Better with Two

by spark_the_fangirl

Summary:

Katsuki was taught that the quirkless were weak. He was told that they were worthless and fragile, that they needed to be protected. Katsuki saw Izuku’s intelligence and decided that he was anything but useless.

It turns out that accepting Izuku was the best decision he could have made, because Katsuki’s absolute unwavering determination, his intensity, his overwhelming bloodlust, when paired with Izuku’s border-line stalkerish analysis, his hunger to rise above his position, his sharp perception, makes for a terrifying duo.

Terrifying, and powerful.

Chapter 1

“Quirkless bastard,” Katsuki said as he pulled Izuku up off the ground by the collar. “What, you think you’re better than me?”

“P-please-” Izuku’s voice shook as he spoke and his eyes flickered over to the goons snickering nearby. They laughed louder as they made eye contact with him, amused at the idea that he hoped they’d help him.

He had no such misconception.

Katsuki followed his eyes and growled, turning Izuku so the extras could no longer see his face. “Look at ME, Deku.”

“The shoulder,” Izuku whispered once sure he was hidden. “Mom comes home tonight.”

Katsuki gave a small nod before throwing Izuku into the wall. “Learn your place, freak,” he spat. He pulled back his hand, an explosion beginning to flicker, while he held Izuku in place with his other hand. Izuku clawed at the vice-like grip in desperation, trying to free himself.

“Do it, Bakugou!” one of the extras jeered.

Katsuki blasted Izuku’s left shoulder, the cloth of the uniform blackening and falling into ash under the heat. Izuku sobbed at the burn, crumpling as Katsuki released him. He turned away as Izuku withered on the ground, clutching his shoulder in agony.

One of the boys who had watched spat on Izuku before turning to follow Katsuki. He felt his hand clench tighter in his pocket but he said nothing as he walked away, ignoring Izuku’s exaggerated cries.

-

He walked into Izuku’s apartment as soon as he was able to lose those parasites that followed him around. Izuku was in the bathroom, sitting on the counter as he tried to wash his new burn, struggling because of the angle.

“Let me,” Katsuki said, taking the cloth from him and turning Izuku so he could get a better hold. He ran it softly over the reddened area a few times before reaching for the ointment and gauze. It was a process they were both familiar with at that point. “When’s Auntie getting home?”

“Not till late,” Izuku said, wincing at the sting. “The plane comes in at nine.”

Katsuki nodded and finished wrapping the injury. He looked up and examined the scrape from an earlier incident across Izuku’s forehead, pulling up his hair to see it better. It had just started to scab up, the small pinprick pattern turning a rusty red as it healed.

“Tripped while going up the stone steps to the library,” Izuku said, the prepared alibi coming naturally.

“That works,” Katsuki said. It was better to the truth at least, that it had come from another show between the two, where Katsuki had smashed his head into the pavement, bloodying Izuku’s entire face.

Katsuki sighed. “I hate this, you know.”

Izuku looked at Katsuki, his gaze unwavering. “Just for a little longer,” he said, “it’ll be worth it, in the end.” He hopped off the counter and started cleaning up the first aid kit. “We just have to make sure our alibi is stable.”

Katsuki smiled. “Midoriya and Bakugou, mortal enemies.”

Izuku laughed. “Won’t they be surprised when they learn the truth.”

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

“We’re going to change the world, you know,” said Izuku, breaking the silence. He lay on his stomach on Katsuki’s floor, head resting on one hand as the other wrote in his notebook.

Katsuki looked up from his phone. He lay on his bed as he scrolled through an article. Izuku may have been the mastermind of the two of them but Katsuki made sure to keep himself well informed of the comings and goings of the world as well.

“I mean it,” Izuku continued, “just think of the stir we’ll cause, you, with your heroic quirk, and me, with none at all, the two most powerful villains in the world.”

The thought did make Katsuki’s heart beat a little faster. He’d seen how far a little power could go, his quirk had made sure of that, and there was something intoxicating about the influence it gave him. But-

“Not yet,” he said.

Izuku sat up and looked at Katsuki, his eyes bright. “But soon.”

In just over a year, if all went to plan, the two of them would infiltrate UA and set in motion a series of events that would topple society, and more importantly, put the two of them in positions of unimaginable power. All for One had promised.

Katsuki smiled back. “Soon.”

Izuku laughed and fell back to the floor. “Can you just imagine?” he whispered.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Katsuki waited anxiously with Inko after the slime attack. She fussed over him, called his parents and made sure they were on their way home, and cried into his shoulder at how dangerous the situation had been.

He was mostly quiet as they waited. The attack had been planned, part of a much more elaborate scheme to trick All Might, but Katsuki wouldn’t know if it had worked until Izuku returned.

“Where is he?” Inko asked for the fifth time. “Shouldn’t he have been here at the same time as you?”

“I told you, the heroes wanted to keep him longer than me. He was still talking to them when I left.” Which was a lie, but it was necessary for Izuku to be alone if they had any chance.

“He isn’t responding to my texts.”

“He probably just lost his phone in the scuffle,” Katsuki reassured, just as impatient for him to return although for very different reasons.

“I’m just afraid that-” She was cut off as the door slowly opened and Izuku timidly stuck out his head. He looked abashed for his mother and after years his poker face was nearly flawless but Katsuki could read in between the lines. Under the mask there was sharp success leaking out the corners.

Katsuki smiled. They’d done it.

“Izuku!” She stood from her chair and ran to her son. “Oh I was so worried, never scare me like that again, okay?”

“I’m sorry Mom,” he said, his voice small. From over her shoulder as he hugged Inko he smiled at Katsuki, exhilarated. Katsuki reciprocated, grinning as the same sense of eagerness washed over him.

It took a while to console Inko and even longer to calm Katsuki’s parents who arrived not much later, but finally, they were able to make their way to Izuku’s room and, blessings of all blessings, their parents allowed it, understanding that the two would want some time alone to digest the situation.

“I did it,” Izuku whispered excitedly as soon as the door was shut behind them. “It worked perfectly, better than I could have possibly hoped for.”

“So you have the quirk?” Katsuki asked, matching his hushed tone.

