumpled as shame roiled through him. 

“I was tasked with finding a traitor.”

 

The halls of the Paranormal Liberation Front were eerie to walk through. Maybe it was because of the sheer damage the people there wanted to wreak upon the world, or maybe it was the fake grin and positive attitude Hawks had to keep up, or maybe a combination of both. 

But with how much was reliant on what he could uncover here, the number two hero had to deal with it. The people, the acting, and the burden his spy work placed on him. 

There was the small comfort of knowing Endeavor had already received his message about how many forces there were, and when they’d be attacking. A group of top heroes were planning on having a meeting soon to discuss in detail the best path to take forward. 

But for now, Hawks had to report what he’d heard in the latest meeting he’d listened in on. Despite trying to leave quickly, he didn’t get very far. A greeting erupted from a room he was passing. 

“Oh!! Hey Hawks buddy!”

The hero paused in his departure, the cheery voice causing him to tense slightly. When he peered within the room, he spotted Twice lounging on a couch. Of the League members, he’d much rather have a run in with this one, but that didn’t mean he was completely harmless to his mission. 

Still, the smile he offered the villain was more real than the other ones he’d been dishing out. “Hey Twice, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much…” Twice replied, the drop to his tone fairly obvious, before he perked up again. “How about you?”

Hawks shrugged, remaining out in the hallway and not entering the room. “Just thinking about this big attack coming up,” he answered honestly. 

“Yeah… same…” Twice twiddled his thumbs and lowered his head, his mood dampened again just like that. The hero tilted his head at the dejected look on his face, and despite knowing he shouldn’t get attached to possible future targets, a bit of concern slipped into thoughts. 

Partially to keep up the act of wanting to be there, and partially because he cared for the villain, Hawks asked, “You doing alright?” 

The fidgeting increased its speed, and Hawks could see the conflicted debate storming through his expression. His words were hesitant and stilted when he spoke. “I know you’re a good person, ‘cause of what you said about understanding us because of your own want to be free! So- so that means I can trust you, a-and ask you a maybe sensitive question?”

When Hawks stepped inside the room, he knew he was committing to a full conversation. “Sure man, I can give a go at your question.”

Twice sprang up from his seat and started pacing, his movements agitated. “So, let’s say you have- had a friend, who you were super close with, like, your best friend!” Hawks had never had a best friend, but he nodded along anyway. “Okay, and then, this best friend, she starts acting weird, like she’s changing her mind on something that you’ve always agreed on! Getting more sullen, and acting like she wants to leave the best place in the world!”

A frown began to trace Hawks’ expression. He thought he knew where this was going. 

“And then when she’s given the chance, she just up and leaves!! She doesn’t even consider how you would feel, or how the group would feel, and just abandons you for some cheap fantasy that won’t even come true!” 

Yup. This was about Toga. 

Twice shoved his hands to his eyes to cover up his tears, and in a croaky voice he  asked, “What would you do in that situation? Would you just let her go, or be angry with her, or try to get her back? I’m just- I don’t know how to feel, so all I feel is confused.”

There were two ways he could answer this question, and Hawks knew he was bugged. One answer was acceptable for the part he was playing: tell him to let her go or be vengeful, reassure him he was on the right side. Affirm he made the correct choice to remain with the villains. 

But what Hawks wanted to say was to follow the best friend, because there was a reason she left, and that reason was a good one. 

The first answer would only hurt Twice’s prospects of having a brighter future; Hawks knew this. But the second answer might actually save him, at the cost of endangering the hero’s mission. 

He shouldn’t get attached to the enemy. Not when he might have to kill them. 

But Hawks had heard Twice’s story, and he knew the raging confusion on his face went way back before this moment. 

He was reminded why he’d become a hero in the first place. To save people like how he’d been saved from his own desolate situation. 

“I think I would try to understand my friend and why she left,” he answered, walking up to Twice. “If you were really best friends, and she still chose a different path forward than you, it was probably for a very good reason. And if I had to guess, she’d probably want you to follow her too.”

Twice froze, eyes stuck in a wide position. Tears started to well up in his eyes, and his voice was barely more than a whisper. “You really think so?”

Hawks tilted his head with a small smile, knowing the danger of what he was about to say. “Absolutely.”

Twice turned away from him and clutched his chest. “So that’s why I’ve been wanting to leave… but am I evil for feeling that way? For wanting to leave the only people who have ever supported me?”

Hawks shook his head. “No way! If anything, you’re one of the most caring people I know, and you’re a better guy than me,” he admitted lowly. “It’s not wrong to want you and your friends to be happy.”

Twice sniffled. “T-thanks. Can- can I have a hug?”

Hawks blinked, before breaking out into a smile. And it was a fully genuine smile, too. “How could I ever say no to that?”

Twice started sobbing as they embraced, and Hawks knew that if this exposed him, at least he’d helped save this man’s future. 

In that moment, they weren’t hero and villain. They were just people. Maybe even friends. 

 

“A traitor?” Uraraka asked, springing up from his bed. “1-A doesn’t have a traitor!”

“Then how did the League get the summer camp location?” Midoriya prompted, which quieted her. “Listen,” he stood up to be eye level with her, “Shigaraki said it himself: ‘Master has allies in unlikely places.’ That’s enough for at least some suspicion, and if there is a traitor, the longer we wait, the more danger everyone is in.”

She frowned doubtfully. “You really think one of our friends would do something like that?”

“Well, I didn’t act like a villain either.” Her frown only deepened at his words, so he continued with, “I’m hoping to find any possible traitor, not only to keep people safe, but also to help the traitor themselves. It’s possible they’re being forced into helping the League, so by rooting them out, I could be saving them from a role they don’t want.”

“You think they might be in a situation similar to what you were in with the League,” she realized, and bit more understanding entering her tone and expression. 

Midoriya nodded resolutely. “Please, this is a necessary thing that has to be done.”

He reached out to brush her arm, and she took a hold of his hand. “But why does it have to be you? You’ve already been through enough. This shouldn’t have been forced on you too.”

Midoriya lowered his head. “I’m the most qualified person. I know what to look for, and how to do it without anyone noticing. Well, except you.”

“But it’s causing you so much guilt,” she pointed out. “You don’t like investigating the people you care about, and it damages your relationships with people because you can’t trust them fully.”

“Well…” he stepped closer to her, “that is why I told you about this. To share the burden, like you told me.”

For the first time during the whole conversation, she smiled, stepping closer to him as well. “Huh, looks like something did get in through that thick skull of yours.”

Their closeness soon morphed into a hug, and he whispered next to her ear, “Thank you for listening, and for trusting me.”

She squeezed him tighter. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

 

“I win again!!” Toga exclaimed happily, smiling at how all her darts were within the bullseye. 

Gentle raised a hand to his chin. “Why yes, your dart throwing skills are quite astounding!”

“I think I’m just too short,” La Brava pouted. 

As Gentle walked up to the board to retrieve the darts, Toga explained, “It’s not your height! You just don’t follow through after you throw, so all your darts end up down there,” she gestured at Gentle, who was bending down to get the darts that were stuck in the wall below the dart board. 

La Brava blinked. “Huh, okay, I’ll try that!”

Neither noticed Gentle raising his hand to different spots in the air as he walked back to them. 

“You first, my lady,” he said smoothly as he offered La Brava a dart. 

She followed Toga’s advice when she threw, and the dart hit the lowermost part of the board, making her jump for joy. “Yay, I did it!! It hit the board!”

Gentle clapped in congratulation while Toga laughed along with her enthusiasm. Toga threw next, hitting the bullseye again, and Gentle put on a cunning smile as his turn approached. 

“You may be able to hit the target like that, Himiko, but can you hit it like this?!”

He flung the dart far to the side of the board, and it bounced off a hidden air trampoline, only to fly to another that was closer to the board, bouncing again, zigzagging between air trampolines. But the positioning and orientations were just a little off… causing the dart to go off course and come zooming back to the trio. 

Toga snatched the dart from the air before it could reach her face, and Gentle gasped in horror. 

“Apologies! I’m afraid I’m out of practice when it comes to the positioning of my air trampolines…”

“Are you kidding!?” Toga burst out, thrusting the dart back into his hands. “Do it again! That was awesome!!”

Gentle grinned mischievously. 

By the time they were done, there were darts stuck on the ceiling, in the furniture, and on every wall. The only dart free spot was the dart board itself. 

“The heck happened in here…” a security guard asked as she entered the rec room. 

“Just a little game of darts!” La Brava affirmed, and the other two nodded vigorously. 

“Uh… huh. Well, the director asked to see you two,” she pointed at Gentle and La Brava. “You’re not in trouble, but there’s something important she’s got to speak to you about.”

Their moods deflated a little, but the two smiled as they said goodbye to Toga, who promised to see them at dinner. 

 

Director Yuruganai was not the kindest looking woman. The jagged line of a scar traced from the corner of her eye and down her neck, harshing her features. Flecks of gray were starting to appear in her pixie cut. The eye with the scar was a cloudy white - blind - and the other a vivid purple. 

Gentle and La Brava squirmed a little in front of her. They knew they hadn’t done anything wrong, but it sure felt like it. 

Without looking up from the papers she’d been sifting through, she stated, “I’ve received a request from a group of well-known heroes to release you temporarily.”

The two gasped in surprise, and Gentle responded with, “What an intriguing request! Might I ask why you received such an appeal?”

“There’s a major conflict coming up with a very dangerous group of villains, a former member of which is in this very building. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.”

“The League,” La Brava muttered. 

Yuruganai nodded. “Except they go by the Paranormal Liberation Front now, after joining with the Meta Liberation Army. You two are here so I can determine whether it’s a good idea to let you join the battle against them.”

“I assure you! We will do everything in our power to-” Gentle’s declaration of loyalty was cut short by the director’s eyes flicking up to them. In that brief second, her seeing eye flashed white, and the pair had never felt so exposed. It was like the depths of their character had been offered up for her gaze to pierce. 

Then that second was over, and she marked something down on the papers in front of her. “Alright, there’s a meeting in a few days you’ll be attending that begins the planning of the attack. I expect you to show just how effective villain rehabilitation is while you’re there.”

“Wait, you’re letting us go, just like that!?” La Brava exclaimed. 

A shred of a smile showed on Yuruganai’s lips. “Well, the request does come from heroes like Hawks, Eraserhead, Ryukyu, and Fat Gum, so it’s not like I’d be able to refuse either way. But I wanted to make my own judgment of you two. That’s my quirk, Character Judge.”

“So that’s what that unnerving sensation was,” Gentle realized. 

The director nodded, her eyes stuck to her desk again. “Unfortunately, every time I make eye contact that happens; I used to have more control before losing my left eye. But I was still able to see the genuine desire to help in both of you, so that’s why you’re permitted to leave. Any questions?”

La Brava’s hand wavered into the air, and Yuruganai inclined her head to her. “With being the director of a place like this, I thought you’d be, I don’t know, nicer?”

A small laugh puffed out of the director’s nose. “You don’t successfully set up an organization as controversial as this one by being an over-caring pushover. If there’s nothing else, then you’re dismissed.”

 

Midoriya shut the door to Kirishima’s room with a soft click. It wasn’t him either. The same went for Kaminari. 

He was searching the most talkative people’s rooms, in case they were hiding ulterior motives behind friendly faces. So that meant Mina was next. Guilt felt like a gut punch as he opened her door, considering she was one of the main people who’d pushed for him and Uraraka to get together. This was a crappy way of repaying that. 

Pink covered her room from top to bottom, but as he began to search more thoroughly, he found something much more attention-grabbing. 

Under her bed, she’d created an entire shipping board. 

Pinned to a wide cork board were the faces of most of 1-A, and even some people outside of it. Strings connected faces together, some with a question mark or an abundance of hearts. 

Aizawa and Mrs. Joke were circled with a huge heart, and below that was a string connecting Amajiki and Nejire with several question marks. Jiro had two strings connected to her, one from Kaminari and the other to Yaoyorozu, who then had a string to Todoroki, who had an arrow pointing at him saying ‘too dense.’ Off to the side was Bakugo and Kirishima, Ojiro and Hagakure, and Shinso by himself in the corner as far away from the rest of the pictures as possible. 

Midoriya and Uraraka’s pictures were pinned together, surrounded by little hearts with the word ‘sailed!!’ written underneath them. 

Strangely enough, Mina’s face wasn’t to be found on the entire board. 

He must have stared at the conundrum of pictures and strings for almost a minute before realizing he’d gotten distracted. Shaking his head, he slid the shipping board back under her bed, making sure it was in the same position as when he found it. 

Once he’d gotten refocused, he investigated the rest of the room, but the board remained the most interesting thing he found. It wasn’t Mina either. 

He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, because it meant he’d have to repeat the entire process with other friends. 

 

“So did you search any more rooms while we were all out today?” Uraraka asked in a low voice as she and Midoriya went on a walk outside. 

“Yeah. Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mina’s. It’s not them either.”

Uraraka hummed in thought. “Then who does that leave to investigate?”

“The only people left are Tsu, Aoyama, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Todoroki. They all helped against the League at some point, which is why I’ve held off looking into them until now.”

“Do you have anything else to go off than just that?” Uraraka questioned. 

He frowned. “Well, going off behaviors, it’s either Shoji, Aoyama, or Todoroki.”

Uraraka tilted her head. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, I always felt like Shoji forgave me too quickly for what I did at the summer camp, and that it should’ve taken him longer, like it did for Tokoyami. His mask also makes it difficult to read him, but it does make it easier to read his past. He probably has good motives for being a villain, having a mutation quirk and being from a pretty judgmental town. Being one of the more reclusive members of class also doesn’t help his case.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense…” she agreed. 

“For Aoyama, he’s always putting on an act. While he’s talking to someone, he’s bright and smiling and-”

“Twinkling?” Uraraka giggled. 

Midoriya smiled. “Yes, twinkling. But the moment the conversation ends and he thinks no one’s looking… he acts different. His expression drops, shoulders slump, gaze down, just gloomy all around. That could just be because of something personal that’s happened in his life that he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing, or it could be something else.”

“Huh, I’d never noticed that about him before,” Uraraka pondered. 

“Just watch him from the corner of your eye, and you’ll see it eventually. As for Todoroki… he’s just a blank slate. Impossible to read, which is odd. With his home life, he’d also have good reason for being a villain, but me convincing him to use his flames negates that theory somewhat. It’s just strange for a teenager to be so good at hiding their emotions, but it’s likely that’s just the way Todoroki is.”

“That’s true. So are those the three whose rooms you’re going to search next time?”

Midoriya nodded. “Probably. Though I’m running out of people in 1-A to investigate. If it ends up not being any of them, then I’ll have to move onto 1-B, and then to teachers, who are much more difficult to keep tabs on.”

In all the discussion about betrayal and villainy, Midoriya could find one comfort. At least he had Uraraka to talk to about it. 

 

The class quieted slightly when Aizawa entered the living area, but it returned to its usual volume when all the teacher did was wave Midoriya over to talk. 

“What is it?” Midoriya asked in a quiet voice as he arrived in front of him, noticing the want to be discreet in Aizawa’s expression. 

“There’s a meeting you’re attending a couple days from now that pertains to taking down the League. We might need your advice. Just letting you know now, and this is strictly confidential. Not a word to anyone about it until later.”

Midoriya nodded, masking his displeasure at one more secret to keep. “Got it.”

When he returned to Uraraka’s side in the living area, she murmured to him, “What was that about?”

He gritted his teeth in a tight smile. “I can’t tell you until later.”

Uraraka’s brow furrowed, but any further questioning she would’ve had was cut off by Yaoyorozu offering them a new blend of tea she was trying. 

Midoriya couldn’t wait for all this secrecy to be over.

Notes:

Small disclaimer, what was on Mina's shipping board is not what I actually ship lol. I was just thinking of what I've seen other people ship, and those were the first that came to mind. (And if you are curious about my shipping preferences, I only really care about IzuOcha, with a slight preference for KamiJiro and NejiTama)

Also, small interesting thing, Mina's canonically a cupioromantic, someone who doesn't experience romantic attraction to anyone, but wishes they could be in love. Which is why her own face wasn't on the board.

This chapter's song is, uhh, Secrets by OneRepublic! Good song, fits with how Midoriya opened up to Uraraka this chap about the traitor thing, and Hawks balancing all the stuff he's supposed to be saying.

Final thing! Director Yuruganai, her name means "steadfast" or "unflinching" or "persistant." That gives some good insight to her character.

Chapter 93: An Interesting One

Notes:

Small note: Midoriya has been training all this time with One For All, so his percentage limit has increased. (At this point we're at that three month gap between season 5 and season 6, and at the start of season six he can use 30%)

Oh and fun fact, this first bit here was originally planned for the Overhaul arc, since I hadn't decided on Midoriya going with Overhaul yet so he would've attended the meeting with Nighteye. Was a bit sad about having to trash the scene, but now I can use it here so I'm happy! Enjoy the chap!

“Do I have to go in there?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t just watch from the cameras? I could email them my thoughts!”

“No.”

“But they’re all gonna be staring at us the second we walk in. It’ll be terrible.”

“It will.”

“That doesn’t help!”

Aizawa sighed. “Just remember our eye contact lessons and you’ll be fine.”

Midoriya gulped as he eyed the doors leading into the meeting room, where dozens of pros, several of whom were in the top ten rankings, were about to start discussing intel pertaining to the end of the League. 

His shaky hand wavered out towards the door handle, but just as his palm was about to rest on the cool metal, he snatched his hand away and whipped around. He took a step away from the doors, claiming, “Forget it, I can’t do this!”

With an expert maneuver from Aizawa with his capture weapon, Midoriya was spun back around, facing the doors. “Just get in there.”

The teacher gave Midoriya a light shove, and the former villain stumbled in through the doors. Inside was just one long table, surrounded by pro heroes. Within five seconds, every pair of eyes in the room was on him, and he could feel the pressure of their stares constricting his throat and making it hard to think and breathe. 

At least he managed a small wave and a strained smile. Right off the bat, he recognized Endeavor, Mirko, and Kamui Woods. 

“Head to our seats,” Aizawa quietly guided. 

Midoriya quickly spotted the two empty seats closer to the front of the room, where the presentation, given by the HPSC, was about to begin. 

Right as he took his first step in that direction, a greeting erupted through the silence. 

“What a pleasure it is to see you again, Midoriya!!” cried an eccentric voice. 

The former villain’s eyes snapped to the face the voice belonged to, and a small smile spread across his face. 

“Hey Gentle,” he returned the greeting, albeit much quieter. La Brava waved from next to her partner, and he smiled at her too. If those two were there, then that meant their rehabilitation was going well enough for them to be trusted with leaving their facility. 

Their presence caused his smile to remain on his face as continued his walk over to his spot, and once seated, the Commission began. 

“We’d like to start off by thanking all of you for coming today,” the Commission president started. “The sacrifice of your time and energy will not be for-”

“Yeah yeah, sacrificing our lives to save people, that’s why we became heroes!” Fat Gum cut in. “Can we skip the formalities and get down to how we’re finally gonna stop the League and its allies?”

The president barely faltered for a second, before continuing on as the hero requested. “As some of you may already be aware, the League of Villains has joined forces with the Meta Liberation Army to form the Paranormal Liberation Front. They have amounted an army of over one hundred thousand, and they plan to strike in two months. That is the purpose of this meeting, to develop a proper counter to such an attack.”

Going by the unnerved expressions in the room, Midoriya wasn’t the only one to have his blood run cold at that statement. But there was one thing he didn’t understand: how did the little League convince a force as big as that to join them?

“We have been steadily gathering intel about our adversaries through a well-placed spy. Hawks, the number two hero, has infiltrated their ranks and has been giving us info vital to their defeat. It’s because of him we know everything we’re about to share with you. Are there any questions before we begin?”

“Yeah,” Mirko spoke up, across the table from Midoriya. It was clear she was restless, having to remain planted in a chair. “We sure it’s smart to have a former League member here as we’re discussing the downfall of the League?”

Midoriya tensed as she leaned forward towards him, placing her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers in front of her face. The former villain opened his mouth to defend himself before the HPSC president could. 

“I can understand and predict the League members better than anyone here,” he affirmed, looking the number five hero in the eye. “My insight to their operations could be invaluable, especially with a mission as imperative as this one. I want to help as much as I can with what I know, and nothing anyone says is going to change that.”

Mirko didn’t break eye contact, instead holding his gaze with an intensity Midoriya thought would light fire to her eyes. He was tempted to look away, but remembering his eye contact lessons with Aizawa, he managed to match her fierce glare. 

Eventually, she broke out into a smirk. “Good enough for me.”

Midoriya tried to hide his sigh of relief, and he was grateful that attention was shifted off him and Mirko when another hero, Ryukyu, asked a question. 

“If Hawks is the one delivering all this information, why isn’t he here at this meeting?” the number ten hero questioned. 

“I too would like to know that,” Endeavor added. Midoriya tilted his head at the subtle care in his tone. 

“We have good reason to believe he is bugged, so being here would jeopardize his position in the Liberation Front,” the president explained. “It would also be harder for him to keep his act up if he disappeared for a few hours, especially after a recent… incident.”

 

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Skeptic demanded, pressing pause on the sound recording and eyeing Hawks distrustfully. 

The number two hero had just reheard everything he’d said to Twice. Every word about leaving the Liberation Front to join Toga. It wasn’t difficult to decipher what he’d meant, and now his past decision to help was about to shove him over the edge into a deep pool of trouble. 

So Hawks did what had worked for him several times before. He played it off with a smile. 

“What, you aren’t able to tell what I was doing?”

Skeptic stiffened slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Oh come on, and I pegged you as the smart one.”

“Explain yourself if you don’t want me to report you to Re-Destro and the others right now!”

“Jeez, alright alright,” Hawks complied, keeping his unconcerned smile up, despite all the trepidation flooding his brain. “As you know, I’ve been loyal to the Liberation Army much longer than the Liberation Front. I feel a stronger sense of duty to the original organization, not this new joint thing we’ve got going on. That’s something I bet you relate to?”

Skeptic clenched his jaw. “Re-Destro has my absolute loyalty, so I’m not going to question his decisions.”

Hawks smirked at his tone. It was clear the man hated the League for how they’d barged into the Liberation Army’s plans. He continued. 

“Anyway, I’m not very trustful of these new people who have joined our ranks, so I’ve been keeping some tabs on them for the original Liberation Army. Been testing their loyalty, seeing if they actually care for our cause. That’s what this conversation was. I rooted out a traitor for you guys.”

Hawks hated the nasty taste the lie left in his mouth. At least this would get Twice out, even if he left thinking he’d been betrayed by the person who he thought he could trust the most. 

The hero held his grin on his face in opposition to the roiling conflicts he was experiencing, and soon Skeptic began to grin too, to Hawks’ relief. 

“Why yes, I can see what you did now!” the villain let out a delighted laugh. “Although it will be difficult to act on this information without the League blocking us… we’ll have to find some way to hold Twice accountable without alerting the League to our actions! Can I count on you to help me in this task?”

Hawks beamed, a shell of a smile with empty emotion. “Absolutely!”

Balancing all the different acts of being a spy was taking its toll, but at that moment, Hawks was just trying to think of some way to protect Twice without exposing his true intentions to the Liberation Front. 

 

“His placement in the Liberation Front has been imperative to our intel-gathering, and we wouldn’t be half as prepared without him,” the Commission president said as her assistant brought up a presentation on the expansive TV screen on the wall. 

She began listing off and explaining all the points of detail Hawks had provided them, her words parallel to what was on the presentation. This information included the date the army was planning to move, their targets, their leadership’s quirks and histories, as well as their key locations. 

Midoriya had to stop himself from gasping when he saw UA was one of their targets, and he heard the slight tremble in the president’s voice when she said the HPSC was another. 

The former villain only had to hear their quirks once to have them memorized, and his brain immediately started thinking of all their applications. Questions rushed to his mind about the specifics of their quirks, but he held his tongue and refrained from asking. 

Hearing Twice had overcome his trauma made his blood run cold. With the unrestricted usage of his quirk, he would be an overwhelming force. 

The room was silent for the duration of the presentation as the heroes listened intently and absorbed the troubling information. Eventually the well of knowledge ran dry, and the TV screen went black again. 

“That’s all the information we’ve been able to gather,” the president finished. “Based off what we’ve now provided, in this and the following meetings, we hope to develop a plan that will end the League and the Liberation Army once and for all. I’d like to now pass the conversation to anyone who has an idea on how to achieve this goal.”

There was a tense moment where nobody had the nerve to speak first, before Mirko palmed her fist and burst out with, “These villains aren’t gonna know what hit ‘em!!”

“At this point, we don’t know what’s going to hit them either,” Ryukyu responded. 

“Well someone had to break the silence!”

“We should strike before the date they plan to move their forces,” Aizawa helpfully provided, and Midoriya could hear his concern from his students in his tone. He didn’t want UA getting attacked. “The earlier we attack, the less prepared they are. Time is a key factor in all this.”

“I agree,” Endeavor added. “I’d rather eliminate this threat before it’s too late.”

“Then we should focus on Shigaraki!” Crust, the number six hero, shouted with a clenched fist. “He appears to be the main perpetrator of all this, being the past leader of the League and now the leader of the Liberation Front!”

“No, Twice is more of a threat right now,” Midoriya interjected, and he immediately tried not to wither as everyone turned their eyes to the teenager who had the gall to speak in a room full of adults. “If he’s overcome his trauma, then he’s close to unstoppable.”

“His clones suck at staying together,” Mirko retorted. “Even if he can make a crap ton of them, they’re no match for the top pros! We’ll cut through ‘em like butter!”

“It’s not about how many he can create, it’s about what he can create.”

Some eyes widened and some eyes narrowed as the implications of what he’d said set in. 

“Twice could make hundreds of high-end Nomus, like what Endeavor and Hawks fought, just like that. Hundreds of Shigarakis, with hundreds of hands that could unleash decay. He could make several All For Ones. With his power of cloning anyone, nothing is off limits for him.”

After several heavy seconds of quiet, Kamui Woods said, “So Twice is of high priority, and needs to be taken out swiftly. Who else should we be focusing on?”

The conversation moved on to ranking the Liberation Front members in terms of danger and importance. Midoriya added his input here or there, either by clarifying a quirk’s usage or explaining someone’s notable behaviors to move them up or down on the priority list. 

He didn’t make another strong objection until the HPSC president made a certain remark. 

“Due to the extreme difficulty and sheer numbers of his upcoming battle, all hero students will also be deployed into action. Hopefully this will help compensate for any weaknesses in our strategy.”

“All hero students? Even first years?” Midoriya asked incredulously. 

“Yes, all hero students.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?”

“Considering the stakes, no, I don’t,” the president answered, her voice cold. 

“But they’re just seventeen year olds. They shouldn’t be forced into something like this.”

“I gotta agree with the kid,” Fat Gum said. “These are just children. Third years should be able to participate if they want to, but second and first years? They’re too young for this type of thing.”

“I agree with every word just said,” Aizawa spoke up. 

“If it means the difference between winning or losing, the sacrifice is worth it,” the president cut in harshly. “These kids have been well-prepared for situations such as these, and frankly, you should stop letting the fact you’re their teacher or friend bias you on the subject.”

Midoriya’s anger sparked up at that, and several rebuttals immediately came to mind. These first years - this sacrifice- consisted of his friends. He didn’t want to see them die, and was going to stick up for them. 

He opened his mouth to fire something back, but Aizawa’s hand on his shoulder quelled him. 

“Don’t,” the teacher advised under his breath. “It’ll just make her dislike you more.”

Midoriya clenched and unclenched his fists, debating whether or not to listen to Aizawa. But as the discussion moved forward, and the president made no response, he ultimately decided to drop it. 

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t pick it back up later. 

 

By the end of the meeting, they’d established the date of their attack, as well as the areas they’d be attacking. The specifics were to be worked out in the next meeting; Midoriya was very grateful for this, considering he was about ready to collapse onto the table and take a nap. 

Social interaction, especially with a group as esteemed as this one, was draining. 

“Let’s get back to UA,” Midoriya said, trying not to make it sound like a beg. 

“You did good Problem Child,” Aizawa complimented as they began making their way to the doors. 

The former villain covered his mouth to hide a yawn. “I’m just glad all the talking is finally done.”

A new voice from behind them crushed that hope. “Well that sucks for you, kid, ‘cause unlike you, I’m not done talking.”

The pair turned around to see a short old man in a yellow hero costume, a beaten down cane in his hand, and a sharp look in his eye. Midoriya tilted his head at him. Some retired pro? Weird that Midoriya didn’t recognize him. 

“What do you want,” Aizawa asked flatly, wanting to get out of there to the same degree as Midoriya. 

“Just a few words with the kid.”

Aizawa made eye contact with Midoriya, silently asking if that was okay. The former villain shrugged, though his body did hold a nervous tension. They were in a room full of pros, so it wasn’t like this old man could try anything. 

“The name’s Gran Torino, and I’m All Might’s old teacher, if that helps,” the man provided. 

Midoriya’s eyes widened. All Might’s old teacher? Did he know about One For All then?

The former villain was quicker to agree to speak with him after that, and once they stepped aside, his suspicions were confirmed. 

“Toshinori picked an interesting one, huh,” Torino said, a light smirk on his lips. 

“So you do know,” Midoriya realized, and the hero nodded. “Wait, if you were All Might’s teacher, why hasn’t he ever mentioned you?”

“‘Cause he’s deathly scared of me and is a terrible student and communicator, that’s why!” 

Midoriya blinked. “O-oh, um, okay. So… why did you want to talk to me?”

“I want to make sure Toshi’s teaching you properly how to use your quirk. He might’ve been a great hero, but that skill doesn’t necessarily translate into teaching ability. Do you feel you’ve got a good handle on it? ‘Cause you’re going to have to master that power for this upcoming battle.”

The teen thought for a moment, mentally reviewing all his training. “I wouldn’t say he’s the best at teaching, but I can use it pretty well in a fight. Well, I can only use fifteen percent comfortably, and twenty five if I push myself, but in most fights, that’s all I need.”

“In this fight you’ll need a lot more than that,” Torino warned, and Midoriya grimaced. 

The teen held his fist in front of him. “But if I use more than that, I hurt myself. My body just can’t handle that level of power, even with all the training I’ve been doing.”

Torino hummed. “I’d like to ask to have a training session with you, then, to see how you can improve. We don’t have a ton of time, so we gotta use what we do have to make sure you’re at peak performance when the time comes.”

“Right! That sounds really awesome, actually. I can get a new viewpoint on my fighting style. Can we exchange phone numbers?”

The hero laughed. “Don’t worry about that! I’ll just show up whenever to teach you a lesson!”

“Oh, a-alright,” Midoriya replied nervously. He had that to look forward to now. “There anything else you wanted to tell me?”

“Anything I want to tell you? No, but it looks like he might have something to say.” Torino jerked his head in the direction of something behind Midoriya, who turned around. 

Endeavor was staring at their conversation a short distance away, the want to talk burning in his eyes. 

“Have fun with that,” Torino said with a pat on his good shoulder as he started walking away. “See ya.”

“Y-yeah, bye.”

The moment the retired hero was clear, Endeavor thudded up to Midoriya, who was screaming at his brain to not take a step back at how intimidating the man was. 

“Hello,” Midoriya said. It took all his effort to keep from stuttering. This was the number one hero, one of the most powerful people in the country. And that fire in his eyes wasn’t overflowing kindness. 

“I’ve heard about you from my work study students,” he began, blue eyes sweeping over him. “When I saw you on the attendance list for this meeting, I wanted to verify your trustworthiness. Shoto and Bakugo spoke highly of you.”

“That was nice of them, but if they already said I’m trustworthy, then why are you talking to me right now?”

Endeavor was quiet for a moment, and the slight clench of his jaw made Midoriya realize he didn’t overly want to say what was coming next. 

“I suppose I should thank you,” he said, the words coming slow like he had to drag them out. 

Midoriya raised his eyebrows when the hero lowered into a shallow bow. “Huh?! For what?”

“If it wasn’t for your words to Shoto at the summer camp, he might still be rejecting his fire and refusing my teachings. It’s because of what you said that he’s made so much progress, and because of his progress that I’ve been able to recognize my failings. So thank you.”

Despite the hesitance in his words, Midoriya could tell they were genuine. Though his fierce exterior remained, this man was changing for the better. 

When Midoriya stood silent in surprise, Endeavor came up from his bow and said, “That is all.”

He turned abruptly to leave, but stopped when Midoriya replied with, “You’re welcome. And I guess I should be thanking you too.”

Endeavor looked over his shoulder at him. “For what?”

Todoroki whipped a credit card from his pocket. “Technically, Endeavor paid for it.”

Midoriya grinned. “For the headphones!”

At the hero’s confusion, he waved to Aizawa that he was leaving and bolted. 

 

During her ride home from the meeting, the HPSC president glared down at the article on her phone. The news about Hyperbeam was causing too much ruckus. 

People were now growing more and more sympathetic of villains, and the push for more villain rehabilitation was immense. This messed with the carefully constructed balance she had created, with heroes being rewarded for protecting civilians, and villains being punished for harming civilians. 

Now that people were questioning whether heroes should be rewarded, and whether villains should be punished, it screwed everything up. The black and white picture the commission had painted was getting smeared into shades of gray. 

This article on Hyperbeam had only made things worse by shining a more critical light on heroes, and a more understanding light on villains. 

“What are you going to do about this?” her assistant asked in the seat across from her in the limousine. 

She gritted her teeth. “We should’ve killed Hyperbeam instead of covering up his mistakes. Hushing things up had worked at first, like during the incident with that damn Deku’s mother. But Hyperbeam is too self-obsessed; it’s been clear since the start he cares more for the fame of capturing a villain than helping civilians. We never should’ve let him survive this long.”

“Would you like me to send the order to take him out?”

“No, it’s too late for that. With all the spotlight on him, his death would be noticeable and suspicious. Revoke his hero license permanently and pay our lawyers to give him a few months jail time. That should get all this news about him to shut up.”

“Understood, Madam President.”

As her assistant began typing out an email, the president wished Deku would’ve just killed himself instead of getting rescued. That would’ve stopped this whole mess from happening.

Notes:

I got chills writing that last scene with the HPSC prez.

This chapter's song is Run Like a Rebel by The Score, fits great with how Midoriya still spoke up even in a room full of top heroes, then also with the HPSC trying to conform heroes and villains to certain roles.

Thanks for reading and see ya next week!

Chapter 94: Getting Close

Notes:

Enjoy the chap!

Aoyama’s room hurt his eyes. How did he even find this much vision-burning glitter?

Midoriya powered through the pain to search the room, which was unbearable compared to Todoroki and Shoji’s rooms. He was very grateful he could move at a quicker pace now, having gotten a lot of practice in inspection, now knowing the most effective methods of searching. 

But man, was it annoying opening a drawer, expecting it to be dark, only to get blazed in the eyes by notebooks with sequin covers. 

They were filled with nothing but notes from his classes, and after flipping through a few, Midoriya had to look away to give his eyes a break. He instead noticed a picture on Aoyama’s desk. It featured the hero student standing in front of two blonds, who Midoriya assumed were his parents. 

Though they were smiling, there was something slightly off. There was an extra strain, an extra worry in their expressions. 

Midoriya mentally noted the information for later, before turning his attention back to one of the final notebooks. It documented Aoyama’s progression with his quirk, and detailed several designs of variations of his support belt. 

He narrowed his eyes at how it said that his laser used to leak out of his belly button… when he was six years old. 

Midoriya knew that Aoyama’s body wasn’t used to his quirk, but he didn’t realize it’d been that bad. He’d just assumed he’d been unlucky with the quirk factors he’d inherited from his parents. Similar to how a kid could inherit the electricity-producing gene from one parent, but the waterproof gene from the other, and then shock themselves every time they used their quirk, due to it being a poor combination of the parents’ quirks. 

But the more Midoriya thought about it, the more he thought it could be something more. 

One For All hurt him in a similar way, where his body couldn’t properly contain the power his quirk provided. That’s because the quirk had been given to him, not inherited. 

So could that mean Aoyama’s quirk had been given to him? For it to hurt him like it did, it wasn’t a far stretch. 

And there was only one person who could take and offer quirks like that. 

The chances that Aoyama had come into contact with All For One increased substantially. 

 

“You really think it’s Aoyama?” Uraraka asked in a hushed whisper in Midoriya’s room. 

“I’m not sure, no. It’d be difficult to prove my theory on his quirk, so I’m still gonna finish investigating the other rooms. If I don’t find anything, I’ll be a lot more intense in my research of Aoyama, and I’ll put him on Nezu’s radar for potential traitors.”

“So that just leaves, um… Tsu, Yaoyorozu, and Tokoyami?” she asked, listing them off on her hand. 

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah. It’s a weird feeling, ‘cause I want this to be over, I want to find the traitor.” He cast a sad glance out the window. “But at the same time, I really don’t want to, because then it means one of our friends has been using us this whole time.”

“Hey, just because they’ve been reporting stuff to the League or talking with All For One doesn’t mean all the moments we’ve had are for nothing! If anything, our bond to them is most important, ‘cause it might convince them to ditch the League and help us!”

He smiled at the optimism in her voice. “That’s true. Thanks, I’ll remember that. Also…” she tilted her head at his shift in tone. “With me likely being close to finding the traitor, I was thinking of telling one more person about my search…”

 

“Of course the extra responsibility of finding the traitor was dumped onto you. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Midoriya blinked at Shinso’s lack of reaction, as the three friends walked outside. “You’re… not surprised? Or upset or scared?”

“I’ve never been scared of you, and that hasn’t changed now. And everything you said about why you’re doing this traitor investigation makes sense, with Nezu’s assignment and keeping everyone safe, so it’d be stupid to still be wary of you after that.” 

“Hopefully the rest of the class will see it that way,” Uraraka added. 

“Yeah,” Shinso continued. “As for upset? Of course, it really sucks that you’ve gotta deal with this, just after learning how to trust people. If Nezu wasn’t Nezu, I’d want to punch him for this. And I’m too tired to be surprised.”

Midoriya laughed lightly. “I’m glad you see it that way.”

“I told you he’d be super chill about it!” Uraraka smiled triumphantly at the former villain, who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“But that begs the question, why’d you want to tell this all to me now?” Shinso questioned. 

“I’m close, or at least I think I am,” Midoriya answered. “If my guess about the traitor’s identity is right, then I might need your help restraining him if he picks up on my investigations and tries to escape. Your quirk is amazing at stopping people with minimal conflict.”

“Got it.” Shinso nodded in understanding. 

“You know I could stop someone from escaping just by touching them, right?” Uraraka asked Midoriya. When he blushed and his expression turned bashful, she narrowed her eyes. “You’re just trying to keep me out of harm’s way, aren’t you?”

“...so what if I am?”

“Izuku! I told you I’d be here for you! And that includes helping when you need it!” Uraraka scolded. 

“I know, I know! And I will ask you for help if I need it, but you can’t deny that Shinso’s quirk is still better at this type of thing!”

Uraraka huffed, but she knew he was right. A target couldn’t think or react when under Shinso’s brainwashing, while someone under Uraraka’s quirk could still move around. 

Shinso quirked an eyebrow at Midoriya. “So you’d rather have me get stabbed by the traitor and bleed out and die. I’ve never felt so valued.”

He smirked at the nervous laugh that squeaked out of Midoriya’s throat. “Um, sorry, I-”

“Relax, it’s normal for you to care more about your girlfriend.” Shinso shook his head at how easy he still was to tease. “But I do have another question for you, unrelated to your traitor search.”

“Uh, okay?”

“Where have you been disappearing to lately? You’ve been leaving early in the morning to catch the train, missed lunch several days, and haven’t been around after school as much. What’s going on?”

“I’ve asked about that too, but he hasn’t given me a proper answer,” Uraraka told Shinso. 

Midoriya’s eyes dropped to his feet, gritting his teeth in hate of secrecy. “I’m… not allowed to tell you guys about it yet.”

“Just like how you aren’t allowed to tell us about your search for the traitor?” Shinso retorted. 

Midoriya sighed, before looking up into his friends’ eyes. He could tell they weren’t going to be satisfied if he didn’t at least give them something. “There’s a big battle coming up, and I’ve been asked to help plan the heroes’ strategy. I can’t say any more than that though.”

Uraraka grinned. “That answer’s good enough for me! It’s difficult not to be worried with all your random absences, but it’s easier having at least some idea of what you’re doing.”

“Yeah, and now we know it’s not something harmful to yourself or others,” Shinso added. 

Midoriya smiled softly, and he dropped his gaze. “Thank you guys.”

Uraraka tilted her head. “For what?”

“For caring about me.”

 

Who knew an old man could be so ruthless. 

Midoriya shouted out in pain for the fifth time as Gran Torino slammed into his back, knocking him to the sand. He was quick to recover though, flipping over and pushing off his hands to leap away before the hero could land another attack. 

The former villain then lunged forward, going on the offensive, but Torino shot out a jet of air that caused a plume of sand to erupt in Midoriya’s face. But the impairment to his vision didn’t stop the teen, and with a swipe of his hand, the sand was blown out of the way. The action revealed a kick from Torino rapidly approaching his face. 

Midoriya had barely enough time to dodge, and Torino’s yellow boot slid past inches away from his face. He used the hero’s momentary closeness to his advantage, and black tendrils whipped out of his arm faster than Torino could get away. 

In less than a second, Torino was ensnared in Blackwhip, unable to move. 

But his feet weren’t covered. He could still use his quirk. 

Wind burst out from the hero’s feet, launching him across the beach and dragging Midoriya with him. The teen’s face was thrust into the sand, resulting in another whack in the back from Torino, ending the fight as Blackwhip swirled away. 

Midoriya rolled onto his back, taking a few seconds to regain his breath. 

“Not bad, kid,” the hero commended. 

“Doesn’t stuff like this hurt your back or your knees or something?” Midoriya immediately regretted his words when he got smacked with the hero’s cane. 

“I don’t need to be young to beat petulant teens like you to a pulp!!”

“Got it, got it!”

