Ghosts from the past

by Ane33Mone

Summary:

Izuku’s past is filled with ghosts.

He knows all about what happens in the dark, shadowy dregs of society. As Ghost, a police consultant, it has helped him to solve cases. As Midoriya Izuku, his past is a burden to him, something to ignore. Then he gets into UA and everything in his life seems to decide to not go along with that strategy anymore.

They say ghosts will come back to haunt the living if you don’t deal with them. Turns out that also applies to the people and things from Izuku’s past.

Or: Izuku has a quirk like All For One. Said villain is back at it again with traumatizing children for life. Shouta just desperately wants this kid to trust him.

Chapter 1: Prologue

“Inko, take Izuku and run!”

 

His dad pushes him and his mom behind him and turns around to face something coming from the hallway. 

 

“But--” Inko croaks, tears are starting to pool in her eyes and her hair is disheveled and filled with dust. Izuku tightens the grip on his mother's hand, anxiety pooling in his gut thinking about what would happen if He found them.

 

The thing’s footsteps are rapidly approaching from down the hallway like thunder.

 

Things weren’t supposed to happen like this. It should have been a quiet escape. They would help, that’s what they said--

 

“GO!” Izuku’s father looks behind him with pleading eyes. A silent conversation passes between him and Inko, before Izuku knows it he is dragged along with his mother, their hands locked in a tight grip. The tears in his mom’s eyes are gone and steel determination has replaced it.

 

Running, Izuku looks behind him one more time.

 

The last thing he sees is his father’s broad frame tensing as the thing rounds the corner with a screech. Time seems to slow and then the hallway is engulfed in flames, the heat is scorching and Izuku has to look away to shield his eyes from it.

 

They round a corner and are met with a door. Inko blows the door off its hinges with the help of her quirk and they run as far away as they can, until their lungs burn and their knees are weak. Behind them the building goes up in flames.

 

---

 

“Thank you so much, Midoriya.”

 

Izuku nods politely at the nurse standing in front of him. "It's no problem, really. At Least Ms. Nakamura will stay safe now."

 

They both look back at the elderly woman sitting in a comfy armchair. The nurse sighs and says with a heavy tone, "We would have done it sooner but you know how it is with all the paperwork…"

 

Izuku just hums in agreement, he's not really in the mood to make small talk. The paperwork is always the problem. If not for that he probably would have helped more people. 

 

"Then I'll be going now."

 

The nurse greets him goodbye and Izuku heads for the door where Matsuda is waiting for him. The police officer is standing next to the door, following Izuku with his gray eyes. He takes the filled in forms from Izuku without a word. 

 

Before leaving the room, Izuku turns around one more time and looks back at Ms. Nakamura. She's sitting in the armchair staring peacefully out of the window. She's probably already forgotten he’d been here in the first place.

 

With a pit in his stomach, Izuku leaves the place.

 

Outside of the nursing home the two of them head for a police car parked in one of the few parking spots. It's a small nursing home without a lot of visitors so the parking space is limited. Izuku plops down on the backseat and sets his yellow backpack on the seat next to him. Matsuda wordlessly takes the driver seat and heads for the road.

 

It’s quiet during the drive back to the station. Matsuda has turned on the radio–Put Your Hands Up, his favorite station–and the music bounces around the car cabin. Izuku has propped his elbow up against the window and is watching cars, buildings and trees whizz by. Normally he tries to make conversation with the officer accompanying him but this visit is one of those that leaves him sullen.

 

People like Ms. Nakamura are the reason he’s doing this in the first place though, even with the abundant amount of paperwork. Their quirks hurt them, because they’ve forgotten more than they can remember, because of an unlucky mix of genetics, or because their quirks are too powerful–even at a young age.

 

He turns off their quirks.

 

Or that’s what everyone believes. Not that he would tell anyone that he can–

 

“You did good today, kid.”

 

Izuku turns away from the window to look at Matsuda through the metal bars splitting the car in two, his thought process broken. He sighs softly, “I know.”

 

The man turns his attention back to the road and Izuku continues looking out the window.

Soon after they reach the station. Inside it’s hustling and bustling with people. Two kids are playing on the floor with each other in the waiting room. Their mother is sitting on one of the plastic chairs, wringing her hands nervously in front of her. Officers are walking around with stacks of papers or talking with each other in hushed tones, in the background multiple phones are ringing.

 

Matsuda leads Izuku behind the front desk and deeper into the building where civilians aren’t allowed without a supervisor. They pass multiple offices and one or two storage rooms. Izuku knows that the cells and interrogation rooms are in another part of the building. They stop in front of another office, somewhere in a calmer part of the building. Across from the hallway are the offices for heroes without an agency. Mostly underground or small-time heroes occupy them, Izuku has seen some of them leaving the rooms multiple times. Matsuda knocks twice on the dark wooded door.

 

“Come in,” sounds a muffled voice from inside.

 

Matsuda opens the door and the two enter the room. Inside they’re greeted with a standard office. A desk with two chairs in front of it to receive visitors, a few filing cabinets pushed against the right wall, a cork board filled to the brim with articles, photos and documents is hanging on the left wall. The one thing that is out of the ordinary is the faded red couch standing in the back of the room. It looks like it has quite a few coffee stains on it and it’s sagged from all its use.

 

Behind the desk a tall man with dark hair is sitting, a tan overcoat is draped around his office chair. The paperwork he seems to have just been looking at is put away in the file before he turns his attention towards the two visitors in his room. 

 

“I see you two are back,” detective Tsukauchi says.

 

“Yes, it went well,” Matsuda says. He hands the detective the stack of forms. “This is all the paperwork. All of it is already filled in.” Tsukauchi takes them with a polite smile. “Thank you.”

 

“I‘ll be going then.” The officer nods at Tsukauchi and Izuku. Izuku stops the man before he can leave the room. “Thank you for coming with me. I know it takes you valuable work time.”

 

Matsuda waves it away, “Don’t worry about it. You’re doing good, Midoriya.” With that the man takes his leave.

 

Izuku turns to look at the cork board. In the middle he can see the picture of a man in his twenties. He looks at the camera with dull eyes and his dark brown hair falls in flabby curls around his face. Izuku follows a red thread that's connected to the photo to a screen print of a website. 

 

“Powerhouse, the fighting club for people with dangerous quirks!”

 

Next to it hangs another picture of the man. It appears to have been taken a few months later. The man is standing in a fighting rink with a triumphant grin on his face. His curly hair is cut into an uppercut and blood trails down his left eye. His arms--now huge--bulge underneath the white undershirt he's wearing. Izuku’s eyes fall onto a name: Tsugo Hasegawa.

 

“A missing person case, do you see anything interesting?”

 

Izuku turns around to see Tsukauchi looking at the board with a pensive expression. The man has put the paperwork away in the time that Izuku has been looking at the cork board. Izuku returns to read over all the info stuck on the wall. He shrugs, he probably could help the detective if the man asked. It’s the other thing that he does besides ‘helping’ people with their quirks: Solve cases, whether they be cold cases or brand new ones. People have told him that he sees things that others don’t. Izuku isn’t so sure about that, he’s just observant. That’s all. 

 

“Do you need help with the case?”

 

The detective shakes his head. “No, I just need to have more time to think about it.”

 

“You do know that if you’d just let me work on my own you and many officers would have much more time to do your work.” Izuku says with a frown. Tsukauchi raises his eyebrows with a disapproving expression. “That would be illegal, so no I will not allow that. Also, what you’re doing really doesn’t waste our time–like Matsuda just said–you’re helping people which is admirable.”

 

Izuku huffs, “As soon as I have my license you’ll never see me around again.”

 

Tsukauchi laughs, it’s a short but rare sound. The man is often too busy stressing out about certain cases. That fact makes it so that Izuku can’t help but let a small smile stretch on his face. “Sure kid. How long until the entrance exams?”

 

“UA’s are in two months.” The road to a license is the quickest when one attends a hero course. It means some people already walk around with one before they turn eighteen. Of course Izuku wants to attend UA. It’s the best of the best. It was also his dream to attend that school when he was little before He -- 

 

“Well, shoo. I still have work to do.” Tsukauchi breaks Izuku from his thoughts and the boy sees him make a shoo-ing motion with his hand. He gives a mock salute and exits the office with a final goodbye.

 

Back in the hallways it’s not as crowded anymore. Many officers have gone home already and when Izuku makes his way back to the entrance he sees only a few people walking the halls. Some of them greet him. He’s a familiar face here at the station after all. Between helping out with cases and ‘turning off’ people’s quirks many officers know him to some degree. All of them are always so nice.

 

Izuku wonders if it would still be that way if they knew what he actually did when he ‘turns off’ someone’s quirk. Probably not. They all believe the lie that is written on his ID: That he can turn off someone’s quirk as long as he touches them with five fingers for five seconds. It’s what he told Tsukauchi when the man had eventually asked about his quirk. See, it’s easy enough to lie to a walking lie detector when the lie is so close to the truth.

 

Izuku can take quirks.

 

No one knows this of course, besides his mom. It’s too dangerous for anyone to know. For multiple reasons.

 

At the entrance the woman and the two children are nowhere to be seen. Instead, an elderly man sits in one of the plastic chairs. He’s holding a picture in two shaking hands. After Izuku has said goodbye to the receptionist he leaves the building. It’s already dark outside, a cold wind whips at his hair and he snuggles deeper into his coat. He better hurry–he doesn’t want to worry his mom.

 

Izuku heads home.

 

---

 

Meanwhile, somewhere a distraught mother calls the police. Her daughter is missing. Can they help her?

Notes:

Hi! So, I'm back! I've now got this whole story planned out. The first three chapters will be similair but not identical. I've edited quite a lot so I hope it'll still be a new read for those who've already read the chapters that I'd posted before.

Otherwise, I'm so glad that you've decided to check this story out! If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

I will try to update atleast every week, but you never know what life throws at me...

Thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 2: A new case

Notes:

CW: Throughout this entire fic Izuku will be dealing with PTSD, panic attacks and other stuff that you carry with you due to trauma. Nothing will be graphic and I will always try to put content warnings at the beginning of the chapter. Still, if this makes you uncomfortable this fic is probably not for you.

CW: After the first separation mark there will be a short mention of nightmares.

Shouta is tired.

 

It’s nothing too out of the ordinary. Tiredness follows him around like a shadow, never catching up to him but always there. The exams are approaching, both end-of-year and the entrance exams and even if Shouta doesn't have a class of his own to grade this year, Nedzu still keeps him plenty busy. Besides, he still has his patrols and cases he's working on. 

 

Today he's being debriefed about a new case Tsukauchi has asked his assistance on. Shouta's walking next to the man through the hallways of the station, on their way to the detective's office. There they're supposed to meet one other person: Ghost.

 

"Are you sure it's a good idea that you've asked him?" Shouta asks. 

 

Tsukauchi sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, "No I'm not but he's the best we've got."

 

The man is right about that. Shouta has never worked directly with Ghost--only heard stories from other colleagues about his insane deduction skills and attention to detail--but Tsukauchi has often complained to him about Ghost's less-than-conventional methods when it comes to solving cases. Still, Ghost has solved every case that has been given to him. He has solved cases that have been cold for over a decade and solved new cases faster than any detective could.

 

Tsukauchi must still see the doubt written across Shouta's face because he stops in front of his office and faces the hero. "Look, I also don't like the way he solves cases. They can be…extreme, but work with me here. I've been stuck on this particular case for about a month now. If we don't do something quickly there will be no hope of solving it."

 

The detective seems to find what he's looking for on Shouta's face because he turns around and opens his office door. Before the two of them even step inside Shouta notices the teenager standing in front of the bulletin board.

 

He's relatively small and wearing all black clothes--a hoodie and jeans--the only things that stand out about his outfit are the red high tops tied to his feet. Green curls bounce lightly when he whips his head around to look at the newcomers.

 

Somehow someone has forgotten to tell Shouta that Ghost is a teenager .

 

That's not the only thing that irks him though, no the thing that really makes alarm bells ring in his head are the dull green eyes staring at them. It's only for a split second but Shouta notices the way they scan every little detail with cold razor focus. It's like being dissected by a microscope. Then his eyes dull and Shouta’s instincts scream at him that something is horribly wrong. The boy’s eyes look dead, like he’s seen too much for his age. Shouta shakes the feeling away though, he’s here on business. Nothing else.

 

Ghost smiles when he recognizes who has just entered. It looks slightly forced, but not something most people would notice. “Detective!” He points with his thumb at the bulletin board, “I hope you don’t mind that I’ve already started?”

 

Tsukauchi shakes his head as he enters the office, Shouta follows suit. “You’re on the case, so no.” Ghost grins, then his gaze travels to Shouta. “Eraserhead is also here to help out, I suppose?”

 

So he knows his heroes. Even obscure ones like me .

 

It doesn’t surprise Shouta.

 

The detective nods and steps aside to make room for Shouta whilst he moves to sit at his desk. Shouta gives a short nod at Ghost. “Nice to meet you. It seems I don’t have to introduce myself, since you already know who I am.” Ghosts shrugs, “I’ve made a habit of knowing what heroes are around. I’m Ghost though you can just call me Midoriya.”

 

Shouta doesn’t question the request and instead takes a seat on one of the wooden chairs standing in front of the desk. Ghost– Midoriya plops down on the couch, probably taking the fact that both Shouta and Tsukauchi have sat down as a sign to take place somewhere as well. Shouta turns to the detective and asks, “So, what is this case about that you called us in for?”

 

The man takes out a file from somewhere in a drawer under his desk and opens it. With a rustle a picture of a young woman with brown medium length hair and dark brown eyes appears. In the picture she’s wearing a school uniform–probably a school photo then–and her posture has something antsy to it. Nothing else stands out about her except for her high cheekbones where the white of her bone seems to almost shine through.

 

“This is Kokkaku Nori, nineteen years old.”

 

The photo is shoved aside to reveal a document with basic information. “She’s a first year uni student. Still lives with her parents. Her quirk is called ‘Bone Manipulation’, she can control and shape her own bones, but for that to work the bone has to be exposed.” Shouta frowns, “That’s some quirk.” Just the idea of that poor girl having to cut open her skin for her to use her quirk–or risk having the bone tear out–sounds horrible. 

 

Tsukauchi nods in agreement and continues, “She was reported missing a month ago by her mother.” He stands up and walks to the bulletin board, there he points at a blue flyer. “The only lead we had was this support group she joined shortly after she started uni but it quickly turned out to be a dead end.” The man sighs, “The chief wanted to declare the case cold–you know how it is.”

 

Indeed Shouta knows. Missing person cases often don’t help a lot when it comes to bringing down crime rates and with the chronical understaffing the police is facing they often aren't given the amount of attention they deserve. It’s the ugly truth of the public relying too much on heroes. They often aren’t the ones working on missing person cases and such, the police are. Unfortunately the police have been cut down for years in order to increase the amount of heroes. It does no good for the work pressure the officers and detectives are under.

 

“Luckily I managed to convince him to give it one last shot. Hence why the two of you are here.”

 

Shouta hums and his attention is drawn back to the board. It is depressingly empty. The same picture as in her file hangs in the middle surrounded by a few documents, all of it connected by red threads. There hangs another picture on the board. In this one she’s smiling at the camera, standing in front of what seems like a front door. She’s carrying a plain gray backpack with a few pins on the front. One of them is a black cat, Shouta notes. Tsukauchi sees him looking and points at the picture, “This was taken the day she started university. Her parents provided it.”

 

“I want to visit that support group.” The two men look around to see Midoriya reading Kokkaku’s file. His eyes move so fast they are a green blur. The teen frowns, “I feel like there’s something fishy about them.”

 

Tsukauchi says, “That can be arranged.” Midoriya looks up from the files and for the first time Shouta sees some light return in them. “Then let's get started.”

 

---

 

The sun is setting when Izuku leaves the station. He'd stayed at the station a bit longer than he'd liked but now he at least has a solid picture of who Kokkaku is. He’d read her file and Tsukauchi had talked them through a bit more details. A cold wind whips past him as he hurries home, winter still hangs thick in the air. He buries himself deeper in his black coat, trying to keep the icy winds out. By now his mom should be home, cooking dinner. He hopes he can get back on time to help her with the meal. At the thought of his mom he can't help but feel the buzzing anxiety in his gut. The nagging doubt that won't stop until he sees her again.

 

Finally, Izuku rounds the corner and is greeted with the sight of his apartment building. It stands in a reasonably safe neighborhood, flanked on both sides by similar apartment buildings. His vision zeroes in on the familiar window of his flat. Light shines from behind the curtains. The knot of anxiety loosens a little. 

 

Up the stairs and past a couple of apartments later Izuku finds himself putting the keys in the lock of the front door. With a small creak the door swings open and Izuku steps inside. “I’m home!”

 

There’s a moment’s silence and Izuku’s heart lurches in his throat, his muscles tensing in anticipation. Then a bun of green hair appears around the corner. “Hello honey,” his mom, wearing a pink apron and with a spoon in her hand greets him with a sweet smile. “I’ve just started making dinner, would you mind setting the table?”

 

Izuku’s heart settles back into its calm rhythm and his muscles relax again, the doubt erased at the sight of his mother. He nods and his mom goes back to the kitchen, humming a soft song. Izuku pulls off his shoes, hangs up his coat–which is still chilly from the freezing weather outside–and puts away his backpack. Then he pads towards the kitchen and starts helping out his mom.

 

They make small talk as dinner is prepared. Izuku sets the table, helps to cut some vegetables as his mom does all the other work. It’s a comfortable routine the two go through almost every night. His mom talks about a yogurt thief who keeps stealing everyone’s yogurt at the law firm she works at. Izuku talks about school, about the upcoming exams and the old lady who gave him sweets when he helped her carry her groceries home. They both avoid Izuku’s after school activity, a sort of unspoken rule.

“So…are you helping out with a new case?”

 

His mother has stopped eating and is looking at Izuku with a question in her eyes. They are halfway through dinner and it seems she had decided to finally talk about the stuff she wants to discuss. Izuku hums and swallows some food. “Yes, a missing person case. I’m working with detective Tsukauchi and Eraserhead.”

 

His mom smiles. She knows that Eraserhead is one of the few heroes Izuku actually admires.

 

“How was your day?” It’s an innocent question but Izuku knows that his mom can hear his hidden doubt behind his question. It’s a familiar question, one he’s asked her everyday since…since–

 

“It was fine Izuku, just as it has been for the past three years.”

 

His mother sighs and puts her chopsticks down. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about though.” She reaches across the table and grabs his hand, tracing light circles over them. For a moment she seems to gather herself. Then, with a determined gleam in her eyes, says, “I-...I want you to go to therapy.”

 

Izuku stills and looks at her cautiously. “Why?” Her hands stop tracing circles and she looks at him with something in her eyes. Not pity–never pity–but something only a mother can feel for her child. “Because you need it. I- I have heard you at night Izuku, even if you don’t tell me I know how much pain you’re still in. Because of your grandfather.”

 

In a flash Izuku withdraws his hand from his mothers grip. “No.” 

 

His mother knows about his nightmares. Of course she does. He has them every night, they are inescapable. He’s had them ever since they escaped Him . Some nights are worse than others. Nightmares are his ever present companion in the night. In the beginning–when the two of them had just escaped–they were even worse. Back then she knew as well, she alway tried to soothe him afterwards. When they moved into this apartment Izuku had always kept silent about his nightmares. He wanted some form of normality in his life, whatever that was, to pretend they were a normal functioning family. He didn’t want to worry her even more than she already did. To be honest, he had hoped that she had thought that his nightmares had stopped. Apparently not.

 

His mom looks at the hand he has withdrawn and then at his face. “But honey-”

 

“I can’t! Even if I wanted to–which I don’t because it’s not necessary–I wouldn’t be able to tell them anything!” Without noticing he has jumped up from his chair and is now standing in front of the table. His chair lays on the ground with its back on the floor. His mom’s eyebrows crunch up in worry, “I worry about you Izuku. I worry that it’s eating you up from the inside.”

 

Izuku looks down at his hands and suddenly he feels bad that he has made his mom worry. This is exactly why he didn’t tell her about the nightmares. He didn’t want to worry her even more. “What-...what if he takes you while I’m gone?” Izuku can’t help the tightness in his throat when he asks.

 

A chair scrapes against the wooden floor and then Izuku is encased by warm strong arms. The familiar smell of his mother fills Izuku’s nose and he breathes it in deeply. It calms his nerves and he lets himself melt in his mother’s touch. “If you don’t want to go you don’t have to. Not until you’re ready.” His mom is crying, he can hear it in her voice. He grips her even more tightly, “Okay.”

 

“I just want you to know one thing, Izuku, if you want to go you can go.”

 

“All For One hasn’t found us in three years.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update will come somewhere next week :)

Chapter 3: Mister Rat

Notes:

Hi! This update is a little early since I'm going on vacation and I still wanted to give you all a new chapter. I'd wanted to edit it some more since I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but that would mean that this update would have to wait another week and I didn't want that...

Anyhow: Enjoy!

CW: Bullying, a brief flashback due to trauma

Izuku has a love-hate relationship with school. He loves learning, loves being able to take his mind off other thoughts. He hates the discrimination he and some others face, merely because of a quirk. He hates the glares sent his way, the way people scoot a little further away when he comes close.

 

He also hates the high volume his classmates are making at this early hour. Around him people are flocking together in groups, chatting with their friends, teasing each other and overall just being way too loud. One girl–Hinata–squeals loudly at something one of her friends has just said. Her clique is standing around the table just next to Izuku. Annoyed, Izuku sends her a glare. Unfortunately for him right at that moment Hinata looks at him and she freezes when she sees him looking. In a flash she has turned back around, talking to her friends in hushed whispers.

 

In one motion five heads turn to glance at Izuku, all with different degrees of fear or disgust.

 

Subtle

 

Inwardly Izuku groans. Great. What drama are they going to cook up this time?

 

He doesn’t have long to ponder about it because then his ears pick up a familiar set of footsteps approaching the classroom door. Now, normally one wouldn’t be able to hear such a thing from inside a noisy classroom but Izuku has a quirk for it. An enhanced hearing quirk helps him to hear slightly better than the average person, nothing too strong but it’s subtle and still very useful. 

 

The door slides open and not long after someone lets themselves fall on the chair in front of Izuku. Hitoshi, Izuku’s best friend. His friend lets his head fall on the desk with a thud, his purple hair draping over the desk in one big mess. Izuku chuckles at his friend’s theatrics, “Tired?”

 

A groan. “Don’t remind me.”

 

Before Izuku can promise his friend coffee the door slides open again and their homeroom teacher enters the classroom.

 

The class doesn’t immediately quiet when the man makes his way to his desk. He’s an older teacher whose passion for teaching probably disappeared somewhere in his early thirties. Now he’s just counting down the days until his retirement. For a moment the man looks around the class with disinterest, the last people quieting down.

 

“Good Morning class.” a ‘good morning’ is droned by the class.

 

The man sighs as he looks down at his papers for a moment, his brows furrowing at what was written there. A gray gaze sweeps through the class, the man not really seeing anything. “Allright class, for today–”

 

He stops. His gaze halts at the place next to Izuku, who briefly wonders why the man stops. That is until he sees Hinata with her hand raised. “Yes uh..”

 

“Hinata,” she finishes, a brief expression of annoyance flickering across her face at the clear sign that their homeroom teacher still doesn’t know most names. “I was wondering if I could have another seat?” She puts up big pleading eyes and even though Izuku immediately sees through it, the teacher seems to buy it and gestures for her to continue. “Midoriya looked really scary at me this morning, sensei.” She fidgets nervously in her seat. 

 

“I’m worried he’s going to turn off my quirk.”

 

A collective whisper sweeps through the classroom. Izuku sighs internally. Of course. The consequence of him even just looking at her, was her making an entire scene in front of the class. He can feel the tingling gazes from his classmates on his skin, most look at him with nervousness, some with fear. Izuku swallows and tries to wipe the mix of nervousness and irritation off his face. Being in the spotlight is always bad but showing fear is even worse. So, Izuku locks away all his feelings and imagines himself wearing an emotionless mask as he just stares ahead, trying to ignore the many accusing eyes looking at him.

 

At the front of the class the teacher sighs audibly. “Midoriya,” he says, “what did I tell you about scaring your classmates.”

 

“But sensei I-”

 

“Please go to the principal, Midoriya.”

 

“I didn’t do anything, sensei. I just looked at her.” Izuku says it plainly, like stating a fact.

 

The teacher frowns at him. “Go to the principal. Don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.” All around the classroom giggles ring. Izuku slumps in defeat. Why did he even think he could change his teacher's mind? He doesn’t want to make a scene–even if he can–that will only make things worse.

 

 “Yes sensei.” He stands up under the gleeful gazes of his classmates. For a second he catches Hitoshi’s eyes. There lies a question in them. Need help? Izuku gives a slight shake of his head in return. He doesn’t want his friend to get into any trouble.

 

On his way out he turns around one more time to look at Hinata. She’s looking at him with a smug expression on her face but as soon as she sees him looking she flinches hard. Izuku raises a challenging eyebrow. Then–without waiting for a reaction–he turns back around again and exits the classroom.

 

---

 

The principal is a man somewhere nearing his fifties. The students have dubbed him Mister Rat behind his back. It isn’t without reason. The man always wears the same cheap brown suits from which the buttons stand on tension around his rounded belly. The few brown hairs that he has left are combed carefully across his pale skull. There is also the constant sweat present on his forehead and above his lip that the man tries to wipe away every few minutes with a crinkled handkerchief.

 

Izuku has found himself in this office more times than he can count.

 

“--can’t keep doing this Midoriya. Me and the teachers have warned you multiple times.” Mister Rat wipes the beads of sweat that have formed on his forehead away for the fifth time since he started his lecture against Izuku. The man looks at Izuku with disappointment written across his face. It’s a practiced disappointment, one many teachers adapt when they’re talking to a troubling student. It’s meant to show that they actually care–even if they don’t.

 

Izuku frowns as he looks the man in the eyes. “Sir, like I already said: I didn’t do anything.”

 

The principal sighs heavily and leans back in his leather office chair, it squeaks uncomfortably. “I’m not going into discussion with you about this. After school you report to your homeroom teacher for detention.” 

 

Anger bubbles up within Izuku but he doesn’t show it, he only squeezes his hands into fists. There is nothing he can do about this. He has tried before, but it always gives him more trouble than anything else. It’s unfair.

 

The man raises an eyebrow at him when Izuku doesn't immediately agree to his punishment. “Understood?” Izuku stands and looks the man straight in the eyes, with clenched teeth he says,

 

“Yes sir, understood.”

 

Maybe it is something in his voice or the expression he wears when he says this, but suddenly the man’s look in his eyes changes. He stops dabbing his forehead and the chair squeaks forward again.

 

Izuku doesn’t stay to decipher it and instead leaves the office without waiting for dismissal.

 

---

 

“And? Did you survive mister Rat?”

 

With a sigh Izuku lets himself slide down the wall next to Hitoshi. He’d found his friend sitting against a wall on the rooftop–the only place where they’d be left alone by bullies and the prying eyes of their classmates. It’s a cloudy day and the chill of winter still hangs in the air, numbing their fingers and freezing their noses. Izuku doesn’t mind. “I did.” Izuku huffs, irritation flitting across his face, “Still got detention though.”

 

Hitoshi gives him a sympathetic face. “I’ll wait for you.”

 

“After school?” Izuku asks. He takes out his bento and a thermos. The wishful glances his friend gives the thermos don’t go unnoticed and Izuku hands him the thing. Hitoshi takes the drink with a thankful expression and the smell of coffee wafts Izuku’s way as the other teen takes a few big gulps from the thermos. His friend sits back against the wall with a content sigh. “Yeah, we can walk back home together.”

 

Izuku frowns, “But what if–.”

 

“I’ll be fine.” Hitoshi interrupts, then takes another gulp from the coffee. There’s a stubbornness to his words.

 

Izuku leaves it be. He knows that he can’t change his friend’s mind once he’s decided something. “Thanks,” is all he says quietly. 

 

Hitoshi gives him a small smile.

 

---

 

Detention is long and suffering. His homeroom teacher just lets him stare ahead for thirty minutes straight, the only sound being his teacher grading some homework. Izuku doesn’t say a word.

 

He entertains himself by pulling his hearing quirk to the front and then to the back again. It’s funny to hear his teacher sigh exaggerated before dampening the sound again. ‘Pulling to the front’ is a side to Izuku’s actual quirk. All his quirks are stored in safes in the so-called ‘back’, when he wants to use them he has to ‘pull them to the front’. When a quirk is pulled to the front he can turn it on and off at will or–if a quirk just doesn’t  turn off–have the quirk always running in the background.

 

After detention Izuku rushes to the roof where he and Hitoshi had decided to meet again. Unfortunately Izuku can’t find his friend. Even after searching the entire roof three times. He checks his phone but doesn’t see any messages left behind. For a moment all Izuku can feel is panic, the thought of his friend disappearing becomes almost unbearable. Then he pushes it away and goes to stand on the middle of the roof. He knows his friend wouldn’t just leave without sending a message. That means he must still be nearby but unable to send anything.

 

There’s one way to quickly find Hitoshi.

 

The wind tugs at Izuku’s hair as he closes his eyes and concentrates. In his mind dozens of lights appear and for a moment Izuku has to steady himself in order to not get overwhelmed. They’re not  just random lights. It’s another side to his actual quirk. Every person with a quirk has a glowing light at the center of their body which reflects the nature of their quirk, their personality and their emotions.

 

He casts all other lights away and focuses on locating one very familiar quirk. First, he searches the school, but no luck there. Then he starts searching in a wider area for a purple light. After a bit he finds it. Usually it pulsates calmly, almost as if it is sleeping but this time it isn’t. It is pulsating wildly and throbbing in panic.

 

Izuku’s eyes snap open and he dashes forward, leaping off the school building. Now, normally this would be lethal. Luckily for Izuku he has a shock dampening quirk so it only lightly jars his knees. He rushes past the school gate and onto the streets, his mind still focused on that single light. Izuku can’t help but feel anxiety pooling in his gut and the tell tale signs of anger building up inside of him.

 

Maybe it’s the adrenaline racing through his veins but suddenly Izuku has arrived near the purple light, near Hitoshi. He slows down and stops just around the corner of an alley. Even without his hearing quirk he notices the voices drifting down from the alley.

 

“Keep him quiet!”

 

A muffled sound and then a shout.

 

“Ouch! The bastard bit me!”

 

Something is stomped and again a muffled sound.

 

“Villain! You’ll pay for that!”

 

Deciding he’s heard enough, Izuku steps around the corner and into the dark alley. The smell of garbage wafts his way from the dumpsters standing pushed against one of the walls. That isn’t what draws Izuku’s attention though. No, the four figures cornering a fifth is what Izuku’s eyes immediately focus on. One is standing a bit separated from the group, clutching his hand. Two others are holding down the fifth figure and what seems to be the leader is towering above the fifth, a scowl on his face.

 

He has a fist raised.

 

Against Hitoshi.

 

Izuku sees red.

 

Blood thunders through his ears as he stalks forward, instinctively pulling some quirks to the front. Before the leader even realizes what is happening Izuku has pulled him away from Hitoshi. The guy barely has time to widen his eyes before a fist connects with his face, knocking him down.

 

Izuku turns to face the other three, who are staring at him with big eyes. He takes a threatening step forward and the lackeys flinch. The next second the three are scrambling to get away from him, out of the alley.

 

“What about (...)?” One of the boys says the name of the leader who is still laying on the ground.

 

“Leave him! I’m not dealing with this!” One of the other three says as they disappear around the corner.

 

Turning around, Izuku approaches Hitoshi who has pushed himself off the wall and is now massaging a sore spot on his torso with a pained expression.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

His friend frowns and slowly breathes in and out. “I’m fine. Thanks. They just managed to pin me in place before I could do anything.” He goes to stand next to Izuku and gazes at the unconscious boy. “You’ll probably have to pay for that.” Izuku looks at the boy–he recognizes him as one of the bullies in the other third year class. He scoffs in his head, the guy went out cold even without using his quirks. “Let them come.”

 

Quickly the two of them hurry out of the alley. Neither wanting to be there when the boy eventually wakes up. For a while they walk in silence, Hitoshi still massaging the sore spot and Izuku lost in thought. Then Hitoshi breaks the silence.

 

“You have to teach me how to fight like that at some point. The entrance exams are approaching.”

 

Izuku frowns at his friend. “I already told you no. The dojo you’re training at should be more than enough.” Just after Izuku had met Hitoshi, and he’d found out about his friend’s ambitions to become a hero, he’d encouraged him to take up martial arts classes. By now Hitoshi had already had more than enough training to be able to pass the exam.

 

“Can’t you teach me as an extra beside the dojo? I’ll need everything I can get if I want to get into UA.”

Blood on the floor. The screeching of that thing in the background. Heavy footsteps approaching that make Izuku flinch. “Can’t you do any better, Izuku? You’re weak.”

“Izuku?”

 

Izuku blinks the images away and notices that he’s stopped in the middle of the street. Hitoshi has also stopped and is watching him with a concerned look in his eyes. He reaches out with a hand. Probably to comfort Izuku. 

 

Izuku flinches and takes a step back. His friend notices and draws his hand back again, his eyebrows scrunching up in worry. “Are you okay?”

 

Taking a shaky breath Izuku wordlessly nods and starts walking again, picking up the pace. Hitoshi has to jog to keep up with him.

 

“Hey, I’m sorry I asked. Did I do something wrong?”

 

Izuku doesn’t look at his friend, instead he tries to focus on the street ahead of him. It takes all he has not to get pulled back in by memories and flashbacks.

 

“Just don’t mention it again.”

The rest of the walk is spent in silence and Izuku says a quiet goodbye to Hitoshi at his house. The concerned looks that his friend has been giving him the entire time don’t go unnoticed by Izuku and he feels guilt swirling in his gut. But what can he do? It’s not like he can explain to his friend why he sometimes reacts the way he does. He just can’t train Hitoshi. It brings back too many memories of Izuku's time with Him .

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: Somewhere next week, it might be a little later

Chapter 4: Under the floorboard

Notes:

Hi! I'm back with another chapter, sorry it's a bit late. I honestly have no excuse besides poor time management.

CW: Mention of bones ripping out of skin before the first separation mark.

Kokkaku missing person case--Interrogation 1

 

Case number: xxxxxxxxx

 

Investigation into the disappearance of Kokkaku Nori that occurred between 01-15-2xxx and 01-17-2xxx in Japan. The following statement was taken from Kokkaku Kentaro and Kokkaku Michi, who reside in Tokyo, district xx. The following statement was taken in the Tokyo police station of district xx, commencing 01-18-2xxx, commencing at 2:00 pm, in the presence of Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa.

Begin transcription

 

TN: I am obligated by law to tell you this conversation will be recorded. This is not an arrest, nor are you a suspect but as you two are her parents you are simply our biggest source of information.

 

KK: Of course, you have our consent.

 

TN: I am also obligated by law to tell you that I have a lie detecting quirk that I will be using during this conversation. I will be able to tell when a lie is being said.

 

KM: As if we would lie about our own daughter.

 

TN: Of course ma’am, I was simply stating this for legal purposes.

 

KK: Forgive my wife, things have been [pause] hard for us these past twenty-four hours.

 

TN: I understand, this must be a very hard time for you and we will do our best to find your daughter.

 

TN: Please tell me about your daughter.

 

[KK can be heard taking a deep breath]

 

KK: Before her quirk manifested Nori was such an enthusiastic child. She was always talking and full of ideas. [pause] That all changed when her quirk manifested.

 

TN: What is her quirk?

 

KK: Bone manipulation. She can manipulate her bones into any shape and control them. But [pause] controlling her bones while they are still in her body would have as a result that her bones would literally rip themselves out of her body. 

 

KK: People frown upon gory or villainous quirks. So you can understand how people–especially kids–reacted when they found out that her bones would literally rip out of her body if she ever tried to use her quirk. Kids can be unimaginably cruel, so her school years were marked by bullying and discrimination from teachers. 

 

TN: Did she have anyone who supported her?

 

KM: We álways supported her. But outside us? No, I don’t believe so. She was [pause] lonely without any friends.

 

[ruffling of paper]

 

TN: In her file it states that she has just started university?

 

KK: Yes, she just started her study in computer science this year. We were so happy when she got in. We both thought it would be a fresh start for her.

 

[a bag is opened, then KM places a photo on the table.]

 

For aforementioned document see attachments to file xxxxxxxx

 

KM: This was taken the day she went to university. She loves this backpack, she collects pins but these were her favorites. We even gave her that pin of a cat that day, she’s always wanted a cat but I’m allergic and my husband and I have always said we don’t have the time for a pet, because of our jobs and she– 

 

[muffled sobbing] 

 

KK: Breath honey, breath.

 

TN: If you want to, we can take a break.

 

    [silence]

 

KM: No, that won’t be necessary. Please Kentaro, can you finish?

 

KK: It turned out that things were no different at university. Nori she [pause] grew depressed. When it got really bad we suggested that she should go to a therapist and surprisingly she did. After that it got a little better. She even joined a support group where she could talk about her experiences and feelings with others who had similar experiences.

 

TN: Did the therapist recommend the support group?

 

KK: I don’t think so. Nori mentioned she had found the group somewhere online.

 

TN: Do you know the name of the group?

 

KK: [pause] No, but I’m sure I can find the name somewhere at home.

 

TN: Thank you.

 

TN: Please continue.

 

KK: Nori began to change not soon after. She became more [pause] radical.

 

TN: In what way?

 

KK: Her opinions on quirk laws, the government, the way she should treat others.

 

KM: It was nothing like we'd ever taught her.

 

TN: Did this cause any conflict at home?

 

KK: It [pause] [struggles to find words] It did.

 

KM: She wanted to move out, you know. The last month before she [audible tremor in voice] didn’t come home.

 

TN: Did you want her to move out?

 

KM: [sighs] Normally we would have been happy for her to find a place on her own. But we were worried for her, she had only just started to get better again and we didn’t want to let her go.

 

TN: Did you tell her this?

 

KM: Yes, and she wasn’t happy about it. We argued. Then she walked out of the house and just didn’t return.

 

[KM sobbing]

 

KM: Fuck. I just want my daughter back.

 

        [KK blows nose]

 

KK: It’s okay honey, we’ll get her back.

 

TN: I thank you for your coöperation. I’m sure this must have been hard.

 

End transcription

 

---

 

Izuku puts the transcription back into the yellow folder with a heavy heart. Even after reading it for the second time, there was something so tragic about Kokkaku’s life. He’s never believed in karma, some people are just lucky in life and others…Well, they get pushed down again and again. If karma were to truly exist all people would be equally happy. A rush of determination fills him, he will find Kokkaku. She, like so many others, deserves a happy life. A happy ending. Karma may not exist but Izuku will make damn sure that Kokkaku will experience that luck in her life.

 

The yellow folder gets put back and Izuku turns to look out the car window. In the front Tsukuachi is driving and Eraserhead is trying to nap in the passenger seat. The radio drifts in a low volume down to the back of the car, a constant buzz in the background. The detective is watching the road with all of his focus and the only other sound in the car besides the radio is the outside noise of car wheels rolling over the asphalt road. Buildings pass by, sometimes slow sometimes fast, going with the rhythm of city traffic.

 

Slowly, the traffic trickles down into the occasional car. The journey goes smoother, and the buildings start to change. Cracks start to appear, abandoned buildings start to up in frequency and the glitz and glam of the city center gets switched out for dirt and grime. 

 

The grittier part of Tokyo.

 

Not long after, Tsukauchi pulls the car over into a parking spot. Eraserhead is now wide awake, looking like the sleep didn’t help much but Izuku knows that behind the tired look two sharp eyes are watching, observing and memorizing the neighborhood. Izuku grabs his backpack and gets out of the car, together with the other two men. With a careful sweeping gaze he takes in his surroundings. 

 

They’re in the parking lot of what seems like some sort of community center. Around them lower apartment buildings and run down shops line the street. A single tree is supposed to add some greenery to the entire scene but it merely adds to the slightly gloomy atmosphere that seems to permanently cling to this part city. Maybe the fact that almost no leaves decorate the tree doesn’t help. From back alleys faint voices drift on the wind. Deals, quarrels, kids who try to make the best of this gray day by playing outside. 

 

Some people pass by, the streets probably being busier today due to the weekend. Suspicious glances are sent their way, unease that hits the trio in waves. Strangers is what seems to reverberate in the air. People take a wide berth around the parking lot by crossing the street, wordlessly communicating the caution to others. Izuku can’t help but hunch forward a bit, can’t help but to let his hair fall a bit more in front of his face and keep his ears open, exchanging his decreased vision for better hearing.

 

He’s been in these kinds of neighborhoods before. Lived in them, back when the escape was still fresh in his and his mom’s minds and the terror of being found by Him was greater than the want for a safe home. You learn quickly to blend in when your life can depend on it. It’s easy, falling back into the routine of being one of the crowd. Of not being suspicious. Izuku can feel how the gazes now slide past him, not staying on him for longer than a passing glance.

 

Tsukuachi clears his throat, trying to get the attention of the other two. Izuku and Eraserhead both turn to the man, the hero stands relaxed, probably used to these kinds of neighborhoods because of his work. The searching glance that the man sends Izuku’s way doesn’t go unnoticed. “I’ve questioned the leader of this support group once before, back then he didn’t say anything suspicious but,” the detective frowns, “there’s something fishy about him.”

 

Izuku nods. He recognizes the silent question from the detective to look for anything out of the ordinary. The three of them head for the community center and Izuku notices how some of the windows are broken, as if someone has thrown stones at them. The squeaking wooden doors open to reveal a dim hallway, photos of the neighborhood doing activities together and neighbor requests are plastered on one of the walls. Multiple doors line the hallway a bit further down into the building. Music drifts down from behind one of the doors but they follow the faint sound of voices coming from one of the open doors in the back of the hallway.

 

They stop when they reach the room and Izuku sees a circle of chairs standing in the middle of the room, people of all ages are sitting on the them and intently listening to a younger woman talking with tears in her eyes. An older woman who sits beside her is comforting her whilst holding a box of tissues.

 

“--after he kicked me out I lived on the streets for a few months before I managed to get a place close by here.”

 

She takes a tissue and dries her eyes. “I- it’s been hard but I plan on making a better life for myself here. T-thank you for listening.”

 

A middle aged man suddenly claps in his hands. “Alright, thank you Kimura. That’s it for today, I thank you all for coming. You are always welcome here and if a friend of yours needs a place to talk we are always open to newcomers.” The man quickly glances at the door, where Izuku and the other two men are standing.

 

Chairs scrape on the floor as people stack them on top of each other in a corner of the room. Some people stay to chat a little longer in small groups whilst others hurry out the door. The three visitors step back to let them exit the room. Tsukauchi leans forward and quietly says, “He’s the leader of this support group. Kokkaku’s parents said this was the place she went to.”

 

“Seems a little far away from her parent’s place if you ask me,” Eraserhead mutters, still with an eye on the room and its occupants. Izuku nods in agreement as he observes those who leave the meeting. Most hurry past the strangers standing in the doorway with their head down and their shoulders hunched. Some have extreme mutations and it isn’t difficult for Izuku to realize that most must have faced considerable difficulties in life when it comes to their quirk.

 

The leader follows the last people out the door and sends them off with a wave, then he turns to the three visitors with a sleazy smile on his face. “Detective, what a surprise to see you here again.” Izuku swallows as Tsukauchi nods politely at the man in greeting. His tone feels wrong .

 

“I have come to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of Kokkaku Nori. I hope you don’t mind?”

 

The man smiles again, though Izuku can see the effort that it takes. A man desperately trying to fit a certain image. “Of course not. I am always willing to help those who help protect our country,” the man says with a sly voice. He eyes Izuku and Eraserhead with some suspicion, his eyes stay on Izuku a second longer before they bounce back to the detective. “I see that you have brought company?”

 

“Yes, my colleagues Eraserhead and Ghost, they are also on the case.” Tsukauchi responds with a serious voice. The man portrays the perfect picture of professionalism and calmness but Izuku can see the way the detective grips his hand. The detective also doesn’t like this man’s attitude. 

 

“Sugiyama Takeo, I lead this support group, in case you didn’t know yet.” The man says as he walks back into the room, with a nudge of his head he motions for the other three to follow him.

 

Sugiyama Takeo, 37 years old. Quirk: Leeching, by placing a leech–created by coughing up said leech–on someone the user can tap their energy. Destroying these leeches causes the user pain. Has been in jail for one year for robbery when he was 18, since then no other offenses.

 

Izuku goes through the information that he remembers from Sugiyama’s file whilst they enter the room. Tsukauchi follows the man to the middle of the room with Eraserhead trailing just a few steps behind them. Izuku decides to have a look around the room and approaches some sort of announcement board on his left. Most of the board is filled with all kinds of posters, about music groups, a fighting club, an organization that offers assistance in finding housing. Some photos of what seem to be some key members of the support group are also plastered on the board, together with an ‘about’ written just under the pictures.

 

“I was wondering if you could tell us about the support group?” Tsukauchi asks.

 

Sugiyama shrugs, “We offer a place for people to talk. Mostly those with quirks not accepted by society. When they’re here they can vent or just be at a place where they can be themselves.”

 

“What do you mean by quirks that are not accepted?” Eraserhead asks, his dry gaze has been following the man ever since they got here.

 

Sugiyama snorts, “Those with quirks you people label villainous . They don’t have a place in this society, we offer an outlet.” His voice seems to have lost some of its fake joyfulness and Izuku can hear the subtle bitterness in the man’s voice.

 

He lets his gaze travel through the room, a wooden floor with some loose floorboards, mirrors on one wall and a ballet barre. The layer of dust collected on the equipment and the badly maintained floor suggests that the sport hasn’t been practiced in this room in quite some time. There is one exit–the entry door–and three big windows that seem to only be able to tilt open.

 

“When did Kokkaku join this group?” Tsukauchi asks, his eyes briefly land on Izuku before focusing on Sugiyama again. The man shrugs, “How should I remember? Many people join this group and leave it a few sessions later.”

 

Eraserhead raises an eyebrow, “You don’t remember when your members join your group?” Sugiyama sends the hero an annoyed glance before a reassuring smile returns on his face. “Look, all I remember is that it was somewhere in the beginning of the school year.”

 

Izuku walks to the back of the room and inspect the chairs stacked on top of each other before he casually takes place on one lonely chair. The detective sends Izuku a look but the teen decides to ignore it and instead focus on observing Sugiyama. The man has bleach blond hair and his skin has a slimy shine to it. Probably an aspect to his quirk . He is wearing cheap blue slacks and a blouse with a hideous print on it. On his wrist shines a fake gold watch and Izuku can smell the cologne with his enhanced smell even from a distance away. He stands with his hands in his pockets, sometimes taking them out to make placating gestures or to nonchalantly show off his watch. Though the occasional tap of his right food reveals his irritation and underlying nervousness.

 

Tsukauchi asks, “Did Kokkaku leave the support group?”

 

Sugiyama furrows his brow, seeming to think for a minute. “Yes, she did leave after a while.”

 

Eraserhead frowns, “Do you know why she left?”

 

“It’s not like I had a chance to ask her after she left. How would I contact her?”

 

Tsukauchi nods but Izuku’s sure he wasn’t the only one who heard how the man dodged the question. “Do you have any records where you keep track of who joins and leaves when?” The leader huffs, “It’s not like the people who visit this place would want that.”

 

“The stack under the loose floor board suggests otherwise.”

 

All eyes turn to Izuku who has gotten up from the chair and is now approaching the three other men. Tsukauchi raises his eyebrow whilst Eraserhead seems to have to hide a smirk in his capture scarf.

 

The tapping of Sugiyama’s foot increases. “W-well,” the man stammers, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

Izuku scoffs, “So if I lift up the third floorboard in the left corner behind you I won’t find anything?”

 

Sugiyama clears his throat and his heart rate jumps. It’s something only Izuku notices, and only because he’s really stretching his increased hearing quirk right now. A heart rate never lies. “Even if there were to be something underneath that floorboard, I wouldn’t want you looking at it. Besides, you legally aren’t allowed to do that without a warrant.” He seems really proud of that last bit, as if it’s a sentence he’s practiced for ages. His voice also gains some of its confidence back. 

 

“Maybe I don’t need a warrant.”

 

Behind him Tsukauchi sighs. Knowingly, with a certain resignation. Sugiyama laughs once, short, full of tension and uncertainty. “What are you going to do? Threaten me?” The leader looks Izuku up and down, a man seeing a child. 

 

Taking a step forward, a predator trapping his prey, Izuku shrugs, “Who knows? I don’t need to though. Because you don’t want a warrant.”

 

“ I wouldn’t?” The man asks. His face morphs into a mocking disbelief. His shoulders slacken, the tension leaving his body. He probably believes that the child standing in front of him is grasping at nothing, talking nonsense. Izuku shakes his head whilst narrowing his eyes. “No I don’t believe you’d want that. You do know what asking for a warrant would entail right?”

 

Sugiyama looks a tad lost. His eyes dart between Izuku and the other two men.

 

“For starters, I would have to give the judge a report stating my reasons for wanting to search this place. There are multiple things here that would grant me a warrant. Multiple clues in this room would lead to a proper investigation."

 

Sugiyama stills. The man doesn’t say anything though, he just waits for what Izuku has to say. Smart . Izuku continues, “Multiple contact people that you’ve hung on the board over there,” he points at the announcement board, “have a criminal record. Nothing too extreme but it would make it so the judge would give out that warrant a bit quicker.”

 

“You’re expecting to get your warrant just from that?” Sugiyama sneers. “That’s a bit discriminatory isn’t it? Expecting those with a criminal record to have something illegal to hide.”

 

Izuku holds up his hand. “I’m not done yet.” The room bathes in a sort of suspension, Sugiyama’s breaths come in a bit quicker than normal. He sets one step closer to the man and cocks his head in curiosity, “First I have a question though. Who hangs up all the posters in this room?”

 

The man shrugs, an air of confusion surrounds him. Izuku can see how he’s trying to figure out whether he should answer truthfully or not. In the end the truth wins. “Most of the time I put them up. Though anyone can put something on the board.”

 

“Well in that case you have willingly advertised an illegal fighting club.” Izuku has to suppress a smirk at the man’s panicked face. “One that was under investigation a while ago at that. Club Powerhouse .” He turns to the detective, feigning surprise, “Weren’t you the one investigating that place?”

 

Tsukauchi nods, a professional air ever present around him, “I was. The club held illegal fights with betting in place.”

 

Izuku sighs and shakes his head, “ That little detail will grant me the warrant with certainty. Imagine all the policemen searching this place, imagine everything they could find. I’m pretty sure the visitors to your little support group wouldn’t appreciate it. Boom,” he makes an exploding motion with his hand, “gone are all your visitors.”

 

That last sentence seems to shred through the last piece of patience Sugiyama has. His face contorts into anger and his easy-going attitude seems to finally completely slip away. “Are you fucking threatening me?! You, a brat?!”

 

Izuku shrugs, his face a mask of indifference at the man’s outburst. “You could call it that, I guess.” Tsukauchi holds up a placating hand at the man, a frown has found its way onto his face. “Sir, please don’t use words like that at my colleague. We take swearing at a police officer as a serious offense.”

 

“He’s a fucking brat! Not a police officer! And he’s fucking threatening me!” Sugiyama spits, a leech tumbles out of his mouth at the action. In a second there’s movement behind Izuku, when he turns around he sees Eraserhead with his quirk activated and his capture weapon floating above him. It’s a menacing sight to behold and the room’s mood switches from heated to ice-still in a split second. “ Don’t use your quirk. It’s forbidden.” The hero’s voice has a sharpness to it that wasn’t there a while ago.

 

Sugiyama doesn’t say anything but he does take a step back. After a beat of silence ,during which everyone present in the room takes the time to recollect their mind, Izuku says, “So, you can choose: Either you let us see the files that you’ve hidden under the floorboard, or you await the warrant. In which case you will probably find yourself in a whole lot more trouble and with all your visitors gone.”

 

Hesitation. Sugiyama considers his options. Then he sighs and glares at the other three men, “ Fine, take the damn files.”

 

---

 

After Sugiyama handed them the files–and Izuku checked to see whether there was actually something on them–the three visitors were practically shoved out the door, onto the gloomy street. The sun was starting to set and a few golden rays managed to peek through the blanket of clouds and onto the pavement. They highlighted the cracks decorating the street and the corners of the buildings. The lonely tree on the parking lot swings on the wind and the streets are empty now. Most people are back at their homes preparing dinner, or working a night shift at one of their shitty jobs.

 

Not much is said between each other. Izuku takes place on the backseat again and the other two men slide into the front seats. Eraserhead immediately ducks his head into his capture weapon and closes his eyes. Tsukauchi starts the motor and they leave as swiftly as they came. The radio is left off this time and only the whirring of the car and the wind rushing past the windows can be heard. Slowly the neighborhoods change, pavements become newer, buildings flashier.

 

When they stand still in front of a red traffic light Tsukauchi breaks the silence, “The man could file charges against you for threatening him, you know.” He looks sternly at Izuku through the rearview mirror. Izuku shrugs, “He won’t. He doesn’t want to risk the police looking into his support group. Besides, he doesn’t trust the police enough.”

 

The detective frowns before checking the light again. It’s still on red. “I still don't approve of your method."

 

Izuku shrugs again. "I got you the files didn't I?" He doesn't understand what the problem is. He did his job--which is gathering information. No harm was done, he knew Sugiyama wouldn't press charges, otherwise he would never have pressed the man this way.

 

Tsukauchi's knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. "That's not what I mean–"

 

"Leave it, Tsukauchi. You two won't come to an understanding." An annoyed Eraserhead says. He still has his eyes closed but there's a slight downturn of his mouth visible.

 

The light jumps to green and the car lurches forward again. The detective focuses back on the road, Izuku turns to look out the window again, watching as buildings and cars whizz by.

 

---

 

Back at the police station they decide that Eraserhead will start shadowing Sugiyama. They all agree that there's something shady about him. Maybe something new will turn up. After everyone's had a look at the files from Sugiyama's, they'll meet again. 

 

It won't be until a while though, the entrance exams are right around the corner and both Izuku and Eraserhead will be plenty busy until then.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: Somewhere next week

Chapter 5: Entrance Exam

Notes:

Hi! I've got a longer chapter for you all this time. I hope you enjoy!

CW: PTSD attack

UA is huge. That’s the first thought that enters Izuku’s brain when he stares up at the enormous building. Around him flocks of other teens are entering the school grounds through the gleaming gates. There hangs a sort of nervous energy in the air and Izuku can’t help but share that feeling.

 

Logically he knows that he should be able to pass. He’s had more training than anyone here. He’s studied hard for the written exam. Still, doubts plague him as he passes the gates and heads for the main building. He wonders if his fake ID will hold up against Nedzu’s security system. If the cover he’s made for his quirk will be enough to draw away suspicion.

 

At the entrance of the school he’s given a card that says where to take his written exam and he follows the huge stream of students through the hallway until everyone splits up into smaller groups heading for their own exam rooms. Izuku sits down at one of the many desks when he’s found the room where he’s supposed to be and he tries to calm his nerves. He notes the many cameras that are hidden in the room, hidden and in plain sight. Probably to prevent cheating, though Izuku wonders who would be in their right mind to try and cheat at UA with Nedzu as principal. The rat is probably watching right now and Izuku has to repress a shiver–he doesn’t like being watched.

 

There are enough exits: Double doors in the front and back and multiple windows lining the wall to Izuku’s left. His head starts plotting different escape routes before he can stop himself and Izuku shakes his head–he needs to focus on the exam, not on trying to escape.

 

“Nervous?”

 

Izuku looks to his right where a girl with short brown hair cut into a bob is sitting. She’d entered a minute ago and Izuku had immediately noted the soft pink pads on her hands. A quirk that needs five finger points to activate maybe? He knows another person with a quirk like that.

 

“You will always be my big brother, right?”

 

A raspy laugh. “Of course, don’t worry Izu. Being with Sensei won’t change that.”

 

“B-but you’re alway so…different when you come back.”

 

“Sensei is just making me stronger, kay?”

 

“Uhm…hello? Are you alright?”

 

Izuku blinks the memory away and sees the girl looking at him with a concerned frown. Fuck he’d gotten caught up in a memory again. “Oh yeah I’m fine.” Izuku conjures up a smile. “Just spaced out there a little. Guess it must be the nerves, sorry.”

 

The girl laughs, it’s a bubbly sound. “It’s fine! I totally get it.” At the front of the room someone calls for silence. “Well, here goes nothing. Good luck!” she whispers and Izuku can’t help but feel a genuine smile creep up his face. This girl is just so nice .

 

“Thanks, good luck to you too,” he whispers back with a small smile on his face. He hasn’t forgotten the memory and doubts about the exam still fly through his head but he doesn’t feel completely crushed by nerves anymore. Let this exam come.

The written part is laughably easy. Izuku finishes first even after checking his exam three times and checking the back to make sure he hasn’t forgotten anything. Maybe there is a second part to the exam? he wonders. He puts up his hand in the air and almost immediately a teacher comes flying his way. Ectoplasm, or one of his clones, his mind supplies. Good at hand-to-hand combat, whilst still being able to fight in long range fighting distance. His one weakness is that when an opponent comes in close with a destructive quirk Ectoplasm doesn’t have a good defense.

 

“You had a question?” the man asks softly when he reaches Izuku’s table. “Yes, I’m finished with the first part, can I get the second part?”

 

For a second the hero just looks baffled then he says, “There is only one part to this exam. Are you sure you made everything?” Izuku nods and whispers back, “I checked everything three times.”

 

Surprise flits across Ectoplasm’s face. “You can just hand your work over to me and then you can wait at the cafeteria.”

After waiting for a little bit more people start to file into the cafeteria–four exits, the windows can only slightly open–and Izuku takes the time he has to wait for Hitoshi to observe the other exam takers. He has no idea what the practical part of the exam will be, for all Izuku knows he might have to fight other participants. Soon after Izuku finishes, a tall boy with blue hair and glasses enters–he walks like a robot in Izuku’s opinion. Two other people that stand out to Izuku as potential strong opponents amongst the people that are done relatively early are a girl with headphone cords for ears and a girl with green hair and a frog-like mouth.

 

A familiar purple light comes closer in Izuku’s mind and when he looks back at the entrance of the cafeteria he sees Hitoshi entering the room. His friend scans the room and then spots Izuku standing in the far corner.

 

“And? How did your exam go?” Izuku asks when his friend has come to stand next to him with a tired sigh. “Grueling. Though not as bad as I thought it would be.” Hitoshi takes out a thermos flask filled with coffee and gulps down a big part of it in one go. 

 

“I swear I won’t be surprised when your heart just stops one day.” Izuku looks at his friend with a horrified expression. Hitoshi just shrugs. “How did your exam go by the way?”

 

“Hey it’s you!”

 

Both of them look around and Izuku sees the bubbly girl from earlier approaching them with a big smile. Izuku gives her a small wave. “Hi uh…”

 

The girl gasps, “Oh I totally forgot to introduce myself. I’m Uraraka Ochako.”

 

“Hi then, Uraraka. I’m Midoriya Izuku and this is my friend Shinsou Hitoshi.” Hitoshi gives Izuku a questioning look. His friend must probably wonder why Izuku is talking to a stranger–something he never does. Izuku just shrugs back at his friend, he also doesn’t know how it happened. In the meantime Uraraka has taken a bottle of water out of her bag while she says, “You were so fast Midoirya! I was just halfway through my exam and you were already finished.”

 

Hitoshi gives Izuku a disbelieving look. “ Dude ,” is all he says. Izuku frowns, “Well, to be honest I thought there was a second part to the exam so I was just as surprised as you were when Ectoplasm told me I had already finished.”

 

“This man…” Hitoshi says to Uraraka as he shakes his head. Uraraka just looks flabbergasted. “You are smart .”

 

Izuku gives a half shrug. What is he supposed to say to that? He’d studied well for the exam, that's all.

One more thing that Izuku realizes about UA is that the school is rich . He’s standing in front of one of the mock cities, yes one of the mock cities. There were entire cities built just for an exam exercise.

Izuku goes to stand in front of the entrance of the city like everyone else. He won't be able to use his quirk for this. Of all the things that the exam could have been, it had to be robots. The one thing that he can’t use his quirk on. Or he could, but that would blow his cover. He has to pretend that he has a quirk-canceling quirk, like he’s done for three years already. Now he just has to do it infront of an insanely smart principal and a bunch of pro heroes. No problem.

 

It shouldn’t be a problem. He can hold his own without using his quirk. He had made sure of that. 

 

A bob of brown hair catches Izuku’s attention. It’s Uraraka. She is standing a bit to the front and Izuku is about to approach her and wish her good luck like she did for him this morning when he feels a presence sneaking up from behind him.

 

Izuku whirls around.

 

He almost punches Robot-guy in the face.

 

The guy’s eyes move from Izuku’s fist–mere inches removed from his face–to Izuku’s face with a sense of alarm. His posture goes even more rigid and he takes a careful step back. But he regains his composure quickly and with a bellowing voice says, “What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see that girl is trying to focus!?”

 

Exasperated, Izuku pulls back his fist but he doesn’t relax, instead he asks, “Why do you care?”

 

The boy chops his hands up and down and says with a stern expression, “It is unbefitting for a potential future UA student to disrupt another person’s focus just before the exam!”

 

Izuku can feel his anger building up inside of him. The guy is starting to make a scene and other kids around them have quieted to listen to this spectacle. “I was just trying to wish her good luck! Like she did for me this morning.”

 

“Still,” the boy says stiffly, he pushes up his glasses, “you shouldn’t attack anyone who comes close to you.”

 

Izuku stills. His burning anger stops and instead a cold calm washes over him. “What did you accuse me of?” Robot-guy takes another step back when he sees Izuku’s face and has the sense to look a little alarmed. Izuku closes the distance between them both within a second. “Don’t ever accuse me of attacking you when you were the one sneaking up on me from behind without warning! If I had reacted any later when I saw you you would be lying out cold right now. Unable to take part in the exam.”

 

The boy gulps at the idea of missing the exam and it looks like he wants to say something but Izuku doesn’t wait. He turns around and stomps his way to the front of the group, all the other participants parting as if they’re afraid they’ll be next.

 

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE! ARE YOU READY FOR THE SECOND PART OF THE EXAM?”

 

Everyone around Izuku quiets and the nervous energy thrumming in the air increases ten fold. Somewhere high above the multiple cities Present Mic is standing. The doors leading to the city open and Izuku readies himself, lowering his stance. Around him people do the same.

 

“BEGIN!”

 

Izuku sprints forward.

 

Everyone else just stands there.

 

“WELL GO! IN REAL LIFE THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS!” Present Mic yells.

 

That seems to jar everyone into action and Izuku hears dozens of feet pounding on the asphalt behind him. After that all sounds fade into the background and Izuku feels his lazer focus slip into place. It’s best to get off the main road as soon as possible so Izuku runs into the first alley he sees. 

 

Immediately he is greeted with a two pointer. 

 

Izuku jumps over the lazer that is targeted at him and rushes forward. He pushes himself off the asphalt and rockets feet first into the robot. It leaves behind a deep dent and a few metal plates fall onto the ground because of the sheer power. Yes, Izuku does have the muscle augmentation quirk pulled to the front. Nobody would notice that anyway.

 

A few cables pour out of the defeated robot from the places where the plates have fallen off. Curious, Izuku approaches the robot and sees a very obvious maintenance hatch. It's obvious Nedzu put it there for the more...ingenious student. Izuku gets an idea.

 

Without wasting any more time Izuku rushes out of the alley, on the search for more robots. He passes other students and helps out a few of them when they are about to be crushed by falling debris or he warns them when a robot is sneaking up on them. 

 

Then he sees a student with some weird belt on being cornered by three robots. Two two pointers and one three pointer. The boy is gripping his stomach with a pained expression and it's clear to Izuku that the student is suffering from the drawbacks of quirk exhaustion. 

 

The robots don't notice him because they are all turned towards the boy. Izuku runs forward towards the closest two pointer and before the robot can react he pulls open the maintenance hatch. He sees different cables in various colors and because he isn't a mechanic just grabs as many of them as possible and tears them out of the metal robot. The red light and the laser from the robot are abruptly cut off and the machine slumps forward as it stops working.

 

Izuku grins. That's one.

 

The boy seems to gain some courage from Izuku’s display because he shoots down the other two pointer in one go with a glittery laser.

 

While the boy is dealing with that machine Izuku turns his attention towards the three pointer. The machine points its big red laser at Izuku and he has to quickly roll out of the way. He grabs a random handle screwed onto the metal and hauls himself up on the robot once he has closed the distance. He almost gets thrown off when the robot tries to shake him off by swinging aggressively left and right but he holds on tight and opens the hatch as quickly as he can. Once again he grabs a handful of cables and rips them out of the machine. The robot sputters out and Izuku stomps on the head once just to be sure it won’t get up–the metal caves like butter under his foot and Izuku briefly wonders whether that might be a bit too much strength. 

 

The boy he just saved turns to him with an almost blindingly bright smile. “Thank you mon ami!” Then he turns around and hurries off to find other robots, leaving Izuku behind with the three defeated robots. Izuku grins. Oh killing these robots is going to be so much fun.

 

---

 

The only things that light the observation room are the multiple screens displaying the various groups of students standing full of anticipation at the gates of the mock cities. Together with most teachers, Shouta is gathered in the room to evaluate all the participants of the entrance exam of UA. To be honest, he isn't expecting much of it--he's of the opinion that the exam is way too biased to test all the students properly. Unfortunately the school board won't allow any change, Nedzu has tried many times to persuade them.

 

Hizashi is one of the few teachers not present, as he’s the one overseeing the exam and basically the gamemaster of the practical part. A screen somewhere in the bottom right shows him climbing up a tower in the middle of all the mock cities with a huge grin. Of course . Shouta thinks. Always the enthusiasm himself . He and Hizashi have been friends since highschool. Even back then his friend always more than compensated for the lack of enthusiasm from Shouta.

 

Hizashi has arrived at the top of the tower and is now scanning the many groups of students standing at the entrances. His hand goes up to his ear piece and then the cheery voice of his friend vibrates out of the speakers in the observation room.

 

“It seems all the groups are present. Permission to start the exam.”

 

Nedzu, who is sitting in the middle of the room behind a huge control panel, answers. “Permission granted. Starting up the robots now.” The rat starts pressing multiple buttons with a maniacal glint in his eyes. Shouta shudders and looks away. The principal still gives him the chills–even after having worked for him for multiple years.

 

“Alrighty.”

 

With a huge grin on his face Hizashi takes a deep breath and, “ALRIGHT EVERYONE! ARE YOU READY FOR THE SECOND PART OF THE EXAM?”

 

Across all screens the groups of students still and look up at the huge tower.

 

“BEGIN!”

 

No movement. Internally Shouta sighs, it’s the same every year. He’s going to have to work on that with his new class this year. If he’s going to keep any, last year was a disappointment–he expelled them all within a week. Only this time his eyes are drawn to actual movement on one of the screens. 

 

“Well would you look at that.” Nemuri, or Midnight, says with a playful smile. A head of  very familiar green curls speeds down the street, accompanied by a face set full of determination. Of course it’s Midoriya.

 

“Someone is actually smart enough to run at the signal.” Ectoplasm comments. The man has a bunch of clones flying around the mock cities, ready to help out when necessary. The actual hero is in here watching the exam though.

 

“WELL GO! IN REAL LIFE THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS!” Yamada’s voice booms through the speakers. Suddenly all the other students are scrambling into movement. As an army of ants they all flood through the gates and into the city. Fights break out everywhere, hundreds of quirks firing off at once. Meanwhile Midoriya has ducked into the first alley that presented itself, facing off against his first robot. He rockets himself off the asphalt and after one kick the robot goes down, leaving a huge dent behind.

 

Somewhere to Shouta’s right Snipe whistles, “That’s a lot of strength. Does he have some sort of strength quirk?” Shouta wonders the same as he watches Midoriya continue on his way after inspecting the robot. Tsukauchi has never actually told him what the kid’s quirk was. Not that Shouta cares all that much–as long as someone is good at their job their quirk doesn’t matter to him.

 

Nedzu takes out a file and says with twinkling eyes, “Midoriya Izuku does not have a strength quirk of any sort. His quirk can turn someone’s quirk on and off by touch. Permanently.” 

 

Snipe’s eyebrows rise, “Damn, kid must have never skipped leg day.” Shouta can’t help but feel some surprise as well. He’d thought it would be some sort of passive quirk that only had an effect on the user as Midoriya had never shown any sign of a quirk.

 

Nemuri turns to him with a grin, “He’s like a mini you, Shouta. Perfect student to take on right?”

 

Shouta frowns and focuses back on the screens as he says dryly, “I don’t care what quirks my students have as long as they show they have potential.”

 

The exam continues on its merry way with the other teachers commenting on various students and their abilities. For some reason Shouta’s eyes keep getting drawn to Midoriya. He fights like a beast, though there’s a grace in his movements that can only come from years of rigorous training. As if it were a dance Midoriya darts around the robots and he tears through them in ruthless efficiency.  From the few times that a camera briefly zooms into his face Shouta can see a steel determination and hyperfocus on Midoriya’s face.

 

Though it appears that he’s not the only one interested in Midoriya. Because in the corner of the room–as if not to draw any attention–stands the Number One hero, All Might, and the hero has only had eyes for Midoriya the entire time, only briefly looking at other students. He’s not in that horrific costume–the one that seems a bad imitation of the American flag–still there’s an air of brightness around the hero and everyone else in the room is doing their very best not to look at the Number One. Apparently he’s supposed to come teach at UA the coming year.

 

Shouta had almost thought Nedzu was making a joke when the principal told the other teachers the news a few days ago. That is until All Might himself had walked into the room and told them of his…physical issues. Namely that the buffoon couldn’t maintain his hero form for more than two hours a day.

 

And now the hero appears to be interested in Midoriya. Maybe it’s because the kid has saved multiple other students during the exam from robots or falling debris. Honestly, Shouta doesn’t really care nor does he want to know what the Number One wants from Midoriya. Nedzu probably knows as the rat gained a knowing smile on his face when he saw who All Might’s attention was on.

 

Nope . Shouta is not going to get involved with whatever that rat is up to.

 

It’s near the end of the exam when Nedzu says, “Initiating to launch the zero pointers. Ectoplasm be on standby to help students in immediate danger.”

 

“Copy that.” The hero in question answers after which Nedzu pushes a big red button with a delighted chuckle.

 

Really, Shouta doesn’t want to know what the rat would do to his actual enemies if this is what he does to his future students.

 

Even in the observation room the tremors of the zero pointers emerging from the ground can be felt. Moments later all the students seem to realize what’s happening and in masses they start running away from the thing. Again, a common occurrence each year. Most students run away–something any normal person would do in Shouta’s opinion. It takes a lot of mental strength and training to willingly run up to something that big–but every few years there’s a student who shatters the expectations. 

 

This year it seems Midoriya is that student.

 

Most teachers only really catch on to what Midoriya is trying to do once he reaches the street with the robot. But Shouta had already noticed him going against the tides of students moments after the robots had been released. The kid comes to a halt when he reaches the street and he looks around for a bit, his head moving from place to place to take it all in. 

 

Finally, his eyes land on the robot. And maybe it’s just Shouta, but there seems to be a sort of shift in Midoriya. The kid just stares at the thing for a few seconds, his body still, almost slack. Then he breaks out into a run .

 

Midnight whistles, “The kid is really running like he has the devil on his heels.”

 

Behind the control panel Nedzu is watching with interest. “Ectoplasm make sure you can save the girl and Midoriya Izuku when the need arises. I will stop the robot if necessary.” 

 

Shouta turns his attention back to the screens where Midoriya has reached the robot and has now started climbing up. He climbs fast and soon he reaches some sort of panel on the back of the robot.

 

Nedzu chuckles and takes a sip of his tea, “So that is his plan…”

 

Honestly, when the rat is interested in something it’s even scarier. It seems more teachers agree as some cast worried glances at the principal. Meanwhile, All Might doesn’t seem to notice any of it as he’s still watching Midoriya. 

 

The camera’s don’t really show well what happens next with all the dust in the air and the distance they have to keep for safety reasons . Shouta’s not sure if he understands why one would worry about a drone when there’s a literal giant robot marching around but it’s none of his business.

 

Midoriya manages to somehow open the panel and with the angle that the camera has Shouta can barely see some cables and buttons from behind the kid’s back.

 

That’s when Hizashi starts counting down, “ONE MINUTE REMAINING FOLKS! MAKE SURE TO GET THOSE LAST FEW POINTS BEFORE IT’S ALL OVER!”

 

Midoriya fiddles with something inside the panel for a while and his movements seem to get more frantic as the seconds tick by. The robot keeps approaching the girl and Ectoplasm and Nedzu discuss when to intervene. They come to the conclusion to wait.

 

Of course that’s when the robot starts exploding.

 

---

 

Everything had been going so well. Izuku had found a rhythm when destroying the robots, tearing through them in no time at all. He helps other candidates whenever he can and honestly, Izuku is having fun . This isn't a life or death situation, nor is He looking at him with those cold green eyes that see every mistake and would punish him for it. This is a school exam and Izuku is doing well earning points. He can't help the grin that appears on his face as he finishes yet another robot, helping a girl who had been driven in the corner by it. They must be almost at the end of the exam, Izuku guesses. Just a little bit longer and the bell will ring, announcing the end of the exam.

 

Naturally that's when the buildings start shaking.

 

It’s almost deafening with the enhanced hearing quirk that Izuku always has running in the background. Thundering footsteps seem to approach him from behind, the pounding of many feet on the asphalt sounding like dozens of drums. For a moment it’s all Izuku can hear. The world seems to spin and a sharp beeping tone fills his ears for a few seconds. Izuku closes his eyes and breathes in deeply, then he opens his eyes and turns around.

 

Dozens of other kids are now swarming around him, they appear to be removing themselves from something a bit further ahead. One kid shouts as he passes, “Come on! Run!”