His face fell slightly, laced with annoyance. “Not exactly. All Might told me about the quirk and promised it to me, but he believes that I’ll need to train my body to receive it first.” He rolled his eyes. “As if I haven’t been preparing my whole life.” Izuku’s smile returned. “It’s fine though, I’m sure he’ll change his mind once he sees just how in shape I actually am, and even if he doesn’t, I’m sure I’ll have it before the entrance exam, and that’s what matters.” He fell onto his bed and sighed, looking at the ceiling. “It’s all coming together now. Years of preparation, and finally, we’re almost there.”

“Sensei will be proud,” Katsuki said as he joined Izuku and sat on the edge of the bed.

Izuku looked up at him. “As if he’d ever doubt us,” he said with a sly smile.

The two sat for a moment in silence before Izuku let out a single laugh.

“What?” asked Katsuki.

“It just hit me- I’m really going to have a quirk.”

“Maybe people will actually take you seriously now,” Katsuki chuckled.

Izuku elbowed him. “Ha. Ha.”

“Look out world!” Katsuki said, mockingly. “Little ol’ quirkless Izuku is gone, beware!”

Izuku smiled, his teeth showing in a way that seemed more a threat than humorous. “Believe me, they better.”

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Izuku groaned and slid to the floor of Katsuki’s room. Katsuki looked up at him from the textbook he had been reading.

“Tired much?” he asked.

“He had me lift a car,” Izuku replied incredulously. “A literal car.”

Katsuki laughed. “Getting a taste of your own medicine, huh?”

Izuku glared at him. “Oh please, your exercise regime isn’t nearly as hard as this.” He stretched his arms, sighing as he did. “ ‘Sides, I made it according to your level of fitness to be as comfortable as possible while still increasing your strength in preparation for the entrance exam.”

“Whereas All Might-”

“-just has me lifting heavier and heavier things until I reach an arbitrary point of fitness,” Izuku finished. “A freaking car,” he muttered again, causing Katsuki to snort. “Oh!” Izuku said, jumping up. “I nearly forgot-” He dug through the backpack he had brought with him and pulled out a composition notebook titled Hero Analysis for the Future. “I’ve been taking some notes about All Might, mind running them to Sensei tomorrow? All Might’s gonna have me running laps all day so I won’t have time.”

Katsuki took the book from Izuku and shrugged. “Sure. Is he expecting me?”

Izuku nodded.

Katsuki slid the notebook under his bed and grinned at Izuku. “I’ll run that over, and then-” he said slyly. “-I’ll go lift a car.”

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

“I got it,” Izuku said quietly, sliding to sit next to Katsuki in the auditorium. “He gave it to me just an hour ago.”

“Not a moment too soon,” Katsuki muttered back.

Izuku laughed a little. “All Might is surprisingly stubborn.”

Katsuki looked at Izuku and perhaps it was just his imagination but he seemed to be a little more vibrant as if One for All had changed him somehow.

“Are you ready for the exam?” he asked. An hour wasn’t very long to prepare with a new quirk but Izuku seemed to exude a sense of confidence that made Katsuki sure he’d be fine.

“I’ll have to be,” Izuku said, smiling.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Izuku burst into Katsuki’s room without so much as a knock.

“I’m in!” he said excitedly, still breathless from running the whole way there.

Katsuki jumped up. “You got your letter?!” he asked, matching Izuku’s enthusiasm.

Izuku nodded. “I’m in,” he repeated. “We made it, I can’t believe it, we’ve really done it.” He laughed and spun in place, still hugging the letter to his chest. “We did it, Kacchan.”

“UA won’t know what hit it,” Katsuki said with a smile.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

It took time, planning. The two of them spent hours, days, weeks, leading up to the start of the year just working out every second of their time there.

“It’s important to keep up our alibi,” Izuku said, scribbling something in his notebook, “middle school was good practice for us but we’ll have to be in character every moment at UA.”

Katsuki hummed in agreement.

“That’s the kicker. Chances are they’ll end up suspecting a traitor pretty quickly, but it’ll take a while before they realize there’s two.”

“And even once they do, no one will suspect the two of us,” Katsuki finished.

“It’s perfect,” said Izuku, smiling.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

"You," Katsuki growled as he saw Izuku enter the classroom. He swung his legs off the desk and pushed past the four-eyed nerd, and faced Izuku with a look of disgust written on his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Deku?"

Izuku looked frightened. "I- I made it through the entrance exam too, Kacchan," he stuttered.

Katsuki's hands began to flicker. "Don't fucking call me that!"

Izuku flinched and closed his eyes as if preparing to be hit.

All eyes were on the two of them, the tension nearly palpable as their classmates whispered amongst themselves.

"Whoa," a red-haired boy said, walking towards them, "what's the issue here?"

Katsuki glared at him. "None of your fucking business," he spat, before turning to Izuku once more. "You don't belong here," he hissed. He then walked back to his desk, avoiding Izuku's eyes.

Izuku looked shaken.

“Are you okay?” The girl from the entrance exam set a cautious hand on his shoulder but pulled away as Izuku shivered at the contact.

“Y-yeah,” he said unconvincingly, “yeah. I’m fine.” Keeping his head down he shuffled over to the empty desk behind Katsuki. "That'll do," he whispered as he walked past.

Katsuki smiled softly.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

“First we’ll have Iida and Bakugou as the villains versus Uraraka and Midoriya as the heroes,” All Might said.

Izuku and Katsuki exchanged a look. The pairing couldn’t have been more perfect. They’d use this battle trial as an opportunity to further their cover, cementing the belief that the two of them despised each other in the minds of all those watching so if, and when, the idea that a traitor had infiltrated their ranks was brought up no one would possibly suspect that Izuku and Katsuki were working together.

It was the perfect plan.

-

“Use your quirk, Deku,” Katsuki shouted, as he rounded the corner. “I know you have one!”

Even though the rest of the class wouldn’t be able to hear his jeering, the microphones that connected teammates ensured that Izuku and Katsuki wouldn’t be able to speak freely.

“K-Kacchan-” Izuku said, his voice trembling. “W-wait-” His eyes darted around, looking desperately for an exit as he realized he was cornered.