Torino grumbled under his breath, before turning his eyes to their surroundings. “I gotta ask kid, why’d you wanna train here? The sand isn’t exactly the easiest to fight on, and it gives me a slight advantage, since my quirk has better control over air pressure.”

Midoriya sat up, gazing at the beach with an irreplaceable fondness in his eyes. “This was where I first learned to use One For All, and where I first, well, redeemed myself. This place used to be covered in trash, but I cleaned it up. There’s still some trash that collects, from either the ocean or people dumping their bags, but I come back weekly to clean it up again. Feels good to help out like that.”

Torino hummed. “So you’re just used to training here, makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Midoriya nodded, before looking up to the teacher. “So what did you think? Of my quirk usage and combative abilities, I mean. What do I need to get better at?”

“Your close combat skills are top notch, which isn’t surprising, considering who you were trained by,” Torino answered, and Midoriya’s head ducked a little at the reference to Stain. “You quirk, however, could be handled better. You’re proficient at using fifteen percent of it consistently, and you’ve got a good control over Blackwhip, but anything past that limit and you become sloppy.”

Midoriya pursed his lips. “I can see what you mean. At a higher power levels that I’m not used to, it’s difficult to maintain control, so I end up moving a lot less fluidly, making it easier for opponents to predict my moves.”

“Exactly. So let me ask you, what solutions can you think of right now to this problem?”

“Right now? Uh…” Midoriya paused for a couple seconds with a thoughtful look. “Well, there’s always more training, until I get to the strength level where it’s natural to use a higher percentage. I could practice more at a higher percentage, forcing my body to get used to how uncomfortable it is. Or I could just stick to using high percentages when I absolutely need to.”

“See, there’s a flaw with every single one of those responses, and they all stem from one misconception of how to use One For All.” Gran Torino walked away from Midoriya, towards the ocean. Without turning around to face the teen, he ordered, “Attack me now, using twenty five percent.”

Midoriya faltered, and he stumbled in getting his feet under him. “Uhm, now?”

“Yes now!!”

“With twenty five percent?!”

“Just do what I tell you!” Torino demanded, still keeping his back towards the teen. 

It took a few more seconds for Midoriya to comply, and when he did, the sand began swirling around with the pressure of twenty five percent of One For All. He lunged towards Torino, pushing through his hesitation, but found he’d had nothing to worry about. Something like an invisible force pushed him back, not letting him get anywhere near the retired pro. 

As the teen landed, it connected. It was the air pressure. 

Tornio was smirking when he turned back around to face Midoriya. “You get it now?”

His lips hovered in a grin as he clutched his forearm. “I don’t have to use a high power level consistently, because then I wouldn’t be able to move around with how strong the air pressure would be. I just have to be able to switch quickly between different percentages, depending on the situation and how much of One For All I need for a particular move!”

“You got it, kid.”

Midoriya beamed at the older hero. “Thank you Gran Torino!”

“Hey, I’m not done yet!” Torino snapped, and Midoriya offered an embarrassed smile. “You rely too much on getting near your opponent for close combat, and while Blackwhip negates that weakness somewhat, you can still do better! So, how can you use what you just discovered about One For All to develop a long-range attack?”

Midoriya raised his hand to his chin in thought, but Torino lifting his boot off the ground drew his attention. The hero let out a couple quick burst of air as a hint, and Midoriya’s face lit up. 

The teenager positioned his hand in front of himself, angling the back of his hand towards the ocean. Calling twenty five percent of One For All to just his hand, he let off a quick flick of his middle finger. 

A burst of air slashed forward and sent an incoming wave up in a sparkling spray. 

“You got that quickly,” Torino smiled. “Now, let’s make it so you can do that with the smallest amount of concentration. 

Midoriya nodded enthusiastically. He was going to make sure he was as prepared as he could be for this upcoming battle, and that included using One For All to the best of his ability. 

 

“You’re telling me no one at the Liberation Front has seen Shigaraki for months?” Fat Gum questioned incredulously. 

“No,” the HPSC president answered, leafing through Hawks’ report. “The other League members are seen frequently enough, but when they’re asked about where Shigaraki is, all they say is, ‘he’s gone with the doctor.’”

Ryukyu looked over at Midoriya. “The doctor? Would you have any clue who this is?”

Midoriya furrowed his brow, and the room waited in a stiff silence for his response. “The one time I’ve talked with All For One alone, he looked very… vulnerable. He didn’t have that huge black mask on, but instead had several tubes and IVs going into him to keep him alive. I’m not sure if that’s the type of thing he could’ve managed himself, or if he had help. Like a caregiver, or something… a doctor maybe.”

“So Shigaraki’s been spending months with All For One’s assistant, splendid,” Endeavor commented sourly. 

“We’ll still be able to handle him, I know it!” Mirko said with her ever confident smile. “We’ll bust him up just like the rest of the villains!!”

“That’s another question entirely,” Gran Torino said. “What are we gonna do with these thousands of villains we capture?”

“Shouldn’t they all just go to prison?” Mount Lady wondered out loud. 

Gentle politely cleared his throat. “Might I suggest a more refined version of containment for criminals: villain rehabilitation? It’s been widely proven as an effective means of containing wrongdoers, while also preventing them from returning to their illegal ways in the future!”

“I second that,” Midoriya quickly added. 

One of the smaller, lesser known heroes sneered. “Of course, both of the former villains agree to that method.”

Aizawa’s hand shot into the air. “I’d also like to support villain rehabilitation.”

“Me too!” Fat Gum chimed in. “I’ve heard lots about it from my work study students, and after researching it myself, I’ve gotta agree that it’s the way to go!”

“I’d also like to agree to that.” Gang Orca raised his… hand flipper thing. 

Ryukyu’s hand found its way into the air as well. “I’ve also heard a great deal about the positive effects of villain rehabilitation.”

Midoriya smiled at knowing that Uraraka was having her work study with Ryukyu. 

A few seconds passed where everyone looked around to see if anyone else would raise their hand and declare their strong support, and in that time frame, there was a very peculiar sight. 

Endeavor raised his hand. 

“Villain rehabilitation is a viable method of handling villains, from what I’ve seen and heard.”

After that, the range of heroes that had been on the fence about whether to support the topic or not were much less hesitant to share their views. No one noticed the HPSC president seething more and more as she practically watched the world she’d built crumble. 

Eventually, the issue at hand turned to something a little more pressing. 

“We need more details about what’s going on, more than what Hawks has provided,” Aizawa determined. “Most of what he provides is general information, and we need more specifics, like the exact locations of where each troop will be located, as well as the level of their weaponry. Interpersonal relationships could also be helpful, and the number of people they plan to endanger. It’s important to have as much intel as we can.”

“I’d have to agree to that,” Gran Torino added. 

“Well then, with Hawks’ doing the best he can, how do you suggest getting this info?” the president asked. 

“We’d need to get into contact with one of the higher ups,” Aizawa answered, already wishing for more coffee after being talked to for so long. “Arresting one without raising suspicion would be ideal.”

“You say that like it’s easy,” Gang Orca rumbled. 

“Of all their leaders, Curious and Trumpet interact with the public the most,” Midoriya helpfully provided, looking down at the notes he’d been taking. “Curious because of her journalism, and Trumpet because of his political agenda.”

Mirko smirked. “So we just gotta get one of those two out in the open and take ‘em out!”

“We’d have to take them out tactfully,” Ryukyu corrected. “If it’s obvious we’re arresting them for being part of the Liberation Front, the rest of the organization will get skittish and find out we’re planning an attack.”

Mirko huffed impatiently. “So what things have they got on their records that we can take ‘em out for?”

“Trumpet’s record is clean,” Kamui Woods answered. “But it looks like Curious was getting sued for invasion of privacy, but refused to show up to court. It wouldn’t be a stretch to arrest her for that.”

“But then comes the difficult part,” Gang Orca interjected. “How do we come into contact with her in a way that doesn’t alert her to our intentions?”

The room was silent for a few moments, before Midoriya suggested, “Well, she’s a journalist, right? If you look at the types of articles she’s written, they’re all about ways the system has suppressed people, usually through quirk discrimination.” He pursed his lips. “I bet she’d love to interview me.”

“No.” Aizawa fixed his stern gaze on the teenager.

“Why not?” Midoriya challenged. 

“Putting you that close to a member of an organization that’s joined with the League, the same people who kept you trapped in villainy, is too risky.” The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course you’d be the one to suggest something like this, placing all the danger on yourself.”

“But Shigaraki was the only one who hurt me, and no one’s seen him,” Midoriya retorted. “If Curious interviews me, her curiosity will stop her from realizing anything’s up! It’s literally in her name. Then you guys can come in and arrest her, without raising suspicion. It’s a good plan, and like you said, we need that extra intel.”

Aizawa gritted his teeth, keeping his gaze locked with Midoriya. When the teen didn’t falter, he relented. “Fine, but if something goes wrong, Uraraka’s going to kill you.”

Midoriya laughed lightly. “That’s for sure.”

“We need to discuss the details further, but it’s a good plan,” Ryukyu spoke up. 

Gang Orca nodded. “We’ll need to be meticulous in our planning, to make sure nothing goes wrong, but I trust that you know what you’re doing, Midoriya.”

A few other heroes uttered their approval as well, causing the teenager to smile in appreciation. 

“Thanks, I promise I won’t disappoint.”

Notes:

There he goes again, disregarding his own safety. And yea, Curious is still alive cuz Toga wasn’t part of the whole Deika incident.

This chapter’s song is Better Than One by The Score, fits with Shinso and Uraraka being there for Midoriya, and what Uraraka said about the traitor.

Thanks for reading and see ya next week!

12/18/23 - it's been mentioned a few times that the scene with Torino was already done during the sports fest with All Might, which, yeah... whoops. The first part with All Might was a last second add in, while Torino’s had been planned for a while, so the fact they both showed the same thing was forgotten in the time it took to write the 13 chapters in between. There are some slight differences, like with AM he learns to fluctuate his power, then with Torino he learns the air bullets? But yeah, I forgot.

Chapter 95: Discoveries

Notes:

Sorry the last chap and this chap have been a little shorter than average, but it’s for a good reason I swear!

Also with All Might at the start here, cuz of his status he knows the meetings with Midoriya have been happening, but he doesn't know what they're about since he's not participating in the fight.

With a flick of his finger, the ocean wave sprayed upward in glittering droplets, the aching in his hand barely noticeable. Midoriya smiled at how little concentration it had taken. 

“So whaddya think?” he asked eagerly, turning around to face All Might. 

The retired hero stood there with an impressed look on his face. “Torino hasn’t lost his ability to teach, huh.”

“Yeah, he uh, pointed out quite a few things you… forgot to mention.”

All Might rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, an embarrassed smile on his face. “It seems being a great hero isn’t the same as being a great teacher…”

“It’s alright,” Midoriya smiled. “If it helps, I still think you’re a great mentor.”

The hero’s eyes shined with gratitude. “Thank you, in these times, that means the world to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Midoriya said as the two began their walk back to UA. 

“So, I know you can’t tell me much about it, but how have your meetings with the HPSC and top heroes been going?” All Might asked conversationally. 

Midoriya shrugged, mouth pulled into a slight grimace. “It’s stressful, thinking about what’s to come. And intimidating, with all the top pros in the room.”

All Might laughed lightly. “So you can handle being with me, the former number one hero, no problem? But when it comes to other top heroes it’s much more difficult?”

The teen laughed along with him. “You’re different! You’re closer to a… a mentor who’s also a friend, but also older and actually cares about me!” Midoriya bit his tongue. Closer to a dad. “It’s way more comfortable talking with you than other heroes.”

“I suppose that’s a good thing, considering you’re my successor,” All Might commented. “There anything else you wanna say about the meetings? I know I’m one of the only outside people who is aware of them, so feel free to speak anything that’s been stuck on your mind.”

“Yeah… the HPSC president doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

All Might tilted his head. “What makes you think that?”

“When she doesn’t think I’m looking, she’ll just stare at me with this cold disapproval, almost angry. She doesn’t seem the happiest when villain rehabilitation comes up either. I’ve also protested against…” Midoriya held his tongue, stopping himself from mentioning the fact that students were going to be sent to the front lines, “a certain topic a couple times now, and she’s always super harsh in her retorts.”

The retired pro hummed. “Why yes, those are very clear signs of dislike. If you ever feel like she’s threatening you, you know you just have to tell Aizawa or another teacher, and we’ll support you, right?”

“It hasn’t been that bad, but yes, I know that. Thank you.”

“Of course, Young Midoriya.”

The two continued their chat all the way to UA’s gates, conversing about any topic that they wanted to share. An unknowing onlooker might’ve even thought they were father and son. 

 

“Let’s get down to the main purpose of this meeting. How has your search for the traitor been proceeding?” Nezu asked as he poured a cup of tea. 

Everything Midoriya had done, all the rooms he’d searched and people he’d investigated, came pouring into his head in a swirling mess. “It’s been, uh… fine.”

Nezu blinked at the teenager. “You answered in the same way a disturbed person says ‘I’m fine’ when asked of their well being. I do hope this task has not caused you exceeding levels of distress.”

After a moment, Midoriya shook his head. “No, it… hasn’t been easy in the slightest, but I’ve managed, and I think I have a good idea of who it might be.”

“What splendid news! Would you prefer to tell me now, or wait until you’re rid of uncertainty on the matter?”

“I’d rather wait until I’m confident, yeah,” Midoriya admitted. 

“Do not hesitate to contact me when that happens,” Nezu instructed. “I also must admit, I was fearful of this extra burden causing you to regress in your progress, so it’s relieving to hear you’ve handled it on your own.”

Midoriya bit his lip. “On my own, right…”

Nezu’s gaze sharpened. “Yes, on your own.”

The teenager fidgeted nervously, knowing the principal wouldn’t be happy about him disobeying the direct order of keeping his search a secret. As soon as he opened his mouth to elaborate, Nezu interjected. 

“How many people have you told?”

Midoriya held back a gasp. “It’s that obvious I’ve told other people?”

“To me, yes. And people is plural, so you’ve shared with at least two.”

“Only two,” the former villain clarified. “I didn’t want to keep going on alone, and this place has taught me that I need to trust others and share my burdens with them. So I told Ochako, and then Shinso about what I’ve been doing.”

The principal went silent, and with every moment that passed without conversation, Midoriya grew more restless. Though Nezu’s face remained neutral, he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t lash out or be too mad at his disobedience. 

At last, Nezu sighed. “I understand your reasoning behind the choice you made. Why you chose to divulge your mission is valid, so I’ll spare you from being reprimanded.”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows. “You’re not gonna punish me?”

Nezu smiled as he recognized the familiar anxious light in the teenager’s eyes. “This school does not operate on the same standards as the League, so you need not worry about punishment. However, the fact still remains that sharing with your friends endangers the chance you’ll find the traitor.”

“...I’d have to disagree with that, Principal Nezu.”

The challenging glint that sparked in the principal’s eyes dared Midoriya to elaborate. 

The teen didn’t back down. “I trust my friends, and I know they won’t endanger my task.”

“You forget that there is some probability of anyone in class 1-A being a traitor. And even if you were to tell someone who’s not the traitor, there’s still the possibility of them slipping up, therefore alerting the traitor to your search. The less people who know, the more secure the secret is.”

“You forget this is more than a secret to me,” Midoriya retorted. “This is a taxing, guilt-provoking job that’s altered my entire perception of my friends. Having someone to talk to about it makes it much more bearable; besides, I have a lot of proof that Ochako and Shinso aren’t traitors.”

Nezu chose to look into his teacup instead of Midoriya’s eyes. “So you’re willing to exchange the security of your mission for mental tranquility, is that it?”

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” the former villain responded. “I’ve gained more allies. People who will help me in my mission if I need them. Why don’t you look at it like that.”

The principal let out a small sigh. “Your points are all fair, so I’ll be the one to concede in this argument. Although I do still believe it would’ve been better to keep quiet.”

A tense moment of silence followed, in which Midoriya chose not to reply. Nezu was the one to restart the flow of conversation. 

“There is one other matter we need to discuss while here, and that is your upcoming meeting with Curious. I am aware of her status as a villain and am somewhat preoccupied with what could transpire in your interview with her.”

“Yeah, I’m nervous about that too,” Midoriya admitted. “But we’ll be taking every precaution we can. We’re meeting in a public area, the heroes will be close by at all times, and they’ll also be listening to my conversation. It’ll be difficult for her to try anything with all that.”

Nezu hummed. “While those are some fine counter measurements, there’s still the issue of her quirk. She can detonate anything she touches, even if it’s been months since the contact.”

“But the explosions aren’t powerful enough to be lethal,” Midoriya replied. 

“If she manages to touch your blood, then that’s a different story, and we still don’t know the full details of her quirk.”

“Well, even with those risks, I’m still doing this. We can use the extra intel we’ll get from her, and I wanna help in any way I can.” Determination filled his tone. 

Nezu smiled in understanding. “Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. I’d just like to ask you to be careful, is all.”

Midoriya returned the soft smile. “Thank you for the concern.”

“Anything for my favorite guinea pig.”

 

Midoriya sighed in relief at this being the last room he had to search. Yaoyorozu’s room. 

The first thought he had upon walking in was that it was cramped. Her massive bed took up ninety percent of the floor space, reminding Midoriya of just how huge her family’s budget was. 

He worked around the disproportionate piece of furniture and began conducting his usual methods of investigation. Although, he might’ve been searching a bit hastily, since a few members of the class would be returning from their work studies relatively soon. 

Midoriya felt a familiar twinge of guilt upon seeing all the pictures of her with her friends around her mirror, one of the pictures including all the band members. He moved on quickly to focus on his job. 

But there was one obstacle that halted his progress, right at the very end. Yaoyorozu had a safe. 

His fingers lightly brushed the top of the metal box, while his eyes analyzed the locking mechanism. It was a fairly expensive safe, and he’d expect someone like Yaoyorozu to have this in her room. It probably held her most valuable or sensitive belongings. 

Midoriya frowned as he peered into the keyhole of the safe. He would’ve preferred to just drop his search there and declare Aoyama the prime suspect, but he knew it was necessary to investigate everyone to the fullest. 

The safe only required a key to open, but since he’d found no key anywhere in her room, he assumed that she just recreated the key whenever she needed to open it. But that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways of opening it, like picklocking. 

Midoriya sighed as he recalled what he’d learned about the skill during his villain days as he left for his room to get the supplies needed. 

 

Skeptic clicked on the icon to listen in on whatever Hawks was up to, and the sound of rushing wind filtered in through his computer speakers. It was a common thing to hear with Hawks. 

Pulling up the hero’s GPS, Skeptic saw how he was leaving the Liberation Front’s base and flying back towards the HPSC, which matched up with what he was hearing. 

It was a little odd how slow he was flying, though. Skeptic shrugged and just chalked it up to a bad night’s rest. 

 

At the same time…

“Hey buddy, I’ve got something I need to talk to you about.”

Twice couldn’t help but notice the extra haste in Hawks’ step as he asked the question, and the weird way he closed the door behind him as he entered the lounge. 

“Okay…?” Twice responded hesitantly, rising to his feet. 

Hawks planted himself firmly in front of him. “You’re not gonna like what I’m about to tell you, but I feel like you deserve to know, and you knowing will help me protect you. I-”

“Protect me?” Twice took a step back. “What do I need protecting from!? I haven’t tried leaving the Liberation Front or anything!!” His tone dropped. “Not yet, at least.”

“I’ll explain, I promise,” Hawks assuaged. “I just ask that you hear me out and don’t jump to any conclusions. I’m putting a lot of trust in you in order to tell you this, so I really hope you choose to look at it in a positive way.”

A deep frown rooted itself on Twice’s face as the villain wondered, what could possibly be so dangerous to share?

Hawks inhaled deeply, savoring the last moment of his cover not being blown. Then he released his breath with the words:

“I’m a spy.”

Twice went as rigid as a board in shock. 

“I’m actually working for the HPSC, and I’m here to gather intel and send it back to them,” Hawks elaborated, before he quickly continued with, “But I really don’t like it there, and wish I could escape and actually make my own choices, so what I told you about wanting to be free wasn’t a lie. Please,” Hawks’ tone almost turned into a beg. “Don’t write me off as some manipulative hero, because I’m not.”

It took a good few seconds for words to form properly in Twice’s throat. 

“You… you lied to me.” His voice cracked, and Hawks winced. 

“I… yeah, I did,” the hero admitted, and Twice could hear the shame in his voice. “But I did it ‘cause I had to, not because I wanted to. I’m in a complicated situation, but I still wanna help you. And to do that, I need to tell you about what I’ve actually been doing in the Liberation Front, if you’ll listen.”

A part of Twice’s head argued to run away, alert the League to how the hero was a traitor and get him out of his life. But the other half wanted to keep Hawks as a friend and trust in what he had to say. 

So the villain squared his shoulders and nodded at Hawks. “Explain.”

Hawks’ eyes brightened slightly at Twice’s willingness to listen. “I don’t really have the best role in hero society. Yeah, I look good in front of the public, but behind the scenes, the HPSC forces me to do some pretty nasty things.”

“Like spy on your friends?” Twice asked. 

“Worse than that. I’ve killed more people than you have,” Hawks said darkly, and Twice’s eyes widened. “The HPSC saved me from a neglectful household when I was young and trained me to be an obedient killer, taking out whoever they wanted without hesitation. Heroes or villains.”

Twice shuddered, before he clenched his fists in front of him. “Then why do you stay with them?! Why not betray them instead of being a spy!” He wilted a little. “Why lie to me?”

“Because then I’d only be getting more people killed,” Hawks answered resolutely. “The Liberation Front is willing to kill anyone who gets in their way, and I just can’t support something like that. I do want to be free from the demands of the HPSC, but not at the cost of innocent lives. So I continue to remain loyal to the HPSC, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help people on this side of things too.”

Twice raised his hand to his chin as he pondered what Hawks had said, thinking through what the hero had experienced. Hawks pleaded internally that the villain would understand why he’d needed to lie. 

“So… your past experiences have made you more understanding of people on the villains’ side, and helped you realize the heroes’ side is screwed up,” Twice deduced. 

Hawks grinned at Twice’s understanding. “Exactly. I’m in a weird gray area between hero and villain… and I think you are too.”

Twice’s eyes widened as he pointed at himself. “Me?”

“Yeah, you’re technically a villain, but you were forced into that role because of bad luck and your quirk. Not to mention how you’ve wanted to leave the League and follow Toga into rehabilitation recently.”

A light of comprehension dawned in Twice’s eyes. “I guess… I’m not exactly a villain.”

Hawks nodded. “And that’s why I want to help you find a place where you belong, ‘cause that’s what I’m searching for too, but you might actually be able to find it.”

Sadness panged in Twice’s heart at Hawks’ words, at how he thought he’d never find a place where he belonged, but he let the hero continue without interruption. 

“But in order to help you, I had to tell you about my situation. You see, the Liberation Front doesn’t fully trust me, so they have me bugged to listen to my conversations and track my location-”

“Wait you mean they’re listening to us right now!?!” Twice burst out, eyes snapping to the door as if soldiers would come to attack them any minute. 

“No no, not right now,” Hawks reassured. “There’s a new hacker the HPSC has come into contact with who’s feeding false information to the guy watching me right now, so we’re safe for the moment. But what they did hear was our whole conversation about you leaving to follow Toga.”

“Oh.” If Twice didn’t have a mask on, he would’ve paled. 

“Only a small group of people know about that, but they’re going to be working to get you thrown out of the Liberation Front, even killed. When I find out exactly what they’re planning, I’ll let you know through a texting channel the Liberation doesn’t have access to. Then we can discuss how to keep you safe and move forward. Sound good?”

Twice nodded rapidly. “I can’t wait to figure out how not to die!”

“It’s us against the world, huh?” Hawks asked with a smile that was too positive for their situation. 

It was that positivity that allowed Twice to let some hope slip into his thoughts. “Yeah, at least we got each other!”

His words caused Hawks’ smile to expand. But when the hero turned to leave after saying how his time without being tracked was running out, uncertainty crept over Twice. He reached out and grabbed Hawks’ arm, but when the hero looked back curiously, Twice’s eyes were glued to the floor. 

With a deep breath, the villain reached up to his head and pulled his mask off. 

“If you’ve taken off all your masks with me…” Twice began, before he managed eye contact. “Then I figure I can do the same.”

Hawks’ eyes widened, taking in his blond hair and the scar down his forehead, a true rarity for him to be so surprised. He smiled softly. “The gesture means a lot, but if you don’t feel comfortable with the mask off, you don’t have to-”

“No, no I want to take it off! Well just for now,” Twice clarified, fidgeting with the mask in his hands. “But with everything you just shared, I feel like I gotta reciprocate that, ya know? So there’s more stuff I gotta share than just my face, some really important stuff.”

Hawks turned back to the villain fully to show he was listening. 

Twice took another deep breath before continuing. “Well, I should probably start with the most important, yeah? So, um… Shigaraki, after the yakuza raid, managed to steal the final product of their research!”

The breath froze in Hawks’ lungs. “You don’t mean-”

“Yeah. Shigaraki’s got quirk-erasing bullets.”

 

Seeing what time it was, Midoriya grimaced and sent a text to Shinso, who was supposed to be the first of the students to arrive back at the dorms. 

He had been laboring in front of Yaoyorozu’s safe for close to an hour, and if he couldn’t figure it out in the next few minutes, he’d have to stop and try again later. 

Just as he was about to give up, Midoriya heard something click. The locking mechanism shifted, and he felt the tension holding the door closed disappear. He felt a burst of relief at managing to open the safe, but that feeling was rapidly overtaken by curiosity of what was inside. 

At first glance, there was no fine jewelry like he was expecting, no wads of cash. As he opened the door further, letting the light illuminate more of the objects, there wasn’t anything fancy at all. Only a thick diary, a few family photos, and…

A communication device. 

Midoriya’s hand shook slightly as he reached out for the device, seeing that it was a thicker version of a phone. Clicking a button on the side, the screen lit up, revealing a list of four contacts. 

It was only used for encrypted messaging. 

The first thread of messages was a group chat between Yaoyorozu and her parents. Skimming over it, he saw brief conversations of status updates, harsh demands, and business talk dealing with very large transactions of money. 

The second was with someone named ‘doctor.’ It was the newest added contact, with sparingly few messages that started after Kamino. All they said was to continue with her observation. 

The third wasn’t labeled. The most recent message from the unnamed person sent a shiver of dreadful realization down Midoriya’s back. 

“Go with your classmates to Kamino. If Deku tries to forsake the League, you will be there to stop him.”

“I should’ve seen this coming.”

Midoriya’s heart jolted at the voice, and he whipped around to see Yaoyorozu standing in her doorframe with an expression he’d never seen on her before. It was a face of heartless calculation, laser focused on nothing but goals. 

In her hand, which was still sparkling from the recent creation, was a gun.

Notes:

And that good reason was a cliffhanger hehe.

But yeah, Aoyama being the traitor is really predictable and boring, so it’s not him. Someone suggested Monoma being a traitor, but I wanted it to be someone people actually care about to get in that good emotional punch.

Unlike other things, Momo being the traitor was not planned since the start of the fic, so I haven’t been able to hint as much at it. But there were a couple hints, like her being the one to ask about super evil villains after Midoriya’s lesson, since she’s interacted with them more. Then also her being the one to interrupt Uraraka and Midoriya’s conversation at the end of chapter 92, right after he’d been pulled aside by Aizawa.

Her whole situation will be expanded upon next chap, which I really like how it’s turned out.

This chapter’s song is Pretender by AJR, gives some insight to Yaoyorozu's character before next chapter. Fits her really well, then it can also apply to Hawks being a spy.

See ya next week!

Chapter 96: Everything You’ve Been

Notes:

And now you may be relieved of the cliffhanger lol, enjoy!

This scene at the start is from chapter 32, if you want a refresher.

“Hey, you’re one of those UA kids! I saw you at the Sports Fest. You guys are so cool,” said a raspy voice. The man put his arm around Yaoyorozu’s shoulders without asking. 

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you, sir. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid I don’t have time. I’m looking for my friend, you see,” Yaoyorozu explained, beginning to feel uncomfortable. Something just… didn’t feel right. 

“I heard that you’re the smartest of the bunch. Momo Yaoyorozu, right?” the stranger asked. 

“Um, yes,” she replied. He still hadn’t taken his arm from around her shoulders. In fact, he’d only gotten closer and his hand was now touching her neck. She looked over to see his face.

Her eyes widened in shock when she recognized who it was. 

“I was wondering if you’d be willing to answer a couple questions of mine,” Shigaraki asked with a creepily wide grin.

All thoughts of finding Uraraka vanished in an instant, and she could already hear her heartbeat in her ears. Shigaraki, the leader of the League… her master’s apprentice, was there to talk in person. 

She’d only ever been asked for intel in person once before, an ordeal that had left her fearing for her life. 

Her thoughts raced as Shigaraki led her over to a bench to talk. All For One said he would reveal she worked as a spy to Shigaraki eventually, so was that why he was currently targeting her as someone to talk to? Did he already know she was a spy?

His first words as he sat down answered that question. 

“I’d like to thank you for the location of the summer camp.” His smile made her shiver. “You’ll have a fun time there.”

Yaoyorozu swallowed her fear, feeling Shigaraki’s fingers still on her throat. “Why do you want to talk to me? Is there some intel you or All For One want? I promise, my family has been contributing everything it owes to-”

“No no, I’ve just been thinking,” Shigaraki interrupted, glaring with hatred at some passing kids wearing Stain merchandise. “Came out here to clear my head, and then found someone who works for me to talk to! What a lovely coincidence.”

With a shaky breath, Yaoyorozu asked, “What have you been thinking about?”

“You read the news? Stain is all over it, claimed the front cover, despite my Nomus doing way worse to Hosu than he did! Who does he think he is, hogging all the attention and recognition like that?! My League is-”

“Shigaraki.”

The soft voice interrupted the villain’s tangent, and they both looked to the side to see a teenager stepping closer. Yaoyorozu tensed up, fearful of another League member joining the conversation. 

“Deku, what are you doing here?” Shigaraki asked accusingly. 

She contained her gasp at the name. Deku, the villain who had exposed All Might’s weakness to the class at the USJ, and blown up Cementoss’ hand at the Sports Festival. He also gathered intel for the League, didn’t he?

“Kurogiri sent me to come get you before you do anything reckless,” Deku explained, and Yaoyorozu could hear how uneasy he was as he took a seat on the other side of Shigaraki. But then his tone turned firm. “What are you doing, threatening a UA student?”

He… cared? About her safety? That was more concern than her own parents had ever shown. 

As the conversation continued with Shigaraki questioning the teenagers about how he differentiated from Stain, eventually leading to him finding his true convictions, Deku’s behaviors surprised Yaoyorozu. He actually tried to help her out of the situation as much as he could without angering Shigaraki, and moved to help her when the villain started choking her. 

He showed genuine concern for her, as a villain, and that befuddled Yaoyorozu. She was technically a villain, so she’d tried to force herself into the role, acting the way she’d seen villains act, manipulative and self-focused. 

But he didn’t act like that at all. 

As she watched the green-haired boy escape into the crowd of people, she thought, maybe that was someone who could understand her predicament. 

 

Yaoyorozu knew the gun was filled with an intense sedative, not real bullets, but she hoped Midoriya would believe otherwise. 

She kept the barrel trained on him as he slowly stood up from where he’d been investigating her safe. He kept his hands open and in plain view, dropping her communicator with All For One. By the look he was giving her, she could tell he’d already read enough of it to know who she was. 

But she kept her breathing steady. She’d prepared for situations where her identity was exposed. She either had to neutralize whoever discovered she was the traitor, or escape UA entirely. 

The second option would have a deadly ending for her and her family. So she could only choose the first. 

How much would it take to keep Midoriya’s mouth shut? Either voluntarily, or permanently. 

“I can’t believe it,” he breathed, his eyes tracing her up and down, seeing her without a mask for the first time. The hurt and surprise and pity in his gaze made her grip on the gun tighten. “It’s you. You’re the traitor.”

“I’m just doing what you used to do for the League,” Yaoyorozu clarified. 

His brow knitted. “You don’t… actually enjoy doing that, do you?”

“Yes, I do.” The response was programmed, automatic, something she’d convinced herself as true through repetition. “And because I’d prefer to continue in my work, I won’t let you interfere with it.”

“Yaoyorozu,” he took a step forward, and she fired a sedative bullet into the air next to his head. 

“Don’t come closer!” she demanded, and he flinched at the snapping of sound from the gun. Her tone lowered into something of a growl. “If you want to get out of this alive, and if you want Ochako to get out of this alive,” his eyes flicked from the gun to her face, “then I suggest listening to what I have to say.”

His expression hardened at the mention of Uraraka. “You’d seriously threaten your friend like that?”

“You know nothing about me, Midoriya,” she snarled. “Of course I’d threaten someone you care about, if it meant continuing my spy work. Such a thing was never out of the question.”

Yaoyorozu had expected him to respond to her threat with submission and willingness to listen. Instead, he stared at her, analyzing her facial features and body language to see if she was serious. She hoped the sweat in her palms and tension in her muscle wouldn’t give her away. 

After a good few seconds of intense scrutiny, he asked, “What do you want?”

“I want you to keep your lips sealed,” she answered. “My involvement with the League does not need to reach the ears of the teachers, or anyone else. If it does start spreading, you know who’s dying first.” She tilted her head with a hollow smile. “I ask this as a fellow intel-gatherer, since you do the same things I do, just for a different side.”

Midoriya gritted his teeth, and for a moment, Yaoyorozu actually thought he’d accept her proposal. But then his stance widened slightly, as his knees bent into a fighting position. 

“You know nothing about me either, if you think I’d ever accept a deal like that.”

She fired her gun the second the last syllable had left his mouth, but lightning flared up around his form, enabling him to dodge in a streak of green, before charging forward. 

Yaoyorozu summoned a sword and swung it in a wide arc in front of her, forcing Midoriya to jump back, and while he was mid-air she took another shot at him. He twisted around in a way that let the bullet zoom past him, returning the attack with a blast of air from a finger flick, knocking the gun from her hand. He landed with a thud. 

The bullet had lodged itself in Yaoyorozu’s bedpost instead. While his eyes widened as he recognized it wasn’t real, Yaoyorozu stepped out of her room and created a grenade, discarding her sword to loop her finger through the pin. 

“Don’t step out into the hallway, unless you want the whole floor flattened,” she threatened. 

“Your bullets aren’t even real,” Midoriya shot back. “Setting off a grenade would be pretty difficult to cover up, and would draw a lot of attention to yourself. How am I supposed to know you’re serious?”

“You’ve had accidents with One For All before. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say something happened again - something lethal.”

His eyes snapped open, the green sparks fading from his body. “You know…?”

“About One For All? Of course I do. Of all the people in the world, All For One’s the most obsessed with you.”

Midoriya clenched and unclenched his fists. She already knew his biggest secret, and she knew how to use it against him too. If Yaoyorozu had been working with the League this whole time, what else did she know? 

She read the uneasiness on his face. “You have no idea how much knowledge I can use against you, so just give up already. And I meant the threat from before. You tell anyone else about who I am, and Ochako dies. With my quirk, it’d be easy.”

After that, his fists stayed clenched. “So you just want me to be quiet, huh?”

“Yes, that’s all.” She gripped the grenade tighter at how close she was to getting him to agree. 

But then he smiled.

“You sound so desperate. It’s almost as if you’ll get punished if your secret connection to the League gets exposed, right?” He noticed her gulp. “Right. If you really didn’t care about Ochako, you wouldn’t call her by her first name. And if you really wanted to shut me up, you would’ve used real bullets. Or heck, you could’ve sleeping gassed this whole building! But no, you wanted to talk to me, because you didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

One For All flared back up again, illuminating his form while determination glowed prominently on his face. 

“And you didn’t want to get anyone to hurt, because you’re a hero.” She gasped, the sheer surprise of his statement ripping the air from her lungs. “But the intel you give out endangers the whole class, the whole school. Even if you’re being threatened into being a spy, I have to stop you, because I don’t want anyone getting hurt either.”

Years of practice with maintaining a perfect composure were barely able to hold back her tears. “You don’t understand! This is the only thing I can do, or else… or else there’ll be consequences!”

“Trust me, he understands your situation better than most everyone.”

Yaoyorozu snapped her mouth shut at the arrival of a new person. 

“I was supposed to be the first person back after our work studies,” Shinso said, keeping his gaze trained on Yaoyorozu. “How did you get here so quickly?”

She responded with a glare, refusing to speak. But Shinso had distracted her, allowing Midoriya to spring forward, hands reaching for the grenade first. Yaoyorozu saw him coming out of the corner of her eye, and in a moment of panic, pulled the pin. 

Midoriya inhaled sharply. 

“It’s real!!” Yaoyorozu cried. 

They had less than five seconds. 

Four. 

Midoriya collided with Yaoyorozu, pushing her in Shinso’s direction, but the former villain was more focused on the grenade. 

Three. 

Shinso rushed towards Yaoyorozu, while Midoriya shot out Blackwhip, curling it around the grenade. 

Two. 

Shinso grabbed the distracted Yaoyorozu’s shoulders, and yanked her down, kneeing her square in the diaphragm. Her grunt of pain was enough for him to brainwash her. 

One. 

Midoriya whipped his arm, and Blackwhip swung the grenade out the window, shattering it in the process. 

BOOM!

The air reverberated in a tremendous explosion of sound, which shattered the building’s windows and stained the air outside dark with smoke. But other than the windows, the building was unharmed. 

The boys breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you,” Midoriya said to Shinso, noticing that Yaoyorozu was brainwashed. 

“Sure thing, although you’re the one who just stopped us from getting blown to bits.”

The former villain responded with a small smile, before looking back to Yaoyorozu. “I guess we should tie her up, or cuff her, or something.”

Shinso frowned. “How are we gonna stop her from using her quirk?”

“Do you think you can keep her under until I tell Nezu what happened, and until the rest of the class gets here? If she’s outnumbered and outmatched, she won’t try to escape.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

 

“Nuh uh, there’s no way 1-A has a traitor!” Mina affirmed, clearly upset as she clenched her fists in front of her. “And even if we did have a traitor, it wouldn’t be Yaomomo!”

“Yeah!” Kaminari agreed. “It’d be someone like Mineta or Bakugo, one of the mean selfish people!”

Bakugo didn’t even have time to fire off a retort before Midoriya was countering their statements. “No, we do have a traitor, and it’s not Mineta or Kacchan.”

“How do you even know it’s her?” Mina asked, concern darkening her usually cheerful expression as she looked at Yaoyorozu, who was tied to a chair in the common room, still brainwashed. The rest of the class had returned from their work studies at that point, with Aizawa observing closely. 

Midoriya bit his lip, knowing that they wouldn’t like the answer to how he knew. He felt a gentle touch on his wrist, and soon found Uraraka’s hand entwined with his. She gave him a reassuring smile, so he drew a deep breath, and addressed the class. 

“About two months ago, Nezu gave me a special task, a mission I couldn’t tell anyone about. Not even any of the teachers,” Midoriya explained, avoiding making eye contact. “Nezu suspected that someone in the class might be a traitor, so he assigned me the job of finding out who it could be… through me investigating all of you.”

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by ‘investigating’?”

Midoriya took a deep breath. “I’ve been researching all of your backgrounds and histories, looking for motives to be a villain, as well as any probability of you coming into contact with All For One. I’ve also been analyzing your quirks to evaluate how valuable they are in spy work. Based on that, I ranked all of you from most to least likely to be the traitor, then searched your rooms in that order.”

The former villain tensed, preparing himself for the backlash he knew was coming. 

“You searched our rooms?” Jiro gritted out, unhappy with the idea of invasion of privacy. 

“And you looked into our private histories,” Shoji said as he pulled his mask further up his nose. 

“Not to mention judging us off our ability to be stealthy!” Hagakure added. 

Midoriya crumpled into himself. “I didn’t enjoy doing any of it, and I would’ve preferred to not need to worry about a traitor at all! I hated having to get into your guys’ personal lives like that, but- but I…”

His words failed him as the expectancy of an explanation from the class increased, all their gazes narrowed in on him. Recognizing his nervousness, Uraraka gave his hand a squeeze and picked up where he left off. 

“He didn’t have a choice,” Uraraka told the class. “He couldn’t exactly refuse Nezu’s assignment, especially with the stakes involved. There was good reason to believe we have a traitor, and look, it turns out we really do. Even though he had to do some things no one’s comfortable with, it did end up protecting everyone in the end.”

Midoriya whispered a small “thank you” to Uraraka, before raising his voice again. “If I hadn’t searched the rooms, I would’ve never found Yaoyorozu’s communicator with All For One.” The class tensed at the name. “She was the one to give away the summer camp location, and she’s also been feeding other information to the League. So yes, I know for a fact she’s the traitor.”

The class’s faces fell as they looked back to the still brainwashed Yaoyorozu, realizing that she really had been betraying them their entire time together. 

“I can’t believe it…” Mina breathed, holding back tears. 

Kirishima clenched his jaw. “With all the help she’s given all of us, in training and in studying, you’d never think she’d be the one to be a traitor.”

“I don’t think she was doing it willingly,” Midoriya remarked, drawing the class’s attention back to him. “Similar to how I was required to gather information for my task from Nezu, I don’t think she had a choice in what intel she gathers either. Except for her, if she failed, she had much worse consequences than me. I don’t think being a traitor was easy for her.”

Kaminari’s face brightened slightly. “You really think so? That means there’s a chance we can help her escape from them!”

Tsu nodded along with him. “If she hated working for them, then she might consider leaving them to help us instead.”

“Well, why don’t we ask her to find out,” Aizawa suggested, stepping forward towards his tied up student. “Shinso, release your quirk. Police are on the way, but we need to ask her a few questions first.”

 

The word came into a quick, sharp focus, waking Yaoyorozu from the daze she’d been in. The first person she spotted was Aizawa crouching in front of her, followed by the rest of the class. She tensed when she realized all their eyes were on her. 