 

That’s not what Izuku’s focused on though. Because somewhere, two streets ahead he hears a cry.

 

“ Help! ”

 

He’s probably the only one who hears it with his enhanced hearing and Izuku can’t help it, his feet move before he can think. Because suddenly he’s fighting against the waves of students, pushing his way past, his heart thundering in his chest. Someone needs help . He’s heard cries like that before and never had he been able to do something about it, back in that concrete room somewhere far far under the ground. He promised himself to never stand by again, not now that he can do something. The flashbacks and memories that threaten to pull him back, to overwhelm him, he pushes away by sharpening his focus until the only thing on his mind is the moving of his legs.

 

Maybe it’s the adrenaline pumping through his veins but all of the sudden he rounds a corner and has arrived at the street. Or what used to be a street. Now it’s wrecked and cracked, pieces of rubble lie everywhere. Few students remain and fear stenches the air. It almost makes Izuku gag because it reminds him of the many times that he felt that way. There’s concrete everywhere, on the ground, on the walls. Izuku feels his head spin, no , he’s not in that room. But it feels like he is.

 

Then he looks up–he wonders why he hadn’t done that before, maybe then he would have been prepared. Because there’s this huge robot standing maybe thirty meters away. It’s overwhelmingly big. It blocks the sky. Izuku almost feels the moment that he loses the battle against his mind, against his past. He blinks once and suddenly–

 

There’s a Nomu standing there. It looms over Izuku, and he knows that this is probably the biggest one he’s seen yet. He and doctor Garaki probably wanted to test it out on Izuku before using it for one of their dark plans. This time is different though, there’s someone else in the room. A girl with a brown bob who’s trapped underneath a piece of rubble. She weakly reaches out, seeking for help. 

 

Is this one of His new sick ways for motivating Izuku? Izuku feels nausea coming up. He has to end this quickly, with as many quirks as possible.

 

No, no, he needs to hide most of his quirks. This is a test right? There are people watching who can’t know what he’s capable of. He isn’t in that damned training room…Right?

 

Maybe He is manipulating his thoughts. Maybe this is all happening in his head. Another one of His fucked up games that Izuku has to play along with, has to succeed if he doesn’t want to be faced with His anger and disappointment. He’s not sure what is happening but he needs to do something now. He’s not sure where he got the idea from that he can’t use all of his quirks but he’ll follow it. It seems important . 

 

He starts running towards the Nomu, a few plans fly through his head on defeating the thing. He could go for the brain, or he could take a few of its quirks. That careful balance fabricated by the doctor would fall right apart and the thing would cease to function.

 

No, this isn’t a Nomu. This is a robot. He needs to go for a control panel hidden somewhere on its back. He feels like he’s done that before.

 

Wait…what? Izuku feels confusion flit through him. Is this something new? He’s so sure that this is a Nomu though. By now he’s passed the girl and he’s rapidly approaching the thing’s enormous feet. The sound of creaking metal on concrete vibrates through the air. Izuku navigates a bit to the left in order not to be crushed by a foot that stomps down. His vision focuses on a specific latch which he can grab onto. His muscles tense, helped by two strength enhancing quirks. 

 

He jumps and manages to grab onto the latch. Wait…why does a Nomu have a latch? 

 

Izuku looks up to the…robot and starts climbing up with sureness in his moves. He wonders why he has to fight a robot for Him. There’s no time to ponder for long though because he has a girl to save.

 

He starts searching for a control panel on the back of the Nomu or robot…he doesn’t know anymore. He isn’t sure why he has decided to defeat the thing through a control panel. The thing is still moving with sure steps towards the girl. Izuku doesn’t have long anymore, if he’s too slow she’ll be dead. Crushed by huge feet. By the thought another rush of adrenaline courses through him. The control panel is already in sight, a few meters higher up on the back of the thing.

 

He heaves himself up, closer and closer until he’s right in front of the control panel. With the help of a quirk that assists him in dismantling mechanical devices he gets past the lock on the panel easily and the door swings open revealing a multitude of cables and flickering lights and buttons. He casts a quick glance down at the ground and his heart lurches, not much longer and the girl will be crushed.

 

He focuses back on the panel, and wonders which button will turn the thing off. His quirk only helps to dismantle mechanical devices, not control them, so he’ll have to guess. Somewhere in the back of his head he registers a booming voice screaming something. Izuku frowns, he’s never heard that voice when training with Him . The clock is ticking though and Izuku quickly moves his focus back on the panel.

 

Fuck. He really doesn’t know what to do with this thing. Maybe melting it’s inside will do the job. One specific quirk comes on instinct to his mind for that: Magma Hand. A quirk that makes his hands as hot as magma and lets him melt almost anything. Even when something inside of him screams at him not to use the quirk, Izuku pulls it forward and immediately his hands glow red with heat. He grabs a handful of cables and the material held between his hands melts away.

 

Oh how he hopes that this will be enough. He doesn’t want to think about the punishment that he’ll get if he fails to defeat this…thing.

 

The thing keeps moving though…and Izuku can feel the thing whirring and groaning, still moving forward. Panic overtakes him and his breath quickens, he starts to push random buttons–without Magma Hand–in an attempt to stop the thing. One glance down tells him that he only has seconds left. One more step and the thing will squash the girl. She’s looking up at the thing in horror whilst desperately clawing and pushing at the rubble in an attempt to free herself. 

 

Izuku’s instinct tells him to get away from the control panel before he feels the heat. In the second that an explosion emerges from the opening Izuku swings himself to one side. Heat scorches his back and the metal beneath his fingers takes on alarming temperatures as the inside of the thing heats up and multiple explosions ripple it. He has to get off this thing before he gets blown away with it. 

 

Swinging from latch to latch and sometimes sliding a bit, Izuku starts his descent. Only he freezes when he sees that the legs are still moving. How? He can only watch as one leg passes the highest point and moves back in a downward arch. It’s going to crush the girl and I can’t do anything about it . Blood rushes in his ears and a terrible feeling washes over Izuku. How did he think he could even save one person? He’s a horrible and useless person. He has told Izuku that countless times. And He is always right.

 

The leg moves down and down…and suddenly it stops.

 

Shocked that the thing has stopped, Izuku can only stare. Until he remembers that this thing is literally a bomb waiting to happen and he quickly continues down. The last few meters he has to jump as an explosion threatens to blow him away. With a neat tuck-and-roll Izuku comes to a stop next to the girl. 

 

“Are you alright?” Izuku asks as he approaches her with a light frown. She’s looking at him with huge eyes, fear visible in them. Only…no, she’s looking at something behind him, tracking the movements of something behind him. “L-look out!” she stammers.

 

All Izuku feels is an increase in heat and his instincts screaming at him to move . He’s not fast enough though, and suddenly there’s an explosion of pain at the back of his head.

 

Then everything goes black.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I 100% believe that UA must have had some teachers on stand-by to save some of the students. Otherwise there would probably have been multiple deaths already due to UA's over the top exam...

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next post: Somewhere next week.

Chapter 6: Amnesia

Notes:

CW: Panic attack

Izuku wakes slowly at first. There are soft sheets underneath him, an AC hums pleasantly in the background, creating a caressing breeze. Somewhere a radio is playing music on a low volume. Those are the few peaceful moments Izuku has before his mind has come up to speed. With it his worries and thoughts return. Where is he? And how did he get here? He can’t remember what happened. What if…what if He took him? Panic courses through him and his eyes fly open. Immediately he closes them again because the light is too harsh and it makes his head throb. Slowly, he cracks an eye open and he’s greeted with a white ceiling and a soft white light.

 

Not the doctor's laboratory then. No soft lights and uncracked ceilings there. With an effort Izuku manages to prop himself up on his elbows. He seems to be in some sort of sick ward with multiple beds surrounded by soft blue curtains to give a bit of privacy. His are partially closed, only giving him a view of a part of the room. A few posters decorate the off-white walls. A bunch of them talk about healthy workout routines and eating habits that support an active lifestyle. Izuku frowns and again wonders where he is. No matter how much he tries to remember what he did to end up in what seems to be a hospital bed he comes up empty. As if someone had come and cut out a part of his memory.

 

“...he’s still asleep…no, I don’t want you to disturb my patients!”

 

“...I don’t care!...Fine…you stupid heroes and your exams…”

 

Voices . To his right, somewhere from inside another room. He probably only picked them up because of his hearing quirk. In a hurry Izuku swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands up. Almost immediately he lets himself fall back on the bed again as a sharp pain threatens to break his skull in half. The world spins and Izuku groans whilst he gingerly holds his head with his eyes pressed shut.

 

“It appears that that reckless boy is awake anyway.” An older feminine voice says as two pairs of footsteps stop just a bit away from Izuku. One pair sounds oddly familiar to him but he can’t place it with the piercing pain in his head. Even trying to use his quirk to see what sort of lights their quirks have is too much effort. Carefully, he opens his eyes again, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head. The curtain is drawn open to reveal two people standing there.

 

One is the heroine and doctor Recovery Girl. With her short stature and the pink doctor outfit she’s hard to be mistaken for someone else. With an unimpressed frown she approaches Izuku, her cane tapping the floor with every step. The other is–

 

“Eraserhead?”

 

The hero is standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking as if he doesn’t know what to do with himself in a sick ward. And suddenly Izuku remembers . He remembers how he walked through the gleaming gates of UA this morning, he remembers taking the written exam and, above all else, he remembers the physical exam. Or at least partially, he remembers defeating multiple robots and helping other participants in the process and he also remembers feeling tremors course through the mock city near the end of the exam. However, what comes after he doesn’t know.

 

“Yes darling, that is Eraserhead in the sick ward. I’m just as surprised as you are since the idiot never comes to me when he needs to.” Recovery Girl says as she stops in front of Izuku. She crosses her arms and asks, “And please , do tell me why you’re not laying in bed and properly resting as you should with that concussion of yours!”

 

Izuku frowns, “I have a concussion?” That would explain the headache and the sensitivity to light. The heroine sighs and looks as if she’s lost all faith in humanity, “ Yes you do. You had a nasty wound on the back of your head from that falling piece of rubble, you’re lucky I was able to heal it so soon or you would have been left with a big scar. I couldn’t heal your concussion since healing your wound deprived you of almost all your energy.”

 

“Ah…” Is all Izuku manages to say because he’s busy checking which quirks he’s pulled to the front. Fortunately no healing quirks are in the front, he’s not sure how he would have explained healing magically within a few hours.

 

Recovery Girl narrows her eyes as she asks, “Young man, do you get enough rest?” 

 

“Uhm…” He, in fact, did not get enough rest. Nightmares and the fear of his mom being taken by Him whilst Izuku was sleeping was enough to keep him awake for a majority of the night. He couldn’t even remember when the last time was that he’d slept properly, probably before He demanded that He would give Izuku all his education and… training . However, Recovery Girl did not need to know that. “I was just nervous about the exam and…I didn’t sleep well.” Izuku shrugs as if it’s not a big deal but the heroine looks like she doesn’t believe a word he just said. “Well, I will need to check the back of your head to see if everything healed well over there.” She reaches out to him and Izuku automatically leans away, zero-ing in on the stretched out hand. 

 

There’s a beat of silence. 

 

Really, he didn’t mean to react this way. It just sort of happened. With reluctance he leans back forward again and even manages a laugh. “Sorry, just stretching my back! I just feel a little sore and stuff…” Recovery Girl looks at him suspiciously and one look at Eraserhead tells Izuku that the man doesn’t seem to buy it. “I am going to remove the bandage around your head, is that okay?” The heroine asks. Izuku swallows and it takes everything in him to answer, “Yeah no problem.”

 

The next few minutes Recovery Girl does her check up as she discusses his injuries. In the meantime Izuku sits still as a statue whilst he tries not to flinch from every movement the woman makes. After what seems like an eternity she backs away and says, “Alright young man, I’ve removed the bandaging around your head and it looks like the wound healed well up there. You still have a concussion so that means no exercising! Can one of your parents come pick you up?”

 

“My mom should be home.”

 

Recovery Girl nods and says, “I will be calling her so she can come pick you up. Going to sleep is fine but every two or three hours she’ll have to wake you up and check if you can answer a simple question. And remember: no exercising! I know you hero hopefuls don’t like to hear that but it’s important!” She gives Izuku a stern look until he promises not to do any strenuous activities and then she’s off with words, “Eraserhead, he’s all yours. Don’t make it too long! He needs to rest! ”

 

As soon as the door of Recovery Girls’ office closes Izuku looks at Eraserhead and asks, “So, why are you here?” The man takes a step forward and he gives Izuku a searching look, “You were the only one in the entire exam to fight the zero pointer this year.”

 

For a few seconds Izuku doesn’t say anything as he tries to remember what a zero pointer is again. Right…a big metal machine that makes him wonder if UA has too much money to spend. “Hold up…I fought that thing?” Eraserhead narrows his eyes, “You don’t remember fighting it, do you?”

 

Izuku averts his eyes and stares guiltily at his hands. He’s not sure what happened but he’s experienced gaps in his memory before, only not this long. Probably a result of trauma, if he’s lucky they’ll come back in a bit. If not…well lets hope that he didn’t do anything that could blow his cover. What if they already found out and Eraserhead is now here to take him away? To lock him up forever? He can’t have that happening. What will happen to his mom? What if He takes her when Izuku is not there? He doesn’t realize his breathing has quickened until a calm voice says, “Midoirya, breathe .”

 

“I-...I’m s-sorry,” Izuku manages to stutter in between heaving breaths, “I just don’t re-remember.” In between his tears he can see the hero looking at him with a calm expression, “It’s alright Midoirya. It’s probably a side effect of the concussion. Now, I need you to follow my breathing. Can you do that?” Izuku nods and for a while that’s what they do.

 

When Izuku has calmed down enough, Eraserhead gives him some space and takes a seat on a plastic chair near the bed. Izuku bites his lip and looks down, “Sorry about that. It’s just scary…not being able to remember things.” He hears Eraserhead shift on his chair and when he looks up the man has an eyebrow raised, “You don’t have to apologize for that. Like I said, it’s probably from your concussion. It’s logical that this experience can be scary the first time.”

 

That may be true if this were his first time not remembering things, but that wasn’t even what Izuku was worried about. It was the fact that he didn’t know what he did during that time that scared him. Deciding to test the waters he says, “I do remember fighting the robots and a huge tremor vibrating through the city but other than that…”

 

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” It’s asked casually by the hero but there’s an underlying suspicion. And suddenly it’s clear to Izuku why the man came here, not to check up on him–Eraserhead doesn’t do stuff like that–or to arrest him but to gather information. For who? Izuku doesn’t know. Maybe for Nedzu, or the police, or just for himself. For whoever it is, they probably don’t have enough evidence about who Izuku is and now they need more information. Well, they won’t get any. Izuku can feel the carefully built walls that had lowered a bit during his panic attack rise again. Even if tiredness tugs at him and he feels emotionally drained he forces himself to be alert. He locks his emotions somewhere far away and scans the hero's form. The man is sitting relaxed in his chair, or at least he appears to be, but the slight downturn of his mouth and a certain glint in his eyes suggest that he’s tracking every movement Izuku makes.

 

“I started self defense when I was around five because my mother was worried for my safety as I didn’t have an offensive quirk.” Izuku says, it wasn’t the whole truth by far, certainly not because Izuku hadn’t started fighting willingly and it wasn’t his mother who had made him start training.

 

When it’s clear that Izuku won’t elaborate further, Eraserhead hums. His posture doesn’t change but his heart beat picks up by a bit. Izuku decides this is the time to change topics and asks, “How is it going with shadowing Sugiyama, our dear support group leader?”

 

Eraserhead sighs in frustration and shakes his head, “No luck so far. In the week that I’ve been following him he hasn’t really done anything noteworthy. At least not something that could give us a clue about where Kokkaku is.”

 

“So he’s being careful.”

 

The hero nods and they hold eye contact for a moment longer. Izuku can tell in that second that Eraserhead hasn’t let the conversation go nor his suspicion of Izuku. Still, he’s willing to carry on another time and Izuku gives the man a blank stare as a challenge. If the hero wants to dig into his past he can try all he wants, he won’t find anything . 

 

Eraserhead stands up with a ruffle of his clothes and says, “You should rest. Regaining your lost energy is important.” With that the man turns to leave, though he turns back to Izuku one last time, “I have one more question Midoriya.”

 

“Are you safe at home?”

 

The question takes Izuku off guard and it takes him a moment to answer. Is he safe at home? Not really. He could barge in any moment that he’d like if he were to find out where Izuku and his mom live. But is he safe in the way that Eraserhead was thinking? “Yes! My mom would never hurt me!” Izuku exclaims with big eyes.

 

For a moment Eraserhead looks puzzled, as if a certain picture he’d made up in his head doesn’t fit, then he nods. “Good. Have a nice day Midoriya.”

 

After that the hero walks away, leaving Izuku with his thoughts and a splitting headache.

 

---

 

The following week Izuku is a bundle of nerves. After his mother had taken him home, his memories had weirdly enough started to come back bit by bit and Izuku didn’t like any of it. Because he had used other quirks and he doesn’t know how anyone could have missed it. Of course his mom notices his nerves and she tries to make him feel better in any way she can but it doesn’t help much. It’s hard paying attention at school with the feeling that the police or some heroes might come to arrest him any moment.

 

At the end of the week Izuku’s sitting on the couch mindlessly staring ahead when his mom comes scrambling in with an anxious expression. “Izuku! The letter came in!” 

 

His heart rate spikes and for a moment all he can do is stare at the letter in his mother’s hands. It could either bring him indescribable happiness, or impending doom. The dream that he’s had since a kid and the hero license that he so very much wants are within reach.

 

His mom hands him the letter and he takes it with trembling hands. They both sit down on the couch and his mom gives him a reassuring squeeze. “Just know that I’m proud of you Izuku, no matter the outcome.” Izuku nods, though he isn’t so sure about that if she knew how he’d fucked up the practical. He hadn’t told her as he didn’t want to worry her even more than she already did. With one last deep breath he opens the letter. A black disk falls out and not a moment later a blue light fills the living room.

 

“I’m principal Nedzu, here as a projection to announce the exam results!” The rat is standing in a room with behind him an empty scoreboard, he’s wearing a blue suit and has clasped his paws together in front of him.

 

“Midoriya Izuku, you passed the written exam with flying colors! During the practical exam you defeated more than enough robots to pass.”

 

Inko looks at Izuku with a relieved smile on her face. “Izuku, that’s great!” All Izuku can do is stare at the projection because the message is not over yet.

 

“However–”

 

Izuku sucks in a breath. This is it. This is where they’ll expose him as a fraud and a liar. This is where heroes will come barging into their apartment to arrest him. They must have seen something on the exam footage that exposed him and now they would cruelly take him away when his dream was just within reach. He clenches his fists and squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable words–

 

“--that was not the only way to gain points.”

 

Surprised, Izuku’s eyes fly open. What?  

 

“Along with battle points we also awarded rescue points to those who helped others.” Behind the principal a few clips are shown where Izuku saves others from robots or falling debris. Then the video cuts to Izuku swinging down an exploding zero pointer. Nedzu is grinning (or at least something close to it) when he says, “Combine these points and your heroic act of fighting the zero pointer and you become the highest scorer of the exams this year!”

 

“Congratulations Midoriya Izuku, this is your hero academia!”

 

His mother smiles even more proudly at him and with big eyes Izuku turns to her. She grabs his hands and squeezes them excitedly, “First place! I’m so proud of you! We’re making Katsudon tonight.”

 

Izuku can’t help but feel a buzzing happiness spread through him and his heart feels lighter, as if a weight has lifted from it. His mom embraces him and Izuku hugs her back with a smile.

 

“I’m going to be a hero, mom.” He whispers, and the statement has never before felt so true.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I think it's important to remember that Izuku sees everything through the lense of a person who went through a lot of trauma. That is why maybe not everything he says/describes happens the way that he sees it...

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next post: I will try to post next week, unfortunately school will be really busy for me the next few weeks so updates might be a bit slower.

Chapter 7: Bakugo

Notes:

I'm back from the dead! Sorry it took so long, school decided to stab me in the back with a load of schoolwork and this chapter fought me at every turn. Enjoy this extra long chapter though!

“Izuku do you have your bento with you?”

 

“Yes mom.”

 

“And your sunscreen in case it gets sunny?”

 

“Mom, if you don’t let me go I’m going to miss the train.”

 

“But do you have–”

 

“ Mom ”

 

Izuku’s mom gives him an apologetic smile as she checks his tie one last time. It’s the morning of the first school day and Izuku feels as if his nerves are going to overload. His mom looks at him with tears in her eyes and Izuku can’t help but feel a bit emotional as well, even if he doesn’t show it as much. Inko pulls him into a hug and says, “I’m so so so proud of you Izuku. Don’t forget that.”

 

“I know mom.” The sweet smell of his mom and her words help to calm his nerves, still there’s something on his mind as Izuku pulls away from their embrace. With a worried frown he asks, “Will you be alright? UA is a lot further than middle school…”

 

His mom sighs and grabs his hands, “I will be fine honey, we have each other's location and if I’m anything but fine I’ll send you the message. Promise you’ll do the same.”

 

Izuku nods, “I promise.” To both of them it was important to know the other was safe and well. Mostly because there was always the chance of Him finding out where they were. “Good,” his mom says as she opens the door, “now off you go. Otherwise you’ll miss the train.”

 

Then, with one final wave, Izuku is off to the train station. On his way to UA.

 

---

 

The train station is filled with people when Izuku arrives. Everywhere people are rushing from place to place, talking rapidly on their phones or quickly gulping down a coffee. There’s an occasional disruption in the buzzing flow of people by a person speeding past others to get to a certain train on time. Izuku steers towards the right platform and soon enough he spots Hitoshi.

 

His friend is standing close to a column with his hands in his pockets. Even from this far away Izuku can see the tense set of his shoulders and the nervous pulsating of his purple light. Hitoshi spots him not soon after and he holds up a hand in greeting. When Izuku is close enough he says, “Hey, ready for the first day?”

 

As an answer his friend's cool demeanor crumples and he groans, “Don’t remind me. I think I’m going to puke.” Izuku winces and pats the other teenager sympathetically on the back. “As long as you don’t puke on your new uniform you’ll be fine.”

 

“I couldn’t even get coffee!” Hitoshi looks severely upset by that fact and honestly Izuku would also be if he wouldn’t be able to get coffee in the morning. “We can probably get some coffee when we arrive at the station, we have enough time for that anyway.” He promises just as their train arrives. The metal doors open with a hissing sound and the two of them enter the vehicle together with the stream of people.

 

With a shock the train comes into motion and then it’s rushing out of the station. They’re both quiet for a while as they’re both lost in their own thoughts, then Hitoshi breaks the silence. “I still can’t believe I got in to be honest.”

 

Neither can Izuku but probably due to different reasons than his friend. UA would have been stupid if they hadn’t admitted Hitoshi into the heroics programme. He’s got good combat skills for a teenager and an excellent quirk for heroics. “I’m sure you’ll do amazing in the course. You’ve prepared well.”

 

Hitoshi smiles at him, his nervousness lifting for a second, “Thanks. You will do too, with that terrifying brain of yours and your fighting abilities.”

 

Izuku’s not so sure about that. It’ll only take one slip up from his side for this little dream of his to be over. From now on there will always be eyes on him, from teachers, other students, people on the streets who need saving once he’s allowed into the field. Still, he smiles at his friend and pretends that he’s just another normal teenager on their way to the first day of school.

Once they arrive at the right train stop and they’ve bought their coffee they start to make their way to the school. As they get closer to the gates they see more and more students in the signature UA uniform heading towards the school. Some walk with their friends, chatting excitedly about the new year. Others walk around with a sense of nervousness–probably first years, just like Hitoshi and Izuku. Still, there hangs a sense of anticipation in the air, as if no one can wait to get started. It’s an odd feeling–one Izuku’s never felt at his old school. But then again, this is the number one hero school. Who wouldn’t be excited to learn here?

 

There are also so many interesting quirks. In wonder, Izuku looks at all the different lights floating in one direction. A feeling overwhelms him, one that tells him that he needs to take . He just has to have a look at all of these quirks. Just one look. What’s the harm in that?

 

Just take them.

 

No.

 

Inhaling sharply, Izuku pushes the urge away. He can’t do that here. He can’t do that ever. He can’t steal people’s quirks. He can’t become like Him .

 

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi is looking at him with a concerned expression. Izuku nods and stuffs his shaking hands in his pockets, where they can’t do any harm. “Yeah, just a lot of people.” His friend looks at him in understanding. They both dislike crowds, though for different reasons.

 

Soon they reach the gates and with his brand new student card in his pocket they enter without a hitch. The enormous building towers over them, with its endless gleaming windows and Izuku realizes that he’s actually here . At his dream school, as a hero student. He feels many prickling cameras, watching him from every angle, and he represses a shiver. Even the second time it feels uncomfortable to be watched.

 

Swiftly, they reach the hallway where they can find their classroom. Before the gigantic closed door they stop. There are already quite a few people inside, each one marked by a unique light. Izuku recognizes two: Uraraka with her bubbly pink light and Robot-guy, who has a rigid dark blue light. He’s surprised when he sees another light that feels vaguely familiar, he can’t place where he’s seen it before though.

 

Hitoshi takes a deep breath and rolls his shoulders, probably mentally preparing to meet an entire group of strangers. “Ready?” His voice sounds bored, as usual, but Izuku hears a slight tremor in it. He takes his hands out of his pockets and for a moment Izuku takes the time to calm his nerves. Then he nods, “Let's do this.”

 

They both step forward and his friend pushes open the door and enters the room. Izuku follows behind him.

 

“--remove your feet from the desk! It is disrespectful to all the upperclassmen that came before you and it is unbefitting of a UA student!” 

 

“Haah?! I can sit however the fuck I want, Glasses!”

 

So Robot-guy made the cut? Apparently the stuck-up attitude wasn’t just because of some nerves for the exam if he’s already bothering others with it. There’s also another voice but Izuku can’t see anything from behind his tall friend’s frame. Sometimes it sucks to be short.

 

“Hey, you both made it! I’m so glad!” A bubbly voice that can only belong to Uraraka approaches them and Hitoshi steps aside to give Izuku a view of the classroom. The girl stops before them with a big smile and says, “Thank you so much for saving me back there with the zero-pointer, Midoriya! I didn’t get the chance to tell you because–”

 

Izuku doesn’t hear the rest of the sentence as his gaze is glued on one specific person.

 

Blond hair.

 

A burning red quirk.

 

Crimson eyes turn to look at the newcomers but his gaze catches onto bright green eyes. Two boys stare at each other and remember a lifetime ago. 

 

“Promise we'll be heroes together, Kacchan!”

 

"Promise, but I'll be number one, Deku!"

It can’t be. Izuku stares at his childhood best friend. The one and only friend he’d had until he turned six and his life and freedom were ripped away from him. He can’t remember his family name, only the nickname he’d given his friend: ‘Kacchan’. Back when Izuku was still stuck with Him he would sometimes whisper the name in the darkness of his bedroom, to remind himself that the life before had actually existed. When things got too tough or when Izuku was hiding somewhere in that concrete training room, trying to keep out of sight from one of those things he had to fight, he would remember that Kacchan would never give up. He would always square up against any opponent, no matter how tough they were. It would give Izuku the strength to keep going.

 

“--doriya?”

 

“Earth to Izuku.” With an effort Izuku tears his gaze away from ‘Kacchan’. Hitoshi and Uraraka are both looking at him with odd expressions. “You okay there?” Hitoshi asks. Izuku nods distractedly, “Yeah…just spaced out for a bit.” He spares a quick glance at ‘Kacchan’ and sees the teen watching him with a frown. There’s a puzzling look in his eyes that somehow comes across as angry. 

 

Uraraka nods in understanding, “I totally understand! Sometimes I get too wrapped up in my own thoughts and–”

 

“Please take your seats! We should all be sitting in the correct place when our homeroom teacher arrives. It is only proper!” Robot-guy almost shouts as he chops down with his hands in a…well robotical manner. He’s standing in front of the class– ’Kacchan’ still has his feet on the table, apparently Robot-guy has given up on reprimanding the boy. The teen has dark blue hair, a rigid posture, squared glasses and his uniform is fitted perfectly–even the tie. The careful look that the guy sends Izuku’s way doesn’t go unnoticed. He probably still remembers their first meeting at the exam.

 

Uraraka gasps, not at all seeming bothered by the interruption, “You’re right. I wonder what our teacher will be like?” 

 

Izuku doesn’t miss the annoyed glare that Hitoshi sends Robot-guy’s way. His friend scoffs as he and Uraraka move to their seats. Hitoshi never liked it when people told him what to do. Izuku also looks for his place on the class chart. Unfortunately it seems like luck has totally left him today, because he’s seated behind ‘Kacchan’--or Bakugou Katsuki as the chart suggests. How could he ever forget that name? Izuku wonders. It’s as if he suddenly remembers a dream he’s had. A sense of nostalgia hits him and the longing for a lost childhood. Still, he shakes the feeling off. Because with the name a certain memory emerges.

“Kacchan Kacchan! Guess what?” Izuku stops in front of his friend with a big grin, almost vibrating in excitement. Kacchan looks up from the costume design he’s violently drawing with crayons. He’s sitting at the wooden table in his garden, a stack of paper and some crayons sprawled across the surface. They’re going to be heroes together. Kacchan promised him and for that they need costumes. Of course Kacchan will be number one, he said so many times. Kacchan is the strongest. He has such a cool quirk, Izuku thinks. Sometimes he even has the urge to take a closer look at the quirk but that is probably just because he loves quirks so much.

 

“What Deku? Did you get a quirk?”

 

Izuku jumps up in excitement. “I did!” 

 

For the first time Kacchan looks surprised at something, then he grins. “Finally nerd. What did you get?” Izuku stops jumping up and down and bites his lip.“Grandfather said not to tell anyone.”

 

Kacchan frowns and his palms crackle with mini explosions. “Why not?! Your grandpa is stupid. I’m your best friend.” Hesitating, Izuku fiddles with his hands, then he sighs, “Alright…but don’t tell anyone!”

 

Kacchan rolls his eyes, “Yeah yeah.” Izuku leans in close to his friend, the scent of burnt sugar filling the air, and whispers, “I can give and take quirks.”

 

His friend pulls back and grins at him, “Show me.” Izuku nods enthusiastically and takes a step back, focussing on that special pull just as Grandfather told him. Suddenly his hands glow red hot. “Grandfather gave me a few. Like Magma Hand.” When he presses his hands into the grass they leave steaming imprints of a five year old’s hands. Kacchan watches with awe in his eyes as Izuku switches to another quirk. “And Hydrosuction.” He concentrates on the water inside of the plants of one of Aunt Mitski’s flowerbeds. Then he flicks his hands and suddenly all the water is pulled out, leaving the greenery gray and liveless. Izuku lets the blob of water float in circles around their heads as he rambles, “Magma Hand can reach temperatures up to a thousand degrees celsius, which is just as hot as actual magma. Grandfather said that if I practice enough these quirks will get even stronger!”

 

Hydrosuction was just like that quirk from the newly debuted hero ‘Nero’, who could take water and then manipulate it to his will. Izuku remembers he had enthusiastically rambled to his Grandfather about that specific quirk for about an hour. His Grandfather had just smiled and asked if he liked the quirk. Of course Izuku had said yes, who didn’t like a water quirk?!

 

Izuku lets the water drop and it falls like a curtain around them. He beams at Kacchan, “Cool right?!” His friend smirks and his quirk crackles softly. “Hell yeah. But I’m still the best!”

 

Izuku nods with vigor, there was no doubt that Kacchan had the coolest quirk ever.

Izuku tries to avoid Bakugou’s gaze as he makes his way to his seat. Bakugou could really easily see through the lie that Izuku has come up with regarding his quirk. If he wants to, he could end Izuku’s entire future with a single word to a teacher or the principal. If Izuku’s lucky though, he might be able to convince everyone that Bakugou doesn’t remember correctly. There are ways around lie detecting quirks, his ‘quirk’ is similar enough to his actual quirk that he could get away with it. Still, keeping away from Bakugou as much as possible would probably be best.

 

By now the entire class has arrived and they’re chatting with each other in small groups or sitting alone at their table–Iida seems to have given up on asking people to take their seats. There are so many interesting quirks here, like that dual quirk which seems to be split down the middle in blue and red light, and a quirk light that manifests in a dark shadowy beast. Just as Izuku sits down he feels the pull of another quirk near the doorway. It’s a–by now–familiar dark red quirk that pulsates in even, calm beats. When Izuku takes a look at the door he sees something like a yellow caterpillar laying on the ground in the doorway. His gaze travels along the caterpillar until he meets the tired gaze of Eraserhead. The hero stares back at him and subtly shakes his head. Izuku gets the message and looks away from the man. 

 

It takes another minute before Eraserhead decides to get up. As he enters the classroom with long strides the class quiets down and everyone hurries to their seats. He stops at the teacher station and his heavy gaze travels through the class, taking in every student before moving on. “One minute. During that time no one noticed me besides Midoriya.”

 

A few people spare a glance at Izuku, but most keep their eyes glued on the teacher. It’s completely silent and nobody moves as Eraserhead continues. “I’m Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher for the year.”

 

“Time is something precious to a hero. If you’re here to have fun: My class is not for you.” Out of his sleeping bag he takes a few sets of gym clothes. “Go change. I expect everyone to be ready on the field. Quickly.” 

 

---

 

In the changing room Izuku swaps into his gym uniform as fast as possible. He’s on the field first, followed shortly by Hitoshi. Aizawa just glances at them, his gaze lingering on Izuku just a bit longer, otherwise he doesn’t say a word. Izuku and Hitoshi exchange a look and his friend shrugs. Slowly, the other's trickle onto the field. Most of them are quiet and a nervous energy hangs in the air. No one really knows what to think of their teacher and Izuku can't blame them. It's difficult to get a read on what Aizawa is thinking as the man mostly has a passive look of disinterest glued on his face.

 

Once everyone has gathered on the field Aizawa takes a look at his watch before saying, "Ten minutes. We will work on that." A whisper passes through the class but with one look from the hero it goes silent again. "Today I will be assessing your abilities through a quirk apprehension test. In middle school you did physical tests to examine your fitness. You were not allowed to use your quirks," Aizawa sighs and he looks completely done, "the government has severely outdated policies in that regard. Today you will not only be allowed, you will be expected to use your quirks."

 

At that excited murmurs pass through the class. Next to him, Hitoshi sighs. He doesn't like using his quirk. Izuku understands, though his friend has a wonderful quirk and Izuku’s tried to tell him just that multiple times. There always remain some thoughts that using his quirk is wrong and bad, even if he knows that isn't the case.

 

Aizawa’s gaze sweeps through the group before stopping somewhere behind Izuku. "You. Bakugo Katsuki. Come here." Bakugo shoulders to the front with a grim expression on his face, yet a confident air still hangs around him. He stops just before the teacher. Aizawa tosses him a white ball and Bakugo catches it with one hand. “How far could you throw in middle school?”

 

“67 meters.” Bakugo looks at Aizawa as if daring his teacher to challenge him. The man doesn’t visibly respond, he merely says, “Now try throwing it with your quirk. You can do whatever you want, just don’t leave the circle.”

 

Bakugo grins, “Great.” As he stretches his arms, Izuku notices how Bakugo’s quirk starts throbbing radically. The red seems to glow white hot as the teen swings his arm back. Izuku can tell the exact moment Bakugo unleashes his quirk, the red light seems to explode outwards in sparks.

 

“DIE!” An explosion rockets the ball in the air. Izuku can feel the tremors up his body and a hot gust of wind hits the entire class in the face. Somewhere next to him a boy with red spiky hair mutters, “Woah. That’s so manly.” A pink girl whispers back at the boy with enthusiasm, “He was probably the highest scorer in the exam or something!” Bakugo looks back at the class with a smug expression, meanwhile Aizawa checks a black device. Then he holds it up for the class to see. It reads 705.2 m . “Knowing your limits is the most important thing for a hero. It’s the first rational step to your training.”

 

Excited murmurs start among the class. “So we get to use our quirks freely?”

 

“This is going to be so much fun!” Izuku isn’t sure who said it but he immediately knows that wasn’t the right thing to say. Especially not with Aizawa as their teacher.

 

“Fun?” Aizawa says it with the sort of dangerous undertone that makes the class fall silent. “If that is what you think this is, if you hope to become a hero with that attitude, I will add an extra challenge.” A few people shift around nervously and Izuku can see a glint of amusement in the hero’s eyes. He’s so sure Aizawa is enjoying this way too much.

 

“The person who comes in last will be deemed without potential and will be expelled.” 

 

Without waiting for the class' reaction, Aizawa turns around and starts making his way to the first part of the test. Shocked murmurs start among the group but most hurry to catch up to their teacher, too afraid to do anything else. When Izuku looks at Hitoshi, standing next to him, his friend is white as a sheet.

 

“Hitoshi-...” Izuku asks with a sense of concern. The other still has his eyes fixed on their teacher. “I’m so fucked” 

 

Without looking at Izuku, Hitoshi stuffs his hands in his pockets and starts following the rest of the class with hanging shoulders. Izuku hears him mutter, “There goes my dream.” In a second Izuku rushes forward and grabs his friend by the shoulders.

 

“Hitoshi stop. Look at me .” With reluctance Hitoshi raises his eyes to look at Izuku. Izuku tries to look as encouraging as possible when he says, “You’ve trained so hard to get into this course. This won’t get you kicked out. It’s the kind of test where, if you score average during every part, you’ll still be in the middle of the scoreboard. At least with this group you will.”

 

Hitoshi looks like he doesn’t quite follow so Izuku explains as quickly as possible. Most of the class is already standing around Aizawa, waiting for the few slow people to catch up. “Most people here will do extraordinarily well in one specific test: When their quirk is at an advantage. But that is also their weakness. They didn’t train their body the way you or I did. That’s why we’ll do better in the other areas.”

 

Izuku spares another glance at the group, especially Aizawa, and sees the man watching the group with his ever passive yet still critical face. No doubt that he’s studying the group right at this moment. “You should still try something with your quirk. A trick or something. I’m sure you can come up with something.” It’s the kind of thing Aizawa would like if Izuku’s guesswork about the man’s character is correct. 

 

A glimpse of determination seems to have reappeared in Hitoshi’s purple eyes. “Alright. I can do that.” Izuku squeezes his friend’s shoulder in reassurance and then they hurry to join up with the rest of the class.

The round of tests pass by quickly and –for the most part– uneventful. Even without using any of his quirks Izuku manages to stay somewhere around the top of the ranking. Because he came in first at the entrance exam Izuku knows that he can’t just stay somewhere in the middle of the pack– that would draw too much unwanted attention. Ending somewhere near the top would satisfy Aizawa, though it’s important not to end at the top. With only having a supposed “passive” quirk, it wouldn’t make sense in a test where the only thing tested is the strength of your quirk. It’s just not something a teenager who’s supposedly only trained on his own with a passive quirk and little combat experience would excel at. It doesn’t take Izuku much effort to stay somewhere near the top and thus it gives him enough time to observe the others.

 

Uraraka has a strong quirk but is still inexperienced in using it, often not knowing her limits. On the contrary you have Iida, who has excellent control over his quirk for someone of his age but who lacks any flexibility whatsoever. The control is probably because he’s the little brother of Ingenium and a child from a legacy of heroes. At least that’s what Izuku guesses as his quirk is eerily similar to the speed hero. 

 

Besides that, one of the recommended kids has a fascinating quirk. Yaoyorozu is her name and Izuku’s hands twitch at the need to look at her creation quirk up close. Every test she creates something new and comes out somewhere near the top of all students. Her creativity and clear knowledge about the things she’s creating make it clear that she’s a force to be reckoned with. The other recommended kid, Todoroki, is clearly the son of the number two hero Endeavor. Izuku’s heard rumors about that family, about the eldest son and his whereabouts and the mother who’s whispered to be in a mental hospital. From the split light of Todoroki’s quirk Izuku deduces that he must have a dualquirk, probably half hot half cold. Oddly enough the youngest son of the flame hero only uses his cold side, ice dancing around his fingertips everytime he uses it with a passive face.

 

Izuku has his guesses as to why this might be the case but it’s none of his business. Still, it seems like some rumors might be true.

 

When they get to the grip strength test Hitoshi manages to actually get the top score by compelling a student with multiple arms named Shoji to do his test. Unconscious, Shoji manages to get an even higher score than his own– probably because all humans possess way more strength than they often realize. When Hitoshi wakes the teen again he’s met with stunned silence by the entire class. Izuku can’t help but smile when he sees Aizawa watching his friend with a sense of pride. Luckily for Hitoshi none of the others seem to have a problem with him having a brainwashing quirk and Izuku has never seen his friend look so happy after using his quirk.

 

As they work through test after test there’s one person Izuku’s eyes always return to. Bakugo. He’s not the only one as he’s felt the burning red gaze at the back of his head multiple times throughout the test when Bakugo thought Izuku wasn’t looking. Bakugo manages to remain in the top three at every test and he participates in them with a grim sort of determination. He doesn’t talk to anyone and brushes off the red haired teen– Kirishima is his name– rather brusquely when he tries to make friendly small-talk. Still, Bakugo’s quirk control is astonishing and Izuku is reminded again why he admired him years ago, back in another life.

 

Izuku quickly averts his eyes when Bakugo looks up from his grip strength test and focuses back on his own test. That doesn’t prevent him from noticing the other teen frowning though.

 

After that everything goes just fine until it’s Izuku’s turn at the ball throw.

 

It happens just after he’s thrown the ball. The ball sails in a high, smooth arc and lands somewhere far away in the grass. Izuku already knows it’ll be a good score, even if it didn’t take too much effort or thinkwork. Just as he’s about to turn around and walk back to the group of students he freezes because suddenly something feels wrong .

 

The world has gone oddly quiet and the faint humming of his quirk in his veins is gone. Even the dozen or so lights that always appear in the back of his head when other quirks are nearby are gone.

 

To Izuku it feels as if he is blind .

 

For a moment he can’t breathe. Is He nearby? Did He steal his quirk? Did He somehow manage to break into the school and is he now here to take Izuku away? Somewhere far far underground, back to that concrete room. Panic floods Izuku’s mind and his heartbeat thunders in his ears.

 

Then, with a lot of effort, he manages to gather his thoughts and notices something. This feels different, less definite. If Izuku focuses deeply inward he can still feel the core of his quirk but it’s as if someone has placed a thick wall before it, preventing Izuku from accessing his quirk. Suddenly it makes sense.

 

With mechanical movements Izuku turns to face his teacher. Aizawa is looking at him with bright red eyes and floating hair. If Izuku weren’t used to monsters worse than nightmares he might’ve found it a menacing sight. “Y-you…” is all Izuku’s able to say. His throat closes and his chest suddenly feels very tight. Because Aizawa took away his eyes and ears. The one thing he could rely on to keep himself safe from Him . He recognizes the burning feeling in his stomach as anger. 

 

Aizawa frowns at him and his mouth is set in disappointment. “Yes, I took away your quirk.” Izuku can’t move a muscle and he’s not sure whether he wants to. He doesn’t know what he’d do if he could. The violating feeling of having your quirk taken from you is something Izuku’s experienced countless times. When he got out of that hellhole he’d promised to himself that he would never have to experience that again. This goes against that promise. 

 

Somewhere in the back of his mind Izuku registers the whispers from the class, probably shocked at their teacher’s quirk. Said teacher is still staring Izuku down with red, unblinking eyes. “You’re not doing your best. Do you expect to become a hero with only half the effort?”

 

Izuku grits his teeth in anger. He knows what it takes to be a hero. That you can’t halfass a fight. Ever. It can mean your death or the death of a comrade. But Aizawa doesn’t understand . He doesn’t understand the dangers of standing out for Izuku. How it could mean the end of the life he and his mother have built for themselves. 

 

Then Aizawa blinks and all of the sudden the world comes back into focus. The humming of Izuku’s quirk, the lights and the beating of heartbeats reappear. “You have your quirk back. Don’t disappoint me.”

 

Izuku returns to the rest of the class with balled up fists and anger still coursing through his veins. Hitoshi tries to make eye contact but Izuku avoids him. A plan is forming in his head and he needs to think it out carefully. After this there are two tests where he can’t do much but after that there is the endurance run… Aizawa wants a spectacle? Izuku will give it to him.

During the seated toe touch and the upper body strength parts Izuku crushes almost everyone. They’re tests where most quirks aren’t very useful and Izuku’s had his body trained since he was five. He’s as flexible as he can be and even without his strength quirks he’s stronger than most. Still, he can feel Aizawa’s watchful gaze on the back of his head. This isn’t the kind of thing the man wants to see and Izuku knows it. The rest of the class is also watching him with a sort of curiosity, most of them wondering what he’ll do, what his quirk is. Hitoshi tries to talk to him but Izuku doesn’t trust himself to speak so he evades his friend.

Everyone’s getting ready for the final part, the endurance run, when Izuku puts his plan into motion. He scans the group and quickly finds his two victims, discussing something. Yaoyorozu and Iida. They seem to already know each other, probably because they’re both from a legacy family. Quickly, Izuku approaches them and he plasters something akin to a smile on his face.

 

“Hey, ready for the last part?” Inwardly he cringes at the cheerfulness of his voice. The other two teens turn to look at him with surprised faces. Yaoyorozu is the first one to answer with her own smile, “Yes I am. You are…?”

 

Izuku gasps, as if embarrassed at the fact that he forgot to introduce himself. He grabs the girl’s hand and starts shaking it, “I’m Midoirya Izuku. Nice to meet you.”

 

Yaoyorozu nods with a polite smile, her high ponytail lightly swinging in the action. “Likewise, I’m Yaoyorozu Momo.” Her smile becomes a bit more forced when the handshake takes longer than normal but Izuku keeps shaking it enthusiastically. He’s just super excited to meet others, alright? 

 

Then he turns to Iida and grabs his hand in the same manner. “Sorry if we go off on the wrong foot at the exam. I was just really nervous!” Iida first looks at their hands, shaking, then he straightens and says, “It is alright. I must apologize as well for my behavior during the exam. I was indeed nervous.”

 

1…2…3…4…5

 

Izuku lets go of their hands as Iida continues, “I must compliment you for seeing the true purpose of the exam. I was too blind to notice it.”

 

“True purpose…?” Puzzled, Izuku looks at the other teen. Iida nods vigorously, “Yes, you saved that girl– Uraraka– even when it wouldn’t give you any points. You ran ahead without hesitation.” Iida looks away, as if ashamed. “If I had known that there was an extra part to the exam, I would have done the same.”

 

Izuku just nods, biting tongue to not say anything. He’s not sure Iida understands the true purpose of the exam, even now. Then Izuku smiles at the two of them again and says, “Well, I wish you both good luck with the last part!”

 

As Izuku walks away from them he lets his happy mask fall away to make room for the still present anger. With him he takes two quirks, both sitting snugly in a safe somewhere inside his quirk. Compared to the quirk He has, Izuku's quirk is rather gentle when taking other quirks. When He does it, it’s excruciatingly painful, something one immediately notices. With Izuku, His quirk mixed with his mother’s gentle quirk, allowing for a gentle pull where almost no one notices their quirk disappearing. He very much liked that aspect of Izuku’s quirk, making Izuku use it often when on a stealth mission. 

 

“All right, everyone lets get this last part over with.” Aizawa’s voice drones out from the other side of the field. Izuku goes to stand at the starting line and he feels his focus slipping into place. He transforms the anger boiling in his veins into something useful. It’s what He has told him countless times. Use your anger . The world narrows until the only thing that exists is the field ahead of him. Izuku lowers his stance and feels his muscles tense.

 

“Three, two, one. Go.”

 

Before anyone else, Izuku’s off. Somewhere behind him he hears shouts.

 

“My quirk! It’s gone!”

 

“Don’t worry you’ll get it back after this test. A hero should also be able to perform without their quirk.” Aizawa’s matter of fact voice is the last thing Izuku hears before he drones all other noise out.

 

The only thought in his mind that remains is: Run .

 

And he does so, he runs like he’s never ran before. He runs with the thought in mind that one of those things is pursuing him and he can’t let it catch him. He stays ahead of everyone else for the entire time. It kind of feels freeing, to not have to worry about anything besides the need to run. He hasn’t felt like that in a long time. There’d always been other thoughts swarming his mind, this time his anger has driven everything else out.

 

When the timer announces the end of the test Izuku almost feels like passing out. With heaving breaths he comes to a stand still before Aizawa. The man is looking at him with a sort of pride. He nods at Izuku in acknowledgement and Izuku returns the gesture. Otherwise they don’t exchange a word.

 

Then Iida and Yaoyorozu approach them, both with frowns on their faces. One in concern, the other in anger.

 

“Sensei! What is the explanation behind this unfair act?” Iida’s volume is even higher than usual and his movements seem to be even more robotical. Without a change in his stoic expression their teacher says, “You two weren’t alert. Someone here took advantage of that. Though I’m sure that someone will return your quirks soon.” Aizawa gives Izuku a pointed look and Izuku feels like this is the moment to say something. 

 

He steps forward with his hands in a placating gesture, “I was the one who turned off your quirks.”

 

Two heads turn to look at him with a sense of betrayal and Izuku feels a sense of shame wash over him. He’s never liked taking people’s quirks without permission but in his anger he’d been too overwhelmed to think that through. With a soft voice Yaoyorozu says, “But why…?”

 

For a moment Izuku hesitates then with a look at Aizawa he says, “To win.”

 

Hurriedly he adds, “I promise I won’t do it again! At least not without your permission.” Both of them look unsure, so Izuku decides that maybe a bit of explanation is in its place. “I can permanently turn on and off quirks. That’s my quirk. Lets just say that there are a few requirements in order for my quirk to work. I’m sure you’ll figure out exactly what it is on your own.”

 

For a moment the two of them look puzzled, then Yaoyorozu brightens. “Touch! It’s touch.” Izuku nods, he can take and give quirks but only when he’s able to touch the other for at least five seconds. He bites his lip in uncertainty. “I’m sorry I turned them off without your permission. It’s not something I usually do.”

 

Iida shakes his head, “No…It’s fine. “ He sighs, “As long as you don’t do it again. It is unbecoming of a hero student!” At the last part Iida’s back to his usual, robotic self. It almost makes Izuku smile. Maybe he’ll come to like the other student in the future.

 

Izuku quickly returns their quirks, even if giving Yaoyorozu her quirk back takes a bit more effort. Both of them heave a sigh of relief when they’ve got it back.

 

After that Aizawa reveals the results. Turns out, it was apparently all a ruse. Or that’s what Aizawa claims it is with an entertained smile on his lips as multiple students heave a sigh of relief. Izuku’s not so sure. He’s pretty sure the hero would have expelled anyone who he found not to have any potential.

 

Because of his actions at the last three parts of the test, Izuku ends in the top three, above Bakugo but below Todoroki. Hitoshi manages to end just above the middle and his friend gives him a relieved smile. Seems like they’re both allowed to stay in the hero course.

 

---

 

Izuku can sense the quirk before he’s reached the gate.

 

Bakugo.

 

Internally, Izuku sighs. Of course . He stops just before the other teen and for a bit they’re both quiet, observing each other. Anger radiates from Bakugo and Izuku can see his hands flex, still he doesn’t use his quirk. It’s a change from all those years ago, when Bakugo would use his quirk at every opportunity.

 

Bakugo’s the first one to break the silence, “I have seen you before.”

 

Izuku sighs and looks at Bakugo with played disinterest, “I don’t think you do.”

 

“Don’t fuck with me! I know I remember you from somewhere!” Bakugo stalks forward, his finger pricking in Izuku’s direction. Anger rolls in waves from his body. The swearing definitely hasn’t changed. Izuku rolls his eyes, “Sure, good luck remembering someone you’ve never seen before.”

 

“You–” Bakugo tries to say something else but gets interrupted by a bubbly voice. “Hey! Midoriya! Do you want to walk to the train station together?” Uraraka stops when she’s reached Izuku and has a bright smile on her face. Then she notices the tense atmosphere and her smile disappears. Hesitantly, she asks, “Am I…interrupting something?”

 

Izuku shakes his head and turns to walk to the gate. “No. Just getting to know a classmate.” He looks behind him one more time at Uraraka’s confused face. “Come on. Hitoshi is waiting outside the gate.” Burning red eyes follow Izuku’s every movement but Bakugo doesn’t say anything. He merely watches. Their eyes meet one more time and Izuku knows: This isn’t over yet.

 

Still, Izuku looks away and starts making his way to the gate. As much as it hurts him, Bakugo can’t remember who he is.

 

Because if he did Izuku could lose everything.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: Somewhere in the next two weeks (lets hope I keep that promise this time, I really didn't mean to take a mini hiatus...)

Chapter 8: Tough crowd

Notes:

Hi! I've got another chapter for you all.

CW: panick attack, mention of domestic abuse

When Izuku and Hitoshi reach UA the next morning the gates are swarming with press. After seeing this morning’s headlines on various news sites, Izuku can say he understands. Because apparently All Might is teaching at UA this year. What is even worse is that he is teaching heroics . Which means that Izuku will almost certainly have the number one hero as a teacher for those classes. 

 

Now, as a hero Izuku doesn’t have immense problems with All Might. He has saved a lot of people and stabilized the country, there’s no doubt about that. But he’s not Izuku’s favorite hero. He hasn’t been a hero fanboy like he used to be for years and since then Izuku’s developed a taste for heroes that are a bit less flashy and a bit more…quiet. He didn’t like All Might, at all. Izuku remembers he wasn’t allowed any hero merch at all, but especially not any All Might merch, back when he didn’t yet know what kind of monster He was. He remembers being severely upset about that, mostly because his favorite hoodie had been a limited edition All Might hoodie.

 

Probably the second reason why Izuku doesn’t exactly have…warm feelings about the number one is because of family reasons. Mainly that He had a two centuries old grudge with All Might and anyone before him who was the bearer of one very specific quirk. Izuku’s heard that tale more times than he can count, though probably a heavily censored version where half of the material was used to manipulate Izuku.

 

He knows how badly He wants All Might’s quirk, it had been made his number one goal. A few years ago He had almost succeeded in doing so. Afterwards Izuku hadn’t seen Him for a few months, when He did appear it was while on heavy life-support, still just as terrifying. Because Izuku knows it’s not the quirks, but the mind that make Him the king of the underworld. 

 

“Do you think they hope to get some information by kidnapping the students?”

 

Izuku gets dragged out of the depths of his mind by Hitoshi’s question. Just ahead of them the huge sea of press seems to absorb student after student with their endless cameras and microphones. It almost appears to be a living organism, ready to drag in anything that comes too close, never to be seen again.

 

A thought enters Izuku’s brain. I’m not going in there . Even the idea of doing so makes his hands sweaty and his breathing ragged. Hitoshi must see something on his face because suddenly he stops. “I’m sure there must be a back entrance somewhere.” He looks around with a tense face, wearily eyeing the bulk of press.

 

They’re still far enough away that nobody has caught sight of them yet. “Come on. I think I know where to find another way in.” Izuku grabs Hitoshi’s wrist and ushers him into the nearest alley. “What-” Hitoshi muttered with a confused face. Izuku quickly checks their surroundings while explaining, “They haven't seen us yet, so it’s best to get off the main street.” He quickly maps out a potential route to the back entrance in his head. He’d examined UA’s surrounding area extensively just before the entrance exam. It never hurts to know one’s way around a place. 

 

When he’s sure of a route he starts to make his way deeper into the maze of streets and alleys surrounding UA, Hitoshi following him with an indifferent shrug.

 

As they’re hurrying along one of the streets Hitoshi asks, “Soo…what was up between you and that Bakugo kid yesterday?”

 

Izuku sighs, Bakugo hasn't left his mind since yesterday. To be honest, he doesn’t really know what to do regarding his long lost childhood friend. Act like he doesn’t exist? Play ignorant? Izuku’s pretty sure that would just anger Bakugo and it would most likely make him more determined to figure out who exactly Izuku is. On the other hand, he can’t just tell Bakugo that yes, Izuku’s his childhood friend. Yes, he disappeared at some point, and yes, that is because of his evil grandfather. It’s a difficult predicament to be in and to be honest Izuku really just feels like ignoring Bakugo until he’s figured out how to deal with the explosive teen. “I don’t really know. He thought he knew me.”

 

Hitoshi spares Izuku a searching glance, “And does he?”

 

Izuku hesitates and his friend can see it on his face. Then he shrugs. “Even if he knew me in the past, I’m not that person anymore. So no, I guess he doesn’t know me.” Hitoshi lets his eyes linger a bit longer on Izuku before wordlessly nodding. His friend probably knows that something is up with Izuku. Not probably, he definitely knows. 

 

Especially because when Izuku had just started middle school he didn’t know how to properly socially interact with other kids at all. Hitoshi has also seen the scars that litter his body enough times in the changing room before P.E. It makes it not too difficult to form a vague picture in one’s mind about Izuku’s past circumstances. But his friend never seemed to care. When Izuku had made clear that he didn’t really care about Hitoshi’s supposed “villainous” quirk, his friend had patiently shown him what real teenager life was like. He’d shown him the arcade, pop culture and many other things that Izuku just wasn’t familiar with because he’d never had access to them. 

 

Hitoshi has never pressed for any details about Izuku’s past, he’s never cared about Izuku’s quirk. And for all of that Izuku is immensely grateful. In return Izuku also never presses for details when Hitoshi has a rough day, just giving him silent support. They have a quiet understanding between the two of them, they don’t judge one another when someone keeps some details back, knowing that when the time is right they’ll be told about the details.

 

The rest of the way they spend in comfortable silence.

 

As expected no one’s at the back entrance, save for a few other smart students and Hitoshi and Izuku are one of the first few to arrive from their class. 

 

---

 

The morning passes as normal. They have various regular classes, all of them Izuku’s able to follow with ease. He’s always liked to study, it takes his mind off other things. Then lunch rolls around and surprisingly enough Hitoshi and Izuku aren’t sitting alone at a table.

 

Soon after taking place at a table somewhere in the corner of the cafeteria Uraraka sits down next to them with Iida and the frog girl named Asui in tow. Izuku and Hitoshi introduce themselves to Asui, she answers with a, “Call me Tsu, ribbit.”

 

After that Uraraka strikes up friendly conversation, mostly with Tsu and Iida. Izuku sometimes makes a remark when they’re talking about a teacher or a subject but is more distracted by a gaze from across the room: The blazing red eyes from Bakugo who’s sitting at the other end of the room with Kirishima and a few others. He doesn’t even seem to notice that his group is having a conversation, he just stares at Izuku with an angry frown. 

 

For a split second Izuku turns to answer the gaze with his own stare, letting his eyes darken a little. Bakugo freezes before turning away, fury radiating from him because he got caught. With a satisfied smile Izuku focuses again on what the people at his table are talking about.

 

“Do you think we’ll have All Might for heroics, kero?” It’s Tsu who pops the question that’s been on everyone’s mind this morning. Hitoshi shrugs as he stirs his coffee, “Why would they? We’re the newbies of the school.”

 

“But it would be so cool to have the number one hero as our teacher.” Uraraka says as she waves her chopsticks around enthusiastically. At the same time Iida looks at her with a horrified expression. “Uraraka, please refrain from waving your chopsticks around! It is improper.” 

 

“Oops, sorry!” Uraraka giggles as she keeps waving them around . Iida gives her one last glance before pushing up his glasses and saying, “Personally I think that All Might will be teaching the upper classes. They would probably benefit from his expertise the most while we still have to learn the basics, something any heroic teacher can teach us.”

 

“I think there’s a big chance we’ll get him as our teacher.” All eyes turn to Izuku as this is the first thing he’s said since the start of the break. Iida frowns, “Why would that be?” 

 

Izuku is just about to elaborate when all of the sudden a screeching alarm blares through the room. It’s so loud that for a few seconds all Izuku can hear is a piercing sound in his ears until he manages to drag his hearing quirk into one of the saves of his main quirk. The rest of the table is looking around with confused or scared faces when a voice from one of the speakers sounds. 

 

“This is a level three evacuation. Please evacuate orderly.”

 

It’s as if that’s what releases all the tension in the room because all of the sudden the entire student mass is hurrying towards the emergency exit. Another first year student yells something at Iida when he asks a question but Izuku doesn’t hear what exactly above the ringing in his ears, this time not because of the noise but because of the waves and waves of bodies all moving towards the exit. It seems like it blurs together into one crushing wave that absorbs anything that comes near and something in Izuku’s brain tells him that going in there is a bad idea.

 

The rest of their group at the table all get up in a flurry of movements and then Iida is hoarding them towards the mass of people. It’s as if Izuku’s feet are made of lead because he can't step away from the table. Other students rush past him and all noise seems to blur together as Iida, Uraraka and Tsu head towards the exit. Then Hitoshi is at his side with a worried face. “Come on, let’s keep by each other’s side.” He grabs Izuku’s hand –his are clammy from sweat as well– and then he begins guiding Izuku in the direction of the mob of people.

 

Once they’ve reached the mob of people, with the alarm still blaring in their ears and with a firm grip on each other’s hand, Hitoshi starts pushing his way through. After a few deep breaths Izuku follows him in the action. The sound of people screaming and panicking is almost overwhelming and Izuku’s head threatens to split apart by the sheer amount of quirks packed together, all a breath away of being taken. It takes a lot of effort, nearly too much, to keep his quirk and the itch to take in check. 

 

Hitoshi also doesn’t look too good, his face is even more pale than usual, making his eyebags stand out like black against white. His purple quirk is pulsating in rapid, uneven movements. With a spurt of courage Izuku begins pushing even harder. His friend is not comfortable in this situation and it urges Izuku to do something about it. He grits his teeth together and ignores the splitting headache and the feeling of bodies being pushed against his own. 

 

All of it goes well and Izuku gets the feeling like he might be able to overcome this crowd together with his friend. Of course that's when someone screams, “THEY BROKE THROUGH THE GATE!”

 

There’s a beat of silence.

 

Then all hell breaks loose.

 

The pressure of bodies against Izuku’s increases and in one swift motion his and Hitoshi’s hand are wrenched apart. His friend looks one more time at Izuku with a panicked face and his lips move to form words before he’s swept away. Izuku doesn’t hear the words, only the screeching of the alarm that’s way to load and blood rushing in his ears. Shoulders shove against him, feet step on his own and elbows jab in his side. 

 

There are too many people around him and Izuku feels like he’s drowning.

 

The waves push against him, drag him down until he’s unable to breathe, the world spins. 

 

Izuku’s not sure how but he manages to reach the windows lining the right side of the hall and the view of the sky and the school grounds manages to calm him down. Oxygen flows back into his lungs and the ringing in his ears tones down a little. From this hallway he has a clear view of the gates and he sees reporters attempting to enter the school grounds while Present Mic and some other heroes rush to stop them from entering the grounds. A sense of relief floods Izuku because these aren’t villains, they’re just annoying reporters. 

 

That is until his eyes fall on the gate. Or rather what is left of it. Because even from this distance he recognizes the decay that ate away at UA’s unbreakable barrier until only dust and rust were left. 

 

Tenko

 

It can’t be.

 

Surely it’s just a similar quirk. Izuku tries to convince himself of that, but his mind won’t let him. It’s Tenko and he’s here on a mission for Him . They’re here to take him. They found him. Where could Tenko be? Izuku doesn’t know. He has to get out of here. But before he can take any action the world narrows down. All noise becomes too loud and not there at all at the same time. With shaking knees Izuku lets himself lean against the window, his breaths coming in short and shallow. Somewhere in the back of his head he registers a vaguely familiar voice booming something from far above the crowd. 

 

Then rough, calloused hands close around his wrist and drag him away from the crowd. It seems like the students aren’t packed together as densely anymore but Izuku’s too busy trying to breath while staying on two feet to notice. Everything is a blur of color and noise until the calloused hands drag him into a cool, silent room. They push him down against a tiled wall and the white stone feels cool under Izuku’s touch. 

 

Still, it does nothing against the panic that’s coursing through Izuku’s veins. The world is still a haze of color and his breathing is too loud in his ears. Tenko is here. He broke into UA and no one knows.

 

“T-Tenko is h-...ere” Izuku croaks out in between heaving breaths.

 

Those rough hands close around his shoulder and a vague blur comes in closer. “Hey! Save your fucking breath!”

 

No. They don’t understand. They have to. Izuku shakes his head fiercely and he squeezes his shaking hands together in front of his knees. “N-no…They’re g-...going to ta-take me!”

 

“I don’t care right now! Just follow my breathing, dipshit.”

 

One of Izuku’s hands is grabbed and put on what must be a chest. At the same time a wave of nausea hits Izuku that he swallows away with a lot of effort. Then the person starts counting to five as they breathe in and again as they breathe out. Izuku tries to follow what the voice is saying and slowly, so very slowly his breathing calms down again. The rapid beating of his heart slows and everything stops spinning.

 

Finally the world comes back into focus. And with that Izuku finds no one other than Bakugo sitting in front of him with blazing red eyes and a firm set of his mouth.

 

---

 

Shouta is enjoying some well needed rest inside his yellow sleeping bag when the alarm goes off. In seconds he is on two feet and out of his classroom, the safety protocol for this specific alarm –a level three evacuation– ready in his head. The second and third years still have classes, they always start their lunch thirty minutes later so as not to overwhelm Lunch Rush. So those classes will be with a teacher and will also know what to do because of the regular evacuation practices. No, it’s the first years he’s worried about. They haven’t had any evacuation practice and in his experience are generally not as cool headed about these things.

 

Still, Shouta has his own things to do and so he goes off to check multiple back entrances and classrooms to make sure everything’s empty with his capture weapon in his hands and his quirk ready to use. Level three evacuation hasn’t happened in all his years of teaching here and thus an uneasy feeling settles in his stomach. He squashes the feeling quickly, it wouldn’t be logical to be distracted by that now. Keeping a clear head is much more important. 

 

He doesn’t encounter anything besides empty classrooms or sometimes a class following one of his colleagues on their way to evacuate. He also doesn’t hear any upheaval from nearby and it’s almost unsettling because with a level three alarm there should have been some serious shit happening somewhere. It doesn’t make sense. There’s not much Shouta can do about that now though, so he continues on with his part of the evacuation. 

 

After a few minutes he finishes and he heads outside to the wide open grassfields where all the classes are neatly lined up. A quick chat with Midnight tells him that it was just the press who had broken in. Yamada stayed behind to see them all off and taken away by the police but also to be on gate duty. Apparently the gate was destroyed. Logically, no reporter would be stupid enough to do that. Though that’s not something he can think about now because he has a class to check up on.

 

He finds them standing in a neat line next to the other first year hero class. When they notice him approaching Iida is the first to say something. “Sensei! Is everything alright?”

 

“It was just the press who broke through the gate.” Shouta lets himself scan his class and realizes that two of his students are missing. “Where are Midoriya and Bakugo?” As he asks, his eyes fall on Shinsou, from what he observed he is friends with Midoriya. Shinsou meets his eyes with a certain panic in them. “I-I don’t know, sensei,” he stammers, “I lost Izuku in the crowd.”

 

“You all stay here. Midnight will bring you back to class.” Shouta orders as he looks at his class with a stern look. “Anyone who does otherwise will be immediately expelled.”

 

Just as he turns around Shinsou calls, “He doesn’t like crowds, sensei.” Shouta turns his head around and nods at his student as a sign of acknowledgement. Shinsou lets his shoulder hang just a bit in relief, the only bit of emotion he shows. A clear sign of how little Shinsou trusts authoritarian figures. 

 

Shouta knows that some of his students have issues. For Shinsou probably related to his quirk. Yaoyorozu has issues with her confidence, Bakugo clearly has anger issues and Shouta’s sure that Todoroki has a lot going on regarding his home situation. Just to put it lightly. And that’s not even speaking about Midoriya who also appears to have a lot going on. That’s also putting it lightly. Most of this became clear yesterday, during the quirk apprehension test, but as a teacher Shouta can’t just demand of his students to work on their problems or to talk to him about their struggles. It’s also not something that he wants to do, for he is their teacher, not their parent. He can merely nudge them in the right direction with some…encouragement. 

 

For now Shouta will start by finding his missing students and giving them a firm talk about not following evacuation. As he walks away with big strides Shouta calls Nedzu. “I have two missing students. Do you have any idea where they might be?” Can you look at your camera’s and tell me where they were last seen?

 

A hum from the phone, “Of course let me have a look.”

 

As Shouta enters the school again he gets his answer. “You should take a look around the second bathroom near hallway 1C on the first floor.”

 

“All right, thanks.” Shouta hangs up and hurries along the hallways to his destination. When he’s just about to reach the bathroom he catches two voices.

 

“-drag me in here?”

 

“You were having a fucking panic attack, idiot! What else should I have done huh?!”

 

Deciding he’s heard enough, Shouta enters the bathroom with the most menacing face that he can muster. There he’s greeted by the sight of Bakugo sitting in front of Midoriya with a surprisingly toned down demeanor. The latter is sitting with his knees pulled up to his chin, white as a sheet and with jittering hands against the tiled wall next to the sinks. 

 

The two of them look up to see Shouta standing in the door opening. “S-sensei.” Midoriya stammers, his voice raw. Shouta feels a sense of shock when he sees the teen’s eyes, they look even more haunted than usual. Immediately he lets his ominous expression soften a little. “What happened?” he asks, still with a strict voice but not as harsh. 

 

Before Midoriya can say anything Bakugo responds, “He had a panic attack. I dragged him in here to calm down.” Shouta looks at Midoriya with a raised eyebrow. “Do you know why you had one?”

 

The teen seems to hesitate and Shouta adds, “And don’t think about lying. I’ll know.”

 

“The crowd,” Midoriya says with a steady voice as he looks Shouta dead in the eye, “it was the crowd.” 

 

“You should have let us know if crowds are that much of an issue for you.” It isn’t exactly accusatory, merely a statement. The greenette shakes his head, “I can handle it on my own.”

 

Shouta decides to let this discussion rest. The bathroom isn’t the right place for it. “Can you stand?”

 

Midoriya nods and stands up with surprising power. “Good. Bakugo, take Midoriya to the infirmary. After that, immediately return to class.” The two teens leave the bathroom, Shouta gives Midoriya a look, telling him that this conversation isn’t over yet. The teen’s face remains indifferent and it tells Shouta everything he needs to know. The mask is back again.

 

While making his way to his classroom he contemplates the headache that is Midoriya. When he first met the teen as Ghost he’d tried to keep his distance, they were only colleagues after all and it was none of Shouta’s business what was happening in the other’s life. That all changed when Midoriya became a student of his. 

 

He’d seen the mask once before, after the entrance exam. He'd come down to the infirmary out of curiosity, because he wondered where a teenager had learned to fight like that and with such experience. But it hadn't been a ferocious warrior that Shouta was met with, instead it had been a scared and quite frankly a traumatised teenager.  He'd seen it in the way the teen flinched when Recovery Girl checked up on him. But especially in the way Midorya reacted after the panic attack. It had been as if a mask a slid over his face as soon as Shouta had started asking about the teen’s personal life. 

 

All signs for domestic abuse. 

 

But when Shouta had asked him, Midoriya had reacted so truthfully opposed to that suggestion that he was sure that wasn't the case. And thus the picture Shouta had crafted in his mind didn’t fit.

 

On the first day Shouta had expected Midoriya to shine during the quirk apprehension test. As Ghost he was almost famous for being able to be flexible with his mind and think outside the box. And with the sheer ferocity the teen had shown during the entrance exam Shouta had thought that there was no other option other than Midoriya ending near the top of every test.

 

There had been none of that. Instead Midoriya had scored average on every single test and had made no effort to raise his scores. So Shouta had decided to intervene. He still doesn't understand why the teen had been so angry when he'd taken his quirk, but it had dissapointed him. Because it meant that the teen couldn't accept his quirk being taken. Which quite frankly was ridiculous as Shouta had never even seen him use his quirk. 

 

But Midoriya had surprised him afterwards. With a smart trick that only Ghost could think of he'd taken the top score during the last test.

 

And now Shouta had found Midoriya together with Bakugo –he isn’t even going to dive into that relationship– while the teen had just had a panic attack. It is an impossible puzzle. But Shouta is going to figure his student out.

 

There's one thing he knows: There's something going on with Midoriya something that may be far more sinister than thought and when the truth is revealed it's not going to be pretty

Notes:

I'm going on a three week holiday to a place with practically no Internet. So this will be the last chapter for a while. I'd liked to edit this one a bit more but as I'm literally posting this from the airport that will have to wait

Chapter 9: Ground Beta

Notes:

Hi! I'm back again after a three week holiday, here to deliver you this chapter.

CW: PTSD, canon typical violence

Izuku’s surprised when Bakugo keeps his questions to himself while the two of them make their way to the infirmary. Unlike the blazing anger that seems to permanently hang around the teen he now seems to be sunken into a brooding silence. Meanwhile Izuku’s quietly panicking. Because after a while of debating he's sure that it had been Tenko who broke through the gate. And maybe he didn't come here to take Izuku, because if that had been the case Izuku wouldn't be here now. But there must have been a reason for the break in. 

 

Should he report his suspicions to the school? No. Then he'd have to explain his reasoning and there's no way Izuku’s risking his or his mom’s safety. It pains him but for now there's not much he can do.

 

Izuku glances again at Bakugo who’s walking quietly beside him. He wonders what the teen is thinking. Maybe about those stupid stupid stupid sentences Izuku said back in the bathroom. 

 

They arrive at the infirmary and Bakugo hands him over to Recovery Girl before returning back to class. He gives Izuku one final glance before he leaves. Izuku feels a sense of uneasiness growing at the look in his eyes, because Bakugo is figuring things out. There's now way he isn't with how smart the other teen is.

 

Recovery Girl gives Izuku a stern lecture about informing the school about potential stress factors. Izuku undergoes the talk quietly. After making sure he's physically alright the heroine forces him to take an hour rest. Finally, just before the first class of heroics she lets him go and Izuku’s sure he's never been so happy about returning to class again.