“Y’know,” Katsuki said, “they really did follow our designs perfectly.” He reached out, showing the grenade-like weapon affixed to his forearm. “So if this works how I think it does then it’s been storing up my nitroglycerin since the beginning of this battle.” He smiled darkly.

Izuku’s eyes widened.

“Not that it’s much of an issue,” he continued. “After all, with that little quirk of yours, you shouldn’t have a problem dodging it.”

“It’s j-just a practice Kacchan,” Izuku argued weakly.

Katsuki glowered. “Then I guess you better use your fucking quirk, Deku.” He looped a finger through the pin and ever so subtly raised an eyebrow.

Izuku gave a single slow, small nod.

The hall exploded.

Izuku dove to the ground with superhuman speed, his veins alight with the power of One for All.

“That’s more like it!” Katsuki yelled. “Come at me, Deku! Let me crush you at your strongest!”

Izuku breathed heavily on the ground, his costume singed where he’d allowed the blast to graze him. He slowly picked himself up and ran at Katsuki, fist outstretched.

Katsuki sidestepped the hit, grabbing Izuku’s arm and throwing him back to the ground. “Stop underestimating me! Fucking try!”

Izuku rose once more and as he did Katsuki charged towards him, the two connected but rather than delivering the blow to Katsuki Izuku directed it up, at the ceiling.

“Now Uraraka!”

-

In the end, the heroes won. Not that it mattered, both Izuku and Katsuki had accomplished what they needed to. They had proven exactly where their loyalties lay, and it was not with each other.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

The evacuation was chaotic. Being only the third day of school most of the teachers hadn’t gotten around to explaining the meaning of the alarms, a fact that Izuku and Katsuki had been relying on.

The entire student body was shoving their way out of the school, shouting as they did, and every spare teacher was trying to calm the children. It was the perfect distraction, just as planned.

As everyone shuffled back to class Izuku caught Katsuki’s eyes. He nodded ever so slightly, so subtly that Izuku doubted anyone else even noticed.

It seemed the alarm had provided sufficient cover.

-

That night Izuku dug out a schedule that hadn’t been in his bag that morning and sent a single picture to an unnamed contact in a burner phone.

It was almost time.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

All Might wasn’t there. Izuku and Katsuki exchanged a look as they entered the USJ but neither could do anything to relay the information to the waiting villains preparing to attack.

So they watched in silence as a black portal opened in the center of the plaza and Tomura repeated what they already knew.

“Where is he?” Tomura hissed. “All Might is supposed to be here.”

It continued to go downhill from there.

-

Katsuki rejoiced inwardly as All Might showed up finally, and began to fight the Nomu. All for One had promised that the Nomu was just as powerful as the Symbol of Peace, but it seemed that for once he had been wrong.

All Might met the Nomu punch for punch and Katsuki watched in shock as the Nomu flew through the roof and All Might stayed standing.

Tomura was fuming as he retreated. “Next time,” he promised. “Next time you’re dead”

Katsuki looked at Izuku, still drenched, his lips a thin line and his eyes bright with a fury Katsuki knew only he noticed.

They’d failed.

-

“That IDIOT!” Izuku yelled. He paced around his room, fists clenched in anger. “We give him All Might tied up in a bow and he STILL manages to screw it up!”

Katsuki sat on Izuku’s bed, watching as he ranted about Tomura’s latest failure.

Izuku grabbed a plastic All Might figurine off his desk. The decor, just like everything else in his life, was chosen to deceive. “We had him,” he hissed, “years of planning, of manipulation, of careful observation, down the drain because of incompetence.” His veins glowed green as he clenched the model. It shattered in his grasp.

It wasn’t the first time Katsuki had seen Izuku angry. It didn’t happen often, Izuku liked to control his emotions, liked to keep them in check, but each time they showed there was a small part of Katsuki that bristled at the sight.

“Not even we knew All Might would go over his time limit,” said Katsuki.

Izuku growled. “But even when he did show up Shigaraki still fucked up.” He grabbed a photo of All Might and threw it against his door, the frame shattering satisfactorily. Katsuki was grateful, not for the first time, that Inko’s job required her to leave on business trips quite often, allowing her to remain blissfully ignorant. Izuku stared at the shards of glass on the floor. “All Might would be dead if it wasn't for the interference of the students.”

“Tomura did what he could-”

Izuku turned towards him and Katsuki could see that he was tearing up with anger. “He put Asui in a BOAT! The girl with a fucking frog quirk and he had her dropped into a pool of water! I TOLD him how powerful the class was, but Shigaraki didn’t do a damn thing about it. He thought a bunch of low-level thugs would be enough to occupy them-”

“Izuku-” Katsuki said calmly.

“And YOU!” said Izuku. “How the hell are you so okay with this?! Our plans are ruined and for what-”

“I’m upset too.”

“Well you sure don’t show it,” Izuku said, glaring at him with glossy eyes.

Katsuki looked up at Izuku. “Because there’ll be other chances, and I know that neither of us will give up. So until our cover is blown I don't see why we would be concerned.”

Izuku sighed. “Years of work. It’s so frustrating, having our plans ruined. And now they’ll start to suspect a traitor, we’ll have to work even harder to keep our alibis-”

“But we will,” Katsuki assured, “this is what all those years of practice have led up to, this moment. We’ll convince everyone, you know we will.”

Izuku took a deep breath. “You’re right. You always are. I’m just so-” He was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He answered it. “Hello?” There was a long pause before Izuku replied, “We’ll be there,” and ended the call.

“Sensei wants to see us,” he said, pocketing his phone once more.

Katsuki nodded and stood. “Let's not keep him waiting.”

Notes:

Well this is a far cry from my usual crack but I wanted to try something a little different and here we are.

Not sure when I'll upload chapter two, I have a bit of it written already and a relatively detailed outline but with my procrastination abilities it could still be several months.

Chapter 2

Katsuki was cold. He pursed his lips as he stood, looking at Shoto, unconscious just on the wrong side of the line. His hands were curled into fists, smoke weaving in and out of his fingers.

He turned and walked out of the arena, silent and cold.