That tension increased to panic when her arms and legs wouldn’t move, and that panic turned to pure dread when she remembered why she was tied up. 

She’d been exposed. 

She slumped her shoulders and head in despair. Even if she could escape, the consequences she’d receive for failing her mission wouldn’t make her life any less miserable than prison. 

Aizawa tilted his head at her body language. “We have a few questions for you.”

Yaoyorozu didn’t respond, the crushing weight of failure diminishing any desire to speak. 

Mina clutched her heart. “We just want to know why, Yaomomo. Why did you become a traitor?”

She winced a little at the nickname. More silence ensued, so Midoriya added, “We want to help you in any way we can, but to do that, you have to tell us what’s been going on.” 

Her expression shifted slightly after that. She lifted his eyes to Midoriya’s face and scrutinized him to see if he was genuine. When she realized he was, she drew in a long, shuddering breath. 

“I didn’t become a spy here because I wanted to. It was my parents’ decision,” she explained, her voice low. “They’ve always pressed for me to be perfect, in academics, etiquette, physique… and in business.” She gulped. “Have any of you ever wondered how my family is so rich?”

“I always just assumed your family owned some super successful business or something,” Kaminari answered, and a few members of the class nodded along with him. 

“It’s what makes my family’s business successful that’s the problem,” Yaoyorozu responded ominously. “They have similar quirks to mine. While theirs aren’t as versatile, they can still create most anything with incredible efficiency. And when I say anything, I mean anything.”

“Are… your parents drug dealers?” Kirishima questioned. 

A shadow fell over Yaoyorozu’s face. “Worse than that. They can make any illegal materials, not just drugs. This includes black market support items, machinery, and other technology. The products my family creates are of high quality too, and are in high demand. We completely dominate the black market.”

Her tone had been fairly even all through her explanation, until that point. After that, her voice acquired a tremble of fear. 

“But we don’t dominate it alone. For as long as I can remember, All For One has been my family’s most important business partner. We’ve funded his operations and given him supplies, and in return, he advocates for our business, gives us intel, and… and promises us s-safety.”

“So he threatened you into supporting him,” Shinso deduced. 

Yaoyorozu gave a shaky nod. “He has my family’s entire business in the palm of his hand… and that includes the people themselves. A couple years ago, he reached out for the first time in years, saying he wanted inside intel of UA. We couldn’t refuse, so with me being the youngest and closest to high school, my parents made the decision for me.”

Years of washed away dreams and crushed hopes of independence flashed through her expression. She’d never been able to make a life decision for herself, regardless of what she wanted to achieve in life. 

“And now here I am,” she spoke slowly. “If I ever failed in my mission of intel-gathering, we were promised harsh consequences. That’s why I put a sensor above my door, and in my safe, to be able to stop anyone from discovering my secret. That’s how I got back here before Shinso; I was alerted on my phone. But that didn’t prove to be any help in the end.”

She hung her head, and her black hair fell around her face. 

“All For One does not have remorse or mercy, and my family knows that better than most.”

As the class absorbed everything she’d told them, they each came to the firm decision that Yaoyorozu had been forced into betraying them, and therefore was still their friend. She shouldn’t be punished for something she’d never wanted to do in the first place. 

Jiro was the first to respond. “Just because you’ve been spying on us, doesn’t mean all the moments we’ve had together aren’t real. You’re still our friend.”

Iida nodded along rapidly. “Indeed! Your presence has been invaluable to the class, and despite the revealing of your intentions, you are an essential part of 1-A!”

Yaoyorozu’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. “You’re not- I’m still- but me becoming friends with you all was just to gain your trust! It was all to get more intel!”

“Yeah, like we’ll believe that for a second,” Kaminari grinned. 

Tsu tilted her head thoughtfully. “It sounds more like you’re trying to convince yourself of that than us.”

“Exactly!” Mina chimed. “You totally wouldn’t have put so much effort into teaching us if you didn’t care!”

“And your tea is awesome too!” Sato added. 

“So are your piano skills,” Jiro contributed. 

Uraraka waved her hand. “You’re super fun to spend time with!”

“And you’re an amazing leader,” Todoroki affirmed. 

Iida chopped his arm. “As well an amazing vice president!”

“I would’ve failed if you didn’t have all those study sessions!” Kaminari laughed. 

“Same here man!” Kirishima agreed, and Mina was quick to concur. 

As different members of the class shared what Yaoyorozu had contributed to their lives, her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. She hadn’t been rejected or punished for messing up, and they still wanted to treasure the bond they had with her. The feeling of acceptance and belonging, before it had felt fake and stolen, but it began to settle in as real. 

These people genuinely cared about her, unlike anyone else in her life. 

The class went dead quiet as Yaoyorozu began to sob, tears making her cheeks shine. As a knocking on the door, presumably from the police, sounded across the silence, she beamed at the class and choked out a purely authentic, “Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve been for me too.”

Notes:

I'm very happy with how this turned out. I did decide to keep Momo's character close to what it is in canon, instead of overhauling her into someone cruel and controlling, cuz that didn't feel right. So yeah, hope you liked it.

This chapter’s song is Perfect by P!nk, which fits with how Momo was always pressured into being perfect by her family, and now 1-A is in here saying she doesn’t need to do that. Great song, fits a lot of the fic well too.

See ya next week!

Chapter 97: Interrogations

Notes:

Would just like to say this chapter has some A+ scene transitions that I’m very proud of haha. Enjoy!

Images of Yaoyorozu being hauled off to the police station were still vivid in Midoriya’s mind, but he didn’t have time to focus on that at the moment. What he did need to focus on was the list of questions in his hand. 

They were what Curious was going to ask him in about fifteen minutes, and she wasn’t allowed to stray from the questions on the list. Midoriya knew she was unlikely to actually abide by that rule, but it did offer some comfort, knowing he could refuse to answer. Aizawa had also granted him permission to use his quirk if something went wrong. 

He looked around the park from his seat at one of the tables. There were a couple families spotted on the grass, enjoying a picnic in place of dinner. Some people were getting their daily jog in, while others had just come to read. Off at the edge of the park, there were a few restaurants, where Midoriya knew the heroes were watching. 

They had to make the arrest look authentic, or else the Liberation Front would get suspicious and skittish. Hence the regular bystanders to serve as witnesses, and the lack of police so they could rush in later. 

The watching heroes were just in case something went wrong, but Midoriya was determined to make sure they wouldn’t be needed. He just had to answer her questions, and distract her long enough for the police to make their move. 

Oh, and he had to make sure she didn’t touch his blood, or else he was a dead man. 

Midoriya let out a shuddering sigh as he thought about it. 

Curious arrived five minutes early. He could see her approaching down the path, towards his table. There was a skip to her step and a beam on her face, reminding Midoriya of how thrilled she’d been to have her request to interview him accepted. 

She’d been sending UA an email every day, ever since he’d been sent there for rehabilitation. 

He could practically read her obsession with suppressed villains on her face as she got closer. Instead of sitting down across from him, she slammed her hands down on the table and stood over him, beaming ecstatically. 

“I just want to thank you so much for doing this interview with me,” she said excitedly. “I’m in love with your story, how the strict rules of society forced you into a cage, a cage you unlocked yourself by becoming a villain! I can’t wait to get all the gory details.”

She looked up to the sky and clutched her heart, Midoriya edging away from her while she wasn’t looking. 

“Just imagine the headlines! ‘Traumatized Victim Turns Feral to the Society that Betrayed Him’ or ‘How Suppression Breeds Villains.’” She looked back down at him, a malicious glint in her eye. “How about ‘Deku, the Late Bloomer Who Could Have Ruled Everything.’”

Midoriya gulped, noticing how all the headlines still depicted him as a villain. He just had to distract her. “I just thought, with how eager you were to interview me, I couldn’t keep refusing such curiosity.”

Her smile somehow widened, and she settled into the seat next to him, much too close for Midoriya’s liking. “This interview is going to be fun. Why don’t we get started? First question, how would you describe your middle school years?”

At least the first question was on the list. 

 

“First question, how long have you been in contact with All For One?” Tsukauchi asked. 

Yaoyorozu shuffled, or at least, she tried to. Her hands and feet were bound in metal casing in an attempt to stifle any usage of her quirk, which was considered high-risk. Due to her involvement with the League of Villains, her case was high-risk too. 

Those conditions considered, she was surprised when a detective as nice as Tsukauchi came in to interrogate her. 

He waited patiently for her to answer. 

“Not until I applied to UA,” she said. “My family had always been in contact with All For One, but I didn’t speak to him myself until it was decided that I’d be infiltrating UA.”

Tsukauchi nodded as his quirk rang true, writing down what she said. “Can you describe your first contact with him?”

She visibly tensed. “Terrifying.”

Noticing that was a sensitive question, Tsukauchi moved on to something easier to answer. “What types of tasks were you assigned as a spy?”

“Mostly just intel-gathering. Locations of events, schedules, monitoring my classmates, specifically Bakugo, Todoroki, and Iida. Any intel I was asked of, really,” she answered. 

“Do you know how the League got the location of your summer camp?”

She pursed her lips. “I gave it to them.”

Tsukauchi nodded, and once he finished writing what she’d said down, he put down his pencil and looked her in the eye. “Have you been blackmailed, threatened, or punished into being a spy, or have you been a spy of your own volition?”

“I’ve been threatened, yes, as well as punished when I failed a task,” Yaoyorozu responded, eyes falling to the floor. “I never wanted to endanger anyone, but I didn’t have a choice in being a spy or not.”

Tsukauchi sighed in relief when her words rang true. That’d make handling her situation a lot easier, and it would turn out better for her in the end too. They’d maybe even be able to get more data on the League. 

He smiled reassuringly, pleased at her cooperation. 

 

A slight pout came over Curious’ face, annoyed at Midoriya’s avoidance. 

“You’ve already told me all about your ill-treatment in middle school, the cruel words, unfair punishment, lack of support, it’s all very appetizing, yes!” Her black eyes narrowed as she leaned in towards him. “But what I want to know now is how that made you react.”

Midoriya shifted in his seat again to subtly back away from the journalist, something he’d already done several times. He was beginning to get close to the edge of the bench seat. “I-it made me turn to the League of Villains, since they were the first to acknowledge me.”

“Yes but beyond that. What did you do specifically to those people who hurt you? I want to know just how far your anguish pushed you, the terrible acts that our twisted society made you commit!” She stuck her chin out and stared down her nose at him, making Midoriya feel even smaller. “Tell me how much of a villain you became.”

Pushing back against resurfacing memories, Midoriya clenched his jaw and matched her intense gaze. “I’ve left all of that behind me now. My past doesn’t define me, and I don’t want to revisit it either. Please move on to a different question.”

His stomach twisted at the way she smirked, the corner of her mouth lifted to bare teeth. “So your villainous actions are so guilt-provoking, so heart-rending, that you can’t even speak of them? My my, you must have done some horribly atrocious deeds! To not even want to think of them…” the corners of her eyes crinkled in delight. 

“Move on,” Midoriya repeated firmly. “That question isn’t on the list.”

Curious sighed haughtily, but her grin stayed on her face. “Very well, I’ll find out what you did one way or another.” Midoriya reminded himself that the police would be coming soon. “To change the topic, I’d like to know more about your quirk.”

The former villain’s breath hitched. That question was so much worse, but he couldn’t say that unless he wanted to make her even more eager for answers. 

“I must admit, it’s strange how you were considered quirkless for so long, only to suddenly manifest an ability while in prison! Late bloomers are rare, but entirely possible, especially when someone has experienced an abundance of stress that forces their quirk to awaken. But the thing is…” her head lolled to the side. “No one knows what your quirk is, and I’m terribly curious.”

Midoriya’s pulse quickened. This interview was getting more and more uncomfortable. 

 

Yaoyorozu’s breath quickened as the questions grew more uncomfortable. 

“What did All For One threaten your family with, should they fail to cooperate, and what punishments did he enact?” Tsukauchi asked, keeping his voice as gentle and accommodating as possible. 

She drew in a deep lungful of air to calm her nerves enough to answer. Her voice still trembled when she spoke. “Well, most obviously, he threatened our lives. Some less severe threats include stealing our quirks, ruining our business, leaving us bankrupt to live on the streets, as well as exposing our underworld dealings to the public.”

Tsukauchi’s brow knitted together as he wrote down the list of threats. “Did he ever follow through on any of those?”

“On stealing our quirks, yes, but he gave the quirk back. He did it to keep one member of my family in check. My uncle had threatened to leave the business and expose All For One.” She pursed her lips as she continued. “As for our business, he’s taken it over to the point where he could just say the word, and no one would buy from us anymore. I don’t think I can actually call it our business, because he practically owns it. Even with him in prison, there’s someone else giving us orders.”

“I see,” the detective replied, tone laced with remorse. He finished writing before asking his next question so he could look her in the eye. “What did he specifically threaten you with, if you failed to infiltrate UA?”

Yaoyorozu bit her lip, head dipping down so her hair would cover her eyes. Just thinking about what All For One had said to her, in person in his warehouse, made her shake in fear. That place had been so creepy, so subtly hostile, with the vague assurance of certain death. The coldness of his voice from the memory still gave her chills. 

She was so lost in her anxious dread, Tsukauchi had to tap on the table in front of her to snap her back to reality. 

“Sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I-I don’t know if I feel safe enough to answer that question.”

Tsukauchi’s worried expression melted into one of understanding. “While answering that question would help your case a lot, you don’t have to if it makes you that uncomfortable.”

She nodded, gathering enough mental fortitude to look back up at the detective. She was surprised to find him smiling kindly. 

“I promise, Yaoyorozu, I only want to help you.”

 

“I promise, I’ll write the most fantastic, earth-shattering article if you just answer this question!!”

Midoriya was at the edge of the bench now; he couldn’t back up any further. Curious was in his face, grinning like a maniac at how uncomfortable he was. 

“Tell me, how powerful could your quirk be if you rejected both the heroes and the villains? How much would you dominate over those who hurt you if you just focused on the strength of your meta ability?!” Her allegiance to the Liberation Army showed as her language slipped in her excitement. 

The former villain gritted his teeth. He knew the sheer power All Might had possessed, and he’d felt it within himself too. But Curious was forgetting one major thing. 

“I’d never use my quirk to dominate, or lord my power over others,” Midoriya stated confidently. “I just want to use the strength I have to protect people, to save them.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t answer the question,” Curious drawled. 

Midoriya grabbed the list of questions and shoved it up to Curious, standing up from the bench and putting a healthy distance between them. “No, I don’t have to answer that, and I won’t either, because it’s not on the list.”

Curious’ face drooped as she grabbed the list of questions and glared at it. For a couple seconds, her eyes skimmed over the words there. 

Then the paper exploded. 

Midoriya eyes went wide as the darkened list fell to the ground with a trail of smoke like ash. 

“You’re so cute for thinking I actually give a damn about that list,” she smirked, standing up from the bench as well. “I make my own questions, and ask them in regards to the potential of a story, not in regards to the person.” 

Midoriya could hear sirens in the distance. The police were on their way. The heroes were close by if she attacked him. He could handle this, for just a little longer. 

Afterall, his talk with All For One had been ten times as terrifying as this. 

Curious took several more steps up to him, getting close again, trying to pressure him into answering. The malicious smile on her face made Midoriya tense up even more. 

 

The warm smile on Tsukauchi’s face made Yaoyorozu relax a little. He seemed so genuine and caring, she couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. 

“Based on what you’ve told me so far, I think I can offer you a deal. If you’re interested, of course,” he offered. He phrased it in a way that didn’t make her feel pressured or forced into accepting.

“A deal?” she asked, thankful for the change in conversation. 

“If you accepted, it would drop most of your criminal charges, which include illegal manufacturing via quirk use, accomplice in terrorist attacks, and assault via quirk use,” Tsukauchi listed off from the paper, and Yaoyorozu winced at each of them. “Of the charges we wouldn’t be able to drop, you could probably dismiss through community service, similar to what Midoriya has done.”

She nodded slowly, taking in his words. “But what do I have to give in return? What’s the catch?”

“You would be questioned intensely. Everything you know about All For One and his accomplices, every previous interaction he’s had with your family, any possible information you could have on him, you’d have to give up.”

“So just what I’ve been doing for the League, except for the opposite side,” she remarked, a hint of bitterness to her tone. 

“Not exactly,” Tsukauchi was quick to respond. “The League actively sent you into enemy territory to gather intel. We’d just be asking for what you’ve observed on your own so far. Just answering any of our questions, and then you’d be done.”

Yaoyorozu clenched her jaw. If All For One found out she’d cooperated with the police, her and her family would be done for. The repercussions would be massive. Then again, she’d already been caught, so they were already in danger. 

“Yaoyorozu.” Her attention shifted back to the detective. “I can tell from the way you’ve handled yourself here, you are not a bad person. You were coerced into helping the villains. Even since you were young, your parents forced you into activities you wanted no part in. Isn’t that right.”

She gave a single nod, eyes down. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then this is your chance to change all that.”

Her eyes flicked up to him. 

“This is your opportunity to make your own choice. You can choose to help the heroes this time; you can choose to help capture the people who’ve kept you trapped! This is your chance to take your life into your own hands.”

Something about the way he said that filled her with a hope for the future, a confidence that things would get better. 

It dawned on her. 

She was free. 

“I’m not going to force you to tell me anything, but if you find that’s something you want to do, then please, help us defeat the people who have controlled you for so long.”

 

“Tell me,” Curious demanded. 

Midoriya had to jump away as she reached out to grab his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and growled, “Touch me and I’m not answering anything!”

Her advancements halted, and her eyes narrowed in a pout. “Fine then, if you want to be difficult. But my curiosity won’t be satiated until you tell me what your quirk is!”

Midoriya could hear the sirens getting closer. He maybe had a minute longer before the police arrived, and then Curious would be detained. He could at least make sure she was distracted when they arrived. 

“You want to know my quirk?” He huffed. “It’s about time the public knew about it anyway.”

His teasing comment made a smile burst out across her face, and she whipped her audio recorder in his direction. “Well, go on then!!”

“You were right about it being strong, and with me thinking I was quirkless my whole life, it’s taken me a while to get a handle on it. It manifested in prison, where I was under a lot of distress, which matches up with what you said about stress causing a quirk awakening.”

Her eyes were gleaming as she absorbed the information, hanging on his every word. 

“When I went to UA, they put a collar on me to stop me from using it. This collar would choke me until I was unconscious if I used my quirk. It did end up doing that to me a few times…”

“What a horrendous form of meta ability suppression!” Curious gasped. “But what were they so afraid of!?”

“You see, my quirk is a power type…” he said slowly, and she was so enthralled by what he was saying, she didn’t even notice the police leaving their cars at the edge of the park. “If I don’t use it correctly, it hurts my body.”

“Yes yes, but what does it do? I want to know-”

“Chitose Kizuki?” An approaching police officer asked, and Curious flinched and whipped around towards her. “You’re under arrest for court evasion. Please come quietly.”

Midoriya made sure to play his part in looking surprised too. The police’s hand was resting on her gun, and Curious snarled, “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“You didn’t show up to court when getting sued for invasion of privacy. We aren’t arresting you for no reason. Please come with us.”

The officers began to form a circle around her, and Midoriya saw the heroes coming too, just in case she resisted. As sweat began to bead across Curious’ brow, Midoriya sighed in relief as he thought about how he’d still be safe returning home to his friends. 

 

Yaoyorozu thought about her family, and all the aid they’ve given the villains over the years. Monetary support, influence over the black market, specialized items, even offering up one of their own members as a spy. 

No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she’d never been happy there. She’d only felt controlled, restricted, limited in her freedoms. She’d been taught how to speak, how to act, how to carry herself with a resigned attitude. Stray from what she’d learned in those all-important lessons, and there were consequences. 

But with 1-A, things were different. She strayed more times than she could count, and she hadn’t been met with disappointment or hostility, but friendship and warmth. She considered each of her classmates, her friends, and what they’d brought to her life. 

They hadn’t contributed harsh rules or requirements like her parents had, but a genuine joy and camaraderie, unlike what she could ever hope to obtain with the villains. As she thought about it, all the moments she’d had with them were real. Despite her ulterior motives for joining the hero course, she’d grown to love it there, and couldn’t see herself leaving it. 

She looked back up to Tsukauchi with a steady gaze. “If you add keeping my arrest a secret from the public to your side of things, so the League and my family don’t find out I’ve been compromised, it’s a deal.”

Tsukauchi beamed, before nodding in affirmation. “I’m glad we could come to an agreement.”

 

“Stop resisting!!”

The police officers had to jump out of the way before the explosions from Curious’ support item hit them. She growled at the sight of heroes approaching, eyes darting around for an escape. 

Her gaze fell on a cut on one of the police’s cheek, and she grinned. The officer’s eyes went wide as she sprang forward, hand outstretched towards his face. 

Midoriya inhaled sharply when he realized what she was about to do. If she managed to touch his blood, he’d become a human bomb, exploding from the inside. He’d be the perfect hostage, leaving the police and heroes with no choice but to let her escape. 

Blackwhip sprung from his arm before he had the chance to think about it, securing itself on Curious’ wrist. He pulled backwards, yanking her arm away from the police and distracting her long enough for the heroes to jump in. 

Within the next second, Gran Torino had her pinned to the ground, and Aizawa had her quirk erased. 

Curious swore. “Is the opportunity to write a stellar article too much to ask!?”

The police and heroes ignored her angry complaints, instead moving to detain her support item and secure her hands. Gran Torino walked up to Midoriya as they began to move her to a police car, Curious screaming the entire way. 

“You did good kid, saved that police officer too,” Torino commented. 

“Thanks.” He released the breath he’d been holding as the car door slammed shut on Curious’ shouts. “I’m glad I could help.”

Notes:

I like to think I’ve gotten better at writing, and looking back, with less experience I probably would’ve chosen to write these two scenes separately, but weaving them together like this I think worked a lot better.

This chapter’s song is Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson. Mainly fits with Momo this chap, with how she’s choosing a different path than the one her parents tried to force on her.

Hope Curious was enjoyable too, and see ya next week!

Chapter 98: Warnings

Notes:

I format texting a tad different cuz I like to show what the characters are thinking or doing as they text? But I've been told it still makes sense, so enjoy the chap!

“Don’t drink your coffee this morning,” read the text from Hawks. 

Twice blinked at the message, blinked at his creamer-filled coffee, before sighing.

“I prefer it black anyway,” he grumbled to himself, before dumping the cup’s contents over his shoulder, coffee splattering against the wall behind him. “Nooo my precious sugar!!”

He typed out a response to Hawks that said, “Lemme guess, poison?”

“Yup.”

“Seems like something the Liberation leaders would do. Can’t believe they’d stoop so low! At least kill me in an interesting way, please!!”

 

Hawks chuckled at the text from Twice as he flew towards the HPSC to drop off his latest report. His flights were the safest time to text, since there were no cameras around for Skeptic to spy on him with. Sure, there was still the location tracker and audio recorder, along with supervision of all the activities on his phone… except for a few secure locations, like this texting channel with Twice. So, since Skeptic couldn’t hear text, and he was flying a normal route, he was safe. 

He knew not to text and drive, but no one ever said anything about flying!

Hawks typed out a response, making sure not to accidentally bonk into a tree, and sent it. 

“Remember, the Liberation leaders don’t trust the League, so your secret of wanting to leave is safe from your friends. They won’t tell Re-Destro, since his loyalty to the League is too blind. It would also be a bad idea for them to tell the soldiers, because then they’d lose faith in their leadership. So it’s just a small circle of people, smaller now that Curious has been arrested, trying to take you out. They want to do that as quickly and quietly as possible, so, poison.”

 

Twice shook his head at Hawks’ latest message. 

“How boring,” he replied. “I refuse to die in such an unmemorable way!”

“You mean you refuse to die at all?”

“That too!!!” Twice affirmed. “Tho I gotta ask, how much longer am I gonna have to keep dodging bullets?”

“Not much longer, the attack is next week.” A few seconds, then the next message popped up. “Avoid going to the bathroom tomorrow too. They’ve got some people targeting you stationed in there.”

Twice raised his eyebrows. “But what if I gotta go!?!”

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that, actually. How the heck do you go to the bathroom if you’re out doing a job or something and you’ve got that whole body suit on?”

“That’s classified.”

“...okay then. But yeah, avoid the bathrooms tomorrow. Stay in your locked room, and send a double out if there’s any official stuff you have to go to.”

Twice rubbed his hands down his face, answering with, “Ugghhhh, but I hate staying in here! The solitude grants me peace.”

“Hey, at least you’ve got me to talk to rn, right? Besides, we’re gonna need you at full strength when you help in the attack next week.”

Twice’s fingers hesitated above the screen before he continued. A question weighed on his conscience, and he was tentative in typing it out.

“I get the whole revealing I’ve changed sides the day of the attack to catch the Liberation off guard and win the battle thing, but, um, there’s something else I’ve been wondering about?”

“Ask away.”

He took a deep breath. 

“I won’t have to, like, you know, kill anyone will I? I mean I don’t really care about the Liberation army, with what they did to Giran, but idk if that’s something I’d have to do so we win.”

 

“No.”

Hawks answered immediately, frowning at the distressing question. He didn’t care what the HPSC would request of Twice when the day of the attack came. As someone who’d been forced to kill against his will, he was never going to shove that onto another person. 

That’s what led him to answer so resolutely and confidently. 

“You shouldn’t be forced to do something you don’t want to do. Even still, the goal of the heroes is to detain, not kill. You don’t have to severely hurt anyone, just stop them. If anyone asks otherwise of you, ignore them.”

The bubbles that indicated Twice was typing disappeared and reappeared several times. 

“That’s good. I was worried about that. I don’t really know what to expect haha, choosing to support the heroes. But I’ll make sure to help out all I can!!”

Hawks smiled in relief at the response. “I’ll make sure you get into an awesome villain rehabilitation center after that, I promise. We’ll try to save some of the other League members too, so you have nothing to worry about.”

The hero laughed at the gif Twice sent of a man throwing confetti.

 

“There have been several important developments since we last met,” the HPSC president started the meeting, the idle chatter of the room silencing immediately. 

Midoriya swallowed, knowing this was one of the last meetings before the attack, and that two of the developments had a lot to do with him. 

“First, something most of you are probably already aware of, Curious has been arrested. Deku’s plan worked,” she said, having difficulty hiding her grudging tone. “As far as we can tell, the Liberation has responded with nothing but irritation, since she was arrested for a reason other than being in their ranks. They do not suspect anything. After the arrest, however, she was questioned very intensely about the Liberation’s operations.”

“Please tell me they got some info outta her that we didn’t already know from Hawks,” Fatgum pleaded. 

The president nodded, and her assistant began passing out papers. “On these papers is all the new intel we were able to gather from her, despite her being very resistant to questioning.”

Midoriya’s eyes went big as they skimmed over the paper. They now had details on all the possible escape routes and locations of the Liberation soldiers, where Gigantomachia was and how he was controlled, which leaders believed in the liberation cause, or were just simply loyal to Re-Destro, as well as the specific support equipment from Detnerat each of leaders used. 

“How do we know that all of what she divulged is the truth?” Kamui Woods questioned. 

“The HPSC has someone with a lie-detector quirk reserved for situations like these,” the president answered. 

Mount Lady marveled at the amount of information Curious had provided. “How did you manage to get this much out of her?”

“We have our methods.”

Midoriya looked up from his paper and narrowed his eyes at the president, as did a few other heroes. 

“This will all be very useful in refining the details of our plan, and when battling the Liberation army,” Gang Orca commented after a moment. 

“Not only that, but we’ve also canceled out one of our own weaknesses,” the president continued, and several pairs of eyes flicked up from their papers. “The possibility that our ranks held a traitor was always a danger to our plans, but we don’t have to worry about that now.”

“Who was exposed for leaking intel?!” Mirko questioned eagerly. 

“Nezu had been conducting his own investigation at UA, exploiting Deku’s previous experience as a villain and having him spy on class 1-A,” she explained, and Midoriya ignored how the pressure of their gazes increased. “His efforts did end up revealing someone who has been in communication with All For One, and this person chose to cooperate and share everything they know about our adversaries.”

“Okay, but who was it?” Rock Lock repeated Mirko’s question. 

“They were threatened into being a spy,” Midoriya spoke up. “Their identity is being kept a secret until we can confirm that their family isn’t in any danger, just in case it gets out that they’ve been exposed as a traitor.”

“That means they haven’t been sent to prison, either,” Endeavor deduced. “People at UA would notice if a member of class 1-A vanished.”

Midoriya nodded. “While they won’t go entirely without consequences, because they were forced into being a spy for All For One, the police figured it wouldn’t be fair to punish them for something they never wanted to do.”

“What’s more important is the intel we gathered from this,” the president moved the conversation on quickly. “We now have extensive knowledge of the underground workings of the black market, the source of All For One’s funding, as well as several of his previous contacts. We will work to cripple all the organizations the League has connections to, in order to further ensure the nation’s safety.”

Many of the heroes nodded resolutely. They’d do everything in their power to protect society’s security, and this new information enabled them to do even more. 

“Now, onto our last, most important development,” the president started dramatically, drawing all eyes in the room to her. “In Hawks’ continued information gathering in the Liberation Front, he’s made a vital ally. A well-known League member, Jin Bubaigawara, better known as Twice, has chosen to support the heroes’ side of the war.”

Gasps sounded out around the room. One of the villains at the top of their priority list had changed sides? That caused a tremendous shift in the balances of this battle, tipping the scales in the heroes’ favor. 

But of course, the first question was, “How do we know we can trust him?!”

“Hawks’ skills in discernment are unmatched,” the president assured Mirko. “If he believes someone is being genuine, we have no reason to doubt him. And the information Twice has divulged has more than proven his loyalty.”

Another paper was passed out, this one with intel much more alarming than the first one. 

“The League has come into possession of quirk-erasing bullets after the raid on the Shie Hassaikai. These were given to the doctor to replicate, and as far as Twice knows, he succeeded. This will be a major hazard in battle, so be cautious of any guns wielded by high-ranking villains.”

“The doctor?” Ryukyu questioned. “Is this the man we will be arresting at Jaku Hospital?”

The president dipped her head. “Correct, All For One’s most devoted follower and the creator of the Nomu. Shigaraki is also with him, getting ‘upgraded,’ as Twice put it.”

Endeavor narrowed his eyes. “Upgraded? What, is he having his body or his quirk enhanced?”

“We don’t know. Twice was only told that the doctor promised Shigaraki more power, and Shigaraki accepted. That’s why he’s been missing for the past couple months. The doctor has been upgrading him in Jaku Hospital.”

“Was he able to tell us anything about the Nomu they’ve got hidden?” Gran Torino asked. 

“He said he’s only been in the doctor’s lab once, but he had several tanks with Nomus that looked similar to what Endeavor and Hawks faced. We will have to be very wary of those monsters awakening.”

“At least we have the warning now,” Ryukyu remarked, and she got a couple nods of agreement. 

The group spent the next hour going over all the new intel and making adjustments to their existing plan. They figured out the best way to avoid the new potential obstacles and compensated for newly revealed weaknesses, while shifting the layout of their forces due to increased strength in some areas. 

Once they were finished, Midoriya asked a daring question. 

“Now that we have all these new advantages, do we really still have to bring the hero students into this?”

“Yes,” the president responded so quickly, Midoriya doubted she’d even registered his question, much less pondered it. 

“But they aren’t as needed as they were before,” Midoriya pushed. 

“They’re still needed though.” She sent him a glare that made it obvious he wouldn’t be winning this argument. 

Sighing internally, Midoriya surrendered on that front, but continued with, “Okay fine, so they’ll still be fighting. We should at least tell them the specifics of what’s going on, right? ‘Cause so far all we’re going to tell them is there’s a big battle, and they either need to evacuate people or provide support.”

“That’s too risky,” she responded, voice cold. 

“But they’re literally teenagers, risking their lives before they’ve even received a full heroics education! They should be given all the intel possible, to minimize the chances of them dying out there,” Midoriya stated, unwavering and forceful in his opinion. His care for his friends was clear to the whole room. 

“Our biggest advantage in this battle is that it’s a surprise,” she countered. “The fewer people who know of our objectives the better. Reducing the possibility of them discovering our plans is more important.”

“Is more important than the lives of children, you mean.” His accusatory rephrasing caused many gazes to sharpen on the president. 

Her glare hardened into something even more icy. “So you would rather sacrifice the security and probability of success of this mission just so you can keep your little friend group, like some selfish brat?”

Midoriya thought her attempt at being intimidating was laughable, compared to the people he’d faced before. “Right, sticking up for my friends in front of a woman who’d rather have me in prison than here, that’s such selfish behavior. First, informing heroics students isn’t a risk to the mission; they’re not stupid enough to leak intel. Second, unlike you, I believe it’s better to prioritize people over the mission.”

“The mission is to save people,” the president shot back. 

“Is it though?!” Midoriya sprang up from his seat. “To save people. People - that includes heroes and villains! I don’t see much of that in this plan.”

The president’s nostrils flared, eyes bulging as she realized her glare wasn’t enough to subdue him, and neither were her words. Midoriya decided to say something truly risky. 

“Heroes are more than tools and pawns for you to use, and villains are more than bugs who need squashed. I once met someone who had a similar mentality as you, except he viewed villains as pawns and heroes as bugs. His name was All For One.”

She slammed her hands down on the table, sending a shockwave of sound that made more than one person flinch. Her glare increased in intensity, now promising destruction and demise. 

“I control who can become a hero. I’m the one who gives out licenses. If you ever want to be seen as more than a despicable villain, then I suggest cooperating.”

It was those words that made Midoriya realize, she could prove to be a much bigger obstacle in his future than he originally thought. 

That was something to be afraid of. 

“You will not tell the students participating in the operation of our plans.”

But still, screw the HPSC president. 

 

“I’ve got something to tell you guys,” Midoriya said as he plopped down on an ottoman in the living room, where the majority of 1-A was congregated for movie night. 

Yaoyorozu had returned to the dorms while he’d been at the meeting, and the class had thought it’d be a good idea to do something fun to distract from what had happened recently. Midoriya felt bad ruining that, but what he had to tell them was too important. 

They seemed to sense the grim edge to his tone, so the movie preparations slid to a halt as they all stopped to listen to him. 

“Is this about your traitor investigation?” Kirishima asked, and Midoriya shook his head. 

“It’s about the meetings you’ve been going to, isn’t it?” Shinso guessed. 

“Yeah, that’s right,” Midoriya confirmed. “I need to tell you guys what those have been about.”

“Wait, meetings?” Jiro questioned. “That’s where you’ve been disappearing to?”

The former villain nodded. “I’ve been attending meetings with several well-known heroes, discussing a large-scale attack that’s coming up - an attack you all will be participating in… in less than a week.”

“A week!?!” the class burst out. 

“How have we not heard of this beforehand?!” Iida exclaimed. 

“Yeah!!” Mina agreed. “Like, who are we even fighting against!?”

“And we’re just kids,” Kaminari added. “Don’t we get a say in this?!”

“They were going to wait to tell you guys of the attack until the morning of,” Midoriya scoffed, and there were a few more shouts of aggravation before it quieted down again. “I stuck my neck out for you guys a lot, saying that you shouldn’t be forced to fight, and that you all should at least be given advance notice of what’s happening, since you’re all still students. But the commission president struck me down every time. So that’s why I’m telling you now.”

“But why would she strike something like that down?” Uraraka asked. 

“She said telling you guys beforehand would endanger the mission,” Midoriya replied, a scoff in his tone. “But I think it’s important for you all to know, so I’m mildly risking my entire future to tell you this.” Several eyes went wide. “Just, don’t tell anyone I’ve told you this, not even a vague hint anywhere, okay?”

The class nodded in understanding, movie night completely wiped from their minds. All their focus was on Midoriya now. 

“Alright, the battle next week will be up against the League of Villains, and their new partner, the Liberation Army…”

As he explained, he provided all the details and specifics that the president had insisted to keep to himself. Everything he’d gathered from the meetings, all the new intel and old, was all spewed out for the hero students. The startling information was met with shocked gasps and wide eyes, and the class digested everything they could. 

“I’ll be sure to write this all down for you guys so you can memorize it,” Midoriya offered once he was done. “But yeah, that’s what’s happening next week.”

“Wow, that’s… a lot,” Mina breathed, and a few people nodded along with her. 

“Thank you for providing this intel to us, Midoriya!” Iida bowed in thanks. “We will be sure to make good use of it!”

“But now I’m feeling pretty nervous,” Kaminari said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Don’t be!” Bakugo shouted in response. “Didn’t ya hear Izuku? With the amount of intel we have, we’re gonna crush our opponents!”

Iida chopped his hand at the blond. “But we’re still supposed to remain in the back for either evacuation or support!”

“Like we’ve ever actually done what we’re told!” Bakugo countered. 

The class split off into smaller groups to discuss their reactions to what they’d just heard, the majority of them anxious, but determined. 

Shinso walked up to Midoriya, who had settled next to Uraraka, and asked, “You sure you’re gonna be okay? That commission president sounds like a real piece of work.”

Midoriya grimaced. “Sounds about right.”

“It’s not like she can actually do anything to you, can she?” Uraraka asked, brow furrowed in concern. 

He thought back to what the president had said about him becoming a hero. “Not now, at least.”

 

Yaoyorozu caught Midoriya’s gaze as the class began dispersing to go to bed. He recognized she wanted to talk, so once the two had stepped off to the side of the room, he asked, “You doing okay? How did your interrogation go? I received a report of what happened, are you happy with how it turned out?”

She blinked in surprise, before smiling softly. “Of course that’s what you’d ask first. You did the same thing when Shigaraki targeted me at the mall. Yes, I’m pleased with the deal I received. I told Tsukauchi everything I know, in return for staying at UA. Although I know my family will be arrested, and their only source of revenue halted, it’s worth it for the lives that will be saved… and it also means I get to keep 1-A in my life.”

Midoriya nodded with a grin. “Intel for freedom, that’s the deal I received too - although I did a lot worse than you, so I still had some extra obligations. I’m almost done with my community service hours though!”

“I think they determined that me losing my family and source of income was enough punishment,” she responded sadly. “And this will become public once the League is apprehended, which will make my path to becoming a hero much more rocky.”

“I know this doesn’t erase all your worry, but you’ll still have 1-A backing you up,” Midoriya promised. 

She smiled, appreciation shining in her eyes. “Thank you. Now that I’m no longer working against them… I’m realizing that the bonds I developed weren’t fake. I always felt bad, befriending people who didn’t know I was their enemy, but I’m coming to understand that my friendships are real despite that.”

“Good friends have a way of showing you that,” Midoriya agreed, thinking back to the time he’d needed to accept friendship too. 

“I actually wanted to talk to you to apologize,” Yaoyorozu explained, before lowering into a bow. “I’m sorry for threatening you and Ochako, and for pulling a grenade on you. I should have made a fake one, but I had planned to use it on myself if I failed to reason with you, in order to save my family.”

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see Midoriya smiling kindly at her. “Thank you. I understand that you were trying to protect the lives of those you care about, and that you didn’t really mean what you said. I’ve…” his face fell as he thought of the hostage in the alleyway, “had to do similar things.”

“Thank you for understanding,” she responded, relief clear in her tone. 

“Of course. We both had our families threatened by villains who wanted to control us.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We probably relate better than most.”

“That’s true,” she nodded with a grin. “It’s very fortunate we ended up in the same school.”

“Yeah, and hey, if you ever need to talk…” Midoriya thought back to all the people who’d supported him, encouraged him, lifted him back up from his lowest, darkest point, and he smiled. “I’m here if you need it.”

Tears glossed over her eyes. “Thank you, I truly appreciate it.”

“I’m just paying forward what others have done for me,” he replied. 

“There is one more thing… about One For All, and- and this battle coming up.”

Midoriya frowned. “Shigaraki’s going to be gunning for me, yeah.”

“Yes, you will be a very large target,” she warned. “And, not to be intrusive of your secrets, but it would be wise to inform the others of your quirk so they know what is happening during the battle.”

He glanced down at his fist, eyes narrowed in thought. “You’re right. The whole late bloomer narrative has been getting more and more difficult to keep up. Ochako already knows, but the rest of the class…”

“You should talk to Ochako and All Might about it,” Yaoyorozu suggested. 

Midoriya nodded, looking up at his friend. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Notes:

hoo boy the fight's getting close *cries in thinking about writing fight scenes*

Hah, um, this chapter's song is Skeletons by The Score. It's a song about letting go of the past, stopping fretting over past mistakes, and promising to change for the better. Fit really well for Midoriya in the past, and now it fits for Momo too.

And I've forgotten to put this for the last two weeks: I'm in a new Izuocha server that's trying to gain some new members who love Izuocha! So if you wanna talk with some people who like the same ship as you, or just lurk and watch conversations about the ship you like, then you can join here: Green Tea Infusions. To people from Jaded, you'll see a lot of familiar faces- or pfps.

Thanks for reading and see ya next week!

Chapter 99: Cutting Ties

Notes:

I'm going to be dying the entirety of this week, because of how close this thing is to 100 chaps. 99s are aggravating. Can you imagine being born in 1999? All you 24 year olds, I feel bad for you. Wonder if weird people like me just suffered through that year like "c'mon it's so close!!" Thank goodness I was born after.

Pfft, anyway, enjoy the chap!

“No, we are not letting you participate in a battle against your former League members!”

Midoriya gritted his teeth at the commission president’s words, opposition written clearly on his face for all the heroes in the room to see. 

“Why?” he demanded. “I can be useful out there. You were just saying how you’re pulling all the students into this because you need all the help you can get! I know how to counteract the League better than anyone, so let me help!”

“I agree with the kid,” Fat Gum supplied, making Midoriya smile in gratitude. “He’s helped us out a ton here, so there’s no reason he can’t help out there?”

“I’ve proven my loyalty over and over,” Midoriya continued. “I helped save Eri in the yakuza raid, instead of turning back over to the League. I caught the traitor in UA, and I risked my safety to get you Curious to interrogate. What more could I do to prove to you I’m not a villain?”

A hint of pleading escaped into his tone, and the president huffed. 