When Izuku enters the classroom he’s met with a flurry of questions. After assuring everyone that he’s fine and that he’ll be able to join the first heroics lesson he manages to get to his seat. Hitoshi who is sitting behind him asks, “Are you alright?”

 

Izuku nods, “Yeah, I’m fine now. Just the crowd was…a lot.” Hitoshi hums in understanding, and Izuku can see the worry in him disappear at the assurance that his friend is alright. Before the two of them can talk more Izuku’s quirk seems to go haywire by…something nearby. Not even two seconds later the backdoor is thrown open by no one other than,

 

“I AM COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.” 

 

The entire class erupts into chatter at the appearance of All Might while the man makes his way to the front of the class. Izuku has to do his best to keep a straight face. Annoyance, fear and anger battle to take over his face and Izuku can’t decide what to feel besides the awe at the man’s quirk.

 

He’s never seen anything like it before, even His quirk couldn’t be compared to this. The quirk seems to hold seven different lights all warped into one and together they form the most beautiful rainbow Izuku’s ever seen. Along with that the quirk has a blinding white light surrounding its edges making it by far the brightest quirk in the room. And then he’s not even talking about the sheer power that the quirk emits. It’s almost baffling that one quirk can hold so much strength.

 

Still, awe isn’t the only emotion. There’s annoyance and anger. Izuku isn’t sure why he feels that way. Maybe that in some twisted way he feels angry for the damage the hero inflicted on Him . There’s something seriously wrong with him if that’s the case. He’s also slightly afraid of the Number One, because he’s one of the few people, if not the only person on the planet to take Him on and come out alive. The thought of finding himself under the wrath of All Might if the hero werewere to ever find out who Izuku’s related to, what he’s done to survive, scares Izuku.

 

The Number One breaks Izuku’s internal battle by starting the class. “Alright everyone, yes I am here as a teacher!” The class quiets down and All Might continues, “Today we’ll be doing a practical exercise. So everyone, take your costumes and follow me to ground Beta.” With a click on a button all the costumes are revealed and an excited murmur passes through the class. 

 

“Well, come on! We don’t have all day!” All Might calls with a blinding smile and that gets the class moving.

 

---

 

In the changing room Izuku takes a moment to look at the silver suitcase that stores his costume. Ever since he was young he’d dreamed of wearing an actual hero costume. Back in those sunny days he’d designed many, many costumes, most of them inspired by All Might. Now he’d taken his inspiration elsewhere.

 

When he opens the case it reveals beautiful, sturdy black fabric and various gadgets. First are black cargo pants with green accents and dark red pockets. The knees are padded and the fabric is strong enough to withstand the wear and tear of battle. Next are black boots up to his calves with steel toes. The top half of his costume is tight fitted, again sturdy black fabric with green accents and kevlar protection in the important parts. Around his waist wraps a red utility belt, filled to the brim with goodies he'd requested from the support department.His hands are left completely uncovered as to give him enough opportunity to “turn other’s quirks off”. Finally, his face is covered up to the nose by a black mouth guard. All that is left is a black hood. On the half that covers up until low over his forehead some special accents have been added. The mouth and face of a ghost in red have been stitched on the hood and the hood itself ends in a low point of fabric, like those covers ghosts tend to wear during Halloween.

 

"Woah man, you're jacked!"

 

Izuku turns around to see Kirishima staring at him with a toothy grin. When Izuku looks down he sees that in his hurry of checking out the costume he’d forgotten to put an undershirt on, exposing his torso. “I uh…thanks?” Next to him Hitoshi almost seems to lose it at his awkwardness. Oh, he’ll get his friend back for that one.

 

At that moment the red haired teen appears to realize how rude his comment could come across and his cheeks redden. “Ah sorry, I uh…wasn’t staring or anything. I just kinda…noticed.”

 

“N-no it’s alright.” As if he’d just adopted Iida’s mannerisms, Izuku turns around again like a robot planning on putting his shirt on as quickly as possible and getting the hell out of here.

 

“Hey, where did you get all those scars?”

 

Izuku freezes.

 

The entire room quiets.

 

This time when Izuku turns around it’s Kaminari who’s looking at him. Oh and the rest of the changing room. Great. Next to him Hitoshi isn’t laughing anymore, rather he’s looking at Kaminari in a way that doesn’t promise much good. Before Izuku can muster the courage to answer, a cold voice cuts through the room. “It’s rude to ask about other people’s scars.” 

 

Todoroki, who’s standing in the corner of the room, is looking at Kaminari with such annoyance and cold disdain that the other teen pales a little. “S-sorry,” he apologizes to Izuku with a bow, “I shouldn’t have asked.”

 

The entire room stays quiet until Bakugo growls, “Well? What are you all looking at, extras?!” In a flurry of movements everyone turns to do their own thing again. Izuku breathes a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. He tries to catch Todoroki’s eyes to thank him but the teen has turned around again to do his own thing.

 

“You okay?” Hitoshi murmurs next to him. Izuku looks at him and swallows, “Yeah…I am.” Because weirdly enough people had stood up for him. Something that’s a new concept to him. Maybe, just maybe, UA won’t be as bad as middle school.

 

After that Izuku quickly shoves himself into his costume and hurries out of the changing room. All those eyes trying to sneakily glance at him don’t really help, especially because it’s so obvious.

 

---

 

“Today we’ll be doing mock battles inside this building of 2 versus 2.” 

 

The entire class is lined up before All Might at practice ground Beta, all of them with their new uniforms on. All Might is standing in front of them with his way-too-bright smile and a set of not-so-well-hidden flashcards. As it appears they’ll be doing a battle exercise for the first lesson. Without discussing the safety procedures. Did the man even get a teaching license?

 

In the meantime the hero himself continues with his struggle in teaching. “We will make a villain team, they’ll have a bomb hidden in the building. The hero team will enter after a set period of time. They can win by either restraining the other team with a given tape or by touching the bomb before the timer goes off.” The man gives the class another smile as if that made everything clear. Internally Izuku sighs, he hadn’t given any details about potential moves that could disqualify you. That’s without even mentioning the fact that most of this class probably didn’t even know how to throw a punch, or fall correctly, or how to do the proper footwork. Something that’s second nature to more experienced fighters but which is of vital importance to the basis of learning any fight style.

 

All Might looks around the class and doesn’t seem to notice the vague looks he’s being sent. “Alright that’s all. Let me draw the lots to decide the teams.”

 

After a bit all the names are collected in one big bin and the hero begins making the teams. 

 

“Asui and Tokoyami team H, the villains!”

 

“Against Sero en Koda team F, the heroes!”

“Iida Tenya and Bakugo Katsuki team D, the heroes!” All Might takes out another paper and unfolds it. Izuku knows what’s going to be on it the second before he reads it out loud. “Uraraka Ochako and Midoriya Izuku team A, the villains!”

 

Immediately Izuku's eyes are drawn to Bakugo. The other teen also looks at him and then grins. It’s a grin with a dangerous and wild edge. A challenge. Izuku’s not one to back down from that and gives him a cold smile, one that he knows had scared other villains so much they surrendered without a fight. Bakugo though, he doesn’t back down so easily and keeps a steady gaze without breaking eye contact. 

 

Next to him Hitoshi nudges his shoulder. “Luck’s really on your side today, huh?” Izuku scoffs, “Yeah it really seems so.”

 

---

 

Uraraka finds him standing in the corner of the observation room, looking at the multiple screens displaying the practice ground. The first group had just gone to prepare for their exercise and the rest of the class went off to this room to look at the upcoming battle.

 

Some duo's are huddled together somewhere in the room, talking through some tactics together. Others chose to first observe the first battle. Then there are the unlucky few whose teamwork isn't going so smoothly. Like Todoroki and Sero, where the ice user almost seems to be made out of stone as he continues ignoring Sero’s attempt at devising a plan. Or Iida and Bakugo for that matter, where the latter just growls a few commands at the blue haired teen while Iida splutters and in his own way attempts to make plans.

 

"So, we're a team huh?" Uraraka says as she comes to stand next to him. Izuku just nods as his eyes keep roaming the room, scanning for any details that he could use to his advantage. "I think I have a plan."

 

He continues more quietly, "I think you should be the one to guard the bomb, then I'll be in the field."

 

The other girl nods in agreement and her hair bobs up and down. "Any ideas about what to do with the bomb?"

 

"The building has multiple levels, that's even clear without the floor plan we'll probably be given just before our match. Your quirk is perfect all the way on the roof because you won't have to worry about falling off and such: That's where you'll have the advantage, so that's where we'll put the bomb. Iida, he'll have difficulty navigating on the roof because I don't think it'll have a fence around it –so he'll have to be careful. Bakugo will most definitely come after me so you won't have to worry about him." Izuku pauses his thought process and realizes that he might have been talking too much. Talking about something has alway helped to organize his thoughts and it's a habit He hadn't been able to completely break, though the habit appears much less now than when he was younger. When he glances at Uraraka though, he sees that she's listening intently and shows no sign of irritation at his abundant talking. 

 

"Do you have any skill sets besides your quirk?" Izuku wonders, more to himself than to Uraraka. Still, the girl answers, "My parents have a contracting company, I have always helped them out so…I guess I'm quite handy with building stuff?"

 

Izuku lights up from that bit of information. "That makes the roof even more perfect! If you can gather up some building material like wood and metal and stuff from the other levels of the building and float it up to the roof you might be able build something around the bomb."

 

"I can do that," the other girl says and she continues thoughtfully with her hand underneath her chin, "I think I can also do something like making a trap but I'll have to see."

 

"What should I do about Iida?"

 

Izuku shakes his head, "Don't worry about him, I'll take care of that on the field." He gives Uraraka a small smile, "You just focus on our defense."

 

Uraraka’s eyes glint with determination and she grins rather wolvish. "Aye aye captain, let's show these boys what we can do!"

 

---

 

When it's their turn to go, Izuku and Uraraka make their way to ground Beta. On their way Izuku quickly memorizes the floor plan and then takes his time to give his teammate some final advice. He shows her how to throw a punch and how to put down her feet. She likely won't do it right the first few times and it's probably too difficult to use in the heat of a fight, but nonetheless he hopes it will do some good. 

 

At the stairs of the building they part with Izuku’s final words, "Just remember that we're the villains. We can act like them as well." Uraraka pauses and she seems to think the words over. Then she nods at him with a look on her face that tells him that she understood its meaning. 

 

Once Izuku’s left alone on the ground floor he takes a careful look around. At the windows, the entrance door, the stairway and its blind spots and the airshafts. He knows the floor plan is the same for every floor but mirrored with the stairway each time at the end of a long straight hall. Based on Izuku's calculations about their opponents he can guess where they’ll enter and coupled with the information about the building a plan forms in his head.

 

---

 

The test is about to start any minute now with the heroes on their way. Izuku’s hidden in the shadows of one of the rooms on the ground floor. Calmly, he lets a sense of focus fall on him. The kind of razor focus that always accompanies him in his fights. This time though, he lets the brakes that he'd always been so careful of keeping on a bit loose. Apparently the universe wants him to be a villain so badly he's even been assigned the role in a hero school . Well, Izuku will play along. 

 

With his hearing quirks he already hears Bakugo and Iida approaching, the latter while still trying to reason with the blonde. In one swift motion Izuku has pulled on his hood, enveloping his face in darkness and shadows. He presses himself to the wall and becomes one with the shadows. Merely a ghost in a dark room. 

 

A few seconds there's only silence and Izuku’s slowed, quiet breathing.

 

Then it's literally shattered by Bakugo who rockets himself in the air through a window on the second floor. Iida though, that's a whole other story. Even with all his naivety and rigidness the teen still chooses to just walk through the front door . Internally, Izuku sighs. It's exactly what he'd predicted.

 

He hears the teens footsteps nearing and checking the few rooms before Izuku's while talking loudly in his earpiece, probably to argue with Bakugo. Really, had he learned nothing from his brother? The footsteps stop in front of Izuku’s room as if hesitating. In that time his muscles tense and Izuku can start to feel the adrenalin of an upcoming fight pumping through his veins. 

 

With a slow arc the door opens and a tall shadow appears on the floor. In the dark against the wall next to the door Izuku waits as a predator on his prey.

 

Then Iida walks into the room and for half a second has the time to look around. In one movement Izuku’s standing behind Iida. In the next breath he has drawn a knife and locked the teen’s limbs in such a way that he won't be able to move out of Izuku's grip no matter what. 

 

The knife stops in the air just a centimeter removed from Iida’s neck.

 

Underneath his hand Izuku can feel the other boy's rapid beating of his heart. A strangled noise escapes from his throat. "Technically Iida would have died right here, wouldn't he?" Somewhere in the back of his mind Izuku registers that his voice has taken a cold edge.

 

" I uh…yeah I suppose so, young Midoriya."  

 

"Which means Iida would be disqualified, right?" Underneath his grip Izuku can feel Iida try to shift nervously. 

 

Through his earpiece Izuku can hear All Might struggling to find words before answering, "Yes…Iida is hereby disqualified."

 

Hearing those words Izuku draws back his knife in one swift motion and backs away from Iida a little. The other teen visibly sags in relief. He'd been lucky Izuku had left the knife in its leather sheath. Without wasting much time standing around Izuku moves out of the room, his footsteps quiet as a mouse. He leaves Iida behind, who seems to be in some sort of shock. Izuku doesn't spend any time thinking that over, he's a villain now and he has a job to do.

 

As he makes his way to the stairs he lets Uraraka in on the situation. "Iida is down." 

 

"Great, how about Bakugo?"

 

Just then an angry shout travels down the stairway from up above. Izuku can't help the smirk that forms on his face. "It seems your traps are working."

 

Uraraka had left a few simple traps on each level. They’re easy enough to avoid for the trained eye but if you don't expect them they still give you a nasty surprise. 

 

"I'm engaging now. Keep vigilant. Over and out."

 

"Alright, good luck. Over and out."

 

The silence that follows envelopes Izuku and he lets it carry him up the stairs, into the quiet hallways of the second floor. Bakugo must have gone up one floor then. To check, Izuku closes his eyes and lets his own quirk scan the building. Up up up on the roof, Uraraka is pacing around, maybe even still building some things around the bomb. But just one floor above Izuku, in the corner left room, there's Bakugo’s trait mark blazing quirk, pounding around the room with brutal efficiency. Probably to look for Izuku. 

 

 

As he sets his first steps onto the third floor he hears Bakugo’s footsteps somewhere to his right. Izuku knows the teen is smart, he might have already figured out that Izuku’s around here somewhere. There’s one door in the entire hallway that’s standing open just a little bit. Izuku approaches it silently and peeks around the corner. Indeed, the blonde is there. 

 

A quick and silent approach to this, that's what Izuku’s going for.

 

Without making a sound he opens the door and slips into the room. He's been trained for this after all. For these silent takedowns. It's handy if you can come in and out somewhere without being noticed. Especially if you exit the place with another quirk in your pocket.

 

Without wasting another second he dashes towards Bakugo, his hands already moving in position to do the same maneuver as with Iida. He never touches the teen though, because when he's a breath away Bakugo turns around on pure instinct with blazing eyes and burning hands.

 

An explosion rockets the room and Izuku barely manages to roll to the side and evade the worst of the blast. Quickly, he gets on his feet again and comes face to face with the other teen. Bakugo grins when he sees who's standing in front of him. "Fucking finally."

 

Izuku doesn't have time to respond because then the blonde is in his face blasting explosions left and right. He evades them without much difficulty and creates some distance between the two of them again. Bakugo, also barely winded, stretches his hands at his sides as he says, "I know I've met you before."

 

It's said with such confidence that it makes Izuku’s insides turn cold. He doesn’t show any of that though and instead replies cooly, "I thought we'd already come to the conclusion yesterday that wasn't the case."

 

"Don't bullshit me! I know I'm right!" 

 

Instead of answering, Izuku engages again. He'll get a read on Bakugo's fighting abilities before coming up with a new plan to subdue him. He swings his right hand at Bakugo’s face as a decoy while trying to wipe the other teen off his feet with one of his legs. A second before Izuku’s leg connects with Bakugo’s body the teen seems to sense his plan and with a short blast from both of his hands he moves to the side to evade the swipe of a leg. 

 

“Who’s Tenko, huh?” Bakugo grunts as he tries to blow Izuku’s insides out with a blast of his hand. On instinct his body moves to the side and Izuku manages to get two hits in by the boy who receives them with bared teeth. In Izuku’s head though, there’s only silence. Tenko . The name brings forth memories he’d rather forget, together with a sense of longing. Longing to a brotherly figure he’d once had, no matter how sick their relationship had been. For just a second when he looks at the place where Bakugo had been standing he doesn’t see the hotheaded teen. No, he sees that thing . Its hulking figure with its rolling muscles, he hears its screeching in his ears and smells the faint smell of rotting flesh. When he blinks the image is gone again and in its place stands Bakugo again.

 

Even if his mouth feels as dry as sand he forces himself to say, “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” As a reaction Bakugo goes at Izuku with a much bigger explosion than before and even if he evades it, he feels it singe his eyebrows. “Fucking liar! You know who that Tenko fucker is!”

 

Again the raging teen is replaced by the image of that thing . And even if it’s just for a second, Izuku knows he has to get out of this fight. He has to create some distance and organize his thoughts again, get a grip on his treacherous brain and its memories. 

 

Instead of answering Bakugo by either words or another fight maneuver his hand goes to the red utility belt. In one of the pouches he finds what he’s looking for, something that he’d requested the support department to make. He takes out a tiny gray ball and Bakugo frowns at the thing. “What the–”

 

Before he can continue Izuku throws the little ball on the floor with as much force as he can muster. It hits the floor and immediately the room fills with thick gray gas. Izuku dashes out a door to his right that leads to the next room and as he does so he hears an enraged shout before it’s cut off by violent coughing. 

 

The little balls he had requested produce enough gas to fill an entire room. A perfect distraction. The gas isn’t harmful in any way but it can make someone cough when they inhale a lot.

 

Swiftly and silently Izuku rushes through room after room, opening and closing doors at random. Bakugo will find him at some point but at least he can make it difficult for the boy. In a room that's filled to the brim with walls of cardboard boxes, Izuku halts his steps. It’s a maze. His mind goes through the options he has. He could either go up one story –the obvious move– but that would take more time and he’d have to move through an empty hallway without any coverage. He could keep leading Bakugo around but the thought of doing so doesn't really appeal to him. It's not his style –too passive. Or he could lay an ambush. His eyes scan the room in front of him. Rows and rows of cardboard boxes. Dark corners and a door that opens into the room in such a way that it gives Izuku enough time to act. Yes, that's what he'll do. 

 

"Midoriya? Hello? Do you copy?"

 

Uraraka’s voice, filled with a note of panic, sounds through his earpiece.

 

Quietly, Izuku answers as he begins putting his plan into motion. "I copy."

 

A relieved sigh. "Great, the explosions stopped and I thought…" The girl trails off as if not knowing what to say. While moving a few boxes Izuku says, "Don't worry about it. I'm working on it. How's everything up there?"

 

"Just doing my thing. Nothing special."

 

"Good. Keep doing that. Let me handle Bakugo. Over."

 

"Good luck! Over."

 

Izuku cuts contact and lays the final hand to his plan. At the same time he senses Bakugo's quirk approaching his room with deadly speed. A few seconds before the boy reaches the room, Izuku hides behind a few boxes. 

 

His heart hammers in his chest as he crouches behind a tower of boxes and he tries to calm his rapid breathing. The memories that threaten to overwhelm him he drags back into a deep dark place in his brain. To a place even deeper than where they’d been before they started to try to resurface.

 

The door opens with a burst and Bakugo comes storming in. Izuku doesn't see anything from behind his box but that's also not necessary. His quirk does the job for him and locates the burning quirk with that familiar sense of wanting to take . 

 

"Are you that much of a pussy that you won't fight me?!" Bakugo shouts, explosions popping to accompany his words. Izuku doesn't answer, instead he grabs the tiny, almost invisible threads in his hands a little tighter. Just a bit closer .

 

"Fucking answer me! I know you're in here!" The teen takes a few more steps forward. That's all Izuku needs. With all his strength he pulls at one of the threads in his hands. With a crash a row of boxes comes falling down.

 

Before Bakugo had burst into the room Izuku had come up with a plan: Tie a few almost invisible threads to a some of the boxes all the way at the bottom of the towers. The threads had also been a part of the things included in his belt. They were meant for a different purpose, like laying traps to trip people up, but Izuku’s always been one to think outside the box. If he pulls the threads a tower of boxes will fall down.

 

Izuku has to suppress a grin when Bakugo furiously stomps towards the place where the boxes had fallen. "Where are you, huh?! Too scared to face me head on?"

 

Another two threads are pulled, making more rows of boxes fall. See, Izuku wasn't sitting inside the maze of boxes. No, he was sitting behind the single wall of boxes on the other side of the room. Next to the door. Bakugo had missed them because the door swung open to the inside, concealing the boxes. 

 

The other teen blows numerous boxes into bits and Izuku even sees a few cardboard pieces hit the wall next to him. He pulls his fourth and final threat, and it brings down the tower all the way at the back. As domino pieces the biggest number of boxes yet comes falling down.

 

Now

 

While Bakugo has his back completely turned to the place where Izuku is sitting, probably busy trying to determine how these boxes keep falling down, Izuku himself rushes forward. Or that’s what he would have done if it weren't for the next words the explosive teen would say. 

 

"Still not showing yourself? Afraid they are going to take you?"

 

The words register in his brain and Izuku can't help himself, he stays rooted in his place. His heartbeat picks up without his consent and he can feel sweat forming on his hands. Alerted by his footsteps Bakugo turns around. Only it isn't Bakugo, it's that thing .

 

His blood thunders in his ears and even if he knows that it isn't real, on instinct he still pulls more quirks to the front. That thing no, no, Bakugo moves a step forward and that is all Izuku needs. With adrenaline rushing through his veins and his heart thundering in his throat he moves with all the speed he has at the thing. 

 

He tackles it to the ground, in the middle of a pile of boxes, and begins hitting it. In the stomach, its arms, its face. Somewhere far away he registers a burning sensation on his arms and abodemen. He also faintly notices a voice booming in his ears, telling them to stop. Maybe it's All Might. He wonders why the hero won't do anything about the monster in the room.

 

Maybe they have come to take him after all. Maybe this morning was just to scout around the area. A thought enters his mind as his panic comes to a high. I have to end this . By pure habit he activates a quirk. The quirk he's had for the longest. He'll aim at the brain. Like he's always done.

 

His hand moves away and up, ready to strike.

 

Suddenly his nose explodes in a myriad of pain. Tears fill his eyes and he has to blink them away. When his vision clears again it's not that thing laying on the ground. No, it's Bakugo. Izuku realizes what has just happened and the panic inside of him doesn't recede, it merely focuses around a different problem.

 

Bakugo isn't looking at Izuku’s face though, instead he's looking at Izuku’s right hand with wide open eyes. Izuku follows his gaze and for a moment can only stare. His hand is raised above the other teens head and it's glowing red hot. Magma Hand.

 

Then the blonde's eyes track back to Izuku’s face and he realizes that it's because of his eyes. They're probably glowing a vivid green, like they always do when he uses his quirk.

 

For a few seconds glowing green meets burning red.

 

“Boys, if you don’t stop this violent fighting I will have to disqualify you both!” All Might’s urgent voice. 

 

They both snap out of the trance-like state and in a flash Izuku has dragged back all his quirks into their respective saves. The redness in his hand recedes and the glowing in his eyes stops. 

 

At the same time Bakugo starts to struggle against Izuku’s grip on him. Izuku’s got him firmly pinned against the ground though and there's no breaking free from his death grip. The same knife he'd used against Iida, Izuku draws again, laying it calmly against the other's hot skin.

 

"Technically Bakugo is down now as well." His voice sounds raw in his ears.

 

"I ah…uh. Yes, Bakugo is out of the game. Though I would advise you both to be more careful next time." All Might begins announcing the villain's victory but Izuku doesn't pay that any mind. 

 

As he pushes himself away from Bakugo the teen keeps looking at him. He has a black eye and a broken nose. Going by the sting in his own nose Izuku probably has that same injury. The blonde doesn't say a word but when Izuku looks into those red eyes he realizes one terrible thing: Bakugo knows who he is and he's not going to let that go.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: Next week.

Chapter 10: Curious Eyes

Notes:

Hi! Wow a chapter that's actualy on time. Even I can't believe it.

Recovery Girl isn't the slightest bit happy when she sees Izuku for the second time in her infirmary that day with his nose broken and some minor burns. Neither is she happy to see Bakugo with a blue face and bruises scattered across his body.

 

With a disapproving face she gives each of them beds –each at the other side of the long room, as if she can sense the tension between them– and heals them as much as she can. Both of them are left with a bruised nose, though it’s not broken anymore. The rest of their injuries are healed. 

 

Izuku undergoes all of it with gritted teeth. He still feels shaken by the fight, or rather its ending, and with each touch by the woman he has to keep his body from tensing. His hands won't stop shaking and the heroine notices. With a face that's softer than usual she puts down a weighted blanket at the end of his bed and gives him a few extra sweets. Grateful, Izuku puts the blanket around his shoulders, its weight grounding him.

 

As he's supposed to stay here for at least another hour to rest before he's allowed to leave, Izuku is just deciding how to spend his time when a visitor appears at his bed.

 

Hitoshi.

 

At the sight of his friend Izuku feels some of the tension in his body unravel. The slow pulsing, purple quirk is like a calming rhythm. His friend looks at him with a sense of concern. "Hi."

 

"Hi." His throat feels dry and he tries to swallow it away. It doesn’t work and his eyes move to the water bottle standing on the side table next to his bed. Hitoshi follows his gaze and wordlessly hands him the bottle.

 

Izuku only realizes how thirsty he is once he's gulped down half the bottle. "Thanks." He says and Hitoshi nods.

 

"How are you?"

 

"I'm…" Izuku tries to find the words. Is he fine? No. But he's content now that his friend is here, next to him. This fight hadn't been the worst by far. He'll get over it. But it's the fact that Bakugo knows , that keeps his mind busy. 

 

Hitoshi seems to understand though, because he hums. 

 

"Did you win?" Izuku asks as he feels the shaking in his hands calm down. 

 

His friend grins and his eyes light up with rare true excitement. "Hell yeah. The heroes won. You should have seen the villain's faces when they realized what my quirk was."

 

Izuku feels the corners of his mouth turn up. "Nice. I wish I could have seen it."

 

Those words make his friend frown slightly. "What happened down there?"

 

Izuku pauses and hesitates. "Bakugo he…riled me up. I think I lost control. It's probably my own fault."

 

"It's not." Hitoshi looks in the direction where Bakugo’s bed is, all the way at the end of the room. He frowns again, only this time Izuku notices the anger in his eyes. "If you don't want to tell him something he should respect that."

 

The fact that Izuku has never told Hitoshi anything hangs as a thick truth between them.

 

"Hitoshi, I…" Izuku sighs and looks away, down at his hands. "I do want to tell you about…me. I just can't ."

 

I could put you in danger.

 

His friend swallows and also looks down. "I- I know. And it's fine. You should take your time."

 

Izuku is about to express the immense sense of relief he feels hearing those words when his quirk alerts him of another presence approaching. A presence impossible to ignore.

 

Two feet stop in front of the closed curtain around Izuku’s bed. "Young Midoriya? Could I have a word with you?"

 

Izuku and Hitoshi give each other a look. His friend says, "I'll see you tomorrow." He turns around to leave the bed area when Izuku stops him. 

 

"Hitoshi."

 

His friend halts and looks at him. "Yeah?"

 

"Thanks."

 

A simple word but with so many meanings. Hitoshi gives him a smile and nods before he leaves. He understands.

 

Izuku props himself up a bit higher and straightens his back when a second person enters through the curtains. 

 

"All Might."

 

---

 

This afternoon’s patrol had been a rather boring one so far. Shouta crouches on a roof of one of the taller buildings of the area and looks out over the city. Every once in a while he has to do a patrol in broad daylight, or rather during the twilight hours of the day. The sun, already on its descent, gives the city a golden glow. The reason for his early patrol is currently somewhere inside the building across the street.

 

The building is just a big concrete box with some windows at the front and a huge advertising board telling everyone in the near vicinity that this is a gym. The blue paint on the outer wall and neon orange paint on the window edges severely needs a repaint, still it draws your attention like a lighthouse at sea on a dark night. The entrance doors swing open and Shouta zeroes in on the blonde man exiting the place with quick steps.

 

Odd

 

Shouta’s been tailing Sugiyama Takeo for almost three weeks now and uptill now he hasn’t discovered anything that would cause suspicion. The man has a set schedule, one of his things is to always visit this gym on Tuesday at half past three. He usually leaves an hour later and then goes on his merry way home or to a bar. This time though, instead of turning left when he exits the gym, the man turns right and starts rushing down the street towards the station.

 

Without wasting another second Shouta gets up from his position and swings his capture weapon out to the next building. Maybe today will finally be the day of a breakthrough in the case. Shouta follows the man all the way until the station where Sugiyama swipes his card to get past the gates of the building. Before doing so he quickly looks around, as if to check if he’s being followed. He doesn’t see Shouta who’s perched on a building. Everyone always forgets to look up.

 

When the man disappears into the mass of people hurrying to and from the station, Shouta quickly swings down and nonchalantly starts making his way towards the same gates. While doing so he wraps his capture weapon in such a way around his neck that it seems like a normal scarf. Just an average hobo who’s cold and on his way to take the train.

 

Past the gates it’s easy to find the man again. With his hideous blouse that this time has a flower pattern on it Sugiyama doesn’t exactly blend in. Shouta follows the man while keeping enough distance, it’s rush hour so blending into the crowd isn’t all too difficult. 

 

Once Sugiyama reaches the platform there’s already a train waiting and he rushes inside. Shouta does the same, only one cabin to the left. A few seconds later the doors close and the train starts moving. Shouta pushes his way past a few people to stand next to the door that leads to the next train cabin with Sugiyama in it. One glance through the glass tells him that the man is sitting on one of the seats with his leg nervously bouncing up and down. 

 

For a good while they sit in the train while it stops at multiple stations and people enter and leave the train. Shouta is just starting to wonder where the hell Sugiyama is going when the man gets up and pushes his way past a few people to get out. The train stops again and Shouta also hurries to exit the cabin. Once on the platform his eyes fall on the name of the station. 

 

Kamino Central

 

He follows Sugiyama out of the station onto the busy streets of the big city. While they were on the train the sun had gone down and street poles, flashy advertisement boards and the many shops that line the streets light up the city. Sugiyama rushes past all of it without sparing a second glance. After the man has walked for two minutes he dashes into a side alley and disappears from Shouta’s view.

 

Instead of following him into the alley by foot, Shouta hurries to another alley, grabs the end of his capture weapon and swings himself onto the roof of the nearest building. With a few controlled swings and some parkour Shouta manages to get to the alley that Sugiyama had ducked into. Of course the man is no longer there.

 

Shouta doesn’t let that deter him and swings to the next building where he’ll have a better view of the maze of alleys that stretches out in front of him. There he easily finds the man again, he’s stopped in the middle of a seemingly random alley. Shouta doesn’t waste a second and begins to swing his way towards the alley.

 

Before he reaches the place a second man seems to step out of the shadows. Shouta lands on top of the building that looks out over the alley without making a sound. Careful to not be seen he glances into the alley.

 

Sugiyama is standing in front of the other man. He’s more nervous than Shouta has seen him in the past three weeks and that sleazy attitude of his also seems to have disappeared. On the other hand, the other man has an air of confidence and annoyance around him. He’s at least two heads taller than Sugiyama with bronzed skin and black hair that’s tied into a low ponytail and reaches all the way down his back. Muscles bulge underneath the leather jacket the man is wearing.

 

Shouta trusts his instincts and right now they’re telling him that this man is dangerous .

 

“You’re late.” The man says with a low voice. Sugiyama smiles apologetically, “I hadn’t realized our meeting place had changed.”

 

The man clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Do you have the money?” Sugiyama asks, his eyes looking at the man with a sort of hunger. Without saying a word and a sort of disgust on his face at Sugiyama’s eagerness the man throws an envelope at the blonde’s feet. 

 

Sugiyama grabs the thing like a dog would jump at a bone. He opens the envelope with fast uncontrolled movements and starts counting what is probably money. His mouth moves without making a sound while counting, then he stops. “This…” Sugiyama looks up in disbelief, “it’s not even half!”

 

The man spits on the ground near Sugiyama’s feet. “Be happy that you get anything at all after your mistake with those fucking detectives!”

 

Sugiyama visibly recoils. “L-look I d-didn’t–” He tries to stammer but the man interrupts him. “Don’t bother coming next time you fuck up.” He stretches his hands at his sides and Sugiyama’s face pales hearing the following words. “You wouldn’t want to end up like all the other people who’ve disappointed us, now would you?”

 

Sugiyama feverishly shakes his head. “N-no. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

 

The man smiles and for a second Shouta can see the charisma behind that smile. “Good.” His face morphs back into a frown. “We need more candidates for our upcoming projects.”

 

“Of course, I will…send them to you.” Sugiyama answers hesitantly. The other man seems satisfied with that answer and promptly turns around and walks away. Shouta could have sworn that he’d spared a glance at the exact place where Shouta is hiding before the man disappeared into the shadows of the many alleys. 

 

Sugiyama heaves a sigh of relief when he seems to be sure that the man is gone and then also leaves the alley. Shouta does the same, silently, like he’d never even been there. This has given him enough material to think about. In his pocket he feels the weight of his phone. He’d taken a few pictures and recorded the conversation so they could be analyzed by the police. And of course by Ghost. They’ll meet the coming weekend, after Shouta’s had the trip with his class to the USJ. There will be enough time then to look at all of these new leads. 

 

---

 

Teaching is a lot harder than it seems. That’s something Toshinori has realized after his first official day of teaching. Especially when you always have a clock ticking in the back of your head, reminding you of how much time you have left with your quirk. Even the teaching course Nedzu had made him take last holiday couldn’t have prepared him for this. 

 

The second years that he’d taught this morning had misled him. He’d given them a simple exercise and they’d done it without much trouble. So, when in the afternoon he’d walked up to the front of one of the first year hero classes he’d done it with some confidence. He'd explained a simple exercise to them and had expected it to go just as well as in the morning. 

 

Well, let's just say he was wrong.

 

The first group had gone okay enough. No, it’s the group that had gone after that had gone horribly wrong. Specifically two students. Midoriya and Bakugo.

 

He’d first noticed Midoriya during the entrance exam. His heroic heart, giving a helping hand to anyone who noticed it. Toshinori had right then and there almost made the decision. Midoriya had appeared to be the perfect successor. But something had made him hesitate.

 

Maybe it was the fact that Midoriya’s quirk was so close to the quirk of a man he’d defeated five years ago.

 

Still, the boy had been in the back of his head to become a potential successor and Toshinori had felt some anticipation at seeing what Midoriya would do in the battle exercise. He hadn’t expected that golden heart to freeze over and for there to stand a completely different person.

 

At first Toshinori had let it slide with Iida. Midoriya was supposed to play the villain; it would make sense for him to play that role then as well. Even if it had taken him by surprise. No, it was somewhere during the fight when Midoriya and Bakugo clashed that something had seemed to shift in Midoriya’s approach to the fight.

 

Toshinori has been a pro hero for longer than most. He can recognize when a move is intended to bring serious harm. When Midoriya charged at Bakugo in that room full of boxes Toshinori had recognised the intent to bring irrevocable harm in those movements and his heart had lurched a little. He’d practically shouted through his earpiece at them to stop but neither of the two teens responsible had listened to him or heard his words.

 

Somewhere in that next minute, during which both boys beat each other up, the two of them had stopped all of the sudden. Toshinori had shouted his final warning before he would have intervened himself and the boys, who had been staring at each other for a good few seconds, luckily stopped their fight. 

 

Midoriya won. His behavior seemed to have changed again at the end, and the beast that had been inside his body before seemed to have curled itself up somewhere deep down. The blood streaming down from his broken nose hadn’t seemed to bother him as he calmly laid a sheathed knife against Bakugo’s throat and claimed the villain’s victory.

Now Toshinori is standing in front of the blue curtains that obscure one of the troublemakers from his sight. The faint voices that he’d heard as he was making his way across the room had stopped. “Young Midoriya? Could I have a word with you?”

 

Behind the curtain a few words are said. Private ones and Toshinori blocks them out. They’re none of his business. Then the curtains slide open and Shinsou slips out. The kid gives Toshinori one skeptical glance before hurrying out the room. Toshinori decides to ignore the odd reaction and opens the curtains a bit further to take a step forward.

 

“All Might.” Cold words said by Midoriya. The boy is sitting upright with his shoulders squared and a plain face that betrays nothing. Toshinori doesn’t let the attitude phase him and says, “I wanted to talk with you about your fight this afternoon.”

 

The teen doesn’t react, he only keeps looking at the hero with those dull, yet sharp green eyes. Maybe the boy is just tired after the fight so Toshinori continues, “I must say that I hadn’t expected your behavior.”

 

“Why not?” Midoriya asks with a tilt of his head. The words come out with a sharp edge. Still, they’re utterly curious. As if the teen truly doesn’t understand what he did wrong. “You fought rather aggressively.”

 

The boy frowns at him. “I was assigned the villain role.”

 

Toshinori shakes his head and he feels a sense of disbelief. Did he truly not understand where he went wrong? “Midoriya my boy–”

 

Midoriya’s frame suddenly tenses, “Don’t call me that.” 

 

Something like indignation boils up inside Toshinori when he hears the boy commanding him and he frowns, “You should understand that I won’t tolerate your actions the next time. No matter if you’re playing a villain, we’re still in a hero school. The way you and Bakugo fought at the end is not worthy of a hero .”

 

At his words Midoriya’s face morphs into disbelief. “But I did what was expected of me.”

 

“I will bring this to principal Nedzu the next time that it happens.” Toshinori says a bit harsher. The boy has to understand that his actions can be dangerous. For his own safety and that of his classmates. The teen’s jaw clenches, but he nods.

 

When Toshinori leaves he does it with some disappointment. Maybe the little voice in the back of his head that keeps whispering He could be your successor is wrong. He’s not sure what to think of Midoriya, but him as a successor? No, he needs someone with a golden heart and a good moral compass. And Midoriya doesn’t have the last, that’s become clear after today. 

 

---

 

All Might has that same conversation with Bakugo. That one also isn’t very successful. Much to Izuku’s relief, the hero leaves soon after and his quirk calms down once the blinding presence that is the number one’s quirk has left the room.

 

After his conversation with All Might Izuku doesn’t exactly think much better of the hero. Rather, he feels angry when he thinks back to the words said by the hero. It’s unfair that he would be punished because he just plays his role well. It reminds him of the times in middle school when he would be sent to the principal’s office just because of words said by other students. 

 

The time that he has to rest ticks by unbelievably slow and it gives him too much alone time with his thoughts. He wonders if anyone besides Bakugo saw him using another quirk in the end. Hopefully not, though neither Hitoshi nor All Might had mentioned anything regarding that so Izuku might have been lucky with that. 

 

Once the hour is almost over Recovery Girl first checks Bakugo one last time and then the teen is allowed to leave. Next up she checks Izuku and also lets him leave once she’s made him promise that he’ll be careful with his still healing nose.

The halls are quiet, most students have already gone home as this is only the first day of classes and there isn't much work to do yet. Izuku’s steps echo down the long hallways and it kind of feels like he’s got the school to himself. Like the universe has allowed him this quiet, peaceful moment in the school of his dreams after the chaos that was the rest of his day. He enjoys the sound of his footsteps echoing against the walls, he’s allowed them to make some noise this time, and the sound is like the blissful rainfall after a hot day. 

 

He admires the walls, the windows, the floors, everything and lets himself realize that this is his school . The fatigue that weighs heavily on his bones and his mind after a stressful day lets up a little and something like a giddy happiness replaces it. A small but genuine smile stretches across Izuku’s face and some golden afternoon sun rays peek through the mass of clouds and caress his hair as if they can sense his happiness.

 

That feeling accompanies him all the way towards the exit of the building, down to the gate. Or rather what is left of it. Two minor heroes are standing near the entrance, guarding the place as a big truck is unloaded with an exact replica of the “impenetrable” gate. His smile is slowly wiped from his face when he notices Bakugo waiting just past the gate.

 

As he leaves school grounds Izuku keeps walking and unfortunately the other teen follows. Izuku leads them into an alley with a dead end, somewhere where there’s the least chance anyone will hear them. There he stops and turns around with a sigh, his good mood ruined. “What do you want this time? Another round? Because you should now that Recovery Girl will lynch us if she finds out.”

 

Bakugo also halts with a good distance still between them. For a while he doesn’t answer, he only keeps looking at Izuku with a taxing gaze. Izuku stares back with a sense of annoyance, all while the other teen still hasn’t said a word. He has just opened his mouth to tell the blonde that not answering isn’t all that polite when the other teen breaks the silence.

 

“You’re Deku.”

 

Izuku’s heart skips a beat but he manages to keep his face expressionless. “And what if I was?”

 

“I remember you. We were best friends.” There’s some sort of emotion behind those words and Bakugo’s usual blazing eyes seem to soften just a little. A small slither of hope blooms up inside Izuku’s chest at those words. He isn’t the only one who remembers. Maybe if the blonde also remembers they could– 

 

Izuku doesn’t finish that train of thought, instead he forces himself to say, “What gave me away?”

 

“Magma Hand.” Bakugo’s eyes stray to the other boy’s hands as if expecting them to glow red hot again. Following his gaze, Izuku stuffs his hands in his pockets. The distant day where Izuku had shown him his new quirk hangs like a barrier between them. It’s the one day where Izuku’s life officially took a turn for the worse, even if he didn’t know that at the time. He swallows with difficulty and softly says, “I also remember you, Kacchan.” The name tastes weird on his tongue, like a muscle that he hasn’t used in a long time. The muscle memory is still there but an active memory of when he’d last used it is gone. 

 

For just a second something like surprise flits across Bakugo’s face, then he frowns. “What the hell happened?”

 

Izuku shrugs.

 

Small explosions echo through the alley. “No you fucking don’t!” the blonde growls as he takes a few steps forward and points at Izuku with an accusing finger, “You just suddenly disappeared! Without saying a word! Why?! ”

 

Izuku presses his lips together and lightly shakes his head. “You don’t want to know.”

 

“The fuck I do! My mom cried for three months after you and your mom disappeared! She refused to tell me why and after those three months she never talked about you again. Like you’d never existed.” The anger in Bakugo’s voice changes into something more vulnerable and Izuku feels a stab of guilt. Still, he grits his teeth and says a bit more harshly, “Like I said: You don’t want to know.”

 

Bakugo’s face contorts into anger and he clenches his hands into fists, as if trying to contain the explosions that threaten to escape. “Bullshit. Was it that dad of yours? Did he make you cut off contact?”

Soft white curls and a loving smile just for him. 

 

The slight smell of smoke with each of his father’s warm hugs. 

 

A tensing frame and a hallway engulfed in flames.

The memories leave behind a hurting ache when Izuku blinks them away. A sort of trembling fury takes a hold of him but he suppresses the feeling. “NO!”

 

“Then why the fuck did you leave?” A challenge. Izuku is having none of it and loses the reins on his emotions. He’s tired after a long day and his patience has been used up. He stalks forward into Bakugo’s equally furious face and hisses, “ Don’t dig into my past. It will not end well for you. I’ve given you everything I could and will ever give to you.”

 

He pushes past the blonde and stalks towards the exit of the alley. Just before leaving he turns around and gives the other teen a final warning.

 

“My past is filled with ghosts, Bakugo. Don’t try to wake them.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: Somewhere next week :)

Chapter 11: The USJ

Notes:

Hi! Guess what time it is? It's time for Izuku and his friends to *suffer*

CW: canon typical violence, panic

The engine of the bus is a pleasant noise in the background as Izuku stares out of the window. It’s Friday and today they’ll have their first class trip. Izuku’s not sure how he survived the rest of the week after that first overwhelming day of classes, though the days after that had fortunately been relatively calm. Now the entire class is on their way to the USJ. Excitement hangs in the air at the promise of what is to come and everyone is proudly wearing their costumes. Next to him Hitoshi sits quietly and in the two seats in front of them Uraraka and Tsu are chatting with Yaoyorozu and Jirou about their costumes. Seems like the support department might have their hands full remaking some costumes in the near future. All the way at the front, Aizawa is taking a nap in his yellow sleeping bag. Or rather, he’s pretending to be. There’s no doubt he’s keeping close track of everything that's going on in the bus.

 

Izuku’s attention is drawn back to the girls in front of him when the conversation turns into them talking about their inspiration for their costume. “I love Thirteen –you know the rescue hero– so that’s why mine is space themed.” Uraraka says with a faint smile on her face. Thirteen must really be her favorite hero if her entire costume was inspired by it.

 

“This is kinda my normal style…just made into a costume,” Jirou adds while twirling an ear jack around her finger. “I really like your outfit!” Yaoyorozu compliments and Jirou smiles, something like relief in her eyes. “Thanks.”

 

“What was your inspiration for your costume, kero?” Tsu asks with her eyes on Izuku.

 

“Yeah! You have a ghost face or something on the hood, don’t you?” Uraraka adds with her hands waving around enthusiastically. Izuku pauses, the question has caught him off guard. He thinks back to the origins of Ghost. The desire that roots so deeply inside of him he’s not even really sure whether he’s ever lived without it. “I guess it’s because my codename with the police is Ghost.” When he sees the girls’ confused faces he adds, “Ah, I’m a police consultant in my free time.”

 

Uraraka eyes go wide, “Wow! That’s so cool!” Yaoyorozu also looks impressed. “That’s an admirable occupation.” she says. 

 

“Why did you choose that name?” Hitoshi asks. The four girls briefly look at him before nodding in agreement and expectantly turning their attention back on Izuku. Izuku sends Hitoshi an accusing look but his friend just stares back at him with all the innocence he can muster. Sighing, Izuku answers, “I’ve always wanted to be free. To be able to live my life and go unnoticed.” Despite the fact that He hasn’t found him in three years, the worry that the worst might happen never goes away. With everything he does, Izuku knows there might be eyes watching him. On his worst days he still feels those invisible shackles around his wrist, reminding him that the threat is still out there. Izuku wonders whether he will ever be really free while that Monster is out there. “Ghosts they…can go anywhere they want, do anything they want. They can be free.” 

 

He doesn’t mention the fact that it’s a play on his actual existence. The Izuku he was all those years ago is gone, killed inside that concrete room somewhere deep deep underground. Now he’s merely a ghost of what he once was, trying desperately to fit into the world of the living. 

 

---

 

The USJ is massive. Izuku almost can’t believe that this entire building has been built just for rescue exercises. With their entire class they’re standing just behind the entrance on a platform that looks out over the entire facility. The enormous glass dome stretches above their heads and lets sunlight fall through it, making any lights almost unnecessary. A few meters in front of them there are stairs leading to the plaza with a fountain in the middle. Then there are the zones, so far Izuk can see there are at least a water zone, a fire zone, an ice zone, a mountain zone. He’s sure there are more but even those four give plenty of variation in rescue practice. 

 

“Hello everyone, welcome to the unforeseen simulation joint, or the USJ! I’m Thirteen, I specialize in rescue missions and I’ll be your instructor for the day!” Thirteen, in their respective space suit, greets the class as the group of students halts in front of the hero on the platform overlooking the huge facility. Uraraka turns to Izuku and Hitoshi with sparkling eyes, “Oh my god, oh my god! It’s Thirteen !” she squeals, jumping up and down. The two boys look at her with amusement in their eyes.

 

Meanwhile Aizawa makes his way to Thirteen’s side and asks them something. The rescue hero holds up three fingers and quietly mumbles something back. Izuku tries to stretch his hearing quirk to hear what they’re saying but there’s too much noise around him to be able to filter out what exactly they’re talking about, barring a few stray words.

 

“Alright everyone, before starting I would like to tell you all a few things.” 

 

The class quiets down and turns their attention to Thirteen. “As you all know my quirk is called black hole, it can suck in and tear anything apart.”

 

“You used it to save a lot of people!” Uraraka adds, nearly vibrating in her place. The hero nods and Izuku’s sure they would have smiled without the mask on. They continue, “But it can also kill…–”

 

The mood becomes more solemn hearing those words but Izuku tunes out what comes after that. He knows how dangerous his quirk can be, how dangerous any quirk can be when utilized in a certain way. Instead he turns his attention to observing his surroundings. There’s one exit as far as he can see –the door through which they came. Multiple pathways lead to the different disaster zones but in the end they all end together back at the main square. Izuku’s eyes have just landed on the fountain when he feels a sharp tug in his gut. He forces his breathing to stay calm as he furiously scans his surroundings, his instinct is going haywire. It’s telling him to watch out , to fight . His eyes meet Aizawa’s, who must have noticed that Izuku wasn’t paying attention because he’s already watching Izuku with a raised eyebrow, and Izuku tries to communicate his feelings to the hero. The man’s expression almost doesn’t change but Izuku can see how he starts observing the environment with a careful look in his eyes. 

 

Something is wrong.

 

Hitoshi also notices Izuku’s distress because he nudges his shoulder, “You okay?” he murmurs. Taking a deep breath, Izuku nods. He can’t find anything awry. Maybe he’s just stressed and is seeing ghosts. “Yeah, it’s nothing–”

 

He can’t finish his sentence because the next second his head explodes in the most overwhelming pain possible. He almost can’t comprehend what his quirk is telling him, there are quirks everywhere . The world narrows down until only the uncountable amount of quirks remain in his head, a chaos of color and intent, and the piercing pain that overrides everything . It’s impossible to tell what’s up and what’s down, to remember where he is, who he is. 

 

No

 

Gritting his teeth, Izuku pushes the pain to the background. He suppresses it until it’s not all-consuming anymore. “--zuku?” Someone’s talking to him but his vision is too watery to make anything out besides some vague blobs. Besides, Izuku has to get to Aizawa. He has to warn him. With tears in his eyes Izuku pushes his way past multiple bodies, some call out to him in confusion. He forces his legs to carry him all the way to the front, as fast as possible. 

 

Before he reaches his destination, Aizawa has already noticed something’s off. His gaze travels down to the fountain before quickly looking back at his class. “Everyone stand back!” He barks with more authority than he’s ever shown before. Izuku furiously blinks away the last tears in his eyes and clenches his fists. The pain in his head is almost unbearable. “Thirteen protect the students!” The man shoves his goggles over his eyes in preparation for what’s to come.

 

“What’s going on?” Kaminari stammers, his voice an octave higher than usual.

 

Izuku finally reaches Aizawa, one glance down tells him that there’s a horde of people down there. His vision won’t sharpen, won’t show him the details but he doesn’t need that to know what’s waiting on them downstairs. “Villains,” Izuku says. Even to his own ears his voice sounds calm. Too calm. He feels his body preparing itself for battle, the adrenaline rushing through his veins and his heartbeat thundering in his chest. His body forces his quirk back into control, it dulls the pain in his head and sharpens his vision again until Izuku can see Aizawa’s sharp gaze on him. “Midoriya, stand back!” The hero orders, his body’s already half turning back to the stairs. 

 

He’s going down to fight .

 

The thought sends a wave of panic crashing through Izuku’s veins. “Sensei, your fighting style isn’t fit for fighting a mob of villains!” Let me help . Aizawa sends him a grim grin, “No hero is a one trick pony. Keep yourself and your classmates safe Midoriya.” 

His dad pushes him and his mom behind him and turns around to face something coming from the hallway.

 

The hallway engulfed in flames as his father’s broad frame tenses.

 

A sacrifice.

“Please come back.” Don’t be another sacrifice. Don’t leave me alone . Aizawa pauses and carefully looks at Izuku’s face. He must hear the worry in Izuku’s voice, see the desperate plea and the hurt in his eyes. The man’s face softens for just a second. “I will.” Then he launches himself down the stairs.

 

Izuku isn’t given the chance to see the hero land the first blow, to have a look at what awaits him down at the plaza, because a hand grabs him by the elbow and someone starts dragging him away from the stairs. “Come on! We have to evacuate!” It’s Hitoshi. His friend tries dragging him away with all his might, Izuku sees the panic on his face, the urgency and stress in his movements. He stops digging his heels in the sand and runs together with his friend to catch up to the rest of the class. 

 

They don’t come very far. The entire class abruptly comes to a halt when a purple mist blocks them the way. “Unfortunately I can’t let you pass beyond this point.”

 

Izuku freezes in his tracks. Nausea wells up inside of him and he can feel his hands start to shake against his own will. He knows this voice. How hasn’t he noticed this quirk earlier on? Maybe because his quirk was going haywire. Glowing yellow eyes rave over the class in mere seconds. They linger a bit longer when they meet green eyes. A spark of recognition lights in them before it’s quickly masked.

 

Kurogiri

 

The puppet of Him , His biggest and most trusted follower. “Greetings heroes, we are the League of Villains. Forgive us for the interruption but we’ve come here today to end the life of All Might, the symbol of peace . ”    

 

No matter how much he tries, Izuku can’t seem to be able to move his legs. Or say a word for that matter. It’s as if his entire body has frozen. Kurogiri looms over him with his purple mist and suddenly the man seems impossibly big. His breathing sounds loud in his ears and Izuku’s brain still works well enough to realize that a panic attack is coming if he doesn’t calm down real fast. He can’t concentrate on slowing his breathing though, because Kurogiri is here and all those unspeakable things that happened in that concrete room while the mist villain was there threaten to resurface and drown Izuku. 

 

“You’re full of bullshit, mist fucker!” Bakugo screams at the man with bared teeth and he launches himself at the villain. 

 

Kurogiri’s eyes widen in surprise, and he narrowly evades the boy’s attack. “That was close.” the man muses.

 

“Boy, get back!” Thirteen shouts. Izuku can’t do anything but watch in growing horror. He sees Bakugo’s quirk flare up again and he knows that the teen is preparing to attack again.

 

No…

 

Izuku’s seen what Kurogiri is capable of. As talented as Bakugo is, he’s no match for the villain with years of experience and a quirk so powerful he can work for the boogeyman of the underworld. Those gates aren't just used for teleporting people or things around. Bakugo’s muscles tense as if in slow motion and Izuku knows he needs to move . If he doesn’t do anything the teen might end up hurt, or worse. 

 

At the same time that Bakugo rushes forward again, Izuku forces his legs to move, to hurry after the blonde. Kurogiri’s quirk flares up, and with it the mist around him. “Now, be gone!”

 

A portal opens up beneath Bakugo’s feet but the boy notices too late. As the teen falls through the swirling black mist with his eyes widened in surprise and panic, Izuku jumps after him using a burst of a strength enhancing quirk.

 

“BAKUGO!”

 

With a stretched out hand Izuku dives after the teen. The last thing he hears is, “Now as for the rest of you–,” before a swirling darkness takes hold of him.

 

---

 

The mob of villains seems endless. Nonetheless Shouta takes care of them by twisting and turning with his capture weapon, by hitting and kicking and by flashing his quirk whenever he can. He doesn’t give his mind time to wander, to think about what is happening with his students. Did Thirteen manage to keep the students safe? Is Midoriya following his orders after that little moment where he’d shown just a little bit of what’s underneath that mask of his? Those thoughts are pointless right now, especially because they won’t matter if Shouta doesn’t end this fight quickly. 

 

For a second he glances at the man with the pale blue hair and the creepy hand outfit who’s just standing around, not doing anything. The leader. Shouta’s sure of it. He ducks underneath a swing of one the man’s minions and swipes the attacker’s feet underneath him. At the same time his capture weapon snakes around the man’s waist and pulls him in close where Shouta’s elbow is waiting for him, knocking him unconscious with a hit to the head. The minions on their own are not a problem, no it’s the fact that they’re with so many.

 

With his eyes already burning, Shouta focuses his gaze on the next victim. With their quirk not working they’re easily incapacitated and Shouta takes the blissful second after that where no one charges at him to blink with his eyes and give them some rest. Not a second later he’s back to hitting people unconscious again and using his quirk whenever possible. He ignores the fact that his eyes start burning a little earlier each time and that his reaction time is going down with every passing minute. He’s almost reached his end goal: The leader.

 

There’s no way Shouta will be able to take out every single villain over here and the leader. So, his hopes are on taking down the leader and hoping that that will cause enough chaos to get all his students to safety or for backup to arrive. With one single maneuver of his capture weapon he lets two villains crash into each other. That does the trick and it clears a path to the leader, who also realizes this and gives Shouta a crazed grin. 

 

Without wasting a moment Shouta rushes forward with his capture weapon ready and his eyes red blazing. The villains also charges at him, his hands stretched out in front of him. They meet mere seconds later. Shouta’s capture weapon stretches out to the leader and curls around his waist, the man grabs the material with one hand but whatever he’d intended to doesn’t work because of his canceled quirk.   

 

“Twenty seconds.”

 

Whatever the villain is muttering, Shouta doesn’t pay it any mind. He ducks underneath a swing of the man’s hand and elbows him in the stomach. The villain gasps for air and quickly moves away from Shouta. “You know you’re quite cool for a hero, Eraserhead.” The villain muses in between illegible mutterings. Shouta feels his eyes beginning to burn again but ignores the ache, instead he engages again with his capture weapon floating around him.

 

The villain deflects most of his attacks and grins again. It’s a chilling grin where the insanity seeps through. “You went into this fight even when you knew there’s no way of winning.” Shouta ignores the words, ignores how there’s a truth to them. There’s no point in spending any of his breath on the meaningless words of a villain. He grits his teeth and throws his capture weapon out again. This time it snakes around the man’s arm and hand and Shouta pulls the material of his weapon tight, making that arm useless. His eyes are really starting to burn now and Shouta knows that he has to hurry with his next move. 

 

So he does. The leader grunts when the attack connects and Shouta takes that time to move away from the fight again, to create some distance. Only his capture weapon won’t come with him. When his eyes find the place where it’s stuck he sees the villain gripping the material with his hand, his arm still wrapped tightly in the weapon. The man sends Shouta a gleeful grin as if he also knows what’s coming. Shouta tries to hold off the inevitable. He tries to grab his knife and cut off that part of his capture weapon in time. Only his eyes don’t obey him.

 

Shouta blinks.

 

In the following moment a lot happens. Suddenly the villain has broken free with one touch of his hand and half of Shouta’s capture weapon has disappeared into dust. Then the man is rushing forward, faster than he’s done before, with an outstretched hand. Shouta zeroes in on the hand and he realizes one thing: He can’t be touched by that hand. Just before the villain is within touching range Shouta turns away in the hope of avoiding that deadly touch. He’s not fast enough though and the next second he feels a searing pain in his right elbow. One glance tells him that his elbow is falling apart into dust.

 

Shouta wrenches his ellbow free from the deadly touch, even if sets his entire arm on fire with excruciating pain, and moves away from the villain as fast as he can. Disintegration . That’s what the leader’s quirk is. Weirdly enough the villain also steps away and his greasy blue hair encases his head as he says, “As fun as this fight was, it’s not the mission.” He sends Shouta another spine-chilling grin and at that moment Shouta realizes that something is about to go horribly wrong. “By the way, I’m not the boss.”

 

Shouta doesn’t even have time to react before the villain commands, “Nomu, get Eraserhead.”

 

A hulking black figure comes into Shouta’s vision for just a second.

 

Then the world explodes into nothing but all-consuming pain.

 

---

 

The world tumbles around and around in a mix of black and purple mist before it shifts and Izuku’s greeted by a hard concrete ground. The shock reverberates through his entire body and tiny bits of gravel pierce his skin. Because of the adrenaline coursing through his body he only feels a slight sting, no the nauseous feeling that one is always left with after traveling through Kurogiri’s portals is far more present. Both of those feelings are irrelevant though in the wake of the latest events. Izuku scrambles to get on his knees and looks around in panic. Where is he? His eyes find Bakugo staring back at him with wide eyes, scratches decorate his body in some places, the only sign of his crash on the concrete ground. Seeing the teen relatively unharmed does nothing to lessen the panic in Izuku’s chest. 

 

“What the–” Bakugo croaks. Izuku ignores him and scans his surroundings. Cracked walls, broken windows through which he can see more buildings about to collapse. Kurogiri probably teleported them to the collapse zone. The realization dawns on Izuku. Kurogiri is here . And he probably knows that Izuku is here . That means it won’t be long until He finds out that Izuku is going to UA and then it will be easy to figure out where he and his mom live. A wave of panic and fear threaten to drown Izuku. He grits his teeth and feels tears stinging in his eyes when he yells, “Fuck!”

 

Should he have reported his suspicions to the school back when the first break-in happened? Maybe then they could have avoided this disaster, even if it had meant that they would have probably arrested Izuku for his deeds in the past. If Kurogiri is here does that mean Tenko is here as well? Izuku’s not sure, he’s trying to limit his quirk as much as possible in order to avoid getting overwhelmed again. He can’t just scan the entire facility because that’s sure to get him overwhelmed. 

 

“ FUCK!”  

 

Izuku screams again, the word scratches his throat. “Hey,” Bakugo has gotten up and is now approaching Izuku, his usual air of anger missing, “as nice as it is to hear you curse, we really need to–”

 

“Shut up,” Izuku cuts Bakugo off, he gets up and hisses, “why the fuck did you think it was a good idea to charge at Kurogiri?!”

 

Bakugo’s face also morphs into anger and he scoffs, “Who? The mist fucker?!” 

 

“Yes! You–...you don’t know what he’s capable of!”

 

Multiple emotions flash across Bakugo’s face before he opens his mouth to respond. He never gets the chance though, because at that moment a villain tries to attack Izuku from behind. The woman doesn’t even get to use her quirk before she’s already down with a quick and hard strike to the head. Great, more villains. The sense of battle envelops Izuku again and it seems the same goes for Bakugo.

 

More villains come running into the room and Bakugo grins next to Izuku. “Guess we first have to clean up this mess, huh?” Then a man with a hammerhead charges at them and they get pulled into the wave of battle. It’s as if they’ve always fought together and they move into a steady rhythm, one covering the other’s blindspots. Bakugo blows his way through villain after villain and Izuku gets the job done with brutally well placed kicks and hits.

 

It feels freeing in a sense, to not have anyone watching him. For the first time in ages Izuku feels like he can go all out, like he doesn’t have to hide his abilities. “Why the fuck aren’t you using your quirk?!” Bakugo shouts as he blows another explosion in a woman’s face. 

 

Well, even if Izuku’s going all out that doesn’t mean he uses his quirk. It just feels wrong and, “I can handle myself just fine this way!” Izuku answers as he kicks a villain with neon yellow hair in a wall. Even if they’re villains, they don’t deserve to get their quirks stolen against their will. 

 

“How do you know mist fucker’s name?” Bakugo asks when the two of them briefly cross paths a minute later. Izuku trips up a man and then elbows him before he answers, “I just saw his name on a…police file once.” The other teen scoffs while letting off another set of explosions, “Yeah of course, and that’s where you found Tenko’s name as well.”

 

Annoyance starts to boil up inside of Izuku and he lets it fuel his movements when he whirls around a quirked attack and kicks the villain responsible for it unconscious. “Can you just leave the questions until after we’ve finished this fight for our lives?!”

 

Bakugo briefly stops fighting and sends Izuku a grin. “As if you couldn’t handle this canonfodder on your own while blindfolded.” Then he dives back into the fight with a murderous expression and twice as much vigor. “Who takes down the most of these extras wins!”

 

Izuku sighs, as if Bakugo ever has a chance of winning. Then he lets loose all breaks and becomes one with the battle.

 

---

 

A while later the two of them are standing in the room surrounded by the unconscious bodies of all the villains with heaving breaths. Izuku sends Bakugo a satisfied smile as he rubs his hands together to get rid of all the dirt. “Twentyfour to eighteen, guess I win.” Bakugo just gives him an annoyed look. 

 

The sense of victory doesn’t last for long when Izuku thinks of what awaits them outside this zone. He makes his way to one of the window’s that looks out over the rest of the collapsed zone and stares in the direction where the plaza is supposed to be. “We should hurry and help out Aizawa.”

 

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Bakugo says and little explosion’s crackle in his palms to strengthen his words. Just to check their immediate surroundings Izuku lets the reach of his quirk stretch a little further. The multiple lights that pop up in his head tell him enough. “We should be careful as we sneak out. There are still some villains hanging around, hoping to ambush us.”

 

Without waiting much longer they start to make their way to the exit of the collapse zone. Izuku leads them around potential ambushes and points out any potential weak point in the structure of the buildings. Bakugo makes quick work of anyone who does cross their path. They don’t get the chance to talk much –because making a noise could alarm anyone in their near vicinity– and Izuku’s secretly grateful for that. He’s not sure whether he really has the patience to deal with the other teen’s questions right now.

 

They reach the exit with relatively little issues and after that it’s only a short distance until the main plaza. Izuku keeps a tight grip on his quirk even if his instincts scream at him to keep scanning around the area, he doesn’t want to get overwhelmed again. Bakugo is quiet beside him and Izuku notices the tense set of his shoulders. 

 

The sounds of battle reaches them before the plaza is even in sight. Izuku takes a deep breath to calm his beating heart. Then they’re greeted by piles of unconscious villains. They form a path and Izuku’s eyes travel down the path until they’re met by something big and dark. A numbness spreads through Izuku’s body and he stays rooted to the ground. His mouth has gone dry and his gaze can only see that hulking thing . 

 

Nomu

 

Black skin with bulging muscles. A beak and an exposed brain. The dead look in its eyes. Izuku’s not sure how often he’s fought against those things, back in that concrete training room. Enough times to never forget the piercing sound of their screeching, enough times to always be greeted by the image of them in his nightmares. Enough times to never forget the pain of his broken body each time he failed to defeat them. 

 

“Nomu, get Eraserhead.”

 

The voice cuts across the plaza and in a flash the monster isn’t in its place anymore. No, it’s standing a few meters further, holding no one other than Aizawa in a death grip. Then with super speed it crashes the hero’s head into the concrete. A crack sounds and blood splatters on the concrete floor. The hero screams . It’s an agonizing scream. 

 

Next to him, Bakugo hisses. A laugh echoes across the plaza and Izuku’s brain short circuits. He knows that laugh, has heard it in person. When Izuku manages to drag his eyes away from Aizawa’s broken body, away from the Nomu, he’s met with greasy blue hair and crazed red eyes. 

 

It’s merely a whisper but Izuku forces out one word.

 

“Tenko.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: Somewhere next week :)

Chapter 12: Darkside

Notes:

Hi! Part two of the USJ spectacle. This chapter's title name was inspired by the song "Darkside" by grandson. I feel like the song fits Izuku in this chapter.

FYI: The first few sentences of this chapter contain spelling mistakes. This is done on purpose as Izuku's still a little kid in them.

CW: Gaslighting, toxic relationship from the POV of victim, violence that might exceed canon, death, shock. Remember that the behavior of certain characters in this chapter is NOT right, no matter what Izuku tries to convince you of. (I’m talking about you Tenko)

“One of the fastest heros around is the hero O’Clock. Some poeple think he has a speed quirk. But in my opinion the hero’s quirk gives him a faster observation abillity. So time passes slower for him. That is how O’Clock can move so fast.” 

 

Izuku pauses his writing and reads over the sentences again. He’s writing an analysis on the hero O’Clock after Sensei had asked him to do so. Izuku had of course enthusiastically started, analyzing quirks is always so much fun! It’s much more fun than having to train with Sensei, though Izuku would never say that outloud. Training is still fun! Sensei has said that it will make him a hero and that it makes Sensei happy if Izuku does what Sensei asks. Of course Izuku doesn’t want to disappoint Sensei, so he always does his best with the training, even if it hurts or if he secretly doesn’t want to do something. 

 

Izuku’s just about to put his pen on paper again when he notices the appearance of two quirks in the neighboring room. A burst of excitement spikes through him when he realizes whose quirk is among the two. Tenko’s! He’s back! Izuku jumps up from his chair in seconds and dashes out the door of his room. 

 

Without knocking he barrels through the door of Tenko’s room and skids to a stop, just in time to not hit the bed. “You’re back!” Izuku exclaims with a big smile. He doesn’t see Tenko all that much, he’s often with Sensei or he stays somewhere else. Luckily Sensei has allowed Tenko to visit again.

 

His smile slowly falls from his face when he notices his brother’s hunched body. Tenko doesn’t answer, he only keeps staring at his hands with an expression Izuku doesn’t understand. “Tenko?” Izuku asks carefully as he approaches his brother. Why isn’t he answering? Isn’t he happy to see Izuku? He reaches out a hand to put on Tenko’s shoulder when all of the sudden his brother lashes out. “Don’t touch me!”

 

A hand roughly pushes Izuku away and he’s too slow to avoid the contact. A quirk eats through the fabric of Izuku’s red sweater in seconds and it’s only Sensei’s training that makes Izuku react fast enough to jump away before it disintegrates more than just clothes. With wide eyes and a beating heart he looks down at the hand imprint left behind in his sweater. Then his head snaps up to meet Tenko’s furious stare.

 

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” His brother hisses at him and Izuku hunches his shoulders while averting his eyes in guilt. “S- sorry Tenko.”

 

Tenko takes a step forward and Izuku can’t help but flinch. “Are you too dumb to knock?!” Izuku shakes his head with wide eyes, “No! I’m sorry, I was just so happy to see you that I forgot…”

 

For a moment there is only silence, then Tenko’s eyes soften. “I know Zuku. But you should know by now. I’m sorry for lashing out but I wouldn’t have if you had been smarter about this.”

 

Izuku nods feverishly, guilt and shame churn in his gut, “I know, I’m sorry. It’s my fault.” Tenko would never be angry at him otherwise. They’re brothers after all. Izuku just makes a stupid mistake sometimes, Sensei has said so often enough. His brother gives him a content smile when he hears Izuku’s apology, then he turns around and grabs a controller that’s laying at the end of his bed. “Come on, let’s play Mario Kart.”

 

Without hesitating, Izuku rushes to his brother’s side and also grabs a controller. The guilt is already replaced by excitement for the upcoming games. For a while all they do is focus on the game with Tenko sitting on the bed and Izuku propped up against it, the TV screen in front of them projects a blue light on their faces and the familiar Mario Kart tune blasts through the speakers. Izuku’s careful not to win –Tenko doesn’t like that and he might destroy his controller again. He doesn’t want to ruin his brother’s good mood. 

 

After a while Izuku says, “Mom will be happy to see you!” Tenko scoffs as he throws another banana on the track they’re racing on. “No, she isn’t. I’m just an annoying side character in her eyes.”

 

“You’re not! You’re an amazing brother, Tenko!” Instead of answering, his brother asks, “Is Hisashi still on a quest?” Izuku’s happy mood dulls and he fiddles with the controller in his hands while he mumbles, “Dad’s still on a mission.” His dad has been on a mission for weeks. Sensei often sends him away for weeks on end, but this one has taken really long. Izuku misses his dad, his warm hugs and his smokey laugh, even if he never tells anyone.

 

Then there’s a knock on the door and mom enters. Her face stands serious and she’s wringing her hands together nervously. Immediately Izuku feels on edge. Her eyes move from Izuku with his controller in hand to Tenko. For a second surprise and then a frown passes her face, then she smiles. “Hello Tenko.” Maybe she’s just sad that Izuku hadn’t told her Tenko was back? 

 

Next to him his brother’s mood also plummets. “Hi.”

 

There are a few seconds of silence where Izuku’s eyes move from one to the other and back. Then his mom turns her attention to Izuku. There’s this expression on her face –Izuku already knows what she’ll say before the words have come out. He braces himself for her words, even if he still hopes they won’t be true.

 

“Kurogiri is here, Izuku. Your grandfather wants to see you.”

 

Izuku ignores the leaden weight that settles in his stomach. He ignores his mom’s expression, the one where she tries to stay strong for Izuku even if he can see the worry and pain in her eyes. He ignores the fact that Tenko has gone completely still at the mention of Sensei. Instead, he puts up a brave smile and stands up. “See you later Tenko!” He calls before he walks out the room. 

 

If Izuku’s screaming on the inside for someone to help him, to stop him, no one has to know.   

 

---

 

“Tenko.”

 

Izuku stares into those familiar eyes. Tenko stares right back at him, his mouth agape. The world falls into a hush. 

 

“Zuku.”

 

The word comes out in a rasp. Even if his veins are buzzing with anxiety right now, Izuku’s heart jumps up in happiness when he hears the nickname he hasn’t heard in so long. He’s reminded of the long nights spent in Tenko’s room in front of the gaming console, he’s reminded of standing across from each other in that concrete room . A feeling of longing for something that was lost long ago encases him and Izuku realizes that he’s missed having a brother.

 

Multiple emotions flash over Tenko’s face. Surprise, anger, longing. Distantly, Izuku’s aware that Bakugo’s standing next to him, watching the staring contest in confusion and a growing impatience. Tenko has changed. He’s taller –obviously– and sports more muscle, his hair is longer and is more knotted than before. His skin is worse, entire parts of it flaking off, and his voice has changed. It’s deeper, has a scratchy sound to it. 

 

From across the plaza, Tenko’s looking Izuku up and down with wide eyes. 

 

Then the spell is broken by the appearance of Kurogiri. “Shigaraki,” Tenko’s face shuts off and a scowl decorates his face instead of the open confusion. Izuku’s heart drops, he’s seen that expression before, it doesn’t promise much good. “It appears one of the students has escaped. My sincerest apologies.”

 

Tenko begins scratching his neck and Izuku wants to scream at him to stop, that it’ll hurt him. “If you weren’t our get-away I would dust you, Kurogiri.”

 

“It also seems All Might won’t be making an appearance.”

 

Annoyance flits over Tenko’s face before his eyes move from Izuku and Bakugo to Aizawa. A violent grin spreads across his face, something with murderous intent and suddenly it’s not Tenko standing there anymore. No it’s someone, something else. Something filled with anger and hurt and pain. “I wonder if he’ll come when we kill some NPC’s.”