Katsuki’s anger was ice cold, at least when it was genuine. He faked anger so often, overreacted in the most dramatic of ways, and no one doubted his emotions were just as explosive as his quirk. But where Izuku’s anger was like a volcanic eruption, red hot lava pouring from his eyes, dripping down his lips, to the point where if you squinted you could almost see the ashes across his cheeks, Katsuki’s was a frozen desert, an endless frosty glacier, so frigid you could feel the burn with every glance, sharp eyes piercing into you with a biting numbness to them.

“Kacchan,” Izuku said, throwing a quick glance behind him as he followed Katsuki. It wouldn’t do to be caught together at this point, not when they were so close.

Katsuki kept walking, striding down the hallway until the sound of the crowd faded out, becoming no more than a distant memory.

“It’s okay. You won-”

“I know,” said Katsuki, emotionless.

Izuku hesitated. “But it doesn’t feel like it, does it?”

Katsuki turned and looked at Izuku, face blank. “He didn’t even try. He just stood there with his fucking ice like I wasn’t even worth more than half his power.”

Izuku winced in sympathy.

“How’d you do it?” Katsuki asked quietly.

Izuku looked away, almost ashamed. He wasn’t so ungracious to pretend he didn’t know what Katsuki meant though. “I was just curious. I took a bet that paid off. But it wouldn’t have been good for you to have-”

“I know!” Katsuki said loudly. For the first time his blank mask cracked showing the anger beneath. He took a deep breath. “I know,” he repeated, “it’s just frustrating.” He looked away. “I’m sick of this. I’m sick of acting, I’m sick of pretending-”

“Only a little longer,” Izuku whispered.

Katsuki closed his eyes and nodded softly.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Gran Torino frowned as he hit the corner of the room, opposite where Izuku had been looking as he launched off from the other wall. Except Izuku was watching him as soon as he made contact, seemingly predicting where Gran Torino would land. Gran Torino was confused, and more than a little nervous.

Only a few hours into Izuku’s training and Gran Torino already knew that the boy was far stronger than Toshinari had given him credit for when taking to him the week prior, which meant one of two things: either Toshinari was severely underselling his successor, unlikely, or he was unaware of Izuku’s true strength, more likely but seemingly only possible if Izuku himself hadn’t been showing his full power. The implication of that scared Gran Torino. He wasn’t entirely sure what it would mean.

“I win,” Izuku said with a smile, his eyes sharp with pride as he grabbed Gran Torino by the leg, just barely throwing him off balance as his trajectory was predicted once more.

Gran Torino slowed down, allowing himself to float softly down back to the floor. “That was… enlightening.”

Izuku grinned at Gran Torino, the green lights on his skin slowly flickering out. “You didn’t think I’d be given such a wonderful quirk and not work to learn how to use it, did you?”

“All Might said you’d been struggling to control it properly.”

“He underestimates me,” Izuku said matter of factly. “It’s okay, he’s just worried that I won’t be good enough to be the next symbol of peace. I think he was afraid you wouldn’t approve of his selection in successor.”

The explanation made sense but part of it just didn’t ring true to Gran Torino.

“Perhaps…”

-

That night Gran Torino was awoken by a pulsing green light leaking under the crack of his door. He pushed it open to find the hall cast in jade, the light pulsating in a way that caused the shadows to flicker hectically, elongating and shortening in a seemingly imperceptible rhythm.

As he walked further the lights glowed brighter until he finally reached Izuku’s room at the end of the hall. The door was ajar and when Gran Torino peered in he found his breath caught in his throat.

Izuku was seated cross-legged on the floor, his back to the hall as he appeared to meditate. Tendrils of green energy flickered off of him, feeling their way through the room in a monumental display of power.

Except no one was supposed to see this. It wasn’t a show, it was practice. Gran Torino shuddered. He’d never felt an aura this– consuming. This strength, it shouldn’t have been possible, it was as if Izuku had mastered the extent of One for All but had hidden the truth.

Why?

Gran Torino watched as Izuku stiffened under his gaze. His head turned slowly and Sorahiko made contact with shining white eyes, two luminous beams piercing through the darkness and into Sorahiko. They were so bright, their radiance obstructing the rest of Izuku’s face, and that energy, Sorahiko felt like he could be torn apart by his stare alone.

Gran Torino gasped and pulled away. He pressed his back to the wall of the hallway, his heart pounding like he had been staring at the barrel of a shotgun rather than just the eyes of a child.

This was dangerous.

There was something Gran Torino was missing, something obvious, but he didn’t know what.

He’d take the boy down to Hosu in the morning, he decided. Perhaps then he’d understand, if he saw Izuku in action.

He returned to bed then, although he didn’t sleep. Anytime he closed his eyes he could only see two lights, consuming him.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Tenya was going to die.

He felt it as his limbs went numb, as he fell to the ground, hardly feeling the pain as he reached the concrete below him, too overwhelmed with the knowledge that he was going to die.

Stain said something, Tenya wasn’t sure what, he couldn’t hear him over the thumping of blood in his ears. But then he heard a new voice, a familiar voice. The fear didn’t dissipate as Izuku came into view, if anything a new layer was added as Tenya realized, not only was he going to die but his friend would too, and it would be all his fault.

Izuku looked angry. It was strange, Tenya realized he’d never seen such an expression on his face, and it looked wrong.

“I thought I made myself clear,” Izuku hissed, “the students are off-limits, Chizome.”

Tenya didn’t have time to wonder what he meant before Stain responded. “The boy attacked me first. He’s a fake, just like the rest of them.”

Izuku sneered and widened his stance. “We had a deal.” His voice was almost shrill. “I won’t allow you to screw this up.”

“Then make me, traitor,” Stain spat the last word.

Green lightning encircled Izuku. “Gladly.”

Stain pulled out his knives and laughed at Izuku’s determination. “Oh, how noble! So you’ll fight for your honor, will you? Do you really believe that saving this child will dissolve your sins?”

Izuku threw a punch but Stain dodged it easily. He tried to cut the boy as he went past but the knives missed their mark and the two were at a standstill once more.

“Does he even know?” Stain asked with a smile. “Or does he still have no idea who his ‘friend’ really is?”