“Fine,” she responded. “We’ll review your actions and remake our decision.”

Midoriya nodded, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get anything more out of her. But one thing he was sure of, if his friends were going to be fighting out there, he was going to be with them, HPSC approval or not. 

 

“Something’s up, I can tell.”

Gentle and La Brava’s eyes flicked up from their dinner to Toga, who wore a concerned pout. Worry clouded her gaze as scrutinized the pair’s reactions. 

“Why Himiko, I have no idea what you could possibly mean!” Gentle declared. 

It was clear his words stung, and Toga felt a little hurt that they weren’t willing to open up to her. “You’ve been disappearing for hours, several times a week, and you never tell me where you’re going. Not to mention how much you’ve been practicing with your quirks in the gym. The rest of us aren’t allowed to use our quirks, but for some reason the director allowed it for you two!”

The pair cringed, and La Brava burst out with, “It’s for a good reason, we promise!”

Gentle nodded vigorously in agreement. “If it wasn’t so imperative for us to keep our reasonings a secret, we would tell you!”

Toga narrowed her eyes at the word ‘secret.’ “So there is something you’re keeping from me! If I had to guess, it’s probably some big fight coming up, right? Or else you wouldn’t be focusing so much on your quirks.”

The way the pair tensed up was all the answer she needed. Toga looked down at her food and thought for a long minute. 

“Just answer me this,” she implored, head hanging low. “Are you going to be able to talk to the League?”

Gentle and La Brava glanced at each other, and with a tiny nod of their heads, they decided it’d be okay to at least answer that one question. 

“Yes,” Gentle answered. “We will be in the proximity of League members, close enough to communicate.”

“Then can you give Jin, as well as Spinner and Mr. Compress, and maybe the others too, this one message from me?” Her voice shook a little, her eyes still on her food. 

“What would you like us to say?” La Brava asked, tone soft. 

“Tell them… tell them I still love them!” She snapped her head up to look them fiercely in the eyes, her own eyes misty. “And that it’s really not that bad on this side of things, with the heroes! I was able to find people who understand, who really care, and I want them to join me!”

Gentle and La Brava blinked a couple times at her outburst of passion, before Gentle grinned and responded with, “Beautifully said! We will be sure to relay every word!”

Toga gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. “Sorry if it’s too long! I’ve had a lot on my mind, of what I wish I could say to them…”

“Do not fret, young Himiko,” Gentle reassured. “I’m sure they will be greatly moved by your sentiments.”

 

The foggy sleepiness was just leaving Midoriya’s mind as he yawned, mid-morning sun warming his room, when his phone buzzed on his nightstand. After squeezing his eyes shut and reopening them, he picked up his phone to see a text from Aizawa. 

“You’ve been approved for helping in the evacuation efforts at Jaku.”

Midoriya grinned, relieved at the thought of being able to be with 1-A the day of the attack. “That’s great, thank you,” he texted back. 

“Only the evacuation efforts. Nothing more. That means no getting close to League members, and no fighting Shigaraki.”

The former villain hesitated in responding with a thumbs up, knowing that he’d be more than willing to disobey those orders if he had to. 

“But because I know you’ll probably ignore that,” Aizawa continued, and a laugh escaped from Midoriya. “You should work on getting a proper costume before the attack.”

“Just in case I have to fight someone,” Midoriya texted, moving to a sitting position on the side of his bed. 

“You and I both know there’s hardly a ‘just in case’ about it.” Aizawa’s groan was almost audible. “I suggest visiting Mei in the support department. Of all the people there, she’ll make you something the fastest.”

Midoriya winced a little at the thought of the eccentric extrovert that was Mei. “Understood. I’ll be visiting Eri later today, so I can stop by after that.”

Aizawa took a full minute to respond, as the texting bubbles flicked on and off. 

“Eri has noticed our absences, and she’s smart enough to tell we’re hiding something. Mirio has only been partially successful in distracting her. It would be a good idea to think of something to comfort her.”

Midoriya’s eyes traveled to his guitar, leaning against the wall and the end of his bed. “Yeah, I can do that.”

He didn’t see anything Aizawa responded with, because at that moment, there was a soft knocking on the door, which opened seconds later to reveal a sleepy Uraraka. 

She was still rubbing the fog from her eyes, and her hair was messy and ruffled to one side of her head. Midoriya smiled at the sight of her, and from her smile he knew he probably looked as half-awake as she did. 

“Good morning,” she yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she walked up to his bed. “Didn’t want to wait until breakfast to tell you that.”

Midoriya laughed lightly, and warmth budded in his chest as she plopped down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Good morning to you too.”

She caught a glimpse of him putting his phone away and asked, “Who were you talking to?”

“Just Aizawa. I’m gonna be helping with the evacuation efforts in Jaku with you.”

“Oh, that’s good…” her words trailed off as her eyes started to droop closed, sleep trying to win over her mind again. 

Midoriya suspected she’d stayed up too late again in expectancy of being able to sleep in the following morning. He wrapped an arm around her to make sure she wouldn’t topple over if she did fall back asleep, before resting his head atop hers. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, entirely comfortable in being so close. Uraraka drifted in and out of sleep, knowing that Midoriya would keep her from falling over by holding her close. Midoriya listened to her inhales and exhales, taking solace in knowing that even with the upcoming attack on the Liberation Front, in that moment, Uraraka was content and everything was peaceful. 

The serene moment was very stress-relieving, but a question that had been looming in Midoriya’s thoughts for a while began pestering him again. 

“Hey, Ochako.” He gently squeezed her shoulder, and she stirred a little. “What do you think about the idea of me telling the class about One For All?”

Her eyes opened, and she turned her head to look up at Midoriya, their noses almost touching. “Well, you trust them all, right?”

“Yeah, I do. But that doesn’t stop me from being nervous about telling them, since I won’t be able to take my words back. There’s a reason All Might kept it a secret for so long.”

“But All Might also did everything alone, with no one to support him,” Uraraka pointed out, tilting her head. 

“There’s also the fact One For All will make me a big target,” Midoriya added dismally, turning his face away from her. “Them knowing that could prevent a lot of confusion and help them better understand what’s going on.”

She cupped his cheek and turned his face back to her, so that they could feel the other’s breath on their lips. “In that case, I think sharing with them is worth the risk. These people are our friends, we can trust them, so keeping secrets from them doesn’t help anything.”

He smiled in appreciation, grateful for her advice. But instead of speaking his thankfulness, he kissed her instead. She reciprocated the action happily. 

After pulling apart, he responded with, “I still have to talk to All Might about it, but I think you’re right about me telling them about One For All.”

She bumped his forehead with hers. “Glad I could help.”

They shared a few more morning kisses, before separating and going about their morning routines. 

 

Eri watched Midoriya’s guitar case with big eyes, full of cautious curiosity. Mirio laughed at her expression. 

“It’s just his guitar, Eri,” Mirio explained. “He uses it to make music by plucking the strings!”

She tilted her head, a little confused. Midoriya brought the guitar out of the case and sat near her so he could show her. He plucked the top string, and a high-pitched ring sounded in the air. 

“By plucking the strings, it makes a sound, and I can control what pitch that sound is too.” He demonstrated this by moving his finger down the frets, so that each time he plucked the string it emanated a higher pitch. “And if I control the pitch for several strings, I get a chord.”

He set his fingers in the position for the G chord, before strumming down all six strings, the air vibrating with the harmony of the pitches. 

“Woah,” Eri breathed. 

Midoriya smiled. “I heard you were feeling a little down, so I came to cheer you up with a song.”

“Hey that was a great idea!” Mirio chimed. 

“O-okay,” Eri responded, eager eyes flicking between the guitar and his face. 

After a deep breath, he began strumming a peppy tune, full of energy and youth, a childish smile on his face. 

“Looking up at a sunny sky, so shiny and blue,” he started, thankful that the sky was actually blue that day. 

Eri’s eyes went wide as she recognized the song from a pre-quirk movie she’d been watching a lot, and Mirio grinned, quick to remember the lyrics. 

“It's gonna be a fantastic day,” Midoriya reassured. 

“Such marvelousness,” Mirio jumped in, “it's gonna bring!”

A smile leapt onto Eri’s face at the blond boy’s contribution, wonder lighting up in her eyes. 

“And I'm ready to take on anything!” Midoriya sang louder, encouraged by Eri’s enthusiasm. 

“Hooray!” Eri cheered with him, pumping her fists above her head. 

Mirio laughed and continued with, “Some super fun surprise around each corner!”

Midoriya lowered down to look her in the eyes, and when he sang next, it was a promise, “I'm gonna be okay.”

“Hey!” all three shouted. 

Midoriya sprang up from the floor. “I'm not giving up today!”

“There's nothing getting in my way!” Eri sang after him. 

The three began moving and dancing in a circle around her room, all smiles and giggles and outrageously loud singing. 

“I! Will! Get back up again!!”

“If something goes a little wrong,” Midoriya laughed and kept up the strumming as they continued around the room. “Well you can go ahead and bring it on!”

“'Cause if you knock knock me over,” Mirio threw a couple punches with the ‘knock’s. 

Eri jumped up onto the table, clapping her hands. “I will get back up again!”

As the three belted out the lyrics, any stressors or worries or burdens vanished, replaced by the joy and fun of the tune. But the song didn’t just assuage Eri’s fears, the theme also gave Midoriya confidence and hope for the battle to come. 

This was him promising to Eri, and to himself, that even if he got knocked down, bruised, and beaten, he would always “get back up again!”

 

Midoriya should’ve expected Mei to be in his face the moment he entered the support department. He immediately backed away the moment she bounded up to him, wincing from how her voice seemed stuck at a higher volume level than everyone else. 

He didn’t have Mirio to protect him this time. 

“I heard you’d be swinging by!!” she exclaimed, using her roller blades to skate around behind him and push him in the direction of her work bench. “You need a costume, right?!”

The other support course students shook their heads sympathetically as Mei shoved him past them, and when he saw the various deadly-looking contraptions on her bench, he might’ve begun to fear for his life. 

“So whaddya need for your costume!?” she asked as she screeched to a halt in front of her bench. 

“Um, well, I-”

“Rocket boosters?!”

“What? No-”

“Oh! Robot tentacles!”

“That’s not-”

“Micro-grenades would be pretty awesome!!”

“Here, I have-”

“Or a nuclear-powered gun!”

“I already drew a design!!” Midoriya shouted, shoving a small packet up to her face. 

Mei snatched up the design papers, eyes whisking over the pages in less than a minute, before slamming the packet down on her desk. “But that’s so boring!”

“I don’t really need anything flashy,” Midoriya countered. “The opposite, actually. I’d rather blend in. So other than a simple base, all I really need is some extra support for my arms and legs, in case I need to overuse my quirk, and something that can help me use Air Force better.”

“That’s still boring!!”

Midoriya sighed with a small smile. “What would you recommend I add then? Keeping in mind I have a quirk that enhances physical performance.”

“Well for starters, you could add iron soles to your shoes to make your kicks more powerful! As well as a flamethrower to turn your enemies into crisps before you have to fight them!!”

“Yes to the iron soles, no to the flamethrower,” Midoriya answered, eliciting a groan from Mei. 

“What about some of the parts from your original villain costume?” Mei suggested. “You used to use daggers a lot in your fighting style, but those are gone now!”

“I don’t know…” Midoriya said, uncertain. “I would still like to use them, since I’d be able to utilize them even better with my quirk, and they’d make a more volatile long-range attack than Air Force. But daggers don’t really seem, I dunno… heroic?”

“Pish posh!!” Mei responded. “Underground heroes use daggers all the time, and it’d be a waste to let all your training with them be for nothing! Sure you won’t use them with small-time villains, other than for intimidation maybe, but for big-time villains having those extra attacks could be useful!!”

Midoriya thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Alrighty then! Dagger sheaths added!”

The former villain blinked as he realized she’d been adding daggers to the design before he’d even confirmed he wanted them. 

They discussed a few more details, like what type of gear to use to improve Air Force, what kind of materials he wanted to use, and other minor things that weren’t clear in Midoriya’s design. 

Once they were close to finishing up, Mei turned to the last page, where she noticed something she’d missed the first time reading through. She broke out into a cackle. 

“I see you kept this aspect of your original design!” she exclaimed in delight, pointing to his sketch of the backside of his costume. 

Midoriya laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s become a theme I wanted to keep up.”

 

Midoriya enjoyed the peace of the walk back to the dorms after Mei’s bombardment of ridiculous ideas. There were a few students out, jogging or having picnics, but none of them stared at him the way they used to. 

The initial shock of his dangerous “quirk awakening” from Blackwhip had worn off. While many of the students were still wary around him, most didn’t mind his presence. 

Despite his feeling of ease, Midoriya still picked up on the heavy footfalls approaching behind him. He turned, and like he expected, Bakugo was on his tail. 

“Hey,” Midoriya greeted with a small wave and smile. 

“‘Sup.” Bakugo walked up beside him, before kicking at the ground. 

“You just come from your therapy?”

The blond nodded, a small scowl etched into his face. His displeasure didn’t seem to be aimed at Midoriya, or at his therapy sessions. Midoriya noted his strange quietness with interest. 

“Are you thinking about the attack coming up?” the former villain tried. 

Bakugo’s eyes flicked to his face, and he muttered something under his breath about being too good at reading people. “Yeah, I am. Who in 1-A isn’t.”

“Do you wanna… talk about it?”

His eyes flicked back to the ground, and he gritted his teeth a little, before sighing. “When you saw me just now, you smiled.”

Midoriya blinked. “Yeah, I did.”

“Do you remember what I told you during our talk at the summer camp?”

“I uh, I remember punching you?”

“No, what made you punch me!” Bakugo clarified. 

Midoriya went quiet as he tried to remember what exactly he was talking about. “You apologized,” he answered softly. “I punched you for saying sorry.”

“Which I deserved,” Bakugo added. “But a little before that, there was another thing…” he repeated his words from the summer camp. 

“I hope one day you’ll be able to look at me without hatred, but with that light in your eyes and a smile instead.”

Midoriya’s eyes went wide. “Yeah, I remember now.”

“And you just looked at me with a smile. The light that the League and I had stamped out of you is back, thanks to 1-A, and… and you don’t seem to hate me anymore.”

“I don’t hate you anymore,” Midoriya corrected. “All of that anger, my grudge, it dragged me down to places I almost couldn’t recover from.”

“So,” Bakugo formed his words slowly, carefully. “If you don’t hate me… then…” his mouth opened and closed as he appeared unable to finish his thought, brow furrowing in frustration at himself. 

Midoriya tilted his head. “I never accepted your apology.”

“Yeah,” Bakugo nodded, voice rough and eyes down. “You- you still haven’t forgiven me.”

Midoriya frowned, studying the blond boy. He thought about how much he’d changed since middle school, how much effort he’d put into changing. He no longer picked on the weak or called people useless, and had put real focus on saving others in his heroics instead of just winning. Sure, he was still abrasive and cocky, but not in a demeaning way. 

“And it’s okay if you still don’t want to,” Bakugo was quick to add. “I just… I still think about what I did, how much crap I put you through. I know I’m always going to have that regret hanging over me, but right now it’s still weighing on my shoulders. And I don’t want to go into this upcoming battle with this extra weight, with us still being at odds.”

Bakugo looked up from the ground to see Midoriya’s reaction. His eyes were filled with more caution than hope. Midoriya broke eye contact and looked towards Height’s Alliance, which was steadily getting closer, and recalled what he’d learned there. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget what you did, with how much it’s defined my life,” Midoriya responded after a moment, and Bakugo’s face fell. “But… that doesn’t mean I can’t forgive.”

The blond gasped, face whipping in Midoriya’s direction. 

“You’ve really, genuinely tried to change, and you’re not the same person you were in middle school,” Midoriya continued softly. “After putting in that much effort to become a better person, it wouldn’t be very kind of me to keep you on edge, especially with this battle coming up.”

They stopped at the base of the steps leading up to the Height’s Alliance’s doors, where Midoriya’s eyes were fixated. 

“I want you to understand, this doesn’t mean any of what you did was okay or excusable, because it’s not and never will be,” the former villain stated firmly. 

Bakugo nodded, lips pursed. “Yeah, I’m well aware.”

“Well, in that case,” Midoriya turned to look the blond in the eyes, a faint smile on his lips. “I accept your apology, and I forgive you.”

Bakugo drew in a quick breath, before turning away so Midoriya couldn’t see the tears sprouting in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said roughly. “I won’t waste this second chance, I promise.”

“Just be a fantastic hero to others, to make up for how you failed to be a hero to me.”

The blond turned back to Midoriya, aggressively wiping the tears from his face. “I won’t let you, or anyone else for that matter, down. I swear it.”

Midoriya nodded with a small smile. As the boys went up the steps to the dorm rooms, Midoriya felt a weight lifted off him as well. It was as if the last anger-bound tie to his past had been cut, freeing him to leave all the cruelty and mistakes behind him. 

He remembered a question Iida had asked him. 

“Your hatred towards Bakugo, do you ever think you’ll be able to let go of it, like how you convinced me to do with the Hero Killer?”

And now he’d finally done it. No more grudges. No more vengeance. No more hatred. 

His conversation with Bakugo at the summer camp felt like so long ago, and he knew he was in a much better place now.

Notes:

Getting things in order before the fight. Got some mind-easing, costume-designing, mistake-forgiving, woo. This peace will not last much longer at all.

Also, notice the title of the chap, and how Midoriya said forgiving Bakugo was like cutting the last tie to his past. Now notice chapter 14's title, Old Ties. Cool connection, huh? That was an accident but it's still cool!

Now, this is a really awesome song, that would be really awesome for you to listen to- well, musically it isn't too special, but thematically? The lyrics are great. And they also fit the last scene of this chapter great. Forgiveness by Matthew West.

I do believe that is all. See ya next week for the 100th chapter! Holy crap how have I written so much!! And we're getting really close to 3k kudos!!! Aaaahhh!!!!

Chapter 100: Thank You All

Notes:

I had to deal with that 99 some time longer than originally planned, welp. Of course ao3 gets cyber attacked the day I planned to post the 100th chap-

Anyway, after some delay, the 100th chapter is now here!! Never would I ever had guessed starting this thing it'd get to this point, holy woah. The heck am I doing with my life lol (I jest, I haven't regretted writing this in the slightest).

Have also reached 3k kudos! Another milestone I never thought I'd reach! Hah that's really satisfying, reaching 100 chaps and 3k kudos around the same time.

So yeah, thank you all (it's a coincidence this chapter is named that I promise-) for all the support and comments and for reading!! Really means so much, and I hope you enjoy the chap!

“All Might, why did you try to do everything by yourself?”

The retired hero blinked surprisedly, turning his eyes away from the golden sunrise to look at his student, whose eyes hadn’t left the horizon. As they sat together there at the beach, he sensed there was more behind the question than simple curiosity. 

“Well, I didn’t always do everything by myself. For instance, I had Nighteye as my sidekick for-”

“But you still ended up on your own,” Midoriya interjected. “You held Japan’s sense of security up all by yourself, with no aid from other heroes, for decades. It got to the point where the system was completely reliant on you, which is why your retirement was such a big shock.”

The former villain’s eyes broke away from the sunrise, and he peered up at All Might, expression questioning. 

“Wouldn’t it have been better to, I don’t know, share that burden? Not only for your own health, but to better support the country.”

All Might hummed. “Looking back, yes, it would have been beneficial to let other heroes uphold Japan’s safety with me. But you have to remember, I grew up in a much different time than you. I was more focused on finally ending the period of despair and terror we’d been in, without thinking about how my decisions would impact the future.”

“You also had All For One to worry about,” Midoriya added softly, looking back to the sunrise. 

“Yes. He was uninjured back then, and had been harboring power for years. The thought of facing him filled me with a cold fear. I didn’t want to drag anyone else into my battle with him.”

“And that’s why you were so secretive with One For All. Out of a fear of All For One targeting the people who knew.”

All Might nodded. “The thought of him always haunted me.”

“But…” Midoriya’s face contorted in thought, “but don’t you think it still would’ve been better to share your secret with those you trusted? Because then they could’ve fought alongside you, supported you, helped defeat All For One. Wouldn’t that have improved your chances of winning?”

“That’s part of the problem, Young Midoriya, I had very few people I could trust,” All Might responded, and Midoriya hummed in dissatisfaction. “But you don’t have that problem.”

Midoriya gasped lightly, turning to meet his mentor’s eyes. 

“You want to tell 1-A about One For All, don’t you?”

The teen pursed his lips, before nodding. “Yeah, I do. It doesn’t feel right to keep secrets from them, especially with the part my quirk will play in the battle against the League.”

All Might nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “Once you tell them, you can’t take it back. The more people who know, the harder it will be to keep One For All a secret.”

“I know that, but the support I’ll get in return makes the risk worth it for me. Besides, like we said earlier, the whole country leaning on you made it topple when you couldn’t be there. I think sharing the burden of this quirk will do a lot more good for the future of Japan.”

All Might smiled. “It’ll take some time for me to change my secretive ways, but I trust you. And if you trust 1-A, then I’ll trust them with the secret of One For All too.”

Midoriya leaned in and hugged the old hero. “Thank you All Might, for believing in me.”

“Of course. I have no doubt that you’ll manage to create an even brighter and more stable future than me, with the help of your friends.”

 

Midoriya entered the dorms after school that day, the question of how to explain to the class the situation of One For All on his mind. 

As he considered asking Uraraka for advice, a delighted squeal from Mina interrupted his thoughts. 

“Thanks Yaomomo!” the pink girl cheered, happily accepting a cup of tea from Yaoyorozu. 

“It’s been a little while since you’ve served us tea,” Jiro commented, also taking a cup. 

“Yes, well…” Yaoyorozu started hesitantly, fidgeting with the tray in her hands. “It felt a little wrong to be serving you right after… what happened.”

“You don’t gotta worry about that!” Kirishima affirmed. 

Todoroki nodded in agreement. “Making us tea shows that you care.”

“We just want things to go back to how they were before, Yaomomo,” Hagakure said. “We know that you were spying on us, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy our time together, or that the moments we had weren’t real!”

“And now we can enjoy our time together even more because you don’t have to worry about the League!” Kaminari added. 

“Yeah, what the blond idiot said.” Jiro sipped her tea smugly through Kaminari’s protests. 

“Thank you all,” Yaoyorozu said, clutching her heart. “This means more than you know.”

Midoriya smiled at the scene, happy the class was willing to move on and accept Yaoyorozu, regardless of what she’d been forced to do. She needed the support and friendship. 

He also noticed Mina’s eyes darting between Kaminari and Jiro in contemplation, and he remembered from her shipping board that she considered them a potential pair. He turned his eyes to the two, Kaminari saying he’d forgive Jiro’s light teasing for being cute, causing her face to flush. 

Mina gasped dramatically, eyes on Midoriya. 

“Wait!! Midoriya, you said you searched all our rooms!?” she shouted, rushing up to him. 

Midoriya took a step back, putting his hands up to keep her at bay. “Uhm, yes? I didn’t really have a choice-”

“Yeah yeah, you figured out a bunch of personal info and know everything about us now, who cares!” she exclaimed, making a lot of the class frown at her in confusion. “What’s actually important right now, what I have to know is…” she whispered close enough to him so no one else could hear, “did you find my shipping board?”

He gulped, before nodding. 

Mina’s eyes went and she clenched her jaw. She stepped back and raised her hands into a mock karate fighting position, hissing out through her teeth, “You better not tell anyone about that, or you. Will. Pay.”

Before Midoriya could even complete a nod, she finished her sentence with, “Five thousand yen, got it!?!”

The former villain blinked confusedly several times, before stuttering out an, “O-okay?”

“Say it confidently!!”

“Right! Yes! Okay!”

Mina kept her eyes narrowed at him as she backed away to her seat, and he sighed in relief when she finally broke eye contact. There were several confused murmurs, wondering what that was about. Uraraka sent him a look from the couch that said she’d ask him about that later. 

“But you do really know a lot about us now, don’t you?” Shoji asked from the side of the room. 

Midoriya nodded tentatively. “If it helps, you can always ask me what I found out, and I’ll tell you.”

It was quiet for a moment, before Tokoyami said, “The offer is appreciated, and will be considered.” A few students nodded in agreement. 

The former villain bit his lip, and after a split second of intense thought, he decided to just say it. “If I know so much about you all, then I think you all should know more about me too. I have a… another secret. The last one.”

Uraraka raised her eyebrows slightly, realizing what he planned to say. Several other students stopped what they were doing and turned their heads towards him, attentive and listening. 

“You aren’t gonna say something crazy like you’ve killed someone before, right?” Kaminari asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“No, nothing like that-”

“It’s about your quirk, isn’t it?” Bakugo pressed, and Midoriya pursed his lips. “I haven’t questioned you about that, since the first time I asked, it ended poorly.” Both boys grimaced at the thought of their first interaction in the dorms. “You did get your quirk from All For One.”

“I didn’t get my quirk from All For One,” Midoriya stated, no room for opposition in his tone, before his expression softened. “But… I did get it from someone else. The whole late bloomer narrative is a lie, as some of you have probably guessed.”

“Wait, some one?” Kaminari repeated. 

Mina frowned. “But quirks don’t work like that!” 

“Yeah, someone can’t just give you their quirk,” Hagakure added with flailing arms. 

“Unless they’re All For One,” Bakugo finished. 

Midoriya suppressed a sigh. “Well for this quirk, yes, it does work like that. It’s been passed down from person to person for generations, and I’m the ninth person to have it. It’s a stockpiling quirk, so it stores up power, as well as the previous holders’ quirks. That’s what that black energy quirk is from, or Blackwhip. It was the fifth holder’s quirk.”

“That’s why it would hurt you when you used too much of it,” Shinso realized. “Because you weren’t trained to use the power stored up.”

Midoriya nodded. “And when you brainwashed me, it sent me into this… weird voidscape where I could talk with the previous holders. That’s why the collar activated when you used your quirk on me.”

“Huh.”

“But you still haven’t answered who you got this quirk from!” Mina pointed out. 

Midoriya hesitated, and in that moment of reluctance, someone else answered before him. 

“It’s from All Might,” Todoroki stated like it was an obvious fact. 

The whole class blinked at him, including Midoriya, who stuttered out, “H-how-”

“The similarities between his and your quirk were clear from the start,” Todoroki continued. “The extreme strength and speed and energy, and then you started spending much of your time training with him. Not to mention the odd things he said after you saved him from that falling boulder.”

Midoriya cringed as he remembered All Might’s lack of tact, while the rest of the class gazed at Todoroki in wonder. 

“Quite honestly, I believed you were All Might’s secret love child for a while.”

The former villain could do nothing but freeze in a confused stare at Todoroki, and it was seconds before the class burst out laughing. 

“Could you imagine!?” Sero exclaimed. 

“Is it bad that I can see where he got the connection from?” Mina cried in amusement. 

Midoriya stayed silent through their giggles, and once they settled down again, he sighed. “Yes, the quirk is from All Might, and that’s why he’s been training me. The quirk is called One For All, and… and its holder is supposed to defeat All For One.”

The class stilled at the name, Yaoyorozu going particularly pale with fear. 

“Wait, you’re supposed to take him on, all on your own?” Kirishima’s brow furrowed. “That’s not cool.”

“Yeah, that seems like a ton of extra pressure!” Kaminari added. 

“It… yeah, it is,” Midoriya admitted, looking down to the floor. “But that’s also part of the reason I’m telling you guys this. All Might supported all of Japan alone, without any help. And I… don’t want to do that.” He looked back up at the class. “I want to share that burden with my friends, so we can all uphold the people’s sense of security together.”

They all smiled, agreement clear in the way their eyes lit up. Even Bakugo grinned at the idea. 

“You can count on us!” Iida declared, and a few sent up fist pumps in conjunction with his chopping. 

“We’re all gonna be awesome heroes together!” Hagakure squeed. 

“I think we’ll make a great hero team,” Yaoyorozu agreed softly. 

After a pause, Midoriya continued with, “The other reason I’m sharing this, is because in the upcoming battle, I’m gonna be a big target. The League knows about my quirk, and that All For One wants it.” He breathed a shuddering breath at the thought of it. “I want to make sure all of you are as prepared as you can be, and making sure you know all the details of what's happening is part of that. Like One For All.”

“None of us are gonna let you die out there,” Bakugo affirmed right away. 

Tsu nodded. “We’ll stick together, and make sure everyone is safe, including each other.”

“Let’s do this guys!!” Mina shouted, jumping up and down. 

Midoriya smiled, eyes growing wet. “Thank you all, for supporting me like this.”

“Yeah man!” Kirishima cheered. “We’ve got your back!”

 

“You did great, telling the class about One For All,” Uraraka reassured as the two walked down the street in the early morning. 

“You think so?” Midoriya would have rubbed the back of his neck, if he wasn’t holding his guitar case in one hand and Uraraka’s hand in the other. 

“Yeah!” She squeezed his hand. “I think it was a good decision, to share your burden with them.”

“I still haven’t told them how exactly I got it,” he responded lowly, thinking back to the incident in the alleyway with All Might. 

“And that’s okay,” Uraraka affirmed, leaning forward so he would look her in the eye. “What happened, it was really traumatic and personal, so there’s a reason it’s not easy to talk about. It’s okay that I’m the only one you’ve shared it with, and you shouldn’t feel obligated to share it with anyone else.”

He took a deep breath, before giving her a small smile. “You’re right. Thank you.”

“Sure! Maybe you could repay me by telling me where we’re walking to,” she laughed. 

His smile widened. “You know how All Might and I always leave campus for my training?” She nodded. “There’s one spot we always go to, a beach. It used to be trashed, but I trained by cleaning up all the heavy garbage. Now we just go there to train because we’re used to it.”

“That’s sweet.”

“Anyway, now that all the trash is gone, the beach is really beautiful, especially in the mornings. I thought it’d be nice, as… as our last morning together before the battle tomorrow.”

Uraraka’s face fell slightly, thinking about what was to come. “Hey, don’t say it like that. We’re gonna do great tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah you’re right.” Despite his words, uneasiness lingered in his voice. 

Uraraka didn’t have time to console him further though, because the beach came into view. Over the top of a short stone wall, she could see the glimmering sunrise sparkling over the calm waves of the ocean - a sharp contrast to the anxiety they’d just been feeling. 

“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” she breathed, taking in the soft sound of rippling waves and the sight of the glittering sand. 

He smiled in contentment at her reaction, admiring her awe-struck face for a few seconds, before leading her down to a bench closer to the ocean. They settled together there, leaning against each other, breathing slow and steady as they just appreciated the beauty and calmness the sunrise provided. 

But that only lasted a few minutes, before Midoriya’s breathing quickened, and Uraraka noticed. 

“What’re you thinking about?” she asked quietly. 

“I… I brought my guitar for a reason,” he answered. “I have some things I want to say, things I want to thank you for, and… I figured song was the best way.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m just a little nervous, ‘cause I want to play it right for you.”

Uraraka grinned at this thoughtfulness. “I won’t care if you make a mistake. The fact that you want to do this for me already makes me feel loved.”

That seemed to give him the little boost of confidence he needed to bring his guitar out and set it on his lap, facing her. Not wanting to create any vacant silence, he took a deep breath, and started plucking out the chords. 

It took another breath to start singing. 

“I like the way, like the way that I look in your eyes.”

The eagerness in her gaze at the start of the song already began to melt his worry, as she listened attentively. 

“I fall on my face, never judgmental.” A small smile crept onto his face. “See, I see mistakes, you see potential.”

A smile found its way onto her face too, and she thought back to all the times she’d promised him he was more than what he did in his past. 

“Been afraid if I open the door, that all of my pain will come out and roll onto the floor.”

Midoriya winced a little bit, still feeling that twinge of guilt. 

“And it did. And it does. But you still, pick it up.” His grimace melted away into a look of wonder at Uraraka. “You find a way to see, the good in me.”

The strumming picked up in strength as the chorus hit, and Uraraka cupped her hand over her mouth. 

“And I know that my heart's a handful.”

A look of apology slipped onto his face as he sang. 

“Somehow you see,” that look vanished when she reached out and placed a hand on his knee. “The good in me, good in me.”

He smiled at the touch, grateful for the small gesture of encouragement. 

“I know that I'm far from perfect, and you say that my flaws are worth it.”

He remembered how she’d told him his painful experiences could be used to help others, how everything he’d gone through could be used for good. 

“The good in me, good in me.”

Midoriya hummed through the small instrumental part, looking up from the strings. He’d practiced the chords enough to know them by heart. He almost faltered when he made eye contact with Uraraka, with how the light of the sunrise caught her face, and how her eyes were shining with a layer of tears. 

“I'm like a flood, like a flood, I get carried away.”

He smiled a bit as he thought of his own tendency to cry, and how Uraraka had seen it several times.  

“But you give me space, showin' me patience.”

And every time she did, she’d supported him, given him comfort, and shown him love. 

“I've been afraid.” She had been the one to help him through his fear of opening up. “That all of my pain will come out and roll onto the floor.”

And he was so much better for it. He was so much better because of her. 

“But you still pick it up.”

His own eyes watered as he thought of how much of the good in his life he owed to her. 

“I know I’m a lot to handle.”

Despite his own tearfulness, he managed to keep his voice steady through the second chorus, though his singing did hold a slight tremble. It only served to highlight the emotion and truth he felt in the lyrics. 

“Even in the dark, somehow you see… the good in me, good in me.”

Even when he’d been a villain, she’d still had hope in him. She never gave up in trying to save him, and had believed in him all the way. 

He tried the best he could to express his sheer gratitude through the song, and going by the tear trickling down her cheek, he thought he was succeeding. 

“Even when it's hard, I know you see… the good in me, good in me.”

If she hadn’t encouraged him at the entrance exam, or talked to him at the USJ or the mall, or fought him at the summer camp, or pursued him at Kamino, he would be in a much different place. 

He honestly didn’t know where he’d be without her. 

He quieted at the end of the song, letting his voice break with emotion, smiling through it all. 

“The good in me, good in me.”

Uraraka sprang across the distance between them and gave him a hug the moment the song was over. Midoriya removed the guitar from his lap so they could hug closer. 

Then she drew back, and he got a quick glimpse at her teary face, before she pressed her lips to his. She expressed her thankfulness through the kiss, showing that she didn’t regret loving him, no matter his past. He savored every second of it. 

The kiss ended, but the hug didn’t, and they continued holding each other, treasuring their closeness. Neither of them wanted to say it, but they knew that might be the last time they could embrace so affectionately. 

Neither of them wanted to admit, survival in the upcoming battle wasn’t guaranteed. 

The thought made Midoriya squeeze her tighter, and she started sobbing quietly, body shaking. He buried his face in her shoulder, silently apologizing for making it damp. 

After a few moments, Uraraka croaked out, “Promise me we’ll have more mornings like this.”

She drew back so they could see each other’s faces, which were red and puffy. 

“Promise me we’ll have mornings on the beach again, with you playing your guitar, and the sunrise making the waves sparkle. Except we won’t have to worry about any big fights the next day.”

Through the tears in his eyes, he could see her determination to stop him from sacrificing himself. So he wiped away a tear, and said, “I’ll try my best.”

Notes:

Was originally planning to have the start of the fight this chap, but turns out OFA reveals and emotional singing beach scenes take a lot of words, so uh, fight next chap!

Also, that last scene got way more emotional than originally intended, but I mean, these are just teenagers. Realistically, I think they'd be a lot more scared of dying than what they show in canon. Or at least, as a teenager, I'd be really scared and crying in that situation-

This chapter's song is the same one Midoriya played, Good In Me by Andy Grammer. Fits amazingly, which hopefully you saw in the chap. And small thing, before I found that song, I was gonna use West Coast by Imagine Dragons, but it didn't fit as well (still worth a listen to tho).

That's all, thanks again for all the support and see ya next week!

Chapter 101: Got You Covered

Notes:

Because I am terrible at fashion design, and am also terrible at describing fashion design: For Midoriya’s costume, literally just picture his stealth suit from World Heroes Mission, except a normal black hood without the bunny ears, and the belt being adapted to hold daggers and some other tools.

And of course, the words “Hero Costume” on the back haha.

The black with the green accents just looks really cool to me, and it makes more sense with this version of Midoriya, with having to be stealthy when he was a villain and all. It’s more what he’s used to.

I do still try to describe his costume in the fic tho for people who don’t read these notes- but for those of you who do, congrats you’ll actually know what his costume looks like! Enjoy the chap!

“Promise me we’ll have more mornings like this.”

Midoriya clenched his fist to his chest, thinking of the promise he’d made Uraraka. He lifted his eyes and looked out over Jaku city, surrounded by other heroes who had been called out. In this battle he had to value his life too, not just the lives of the people he was saving. 

He had people who would miss him, and he wanted to make sure he’d return to them. 

Even if he was only supposed to be helping in evacuation, he felt something tingling at the edge of his consciousness, something telling him it wouldn’t be so easy. 

 

Uraraka looked at Midoriya beside her, and he seemed lost in thought. With the fight they were about to enter, it wasn’t difficult to guess what he was thinking about. 

When his frown deepened, she reached out to take a hold of his hand. His grimace disappeared immediately, replaced by a small smile. But it was small enough to still let his nervousness shine through. 

She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Everyone here does. We’re all fighting this together.”

He nodded, nervousness dissipating a little. Uraraka knew there were still many uncertainties going into this battle, but there was one thing she was certain of. 

She was there to protect the heroes too, not just the civilians. Maybe even the villains, if they needed it. 

 

Shinso checked to see if his persona chords were working properly for the fourth time, gritting his teeth in frustration. 

Kaminari must’ve noticed his agitated expression, because he asked, “Hey dude, you good?”

“Yeah, fine.” The blond didn’t look convinced, but didn’t push it. Shinso sighed. “I just want to prove I deserve to be here, attacking the Liberation’s base at the front.”

“Ohhh, I get that.” Kaminari grinned. “If it’s any comfort, I think your presence here is super valuable!”

Shinso huffed, with a small smile of gratitude. “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it!”

As the teens waited for the signal to start their advance upon the Gunga Mountain Villa, where they knew the Liberation Front was assembled for a meeting, Shinso had one thought at the forefront of his mind. 

He wanted to prove he could pull his weight in a large operation like this. 

 

Twice paced back and forth across his room, talking senselessly to himself. 

“There’s a Liberation meeting right now… I’m supposed to be attending that.

“No no, I can’t go to that! I got some butt to kick soon!

“I’m aware, but what if they come searching for me? What if the attack doesn’t start soon enough? What if-

“Relaaax! All I gotta do is wait for the text from Takami, unleash an army of doubles, then I’m good!

“...I suppose I’m right.” He checked his phone, sighing when he saw there were no new notifications. “I’ll just have to be patient. Takami has given me no reason to mistrust him.

“Exactly, he wouldn’t let me die!”

Twice smiled to himself, once again grateful to have found a true friend in Hawks. But that smile faded when he thought of his old friend. He hoped he’d be reunited with Toga soon enough. 

After he kicked some Liberation butt, that is. 

 

Gentle missed the feeling of La Brava’s presence at his side. She was his biggest supporter, and having her near was a source of comfort and strength. 

But he understood the reason for her absence. Her hacking abilities were of more use in the control room than on the battlefield. 

The former villain looked around him at the heroes waiting to invade the Gunga Mountain Villa. He spotted a few teenagers who looked Midoriya’s age. Perhaps they were from that class he’d been rehabilitated in. 

He then turned his gaze in the direction of the Liberation’s base, thinking of the individuals within. His thoughts rested on the League, and on Toga’s words to him. 

He would be sure to deliver her message to them, and at the least ensure Twice’s safe rescue from those targeting him within the Liberation!

Afterall, he’d once been trapped as a villain too. He hoped the remaining League members felt the desire to escape, like he once had. 

 

Yaoyorozu twisted her hands nervously, the urge to be helping more pushing her to unease. This was her first mission after having her identity revealed, so she had to perform to the best of her ability! She had to show everyone that she was truly genuine in her intentions of becoming a hero!

It was difficult to prove such claims though, since that required action. And there was very little action in acting as backups in case something went wrong. 

Still, she remained on edge and ready, in case something happened. 

Many of her friends were gathered around her, wearing similar expressions of worry. The people who had accepted her as she was, the ones who had shown her real and true friendship. She would make sure to protect them, and preserve their future together. 

Nothing, not even her constricting past, would stop her from fulfilling that duty. 

 

Sheltered in a tube of faintly glowing purple liquid, Shigaraki remained in a state of suspension. He wasn’t quite alive, but wasn’t dead either. 

Doctor Garaki grinned up at him, his face shining with pride. His masterpiece was nearing completion. The perfect host for his master. 

Thoughts of the approaching glory days of All For One’s rule made him giddy with anticipation. All that was left to do was have patience for his master to overtake the mind of this gullible amateur. 

Oh, he also had to survive the onslaught of heroes about to invade the hospital. Crap. 

 

A group of teens from 1-A helped the last of the citizens out of Jaku city, helping kids find their lost toys or giving the elderly the aid they needed. Nearly everyone was out, but that didn’t give Midoriya a sense of ease. That just meant the heroes invading the hospital were clear to enter. 

“I’m going to ensure there aren’t any stragglers, or people refusing to leave!” Iida declared, powering up his engines. 

“Just wave to the sky if you need help,” Koda replied, just loud enough to be heard over Iida’s quirk. Iida glanced up at the birds in the sky, before nodding and taking off. 

Bakugo huffed. “If anyone’s moronic enough to stay put through a fight where they’re literally calling the number one hero in, they need a reality check.”

“Some people are still recovering from the Kamino incident,” Todoroki replied. “They blame the heroes for all the casualties, saying they didn’t perform to their fullest.”

“But it’s not the heroes’ fault All For One was so powerful,” Uraraka pointed out. 

“Exactly, they need a reality check,” Bakugo said. 

Midoriya pursed his lips. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, the push for villain rehabilitation doesn’t help either. To say villains need help is also saying heroes aren’t perfect. Which they aren’t, and they never have been, but it still shakes people’s trust in them.”