 

Next to him Bakugo’s patience snaps and explosions crackle in his hands. “Hah?! You try Handjob! I’ll blow your head off!” Stilling as a statue, Tenko turns his attention to the blonde. He doesn’t say a word, merely examines the teen. Then his gaze moves to Izuku with a cruel challenge in those red eyes. “Nomu, kill the blond brat.” 

 

Izuku’s stomach drops. No … not again. Time seems to move slower as the Nomu loosens his grip on Aizawa, letting the man fall in a bloody mess on the ground, and starts charging at Bakugo and Izuku with those soulless eyes. The hulking figure is coming at him impossibly fast. In front of him the plaza narrows down until Izuku finds himself encased by concrete walls and all that remains is the Nomu coming closer with every millisecond. In his head sounds a mantra of not again not again not again. He will not let anyone else be hurt by these monsters, he promised himself. On instinct he pulls the standard quirks to the front, the quirks needed to defeat a Nomu. His body sends another wave of adrenaline coursing through his veins, it remembers the pain of fighting a Nomu. 

 

Then Izuku charges forward at the Nomu with tension in his muscles and multiple strength enhancing and speed quirks to assist him with his race against time. Anger is pumping in his veins, it fuels his strength and washes any thought away other than how dare they . It erases any logical thought.

 

Halfway down the plaza monster and student meet. Only a second has passed by then. 

 

The Nomu is impossibly big compared to Izuku. It doesn’t bother him. The thing doesn’t slow down when it meets Izuku, in its opinion Izuku is only an obstacle that stands in the way between it and its target. That also gives Izuku the opportunity to do whatever he wants. 

 

With one hand he grabs hold of one of its arms and in one smooth motion he swings himself on top of the thing, pushing himself off the ground with both feet. He locks his feet in a death grip around the thing’s neck and at the same time takes one of his knives in a hand. Then he stabs .

 

Its brain makes a squelching sound when metal tears through brain tissue. Abruptly the Nomu comes to a stop and Izuku has to grab the knife tightly with both hands –it’s still stuck inside the brain– in order not to fall off. At the same time he makes eye contact with Bakugo, who’s only a meter away and staring at him with wide eyes. To him all of this probably happened in a flash. “Take Aizawa sensei and go!” Izuku commands. He doesn’t have time to see if Bakugo complies because then he’s distracted by the brain. The tissue begins knitting itself together around the knife that’s still sticking into the flesh. What the–

 

The next thing he knows, he’s grabbed by the leg with a crushing hold and thrown off the Nomu with a deadly speed, right at the fountain. Even if Izuku folds up his body into a ball so as to soften the blow, he still feels his ribs creak and a sharp pain blooms in the back of his head when he hits the edge of the fountain. A gasp escapes him and stars fill his vision. To his right a voice sounds, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Nomu has regeneration.” Tenko sounds so proud saying those words. As if it’s an amazing thing that your personal monster is almost unkillable.

 

Then Tenko adds with a mocking tone, “Though I’m disappointed that you hadn’t already figured that out, Izuku.”

 

Hearing those words make Izuku’s blood curl, because the one saying those words in his head is Him . Nausea threatens to overwhelm him. It’s the final straw for Izuku to snap . Gritting his teeth, he pushes himself to his feet. The world spins and he almost loses his balance but he stands. If it wasn’t for the one weak healing quirk he has he would probably have been knocked out by that one throw. He spits the blood in his mouth from a split lip on the ground and says with a deadly calm, “You forget I’ve been training for these past three years.”

 

He doesn’t wait for Tenko’s reaction, doesn’t even spare a glance at him, and instead charges at the Nomu again. The thing has moved its attention away from Bakugo and it’s ready for Izuku. With one ruthless motion it swats its arm at him but Izuku evades it. It’s like a deadly dance where, if Izuku’s too slow even once, he’ll lose the game by paying with his life. Time and time again he moves around the Nomu’s moves by rolling or twisting away. Probably the only reason he even manages to evade its attacks is on pure instinct. His body remembers fighting these monsters before and knows what kind of moves to expect, even if they’re faster than they’ve ever been. Izuku’s always been good at adapting quickly in a fight, at gathering enough information to gain the upper hand. Besides, he has been training for these past few years as well as gained a few new quirks. 

 

With one quirk he manages to trip the Nomu up a few times by making tiny obstacles on the ground with his breath. When he breathes out he sends a wall of air right in that direction, so by breathing right at the ground he sends those walls towards the ground where they’ll function as trip wires. It doesn’t do much though and Izuku quickly stops his attempts with that quirk lest his trips over one of his own traps. The quirk that shocks someone by shooting out fluids that hold a certain voltage also doesn’t do much. Neither do the knives he attacks the monster with do anything.

 

Slowly, Izuku realizes that there might be only one option left. Even if he hates it. His hand goes to one of the pouches on his belt while evading yet another of the Nomu’s attacks. While he’s still rolling away from that he throws three of the gas balls on the ground. The next second the air is filled with thick gas, obscuring anything from view. Izuku knows where the Nomu is though, and in one swift motion he finds himself on top of the monster again. The Nomu itself doesn’t expect it and starts thrashing around violently. If he isn’t quick the thing will throw him off again so, without hesitation, Izuku puts his hand against the side of the thing’s head. Then he pulls .

 

It feels horrible. The quirks the monster holds are gnarled together in the most violent of ways. They don’t fit together neatly next to each other, nor do they mix together nicely. Izuku feels sick to the stomach thinking about how these quirks were forced together. This used to be a person. These quirks used to belong to people. He doesn’t have a choice though so he keeps on pulling. 

 

In the background he faintly registers the Nomu screeching and his own throat also feels raw. Is he screaming? Second by second the quirks get pulled away and a slick and sticky feeling spreads all the way from Izuku’s hands that are touching the monster to the deepest of his core. It feels so wrong . The Nomu is still thrashing around but he firmly keeps his grip. He can almost feel the pain that it went through, that it’s still going through. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry .

 

Then the quirks snap loose and drift into Izuku all the way down to the core of his quirk where all of them snugly fit into their own vault. With a gasp Izuku gets brought back from the darkness of his quirk to the world of the living. The only quirk that he hadn’t allowed to find a vault yet is the super regeneration quirk. It’s already doing its work and Izuku feels the pain in his head fade away, along with the bruises on his ribs and his split lip. 

 

That does nothing to stop the shaking of his body. He lets out a shuddering breath before taking another knife and stabbing it into the Nomu’s brain, next to his other knife. He doesn’t let go of the knife, instead he takes it out and stabs again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

 

Body fluids and blood splatter on his face, his hands become slippery with blood and his clothes slowly stain red. Izuku joins the Nomu’s screeching with his own screaming. Anger consumes him along with panic and hurt. Why does he have to fight one of these things again? Hadn’t he left all of that behind? Hadn’t he moved on from all these feelings that threaten to overwhelm him?

 

It’s not fair.

 

Then the screeching comes to a halt and the Nomu falls to the ground with a thud. Izuku lets himself fall along with the thing and rolls away right as he hits the ground.

 

“You– you killed the boss!”

 

Indeed, the Nomu doesn’t get up anymore. It stays on the ground, its brain a mangled mess of flesh and blood. With a heaving chest Izuku turns to Tenko, who’s staring at him with wide furious eyes. Some small part inside Izuku cowers at that look because it means pain . But the bigger part of him feels anger pointed at the man. This isn’t Tenko. No, this is someone who lets loose a Nomu on Izuku’s teacher and on his classmate. This is just one of His puppets. His brother would never have done this.

 

“I’ll kill you for that!” Tenko screeches and then he charges at Izuku. Covered in blood from head to toe, Izuku doesn’t hesitate and does the same. Once they’re in striking distance from each other, Tenko is the first to make a move with a quick swipe of his arm. Izuku evades the deadly touch by turning to the side and he throws out a knife with one hand in the same move. The blade nicks the man’s cheek and a hiss escapes Tenko’s mouth. 

 

The battle evolves into a fast paced and deadly fight where every move counts. Even though they haven’t fought each other in quite some years, they each know the other’s fight style. Tenko is all about brutal moves that are intended to end the fight in one go. Izuku moves around most of his hits in a whirlwind of motion and quirks. Each time the disintegration does hit his skin, the regeneration quirk is already on top of it, healing the tissue back in mere seconds. Tenko has also taken quite some hits, though none of them with crippling damage. Still, superficial cuts are scattered across his body just as a few tracks that various quirks left on him.

 

As the fight drags on, Tenko seems to grow more impatient. He’s not used to an opponent holding out this long against his quirk. Unfortunately, Izuku also feels exhaustion creep up on him past the haze of battle. Using this many quirks after such a long time is tiring him more out than thought. In the corner of his eyes he sees Bakugo tackle Kurogiri to the ground. Hopefully Aizawa has been brought to safety. 

 

Somewhere in the next few seconds things go south.

 

“I had never expected you of all people inside this den of heroes.” Tenko spits as he ducks underneath one of Izuku’s strength enhanced swings. The man probably only means the words as a way of distracting Izuku now that his quirk doesn’t seem to have lasting effect. Unfortunately it does exactly that. An unwanted wave of guilt and shame wash over Izuku and it trips him up long enough for Tenko to take his chance and tackle him to the ground. The fall knocks the breath out of him while he struggles with the internal battle against his emotions. Tenko’s right I should be ashamed. What was I thinking, attempting to be a hero? No, no, no he’s wrong. It’s my dream, he has no say over that!  

 

Izuku tries to push the man off but his attempts are futile. Tears well up in his eyes while Tenko’s livid face hovers over him. He’s stuck again and he can’t get out, out, out, OUT . “Let me GO!” he cries through gritted teeth. Tenko grabs his wrists with both hands to stop his struggling and all Izuku can do is watch in growing horror as skin and muscle begin to disintegrate. The quirk doesn’t get very far thanks to his regeneration quirk that keeps growing back new skin and muscle, but god it hurts . Izuku screams in pain, he can’t help himself. He can’t even use his quirk, because his hands are locked in that horrible grip and it withholds him from touching any skin with five fingers.

 

Tenko shakes his head in disappointment and growls, “Oh, you should know better than to lash out at your brother like that.” Then a cruel smile slowly spreads across his face, “I’m sure Sensei will fix you once I bring you back.”

 

No, no, no, NO

 

The thought of being brought back to Him sends such a wave of terror through Izuku that an extra dose of adrenaline hits his veins. All the pain is pushed to the background and the only thought that remains in his head is that he has to get free . He’s not sure what happens next but it could be compared to those mothers who suddenly gain super strength when protecting their babies. His mind purely follows his primal instinct and Izuku pushes against Tenko’s grip.

 

More skin tissue and muscles turn to dust while Izuku lifts his back off the ground with a scream. A quirk is pulled to the front. The one he’s most familiar with, the one that’s sure to break him free. The grip around his arms is loosened and Izuku pushes further until his right hand touches Tenko’s chest. 

 

Steam rises up from behind his hand and the feeling of melting skin comes with it. An ear splitting scream echoes across the plaza and then Tenko is scrambling backwards with a tormented expression. His eyes are glued to his chest where a steaming hole the size of Izuku’s hand is imprinted on his skin. For a moment there’s only silence as Izuku realizes what he’s done. The man opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by a crash near the entrance.

 

“FEAR NOT, FOR I AM HERE!”

 

All Might, for once without a smile on his face, is standing on top of the stairs. A small spark of relief ignites inside Izuku’s chest. All Might is here . He takes the time that Tenko is distracted by the hero to get up and scramble back with unsteady steps. The regeneration quirk is already knitting his skin back together but the phantom pain remains. Then Kurogiri appears at Tenko’s side –the man must have broken free from Bakugo’s grip– and he says, “I think it would be best for us to take our leave now, Shigaraki.”

 

Those words draw Tenko’s attention and the man seems to become aware again of the hole in his chest. He hisses in pain and trembling hands go up to his neck where they begin scratching at the raw skin. “Yes…it seems this level was too much for our party.” Eyes filled with pain and rage find Izuku. “Next time we will complete all our objectives, little brother.” Before Izuku can react or try to stop them, a purple portal consumes them, leaving a heavy silence behind.

 

---

 

For a few seconds Izuku just breathes. Then a distant voice cuts through the silence in his head. “Hey nerd, are you okay?” No, I’m not . His eyes find Bakugo’s concerned face, it’s covered in grime and ash. “I…” His brain refuses to form any words. Shock . He realizes that he might be in shock. A numbness has spread across his entire body and he feels lightheaded.

 

“Shit, hey!” the other teen snaps his fingers in front of Izuku’s eyes, “stay with me! What the fuck happened back there?” Izuku shakes his head, unable to process the past events. Bakugo nods his head and swallows, “Okay, okay, All Might is here, the other heroes will be here soon. Just hang on.” 

 

Fuck . All Might, other heroes. They can’t see me like this . He drags all his activated quirks back in their saves, and finally looks Bakugo in the eyes. “P-punch me.”

 

Bakugo’s eyebrows rise, “What?!” All Might is already coming down the stairs, he must have checked up on the few students and Thirteen up there first. “No one can see me like this! I’m uninjured!” Realization dawns on the other teen’s face. “You’re fucking crazy you know that?”

 

“Just hurry up!” Izuku hisses. 

 

All Might stops halfway down the stairs, where a few students are standing with Aizawa in their arms. 

 

With a sigh Bakugo draws back his arm and then punches him in the face. Stars explode in his vision and something warm starts flowing down his face. A broken nose . Blood drips down on his clothing and the floor. “This good enough for you?!” the blonde hisses back. Before Izuku can think of an answer a bellowing voice interrupts them.

 

“Young Bakugo, Midoriya, are you two alright?”

 

All Might halts in front of them with his trademark smile back in place, his eyes briefly stray to the limp body of the Nomu before snapping back to the two teens. Bakugo scoffs, “Yeah, no thanks to you fucking heroes.” Izuku chooses not to say anything. He’s not sure what would come out his mouth, if anything, when he would try to answer. “I assume the two villains I saw down here have disappeared with that purple mist?”

 

This time they get interrupted by the other heroes who have arrived, Nedzu’s leading the group with a terrifying expression. “Search the entire facility and make sure all our students are brought back here safely.” The group fans out in all directions, leaving only the principal and no one other than Iida at the entrance. The sight of all the heroes reminds Izuku of Aizawa and before All Might or Bakugo can say anything he has pushed past them and starts making his way to the stairs. Please be alright.   

 

Izuku’s not sure how he gets up the stairs. Maybe some voices call out to him, but he’s not sure. The lightheadedness is back again coupled with the numbness, both of them worse this time. It almost takes too much effort to climb the final step up to the platform. His eyes scan his surroundings without seeing much, still they zero in on Aizawa’s body as soon as he lays eyes on them. Paramedics have started arriving coupled with the tell tale sirens of police vehicles approaching. He expertly evades multiple medics as he forces his body to obey him just a little longer. Blood is still flowing from his nose but Izuku doesn’t pay much attention to it, just as he stubbornly ignores his raw and aching arms.

 

Finally he reaches his teacher. Some paramedics surround the man, giving him the necessary first aid. His face is a bloody mess and his right arm is bent in a weird angle. A woman notices him approaching and tries to stop him. She’s saying something but Izuku doesn’t register what exactly and he just pushes his way past her.

 

“-n’t be here–....help…?”

 

Help? No he doesn’t need help. Two hands grab him by his upper arms. “You-...you have to h-help him…” he croaks. “Come on kid, let’s get you checked up.” Izuku fights the grip on him but his muscles won’t comply. “L-let me go!”

 

Luckily he’s let go and Izuku stumbles a step forward. “I-it’s my f-fault!” he cries. The same woman crouches down next to him, “It’s alright kid. You’re safe, your teacher will be alright once we get him to the hospital.”

 

Izuku tries to say something but that’s when his body decides it’s had enough for today. Darkness creeps up on the sides of his vision, the world spins.

 

“--osing consciousness!”

 

Then everything goes to black.

 

---

 

Somewhere in a bar a portal opens up and drops a man with greasy blue hair on a wooden floor. The man lets out a yelp and a string curses escapes his mouth.

 

“Welcome back Tomura, how did it go?”

 

The man sits up with a groan and growls, “Our party got crushed. All Might didn’t even show up. Though I do believe I unlocked a secret character.”

 

“Oh? Do elaborate.”

 

“It’s Zuku. He’s with those filthy heroes, just like you said. He even destroyed our big boss.”

 

“Did he now? That’s interesting…very interesting.”

 

A being, compared to the darkest of nightmares, looks at his protégé through the TV screen. A smile stretches on his face. Soon enough, his student would be with his player two again. Soon enough…

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

Pfew, that was one hell of a ride. Did I struggle writing this chapter? Yes, I did. We’re almost at 50K words which is crazy, I have never written something this long lol. I just wanted to thank all of you who have stuck with me on this ride so far, whether that is by commenting, bookmarking, leaving kudos or simply reading the chapter! You all have no idea how much that motivates me <3

Next chapter might take a while as I’ll be starting school again next week…

Chapter 13: Finally breathing

Notes:

Hi! School has started for me again, it'll probably be the busiest year yet/ever for me. I’m already stressed. If this chapter is a little all over the place that’s why, I apologize in advance.

CW: Scarring, hospitals, mention of trauma

At first there’s only darkness.

 

It’s blissfully calm. There are no worries, no stress. Only the feeling of floating in dark nothingness. 

 

Then the nightmares come. 

 

They’re confusing and disorienting. Izuku’s pretty sure he wakes up a few times, bathing in sweat, but falls back into a deep sleep just as fast. The nightmares don’t leave him alone, they hunt him down time and time again. 

 

After what feels like forever his body finally decides it has had enough rest. That’s when his quirk starts working again, and with it the rest of his senses. 

 

---

 

There’s someone in the room. Izuku knows because his quirk tells him so. He can’t for the life of him remember who it is though and his brain refuses to cooperate, as if someone has cut the strings between him and his memory. The stark smell of antiseptic fills his nose and the beeping of some sort of monitor faintly fills in the background noise. Much more than that Izuku doesn’t perceive with his senses though and that’s not right. Doesn’t he have a hearing quirk that he always keeps running? Why is it back inside its own safe? 

 

Then his brain finally decides to cooperate by throwing a heap of memories at him all at once. 

Writhing pain as his arms slowly reduce to dust.

 

A smoking hole the size of a hand.

 

His teacher’s body, bloodied and broken.

“Hnnggh.” Instead of a shout, that noise comes out of Izuku’s mouth. The rest of his body also doesn’t comply, his eyes open with way too much effort as if they’ve been glued together and his muscles refuse to get him off the bed he’s laying on. 

 

“Izuku?”

 

The panic that had been steadily building up recedes a bit. His eyes finally open and focus. There. She’s sitting on one of those horrible plastic hospital chairs, in one hand a drink in a disposable cup. Her face has an ashen look to it, as if she hasn’t slept in quite some time and her hair is slightly disheveled. “Mom?” It comes out more as a rasp and Izuku realizes how dry his mouth is, like sandpaper. 

 

His mom reaches out and grabs his right hand, with a small and oh so vulnerable smile she says, “You’re awake.” Izuku squeezes their hands in response. Her warm touch calms his heart and mind. “Oh, let me help you up so you can drink something.”

 

Once she’s helped him sit up against a thick layer of pillows and handed him a glass of water Izuku gulps down the liquid in a matter of seconds. It soothes his raw throat and just this little moment with his mother next to him heals him more than any healing quirk ever could. When he hands his mom the glass again to put it on the side table his eyes fall on his bare arms. Whereas before they had been covered in scars of all shapes and sizes, he had still been left with some untouched skin. Now though, his arms are covered in red skin tissue all the way from his wrists to his elbows.

 

His mom sees him looking and softly says, “The doctors say you’re lucky that it’s only the skin that’s been permanently damaged.” Izuku swallows away the lump in his throat. “Oh.”

 

Then his hand is grabbed again by his mom’s warm touch, she begins tracing slow circles on the back while she seems to struggle finding the right words to say. Eventually she decides to settle on, “How-...how are you?”

 

Guilt twists its ugly head in his gut and Izuku averts his eyes. How is he? Normally he would have given her his best smile and assured her he’s fine. He doesn’t want to worry her after all. But he can’t do that right now. He’s just so tired . Tears burn in the corners of his eyes and a single drop finds its way down his cheek in the silence after the question. “I think I fucked up, mom.” Izuku whispers with a breaking voice.

 

“Oh honey…” Tears fill her eyes as well. Then she bends forward and encases Izuku in a warm hug. He sobs quietly in her arms, his tears stain his cheeks and his mom’s shirt. With it some of the stress, fear and anger of the past few days wash away. His mom just rubs circles on his back and tries to soothe him, even if her voice sounds a little tight. She’s trying to stay strong for him. 

 

Once he’s calmed down a bit, he whispers something in her ear. So quietly that not a single listening ear would be able to pick it up. “Tenko was there.” His mom freezes for just a second before she breaks free from his grip to look at him. “What happened?” she asks with a worried expression. Briefly, her eyes roam the room before adding, “You don’t have to tell me everything, that can wait until home. Just…the broad details.” I know someone could be listening in on us.

 

For a bit Izuku doesn’t say anything as he tries to collect his haggard mind. “He showed up together with the mist villain,” Kurogiri , “and–...and the Monster .” A Nomu . “I fought the monster and then,” he swallows the bile that threatens to creep up on him, “I fought him.”

 

His mom’s eyes stray to his arms, understanding dawning in them, before looking up at him with such a fragile expression. She cups his face in her hand when she whispers, “I’m sorry honey.”

 

“No! You have nothing to be sorry about!” Izuku exclaims. She shouldn’t apologize to him, if anything it’s his fault. He should have told UA, or someone, about the break-in at the start of the week. An apology is useless to him. His mom tries to say something but Izuku is faster, “There’s something else.”

 

Izuku can’t help the fear that fills him when he says the next words, “Now, He knows.” It breaks his heart to see his mom pale, to see fear fill her eyes. There’s a silence of half a minute where she processes the news. Then she sighs, with it the fear washes away from her face and a determination replaces it. “Alright.”

 

“W-what should we do? Run away? Change our names again?”

 

“We do nothing.”

 

Do nothing? Izuku doesn’t understand. “What? Nothing? B-but what if–”

 

“Izuku.” His mom grabs his hands again and looks in his eyes. Really looks . “We’re not going to start all over again somewhere else. We’ve got a life here. You go to UA of all places.”

 

“But–”

 

“I will not let your grandfather ruin our lives again,” his mom cuts him off. There’s something of steel in her eyes, Izuku’s seen it a few times before. That night they made their escape and his dad left them. Or when they’d just escaped and they’d been cornered by three men in a dark alley, his mom had stared them down with that same look. None of the men had come out of the alley alive. “I will not let him take away another of your dreams. Izuku, you’re at UA. It’s the safest place you could be at.”

 

Oh, how much Izuku wants to believe his mom’s words. There’s one thing bothering him though. “What about you?” You don’t go to UA . His mom gives him a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry about me, Izuku. I can handle myself.” 

 

Maybe it’s the way she says it. Or the sharpness in her smile. But Izuku chooses to believe . He takes a deep sigh and then nods. “Alright.” 

 

The next thing he knows he’s encased in another hug.

 

---

 

A nurse comes soon after. She checks up on him and tells him about his injuries. Quirk exhaustion which put him to sleep for a good fourteen hours, a broken nose, a twisted ankle and a few bruises. Izuku hadn’t noticed any of them, probably because his veins are filled with a shit ton of anti-pain meds. He doesn’t know how he got the twisted ankle, maybe somewhere during his search for Aizawa. 

 

The nurse asks him about his arms.

 

Izuku tells her he doesn’t remember anymore.

 

She just nods without any reaction and crosses something off on her clipboard. She leaves with the words that they’ll lower the meds once the doctor has approved, something that Izuku can appreciate.

 

After that Izuku manages to convince his mom to go home for a few hours and rest. She’d been up all night, at his side, and must be exhausted. He’ll be here for at least the rest of the day anyway. 

 

Breakfast comes an hour later but he only eats small bites. Maybe it’s the meds, maybe his stomach hasn’t calmed down yet, but the thought of swallowing more food down makes him nauseous. The rest of the time he tries to sleep, or rather rest. Now that he’s awake it’s difficult to fall asleep in a strange environment. With his hearing quirk back on again all the background noise gets heightened. Crying babies, beeping monitors, hospital personnel hurrying to and fro. He’d never turn the quirk off again though, definitely not in an unknown environment. 

 

It must be around 11 am when a different nurse comes walking into his room. “Midoriya Izuku?”

 

“Yes, that’s me.” He answers, curious as to what this nurse might have to say. “There’s a visitor for you.” The man steps to the side to let the person enter. Izuku already knows who it is before Bakugo steps into the room with his hands nonchalantly in his pockets. The nurse leaves again to give them some privacy and then it’s just the two of them.

 

For at least a minute neither of them says anything. Bakugo moves to lean against the wall at the end of his bed with his arms crossed. Izuku notes that he has a bandage on his cheek and a bit of a limp on his left leg, there are bags under his eyes and his hair is even wilder than normal.

 

“You look like shit.”

 

Izuku can’t suppress a snort. “Thanks. I could say the same about you.”

 

His words have Bakugo rolling his eyes before his expression turns more serious. “About what happened–”

 

“I’ll tell you.”

 

Bakugo blinks, probably not expecting Izuku to say that. With a sigh Izuku continues, “You deserve an explanation. I realize that now. Just…not here.” The other teen’s face morphs into a frown. “What? Why the hell not?”

 

“We could have unwanted company and this isn’t exactly the conversation for eavesdropping.” That shuts the blonde up real quickly. Izuku’s not sure why he trusts Bakugo all of the sudden, maybe it’s trauma bonding, maybe just the fact that he hadn’t been arrested yet which means the other teen must not have said a word about Izuku’s sketchy past to any of the authorities. “Why are you even here?” Izuku asks while shifting in his bed.

 

Bakugo frowns and looks away with his arms still crossed in front of him. “Detective Lie Detector is probably coming by later. Thought you should know.”

 

Who…? Right, Tsukauchi. Izuku had forgotten that Bakugo only talks in nicknames. He’d suspected someone of the police force would stop by to take his statement sooner rather than later, the fact that it’s Tsukauchi merely…complicates things. He wonders what his classmates’ statements were like. “At the plaza…did anyone else hear?”

 

“Eyebags and Half ‘n Half heard the last parts, I think.” Okay, he can work with that. Even if it’s not ideal. He doubts whether Hitoshi would have said anything to the detective, Todoroki he isn’t so sure about though. He doesn’t know the teen well enough to be able to predict his actions. “Thanks, though I’m pretty sure Hitoshi would brainwash you if he ever heard you call him that.”

 

Bakugo scoffs, “Who? Eyebags? Like he could ever brainwash me.” Izuku is about to retort that the blonde is probably one of the easiest people to rile up when the same nurse enters the room again. “Midoriya? A detective is here to take your statement.”

 

Izuku’s good mood evaporates in a second. “Alright.” He turns to Bakugo who’s glaring at the man as if he’s the problem. “Thanks for stopping by and stuff.” The other teen grunts and pushes himself off the wall. “Just don’t back out on your promise.”

 

Izuku waves the teen away, “Yeah yeah, I’ll let you know more about that once I’m out of here.”

 

Then Bakugo stalks out of the room, just past the door he halts for a few seconds before stomping away. Izuku finds out why the teen stopped not soon after when detective Tsukauchi walks into the room. He’s wearing a tan overcoat and one of his standard hats, there are some dark bags underneath his eyes and his white shirt is slightly crumpled, as if he’d been up all night. He probably had, knowing the detective.

 

The man takes his hat off and nods once at Izuku. “Good morning, Midoriya.”

 

The last sliver of Izuku’s good mood truly slips away. This was going to be one hell of an interrogation, even if the man technically only came here to take his statement. Sending the detective one of his own cold smiles he says, “Morning Tsukauchi.”

 

---

 

Naomasa has only one more student to interview before he can go home. That’s what he keeps telling himself as he follows the nurse through the hospital halls. Since yesterday afternoon he’s been working non-stop. Between taking statements from all the students and interrogating the apprehended villains it had taken him all night. Luckily most of the students hadn’t been injured, or at least not heavily. Aizawa and Thirteen had both been injured quite heavily just as one single student: Midoriya Izuku. Of course. 

 

Now, Naomasa has known Midoriya for quite some time. He’d met the kid as Ghost about a year and a half ago, the kid had just started solving cases and word about his insane deduction ability was just beginning to spread. Since then Naomasa had worked on numerous cases together with Midoriya, the most recent one being the missing person case surrounding Kokkaku Nori. Though he’s seen Midoriya’s ability to pick apart a case in mere hours often enough, he has no idea how the kid got so good. Naomasa knows about Midoriya’s quirk and it’s not a mental quirk. The missing person case they’re working on right now is probably the first case Ghost hasn’t solved within a week.

 

Regarding the reason behind the difficulty of this case even though it should be a simple missing person case…Well, Naomasa has his theories and he doesn’t like any of them. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there’s always been something off about Midoriya, maybe it’s the look in his eyes or the way his working methods always skirt around the edges of the law, but Naomasa figured out pretty quickly that Midoriya was no average teen. 

 

He hadn’t been surprised when Midoriya wanted to get into UA and after that got in. The kid is smart enough and his heart is that of a hero. Naomasa had seen so when –just after telling Naomasa what his quirk was– Midoriya asked him for permission to help people with uncontrollable quirks by turning off their quirks. To be honest, he also hadn’t been surprised when, after less than a week, the teen had already managed to get into trouble during the USJ attack. It just seemed sort of in character for Midoriya. He had, however, heard some…concerning things about the kid from certain statements. Coupled with the way the Nomu’s body was found…Naomasa isn’t entirely sure what he should think of Midoriya anymore.

 

The nurse halts in front of one of the many doors lining the hallway and enters the room at once. Naomasa waits outside, next to the door, as the man informs Midoriya of his visit. Not much later the nurse exits the room with another teenager in tow. Bakugo Katsuki , his mind vaguely supplies. Another student from 1-A and closest to Midoriya during the incident. The teen had refused to tell him much besides the big timeline. Even if it hadn’t sat right with him, Naomasa hadn’t pressed him too much after the blonde had nearly exploded in his face for the third time in two minutes. It was probably a trauma response and god forbid if he gave those kids even more trauma by dragging every single fact out of them for a statement. Bakugo had witnessed the supposedly brutal fights between Midoriya and the Nomu, and afterwards with the main villain Shigaraki. Something that was bound to leave its mark. 

 

The blonde halts in the doorway when he sees Naomasa standing near the door. For a few seconds the kid glares at him with a truly menacing scowl before stomping past him. Naomasa doesn’t let it phase him and instead enters the small room while taking off his hat. With a nod, he says, “Good morning, Midoriya.” 

 

The teen looks tired. His skin is even paler than usual and there are some deep bags underneath his eyes. He’s sitting propped up against some pillows in the standard hospital gown with his hand folded in front of him on top of the white sheets. A broken nose decorates his face, even if it seems to have been treated, a bruise in different colors still blooms in its place. Naomasa also notes the intense scarring on Midoriya’s underarms. He wonders whether that had been there before or whether it’s a new addition, he doesn’t know and also isn’t allowed to –it’s confidential information after all. 

 

Besides all of that the teen’s eyes have that familiar glint to them that tells Naomasa that Midoriya is as alert as always, if not more. “Morning Tsukauchi,” he says with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. Whether it’s a challenge or just an attempt at being polite, Naomasa doesn’t know, though knowing Midoriya it could be either, or both. “How are you doing?” It’s an easy question to open the conversation with.

 

“I'm as well as I can be,” Midoriya responds slowly. He hesitates slightly before adding, “How is Aizawa-sensei?”

 

“He woke up this morning and should make a full recovery.” Hearing that, the teen lets out a relieved breath. “Good.”

 

“And the rest of my classmates?”

 

“They’re all fine as well, some had some minor injuries but were all treated by Recovery Girl.” Naomasa takes a seat on the plastic chair next to Midoriya’s bed as he continues, “As you probably know. I’m here to take your statement regarding the attack at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint yesterday by the League of Villains.”

 

Midoriya merely nods, his sharp gaze tracks every movement as Naomasa takes out all the required paperwork and a recorder. “To be clear: This is not an interrogation. You are not under arrest. This is merely a statement.”

 

“I understand.” Midoriya answers shortly. His face is an unreadable mask and nothing betrays any nervousness. Naomasa supposes he might not even be nervous, seeing as he’s sat in on plenty of interrogations and the like. After turning on the recorder, Naomasa goes through all the things he’s legally required to say, like his quirk and such, before allowing Midoriya to tell his story with the words, “Can you walk me through your experiences at the USJ all the way from the beginning?”

 

For a moment there’s a silence before Midoriya begins, “When we, class 1-A and Aizawa-sensei, arrived at the USJ everything seemed normal. It was while Thirteen was explaining some quirk stuff that I noticed something was…off.”

 

“What do you mean by “off”?”

 

Midoriya shrugs, “Just a gut feeling. Before I could tell anyone my quirk went haywire, telling me there were quirks everywhere. It’s…part of my quirk and it took me a lot of effort to warn Aizawa-sensei because of that.”

 

“By then the villains had already arrived through some purple portal. Aizawa-sensei jumped down to fight all the villains downstairs and ordered us to evacuate. But before we could, the same mist villain blocked our path. I believe his name is Kurogiri.”

 

Naomasa nods encouragingly at the teen. So far all of this lines up with what the other statements have said, no lie has rung either so far. Midoriya continues without a pause, “Bakugo he…attacked the villain twice and I jumped after him into the portal the second time.”

 

“Can you clarify that?”

 

Midoriya nods, “I noticed the portal open up underneath Bakugo when he charged Kurogiri a second time and didn’t want to leave him alone. We ended up in the collapse zone with just the two of us. I don’t know what happened to the rest of the class after that.”

 

Naomasa jots down a few notes as the teen continues his story. Then he gets to when he and Bakugo reach the plaza and his talking slows. There’s a distant look in Midoriya’s eyes for just a few seconds before the teen blinks and the look is wiped from his face. Still, it’s enough for Naomasa to notice. “If you want to, we can take a break. You’ve been doing great so far.”

 

At that Midoriya shakes his head and sends him a smile. “No, I’m good.” He takes a breath and continues without hesitation. “I first noticed the Nomu, you know the monster, he was ordered to get Aizawa-sensei. It uh…wasn’t pretty.”

 

That was an understatement. From just one attack the hero had sustained some heavy injuries. Naomasa doesn’t want to think about what would have happened with a second attack. “Do you know who ordered the Nomu?” he asks, keeping his voice light. He’d asked Bakugo the same question and the reaction hadn’t been pretty.

 

Midoriya’s hands grip the bed sheets tightly and he swallows before saying, “Kurogiri called the villain Shigaraki. He was the one who gave the order.” Truth

 

“What happened after that?”

 

“I noticed the villain and he noticed me and Bakugo. Then Kurogiri appeared saying that a student had escaped and that All Might wasn’t there. It…made the villain angry and he ordered the Nomu to uhm–” Midoriya swallows again before seeming to force out, “kill Bakugo.” 

 

Well, that is new information. Though it does bring perspective to the supposed outcome of things. The only other one who had been at the place at the same time was Bakugo and he had refused to talk beyond that point, only giving out a vague timeline of things. Naomasa is already debating on advising principal Nedzu on a mandatory therapy session for all the students involved, though he’s pretty sure the rat is already planning on implementing that. Bakugo isn’t the only one who had some sort of trauma response while taking the statement. 

 

Surprisingly, without needing prompting Midoriya continues, “It charged at us and I engaged. I managed to convince Bakugo to take Aizawa-sensei to safety. Nothing I did seemed to stop the Nomu, the villain claimed the monster had a regeneration quirk” Truth

 

That surprises Naomasa. Regeneration quirks are rare after all. Though he does wonder, “Did you use your quirk?”

 

Midoriya blinks at him in confusion. “Was I not allowed to?” There’s an edge to his voice and Naomasa hurries to correct himself. “No, that's not what I mean. Did you use your quirk to stop the Nomu?”

 

“At first I didn’t,” Midoriya starts slowly. “Then I did, which resulted in the Nomu not being able to use its quirks anymore.” Truth

 

Naomasa’s heart drops and he only barely manages to keep the shock out of his voice. “As in multiple quirks?”

 

The teen stills and an expression flashes across his face, too quick for Naomasa to read. Then he laughs sheepishly at Naomasa. It’s a hollow sound, devoid of any emotion. “Oh yeah, my quirk registered multiple quirks inside the Nomu.” Truth “I guess I was too caught up in my story to tell you.” Lie

 

Naomasa isn’t sure what to be more shaken by. The fact that somehow the Nomu possessed multiple quirks or the fact that Midoriya just lied . Without his quirk Naomasa is sure he wouldn’t have known. Normally a person has tells that indicate a lie, with Midoriya there was no such thing. Just a straight face with slightly widened eyes, as if he truly forgot. Midoriya must notice something about him because he asks with a frown, “Something wrong, detective?”

 

Naomasa clears his throat and looks the teen straight in the eye. “You know you just lied? Is there a reason for that?”

 

Midoriya’s face falls and he fiddles with his hands. After a short silence he softly asks, “You won’t arrest me if I tell you?” 

 

“It was a life or death situation Midoriya, no one can blame you for your actions.” Noamasa tries to assure the teen, hoping that he’ll tell the truth. It seems to ease the teen just slightly and his shoulders slump as if a tension has fallen from it. “I was –still am– so angry at the villains. I–...I just wanted to hurt them, make sure they couldn’t do that ever again. I couldn’t think of any other way to defeat the Nomu…so I killed it.” Tears well up in his eyes and he looks up at Naomasa with a broken expression. “Does that make me a bad person?”

 

All Naomasa’s worries about Midoriya having lied get thrown out the window when he sees that expression. He shakes his head at the teen. “Of course not. You protected your classmates, your teacher and yourself. No one can fault you for that.” God, he wasn’t trained to deal with teenager emotions.  

 

Midoriya lets out a shaky breath hearing that and nods. “I–...okay…”

 

“We can continue this another time if it’s too difficult for you to talk about.”

 

“No, I’ll continue. I want to finish this today,” Midoriya says as he wipes the tears from his eyes. He squares his face back into control again and carries on, “The villain got really mad when the Nomu…got incapacitated and attacked me. We fought and then All Might came. Kurogiri teleported the two of them away not soon after.” Truth

 

“Can you tell me more about your fight with Shigaraki?”

 

“He has a disintegration quirk and is fast,” Midoriya says while one hand rubs the other arm. Truth. Naomasa’s gaze is drawn to the action and it prompts him to ask, “Did Shigaraki use his quirk on you?”

 

Midoriya follows his gaze down at his arms and his hands still. While still studying his arms he answers softly, “He did. Near the end of our fight. I think a healing quirk of the sort healed it.” Truth

 

It makes sense that one of the medics present would try to heal the damage as soon as possible. Naomasa knows he isn’t authorized to ask any further questions about the teen’s medical condition though, as curious as he is. This isn’t an interrogation after all. So far everything that Midoriya has talked about lines up with other statements. There’s only one thing that he didn’t mention and it bugs Naomasa that he seems to have skipped over it. “Thank you Midoriya. I have one last question for you: From another statement I gathered that just before fleeing Shigaraki called you “little brother”. Do you have any idea as to why that might be?” 

 

Midoriya shrugs, “To rile me up or something? That’s something that villains do sometimes right? As far as I know we’re not blood related.” Truth . Sharp green eyes stare directly back at Naomasa as the teen says, “ Shigaraki is not my brother.” 

 

Truth 

 

Lie 

 

What? That’s impossible . Midoriya’s words ring as the truth but there’s just the faintest hint of a lie. Which shouldn’t be possible, something is either true or not. Naomasa is so engrossed in what his quirk is telling him that it takes him a moment too long to answer. Midoriya hasn’t broken eye contact with him all the while. 

 

“Alright, that will be all. Thank you for your coöperation.” He ends the recording and puts all of his things back into his briefcase without thinking about it too deeply, his mind elsewhere. Could an answer be true and false at the same time? Maybe, though Naomasa has never encountered it before. His quirk always registers whether a person perceives their answer as true or not, so it’s not infallible to whether something is actually true. But to have something be both a truth and a lie to a person would be impossible.

 

Naomasa stands up from the chair and bids the teen a swift recovery, which Midoriya answers with a polite “thank you”. As he walks away he can feel the teen’s calculating gaze on his back. There’s something off about Midoriya. What though, that Naomasa has yet to figure out.

 

---

 

Hospitals are a waste of time.

 

That’s a thought that hasn’t left Shouta’s mind ever since he woke up this morning. Otherwise his mind doesn’t really have any other thoughts, it’s sluggish from all the anti-pain meds pumping through his veins. That’s probably also the only reason he isn’t crippled in pain. His face is wrapped in bandages, only leaving his eyes and mouth free and one of his arms is encased in a thick cast.

 

He’d woken up this morning with an oxygen mask on as well, luckily they’d deemed him well enough to get rid of the damn thing just before noon. Hizashi had been at his bedside when Shouta had woken up, slumped over in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs. The oxygen mask had been the only thing preventing him from telling his friend that it was irrational to sacrifice sleep for watching over someone who wasn’t even awake. It had also prevented him from demanding the man tell him about the wellbeing of his students. 

 

Still, his friend had understood. He’d told Shouta about his students and about what had happened after he had passed out in that rambly way of his. From that Shouta had made up a few things. All students are fine, barring Midoriya. Apparently he had taken on the monster called a Nomu that had smashed Shouta’s face in mere seconds and had fought the leader whose name turns out to be Shigaraki. 

 

It definitely reinforced Shouta’s belief that Midoriya was going to be the “Problem Child” of the year. The last thing Shouta remembers is the Nomu in his field of vision and pain . Maybe it's just his mind making things up but he has the feeling as if during his last conscious moment he saw two students standing at the edge of the plaza, one with a haunted expression on his face. As if their entire world had come crumbling down around them. 

 

Hisashi tells him about how Midoriya all but sacrificed himself for the safety of his classmates. About how afterwards he almost dragged himself up the stairs to check up on Shouta. It makes Shouta angry knowing that his students had to fend for themselves. While normally he would have said that an experience like this would only strengthen them, now all Shouta is left with is the feeling that this shouldn’t have happened. It’s illogical that an institution like UA gets a break-in and that fresh first years are the ones left dealing with the consequences. 

 

It wouldn’t surprise him if a few of his students would want to drop out after this first villain encounter. He would encourage it even as students with just a drop of hesitation in them had no place in his class.

 

It’s somewhere in the early afternoon, Hizashi is away to grab a coffee from the vendor. He’d refused to bring one for Shouta, claiming that he wasn’t allowed to have it for now. Unfair. That’s when a short knock sounds from the door.

 

Shouta attempts to sit up a bit straighter against the pillows while the door opens just a crack. Familiar green eyes peek through the opening, scanning the room behind it in one swift sweep before they settle on Shouta with a question in them. “Come in, kid,” he grunts. He should have expected this visit sooner or later, maybe that’s even the reason why Hizashi isn’t here right now. He wouldn’t put it past the man.

 

Midoriya enters the room in that quiet way of his. Shouta has never heard his footsteps, he wonders where the kid learned to walk like that. Instead of taking a seat on the empty chair at Shouta’s bed, the greenette opts to lean against the wall to his left where he has a good view of the entrance and the windows. Whereas his movements still hold that grace of someone who has their entire body in control, there’s a certain stiffness to it this time, or rather a drag as if a sense of exhaustion clings to the boy’s body. He’s wearing a black hoodie and comfortable sweatpants, his green curls are even more a mess than usual. Behind the white bandages on his nose Shouta can see some bruising and Midoriya’s eyes sport even darker shadows, as if he hasn’t slept in a good while.

 

“How are you?” Midoriya asks after a moment of silence where both of them take each other in. To make sure the other is alright.Shouta raises an eyebrow that no one can see, “I should be asking you that question.” 

 

The kid looks away, out the window where a meager sun peaks through a sea of clouds, while he answers, “I’m fine. Doctors say I’m good to leave after my final check up later this afternoon.”

 

Even if Shouta can’t detect any visible injuries besides a broken nose and dark circles underneath the boy’s eyes, he knows the kid isn’t fine. He just doesn’t project it to the world. Maybe the only hint is the fact that his eyes seem to have a hollowness to them that hadn’t been as bad before, (Shouta thinks it had even been improving after Midoriya started going to UA). That brings him back to the reason behind their hospitalization. “Midoriya,” he says with his teacher voice. It’s enough to make the kid look back at him again. “I’m sorry that UA couldn’t protect you, that I couldn’t protect you.”

 

“Eraserhead who’s apologizing?” Midoriya smirks, even if it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Didn’t think that was possible.” Shouta doesn’t roll with his attempt at cracking a joke and instead sends the kid one of his stares. “I’m serious, Midoriya. You shouldn’t have been the one to protect your fellow classmates. Even if you’re all training to be heroes. It’s the job of the pros to do that.”

 

Midoriya’s face grows solemn at the words, he looks down, rubbing at his arms. “I- it’s fine. I’ve had wo–,” he cuts himself off and seems to rethink his words before continuing, “It’s fine. I’m fine and everyone else is safe, that’s what matters.”

 

“ Midoriya .” Shouta all but glares a hole in the kid’s head. That way of thinking is dangerous for a hero. He has to nip it in the bud before it can grow into something bigger. The teen drags his gaze back up to meet Shouta’s. “Your own wellbeing always comes before anything else. How do you expect to save others if you can’t take care of yourself?”

 

For a second he seems to want to say something but one stern look from Shouta has him shutting his mouth. “Understood?”

 

Midoriya nods, if not begrudgingly, “Yes sir.” Immediately after that the kid has to stifle a yawn.

 

“Go back to bed before you pass out on the floor over here.”

 

Midoriya sends him an annoyed glare but pushes himself off the wall nonetheless. The kid leaves with the same silence that he came with, leaving Shouta back in the blessedly quiet of his room. Not a second later Hizashi bursts into the room with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a knowing grin on his face. “What did I miss?”

 

Shouta just glares at his friend.

Notes:

Tsukuahi: *asks a mildly difficult question*

Midoriya: DEFLECT DEFLECT

Tsukauchi again: *tries to take a statement*

Bakugo: *plays the “traumatized teen” card*

~

Also, for anyone wondering where the rest of the class was during the USJ:

Mostly everyone’s placements stayed the same, but due to butterfly effect and Shinsou being in 1-A instead of (ugh) Mineta there are some minor changes.

Kaminari, Asui and Shinsou were thrown into the flood zone.

Todoroki got put into the fire zone and Kirishima and Ojiro were thrown into the landslide zone.

This means that it took Todoroki a bit longer to get to the plaza, hence why he only heard the tail end of Shiggy and Izuku’s conversation. Shinsou and his group also escaped later, because it took them quite a bit of planning to get out of the water that Kaminari had electrified in order to take out all the villains. Shinsou sent Asui with Kaminari up to the platform because of Kaminari’s fried brain, leaving him alone at the edge of the plaza. In the end he and Todoroki were handed Aizawa by Bakugo, who wanted to take Kurogiri on again. (I can tell you that both teens were pissed at Bakugo for that action, but they didn’t want to leave their teacher alone)

I realize that all the characters seem to have a lack of sleep. They do. As do I.

Anyway~

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Chapter 14: Black Aconites

Notes:

Hi! I've returned from the dead to bring you an extra long chapter. Reasons for my absence are the fact that life in general is quite busy for me at the moment and writer's block decided to take advantage of that.

CW: Izuku’s fucked up past, branding

The chatter of people and the clattering of plates fills the restaurant when Izuku enters the place. It’s a casual restaurant where you can find anyone enjoying a meal. It’s busy at almost all times of the day and that’s precisely why Izuku has chosen to meet with Bakugo over here. When the waitress comes to ask where he would like to sit, Izuku requests a quiet place. In the end he finds himself seated in a booth in the corner of the restaurant, away from any prying ears but with enough background noise to conceal any words that’ll be spoken.

 

He takes the time that he has to wait for Bakugo to observe his surroundings. The restaurant has a modern design to it with hints of green here and there and tall windows let in the warm sunlight of a spring morning. Smells of many different kinds waft his way and laughter fills the air. His quirk soon alerts him a blazing quirk approaching him.

 

“Why did you choose a fucking restaurant?”

 

Izuku looks up to see Bakugo standing in front of him with his trademark scowl. “There’s a lot of noise here, that’s why.” Izuku responds with a faint smile. Bakugo just huffs and plops down on the seat in front of him. The waitress has already put down two menus and Izuku pushes one across the table towards the blonde. “Here, I recommend the soba, it’s truly delicious at this place.” 

 

Rather than taking the menu, Bakugo’s eyes stay rooted in place and fill with a hot anger when they notice Izuku’s bare arms. “Handjob did that, didn’t he.”

 

Izuku’s smile falls from his face and he can’t help but rub at his left arm. “He did.” 

 

Because spring is in full swing and the days are getting hotter, Izuku didn’t feel like wearing a hoodie that would cover up his arms that morning. He’s not ashamed of his scars, they’re a sign of what he’s survived and he proudly wears them, but they can lead to difficult questions and the fact that he’s accepted his scars doesn’t mean that he wants to talk about the reason behind them. Bakugo opens his mouth, most likely to curse at Tenko in a multitude of vile ways, but Izuku cuts him off. “First we eat, then we talk about those problems.”

 

He doesn’t want his meal to be spoiled by anything related to the disaster that was the USJ. The emotions and memories that are bound to come up during his conversation with Bakugo are sure to make his appetite disappear.

 

Not much later the waitress comes to take their orders and while they wait for the foot to come they sit in an awkward silence. Neither is really the person to make small talk. Bakugo does try to open his mouth a few times but Izuku always shuts him up before he can say a word. The look in the blonde’s eyes tells him that he wouldn’t be talking about any small talk anyway. 

 

The food comes and for a while Izuku just savors the delicious flavors of his meal. It seems Bakugo also enjoys it because after a few bites he says, “This shit isn’t complete garbage.” Izuku snorts, “You thought I would’ve taken you to a place with bad food?” That has the blonde rolling his eyes.

 

In the end there’s only so long before Bakugo’s patience has slipped away. “You dragged me all the way here because you would tell me everything. So, spill.”

 

Izuku puts his chopsticks down and looks at the other teen. They’d at least gotten halfway through the meal, it’s further than he’d expected. Bakugo is glaring at him with impatience written all across his face, his own food has been forgotten. “What do you want to know?”

 

The glare lessens and something vulnerable flashes across his face, with a slightly softer voice the other teen asks, “Why did you leave?”

 

Guilt and shame still flare up when Izuku thinks back to his conversation with Bakugo in the alley, just a few days ago. The vulnerable side of the teen he’d seen back then isn’t easily forgotten. He lowers his eyes and quietly says, “I didn’t want to leave, you know.” Though he can’t see the other’s face, he can see how his fists tighten. “Explain.”

 

Izuku takes a shuddering breath, and forces himself to look Bakugo in the eye again. “Do you remember my…” he swallows and almost can’t form the next word, “grandfather?”

 

Bakugo huffs, “You mean that creepy guy who I was never allowed to meet but who you were always talking about?” Izuku winces, “...yes. He’s the reason behind my fucked up life.”

 

That doesn’t seem to satisfy the blonde because he sends Izuku a burning glare. With a sigh Izuku reluctantly continues, “You already know that my quirk came in late and what it can do. Well, my… grandfather …can do the same.”

 

“What the actual fuck ,” Bakugo says with a hint of disbelief in his voice. Izuku chuckles, though it’s without any humor, “Yeah, I know. He started training me as soon as I started school. It’s why back then I couldn’t play very often. He wanted me to spend as much time as possible with him.”

 

Before Bakugo can react Izuku continues, only now a bitter grimace tugs at the corners of his mouth. “I guess the appearance of my quirk was a perfect excuse for him to pull me out of school. One night he made my parents and me move away to a place…closer to him. We weren’t allowed to keep in contact with anyone or say goodbye.”

 

“So yeah,” he shrugs with a sad smile, “that’s why I left.”

 

A smoking hand slams on the table. “That’s fucked up!” Bakugo growls. A few people at other tables glance at them and Izuku hisses, “Keep your voice down!” Though the blonde’s furious face doesn’t change, he does quiet down when he says, “What-...what happened to you?” Why did you change?

 

It actually makes Izuku chuckle slightly when he thinks back to the naïve little Izuku back in the first years of his new life. That Izuku had been all sunshines and smiles, he’d looked up to All Might to an almost ridiculous level and believed that heroes could fix anything. Eventually that Izuku died in that concrete room. It was better that way. He would have been crushed by the things Izuku had to do later on. “If you think it’s fucked up that I was already training when I was five…Compared to the training I received when I was older that was child’s play.”

 

Horror dawns on Bakugo’s face when he must realize what that could mean. Maybe he’s reminded of Izuku’s scars back in the changing room. His eyes flick down to Izuku’s arms before moving back up, this time with a question in them. “What did you–” Before the other teen can finish his sentence Izuku cuts in rather fiercely, “It’s not important what I had to do! Don’t ask.”

 

He doesn’t want to talk about what happened down in that concrete room, most of it is hazy even to himself. But from the things that he does remember he’s sure that Bakugo would despise him if he found out about them. Maybe it’s selfish, but Izuku doesn’t want to lose the teen a second time. At his words Bakugo reels back in his chair with a face ready to protest but Izuku doesn’t let it come to that. More quietly he adds, “Please, I try not to think about those years. Don’t make me drag up all the details.”

 

That shuts Bakugo up and the anger on his face slightly cools. A hush falls in their conversation and Izuku takes that time to recollect his mind. It’s trying to drag him back into memories of the past and it takes him a lot of effort to stay in the present. He’s always repressed everything as much as possible, it’s how he’s survived for all these years. When he wasn’t at school he would keep his mind busy with a case he was working on or an interesting quirk. That had always worked out. Until UA. Then everything in his life seemed to decide not to go along with that anymore. Bakugo, the fucking USJ, Bakugo again. With everything he did something would come and remind him of those years. It’s exhausting and Izuku’s not sure how long he can go on like this. He has to though, because giving up would mean giving in to Him and there’s not a hair on Izuku’s body which would ever think of that. 

 

In the time that Izuku has an internal struggle with his own mind Bakugo also seems to have processed everything that’s been said. It appears he’s not done, because with a look at Izuku’s arms he asks, “How the fuck does Handjob even fit into the picture?”

 

Izuku traces his scars with a finger as he says, “I guess you could say that he’s my…adopted brother.” Bakugo sends him a weird look. “Auntie Inko adopted Crusty?”

 

That makes Izuku snort and he shakes his head. “No! God no, he was adopted by… Him.”  

 

“Your creepy grandfather.”

 

“...yes.”

 

Izuku can almost see the radars whir behind Bakugo’s eyes as he adds two and two together. He blinks and swallows. “Crusty is a villain…Who exactly is that grandpa of yours?”

 

With a broken smile Izuku looks at the teen. “I think you already know.”

 

“A villain.”

 

“Yes…” 

 

“Who is he?”

 

Izuku shakes his head, his green curls bounce with the movement. “You don’t want to know.” That seems to anger the teen and smoke that has the faintest smell of burnt sugar rises from his palms. Oh, how Izuku hopes that the fire alarm in this restaurant won’t go off. “Don’t come with this shit again!”

 

“No, you don’t understand.” Izuku leans forward and stares into Bakugo’s eyes. Something in his own green eyes makes the blonde pause. “If I tell you, you might very well be dead by tomorrow morning.”

 

Bakugo pales. Then he looks away with a frown, his fists clenching at his side. The sunlight from the windows shines down on his face, highlighting his blond hair and cheekbones. With a voice more quiet than normal he says, “So a supervillain then.” 

 

Izuku bites his lip and looks down at his lap, he notices the food still on his plate. It’s probably gone cold by now. Not that it matters, he’s lost his appetite anyway. “Yeah, it’s why I can’t mention his name in public no matter how safe it may seem.” He also doesn’t want to tell Bakugo because the other would no doubt go looking into it and that was a sure fire way to tip Him off. Izuku doesn’t want to lose yet another person to the man. “How-...why are you even here?”

The screeching of that Thing .

 

A building that goes up in flames.

 

Freedom, at the cost of a sacrifice.

Blood wells up from where Izuku’s biting his lip. It takes him a lot more effort to not make his voice waver when he answers. “My mom and I escaped. It–…my father didn’t make it.” 

 

“Oh.” Bakugo looks slightly forlorn when he hears that. Maybe he’d thought that the fact that Izuku had escaped would also mean that his parents did as well, it highlights how naive the other still is even if he claims otherwise. As much as Masaru had been an uncle to Izuku, Hisashi had been an uncle to the blonde. Izuku swallows away the lump in his throat and ignores the stinging in his eyes. The look Bakugo sends him has guilt twisting its ugly head in his gut. It’s easier to look somewhere else and so he does –out the window. People pass by on the street, a group of teenagers laughing and teasing each other, two parents with a little girl in their midst. She’s got a look of innocence and utter happiness on her face and she bursts out giggling as her father scoops her up into her arms.

 

The fact that there’s only a glass window separating them has never felt more surreal. To Izuku it’s as if there’s an entire world in between him and them. There probably is. They’ll never know what the quickest way to kill a person is, how thick, warm blood feels– 

 

He cuts off the thought with a slight shake of his head. Case and point stands that he’ll never have the life that those people have. Even if he manages to stay out of His hands for the rest of his life, he’ll still be battling the ghosts from the past, the demons in his head.

 

And here he is with his childhood best friend. A person he’d thought he would never see again. The one voice that had whispered in his mind to keep fighting , to go on just a little longer , back when he’d needed it most. He wonders if he’s made a mistake by bringing Bakugo into the loop of his messed up life. Maybe he’s bringing the teen into danger that’s greater than the blonde probably realizes.

 

“Hey, Deku.” That nickname has Izuku looking away from the window, away from his thoughts. Bakugo sends him a grin, it’s not as sharp as usual but with more emotion that Izuku’s ever seen from the teen. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.”

 

Something tiny and giddy inside of Izuku burns at those words, it’s a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time. A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth as he says, “I’ve missed you too, Kacchan.”

 

---

 

The day passes into night and Izuku finds himself holed up in his room. Dinner with his mom in the evening had been a quiet affair. Izuku was too much in his head to make conversation. His mom had let him, sensing that he needed some quiet, and he’s grateful for that. But now that he’s alone in the quiet of his bedroom the silence is almost suffocating. It leaves too much room for his thoughts to reign freely and if there’s something that he doesn’t need right now, it’s that.

 

He’s trying to distract himself by working on the Kokkaku Nori case. All his schoolwork he’s already finished hours ago and it’s still an entire evening and night until school begins again after an extended weekend to give all the students ample time to rest after the USJ. To Izuku it feels like ages. That leaves him sitting cross legged on the ground with different files, photos and notebooks sprawled around him. He presses the play button on his phone and the conversation Aizawa had managed to record rings from the speakers. While listening to it for the umpteenth time he studies the grainy picture of the second man again. Not Sugiyama, but the other man.

 

Before the USJ disaster Tsukauchi had put that picture through face recognition. That usually takes a few days and just a few hours ago Izuku had received an email with its results. No other words had been put in the mail, clearly the poor detective was too busy with the USJ case he’d also been assigned to as the leading detective to spend any time on a simple message. Izuku may pity the man just a bit as sleep probably wouldn’t be a frequent visitor for him in the coming weeks. They should have had a meeting this weekend to discuss everything that they've found so far and to see if they could get any further in the Kokkaku Nori case, but again, the USJ threw a spanner in the works. 

 

Looking at the file that Tsukauchi had sent him, Izuku contemplates the supposed identity of the mystery man. Madoka Itoh, 39 years old. Quirk: Eldritch Synthesis, with a five finger touch he can turn people into eldritch monsters. Supposedly can also alter their shape, though this was never confirmed. Has multiple criminal offenses on his record but disappeared when he was 21. It seems Tsukauchi hadn’t had the time to look any further into the man. Not that Izuku minds, the research has kept him busy for the past few hours. In that time he has found quite a few things, though not as much as he’d like. 

 

First, there have been a few supposed sightings of him ever since his official disappearance. Each time around some shady places like bars in backstreets or underground fighting clubs. According to his research Madoka was part of various gangs in his early twenties, thus participating in the wars that were particularly prevalent during that time, before disappearing completely for two whole years. After that his timeline of the man becomes pretty spotty. His tracks become more difficult to track, as if the man had gotten more careful. Izuku wonders why.

 

Then there’s the question as to why Sugiyama of all people would be meeting with Madoka. There’s a connection between the two but not an equal one. From the conversation between the two it seems like Madoka holds a higher rank than Sugiyama but in what form? An organization? Or maybe a gang? Somehow Izuku has a feeling like that’s not it, there’s a certain separation between the two. From the way that Madoka had paid Sugiyama to the way that he’d threatened him. That brings him to his second question: Why does Madoka even need people? 

 

With a sigh Izuku lets himself flop on his back on the floor of his bedroom. There are too many questions, too many things he doesn’t know and too many variables. This is too complicated for a simple missing person case, he thinks as he stares at the ceiling. The lamp on his desk casts a long shadow on the white paint, it’s the only light currently turned on in his room besides a sliver of moonlight that falls down through the crack in his curtains. He turns back on his belly and grabs the school photo of Kokkaku Nori. A young woman with brown hair and brown, wide eyes stares back at him. Where are you? Who puts in so much effort to make a uni student just…disappear?  

 

Izuku’s eyes trail back to Sugiyama’s file and his gaze lands on the man’s schedule. Eraserhead had shadowed him for a few weeks and besides that one conversation with Madoka he’d never managed to find much. Or at least that’s what one would think at first glance. Sugiyama’s schedule is very consistent. He goes to work, holds the support group twice a week, visits the gym every Tuesday after work and goes to a bar with some friends every friday night. It’s almost…too consistent. Consistency isn’t something that Izuku would put as one of Sugiyama’s traits. From just the little time that he’s spent near the man, Izuku has gathered that Sugiyama isn’t one to follow the rules all that strictly, or any part of life for that matter. It’s why his schedule isn’t really all that consistent, it just appears to be. He’s skipped out on work three times, gone to the bar on a regular Thursday night and ordered take-out twice on the days that he usually cooks himself. The only thing that the man has always strictly followed are his gym visits every Tuesday afternoon.

 

And that is exactly the kind of clue that Izuku needs. Why would a man religiously go to a gym when his physique suggested anything but regular exercise? Star Planet gym . Izuku knows the address, it's not all too far from his apartment. His eyes stray to the alarm clock on his bed. It's late already. He should be sleeping, but he already knows that'll be a lost cause tonight. After his meeting with Bakugo earlier today his mind has been anything but kind to him. The only things that await him when he'll try sleeping are nightmares and flashbacks. 

 

Better to do something useful with my time.

 

Without wasting any more time doubting his questionable life choices Izuku gets up and goes to put on his black hoodie. Where he's going tonight he'll need some anonymity.

 

---

 

A cool wind caresses Izuku's cheeks as he crouches on top of a roof. Across from the street a building like a blue concrete box rises up from the ground, the few windows at the front and the single entrance door are painted in a truly horrendous neon orange. Even though the moon is hiding behind a thick layer of clouds, the absence of light can't hide the slight lack of maintenance. Not a single soul seems to be around –it's almost midnight and this street is located outside the city center, logically anyone would be sleeping. 

 

I want to get a closer look.

 

It might be stupid to try to break into the supposed gym, especially given that any such establishment would have an alarm system active, but inspecting the building from closer by shouldn’t be a problem. And if he did find something that would warrant him to go inside? Well, it's not the first time he's broken in somewhere. He easily climbs down from his current rooftop, then he approaches the building in a rounding motion. He doesn't want any presence that could possibly be inside to see him just walking up to the front door. One side of the building has a small alley lined next to it and that's where he finds himself not much later. 

 

He walks up and down the alley a few times all while studying the side of the building. There’s not much to it, just a blue concrete wall, no windows and a single metal door. When he takes a closer look it becomes clear that the door hasn’t been used in quite some time, no fingerprints, footprints or anything else that would suggest recent use. The only item inside the alley is a single rusty dumpster, somehow it strikes him as odd. When he approaches the thing he realizes why, there’s no smell coming from it. Usually dumpsters like this bring a certain stench with them, but it’s only when Izuku uses a quirk that enhances the ability to smell that he’s able to pick up just the faintest odor.

 

Well, time to have a look inside this thing.

 

The lid opens with some creaking and water drips down, past his hands from the rain that had fallen down in the early evening. A quick glance around tells him that he hasn’t alerted anyone with the noise. Inside he only finds some smashed soda cans and a poster that has some heavy water damage. That’s weird. These are not the contents of a dumpster that Izuku had expected from a gym. Stuff like plastic packaging, trash bags and maybe some defect gym equipment, but definitely not this. It doesn’t make any sense why there wouldn’t be a single trash bag inside. The garbage collection will come in two days in this part of town and there’s no way that a gym wouldn’t accumulate at least a single bag of trash during the day. 

 

Taking a deep breath Izuku leans forward and reaches inside the container. He’s not that tall –curse his height– and has to stand on his toes in order to grab the wet paper of the poster. From his back pocket he pulls out his phone to use as a flashlight so he can see the poster in a bit more detail. Most of the paper has been destroyed by water, including some shapes that seem to be words, but just the faintest outline of a shape in the middle of the poster remains. Some type of flower appears to be printed on the middle in black ink and red shading. A white circle makes up the background, it’s lost its round shape because of the streaks of dark red ink running down the paper like blood. Izuku doesn’t know enough about botanics to be able to say what sort of flower it is and after inspecting the poster one last time front to back he throws it back into the dumpster and closes the lid. 

 

The alley stretches further away and Izuku decides to follow it. On both sides of him walls of stone rise above his head, darkening the space in between them even more and making it impossible to tell when darkness ends and shadows begin. It doesn’t take him too much effort to find his way, he’s used to moving around in the dark. Then all of the sudden the walls cut off and he finds himself standing at the edge of a little square. A single flickering light on a building to his left illuminates the space and a pair of rusty dumpsters cast long shadows on the cracked concrete. Graffiti decorates most walls of the other buildings. Clearly that this is some sort of back square for the buildings in this block.

 

Izuku lets his quirk scan the area so make sure that no one else is hiding somewhere around the square. He’s surprised when more than a dozen quirks light up inside his brain, all of them come from one building. His gaze is drawn back towards the gym. Well, that’s a pleasant surprise.

 

When he looks up he sees two windows on the second floor of the gym building.

 

Heh, just what I needed.

 

---

 

With swift fingers Izuku manages to pry open the window and next thing he knows he’s sliding through the opening and into a dark room. One look around tells him that it’s a storage room. To his left he notices a door but before trying to open it he strains his hearing quirk to make sure that there’s no one around. Although he can tell that there are multiple quirk lights somewhere downstairs, he doesn’t know whether he’ll end up on a landing once he opens the door so that the people downstairs will be able to see him. With his hearing quirk he can hear a single muffled voice talking through what seems to be multiple layers of walls. Good , that means he won’t end up right in the middle of this…meeting as soon as he opens the door. 

 

The lock on the door isn’t even a challenge to him and he slips into a hallway. This time the voice doesn't sound as muffled anymore. For a while he follows the hallway while carefully looking into each room he passes. Most of them are empty or have very little stuff in them and Izuku gets the strong feeling that the gym might just be a facade. Then a door opens into another hallway that he follows for a while. When he rounds the corner at the end of the hall the voice suddenly sounds quite close and he manages to stop just before walking right into a room. 

 

“WE MUST NOT BE STOPPED BY THEM! ”

 

Izuku pushes himself against the cold stone wall and dares to steal a glance around the corner. It seems that he’s not on the same level as the…gathering that’s happening just a floor beneath him. Rather, he finds himself on a sort of balcony, a story higher that looks down into the room. A quick scan of his quirk tells him that every other person is in the room downstairs, which loosens one of the many knots of nerves tangled up inside of him. 

 

He crouches down and scoots a little closer to the corner, by doing so he can look right into the open room one floor down but no one from down there would be able to spot him if they were to look up. Blindly, his fingers find the record button on his phone as his eyes stay glued on the scene downstairs. There’s…a lot to take in and his mind races to give all of it a place in his brain.  

 

A group of people is gathered in the room, some sitting on the few chairs scattered throughout the room, others standing. All of them are looking at the man standing on a sort of podium at the end of the room. Behind him heavy, black curtains fall down from ceiling to floor, two posters hanging in the middle. 

 

These look exactly like that water damaged poster.

 

Indeed the posters have a dark red shade with a white circle in the middle, and a black flower with red shading as the centerpiece. Even if the shape is much clearer now, Izuku wouldn't know the kind. The man seems to be speeching and his shadow that’s cast behind him on the curtains moves passionately along with him. Said man appears to be Madoka, someone with a tall figure and obvious muscle, though it’s not hulking rather it’s just…there. His black hair is tied back in a long ponytail on his back, a few strands have freed themselves and frame his face.

 

“LET THEM BE SCARED OF US! OUR LOOKS! OUR QUIRKS!”

 

Madoka speaks with obvious passion. His entire body works as a way to express that. Yet he doesn’t possess an overwhelming presence. Rather, it’s a certain intensity and charm that he projects to the air around him. It’s alluring in a way and Izuku can see how it draws the people present in the room in, like a siren casting her spell. 

 

“THOSE WHO PUSH US DOWN, WHO SCORN US, WHO DISCRIMINATE ARE MERELY SCARED OF US: FOR WE ARE STRONGER!” Madoka’s fist punches the air as a way of accentuating his words, his face filled with emotion. 

 

The room roars. People who weren’t standing before are doing so now, joining in the chorus clapping and shouting. Madoka lowers his arm and for a brief moment the noise in the room lulls. " They are the reason for our misfortunes. It is impossible to get a job, for those with weaker quirks keep them to themselves. Housing is just a dream to us because banks refuse to give out loans. We face discrimination at every turn. And for what?!"

 

The man pauses and looks around the room, anticipation thrums in the air. "It is a plot. We scare them, we are too strong, we are too different for a world where everyone has a unique quirk. And the government, they have the biggest part to play in it!"

 

Another chorus of agreement sounds.

 

"Do not trust the government! They control the banks, the corporations and the schools! They push us down again and again!"

 

Madoka takes a deep breath and throws his hands in the air."WE, THE BLACK ACONITES, STICK TOGETHER! TRUST, STRENGTH AND LOYALTY IS ALL I ASK OF YOU! GIVE ME THAT AND I WILL HAND YOU REVENGE AND A BETTER LIFE!"

 

This time the room explodes into a room of noise and shouting. Others throw up their hands or shout Madoka’s name. The man himself keeps standing with his hands up, the two posters with what Izuku supposes are Black Aconites in the background. He wears a charming smile but smugness oozes from him.

 

Izuku’s stomach twists uncomfortably at the sight of what's happening. Once again he's reminded of a siren luring in clueless sailors with her sweet voice. Those sailors would be too smitten with that beautiful sound to notice the ugliness of the creature awaiting them on the beach. Still, he keeps watching because it seems Madoka is not done yet.

 

"My friends!" he says as he lowers his arms and lets his face take on a more serious expression, "I regret to inform you that Yobara has strayed from his path." Madoka’s brows knit together into a frown. "He has lost sight of what is important and neglected our core values: Trust, strength and loyalty. He won't be joining us anymore, for he has betrayed the Black Aconites!"

 

Shouts of indignation and anger rise from the crowd. The air grows heated at the mention of a betrayal and as a collective they seem to decide to cast this Yobara away. Madoka raises a hand to silence them. "But, do not worry!" a smile stretches across his face, "because tonight we can also welcome someone new in our midst!" His hand points out into the crowd.

 

Izuku shifts, his attention drawn towards a young woman standing in the midst of the crowd. Hesitation flits across her face, her body uncertain of what to do. She appears to have some sort of amphibian mutation, with black sclera and skin that has a green sheen to it. Her black hair falls like a curtain down her back and fingers that look more like fins stretch nervously at her side. Dozens of eyes are all drawn towards her as the attention of the crowd shifts towards her.

 

"Come forward, Rie Nakano." Madoka beckons her forward with a charming smile. For a moment she doesn't move, but then she starts walking towards the man with uncertainty in her steps. Izuku watches as Madoka takes her by the hand and orders the rest of the crowd to stand in a circle. 

 

He whispers a few words in her ears, too quiet even for Izuku to hear with his quirk. Then he steps back, closing the circle around the woman standing in the middle. He takes the hands of the people next to him and begins, "Tonight we gather here, to initiate a new member into the Black Aconites." Makoka goes on for a while, holding what seems to be regular cult initiation speech. You know, manipulation, pledging your undying loyalty to one narcissistic leader, preaching about questionable core values.

 

Izuku takes that time to examine the rest of the members. They’re all standing in a circle, with their hands locked together. It doesn’t take him long to spot a familiar face among them. Sugiyama, the bastard. He’s openly looking at Madoka with awe on his face. Well, now it atleast makes sense why he visits this gym every tuesday…

 

“Rie, do you promise to uphold our first core value: Trust?”

 

When Izuku looks back at the woman she takes a shaky breath and responds, “Yes, I promise.”

 

“Do you promise to uphold our second core value: Strength?”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Lastly, do you promise to uphold our last core value: Loyalty. To me, and to the Black Aconites?” 

 

A few seconds tick by. Madoka sends the woman an encouraging look, it only makes Izuku shiver. She doesn’t notice the wrongness of it and proudly sticks her chin in the air, with a new strength in her voice she answers, “I promise.”

 

“To seal our promises, we will use a mark. Namiki!” Madoka calls, and a woman steps out of the circle. The man turns his gaze back upon Rie. “Rie, give her your wrist.”