Izuku growled and his skin glowed even brighter, to the point where Tenya’s eyes began to water just from watching. “Shut up,” he said, quietly.

“And what about the other one? Do they know about your little partner in crime? What was his name-” His words were cut off as Izuku ran towards him, faster than Tenya thought possible, perhaps, he shivered at the thought, even faster than Tenya himself.

Stain flew back as Izuku made contact, his momentum causing him to rip through the brick wall behind him as if it was tissue paper.

Stain did not move.

Izuku stood there, breathing heavily, and Tenya had the distinct impression that it was not exertion that caused him to tremble but rather fury.

In a single moment though the look fell from his face and was replaced with one of abject horror. As Tenya rose slowly, the paralysis having faded the moment Stain died, he watched Izuku collapse to the ground, trembling.

“Midoriya?” Tenya asked hesitantly. Izuku’s body was wracked with sobs and there was nothing to indicate that he had heard Tenya. “Hey-” He knelt down next to the boy and set his hand gently on Izuku’s back. He shuddered at the touch. “Midoriya,” Tenya repeated.

“No…” Izuku said quietly. “No.”

“It’s going to be okay, alright?”

Izuku shook his head frantically. “You don’t understand- I-” He broke off into sobs once more.

Tenya didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure he understood what had even happened.

"Please," Izuku looked up at him, his eyes wide as he begged. "You have to believe me- I- it's not what-" his voice dropped to a whisper. "I never wanted to."

"Midoriya," Tenya asked hesitantly, "is it true? Are you the traitor?"

Izuku winched. "They threatened me, Iida. You have to believe me. They- they said if I didn't-"

Tenya watched as Izuku fell apart.

“You have NO idea what they’re capable of- they have eyes everywhere and one slip up and they’ll- they’ll-” Izuku’s hands curled, digging deep into the asphalt as green sparks ran up his arms. “You can’t tell them. They’ll kill me if you do.” He turned to Tenya, terror in his eyes. “They’ll kill you, and everyone I care about, and force me to WATCH.”

Tenya shivered. Izuku spoke with an urgency that convinced him the very same words had been recited to Izuku in numerous threats. “It’s going to be okay, Midoriya. I’ll help you, we’ll get you out,” he said, trying to reassure the boy. “We’ll tell the teachers, they’ll keep you safe.”

“NO!” Izuku looked panicked. “You heard him! I’m not the only one at the school who’s a traitor, and the other one-”

Tenya’s eyes widened. “Surely not a teacher-”

Izuku looked away. “I told you. They’re more powerful than you ever dreamed.” He took a deep breath, calming himself. “The only way to save me is to say nothing about what you’ve seen here.”

“Midoriya,” Tenya felt tears well up in his own eyes. “I can’t in good conscience let you- not after you just saved my life.”

Midoriya looked up in surprise. “You believe me?”

“Of course. I know you, there’s no way you’d be involved in something like this unless you were forced to be.”

“Then please, believe me when I say I have a plan. I’ll get out but not before taking the whole thing down with me.” A flash of determination overcame his face.

“But-”

“Trust me, Iida. I’ll be fine, so please, don’t tell anyone.”

Tenya swallowed hard. “If- if that’s what you need.”

Izuku wrapped his arms around Tenya, sobbing into him as he did. “Yes, thank you.” He looked up, eyes shining. “I’ll be safe, thanks to you.”

-

“I fucked up,” Izuku whispered. He looked more frightened than Katsuki had ever seen him before. “I- I lost my temper and-” he dissolved into a frenzy of unintelligible mutters.

“Hey.” Katsuki grabbed Izuku by the shoulders. “It’s okay, I promise. Just tell me what happened.”

Izuku took a deep breath. “Iida knows.”

Katsuki’s eyes widened. “What-”

“Stain was going to kill him, and I should have just let him, but I guess I didn’t realize that I actually cared-” He began to cry. “And Stain said I was a traitor and he was about to reveal you too and I panicked-” Izuku buried his hands in his hair and began to tremble. “I killed him. I killed him and Iida saw the whole thing.”

“What did you do?” Katsuki asked, because he knew Izuku wouldn’t just leave a situation like that which meant he must have tried to fix it somehow.

Izuku didn’t disappoint. “Lied,” he said, “I convinced him that I’m acting against my will, that I’m being threatened.”

“Won’t he tell the teachers?”

Izuku shook his head. “I insinuated that the other traitor is a teacher.”

“You used his own heroic nature against him,” Katsuki realized. “He can’t do anything without theoretically putting you in danger.”

“And he’d never do that.”

Katsuki smiled and shook his head softly. “You really are incredible, you know. You just turned a potentially damning situation into one that just furthers our cover.”

Izuku pursed his lips, not sharing Katsuki’s goodwill. “At the expense of him learning my identity. It’s not a permanent solution.”

“It doesn’t have to be. We’re going to be fine, Izuku,” Katsuki promised. “That’s why there’s two of us, right? He doesn’t know I’m the other traitor and we’ve made sure no one will suspect the other even if they find out one of us. Your plant of the second one being a teacher will just buy us even more time.”

Izuku took a deep breath. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“It’s going to be fine,” he repeated.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

“Bakugou and Midoriya, hmm?” All Might said, looking at the list. “That’s an interesting pairing.”

Eraserhead pursed his lips. “The two obviously have bad blood. That can be a huge disadvantage in the field. They need to learn to leave personal and professional relationships separate.”

All Might nodded. “I hope they're up to it.”

-

“You can’t fight All Might!” Izuku hissed, following slightly behind Katsuki. The two were aware that both visual and audio were being recorded for the final exams. It complicated things, but not too much. After all, they had been preparing for moments like this one for years.

“Shut the hell up, Deku. I ain’t about to run away like a coward.”

“You can’t possibly hope to win against him!”

Katsuki turned and glared at him. “I will. With or without your help.” He then continued to walk towards the center of the city.

“Don’t be stupid, Kacchan!”

Katsuki froze for a moment before slowly turning to face Izuku once more.

Izuku shrunk at the sight of Katsuki’s face full of fury. “I- I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean-” He let out a cry and fell to the ground as Katsuki’s fist made contact with his face.