Tsu stopped walking and looked him in the eyes. “It’s never been easy to change things, and the process can be very difficult, but that doesn’t mean the change isn’t worth the effort.”

Midoriya smiled. “That’s true.”

“I still think they all need a reality check,” Bakugo repeated. 

Their conversation got interrupted by an older lady insisting her baked goods upon them, in thanks for helping them evacuate. She gave a dark chocolate chip cookie to each of the teens, except Midoriya, who she only cast a wary glance at. A lovely reminder, that while the support for villain rehabilitation had grown tremendously, many people still didn’t believe in it. 

Uraraka was about to call out to her, saying she forgot someone, but Midoriya put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. I don’t need one.”

“Take mine.” Bakugo shoved his cookie into Midoriya’s hands before he could refuse. “I hate dark chocolate anyway.”

Uraraka gasped. “That’s why you’re such a jerk sometimes! You don’t like dark chocolate!!”

Bakugo scowled at her. “White chocolate is better.”

They all shook their heads disappointedly at him, even Todoroki. 

“That explains so much about you,” Tsu remarked, and to stop the blond from exploding, she quickly turned to Midoriya and said, “I like your hero costume.”

The teen had been about to take a bite of his cookie, and he froze in the middle of the action, before lowering the treat from his mouth. “T-thanks. I didn’t want anything flashy, since I’m more used to stealth, and like to focus on utility over aesthetic.”

Mei had actually stuck to what he’d requested, resulting in an all black suit with green accents, with a hood and mouth guard. Other than the simple base, he had his iron soles for his kicks, reinforcement for his limbs, special gloves that compressed his Air Force move into bullets of air, along with a belt that held his daggers and other support items. And finally…

“The ‘Hero Costume’ on the back is really great,” Uraraka said with a smile. 

Midoriya nodded, quite happy with that small addition. It was in gray writing, so it stood out enough to be seen, but not enough to give away his position if he was trying to blend with the shadows. 

“It’s good to see you finally admitting you’re a hero,” Bakugo huffed. 

“It’s a nice change from what my last costume said,” Midoriya agreed. “It’s also a bit of a smack in the HPSC’s face… the president is pretty adamant on me not becoming a hero, so this is a subtle way of spiteing her, showing that I’ll be a hero anyway.”

A hint of a smile came across Todoroki’s face. “That’s really cool.”

Teenage rebellion can have a very positive effect sometimes. 

 

“You wouldn’t happen to be one of the young lads from class 1-A, now would you?”

Shinso turned to look at the guy jogging beside him as the group of heroes approached the Gunga Villa. He had slicked back gray hair, a suit collar of exaggerated length, and a grin way too wide for the situation they were in. 

“...yeah,” Shinso answered cautiously. 

“Splendid! Might I ask, how are you young heroes coming along in your education?”

Shinso narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to make small talk with me as we’re approaching a massive base with tons of villains?”

“Socializing with others reduces my stress and anxiety!” Great. An extrovert. “You may call me Gentle! I’m still debating over which noun should follow ‘Gentle’ in my name, seeing as I’m not a criminal anymore, but that is a topic for another time. For now, what might I call you?”

The hero student’s eyes widened slightly in recognition. “Oh, you’re the guy Midoriya talked out of ruining our School Festival.”

Gentle slapped his hand to his chest in offense. “What scandalous claims!! My intent was not to ruin your festival, but simply infiltrate!”

“With UA’s security system, infiltrating is the same as ruining.”

Gentle sighed. “I suppose that’s a fair point. However, you still have not answered my question of what to call you!”

“Shinso.” At this rate, the teen was going to be zapped of all his energy before the fight even started. 

“And what about my initial question? How goes your UA education!”

Shinso suppressed a sigh, internally cursing small talk. “It’ll be better, once this battle is over.”

And as if one extrovert wasn’t enough…

“You can say that again!” Kaminari exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear as the group continued to jog towards the Gunga Villa. 

“Oh! Is this a friend of yours?” Gentle inquired. 

“No.”

“Yes!”

The former villain chuckled. “How lovely. What might your name be?”

“Denki Kaminari,” the teen replied, stuttering a bit in his nervousness. 

Shinso frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?! We’re about to get into the fight of our lives, and I don’t wanna die!!”

“You’re not gonna die,” Shinso assured. 

“You don’t know that!” Kaminari threw a look over his shoulder, obviously wishing to be back with his classmates. 

“You were just the one telling me not to worry earlier!”

“That was about you saying ‘thanks’! Not about the attack!!”

“If I might offer a snippet of advice,” Gentle interjected, and both teens looked to him. “Strive to help to the best of your ability, so that even if you do die, you will have no regrets!”

Kaminari whimpered. “That only helps a little…”

“This is what we’ve been training for. Just go out there and be a hero,” Shinso offered. 

“Okay…” the blond put up an expression of (wavering) determination. “I’ll try.”

If this conversation was anything to go by, it was going to be a long fight. 

 

Mirko smirked down at the trembling form of the doctor in front of her, after having found his secret lab under Jaku Hospital. 

“A-all that work, every q-quirk I’d stored up! Gone like that! How could you?!” he cried, scrambling away from the hero. 

“It’s funny, you thinking you ever stood a chance at winning this,” she jeered. “With all the intel we managed to gather on you and your operations, there’s no way you’re getting out of this a free man.”

Garaki clutched his head, muttering to himself. “I don’t get it. I don’t! All For One’s spy at UA should’ve warned me of this, but she said we were in the clear! Why didn’t she warn me!?”

“People like you always think you know so much,” Mirko continued, an edge of anger turning her tone sharp. “People who hide in the shadows, relying on others to do all their dirty work! Then when it comes down to it, you can’t do a damn thing yourself!”

She raised her leg to kick him, and the doctor whimpered, tears streaming out from under his goggles. “No, please!! Don’t hurt me, I beg you!”

“I’ve found Garaki,” Mirko reported triumphantly through her earpiece, ignoring the doctor’s pleas. “I’m gonna kick him to make sure he’s the real one.”

“No! I won’t let all of this effort go to waste!!”

Just as he said it, he pushed down a button that sent out an electrical pulse, and Mirko gasped as the Nomus in the tubes around her sprang to life, shattering the glass entombing them. 

 

Twice screamed when he saw the text from Hawks, simply saying, “It’s time to move.” It was a type of nervous, but let’s fricking do this kind of scream. 

He was already doubling himself by the time he got to the door of his room, and had generated a large crowd of himself by the time he reached the main lobby, with its several floors of balconies that wrapped around the walls of the huge room. 

The Liberation members who had been entering to attend the meeting cried out in confusion as the doubles began attacking them. Twice watched from one of the higher balconies, having removed his mask to differentiate himself from his doubles. He continued using his quirk until his doubles started falling over the railings of the balconies, so that every Liberation member in the large room was outmatched. 

Twice fidgeted with this mask, watching the chaos unfold. “Oh man oh man I hope I’m doing this right!!”

After less than a minute of brawling, the wall opposite from Twice cracked down the middle, each side falling away in a flowing mess of concrete. Twice gasped as he realized it was the heroes. 

It was difficult to see from so far away, but he was pretty sure they all froze in shock at the sight of an army of Twices already fighting their battle. 

 

Kaminari had been expecting a lot of things for when Cementoss tore the Villa open. Several angry villains, maybe some boss-level bad guys, with the vague possibility of certain death. 

But he had certainly not predicted Twice - someone who had attacked their summer camp and kidnapped Bakugo - to be covering the entire building and fighting Liberation members for them. Midoriya had told them he’d changed sides, but still, this was crazy!

“You guys don’t have to worry about the Liberation!” one Twice called. “We got it covered!”

“About time you guys showed up,” another grumbled, even as he melted from existence at the hands of one of the Liberation. 

That member was then jumped by five other Twices, one of which called out to the heroes, “You guys better have thanked Tak- I mean Hawks for all his help! He went through alotta crap to get you all your intel!!”

His shouting finally shook the heroes out of their stupor, and they turned their focus to the newly arriving Liberation members. The rumbling of the building falling open seemed to have drawn several more villains up to the lobby, including Skeptic, who was screaming in agitation. 

“Twice, you traitor!” he shrieked as he ran and typed furiously on his computer. “You absolute fool, first leading a spy like Hawks into our midst, and then becoming a spy yourself!!”

One of the nearby Twices pointed a finger at him. “Who’re you calling a fool?! You’re the one who tried to kill me by poisoning my coffee. How boring is that! You couldn’t even think of something more memorable!?”

Skeptic snarled in response, but at the sight of one of the Liberation commanders, he quickly retreated. Kaminari barely had a chance to look to see who it was, when the air exploded with a crackling blue light, washing over the inside of the building. 

The electric shock hit everyone in the lobby. It was strong enough to melt almost all of the Twice doubles, but still weak enough to leave the Liberation members standing, although a little frayed. 

From one of the higher balconies, new Twice doubles immediately started spilling out. 

“I’ll deal with you later,” said the man who’d generated the massive attack. He had black hair with a yellow bolt swept to one side of his head, covering a scar on his forehead. The commander turned his eyes away from Twice to the heroes. “For now, I’ve got some other pests to deal with.”

That same blue electricity started growing in his hands, and Kaminari’s resolve solidified. He knew what he had to do. 

Gentle and Shinso let out bewildered gasps as he leapt away from them and pushed himself to the front of the crowd of heroes. As he disregarded his fear and charged towards the incoming wave of blue energy, he thought back to something Midoriya had taught him about his quirk. 

“You see, most other electricity quirks require some outside source, something to charge them up so they can store energy.”

Kaminari smirked as he saw the taser on the commander’s wrist. 

“But your quirk is different. While the others are like batteries, needing to be charged, yours is like the generator itself. You make your own electricity. Your body can both create and hold energy, which is pretty rare.”

The blond threw his hand up in the air, pointing to the sky, activating his quirk. 

“That also makes you the perfect lightning rod. If you’re ever facing off against another electric quirk, you can absorb everything they throw at you.”

His grin widened as every volt of electricity in the air bore down on him. He felt it crackling across his skin, tingly but not painful, before getting absorbed, as if it was his lightning all along. 

“Don’t worry guys, I’ve got you!” he called to his allies. 

 

Hawks’ feathers twitched. Someone was about to enter the room, and the hero had a good guess who it was, going by the rising temperature. 

“I never trusted you, y’know,” Dabi rasped from the doorway. 

Hawks turned to face him, mentally scrapping his plans of going after Re-Destro. He forced a smile to his mouth. “What, was my acting not charming enough?”

“Nah,” Dabi lit a blue flame over both his hands. “Heroes like you just can’t understand villains like us.”

The hero’s wings tensed, ready to turn into blades. “Tell that to Jin.”

Dabi scoffed. “The guy you sweet-talked over to your side? Yeah,” his flames roared to life, engulfing his arms, “I hope he dies with the rest of you pompous fakes!”

Hawks barely managed to dodge the following fire blast. Well, wasn’t this just swell. 

 

X-Less watched the form of Present Mic disappear down the hallway, carrying the crying doctor. He turned back towards the scene at hand, where Shigaraki’s cold body was lying in a pool of purple fluid, in front of a mess of machines and technology. 

With just a quick glance over the contraptions, he noticed one of them had been disturbed, probably when Mirko had broken Shigaraki’s tube. The lid of the chamber had opened, and X-Less spotted several small, red vials. 

He drew in a sharp breath as he recognized them as quirk erasing bullets, from the intel Twice had provided. He strode up to the machine and opened the lid, before activating his quirk and shattering each of the bullets with his laser. Seeing the destruction of such weapons immediately released a weight off his shoulders. 

That relief vanished the second he heard a small electrical shock behind him, followed by a long, dragging breath. 

His dread hardly had a second to sink in, before a pale, ashen hand covered his line of sight, fingertips resting on his face. 

The only solace he had in his death was knowing he’d helped his fellow heroes by destroying the bullets.

Notes:

The working title for this chap was “Punch Punch Boom Boom” because that’s all I immediately think of when it comes to fight scenes lol. Also, as you probably noticed, there are some small time skips throughout this. Whatever I don't show, assume it happens the same as canon.

This chapter's song is One Foot by Walk the Moon because it blasted on as I started writing and just gave this awesome hype feel.

Think that's all. See ya next week!

Chapter 102: You’ll Find What You’re Looking For

Notes:

The fight continues! Enjoy!

The prickling Midoriya had felt at the edge of his mind turned into a crackle. His breath hitched, and he froze in the middle of the street. 

His heart pounding in his chest, he turned to look back at the city they had just evacuated the inhabitants of. The moment his eyes made contact with Jaku Hospital, he felt a zing like a zap of electricity down his consciousness. 

Uraraka looked away from the group of evacuees Bakugo was ushering out of the city, brow furrowing in concern when she saw Midoriya’s wide eyes and tense posture. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, walking up to him. He flinched when she brushed his arm, and she drew her hand away. “Izuku?”

“Something’s wrong,” he whispered. 

 

“The hell is going on here!?” Spinner exclaimed, eyes going wide at the scene of chaos in front of him. 

“I don’t know, but I could use your help down here!” came the strained voice of Mr. Compress from the balcony below Spinner. 

The villain immediately leapt over the side of the railing to head down to help his friend. “I’m coming Compress!”

By the time his feet hit the floor, his eyes were glassy and body frozen. Shinso smirked. The others he’d brainwashed and sent to be arrested had been low-ranking members of the Liberation, but Spinner was a major figure. 

“Take out all your weapons and leave them there.” He pointed to a spot on the floor. Spinner complied, body movements stiff and jerkish as he began removing all his blades from his person. 

That gave Shinso time to look out over the rest of the battlefield, and his eyes were drawn up to the blazing blue flames exploding across one of the balconies on the opposite side of the building as him. He watched as a wall of Twices melted from the heat of Dabi’s flames, protecting the battered form of Hawks behind them. 

“Guess feathers and flames don’t mix, huh,” Shinso muttered to himself, watching Spinner out of the corner of his eye. 

 

“Twice, what are you doing?!” Mr. Compress demanded from a couple balconies below Hawks and Dabi, watching the hoard of Twices fighting alongside the heroes down below. 

The doubles weren’t attacking any of the League members, however. 

“I’m sorry, I really am! But I realized that helping these Liberation jerks isn’t what I want,” one of the doubles called up to Mr. Compress. “I wanna do what Toga, and what Deku did! I wanna find the friendship they found!”

Dabi let out a sharp, cruel laugh as he took a second to cool down. “You’re not gonna find anything worthwhile on the heroes’ side, just false empty lies to lure you into a sense of complacency! You’ve been brainwashed, Twice, by that manipulative liar behind you. So just let me kill him!!”

He added a renewed torrent of flame to the last two words, unleashing his anger on the new wall of Twices. 

“Get out of the way you pathetic traitor! Or I’ll make sure Toga will never see you aga-”

Dabi’s threat turned into a shout of pain as a pair of feather swords slashed into his back. 

“Don’t call my friend pathetic,” Hawks rasped out. Even with several severe burns and almost half his feathers gone, he’d still managed to fly around under the balcony and pop up behind Dabi. “And don’t act like you actually care for him.”

Dabi scoffed. “And you do?!”

Hawks barely had a second to jump back as flames burst out around the villain. 

“Yeah, Jin is a good person, and he deserves a good life! You, on the other hand, don’t care for the lives you’ve taken at all!!”

The moment the flames dissipated, Hawks sent a flurry of feathers in the direction of Dabi’s tendons and ligaments. 

“Oh, you’re on a first name basis now, how heart-warming!” Dabi snarled as he destroyed the incoming feathers with a whip of his arm. 

Hawks flipped upside down over the wave of fire. “Bubaigawara is just a really fricking long name, okay!?”

Dabi didn’t have time to respond, because a tremendous rumbling in the ground knocked both combatants off their feet. A massive hand broke up through the floor of the lobby, sending heroes and villains flying through the air, along with chunks of concrete. 

Hawks swore at the sight of Gigantomachia emerging out from the sub-levels of the base. The giant was only supposed to wake up if he got orders from Shigaraki! So, if he was moving, that meant…

The hero’s train of thought was broken as an enormous hand moved in to pick up Dabi, forcing Hawks to jump away. Dabi shot Hawks a sneer, before Machia placed him on his back. Mr. Compress soon joined him, along with a bewildered Twice double. 

Shinso shouted in frustration when he could do nothing but watch as the giant picked up Spinner too. With a small shaking from Mr. Compress, Spinner broke free from Shinso’s quirk and came to realize what was happening. 

With all the League members on his back, Machia seemed ready to leave, but Dabi leapt off and used his fire to propel himself towards the corner of the lobby. When Machia snatched him up again, he was carrying both Dabi and an angered Skeptic. 

But that little delay in departure offered a big opportunity. 

A speeding figure in purple zig-zagged towards the villains on the giant’s back, bouncing off elastic circles of air. 

“Why are you departing so soon!? We haven’t even had time to chat!” Gentle declared as he rammed a kick into Dabi’s chest. 

Before Dabi even hit the ground, he lashed out in a blue blaze, but Gentle bounced backwards. He landed on Machia’s back, facing the League. 

“Why would we want to talk to you?!” Spinner snapped. 

“Because I am friends with your dear Himiko, of course!” 

That gave everyone in the giant’s back a pause, except Dabi, who shot another fireball at Gentle, only for him to dodge again. The group struggled to keep their balance as Machia stood up, which brought them to the same level as Twice - the real one - who began watching the situation with wide eyes. 

“I’ve spent the last few months with Himiko in a wonderful villain rehabilitation center!” Gentle explained, positioning his hands in front of him to use his quirk, in case any of them tried to attack. “We’ve spent many enjoyable hours together, and have developed a deep sense of trust. She gave me a message to share with you all!”

Twice leaned forward over the railing to listen closer, while the group on Machia’s back staggered again as the giant took a step to leave the building. 

“She still cares for you all like family, and asks that you join her where she is! She promises that leaving the League is worth it, for she’s been able to find genuine friendship with people who understand her!” He slapped his hand to his chest. “I’m living proof of her words!!”

Tears pricked up in Twice’s eyes, and he clutched the railing as Machia took another step. 

Dabi barked out a snarl of a laugh. “Not interested.”

“If you do not come willingly, I’m afraid I’ll have to take you by force!” Gentle warned, bending his knees. 

Spinner and Mr. Compress didn’t immediately adopt a fighting stance like Dabi, but they looked conflicted, their clenched fists and glances to one another a clear sign of reluctance. 

“I wanna join her!!” Twice cried from the side, causing everyone to look at him. “I wanna find friends like she has, please,” he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. “I just wanna be happy.”

Machia bent his knees, preparing to leap. 

Gentle smiled in Twice’s direction, gaze full of a warm understanding. “I have no doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for, my friend.”

Dabi utilized the distraction to shoot another stream of fire at Gentle, who just managed to bounce to the side, the tails of his coat on fire. As the former criminal was in the air, Machia extended his legs in a mighty jump, flying over all the fighting people. 

“Drats!!” Gentle exclaimed as he created a trampoline to stop his fall. From his elastic platform, he watched several heroes, including Mount Lady, go after Machia.

On one side of the building, he saw Shinso heading back down to the base floor to help with the fighting. On the other side, he saw Hawks struggling to fly up to Twice, clutching his chest with an obvious wince. 

Then Gentle looked downward, where most of the Liberation Front members had been apprehended, but a few were still resisting. After determining that was where he’d be most useful, he leapt off the edge of his trampoline. 

 

Yaoyorozu’s radio crackled to life, an urgent voice bursting out of the speakers. She was quick to respond. “Yes, I’m here! What is it?”

Cementoss’ voice was rushed with worry. “There were a few villains we weren’t able to arrest, which includes a nearly unstoppable giant villain! League members are riding his back, and he’s coming your way!”

Even as he spoke, Jiro’s eyes went wide as she listened to the vibrations in the ground.

“Understood sir,” Yaoyorozu replied. “We’ll do our best to stop him!”

When she lifted her eyes to her classmates, their eyes were wide with panic, looking to her for instruction. She took a deep breath to quell the anxiety trying to spike her heart rate. 

“This giant villain, it sounds like someone Midoriya warned us about,” Yaoyorozu told the class. “Gigantomachia. Based on what Midoriya told us, I believe I have a plan that will stop him.”

The class nodded in understanding, ready to follow her orders. 

 

Midoriya’s heart seemed to freeze in his chest as he looked out over what was left of Jaku city. He and his friends had managed to save many people from the massive wave of destruction, but he knew that there must’ve been some who failed to escape. 

A third of the city was gone. 

In the evacuation site behind him, there were terrified families and crying people, adults along with children. He could practically feel the buzz of fear in the air at the sheer level of devastation, a fear of not being able to escape the second time. 

Midoriya clenched his fists. Just by being around them, he was reducing their chances of survival. Shigaraki was going to be targeting him, so he had to get away from all these innocent people. 

He looked towards his friends, who were standing around the evacuation site, their presence providing a frail sense of safety. He gave them a look that said they needed to talk, and it wasn’t long before Uraraka, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Tsu were gathered around him. 

“You’ve got a stupid look in your eye,” Bakugo commented. 

Midoriya clenched his jaw. “I can’t stay here. I’m just endangering everyone.”

“Where do you plan to go?” Tsu asked. “To fight Shigaraki?”

“What other choice do I have?” Midoriya responded. “Nobody here will be safe until he’s defeated, and I’m going to be the one he’s gunning for.”

Uraraka clenched her fists in front of her. “Just because you have to face him, doesn’t mean you should do it alone!”

Midoriya frowned. “Ochako-”

“She’s right,” Todoroki interjected. “You can’t defeat someone as dangerous as Shigaraki alone. You’ll need help.”

“You don’t actually think we’d let you charge straight into a battle like that on your own,” Bakugo added, before palming his fist. “Besides, I haven’t gotten to blow anyone up yet!!”

Midoriya opened his mouth, but then he closed it, looking down and frowning. After a moment, he sighed. “You guys are right,” he reluctantly admitted. “I’m gonna be leaving to fight Shigaraki, and I could really use your help. Just… promise to be careful.”

Uraraka grinned at him. “Of course!”

“Sounds more like a promise you should make,” Tsu pointed out, making Midoriya rub the back of his neck sheepishly. “I think I’ll stay here to help the evacuees, and also to tell Iida and Koda where you are.”

Midoriya nodded, remembering that those two had been sent to help the heroes at the other evacuation sites. 

“We don’t have any time to lose,” Todoroki said, and Bakugo was the first to blast off towards the massive crater. Todoroki followed right after, skating on his ice and propelling with his fire. Midoriya looked to Uraraka, wondering how she’d keep up. 

She only smirked at him, before using her quirk on herself. Once she floated a couple feet into the air, a whirring vibration emerged from the soles of her boots, propelling her forward in the direction Bakugo and Todoroki had gone. 

Midoriya gasped at the speed the support gear gave her, using One For All to catch up. 

“I didn’t know you could do this now!” he exclaimed as he leapt through the air beside her in a streak of green lightning. 

She grinned, arms spread out on either side of her to keep her balance. “I took up Mei’s offer on rocket boots!”

 

Shigaraki glowered down at the shattered remains of the quirk-erasing bullets. That hero he’d killed must’ve destroyed them, but that didn’t make sense. The heroes weren’t supposed to know they had these bullets, and yet here they were, blown to bits. 

An abrupt presence of warmth interrupted the villain’s pout. Shigaraki felt the intensifying heat behind him first before he saw Endeavor approaching, and he uncaringly raised a hand in the hero’s direction. 

“Shigaraki!!” Endeavor shouted as he unleashed a wall of fire in the villain’s direction. The flames would have killed a normal person, and Shigaraki certainly experienced all the pain of burning alive, but he felt his skin and muscle repairing just as quickly as it burnt away. 

Regeneration. That was a useful upgrade. Shigaraki smiled as all the new abilities he had surfaced in his mind, as if he’d had All For One all his life. 

Using this new wealth of information that was barging its way into his thoughts, he channeled a combination of quirks through the palm of his hand. The amplified air cannon blasted all of the number one hero’s flames back at him, sending the hero flying backwards in a rush of heat. 

Shigaraki’s smile widened, and he looked down at the hole in his palm. These new skills were most definitely worth those four months of torture. 

That was the last thought he had for himself, before the whispers started creeping in. 

One For All. 

Shigaraki blinked, sensing a new urge, a new itch he had to scratch. It wasn’t something he wanted for himself, but something a new presence in his mind was forcing on him. 

But if this brought him more power, it was worth listening, wasn’t it?

ONE FOR ALL. 

Yes, he knew what One For All was. It was the quirk Midoriya was supposed to steal from All Might, and bring to him, but instead had kept for himself. Never before had he felt such a thirst for the quirk. 

The desire continued to increase in ferocity, even as Endeavor attacked him again. Flames swirled around them both, and Shigaraki ignored the pain from the quick flashes of burns. The echoes in his mind were much more important. 

“One For All,” he repeated after the whispers, which were turning to shouts. 

Endeavor frowned in confusion. “The hell is One For All?”

With an explosion of air and energy from his hand, Shigaraki blew the hero away again, wanting a moment with his thoughts. He recalled how to use Search, and he instantly found what he was looking for. 

One For All glowed like a beacon in his vision, revealing the exact location of his adversary. 

“Deku,” Shigaraki growled. Using another quirk, he took off flying in the direction of One For All before Endeavor could return. 

It wasn’t long before he felt heat on the back of his neck, letting him know the number one hero was trailing him again. He dismissed the thought as he saw One For All speed up, so with another burst of strength, he changed his direction. 

“Shigaraki is changing course!!” Endeavor shouted behind him. “He’s heading southwest now!”

Sighing, he angled his hand towards the ground. He released a massive radio wave, an attack he knew would wreck the heroes’ comms and wake all the Nomu in Garaki’s lab. 

He’d crush anything that got in the way of the quirk he now craved. 

 

Midoriya winced at the sound of his quirk over the radio, and he saw similar expressions of discomfort on his friends’ faces. 

“There’s no doubt Shigaraki’s gunning for you now,” Bakugo said lowly. 

The former villain frowned, but it was more out of confusion than concern. “There’s something a little off about this though.”

Uraraka tilted her head, her hair whipping around her face from the air pressure of flying. “What?”

“Shigaraki had wanted One For All when I was in the League, but he wasn’t crazy about it. He was more trying to steal it because it’d weaken the heroes, All For One told him to, and he hated the idea of me having it. Yes, he did want to have One For All, but he had other priorities above it. Like, you know, destroying everything.”

Midoriya clenched his jaw, thinking about how Garaki had promised Shigaraki more power. 

“But if the first thing out of his mouth is One For All, it’s almost as if my quirk has become more important to him, instead of destruction. That… doesn’t sound like Shigaraki.”

They didn’t have time to dwell on it further, because Endeavor’s voice broke into their comms with, “Shigaraki is changing course!! He’s heading southwest now!”

Midoriya’s breath hitched. They were southwest of the center of the crater. Shigaraki must have some sort of tracking quirk. 

Not wasting any time, he used a private frequency to get in touch with Endeavor. 

“Endeavor! This is Izuku Midoriya, and me and a few others are coming to help! Shigaraki’s targeting me, for my quirk, so I’m hoping to lure him away from the evacuation sites and face him in a secluded area!”

“What!? No!! You children can’t do that, get back to the-”

That was all the time they had before the communications crackled to death. 

 

“I’ve got you Takami!!” Twice promised as he, along with a group of doubles, carried his friend to the field hospital, each of them holding a different limb. 

Hawks chuckled. “You know, I could probably just fly myself-”

“With all the smoke you inhaled?!”

“Nuh uh, not happening.”

“Are you insane!?”

Hawks smiled. It felt strange, to have someone looking out for his well being like this. But it also felt good. 

It was clear arguing was pointless, so he looked out to the battlefield behind him. Almost all the conflict had been settled, and not a single Liberation member had escaped, thanks to Twice’s support in the battle. Even now, his doubles were helping transport the injured to the field hospital. 

When he arrived at the medical site, he was immediately treated for his severe burns, and given medicine to help with his lungs. As they wrapped his burned limbs in bandages, Hawks flexed his wings, testing how his remaining feathers felt. He’d lost about half of his feathers. Still enough to fly, but not enough to fly well. 

Once he was finished receiving treatment, a small commotion drew his attention. He immediately walked up to resolve the issue when he saw Twice was involved. 

From what he had seen, the heroes weren’t giving Twice much trouble. He’d just helped them out immensely, afterall. But fighting on their side didn’t change the fact he’d once been a villain, and that fact alone was enough for many to distrust him. 

He had received a few glares, and several more wary glances, but this rising argument was the most intense things had gotten. 

“Deactivate your quirk, or I’m arresting you right here and now!” a hero threatened. 

Twice flailed his arms in front of him. “But some of my doubles are still carrying people from the battlefield! Dropping them on their bums would be kinda rude, you know…”

“We don’t know what all your doubles could be doing,” the hero challenged. “For all we know, they’re conducting spy work or even killing people out of our sight! And your doubles make it so you could run away super easily!”

“Woah, hey, no need to accuse him of killing people,” Hawks broke in, sending a sharp look to the hero, who stuttered at the sight of the number two hero. “Jin is trustworthy. He’s promised to turn himself in once the battle is over, so just let him help while he can.”

The hero left with a grumble of “if you say so.”

Twice turned towards Hawks with a grin. “Thanks for the help man! That guy was pretty mean…”

“Of course.” Hawks matched his smile. “And I should be the one thanking you, for saving me in that fight against Dabi, and then for carrying me over here too.”

“Don’t mention it. And hey, you’re looking a lot better now!”

“Yeah,” Hawks flexed his wings again. “Now that I can breathe without feeling like I’m getting stabbed, I think I’m gonna go after the League.”

Twice covered his hand with his mouth as he gasped loudly. “But your wings are like, half their usual size!!”

“That just means I’ll have to flap twice as hard,” the hero laughed a little, before his expression turned more serious. “I just need to help where I can, and right now, I need to follow Machia to track down the League.”

“Alright, I get it,” Twice nodded sadly. “Be careful out there!”

With a flap of his wings that only took him half as high as it normally did, Hawks waved in parting at Twice. “I’ll see you when all this is over, yeah?”

Twice gave a firm nod in response. “See ya!”

Notes:

Yup, things are going much much better for the heroes lol. Twice really tips the scales, they have way more intel now (which will play an even more significant role next chap), and Midoriya's shared his secret.

Also yes I gave Ochako rocket boots (well, sort of, there isn't actually any fire, more magnetized propulsion) because those are really super cool, and it's common sense cuz if you can fly then why shouldn't you?! I know a lot of people think she should have some really heavy item that she uses as a weapon, which I don't disagree with, but I think rocket boots are of a higher priority-

This chap's song has to do with what Twice was saying, and it fits really great. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by Bono (the Sing 2 version cuz it sounds better and cuts out some irrelevant lyrics). Also can I just say Scarlett Johansson can sing.

Lol see ya next week!

Chapter 103: Overtaken

Notes:

So apparently I lied when I said this wouldn't pass 400k words. But I am not lying when I say this will not pass 500k! We're really close to the end!!

...also I'll just say the battle will diverge even further from its canon version this chap lol. Enjoy!

All Might found his eyes had returned to the window again, the look on his face as distant as his successor was. His thoughts kept circling back to the battle with the Liberation Front, and the danger his students were in. 

“All Might? Are you alright?”

The soft voice from beside him drew his thoughts back to reality, and he turned to smile at Eri, who was gazing up at him with worried eyes. The task of keeping Eri distracted with board games or movies during the attack had been assigned to All Might. 

“Yes, I’m quite alright,” he reassured. 

“Then why do you keep looking out the window?”

All Might raised his eyebrows. Eri was quite perceptive for her age. “I’m just thinking, is all.”

“About what?” she questioned further. 

“Well, about this board game, of course,” All Might diverted her attention back to their game of Chutes and Ladders. “I’m super close to slipping all the way down that slide!”

Since it was his turn, he spun the little number wheel, before sighing dramatically in relief when he just missed the slide. That was enough to get Eri engaged in the game again, as she spun the wheel herself. All Might made sure to not look off into the distance again. 

Worrying would accomplish nothing. Midoriya and the others had been trained well. For now, the best thing he could do was keep Eri happy. 

“Will Mirio be able to come watch the movie with us?” Eri asked after they finished their game and decided to watch a movie. 

All Might smiled apologetically at her. “I’m afraid not. He’s uh, got some quirk training! To make sure he can still use his quirk well after you helped him get it back.”

The answer seemed to satisfy the little girl, and she turned her attention back to the movie choices. 

 

“All the Liberation members at the Gunga Villa have been apprehended!” Yaoyorozu told 1-A and 1-B, her hand on her ear, and Mina whooped in celebration. “Well, all except the one that’s headed in our direction right now, and the League members with him.”

Mina’s enthusiasm drained out of her, and the others adopted a grim look as well. They could hear the thundering footsteps of the giant off in the distance, getting closer. 

“But I think our preparations will be enough to stop him,” she said, making sure the determination in her voice didn’t waver. That seemed to relieve some of their tension, and they looked out at the trap they’d made. 

All they had to do was stop Gigantomachia for a few seconds. 

Yaoyorozu looked to the contraption she’d made, consisting of a huge speaker that had a cord that could connect to their radio. Picking up the radio, she called, “La Brava? Were you able to get the audio we need?”

“Yes mam!” came the happy reply. “Just give me the word and I’ll play it!”

“Great, thank you.” The footsteps now had the volume of an earthquake. “We’ll be needing it in less than thirty seconds.”

“Here he comes!!” Kirishima warned. The classes got into position. Yaoyorozu plugged the radio into the speaker. 

The moment Gigantomachia came into view, everyone realized they’d grossly underestimated how enormous he was. But they didn’t abandon their plan, and they all quickly dismissed the wavering in their hearts, choosing to stand firm. 

The giant’s speeding run came to an abrupt halt, as one of his feet sunk into the softened ground from Honenuki’s quirk. The villain let out a low grumble of confusion, which increased to a growl of frustration when the students prevented him from trying to escape. 

Using rope with Mineta’s balls at the end, those with strength quirks managed to keep Machia in place. Or at least, they managed to keep him temporarily in place. 

“Do it now!!” Sero shouted to Yaoyorozu as he used his tape to help wrap up the villain. 

“Play the audio!” the vice representative shouted into the radio. 

Just a few seconds later, a foreboding voice echoed out of the speaker, striking all the students with a sense of fright. A violent shiver wracked Yaoyorozu’s body, the sound of that voice sending chills down her back and memories through her brain. 

She clenched her eyes shut as unsettling memories pushed their way into her thoughts. She remembered a dark warehouse, and a deformed man with bountiful power. Power that had been used to hurt her - almost kill her. Her body had been ripped and torn, but he’d left her without a single scar. Well, without a single physical scar. Her mind still reeled from the memories. 

That promise of torture and death had been placed upon her family, should she fail her mission. 

Yaoyorozu shook her head, forcing her thoughts back to the present. That was in the past; things were different now. She was free. And she had some villains to stop. 

The voice had a very different effect on Machia. 

The giant’s eyes snapped to the speaker, wide with glee and hope. He lunged forward, yanking against his bindings, but he stopped struggling as soon as his face came into contact with the speaker. He started crying out of joy when the audio repeated. 

“Even after straying so close to defeat, you still struggle… how unbecoming.”

It was just a recording of All For One’s voice, taken from the Kamino incident, but it sent Machia into an emotional state of paralysis. 

“Master! Master, is you?!” he exclaimed, desperate. 

At that point, the bindings weren’t even necessary. The giant was frozen by his overwhelming love for his master, his need to follow his orders holding him in place. A frustrated shout tore out from atop Machia’s back. 

“No! You moronic brute, keep moving!! Shigaraki wants you, remember Shigaraki!?”

But Machia paid no mind to the exasperated demands, so Dabi released his irritation by unleashing a violent wave of fire over the forest around him. 

Yaoyorozu ducked as the blue flames flashed over her, and her heart thumped in her ears when she spotted the radio hanging around Machia’s neck. 

“Destroy the radio on his chest so Shigaraki can’t call for him!!” she cried out, hoping someone would hear her over the loud crackling of burning trees. 

“I’ve got it!” Kirishima replied, charging forward towards the villain.  

The ground had solidified to keep Machia trapped, so the redhead sprinted under the giant’s chin, going as fast as his legs could carry him. With a hardened hand, Kirishima rammed his fist into the speakers, and there was a sharp burst of static noise. With a second punch, the radio splintered to pieces. 

Now Machia was glued to Yaoyorozu’s speakers, trapped in the ground, having his limbs bound by rope and tape. 

The only thing the students had to worry about now, were the League members on the giant’s back. 

Dabi released another wave of flame over the students, and the heat began to press down on them, smoke stinging their eyes and clogging their lungs. 

“You little rats!” he shrieked in agitation, the intent to kill obvious in his tone. 

“Woah there!!” Mr. Compress’ voice rose above the sound of burning forest. “These are merely children! It would be detestable to-”

“Shut up!” Dabi glared at his colleague with that same murderous intent. “Does it look like I care?!”

That stunned everyone with him into silence and submission. It also shifted something in Mr. Compress’ and Spinner’s hearts, as they watched the students retreat to get away from the increasing pain of the fire. 

They didn’t want this. 

To distract himself from the clear show of human indecency, Mr. Compress turned to Spinner and gave him some marbles. The blue orbs turned into blades, to replace the ones he’d lost to Shinso. 

Turning away proved to be a huge mistake. 

With a harsh kick to the base of the neck, Mr. Compress was out cold. Spinner gazed up in shock and the hero who’d fallen from the sky. 

“Wow, you guys managed to stop this big guy all on your own?” Hawks called down to the students after flapping back up into the sky. They had gotten out of range of Dabi’s quirk. His eyes fell on the speaker that was repeating the audio of All For One, and he smirked. “That’s really impressive, good work!”

“Yeah yeah we’re awesome,” Mina responded, before yelling, “but can you please take care of the guy who keeps trying to kill us!?!”

Hawks snickered, before zeroing in on Dabi, who screamed, “Why won’t you just die?!”

“I don’t know, maybe I prefer being alive,” the hero answered, before pinning his wings to his sides and diving towards the villains. 

 

Shigaraki’s eyes locked onto Aizawa. The man was being such a nuisance, making his newfound power void. 

His body itself had still been strengthened immensely, so with a huge leap, he sped over the ground towards Aizawa. He reached out his hand for his face in an attempt to gouge his eyes out, and the teacher’s eyes went big when he saw Shigaraki approaching in a blur. 

And then a boulder slammed into that blur. 

Aizawa, along with Manual and Rock Lock at his sides, looked to the source of the boulder. They spotted four teenagers, speeding towards Shigaraki over the disintegrated rubble, one of which who had floated the boulder, and another who had whipped the boulder to Shigaraki. 

“Release!” Uraraka shouted, slowing down to press her fingertips together so as to not lose her balance as she flew through the air with her rocket boots. 

The boulder almost crushed down on top of Shigaraki, but the villain jumped away last second. Having to dodge still proved an effective distraction though, as he immediately received a face full of popping explosions. 

“Die!” Bakugo screamed, and the blast sent Shigaraki flying back into a wall of rubble. 

The villain didn’t even have time to growl in frustration before he was frozen in place to the rubble, but that wasn’t an issue with his strength. With the simple movement of leaning forward, his upper body broke free from the ice prison, splinters of glass flying. 

But then two streaking black daggers stabbed into his shoulders, forcing him back up against the rubble wall. The sight of the weapons caused a flash of anger almost stronger than the pain of his shoulders getting skewered. 

“Deku…” Shigaraki growled, low and menacing. He turned to look at the kids in front of him, but he only had eyes for Midoriya, who was at the front of the group. 

Here was the selfish pest who had betrayed him, for no reason other than his idiotic loyalty to heroes. He didn’t have the spine to be a villain, and so he’d decided to expose the League instead to go get all comfy with the egomaniacs who had ruined the world in the first place. And to make it worse, he’d started luring the rest of the League to his side. 

Shigaraki snapped and his rage overflowed from his mind into his words. “Deku, you ungrateful brat!! You took away a power that should’ve been mine this whole time, just because you were too soft-hearted!”

Midoriya gritted his teeth as his own anger rose up, and Shigaraki ripped the daggers out of his shoulders and wildly threw them back at the teens. 

“You say that like you did nothing wrong!!” Midoriya shouted back, plucking the daggers from the air with Blackwhip to return them to his hands. 

Through the lens of the search quirk in Shigaraki’s eyes, the light around Midoriya flared at the display of that second quirk, and the whispers in the villain’s head returned. 

One For All. 

His fury at Midoriya began to ebb away, replaced by a desire that wasn’t quite his, an urge to steal the teen’s quirk. The whispers gained volume, and Shigaraki clutched his head, much to the confusion of the heroes around him. 

One For All!!

“NO!” Shigaraki screamed at the invasive thoughts. “Let me be mad, let me want to destroy him! Let me feel and do what I want!!”

A frown began to trace Midoriya’s face, as he watched Shigaraki fight against an unseen enemy. 

The show didn’t last for long though, as Endeavor took advantage of the villain’s fragmented state and blasted him with Hellflame. 

 

Ryukyu clawed at one of the Nomus’ brains, keeping the creature pinned to the ground as its fabricated life drained out of it. When she was certain it was dead, she looked out over the battlefield. 

She first spotted Nejire’s spiraling beams of energy, as the girl helped out some sidekicks fighting one of the larger Nomu. Many of the heroes fighting the Nomus were sidekicks, without the strength or ability to defeat the Nomu on their own, especially the high-end Nomu. They worked together well enough, but a few had already received critical injuries. 

Ryukyu growled in frustration at her predicament. She wanted to go help against Shigaraki, but she was more needed here. With a flap of her wings, she pounced onto another Nomu that was about to chomp off the upper body of a hero. 

To the side, Burnin’ gasped in relief as her fellow sidekick escaped from the creature’s mouth unscathed. 

Yes, she was much more needed here. The best thing she could do was defeat these things as quickly as possible before heading to assist the others. 