 

The woman does so, albeit with hesitance. The other woman, Namiki, grabs Rie’s wrist without saying a word. She pulls Rie’s sweater sleeve back to reveal a barren wrist. “The mark of fire is the strongest. Rie this is your last test. Prove to us that your trust, your strength and your loyalty are strong enough. Prove to us that you can endure pain if necessary in order to keep our group strong!”

 

Then Namiki puts her hand around Rie’s wrist. Izuku sees the way her quirk light brightens before he smells the smoke. Rie’s teeth clenches together and her brows furrow to suppress the pain. Still, a grunt escapes her mouth that grows into a pained yell. When Namiki pulls her hand away a red burning mark in the shape of a flower is left on Rie’s wrist. 

 

Horror fills Izuku, coils in his gut and burns through his veins. A young woman just got branded. 

 

Madoka smiles, and satisfaction shines through his eyes, then he puts his hands in the air. The rest of the cult follows his example. Together as one voice they yell, “WE WELCOME YOU, RIE NAKANO, TO THE BLACK ACONITES!”

 

Izuku can only watch as a smile stretches on Rie’s face even if silent tears track down her face. The image of her burned skin accompanies Izuku as he turns around and silently takes his leave.

 

---

 

“You did what?!”

 

Shouta watches as disbelief, anger and utter exhaustion fight a battle on Tsukauchi’s face. His face still hurts too much from being smashed by a Nomu otherwise he would probably be making the same expressions. Instead, he sighs his best 'disappointed teacher’ sigh. “Problem child, please tell me why you thought it would be a good idea to infiltrate a most definitely dangerous place without telling anyone?”

 

Two very disappointed and angry adults stare down at a teenager who’s sitting on the ugly red couch in the detective’s office with his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. The clock above their heads reads 3 AM. Yes, instead of getting a well deserved rest before the first day of school after the USJ Shouta received a call from a murderous Tsukauchi, telling him he needed to come down to the station immediately.  

 

Midoriya shrugs and irritation fills his voice as he says , “How was I supposed to know that there would be a cult there?! I just wanted to have a look at the building! That’s all!”

 

Anger seems to have won the battle on the detective’s face and he’s having none of Midoriya’s words. “Oh really? Why the hell did you even think it was a good idea to check out the building in the middle of the night?!” The teen throws up his arms in the air in a fit of frustration. “I was just curious alright! It was the only thing in Sugiyama’s schedule that didn’t match up.”

 

Tsukauchi pinches the bridge of his nose and seems to be on the verge of an emotional collapse. “That’s not how protocol works, Ghost! I don’t care that you don’t like them but there are rules to follow and laws to abide by!” Anger lights in Midoriya’s eyes and his voice takes on a dangerous edge. “I don’t give a fuck about protocol if that means I can find a person who needs help!”

 

Before the detective can retort, Shouta interrupts the two with glowing red eyes. “Alright, calm down. Both of you.” With his right hand he gives his temple a massage as he sends them both a glare. “You’re giving me a headache and it’s too early for that.”

 

“You,” and he points a finger at Midoriya, “follow protocol next time. I don’t care about your excuses, as a hero you also won’t be able to go around breaking the rules.” He turns to the detective without waiting for the teen’s reaction. “And Tsukauchi, I know you care about protocol but what’s done is done. Let’s just have a look at what Midoriya found so I can actually get some sleep.” 

 

Even if the man presses his lips together and Midoriya still looks thoroughly annoyed, the three of them still manage to look at Midoriya’s new found clues without many issues. 

 

“So let me get this straight,” Shouta says after they’ve looked at everything. “The gym is a facade for an actual cult, the Black Aconites, and Madoka is its leader?”

 

Midoriya nods from his place in front of the cork board, a new light has found its way into the teen’s eyes. “Yes, we can also assume that the support group led by Sugiyama is just a way to recruit members for the cult.”

 

“How do we know that it’s not just a coincidence that Sugiyama is part of the cult?” Though Tsukauchi still doesn’t look overly happy with Midoriya, Shouta knows that the man must be slightly impressed since his frown has disappeared over the course of the last minutes. At his question Midoriya grabs his laptop from the place on the couch where it had been tossed aside and the teen types on the thing for a while before turning it around so the two adults can look at the screen. Shouta’s met with the face of a man in his early twenties, he looks rather normal, save the unhealthy complexion that his skin has.

 

“This is Yobara Touma, age twenty three. His quirk lets him produce metal weapons of the sort out of his mouth through saliva. Unfortunately it’s difficult to control because when too much saliva gathers in his mouth the weapons will be formed without him willing them.”

 

Shouta can see how that might cause some issues.

 

“The thing that connects him to our case is that he was also a part of Sugiyama’s support group –I saw his name when reading through the files that Sugiyama gave us. But that’s not all,” Midoriya scrolls some down to reveal all the details the police have of him, “a few weeks after leaving the support group Yobara was reported missing.”

 

“Why was there never an investigation?” Tsukauchi’s voice cuts it, he’s reading the file on the laptop and a concerned frown has worked its way up his face. When Shouta looks back at Midoriya he sees how the teen’s face falls at the question. “Yobara already had a criminal record of dabbling with the wrong crowd. The police decided that he’d just gotten caught up with the wrong people at the wrong time and closed the case.”

 

That puts a damper on the mood in the room.

 

After a beat of silence Midoriya continues, his face more solemn than before, “Madoka told the people at the cult tonight that Yobara wouldn’t be joining them anymore because he’d betrayed them. But if that’s the case, then why is Yobara missing? It brings me back to the conversation between Sugiyama and Madoka that Aizawa managed to record. There, Madoka practically ordered Sugiyama to get more people for some sort of project.”

 

“The cult is using people for something.” 

 

Midoriya snaps his fingers at the detective whose face is caught in a mixture of horror and disbelief. “Exactly! And they’re using the support group to gather the right people.” Shouta himself also feels horror twist in his gut, this case is turning out to be uglier than thought. “You think what happened to Yobara also happened to Kokkaku?” he asks. Midoriya nods, “I’m almost certain, her father mentioned that she became more radical some time after joining the support group. It matches up with the views of the Black Aconites.”

 

Silence reigns in the room as the three of them process what that might mean. It’s Tsukauchi who eventually says what they’re all thinking. “So we can assume that Kokkaku underwent the same fate as Yobara. The cult wanted to use her for something.”

 

“They must have taken them somewhere,” Shouta comments. Idea’s float around his head about what a cult might want to do with people, none of them are pleasant. The urgency of this case seems more evident than ever. With a sigh the detective takes out his usual notepad and begins scribbling stuff down. “I’ll look into that, with this amount of evidence I might be able to convince the chief of police to assign more policemen to the case. That might help to speed things along.”

 

The other two nod and watch as Tsukauchi takes out his phone and starts calling multiple people. Not much later the man speeds out the room with the words that he’ll be back soon. It leaves the two of them alone in the man’s office. For a while Shouta watches as Midoriya types away on his laptop, his fingers almost seem to blur with how fast they’re moving around. The teen’s face is unreadable, safe from the concentrated crease in his brow. 

 

“Midoriya, why did you look into the case tonight of all nights?”

 

The teen doesn’t pause his work as he answers, “Does it matter?”

 

Not impressed, Shouta raises a brow. “Problem child, normal teenagers would try to go to bed early the night before school. Especially when they’d just experienced a villain attack a few days prior.” This time Midoriya does stop his typing and he sends Shouta a glare. “I’d already gotten enough rest, alright. I needed to do something!” 

 

The words ‘I needed a distraction’ go unsaid but Shouta hears them nonetheless. He’s suffered from those same thoughts himself often enough. More quietly this time he tells the teen, “You deserve some rest, kid. Especially after what you went through last friday.”

 

Midoriya rubs at his arm and huffs in frustration. “I’m fine, alright! No need to worry.” Then he returns to his laptop and goes back to ignoring Shouta. He knows the kid isn’t fine , even if Midoriya doesn’t project it to the world. Still, there’s not much he can do right now for the teen, the kid simply doesn’t trust him enough. Shouta sighs and gets up from his chair with some effort. Getting up in the middle of the night doesn’t seem to have done wonders for his still healing injuries. With the words, “Get some rest Midoriya,” he leaves the teen to it. 

 

Maybe he’ll be able to get in at least an hour of sleep before he has to head to work.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update: My exams will be over soon, let's hope that'll leave me with more time to write.

Chapter 15: Unwanted guests

Notes:

Hi, I bring you yet another chapter. I hope you enjoy!

CW: mention of trauma

Izuku would be lying if he says that he’s well rested that same morning at the train station. Hitoshi watches him with an empathetic look as he stops next to his friend. “I take it you also didn’t sleep?” Instead of answering Izuku takes a dramatic gulp of his coffee and glares at the world as if it has wronged him in every single way. 

 

His friend just nods at his action and also looks away, at the people hurrying about on the platform. “Sleep is overrated anyway.”

 

Once they’re on the train Izuku can’t help but notice people staring at them, whispers in hushed tones hang in the air like the humming of bees and even without his hearing quirk Izuku can hear perfectly fine that it’s about them. 

 

“Look, UA students. They look like first years, you reckon they were involved with the USJ?”

 

“Could be, I heard multiple students got injured.”

 

“It’s absolutely unbelievable that UA would let it happen.”

 

“Indeed, the quality of education isn’t anymore what it used to be back in my day.”

 

With gritted teeth and annoyance bubbling in his gut, Izuku tunes out whatever else is said. Instead he turns to his friend, who’s sitting next to him, and asks, “How are you?”

 

Hitoshi also seems to have had enough of the whispers around them if the unconcealed scowl on his face says anything. He sighs at Izuku’s question and shrugs, “I would be lying if I said that I’m good.” He flashes a bitter grin at Izuku, “You’re not the only one who barely got any sleep these past days.”

 

Izuku chuckles at the joke. “Yeah, well that’s mostly because I got a little caught up on the case I’m working on.” Hitoshi rolls his eyes, “Of course.” His face turns more serious when he asks, “How are you?”

 

Instead of answering immediately, Izuku fiddles with the strap of his backpack. While the two of them had exchanged some messages during their days off, just to make sure that the other was alright, they hadn't seriously talked. They'd mostly sent each other different memes and held conversation light, so the events at the end of the USJ hang like a thick truth between them. "I guess I'm holding up," he mumbles eventually, "just the occasional nightmare." 

 

That wasn't completely true, rather it was an understatement. From the few attempts that Izuku had made at sleeping, none of them had ended well. Each time he'd awoken in panic, images of the Nomu and the pressure of Tenko holding him down clawing at his memory while phantom pains shot through his arms. This morning it had cost his mom twenty minutes to assure him that she'd be alright at home today on her day off. Even that hadn't been able to take away all of Izuku’s fears that He might do something while Izuku was at UA.

 

Hitoshi also doesn’t seem to buy the claim that he’s holding up, his brows shoot up as he says, "Really? You know you don't have to act like you're fine around me, right? I won't judge." 

 

Of course he knows. He trusts Hitoshi more than anyone, maybe except his mom. It's exactly why he doesn’t want his best friend involved in the mess that surrounds his life. He doesn’t want to burden the teen with that. Bakugo is another case, Izuku knows that he wouldn’t have been able to stop the teen from digging in his past. It had been better to just tell him about it so the blonde would stop his nagging. 

 

Still, he also doesn’t want to tell Hitoshi absolutely nothing. That also isn't fair to his friend. His shoulders sag as he answers his friend, "I know, I'm sorry. It's just…really hard for me to show that side of myself."

 

Hitoshi nods in understanding. Carefully, he asks, "Does it have to do with…your past?" Again, Izuku looks down. "Yes. You could say that I didn’t have the best childhood." Next to him Hitoshi shifts on his chair, he probably already knew that. Izuku iss aware that back when he'd first joined middle school he hadn’t exactly been normal.  

 

Over the intercom a woman's voice announces the next stop. Around them people begin shifting around and hoisting their bags on their shoulders. In the increase of volume Izuku adds more quietly, so no one except Hitoshi can hear, "The USJ…brought up some unpleasant memories."

 

When he looks up he sees Hitoshi's mouth turned downwards, a sad glint takes a hold of his eyes. It's not pity though, never pity, and for that Izuku is grateful. "I know it's lame to say, but I'm sorry you had to go through that."

 

Although it's not quite a smile, Izuku does feel how the corners of his mouth twitch as he says, "No, it’s not at all lame. Thank you." Before his friend can respond he adds, "And thanks for not telling the detective anything about what happened at the end. And for taking care of Aizawa sensei."

 

Hitoshi sighs and sends Izuku a small smile. "It's no big deal compared to what you did. I didn't see much from your fight with the leader, only just a bit of you two exchanging blows before Bakugo dumped Aizawa sensei with me and Todoroki," an annoyed look crosses his face at that, "but damn you can fight." 

 

Izuku’s cheeks flush at the praise, it's a rare thing to him. He would almost never praise him, there was almost always something he did wrong, but the few times that He did praise his work, Izuku still vividly remembers. It’s a sensation that during his childhood was something that he was constantly chasing.

 

The intercom comes to life again, announcing their stop. With it their conversation comes to an end.

 

---

 

Once they enter the classroom Uraraka is the first to notice them. "Midoriya!" As several heads in the classroom turn to look at them, Uraraka speeds to the front and crushes Izuku in a tight hug. Not sure how to respond, Izuku awkwardly pats her on the back. 

 

"I was so worried! One moment you were down at the plaza and the next you were back up and then they were rolling you into an ambulance and they wouldn't tell us anything and–"

 

Before she can continue on with her tangent Izuku cuts in, "Breathe, Uraraka before you faint from a lack of oxygen." They untangle themselves from their hug and he takes a small step bag, creating some distance again. It's not that he doesn’t appreciate the hug, but it’s not something he's used to. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I've only got a couple of bruises left here and there," he answers her, raising his voice so the rest of the class who are listening in on their conversation can also hear him.

 

Uraraka’s features relax, as if some tension has lifted from her now that she knows that Izuku is alright. Behind her, Iida approaches the three of them. With his arms chopping around in the air he exclaims, "Good to see that you're alright, Midoriya!" Then he turns to Hitoshi, who's standing just behind Izuku. "And of course it’s a relief to see you as well, Shinsou!"

 

Hitoshi gives an awkward laugh and rubs with one hand at his neck. "Heh, yeah. Good to see that you two are also okay…" Izuku just nods in agreement when his quirk alarms him of an approaching presence. He perks up and says, "I think it's best that we find our seats. I believe Aizawa sensei will be here soon…"

 

In a flurry of movement the entire class hurries to their seats and just when the last person, Kaminari, scrambles in his seat Aizawa comes striding into the room. Part of his face is still wrapped in bandages same as his arm, though it has lost the sling. 

 

"Everyone to your seats. The fight is not over yet." The man pauses when he notices everyone is already at their own table, before continuing on towards the front desk. At his words a tense atmosphere takes hold of the room. Muscles tense, breaths hitch in mouths and Izuku notices how, in front of him, Kacchan stiffens just slightly. Izuku himself doesn’t so much as shift, he knows that for all his logical ruses, Aizawa wouldn't drop them into a dangerous fight like this.

 

The man’s gaze sweeps through the room, taking in his students and making sure everyone is present. On some students his gaze lingers, Todoroki, Hitoshi, Kacchan, Izuku himself. The ones closest to the main plaza. Then he continues on, "The sports festival is in a few weeks. It is an opportunity for all of you to show pro heroes what you're made of."

 

As if a spell has lifted, the tension dissipates from the air. A few students openly slump in their chairs. “Man, that's so normal!” Kaminari exclaims. 

 

With one look from the hero everyone shuts up. “The sports festival is the biggest event in Japan, just after the Olympics, so make sure you don’t waste it.” Even if Aizawa looks like he could care less behind the bandages, a spark of energy has ignited among the students at the prospect of being able to show off their talents to an entire country.

 

In the back of the room Yaoyorozu raises her hand. “Sensei, are you sure it’s alright to hold such a big event after the school just got attacked by villains?” A few others nod along and Izuku can’t help but agree with her concern. 

 

Would it be a wise decision to show the world what Japan’s future heroes are capable of after one of UA’s classes recently got attacked? While he always enjoyed watching the sports festival, mostly because of all the interesting quirks on display, he also knows that not everyone watches the festival purely for entertainment. Back with Him, Izuku was only allowed to watch it if he made an extensive analysis of each quirk afterwards. He knows more than anyone that while the festival brings many good opportunities to the students, it also comes along with dangers and unwanted risks. Because everyone watches the festival, civilians, heroes and villains alike. 

 

Frustration tugs at the corners of Aizawa’s mouth as he answers, “The school board has decided that UA must show its strength after the attack. Therefore the festival will continue as usual, albeit with five times more police presence.” Izuku has a feeling like some underlying school politics are at play here, probably the need for the income from the festival to maintain UA’s insane budget. He wonders if he could convince UA to let him sit out the event. The attention that’ll come with the event isn’t something that Izuku wants, especially not because He will be watching. Even if he knows that it’s silly to believe that He doesn’t yet know about Izuku’s whereabouts, he still hopes. The sports festival would most certainly bring an end to that.

 

After the festival He would certainly know that Izuku is at UA. Then it would only be a matter of time before He would come to take Izuku back to that concrete room. 

 

His musings are cut short by his teacher's switch of topics. “The second thing that principal Nedzu has asked me to bring to your attention is the fact that as a school we’ll be offering all of you therapy with Hound Dog, our school therapist.”

 

Aizawa’s flat voice carries through the sudden quiet room. Here and there people shift on their chairs as the mood has plummeted again. “As pro heroes you’ll be dealing with traumatic experiences at least a few times during your career. It is important to know how to deal with that. One of the steps you can take is going to therapy. It is something many pro heroes do, even if it isn’t a topic that isn’t often talked about.”

 

“After the events at the USJ it is only logical that UA offers you free therapy sessions. The first session will be mandatory to you all.”

 

Murmurs rise and Iida's bold voice cuts through all of it. “Sensei, what will happen if you don’t attend?” The noise quiets down a bit, everyone wanting to hear Aizawa’s answer. The hero’s gaze travels through the room and finds Izuku as he answers, “You will be expelled from the hero course of UA.”

 

Shouts of indignation travel through the room but Izuku barely registers them as his brain refuses to function after the words expelled . The words mandatory therapy and expulsion from UA loop around his head over and over again, like a broken mantra. He has to go to therapy? And with hound dog, a faculty member from UA? There’s no way that he’s going. Although Izuku has realized by now that therapy might be a…somewhat good idea, there’s also a big difference between knowing that it might be a good idea to go and actually going. Then there’s also the fact that if Hound Dog were to realize the extent of Izuku’s very likely trauma there’s no way that he wouldn’t tell Nedzu and that would lead to Izuku’s cover possibly being blown to bits. He doesn’t trust an unknown adult to keep his secrets, even if that adult were to be a professional therapist. 

 

He’s roughly brought back to the tumultuous classroom when all of the sudden the world quiets. His head snaps up, his eyes wide, when he feels his quirk being erased. In the front Aizawa stands with glowing red eyes and floating hair. 

 

“Quiet.” Even if the word is spoken without much volume, it still does its job. One blink and the world shifts back into focus. A few dozen lights appear again in the back of Izuku’s mind and he can’t help the slight sigh of relief that escapes his mouth. Around him the class waits with bated breath for their teacher to continue. There’s a stern warning laced in Aizawa’s words when he does so, “Traumatized heroes are some of the most dangerous people in the field when their issues are left untreated. They can act unexpectedly and because of that can bring civilians into, sometimes mortal, danger. This is why your first session will be mandatory.”

 

The bell rings, signaling that homeroom has come to an end, and with it Aizawa stalks out of the classroom.

 

---

 

The classes that come after are a blur to Izuku. He’s not sure what is discussed in them, too busy worrying about the therapy session, but all of the sudden break rolls around. Izuku would like to continue overthinking about all the problems in his life, such as the fact that the schedule for the therapy sessions has been passed out. His is planned for this afternoon. Which is way too soon for his liking. But he’s swept away into the bustling school halls together with Uraraka and Iida, Hitoshi trails like a silent, reassuring presence next to Izuku. 

 

Both Uraraka and Iida are chatting excitedly about the upcoming sports festival, the therapy session already pushed to the back of their minds at the prospect of something much more exciting, and continue doing so as they file into the cafeteria. All of them grab some food from Lunch Rush before they go to find an empty table in the already busy room. 

 

Not much later Tsu joins them, adding yet another voice to the growing conversation. While Hitoshi sometimes brings in a short or sarcastic remark, Izuku is much too distracted by his own thoughts and by an intense gaze that stares at him from across the room. This time it isn’t Kacchan, rather it’s Todoroki with his mismatched eyes and ever passive expression. The bowl of soba sits untouched on the table as the teen watches Izuku from his seat on the other side of the cafeteria. 

 

Some sort of exhaustion makes Izuku sigh internally. He really doesn’t have the energy to deal with yet another question-eager teenager. The reason behind Todorki’s staring, Izuku can guess quite easily. Beside Kacchan and Hitoshi, Todoroki was the only other person so close to his fight with Tenko. Before he can stare right back though, hopefully with the result that the teen will cease what he’s doing, his quirk alerts him of a familiar burning presence approaching rapidly. 

 

With a loud thud Kacchan dumps his lunch tray in the empty space in front of Izuku.

 

All heads at the table swivel to look at the newcomer. 

 

“What are you doing here?!”

 

Surprisingly enough it’s Uraraka who asks the question, her eyes wide and the corners of her mouth slightly downward. Kacchan glares at her with a burning gaze, “Hah? You got a problem, Round Face?!” The brunette puffs up angrily at the nickname and she raises her chin defiantly in the air. “Yeah I do! With you… Explody Boy!”  

 

For a second silence reigns at the table, then Hitoshi snorts. That seems to break the spell, because then the other three also start chuckling in their hands. Meanwhile next to him, his best friend starts howling. “Man it’s about time someone nicknamed you.”

 

Izuku can only hopelessly watch as Kacchan’s head turns bright red with anger, his hands flex at his sides and his quirk light flares up, though Izuku notices how the teen doesn’t use his quirk. Before the blonde can blow up in their faces, Izuku intervenes. “Hey hey, stop!” He rises from his seat with his hands raised in a placating gesture. When he notices how the explosive teen still opens his mouth he quickly adds, “No, Kacchan! You don’t need to blow them to pieces!”

 

The four other teens present at the table look at him with a growing confusion. “Everybody, it’s fine ,” he tries to assure them. It doesn’t do much and Tsu is the one to speak up, with a hand raised at her chin. “Didn’t the two of you try to rip each other’s heads off during the battle exercise last week, kero ?” 

 

Iida and Uraraka nod along with her observation and Izuku winces at the memory. “Yeah we did but we…talked through our differences.” Hitoshi doesn’t look convinced either and sends Kacchan the stink eye. 

 

“Still…don’t you usually sit with Kirishima and Mina and stuff… Explody Boy?” Uraraka asks with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The blonde nearly seems to combust at the spot and retorts, “I can sit wherever the fuck I want, Kirby!”  

 

Uraraka’s eyebrows raise at the nickname, “Oh you’re on, Blasty!” A grin dances around her mouth and to Izuku’s horror he sees that Kacchan mirrors that expression as he plops down in the seat in front of him. “Like you’ll win, Pink Cheeks!”  

 

Even if Hitoshi and Iida still seem wary of Kacchan, they allow him to sit down and for a while everybody watches as Uraraka and Kacchan banter, with Hitoshi sometimes chiming in with a particular insult. Still, it’s all friendly and a small smile tugs at the corners of Izuku’s mouth as he watches the group’s dynamic. That is until Hitoshi comes with a particular sentence, “What’s with the nickname Kacchan , anyway?”

 

The blonde in question slams his hand on the table, “Oh no you don’t Eyebags–”

 

Izuku groans and his hands find his face as Kacchan goes off on a tangent at Hitoshi. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to let the blonde sit at the table after all. If only for the fact that Izuku’s peace of mind will be past time during lunch.

 

---

 

It’s impossible to turn the door handle.

 

Izuku’s been standing in front of the door that leads to Hound Dog’s office for a good five minutes and even just the thought of turning the handle sends his mind in a frenzy. It should be a simple task but to Izuku it appears like he should do the impossible.

 

Logically speaking it’s just the action of raising his arm, putting his hand on the handle and pushing. Logic seems to have been discarded by his mind, because to him the action is so much more than simply opening a door. It means allowing help there where he’s been on his own for so many years, it means having to look back on his actions and all that’s happened to him. It means he has to face his past and all the ghosts that come with it.

 

And although Izuku knows that Hound Dog will probably only be touching on the USJ, it feels like it will be so much more than that. Like puncturing a single small hole in a dam. Once that hole is there, cracks will spread until the dam breaks and all the water will come rushing out. 

 

Come on, it’s just a fucking door.

 

No matter how much he thinks that, his body won’t obey him. His arms won’t raise, like there’s a wall between his thoughts and the rest of his body. He doesn’t know how much longer he stands there, staring at the handle and battling with his own mind. Then his quirk alerts him of movement inside the room.

 

The quirk light that must belong to Hound Dog has gotten up and is now moving towards the door.

 

No no no no–

 

Izuku can’t face the hero right now. It’s too much and his thoughts threaten to spill over and he has to get away he has to leave–

 

Before the hero has reached the door, Izuku has dashed away, his mind reeling and his body all too happy to comply with his command to get away. Behind him he hears how the man opens the door, he must see Izuku’s retreating figure down the hall. He hears how the hero calls out, probably his name, but Izuku ignores it.

 

He has to get away. That’s all his mind is focused on. He has to leave the school grounds because what if Hound Dog notifies Nedzu and they close the school gate? What if they lock him up in here and force him to go to that therapy session? 

 

School halls rush past him and Izuku keeps running until he’s out the door, down the path towards the gate. He doesn’t stop running when he’s past the gate, his yellow backpack bounces uncomfortably on his back but Izuku ignores it. 

 

He just runs.

 

And that’s exactly what he’s doing, isn’t he? Running away. Ignoring his problems, like he’s done all his life. Right now he can’t find it in himself to care. The anxiety of the school day has mixed together with the fear of He coming and taking him or his mother and right now all Izuku wants to do is be with his mom. Consequences be damned.

 

The fact that he probably will be expelled hangs like a dooming prospect above his head but he pushes the thoughts away. He’ll worry about it later, right now he focuses on running.

 

For a while that’s all he does. The shock of each step reverberates through his legs and he feels the wind in his hair. It feels great to focus on that right now, to keep the growing panic at bay. The streets are empty, most people either at work or school and Izuku’s glad for that. He doesn’t want anyone to see him in this state. 

 

His mom will probably be surprised to see him but that’s alright. He’ll explain. She’ll understand. 

 

When he’s just a few streets removed from his apartment he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, coupled with a blaring noise. A message. There’s only one kind of message that can make this noise. Izuku’s heart skips a beat as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

 

Mom:

 

SOS

 

The world tilts off kilter as he reads the message. For a second no air is able to rush into his lungs. No–...not his mom. Then he comes back to his senses with a jolt. Adrenaline courses through his veins in the span of seconds and a suffocating fear fills Izuku. He pulls multiple strength enhancing quirks to the front and then he runs.

 

A blaring sense of terror forms a tight knot in his gut. It clears all other thoughts from his head except the one that says that he has to run, that he has to be on time. He sees the world with more clarity than before, notices every single detail but discards them for they are not important. 

 

Too quickly and too slow at once his apartment building comes into view. He all but throws open the entrance door and rushes for the stairs. With two steps at a time he climbs them, then he rushes down the hallway until he comes to a stop in front of his own front door. 

 

The lock is blown to pieces and the door itself sits askew in its hinges. Izuku wastes no time and barges through the door. Fear and stress course as waves through him but he pushes the feelings aside until a single emotion is all that’s left. Anger.

 

Voices sound but through the rushing of blood in his ears Izuk doesn’t hear what they’re saying. It’s not important. He rounds the corner and gets greeted with the kitchen. 

 

Three figures surround his mom, two with long knives raised at her. Izuku notices how her quirk light pulsates rapidly with fear, even if her face only shows a grim determination. She’s the first to notice him standing in the doorway, trembling in fury and quirks ready beneath his finger tips.

 

A single word escapes his mouth before the storm inside of him breaks.

 

“Mom?”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Chapter 16: Must have been the wind

Notes:

Hi! It’s been a while, I know. A single conversation in this chapter just didn’t want to be written, and then all of the sudden my exam week peeked around the corner, hogging up all my time. Needless to say, I apologize for this *very* later chapter, I really didn’t mean to disappear like that.

Anyway, this chapter’s title is from a song ‘It must have been the wind’ by Alec Benjamin. I think it reflects Izuku’s mind pretty well on how he feels about opening up to people.

CW: Kidnapping, violence, blood

“Mom?”

 

His mom stares right back at him, fear for her son creeping into her green eyes. The three figures –men, all three of them with quirks if their lights are anything to go by– swivel around to get a look at this new voice. The biggest of them, most likely the leader if his selfassured form is anything to go by, growls, “Not a step closer, you brat. Any movement and your mother dies.” His hands begin to glow a bright blue as he brings them up to his mom’s face. 

 

Izuku glares at the three villains, trembling with barely contained fury and his nails drawing blood in his palms with how hard he’s clenching his hands. He knows he can’t just start a fight, not with his mother within such close range of an unknown dangerous quirk.

 

“Hey, isn’t this that kid we were told had top priority?” one of the other two men asks. “Yeah! We get triple the price for him!” the other adds with glee. Hearing this, a cold smirk spreads across the leader’s face. “Change of plans. If you don’t want your dear mother to die you come with us quietly.”

 

Izuku’s insides turn cold. Come with them? Back to Him? He would refuse, but then who knows what would happen to his mom? His eyes dart over to her. She must see the look on his face because then she calls, “No!”

 

Slap

 

“Quiet!” the leader barks. Silence rings as time seems to come to a stop. 

 

Izuku isn’t sure when he loses control.

 

One moment he can only watch as his mom’s eyes fill with pain, a red imprint left on her cheek. The leader’s face is contorted into something cruel, his hand still raised after what he just did. 

 

The next moment, Izuku feels something inside of him snap.  

 

They hurt mom.

 

How dare they.

 

The quirks that had been humming at his fingertips break loose. An energy fills his veins as he rushes forward, his muscles backed up by multiple strength enhancing quirks. At the same time that he clashes with the two men, his mom activates her quirk on the leader. Izuku doesn’t have the chance to see whether it has any effect, he can only hope, because then he’s busy fighting off two villains at the same time. 

 

Anger sings in his veins and there’s a pressure at the back of his head that urges him to fight. To hurt. Villain number one he downs by electrical current, the liquid spouts from his hands and he barely has the time to lower the output so it won’t kill the man. The second villain takes a bit longer. His opponent attempts to stab him with the long knife he’s holding, but long before the man has finished his movement Izuku has already darted out of the way.

 

In one swift move he steals the knife from the villain. The man only has the time to widen his eyes in surprise before Izuku stabs the man in the shoulder. Villain no 2 curses and swings a clumsy fist at Izuku with his non injured side. Side stepping the attack, Izuku lashes out at the man much faster. The villain is fast asleep before he even touches the ground.

 

Inside of him the storm hasn’t subsided, it rages on and eradicates everything but the burning thought to get revenge. They have to pay. Izuku looks up from the downed villain towards the place where his mom and the leader must be fighting. He’s not surprised to see the leader standing there, clawing at his throat with his eyes bulging.

 

His mom stands in front of the man with a ruthless look on her face. Her hand is stretched out and is pulling at an invisible source, this time that turns out to be the villain’s tongue. “Don’t you dare take my son away from me!” she hisses, her green hair a disheveled mess around her face. The man glares back with a look that could kill while still clawing at his throat, his face is slowly turning red and a vein seems to pop in his temple. Then his hands move away from his throat, a blue light at the fingertips.

 

Izuku doesn’t wait to see what might happen next. His body reacts without waiting for his mind to catch up. His legs boost forward. One moment the man is struggling to breath, the next Izuku’s in his face. The leader still attempts to use his quirk, and not at Izuku. No, he still tries to raise his hands at the woman who’d so fearlessly taken him on only seconds ago. Blue lights spurt from his fingertips and Inko has to duck out of the way lest she gets hit. Instead, the lights hit the wall behind her, where they leave dark burn marks on the white paint. 

 

With a snarl Izuku tackles the man to the ground. Judging by the look in his eyes, the villain finally seems to realize who he should be worrying about. Izuku raises his fist. Then he hits.

 

He has to pay.

 

He hits again.

 

Someone says something. Izuku doesn’t listen. There’s this ugly feeling gnarled inside of him that longs to come out.  

 

He hits again.

 

A sensation like an electrical current runs up the arm that he’s holding the villain down with. It must be the man’s quirk. Izuku raises his fist again. He can only see the man in front of him, how he threatened him and his mom, how he hurt her and how pleased he’d looked doing it.

 

“-...zuku!”

 

Izuku whips his head around to the sound, ready to deal with whoever it is. Some sort of force is tugging at his raised hand, at the same time someone shakes his shoulder. He blinks and suddenly the tunnel vision is gone. He isn’t in some sort of back alley, fighting for his life. No, he’s in his kitchen with his mom standing in front of him, shaking his shoulder with a desperate note to her voice. “Stop! He’s down! You’ll kill him if you go any further!”

 

Her words take a while to settle in. Izuku just sits there, dazed and wondering what she means. Then he looks down at his hands and sees them covered in sticky, red blood. His school uniform is also splattered with it and when his gaze follows the red trail he sees the villain, out cold. His face is a red mess, the rest of his body gone limp like a doll with its strings cut. 

 

That’s not what sends Izuku into a frenzy. No, what sends horror at what he’s done crashing through him, is the realization that a new quirk sits snugly underneath his skin. The electrical current he’d felt traveling up his arm hadn’t been the villain’s quirk. He’d stolen a quirk.

 

Just like Him.

 

With a shuddering breath Izuk raises his trembling hands. He stares at them, the way they’re coated in red. A cry crawls its way up his throat. “No!”

 

He’d vowed he wouldn’t do it again. Ever. That promise had already been broken two times, but those times had been necessary. This time he could’ve easily won without even using his quirk. Swallowing hard, he tries to keep down the upcoming nausea. Breathing is becoming harder and the world has become a haze of colors again.

 

Then two hands gently take a hold of his own trembling hands. “Hey sweetie, it’s okay. You’re okay. I’m okay.” Izuku shakes his head as his mom’s blurry face crouches down in front of him. “N-no,” he chokes out in between breaths, “I did-...” He can’t continue, the words lock in his throat. 

 

“What did you do?” his mom asks, her voice soft yet edged with worry. Looking down so he doesn’t have to see her face,  Izuku whispers, “I s-stole his quirk.”

 

“Oh, Izuku.” She cradles his face in one hand and wipes away a few stray tears. “You did what you had to. You saved us. No one blames you.”

 

That’s not right and he shakes his head again, this time more violently. “But it makes me a monster! I’m just like Him!”  

 

There’s a beat of silence, where the words seem to echo in the room. Then two warm arms wrap around him. The sweet scent of his mother fills his nose. “Never say that, Izuku. You’re not like him at all. You’re so much better, so good. ” She sighs, “If only you could see yourself the way I see you, the way others see you.”

 

Izuku feels how his eyes water. He sniffles against his mom’s shoulder, “But I stole a quirk.” She pulls away and looks into his eyes, pushes a lock behind his ear. “But you intend to give it back, don’t you?”

 

He pauses, weighing the question in his mind. Of course he wants to return the quirk. Iida and Yaoyorozu got their quirks back, the only reason the Nomu didn’t get its quirks back was because it was dead. He never gave back the quirks He took. “I do want to return the quirk,” he manages to respond a little steadier this time. The panic in his mind has lessened again, breathing comes easier and the world seems a little clearer. 

 

A soft smile stretches across his mom’s face. She squeezes his hands. “Then you go do that. I’ll call the police.” She gets up and Izuku watches as she steps around the other two unconscious villains to get to the house phone. Before she’s reached it, Izuku calls out, “Wait! Call detective Tsukauchi. I don’t know whether we can trust anyone else in the police force.” 

 

There could be moles anywhere. Bribed police officers were almost a given. His mom seems to come to the same conclusion because she nods. Still, she asks, “Doesn’t he have a lie detecting quirk?”

 

“He does….” but Izuku knows he’s the only man at the police station he trusts enough. “But we’ll use our cover story.” His mom looks at the phone then back at him. “Are you sure it’s lie-proof?”

 

“If we use it exactly like we practiced. You just have to leave out… Him.”

 

She hesitates again, her hand hovering above the phone. “Are you also sure you don’t want to tell him the whole story?” For a few seconds Izuku debates actually doing that. Then he reminds himself of all the things he’s done. Falsified IDs, lying to a police officer about an ongoing case, that’s without mentioning all the things he had to do back with Him. There’s no way there won’t be any consequences to that, or to the mere fact that he’s the grandson of the biggest villain alive. He shakes his head and quietly says, “I don’t want to go to jail.”

 

His mom sighs, but doesn’t protest. They both know that things wouldn’t change for the better if the heroes knew about their family ties. While his mom calls the police, Izuku returns the quirk to the leader. Back to where it belongs. He stares down at the man who’d nearly destroyed their lives and is reminded that this man isn’t the final one responsible. 

 

That little fact belongs to All For One. 

 

Dear old grandfather and supervillain. The anger that had been shimmering underneath the surface after Izuku’s fight flares up again, hot and burning. His hands clench into a fist and Izuku grits his teeth. Although his limbs shake from exhaustion, he stands tall in front of the three villains. Because this time they’d been able to remain out of All For One’s clutches. Today they win.

 

Today they remain free.

 

---

 

Shouta would like to say that he’s surprised when he finds himself sitting inside an interrogation room with the detective and Midoriya so soon again . Unfortunately for him the problem child couldn’t go two days without getting in trouble. First, Hound Dog who’d come to him that afternoon to tell him that Midoriya hadn’t attended the mandatory therapy session. Granted, knowing how the kid would clam up after even just remotely asking about his personal life, or God forbid feelings, that reaction might have been expected. Second, the fact that apparently a few villains had broken into the Midoriya apartment. The kid just couldn’t catch a break, could he?

 

That last fact is what brings all of them to this interrogation room. Shouta and Tsukauchi on one side of the metal table, Midoriya and mrs. Midoriya on the other. Tsukauchi looks just as exhausted as Shouta feels, the man must have had a rough few days with both the USJ case and the Kokkaku case on his plate. 

 

The Midoriya’s have their chairs practically shoved against each other. At first Shouta had been surprised at the way that the Midoriya’s seemed to cling to one another. But just the few minutes with them before they’d entered this room had told him how close the two were. How at peace Midoriya seems with his mom, a sort of weight that seems to have lifted from his shoulders. Seeing mrs. Midoriya, Shouta understands why Midoriya is so at ease. Her hair is a darker green than that of her son and she has a rounder face.A certain calmness hangs around her, that seems to soften Midoriya’s boundless energy. Still, her movements have a certain control to them that give Shouta the idea that she isn’t a defenseless woman.

 

Tsukauchi had proposed to have this conversation inside his office, but Midoriya had firmly requested that they go to this room. Why, Shouta doesn’t know. While the detective shuffles around various papers and forms, Shouta observes the two Midoriya’s. Mrs. Midoriya sits with one leg crossed over the other, her hands neatly folded in her lap. She watches the detective with a neutral expression, yet her eyes betray that she’s keeping track of everything the man does. The younger Midoriya’s posture appears even more guarded than usual. His eyes scour the room with an intense focus, sometimes returning to the two men to check on them. There’s a weariness underneath it all that only shows itself in the way the kid’s mouth drags down even more and in the slight sagging of his shoulders. 

 

While mrs. Midoriya ‘only’ has the disheveled hair, crumpled clothes and some blood splatters to show for what must have gone down between them and the villains, Midoriya is practically covered in blood. Although his hands are clean –he’d washed them just a few minutes before– his clothes are stained a dark red in some areas and a few blood splatters are scattered across his face. The sight of it makes Shouta wonder what exactly had happened, worry crawling in the back of his mind.

 

With a sigh, Tsukauchi eventually breaks the silence. “Alright, let’s get started.” He presses the record button on the voice recorder and moves in the metal chair to find a comfortable position. “I am obligated by law to tell you that this conversation will be recorded. I am also obligated to tell you that I have a lie-detecting quirk that I will be using during this conversation. I will be able to tell when a lie is being told.”

 

The two Midoriya’s nod, both of them now with their full attention on the detective. With that out of the way, Tsukauchi begins, “So, talk me through everything from the start.”

 

It’s mrs. Midoriya who starts, “I was in the kitchen, putting away some groceries when the villains came.”

 

“At what time must this have been?” Tsukauchi interrupts. Mrs. Midoriya pauses to think about the time, her brows furrowing. “Somewhere between two and three in the afternoon. I’m not sure, I’m not someone who pays that much attention to time.” 

 

The detective nods in thanks as his pen scratches on the paper of his notebook. “They didn’t knock or anything, just blew the door off its hinges. The only reason that I could alert Izuku was because they first checked the other rooms. Our kitchen is at the back of the apartment, you see.”

 

“How did you alert your son?”

 

Midoriya answers instead of his mother. “She sent an SOS message.” The kid’s got a neutral expression plastered on his face, not a single thing that Shouta can glean from that. Mrs. Midoriya nods and her hands wring in her lap as she continues, "They were with three when they reached the kitchen. Two with long knives, the man who was the leader without. They told me not to move, otherwise they would use the knives they had." 

 

She swallows, her gaze briefly traveling to her son. Midoriya's neutral expression has morphed into something darker. "I- I tried to keep them talking. My quirk isn't the strongest, I can pull small objects toward me but that’s about it. Luckily Izuku came storming in not much later, I don’t want to think about what would have happened otherwise.”

 

The detective has paused his notetaking and a slight frown has morphed on his face that tells Shouta that he’s puzzled about something. “Just to clarify, your son wasn’t at school during the afternoon?”

 

Mrs. Midoriya blinks, as if this is the first time she’s even thought about it. Her gaze travels to her son, whose eyes dart between the three adults suddenly staring at him. Shouta also wonders what Midorya’s explanation will be, he still has to have a chat with the problem child about ditching the therapy session. Although he’s willing to make some concessions with the kid regarding the need for attendance, he does want to have some clarification about the reason behind skipping his session. 

 

Midoriya’s eyes still contain some anger –not aimed at them, Shouta can see, but intended for someone else. “I left school earlier,”  is all the kid says with a nonchalant shrug. Tsukachi’s eyebrows rise and he seems to want to ask something but before he can, Shouta cuts in. “These are matters that the school will deal with. They are unimportant to the discussion here.” 

 

The detective glances at Shouta with a question in his eyes. Shouta gives a slight shake of his head. The man doesn’t need to know about Midoriya running away from a therapy session. It’s something personal that Shouta knows Midoriya wouldn’t want to share.

 

Tsukauchi sighs but seems to drop the subject. He turns back to the Midoriya’s and asks them to continue. Midoriya picks up where they’d left off. “I rushed back to the apartment as soon as I got the message.”

 

The kid recounts his story. How the villains had threatened to hurt his mom if he so much as moved. How they wanted to take Midoriya. And how the Midoriya’s had managed to take the three villains down in the end. Mrs. Midoriya by strangeling the leader, Midoriya by turning off the man’s quirk. “For the sake of documentation, could you state what your quirk is again?” Tsukauchi asks when the teen has finished. 

 

“By touching people for five seconds, I can make people unable to use their quirks permanently. By touching them again, I can give them the ability to use their quirk back,” Midoriya rattles the aspect of his quirk off quickly, almost bored. From the corner of his eyes Shouta can see how the detective marks all of it down in his notebook as ‘true’. While Tsukauchi is busy writing things down, Shouta takes the opportunity to ask the question that has been on his, and the detective’s mind all this time. “Do you have any idea why these villains would want to kidnap you, mrs. Midoriya?”

 

Mrs. Midoriya doesn’t immediately answer. Instead, her eyes travel to her son. The two exchange a glance, before both turn their gazes toward Shouta. Mrs. Midoriya lets out a shuddering breath, her eyes falling down to her lap as she says, “I do have an idea but…” She trails off, leaving the room in a sudden tension. “We have to know we can trust you,” Midoriya finishes with a firm note to his voice. His sharp expression pierces the two men at the other side of the table. 

 

Tsukauchi frowns more openly this time and Shouta can’t help but agree. What could possibly be so important that the Midoriya’s want to know whether they can be trusted? Midoriya’s frame is coiled up with tension, Shouta can see it in the way his shoulders are set. It seems like their answer really matters to the kid. Tsukuachi appears to come to the same conclusion, because he asks, “Is this why you called me instead of the general police number?”

 

Midoriya gives a terse nod.

 

For a moment the detective stares right at the kid, then he inclines his head. It’s a gesture that holds all the man’s sincerity. “You can trust me.” He leans forward and with a click he turns the recorder off. 

 

Midoriya’s unmoving gaze moves to Shouta and he knows that there’s only one answer he can give. “You know you can trust me, Midoriya. I won’t betray that trust.” Shouta tries to put as much truth into his words as he can. Even if the problem child gives him too many gray hairs to count, Midoriya is one of his students, and Shouta knows that the kid can go far in life. The potential is there and it would be illogical to waste it.

 

An expression too fast for Shouta to see flashes across the kid’s face. Then it’s gone, replaced by a sense of relief in his eyes. “Good,” Midoriya says with a shaky exhale. Next to him, mrs. Midoriya’s form also sags in relief. Both Shouta and Tsukauchi wait for Midoriya to start explaining. For a few seconds the teen sits there, mouth opening a few times only to close it again, no sound coming out. Something like conflict fills his eyes and eventually his mother puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. She says, “We think it might have been the criminal organization that my husband was a part of.”

 

The words are stated like a plain fact, yet they hit Shouta with more force than they should. Of all the things he might have expected to come as an explanation, this was not it. Next to him, Tsukauchi manages to keep any surprise he might be feeling out of his voice when he asks, “Would you mind explaining a bit more?”

 

“While he was alive my husband was part of a criminal organization…and though eventually I figured that part of his life out, I didn’t want to leave because I was pregnant with Izuku.” Mrs. Midoriya’s eyes are unfocused, drawn away by memories long past. Even though Shouta hasn’t heard the rest of the story yet, he can tell it’s filled with tragedy. Maybe it’s the way mrs. Midoriya’s voice has taken on a mournful tone or maybe it’s the heavy energy that the air seems to be charged with all of the sudden. “The criminal organization was powerful, so much so that when my husband wanted to leave it all behind –he couldn’t.” She pauses and her brows scrunch up. When Shouta looks at Midoriya, he notices how the teen’s expression has closed off once more. A stone mask set firmly in place. 

 

“W-when Izuku was twelve,” mrs. Midoriya swallows and lets out a shaky breath, “his father –and my husband– died.” The last word comes out trembling and it takes a moment before mrs. Midoriya has recollected herself. Then she continues, her shoulder squared and her voice strong once again, “He must have done something to anger the organization because they started hunting us, probably to make us pay for what he did. Izuku and I were on the run for a good year before we managed to settle down somewhere else. Though to this day the organization still hunts us.”

 

God. Suddenly it makes sense why Midoriya always seems to be aware of his surroundings. Why he’s so distrustful of other people. Shouta steals a glance at the teen, only to find that he has his eyes lowered, nothing to be learned from his posture. To lose a father at such a young age, only to then also be forced to flee from your home. It’s not a good or easy way for a kid to grow up. 

 

“Do you happen to know the name of this organization?” The detective asks, a mask of professionalism still glued onto his face. Mrs. Midoriya’s hands wring in her lap and with a apologetic tone she says, “It doesn’t really have a name. It’s more of a big network of crime.”

 

For a moment Tsukauchi pauses his writing, still he marks the statement down as ‘truth’. Something about the way that mrs. Midoriya says those last words makes Shouta wonder, “This network is big enough to also have left its mark inside the police?” He and Tsukauchi share a glance, if that's the case it could be bad.

 

“You don’t understand. They’re everywhere.” When Midoriya says it there’s a certain urge in his words. “That's why they found us in the first place. It’s why there's no place that’s safe for me and my mom.” 

 

“No place?” the detective asks, his eyebrows rising.

 

The Midoriya’s shake their heads, utter a ‘no’. 

 

“Not even UA?” Shouta isn’t sure why he asks the question. Maybe because his shriveled up heart still can’t stand people who need help. The Midoriya’s look like they need it and Shouta can’t look away from that. 

 

Midoriya hesitates. “Maybe…I- I just want my mom to be safe again.” That last sentence holds so much desperation, Shouta’s taken aback by it. It’s probably the most emotion the kid has ever willingly shown. “You know, there is an apartment building on campus. It’s there for students and teachers who need a safe space for whatever reason. I could ask principal Nedzu if he wants to consider allowing you two to live on campus for the time being.”

 

Mrs. Midoriya openly perks up at that and Midoriya’s interest also seems piqued. They share a look. Mrs. Midoriya eventually speaks up, “If you could do that it would mean a lot to us.” 

 

Shouta dips his head, “No problem, it’s important to me that my students have a safe home situation. Heroics is a dangerous career and they need to be able to focus on their studies.” Next to his mother, Midoriya doesn’t exactly smile at Shouta. Yet it isn’t a frown either. “Thanks,” is all he says.

 

Something like a thrill of happiness blooms inside of Shouta. It must be because he’s proud of his student for finally opening up a little and allowing that bit of help. 

 

---

 

After that the conversation is wrapped up quite quickly. Shouta immediately goes out to call Nedzu. The rat is all too happy to have the Midoriya’s on his campus. No doubt that he’s already hiring a moving company and taking care of at least half of the paperwork required. 

 

Tsukauchi disappears into his office so he can prepare the villains' interrogation. Hopefully they’ll be able to learn a bit more about the criminal organization. 

 

When Shouta enters the interrogation room where the Midoriya’s are still waiting, he tells them to come with him. He’ll drive them to UA where they can stay the night. Although he could just ask a police officer to drive the two –that way Shouta can also be there when the villains are interrogated– he chooses not to. Until they know more about this organization he’s not letting the Midoriya’s out of his sight as long as they’re not on UA’s grounds.

 

On their way to UA, Shouta tells the two that Nedzu has agreed to let them live at UA. Mrs. Midoriya is delighted when she hears the news, thanking Shouta again and again. He doesn’t really know how to respond to that. His people skills have never been good, something that Hisashi and Nemuri have reminded him of plenty of times.

 

Midoriya has to grin at the whole ordeal. The brat. 

 

Speaking of, the whole conversation regarding the therapy session they can hold another time. Shouta doesn’t have the energy to try to drag more information out of Midoriya. Besides, the kid has had enough to deal with for today. 

 

Everything seems to be going smoothly. They arrive at UA without much trouble, the Midoriya’s are swept away by Recovery Girl to be checked up. That is until Shouta receives a phone call.

 

“Yes?” he grunts, he would much rather find a spot to lay down with his yellow sleeping bag for a while. God he’s tired.

 

“The villains, they’re gone,” Tsukauchi’s distressed voice sounds on the other side of the line. 

 

Shouta frowns, “What do you mean: They’re gone?”

 

“Exactly like I said. One moment they’re there, the next they’re gone. No sign on any of the security cameras.”  

 

The words take longer than they should to settle in. But when they do, Shouta’s stomach drops. Gone. Just like that. “Did you manage to interrogate them?” he asks, maybe more harshly than he usually would.

 

“I was just going to. That’s when I realized they’d disappeared.”  

 

“So Midoriya was right, this organization is everywhere.” Of course Shouta had believed the kid already, but this just confirmed it.

 

“Yes, and it seems they’ve had help from the inside. The camera feeds are looped.” The detective sounds bone tired when he says it and frankly, Shouta agrees. Gone is their lead on the organization or on any of the mess that the Midoriya’s seem to find themselves entangled in. 

 

“Fuck.” Shouta doesn’t swear often, but he feels like it’s justified this time. Because if the organization had help from the inside, that means that some police officer must be working for them. Which means that no one at the station can be trusted.

 

---

 

The next day a moving company helps him and his mom to move all their things to UA. Aizawa had allowed him to skip classes, or rather he'd threatened to expel Izuku if he dared to show his face in class. Izuku doesn’t mind. These past few days had been much too stressful for his liking, so spending time with his mom while unpacking boxes in their new apartment sounds like a blessing to him.

 

A couple other people live in the apartment building that stands at the edge of the campus. Most students don't even know about its existence, which is probably for the best. Izuku isn’t sure whether he’d like having random students hanging around his home.

 

The apartment itself is better than he’d expected. It’s a bit bigger than their last apartment and the sound isolation is at least ten times better. Izuku’s room looks out over the front of the building, exactly how he likes it. This way he can easily keep track of who enters and leaves the building. 

 

“Izuku, look what I just found.”

 

Izuku looks up from the box he’d been unpacking to see his mom standing in the doorway of his new room. She’s holding a thin photo album in one hand, a soft smile on her face. He gets up from his place on the ground to stand next to her, curiosity lightly buzzing. The album is a light brown, a thin layer of dust clings to the outside. Somewhere in the back of his brain it scratches his memory but before he can grab onto it, the thought flees again.

 

“What is it again?” he asks, eyes searching the outside of the album.

 

“Come on, you’ll love it.” His mom ushers him further into the bedroom and they sit down on his yet to be made bed. Then she opens the album to reveal the first photo. At the sight Izuku remembers.

 

“This is…”

 

His mom smiles, “Yes, the album from your first year in middle school.” As she leaves through the first few pages, Izuku takes in the pictures and the memories that come with them. Most of the photos aren’t of great quality, money had been scarce for them back then, and his mom had made them with the crappy camera on her cheap phone. Still, the pictures of their first time eating out somewhere –it had been at a dingy restaurant somewhere in a backstreet and the food had been half-cold by the time they got it, it had still been one of the best meals Izuku has ever had– and of them admiring the pink blossom of the trees at the park in springtime, bring a smile to his face. 

 

“Oh, I remember this one,” he points at a photo where he was sitting with a small birthday cake in front of him. A hesitant smile hovers on his pale face. It was during his first free birthday. Although it was actually his second, this had been the first one where they’d been able to properly celebrate it without constantly being on the run and moving from place to place. 

 

For a while they look through the album, allowing the memories that come with each page in. Then his mom gets up with the words, "You look through these for a little longer, I have to go talk to principal Nedzu." 

 

Izuku hums in response and she ruffles his hair before leaving the room. There’s something reassuring about knowing that you're in the safest place in the country, it calms the doubt and humming anxiety in his veins a little. Knowing that the chance of something happening to his mom is slim, is nice, even if the doubt never leaves completely. The little fact that the villains from yesterday had escaped, no doubt with the help of All For One, doesn’t help.

 

He doesn't know how long he sits there, taking in all the photos, but at some point he's dragged away from his thoughts by the sound of a ringing bell from the entrance door downstairs. For a second Izuku wonders who that might be, then his gaze falls on the ticking clock inside one of the boxes. Classes should be over right about now. 

 

Right, I'd invited some people over.

 

In a hurry to answer the door, Izuku scrambles back on his feet and rushes out the room, down the stairs. Swinging the door open, Izuku comes face to face with two of his friends.

 

"Why the fuck weren't you in class?!"

 

Izuku lets out an awkward huff, "That’s uh…why I invited you here." Kacchan sends him a skeptical look while Hitoshi observes him carefully. "You did something again, didn't you?"

 

Holding up his hands defensively, Izuku steps aside to let the two teens in. "Just-…I'll explain." 

 

"I didn't even know that this building existed. What is it?" Hitoshi asks as Izuku leads them up the stairs, down the hall to the new apartment. "It's an apartment building." 

 

Kacchan rolls his eyes as he stomps next to them. "No shit. What Eyebags means is: why the fuck are you here?"

 

"I might…live here?" Izuku answers, bracing himself for the reaction that that will bring. 

 

"What?!"

 

"Last time I checked you lived three streets from my house," Hitoshi deadpans, not at all impressed. 

 

They reach the front door and Izuku lets them in, leading the three of them to the still barren kitchen. A single table and four chairs have been pushed against a wall and Izuku gestures for the two teens to sit. "Like I said, I'll explain. But you might want to sit down." 

 

---

 

"So let me get this straight," Hitoshi says. They're sitting at the table with mugs of tea in front of them. Izuku has just explained his mom’s near kidnapping and the reason why he moved so suddenly. "Your mom almost gets kidnapped by the villain organization you dad was a part of before he died, just because they want to repay some kind of debt?"

 

"Yes."

 

His friend looks seconds away from having an aneurysm. "And now you have to live here because that's the only way the two of you can be safe."

 

Izuku nods, "That sounds about right." 

 

Hitoshi takes a deep breath, looks out the window. "Okay. That-...sure." He looks back at Izuku with something like relief in his eyes. “Thanks for telling me,” his friend pauses to search for the right words. “It means a lot that you trust me enough.”

 

Something like guilt twists in Izuku’s gut at those words. He hadn’t told his friend the full truth. His eyes spare a glance at Kacchan but the blonde only stares right back with an accusing glint in his eyes. The teen hadn’t said a word ever since Izuku had finished talking. 

 

In the end Izuku chooses to nod at his friend’s words. “Sure, just make sure you two keep this on the low. I don’t want the entire school to know.” Hitoshi nods at the words and assures him that that’s a given, Kacchan merely grunts in response. Then Hitoshi’s eyes fall on the clock that stands on the kitchen counter –it has yet to find a spot on the wall– and he lets out a surprised squawk. “Shit! I’m supposed to meet Aizawa-sensei at the gym!” He gets up with flailing limbs and reaches for the backpack next to his chair.

 

The other two watch him with an air of confusion. It’s Izuku who asks the question, “Why are you meeting Aizawa-sensei?” Hitoshi’s answer comes in a hurried mess, “Extra training with a capture weapon!” He gets to the edge of the kitchen and calls over his shoulder, “I’ll tell you more about it later! Gotta run!”

 

Then his friend rushes away with a quick ‘thank you for having me’. The door slams behind him, leaving Izuku and Kacchan alone in the barren apartment. Izuku tracks his friend’s purple quirk light for as long as he’s able while silence stretches on inside the kitchen.

 

“So you haven’t told Eyebags about your dear old grandpa.” It’s Kacchan who breaks the silence, one eyebrow raised. Izuku slumps in his chair and makes a face. “I don’t want to burden him with that…” he starts. He still doesn’t have a good feeling about telling anyone else. Hell, Kacchan had been an exception, he’d practically forced Izuku’s hand. Also, it could bring yet another person in danger. Yesterday proved how far All For One’s influence reaches. Staring down at his hands, Izuku mumbles, “Maybe later I'll tell him, when I’m ready. But not now.”

 

A huff has him looking up. Kacchan is staring at him with his arms folded, a trademark scowl on his face. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. It’s your own choice.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

 

“You and auntie Inko sure did get lucky yesterday.” Although his friend tries to act all tough when he says it, Izuku can see the worry in his eyes. He realizes that he might not have been the only one afraid of losing someone. Izuku lets out a bitter chuckle, “Skipping my therapy session was good for something at least.”

 

The blonde snorts at that, “Fucking nerd.” 

 

“No, I actually did that!” Izuku says, crossing his arms defiantly. Kacchan rolls his eyes, “Of course you did. Idiot.”

 

Like that, the mood has shifted again. Kacchan stays a while longer, the two of them exchanging friendly banter. When his friend leaves, Izuku feels lighter than he’s been in a long time. His mom is safe and well, he’s still at UA and not in jail and now that the threat of kidnapping has lessened quite a bit due to his new home within UA’s well guarded walls, Izuku actually feels a bit of excitement creeping in for the sports festival.

 

It’s time he shows the world what he’s made of. But more importantly, it’s time he shows All For One how well his freedom has treated him. He’s still alive and he’s doing well. That’s more than he could have ever hoped for all those years ago.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!
For any of you wondering how Tsukauchi didn't detect a single lie: Both Izuku and Inko didn't lie. Everything they said was true, they just left some things out. You know...lying by omission...only you're not lying because everything you say is true.

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don't have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Next update will come somewhere next week :)

Chapter 17: Roaring Rapids

Notes:

Do you know what time it is? Sports festival time!

CW: slight ptsd flashback

The weeks after Izuku’s first week at UA fly by, with his mother and him slowly but surely acclimating to their new living environments. His mom mostly works from home now, only going to the office when it’s absolutely necessary and under the heavy guidance of a hero escort. Tsukuachi tries to find out more about the organization but so far he remains unsuccessful, something that Izuku’s secretly grateful for. The less the police know about the organization, aka All For One, the better. With the Kokkaku Nori case they’re also not too successful. The only real lead they have is the Black Aconites but so far any digging into their history hasn’t resulted in much. 

 

It frustrates Izuku to no end.

 

Before this case he’d always been able to solve cases rather quickly. It was just a matter of following the trail of hints and clues, no matter how faint they might be. This time is different though, for there are no clues, no hints. Nothing. There’s something bigger at work here. Izuku’s almost certain of it, if only he could figure out what exactly. The clock keeps on turning, time seeping through their fingers as the chance of finding Nori alive slips away further with each passing day. 

 

For now though, he has to focus his mind on something else. Almost unnoticeably the sports festival has rolled around the corner until it’s the day of the big event and Izuku finds himself inside one of the dressing rooms, sitting on one of the chairs in the room. Hitoshi is also sitting at the same table, both of them trying to find some quiet to focus. Some of their other classmates are rousier, their nerves manifesting in boundless energy. In one of the corners of the room Kacchan has holed himself up, glaring at anyone who even so much as dares to come close. He and Izuku had exchanged glances this morning upon entering the changing room, but that was about it. They both know that they have their own battles to fight today. 

 

A few days prior Aizawa had given him the news that since he’d come in first at the entrance exam, he’d be the one giving a speech as the student representative. Something that had come as a shock to him, but he’d make the best of it. Now that he doesn’t have to worry about All For One as much, the thought of being on national television is a bit easier to swallow. Just as Izuku’s going over the speech he’s prepared, his quirk alerts him of a peculiar quirk light stopping right in front of him. When he looks up, it’s Todoroki who’s standing in front of him, his face a blank slate. 

 

“Midoriya.”

 

At the other side of the table Hitoshi looks up from his own thoughts, interest peaked at the teen’s appearance. Todoroki has kept to himself for most of this year, barely interacting with anyone besides maybe Yaoyorozu. There isn't much that Izuku knows about the teen and he remains one of the people in class 1-A that’s harder to read. Izuku stares back at the teen, trying to decide what it is that he wants. When it becomes clear that the teen won’t elaborate, Izuku rises from his chair. “Yes, Todoroki.”

 

“Objectively speaking you’re stronger than I am.”

 

Izuku blinks. That’s not what he’d expected to come out of the teen’s mouth. “Sure…” he responds, not really knowing what to say to that. The other conversations in the room quiet down as their attention shifts towards Izuku and Todoroki. The teen himself all but glares at him when he continues on, “Despite the fact that your quirk isn’t as strong as mine, for some reason you possess the experience to make up for it.”

 

“You’re the top of the class. Today I will beat you.”

 

Murmurs pass through the class at this declaration. Kirishima approaches Todoroki’s side with a frown, “Hey man, are you really picking a fight right now?” Todoroki doesn’t so much as glance at the other teen, his unwavering gaze staying on Izuku. “I don’t care. I’m not here to make friends.” Kirishima looks like he wants to say something to that, but before he can Izuku hurries to say, “It’s fine Kirishima. He’s got a point.” The other teen hesitates for a moment, his eyes darting between Izuku and Todoroki, before he backs away to stand with Kaminari and Ashido.

 

Izuku shifts his attention back to Todoroki who’s still standing there, one hand hanging on his side, the other in his pocket. “You know, you’re totally right. We’re not here today to make friends. All of us are competing for the same thing. To win and to get the attention of as many pro heroes as possible. Your quirk is stronger in an open field, anyone can see that.”

 

At the table Hitoshi is giving him a weird look, probably wondering where Izuku is going with his story. Kirishima looks like he wants to interrupt but he keeps his mouth shut in the end. Maybe that has something to do with the smile that Izuku sends Todoroki. It’s a cold one with a feral edge. “But you’re wrong about beating me today. After all, I’m the top of the class. And I have no intention of losing that spot.”

 

The glare on Todoroki’s face has darkened. “Right,” the teen says with a clipped tone, nearly as icy as his quirk. Then he turns around and marches out of the room.

 

At the same time a zoomer goes off and from the speakers a voice asks them to head toward the arena. In a flurry of movements the class comes into action, tension thick in the air again. Izuku meets Hitoshi’s gaze on the way out, a grin has found its way on his friend’s face. “Nice speech,” he says. “I think you just made an enemy.”

 

---

 

The sound of cheering people keeps getting louder with every step that Izuku takes. 1-A is walking through a tunnel underneath the stadium that’ll lead them to the arena. The end of the tunnel is already in sight, light falling through the exit into the dark. Izuku’s heart hammers in his chest like a beating drum and with his hearing quirk turned on the noise of all the spectators is almost unbearable. Time seems to move too fast and too slow all at once, the tunnel stretching on forever yet seeming too short at the same time, and then Izuku’s stepping into the light.

 

At first it feels like he’s hit by a bus.

 

Noise attacks him from all sides. Cheering, Present Mic’s commentary, it all becomes too much with his hearing quirk and he eventually shoves it back into it’s safe because he simply can’t handle all this noise. 

 

Then there are the quirk lights. He’s never ever seen so many. There must be thousands of lights all densely packed together. All these lights are so overwhelming that he almost collapses from the splitting headache that crashes through his head within seconds. He feels how his quirk reaches out, wanting to take. It costs him nearly too much effort to shove back that urge and to contain his quirk. He can’t take any quirks here, especially not on live television. That’s a sure fire way to get his true quirk exposed. 

 

While he’d found a sort of balance at UA in terms of quirk control –the hundreds of interesting quirk lights at the school didn’t bother him nearly as much anymore as on the first day– this is something else entirely. Even at the USJ there hadn’t been as many quirk lights. He grits his teeth as he reduces the range of his quirk to the absolute minimum. Although he hates to do it because it makes it more difficult to sense incoming threats, there’s no way around it this time. Immediately a sort of pressure is relieved and the all-consuming headache is reduced to a pounding pain in the back of his head. The world comes back into view again and Izuku blinks away the tears that have formed in the corners of his eyes before anyone can see them. 

 

Next to him, Hitoshi senses his discomfort. Worry shines in his eyes when he asks, “You alright?”

 

Izuku shoves his shaking hands in his pocket, not wanting his friend or anyone to see. His quirk is still fighting the iron control that he’s exerting over it. He tries to nod but has to suppress a wince when a white-hot pain flashes before his eyes. So instead he hums, “Just a lot of people all at once.”

 

God, he has to get himself under control before he has to give the speech. He’s a mess right now.

 

Their class comes to a stop on the field just as the next classes are announced. The cheering hasn’t lessened and Present Mic’s booming voice sends flares of pain through Izuku’s head everytime the man says anything. 

 

“Man there’s really a lot of people here,” Kirishima says. He’s standing at the front, surprisingly next to Kacchan. The blonde himself merely stares ahead, ignoring anything and everything around him. His red quirk light flashes in in a steady rhythm, sometimes interrupted by a series of jitters.

 

Even with the shortened range of his quirk, Izuku can still sense about a few dozen quirk light, one of them being Kacchan’s. He can feel how his quirk wants to stretch out further than what he's allowing, towards all the other quirk lights. It wants to analyze them, admire them and then take them. It takes all his willpower to keep the other lights out, because if he would let those lights in, if he would let his quirk notice these other quirks, he would lose control. Distantly, he wonders how he’s going to get through this entire tournament without passing out from the pain in his head. 

 

Hitoshi’s quirk light flutters with anxiety and anticipation. His friend’s eyes dart around the arena and his shoulders are coiled tight with tension. “Hey, you’ll be fine,” Izuku tries to encourage his friend. Though he doesn’t manage to send him a smile, Hitoshi seems to appreciate his words. “Let’s hope so…” he mutters. 

 

“I’m serious. Your quirk is super strong.”

 

His friend rolls his eyes, “Sure sure, but not against you or Bakugo or Todoroki.”

 

Izuku shrugs, “You just need the right strategy, then you can get further than you might think.”

 

Their conversation is cut short by the appearance of Midnight. A hush falls on all the classes present as she cracks her whip. 

 

“NOW FOR THE ATHLETES OATH!” Present Mic’s booming voice echoes through the stadium, a temporary hush falling on the crowd. “OUR STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE: MIDORIYA IZUKU!!”

 

Eyes and cameras all turn their attention to Izuku. For a moment he feels overwhelmed by it, then he squares his shoulders, pushes all the pain to the back of his head like it doesn’t exist and walks up the podium with a face that hopefully holds at least a little bit of confidence. Each step makes it a little easier to fall into the role of the self-assured student representative until he’s standing before the microphone with the sense that this might not all be a disaster. 

 

He clears his throat, forces a small smile on his lips and leans a bit forward so he’s closer to the mic. “Hello everyone.”

 

Some cheers sound.

 

“Today I have the privilege of speaking to you all on behalf of all students. And while I could go on about the sportsmanship and hard work that we’ll surely show you all today, I figured that would be a bit boring.”

 

Some laughter rings in the stadium. A quick glance down at the other students has Izuku noticing Uraraka with a thumbs up and a big smile on her face. Hitoshis nods at him reassuringly.

 

“Instead I want to talk about what brought us here today. We’ve all fought our own battles to be where we are today: At UA. Every student has their own story, their own faults that they had to overcome in order to get accepted to this school. We all have our own talents to bring to the table, and I'm sure everyone here is eager to show them."

 

"Though many of you might be cheering us on today, there will also be people who will want to drag us down and back to where they think we belong. To them I only have one thing to say:”

 

Silence reigns and it seems everyone is waiting with bated breath. Or maybe that’s only something that Izuku’s imagining, he isn't sure. His eyes find the camera closest to him and he looks straight at it. “Watch us. You can try to push us down with all your might, we will show you why we deserve our spot at UA!”

 

This time the crowd roars. Izuku has to suppress a wince and to mask it he sends a smile at the camera. It’s a challenge.

 

You watch me, All For One.

 

He punches a fist in the air and shouts, “Everyone, do your best and PLUS ULTRA!”

 

The words are echoed all around him and he steps back from the mic with a sense of satisfaction. This time he doesn’t have to fake a smile. 

 

---

 

“The first event will be…an obstacle course race!”

 

Midnight’s voice carries across the field, a sharp smile on her face. Around Izuku, people shift and murmurs pass through the students. Izuku isn’t all that surprised –an obstacle course is a good way to show off various skills and to weed out a big bulk of the student body. Excitement and apprehension hang thick in the air as everyone follows Midnight’s instructions to line up at the beginning of the tunnel that’ll lead them to the course. The tunnel itself is quite small compared to all the students that have to get through there and Izuku realizes that the race doesn’t start after the tunnel.

 

It has already started.

 

Around him he sees his classmates and some other students have realized the same thing because they’ve started pushing themselves to the front. Izuku doesn’t hesitate to do the same and he manages to stand almost completely to the front, Todoroki and Bakugo next to him. 

 

A steady pain pulses in the back of his head, the many quirk lights of other students so close by pressing against his quirk. Around him there are so many interesting quirks and Izuku’s reminded again that UA is a top school, possibly the top school. The crème de la crème attends it, and his quirk longs to take a closer look at this literal goldmine of quirks. Izuku clenches his hands into fists and wills the tremors in his hands to stop. 

 

Control

 

He needs utter control over his quirk today. Not a single crack can show because someone will detect it for sure. Luckily the sheer amount of people present in the stadium doesn’t feel as overwhelming anymore. It seems his brain has adapted to the stress that all the quirk lights from the crowd are putting on him. He’s acclimated a bit more to the pain so it doesn’t consume all his thoughts. That doesn’t mean that he’ll use his quirk today –he’s not even sure whether he could. He’ll probably lose control the moment that he tries to take a quirk. Besides, taking quirks still leaves him with a sick feeling in his stomach. 

 

His hands coated in sticky red. A new quirk sitting snugly under his skin. 

 

The memory of the last time he’d taken a quirk rises up without warning and steals his breath away. It takes all his power to blink the images away and to focus on the present. He tries to remind himself that it’s just another unpleasant memory. He’s dealt with all the other ones in his life, this one shouldn’t be much more difficult. 

 

Above his head the first red light of three goes out. Bodies tense, breaths come in quicker. 

 

Focus!

 

Izuku clenches his teeth and drags his mind back to the here and now. He has a race to win and these stupid memories aren’t helping with that.

 

The second light extinguishes.

 

Maybe it’s the tension that hangs thick in the air or the nervous fluttering of the many quirk lights around him, but somehow his brain complies. His heart rate spikes up and Izuku can feel how his muscles tense. His vision narrows down until all that remains is the tunnel ahead and the single red light above. He notices how a thrum of excitement courses through his veins, his body is ready for a fight. 

 

The last light goes out.

 

In milliseconds Izuku has dashed forward.

 

He’s not the only one.

 

To his right Todoroki also boosts forward. The short flaring of his quirk light is the only warning that Izuku gets before the temperature drops and ice crawls across the ground in a thin yet sturdy layer. A quick jump at the right time prevents him from getting stuck in the ice. Around him other people aren’t as lucky and shouts of surprise and indignation rise among the throng of students. 

 

Todoroki emerges first from the tunnel, Izuku hot on his heels. Behind him, he can hear the tell tale popping noise that tells him that Kacchan has also freed himself from the ice. Anything else Izuku doesn’t hear as he keeps running onward. Todoroki is fast and, because Izuku hesitates to use any of his quirks, manages to stay ahead of him. 

 

When they turn a corner they find that their path is obstructed by two robots. Todoroki skids to a halt just as Present Mic announces, “ANY OBSTACLE RACE NEEDS OBSTACLES. HOW WILL OUR STUDENTS DEAL WITH THE FIRST ONE: THE ROBO INFERNO!?”