“Shut up,” he sneered before driving his foot into Izuku’s ribs. “Do us both a favor and stay the fuck down.”

-

“Ah! There you are, young Bakugou,” All Might said. “Now where is Midoriya? Or are you planning on fighting me all by yourself?”

“Shut up, old man,” Katsuki growled before launching himself at All Might and detonating an explosion on his side, right where his injury was.

All Might’s eyes widened in surprise and he doubled over in pain.

“Hmm, going straight for the kill, are you?” He slowly straightened up, wincing as he did. “I’m afraid you’ll need to do better than that.” He strood towards Katsuki who was watching All Might with narrowed eyes.

He lowered himself into a more offensive stance, hands sparking in preparation. The second All Might got near enough Katsuki shot up, using his explosions to propel him till he had the high ground. “Now!” he shouted as reached the peak of his trajectory.

All Might didn’t even have time to react as he saw a flash of green in the corner of his eyes and felt his knees buckling under him as an unimaginable force hit him from behind, forcing him to the ground at the same time Katsuki made impact. All Might faltered, caught off guard by the surprise attack but determined to regain the upper hand, yet the more he fought the two the more convinced he became that this wasn’t a battle he would win.

How strange, he thought. He hadn’t thought Izuku was as strong as he now seemed to be. Katsuki too, their styles were more similar than All Might had initially realized. Perhaps it was their constant clashing that had hidden just how wonderful a duo they made. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought even through the merciless beating. Eraserhead would be proud of their progress. They were finally working together.

-

“Hmm.” Eraserhead looked confused as he watched Izuku and Katsuki handcuff All Might.

“What?” Present Mic asked, looking at him.

“Bakugou hit All Might right in his injury, no students are supposed to know about that.”

“Midoriya knows,” Present Mic replied.

“Exactly. So the only way Bakugou should know is if-”

“-Midoriya told him,” Present Mic finished, understanding. “Strange, they don’t seem to be on terms to exchange information.”

“That’s not all.”

Present Mic waited for Eraserhead to continue.

“Did you see the way they fought together? It was too smooth, too practiced for the first time. It was like they were reading each other's movements.”

“What does it mean?”

“I’m not sure,” Eraserhead said, a sense of unease falling over him. “But something isn’t adding up…”

Notes:

This ended up going longer than I expected so this fic will now be three chapters
Good news is I already have a good bit of chapter three written so it shouldn't be a terribly long wait

Chapter 3

Notes:

Not gonna lie, I honestly forgot about this fic for a hot sec.

Sorry if this chapter feels a bit rushed, I wrote most of it in the span of an hour and kinda had to force myself through it but I knew if I didn't I wouldn't end up ever finishing it and I really hate having incomplete fics

Shoto hadn’t found the test of courage all that trying. It had mostly amounted to only a couple of jump scares and he and Katsuki were already nearly halfway through.

That was an oddity though, Katsuki had seemed on edge the entire time, strange considering he didn’t seem to be any more affected by 1-B’s antics than Shoto himself. He didn’t want to say anything about the obvious skittishness Katsuki had but he found himself slightly unnerved by it.

“Bakugou—” he started, making up his mind. He began to turn his head towards the other student but as he did he caught a flicker of light through the tangle of trees ahead of them. “Is that smoke?” Shoto asked.

Katsuki looked where Shoto was pointing and a flash of recognition crossed his face. “I don’t see anything,” he lied.

Shoto squinted before turning to face where he had first seen it once more. “No, that’s definitely smoke, see—”

Everything went dark as he was struck from behind.

-

“Oh, now you look delightful,” Ochako whipped around in surprise as a voice whispered directly behind her, tickling her ear.

Himiko grinned at her and thrust a knife under her chin, pressing just hard enough to draw a line of blood. “You have such lovely blood,” she said softly. From behind her Tsuyu slowly slunk back into the shadows, looking for an opening to save Ochako. “You won’t mind if I take a little for myself, would you?” Himiko licked her lips. “You have so much.”

Ochako whimpered.

Tsuyu shot her tongue at Himiko’s hand, trying to draw away the knife, but Himiko spun as she caught the movement in the corner of her eye, letting go of Ochako to instead grab the tongue from the air and slash at it with her knife. Tsuyu pulled away and Himiko put her hands on her hips. “Now that’s no fun.”

Ochako clutched at her neck, the blood from her wound trickling through her fingers as she wheezed.

“Asui!” Tsuyu turned as Izuku soared through the air, punching Himiko in the side of the face, knocking her to the ground. “Run! The teachers are back in the lodge!”

Tsuyu looked conflicted. “Uraraka-”

“I’ve got her! Just run!”

Tsuyu hesitated for a single moment before turning to sprint back to the camp.

Izuku ran over to Ochako, putting a hand on her back as she crouched on the forest floor, still pressing a hand to her neck. “It’s going to be okay,” he reassured. “Can you stand?”

Ochako nodded and stood, leaning heavily on Izuku.

“Oh,” Himiko said softly, as she too stood from where she had fallen after Izuku’s attack. “You’ve gotten so strong, Zuku~” she purred. A dark bruise bloomed across her cheek, a line of blood welling from where the impact had broken her skin. It blended in with the deep blush forming over her face.

Izuku, holding tightly onto Ochako, took a soft step back.

Himiko cackled. “Drop the act, hmm? This is the one I want.”

Izuku straightened up. “Uraraka? Are you sure?” he said, sounding distinctly less terrified.

“Yup!” she said, lips popping on the end of the word.

“D-deku?” Ochako said, her voice hoarse, as she looked up at who she thought was her savior. He did not look back.

“You have the sedative?” he asked Himiko.

She nodded, pulling out a syringe from her waist. “Just hold her still.”

Izuku’s hands glowed as he activated One for All, using it to keep Ochako in place even as she struggled against his grip.

“What are you doing?!” Ochako’s voice cracked as she spoke. “No! Stop!” She thrashed, trying to get loose but Izuku’s strength was too much for her. A flash of panic struck her face as she dug her feet into the ground, they slid, struggling to find purchase on the soft forest floor.