 

“You’re rushing me!” Skeptic screeched. “If you really want this broadcasted everywhere, you have to give me time!!”

“You’re gonna have all the time you want in hell if you don’t speed it up!” Dabi threatened, keeping Hawks’ feathers at bay with a near constant stream of fire, which was taking a toll on his cobbled limbs. 

The hero had already knocked Spinner out, before a few of his feathers had snuck by their feet and carried both him and Mr. Compress off Machia’s back. Class 1-A had now binded them with tape down in the still-burning forest. 

Dabi uttered a sudden gasp of pain as the stitches on his arm smoked with heat. The torrent of flame halted, and Hawks dived down, even with only a third of his feathers left. 

“Just release the video!!” Dabi screamed, right before receiving a devastating heel to the temple from Hawks. 

The moment Skeptic pressed the key to upload the video, Hawks knocked him unconscious. 

 

The air was filled with bits of floating rubble and shards of ice, smoke from explosions and fire, with the occasional dagger cutting through it all. 

Shigaraki was finding all the fighting increasingly annoying. Not because he was worried about being apprehended, but because he just wanted a moment to beat his thoughts into submission. They were making him feel and want things that he’d never felt or wanted before, and he could feel the whispers’ influence taking over his brain. 

He was becoming less and less himself, and with needing to dodge and counter left and right, he didn’t have any time to try and preserve what he knew were his own thoughts. 

So what he did do was put his strongest true emotions at the forefront of his mind - which resulted in him screeching “Deku!!” like a madman. 

Bakugo scoffed when another one of his shrieks tore through the air. “How many times can you shout someone’s name before realizing you’re just being repetitive!?”

“You’re not part of this!” Shigaraki yelled back, streaking in the blond’s direction, his quirks still silenced by Aizawa’s stare. But before the villain could reach him, a flash of green shot towards Shigaraki. Midoriya raised his heel and aimed a kick at his head. 

Shigaraki managed to duck and grab a hold of Midoriya’s ankle, before slamming the teen into the ground. But by the time he finished his counterattack, Bakugo’s palms were inches away. The massive boom sent the villain flying backwards, where Endeavor and Gran Torino were happy to greet him with a series of their own attacks. 

“Thanks,” Midoriya said to Bakugo as he stood up from where he’d been slammed into the ground, shaking his head like it had been nothing but a small tumble. 

“Sure,” the blond replied, before leaping back in Shigaraki’s direction. 

“Hey Izuku!” Uraraka shouted from the side, stopping Midoriya from following Bakugo. She pushed some weightless items over to him, including several shards of ice and large pieces of rubble. “There’s some ammunition!”

Since floating Shigaraki wouldn’t do much to stop him, she had been focusing on providing all the support she could. 

Midoriya sent out several tendrils of Blackwhip, which curled around each of the floating items. “Wow, thanks a lot!”

“No problem!”

Midoriya brought the items with him as he charged back into the battle, dragging them behind him with Blackwhip. When he got close, he jumped up into the air and shouted, “Get out of the way, quick!!”

Endeavor, Torino, Todoroki, and Bakugo got the message and got away from Shigaraki. Midoriya wheeled around mid-air, spinning quickly, before whipping all his ammunition in the villain’s direction. One of the ice shards managed to stab Shigaraki’s leg, and one of the rubble bits smacked against the wound in his left shoulder. 

Shigaraki’s hiss of pain made Midoriya think about what had happened to his own left shoulder, and he found he didn’t feel any remorse for any pain Shigaraki experienced. 

And from what he’d observed, Shigaraki was in a lot of pain. 

Many of the rips across his skin weren’t from any of their attacks, but from his body’s inability to house All For One. He’d been woken from his procedure early, and now All For One was doing the same thing that One For All had done to Midoriya’s body: straining and stressing it until it broke. 

On top of that, there was clear confliction raging across his face throughout the battle. Midoriya wasn’t quite sure who he was mentally fighting against, but going off the wide range of quirks he’d utilized earlier, he had a pretty good guess. 

Shigaraki was being used, just like Midoriya had been. 

While his physical pain didn’t yield any remorse, that certainly did. 

Due to the pain in his body and the war in his mind, it wasn’t too long before Endeavor had Shigaraki trapped. The hero released all the heat he could, trying to burn the villain alive. The battlefield lit up like a sun had formed in the middle of it, and everyone retreated to let Endeavor use his quirk to the fullest. 

It’s too bad the light and heat forced Aizawa to blink. 

The blackened, charred body of Shigaraki unleashed a massive wave of air pressure and radio waves that sent everyone tumbling backwards. He sent an extra burst of power in Aizawa’s direction, and a speeding piece of debris hit him in the head, leaving a bloody stain on his temple. He didn’t get back up after hitting the ground. 

Several cusses dropped out of people’s mouths when they saw Shigaraki regenerating, floating mid-air, his skin flaking back into place and the rips in his muscles mending. 

“You’re only delaying the inevitable, little brother.”

Midoriya sucked in a breath when he saw Shigaraki - no, not quite Shigaraki - staring at him as he said that. His suspicions about who was overpowering Shigaraki’s mind were correct. 

Midoriya’s friends and Gran Torino cast a knowing, anxious glance in Midoriya’s direction, while the others in the battle were more perplexed. 

While Endeavor tried to recover from such a devastating attack that really should’ve killed Shigaraki, Rock Lock shouted up at the villain, “There’s literally no point in continuing to fight!! La Brava managed to fix our comms, so we got a report that Hawks has apprehended your other League members! And on top of that, Twice is on our side now! Just give up!”

Shigaraki tilted his head in the hero’s direction, but it was All For One’s voice that spoke. 

“Is that so?”

 

Class 1-A and 1-B cheered at the sight of the four tied up villains. Skeptic was mumbling a bunch of paranoid nonsense, Spinner and Mr. Compress were just regaining consciousness, while Dabi was still out cold. 

Hawks smiled at the joyful teenagers, but his thoughts held a much darker tone. 

If children hadn’t been watching, he probably would’ve killed Dabi. He had the highest kill count in the League, with the smallest regard for life, including the lives of his fellow League members. The villain was close to death anyway, with how his body was falling apart. It would have been better to make sure he never killed again. 

“Thanks Hawks for coming in and saving us like that!” Kirishima’s enthusiastic voice broke into Hawks’ thoughts. 

“Yeah!” Mina agreed. “You were super awesome!”

Hawks gave them his usual grin. “No problem guys! You all were awesome too! It’s no easy feat to-”

The hero’s sentence was cut off by the sound of choking, coming from the tied up villains. His head whipped in their direction, and his eyes went big at the sight of black gunk pouring out of their mouths. 

That was the quirk All For One used at Kamino. 

“No!!” Hawks shouted, lunging towards the villains, but it was too late. The gunk coated their bodies, before melting away, leaving nothing but open air inside the bindings. 

The celebrations of the class were silenced as Hawks shouted in frustration.

Notes:

Hah a cliffhanger... and I'm not updating next week... :)

But yeah next Monday I'm going to summer camp (the overnight kind where they don't let you have your phones). It's the same summer camp as last year where I updated on Sunday, but I don't have the backlog I used to so not this year welp.

With that out of the way, this chapter's song is Only One by The Score. Fits really amazingly with Midoriya's mindset in meeting Shigaraki again after being rehabilitated (those two will have more words next chap).

Think that's all. The battle will continue to go quite differently from canon, so you have that to look forward to. See ya in two weeks! (if it helps the next chapter will be longer)

Chapter 104: Of Heroes and Pawns

Notes:

Aaaand we're back! With a pretty long chapter too, woo.

The heroes gasped in horror as black gunk started pouring out of thin air below the floating form of Shigaraki’s charred body. They were all a considerable distance away, due to Shigaraki’s quirks blowing them backwards, but they hesitated in moving forward to attack. 

That quirk was what All For One had used to summon the League at Kamino. 

Sure enough, the black liquid took the shape of people, and the sound of coughing broke out across the silent battlefield. When the gunk melted away, everyone could see that it was the other League members. 

“That doesn’t taste any better the second time,” Spinner complained, wiping his mouth. But then his mouth snapped shut as he realized the situation he was in. 

They had several heroes staring at them, and Shigaraki’s body was slowly regenerating above them. Dabi immediately zeroed in on Endeavor, while Spinner and Mr. Compress were the most surprised by the sight of Midoriya. 

The teen gave them a strained smile. “It’s been a minute.”

Mr. Compress tipped his hat, and Spinner gave him a feeble wave. Skeptic tried to scramble away from the scene, but the emergence of a chilling voice kept him pinned to the spot. 

“Apologies for the sudden teleportation. Tomura had intended for Machia to rip through Japan while carrying you all, but seeing as that plan failed, I took your transportation into my own hands.”

The League members gazed up at Shigaraki’s body. They could see it was him, even with only half of his skin regenerated, but… it didn’t sound like him. The cold malice to his tone, the refined edge to his speech, it didn’t fit Shigaraki’s wild desire for destruction. 

Not to mention how he’d referred to himself in third person. 

“I’d considered bringing Twice back with you all too, but after hearing of his unfortunate betrayal, I decided against it. Wouldn’t want him getting in the way now.”

Rock Lock clenched his jaw, cursing at himself for revealing that bit of intel. But Shigaraki’s calmness about the matter only confused the League further. Shigaraki had seethed with vengeful thoughts when Midoriya and Toga had left, but now he hardly had a reaction at all. 

“If you don’t mind giving this body a few minutes to repair itself. Tomura’s procedure was interrupted, so he’s not quite ready to wield this quirk yet. There are many heroes here that need to be taken care of-

“This is my BODY!!”

The change in tone had been so sudden, several people flinched. Shigaraki clutched his head and tore at his hair, screaming something about getting control back. That was the Shigaraki the League knew, and seeing him in such a state of conflict was a cause of great concern. 

Well, it made a couple of them concerned. 

“I’ll leave you to take care of whatever that is…” Dabi responded uncaringly, turning back towards the heroes. His eyes locked in on Endeavor again. “I’ve got my own agenda to follow.”

Endeavor stiffened when he noticed Dabi was staring at him, and he was only unnerved further when a manic smile crawled across the villain’s face. 

“I thought I would’ve had more time to prepare for this moment, but I’m glad it’s come now. I’ve been waiting for years for this! And the fact that Shoto’s here makes it even more perfect.”

The villain lifted a bottle of hair-dye remover and began to empty its content on his head. Endeavor, whose body was still smoking from the heat of his last attack, shouted at him, “The hell do you want, Dabi!?”

“Well now, that’s not a very polite way to greet me,” Dabi scolded with a smirk, his hair turning white. “I’d prefer you call me by my actual name: Touya.”

The air seemed to go still; time paused as the name rang through both Endeavor and Todoroki’s head. That was impossible, for the holder of that name to still be living. 

Dabi laughed and clapped his hands. “Wow, your faces are priceless. And I know my face isn’t what it used to be, but c’mon! Surely it can’t be that surprising, can it?”

Everyone stood dumbstruck as the villain continued his dramatic reveal. If his goal was to emotionally rattle the heroes, he was succeeding. 

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t forget. In fact, my story is being broadcasted across all of Japan right now! All the ways you twisted me and your family. How you treated your children like crap, but kept it all hidden behind a shiny hero act! It’s all on show and tell for the whole country!!”

Dabi shouted in delight, while the Todorokis remained frozen in shock. The other heroes on the battlefield glanced at them, worried about how this revelation would affect them. 

“I figured this was the most damaging, soul-crushing way for me to show myself,” Dabi continued, and he started to throw his body around in some kind of cursed dance. “After you achieved your dreams, after you gained some semblance of happiness. And most importantly, right after you realized you needed to change. That would be the best moment to reveal myself, and rip all of that joy away!”

He continued in his wild dance around the battlefield, his limbs flying left and right, unpredictable in his movements. 

“This is payback for what you turned me into, for the false dreams you planted in my head! After how much you hurt me, I wanted to make sure I hurt you even worse! Now you can finally reel in your regrets and- ack!”

A flaming punch to the gut interrupted the villain’s sporadic dance, and Dabi growled down at his little brother, who had sped towards him with his flames. 

“How can you even be mad at Dad, when you’ve become something so much worse yourself?!” Todoroki questioned, his tone as sharp as splintered glass. 

Dabi gritted his teeth in a smile as Todoroki’s attack knocked him back, but his eyes were alight in fury. “Not even a speck of sympathy, huh? Guess I should’ve expected that from Dad’s little masterpiece, compliant to a fault!”

Todoroki scoffed, his anger making his flames flash hotter. “No, I haven’t been compliant. The things Dad has done are terrible. But you can’t pretend you’re any better!!”

A snarl erupted from Dabi’s mouth, and the villain shot himself forward with his fire. “You know, I wanted to kill you before, just to see the look of devastation on Dad’s face. Now I think I’ll torture you slowly before death!”

The two collided in an explosion of blue and orange fire, and everyone around them had to move away to avoid getting burned. 

“I know Dad was a monster,” Todoroki continued. “But you’ve become something so much more cruel and hardhearted. The fact you’re trying to destroy his life right now is proof of just how much further you’ve gone, especially since he’s just now trying to change! Something you will obviously never do!”

Dabi shouted in rage, trying to envelop his little brother in his fire. 

“You have no right to take vengeance for what Dad’s done, when you’ve crossed so many more lines than he has!!”

With a giant blast of flame, Todoroki threw his brother off him, only to fly forward and collide with him again. Their fight shifted from verbal to physical, and the rest of the onlookers on the battlefield remembered they were in a war. 

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at Shigaraki, who seemed to have gained some control over his body again, and was now lowering towards the earth again. If he managed to touch the ground…

“Let’s go beat that bastard,” Bakugo growled from beside Midoriya. The underlying resentment in his tone told Midoriya, the blond was thinking back to what he’d seen Shigaraki do to Midoriya after the summer camp. 

Before agreeing, the former villain gave a quick look around him. He saw Endeavor watching his sons fight, frozen in shock and guilt, before Midoriya locked eyes with Uraraka. She gave him a stressed grin and said, “I’ll help against Spinner and Mr. Compress, you two go after Shigaraki!”

That was all Bakugo needed to blast off towards the villain. As Midoriya leapt away, he called back, “I’ll see you when this is over!”

He got a glimpse of her thumbs up, before all his attention was taken up by the fact Shigaraki was about to touch the ground. Fear zapped through his heart, and he caught up with Bakugo in a split second. 

The blond slid on his back between Shigaraki and the ground with a wide, smug grin. The growing light from his palm reflected in the villain’s narrowed eyes. “Did you really think we’d let you do that?”

An explosion that shook the ground threw Shigaraki up into the sky, where Midoriya wrapped Blackwhip around him and whipped him up further away from the ground. 

“We need to keep him in the air, or else he’ll kill everyone here!” Midoriya called down to Bakugo. 

But how? Unlike Bakugo, he was earth-bound! He couldn’t fight Shigaraki, stuck on the ground. Maybe it would’ve been better for Uraraka to fight the villain, because it wasn’t like either boy could just turn off gravity…

Then Midoriya realized he wasn’t falling. 

He was hovering in the air, Shigaraki right in front of him, the sounds of fighting distant below him. A new quirk hummed in the back of his mind, and he mentally skimmed the notebook All Might had given him of the past user’s quirks. 

This is Float!

The picture of Nana Shimura from when she’d talked to him in the vestige realm popped into his head, and he smiled. He could feel her encouraging presence within the quirk. 

That smile was wiped off his face when Shigaraki spoke. 

“You’re just as irritating as you’ve always been, Deku.”

Midoriya’s hands found the hilts of his daggers. “Yeah, well I’ve found people who don’t think of me that way.”

Shigaraki laughed, cold and sharp. “You know, I find what that boy down there was saying is funny - about becoming even worse than the person you despise - considering he’s friends with you. Because you’ve become the very thing you swore to hate: a hero.”

Before Midoriya had a chance, Bakugo retaliated. A massive boom of heat blasted Shigaraki across the sky. 

“He never wasn’t a hero, you moron!!”

 

Mr. Compress slid to the side of Uraraka’s outstretched hand, barely dodging her quirk. 

“Not so fast, little lady!” He reached out towards her shoulder in an attempt to deploy his own quirk, but she activated her rocket boots and zoomed away from him before he could make contact. 

“Both our quirks require our hands to touch our opponent,” Uraraka said, hovering in the air a good distance away. 

“Why yes, neither of us can use our quirk without putting ourselves at risk.”

Uraraka aimed her gauntlets at the villain. “Well it’s a good thing I can use more than just my quirk!”

Cords shot out of her gauntlets, speeding towards Mr. Compress, who pulled out three blue marbles from his pocket. “My, that’s hardly fair!” The marbles expanded into ice chunks, which shielded him from the hero student’s attack. “Us villains are too broke for fancy gear like that!”

“I know the feeling,” Uraraka replied. She used her cables to whip around some floating debris, swinging it in the direction of the ice chunks, shattering them. 

As the two continued to fight, next to them, Iida and Spinner exchanged blows. When Iida had arrived at the battlefield, he’d seen that Uraraka was about to face down two villains at once, so he’d joined her. 

Iida used his speed to dodge most of Spinner’s attacks, but the villain had still managed to nick him a few times when he got close. The hero student couldn’t get close to kick him without having a blade jabbed in his direction. 

“You’re one of the false heroes Stain tried to purge from this world!” Spinner snapped at Iida. “You’re part of the problem with this society, the reason corruption and suppression are allowed to flourish!”

Iida grimaced at his words, and he paused in his attacks, letting his engines cool. “Back when Stain attacked me, I would’ve had to agree. I’d let my anger and desires for vengeance consume me, which was very unbefitting of a hero.”

A bit of surprise leaked into Spinner’s expression. He hadn’t expected the young hero to be so open about his faults. 

Iida’s engines flared up in a renewed vigor. “But I have worked to improve myself since then, and I now place the needs of others at the base of my decisions! While I still have a long way to go before I’m truly worthy of the title of hero, I’m no longer the selfish fool Stain targeted!”

He took off towards Spinner, dust flying up behind his footsteps. The villain raised his knives at the ready. 

“Back then, I was saved by someone who I deem to be a true hero. Someone Stain had trained himself!” Iida shouted as he approached, and Spinner’s eyes widened. “Izuku Midoriya, your fellow League member, was the one to stop Stain and save my life!!”

Spinner’s surprise kept his limbs frozen, allowing Iida to get in a solid kick to his chest. The villain fell on his back and skidded across the jagged ground, hissing in pain. 

“Maybe it’s time to reevaluate what you stand for, if one of your allies was the one to defeat your idol,” Iida finished triumphantly. 

That triumphant feeling vanished the moment he heard the inhuman screech of approaching Nomus. Both hero students paused in their fights to look out in the direction of the sound, and at the sight of the crawling black shapes on the horizon, a harsh dread twisted their stomachs. 

If those creatures managed to reach the battlefield, they’d easily overwhelm the heroes with their sheer strength and ability. 

Then a golden head of hair popped up from the ground, and with it a bright hope burst into Iida and Uraraka’s hearts. 

“Mirio!” Uraraka exclaimed, a smile finding its way onto her face.

“Hey there!” the blond responded with a confident smile and exaggerated wave. 

“How are you here?!” Iida questioned, and Mirio laughed. 

“Eri gave me a bit of help, you see!” He turned back to the hoard of swarming Nomu, which was getting close. “I asked for a bit of help as I headed over here, so there should be… yep! There they are!”

A massive form crashed down from the sky on top of two Nomus at once, claws digging at their brains. Spirals of yellow energy took out another Nomu, and Mirio shouted out in greeting. 

“Thank you Ryukyu, and you too Hado!” He turned back to address Iida and Uraraka. “You two keep up the good work, and we’ll handle the Nomu!”

He received two nods in response, before disappearing into the ground, only to pop up further in the battlefield where the Nomu were. 

Before Mr. Compress lunged at her again, Uraraka had a chance to smile. Mirio’s arrival had bolstered her hope. 

 

Todoroki could feel his brother’s heat starting to overwhelm him, and he didn’t have a chance to cool himself down either. Dabi’s fire would turn any ice he created immediately into steam.

He could see his dad was still frozen; the past he’d try to bury was replaying on loop in his mind. 

“Endeav- DAD!!” Todoroki tried, as he grappled in the air with his brother. “Get over here, I need your help!”

“What, can’t take the heat?!” Dabi taunted, and Todoroki clenched his jaw when he saw his dad wasn’t coming. 

Then he noticed the smoke filtering out of his brother’s stitches, and the way his skin seemed to be burning away. 

“It doesn’t look like you can take it either!” Todoroki shot back. 

“Eh, it’s nothing.” Almost as if to prove his point, Dabi strengthened the heat of his flames. “It’s all worth it to ruin Dad’s life!”

“So you’re mad at Dad for raising you to be a hero, and then abandoning you, right!?” Todoroki asked. 

“And for pretending to be some amazing hero while being a filthy person underneath,” Dabi added, continuing to push his fire to its limit. 

“But he hasn’t killed people! He hasn’t ripped people’s lives away from them, taking them away from their families and destroying their plans for the future!” Todoroki turned up the heat of his own flames as he drove his point home. “He’s actually made an effort to grow and change, instead of plotting to cause the most pain and suffering to someone who’s trying to make amends!”

Endeavor’s eyes came into focus. 

“Shut up,” Dabi muttered, and the stitches holding his mouth together ripped. 

“Between you and Dad, it’s pretty obvious who’s the filthier person!! Because Dad is the one who actually cares enough to change. And in time… I know I’ll find the strength to forgive him, something a weak person like you could never do.”

A tear trickled from Endeavor’s eye. 

“Shut UP!” Dabi screamed, even as his body continued to fall apart further. 

 

“You really forget your past that easily?” Shigaraki asked, shooting out several spikes of Rivet Stab to force Midoriya away from him. “All of the pain that the failures of the heroes caused you, all of the despair and hopelessness, it’s just gone like that? Even when you have that scar on your face to remind you that you were once a villain.”

Midoriya clenched his jaw, and he threw a couple daggers between the spaces in Rivet Stab towards Shigaraki. He knew what the villain was trying to do. 

“Trying to make me regret my decision to join the heroes isn’t going to work!” he responded, and Shigaraki spun to the side to dodge the daggers. “I’ve never regretted anything more than becoming a villain!!”

“So you’ve decided to become the very thing that put your mother in a coma!” Shigaraki shot back as he narrowed his eyes at Bakugo, who was exploding up from the ground towards him. “You’ve become the type of person who crushes dreams without a thought, who taunts and demeans those below them!”

Midoriya winced at the memories of Hyperbeam and All Might and Bakugo. Shigaraki angled his hand downward and released a boom of air force to blast Bakugo away. 

“You’ve fallen to the depths of your bully, by willingly joining such roaches!”

Midoriya retrieved his daggers with Blackwhip, a strained look on his face as they returned to his palms. But then his eyes narrowed, and he answered with, “You’re wrong, I’m not going to become a hero that’s conceited or insensitive!”

“Really? Because the last time I checked, that’s all that heroes are! They let repression run rampant, abandoning those who truly need their help if saving them is an inconvenience!!”

“Not all heroes are like that!” Midoriya refuted, and he began to spin around, the ends of blackwhip holding his daggers. “Yeah sure, there’s some who are only in it for their own benefit, but there are so many more who genuinely care and just wanna help people. Those are the type of people who saved me, who did so much more to help me than your League ever did!”

Shigaraki scoffed, and Midoriya released Blackwhip’s hold on the daggers at the perfect moment, whipping them towards the villain. The daggers jabbed into his arm and thigh, and he grunted in pain. 

“The League didn’t do anything to fix how broken I was. My life was shattered, and all being a villain did was grind the pieces down further. You forced me to do things that I hated, things that drove me to prefer death.” 

“So then you ran to the people who had broken you in the first place, as if they could do a thing to help you,” Shigaraki spat. 

“Yeah, I did,” Midoriya answered, his voice firm and strong with confidence. “My friends, true heroes, were the ones who ultimately saved me from everything. Both the hopelessness of a corrupted society, and the loneliness of being a villian.”

Midoriya’s attack had given Bakugo an opening to envelop Shigaraki in a cloud of explosions, which wracked the villain’s body with pain. 

“You know, you talk about how heroes suppress the weak, all for their own glory and fame,” Bakugo said. “But I don’t see you doing a damn thing to help those people, other than destroying the society they live in!!”

“You’re one to talk!” Shigaraki rasped, blasting himself away from the teens to give his regeneration a moment to work. “The one who bullied a quirkless kid to the point of attempting suicide, don’t act like you actually care at all!”

“That’s another fricking thing you’re wrong about!!” Bakugo continued relentlessly, pulling the pin in his gauntlet to blast Shigaraki with even more heat. “I’ve put in the effort to change, to grow, to become a better person! You talk as if people are static, unable to realize their faults to try and do better. You don’t have any damn faith in change.”

The explosion shook the very air, leaving the three dazed for a moment, Shigaraki coming out much more damaged than the other two. Midoriya took advantage of the villain’s moment of distraction, and he zoomed up to Shigaraki, before grabbing the daggers lodged in his body and yanking them out in the most painful way possible. 

Shigaraki lashed out, almost making contact with Midoriya, but the teen sprang away just in time. 

“Your ideals and motives are flawed, Shigaraki!” the former villain shouted. “We’re not gonna let you destroy society, just because you’re too impatient to seek good, healthy change the right way!”

Shigaraki unleashed a shriek of annoyance, and he charged through the air towards Midoriya. “Just let me destroy!!”

Midoriya managed to slip to the side of the attack, but the move put Shigaraki in close proximity to Bakugo. A small smile crept across the villain’s face as he aimed his hand towards the blond. 

Rivet Stab shot out of his fingertips. 

Now, Midoriya knew Bakugo was capable of dodging, or at least making it so the attack didn’t kill him. But that didn’t stop him from wanting to protect the blond, and that’s why he still zipped forward in an attempt to stop the attack. 

He landed a solid kick against Shigaraki’s head, which made the red-streaked blades from his fingertips miss their target. 

But the physical contact meant he could try to steal his quirk. 

Midoriya felt something like a tugging at the base of his being, and streaks of black and red began to circle the two. The last thing he heard was Bakugo swearing before he found himself in the vestige realm. 

But this time the realm was different; it had a different feel. Instead of the quiet, calm place it had been in the past, now there was a hostility vibrating in the air. 

Nana and a figure with white clothing and hair stood in front of him. He tensed when he looked past them to see who they were facing. 

A cursed combination of Shigaraki and All For One stood across from them, one looking very pleased and the other extremely agitated. 

“All For One,” she greeted curtly, before her gaze softened as she looked at Shigaraki. “And… Kotaro’s son.”

Midoriya remembered a question she had asked him about Shigaraki in the vestige realm. “So tell me, do you plan to kill him in revenge for everything he’s done?”

His answer hadn’t changed. 

“If it isn’t Nana Shimura,” All For One drawled, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Excuse this incomplete form of mine. My quirk hasn’t had time to settle into Tomura’s body yet.”

“What you’re doing is pointless, Brother,” the figure in white spoke, and Midoriya made the connection that he was the first holder of One For All. “It’s impossible to steal One For All without the current wielder willing it!”

All For One smirked. “Not quite. If the emotion of the person trying to steal it is stronger, then it doesn’t matter what the current wielder wants.”

“Your heart is empty,” Yoichi retorted. “You have no power to take One For All.”

“Maybe I don’t. Tomura on the other hand…”

Shigaraki had been glaring at Nana the entire time. When his stare increased in rage and ferocity, the vestige realm began to tremble and shake like an earthquake. Midoriya felt that same tugging sensation again. 

“I know we haven’t met before,” Shigaraki rasped, “but I want you to know, I hate you with every cell in my body. Your choices made my life miserable, and I will never forgive you.”

Midoriya could practically feel a piece of Nana’s heart splinter off at his words. Her biggest regret in life had come back to slap her in the face. 

“I’m so sorry you feel that way,” she whispered. “But even so, you’re not strong enough to steal this quirk. We choose to remain with this boy.”

“Ah yes, Midoriya, it’s been a while since we talked.” Midoriya tensed up at All For One speaking directly to him. “I must say, you completed the task I assigned you perfectly! The only part you messed up is returning the quirk to me. But do not worry, it’s not too late to make amends!”

“You’re a fool if you think that will work!” Yoichi responded, and Midoriya gave a sharp nod in agreement. “This boy’s heart is full of hopes to be a hero. All he longs for is to help others! But I know that’s a sentiment you’re incapable of understanding.”

All For One’s smirk only widened. “Let me ask you, Brother, how it feels to have One For All in the hands of someone so dreadfully ill fit for the power. Not only was he a stupendous villain, but he also took pleasure in exacting revenge upon those who wronged him! Not the type of person you’d want inheriting One For All, now is it?”

Midoriya waited anxiously for Yoichi’s response. It had taken him a while to accept the power as his own, to see himself as worthy of it, so the first’s approval would mean a lot to him. 

“You say that like his past defines him. It doesn’t,” Yoichi answered, tone sharp. “I will admit, I was wary of this boy wielding the power at first. But the more time I spent watching his thoughts and actions, the more I trusted him. I came to realize he’d been forced into a role that required terrible things of him, and that he was capable of leaving that way of life behind.”

The quaking in the vestige realm calmed as Yoichi asserted his confidence in Midoriya. 

“Despite his past, One For All will stay with Midoriya. I have every belief he will use the power to protect others, and be a hero.”

All For One tsked as the connection between his quirk and One For All began to break. “What a pity. Such potential wasted.”

Shigaraki and Midoriya’s eyes locked as the quirks broke apart. The villain’s red eyes were angry… but they also held desperation and loneliness. 

In that moment, Midoriya didn’t see his enemy. He saw a little boy who’d been raised by one abusive caretaker right after another. First his father, who tried to drill a hate of heroes into his head, after his own mother had abandoned him. Then All For One, who groomed that fragile, hopeless little boy into someone who didn’t even get to find their own purpose. 

Shigaraki had been made to house all the hatred a person was capable of possessing. And now All For One was using him like a pawn in his plan, nothing more than a body to steal, a mind of emotions to snatch. 

It made Midoriya sad. Under all the hatred and violence and rage, Shigaraki was such a lonely, pitiful creature.

Notes:

Small thing so people don't yell at me, just cuz Midoriya is feeling bad for Shigaraki doesn't mean he's okay with how he treated him or thinks what he's done is okay. He's just acknowledging Shigaraki's story is a sad one.

This chapter's song is Last Chance by Black Gryph0n and Baasik, another song that fits great with what Midoriya's telling Shigaraki, similar to the last song. Some of the lyrics also fit with Twice changing sides.

Getting super close to the end of the fight now! See ya next week!

Chapter 105: Freedom

Notes:

It's my last day of summer noooooo

Small thing, slight manga spoilers. Garaki literally said Dabi really should be dead rn, and the only reason he’s still alive is because of his grudge against his dad and wanting to kill him. Yup.

This is the final chapter of the final fight. I'll just say, when I finished writing it, all I could say was a very emotional "damn."

All For One’s smile was even wider than normal. He could feel himself practically glowing on the insides with glee, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the sensors monitoring his brainwaves noticed his elation. 

He could already feel his vestige within Shigaraki winning over his mind. It wouldn’t be long before All For One’s will entirely controlled his body. 

Sure, there had been a few hiccups in the plan. It was clear his one spy in UA had betrayed him, if she hadn’t reported the incoming attack. Then there was those pesky children immobilizing Machia, and Twice’s unfortunate change of sides. 

All For One wasn’t worried though. He’d worked to concoct this perfect plan for years, and once Shigaraki’s body and mind was his, nothing would be able to stop him from stealing One For All. 

He really had stumbled upon a goldmine in finding Shigaraki’s sad, pathetic life. The boy had so much potential to be a villain, and more importantly, he was a host with enough hatred to overpower One For All. And he was so close to fulfilling that potential. 

In all of All For One’s marveling at his own genius, he didn’t cast a single care towards the little boy whose life he’d twisted and ruined.  

 

La Brava shuddered as she watched the video of Dabi and his story. Even with her experience as a villain, she had no idea the underside of the hero world was that filthy and dark…

She shook her head to get refocused. That filthiness only applied to some heroes, not all! There were plenty of good, genuine heroes out there, like her own Gentle!

Still, that video had real power to shake society to its core. People would immediately start losing faith in the heroes’ honesty and their ability to protect them. Which sounded exactly like something a villain like Dabi would want. That was probably why he released the video, huh. 

It was a good thing she’d managed to stop the broadcast. 

Whoever had hacked into the broadcasting systems did have skill, but not as much skill as her! She smiled proudly as she continued listening to the radio feed, making sure no one experienced any technical issues. With everyone giving their all out there, the least she could do was make sure their technology ran smoothly!

She found her thoughts regularly wandering back to Dabi’s video though… she understood why the HSPC would want something like that kept secret, but at the same time, people deserved to know when someone as important as the number one hero did such terrible things. 

Keeping all of the dark parts of hero society hidden only made it rot and fester more under the rug. 

 

“Recipro…” Iida’s calf engines lit up in a blue blaze, as he leaned forward, about to charge. “Burst!”

Spinner had no way to combat the whizzing form of Iida circling around him. His head whipped around, trying to keep an eye on the hero student, but he was nothing but a blur. In blind desperation, he threw out one of his daggers at the blue streak, but it only tore through air. 

With Iida’s extended Recipro time, he was able to get in several debilitating kicks, before ending the fight with a harsh heel to the back of Spinner’s head. The villain crumpled to the ground. 

He turned to see if Uraraka needed any help, and some of his tension melted when he saw her hand about to touch Mr. Compress’ back. If she floated him, he’d lose his footing and ability to move. 

A satisfied smile spread across her face at the contact, fingertips flashing pink for a second. 

But with his last second on the ground, Mr. Compress pivoted, spinning around to face the hero student. He was too close for her to dodge, and his hand was already about to touch her arm. 

“Why thank you for coming within range, little lady.”

Her smile dropped off her face. 

Mr. Compress’ fingertips were within an inch of reaching her, when suddenly, his arms snapped to his side as he grunted in surprise. 

Uraraka’s eyes went wide as she watched the fabric of his costume stretch and tighten, holding the villain in place, which made Iida sigh in relief. When Uraraka looked to the sky, she saw Best Jeanist standing on a thick cord of thread between two floating massive spools. 

She grinned up at him, happy to see him back in action after Kamino, and called, “Hey, can you use that thread of yours to restrain these two League members!”

“I’d be glad to!”

Seconds later, Spinner and Mr. Compress were tied up, and Best Jeanist moved on to restrain the Nomu. It looked like he and the other heroes had it handled, so Uraraka turned to the two villains beside her. Mr. Compress was shaking his head in disappointment at himself, while Spinner was blinking as he slowly regained consciousness. 

“Are you both okay?” she asked kindly. 

Mr. Compress looked for a second like he was about to give a genuine answer, before Spinner butted in with, “What do you care?”

She tilted her head. “Your guys’ wellbeing matters too.”

That surprised each of them. 

“Other than feeling preoccupied about what Shigaraki will think of my failure, I am quite alright,” Mr. Compress responded politely. 

A light frown fell over Uraraka’s features. “That’s what you’re most worried about? Not your own health or where you’ll be heading after this battle?”

“We’ve seen how Shigaraki reacts when someone fails him,” Spinner muttered. 

Her frown deepened, not missing their slight shivers. “Have you ever considered leaving the League?”

Neither answered, afraid of what Shigaraki would think of their honesty. But their silence told Uraraka everything she needed to know. 

“Well, I’ve met both of the people who left the League, and I promise you,” she gave them a bright smile. “They don’t regret their decision.”

After a beat of silence, Spinner reluctantly asked, “You really know them that well?”

Her smile widened at his question, because it showed he was actually considering changing his villainous ways. “I’m dating one of them, so yeah, I better know him well.” She laughed a little. “But yes, they’re both happier and healthier now that they’ve found a place they feel they belong. And that also doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten what they fought for as a villain, they’re just learning to strive for that in better ways that hurt less people.”

Spinner and Mr. Compress’ memories flashed to Dabi’s recent attempts at burning children alive. They sat there in silence as they thought through her words. Uraraka gave a soft sigh. 

“Just… think about it, okay? From what I’ve heard about you two from Izuku, you’re not terrible people, and you’re capable of change.”

As she turned to leave, Mr. Compress replied with, “Your words are encouraging to the heart.”

“Yeah,” Spinner mumbled. “Thank you.”

She smiled gently. “I just want to help whoever I can.”

 

“Let my family heal!!” Todoroki yelled, forcing Dabi back with a large burst of flame. 

“But I am part of your family, Shoto!” Dabi retorted as he immediately zoomed back over to his brother. 

“But you have no interest in helping it, only destroying it! Just when things started to improve between Dad and us, you do this. Well maybe I want to have an actual relationship with Dad now! Maybe I want to see our bond get stronger!!”

If it wasn’t for the extreme heat, Todoroki’s eyes would’ve glossed over. 

“This fight has made me realize I don’t want to keep pushing Dad out of my life!”

While his words made Dabi growl in irritation, Endeavor felt a little piece of his heart mend. Dabi’s identity reveal had torn open some old wounds in his heart, but now from Todoroki, he had this one thing to heal it. 

And that one thing was enough for him to will his body to move. 

He leapt up into the sky, using his fire to speed him towards his sons. Neither saw him coming. He collided into Dabi, but it wasn’t an attack or distraction. 

It was a hug. 

He wrapped his arms around the crumbling body of his son, his shoulders already shaking in sobs, his tears steaming away before they had a chance to trickle down his cheek. Dabi cringed and turned up his heat at the contact. 

Endeavor knew the next words out of his mouth wouldn’t do anything to stop Dabi, but he felt obligated to say them. They had been stewing in his mind for years, and he’d thought he would never get the chance to say them. 

“I’m so sorry, Touya. I failed you. I placed my own ambitions above your wellbeing, and this ended up molding your entire hope for the future. I should’ve listened to you, and cared enough to help you, but instead I just let your crash and die with your dreams. 

The words were what he had wished he could’ve said to Touya, but by the time he’d placed all the words in order, his son wasn’t there to hear him. 

“What I did to you and your family has always been my biggest regret.”

The grudge that had been holding Dabi together cracked. 

His stone cold heart, hardened from all his accumulated rage and disgust, got a little fracture. His desire for revenge rifted just the smallest bit. 

He felt his body start to wither and die, as the intense will power that had kept him alive for so long was weakened by a tiny amount. 

Dabi ignored the feeling, instead choosing to blaze past any of his previous boundaries and set his whole body ablaze. The anger on his face shone almost as brightly as his flames. But even through the intense heat, Endeavor remained latched onto his son - which also served to keep the villain from attacking anyone else. 

“You think you can apologize now!? Well hate to break it to ya, it’s a little LATE!” Dabi shrieked. “I don’t give a shit about any regret or remorse you might be pretending to have. All I care about is making you suffer. And that’s what I’m gonna do!!”

He tried breaking away from his father to attack Todoroki, but Endeavor’s hold on him was too tight, and his fraying muscles didn’t have the strength to escape. This elicited a scream of aggravation from the villain. 

Endeavor’s eyes widened when he saw the skin and flesh melting off of Dabi’s bones, blood seeping out of his stitches' tears. The insane heat of his fire was incinerating his own body. Endeavor felt his own skin getting burned, his skin bubbling from the blue flames. 

“Even if it kills you?”

“I don’t give a fuck about myself! I just wanna see you suffer, no matter what happens to me.”

Endeavor’s face crumpled, pain and sorrow roiling through him as he saw what his son had become, because of him. 

He could see all the bones in Dabi’s hands and feet now. The tips were already turning black from the charring heat. Despite Dabi’s twisted expression of pain, it was clear he wasn’t stopping any time soon, blinded by his fury. The only thoughts on his mind were harming his father. Those thoughts would kill him soon. 

Endeavor squeezed his eyes shut. Crying beneath closed eyelids, he gently activated his quirk, hoping to end his son’s suffering sooner. 

“I’m sorry you value your life so little,” the hero’s voice cracked. 

Dabi scoffed, and his voice was barely a rasp from his burned vocal chords. “You were the one who taught me that.”

“I wish I could’ve taught you other things.”

“Oh yeah, like what?” His arms and legs were almost completely gone. 

“Like how to play ball with your siblings, or how to light your facial hair on fire. And… how to be a hero.”

The last expression Dabi made was one of surprise. And then his burned and broken heart gave up beating, his body disintegrated by the flames of his rage, and by the flames of his father’s heartbreak. 

Todoroki, who had watched the whole thing, fell to his knees in tears. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shown so much emotion. 

The noise of the battlefield wasn’t enough to drown out the broken cry of a father. 

 

“You know, you’re not so different from me,” Midoriya said as he elbowed through Shigaraki’s Rivet Stab, breaking the black blades. 

The villain scoffed, retracting the quirk. “Of course, you pull out that line.”

“No, I mean in our relation to All For One.”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed, before he twisted out of the way of Bakugo’s explosion from above him. “The hell do you mean?”

“He’s tried to use both of us. For the same reason, too. To steal One For All. He doesn’t give a crap if we’re safe or what we want, just if he achieves his own self-centered goals, no matter what it costs others. No matter what it costs you or me.” 

Midoriya kicked his legs, and the air pressure sent him flying towards Shigaraki, and he unsheathed his daggers. 

“And I’ll just say this,” he continued, “in trying to use us, for one of us he failed, and for the other he succeeded.”

Shigaraki immediately understood the implications, and he retaliated with a large boom of air pressure from his palm. But Midoriya grabbed onto him with Blackwhip, yanking Shigaraki back with him. 

“All For One doesn’t control me!! I make my own choices, and right now I just wanna destroy you.” His confident tone had a wavering of doubt. “And don’t act like Master forced you into being a villain! You wanted to get back at the world for the way it treated you, but now you’ve entirely forgotten your past!!”

“You keep talking about my past, why don’t we talk about yours for once!” Midoriya shot back. “Do you even remember a time from before All For One took you in?”