 

Izuku also comes to a sudden stop in front of the two metal robots. Zero pointers. They loom over him with their hulking metal. For a second the images shift into another monster in another room, locking him in place with his heart racing. Then he blinks and surprisingly the world switches back to its normal way. It takes him off guard, how easily he can shake the memory off. Then he remembers the USJ, how he’d stood in front of an actual Nomu, how different that had felt. Wrong because quirk lights weren’t supposed to be mashed together like that. He knows the difference now, his brain has been reminded. 

 

Just as Izuku starts to analyze his surroundings –he has to get through these to robots and the dozens more behind them somehow– Todoroki’s quirks light flares up fiercely. A second later ice sweeps forward, crawling up up up and freezing the enormous robots in their place. The teen himself looks unfazed, even when Present Mic starts announcing loudly, and he breathes a puff of cold air out as he starts on a run. There’s a gap between the two metal machines and he disappears through it.

 

A few others try to follow him. They'd arrived in the few seconds that Izuku and Todoroki had stood in front of the robots. But Izuku holds up his hand and calls, “Stop!” There’s a reason why he hadn’t run right after the teen. Another boy to his right frowns, “What?! Why?! There’s a gap right there he’s created for us!”

 

Izuku juts his chin in the direction of the frozen robots right as a deep groan rolls off the ice structure. “They’ve been frozen in unbalanced positions, any moment now they’ll–”

 

His words get cut off by the sound of a huge crack, then the two robots collapse into one another with a loud crash. A gush of cold wind blows their way, the air misty and filled with ice and dust particles. Izuku doesn’t sense any quirk lights underneath the rubble. Good, that could have been very dangerous. While many students stand stock still to the ground, their eyes wide, Izuku doesn’t hesitate to rush forward. He’s already wasted enough time standing around.

 

With the first two robots incapacitated the only challenge of getting past them is trying to climb over the ice. The surface is slippery when Izuku clambers over the metal but it doesn’t take him too long to get used to that. Then he’s past it and before him an entire field filled with robots stretches out. Some have been frozen to the ground, others show signs of being exploded. Kacchan had flown ahead, his quirk taking him airborne so he could skip the treacherous ice surface. Both he and Todoroki are already well on their way through the field, Kacchan hot on Todoroki’s heels.

 

Izuku doesn’t wait when he slides down from the iced robots, instead he barrels on with as much speed as he can muster. A robot moves in his way, a three pointer, its red light trained on Izuku. He ducks right on time and the laser shoots over his head and hits another robot that had been approaching him from behind. He lets his momentum carry him forward, into the three pointer, and his hands find the maintenance hatch. With swift, almost familiar movements by now, he opens it and ribs out the bundle of cables. The robot promptly stops in its tracks. 

 

Making his way through the field goes quicker than expected. He either completely evades the robots, rips out their cables or occasionally just barrels straight at them. Force seems to do a number on them just as well. Still, he tries to refrain from using force too often. He uses a strength enhancing quirk whenever force is necessary but with the many cameras around he doesn’t dare to use any quirks too blatantly. His paranoia won't let him use any quirks because what if, however small the chance, a quirk expert is watching him?

 

Sliding underneath a robot, Izuku reaches the end of the first field and he breaks into a controlled sprint to catch up to Kacchan and Todoroki. They can just use their quirks freely and have a blatant advantage in this race. Izuku grits his teeth as he turns a slight corner, offensive quirks always seem to be favored during events like this. It's unfair, especially because non offensive quirks that are sometimes much stronger in a real fight don't get the chance to shine.

 

"AND THE FRONT OF THE PACK HAS REACHED THE SECOND OBSTACLE: THE ENDLESS FALL!!"

 

Indeed Izuku comes to face with a wide chasm, multiple flat rocks protruding the empty space between one and the other side. Ropes that are strewn across the chasm are the only way to cross it. To be honest, Izuku almost laughs at how easy this part is. All For One had trained him meticulously in his balance, he could cross these ropes on just his hands. He barely slows down from his sprint, only just enough so he can test the ropes. They’re made from sturdy metal cables that twist together into a thick rope, nothing like the slippery thin ropes that Izuku had been trained with.

 

He’s hurrying across them in a matter of seconds. Not in a full on run, but definitely faster than a walk. 

 

“AND WOULD YOU LOOK AT CLASS A’S MIDORIYA IZUKU SPRINTING ACROSS THESE ROPES! MAN, ERASERHEAD WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING THESE KIDS?!”

 

“This one came like that,” Aizawa’s tired voice sounds from the speakers. Izuku has to suppress a grin, whoever managed to drag that man into the recording booth deserves a raise.

 

By now he’s halfway across the chasm. His quirk tells him that more people are starting to reach the second obstacle. In front of him Todoroki has almost reached the end of the chasm, leaving a path of frozen ropes in his wake. Kacchan is hot on his heels, explosions blasting in his hands. Izuku keeps on pushing himself, he wants to close the distance between him and the other two teens as much as possible.

 

“AND OUR LEADER HAS REACHED THE THIRD OBSTACLE: THE ROARING RAPIDS! BUT WILL HE BE ABLE TO KEEP THE LEAD? CLASS 1 A’S BAKUGO KATSUKI SEEMS TO BE CATCHING UP!”

 

Izuku hears the noise of whirling water before he sees it. After reaching the end of the chasm, it isn’t long before he’s greeted by the sight of what seems to be a roaring river. The wildly swirling water stretches out for what appears to be the majority of the track. The water is clearly too wild to swim unless you have some sort of water quirk, and various obstacles have been placed throughout the river.

 

He immediately notices the two different paths that can be taken. The one with quicker and albeit easier obstacles that anyone could do with a bit of effort. Though it may appear faster at first glance, it actually consists of more and longer obstacles than the other track. The hard one. These obstacles are definitely made for people with a lot of skill and experience, the average person wouldn’t get past the first obstacle without being thrown in the water. It’s also a lot shorter and, if done by the right person, could save a lot of time. 

 

As Izuku approaches the Roaring Rapids, he sees Todoroki in front of him running towards it as well. Kacchan is just behind the teen, explosions blasting him ever forward. With one big blast of his quirk, Kacchan reaches out with one hand for the teen, probably to push him aside. Todoroki narrowly manages to evade the swipe by sliding to the side with a rush of ice, but in doing so he cuts himself off from the quick but difficult path. It only leaves him with the option of going for the easier obstacle route. Kacchan, in all his fervor of passing the teen, follows.

 

Izuku can’t help the grin that spreads on his face. Let the two of them fight, it gives him ample opportunity to pass them via the difficult track. As the other two begin their dangerous game of cat and mouse on one track, Izuku reaches the edge where the coursing river begins. The first obstacle he has to pass is a thin wooden beam slippery from the water that sprays up from the river. Thick wooden trunks hang on metal cables just above the beam, swinging from side to side in a rapid rhythm. 

 

The sounds around him fade to the background as Izuku sets a careful foot on the beam. He needs utter concentration for this first part. A trunk swings past his face, just a breath away and blowing a chilly but damp wind that ruffles his hair. 

 

Whoosh!

 

The trunk swings past again. Present Mic’s voice booms from the speakers but Izuku isn’t paying enough attention to hear what the hero is saying. In his mind he counts the seconds that it takes the trunk to swing from the lowest to the highest point and back again. His muscles tense as he prepares for action, hands outstretched just slightly to help keep his balance.

 

Whoosh!

 

Now

 

He springs into action, dashing forward as soon as the trunk swings past. Droplets of water hit his ankles, chilling his skin. His shoes slip and glide as he wills himself to stop in front of the next trunk. For one precarious moment he’s afraid that he’ll slide too much forward and be knocked off the beam or that he’ll lose his footing and topple into the treacherous water underneath. Then he finds his balance again, a breath of relief leaving him. He raises his head and counts. Nine more trunks to go.

 

It goes easier after that. By the third trunk he finds a steady rhythm that makes it so he passes much of the beam at a fast pace. All of the sudden he reaches the second obstacle. A stone wall slick with water and with only a few handholds visible. It stretches out horizontally to the other side where a third obstacle is waiting for him. Present Mic is saying something again and Izuku notices other quirk lights approaching the third part of the race. He quickly scans the wall, he’ll have to move across it sideways if he wants to reach the other side. Without waiting any longer he reaches up for the first handhold and grips it tightly. The stone cuts harshly into his skin but it’s easy to ignore the sting. 

 

Though Izuku has to move along the wall with care where he’ll place his feet or where he’ll put his hands, it’s nothing he hasn’t been trained for. Once he figures out how to best get past the obstacles, he moves along quickly and steadily.

 

He passes three more obstacles and is halfway across the river when he dares a glance at the other side of the Roaring Rapids. Both Todoroki and Bakugo are a bit more than halfway through their easier track, but they still need to pass more obstacles compared to Izuku. He hurries on to the next obstacles. Dangling ropes above the whirling water. He needs to swing from rope to rope but the distance is far. He’ll have to let go of each rope, sail through the air for a few seconds and catch the next one. It’s tricky business. If his rhythm is just slightly off he’ll miss the next rope and plummet straight into the river. 

 

“UP IN THE FRONT BAKUGO IS CLOSER TO TODOROKI THAN EVER BEFORE!”

 

Izuku’s attention is momentarily drawn away by those words, to the easier track. Indeed, Kacchan is now so close to Todoroki that he could touch the teen. There are logs placed into the water, you just have to hop from one to the other to cross that obstacle. Both of the teens are jumping from log to log with the help of their quirks. Todoroki appears to only be using small bursts of ice, probably to not help Kacchan even more in clearing the obstacles. Izuku notices how Kacchan is also using smaller explosions. Maybe the spray of water that mists up everytime the water hits the obstacles washes away the sweat and glycerin in the teen’s hands? 

 

Just as Izuku wants to turn back to his own track, Bakugo lurches forward with an explosion that ripples across the water. He sails past Todoroki in the blink of an eye, ending up on one of the last logs and immediately blasting on with smaller blows of his quirk. 

 

“AND BAKUGO IS NOW OUR LEADER! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHO SAW THIS COMING?!”

 

“Anyone who’s been paying attention,” Aizawa’s deadpan voice sounds. “The water limits Bakugo with his quirk usage. He’s been saving up his sweat for this exact moment.”

 

“OF COURSE, THANK YOU FOR YOU INSIGHT ERASERHEAD!”

 

Izuku forces himself back to the task at hand. Clearing these ropes. Taking a steadying breath, Izuku calculates how much speed he’ll need. He lowers slightly, his muscles tensing and preparing. He only has a meter or two on the slim stone in between this obstacle and the last one. He’s going to need every part of it to get enough speed to catch the first rope.

 

Then he’s off. The world narrows down once more until all that remains are the ropes dangling in front of him. The edge of the stone comes closer and closer until…

 

Jump!

 

He’s sailing through the air for a single breath, wind in his hair. Then his hands close around a rough rope, clinging to it for grip and hoping that the water hasn’t made it too slippery. He swings forward, backward to create more momentum and forward once again. A single suspended moment in the air and then there’s another rope.

 

Rope after rope and the moments in between. It feels like flying. A laugh tears itself from Izuku’s throat. Halfway through the air his eyes find the other track again. Kacchan has reached the next obstacle.

 

Green eyes meet red.

 

Kacchan grins, a challenge. Izuku returns the gesture with his own sharp smile. He’ll catch up.

 

The ropes come to an end, he passes two other obstacles until the final two remain. Kacchan is also at the last two, this time with Todoroki hot on his heels. Izuku pushes himself on, only taking in the next obstacle for a few seconds –just a beam, this one even thinner than the one in the beginning. He doesn’t take the time to assess it any longer, he’s already running.

 

As soon as he puts a foot down on the beam, the world twists. His hands fly outward, searching for a far off balance. This isn't just a beam, it sits loose and spins around if someone puts any weight on it. His heart leaps in his throat and a few quirks try to crawl to the surface. They want to be used in the face of this new danger. He pushes them down with gritted teeth at the same time that he leans back and puts as much of his weight as possible on the one foot still on steady ground.

 

Somehow it works. He finds his balance again. More careful this time, Izuku tries to cross the beam. Knowing what to expect, it’s easy to move along the beam. He eyes the other track, he has now passed Todoroki. Almost there.

 

“MIDORIYA IZUKU IS RUNNING ACROSS THIS BEAM, AND IS NOW FIGHTING WITH BAKUGO FOR FIRST PLACE!”

 

Izuku pushes himself to go faster. The beam twists and spins underneath his feet but he stays upright and running. He reaches the end of the beam. One glance to the other side. Kacchan is still on his own obstacle, struggling to use his quirk with all the water.

 

“AND WE HAVE A NEW LEADER! MIDORIYA IZUKU PASSES BAKUGO!”

 

The last obstacle passes by in a blur of adrenalin and the thought that he has to move. Then he has steady ground underneath his feet and he breaks out into a sprint. The tunnel to the stadium is already in sight. Just a little bit further.

 

“BAKUGO HAS ALSO CLEARED THE FINAL OBSTACLE! WILL HE GET HIS FIRST PLACE BACK?!”

 

Izuku dares a single look behind his shoulder and sees Kacchan wiping his hands on his trousers to get rid of all the excess water. A fire is lit in his eyes. Izuku realizes that with the water gone, his friend will soon be able to use the full extent of his quirk again. He pushes himself to go faster.

 

His legs pound on the ground, dirt flying up with each step. Explosions behind him. A freezing wind not far behind. Damn it!  

 

“DON’T COUNT TODOROKI OUT JUST YET! IT SEEMS BAKUGO AND TODOROKI HAVE CALLED A CEASEFIRE IN PURSUIT OF MIDORIYA!”

 

He has to be quicker. Otherwise they’ll catch up. He reaches the tunnel, the sunlight making place for cool shadows. His footsteps echo across the walls and his heart hammers in his chest. Desperate to stay ahead, he draws on a strength enhancing quirk. It boosts him forward but it’s not enough. The heat of explosions keeps drawing closer and closer. “Get the fuck here, Deku!” Kacchan roars above the sound of his own quirk.

 

The cheers inside the stadium can already be heard and sunlight marks the end of the tunnel. I’m not gonna make it. Kacchan is too close. For a split second Izuku debates using more quirks but that would draw too much suspicion with this many camera’s around.

 

The finish line comes into view. Only a bit further. Then his quirk alarms him of Kacchan’s quirk flaring up brightly.

 

A second later an explosion rockets the air in the tunnel.

 

A body zips by.

 

Time slows.

 

Izuku sees Kacchan's body flying through the air next to him. He could reach out with his hand. Touch the teen’s arm closest to him. He could take his quirk. Without his quirk, Kacchan would fall to the ground in a matter of seconds and lose the lead. Izuku could win this round. But the mere thought of taking a quirk stops him. He can’t.  

 

Time picks up again.

 

Kacchan passes him.

 

The tunnel ends.

 

“THE ONE WHO EMERGES FROM THE TUNNEL FIRST IS….BAKUGO KATSUKI!”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don’t have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Chapter 18: Slipping control

Notes:

Did I write this instead of studying for my exam? Yes, yes I did. Procrastinating is a life style, just saying. On another note, this chapter kind of got a life of its own. Somehow this entire sports festival has already gotten way longer than I'd planned lol.

“THE ONE WHO EMERGES FROM THE TUNNEL FIRST IS….BAKUGO KATSUKI!”

 

Cheers sound, assaulting Izuku from all sides as he comes out of the tunnel. He comes to a stop while heaving for breath. Todoroki halts next to him, frustration radiating off of him. Izuku shares the sentiment. Second place. Second.

 

He grits his teeth and his hands curl into fists. He should have been the one who’d taken first place but he didn’t. All because he can’t use his quirk. Now that he's back in the stadium again, the pounding in his head is back, hammering in the same rhythm as his heart. Angry. He's angry at himself. He knows he could have done it. If only his brain hadn't disobeyed him. If only those stupid images wouldn't keep flashing in front of his eyes everytime he so much as thinks about using his quirk on someone. Reminding him of the feeling of blood on his hands, ingrained in them forever and ever. Blood that won't wash away, no matter how much he tries.

 

Around him, more people come streaming into the stadium, also heaving for breath. Most of them with damp clothes from the Roaring Rapids. Kacchan stands still as a statue in the middle of a moving body of students. His gaze is burning a hole into the ground, frame coiled with tension. Then he turns to look at Izuku.

 

Izuku stares back.

 

There's a quiet anger in his friend's eyes. For a few seconds they lock gazes. The spell is broken when Kacchan whips his head away, fists clenching at his sides.

 

Before Izuku can go up to him, a voice calls out to him, "Izuku!" He turns to see Hitoshi jogging up to him, out of breath and with a slight smile on his face. “How’d it go?” he asks as he stops in front of Izuku.

 

Izuku shrugs, his fists still clenching at his sides. “Got second place. Bakugo took the lead at the last minute.” 

 

His friend’s gaze is drawn to a blonde, a frown replacing his smile. “Man, that sucks.” Izuku just nods, unable to meet the teen’s eyes. There’s still anger coursing through him, mostly at himself, and he doesn’t want Hitoshi to see that. A nudge to his shoulder. It forces him to look up and he sees Hitoshi smirking down at him, “At least you’ve got a good reason to win the second round then.”

 

Izuku huffs, but still appreciates his friend’s attempt at cheering him up. “Was planning on doing that anyway.” 

 

“That’s more the spirit.”

 

The last few people are entering the stadium and Izuku notices how Midnight steps forward on the podium. Any minute the results of the first round will be revealed, who passes on and who doesn’t. It reminds him of something. “What place did you get?” he asks, already feeling a bit calmer with his friend’s presence. Hitoshi has always had that effect on him, it’s something he’s sure works both ways. They keep each other calm, in the present. 

 

A smile graces his friend’s lips again. “I got twentieth spot. Pretty happy with that ‘cause I didn’t use my quirk.” Izuku nods, pride in his voice when he says, “Nice, saving that for later?”

 

Hitoshi hums, hands finding his pockets again. “I’m hoping for the third round but we’ll see how it goes. Most people in our class know what to expect already, so it’ll only work for people in other classes anyway.” His eyes flick around the stadium while talking, anxiety returning again. 

 

This time it’s Izuku’s turn to cheer his friend up. “You got through the last round. I’m sure you’ll get through this one as well.” Hitoshi sends him a thankful, yet uncertain look but before he can respond Midnight interrupts. “All right everyone! Eyes on the stage! Are you ready for the results?”

 

A hush falls on the crowd and the tension gets ramped up again as the hero turns towards the screen behind her. In the next second a list is revealed, names written behind their placements. Izuku spots a few besides his own name. Uraraka managed to get sixteenth place, Iida sixth and Yaoyorozu eleventh. 

 

“The first 42 from this round will move on!” Midnight announces with her hands on her hips. Murmurs pass among the students when it becomes clear who moves on and who doesn’t. The hero cracks her whip and silence returns at once. “Now for the second event…”

 

On the screen behind her options for the next event spin by on a wheel. It spins and spins, winding the tension in the arena tighter and tighter. Then it stops.

 

“A cavalry battle!”

 

Midnight explains how the point system works. How the number of points assigned to each student will go up five with each place. It means Izuku will end up with a pretty high number. Still, the hero isn’t done explaining and Izuku wonders what UA will throw in the mix to heighten the stakes. They want spectacle, this is just a regular cavalry battle without the drama that is known from the sports festival. Izuku realizes what that drama might be a second before Midnight announces it.

 

“And all the way at the top, the first place will be ten million points!”

 

All attention is drawn to a single blonde. Kacchan . The teen just glares right back with all the anger in the world, looking like he’s ready to take on anyone and anything. Only Izuku notices the slight flutter of his quirk light. 

 

“This is a round where anyone can come back and with more suffering for those at the top! Plus Ultra!” Midnight finishes with another crack of her whip. The crowd roars. The tension down in the arena seems to have doubled. Everyone will be gunning for those ten million points. Izuku knows Kacchan will defend them like no other. Somewhere he’s glad that he hadn't taken that first spot after all. It gives him the advantage in this because not everyone will be going for him right at the start. 

 

As Midnight explains the rules, Izuku starts plotting his next move. Even though he won’t have the attention on him like Kacchan, he’s still gotten second place which means that enough people will still be trying to take those points from him. It means he’ll need a good defense, as well as good mobility. Offense shouldn’t be much of a problem if he manages to hold onto the points he has but that’s only if he’s content with his current place. 

 

He’s going for the first spot.

 

“You have fifteen minutes to make the teams!”

 

Students immediately jump into the task of making teams together. Izuku turns to Hitoshi, ready to ask him to join, but his friend sends him an apologetic look. “Is it okay if I try this one on my own? I feel like I’ve been relying on you so much lately and while I appreciate that…I want to see if I can make it on my own…”

 

Izuku blinks, surprised. He hadn’t expected that, though if he thinks about it, it makes sense why his friend would want to prove himself. He would probably feel the same way if the roles were reversed. Besides, on the field you can’t alway rely on others. Sometimes you only have yourself to work with. The teen searches his face with anxiety filling his eyes. Izuku’s quick to reassure him. “Sure, I totally get it. Good luck.”

 

Hitoshi’s face relaxes, and he lets out a breath. He nods and sends Izuku a smile, “Thanks, good luck to you as well.” Then he’s off, into the crowd of students. It leaves Izuku standing in the middle of it, for a moment unsure of what to do next. His eyes roam to Iida –he’d be a good person to have for mobility– but unfortunately it seems the teen’s already in a team with Todoroki.

 

Before he can think about who to approach, a cheery voice calls out, “Midoriya!”

 

Uraraka jogs towards him with a smile on her face. “You wanna join teams?”

 

For a moment Izuku weighs his options, and goes through the mental list of quirks that others have. Uraraka is a good option. Her quirk is a good one for a cavalry battle, especially for the mobility part. He nods, “Let’s do it. It’s good to have you on the team.”

 

She beams at him, enthusiasm shining in her eyes. “Yeah! You know, it feels just right to be in a team with a friend!”

 

The statement takes Izuku off guard. Friends? When did that happen? He’d always considered himself as someone with little to no friends. He’s a closed off person, and he knows that he's not the easiest to form a connection with. Not that he’d ever minded, at least not in middle school when he’d always had Hitoshi. That had been more than enough for him. Before that…well, though he’d always wished for a true friend –not Tenko, they were brothers and even back then Izuku had always secretly known that friends didn’t try to disintegrate the other when they did something wrong– he’d never had a friend. At least not if you didn’t count Kacchan, but Kacchan had just been a far off memory. Something that belonged to a distant childhood, mostly forgotten by the stress and hurt of a much darker present.

 

Until UA. He’d rekindled his friendship with Kacchan and now that he thinks about it he may have even made a few more friends. Uraraka, Tsu, maybe even Iida. 

 

There's the time to examine the bundle of feelings that comes with that realization though, because he has an event to win. 

 

Outloud he wonders, “Who else would be good to have on our team…?”

 

Uraraka’s eyes scour across the field. Both of them see the girl with pink dreadlocks marching towards them at the same time. She stops right in front of them and points a finger in Izuku’s direction. “Mystery Boy, I’m going to be on your team.”

 

“Ah uh…” struggling to come up with an answer, that’s what comes out of his mouth. Damn it Izuku, try for something more intelligent! He clears his throat and tries again, “Can I ask why…?”

 

The girl crosses her arms and a terrifying grin spreads on her face. “Because you got second place, dummy! It’s the best way to show off my babies!” She casts a look over her shoulder, annoyance flitting across it for a second. “And because Explody Boy refused to let me on his team. Apparently he didn’t need my jetpack or something like that.” 

 

Izuku sighs and responds in an apologetic tone, “Yeah, Kacchan tends to be like that.”

 

The other girl shrugs and sniffs, “His loss, really. My babies are the best on the market.” 

 

With a confused look, Uraraka mouths “Babies??” to Izuku. He just raises a shoulder. He’s just as confused as she is, if not a little fascinated with this new girl. She seems to have some fire.

 

“You said something about a jetpack?” Izuku asks, it had caught his attention as soon as she mentioned it. The other girl nods enthusiastically and Izuku notices how her light green eyes seem to literally zoom in and out. A quirk maybe? It was definitely possible. Squashing his curiosity down, he focuses on her answer, “Oh yeah! That’s my most precious baby, look here…” She reaches behind her and then an actual jetpack appears.

 

Oh this is wonderful. Izuku can’t help the excitement that courses through him as he thinks of all the options that this brings to the table for the cavalry battle. “That’s great. Are you sure it works?”

 

The girl looks almost offended. “Of course it does! What do you take me for? It might be still in its testing phase but I’m sure my baby won’t explode!” 

 

Well, at least it’s clear that she means her inventions with the word ‘baby’. Uraraka frowns, confusion flitting across her face. “Are you sure support items like this are allowed?”

 

“As long as you made them yourself and since I’m in the support course, I’ve made plenty of babies.”

 

Izuku nods, he’d read something about that in the rulebook for the festival. “Alright, all we now need is a good defense.” His mind flips through all the options left, as he notes all the people on the field still without a team.

 

Then his eyes find a single person. “You.”

 

It turns out that Tokoyami is more than happy to join their team, saying that “the people raised by darkness should stick together.” Izuku hasn’t a clue what he means by that but with the four of them standing in a circle, he’s feeling a little more confident about winning this round. Looking all of them in the eye one by one, Izuku begins laying out his ideas.

 

“Alright, here’s the plan…”

 

---

 

“ARE YOU READY FOR THE SECOND ROUND?! GIVE ME A YEAH!!”

 

The crowd roars, reminding Izuku once again of his pounding headache. Twelve teams are lined up in total on the field. A screen high above their heads announces the name belonging to each team and their amount of points. Kacchan stands all the way at the top with 10 million and something points. Even though Izuku had come in second during the first event, the rest of his team members hadn’t scored that high compared to Todoroki’s team. That leaves Todoroki’s team in the second spot with 640 points and Izuku’s team just behind with 530 points.

 

With the fifteen minutes prep time over, all the teams are standing around with a growing anticipation, waiting for the starting signal. The tension in the air can almost be cut with a knife. Nobody wants to lose in this event, not when they’re so close to the final event, where they’ll really be able to show off their talents. 

 

Izuku's team is standing near the edge of the field, far away from Kacchan and his ten million points. Todokyami is their front horse, with Uraraka and Hatsume on the side. Izuku’s their rider, the one on the lookout and the one directing the team in a direction. 

 

Izuku focuses on his breathing and tries to find that familiar place of quiet in his head, while Present Mic hypes up the audience for the upcoming event. Even if they don’t have the ten million headband, they’ve still got plenty of points so there’ll surely be at least a few teams gunning for their headband. Across the field he sees Kacchan standing in the starting blocks with his team. Ashido, Sero and Kirishima. Definitely a strong team in all aspects. Maybe it’s even Sero’s tape that they’ll have to be most cautious of. Izuku’s seen the precise control that the teen has over it, it’s nothing to laugh at.

 

Kacchan seems to be ordering them around rather brusquely. Hopefully for his friend, his other teammates will be able to take his…aggressiveness. Even a strong team can fall apart in mere minutes if the teamwork doesn’t hold up. 

 

Izuku’s eyes drift away, towards another teen. Todoroki’s expression is as stoic as ever. His team is also nothing to laugh at. Yaoyorozu, Iida and Kaminari. They’ll be a formidable foe, that’s for sure.

 

Present Mic’s commentary seems to be coming to a close. Looking back down at his team, Izuku asks, “Are we ready?”

 

“Yes sir!” Uraraka quips back, determination set deep into her face.

 

At the same time Tokoyami answers, “The darkness will guide us.” Again, Izuku has no idea what he means but he likes the spirit. Hatsume doesn’t answer, she’s still fiddling with the straps of her tool belt, but Izuku gets the sense that that’s just her own way of getting into the right headspace. 

 

“ALRIGHTY, ALL THE TEAMS ARE MORE THAN EAGER TO BEGIN SO LET’S START THIS COUNTDOWN!”

 

“THREE!”

 

Although it seems almost impossible, the tension in the air seems to thicken even more. The audience is watching from the stands with a growing suspense at what is to come.

 

“TWO!”

 

Izuku scans the battlefield. He reads every team’s stance, the looks on their faces and what way they’re facing. It’s easy that way to categorize them into what course of action they’ll likely be taking. Most of them are making it no secret that they’ll be going after the ten million points as soon as the starting signal is given.

 

“ONE!”

 

A breath in. And out. The noise of the roaring world around him falls back to the background, dragging his nagging headache with it. Adrenaline courses in a familiar way through his body as his heart rate spikes. Underneath him, his teammates shift around, also readying their bodies.

 

“START!”

 

In a rush of moving bodies and an explosion of quirks, the battle begins.

 

Most of the teams indeed run for the ten million points. The familiar noise of Kacchan’s explosions fill the air almost immediately as the teen goes at defending his prized points. 

 

But there are also a few teams that choose a different path. They either attack each other, or –in the case of one team– set their sights on Izuku’s team.

 

“Incoming!” Izuku calls as a team of what appear to be two 1-B students runs at them. The girl has two horns growing from a head full of long, blonde hair and her feet look to be hooves. The boy is their rider and has some wicked green locks in a mohawk and two sharp blades jutting out from the sides of his cheeks.

 

The boy’s quirk light flares up momentarily, seconds before the teams come to a clash. Two long sharp blades start growing out of his underarms until they could be considered a pair of long knives. He’s grinning wildly as the girl keeps running forward.

 

“Hatsume!” Izuku calls with his hand outstretched in her direction. She doesn’t hesitate to grab an item from her belt and from one second to another a cool weight lays in his hand –a long, retractable iron staff. Hatsume had claimed that it should be strong enough to hold up to some pretty strong blows and Izuku can only hope that it does as he swings the staff around just in time to parry the boy’s knives. 

 

Luckily the blow isn’t all that powerful. Izuku’s certainly used to more. The boy grins at him as he pulls back and swings down again. Again, Izuku parries it with ease now that he knows what to expect. He even manages to slide past the boy’s knives and is able to give him a pretty powerful blow to the side of his stomach.

 

The boy wheezes in pain, grin sliding from his face. 

 

At the same time Izuku’s quirk alerts him of another quirk being activated. Underneath the boy, the girl’s horns come loose from her head and they fly with impressive speed in Izuku’s direction. Before he can even call out, a dark shadow snags the two projectiles straight from the air.

 

“Thanks, Tokoyami!” Izuku says as the boy’s Dark Shadow keeps a firm grip on the horns. The blonde girl on the other team cries out in disbelief and Izuku senses how her quirk lights up again. She’s about to do something.

 

He doesn’t want to let it come to that. Time to finish this. 

 

“Uraraka, time to move!” 

 

“On it!” the brunette calls. From one second to the other the familiar feeling of weightlessness overcomes him. This way the three ‘horses’ are able to rush forward with much more speed, no weight on top of them slowing them down. As they run straight past the other team, Izuku reaches out and snags the headband from the boy’s head.

 

There’s a look of sheer surprise on the boy’s face as he realizes what has just happened.

 

Izuku looks down at the band in his hands. Seventy points. Could be better. Still, points are points. 

 

“Whoo! We just did that!” Uraraka calls with a wide smile on her face as they run ahead. They can only hope that the team won’t come after them again, though if they’re smart they’d know that it would be best to turn their focus elsewhere. 

 

“Well done everyone. Let’s keep doing this,” Izuku encourages as he ties the headband around his head, points turned inward. With both of the bands turned inside out it’ll be harder for other teams to take the right band because the points aren’t visible. 

 

“How’s my baby holding up?” Hatsume asks as she spares a brief glance at him. Izuku weighs the staff in his hands and sends her an impressed grin. “Great actually. This is some awesome work.”

 

Before the girl has the chance to answer, yet another team approaches them. “Alright everyone, let’s do this again,” Izuku says as they prepare themselves for the next attack.

 

For the next few minutes they’re occupied with the teams that aren’t going for the ten million points. That’s a growing number because it seems that Kacchan and Todoroki are tied up in an intense battle and the other teams have finally realized that it might be a smarter idea to try going for other headbands. Izuku’s team manages to get another two headbands, putting them at 890 points.

 

It’s when they’re halfway through the time when Present Mic yells out, “AND LOOK HOW TEAM TODOROKI TEMPORARILY INCAPACITATES TEAM BAKUGO WITH THE USE OF KAMINARI’S ELECTRICITY QUIRK!”

 

The attention of everyone is drawn towards one edge of the field where the two teams are battling it out. Electricity sparks in the air while team Todoroki hides behind an insulated blanket to protect themselves from the dangerous quirk. That blanket is definitely Yaoyorozu’s work. 

 

Izuku feels his hair stand on edge as the air takes on a sharp charge. Luckily they’re standing far away enough to not experience any of the other effects of Kaminari’s quirk. Other teams aren’t so lucky.

 

Team Bakugo takes the brunt of the attack.

 

They’re locked in place, unable to move a muscle as team Todoroki advances.

 

“TEAM TODOROKI TAKES THE TEN MILLION HEADBAND AS TEAM BAKUGO CAN ONLY WATCH HELPLESSLY!”

 

A loud shriek fills the air as soon as team Bakugo regains movement. 

 

Kacchan is decidedly not happy if that cry of rage has anything to say about it.

 

By that time team Todoroki has already put ample distance between them and the angry teen.

 

“Uraraka, Hatsume, we’re moving on to phase two of the plan!” Izuku orders once he’s assured that Todoroki and Kacchan are far away enough from each other that team Bakugo won’t be causing trouble for at least a little while. 

 

Weightlessness overtakes all of them this time.

 

The backpack strapped to Izuku’s back and the shoes on the girl’s feet come to life.

 

They boost into the air with a burst of speed. Wind whips at their faces as they fly high. “Yes! My baby worked” Hatsume cries with a triumphant grin on her face.

 

“WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT. TEAM MIDORIYA HAS GONE AIRBORNE!”

 

It takes quite a bit of effort on Uraraka and Hatsume’s part, but somehow they manage to steer themselves in the right direction. For a few seconds the noise of the jetpack and the sound of the wind in their ears are the only things that they hear. 

 

Then Hatsume’s inventions start sputtering on and off. It’s probably by sheer luck alone that they’re already where they need to be at that point.

 

“Release!” Uraraka calls, her face pinched with the effort of using her quirk on so many people. Gravity returns, dragging them down, putting even more strain on Hatsume’s inventions. They’re tumbling through the air in no time, the jetpack only barely keeping up. With a growing panic Izuku realizes that the ground is approaching way too quickly.

 

“Uraraka, use your quirk again just before we hit the ground!” he shouts above the noise of the failing jetpack and the whistling wind. He’s unsure whether she hears him and can only hope that they won’t crash to the ground. Suddenly their fall comes to a stop and they hover just a bit above the ground.

 

“R-release!” The brunette stammers, looking rather sickly.

 

Gravity comes back in its force not a second later and Tokoyami and Hatsume grunt in the effort of keeping their footing as they land. Uraraka merely groans but even she manages to stay on her two feet. Somehow their horse formation isn’t broken.

 

“Is everybody okay?” Izuku asks, worry gnawing at his insides. This entire plan had been a gamble and his teammates are taking the brunt of it. He wouldn’t forgive himself if any of them had gotten injured and wouldn’t be able to participate in the rest of the tournament, all because Izuku couldn’t come up with a decent plan.

 

“ ‘M fine…” Uraraka mumbles. Hatsume gives a thumbs up and Tokoyami just nods.

 

Assured that everybody’s still alive and kicking, Izuku tears his gaze away and scans their surroundings. The entire goal of their little flight is standing not too far away. Todoroki seems to be occupied freezing in another team that had tried their luck at taking the ten million headband.

 

Yaoyorozu is the first to notice them. “Todoroki, Midoriya’s here!” she calls, grim determination plastered on her face. The teen in question whips his head around, blowing out a breath of frozen air while doing so. His gaze zeroes in on Izuku and his hand stretches out. Without wasting another second ice comes racing their way.

 

“Move!” Izuku orders.

 

They dash to the right, narrowly evading the attack. “Geez, Todoroki absolutely has no mercy, huh,” Uraraka huffs. Izuku has to agree as another round of ice is sent their way. They evade again. Really it wasn’t all too difficult if you knew that the other teen didn’t use his fire. Just stay on that side of his left side and you’d be fine. That’s also why Izuku had made sure that his teammates knew just that. It would be invaluable when facing off against the teen.

 

Before Todoroki can send another wave of ice, Tokoyami lets Dark Shadow rush forward. The quirk moves with a deadly speed and reaches with its claws towards the headbands tied around Todoroki’s face. Before the shadow can do anything, a plate of some sort is shoved between it and Todoroki. 

 

Yaoyorozu’s work. Again.

 

Dark Shadow is forced into retreat, only to have to move to the front again when Kaminari attacks on Todoroki’s orders

 

The attack isn’t nearly as powerful as the one used on team Bakugo. When Izuku looks at Kaminari it becomes clear why. A dazed look has found its way on his face, the boy smiling slightly bewildered at the rest of the world. Definitely still conscious enough to function as rider and to throw out some small attacks when ordered to do so. Is he capable of any thoughts beyond that? No, definitely not.

 

Though Dark Shadow manages to take the attack, Izuku knows that won’t last forever. The quirk doesn’t really do well against anything light related. Something that Izuku had figured out somewhere during the first school day and that Tokoyami confirmed during their fifteen minute prep time. 

 

“Midoriya, what do we do?” Uraraka shouts up at him, her gaze glued to the team in front of her with a pinch in her brow. The faces of Tokoyami and Hatsume also betray their doubts when it comes to whether they can take team Todoroki on. Yes, the team is strong but there are always weaknesses to exploit.

 

“All of you keep doing what we’d planned!” Izuku orders. Softer so the other team hopefully won’t hear, he ads, “And try moving in closer as you go. We need to close some of the distance.”

 

His orders are followed without any protest, his team trusting his plans. Izuku can only hope that what he’d planned works. Although Todoroki is using the exact moves that Izuku had expected, there are always surprises when it comes to situations like this. 

 

Minutes tick by. Team Todoroki manages to keep their headband and team Midoriya is able to evade each attack. At some point another team tries to enter the fight –where Kacchan is, Izuku doesn’t know but he’s glad that team is occupied somewhere else– Todoroki shuts down their attack by forming a wall of ice between them and the other teams.

 

It cuts them off from the rest of the field. Izuku grins. Bingo.

 

Two more attacks. One from Todoroki, one from Kaminari. They evade and by doing so all the pieces in the game have moved into the right places.

 

“Uraraka, go!”

 

Weightlessness grabs a hold of him once more.

 

They charge forward. This time with more speed than before because Izuku’s weight is missing. Team Todoroki is standing straight ahead of them, closer than ever before. See, they hadn’t just evaded all those attacks. No, each time they’d moved just a bit closer to the other team, tightening the trap that Izuku had laid out for team Todoroki.

 

The other teen had only secured his own fate by forming that tall ice wall.

 

Because now team Todoroki is standing with their back to that wall, nowhere to go as team Midoriya charges at them. Like mice stuck in a trap and waiting for the inevitability of being discovered by the cat.

 

Izuku and his team approach from Todorki's fire side, that way they won’t be surprised by any new ice attacks. Dark Shadow folds out in front of them like a shield, stopping any possible attacks from Kaminari. One look at his quirk light tells Izuku that the teen probably won’t attack. His yellow light has taken on a dull edge and the look on his face is even more dazed. Kaminari seems to be done for this round.

 

In the background Present Mic is shouting something. Izuku doesn’t hear any of it as they run onward, closer and closer in the span of seconds.

 

Todoroki’s mouth is set in a grim line as he can only watch how team Midoriya approaches. Izuku raises his hand, ready to grab that headband. He’s getting those ten million points. He refuses to pass up on yet another first place. Todoroki mirrors him in an attempt to prevent Izuku from taking the headband.

 

Closer and closer. Almost there.

 

Izuku feels how his gaze focuses on two headbands tied around the other teen’s head.

 

Time slows.

 

Green eyes lock with mismatched blue and gray. 

 

Then things go horribly wrong.

 

Later, Izuku blames it wholeheartedly on his quirk. It senses how one very specific quirk light flares up in a manner that it has never before.

 

Iida’s quirk.

 

That slight disturbance is enough for his quirk to take the reins. Izuku’s control on his quirk had already been slippery at best now that he’s had to keep a tight lid on it for two events. The threat of another quirk doing something unexpected tips the scales. 

 

Izuku feels how his quirk activates, brimming at his fingertips and ready to take. That urge roars alive inside of him, filling his veins until it’s all he can think about. Somehow Todoroki senses that he’s about to do something. They can almost touch now. It’s only moments until Izuku can take those headbands.

 

Maybe it’s an instinct that the teen has honed from years of training, but his gray and teal eyes widen in surprise. 

 

No no no no, I can’t take his quirk! I promised I wouldn’t!

 

Stop stop stop!

 

The temperature in the air rises.

 

Then flames roar to life.

 

Scorching heat. Pain.

 

Stop

 

Izuku drags back his quirk at the last possible moment, the pain of the fire helping him to tear his thoughts away from that single desire to take. He forces it to shut off and pushes it somewhere far, far away. The lights from the world around him disappear but so be it. Better to not use his quirk at all than to lose control. At the same time those burning flames get snuffed out as well. Izuku doesn’t have the time to take in Todoroki’s expression.

 

One moment he’s in front of the teen, the next he’s zipping past, two headbands tight in his grip. His teammates all carry out their respective tasks. Uraraka makes them all weightless, Tokoyami takes up the defense in case team Todoroki sends any attacks after them, Hatsume’s inventions sputter to life and carry them into the air one last time.

 

They fly up, away from any danger. When Izuku looks down he sees team Todoroki boosting forward. Iida’s move, just a second too late. It must be some sort of super move, because they skip ahead faster than ever before. Izuku’s never seen him use it in class, maybe because it has a drawback. He doesn’t spend too long pondering on it –they’re still in the middle of an event after all and other things require his attention.

 

“IN ONE QUICK MOVE TEAM MIDORIYA MANAGES TO SNAG THE TEN MILLION POINTS FROM TEAM TODOROKI! BUT TODOROKI HASN’T JUST LET THAT HAPPEN. IT SEEMS THEY’VE SWAPPED POINTS!”

 

Indeed, when he looks down he sees the ten million points tightly secured in his hands. All the bands that were tied around his head are gone though. Uraraka whoops in triumph, Hatsume joining her. “Let’s get down as quickly as possible before the jetpack breaks down for good!” he orders, the thought of falling to their possible death again not seeming particularly appealing to him.

 

His teammates get to work trying to get them down. While securing the bands around his head, Izuku surveys the field below him. The other teams seem to have realized what has just happened and most of them are gazing upwards. They sense blood in the water and with time ticking down they’ve got nothing to lose.

 

“TIME IS ALMOST UP SO LET’S HAVE A COUNTDOWN EVERYONE! TEN!”

 

Team Todoroki is trapped inside a prison of their own making, stuck with the points that Izuku's previously held. A shout from somewhere across the field has Izuku looking for its source.

 

“I’m going up there! We’re getting those fucking point!” Kacchan snarls so loudly that even Izuku can hear what he’s saying. His team can only watch helplessly as he launches himself into the air.

 

“NINE!”

 

“We’ve got company incoming!” Izuku warns his team. Uraraka is the one who answers, with gritted teeth, “We’re a little busy here!” Then she shuts up quickly, looking rather green in the face.

 

“EIGHT!”

 

Kacchan is getting closer real quickly. They need to do something, and fast. Hatsume and Uraraka are tied up handling their descent and keeping the shoes and the jetpack working. 

 

“SEVEN!”

 

Ideas and plans whirl through Izuku’s head. Before he can act on any of them, Tokoyami sends out Dark Shadow without a hint of hesitation. The quirk comes to blows with Kacchan only moments later and faces the teen fearlessly, despite the weakness to light. He manages to hold the blonde off for long enough that they have a chance to get back to the ground.

 

“THREE!”

 

Kacchan tries to go after them as soon as Tokoyami lets Dark Shadow retreat but a piece of sturdy tape latches onto his ankle and drags him –through the air– back to his own team. They manage to catch him, but just barely. Ashido doesn’t seem to look too happy with Kacchan’s little stunt. Neither does Kacchan with this sudden turn of circumstances.

 

“TWO!”

 

From all sides teams are running at them. Hatsume hands him the staff but Izuku knows it won’t do much against this many people. At least not in an open field.

 

“ONE! TIME’S UP AND WITH THAT THE SECOND EVENT COMES TO A CLOSE!”

 

Izuku’s let down from his position as rider. For a moment, the four of them just stand there grinning at each other. Then Uraraka squeals in delight. “We got the ten million points! We did it!” 

 

“Well done everyone,” Izuku praises and he can’t help the smile that blooms on his face. They’d done it. First place. He turns to Tokoyami, “Thanks for the save at the last moment. That was some quick thinking you did there.”

 

The other teen nods solemnly, “We wouldn’t have gotten this far without your guidance.”

 

In the background Present Mic is announcing the placements. Kacchan comes in second, Todoroki third. Team Monoma comes in fourth, Izuku’s glad to see Hitoshi in that team.

 

His happiness doesn’t last all that long. With the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, things like pain and thoughts return to Izuku. A slight sting has him checking out his arm. It looks to be a burn from Todoroki’s fire, though nothing too severe. It’s also not what shakes him up, no it’s the thought that he’d almost taken a quirk that sends up a wave of nausea.

 

His control on his quirk had slipped. Oh god, what had he done? He’d promised he wouldn't take another quirk without consent, yet he almost did. Izuku takes a shuddering breath and pushes down the urge to vomit. He won’t let it happen again. He can’t.  

 

Tightening his hands into fists to stop the shaking, Izuku turns around to go find some secluded spot for break. He needs some alone time to get his thoughts in order and to deal with this stupid headache. 

 

Of course the universe won’t let things be that easy for him, because then Todoroki is standing right in front of him, asking if they can talk.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

To be honest, I'd wanted to put the inevitable conversation with Todoroki in as well, but this chapter was already on the long side so I decided to leave it out. Like I said in the chapter notes, this entire second event got a little out of hand so sorry if it feels a little lengthy.

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don’t have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Chapter 19: Todoroki

Notes:

I’m alive! Yes, I know I’ve been gone for a while. I’m sorry for the long absence (again). These last few weeks have just been so stressful that I’m sure I can still feel the stress in every cell of my body. Just finding time to write was a miracle.

Anyway~

Thank you all so much for the 20K hits! Like…that’s a lot more than I’d expected this story to get. All of your comments and kudos make my day and they truly motivate me to keep writing <3

CW: Mention of abuse (yes, it’s time for Todoroki’s backstory)

The tunnel that Todoroki leads him to is located in a secluded spot, far away from the hustling and bustling of the crowd. In the time that it takes them to get there, Izuku attempts to form a semblance of order inside his head. His thoughts are still all scrambled up, happy with the new victory but still reeling from losing control of his quirk. The headache doesn’t really help with any of it, a steady throbbing in the back of his head that has only gotten worse after completely forcing his quirk to shut off.

 

He knows that it's bad to suppress his quirk like this. Really. But it’s so difficult to loosen the lease that he has on it when he knows how the circumstances of a packed stadium and high intensity fights only worsen his control on it. So he keeps his quirk at bay until he can find a spot where he can be alone. Then he’ll deal with the nightmare that his quirk can be.

 

Todoroki halts when they're halfway through the tunnel. He goes to lean against the wall, arms crossed in front of him as if to say that Izuku should do the same. Izuku does. He stops in front of the teen, back against the other wall and waits. For a while the other teen doesn’t say anything.

 

In fact, Izuku almost grows impatient. Todoroki just stares at him, gaze taxing as if trying to decide on something. The only reason that Izuku doesn’t disrupt the silence and demand answers –really, he’s got one hell of a headache, he’d much rather be alone right now– is because he recognizes that look. It’s the look of someone trying to decide whether they can put their trust in someone else. Todoroki wants to tell him something. Izuku’s sure of it.

 

He knows, because he’s been in the same position too many times. Izuku himself has almost never dared to take that leap of faith, to open up and talk. Only recently has he begun to do that –mostly because his hand was forced– and he still doesn’t know whether he made the right decision doing so. So Izuku remains quiet and lets the other teen take his time. 

 

“You made me break my vow today.”

 

Izuku blinks. The words break the quiet atmosphere almost too suddenly. He processes the them, tries to sift them around until they gain meaning. Only vague ideas come to mind. He tilts his head and asks, “What do you mean?”

 

A beat of silence. Todoroki looks at him, eyes searching. Then, instead of answering, he asks, “Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?” 

 

He has. Marriages made for the sole reason of creating a stronger quirk. “I’ve heard of them,” he responds, careful to keep his voice neutral and his face a blank slate.

 

“You know that my father is the number two hero. Endeavor. He’s been the number two for a long time. The only one who has always stood above him is All Might. The old man…he’s always been obsessed with being the strongest, being the one at the top. Only he couldn’t. At least not on his own.”

 

Izuku swallows down the uneasy feeling in his throat, a bad feeling about where this conversation might be headed is growing in his gut. Across from him, Todoroki isn’t really looking at Izuku anymore, instead his eyes have found some far off distance. Somewhere deep into the past. 

 

“So he married my mother. He’s a man with a lot of influence and money, so it wasn’t too difficult to get her family to agree. She has an ice quirk, the perfect power to balance out a fire quirk.”

 

Todoroki huffs, a crack in his mask. “Then I was born, after the failures that my first three siblings were, my father was delighted when it turned out that I was the perfect mix. From the moment that it became clear what my powers were, I was destined to become the great hero who would beat All Might.” 

 

The teen’s face morphs into a frown and Izuku’s taken aback by the resentment in his eyes. His hands curl into fists as he spits, “I hate it! How I’m just a tool to that man’s ambitions!”

 

The words strike a chord inside of Izuku. He sucks in a breath, heart leaping inside his throat, because he recognizes these words. They’ve been the ones echoing through his own mind for years. Every time he’d been forced in front of one of the Nomu where the only way out would be to take it down, even when Izuku knew that it had once been a human just like him. During long nights when his body ached from a day full of pain.

 

Todoroki glares down at the floor, a hand moving to cover the scarred side of his face. “In my memories my mom is always crying. ‘I can’t stand that left side of yours,’ she said before pouring boiling hot water over me.” His arm falls down again, and both of his hands clench at his side. 

 

“Not using my fire side and ultimately rising to the top without ever using it is my way of denying my father everything.”  

 

As Todoroki finishes his story he turns his attention back to Izuku, anger clearly simmering underneath the surface. The air around them has gotten significantly colder. Here and there Izuku can even see ice crystals blooming on the walls. 

 

“Why did you tell me this?” Izuku asks eventually, careful to keep his voice curious and light. He doesn’t want the teen to think that he shouldn’t have told him, Izuku knows that’s the wrong way to go about things. But there’s a point to all this. Todoroki doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’d just open up about his life’s story without a reason.

 

“Though I’ve vowed to never use my fire, I broke that today.” Todoroki sends Izuku a searching look. “I know you almost used your quirk during the cavalry battle. That alone was enough of a threat for me to lose control for a moment. Why you didn’t use your quirk in the end, I don’t know.”

 

“Right…” Izuku forces out. Of course someone had noticed him using his quirk. It wasn’t the end of the world. His cover story made sure of that but still…  It reminds him again of the fact that besides Kacchan and Hitoshi, Todoroki had been the only one who’d seen him fight Tenko. If anyone was bound to be suspicious of him, it would definitely be Todoroki.

 

The look in the other teen’s eyes intensifies. Almost thoughtful he says, “I know your quirk lets you turn other quirks on and off.”

 

A really bad feeling about the direction of this conversation is starting to form in Izuku’s gut. Is the teen on to something? Has he realized that there’s more to Izuku’s quirk than meets the eye? “What do you want to say with that?” Izuku asks, perhaps harsher than he’d intended.

 

Todoroki straightens his back, seemingly preparing himself for something. “I want you to turn my fire quirk off.”

 

There’s a beat of silence.

 

What…?

 

Izuku’s so bewildered by his statement that he even dares to use his own quirk again. If only to check whether the teen has somehow grown a second quirk light. No, still the same dual-coloured quirk light. He forces his own quirk back again before it can get out of control. Izuku frowns and stammers, “W-why would you want me to do that?”

 

The other teen tilts his head, confusion flitting across his face. “Because that way I’ll never lose control of my fire of course.”

 

Right

 

“And you believe you have a fire quirk?” Izuku asks, struggling to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

 

Todoroki blinks and answers without missing a beat, “I already told you. I got my fire quirk from my father and my ice quirk from my mother.

 

Really, this entire situation almost makes Izuku laugh. Forcing himself to keep a straight face, he says, “But you don’t have a fire quirk.”

 

“Yes I do.” Oh, the teen sounds so convinced of himself. “I have my father’s fire.”

 

How could someone be so smart in battle yet be so dense in real life? Izuku takes a calming breath and tries to explain, “You didn’t get two separate quirk from your parents. So you don’t have your father’s fire. You have an entire new quirk.”

 

“But how can you be so sure?” Todoroki asks, a hint of sharpness in his voice. He looks skeptical, as if he hadn’t anticipated this new information.

 

“Do you know how my quirk works?” Izuku asks, more as a rhetorical question than anything else because he immediately continues on. “When people have a quirk, I can see a quirk light. I see dozens of quirk lights a day. Never once have I seen two people with identical quirk lights.” Except for Doctor Tsubasa and All For One. But that’s what you get with a copy quirk in your possession.

 

The other teen seems too stunned to speak. Izuku really looks him in the eye. “You also have only one quirk light. It’s ice blue on one half, the other half is a beautiful blazing red. They’re not separate, but together. It’s your quirk Todoroki and no one else’s. Not your mother’s. Not your father’s. Yours.”

 

“I…” Todoroki seems to struggle to wrap his head around those new facts. Multiple emotions flash across his face. Anger wins. “I’m not using my fire.”

 

Izuku shrugs, “I’m not asking you to. It’s your own choice if you decide not to use it.” Besides, he isn’t really in a position to lecture the teen. That much he realizes. Not when he also regularly refuses to use his own quirk for reasons that are similar to Todoroki’s. “I just want you to know that it’s one quirk. There’s a balance between the fire and ice side. If you only use one it might cause some issues.”

 

He must have said something wrong because the teen’s face closes off. “So you’re not turning off my fireside?” There’s cold anger in his voice.

 

Izuku only sighs. “No. I can’t. I would be turning off your entire quirk, that is with your iceside included.”

 

“Right.” Todoroki pushes himself away from the wall. A slight frown has worked its way up his face. “Thank you for your time.” With those words he turns around and marches away. Izuku watches him go. Nothing that he’d say would change the other’s mind. All he’s left with, is a heavy heart and anger singing in his veins.

 

He’d always known that heroes weren’t all good guys. His rose-tinted glasses had been ripped off somewhere during his first year with All For One. But to actually hear someone say that the number two hero of Japan abuses his family, is an entire different matter. No one should be pushed into hating their own quirk because of someone else in their life. Izuku knows from his own experience how horrible that is. Hell, he still struggles a lot with using his own quirk. Most days he can’t even fathom the thought of taking a quirk, especially when it’s without permission. Not unless he absolutely has to, and even then it leaves him with this terrible feeling for weeks.

 

There’s a reason why he keeps seeing and feeling blood on his hands each time he thinks about taking another quirk.

 

The last few times had ended horribly.

 

With a heavy sigh Izuku also pushes himself away from the wall. It’s about time that he tries to find a secluded space to deal with his headache and his own quirk. He’s going to have to get it back under strict control again before his first match. As for Endeavor? Well…for that man’s sake he’d better hope that Izuku won’t come across him right now. He’s not entirely certain whether he’d be able to control himself if he even so much as noticed the man’s quirk light in his near vicinity.

 

---

 

Fortunately Izuku manages to get to his first match with a reasonably clear head. His headache has lessened, the control on his quirk is back and his mind wants to cooperate again. Hell, he even dared to use his minor healing quirk to take care of the worst of the burn on his forearm. This way it atleast won’t hurt as much, the rest he can let Recovery Girl take care of later.

 

Hitoshi finds him minutes before his first match with a warning. Apparently the Monoma kid he’s supposed to fight has a copy quirk. Just the thought sends Izuku’s mind reeling. If Monoma manages to copy his quirk and figures out that his quirk doesn’t just turn other quirks on and off but, in fact, steals them… Let’s just say that Izuku shudders to think of what the consequences would be. 

 

He profusely thanks his friend and asks Hitoshi if he can help him with his match. Hitoshi declines, saying he already has a plan for fighting Ashido. Soon after his friend leaves –off to the student stands– with goodluck wishes.

 

Now, he finds himself standing on the field with a screaming stadium all around him and with Monoma staring at him with a smug grin. “Ready to be knocked off the high horse that you class A people seem to think you're on?” Izuku ignores him, choosing to observe the teen instead.

 

When he looks at the teen’s quirk light, he sees one of the oddest lights he’s seen yet. The outer edge is nearly translucent, with four different lights swirling in the very center. As Izuku watches they seem to be fading just slightly. Those must be the quirks he’s copied, probably with a timer if the fading colors are anything to go by. “You’re too scared to say anything back?” Monoma scoffs, still an air of confidence to him.

 

Izuku shrugs, hands flexing at his side as he prepares himself. He doesn’t know what kind of quirks the other has copied and he doesn’t want to risk that it’s anything that needs a vocal response.

 

Present Mic’s commentary comes to a close as Midnight calls out to them, “Alright gentlemen, I want a nice and neat match. Am I clear?”

 

Monoma salutes. Izuku just nods.

 

“Ready. Start!” A crack of a whip and then Monoma’s rushing forward.

 

---

 

As it turns out, Izuku needn’t have worried. Though Monoma has various quirks at his disposal, his control over them –though impressive seeing as they’re only temporarily his– is nothing compared to what other UA hero students have over their quirk. Unfortunately for the other, his hand-to-hand combat is nowhere near good enough to go up against Izuku and the match ends within two minutes. By then Izuku has a scowling, yet surprised Monoma pinned beneath him with no way out. All while making sure that the teen can’t touch any of his skin.

 

“Midoriya wins!” Midnight calls out. The crowd’s cheers are mild, everyone slightly disappointed by the short and rather underwhelming match.

 

Izuku lets go of the teen and calmly steps back. Evading attempts at copying his quirk really hadn’t been all that difficult. Monoma’s movements had been rather obvious and a tad bit slow. The other teen scrambles up from his position on the ground as soon as possible, immediately smoothing down his shirt. He sends Izuku a searching, maybe even baffled look, his air of confidence gone for once. “You…didn’t use a quirk.”

 

The words are stated like a question. Izuku shrugs, “Didn’t see why I had to.”

 

Something like indignation flashes across Monoma’s face and Izuku hurries to add, “It’s nothing personal. But to me quirks are just another tool to be used, not the base that I build my entire fighting style around.”

 

The other teen frowns, then his features shift into his usual sneer. “So I just wasn’t good enough for you.”

 

There’s definitely hurt there over his loss. Well, Izuku isn’t about to coddle him. “No, you weren’t.” Monoma opens his mouth to protest but Izuku continues on without allowing him to interrupt, “But that doesn’t mean that you aren’t a good enough fighter. The control you have over other quirks is actually pretty decent, you just need to work on your hand to hand. There will come a time when you won’t be able to use any quirks. Then you also have to be able to hold your own.”

 

“Gentlemen, could the both of you please make your way back to the stands?” Midnight calls out from her position on the podium. Indeed, Present Mic is already warming the audience up for the second match. 

 

Izuku nods at Monoma, “Thank you for the match though. You have a fascinating quirk. That’ll definitely come in handy as a hero.” The blonde’s eyes widen before a lazy grin spreads on his face. “Next time class 1-B will show you 1-A people why we’re superior.”

 

With that he turns around and marches towards the tunnels with his shoulder back and his head held high. From the student stands cheers sound where class 1-B sits. Izuku doesn’t wait around to see what happens next because by then he’s also making his way back to the stands. He needs time to strategize. His next match will be against Todoroki, which will be a much tougher nut to crack.

 

---

 

The other matches pass. Todoroki indeed wins from Sero, confirming that Izuku will be facing off against him next. Hitoshi wins from Ashido by telling her some made-up gossip about their classmates. She falls for it, immediately responding by probing him to tell her more. Of course Kacchan wins as well –Izuku hadn’t expected anything else– though part of him had maybe hoped that Uraraka had won. He’d loved to see her succeed. She did put up an excellent fight and Izuku’s sure that she’ll get plenty of internship offers once this entire tournament is over.

 

More fights pass, some more memorable than others. Hatsume’s ten minute long commercial talk is definitely something. Izuku hopes that poor Iida won’t be too disheartened by his ‘fight’ with her. 

 

Then the second round of matches rolls around and soon Izuku Izuku finds himself on the field once more. This time with Todoroki standing across from him. There’s a tension coiled around the teen’s shoulders that makes Izuku wonder whether he might have spoken with Endeavor. On his way to the arena, Izuku had noticed the man’s quirk light somewhere closeby. What the man was doing down in the tunnels when visitors were forbidden from accessing them, Izuku doesn’t know. 

 

Because he’s sure that he would have said and done things that he’d regret if he were to encounter the man, Izuku had tried to avoid him by taking a longer route to the arena. That way he hadn’t bumped into Endeavor and Endeavor was still walking around, without a scratch.

 

To his left, Midnight cracks her whip. “Alright boys, you both know the rules by now. Keep it nice and clean. Understood?”

 

They both nod, neither taking their gaze off the other. Izuku carefully observes the other teen. He has the same impassive face as ever, though with a certain intensity in his eyes. Despite the fact that Todoroki probably has the intention to win just as much as Izuku has, he highly doubts the other teen will use his fire.

 

Izuku is going to use that weakness.

 

He’s up against one of the best fighters in the class, who also happens to have a long range powerhouse quirk in an open field. There will be no obstacles that Izuku will be able to use to his disadvantage. No way for him to use any of his quirks on live television. Not that he wants to, in a way it feels like cheating because everyone thinks that he just has a quirk that can turn quirks on and off. Besides, the risk would be too great. The only thing that Izuku can use to his disadvantage is Todoroki’s refusal to use his fire.

 

Maybe if he’d been a better person, Izuku would have tried to convince the teen that it’s okay to use his fire. He would have saved him from the shackles that he’s put on himself. But Izuku doesn’t have a heart of gold. That had been beaten out of him a long time ago, slowly but surely with every little thing that All For One had forced him to do. No, he has something to prove today and he won’t let anything stand in his way.

 

On the opposite side of the field Todoroki seems to be readying himself, his hands curling in and out of themselves. The blue side of his quirk light is pulsing slightly in preparation of the fight. Izuku follows his example by slowing down his breathing and reigning in his racing thoughts until he feels his razor focus slipping into place. 

 

“Ready. Start!” Midnight calls out. The words have barely left her mouth or Todorki’s quirk light flares up brightly.

 

Izuku is off, his heart pumping adrenaline through his veins. Then everything becomes a blur.

 

---

 

For the upteeth time this day Shouta wonders why he’d agreed to Hizashi’s request to join him in the commentary booth. 

 

“THIS MATCH WE HAVE CLASS 1-A’S RESIDENT POWERHOUSE TODOROKI SHOUTO AGAINST OUR STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE MIDORIYA IZUKU, WHO STILL HASN’T REVEALED WHAT HIS QUIRK IS! BUCKLE UP LADIES, GENTS AND EVERYONE ELSE, BECAUSE THIS’LL BE A WILD RIDE!”

 

The two teens come walking onto the field, both of them with equally blank faces. While Hizashi continues hyping up the crowd, Shouta takes the time to study his students. Both of them had done well up until now. Hell, his entire class of hellions had done well. Not that he’d tell them that of course.

 

Todoroki had done exactly as Shouta had expected. Big, ruthless ice attacks and a steel determination was what got him through to the third round all while remaining near the top. And Midoriya? Well, let’s say that Shouta isn’t surprised anymore that the kid keeps surprising him. 

 

Not so much during the first event. There he’d done exactly what Shouta had expected. Fast and precise parkour, unrivaled by any of the other first years. Sure, it had left him wondering yet again where a first year had learned parkour like that, but by now he’s used to wondering that every now and then with Midoriya. Then the second round came around. Not only had the kid won by making use of some smart strategy, he’d also done it without using his quirk. And that’s the thing that Shouta’s hung up over. 

 

Why hadn’t Midoriya used his quirk?

 

It isn’t as if he’s never used it like Todoroki. Then again, Shouta has almost never seen him use his quirk during exercises. Even so, his quirk is perfect for big fights like in the cavalry battle. It had enough chaos and people that Midoriya would be able to use his quirk without really being detected as the cause for the turned off quirks. The kid is smart enough to have realized this himself. So why? Does he want to prove that he can win this entire thing without using his quirk? Is he afraid that the villains after him and his mom will use the knowledge of his quirk to their advantage? But wouldn’t they already know about Midoriya’s quirk from before him and his mom had fled?

 

Deciding that he won’t figure it out today, Shouta tunes back in on what is happening down at the field. Nemuri cracks her whip as she starts speaking to the two boys. Next to him, Hizashi briefly turns off his mic and asks in a –luckily– much softer voice, “Who’d you think is gonna win?”

 

Shouta shrugs. It could be either of the boys. Though Midoriya is strong and obviously has more experience, he’s at a big advantage in an open field when he’s up against a long range fighter like Todoroki. Then again, if the kid does manage to close the distance between him and Todoroki, the other teen will have a much harder time defending himself. Even with all the training that Todoroki has most likely had with Endeavor, Midoriya is one of the best, if not the best, student in martial arts. 

 

“I think it can go both ways,” he eventually says. That’s all that can be said because then the match is about to start and Hizashi has to focus back on his commentary.

 

“Ready. Start!”

 

A loud crack. Ice wind freezes the air and gasps come from the crowd. This is the same attack as Todoroki had used during his fight with Sero. “WHAT A MASSIVE ATTACK BY TODOROKI! WILL THIS FIGHT ONCE AGAIN BE OVER IN A SINGLE MOVE?!” Hizashi calls out, his voice even louder as before. Truly, Shouta should have brought earplugs.

 

There’s a second of utter silence where everyone waits with bated breath. 

 

Then a blur moves from behind the enormous glacier on the field. 

 

“UNBELIEVABLE! MIDORIYA MANAGED TO EVADE THE FIRST ATTACK!” The crowd goes wild. This is the spectacle that they’ve been waiting for. 

 

Meanwhile Midoriya is running straight at Todoroki. A look of utter concentration has found its way up his face. 

 

Suddenly the teen dashes to the right. 

 

Not a second later the temperature drops again and a second glacier rushes forward, exactly where Midoriya had just been. Somehow the kid had predicted the attack. 

 

One of the cameras zooms into Todoroki’s face and Shouta notices how a look of frustration briefly flashes across his face before it’s replaced by steel determination. Shouta’s reminded once again how fast Midoriya is when he sees him running towards Todoroki. He’s quickly closing in on the teen.

 

There’s a third attack and the air has gone so cold by now that even from this high up in the commentary booth Shouta can feel it.

 

“MIDORIYA EVADES AGAIN! HOW DOES HE DO IT?!” 

 

Shouta briefly glares at his friend. It’s absolutely obvious and they both know it. Hizashi sends him a grin. The bastard wants him to say it. Shouta rolls his eyes but can’t resist saying, “He’s predicting the attacks. That’s how. It gives him just that extra bit of time to get out of the way of the ice.”

 

Todoroki doesn’t manage to send out a fourth wave of ice. Because by then Midoriya’s already close enough and punches the other straight on the left side of his stomach. The other teen staggers back before quickly regaining his balance.

 

What follows is a flurry of blows and quick footwork. Todoroki moves with the straight-laced precision that is very recognizable as Endeavor’s fighting style. There’s definitely a lot of skill there and years of hard work. Still, it’s nothing compared to the grace that Midoriya fights with. He moves as if in a dance, every move thought out and flowing into the next. Shouta’s still taken aback by the sheer amount of control that the kid has. It must have taken years of practice and he wonders yet again how the teen acquired it. 

 

Both of them take hits. Todoroki lashes out and Midoriya ducks, before spinning on his heel and trying to wipe the dual-haired teen’s feet from under him. For a while they seem pretty even to Shouta. Then a sort of shift seems to take place and suddenly it isn’t such an even fight anymore.

 

Maybe it’s because Todoroki keeps throwing out big ice attacks, only they appear to keep getting smaller and smaller each time. Midoriya evades every single one of them, staying on the other teen’s left side as much as possible. Shouta has to suppress a grin. Smart. He’s using Todoroki’s refusal to use his fireside. Shouta notices how it’s getting more and more difficult for Todoroki to match Midoriya’s fast paced attacks..

 

“WHAT A FIGHT! WHO’S GOING TO COME OUT ON TOP?!” 

 

There’s a slight lull in the fight, where the two teens size each other up. Then Midoria’s the one who rushes forward, this time following up each blow even faster with the next one. Todoroki tries to keep up but struggles to do so.

 

Even from this high up Shouta notices how the teen’s movements have slowed. The cold has started to affect his body. Midoriya must notice it as well because he speeds up even more.

 

“TODOROKI IS STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH THE WHIRLWIND OF MOVES THAT MIDORIYA UNLEASHES ON HIM!”

 

Closing in on Todoroki, Midoria forces the teen to step back. That’s exactly what he must have planned all along because the dual-haired teen staggers, alarm flashing across his face. It’s a single piece of his own ice that he trips over.

 

As if in slow motion his body starts to fall. Todoroki’s left hand reaches out for the ground, wanting to catch his fall with his ice, but Midoriya is quicker. He jumps after the teen, a fist swinging back. Todoroki can’t do anything as Midoriya’s fist moves forward, one of his own arms still behind him to catch himself and the other held at bay by the hand that Midoriya isn’t using.

 

With an enormous amount of speed, Midoriya’s fist connects to skin.

 

Todoroki’s out cold before he hits the ground.

 

Silence ensues, the entire stadium stunned by this sudden turn of events.

 

Then Nemuri calls out, “Todoroki is unconscious. Midoriya wins the match!”

 

---

 

“Todoroki is unconscious. Midoriya wins the match!”

 

The crowd erupts into an explosion of noise and chaos, almost making Izuku wince. Only he doesn’t because he’s too preoccupied with other things. Mainly catching his breath after that very exhausting fight. It doesn’t help that the air is really cold down here and now that he isn’t constantly moving, the chill is starting to creep into his bones.

 

Two robots come rolling onto the field. Izuku watches as Todoroki is moved onto the stretcher in between them. He’d expected to have felt a bursting happiness from beating the other teen and moving onto the next round. Only it doesn’t feel that way. Instead there’s this bitter feeling in the back of his throat. 

 

It’s tragic how Todoroki refuses to use his fire all to spite his father. Especially because there’s so much potential. Not that Izuku doesn’t understand. He really does, and that’s exactly why. Because he’s sure that the only reason why Todoroki even wants to spite his father in the first place, is to have just a little bit of control over his own life. To have a say in at least one part of his life.

 

Izuku starts to follow the teen into the tunnels, away from the field and the loud crowd. He hopes the teen can learn to accept his quirk. Then again, Izuku knows how difficult that is. If he thinks about his own relationship with his quirk, he doubts he will ever truly accept it. And maybe if he’d had a different childhood, a normal one where he could have learned to control his quirk at his own pace, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Little Izuku loved his quirk, wanted to know everything about it. Only things got spoiled for him when he was shown what his quirk could do in the wrong hands. Now, Izuku doesn’t feel excitement when he thinks about his quirk. Rather, he feels disgust and a sense of resignation. Though he might not want his quirk, he has to deal with it. 

 

If that means having to ignore his quirk for most of the time so he can live with himself, then so be it.

Notes:

Todoroki: I have two quirks. Turn one off.

Midoriya: B-but I can’t. You only have one.

Todoroki: How can you be so sure?

Midoriya: Trust me bro [sweating, because he has a grandfather with hundreds of quirks and has fought against many Nomu]

~

Thank you so much for reading!

Izuku’s conversation with Todoroki in this chapter was one of the first ideas I had when I started writing this fic. Though I’m not completely happy with this chapter, I didn’t want to let any of you wait yet another week for a chapter.

Chapter 20: Facing fears

Notes:

The only song I could think of while writing this chapter, was "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John. I think it's rather fitting for this final stretch of the sports festival arc.

Izuku finds himself in the student stands as more rounds pass. Every class has their own separate cluster of seats and a merry mood hangs in the air as the students enjoy a day free of classes. Save for a few hero students, all the other students don’t have any more events or matches to participate in. Most of them are watching the matches with a lot of enthusiasm –most teens have never personally attended one of UA’s sports festivals– and having a good time with their friends. The air in the stadium is absolutely exhilarating and Present Mic manages to keep the spirits of the crowd high with his commentary, interspersed with some of Aizawa’s dry remarks. 

 

While a lot of his classmates crowd together near the front seats to get the best view of the arena, Izuku chooses a seat near the back where he won’t be bothered too much. At first no one really notices his presence, then Uraraka looks over her shoulder. She grins up at him, sending him a thumbs up. It seems she’s gotten over her loss against Bakugo. Izuku mouths a “well fought!” at her and she truly beams. Then Jirou –who’s sitting next to the brunette– nudges her, grabbing her attention. 

 

For a while Izuku just sits, quietly observing his classmates chatting and laughing while down at the arena a few heroes work their hardest to get rid of the mountains of ice. An impromptu break had to be inserted into the program because Todoroki was still in the infirmary and was unable to melt his own ice with the fire side of his quirk. Though Izuku can feel quite a few nasty bruises blooming on various parts of his body, it isn’t bad enough to bring Recovery Girl a visit. That would only result in him losing some of his precious stamina that he’ll need for the following match.

 

Just as Izuku’s wondering whether he should go down to the waiting rooms to wish Hitoshi good luck, –he’ll be up right after the next match and has already gone down to find some quiet to focus– a disturbance catches his eye. 

 

“You lot are too goddamn noisy!”