Izuku avoided looking at her as Himiko approached, delivering the sedative.

Ochako looked at him as the drug worked its way into her system, her eyes filling with tears. “Why?” she muttered before drifting into unconsciousness.

“Night-night!” Himiko said cheerfully as Izuku dropped his hold on her and she fell to the ground.

“Make sure you get enough blood,” he said.

Himiko giggled. “Of course I will, silly! Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure your little plan goes just perfect!” Her smile widened, lips splitting to show two sharp canines. “This is it, isn’t it?” She asked softer.

Izuku didn’t meet her eyes. “Just,” His skin began to glow green once more. “Be careful,” he said, and away he went.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

“—should go.”

“—stupid, can’t—”

Tenya’s mind felt so so foggy.

“Hold on, is he awake?”

“Iida?”

Tenya sat up, slowly hoisting himself up in the hospital bed. “What…?”

“Iida! You’re awake!”

He looked to the side to see Ejiro and Shoto standing by the side of the bed.

“What— what happened?” he asked. Memories were coming back, but slowly. Flashes of colors, feelings, and—

Tenya’s eyes widened. “Midoriya.”

Ejiro and Shoto looked at each other.

“How did you—” Ejiro started.

“Midoriya and Bakugou were taken. No one died. You and several others were injured enough that they had to be hospitalized,” Shoto said.

Tenya’s heart sank. So the villains had come to collect Izuku in a way that looked like an accident. But why Katsuki? What did he have to do with all this—

“And what about the other one? Do they know about your little partner in crime? What was his name-”

No. It couldn’t be.

Hadn’t Izuku said that the other one was a teacher? Isn’t that why Tenya was so helpless to do anything?

Or perhaps that was just what Izuku wanted him to think.

“The traitor,” Tenya said suddenly.

Ejiro tilted his head. “What?”

There was a knock at the door of the room, the door was softly pushed open, revealing Ochako. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I heard talking and well, I just woke up—”

Tenya ignored her, pushing off his covers and trying to get out of the bed. “We have to go. Where are the teachers? We have to tell them—”

“Hey man,” Ejiro put his hands on Tenya’s shoulders. “You need to rest.”

“WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS?!” Tenya screamed with a hopeless desperation.

There was a moment of silence throughout the room. “...they’ve already left,” Shoto said. “They’re conducting the rescue mission right now.”

“No…” Tenya sat back down on the bed. “No, they can’t. We have to stop them—”

“Iida? What are you talking about?” Ochako tilted her head to the side.

“The traitors, I– it’s Midoriya and there was a second one, I thought it was a teacher but what if it’s not? What if it’s Bakugou?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Ochako said.

Tenya looked up at her. “I saw Midoriya kill Stain. I watched him confess. He told me I couldn’t say anything, that there was another traitor, a teacher, much more loyal to the cause than he was. I thought I was protecting him by staying quiet—”

Shoto and Ejiro made eye contact.

“You think that the heroes are walking into a trap?” Ejiro asked.

“Yes, of course they are, Midoriya and Bakugou are just bait.”

“We have to warn them,” said Shoto.

“I’m sorry,” Ochako began and there was a flash of something metallic before she had out a knife, its blade pressing right beneath Shoto’s chin, “but I can’t let you do that.”

“Uraraka?!” Ejiro looked at her in shock, taking a step back.

“Oh, I’m not your little friend,” said the girl who looked like Ochako. “Don’t worry! She’s fine. I just have to make sure that you don’t interfere with Zuzu’s plan.”

“You know Midoriya?” Tenya asked.

Himiko giggled. “Of course! He told me to keep an eye on you specifically, Iida. Said you had just enough information to put the truth together if you found out what had happened. I wasn’t expecting you to do it so fast though.”

“Let Todoroki go.” Tenya gritted his teeth.

“Hmm. I don’t think so,” Himiko said. “Instead we’re all going to stay here until I get the signal from Izuku, okay?”

“I don’t think so.”

Himiko looked behind her to see the real Ochako, leaning against the doorway, breathing deeply as she tried to overcome the sedative Himiko had given her. Himiko only had a moment to react before Ochako skillfully disarmed her and delivered a blow to her jaw.

As soon as the knife was away from his neck, Shoto used his quirk to bury the false Ochako in ice.

Himiko screamed in agitation as she was incapacitated. “You idiots! You won’t be able to defeat them, you’ll only be minor distractions.”

“Midoriya’s the traitor,” Ochako said, looking at her classmates.

Tenya nodded. “And Bakugou. We have to go warm the heroes.”

“You’ll only get yourself killed,” Himiko spat.

Tenya looked at Shoto and Ejiro. “I won’t make you two come. This isn’t your fight.”

Ejiro shook his head. “It is. Midoriya and Bakugou tricked us too, if you’re going to take them down then you need our help.”

Shoto nodded in agreement.

“Fine,” Tenya said. “Then let's go.”

o.0.o.0.o.0.o

“Bakugou!” All Might called out to the boy, stepping between him and All for One. He thought for a moment how odd it was to see Katsuki so frightened. He turned, putting his hands on Katsuki’s shoulders. “Where’s Midoriya? Is he alright?”

Katsuki shook his head. “They took us to different places, I don’t know. I haven’t seen him.”

“Why if it wasn’t All Might,” All for One drawled.

All Might turned to face his nemesis. “Where is Midoriya?” he growled.

“Oh? So desperate to find your successor?”

All Might’s stomach sank. “What—"

“Come now, I’m not stupid. It was really quite obvious.”

All Might balled his hands into fists. “I swear, if you've hurt him—"

All for One looked straight ahead. “Now.”

All Might felt a stab of pain shoot up his side as Katsuki, still standing right next to him drove the palm of his hand directly into All Might, letting off an explosion bigger than any All Might had ever seen from him right into his injury. All Might gasped, lights going off in his vision like fireworks.

“You—” he looked at Katsuki, the expression of fear had vanished, his eyes narrowing with determination instead. “You’re the traitor.”

Katsuki smiled. “About time, don’t you think?”

All Might powered up, preparing to fight Katsuki when he saw a flash of green in the corner of his vision. “Midoirya!” he called.