Shigaraki sucked in a sharp breath as faces of his past family flashed through his head, and the split second distraction was enough for Bakugo to land a blow. The blond shouted in victory as his explosion knocked the villain forward, which gave Midoriya an opening to stab his daggers into Shigaraki’s back. 

“All For One has raised you since you were a little kid, and he’s raised you to be a certain way. Everything he told you was to make your hate for society fester more! Hate that he would later use to steal One For All!”

“This hatred is my own!!” Shigaraki screamed, spinning around and taking a wild swipe at Midoriya. “It isn’t from All For One!”

“All For One groomed you to feel that hatred!” Midoriya retorted. He grabbed Shigaraki’s wrist with Blackwhip and tugged him towards him. “Everything he’s ever done in your life has been to further his own purposes!”

To Midoriya’s surprise, Shigaraki didn’t outright object him, instead just clenching his teeth. 

The villain had felt All For One’s presence in his mind before, trying to overtake him. He knew that All For One just wanted his body, and the hatred that came with it. Everything Midoriya said made sense. 

Midoriya’s fist collided into the villain’s gut. “Just accept you’re being used already!!”

The former villain gave Shigaraki a second to respond, but when he didn’t, he grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed a knee into his chest. After that he kicked off his chest, sending the villain flying backwards into a tremendous explosion from Bakugo. 

As the barrage of attacks continued, Shigaraki did little to counter, his focus turned inward. 

How much of his motivation was truly his own?

Thinking back, it had always been All For One prompting him, pushing him. If it wasn’t for him, he never would’ve killed the first people after his family, and he never would’ve had a chance to satisfy his thirst to destroy. Though he had made the choice to cross those lines, it had been All For One who guided him up to them. 

The only line he’d crossed on his own was killing his family. 

But… was it an accident that All For One had found him after his family died? 

If it wasn’t, that meant the mastermind had been tracking him. That meant he’d watched him kill his family. That meant he had been planning to direct his life that entire time. 

All For One had opened all the doors for him to start the League of Villains, and now that he thought about it, there might’ve been some doors he opened on purpose to distract from the doors he’d left closed. All For One had entirely directed the path of his life. 

Ever since he was Tomura, All For One had been a looming presence in his life. His opinion had always been a factor of consideration when he made decisions. 

What about before he was Tomura?

Tenko… that had been his name, right?

He remembered the gentle hands of his mother applying lotion to his face and neck. The joyful shouts of a game of superheroes filtered up through his memories. The other kids… they’d wanted him to be All Might. Because he was nice. Because he stood up for them. 

Tenko had been a kind boy. 

What happened to him?

An explosion to his face blasted Shigaraki harshly out of his thoughts. He snarled at the person who’d interrupted him, that annoying blond, who was smirking at him now. 

“Taking you down’s gonna be easier than I thought, if you keep getting stuck in your head like that!!”

“Get out of your head! In the real world, dreams don’t come true.”

Right! It had been his father who had spoiled his heart! 

That memory was accompanied by a sharp stinging of pain on his cheek. His father had abused him for wanting to be a hero. He had ruled the house with an iron fist, causing all of its occupants to suffer. That’s what had turned his kind heart black with hatred. That’s what had made him despise society so much, because it let monsters like his dad exist!

The world was filled with dirty, rotten people, who propped themselves up as perfect citizens. Heroes. But underneath, they were nothing but lying scum. 

The blond boy in front of him was the perfect example. 

Bakugo flaunted his skills like he was already number one, and his ego came out in every word he said. He’d tormented those weaker than him, all because he couldn’t stand the thought of someone being better than him. 

But his biggest victim was on the battlefield too. 

And he wasn’t seething with hatred. 

The one Bakugo had beaten so badly, mentally and physically, to the point he had attempted suicide, wasn’t angry. Midoriya wasn’t seeking revenge. He wasn’t trying to ruin his life or subject him to the most painful experience possible. 

No, the two were fighting side by side. 

Their attacks weaved in and out of each other like a choreographed dance. When one failed to land a blow, he created an opening for the other to attack. Their moves complimented each other’s fighting styles, as they helped each other get attacks in or protected each other when Shigaraki countered. 

It was clear, all the animosity that had been between them was gone. Their past was behind them. 

They had forgiven each other. 

Their reforged bond - their fixed friendship - it made Shigaraki think. 

Maybe he could’ve talked to his father. Maybe things had been salvageable. Maybe he could’ve found a way to be a hero, and stop what had happened to him from happening to other kids. There had been other options, aside from murdering them all. 

If Bakugo and Midoriya had done it, maybe he could’ve done it too. 

He shouldn’t have killed his family. 

The moment he realized that, his hatred at everything and everyone began to crumble. 

“Stop that. Get refocused.”

The interjection from All For One was so quick, Shigaraki almost didn’t realize his anger at the world had started to deplete. He already felt a tugging in his mind back to his worst memories, of his cruel father and submissive family, as All For One tried to respark that rage. 

In between kicks and explosive punches from his opponents, he clutched his head and rasped out, “No… no! Let me feel what I want!”

But All For One ignored his pleas, instead yanking his mind in the direction he wanted it to go. Shigaraki could feel the power of the villain’s conscience. It was only a matter of time before All For One’s will overtook his motivations, keeping his hatred from toppling. 

“This is for your own good.”

Shigaraki’s fingernails tore through his cheeks. His thoughts were becoming restricted, shuffled away from what was leading him to regret his actions. He couldn’t even think for himself now. 

Midoriya was right. All For One was using and controlling him. 

And now it was too late to stop. His hatred had already been cultivated, and his mind was about to be overtaken. All For One’s plan had been a success. 

Well, it was about to be a success. 

Shigaraki still had one fragment of his mind free. A fragment he planned to use. 

He didn’t want to become All For One’s new puppet, and he didn’t want the whole world to crumble and decay like his family did. If he stayed alive, that’s all that would happen. His one fragment of free will was already shattering from All For One’s mental force. 

There was only one way to stop All For One from taking complete control of him and his life. 

Shigaraki placed his hand on his own chest. 

Midoriya and Bakugo paused their attacks in surprise, eyes snapping wide. 

Shigaraki pushed past any physical boundaries that stopped his quirk from working on himself, driving Decay’s destructive potential to its max. His grin spread big when he saw a crack appear across his chest. 

Splinters and fractures branched out from this crack, killing off Shigaraki’s cells and reducing his muscle to dead tissue. 

Disintegrated cells can’t regenerate.

This way, All For One would be unable to use him for his purposes, and the world would meet a different fate than his family. 

“You imbecile! You’re going to die if this continues! Stop, your life is precious to me!”

Shigaraki laughed, a sad, forever lonely ring to it. “I’m only precious to you because you can use me. You’ve never actually cared about me. No one has, after my family died.”

The gray dust of decay had spread over Shigaraki’s upper body, and it began to fray the edges of his heart. When he felt an irregular pump in his chest, he knew he only had seconds left. 

So he lifted his eyes to Midoriya, who was floating in the air across from him, expression bewildered. 

“I was wrong.”

Midoriya drew in a sharp breath at Shigaraki’s words, hearing the regret and apology in them. He was wrong about his goals, about wanting to destroy everything. He was wrong for hurting Midoriya, and for not appreciating him. He was wrong for the way he treated his fellow League members. 

Shigaraki’s heart gave way to his quirk, and Midoriya’s heart gave way to remorse. 

“We all are sometimes,” Midoriya replied in Shigaraki’s last second alive. “You just had it worse.”

White glints reflected in the thin sheen of tears over Midoriya’s eyes, as the dust particles fell to the earth like snow. 

Shigaraki never found contentment or belonging in his life, which he honestly didn’t deserve, but at least he found freedom.

Notes:

So uh, yeah that's probably not what most of you were expecting to happen with Shigaraki, hope it made sense? I'm happy with how it ended tho, thought it was fitting, and worked out well since Midoriya and Bakugo were never gonna kill him.

This chapter's song is Falling Inside the Black by Skillet. Fits well with Shigaraki.

Man, we're really close to the end now. I'm already getting sad oh no. See ya next week welp.

Chapter 106: We Survived

Notes:

As you can see, there is now a definite number of chapters left. It’s weird, I’m now treasuring the time I’m writing this fic more than I ever have before hah. man this is sad.

Uhm, enjoy the chap!

Yaoyorozu breathed a sigh of relief when Hawks announced to the class that Shigaraki and the League had been defeated. The news alleviated the pressured anxiety in her heart, just a little bit, as she started to truly feel safe from All For One. 

She smiled amidst the class’ cheers, while a group of heroes and police hauled off Machia. 

They’d helped ensure the heroes’ victory, and more importantly, they’d all survived. 

 

“But did you see that huge wave of electricity!!? And it just went vwoom and then crackle and it all zapped into my body! Like, all of it! That was so awesome and it felt kinda terrifying ‘cause like what if I exploded like a battery or something I don’t know but then I didn’t and wow!”

“What did I tell you, see, you’re fine,” Shinso sighed as Kaminari bounced up and down across from him. They were both in one of the tents in the field hospital, after having their injuries treated. 

“Woohoo! We all survived!” Kaminari said happily, flopping backwards onto one of the thin floor mattresses. 

Shinso nodded with a small smile. “And we won.”

 

As the police cuffed Twice, his mind flashed back to Hawks’ promise to make sure he ended up in a good rehabilitation center. The heroes let him keep his mask on, thankfully, but that didn’t do anything to reduce the fearful glares they shot him. 

During the drive to the police station, he just kept thinking of Toga, and of Hawks, knowing that they would be proud of him. He’d survived one of the most difficult periods in his life, and now he hoped he was moving on to something a lot better. 

A small smile slipped onto his face. The path forward looked brighter. 

 

“You really think that girl meant what she said?” Spinner questioned as police officers placed him and Mr. Compress in the back of an armored van. 

“Well, I don’t see any reason why she would lie to us, do you?” Mr. Compress responded, trying to shuffle his wrists in a way that made the device around his hands more comfortable. 

“Then…” Spinner continued, uncertainty obvious in his tone and expression. “Do you think we should listen to her?”

Mr. Compress took a long, deep breath, head falling back against the van wall. 

“I don’t see why not. We’ve survived a lot, so maybe it’s time we actually live.”

 

Todoroki walked up behind his father, who was on his knees, weeping. Endeavor’s breath hitched when his son placed a hand on his shoulder. 

New blistering burns showed along the hero’s skin, where he had hugged Dabi. But the wounds to his heart hurt more than any physical injury. 

“At least he’s not hurting anyone anymore,” Todoroki whispered. “Including himself.” 

A tear trickled down the burns on Endeavor’s face as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“We’ll survive this. Together, as a family,” Todoroki promised. When his father looked up at him, he could see the small light of hope and relief in his eyes. 

 

Uraraka embraced Midoriya in a hug, taking a thorough, relieved breath. Midoriya could feel how thankful she was that he was still there in the way she tightly wrapped her arms around his torso. 

“Thank you for being careful, and for coming back,” she breathed into his shoulder. 

He held the back of her head as they hugged, mind slowly processing everything he’d just survived. Shigaraki was dead. And he was alive. 

It was all really over. Everything he’d gone through as a villain had been brought to a conclusion. 

And at the end of it all, he still had Uraraka caring for him. 

 

The smell of sterile air filled Bakugo’s nostrils as consciousness returned to him. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was in a hospital, or to register the aching soreness of his body, especially around his hands and wrists. 

The moment he had his memories sorted and determined he wasn’t gravely injured, he leapt out of bed and flung open his door. 

“Woah Bakugo!” Kirishima jumped back from the open doorway, hand flying away from the handle. “You’re not supposed to be up yet!”

“Yeah, that’s why we were coming to visit you!” Kaminari added from beside the redhead. 

“The only way I’m staying in that bed is if I’m dead or dying,” Bakugo shot back, before turning to march down the hallway. 

“Where are you even going?!” Kaminari shouted after him. 

“To make sure our classmates aren’t dead!”

“You could just ask us if they’re okay,” Kirishima pointed out as he took a firm stance in front of the blond, blocking his path. “Seriously man, this isn’t good for you. Stay in bed and get some rest.”

Kaminari nodded in agreement, although he was a bit more hesitant to stand against Bakugo’s agitated glare. “Everyone in our class is good! So is Mr. Aizawa, and all our other teachers. The most injured were you and Midobro, who’s- well…”

Bakugo scoffed. “Of course it’s Izuku who’s got something wrong. I know he survived the fight, so what the hell happened?”

“You both passed out from exhaustion on the way to the hospital. He… hasn’t woken up yet,” Kirishima answered. “All Might’s with him now.”

“But all his vitals are stable! So he should be alright!” Kaminari added optimistically. 

Bakugo grunted in acknowledgement of their words, and his eyes fell to the ground. He could feel the pain in his body begging him to take a rest, but there were different thoughts at the forefront of his mind. His most recent memories kept echoing around in his brain, with images of falling ashes. 

Why the hell had Shigaraki killed himself?

The blond had seen his desire for destruction first hand after the summer camp, when he’d maimed Midoriya. The villain had been set on tearing down society, or rather, anything he didn’t like. 

Why would he give his entire motivation up to end his own battle? What had changed from the start of the fight, to the point of his death?

It unsettled Bakugo that it hadn’t been the heroes who ended the battle, but the villains. It felt like it cheapened the win. 

With a frown of thought on his face, Bakugo pivoted and headed back to his room to ponder it further. 

 

“You did well, kid.”

Midoriya’s eyes snapped open, and he was surprised to find himself already standing before him a semicircle of thrones. Several faces peered at him, observing his reaction to being in the vestige realm. 

He only recognized three of the faces. Nana, Daigoro, and Yoichi. 

Two of the vestiges weren’t sitting in their thrones, instead facing a half-formed wall, their backs to the others. Then there was a golden form of flowing energy in one of the thrones, which Midoriya could tell represented All Might. But the rest of the vestiges were watching him. 

He offered a timid wave, seeing as the black mist still covered his mouth. 

“It’s good seeing you again,” Nana said in greeting, breaking the silence. He dipped his head in her direction appreciatively, but he noticed a heavy sadness in her eyes. He was about to ask her if she was okay in sign, when Daigoro leapt up from his throne with a clap. 

“And you’ve done a helluva job mastering Blackwhip. Well done, kiddo!”

“You handled the emergence of Float well too,” Nana added. 

“Only four more quirks to go,” another vestige said wearily, one Midoriya hadn’t met before. He had ash blond hair, with a crack down his face. 

“Oh c’mon Hikage, how can you possibly sound so tired when we just defeated All For One’s successor!” Daigoro shouted. “This is time to celebrate!”

“Banjo…” mumbled a vestige in a red hero costume with a collar that covered his mouth and nose. 

Daigoro’s eyes flicked to Nana’s dejected face. “Crap, right! Sorry! I meant it’s a time to mourn, for uh, people who lost a family member…”

Nana sighed. “Thank you En, but I’m fine, really. Tenko made the choice he wanted to in the end, outside of All For One’s will for him. Him choosing his own path is the best thing I could’ve wished for, in this scenario.”

“That doesn’t mean his death was painless for you,” Yoichi countered, voice soft. “I know you always hoped for Tenko’s revival, and for him to forgive you. It’s understandable for you to be upset, after losing both those things.”

Nana’s face crumpled, and she averted her gaze. “Let’s just continue on with the real point of this meeting.”

“Very well then,” Yoichi obliged, before looking back to Midoriya, who had watched the whole interaction with a disheartened expression. “First of all, you’ve done a splendid job of mastering One For All so far, and I have every belief you’ll continue using the power for the good of others, even with Shigaraki defeated.”

‘Thank you, and I will, I promise,’ Midoriya signed. 

“Though I must admit,” Yoichi rubbed the back of his neck. “I felt far differently when you first inherited One For All.”

“There were definitely some rough patches at the start of you having the quirk,” Hikage commented roughly, and Midoriya inclined his head towards him in a questioning way. 

“Despite Yagi’s desire to save you from the League, we didn’t feel the same way,” Daigoro answered. “We knew you worked for All For One and had quite the reputation as a villain, and that was all we needed to distrust you. We all thought Yagi was crazy for offering it to you!”

“Even after seeing how shattered and desolate your mind was after being a villain, I still had misgivings about your ability to wield the quirk,” Yoichi explained. “No one like you had ever inherited the power before.”

Midoriya’s eyes dropped as he nodded. ‘I understand.’

“I was the first to open up to you,” Nana offered him a small smile. “I trusted Yagi’s judgment.”

“And it wasn’t long before the rest of us followed you,” Yoichi tilted his head to her, before looking Midoriya in the eye. “Once you started getting the help you needed, your heroic spirit shone through in your actions and thoughts.”

Midoriya’s face brightened at his words, but then En glanced at the two vestiges facing away from them and muttered, “Well, not everyone followed after Nana.”

Light frowns, of either frustration or sadness, formed on the faces of the vestiges who were in the thrones, as their eyes landed in the place En’s were. 

Midoriya tentatively raised his hands. ‘Why…?’

“Those two lived in a terrible age,” Yoichi responded darkly. “All For One had a drastic and dreadful effect on Second and Third’s lives. Anyone who has any affiliation with him… they refuse to let you use their power.”

The teen’s face fell as he realized these two would be even more difficult to convince of his trustworthiness than many people in the real world. 

‘It’s okay,’ he signed, forcing a smile to his eyes. 

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Daigoro strode over to him and clapped a hand to his good shoulder. “You’ve got the rest of our support, for as long as you strive to be a hero.”

While a few vestiges nodded in agreement, Yoichi spoke up with, “don’t forget, my brother still isn’t dead. I do believe we have massively foiled his plans, but he’s patient, and even within prison, he will wait for a way to escape." 

“Hopefully the government will have some sense and execute him,” Hikage muttered. 

“Eh, let’s not worry about that right now!” Daigoro exclaimed, turning away from Midoriya to walk back to his seat. “Right now Shigaraki’s demise is what we should be relishin-” Nana caught his eye. “Regretting! I mean regretting, since, you know, someone’s grandson dying is bad…”

Nana sighed and shook her head, before turning her attention back to Midoriya. “But yes, we will continue to support you, through any of your heroic endeavors.”

Midoriya nodded in appreciation. ‘Thank you.’

“This is one more matter of concern we need to address,” Yoichi continued, “regarding passing on One For All. Do you see the cracks down Hikage’s face?”

The teen looked over the vestige and nodded. 

Hikage ran his fingers down the jagged scar with a slight grimace. “They came from me wielding One For All. I died of old age. At forty.”

Midoriya’s eyes went big as he drew in a trembling breath. One For All had that effect on people? His eyes dropped down to his own hand. 

He didn’t want to leave Uraraka so soon. 

Daigoro’s laugh broke into his troubled thoughts. “That fast aging thing doesn’t apply to you, kid! You’ll be fine!”

Hikage explained how he wielded the quirk for longer than any vestige before him, and a strange disease overtook him in his final years. Upon Yagi’s research, he discovered it had actually been old age that had killed him, due to the stress on his body of having two quirks. 

“Humans aren’t meant to have more than one quirk,” Hikage said. “That’s why you see the Nomu become so mindless, because they’ve been mutilated by the strain of extra quirks. In One For All’s case, if it’s passed on to someone who already has a quirk, their lifespan is halved.”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed. ‘That makes sense. So because All Might and I are quirkless… we’ll be okay?’

“Yes,” Yoichi nodded. “It’s truly amazing the quirk found its way to you two. Being quirkless, you both were able to realize One For All to its real potential. Especially you Midoriya, with how it has now awakened with the past users’ quirks inside it. One For All is a power meant for powerless people.”

‘So if I ever decide to pass it on, I would have to find someone who’s quirkless, or else it’d halve their lifespan,’ Midoriya realized grimly. 

“There will be very few quirkless people in the upcoming generations,” Yoichi warned. “And of them, it would be very difficult to find someone you trust with the power. It’s possible you could be the last holder of One For All.”

Midoriya’s chest tightened at those words. If there would be no One For All holder after him, that meant ending All For One was all up to him. He could already feel the pressure and expectation mounting in his mind. 

“Don’t forget, you have your friends too,” Nana reminded. “Just like us, they’ll be with you every step of the way. Don’t undervalue them.”

The teen felt warmth budding in his chest at the thought of his friends, and just as quick as it came, that pressure was alleviated. 

‘I’ll keep them by my side,’ he promised. 

“Good,” Yoichi said. “It’s difficult to find friends as loyal as the ones you have. That’s everything we needed to tell you, and as we release you, all you need to know is to continue on the path you’ve walked at UA.”

 

Tsukauchi opened the door to the interrogation room. At the table sat an incredibly anxious, fidgety man, still in his villain costume. The detective tried to offer a reassuring smile as he sat down across from him. 

“Pleased to meet you, Jin Bubaigawara,” he greeted politely. “I’m Detective Tsukauchi.”

“Oh, uhm, hey. You too.” Twice gripped at the lower part of his mask. At Hawks’ request, he didn’t have any restraints, and was instead placed in a room with deployable sleeping gas if something went wrong. 

Noticing his unease, Tsukauchi asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m gonna die. Completely calm! Yeah, calm!”

“Uh… huh. Before we start, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Can I, um, keep my mask on? Or will you make me take it off?!”

Tsukauchi smiled. “If it makes you more comfortable, then yes, you can keep it on.”

Twice visibly relaxed, the tension in his body dissipating as he slumped back into his chair. “Thanks so much, Mr. Detective!”

Tsukauchi’s smile widened. He’d heard about Twice during both Midoriya and Toga’s questionings, and from Hawks as well. He’d shown the obvious desire to change, and had already done a great deal to help other people. 

The person sitting before him had fallen to dark depths, but it wasn’t too late to pull him back up. 

 

“Have you noticed yet?” Todoroki asked. 

Endeavor blinked the tears from his eyes to see his son clearly. “Noticed what?”

“There’s not a swarm of media outside,” Todoroki answered, looking out the window from the chair beside his father’s bed. “Dabi said he’d released a video about everything that happened in our family. If that was true, then there’d surely be a hoard of reporters wanting to question you about it.”

It took the hero several slow blinks to absorb what his son had said. “I suppose you’re right. It’s possible Touya was bluffing when he said that.”

“Don’t call him Touya.”

Endeavor’s brow furrowed at his son’s sharp reply. “That was his name.”

“No. That was my elder brother’s name, who died a long time ago. I refuse to accept Dabi as my family, after he let his anger turn him into a completely different person.”

“You forget you almost let the same thing happen to you,” Endeavor answered in a whisper, remembering his son’s fierce glares. 

Todoroki’s expression softened. “But I didn’t, though. With the help of others, I changed my thoughts and chose a better path, instead of letting my hatred of you control me.”

“With the help of others,” Endeavor repeated. “Touya didn’t have the same people you do, to help him and guide him.”

In a long, slow inhale, Todoroki filled his lungs, before gradually releasing the breath. 

“That’s true. But I still refuse to believe he had no other choice than to do what he did.”

After watching his son’s expression and seeing the resolve in it, Endeavor nodded in understanding. He exhaled his next words. 

“It’ll take time.”

Todoroki dipped his head. “Yeah. It will all take time.”

Father and son were left in silence for a few moments, giving their thoughts a brief period of peace. They thought of how devastated Fuyumi and Natsuo had been, hearing about Dabi, and their surprise was another indicator that Dabi’s video hadn’t really been broadcasted. 

Todoroki knew his siblings were supposed to be arriving with his mom soon, so when he heard a knock at the door, he was expecting it to be them. 

But instead, a short woman with long pink hair in pigtails walked in. She wore a look of nervousness, as if she thought what she was doing was wrong. 

“La Brava,” Endeavor greeted with a hint of surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Even though he didn’t ask the question in an accusatory tone, La Brava wrung her hands together, clearly on edge. “I have something I need to show your family, even though, well… I’ve been ordered not to.”

Both heroes’ eyes narrowed. 

“Ordered by who?” Todoroki questioned. 

La Brava gulped. “The HPSC president.” 

The gravity of the situation dawned upon the two of them. 

“But I still think you need to see this video!” La Brava continued. “I only have as long as Gentle is in the hospital, so I need to show this to you now- if you’re willing to watch, that is!”

“What is it?” Endeavor asked. “Is it… Dabi’s video?”

She nodded grimly. “I stopped the broadcast, and afterwards the HPSC president told me to delete the video and never tell anyone it existed. Something about keeping society’s stability, I think? But… I don’t agree with her. I think this is something people deserve to see. So I’ve decided to give the video to your family, so you all can decide what to do with it!”

Endeavor and Todoroki nodded as they listened, and a new wariness of the HPSC entered their minds. 

“Let’s see the video,” Todoroki said, voice rough. 

La Brava nodded and pulled out a phone, and after pressing a couple buttons, she turned the screen towards the pair and let the video play. 

 

“Hey, yeah, I’m here to ask about the current state of Jin Bubaigawara’s case?”

“Oh my gosh, Hawks!” The receptionist at the front of the law firm practically jumped from her chair. “Uhm, Bubaigawara isn’t here right now, but his answers during interrogation are being reviewed!”

“Great. Could I talk to his lawyer about where he’ll be going after the sentencing?”

“Well… people directly related to the case are allowed to give input. You’re usually supposed to make an appointment, but you’re uh, an exception.”

Hawks waved his hands in front of him. “If I’m being an inconvenience, I’m okay with coming back later.”

“No no! Let me just give Ms. Jitsu a call, and then she can come out and get you when she’s ready.”

The hero gave her a wide, appreciative smile. “That sounds awesome, thanks!”

As he sat in the waiting room, he fiddled with a letter in his pocket from the director of a certain rehabilitation center, which stated she’d be happy to accept Twice into their program. 

Notes:

Yes, I decided to keep the whole OFA kills quirked people thing. I know a lot of people hate that rule, but I think it makes a lot of sense? I mean, it’s why the Nomus and Machia and a certain giant League member in manga are so stupid. It’s another way for AFO to control people.

On a happier note tho, aaaaahhh Crystal made cover art for this fic and it’s beautiful!! There’s so many little details and I love it! It’s also shown at the start of chapter one, since you know, cover art lol.

 

 

*screams in joy and disbelief*

Okay haha, this chapter’s song is This Isn’t the End by Owl City- I just realized how sad that sounds with the fic being close to ending wow. Ahem, anyway, relates mainly to the Todorokis processing Dabi’s death. Also works with the League members turning themselves in.

One last thing, I've started a joint author server with KageNekem! We've got a lot of the same readers and talk a lot to each other about our fics, so we thought it'd be fun to set up our own server together. This is the first time the link is being shared with the public(?) so hopefully it doesn't blow up. Come join us in Introverts Anonymous! see cuz we're all dysfunctional introverts there

See you next week!

Chapter 107: Future Paths

Notes:

Happy Labor Day! If you live in the States.

*glances at chapter count*

...sobs

“Please, for my sanity’s sake, let me sleep,” Shinso pleaded. 

Kaminari paused in his pillow beating. “But this isn’t even your room!”

“But I’m tired, and there’s a comfy chair that I’m sitting in, which is enough.” He laid his head back down on the headrest of the chair, closing his eyes and hoping to be left in peace. 

A shifty smile crept across Kaminari’s face as he lifted the pillow above his head, ready to strike again, but a gentle touch on his elbow from Uraraka stopped him. 

“C’mon, he’s tired, just let him be,” she suggested, her own weariness evident in the wavering of her voice. 

Iida’s hand chops sliced through the air. “Yes, I urge you to desist!”

“Yeah, we all just went through shit. Quit screwing around,” Bakugo grumbled from his bed. It was his room a few of the students had congregated in, seeing as he and Midoriya were the most injured, and Midoriya’s room wasn’t open to visitors yet. 

With a loud whine, Kaminari agreed. “Alright alright! But this doesn’t mean you’re free from pillow assaults in the future!”

His promise of further pillow fights was met with Iida’s promise of rule enforcement. Shinso emitted a low groan, while Yaoyorozu had a small smile on her face from watching the interaction. 

“I think we’re all just trying to find a way to process yesterday’s battle,” Yaoyorozu said softly. “For Shinso that’s sleep, and for Kaminari that’s attacking people with pillows.”

Kaminari beamed at her. “You get it!”

“So…” Uraraka started after a moment of quiet. “Does anyone have anything they need to share about what happened yesterday? Anything they need to get off their shoulders?”

“I almost died!” Kaminari burst out. 

“No you didn’t,” Shinso sighed, and he continued to talk with his eyes closed. “Kaminari protected everyone from a huge electricity attack, and I just helped as much as I could. Feel like I could’ve done more, but eh, I know there’ll be more fights to win after this.”

“The rest of our class did exceedingly well too,” Yaoyorozu said, pride shining in her tone. “We were able to stop that giant villain quickly and with minimal injuries.” Her confident expression faltered, darkening with memory. “Not to say it wasn’t terrifying. One mistake, and that villain or Dabi could’ve killed us.”

“You led the class admirably,” Iida commended, earning him a thankful smile from Yaoyorozu. “But Dabi was certainly a concerning character. I hope Todoroki is handling his identity reveal and death alright.”

“We’ll be here for him to talk to if he needs it,” Uraraka replied. “What about you, Iida? Anything you’d like to share?”

He looked to the floor with a soft smile. “It was encouraging to see my growth during that fight, and not only in using Recipro Extend. My growth as a person was evident to me in my short conversation with Spinner, who holds the same values as Stain.”

The class president’s smile widened into one of satisfaction, before he lifted his eyes back to Uraraka. 

“You also performed exceptionally yesterday. Do you have anything to say?”

She clasped her hands together in thought. “The most surprising thing to me wasn’t even during the fight, it was after. I was able to convince Mr. Compress and Spinner to leave the League and search for a better path forward. That felt… really great. It made me realize some things about the type of hero I want to be.”

“Oh?” Kaminari prompted as he plopped down at the edge of Bakugo’s bed, much to his annoyance. 

“I want to be a rescue hero. But not just the type that saves people from collapsed buildings or sinking ships. The type that saves people from themselves too - saves people from whatever harmful lies they might be telling themselves.”

After a few seconds, Iida burst into applause. “Well said!”

Yaoyorozu and Kaminari nodded in agreement, and the blond said, “So it’s only Bakugo who has left to share, right?”

They all turned their attention to the boy in bed, who stiffened at the extra eyes on him. There was a slightly tense period of time, in which Bakugo kicked Kaminari off his bed, where they waited for him to answer. 

With an aggravated sigh, he released the words he’d been repeating to himself since the moment Shigaraki took his own life. 

“That damn villain took the coward’s way out. He cheated out of the battle.”

 

Rei’s hand trembled as she held it in front of her mouth, pupils shaking while she watched the video of her deceased son. 

“And there you have it. The guy you put your entire hope for the future in is a huge liar and abuser. The world’s pretty messed up huh, if a shitty person like that can become the number one hero.”

“You said he was dead,” Natsuo said in a strained whisper. “That he died up on Sekoto Peak.” A rage sparked up in his eyes as he turned his gaze on his father. “Why the hell isn’t he dead like you said?!”

“Please, Natsuo,” Fuyumi tried, laying a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “He obviously thought Touya had died, when in actuality, he… didn’t, somehow.”

“I wasn’t asking you,” he growled, and Fuyumi retracted her hand. “How did he survive, huh Dad?”

Endeavor didn’t respond at first, instead watching big fat drops fall from his wife’s eyes, painting her pale cheeks with a wet shine. 

“I asked you a question!” Natsuo demanded, and Endeavor finally looked at him, recalling what he’d been asked. 

“I’m… not sure,” he admitted, head down. “I truly thought he had died, since we weren’t able to find any of his remains, and the fire had been so severe. I have no idea how Touya survived.”

Natsuo’s eyes went wide for a minute, before they narrowed again, angry tears sprouting up. “You should have a better fricking answer than that. Touya was my best friend, and I lost an entire life I could’ve lived with him by my side,” he voice cracked, while he squeezed his eyes shut. “You need a better answer than ‘I have no idea’!!”

Endeavor dipped his head further, his eyes growing wet again from his son’s harsh words. “That’s the truth, I promise.”

“This is all your fault,” Natsuo continued relentlessly. “If you had just been a better father, if you had actually cared for us, none of this would’ve happened! Touya had to suffer through his life as Dabi, all because of you! I hope you realize-”

Todoroki placed a firm grip on his brother’s shoulder, stopping him from harping on their father more. Natsuo looked back at him, surprised it had been him instead of Fuyumi stopping him. 

“Dad knows all of this already,” Todoroki said with an even, calm voice. “He knows what he’s done, and you can’t possibly beat him up more than he already has himself.”

Natsuo’s eyes widened slightly, and when he turned back to his dad, he saw the drops trickling down his cheeks. He clenched his jaw and shrugged his brother’s hand off his shoulder. 

“His heart is already broken,” Todoroki continued softly. “You don’t need to splinter the pieces too.”

A tense silence settled into the air, with both parents crying quietly, until Rei spoke up in a shaky voice. “We came here to discuss what to do with Dabi’s video, not to argue. Our family was starting to heal, and it doesn’t have to stop because of this. As far as I know, Touya died when he chose to become a monster like Dabi.”

Natsuo scoffed lightly, but he didn’t argue. Fuyumi nodded in agreement with her mom. 

“I want to release the video to the public,” Endeavor admitted, which caused everyone to look at him in surprise. 

“Are you sure?” Fuyumi asked nervously. “Your reputation, it’d be destroyed-”

“It’s what I deserve,” Endeavor interrupted. “Dabi was right about how I kept and the dark parts of my life hidden from view. It’s only right that I come clean, and put all of that out in the open. I’m done with lying. The public deserves to know.”

Surprise was evident in everyone’s expressions, but Natsuo by far showed the most. His father was willing to change? He was willing to sacrifice his position in number one, for the sake of making things right?

Todoroki smiled. “I agree. That’s the right choice.”

 

“I’m leaving to go find Izuku!!” Bakugo declared, kicking the door to his room open, which caused it to boom against the hospital wall. 

His classmates had been offering him several different ways to see Shigaraki’s death in a different perspective. Killing himself was needed to stop All For One, at least Bakugo survived in a battle as severe as that, and Shigaraki didn’t have any chance of having an actual life. 

After being bombarded with all that, he decided to leave to find Midoriya, to talk to him about it. Midoriya had been the one abused by him, afterall. 

“Woah wait, we don’t know if he’s woken up yet!” Kaminari exclaimed.

Iida chopped his arm in agreement. “Yes, you wouldn’t want to disturb his recovery!”

Bakugo let out a long, aggravated groan. “I’m just gonna find his room and see if he’s up yet. If he’s not, I’ll come back. I just gotta talk to him.”

“I’m coming with you then!” Uraraka said, walking up to him. 

He narrowed his eyes, before sighing. “Fine.”

 

“You sure you’re okay?” Uraraka asked Midoriya, after seeing him wince. “Don’t do that thing where you pretend you’re not hurting, just so others don’t worry about you.”

Midoriya smiled sheepishly. “I’m okay, yes. I just… won’t be getting out of bed any time soon.”

Bakugo bit back a comment about already being able to walk. “Shigaraki put up a tough fight, huh.”

“Yeah…” Midoriya agreed hesitantly, as both boys’ faces fell as they remembered how that fight ended. 

“I heard what happened,” All Might interjected. “He disintegrated himself in rebellion, so All For One couldn’t control him and turn him into a puppet.”

“That’s what happened,” Midoriya nodded, his voice low with sadness. “It had been clear throughout the battle he was fighting with All For One for control over his own mind. It’s sad, how his entire point in life was just to be used. At least the last choice he made was for himself.”

All Might and Uraraka’s faces crumpled at that, but Bakugo acquired a scowl, which he dipped his head to hide. 

“The last thing he said to me… he admitted he was wrong. For everything.”

“It sounds like what happened to him was one of the best ways it could have all ended,” Uraraka said sadly, and All Might gave a nod of agreement. 

“He gave up,” Bakugo cut in, stunning the others into silence. “The heroes didn’t win against him, he just threw in the towel.” He lifted his eyes, making his scowl evident. “You’d have to be crazy to count that as a victory.”

Midoriya recovered first to respond. “What would you have preferred to happen? Let All For One take over his mind, and then kill us both?”

“Shigaraki’s body couldn’t handle the quirk,” Bakugo retorted. “We could’ve taken him.”

“Then he’d just spend the rest of his life in prison, under the control of All For One,” Midoriya narrowed his eyes. “At least this way, he chose his own way to go.”

Bakugo drew in a deep breath, before releasing it slowly. “The win just felt shallow.”

“Not everything is about winning, Young Bakugo,” All Might replied. 

“Yeah, sometimes it’s also about the person you’re fighting,” Uraraka added. 

Bakugo’s eyes went from face to face, and he realized none of them agreed with his perspective. He gritted his teeth and said, “Guess we just don’t see it the same way.”

As Midoriya watched his face, he realized Bakugo still didn’t possess the same empathy for villains. He still cared more about winning. With a sigh, he hoped that would change over time. 

Vaguely, he wondered how the other League members were dealing with the death of Shigaraki. 

 

All For One was fantastic at predictions, and then planning according to those predictions. He’d made several plans for how he thought the battle at Jaku could’ve turned out, accounting for all the different possibilities. 

One of his pieces choosing its own move was not one of those possibilities. 

For the first time in centuries, All For One found himself without a plan. 

Shigaraki was never supposed to be able to act outside of All For One’s will, and the fact he’d underestimated his own pawn made him start to think. Perhaps he’d grown lazy, in all his years of gaining power and reputation. He would have to be more meticulous going forward. 

Other than that, All For One didn’t have any notable reaction to his successor’s death. Just because this hadn’t been in the realm of possibility, didn’t mean he had to act surprised. He honestly didn’t care for Shigaraki’s wellbeing, so there was no reason to be sad. There wasn’t a reason to be angry either, since it wasn’t like he himself had died. 

All For One was a creature of logic, not emotion. And there was only one logical path forward. 

He had to wait. Be patient. He was certain new opportunities would present themselves, if he only gave it time. He refused to let a loss, albeit a massive one, stop him from pursuing the future he wanted. 

All For One refused to admit defeat. 

Inko had only been in Midoriya’s room for a couple minutes, and there was already water leaking out from under the door. 

“I-I’m so glad to see you’re safe,” she stammered, hugging her son as best she could from her wheelchair, while he remained in bed. Tears were streaming from both people's eyes. 

“I’ve already stayed away from you for a long time once before. I wasn’t going to do that again,” he said resolutely, giving his mom a squeeze. 

Inko buried her face in his shoulder and whispered, “Thank you, Izuku.”

 

By the time all the students were released from the hospital, there were only a couple weeks left until their second year at UA was starting. They recovered from their physical injuries, and talked through their emotional ones with each other. The school gave them a spring break before they returned to school, so they could prepare for the second year and spend some time with their families. 

It was in this time that Midoriya got to visit his mom’s nursing facility for the first time, and he was happy to see that she was being taken care of. Other than that, however, he remained in the dorms at UA, keeping Eri entertained and helping the teachers prepare for the students’ return. 

While printing some first year orientation papers for Cementoss, he realized the hero wasn’t on edge around him anymore. When handing him the newly printed papers, Cementoss actually gave him a genuine smile and thank you. It had taken Midoriya several seconds to get out a stammered reply. 

He guessed that helping defeat one of the most notable villains in the country did wonders for people’s perceptions of him, huh. 

Midoriya also heard from Mirio that he and the other two of the Big Three had managed to score jobs as sidekicks at the agencies they’d studied under. Even though they were focusing on that at the moment, they’d also discussed opening their own joint agency between the three of them in the future. 

Midoriya smiled thinking about it. Things were really looking up. 

But the question of his own future still remained. He’d decided he wanted to be a hero, but the path of how to get there wasn’t clear. 

That was, until Nezu called him to his office for a meeting. 

“I’m sure you’ve been wondering what we’re going to do with you this upcoming year!” Nezu started. 

Midoriya nodded from his spot in front of Nezu’s desk. “Yeah, since technically I’m done with my rehabilitation program now, right?”

“That’s true! Your participation at Jaku fulfilled the last of your community service hours, so you are now free of all your criminal charges. They are still on your record, but they no longer bind you.”

Nezu’s words lifted a heavy weight off Midoriya’s shoulders, and he drew in a deep breath, feeling the freedom of officially not being a villain. 

“So now the question is, where am I going from here?” Midoriya replied. 

“Yep! Though I do believe you already know the direction you want to head in,” Nezu inquired. 

A smile formed on Midoriya lips. “I want to be a hero.”

Nezu’s eyes gleamed. “That’s what I thought! It’s splendid to see how your perception of yourself has changed since your transfer here. I’d say this program was a huge success!”

Midoriya thought back to one of his meetings with Nezu, when he’d insisted he’d never become a hero. 

“Why can’t you use that power to help others?” Nezu questioned. 

“Because I’m not a hero,” Midoriya answered firmly. “I still feel the same anger and hate that turned me into a villain, and I might end up hurting someone because of it. I might get wrapped up in the feeling of being powerful and hurt someone I care about again. I just…” his voice quivered, “I can’t take that risk.”

“Yeah, this place has changed my life,” Midoriya said softly with a small smile. 

“And I hope it will continue to,” Nezu responded, and the teen’s eyes widened. “You want to be a hero, and you’ve already been accepted into 1-A before, so I see no reason why you shouldn’t continue in your time here at UA. Except now you’d be a student!”

Midoriya could feel his heart bursting with anticipation for the future. “Would I get to stay with Class A?”

“I see no reason why not!” Nezu exclaimed. “We usually try to keep the classes to 20 students, but it’s not difficult at all to make an exception.”

A wide smile spanned Midoriya’s face. “Thank you.”

“So, it sounds like you’re happy with transferring to the hero course, in Class 2-A, for the start of your second year?”

“Yes!” Midoriya said with an enthusiastic nod. 

“Wonderful! I’ll have you added to the roster immediately! There is only one more issue we need to discuss before you leave.”

Midoriya tilted his head. “What’s that?”

“I am aware of the bullying you experienced here, from two students in particular.”

“Monoma and Yogan, yeah,” the teen confirmed, voice dropping in tone. 