 

“Awww Bakugo, but you love us!” Ashido pouts with a playful glint in her eyes as Kacchan gets up from his seat with his trademark scowl. The two teens are sitting together with Kaminari, Sero and Kirishima. The latter looks up from his discussion with Kaminari and pouts, “Stay a bit longer, Bakubro! It was just getting fun!”

 

Damn, absolutely everyone is using nicknames for Kacchan these days, Izuku thinks with a snort as he watches Kacchan’s face turn bright red with anger. “I need some peace and quiet, not a fucking headache, so I can beat Shity Hair’s ass!” Kacchan’s hands clench at his side while his quirk light pulsates rapidly, still the teen suppresses his quirk. “And don’t fucking call me…” for a moment his words falter, “Bakubro!”

 

Kirishima throws his hands up in a defensive manner at the outburst. Meanwhile Ashido and Kaminari barely seem to be able to keep themselves from laughing. “Alright alright, no more nicknames. But don’t think I’m not going to give it my all in our fight!” 

 

Kacchan huffs and stuffs his hands in his pockets, “I’m counting on it.” Then he turns around and stomps away, pointedly ignoring Izuku as he passes his seat.

 

 

The ice is cleared which means that the tournament is able to continue. Iida beats Shiozaki. Izuku cheers for Hitoshi, but unfortunately his friend doesn’t manage to gain the upper hand against the quiet Tokoyami with his strong companion Dark Shadow. By the time that Izuku decides to make his way back to the waiting rooms, Kacchan and Kirishima are about to face off against each other.

 

The quarter finals roll around and Izuku finds himself down at the ring again to fight Iida. The fight itself isn’t all that exciting in Izuku’s opinion. Iida is fast and certainly has his fair share of combat experience, something that’s probably a result of the training he’s undoubtedly had since he was a kid. Still, it’s nothing compared to the speed of a Nomu. And because of his speed, all the teen’s movements are rather obvious. It means that Izuku doesn’t really have a hard time beating the teen by luring him out of the ring. 

 

Iida takes his defeat in good stride, and the two of them make their way back to the tunnels together. Izuku breathes a sigh of relief once they’re back in the cool, quiet shade of the stadium. His headache hasn’t lessened any. In fact, the amount of quirks in the stadium is really starting to take its toll. He can only hope that he’ll be able to hold out with the pain long enough until after the finale.

 

Right, the final match. The one that’ll decide whether Izuku will take first place in the sports festival or not. What’s really lovely is that he’s up against Kacchan.

 

Apparently the universe really does hate him.

 

Izuku should have seen it coming. Still, his mind really wanted to defy all logic and believe that somehow he wouldn’t have to fight his childhood friend. Now he has to, and he has to beat the blonde if he wants to win the tournament. There’s no room for hesitation though, because he has something to prove. Mainly, to stick up a big imaginary middle finger at All For One as he shows him how well he’s doing as a hero student.

 

---

 

Breathe in, breathe out.

 

The noise of the stadium around him has increased significantly as this is the final of the festival. Izuku can’t suppress the wince that escapes him as he walks into the arena. His headache has transformed into a steady pounding that has become impossible to ignore. Really, he should have at least taken an ibuprofen, even if he knows that medication usually doesn’t work too well on quirk-induced headaches. 

 

“WE’VE GOT THE EXPLOSIVE BAKUGO KATSUKI AGAINST MIDORIYA IZUKU, WHO HAS YET TO SHOW HIS QUIRK!”

 

Once within the fighting ring, Izuku halts. He watches as Kacchan does the same, hands ready at his side and with an intensity in the air around him. 

 

“GET READY FOR THE FINAL MATCH, BECAUSE WHO WILL WIN?!”

 

Izuku takes his time observing the scowling teen as Present Mic continues hyping up the crowd. This will be the most difficult fight yet, he’s sure of it. Not only does Kacchan have the advantage in an open field without any obstacles that Izuku can make use of, he also has an advantage quirk wise. Unlike the last time they’d fought –in close quarters somewhere inside a building– now the other teen won’t have to worry about collateral damage. Here, no buildings can be destroyed which means he won’t have to restrict his quirk usage.

 

Taking a steadying breath, Izuku lets all of the noise around him fall to the background. His headache makes it hard to think, slowing down his thoughts until they’re sluggish and slow. He’s got a plan though, get in close as soon as possible and knock the blonde out. Unlike with Iida he can’t lure the teen out of bounds. Kacchan is simply too smart for that and his peripheral awareness is too good not to notice how close he is to the edge of the field.

 

Up on the platform next to the field, Midnight raises her whip. “Ready?”

 

His muscles tense and Izuku lowers into a battle stance. Kacchan does the same, hands stretched out slightly behind him. His quirk light has brightened into a brilliant red, ready to be used.

 

I can do this. I’m going to win.

 

“Start!”

 

An enormous explosion rockets the air. With it, Kacchan lurches forward. At the same time Izuku rushes ahead as well. They meet in the middle of the ring, two opponents clashing at high speeds.

 

Kacchan lashes out at Izuku, a sharp grin stretching on his face. His movement is powered by some deafening explosions and Izuku barely has the time to duck underneath the swing. He lets his momentum flow into a rounding kick meant to hit the teen right in the stomach, but Kacchan somehow senses the hit incoming and manages to evade at the last possible moment with the help of some explosions.

 

“WE’RE OFF TO A TRULY ROCKING START! BAKUGO AIMS FOR MIDORIYA’S BACK, BUT MIDORIYA EVADES AND RETALIATES BY TRYING TO GRAPPLE BAKUGO!”

 

From then on Izuku gets dragged into the heat of battle, his only thoughts focused on keeping up with Kacchan. The blonde’s attacks are relentless and incredibly fast. He’s really not keeping any lids on his quirk.

 

Left. Right. From behind. Kacchan is everywhere all at once. Though his mind can register it with some effort –the stupid headache definitely slows down his reaction time– it’s his body that struggles to keep up with the amount of speed required to retaliate in time. 

 

Izuku sends out another flurry of kicks in response to a set of explosions that he narrowly avoids. “Struggling to keep up, huh?!” Kacchan shouts above the popping noise of his quirk and the cheering of the crowd.

 

Gritting his teeth as he brings up his arms in time to block a hit, he answers, “I’m still standing, aren’t I?!”

 

While the other teen might not be as fast as a Nomu, he’s definitely up there. Really, a muscle enhancing quirk would help right now. But Izuku has promised himself that he wouldn’t use his quirk and he’s not about to break that promise. Though Iida was fast in the last fight, his moves were easy to predict. That’s not the case with Kacchan, and that’s precisely what Izuku is struggling with. 

 

With some effort, Izuku manages to send out some attacks. Kacchan evades all of them by boosting himself back with his explosions. It creates some distance in the fight.

 

They stare at each other, both heaving for breath. Izuku watches the blonde carefully, trying to find any sort of weakness that he can exploit. There’s no sign that Kacchan will be slowing down any time soon though and his headache makes it difficult to make much sense of his thoughts. Kacchan stares right back at him as anger and determination fight for a place on his face. With a scowl he shouts, “You’re going to use your fucking quirk or not?!”

 

Izuku glares right back, irritation flaring up inside of him. “You know why I won’t use it.”

 

“You’re not going all out, unlike the rest of us?!” Anger wins on Kacchan’s face and his hands clench at his side. “You think you’re that much better?!” His hands uncurl, and a series of explosions accompany his words that grow bigger as the teen launches himself at Izuku.

 

Knowing that he has to respond in some way, Izuku rushes forward. They clash again and Izuku nearly stumbles backward at the amount of power behind Kacchan’s first attack. It forces the two of them into close quarters, close enough for Izuku to see the beads of sweat on the other teen’s forehead. “You know that’s not the reason why I don’t use it!” Izuku hisses at Kacchan as he whirls around another explosion and goes in for his own attack.

 

That doesn’t seem to be the right answer and the teen scoffs, “You’re too fucking scared?!”

 

Izuku falters.

 

Yes

 

“No!”

 

His hesitation earns him a hot burn on one of his arms. Izuku doesn’t let it deter him and retaliates with twice as much determination, his insides hot with his own anger. He won’t use his quirk. No matter what Kacchan says.

 

Kacchan’s attacks are still growing bigger and bigger. Or maybe that’s just Izuku’s headache worsening. He can’t tell the difference anymore. The throbbing pain is making his thoughts too sluggish, to the point that he’s mostly fighting on instinct.

 

An explosion to his left. 

 

Defend.

 

Another attack.

 

Evade and return it with a kick.

 

The world is starting to get a little blurry around the edges. The cheering of the crowd and the noise of explosions all flow into one another, until every single change in sound results in a searing pain in his head. 

 

Only Kacchan is still sharply outlined. Izuku can clearly see how he bares his teeth as he shouts, “If you’re not scared, then use your quirk! Face me!”

 

The pain that seems to fill every part of his body prevents him from responding. It’s taking him all he’s got to deal with the attacks sent his way.

 

Everything is blurring together until Izuku’s not even sure anymore what he’s doing.

 

An explosion. Pain.

 

A hand enters his vision and he barely manages to evade a punch to the face.

 

“Use your fucking quirk!”

 

Bewildered, Izuku stares at Kacchan’s face. It’s drawn with anger. No…I won’t. He doesn’t know whether he says those words out loud. Still, his headache flares up again. This time his vision goes white. It’s just for a second but that’s all Kacchan needs.

 

A series of explosions, bigger than ever before. Then Izuku feels how two feet hit his stomach. He hits the ground hard, a different kind of pain rushing through him from his back. The air is knocked from his lungs and suddenly Kacchan is on top of him, seizing his arms. 

 

Izuku tries to free one of his hands from the teen’s hot grip. He only partly succeeds and Kacchan grunts as one of his fists hits his stomach. It doesn’t do much more because then the grip tightens, making it impossible for Izuku to use his arms, much less free them. Kacchan is strong, probably matching him in base strength.

 

Two blazing red eyes stare into him with unmatched intensity. The look of them freezes the blood in Izuku’s veins, because it reminds him of a similar situation, only in a different place. 

A set of red eyes.

 

Hands trapping him, taking away skin layer by skin layer.

 

A cruel smile as his worst nightmare falls from cracked lips.

Only, it’s not the same. Though there’s anger and pride, Kacchan’s gaze lacks cruelty. And while Tenko’s words were filled with poison, Kacchan’s words sound genuine when he says, “Use it, damn it!” 

 

And while pain fills his mind, a single thought becomes clear to him.

 

I’m going to lose.

 

If Izuku doesn’t find a way out of this situation, he won’t win. 

 

Hadn’t he wanted to win this festival so he could show All For One that he’s free from his oppression? Only now he realizes that he has never been free. All this time he’s always been shackled to that monster because of his own fear. The fear of using his own quirk. All the times that using his quirk had gone horribly wrong flash before his eyes.

 

The villains in his apartment, their leader’s face a bloody mess and without a quirk. The Nomu with its mangled brain, dead on the ground. All the times before, down in that concrete room or on dark nights when he’d been forced out on a mission. It always ended with blood on his hands and the terrible knowledge that he secretly enjoyed the sensation of a new quirk crawling underneath his skin.

 

But all those times he’d never used his quirk on his own accord. It had always been All For One’s doing. 

 

There have been times when Izuku chose to use his quirk. He’s helped so many people by taking their quirks when they were being hurt by it. On his first day he’d used his quirk on Iida and Yaoyorozu, on the second day he’d used it on Kacchan. It had never ended with blood on his hands. He’d never taken a quirk against someone’s will.

 

Izuku realizes that if he wants to truly be free from All For One, he has to face his fear. It means he has to start using his quirk, but on his own accord.

 

“Midoriya, can you move?” Midnight calls out.

 

Izuku doesn’t answer the hero, instead he takes a steadying breath. He searches Kacchan’s eyes. The blonde must realize what he’s about to do because a triumphant grin spreads across his face. There’s no fear in those red eyes, no disgust.

 

I’m going to do it.

 

Even if the fear still threatens to overwhelm him, to drown him, Izuku lets the reins on his quirk loose. It’s like a huge amount of pressure is released all at once. The edge of his headache is taken off. The world around him seems to become a little clearer. And above all, new strength flows through his body.

 

With the help of a muscle enhancing quirk, Izuku finds the power to move his arms again. With a grunt, he manages to twist his arms and free himself from Kacchan’s hot grip. Before he gets the chance to lash out and punch the teen in the face to hopefully knock him out, the blonde has already backed off with a blast of his quirk.

 

In that time Izuku scrambles to his feet, until the two of them are standing across from each other again. Kacchan grins at him, explosions rocking at his side. “Now we’re getting a fucking fair fight!”

 

Izuku doesn’t care to respond, instead he launches himself at the teen, the muscle enhancing quirk making him faster than ever before. When they meet for the third time, he’s the first to lash out. Kacchan lets out a hiss of pain when his fist connects with the teens stomach. He retaliates with a series of explosions but this time Izuku’s body can easily keep up.

 

While he’s able to evade any more attacks, Kacchan is now the one struggling to defend himself.

 

“IT SEEMS MIDORIYA HAS FOUND HIS STRENGTH AGAIN!

 

His new found speed allows Izuku to use the little openings in the blonde’s attacks that he hadn’t been able to before. As Kacchan twists away from one of Izuku’s roundhouse kicks, Izuku notices one of those openings. Without hesitating, he takes the opportunity presented to him. With a boost of his muscle enhancing quirk, he dives forward, tackling the other teen to the ground.

 

Grappling for the upper hand, Izuku manages to take a hold of Kacchan’s arms with his bare hands and press them to the ground with all his strength.

 

Kacchan strains against Izuku’s grip by letting off some explosions. Only he can’t use explosions big enough to overcome Izuku’s strength, lest he burns himself. The look in the teen’s eyes tells Izuku that he would do exactly that, and Izuku knows that he can’t let it get to that. 

 

Pushing away his fear and the whispers in his mind telling him not to do it, that it’ll end horribly, Izuku starts to pull.

 

It only takes five seconds, but it feels like ages. His arms tremble with the effort of holding down the other teen and he’s sure that had it lasted any longer, he wouldn’t have been able to keep Kacchan down.

 

Abruptly the explosions cut off.

 

A new, yet familiar quirk drifts inside Izuku. It feels like the blazing sun, fierceness and determination in the form of a quirk.

 

“WHAT IS THIS?! BAKUGO HAS STOPPED USING HIS QUIRK!”

 

Kacchan is staring at him with wide eyes. They’re filled with defiance –after all, the teen doesn’t want to lose–, but Izuku can also see a glimmer of pride.

 

In a flash Izuku has let go of one of the teen’s arms and, surprised by his missing quirk, Kacchan fails to react in time. His fist connects with the other’s face. The blonde slumps backward, like a puppet with its strings cut. He doesn’t get up anymore.

 

Silence reigns.

 

“Bakugo is unconscious. Midoriya wins!” Midnight cracks her whip after her announcement.

 

That breaks the silence, because then Izuku gets attacked by a wave of cheering and shouting from all around him.

 

“MIDORIYA MANAGES TO SNAG THE WIN RIGHT FROM UNDER BAKUGO’S NOSE! WHAT AN EXHILARATING FIGHT!”

 

In a daze, Izuku pushes himself away from his unconscious friend. A set of robots comes rolling onto the field with a stretcher in between them. 

 

“EVERYONE, GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR TWO FINALISTS!”

 

If he’d thought that the noise had been a lot before, now the amount of decibels seems to have doubled. His headache reminds him that it’s still there and a sharp pain tries to split his head in two. It’s dizzying and Izuku stumbles and only barely manages to regain his balance lest he fall to the ground. 

 

Another set of robots come rolling onto the field just as the first robots start rolling away with Kacchan in their midst. They ask Izuku if he needs a ride to Recovery Girl. Izuku weakly waves them away before stumbling after Kacchan. He can make it on his own to the heroine. One look at his arms tells him that he’ll need her healing. They sport a few burns from where Kacchan had used his quirk and with the adrenalin wearing off, that’s really starting to hurt.

 

Besides, he’s stolen something that he needs to return.

 

---

 

Recover Girl tends to his wounds right after making sure that Kacchan will be alright. She fusses over the burns, muttering something about reckless boys and irresponsible school festivals. Still, she heals the burns with one of her kisses –Izuku doesn’t even have the mind to worry about the touch, his thoughts are too busy with the past fight– and his skin heals just fine. She presses a handful of her energizing candies into his hands and orders him to sit back and try to rest for a while. The award ceremony will be after the arena has been fixed, and a hero band has given a short performance of their most popular songs. 

 

Izuku suspects that this was done so the finalists could get the chance to be healed by Recovery Girl and at least have a few minutes to gather their brains. He’s not complaining. Now that the fighting is over and with the last of his stamina taken from the healing session, Izuku feels the exhaustion trying to drag him down until his eyelids are drooping and even just sitting upright feels like too much work. He can’t go to sleep though, not with Kacchan laying next to him, still unconscious, and with a quirk that isn’t his crawling underneath his skin.

 

He’d thought about giving it back while the teen was still unconscious, but that didn’t sit right with him. He needed to talk to Kacchan and give the quirk back right when the blonde could see him do it. As if summoned by his thoughts, a groan escapes the teen in the bed next to him. Frowning, Kacchan cracks open his eyes. A few seconds pass as his red eyes drowsily scan the room, until they settle on Izuku.

 

Izuku isn’t sure what to say, so in the end he decides to stay silent and wait for his friend to start. Instead of opening his mouth though, the blonde raises his head. His eyes squint with the effort that it takes him, and Izuku almost tells him to take it easy and lay back down. He doesn’t –Kacchan knows his own strength very well and doesn’t like it when other people tell him what to do. Then the teen raises his hands until they’re in front of him, palms turned upward. It seems to Izuku like he just stares at them for a few seconds, until he realizes that the other must be trying to use his quirk.

 

With a frustrated scowl, Kacchan clenches his hands into fists. “So I guess you won, huh?” His voice has a hoarse edge to it, probably from all the screaming during his matches. Izuku studies his face, looking for anything that can tell him how the other feels. It’s obvious that Kacchan is clenching his teeth. There’s also the crease of his brow and this hidden tension coiled between his shoulder blades. Then there are the eyes, blazing and intense. Anger.

 

It makes sense of course. No matter how indifferent someone can be beforehand, waking up without a quirk is…disturbing to say the least. That Kacchan would be angry about that is only logical, even if somewhere deep down Izuku had hoped that this time would be different. His gaze is drawn away, to his lap, and letting out a shuddering breath he says, “I- I can give you back your quirk right now if you want.”

 

There’s a pause. In that time Izuku can feel the blonde’s intense gaze on him. “You don’t think I’m angry at you, do you?” Kacchan scoffs. The silence that follows is answer enough. 

 

A huff has Izuku looking up. Kacchan is staring straight ahead as he mutters, “Stupid Deku. Always thinks everything is about him.” There’s no real ire in the words, maybe more a slight annoyance. 

 

“You’re angry at yourself,” Izuku realizes out loud. Angry that he wasn’t strong enough. This time it's the blonde who stays silent. Still, the clenching of his teeth and the slight downcast of his eyes betray him. 

 

There’s no way that Izuku could tell his friend that he has nothing to be ashamed of. That he is already super strong and shouldn’t be so hard on himself. He also doesn’t want to do that. If it had been him in Kacchan’s place, he wouldn’t have appreciated any words meant to comfort either. Instead, Izuku says the words that have been bothering him since the ending of their fight, “You could have beaten me, you know. Right when you had me pinned underneath you.” He hadn’t really thought about it at the time, but once there had been enough silence around him to allow any thought, that had been his first realization.

 

“But then it wouldn’t have been a fair fight, now would it?” Kacchan scoffs, eyes flashing. Izuku sighs, “No, I guess not…” Of course the blonde had wanted a fair fight. In his eyes it would have been humiliating to win from an opponent who’s not even using their full strength. 

 

An awkward silence follows. Kacchan keeps staring at the wall, his teeth grinding so hard, Izuku can almost hear them. Outside the infirmary the cheering of the crowd can be heard over some blasting music. Recovery Girl quickly stops at their beds to tell them that another staff member will come soon to bring them underneath the arena, where they’ll gather for the award ceremony. She gives both of them a disapproving look, and Izuku almost feels bad for not trying to rest. Then she’s gone, leaving the two of them to it again.

 

There’s still this itching feeling crawling under his skin, reminding Izuku of why he’d wanted to talk to Kacchan in the first place. A quick scan around leaves Izuku uncertain of whether Nedzu has hidden any cameras around the place, so he decides to choose his next words carefully. “I still need to turn on your quirk again.”

 

That breaks his friend from his thoughts and he jerks his head in Izuku’s direction. With a grunt he attempts to sit up a bit straighter. “How does this shit work?”

 

“The same as when I turn it off.”

 

Without much fanfare, the other shoves his hand towards Izuku. He’s almost taken aback by it. Still, he can appreciate that the blonde doesn’t make too big of a deal out of his quirk being stolen. It soothes the part of his brain that still whispers that Kacchan is angry at him, and that this is all just a big trick to reveal Izuku’s true quirk to Nedzu or Aizawa. Shoving those thoughts down, Izuku grabs the hand with his own and almost immediately the familiar burning quirk floats out of its save and into its rightful owner.

 

After five seconds, the entire process is complete. They let go of each other and Izuku doesn’t fail to notice the sigh of relief that escapes his friend. Two soft pops fill the room as Kacchan tests out his quirk, his hands stretching out in front of him. A grin spreads across his face, somehow softer than the ones he usually shows the outside world, and Izuku feels like he’s watching something too private. 

 

He doesn’t avert his eyes though, instead daring to speak some of his own honest words. Almost a whisper in the air, “Thanks for being so persistent.” Thanks for sticking with me. Kacchan shrugs, a frown back on his face, “Just don’t be an idiot and start using your damn quirk more. Don’t make this a one time thing.” 

 

Izuku grimaces, “I’ll…try.” Before his friend can interrupt him, he explains with a sigh, “It’s just…the fears I had are still there. They haven’t gone away just because I used my quirk once.”

 

Kacchan opens his mouth to say something, then thinks better of it. A nod is all that Izuku is given. Then their time alone comes to an abrupt end when Midnight comes striding into the room, telling them to come with her. The award ceremony is about to begin.

 

---

 

The award ceremony is as loud and overwhelming as Izuku expected. The crowd’s cheering is ear-splitting, and even though he hasn’t suppressed his quirk anymore, this many quirk lights is still too much to properly handle. After some words from Midnight, All Might makes an awkward entrance. Then he starts handing out the medals. Tokoyami is the only student who receives a medal for third place, apparently Iida had to leave due to a family emergency. Izuku hopes he’s alright.

 

A few words are exchanged between the hero and Tokoyami, all of it drowned out by the noise of the crowd. Then it’s Kacchan’s turn. He receives his medal with a begrudging silence. All Might tries to talk to him, but the teen isn’t really open to any of his words, with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Finally, the hero turns to Izuku with a gleaming golden medal in his hands. Izuku lets it be draped around him while the hero says, “Congratulations my b-...Midoriya. I hadn’t expected anything else from you.”

 

Izuku straightens, marveling at the new weight around his neck. He isn’t sure how to respond to those last words. Why did the number one have any expectations of him at all? In the end he chooses a simple nod. “Thank you.”

 

The blinding smile that All Might has been wearing all this time turns a bit more awkward as he quietly asks, “Say, could I talk to you after the ceremony? There are a few things I would like to discuss with you…in private.”

 

What?

 

Izuku’s first response would be a straight up no, but he also realizes that might be a little rude to the number one hero. Especially because they’re on live television. Still, he isn’t particularly keen on having a private conversation with All Might. For one because he’s already had such conversations far more than he’d like today. First his talk with Todoroki, then his fight with Kacchan and their chat after that. He just doesn’t have the energy to have yet another intense conversation. Then there’s also the fact that All Might probably knows more about All For One than anyone else. If anyone can figure out a connection between Izuku and the villain, it would be him. Even if Izuku might be acting a little paranoid, the thought still scares him enough to want to avoid the hero as much as possible.

 

“I ah…am actually quite tired. So I’m note sure whether I have the energy to do anything after the ceremony besides sleeping…” Izuku trails off. Coming off as nervous might be better than a straight up refusal.

 

The smile on All Might’s face grows more strained and it’s clear that’s not the answer the hero had expected. Still, he dips his head in understanding. “Of course, a proper rest is the most important part to a hero’s wellbeing.”

 

Izuku eagerly nods along, glad that the hero doesn’t try to push.

 

“Another time then. I’m sure we can find a time suited to you in the coming weeks,” All Might says with his blinding smile in place again. He doesn’t give Izuku the chance to respond, already turning around to speak to the crowd and the remaining students. Though he goes off on a speech about hard work and potential, Izuku doesn’t hear any of it. He tries to push his worries about what the hero might want to discuss with him to the background. Something that he only partly succeeds at. His eyes are drawn to the golden weight around his neck. 

 

First place.

 

He’d done it. He’d won the sports festival. 

 

Would you look at that, All For One.  

 

He’s shown everyone why he deserves his spot at UA. But, more importantly, he’s shown the villain that he’s still standing. Better and stronger than ever before.

 

---

 

Somewhere, a glass crumbles to dust. On a small phone screen the green curls of a teenager flash by, the enthusiastic voice of the commentator blasting through the speakers. The camera zooms in on the teen as he holds a golden medal in one of his hands, a slight smile on his face.

 

“Look at how the heroes have ruined him. It’s disgusting.” 

 

A purple portal swoops in to clean up the dust left by the glass. Two blood red eyes, filled with desire and madness, don’t even spare a glance at the action. Instead they focus on the phone screen as the best moments of the festival are replayed.

 

“It’s not fair, Sensei. Why did we need to wait? We need to free Zuku.” A scowl morphs on a pale face. “He’s mine.”  

 

Two speakers in the room crackle to life. “Have patience, Tomura. Let the heroes think that they have won.” On the other side, somewhere in a dark room with the whirring of machines, something smiles. “Soon enough we will show them otherwise.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

This entire arc took me *way* longer that I’d thought. In my outline this was supposed to be two chapters shorter. Anyway, I’m super excited for the next arc, I have so many *things* planned.

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don’t have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Chapter 21: Internship offers

Notes:

Hi, I’m back from the dead again. I’m so sorry I took so long to update. This chapter just fought me at every turn possible. The fact that I’m in the middle of my final exams also doesn’t really help, still I’d hoped to put this out much sooner. It's not my best work, but I hope it's good enough.

CW: The last part that starts after the fourth separation mark is quite heavy. It contains a more graphic flashback to Izuku’s past and a panic attack. You have been warned.

A weekend passes where Izuku is supposed to rest, but doesn’t seem to be able to do much of it. Worries about whether someone has figured out his true quirk fill his mind and more then once he finds himself regretting ever going on live television. Those last thoughts never stick around for too long though. The knowledge that he has pissed off All For One– even in just a small way– makes up for all his inner turmoil. Still, during those long two days he checks just about every platform that’s talking about the festival. And boy do they talk about it.

 

With the recent attack at the USJ the first year festival had already garnered more attention than usual. But apparently winning the festival without a flashy quirk is even more of a shocker. In the years that UA has held the sports festival, that has only happened about a handful of times– one of them being during the first year that Aizawa was a student. Nearly every news outlet talks about it, and absolutely every online hero platform has lengthy discussions going on about how Midoriya Izuku managed to win the sports festival. Most talk about the mechanics of his quirk. Present Mic had purposely kept the commentary about students’ quirks vague– UA didn’t want to make it too easy for any villains that might be watching. Because of that the suggestions about what his quirk might be range from a simple suppression quirk to a quirk that can temporarily paralyze parts of the body through both mind control and touch. There was even one article suggesting that he’s quirkless and that UA just wanted to keep that under wraps. It hadn’t been all too positive about him, claiming that hero students aren’t as strong as they were a few years ago and that the poor state of the education system was to blame for the fact that a quirkless student had won the festival. Just the absurdity of the article had made Izuku chuckle. Still, so far no one had even come up with the idea of a quirk that could take other quirks. 

 

That doesn’t mean that Izuku doesn’t anxiously read any article about himself that he can, every time with a beating heart and sweaty palms until he’s sure that no one has figured out his secret. Well… one of his secrets, but he doesn’t try to think too much about that. Somewhere in the back of his head he’s still amazed that he’s managed to keep his…family relations a secret for so long. It’s even more a wonder that the excuse that he’s come with for his quirk has held up until this point. Though that’s a relief, it also makes him feel uneasy. Like everyone is playing one big game and is just waiting for the right moment to destroy his life.

 

All in all Izuku has worked himself up into such a frenzy by Monday morning that he’s glad that he doesn’t have to take public transport to school. He’s not sure whether he could take all the extra stares and whispers. Because he’s sure that he’ll go crazy if he’s even just a moment longer in his apartment, he decides to get to class early.

 

The room is still completely empty when he gets there. He relishes in the quiet as he slides into his seat, perfectly content with not doing anything for just a while. After a few minutes the calm atmosphere is broken when the door to the classroom slides open. Izuku realizes it’s Iida moments before the teen steps through the door– his quirk light being information enough.

 

He’s immediately reminded of another thing that’s been a hot topic on the news over the weekend. The attack on Ingenium by the hero killer Stain. Apparently the hero had been patrolling the streets of Hosu –the home base of the Iida family– when he encountered Stain. The hero had only narrowly survived it, having been found on the brink of death by a civilian. That’s about all that the public knows. 

 

Izuku watches silently as Iida steps inside, his eyes unseeing as he closes the door behind him. The teen walks to his seat as if in a trance, his posture even more stiff and rigid than usual. He doesn’t notice Izuku sitting on the other side of the room. While Izuku can be quiet if he wants to –so quiet that no one would notice him– it unnerves him that the teen doesn’t see him sitting in plain sight. Before the other can sit down, Izuku calls out. 

 

“Iida.”

 

That breaks the teen from his daze and he looks up with a start. “M-midoriya!” Izuku watches as Iida’s face morphs into a strained smile. “I didn’t see you there!” Izuku almost cringes from the forced cheerfulness in the teen’s voice, as convincing as it might be. It would take a whole lot more to deceive him, he’s learned from a master manipulator after all. 

 

Izuku slides off his seat and approaches the other. Just a step away he stops. “I heard about your brother.”

 

Only a slight strain in his facial muscles betrays Iida as he holds up a hand, still with that stupid smile on his face, “Everything is fine! I apologize for worrying you needlessly.” 

 

For a moment Izuku doesn’t respond, he merely stares at the teen. The stupid smile, the cheerfulness and the rigidness of his body. It just doesn’t fit together. Eventually Izuku shakes his head, softly he says, “You’re not fooling me Iida. You can stop the act.”

 

The smile on the other’s face wavers, but doesn’t disappear. “W- what do you mean?” he asks, a tremor in his voice. Izuku saw the look on Iida’s face when he entered the classroom. There had been pure, raw anger in his eyes. Izuku knows what it looks like. There are days when he can feel nothing but anger. At the people who treated him poorly only because he has a certain quirk, at himself, at his father for staying behind on that one day and not coming back, but above all at All For One. He never lets the emotion shape his face, but when he looks in the mirror he can see it reflected in his eyes. Iida had worn that same look, and it had only disappeared when he realized that there was someone else in the room.

 

“I know you’re not fine. It’s okay to be angry at Stain.” At the name Iida openly flinches, with it his composure crumbles. His jaw clenches and tears fill his eyes as he stares at the ground. “He won’t ever walk again,” he says, his voice tight and trembling. “His hero career ended just like that. All because of some sort of justice.” Those last words are spat, hatred and rage coloring them. 

 

Iida looks up, his eyebrows drawn tight, “Please let me keep up the act. I can’t stand everyone trying to comfort me. On the news they’re all talking like it’s some sort of big spectacle or…or a tragedy. Around me everyone treats me like I’m made of glass. Like I can’t handle myself.” At his side he clenches his hands. “It drives me mad.”

 

A beat of silence passes where Izuku studies the teen. Then he sighs, “Just…don’t let the anger consume you. You’ll do things you regret.”

 

Iida nods, grateful, then wordlessly turns around and makes for his seat. Izuku’s left with feelings of doubt. Only time will tell if Iida takes his words to heart.

 

---

 

Other students come trickling in and soon the classroom is all noisy and filled with energy. More than once someone glances at Iida or asks him how he’s doing. Everytime the teen answers with the same polite smile, saying that he’s fine. From the worried looks that Uraraka has been giving the teen, she also doesn’t believe his words. 

 

Aizawa enters the room not much later, the air around him as exhausted as ever, and everyone scrambles to their seats. One look around, with his gaze staying a bit longer on Iida, then he starts the class with the words, “Morning hellions. I hope for your sake that you’ve all taken this weekend to rest up.” This time Izuku is sure that the man sends him a pointed look. “Now that the sports festival is over, your first internships are coming up. Pro heroes have had the chance this weekend to send offers to you. Today each of you will be given a list of your offers.”

 

The man continues on explaining the internships in greater detail. Finally, he takes a stack of papers from the teacher’s desk and starts handing them out. Some of Izuku’s classmates receive multiple pages of offers, while others only receive the standard list of agencies that each hero student can go to. Behind him, Hitoshi looks with wide eyes at the multiple pages of offers as they’re given to him. Izuku smiles to himself, his friend deserves every offer that he’s received.

 

At last Aizawa makes his way back to the front of the room, empty-handed. There are only two people left without any offers on their table– Izuku and Kacchan. Murmurs pass through the class and for a moment Izuku fears that he hasn’t received any offers. Then the hero takes two thick paper stacks and plops them onto their desks. 

 

The whispers grow louder at the sight of them. Izuku can understand why. He himself feels baffled at the sheer volume of the stack. It must hold hundreds of offers. Kacchan’s pack is even thicker. 

 

To some it might seem weird that the runner-up received more offers than Izuku, who’s the winner of the festival. To him it’s clear as day why. Kacchan has a flashy quirk after all, one he’s used plenty throughout the entire event. Izuku barely used his, and even then it must have confused a lot of people. Heroes often send out offers to students with a similar quirk or one that works through similar mechanics, that way they’ll be able to guide the hero student in that area. There’s also the fact that Izuku’s quirk simply just…isn’t as flashy. In a society where those with powerful, flashy quirks are seen as ultimate hero material, that doesn’t do him any favors.

 

Before the noise in the classroom can rise any higher, Aizawa cuts in, “You will get a few days to consider your options. Choose wisely. Each agency offers a different environment to work in and they often focus on different areas of heroics.” He makes his way to the teacher's desk and continues, “Aside from that, there’s something every hero needs: A hero name.” This time whispers do sweep through the class but their teacher silences them with a flash of his quirk. The man looks utterly done as he carries on, “Apparently I’m not the right judge for stuff like this.” Izuku has to keep back a snort at those words. He can’t imagine Aizawa streamlining the process of letting twenty sixteen year olds choose a hero name. It would be utter chaos.

 

“So, someone else will be helping you with that today.” A sigh from the hero. “Midnight you can come in.”

 

The door crashes open and said hero comes marching into the classroom. “Ready to choose your hero names?!”

 

As she begins explaining the process of choosing a name, Izuku watches Aizawa grab his sleeping bag and make himself comfortable on the floor. Each of them is given a whiteboard and a marker with the instruction to write down a name. Some of his classmates stare at the board with a frown or blank eyes, while others immediately begin scribbling stuff down. Izuku turns his attention away from the others and looks down at his own board.

 

He doesn’t have to think long about what he wants his name to be. He already has one: Ghost. Both a wish and a promise. It’s the wish to truly be free from the shackles he’s had to bear for so long. It’s also a promise to himself, that he won’t be a slave to someone else’s goals ever again. He’ll be as free as a ghost. The name also reminds him of the sacrifices made before he was able to escape, all those years ago. The younger Izuku, innocent and naive, killed in that concrete room. His father, throwing up a last defense so he and his mom could get away in time. All the lives he had to take, whether it was because he’d been forced or because survival and freedom had been more important than anything during those early months after their escape.

 

Izuku picks up this black marker and writes down the name, cementing his idea and giving it form. 

 

Ghost

 

---

 

Shouta watches through lidded eyes as all his hellions take turns showing their hero names to the class. Most ideas get approved by Nemuri, some don’t. Even Shouta understands that King Explosion Murder doesn’t exactly cut it as a hero name. Iida and Todoroki just choose their own names. In every class there are always a few like that. Often it’s because they don’t have a good idea of what sort of hero they want to be yet. Though Shouta does feel a tinge of worry as he watches Iida walk back to his seat with downcast eyes. He’ll have to keep an eye on that one, the attack on his brother must have hit him hard.

 

When it’s Midoriya’s turn he simply states the name, “Ghost,” and walks away again without any further explanation. It’s the same name that he uses as a police consultant. Shouta wonders what the meaning is behind the name– he’s never asked and frankly, it’s none of his business. Still, he wonders. He’s noticed that he does that a lot when it comes to Midoriya. Maybe it’s because the kid is still such a big mystery. Even if some of his behavior can be explained by his history with the villain group that’s after him and his mother, so much still doesn’t make sense. Why does he use his quirk so rarely? Midoriya said his mom has had him take self defense classes from a very young age. But if that’s the case, what sort of training must that have been? The kid fights so flawlessly and clearly with so much experience under his belt, that it would almost be impossible to learn merely from training in a dojo. Such experience is only learned out on the streets. 

 

None of it makes sense and as much as it annoys Shouta, he can’t drag it out of the kid. He did, however, put out his own internship offer to Midoriya. While the kid doesn’t necessarily need any more martial arts training, he could work on his quirk. Shouta might be one of the few people who can help him, with their quirks being so similar and all that. It’s the first time he’s put out an internship offer, but Shouta thinks that the kid could be a really good underground hero if he wants to be. If Midoriya accepts, hopefully Shouta will be able to unravel the mystery of Midoriya Izuku a bit more.

 

When everyone has gotten Midnight’s approval, the first class has already come to an end and the bell rings not much later. The entire class resolves into a flurry of movement as they pack their things to get to the next class. They have some sort of practical for their science classes if Shouta remembers correctly, which is why they have to move to a different classroom. He gladly takes the opportunity that this presents and as he zips himself out of his sleeping bag, he calls out, “Midoriya, please stay behind. I need to talk to you.”

 

The teen’s expression doesn’t waver as he walks to the front of the class, bag slung over one shoulder. Shouta notices that Shinsou and Uraraka send the two of them curious glances, but when they see their teacher looking they hurry along. By now Midoriya has reached the teacher’s desk and those dull green eyes meet Shouta’s gaze. “Sensei.”

 

“Congratulations on your first place at the sports festival. You put down an impressive feat,” Shouta decides to start with. 

 

The only sign that Midoriya is surprised by the words, is the slight hesitation in his eyes before it’s quickly covered by a nod. Eyes lowered to the ground, the teen says, “Thank you.” It’s these minute deviations from his usual confident behavior, that make Shouta pause. What is so different about receiving praise that Midoriya grows submissive? Normally the kid has no problem facing any sort of authoritative figure head on. Some might even say that he has no care for authoritative figures. Though Shouta would love to think more on the matter, he pushes it to the back of his head. There are things he needs to discuss with the teen right now.

 

“Have you had time to look at your offers yet?”

 

A shake of the kid’s head, “No, I haven’t.”

 

Shouta hums. “Well, in that case let me tell you personally that I have extended my own internship offer to you.”

 

This time Midoriya openly frowns, “But…why? You never take on anyone for internships or…anything else really.”

 

Shouta sighs, “You’re right about that. I don’t take on students. They’re exhausting, and my work as an underground hero is often too dangerous for the few first year students who want to become underground heroes. But you can look after yourself.” 

 

“There’s also another reason why I sent out an offer. Did Tsukauchi send you an update on the Kokkaku Nori case yesterday?” An uncertain nod from Midoriya. “Good, then you know that Tsukauchi thinks that they might find another possible location connected to the cult soon. There’s a big chance that will turn out to be a field mission next week during the internships. I could take you with me, you could see what it’s like doing a scope-out mission. Legally, ” Shouta adds with his best disappointed-teacher-look.

 

The teen snorts, “Like I let that stop me before.” Shouta’s reminded of his little nightly adventure to the gym that had resulted in the discovery of the cult. With a raised eyebrow he looks at the kid. “At least this time you won’t be giving detective Tsukauchi any more gray hairs.” Honestly, knowing Midoriya he would somehow still end up in trouble and give them both gray hairs.

 

To his surprise the other actually chuckles at his words. It’s a soft but genuine sound that seems to take both of them by surprise. Shouta stares at the kid, at the relaxed curve of his shoulders and the way his face seems to slacken a bit in the fun of the moment. Midoriya freezes, then clears his throat. When he speaks the mask is back again, every emotion locked behind his eyes. “Thank you for the offer.” He frowns, “I don’t think the limelight would really suit me anyway, so I’ll seriously consider taking the internship with you.”

 

It pains Shouta to see that the teen still doesn’t trust him enough to let his guard down. The trust needed for that is only something that can grow with time though, so for now the best thing he can do is try to earn that trust. “Do look at all your other offers carefully,” Shouta says. Reminded of the surprise he’d felt this morning when looking through some of his student’s offers and seeing who had sent one out to Midoriya, he adds, “You received a few…interesting ones, so don’t be afraid to choose something different.”

 

Slowly, the teen nods. “I will.” 

 

---

 

When break rolls around Izuku searches for a quiet place outside, on campus grounds. He finds it underneath a thick tree, its leaves the fresh green of spring, and sits down with a bento and the thick stack of offers. Finally he has the time to look through them. The offer that Aizawa had given him is still fresh in his mind. Though it seems like an excellent opportunity to see what being an underground hero is all about, somewhere Izuku still hesitates. It’s a voice in the back of his head, whispering that he shouldn’t get too close to anyone, that Aizawa just wants him around so he can expose his secrets. The crippling doubt whether he can trust anyone never quite goes away.

 

As he bites into one of his mom’s rice balls, he stares at the front page of his packet. It’s just plain blue, with his name and class written on it. Curiosity fills him, Aizawa’s last words echoing in his ears. Who could possibly have sent him an offer that it had interested the usually so stoic teacher? When he’s finished the rice ball he reaches out and turns over the first page. His eyes travel to the top of the page, read the first words and stop. The world tilts for a fleeting moment.

 

All Might Agency

 

Suddenly All Might’s interest at the sports festival makes much more sense. Why, though? Why is the number one hero so interested in Izuku? There’s really only one reason that he can think of. Somehow the hero must have figured something out about his past, or about his quirk, or maybe he’s just suspicious and now he wants to investigate. The sports festival must have been the final clue. Maybe the hero noticed some sort of connection between his fighting style and All For One’s.

 

Izuku lets out a shuddering breath. He tries to remind himself that if All Might had truly figured out his connection to All For One, he wouldn’t be sitting here peacefully on the grass, enjoying his lunch. He’d probably be getting interrogated by the police somewhere in a dark room at a police station, or worse, he’d already be on his way to Tartarus. Maybe it’s nothing at all. Maybe the hero really was just impressed by his fighting skills at the festival.

 

He doesn’t really achieve at calming himself down. His heart still beats like a wardrum inside his chest and his palms feel sweaty. He knows that like Aizawa, All Might has never taken on a hero student as an intern. If that had happened before, it would have been all over the news. He tries to remind himself that All Might has only sent him an offer. He doesn’t have to accept.

 

To distract himself and his escalating thoughts, he starts flipping through all the other offers, reading some here and there. None particularly catch his eye, though he does notices Eraserhead’s name at some point. Another name is listed a few places above the hero’s name. Just the sight of it makes Izuku’s blood boil.

 

Endeavor

 

He scoffs and has to resist the urge to crumple up the paper– there are still other offers on the page that he needs to read through. Like he would ever train under another abuser. Before he can read through the rest of the packet, his quirk alarms him of two approaching presences. When he looks up he sees two of his friends nearing the tree that he’s sitting under.

 

“There you are, nerd. We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Kacchan says as he plops himself down unceremoniously next to Izuku. “Didn’t think you could hide from us, now did you?”

 

A snort from Hitoshi follows as he also takes place on the grass. “I’m sure the only one he was hiding from is you, Bakubro.”

 

Kacchan sends the other a furious look. “Don’t call me that, Eyebags!”

 

Before the conversation can escalate any more, Izuku cuts in, “Hey hey, I did come here for some peace and quiet.” Two unimpressed looks are sent his way. “Well, you can find you goddamn peace and quiet another time,” Kacchan says.

 

“Yup,” Hitoshi chimes in as he takes his flask of coffee from his bag. “You can’t get rid of us that easily.” 

 

Izuku can’t believe his eyes. His two friends seem to agree on something for once. He sighs, “Alright then. Why are you here though?”

 

At the same time that Hitoshi says, “Do we need a reason to want to hang out with a friend?” Kacchan responds with, “We want to know about your internship offers, you dumbass.” The two blink and stare at each other. In the end Hitoshi breaks the silence. “Well…yeah that’s also why we’re here,” he says, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

 

Before Izuku has the chance to think of something to say, Kacchan juts his chin out at him and asks, “Did you get any offers from the top ten?”

 

Izuku looks at both of them and chuckles, “Well, about that…”

 

For the remainder of their break they discuss their internship offers. Hitoshi and Kacchan are both just as surprised as Izuku at All Might’s offer. The latter with a bit of envy, though Izuku can tell that somewhere, his friend is also begrudgingly proud of him. When Hitoshi asks if he’s going to accept the offer, Izuku responds with a shrug. “I don’t know. Limelight heroics isn’t really the route I want to take.” 

 

Hitoshi nods, “Fair enough. I’m going to intern with an underground hero myself, I think.” Izuku tilts his head in curiosity, “Who?”

 

“Ms. Joke. I think she could help me with my quirk.” His friend twirls his thermos filled with coffee in one hand. “As you probably know, she also has a voice activated quirk.”

 

Izuku hums. He has heard of her. She would be a good fit for Hitoshi. Though his martial arts is quite good for a first year, his quirk control could use some work. Ms. Joke could definitely help him with that. He turns to his other friend, who has just taken his own stack of offers from his schoolbag. The form to fill in the final decision for the internship lays on top of the stack. “What about you, Kacchan? Who are you going with?”

 

The blond looks up and shrugs. “Best Jeanist or Mirko. Haven’t decided yet.” 

 

Izuku frowns in confusion, “Why Best Jeanist?” Kacchan just stares at him. “Because he’s the number four hero.” He states the words as if that explains it all.

 

“You do know that they have an all-jeans dress code at the agency right?” Izuku says with a raised eyebrow. Kacchan turns back to his stack of offers, grabs a pen and starts scribbling on his form. “Mirko it is then. You won’t even catch me dead in an all-jeans outfit,” the teen mutters.

 

Next to him, Hitoshi has to suppress his laughter. “Man, maybe you should go for Best Jeanist. I bet you would kill that look.”

 

The blonde looks up from his form with a furious look and glares at the teen, “Shut it, Eyebags! You wouldn’t even have a fucking fashion sense if it looked you in the face!”

 

---

 

That afternoon they have heroics class from All Might. During the exercises Izuku tries to blend in with the rest of his classmates, not wanting to draw any more of the hero’s attention to him. Still, he feels the man’s eyes on him more often than he’d like and by the end of the class his nerves are shot. Just as he’s about to flee to the changing rooms, All Might calls out, “Young Midoriya, could I have a word with you?”

 

Some of his classmates send him curious looks, but keep on making their way to the changing rooms. With a sense of dread, Izuku turns around and walks back to the hero. “Yes, sensei?” he asks, careful to keep his voice and face devoid of any emotion. 

 

“I was wondering if I could speak to you now?” the hero asks, that blinding smile plastered on his face. Izuku grits his teeth, he knows he can’t refuse the hero a second time. Even if he could, he’s not sure his nerves could take this entire situation much longer. Still, he at least tries to win himself a little time. “I could talk right now, but would you mind if I take a shower first? I’m pretty sweaty from your class…”

 

All Might laughs sheepishly, seeming to only think of that now. “Of course! Let us meet after, then.” They agree on meeting at one of the smaller meeting rooms. The fact that Izuku knows that it’s a soundproof room isn’t exactly a comforting thought. He’s not sure how he manages to shower, only that he’s standing outside the changing room, hair still wet, way too quickly. It seems his feet are made of lead as they take him through the school building, up two flights of stairs before he finds himself standing in front of the meeting room. 

 

All Might is already waiting inside, his quirk light bright like a beacon. Izuku isn’t sure what to expect from this conversation. He has too many secrets that the hero could know, too many that would definitely at least be a point of discussion. Thinking about the potential doom scenarios won’t help him now. Swallowing down his fear, Izuku reaches out to the handle and pushes the door open. As it swings open, the hero looks away from the windows at the other side of the room. He’s sitting on one of the two yellow couches that are standing opposite from each other, a small coffee table in the middle. The smile on his face is as bedazzling as ever when he says, “Young Midoriya! That was fast! Take a seat, please.”

 

In the split second before he steps into the room, Izuku analyzes the space. There are two exits, the door and one of the windows that can be opened. The glass is the same, thick military grade glass that is used throughout the entire school. Trying to break through that would be pointless. The sound inside the room is slightly muted, probably a result of the sound proofing.

 

Izuku moves to the other couch in the room and wordlessly takes place, opposite to the hero. A beat of silence passes where Izuku waits for the other to start. All Might seems to realize that he’s the one that asked for this conversation and clears his throat. “I…ah wanted to congratulate you again on your first place at the sports festival. Truly magnificent.”

 

“Thank you,” Izuku responds with a nod. 

 

“I suppose you’ve already looked at your internship offers…?”

 

“Yes,” Izuku says, deciding that he’ll first see what the hero has to say before he’ll voice his own thoughts on the matter. He watches as the man struggles to find the words to continue. In the end he settles on another question, “Then you must have seen my offer?” 

 

A nod.

 

All Might lets out an awkward cough. Clearly he had expected a different response. “Like I already said, I was very impressed by your performance at the sports festival. And that’s one of the reasons why I extended an offer to you.” A pause. “Though there’s also a second reason…”

 

Confusion flits through Izuku as he stares at the hero. What second reason? That he’s figured out one of Izuku’s secrets? But then they wouldn’t be sitting here so calmly. That the hero is suspicious of something? Surely the hero would be smart enough to keep those thoughts to himself until he’s absolutely certain about something. It doesn’t make sense anymore. None of this fits into the scenarios that Izuku had made up in his head about this conversation. Because he stays quiet, the hero seems to decide to continue on, his face more solemn than Izuku has ever seen. “Do you know what my quirk is?”

 

Izuku frowns, “It’s a sort of strength enhancing quirk.”

 

“But could you tell me exactly how my quirk works?”

 

Yes

 

“No,” Izuku says, even though he could probably fill ten whole minutes talking about the exact mechanics of the hero’s quirk. Those facts had been drilled into him from the moment that he could read. “There’s always been a lot of discussion about it, but no one knows for sure.”

 

All Might looks at him with an intensity that makes it hard to stare back, still Izuku tries to keep eye contact. “The things I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room, do you understand?”

 

Already having a bad feeling about where this conversation is going, Izuku answers, “Of course. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” And he knows it to be true. Even if he isn’t entirely sure what to think of the number one, he still knows the importance of keeping a secret when asked to do so.

 

For just a moment silence reigns. Then it’s broken by a puff of smoke as it fills the room right from where All Might is sitting. When it clears away, there’s no longer the number one hero sitting on the couch. Instead a gaunt, almost sickly man has taken his place. Blood spews from his mouth as he coughs into his hands.

 

“A-all Might?!” Izuku exclaims. Shock fills him, not because he can’t believe that this is still the same man –his quirk light is still the same, and those fierce blue eyes could only be from one person– but because he hadn’t expected the Symbol of Peace to look like…this. “Are you alright?” he asks, because coughing up blood like that can not be good.

 

The other puts up an assuring hand as he wipes away the blood with a white handkerchief. “I’m alright, young Midoriya. No need to worry!”

 

“Why-...what happened?” Izuku asks, even if he already has a growing suspicion. There’s only one person he can think of that can do this to the Symbol of Peace.

 

All Might pulls up his shirt, now pooling around him a good few sizes too big, to reveal a gnarly scar stretching from the left side of his chest all the way down to his stomach. “Six years ago…an enemy did this to me”

 

Those words are enough to confirm Izuku’s suspicion. This was the fight against All For One. It seems they both did a heavy number on each other. He still remembers the weeks after the fight. During that time he hadn’t been summoned to his grandfather a single time. He’d tried to interrogate Kurogiri on the matter every time the man teleported him to his training sessions with one of his teachers, but the villain had refused to say a word. Those weeks had been strange, somewhere he’d been relieved that he didn’t have any special training sessions from All For One, but that had then made him feel guilty for not worrying about his grandfather. 

 

Finally, after weeks he’d been summoned to his grandfather. He hadn’t expected to see his normally so powerful grandfather bedridden, bandages wrapped around the top half of his face and a breathing mask to keep him alive. Later, it disgusted him that he’d felt worry for that man, and that he’d been angry at the person who had done this. All Might. He still doesn’t know how to deal with those feelings. Ignoring them usually works. Until moments like these where everything comes rushing back.

 

Even while Izuku tries to push down the memories that come with those weeks, there’s one question that he has to ask. “Did you…defeat the enemy?”

 

All Might lets the shirt fall down again and says, “Don’t worry, it’s all fine now. I made sure this enemy won’t be bothering anyone any longer.”

 

No…

 

Nausea fills Izuku when he realizes what these words mean. All Might believes that All For One is dead. He doesn’t know that this monster is still alive, destroying lives everywhere he goes. And the worst thing is, Izuku knows he could do something about it. He knows that All For One is still alive, he could tell the hero. But he also knows that he can’t do that. Just the thought of having to talk to anyone about All For One or his past gets his heart racing, fear freezing his veins. No…they’ll lock him up for what he did in the past, for who he is. They’ll take his mom. He can’t. 

 

Unaware of his inner turmoil, All Might continues on with a sigh, “Unfortunately because of my injury, I can now only perform my hero work for about three hours a day. And that brings me back to my quirk. It’s called One For All…”

 

As All Might recounts the story of his quirk, Izuku tries to react as someone who hears this story for the first time. He already knows about its stockpiling abilities, about the super strength, and the fact that it has been passed on for generations. Weirdly enough though, the man doesn’t mention the origins of the quirk. Where it came from. Izuku wonders if he even knows that One For All was stolen by one of All For One’s subordinates through tricking his younger brother, who had held One For All up until that point. He must know about All For One though, because the two had fought six years ago. But then why doesn’t he mention the villain in his story? Because he believes that the villain is dead? 

 

“-passed on for generations by the bravest heroes and I believe that it should be your turn next.”

 

It takes Izuku a second to process those words. “W- what?” It can’t be true. This has to be some kind of joke. Or a trick. 

 

“Your actions at the entrance exam already caught my attention, and they told me that you have the blood of a true hero in you. And then I heard and read about your bravery at the USJ. You didn’t hesitate to protect your teacher and classmates, even when it should have been me or any other hero defending you all.”

 

Izuku shakes his head, confusion and panic rising at the same time. “No…anyone would do that.”

 

All Might gently shakes his head, a smile back on his face. “I think you’re mistaken, young Midoriya. It takes a special kind of heart to stand up against such threats. That’s why I think you deserve One For All. It’s why I put out an internship offer for you, so I can properly train you to receive the quirk.”

 

To get One For All. It’s something that All For One has wanted for centuries. Now it’s within Izuku’s reach. He could accept, then he’d finally be able to get a good look at such a fascinating quirk. It’s so tempting that his hands start itching, and Izuku has to clench them into fists to suppress the feeling. Just the thought of actually accepting the quirk though… It feels so wrong. He would be tricking All Might. The man doesn’t actually know who he is, and Izuku is sure that if he knew, he wouldn’t be offering him his quirk. 

 

“I…don’t think I’m the right person for this,” Izuku eventually says. This time with a bit more force behind his words. The hero has to understand. Izuku can’t accept the quirk.

 

The other man’s smile stays in place, even if it appears to be a bit more strained. "Nonsense! I believe you’d be the perfect person. I would be proud to call you my successor!”

“Don’t forget Izuku, you’re my successor. You and Tomura will rule the underworld.”

 

A hand reaches out to caress his cheek. Izuku has to stop himself from flinching away. He knows Sensei doesn’t like it when he does that. The concrete floor feels cold and sharp underneath his bloody hands. A Nomu lays ahead of him on the ground, lifeless in a pool of its own blood. His own body hurts everywhere. It always does after fighting a Nomu.

 

“You did well this time, but you’ll have to be better, Izuku.” Disappointment is laced through the words. Izuku’s stomach sinks. Disappointment means pain.

 

He doesn’t have to wait long. 

 

Excruciating, all consuming pain fills his body as all his quirks are stripped away from him. Through the haze of pain, he can hear the next words of doom, “Kurogiri, bring in another Nomu. Let’s see how well my successor does fighting quirkless.”

“NO!”

 

The words ring in the following silence. All Might stares at him, surprise and shock wiping away his smile. Chest heaving, Izuku looks away from the man’s gaze. His hands tremble, and his heart thunders in his ears as he tries to calm himself down. He hadn’t meant to react like that. But just the idea of being someone’s successor brought him back to that concrete room. No matter how much he tries, the memories and flashbacks that come with it keep sticking to his brain like hot glue. 

 

Successor…

 

The word terrifies him, it disgusts him. It makes him want to vomit, and curl up into a little ball. 

 

“S-sorry I reacted that way,” he manages to choke out. He forces himself to look at the hero, even as it’s getting harder to breathe. 

 

All Might tries to go for his usual comforting smile, but all Izuku can see is another smile in another room, this one promising pain. “It’s alright, I know all of this might feel too sudden. You can take your time to think about it.”

 

The hero doesn’t understand. He doesn’t seem to understand that someone wouldn’t want One For All. “No…I don’t want your quirk. I don’t want to be your successor-” Izuku tries to take a steadying breath. The room is starting to feel too cramped. He’s trapped and he needs to get out, out, out. His entire body seems to be made out of lead, still he pushes himself onto his feet with a lot of effort. “Your secrets will be safe with me, I promise. But I-...I can’t.” I can’t accept your quirk, and all your expectations.

 

He stumbles to the door, not looking back to see All Might’s reaction.

 

Out!

 

As soon as he’s out of the room, he breaks into a run. Behind him, he can hear the hero calling out to him. He ignores all of it.

 

He promised himself he wouldn’t ever be shackled to someone else’s expectations and goals ever again. He can’t be the hero All Might wants him to be. All Might wants someone with a golden heart, someone eager to take up his place as Symbol of Peace. Izuku isn’t that person.

 

As he rushes out the school, and towards the forest that grows on the campus, he realizes that he’s fleeing again. It’s all he knows how to do.

 

Running away from his problems.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

Funfact: Students in Japan stay in one classroom throughout the day, with the same classmates for the entire time. Even in highschool. I looked it up for the scene with Izuku and Aizawa’s conversation and thought that was quite interesting. That’s also why Aizawa mentions that the class has a practical, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense for them to move rooms. Anyway, do I sometimes do too much research for a fanfic? Absolutely. I can’t stand inconsistencies in stories myself though, so I try to avoid them in my own stories as much as possible.

Also, as some of you may have noticed, the story of how One For All got transferred from All For One’s brother to the next person is a bit different according to Izuku. Let’s just say that All For One edited the story a bit before telling it to his dear grandson…

Anyway~

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don’t have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Come check me out on tumblr!

Chapter 22: A base of trust

Notes:

Hi! I'm back with another chapter. To make up to you all that I was gone for so long, it's a *chunky* chapter.

CW: see endnotes, there are some spoilers in them.

With a whoosh, a knife comes hurling in Shouta’s direction. He manages to duck at the last second, avoiding a nasty bruise from the plastic prop. Even something made from hard plastic can be a formidable weapon in the right hands. Said ‘right hands’ doesn’t even give him time to right himself. Shouta grunts when he feels the impact of a kick in his side. As a retort he sends his capture weapon flying out, but Midoriya has already darted away.

 

Sweat beads drip down from the teen’s face as he dashes to his right, his brow creased in concentration and a laser focus in his eyes. In the moment that Midoriya moves, Shouta sends out the other end of his capture weapon. It snakes around Midoriya’s ankles, becoming an impossibly strong trap when Shouta pulls the material tight. The other’s eyes widen in surprise and he curses under his breath as he loses his balance.

 

Midoriya attempts to stretch out his arms and roll the fall away, but doesn’t succeed and trips to the ground of the gym. While tightening the bond even more, Shouta approaches. The teen tries tugging at the white binds with his hands. 

 

Not a second later they’re also tied together by Shouta’s other end of the capture weapon.

 

From a distance, he watches the kid struggle for a few more futile seconds. A certain ferociousness seems to fuel Midoriya’s movements, like getting out is the most important thing in the world right now. Eventually he ceases his wiggling around and slumps backward in defeat, straining the material so his hands and feet keep sticking forward while the rest of his body hangs backward. His voice is quieter than usual when he says, “Alright, I cease.”

 

With a rustle the capture weapon loosens and Shouta tugs it back until it's wrapped around his neck like a scarf. “You fought well,” he compliments as he walks towards the teen and offers him a hand. The other gives a noncommittal hum, eyes downcast. “Sorry I got caught up in your trap. I’ll do better next time.”

 

Midoriya grabs the offered hand, still looking everywhere but at Shouta. As he pulls the kid up, he says, “It’s okay, Midoriya. This is your first time fighting against my capture weapon. You can’t expect it to go perfect, right from the start.” 

 

As soon as both of them are standing again, Midoriya's hand slips from his. The movement happens a bit too quickly and Shouta gets the sense that the teen had rather gotten up on his own as he watches Midoriya rub his hand on his leg. The kid still hasn’t looked at him.

 

“Hey,” Shouta says, the word maybe a bit softer than he would usually go for. Something’s wrong with his intern at the moment, and he doesn’t know what. Is it the fact that he –a first year– lost to a pro hero during a fight where both were going all-out? A few seconds pass where Shouta keeps glaring a hole in the other’s head. 

 

Finally, Midoriya drags his gaze up to meet his teacher’s eyes. There’s a wariness to his eyes, like he’s waiting for something to happen. “You fought well. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Next time just keep in mind that my capture weapon has two ends.” Something like surprise flashes across the teen’s face, but Shouta can’t be sure. It’s too swiftly covered up again. 

 

“...Got it?”

 

Midoriya lets out a small sigh, the wariness in his eyes lessens, if only just a bit. It seems like the tension in his body loosens minutely when he answers, “Got it.” 

 

Shouta spares a quick glance at the clock above the entrance of the gym. They’ve still got a while before they need to head out for patrol. A few more warm up rounds should be possible. “Let’s go again,” he says while creating some distance between him and the teen. 

 

A hesitant smile blooms across Midoriya’s face, and an eagerness fills his voice when he says, “Sure, let’s go again.”

 

---

 

A couple of rounds later, the two of them are sitting on one of the benches standing against the walls of the gym. Or atleast Shouta is, Midoriya is sprawled on the ground, his nearly empty bottle of water clutched in one hand. In between heaving breaths the teen asks, “Where did you even learn to fight like that with the capture weapon?” He takes a gulp of water. “I mean…I haven’t seen anyone else fight with it before.”

 

Shouta hums, “It makes sense that you haven’t seen someone else fight with it. It’s a one of a kind, specifically designed for me.” He watches as Midoriya pushes himself up to a sitting position, a look of surprise briefly flashing across his face. “So you…”

 

“Yes, I had to teach myself how to fight with the thing. It was a long and painful process.” 

 

The other chuckles, “Yeah I can understand that.”

 

There it is again. The mask is gone –it had slowly been disappearing during their fights– and Shouta gets the feeling that what he’s seeing right now is a glimpse of the true Midoriya Izuku. The way he’s sitting, shoulders relaxed and a face that’s not set in stone, he looks more like the teenager he actually is than he ever has before. 

 

Maybe now is the time?

 

“Who taught you how to fight?” Shouta asks before he can think any longer about it. 

 

While he doesn’t want to pry into the kid’s life, he knows that something is going on. Something happened, something besides the villain organization that won’t stop hunting them. And that something might just be even more persistent in haunting Midoriya than that organization. Shouta is no idiot, he knows that the Midoriyas kept some details to themselves when they gave him and Tsukauchi their statement after the attack on Mrs. Midoriya. Back then he’d let it slide, he’d wanted the kid to come to him on his own accord. It’s why he’d also let the fact slide that Midoriya hadn’t gone to the mandatory therapy session. If the kid wasn’t ready yet to go to therapy, forcing him would do the opposite of what they were trying to achieve.

 

But weeks have passed and the feeling inside Shouta has grown that the teen won’t come to him on his own accord. Midoriya is too used to being on his own, doing things on his own. It shines through in everything that he does, the way he fights, the way he interacts with people. There’s this deep inherent distrust that seems to fuel Midoriya’s every action. And while Shouta has his moments of patience, he’s by no means a patient man. He doesn’t like dancing around the facts. No, he’s more of getting straight to the point, often verging on bluntness when doing so. He knows something is up with Midoriya and he also knows that if the kid doesn’t work on whatever issues he has, it’ll impact his potential as a hero student and Shouta hates wasted potential.

 

To hopefully ease Midoriya a bit more into the topic after his rather blunt question, Shouta adds, “You fight very well for someone your age. The dojo your mother sent you to must have been a very good one.” Starting off by asking about fighting seemed like a good idea to him. It’s clear the teen enjoys it, so asking about it seemed like a good way to start instead of immediately diving into the more tricky questions. Key word being seemed.

 

Because the moment the words have left his mouth, Shouta regrets saying them. 

 

He watches as Midoriya registers the words, and as a sort of shift takes hold of the teen. Tension coils back into his shoulders, back is his rigid posture, and above all, back is the mask again. It takes away all the ease and small joy in the teen’s face and replaces it with a blank slate and cold eyes. No, Shouta corrects himself after a moment of painful silence, dull and unfocused eyes.  

 

“Midoriya,” he says in an attempt to break the kid from his daze. It does and after a single slow blink, the sharpness returns to Midoriya’s eyes. They scan around the room, until they find Shouta. “I- uh…” A shaky exhale as the kid struggles to find words, as his brow furrows. “I just…trained at the dojo.” Green eyes dart away again, looking everywhere but at Shouta. “J-just with regular teachers.” Those last words seem like they have to be forced out.

 

A defiant look lies in the teen’s eyes when they lock with Shouta’s gaze. And this time Shouta realizes that it isn’t a look that’s meant as a challenge, as a way to fight authority. It’s meant as a protection. Just another mask to keep what’s really going on inside from showing.

 

Letting out a sigh, Shouta says, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” They both know Midoriya’s answer was a lie. “That’s totally fine. Just know that you can always talk to me if you change your mind.”

 

Without waiting for a response, he stands and starts walking to the exit of the gym. “Go get changed into your hero costume. Meet me at my office when you’re ready.” With those words he walks out of the gym and into the police station, leaving Midoriya alone with his thoughts.

 

-

 

While he leaves Midoriya to it, Shouta makes his way to his office and tries to get a semblance of order back into his brain. He has a lot of questions when it comes to the teen, none of which just got answered. In fact, he’s left with more questions than he had at the start of this day. What happened with Midoriya’s training, that even just asking about it made him clam up like that? Shouta regrets once again the fact that he’d even asked about it.

 

It probably destroyed all the trust that he’d so carefully built over the past few months. 

 

With a weary sigh he plops down on the squeaky chair behind his desk. His office isn’t big. It’s just one of the small rooms that the police station rents out to some small-time heroes and underground heroes. The main benefit to the offices here is the ability to quickly and easily work together with the police, something that most underground heroes do on a day to day basis. It’s also nice that there’s a gym in the building. 

 

Midoriya walks into the room a few minutes later, wearing his hero costume. He looks like his usual self again, with that sharp gaze and the effortless grace as he moves into the room. Rather than it being a comforting sight to Shouta –afterall, the kid seems back to normal again– it unnerves him. How is he able to do that? He doesn’t ask, and decides to let the entire matter rest. Instead he just moves on to the reason they’d come to the station in the first place. “We’re going on patrol tonight.”

 

Something akin to excitement lights behind the teen’s eyes before it’s smothered again.

 

“It should just be a regular night out, but in case something happens I want you to have this.” Shouta reaches for a tiny black disk that he’d already put on his desk and hands it to Midoriya. The other takes it with a frown, examining it closely. “This is…”

 

“Yes, it’s a tracker. That way if you do get separated from me, I can easily find you again. Most underground heroes have one on them when they're on duty, though ours is often sewn into our costume. If for some reason we happen to go MIA, the police have a chance of finding us.” 

 

Midoriya nods in understanding and Shouta watches as he puts the disk in a hidden pocket. Pushing himself up from his chair, Shouta grunts, “Good. Now let’s go.”

 

---

 

It’s the middle of the night when Shouta wakes, bathing in his own sweat and with the taste of gravel still in his mouth. For a moment he isn’t sure where he is, the details of the space around him refusing to come into focus. Then he hears a soft purring sound that he instantly recognizes. Sushi. One of his cats, sometimes she likes to sleep next to him. His beating heart calms as he realizes that he’s home, at his own apartment. He isn’t back on that street with those damn pieces of rubble in front of him, a treacherous red splattered underneath. 

 

It’s one of those nights again.

 

That one nightmare likes to make a visit every once in a while. Shouta has had his fair share of nightmares throughout his career as a hero, but there’s one nightmare that likes to stick around. With a sigh he pushes himself upright. He shoves the too-hot blankets aside and with a lot of effort gets out of bed. There’s no use in getting any more sleep. He knows from experience.

 

He pads into the hallway, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Midoriya is sleeping in the guest bedroom across the hallway and Shouta isn’t sure if he’s a light sleeper or not. Based on what he knows from the kid’s past, he can make an educated guess. 

 

One look tells him that the door to the other bedroom is still closed. Good, that means the kid is getting a better night’s rest than I am. Midoriya is staying at his apartment for the duration of the internship. It just saves a lot of extra traveling time and with him –a pro hero– almost always in the near vicinity, it should also be relatively safe. 

 

Part of Shouta’s apartment has an open floor plan, with the kitchen on one half of the room and the living room area on the other. He wanders towards the right side of the room, where two couches stand, one facing the hallway and the other facing the wall where a TV is mounted. He briefly halts next to one of the couches to turn on a floor lamp, filling the room with a soft yellow light in the process. It’s dim enough that it’s not glaring to the eyes, leaving most of the room in a mass of vague shadows. Then he goes to grab some paperwork that he’d left on the kitchen table. Settling down on the couch facing the hallway, he goes about grading some papers. 

 

He’s not sure how much time passes, but at some point some instinct prompts him to look up. Midoriya is standing in the hallway, peering into the living room area and looking a tad bit lost. 

 

Shouta puts his pen down and asks,“Couldn’t sleep?”

 

The teen rubs at his arms, the scars Shigaraki left behind on full display. “Nope,” he mutters.

 

Shouta hums, “Me neither.” He nudges his head towards the other couch. “You can come sit here if you want.”

 

Midoriya doesn’t hesitate to take him up on the offer, and walks into the room towards the couch. His footsteps don’t make a sound, explaining to Shouta why he hadn’t heard the kid before. It’s almost scary how quiet the teen can be if he wants to. Before taking place on the couch, Midoriya grabs the blanket that had been discarded in one of the corners of the couch. He swiftly wraps the thing around himself like a cocoon and then sits down, drawing his knees up to his chin.

 

“I’m making some chamomile tea,” Shouta says while pushing himself up from the couch. “You want some?”

 

A beat of silence and a glance in Shouta’s direction. “...Sure,” the teen mumbles as he hugs his knees.

 

Silence hangs between them as Shouta goes about making the tea. “If you want, you can turn on the TV.” He knows from experience that it’s a nice distraction on nights like these. “...if you don’t mind?” Midoriya asks, hesitation filling his voice. 

 

Shouta snorts, “I made the suggestion, kid.”

 

Some shifting behind him, then the low buzzing of the TV fills the apartment. The volume is set so low that it’s almost more background noise. Tea ready, Shouta makes his way to the living room area. He sets the two steaming mugs down on the low coffee table, then plops down on the unoccupied couch with a weary sigh. Midoriya doesn’t look away from the TV, the screen light washing him and part of the room in a cool blue light.

 

A haunted look fills the kid’s eyes, close to what Shouta had seen in the hospital room after the USJ. “Nightmare?” he asks before he can think better of it. 

 

Midoriya rubs at his arms again, surprisingly enough he does answer. “Yeah,” he mumbles, burying half of his face in his knees so only his eyes peek out.

 

Still trying to deal with the fact that he got an actual response to such a question, Shouta hums. “Me too.” 

 

Midoriya’s eyes widen by a fraction, the only sign that he’s surprised. 

 

Shouta decides to press on. Not by asking another question, but by sharing something personal in hopes that he can show the teen that he is willing to build a bond where mutual sides trust each other. 

 

“At my first internship, one of my best friends and I interned with the same hero. We were excited and thrilled at the prospect of going into the field, naive as we were.” Shouta frowns as he feels the memories of those weeks wash over him. “No one had taught us the harsh reality of hero work until we found ourselves right in the middle of it. A villain with a gigantification quirk was causing havoc in a densely populated neighborhood.”

 

Hearing his story, Midoriya has turned his attention away from the TV and at Shouta, listening attentively. 

 

“In the end the villain was defeated. I walked away from the site with minor injuries, my friend didn’t walk away at all. The evidence that he won’t ever return to my side is an image that I will never forget. In my sleep I’m reminded often enough, like tonight.” Shouta breathes in and then out again. Even if the events of that first internship are distant enough that they feel like an old but nasty scar, that doesn’t make it easy to talk about. He’s never been a particularly open man –rather the opposite of it– and even with the few friends that he has, he doesn’t really talk about feelings. He finds them irrational and unproductive most of the time, but tonight might be one of the few exceptions.