The boy ran towards him, green lightning across his skin. “All Might! The traitor! It’s Kacchan!” he yelled.

At the same time, Katsuki launched himself into the air, flying above All Might and twisting so that his descent would cause him to drive straight into All Might.

All Might looked up, taking his attention from Izuku.

As Katsuki’s attack landed, however, All Might was confused to feel another hit from behind. He fell to his knees, looking up and behind him.

Izuku smiled. “Kacchan’s the traitor and so am I.”

All Might panicked. Katsuki being a traitor, that wasn’t all that unexpected. The boy always had shown a less-than-heroic nature, but Izuku? Izuku had his quirk for crying out loud. How could All Might have given such power to a villain?

As the three battled All Might made two important distinctions. The first was that both of the boys had been clearly underplaying their abilities, each hit was stronger than the majority of villains All Might faced. The second was that this fight was feeling all too familiar.

It wasn’t till near the end that he realized why; this attack was coordinated from start to finish since it directly mimicked the one fought during their final.

All Might realized that what to him was just a standard test had for them been a practice to confirm that their approach would work.

The realization came far too late. At that point, All Might’s vision was already dimming as he felt the last sparks of One for All ebb away.

“Goodbye, All Might,” he heard someone say.

And then he didn’t hear anything.

-

All for One breathed as deeply as his mask would allow. “That’s it,” he muttered softly, “That’s the smell of success right there.” He turned to Izuku and Katsuki, his thin lips stretched in a wide smile. “Get used to it.”

Izuku and Katsuki exchanged a glance, sharing a small smile themselves.

All for One turned to face Izuku. “Now, to finish this.” He reached out his hand. “Once I have my brother’s quirk there will be nothing to stop us from rising.”

Izuku did not move. “Sensei,” he said, face blank, “What quirk will you give me in return?”

All for One frowned in suspicion. Something was off. “Whichever one you want,” he said. “I told you, you can have your pick as payment.”

Izuku took a deep breath. “Then I want a copy of your quirk, and I want it before I give you One for All.”

All for One recoiled in surprise. “What-”

“I heard you and the doctor talking, I know it’s possible." His expression darkened. "I will not allow myself to ever go back to being so weak.”

Shadows fell over All for One’s face. “You fool. This was not our agreement.”

“I’ll be more useful to you with it anyway, you know it’s true. Just imagine what I could accomplish in your name.”

All for One seemed to consider this. “I can understand your motive,” he said. “Your ambition is admirable but you will be punished for your impudence.” He glared. “For now though, I’ll concede.”

Izuku nodded and bowed his head, breathing out a sigh of relief.

All for One reached out and put his hand on Izuku's forehead. Izuku's eyes widened as he received the quirk and his lips parted slightly in surprise at the feeling of it.

"Now," All for One said. "One for All."

Izuku pulled back and plucked a single hair from his head and handed it gently to All for One.

Without hesitation, All for One took the hair in his gloved hand and placed it in his mouth. He stood in confusion for a few seconds, looking at his hands. "What— Why—"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" Izuku said, mockingly.

All for One tensed up, sensing that something was wrong, but it was too late. A red-rimmed punch caught him straight in the back causing him to fall to the ground, gasping in pain as one of the many tubes providing him oxygen shattered, the hiss of escaping air sounding like the sand of the hourglass of his life.

Above him, Katsuki looked in awe at the ruby lightning encircling his hand.

"One for All doesn't belong to me anymore." Izuku finished, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "As soon as our fight ended I passed it on myself."

"You—" All for One struggled to gain his breath, grasping at the ground desperately as he tried to hoist himself up once more, shaking as he felt the shattered fragments of his broken ribs grind together. "You can't– can't do this."

Izuku stepped forward, using one foot to grind All for One's palm beneath the sole of his shoe. "Did you really think," he sneered, "that we'd be content to live as your minions?"

Katsuki walked to stand next to Izuku, the red sparks of One for All dancing across his skin. "You're the one that taught us to trust no one but each other, Sensei. Why are you so surprised?"

"No– please– I'm begging you."

Izuku giggled, a shock of delight traveling up his spine. "Do you hear that, Kacchan? He's begging us." He turned to glare at All for One. "No such luck, old man. You're just a stepping stone on our path to greatness."

"I could– I'd do anything– I could make you gods—"

"Or," Izuku said, crouching down to kneel next to him. "We could do it ourselves." He lay his hand over All for One's face and activated the new quirk he had just been given.

Izuku threw his head back as dozens—no hundreds—of quirks flooded into him, as he sucked All for One dry. He shook from the pure power of it all and when he finally stood, ignoring the corpse he left behind, he seemed to glow, his eyes alight with energy.

He walked back to Katsuki, unable to keep the grin from his face.

Katsuki returned it. "We've done it."

Izuku laughed "Of course we did! It's only fair that we win after how much work we've put in."

"Well then, shall we show the world who we really are?" He extended his hand, still flickering with the energy of One for All, little red sparks that resembled his explosions.

Izuku took it. "Gladly."

"D-Deku!"

The two of them turned at the sound of Ochako’s shaky voice. Her body sagged, most of her weight on Tenya. The two of them rounded a pile of rubble, followed by Shoto and Ejiro. "How- how could you?!"

Izuku hummed in indifference. "I had thought Toga would be able to take care of you four."

"You lied," Tenya said, his eyes wet with betrayal. "You said that it was against your will, you said you were in danger, and I- I believed you…" His face contorted in pain as he spoke. "I wanted to help you," he said quietly.

"The gesture is all too appreciated," Izuku dralled. "But I'm afraid I'm quite capable on my own."

Katsuki laughed at that.

The two turned to leave.

“W-why?” Ochako asked quietly, her voice cracking.

Izuku stopped. He turned to face her.

“Sometimes people are born weak. And sometimes they choose to accept that.” He turned once more his back to her. “I didn’t.”

“So all of this was, what? Just a fucking power grab?” Shoto asked.

Neither of them acknowledged him.

The two of them walked away, ignoring the cries behind them, begging for an explanation.

What other explanation did they need? They had both wanted power, they had both gotten it, and of course they had.

Success always was easier, better really, with two.