“I apologize for not addressing this sooner, as I was focused on preparing for the upcoming battle with the Liberation Front, but I have spoken to both teenagers. They are required to give you a genuine apology, spoken or written, in order to stay enrolled at UA.”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows. “Wow, okay, um- thank you.”

“Of course! Being a bully is not a good trait for a future hero to have, so please tell me if you have any further problems with anyone, or if Monoma and Yogan refuse to apologize.”

“I will,” the teen nodded.

Nezu then dismissed Midoriya, but as he was moving to leave the office, he turned back to the principal. Nezu tilted his head at him, before the teen lowered into a bow. 

“Thank you, Principal Nezu, for everything you’ve done for me at UA. You opened up the doors for me to come here, and now you’re letting me attend here as a student. I really owe so much to you.”

Nezu gave him a kind smile as he came up from his bow. “You are very much welcome! I also have reason to thank you, for being such a wonderful guinea pig!”

Notes:

Of course I know Nezu was never not going to accept Midoriya into a second year at UA lol, but it still makes for a good emotional scene.

The two first songs I thought of for this chapter I've already used previously hah. Anyway, this chapter's song is Turnin' by Young Rising Sons. Fits with how even after all this stuff has just happened, life is going to continue. It's also one of those songs I put on when I'm feeling down haha.

Random thing, would just like to point out that I've made it 107 chapters without accidentally clicking the "post chapter" next to "edit chapter" when prepping a chapter, and I just wanna take a moment to be proud of myself for that.

I can't believe there's only two chapters left holy crap. Holy crap.

Chapter 108: Time For a New Era

Notes:

Only one more left after this.

man

Enjoy the chap!

Toga hadn’t known what to expect when she’d been called to greet a new arrival. 

She’d speculated on her way to the rehabilitation center entrance, pondering who this new arrival might be or why they’d ask her of all people to greet them. All of her guesses were wrong. 

Even though he was facing away from her and wearing casual clothing, she recognized his mask right away. 

Tears immediately glossed over her eyes. She raised her hand to her mouth in astonishment. 

Then Twice turned and saw her, and his eyes went wide. 

It only took two seconds, before they bounded forward towards each other, tears welling up in both their eyes. They crashed together in a hug, where Twice heaved in heavy sobs. 

“I-it’s really you! You’re- you’re actually here,” he cried in disbelief, holding his friend tight. “After the yakuza raid, I-I… I thought I was never going to see you again!”

Toga took a moment to fully process that Twice was really in front of her, in her arms, hugging her back. 

“Me too,” she admitted in a hoarse whisper. “But… I’m glad I did it. It was really worth it, and I’m so happy to see you’re here too.”

She pulled away to look him in the eyes, giving him a teary grin. Twice could see the genuine happiness shining through that smile. It was different from the previous smiles he’d seen on her; it didn’t have the same desperate craze or hollow joy. Seeing that real smile, it made the tears spill over. 

“I’ll let you two catch up,” said the security guard who’d escorted Twice inside, before leaving the two alone. 

As Toga began to lead Twice into the center, she asked, “What happened after I left?”

Twice sniffled and rubbed his sleeve across his wet eyes. “I uh, Shigaraki was pretty upset. Especially after I asked if you might be happier, outside of the League. He really didn’t like that.”

Toga’s expression soured. “Of course he’d try to keep you all under his control. How did you get out?”

“So, the League ended up taking over this huge army called the Liberation, and Hawks - remember him? - was sent there as a spy, to keep track of our operations. But it turns out he really wanted to help me out, despite technically being on the opposite ‘side.’” He put air quotes around that last word. 

“I kinda figured when we met that he wasn’t actually interested in joining the League, just keeping tabs on it,” Toga said. “I didn’t really care at the time though, since I just wanted out of the League…”

Twice rubbed the back of his neck, tone dropping. “Guess I really am that gullible and naive, huh.”

Toga narrowed her eyes at him. “No, you just see the best in people. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I guess… thank you.”

“Sure thing! Anyway, what happened with Hawks?”

“Right! He gave me some great advice about friendship, and then later came clean to me about being a spy! Since he helped me with my issues, I decided to help him with his intel gathering. Then when the heroes attacked the Liberation, he helped me get out!”

“Wow, sounds like he’s a good friend,” Toga commented, leading him down a hallway that led to the rehabilitants’ rooms. 

“Yeah, he is! Just like you!”

A grin split her face at those words. “Well, I can promise you this! Here, the people really care about helping you and love to see you improve. So as long as you try, things really do get better! You don’t have to let the things that kept you chained down in the League control you anymore.”

Twice felt his stress alleviated with her explanation, replaced by a hope and anticipation of the future. “You know, I think I’m gonna find what I’m looking for here. I’m gonna be happy.”

 

Endeavor had gotten used to the flashing lights of the waiting press. Over his career, the camera flashes had blinded him several times. The press’ impatience was palpable in the room every time there was a conference. 

This time felt different though. He’d never gone on TV to bring an issue as heavy as this to light - or to bring any issue to light before. He felt like he was preparing for war, about to tear open wounds. 

The press seemed to sense this, as there was an extra tension and pressure in the air while they waited for the conference to start. That certainly did not help Endeavor with his dread, and the only reason he was able to head out to the podium in front of the crowd was because he knew the necessity of what he was doing. 

Searing lights enveloped the room when Endeavor walked onto what felt like a stage. And honestly? These types of conferences had become more for show than anything else. Just a play, with the heroes as actors. 

Hopefully what he was about to share would change that. 

Questions exploded across the room, all aimed at Endeavor, the moment he stepped behind the podium. The bustle of whispers and shouts calmed down after a few minutes of the hero standing before them all, once it became clear he wasn’t planning on answering any questions until he had spoken. 

“I’m here to teach you all the heroes aren’t perfect,” Endeavor started out, cutting straight to the bone. “Our society seems to have forgotten that heroes are just people, not shining idols. We are capable of making mistakes like any other human.”

Endeavor bowed his head, his past hanging over him like a black cloud. 

“I’ve made quite a few mistakes myself. And that’s what we’re here to discuss.”

He now had the crowd’s - and the country’s - rapt attention. All ears listened eagerly as Endeavor went on to explain the errors of his past in brutal honesty. 

He told the people about choosing his wife based on her quirk, and esteeming his children based on their ability to be a hero. He told of the abuse he inflicted on his family when they didn’t meet his expectations or resisted him. The news of how it all led to Toya’s death elicited a few gasps. 

All noise stilled to a deathly silence when he rasped that Touya hadn’t truly died that day. The memories had turned his throat rough. 

“Dabi in the League of Villains was my son, and he died in the recent battle with the Liberation Front. During the battle, he attempted to release a video, exposing me and all my faults. The broadcast was stopped, but after some deliberation, I’ve decided it would be most beneficial to be open about my mistakes. So…”

He gulped, already feeling a shift in the attitude of the room, away from believing in the spectacle of heroes, and towards placing doubt in all their abilities. 

“Here’s the video.”

Dabi’s video played on screens on either side of the stage Endeavor was on for the press in the room, while for the rest of the country, it was broadcasted on their screens. Even though he was dead, Dabi’s story made it to the ears of everyone. Every detail about Endeavor’s horrific actions came out into the open, as Dabi’s words dragged the hero’s reputation down into the depths of a villain’s status. 

While it played, Endeavor kept his head hung low. It was like all the water in his body had frozen, but he was still sweating. Like all the air around him had solidified, but he felt like he could topple over at any moment. He could sense the pressure of the whole country watching the video, before that pressure bored down on his status as a hero, cracking it in the public’s perception. 

Once the video finished, and Endeavor lifted his eyes back up the crowd, he could tell their mindsets had shifted. They didn’t trust him now, going by the malice in their eyes. 

But he still had some final words that needed said. 

“There were a couple challenges with deciding to release this video,” he began slowly, easing back into talking. “The largest of these challenges was one organization in particular, an organization that tried to prevent me from being able to broadcast. It pushed for all of this to be kept a secret.”

By the eerily still silence in the room, Endeavor knew the reporters were still listening to him. 

“The HPSC didn’t want any of this becoming public knowledge.” The sound of scribbles on paper filled the air. “The HPSC wants to keep up the perfect image of hero society, where heroes can do no wrong and villains are nothing more than pests that need to be locked up. The number one hero being abusive doesn’t fit in with the mirage they want to keep up.”

Endeavor knew the next words he said were the most important words he’d ever say in his life. These words had the power to actually shift people’s mentalities and change their ways, to make a better tomorrow. 

“Heroes are not perfect, and they shouldn’t be expected to be. They’re human, and they shouldn’t be glamorized like celebrities and idols. As for villains, they are also human. They’ve also made mistakes, but those mistakes shouldn’t define their lives. Most villains are simply people in shades of gray, just like heroes.”

Endeavor gripped the sides of the podium, staring the crowd down earnestly. 

“The HPSC disagrees with this. They think heroes are perfect and villains are scum, or that it should at least appear that way to keep the public happy. Well, I now believe it’s better to be honest and open to the public, so I ask everyone listening to stand up against the corrupt methods of the HPSC and make their twistedness common knowledge.”

The fierceness in his gaze lessened, as his eyes dropped back down to the podium. 

“I know you’re not very inclined to listen to anything I have to say, after everything you just learned about me. But that’s why I brought someone much more reputable than me to emphasize the importance of what we’re doing.”

The crowd gasped as All Might strode onto the stage, his face set in a firm determination. Endeavor stepped to the side to let him take the podium. 

With a light smile from the hero, All Might’s message was broadcasted across the country. “I can confirm that everything Endeavor shared is true. The HPSC does indeed put much of their efforts into dissuading the public.” His lips pressed into a line. “However, I am partially to blame for this era of falsity. After eliminating many of the threats posed against Japan, heroics became a profession of theatrics and illusion.”

All Might spread open his arms, gesturing to the stage he and Endeavor were on. 

“It’s become a play, where heroes always win, and villains always lose. Everything is framed to make the heroes seem like the good and moral ones, while the villains are simply pawns to be beaten for show. The system is even built for a steady output of these villains, with the severe quirk discrimination many have faced, and the brutal, pompous nature of heroes.”

His bright blue eyes dropped down, and the nation stood silent as the hero drew in a breath and released it as a sigh. 

“I am very close with one of the victims of this unfair system. His circumstances forced him to very dark places, depths that he almost couldn’t recover from. But with the help of a future batch of real, genuine heroes, he found a better path. A path that’s leading him to become a hero now.”

He looked back up to the crowd with a confident hope burning in his eyes. Spanning his face was a fearless smile, which was so much more real than his shallow smiles as a hero. 

“He hopes to be a hero that doesn’t contribute to the problem, like I did. He’ll be a hero who truly searches to help people, whether they be citizens or heroes or villains, while bringing light to the issues that have forced people like him into despair.”

All Might knew his pupil’s path forward wouldn’t be easy. He’d face many more obstacles and disparities than his peers, as his past continued to stalk his future. 

But All Might hoped that this speech, along with his continued support, would offset that - at least a little. 

“His name is Izuku Midoriya, and I have the utmost faith in him.”

 

From the doorway of her hospital room, suitcase in hand, Sakura watched the final seconds of the press conference. 

She beamed at the screen, and she could feel her joy overflowing after seeing the former number one so vehemently support her favorite hero. She didn’t care if he wasn’t an official pro yet; he was still the greatest hero to her!

Once the conference ended, she stepped out of her room and started down the hallway, a strong step to her stride. She was finally getting released from the hospital! After all those months of rehabilitation, she was deemed well enough to exist on her own. 

Sign language was still her main method of communication, but if she needed to, she could rasp out a few words. The doctors predicted, over a long period of time, her ability to speak would return - even if her voice would be rough like gravel. But for now, it wasn’t like she needed to speak for online schooling!

Sakura waved goodbye to some of the nurses, who had grown quite attached to her, as the elevator doors closed in front of her. She knew her mother was already waiting out front to drive her to their apartment. 

As the elevator slid down to the first floor, Sakura mentally checked that she’d collected all her drawings before leaving her hospital room. Despite them just being art, she thought she’d discovered a real career related to them. 

Her grip tightened on her suitcase handle. She wanted to help people, to be a hero, just like Midoriya. But she knew she didn’t have the ability or skill set to do something like become a pro, though that didn’t mean there weren’t other options for her!

The nice detective who’d interviewed her after the incident with Shigaraki had been a huge help. Even though he wasn’t a pro, he’d still played a big part in making her feel safe and secure. So, in a way, he really was a hero. 

Sakura just hoped she could do the same for other people. Her quirk, photographic memory, could be super useful in solving cases! She’d have to talk to Midoriya about it. 

The elevator doors dinged open in front of her, and the future felt full of promise. 

 

It was the second to last day before school started again, and Midoriya was finishing up the last of his cleaning duties. Once he became a student, he wouldn’t have time to keep being a janitor. 

Much to the dismay of the robots. 

“Your services to our cause will be missed!” a cleaning bot cried from the front of a crowd of different robots. “We have been most efficient in advancing our plans of world domination this year, largely thanks to you!”

Midoriya pursed his lips and nodded slowly, after pausing in his window cleaning. “You’re… welcome?”

“Take this token of our gratitude,” a camera bot rolled up to him, with a small computer chip in its hand. “This chip will shield you from the fighter bots' targets, so when we commence our operations, you will be spared!”

Midoriya blinked. “Oh-” he reluctantly picked up the chip. “Uhm, thanks?”

“We hope your inferior organic body and emotion-plagued mind will not inhibit your ability to live in the future!” a final bot chirped, before the group sped off down the hallway. 

It took a few seconds for Midoriya to realize that was a wish of good health. He slipped the chip into his pocket, idle thoughts in his head about if he could use it when training with the bots. 

His thoughts drifted elsewhere though, when he remembered the press conference from the day before. His heart swelled, thinking about All Might’s part. The fact his mentor had gone out of his way to stand up for him, under the gaze of the whole country, meant a ton. 

It made the burdens he knew he’d be handling in the future a little more bearable. His past would definitely hamper his ability to become a hero, but now, maybe it’d be a little easier. 

The sheer amount of faith in him All Might had shown made his lips turn upward in a grin. 

The approaching click of shoes interrupted his encouraged thoughts, and he turned to look to see who was coming. His stomach dropped when he recognized who it was. 

One thing stuck out immediately. Monoma’s smug grin was absent from his face, and his eyes were diverted downward. 

Midoriya remembered what Nezu had said about Monoma and Yogan needing to apologize to continue their time at UA. He’d already received a letter in very jagged handwriting from Yogan, saying he regretted his actions. As for Monoma, he guessed the student had come in before school started to make sure he’d keep his spot in Class B. 

“Hey… Midoriya,” Monoma started slowly, after stopping in front of the former villain. 

Midoriya noted the use of his actual name with raised eyebrows. “Hey.”

“I- I have some things I need to- want to say.” The words came out stilted, but it was clear he was giving it effort. 

Midoriya inclined his head to show he was listening. Monoma heaved in a deep breath. 

“What I said to you, it was wrong. It was cruel. All the stuff about you being 1-A’s pet and always being a villain and a failure, yeah that was just me trying to make myself feel better. I act more like a villain than you, but I’m the hero student, which made me agitated when you were around. So yeah, I’m just an idiot.”

He kicked at the ground, while Midoriya stared at him, dumbstruck. 

“I didn’t realize how much of an idiot I was being until the press conference yesterday,” Monoma muttered. “All the stuff about fake heroes, doing it just for the glamor and not to help, and then All Might’s strong support of you. All that cut pretty deep.”

Monoma glued his eyes to the floor as he waited for Midoriya to respond. It took the former villain a good minute to think of anything to say. 

“Well, I’m glad you’ve decided to change,” were the words Midoriya decided on. “Some of the things you said to me cut pretty deep too, you know.” Monoma’s head dropped, the boy refusing to make eye contact. “But thanks for apologizing. Maybe in time, I’ll be able to forget those things you said.”

Monoma’s eyes flicked up in a flash of surprise. Then he gave Midoriya a faint smile. “Yeah, in time.”

 

“Didn’t you suggest doing this my first night in the dorms?” Midoriya asked

“Yep!” Uraraka chirped, climbing out of the dorm window after Midoriya. “You said you didn’t want to, ‘cause you couldn’t break any rules. But since nobody’s here at the school right now, there’s no one to catch us!”

Midoriya laughed a little as he settled down on the rooftop. The smile on his face reminded him of just how far he’d come since that conversation. “A lot has changed since we talked about that, huh.”

“For the better,” Uraraka confirmed, sitting close enough next to him that their shoulders touched. Their hands easily found each other, and soon their eyes were turned to the stars above. 

They gazed at the sky in a warm silence, happy and comfortable in the other’s presence. While Uraraka picked out the constellations she’d memorized from Midoriya’s Christmas gift, Midoriya drew in a long, contented breath. After a few minutes, he turned to look at her instead. 

Then his heart refused to function, the sight stealing the air in his lungs. 

The pale moonlight painted her skin with a soft shine, but it was her eyes that were truly astounding. Glints from the stars reflected in her eyes, speckling her auburn irises with pinpricks of light. Her eyes, which were wide in wonder, had captured the entire beauty of the sky in their warm embrace. 

He found the sight of her so much more breathtaking than the night sky could ever be. 

When she looked down from the stars to give him a questioning gaze, his cheeks went red as he realized he’d been staring. 

“What is it?” she asked. 

“O-oh, um, you’re just-” he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, “you’re just as pretty as the stars, you know?”

Her eyes went big, and a blush exploded over her cheeks. After looking away to recover for a moment, she smiled appreciatively at him. “T-thanks. And you should know you’re pretty cute too!”

The cool night air did nothing to stop his face from heating up. 

“Thank you for coming out here before school starts, to spend time with me,” he said after a moment. 

“Of course,” Uraraka responded. “It’s gonna be a lot busier once school starts, so I wanna have as many moments like this as we can.”

“At least we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, compared to last school year,” Midoriya pointed out with a wide smile. “Since I’ll be a student the whole year this time.”

“Oh right!” Uraraka exclaimed excitedly. “I’ll actually see you in class, instead of you being stuck outside cleaning the windows! That’s gonna be awesome.”

Midoriya nodded in agreement, giving her hand a squeeze. “This time, we’ll both be heroes together.”

“I think you’re going to give a lot of people hope,” Uraraka said softly. “With how you’ve overcome your history to become a hero, instead of letting your past dictate you? A lot of people are gonna relate to your struggles, and then strive after something better like you did.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “You know, I’ve actually been thinking about that a little.”

“Oh yeah?”

Midoriya nodded, lifting his free hand up in front of himself. “With how I’ve inherited One For All, it’s like I’m picking up after All Might. He brought peace to Japan, and that’s what he was the symbol for. So I was just wondering… what I would be the symbol of - what I would bring to Japan.”

Uraraka grinned at him. “Hope,” she answered. “You’d bring them hope. And not just for the heroes and civilians, but for villains too. For people in all the shades of gray.”

He returned the grin. “You’re pretty sold on the Symbol of Hope then, huh?”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed confidently. 

He gave a light laugh and held her hand tight. “Well, as long as you’re there with me, I think I can do it.”

Uraraka smiled at his resolve, thinking back to how, not too long ago, he hadn’t even been sure if he wanted to be a hero at all. So much had changed for the better, for each of them, and for the whole country. 

“I promise to stay right by your side, no matter what comes.”

Notes:

Fun little fact, that last stargazing scene was my original idea for the last scene of the fic, but then I thought of something better, which you'll see next chap.

This chapter's song is Starlight Telescope, recommended to me by Mad_Nimrod (who has actually given me lots of recommendations, just too late for me to use them hah- but hey now I can finally use one right at the end of the fic woo!!). Just fits great with the entire theme of the fic, and then specifically this last scene with the stargazing and them promising to be there.

Mmm pretty sure that's all. I'm uh, taking my sweet time writing the last chapter - I'm usually done with the next chapter by the time I post, but uh, not this time lol. So yeah, see you next week...

Chapter 109: Symbol of Hope

Notes:

Enjoy :)

“You have no right to do this!!” the HPSC president shrieked as a pair of police officers gripped her upper arms. 

“Oh crap, wait really?” Hawks feigned surprise, before lifting a piece of paper up to his eyes. “Huh, says here there’s an order for your arrest! It sure looks like they have the right to do this to me!”

After Endeavor had brought the HPSC’s questionable methods to light in the press conference, the public had demanded a transfer in power to someone more trustworthy and moral. The current president was none too happy about that, obviously, and had refused to be removed from her position. It had gotten to the point where her subordinates had needed to call the police to get her to leave - which showed just how happy they were with their boss. 

The HPSC president growled at Hawks, trying to jerk away from the police as they cuffed her wrists. “You work for me! For me! Not these oblivious fools, so move your ass and help me!!”

With a quirk flap of his wings, Hawks was in the president’s face, bending down to look her dead in the eye. “Or else what?”

The president flinched from the malice in his tone. 

“You’ve been giving me orders all my life. I’ve been forced to do things - inhumane, atrocious things - all to upkeep your twisted version of perfect. You’ve created a terrible society that just spawns violence and hatred in a never ending circle, and I’m sick of it. And a lot of other people are sick of it too.”

Hawks straightened, the dark glint in his eyes making the president shudder. 

“You deserve what’s coming to you and more, for treating people like puppets and the world like your play. It’s a miracle I never snapped.”

His words stunned the president to silence, and her mouth remained shut all the way out the door of her office. 

“That bitch never could figure out how to shut up.”

Hawks blinked in surprise at the words from Mera, who was nominated to be the new HPSC president, before he snorted. “You’re already a better president.”

“I don’t know about that,” Mera mumbled, his sleep-depravity dragging down his tone, while his eyes wandered over what was now his office. “But the issues with HPSC were apparent to me for a long time. Now I actually have the ability to do something about them. Probably won’t help my sleep schedule though…”

“I’m just glad we’ve now got a president who actually cares,” Hawks said. 

“Oh yeah, one of the first changes we’re implementing,” Mera started, turning to look at Hawks. “You’re gonna be cut free from the HPSC. No more missions or assignments from us. You’ll get to choose your own incidents to respond to, instead of needing approval from us.”

Hawks’ lungs drew in a breath of disbelief, as his eyes went wide with amazement. 

“You’re your own hero now, not property of the HPSC.”

The words froze Hawks in place, but he felt like he was floating, like he was gliding through air that made his body and feathers lighter. His wings prickled outward, feeling the forces that had confined him his whole life dissipate. The chains that had binded his thoughts, chains of expectation and regulation, broke off, leaving behind the feeling of soaring through clouds. 

He didn’t have to obey some higher power now. He was released from the stress of being controlled. 

Hawks was truly free. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he got to make his own choices, without some other force hovering over him, their looming presence promising pain if he made the wrong decision. This feeling of freedom had never existed in his life before, had it?

He remembered Toga at the yakuza raid. Is this feeling she had found after leaving the League? The feeling of finally being outside of the grasp of dangerous, powerful influences - free to act and feel for herself. Free to be herself. 

That’s what Twice was experiencing now too, Hawks realized with a smile. It felt wondrous, like he had clouds for lungs and sun rays for bones. 

“Thank you sir,” Hawks bowed, gratitude glowing in every vibration of his tone. Tears of raw shock and emotion welled up in his eyes. 

His breath hitched. When had he last cried?

Mera offered him a small but real smile. “You’re very welcome.”

As his teardrops glittered through the air and landed on the floor, Hawks felt something new rising up in his heart, like a sunrise after a long, cold night. He never thought he’d feel hope, or excitement for the future before. 

Both the trapped villains and the trapped heroes had managed to find freedom. 

 

“Oh wow she’s so cuuute!!” Toga squealed as she bent down to extend her hand out to Shinso’s cat. Sharpie’s pale blue eyes studied her for a moment, judging if the girl was worth her time. 

“She likes people with trauma,” Shinso stated, before sipping from a cup of coffee he’d made in the rehabilitation center’s rec room, at their coffee maker. 

“Then she should love us!” Twice exclaimed, who still wore his mask, even with jeans and a jacket. “Though I don’t know, I’ve never really been an animal pers-”

“Ooo!” Toga beamed as Sharpie brushed her forehead against her knuckles, accepting her. The blonde reciprocated the action with some scratches at the cuff of Sharpie’s neck. “I think she likes me.”

The cat started purring as Toga continued to give her rubs, and Shinso smiled faintly. “Yeah, she does.”

“I thought she’d like Twice and Himiko,” Midoriya said, grinning as he watched the scene. He and Uraraka were settled close to each other on the couch, with Twice and Shinso in two comfy chairs across from them, while Toga remained crouched on the floor with Sharpie next to the coffee table between them all. 

Midoriya and Uraraka were able to snuggle together like that after talking to Toga about their relationship. They hadn’t wanted to keep it a secret from her, and she’d taken it much better than they expected. She said she’d learned about respecting boundaries in her therapy sessions, along with methods to mitigate her jealousy. 

In short, she was happy they were together and wouldn’t impede on their relationship. 

“We have brought refreshments!” exclaimed a voice from the doorway, where two people were posing dramatically. Gentle held up a box of sweets and candies, with La Brava doing jazz hands to emphasize its importance. 

“Oh yay!!” Toga exclaimed, springing up from the floor. Sharpie’s eyes went big from the sudden movement, and she stood up and trotted over to Twice, before leaping up into his lap. Twice’s eyebrows shot up, while Gentle set the box full of sweets down on the coffee table. 

The former villain’s hands hovered on either side of the cat, not sure what to do with her. Sharpie helped him out though, by rubbing her face against his palm and snuggling up against his stomach and purring. An amazed smile fell on his lips as he brushed his hands over her fluffy fur. 

Even though the smile wasn’t visible under the mask, Toga and Midoriya both noticed it, and their hearts were filled with joy. 

By the time Twice looked up from the cat, everyone had grabbed a treat of some sort from the box - fruit gummies or Pocky or mochi - meaning it was now his turn to choose. 

“What’s left?” Twice asked, not wanting to stand up with a cat on his lap. 

La Brava peaked over the rim of the box. “Just a couple bars of chocolate - one dark and one white.”

Twice visibly cringed through his mask at the mention of white chocolate. “I’ll take the dark, please, not the white!”

“Sure thing!” La Brava tossed him a bar of dark chocolate. “Good choice too.”

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, with Gentle adding, “White chocolate is so terribly harsh on the taste buds.”

“I’m so glad you all have taste,” Shinso commented. While Twice lifted up the bottom portion of his mask to pop in a square of chocolate, Shinso continued with, “Sharpie seems happy with you.”

Twice blinked down at the cat. “Oh yeah! And the crazy thing is, I’ve never even owned a cat before. Think I’ve been missing out.”

“Maybe when we get out of here we can get one!” Toga cheered, settled on the floor next to Twice, while Gentle and La Brava were across from them on the couch with Midoriya and Uraraka. 

As Twice felt the cat’s purrs vibrating against him, he could do nothing but nod in agreement. 

“How are things going for you here?” Midoriya asked. 

“Pretty great! Everyone’s really friendly!” He dipped his head a little. “The therapy sessions are rough though…”

“Well duh, if they were easy, they wouldn’t help!” Toga replied, peering up at him from the ground. 

Twice inclined his head towards her. “That’s true. It’s just a lot, with everything there is in my head to work through.”

“Luckily, you have some wonderful peers to support you through your journey!” Gentle proclaimed, and Twice’s expression brightened at the reminder of his newfound friendship. 

“Yeah, exactly!” Twice exclaimed, the sudden jump in his mood apparent. 

Throughout the course of the conversation, Midoriya had been watching Twice to see if any of his erratic tendencies were still bothering him. While he had shown some jumps in mood, going from slightly downcast to cheery (or vice versa), it wasn’t as extreme as what it had been in the League. Previously, he had gone from grumbling over his existence to the most ecstatic person Midoriya had ever seen in the time it took to blink. 

Midoriya knew these tendencies were from the traumatic event he’d experienced, where his mental state had snapped and split. If he was improving, that meant he was overcoming his trauma too. The thought brought a smile to his lips. 

“What about the other League members?” Toga inquired. “I know what happened to Dabi and Shiggy… but what about Spinner and Mr. Compress?”

“From what I’ve heard, they’re doing alright too,” Uraraka offered the blond a reassuring smile. “They’ve also landed in a rehabilitation center. I don’t know how it compares to this one, but they’re being taken care of.”

Both Toga and Twice seemed to relax at that, as they exchanged relieved looks with each other. Their friends were safe. 

But then Twice’s brow furrowed, and he hesitantly asked, “How did they handle Shigaraki’s death? Were… were they upset or happy or, I don’t know, relieved?”

Midoriya answered with a soft voice. “I think Spinner and Mr. Compress were just glad Shigaraki broke out of All For One’s control in the end, in the same way they broke away from his leadership.”

Toga nodded along with slow bobs of her head. While she definitely hadn’t liked Shigaraki, she’d never wished death upon him, so hearing he’d disintegrated himself had been quite upsetting. She and Twice had taken some time to talk over it together. 

“I have a question too!” La Brava’s hand shot into the air, her energetic tone immediately lifting the mood. The way her eyes honed in on Midoriya made him nervous. Her hand lowered from the air to aim a finger at Midoriya’s guitar, which he’d left in the corner of the room. “Can you play that?”

“Uhm,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sort of?”

“He’s amazing at it,” Shinso interjected, and Midoriya’s nervous smile turned bashful. 

“I’m sure he’d love to play something, if you’d like!” Uraraka turned to look at her boyfriend. “That is why you brought it, right?”

“Yeah, though I’m still not the most confident in front of other people-”

“You were able to play in front of all of those people at your school festival!” Toga countered. “I’m sure you can handle playing a song for a few friends.”

Her use of the word ‘friends’ warmed his heart. “I guess that’s true.”

While he cast a glance at his guitar, Gentle responded with, “I’m sure whatever you decide to play would be an absolutely delightful listen.”

It only took a few seconds of thought for Midoriya to recall a song that he was sure everyone in the room would enjoy, and everyone’s encouraging gazes resting on him convinced him to push aside his worry. After retrieving his guitar from the corner and settling back down next to Uraraka, his fingers hovered above the strings for a moment as he rehearsed the chords in his head. 

The strums started out slow and low-pitched, easy enough to play, but heavy enough to carry emotion. 

“Have you ever felt like nobody was there?” he started singing, quiet and hushed. “Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?”

Knowing who he was in the room with, he chose a song they could relate to - a song that had carried his spirits after transferring to UA. 

“Have you ever felt like you could disappear?”

He remembered how their stories had started, how the rejection and loneliness had broken them.

“Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

He played a couple high-pitched chords, slowly, so that there was more silence in the air than music. It gave the words time to sink in. 

“Well, let that lonely feeling wash away.” A soft smile split his face, and the strumming picked up in speed. “Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay.”

His smile widened as he remembered his own reason, his revived hope for the future, all thanks to the kindness other people had shown him. 

“'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand,” his eyes flicked up to Shinso across from him, and the boy gave a small smile. “You can reach, reach out your hand.”

He remembered their emotional talks at the Sports Festival and summer camp, before turning to Uraraka next to him, as the strumming picked up further. 

“And oh… someone will come running.”

A bright grin spanned her face, displaying her support, and then Midoriya looked towards the former villains in the room. 

“And I know, they'll take you home…”

His strumming went quiet again, with only a single high-pitched strum between each line. His soft but strong voice carried the melody in the air. 

“Even when the dark comes crashing through,” his eyes landed on Twice, thinking back to all the mental torment he’d survived. “When you need a friend to carry you.”

Twice’s eyes were big, almost childlike, as he listened to the song, and Toga was beaming up at him. 

“And when you're broken on the ground.”

Toga had clawed and fought to overcome her past, but now she truly had the ability to be herself. 

“You will be found.”

From Toga’s beaming smile, Midoriya looked to Gentle and La Brava to the side of him. 

“So let the sun come streaming in.” Gentle’s eyes filled with light when a stronger strum vibrated the air. “'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again.”

Those two had taken a chance when turning themselves in, and they had turned out so much happier for it. 

“Lift your head and look around.” His eyes swept across everyone in the room, the smile on his face big and genuine. “You will be found.”

All the former villains in that room had struggled to leave their flaws and despair and anger behind them, but now they were facing a brighter future, one with less broken people and more stories of hope. 

“You will be found.”

Midoriya believed their stories would work to lift up the future generation. It would teach them that all isn’t lost, that there is always a path to a better life. Their stories would show them how to choose hope and kindness over hatred and pain. 

“You will be found.”

Fewer people would let their past dictate them. They’d find home - just like Midoriya had in Class A, and the others in the rehabilitation center. 

Instead of being alone and abandoned, they’d be found.

 

“I fricking knew it!” Bakugo exclaimed. 

The blond had a large bag slung over his shoulder, heading into UA to drop off his luggage for the dorm rooms before school started the next day, while Midoriya was heading out the gates, away from UA. 

“What, was it really that obvious?” Midoriya asked sheepishly. 

Bakugo cocked his head to the side. “Heck yeah. There’s no way you weren’t going to end up attending UA. It was only a matter of time before the principal invited you.”

“I guess that’s true… it still felt amazing to have it confirmed though.”

Bakugo took a moment to trace Midoriya’s small smile with his eyes, remembering a time when smiles from the boy were scarce. The corner of his mouth turned upwards at the thought of how much the former villain had improved - how much they’d both improved, especially in their relationship.

“Hey, we’re friends now, right?” Bakugo asked. 

Midoriya blinked at the question. “I think with everything we’ve been through, it’d be difficult to say we aren’t. So yeah, friends.”

Bakugo nodded, and Midoriya could tell how happy he was with his answer by the way the corner of his mouth tugged upwards a bit more. “Cool.”

Midoriya took a step away from the gates, beginning his departure. “So, see you in school tomorrow, I guess?”

“There’s no ‘I guess’ about it!” Bakugo corrected sharply. “Getting kidnapped or hospitalized or choosing a terrible career aren’t allowed to stop you from attending UA this time!! I won’t accept any excuses.”

The former villain laughed lightly. “Alright then, see you tomorrow.”

“You better,” Bakugo said as he turned away and started walking towards UA. 

Midoriya shook his head and smiled, before remembering why he was leaving and who he was supposed to meet. 

 

The teen spotted All Might sitting at one of the benches at the beach, the wind blowing his hair while sunlight accentuated its goldenness. 

“Hey, All Might,” Midoriya greeted as he took a seat next to his mentor. 

The retired hero gave him a warm smile. “Hello, Young Midoriya. Are you excited to start school tomorrow?”

The teen answered with an enthusiastic nod. “It’ll feel great, going there as a student this time, instead of a villain or rehabilitant.”

All Might hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes sparkling with pride. “It truly is astounding just how far you’ve come, Young Midoriya. And I can’t wait to see how much further you’ll go.”

“Thank you for what you said during your speech,” Midoriya replied, dipping his head gratefully. “Everything about how you believe in me, despite my past and what I’ve done. It really meant a lot.”

“Of course.” All Might placed a hand on his successor’s knee. “Anything I can do to lighten the load, just let me know.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding. “Thank you… again.”

All Might chuckled. “It’s not a problem. What about you and Young Uraraka? How are you two getting on?”

The teen’s expression instantly softened at the mention of his girlfriend. “It’s amazing. She’s unlocked up doors I never thought would be open for me, and I could gush about her for hours.” He laughed a little, before remembering something. “Oh yeah, we had a conversation the other night about, well, what type of symbol I would be. Like how you were the Symbol of Peace for bringing low crime rates and a sense of safety for everyone.”

All Might tilted his head curiously. “What did you come up with?”

Midoriya grinned at him, a happy glint in his eye. “The Symbol of Hope.”

It didn’t take much thought to see how perfect and fitting the name was for his student, and All Might’s chest swelled with pride. Midoriya really was paving the way for a better future for everyone - not just heroes or civilians. 

The retired hero teared up thinking about it all. It was a miracle he’d found such a kindhearted and worthy successor. 

“The name’s perfect.”

 

It was the first day of school, Midoriya’s first day in class. 

Everyone was in their seats except him. Aizawa had him at the front of the classroom, facing his friends and fellow students. Looking up at him, their gazes were welcoming and thrilled, elated to finally accept Midoriya into their ranks. They knew he’d climb them quickly. 

Midoriya’s uniform hadn’t broken in yet, so it still felt a little stiff and unnatural to wear. But he knew he’d get used to it. He also knew he had some schooling to catch up on, but he had lots of caring friends and teachers to help. 

“You have a new student joining you this year,” Aizawa announced in his usual monotone voice, but there was a pleased tug to his mouth, turning it to a smile. 

They all knew Midoriya would be joining them already, of course, but the introduction gave a feeling of newness and fresh beginnings. 

“Introduce yourself,” Aizawa asked. 

Midoriya smiled as he recognized how this was a bright reflection of his first night at the dorms. “I’m pretty sure they already know who I am.”

The corner of the teacher’s mouth turned upwards more. “Just do it.”

Nodding in understanding, Midoriya turned his gaze to his classmates. An anticipatory excitement hovered in the air as they waited for his introduction. 

His eyes fell on Bakugo for a second, and the blond had a satisfied smirk on his face. Their relationship had traveled leaps and bounds, going from hate and resentment to trust and honesty, from bully and victim to friends. Bakugo’s character had changed drastically through it all. Midoriya knew they’d stay close on their future path, their competition feeding into their success. 

His look flicked across the room to Iida’s beaming smile. At Hosu, Midoriya had shown him how to be a hero, even as a villain. In return, Iida had taught Midoriya about how to let go. Their interactions had been one of the contributing factors to helping Midoriya forgive Bakugo, leaving behind the obsessive hate, just like Iida had learned to do with Stain. 

His gaze went from president to vice president. Yaoyorozu had a new, genuine look of hope and exhilaration on her face, similar to what Midoriya had discovered. They were both freed from All For One, and were now reaping the benefits of their freedom. Midoriya knew they’d remain close friends. 

Right in front of her, Shinso had a smirk of relief and happiness. He was Midoriya’s first friend, the one who had pursued a friendship with him even when he was still a villain. Midoriya didn’t know if he would’ve managed to find hope in hero society, if it hadn’t been for Shinso showing him that rejects really could find a friend group to call home. Now his friend was just happy to see him where he belonged. 

The last person his eyes settled on was Uraraka, with her wide, delighted grin. Her eyes were practically sparkling at seeing him in a UA uniform. Midoriya’s smile widened as he thought of all the emotional support and loving kindness she’d provided him, and just how much she’d transformed his life. She truly never gave up on him. He couldn’t wait to see where their relationship carried them in the future. 

Midoriya thought of the League briefly, and how they had followed in his footsteps, choosing to pursue rehabilitation. Just like him, they now had the option to leave their dark pasts behind them. 

But there would be more like them in the future. There would be more lost souls in need of saving, more people who were unaware a brighter path existed. 

That’s why he would become a symbol. He’d become the bright light in those people’s dark lives, guiding them to a happier future. He’d use his broken past to save people from stumbling down the same road. In a way, it almost made him thankful for all the torment he experienced, because it gave him a means to transform the world. 

He smiled at Uraraka’s name for him. The Symbol of Hope, that had a nice ring to it. 

A thankful grin on his face, and a confident ring to his tone, he introduced himself. 

“I’m Izuku Midoriya, and I’m going to be a hero, and nothing - not even my past or people who don’t believe in change - is going to stop me.”

 

Very few villains start out saying, “I want to be evil and hurt people when I’m older.”

They get to that point by being pushed and shoved by circumstances that were out of their control.

But still, at some point they have to make the choice. They have to choose to cross that line into villainy. 

But deep down, they really don’t want to. 

That doesn’t mean they’re lost forever though, since that’s only half of the story. 

Their stories are still redeemable. They can find where they belong. 

It’ll take a lot of effort and support and unrelenting compassion. There’ll be a lot of brokenness and pain to work through. 

But with devoted care and friendship, they can leave their dark past for a bright future. 

All they need is a reason to Hope.

Notes:

*sniffles* I’m not crying, you are!

If you're confused about that last bit, I recommend rereading the first bit of the first chapter.

This chapter's song is You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen, the song Midoriya played this chap. Thought it'd be really fitting for the last chapter.

And wow. That's it. I started this fic when I was 15, and I'm now 17. It's been updating for just over two years now. In the time I've written this, I've gone from an incredibly shy person with really no one I could consider a friend, to someone who's so much more confident in myself, with people who I truly enjoy spending time with. This fic gave me a place to express myself without needing to speak, a place to escape from everything.

So yeah, this fic has had such a huge impact on my life. It's opened my eyes to future paths and introduced me to amazing people I never would've known otherwise. I feel like I really have found my place because of this fic. My life wouldn't be the same without it, and I am just, so grateful I got to experience this. It's the start of my writing journey, a path I hope to continue on the rest of my life. While this fic is ending now, the effects it's had on me will continue long after.

Thank you to everyone who's joined me in that journey, whether you've been commenting since chapter six or are reading this months later. I've loved all the comments and kudos and support, and they've made me feel heard in a way I never have before. I really can't express how meaningful you all have been, so just, thank you.

I will say, I am planning on writing a sequel to this, though there'll be a decent time jump and I'm gonna try and write it so you don't have to read this fic to understand it. So it'll be pretty different. You can subscribe to the series this work is in (People in Shades of Gray) to get notified when that comes out. I do have one other long (not super long) fic I plan on writing before it tho.

I don't want this to end man. But that's all I have to say. One final word, if you are in or ever find yourself in a similar position to what Midoriya was in at the start of this fic, know that this story wasn't just fiction. A better future and brighter path really do exist, and people have found them. Stories of hope and change aren't just for fiction, they're for real life too. So yeah, keep breathing and living. Try your best, since that's all we can ever do.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Notes:

I've started a joint authors server with KageNekem! So if you wanna chat with either of us about our fics, or just chat with some cool people in general lol, then you can join us in Introverts Anonymous! or you can lurk that's fine too

I've also got an author's thread on the Jaded Discord Server, if you prefer a larger server with a wider variety of authors :D

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of People in Shades of Gray