 

Where Midoriya might excel at most of his classes at school, there’s one thing the kid seems to have difficulty with. Feelings. As an experienced teacher, Shouta can smell a potential learning experience like a shark smells blood in the water. Maybe by setting an example of sharing his feelings, Midoriya will at least start to consider doing the same. Shouta concludes his story with some final words, “The reason I’m hard on my students is because I want them to know that the hero industry isn’t all just rainbows and sunshines. Not everyone agrees with my teaching methods, but these people usually don’t know what it’s like, working in the field as a hero. I want my students to be as prepared as possible before they actually go into the field.”

 

Midoriya shrugs, “I think it’s good what you’re doing. They deserve to know the reality of hero work.” Shouta gets the distinct feeling that the teen doesn’t see himself as one of the students who needs that lesson. Then again, even knowing just a bit about Midoriya’s early teen years, it’s rather obvious that he learned that lesson a long time ago. 

 

Looking like he’s not sure what else to say, Midoriya turns his attention back to the TV. Although it’s clear that the teen isn’t actually watching the documentary about deep sea life that’s on at the moment, rather there’s this conflicted look in his eyes that also translates in the way he’s gripping his legs. Shouta is fine with letting the teen ruminate on his own thoughts. He hadn’t told Midoriya his story in hopes of getting some emotional response, but more so it would get the teen thinking. He grabs his paperwork again to start grading some more papers and for a while neither of them speak.

 

Eventually the noise of a body shifting on the other couch breaks Shouta’s focus away from his work. A shuddering exhale. Shouta doesn’t look up and pretends that he’s still grading. 

 

“I…dreamt of the USJ.”

 

The confession is so surprising, it nearly startles Shouta into letting his pen slip out of his hand, and it results in a messy red scrawl on Kaminari’s essay about hero laws. He smooths his face into a neutral expression and looks up. Midoriya is still sitting in the same position, bundled up in a blanket and with his knees drawn to his chin. Only this time his gaze is cast downward, his hands fidgeting in front of him.

 

Shouta stays silent, he doesn’t want the kid to feel pressured. The vulnerability he’s showing is already such an immense show of trust.

 

“I often dream of the USJ, you know. It’s not always the same dream, but most of the time it is.” A beat of silence. Midoriya opens his mouth a few times and closes it again. His eyebrows pinch together in frustration as he seems to mentally grapple with something. “T- there’s always a…Nomu.” Midoriya audibly swallows. “And Te-...Shigaraki. I’m standing on the plaza as he orders the Nomu to kill someone. It’s always someone I care about, my mom, my friends…” In front of him, his hands curl into fists. “And I try to stop the Nomu. But I’m always too late, or too weak. A-and and Shigaraki just stands there, laughing.”

 

Frustration shapes Midoriya’s face as he looks up. Through clenched teeth he grits out, “I defeated the Nomu at the USJ, so why do I still dream about this?!” Hurt laces his voice and the teen blinks rapidly, as if he’s trying to keep tears from spilling over. He furiously wipes at his eyes, then takes a calming breath. “S-sorry about that,” he mutters.

 

Shouta shakes his head. “No, it’s okay,” he says, quick to assure the kid that showing emotions isn’t a bad thing. “Thank you for telling me. It means a lot.” He tries to put as much sincerity in his words as possible. 

 

Green eyes narrow, searching Shouta for something. Then Midoriya’s gaze softens, fatigue replacing suspicion. He lets out a sigh, “I-...okay.”

 

“Just remember that as a hero you don’t have to fight all on your own. Even underground heroes get assistance from the police when they’re dealing with difficult cases.” Shouta needs the kid to understand that he’s not alone in this world, that he’s allowed to ask for help and that this is not something to be ashamed of. He’s not sure if he succeeds at bringing the point across. What matters though, is that Midoriya actually opened up to him. That alone is already more than Shouta had hoped for.

 

Midoriya looks doubtful but doesn’t object. 

 

After that conversation they lapse back into silence. It isn’t a pressing one, but rather a comfortable one. Shouta continues grading papers, Midoriya continues pretending to watch TV. 

 

At some point Shouta looks up to find the kid asleep on the couch, head lolled to one side and chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. Shouta thinks he looks almost peaceful like that, more like the actual teenager he is, with the tension that always seems to cling to his face drained away. 

 

To his utter surprise Bastard, one of his cats, pads up to the teen and curls up next to him. As far as Shouta knows, the gray cat would sooner scratch someone’s eyes out than to come near strangers, let alone lie next to them. Even Shouta is only occasionally given the privilege of scratching the cat behind his ears.

 

Watching the two on the couch, Shouta can’t help but notice a weird, fuzzy feeling growing inside of him. 

 

Nope.

 

He is not growing attached to any of his students. And that definitely isn’t fondness that he’s feeling, watching his student after he finally opened up a little to him.

 

(As he drains the last of his –now gone cold– tea, a small part of his brain whispers to him that he’s lying to himself)

 

---

 

Izuku isn’t sure how he feels about his first internship. Sure, going out on patrol is quite a lot of fun, and being able to help people by dealing with muggers and the sorts definitely gives him a sense of fulfillment that he hasn’t felt very often before. But it’s also emotionally draining.

 

Before going on patrol he’d had a quick sparring session with Aizawa. It had been the first time since escaping his grandfather’s clutches that he’d trained with another adult. During the hand-to-hand classes at UA Izuku has only ever sparred with his fellow classmates, and while either Aizawa or All Might had been present, he’d never been alone with them in a room while training. Yesterday it was just him and Aizawa.

 

It had been difficult.

 

Especially during the first sparring round. 

 

Memories and flashbacks had tripped him up and losing had been the worst. But whatever reaction Izuku had expected after losing, it hadn’t been Aizawa shrugging it off and, after giving some advice, asking him to go another round. Izuku knows that his previous experiences when training with a mentor hadn’t exactly been…normal. They’d been rather violent and from what he remembers of them, they’d also been…traumatic.

 

If this is what training with a mentor figure is supposed to look like, Izuku is sure he would have loved his training sessions as a kid.

 

After their sparring session though, Aizawa had asked him questions about his training. It had caught Izuku off guard. His already rattled brain hadn’t been able to stop a flashback from washing over him. Izuku is pretty sure it had only lasted a few seconds, but that had clearly been enough for his teacher to notice that something was off. 

 

He isn’t sure how to feel about it and that’s pretty much in line with how he feels about Aizawa. Of course suspicion about his teacher’s intentions has always been warranted. One of the first things he learned after moving in with All For One, was not to trust other adults. In his opinion it’s part of what kept him alive for so long. Somehow though, Aizawa doesn’t act like other adults. And as his suspicion of the man lessened, another feeling grew in its place. It’s what prompted him to open up about his nightmare to the other man. 

 

He doesn’t know how to handle the bundle of emotions and feelings that come with that decision, so he does what he always does.

 

He shoves all those emotions and feelings somewhere in a dark box in the back of his brain and ignores them.

 

“-got it?”

 

Dragging his thoughts back to the present, Izuku forces himself to focus on the task at hand. It’s the morning after their first patrol and Aizawa is explaining one of the duller aspects of hero work. Paperwork. Izuku scans the documents in front of him, not gaining a sliver of clarity on how to fill them out. He doesn’t want to admit that he hadn’t exactly been paying attention though, so he flashes the hero a sharp smile. “Sure, how difficult can it be?”

 

Aizawa doesn’t seem to buy his words and raises an eyebrow. “Care to show me?”

 

Before Izuku can come up with an excuse, a beeping noise cuts through the apartment. With an irritated sigh Aizawa fishes his ringing phone out of his pocket. “Eraserhead.”

 

While walking away the man gestures at the paperwork in front of Izuku, clearly ordering him to get a start on it. The bedroom door closes behind the man, leaving Izuku sitting alone at the kitchen table. He casts one look at one of the documents laying in front of him and deems trying to fill any of that out as a lost cause. As Ghost –the police consultant– he’s never really had to deal with any of the paperwork that comes with the job. For one because he is still a minor, but mostly because he let the police take care of it. And the paperwork that he did have to fill in was a whole lot simpler than the complex reports that heroes have to fill out after every patrol.

 

Resisting the urge to eavesdrop on Aizawa’s phone call with his hearing quirk, Izuku diverts his attention elsewhere. He knows the man values his privacy, and Izuku really doesn’t feel like breaching that value when the hero has been nothing but respectful to his own boundaries. Instead he whips out his own phone to check up on any missed messages.

 

The first ones are from Hitoshi. A few memes and a question about how his internship is going. Izuku responds with a short recap of what he’s been up to so far and an entire paragraph complaining about the nuisance of paperwork. After asking his friend about his own internship, he clicks away. 

 

There are no new messages from Kacchan. Then again, that’s not all that surprising. His friend isn’t really online all that much. Uraraka has sent him an elaborate account of her own internship experiences, and Izuku feels a small smile stretching across his face at her enthusiasm. He sends her the same short recap that he sent Hitoshi.

 

Surprisingly enough, Iida hasn’t sent him any messages. Now, it might be that the teen is busy at his internship but it isn’t like him to not even send a message in the class groups app with a reminder to everyone that they should behave. Iida takes his tasks as class president seriously, sometimes maybe even a bit too seriously. Izuku squashes the tinge of worry that grows in his gut as he sends a message asking Iida how his internship is going. The teen is probably just busy. No need to worry.

 

The turning of a door handle breaks Izuku from his thoughts. He scrambles to put his phone away and pretends that he’s busy working on the paperwork in front of him. A few seconds later a set of footsteps halts in front of the kitchen table. 

 

When he looks up he sees Aizawa staring at him with a grim expression. Before he can ask what the matter is, the man states, “Tsukauchi just called me. They managed to confirm one of the places that Madoka frequents as another location for the cult. Possibly a base.”

 

Izuku sits up a bit straighter at those words. A base? Maybe they’d finally be able to locate Kokkaku Nori. Either at the base on her own volition, or despite it. “Where did they find it?” he asks, unable to keep the eagerness at this new break in the case out of his voice. Finally, a new lead.

 

“Hosu.” Aizawa casts a glance at the paperwork on the table. Unimpressed, he raises an eyebrow. “Better get started on that. We’re going to check out the location today.”

 

---

 

Wind whips at Izuku’s hair as he stares at the street below. For the past hour he’s been camping out on the roof of an office building, keeping watch on the old factory building across the street. It had long since its original use been converted into a storage building according to the official documents. Because the official documents are rarely right on occasions like these, he and Aizawa had been sent by Tsukauchi to scope the place out. 

 

The setting sun dyes everything a warm orange and the usual hum drum of a big city fills the air. Iida is somewhere in this city, Izuku thinks. He wonders what the teen is doing and tries not to let his mind wander to the fact that Stain is also somewhere in Hosu. A whoosh and then the rustling of fabric has Izuku looking away from the street below.

 

“Seen any activity yet?” Aizawa asks while striding in Izuku’s direction. Izuku shakes his head, “Nope, just a whole lot of nothing.”

 

He’d been sitting in this exact spot for about an hour with the order to keep an eye out for any activity. In the meantime Aizawa had done a perimeter check. They don’t know how many people are inside the building, so they’d hoped that by cataloging how many were entering and leaving, they could make an educated guess. The only problem was that no one had entered or left.

 

Izuku wonders if maybe there’s another secret entrance that they don’t know about, but quickly shakes the idea off. According to the report, Madoka had been seen entering and leaving the building multiple times, and even if there is a secret entrance, there is nothing they can do about that now.

 

“Alright, if there hasn’t been any activity, you two can engage.” Tsukauchi’s voice sounds through the earpieces they’re both wearing. The detective is waiting a few blocks over with two other officers in case things go south. 

 

“Copy that,” Aizawa answers. He jerks his head in the direction of the building. “Follow me, I saw a back entrance that we can use.”

 

---

 

A few minutes later the two of them are pressed against the outer wall, the rusted metal backdoor next to them. From what Izuku can tell, there are no cameras anywhere nearby. It strikes him as odd. A normal storage building would definitely have some form of security, but this place seems devoid of any. Either the cult wants to stay really underground, or they have other safety measures in place.  

 

To check how many people are inside and where exactly they are, Izuku stretches out the reach of his quirk. He frowns when he doesn’t register a single quirk light. “There’s no one inside,” he says. “Are you sure this is the right building?”

 

“Positive.” Aizawa tilts his head, eyes narrowing. “How do you know there’s no one inside?”

 

“My quirk…it lets me see the quirks of other people as lights,” Izuku answers slowly.

 

“Right…you did tell me that once.” Tsukauchi says. 

 

Aizawa raises an eyebrow, “Didn’t tell me.”

 

Izuku winces, he must have forgotten to tell the hero that detail. Then again, he has to keep so many secrets that it’s starting to become hard to keep track of them all. “It must have slipped my mind…?”

 

Aizawa sighs through his nose, pinching it in the process. “What’s done is done. Let’s just get this over with.”

 

The man takes the lead, capture weapon at the ready and pushes the door open. Although it definitely looks rusty, it doesn’t make a sound as it swings open.

 

They must have oiled it recently, which suggests frequent use.

 

Izuku follows suit, hands loosely at his side but ready to use when necessary. They enter a small room with wooden walls, clearly built recently and only meant for temporary use. Izuku notes there’s no dust on the floor. A coat rack stands in one of the corners of the room, sporting a single, lonely white coat. Just to be safe, Izuku checks his surroundings again, meticulously scanning every square inch of the place. Still, not a single light.

 

The cheap wooden door that leads further into the building is cracked open just a bit, and Aizawa beckons Izuku to follow as he quietly pushes it further open. The hero sweeps into the room, eyes scanning the place in a matter of seconds and with his weapon ready in his hands. Izuku does the same and tries to commit every detail to memory.

 

It’s a big hall, with high industrial windows. Most of the glass is covered by translucent plastic sheets, watering the evening sun down until just enough remains to see without needing any lights. The floor is made of broad metal panels and wooden crates of different sizes are stacked on top of each other and scattered throughout the building.

 

Wordlessly, Aizawa signs at Izuku to check one part of the halls. The hero goes to take care of the other half with an air of utter concentration around him. A few minutes later the two join up again in the middle of the hall. 

 

“Nothing?” His teacher asks, voice quiet but not quite a whisper.

 

Izuku shakes his head, “Just a bunch of crates.”

 

Through his earpiece, Tsukauchi curses. “Maybe our intel was wrong and it’s just a regular storage building after all.”

 

“We could sweep the outside, see if we missed something,” Aizawa suggests.

 

Izuku doesn’t register what the detective answers, his mind too focused on some sort of sound.

 

Drip

 

Drip

 

Drip

 

At first he assumes it’s just a leaking drainpipe. But that isn’t quite right, because it doesn’t sound like it’s coming from outside. He follows the sound towards one of the corners of the hall. 

 

Drip

 

Drip

 

Drip

 

It seems closer here, but his first assumption that it had come from above doesn’t appear to be quite right either. No, he realizes, it’s coming from underneath me. 

 

Carefully, he inspects the metal panel below him. He takes a few steps back, onto another panel, and then returns to his first position.

 

“Ghost, what are you doing?” Aizawa calls out, his voice a bit louder than before.

 

“I think I found something!”

 

When the hero halts next to him, he gives Izuku a flat look. “What did you find?”

 

“Listen.” Izuku walks from the panel he’s standing on to the one next to it, and back. 

 

Aizawa raises an eyebrow, “What am I supposed to hear?”

 

“Ghost, this is no time to play games,” the detective’s voice cuts in, annoyance clear.

 

Izuku shakes his head, “No no, I’m serious. Don’t you hear?”

 

The underground hero just keeps staring at him.

 

Izuku sighs and points at the second panel. “When you walk on it that one sounds like every other panel in this place. But this one,” he taps with his foot on the panel beneath him, “this one sounds hollow.”

 

“You think there’s something underneath there.” Aizawa says, realization dawning. There's not a hint of  doubt in his voice. He knows that when Izuku has a theory, it usually turns out to be correct.

 

There’s a small groove, Izuku notices. Looking around, he sees a crow bar tossed to the side next to one of the wooden crates, probably used to pry open the crates. He points at the tool. “Look, maybe we can use that to lift the panel. If there’s something underneath here it’s probably not screwed shut.”

 

Aizawa nods in agreement and after a few minutes of trying, they manage to lift the panel and shove it to the side, revealing a big, dark hole with a staircase leading down.

 

A humid draft hits their faces, bringing a musty smell with it.

 

“Well, now we know it wasn’t just a loose panel,” Izuku mutters. The sense of unease that he’d carried with him this entire time hasn’t disappeared. In fact, it has only grown stronger. Something is off in the place. Checking his surroundings with his quirk again, he still doesn’t sense anyone else nearby.

 

Aizawa leans a bit closer, examining the hole with a frown. “We’re going down. This might be why Madoka has been visiting this place.”

 

“Alright, be careful you two. We don’t know what’s down there,” Tsukauchi warns them.

 

“At least there aren’t any people. I checked,” Izuku says, resulting in a beat of silence. 

 

“I’m not sure if I find that a comforting thought anymore,” Aizawa mutters, voicing out loud what they’d all been thinking.

 

The two of them grab their flashlight, attaching it to a clasp on their shoulders so they have both their hands free, and then they’re descending the concrete stairs. They end up in what looks to be a concrete hallway, shrouded in shadow and green mold. 

 

Drip 

 

Drip 

 

Drip

 

Something cold splashes on Izuku’s head, and his heart lurches in his throat. His hand flashes to his hair, and comes away wet. He looks up, at a rusty pipe. Water is leaking through one of the seams right above him. Looking down, he notices a big spot of mold beneath his feet where the water has been hitting the concrete floor. The musty smell is even stronger here, nearly suffocating and Izuku has to swallow down some bile to keep from gagging.

 

He follows Aizawa’s measured steps down the hall until they reach two opposing metal doors. A quick glance further down the hallway tells Izuku that there aren’t any more doors.

 

“Left or right?” The hero asks.

 

Izuku shrugs and the man picks the left door, slowly pushing it open. Aizawa takes a step inside and then promptly halts. “Fuck,” he mutters.

 

“What is it?” Izuku asks, because he can’t see behind the hero’s back. Curiosity and a sense of foreboding claw at his mind.

 

The hero hesitates for a moment, then answers, “It’s…disturbing. Are you sure you want to see?”

 

“Step aside.” He can handle it. There’s a high chance he’s seen worse things in his life. Besides what sort of hero would he be if he ran away at the slightest discomfort?

 

Aizawa steps aside. Bracing himself, Izuku treads after him. 

 

What he sees in the seconds after that, steals his breath.

 

“These are all… cages,” he stammers when he’s regained the ability to draw in oxygen.

 

A dozen rusty metal cages line the hall, small but not too small for a human. When Izuku takes a closer look, he notices that there’s still blood caked to the bottom of some of them. 

 

“Any hints why they’d need these cages?”

 

“Not yet. We’re still looking around,” Aizawa’s gruff voice responds. “Could be a lot of reasons why they’d use cages. Keeping prisoners, as a means of punishment…you name it.” The hero is examining the ceiling, while Izuku walks down all the cages.

 

A glimmer of something in a cage catches Izuku’s eyes, and he approaches it. Metal, that’s what had caught his flashlight. He crouches down and shines his light on it. Squinting his eyes, he’s finally able to tell what it is. “Eraser, I think you need to see this.”

 

The man makes his way over to Izuku and crouches down next to him. “That’s a…cat pin,” the hero says, not sounding nearly as excited about it as his intern feels.

 

Izuku rolls his eyes and is unable to keep said excitement out of his voice when he says, “It’s Kokkaku Nori’s pin. Her parents mentioned in the interview that they’d given it to her. If you check the picture attached to her files, you can see it pinned to her backpack.”

 

“Is it a silver metal pin of a black cat with purple stars as eyes?” Tsukauchi asks. The man must have pulled up Kokkaku’s file.

 

“It is,” Aizawa answers, realization clear in his voice.

 

“Then we now know for sure that she’s with this cult, and most likely against her will.”

 

---

 

They examine the rest of the room for a few more minutes and then decide to check out the second room. On their way out, Aizawa shines up with his flashlight, at the part of the wall above the door. He halts, prompting Izuku to do the same.

 

He nods at the wall. “Look, screw holes.”

 

Izuku follows his gaze, and indeed, four equally round holes. Unease rolls in his stomach. “There was definitely a security camera screwed up there.” He frowns, “I wonder why it was removed?” 

 

Aizawa stares at it a moment longer then starts making his way to the door. “Let’s move on. Something’s not right here.”

 

When both of them are standing in the hallway again, the underground hero takes the lead and pushes open the other door. Izuku notes that this door, like the other two metal doors they’d encountered, doesn't make a sound. The room they step into is smaller. Cabinets line the left wall, a sink and a counter line the right one. Though that’s not what makes the two of them pause with shock. It’s what stands in the middle of the room.

 

A medical examination table is screwed to the floor, with iron cuffs and everything. A small metal cart stands next to it, different scalpels and knives placed on top of it in a neat row.

 

“What the fuck,” Izuku chokes out, shock strangeling his voice. His stomach coils, and he feels like he might puke any moment. Aizawa doesn’t look much better, and for once his usually impeccable composure seems to show some cracks.

 

“What were they doing here?” the man asks, disgust clear in his words.

 

Izuku’s heart hammers in his chest, as he puts all the puzzle pieces together. He’s always been good at drawing a logical conclusion with just a few facts. He remembers the words Madoka had said to Sugiyama the time Aizawa had ghosted the latter and been able to record the conversation, “We need more candidates for our upcoming projects.”  

 

The cages.

 

The medical table with fucking cuffs.

 

Izuku forces the next words out, if only to say out loud what all three of them are probably thinking.  “Human experimentation.”

 

For a moment, Aizawa looks like he’s going to be sick. Then he composes himself and says, “Tsukauchi, I need you to call in backup and get down here. This case just got really fucking ugly.”

 

It takes longer than expected before the detective answers. “I would really love to do that, but I’m afraid I can’t at the moment.” His voice sounds haggard, distracted. Just when Izuku is about to ask what the problem is, an explosion bursts the silence that he and Aizawa had been standing in. It doesn’t sound nearby, rather somewhere a few streets over, but it’s loud enough that they can even hear it from down here.

 

“You two need to get up here right now. Hosu is under attack.”

Notes:

CW: mention of a nightmare, mention of experiencing flashbacks, cages, mention of human experimentation

Thank you so much for reading!

I almost split this chapter up, but that would have messed with the pacing of the next few chapters, so I decided to leave it as the chunky monster that it is right now. Would you guys want a recap on what the police have found out about the Kokkaku Nori case so far? The first scene of chapter 2, chapter 4, the second scene in chapter 10, and the second scene and onward in chapter 14 are all the scenes you’d need to read if you don’t want to miss any of the details. And yes, the cat pin was mentioned in chapter 4, for any of you wondering. I’m quite proud of myself for planting that little detail.

Anyway~

If you have any tips, or if you found some errors please leave a comment. I don’t have a beta so there are probably some mistakes left. I appreciate it <3

Chapter 23: Hosu

Notes:

Hi! I'm back again with another chapter where the Hosu spectacle continues~

CW: read endnotes, there are some spoilers in them

Izuku and Aizawa make it out of the building and onto the street in time to hear another explosion going off, this time from another part of the city. Though Izuku would have loved to search the basement for a little longer, seeing the state that Hosu currently is in, it makes sense why Tsukuachi had asked for them.

 

In the time that the two of them had been inside the cult building, the sun had set. It isn’t a dark night sky that they’re greeted by, though. The sky has been dyed a blood red from the fires that have broken out all over the city. Smoke curls up from buildings and the sirens from emergency services can’t completely drown out the chaos of a city violently shaken up by the fire.

 

“Eraser, Ghost, head northwest. That’s where they need you most.”

 

Suddenly a blood curdling screech fills the air.

 

Izuku feels his own blood freeze. Even though it’s distant, he knows that screech. He’s heard it before, in his nightmares, at the USJ and inside that concrete room.

 

“Any idea what that is, Tsukauchi?” Aizawa asks while they break out into a run. Izuku forces himself to follow the man, even though his legs feel like lead.

 

“I was just going to tell you. Multiple heroes have reported fighting a Nomu, so be careful.”

 

The underground hero curses, then turns to Izuku. "If we encounter a Nomu, you make sure you get out of there. I don’t want you, or any of my students, fighting such a thing. Understood?" 

 

Izuku balks at the harsh order. "But I'm the one person who has already fought a Nomu!" And not just one. He's probably the only person who has developed an actual strategy to defeat the things. Aizawa doesn't look the least bit convinced, so Izuku hurriedly adds, "And I won!"

 

"You're just a student, Midoriya," Aizawa rebuts. Is that actual concern laced in his voice? "You shouldn't have had to fight such a thing in the first place."

 

"My quirk is perfect for countering a Nomu's quirks. I'm probably your best shot at incapacitating them so other heroes can defeat them!"

 

His argument makes perfect sense, and from the look on Aizawa’s face he knows that too. Still, the man coldly shoots back a question, “If we come across a Nomu, do you think you can face it?” 

 

Though he wasn't conscious during the fight, the man must have heard from Tsukauchi how Izuku defeated the Nomu at the USJ. Izuku knows that it wasn’t a very pretty sight. Hell, he told the man just last night that he's still having nightmares about the whole ordeal. He's not fooling either of them. They both know that the Nomu didn't just leave physical scars.

 

Nevertheless, the bluntness of the question makes Izuku stumble. Luckily he manages to find his balance before he faceplants onto the pavement. Can he face a Nomu right now? Nausea claws its way up his throat at the memory of screeches that always seemed so filled with pain and desperation, and the horrible feeling of multiple quirks forced together coats his mind like poison. He knows for certain that he doesn’t want to fight a Nomu. 

 

It doesn’t matter what he wants though, if one of those things were to cross his path right now Izuku knows that he wouldn’t hesitate to go against it. Especially if other lives were at stake, but also if it was just his own. He’s survived too long to die at the hands of one of All For One’s lab creations. 

 

Selfish selfish selfish, a voice whispers from the depths of his mind as guilt eats him from the inside. Is it okay to want to live, even if it means that he has to kill another being monster ? Izuku shoves those feelings away. He doesn’t know how to deal with them and frankly, right now isn’t the moment to have a battle with his own treacherous mind. 

 

“Yes,” he answers, voice made from steel. He sends a glare in the other hero’s direction. "I refuse to run away when there are people who need my help."

 

After a beat of silence with only the pounding of their feet on the pavement to fill it, Aizawa sighs through his nose. "Fine. But if you're in mortal danger you will extract yourself from the fight."

 

There's a finality to the man’s words, and Izuku knows that he won’t budge. So, he agrees. They quicken their pace after that, and the first few minutes are rather quiet for a city in disarray. They don't encounter any fires or Nomu, it seems those are elsewhere. Izuku does keep frantically scanning the area with his quirk for any quirk lights in distress or the mangled light of a Nomu. He ignores the whispering thought that if Nomu are here, then the League is here and if the League is here, well…what are the chances of Tenko being here as well? Really, he’s only scanning the streets for that familiar quirk light as a precaution.

 

Tsukauchi signs off from the channel, telling them they’ll get back to the whole…cult doing human experimentation thing when Hosu isn’t burning up and being run over by monsters straight from a nightmare.

 

They’re a few streets removed from the area that the detective had ordered them towards when Izuku’s quirk finally snags onto a familiar quirk light. 

 

It’s not Tenko’s quirk.

 

It’s also not a Nomu’s quirk.

 

It’s–

 

“Eraser, stop!” Izuku calls as he screeches to a halt, feet grinding on the asphalt below. A dark maze of back alleys is staring at Izuku from his right.

 

The other hero looks behind him and slows down. “What–”

 

Somewhere in that deep dark hole there’s a blue quirk light, throbbing in panic. There’s another as well, the dark crimson of dried blood, and if they don’t hurry something horrible will happen. Izuku can feel it in his bones.

 

“It's Iida, he's in danger!” Without waiting for an answer he breaks out into a full on sprint, diving into the maze of alleys without hesitation.

 

Aizawa has no choice but to follow his intern. For just a few seconds worry and confusion wage a war on his usually stoic face. “Ghost, what are you talking about?” he demands as he hurries after Izuku.

 

“I picked up his quirk light together with another foreign light,” Izuku answers while he takes a sharp turn right on an intersection. “I don’t know what exactly is going but Iida’s light is throbbing in panic and pain and I know that something is wrong and what if–”

 

“Alright,” his teacher cuts in. Izuku doesn’t realize he’s started spiraling until Aizawa interrupts him. The man’s voice is steady and his face composed when he continues, “I believe you. Lead me to Iida. The sooner we’re there, the more we can hopefully do about whatever situation he’s found himself in.” 

 

Strangely enough, his words actually calm Izuku down a bit. He realizes then, that he actually trusts what Aizawa is saying. The thought is equally comforting as it is terrifying. Be careful who you trust, a voice inside his head whispers, the last adult you trusted made your life a living hell for years.  

 

Shut up, Aizawa isn’t like All For one. He actually cares.

 

Izuku doesn’t fully succeed at shutting up his own brain, but it’s still enough so he can pull himself back into the present. He concentrates on the task at hand: finding Iida, and feels himself slip into a familiar razor focus. His surroundings become clearer, details through a magnifying glass. It takes another nerve-wracking minute before the two of them arrive at their destination.

 

It’s the voices that Izuku picks up first.

 

“--purge this world of all the fakes!” Words spat like venom, acid staining the air.

 

“My brother was a real hero! Because of you he won’t ever walk again! I’ll kill you for that!” These words are choked up and filled with anger and sorrow. Iida. Izuku speeds up even more, it’s only because of his hearing quirk that he’s even able to follow this exchange of words. Please be on time.

 

“Kill me?!” A scoff. “You’re just like the rest of them. A fake. You didn’t even try to save your fellow hero overthere.” A beat of heavy silence.

 

Izuku and Aizawa round the corner.

 

Iida is laying on the ground, Stain towering above him with a katana raised. Why is he not trying to get up? Izuku thinks. Stain isn’t even holding the teen down. Then his quirk catches the faint flicker of another presence in the alley. Propped up against one of the walls is another hero. Nomad, if Izuku were to guess. An ugly gash across his forehead is leaking blood into his eyes, like a crimson waterfall. Izuku hadn’t noticed his yellow quirk light before. It’s pretty obvious that the hero is incapacitated, even though he doesn’t seem particularly hurt besides the gash on his forehead.

 

What happened here? Why can’t Iida and Nomad get up?

 

It doesn’t even take Izuku or Aizawa a second to process what’s happening. More used to each other’s fighting style than ever before, they both know what to do. Stain’s face contorts into a scowl. “And for that you must die!”  

 

The katana rises higher and higher.

 

This can’t happen this can’t happen this can’t happen.

 

Izuku drags all his speed and muscle augmentation quirks out of their safes. Maybe if he’s fast enough, he can still save his friend. He boosts forward as Aizawa’s capture weapon snakes out behind him.

 

The katana passes the highest point and starts its descent.

 

Please be on time please be on time please be on time!

 

Izuku collides with Stain, a cannonball collapsing a building. 

 

Iida screams.

 

His scream layers with all the other screams Izuku’s heard before, down in that concrete room. Every time those screams are filled with the same raw emotions, pure agony and all hope crushed. 

 

Stain and Izuku barrel to the ground from the power behind Izuku’s approach. At the same time the capture weapon wraps around the katana the villain had been holding and yanks it from his grip.

 

“Don’t touch my student.” 

 

They aren’t loud, the words. Yet they are absolute. An order, to be obeyed at all costs.

 

Red gaze trained on the villain in front of him, Aizawa stands his ground. His hands are gripping his floating capture weapon. The katana lies abandoned at his feet, steel coated in blood. Both Stain and Izuku are too experienced to stay on the ground for long and they’re standing within seconds. If the villain is surprised by the sudden interruption he doesn’t show it, two new knives in his hands.

 

Izuku grabs one of his own knives and holds it out in front of him. He decides to take the risk of taking his gaze off the villain for a second –Aizawa will cover him, he’s sure– and spares a single glance at Iida, heart beating frantically in his chest.

 

Please be okay please be okay

 

Iida is still lying prone on the ground in the same position, face contorted in pain and cold sweat running down his face. What would have been a neck wound if Izuku and Aizawa hadn’t interfered is now a shoulder wound. The flesh is torn open and there’s a lot of blood but he’s alive and that’s already an immense relief. Now they can only hope that the katana didn’t hit any major arteries. 

 

The teen’s eyes widen when he realizes who just saved his life. “S-sensei, Midoriya? What are you doing here?!”

 

Sending the other an accusing glare, Izuku answers, “I could ask you the same thing. Didn’t I warn you about this sort of thing?!” He doesn’t manage to keep the frustration and disappointment out of his voice. Why did Iida have to do something so stupid?

 

Iida opens his mouth to respond but Stain is quicker. “What’s this? Another interruption?” Izuku whips his head back to the villain, whose mouth is curled into disgust. Red eyes first scan Aizawa before landing on Izuku. His mouth curves into a crazed smile. “Wait, I know you.”

 

“What?” Izuku asks. 

 

“That damned brat told me about you. Forbade me from killing you, his younger brother.”

 

No way. Stain is working together with Tenko? 

 

“Ghost, what is he talking about?” Aizawa asks as he comes to stand next to Izuku, face tight with focus and his capture weapon ready in his hands.

 

“I- I don’t know,” Izuku stammers. Panic and confusion are rising like a tide within him. This is bad, really bad. 

 

Stain narrows his eyes, then spits on the ground. “Don’t lie. Heroes who lie are fakes and they need to be killed!”

 

“You won’t kill any of my students today!” Aizawa snaps, anger overtaking his usually stoic face.

 

“Any fake pretending to be a hero has to be culled and anyone who tries to get in the way of this holy goal will be killed as well!” Stain’s murderous gaze hones in on Izuku. “Even you. I don’t care what your dear brother ordered me.”

 

Even just hearing the word ‘brother’ makes Izuku’s heart simultaneously light up with joy and clench with disgust. He pushes the feelings away and sends the villain his own cold grin. “I won’t let you hurt any more people,” he says while tightening his grip on the knife he’s holding.

 

“No! You two need to stay out of this! This is my fight!” Iida shouts, desperation clawing at his voice. Is it his imagination, or does the teen’s voice sound a little weaker than a minute ago? “Stain killed m–”

 

“Shut up!” Both Izuku and Aizawa snap. Even though Aizawa keeps his gaze trained on the villain in front of him, the unimpressed glare on his face is definitely meant for Iida. “You and I will have a serious talk after this.” 

 

That shuts Iida up.

 

Aizawa turns his attention to the villain with a grim expression. “Stain, you are hereby under arrest for the murder of 17 heroes among other crimes.”

 

Stain lowers his stance, “I won’t let anyone stop me from my purge besides All Might!” Then he lurches for Aizawa.

 

The hero manages to evade the first swipe of a long knife and retaliates by lashing out with his capture weapon. Stain whirls away from the white fabric and raises one of his knives just in time to block Izuku’s attack with his own knife.

 

“Don’t let him draw blood! You’ll get paralyzed!” Iida calls, pain filling his voice.

 

So Stain paralyzes his victims by ingesting their blood? It must be, with his abnormal tongue. Unfortunately it seems that once a victim is paralyzed, canceling the villain’s quirk like Aizawa did when they first entered the ally doesn’t seem to undo the effect.

 

Izuku is barely able to deflect one of Stain’s slashing knives. In the time that the villain’s attention is devoted to the teen, Aizawa attempts to trap Stain again with his weapon. The villain seems to sense the attack coming and ruthlessly cuts through the fabric with the knife in his other hand before backing away, creating some distance between him and the other two. 

 

Aizawa is left with a radically shortened capture weapon. Izuku and the hero exchange glances. The fabric of the weapon is tough, you don’t cut through that without a lot of speed and strength. Stain is…good, really good. They nod at each other before rushing at the villain again, each approaching from a different angle in the cramped alley. Stain meets them with a determined scowl.

 

What ensues is an intense high speed battle. Aizawa and Izuku keep up a relentless flurry of attacks and Stain meets them with unparalleled speed. So far Izuku has been able to keep the villain from cutting him but he knows it’s only a matter of time– even with a speed quirk running in the background– so he’s glad that Aizawa has been using his quirk pretty much nonstop with only short intervals to rest his eyes. 

 

They’re pretty evenly matched and it’s at this point that Izuku fully understands why Stain has killed and maimed so many heroes without being caught. Even with both Aizawa and Izuku going at him, the villain manages to hold his own.

 

Whirling away from one of Aizawa’s punches, Stain attempts another attack with one of his knives at Izuku’s abdomen, the knife whistling from the speed behind the slash. Izuku is just barely able to meet the attack with his own knife and he feels the shock reverberate through his entire arm. While locked in a battle of strength, he sends out a kick at the villain’s shin. It breaks his attempt at trying to cut Izuku’s intestines out but besides a grunt slipping from Stain’s mouth it doesn’t seem to do much.

 

Stain turns back to Aizawa just in time to duck underneath a roundhouse kick from the man. At the same time the villain sends the longer of the two knives in his hand up in a wide arch. 

 

The tearing of fabric echoes through the alley and Izuku swears he feels his heart stop. Because…because…

 

Aizawa’s hair isn’t raised in the air like normal when he’s using his quirk. It pools around his shoulders and that can only mean one thing. The hero isn’t using his quirk. He must have blinked right at the moment of Stain’s attack.

 

The villain withdraws his knife but instead of a triumphant grin, a frustrated scowl takes shape on his face. Then Izuku sees why. The metal isn’t coated in a crimson red. It’s still a gleaming silver that reflects the sliver of moonlight in the sky.

 

Though Aizawa’s shirt is now sporting an immense hole in the back, the skin underneath appears to be unblemished. Because the man had been whirling around while executing his roundhouse kick, Stain had only been able to cut the fabric of the oversized shirt that had flayed behind him like an afterimage. 

 

All three of them process this in a split second and Izuku watches as a sort of shift takes place within the villain. Before either Izuku or Aizawa can process what’s happening Stain tumbles into a backhandspring to create distance between him and the other two and then dashes away, towards the other end of the alley.

 

Izuku can’t believe his eyes. Stain is running away.

 

“Don’t let him escape!” Aizawa yells. They both know that if it comes to it, Izuku is much faster so he doesn’t hesitate to do just that. Rush after Stain.

 

With a speed quirk on and adrenaline coursing through his veins, Izuku pursues the villain. “Come back here, you coward!” Izuku shouts as he quite literally tears through the fabric of space and time to stop Stain from leaving the alley.

 

The villain casts a glance behind him, eyes widening in surprise before it’s covered with a scowl. “I won’t let my holy purge come to an end today!” he snarls while nearing the end of the alley.

 

Izuku is fast though, faster than Stain expected, and he’s already caught up to the villain. 

 

His back is wide open, Izuku thinks as he kicks off the ground to rocket into the villain feet-first. 

 

It’s his own mistake really, for believing that someone as good as Stain would leave such a big opening without any underlying plans.

 

One second Izuku’s practically flying through the air. The next he’s sailing past Stain as the man whirls out of the way at the last possible second, faster than ever before. 

 

The glint of metal flashes through the air.

 

Then pain erupts from Izuku’s right side.

 

Izuku clamps his mouth shut to keep from hissing in pain as he crashes to the ground. He pivots around just in time to see Stain raising the knife to his mouth with a triumphant grin.

 

This time the blade is drenched in the liquid crimson of blood.

 

Shit! I’m so stupid! Of course it was a trap!

 

The villain’s abnormally long tongue snakes out of his mouth and the world seems to stand still for a moment as he consumes the blood. Izuku braces himself for the inevitable paralyzation. 

 

A beat passes.

 

Nothing happens.

 

Aizawa

 

Relief floods Izuku’s system when he notices the hero’s red gaze trained on Stain.

 

The villain doesn’t even have a second to look surprised before Izuku decks him across the face with a muscle enhancing quirk fueling the punch. Stain instantly falls unconscious from the force behind it and he crashes to the ground with a loud thud.

 

The silence that ensues is nearly deafening. Izuku stands over Stain’s body, heaving for breath and his heart still hammering in his chest. If not for the momentary distraction that Aizawa caused by canceling the villain’s quirk, Izuku’s sure he wouldn’t have been able to knock the villain out like that.

 

Izuku’s glad he was able to stop Stain from leaving the alley. Aizawa would have caught up to the two of them eventually, but there would have still been time where he would have had to fight the villain on his own. He’s not so sure if he would have been able to keep from using his actual quirk then. Of course he used some quirks during this fight –ones that could be easily explained away–, and he’s slowly trying to accept that. But actually taking a quirk? Izuku isn’t sure if he’s ready for that quite yet. Surely he isn’t, if at the thought of doing so his skin starts crawling and blood still keeps appearing on his hands?

 

---

 

Unsure how long he stands there, over Stain’s body, he’s shaken from his daze by Aizawa. The man halts next to him, shortened capture weapon no longer around his neck but rather in his hands. “-doriya, are you okay?”

 

Izuku blinks and then forces himself to nod. “Yeah,” he lets out a shuddering breath. “I am.” And he realizes that he is. Though he’s left trembling from the adrenaline that’s starting to wear off, physically he is fine. Well yes, he does have a wound in his side where Stain cut him, but that isn’t life threatening. Even mentally he’s feeling –not quite okay– but better than after other fights he’s had. 

 

Aizawa’s gaze drifts to Izuku’s injured side before crouching down beside Stain. “I sent out a distress call to all emergency services as soon as we got to the scene. They should be here within minutes. You should get that wound checked out as soon as possible.” The man starts taking hidden knives from the villain while continuing, “I’ll disarm Stain over here and tie him up. You check up on Iida and the other hero.”

 

“Copy that,” Izuku responds and he turns around, for the first time facing the side of the alley where Native and Iida are lying. The fight really drifted away from those two, deeper into the alley, so Izuku hadn’t really been able to keep an eye out for them. He walks back, first encountering Native, who’s still slumped against the wall. He does seem conscious though, which is a relief, so Izuku asks, “Are you alright?”

 

Native tries to nod, then winces. “I am. Just really dizzy, so I think I got a concussion, can’t really move a lot though.” Fear and worry fill the hero’s eyes as he continues with an urgent voice, “Really, don’t worry about me! You should check up on your friend, I tried to call you but you were too caught up with the fight and–”

 

Izuku doesn’t hear the rest. His gaze has drifted further away and the first thing he’s met by is red. Red red red red red.

 

So much red.

 

And in the middle of the pool of red lies his friend.

 

“I-Iida?” Izuku asks, because he’s not sure if he believes what he’s seeing right now. He stumbles to his friend’s side and drops down beside him, not caring about the blood soaking into his hero costume. Iida is so so pale. His eyes are closed, and Izuku almost fears for the worst if not for a shallow in- and exhale of air from the teen. 

 

No no no no no, this can’t be happening!

 

Forcing himself to calm down –something he doesn’t really achieve, but it’s the effort that counts–, he tries to think about what to do. He checks the teen’s pulse. It’s there, but only barely. Then he finally convinces himself to look at the gnarly shoulder wound. The flesh is torn apart, and the wound is deep. It’s steadily leaking blood, the crimson liquid streaming out with the rhythm of a heart beat. Stain must have hit a major artery. A realization hits Izuku at the thought. He’s bleeding out.

 

Panic washes over him like a tsunami hitting the mainland. It grips his lungs and balls up in his gut. “Iida! Can you hear me?” he asks, unable to keep his voice from wavering. His friend doesn’t seem to react in any way and Izuku can practically feel his heart beating out of his chest in panic.

 

“Aizawa! You need to come here!” Izuku calls as he presses his own shaking hands against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “Iida’s he’s–” his words tremble and he practically has to force the next words out, “bleeding out.”

 

A beat of heavy silence. A string of curses echo from where Aizawa’s still tying up Stain. “Alright, you need to stay calm! Try to stop the bleeding, I’m almost done here. Emergency services should be here within minutes at most!”

 

Izuku’s gaze drifts down to where his own bloody hands are trying to press the wound shut. Iida doesn’t have minutes. He’s seen people bleeding out before, he knows how fast it can go. Before he can stop himself, a sob tears through him. Blood keeps leaking out past the sides of his hands. 

 

“I-it won’t stop!” he cries as Aizawa crouches down next to him. 

 

The other hero’s eyes track Iida, the bloody wound and then they trace up to look at Izuku. A frown works its way up his face, and besides a shaky exhale that’s the only sign of distress from the man. “I think I have some bandages in my emergency kit,” he says while prying open a pouch on his utility belt. “An ambulance should be here any minute.” Izuku isn’t sure whether the hero is trying to convince Izuku or himself.

 

Yes sirens fill the air, but are they meant for here? The entire city is in disarray. Emergency services can’t be everywhere at once. They can’t rely on some external factor to trust that Iida will survive. Izuku eyes the thin bandages now in Aizawa’s hands and then the shoulder wound underneath his own hands. There’s no way that will be enough to stop the bleeding. Is it him, or has Iida’s breathing become even shallower? 

 

A dark pit opens up inside Izuku’s stomach when he realizes something. Iida has already lost too much blood.

 

He knows because of the amount of blood that has pooled around them, like a lake trying to drown those who dare swim in it. Crimson has drenched his clothes, his hands, it fills the air with a sharp coppery tang that clings heavily to the back of Izuku’s throat.

 

Even if help were to come right now, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to save the teen.

 

His skin is too pale, his breathing too shallow and the beating of his heart has slowed down too much.

 

Iida is going to die.

 

Izuku presses harder on the wound, hoping it will stop blood from flowing out. Another sob wracks his frame despite his best efforts. Why did Iida of all people have to find Stain? Why hadn’t Izuku noticed his friend bleeding out earlier? Why is he so useless right when it matters most?

 

Unless–

 

There is a way to help Iida, a way to save him.

 

Give Iida the super regeneration quirk.

 

It would mean that Iida would survive. But it would also mean that Aizawa would see a student come back from the brink of death with his very own eyes when this student isn’t supposed to have a healing quirk. The hero would undoubtedly be suspicious and question Iida. There’s no way Izuku could throw his friend under the bus, especially if it means that Iida’s hero career would be endangered. Even if it would mean the end of Izuku’s cover story, of his life as he knows it. All of it brings Izuku to a terrible dilemma:

 

Iida’s life, or his own?

 

And Izuku hates that there’s a part of him that hesitates. He’s fought so hard for the life he currently has and it will all be for nothing if he does this. But he promised himself that he wouldn’t ever ignore those who needed help. Not after he’d had to do just that so many times down in the concrete room. So ultimately, it isn’t really a dilemma at all. 

 

“--oriya, let me wrap these bandages around the wound. They might help.” Oh, Aizawa is talking. Izuku hadn’t heard, he was too caught up in his own thoughts. Unable to tear his gaze away from Iida’s limp form, he shakes his head. “They won’t help.” His voice sounds hoarse to his own ears. “H-he’s lost too much blood.”

 

Now that he’s talking he can’t stop himself. Before Aizawa can say anything, Izuku continues, “B-but I might be able to help.”

 

“What are you talking about?” The hero sounds confused, even if it seems he’s desperately trying to keep any emotions at bay. There’s a demand in his voice, like a teacher who’s interrogating a troublemaker.

 

Izuku ignores the question and focuses on himself and Iida. He lets out a shuddering breath.

 

This is it.

 

It’s easy to take the quirk from its safe. It drifts down towards his hands, which are still pressed against the bare skin of Iida’s shoulder wound. Five cruciating seconds pass by. Then the quirk swaps owners.

 

Izuku opens his eyes –he hadn’t realized he’d closed them– and takes his hands away from the wound. Right before his eyes the wound starts knitting itself together. With his hearing quirk Izuku can hear how Iida’s heart starts beating a little faster again.

 

“Midoriya, what did you do?” This time Aizawa sounds truly worried. An undercurrent of unease threads his voice.

 

Tearing his gaze away from Iida for a moment, Izuku locks gazes with the frowning hero. “I-...I’ll explain later. I promise.” He tries to put as much sincerity in his voice as possible, desperate to not lose the hero’s trust even if it feels like all of it is rapidly crumbling apart.

 

By now a bit of color has returned to Iida’s face and the wound has healed completely, leaving only a nasty scar. Izuku hurries to take back the quirk and shoves it back into its safe. From his time with All For One Izuku knows that he can’t let Iida have the quirk for longer than strictly necessary. While yes, a quirked human being can survive for a while with two quirks, it can cause some damage if they have two quirks for an extended period of time. Izuku can only hope that by saving Iida’s life, he hasn’t caused any brain damage. 

 

Just then Iida gulps for breath and his eyes fly over. “M-midoriya?” he croaks. His eyes scan around to take in his surroundings, briefly staying on Aizawa. “What happened?”

 

Izuku slumps forward in relief, his heart still beating frantically in his chest. Aizawa is staring wide-eyed at Iida before his gaze jumps to Izuku and narrows. The hero opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by the pounding of feet.

 

Like a whirlwind the police and a handful of heroes finally arrive. Izuku, Aizawa and the others are swept up in it, scattering the four of them about. A police officer immediately approaches Aizawa, the two of them rapidly talking back and forth about the current situation, and the hero is dragged away to where Stain is tied up before he gets the chance to say another thing to Izuku. 

 

Other officers rush to Izuku and Iida’s side, a brief moment of shock taking hold of their faces at the sight of all the blood before they can mold it back into careful neutrality. Izuku lets himself be herded out of the alley, towards a street where a few police cars have been parked.

 

Izuku doesn’t really register anything that happens around him, his body acting as if on autopilot. It’s like he’s underwater, everything is distorted and muted. His mind is a mess. The shock and fear of his friend nearly dying mixes with the stress and anxiety of knowing that his life as he knows it has just come to an end. There’s no going back after what he’s just done. Aizawa will want to know the truth. Izuku doesn’t know if he can come up with yet another convincing lie/half-truth, but he also doesn’t know if he can tell the full-truth. Though he doesn’t know how Aizawa will react, his mind can only push doom scenarios to the front. 

 

Disappointing his teachers

 

Betraying his friends.

 

Getting kicked out of UA.

 

Being locked up in Tartarus for his crimes.

 

He doesn’t regret helping Iida –he will never regret helping someone in need– but only now does the reality of what the costs are really settle in. There will be consequences for lying on his ID about his quirk. Hell, for lying about his entire identity. Will they take his freedom away for it? Izuku’s not sure if he can take that. But then what should he do now? Should he just run away? But then what about his mom? She’s still at UA, and where would they even go? 

 

His hands feel clammy and his breathing sounds irregular to his own ears. There are too many cars and people crammed near the exit of the alley. Fires still paint the night sky a burning red and sirens still fill the air. To make matters worse, Aizawa and a group of officers come marching out of the alley right at that moment, a bound and cuffed Stain in tow.

 

He can’t face Aizawa right now.

 

So, Izuku does what he does best. He runs away.

 

Pushing himself away from the hood of the police car that he’d been sitting on, Izuku makes himself scarce. He weaves around a few officers until he’s away from the crowded area near the alley and onto the open street. It’s calmer here, making Izuku breathe just a little easier. Maybe here he can come up with a coherent pla–

 

He only notices the mangled quirk light when it’s too late.

 

Razor sharp claws pierce into his shoulders, clamping down on them until he’s unable to move his shoulders at all. Izuku’s too surprised to scream out in pain.

 

With a screech the Nomu carries him into the air, higher and higher above the ground. A Nomu.

 

No no no no no

 

Terror races through his veins, hunkers down inside his gut and keeps his brain hostage as Izuku tries to think of a way out. How did this even happen? He must have really been out of it if he hadn’t noticed the quirk light. Think, what quirk is best suited for this situation?

 

Only thinking doesn’t really work all that well. It feels like an immeasurable weight is slowing down his body. It makes his mind sluggish. Izuku’s eyelids droop before he forces them open again with a jolt.

 

Poison

 

Or some sort of sedative must have been on the Nomu’s claws when they pierced his shoulders. He can’t fall asleep, because this Nomu undoubtedly has orders to bring him back to Tenko or–…or All For One. They’ll take him and lock him up. He can’t go back to that concrete room. He needs to fight this Nomu and free himself but what can he do against the poison?

 

His eyelids droop again and for a moment the world blacks out. Somewhere below him, he can hear voices. Too late he realizes that he needs his super regeneration quirk. He tries to drag it out of its safe but before he can succeed darkness creeps up on the sides of his vision.

 

Then everything goes black.

 

---

 

Izuku is awoken by his body roughly hitting concrete. The stone scrapes his arms and the force of the fall knocks away his breath. He blinks away the dregs of…something. For a moment he can’t recall why he feels so sluggish or where he is. He props himself up on his knees, hands pushing against the ground in front of him. 

 

Something warm splatters onto his hands.

 

Finally, his eyes want to focus. His gaze lands on the floor in front of him right when new blood splatters onto it, painting the concrete red. At the same time a searing pain flares up, setting his shoulders on fire. Izuku clenches his teeth together to keep from screaming out.

 

…why is he injured? Where is he?

 

Not a second later everything comes rushing back at full force, like his mind has finished up the reboot. At the same time Izuku’s quirk registers the presence of three quirk lights.

 

Izuku’s gaze snaps up, just in time to see Kurogiri portalling away a Nomu with wings. That’s the thing that must have brought him here. They’re inside some sort of old apartment building. Floor to ceiling windows line the walls to Izuku’s right and in front of him. From the way other buildings are positioned, it appears they’re on a higher floor. The windows offer an excellent view of what must still be Hosu, seeing as flames are still dancing through the streets.

 

It would be a relief if it weren’t for the person standing in front of the windows, back turned to Izuku and surveying the carnage that he brought upon the city.

 

Fear washes over Izuku, bringing panic along and drowning out any other thoughts. Izuku’s heart beats like a staccato during a dramatic play. Breathing seems like a foreign concept to his lungs when Tenko turns around, a sharp smile dancing on his lips.

 

“Hello little brother.”

Notes:

CW: Blood, like, a lot of it. Near character death, between the first and second separation mark.

Am I evil for ending this chapter on a cliffhanger? Probably. You can scream at me in the comments lol. Poor Izuku just can’t catch a break, can he?

Anyway~

Thank you so much for reading!

I now have a tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 24: What could have been

Notes:

Hi! I'm back again, I've put an explanation for my long absence in the endnotes. I loved writing this chapter. So many things in this chapter were part of my very first outline, it's amazing to finally see them coming to life, even if it took a bit longer than expected.

Anyway, this chapter's title was inspired by the song "What could have been" by Sting. This song is from the TV series "Arcane", which I highly recommend if you haven't watched it yet!

CW: In end notes because of spoilers.

“Hello little brother.”

 

That voice. How Izuku has missed it and hates it at the same time. His senses scream at him to do something, one part of him wanting to run, scream and fight. The other part just wants to curl up in a ball and beg Tenko not to hurt him. He’s heard that undercurrent of his brother’s voice before. It only means pain.

 

In the end Izuku’s muscles decide to lock themselves down and he just sits there on his knees, helplessly watching as Tenko takes a step in his direction. A beggar waiting for the final verdict of a priest. 

 

“Finally some time for just the two of us, no nasty heroes to disrupt us.” Tenko’s face morphs into a sneer when he mentions the word ‘heroes’, before his eyes narrow, gaze locking onto Izuku. A few quick strides and Tenko is standing in front of him, towering over him like a physical embodiment of doom. Izuku’s heart seems to almost hammer out of his chest and it takes everything in him to not flinch. His body still remembers that Tenko doesn’t like it when he does that.

 

“You know, Sensei told me to bring you right back to him when I found you.”

 

Izuku doesn’t respond, and just stares back at Tenko, trying to keep his face blank and his breathing even. His tongue seems to have been glued to the roof of his mouth. Besides, the panic raging around his still sluggish brain is wrecking too much havoc to form a clear thought. It also doesn’t help that his shoulders and side are throbbing in pain. The wounds the Nomu left in his shoulders and the cut from Stain’s blade are adding up, creating an unwelcome and very painful distraction. Blood is still leaking from his side and streaming down his shoulders, past his hands and dripping steadily on the ground. He needs to heal the wounds before he inevitably bleeds out, or before that, passes out from the pain. Trying to focus inwards to take the quirk from its safe takes more effort and mental capacity than he can expand right now though, and before he can attempt it movement distracts him.

 

Cold, dry fingers reach up to grip Izuku’s chin, tilting his face to look the other man straight in the eye. Tenko sends him a too-wide smile. “I didn’t listen, you wanna know why?” He bends forward, and his breath fills Izuku’s ears when the man whispers, “because you’re mine.”  

 

Mine

 

Mine

 

Mine

 

This time Izuku does flinch.

 

Pain flashes through his entire body, nearly making him scream out.

 

Disappointment fills Tenko’s eyes, and his grip on Izuku’s chin tightens. Izuku can’t help the guilt that clenches in his stomach, and the words ‘sorry ’ well to his lips before he swallows them back down. Some part of him protests at apologizing and it keeps the words from escaping him.

 

He really needs to heal himself, so he forces himself to focus and searches inwards for the vault with the regeneration quirk…Only to realize that he can’t find the vault, or any of his other quirks for that matter. For a moment his heart stops. If he can’t use his quirks, he’s as good as defenseless right now. He briefly wonders if somehow his quirk has been taken, but that can’t be right because he can still see quirk lights. In the end the urge to know is what prompts him to break his silence.

 

“What did you do to my quirks?” he croaks, throat dry as sandpaper. Even if he tries to hide it, he’s sure Tenko can see his growing panic because the man’s face curves into a gleeful grin. “Can’t find that regeneration quirk you stole from Sensei, now can you?”

 

His brother takes Izuku's silence as an answer. He draws his hands away, giving Izuku a short moment of relief, before taking away said relief by continuing, “It’s a new quirk erasing drug. It took the Doctor months to properly infuse it with a sedative to knock someone out. It’s not perfect yet–” so that explains why Izuku could still see quirk lights “--but it does buff our party’s strength already.”

 

A quirk erasing drug?

 

Izuku has never heard of something like that before. It had to be new to the market and still absolutely underground, or Izuku’s certain he would have picked up at least some whispers about it through reports from underground heroes. How would such a drug even work? Does it turn off the quirk factor like Eraserhead’s quirk, or would it completely erase the quirk factor like All For One’s or Izuku’s quirk do? He doesn’t know and that scares him. What if his quirk is permanently erased like this?

 

He would be defenseless.

 

He tries to stretch out the reach of his quirk, just to see if there’s anyone else outside this room, but finds that his reach doesn’t even cover the entire room. Trying to look any further wouldn’t give him anything.

 

Tenko tsks, disapproval dripping from his face. “Don’t stress out so much, it’s disgusting. The drug isn’t even permanent. Sensei would never damage his second-best player like that.”

 

Without realizing, Izuku had started breathing harder. He swallows down the panic and stress and forces his face back into a neutral mask, the one All For One and Tenko like. Embarrassment churns in his gut. How could he be so stupid? Of course All For One wouldn’t irreversibly erase his quirk. It’s what makes Izuku so valuable.

 

Tenko leans forward, eye narrowing. “Got it?” he asks, a sharp edge curled around his words.

 

Oh, he wants me to answer.

 

“Y-yes,” Izuku stammers, nodding along. This isn’t going well at all. The entire conversation has made him feel unsure, unbalanced. It’s like he’s just being dragged along on the whims of his brother, unable to say what he wants to say. 

 

Tenko opens his mouth, about to say something again but this time Izuku beats him to it. 

 

“Why did you come to Hosu?” he blurts, in an attempt to get a grip of the conversation again. He needs to buy himself time, draw this out as much as possible. Maybe the quirk erasing drug will wear off, allowing him to heal himself and hopefully have a chance at escaping from All For One’s clutches. If he’s lucky maybe even some heroes will show up. Who am I kidding, they never came for me before. Why would this time be any different? I’ve always had to save myself. No! Aizawa will try to find me! It’s different this time!

 

Tenko grins, “Come, I’ll show you.” Before Izuku can react his brother grabs him by the arm –one pinky raised– and starts dragging him towards the tall windows. It seems he doesn’t care if Izuku follows along, and Izuku nearly stumbles over his own two feet as he tries to get up on time so Tenko doesn’t drag him along the concrete. His shoulder wounds flare up from the movement, and he has to clamp his mouth shut to keep from screaming out.

 

They halt in front of the windows and a scene straight from hell unfolds beneath them. Fires dance along the streets and smoke curls up above. Even with the thick glass, screams and sirens still clearly permeate the air. All of it makes Izuku’s blood curl. When Izuku looks to his right though, a wide smile has found its way on his brother’s face.

 

Tenko turns to Izuku, and pride fills his voice when he says, “See these burning streets? That’s all our party’s doing.”

 

For a moment Izuku doesn’t know what to say. His eyes slide from Tenko, to the scene below and back again. Silence stretches between them, almost seeming to take on a physical presence. A reminder of how long they’ve been away from each other, how much they’ve grown apart. 

 

Impatience grows on Tenko’s face, tugging his grin into a scowl.

 

“But why…?” Izuku’s glances at the burning streets again, and then back at Tenko. “Why would you do this?” Maybe he’s just misunderstood, maybe there’s an explanation why Tenko is acting this way.

 

Tenko openly frowns, confusion flitting across his face before it’s wiped away again. “To show all the npc’s how fucking useless the heroes are! Our party can just swoop in any time we want, and no one can stop us.” His brother throws his arms wide, gesturing at the blazing city. “Isn’t it glorious?!”

 

Izuku blinks, trying to process what’s just been said. Then he shakes his head, first hesitantly, then with more certainty. “N-no, you’re hurting innocent people.”

 

“ So? This world needs to be changed and that can only happen if we burn it to the ground and build something from the ashes!”

 

Maybe a few years ago Izuku would have believed his brother. But not anymore. He isn’t sure when he changed his mind. Maybe when he met Hitoshi and the teen was nothing but kind to him, maybe when he helped that first old man by taking his quirk. The family’s gratitude is still a warm reminder in his heart. Or maybe even when he and his mom had just escaped and a lady let them stay at her apartment for a few nights. He now knows there are other ways to change the world besides violence. So even though he knows it’s stupid to go against Tenko, Izuku can’t help himself. He looks at Tenko and whispers, “That’s not true and you know it.”

 

The words seem to snatch any other sound from the room, leaving an icy silence.

 

An emotion that’s impossible for Izuku to decipher after all these years apart ripples across Tenko’s face, his eyes glossing over in the moment of silence. Then his brother blinks, and his brows knit together, his eyes fill with a poisonous hatred and he scowls, “The heroes really brainwashed you if you think there’s another way to change this fucked up world.”

 

“I know there’s another way,” Izuku stresses. He has to make Tenko understand. “Everyone at UA has treated me fairly up until now!” 

 

His words don’t have the desired effect. Instead, Tenko laughs in triumph. “But they don’t know the real you, do they?” He stares down at Izuku with cold mirth, his red eyes burning like fire. “They don’t know you’re the grandson of a villain. If they’re so accepting, why didn’t you tell them?!”

 

Izuku tries to not let the words get to him, but somehow Tenko’s words have always had a way of cutting deeper than anyone else’s –besides maybe All For One’s. They shake his grip on the conversation and his confidence in the people around him. Because his brother does have a point, doesn’t he? The heroes, his classmates, his teachers, they don’t really know him. And there is a reason why he hasn’t told Aizawa or Hitoshi or anyone else besides Kacchan about his real identity. He’s so afraid of what will happen when they realize that he’s been lying about himself all this time.

 

Not that it really matters anymore.

 

After what he did to Iida, Aizawa will already have questions. No cover story, no matter how good it might be, will be able to give a satisfying explanation. Saving Iida was worth it, but Izuku knows he’s doomed himself in the process. Aizawa’s face back in the alley had said enough.

 

Tenko takes his silence as an answer. He leans forward, a too-wide smile on his lips, and his foul breath hits Izuku’s face when his brother says, “I know why. Because deep down you know that they would scorn you for it! The heroes aren’t on your side. You only have Sensei and me.”

 

Izuku shakes his head and backs away, as if creating distance will keep him safe from the harsh words. He feels sweaty all over, yet it’s like a coldness has crept into his bones. Is this the fear having an effect on his body, or is this the blood loss finally getting to him? “No, I’ve still got mom–”

 

“Bullshit!” Tenko sneers. “She and the heroes have kept you from me all these years!”

 

Somehow hearing his mom being slandered is what does it for Izuku. His mom would never force him to do anything, let alone keep him anywhere against his will. His fists clench at his side as his pain and fear are burned away by a fire in his veins. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe I didn’t want to come back?!” he shouts, unable to keep the anger from exploding.

 

Tenko frowns before he mirrors Izuku’s anger. “What are you talking about?! Sensei kept us safe, he made us stronger!” 

 

Utter disbelief washes through Izuku. There’s no way that Tenko actually believes that, is there? Shocked, he responds, “Do you even hear yourself? You’re the one who’s been brainwashed! All For One hurt us for years!”

 

He can see the moment the words register. Tenko flinches, body jerking backward and his facade crumbling for a moment to reveal something more vulnerable underneath. A beat of silence passes and Izuku hopes that maybe he finally managed to get through to his brother. Then his brother blinks and Izuku watches as both anger and disgust mold Tenko’s face back into a scowl. His brother stares down at him, lips curled. “You’ve changed.”

 

Izuku tries to say something, tries to say ‘so have you’, because Tenko has changed. He’s no longer the brother that Izuku used to know. It’s like looking at a shattered mirror. Everything is still there, but cracked and broken. Or maybe Tenko was always like this and the other horrors in Izuku’s childhood softened his brother’s sharp edges. Maybe Izuku’s just being confronted with the truth for the first time and oh, how that hurts. It hurts knowing that Tenko never was this good brother like he is in all Izuku’s memories.

 

But before he can say anything Tenko speaks, a thoughtful look on his face, “But I’m sure Sensei can fix that. I need you as my player two, as my brother.”

 

For just a brief moment Izuku’s heart grinds to a halt. It feels like forever and it snatches his breath right from his lungs. Then it’s as if his heartbeat stumbles over itself, each beat a heavy drum resonating through his body. He takes a sharp breath in, then stumbles back, trying to create more distance while stammering, “N-no Tenko, please-”

 

“Don’t call me that!” his brother snaps. “My name is Tomura!”

 

“B-but–” Tomura? No, Tenko never called himself that. Only All For One ever used the name Tomura.

 

“No! Shut up! You listen to me!” Tenko starts scratching at his neck, damaging skin and drawing blood in the process. Red eyes glare at him. “Why don’t you listen to me anymore?! You used to always listen and follow my orders!”

 

Why does the light hurt his eyes so badly? He needs to get back but all his limbs are aching. All he really wants to do is lie down and sleep, but he knows he can’t do that right now. He tries to push against the drowsiness, but only partly succeeds. The only thing keeping him standing is the terrifying knowledge that if he succumbs now, he’s certain he won’t ever escape All For One’s grasp ever again. He’ll be taken back to that horrible concrete room. Finally, Tenko’s words register. Why don’t I listen to my brother’s every word anymore? The thought makes him scoff. “I’m not something you own!”

 

Izuku knows his time to come up with a plan is running out. He can see Tenko’s patience slipping away and Kurogiri –who up til now had quietly stood in a corner of the room– is now hovering closer by, attentively following the conversation. He decides to switch tactics. “Tenko please, you have to know that this isn’t right,” he pleads. “There’s another way. Come with me. The heroes will understand, I swear. We can be brothers again!”

 

That last part seems to grab Tenko’s interest, because he stops scratching and looks almost thoughtful when he mumbles, “Yes, this isn’t right.” A glimmer of hope ignites inside Izuku’s chest. Then his brother’s gaze locks onto Izuku. “You need to come with us. I need my player two.”

 

No

 

Izuku tries backing away even more, but stumbles. Even though his own heartbeat feels too loud to his own ears, like the rushing of a wave, he can clearly hear his brother’s next words. 

 

“Kurogiri, bring Izuku to Sensei.”

 

---

 

Shouta doesn’t know how, but somehow each time Midoriya’s out of his eyesight, the kid manages to get into trouble. One minute he’s exiting the alley, a few officers and a bound Stain in tow, the next he can only watch as a Nomu with wings swoops in and grabs Midoriya. With a screech it flies off, a wide-eyed Midoriya clamped between its claws. 

 

For a moment Shouta can only stare while his brain tries to catch up with what his eyes are seeing. Then his legs kick into action and he’s rushing after the Nomu, waving around parked police cars while calling behind him, “I’m going after them! Send back-up!"

 

He doesn’t wait for the startled officers to respond, instead forces his focus forward, towards the Nomu. He tries to use his quirk but it doesn’t seem to have any effect, either because the monster is too far away or because his quirk just doesn’t work on something like a Nomu. Why isn’t Midoriya fighting back? Shouta knows that if the teen could, he would fight tooth and nail and probably win from the monster. Maybe he can’t?

 

The thought makes a deep fear settle within Shouta’s bones. He tries to ignore it, only for it to grow stronger when he sees Midoriya going limp in the Nomu’s grip. The fact that he doesn’t know why his intern just went limp might be the most terrifying.

 

Suddenly the Nomu swerves a sharp left and starts flying away even faster, disappearing past the edges of the buildings lining the street. Shouta curses and is forced to give up his chase on solid ground. Time to get up a building. With the help of his capture weapons it isn’t all too difficult to swing himself up on a roof. It takes him a second to reorient himself, a sea of roofs –some higher than others– stretches out before him. Unfortunately for him, the Nomu and Midoriya are nowhere to be seen.

 

Are they making use of the portal quirk?

 

He’s never been more glad of the fact that he gave Midoriya a tracker the day before. Forcing his heartbeat to calm down, he takes out his phone and swiftly activates the tracker program. He waits with bated breath while it tries to find a signal. Please still be nearby, please let me be able to help.  

 

A beep. Then a bright red dot appears. It’s still in Hosu. Relief washes through Shouta. Without wasting a second longer he starts making his way to the location, switching between running across rooftops and swinging from building to building. While doing so he calls Tsukauchi’s number. The phone rings just once before the detective answers, “Detective Tsukachi speaking.”

 

Shouta doesn’t bother with a polite greeting and immediately jumps to the reason why he called. “Midoriya was just kidnapped by a flying Nomu. I’m following his tracker right now.” He jams his phone between his head and his left shoulder and swings to the next building, hoping for dear god that his phone won’t slip down to a tragic death.

 

On the other side of the line Tsukuachi lets out a rare curse. “He’s still in the city?”

 

“Yes, it seems they wanted a central vantage point within Hosu. A few minutes and I’ll be there. I need you to get there with as much backup as possible, any top hero that can be missed as well. I don’t know what situation I’ll be walking into, maybe more Nomu, but if we’re lucky we’ll be able to take the League down once and for all.”

 

“Got it. Keep me updated on any changes when possible.”

 

As quickly as the call started, it ends again. That’s exactly why Tuskauchi is one of Shouta’s favorite police officers. The man is always as efficient as possible.

 

Shouta isn’t sure how long it takes him to get to Midoriya’s location, but it simultaneously feels too long and not long at all. Before he knows it, he’s standing on the edge of an office building and looking up at a high apartment complex. According to the tracker program, this is where his student should have been taken to. The complex itself is old and the boarded up windows on the lower stories suggest that the building must be on the soon-to-be-demolished list. 

 

After sending Tsukauchi a quick text that he’s arrived on location, Shouta doesn’t wait a moment longer and swings onto one of the building’s balconies. A quick look through the window tells him that the apartment he’ll be walking into is completely empty. Picking the lock isn’t difficult and then he’s inside. As soon as the door clicks shut behind him the screams and sirens from outside quiet down. They’re not completely gone, but they’re also not overly loud anymore. Carefully, Shouta walks to the apartment’s front door that’ll probably lead into a hallway. For a moment he presses his ear to the door, but he can’t hear a thing coming from behind the door.

 

Bracing himself, he presses the handle down and sweeps into the hallway.

 

Nothing.

 

No people, no sounds, not even any signs of habituation. Just darkness.

 

Shouta doesn’t hesitate to rush up the stairs. It would make sense that the League would want a clear vantage point, something like the top floor of an apartment building. As he passes floor after floor, it seems like the apartments become increasingly unfinished. First it’s the broken lights that make way for protruding cables, then it’s the paint that changes into concrete.

 

Maybe the building hadn’t met construction guidelines, so it had been abandoned in its entirety before it could have been completed? It’s the only reason he can think of as he climbs the stairs to yet another floor. 

 

If I counted correctly it should be two more floors before I’ve reached the top level.  

 

Shouta slows his pacing down, at the same time straining his ears for any possible sounds…there! He almost doesn’t catch it, but a faint voice drifts down from one of the higher floors. Before continuing on, he whips out his phone and sends another text to the detective, letting him know where he suspects the League might be.

 

Then he makes his way further up, trying to go as fast as possible while still silencing his steps and being able to keep a proper eye on his surroundings. He ignores the rapid beating of his heart or the stray thoughts that only whisper words of fear into his ears. He needs absolute focus for this. Not distractions or god forbid, feelings.

 

He’s sneaking up the final set of stairs –while still not having encountered anyone whatsoever– when the voices become clear enough to make out the words.

 

“--us stronger!” That’s Shigaraki’s raspy voice, filled with anger.

 

Shouta speeds up as much as he can and sets his first step into the hallway. Multiple doors line the u-shaped hallway with the staircase in the middle. A single door to his left is cracked open, faint light spilling out into the hallway. Luckily the door isn’t opened far enough that anyone inside could have seen him walking up the staircase.

 

“Do you even hear yourself?” And that’s Midoriya’s shocked voice. A wave of relief washes through Shouta when he hears his voice. His student is here, so close, and he’s still alive and conscious. “You’re the one who’s been brainwashed! All For One hurt us for years!”

 

Shouta’s glad that by the time that those words are out, he’s pressed firmly against the wall that lines the apartment that Shigaraki and Midoriya must be in. The door is only a few steps away and Shouta has to suppress a sharp inhale. All For One? The name tickles a distant part of his brain. In his early years as an underground hero he’d heard rumors about a presumed boogeyman of the underworld. He's always thought they were just that: rumors. Especially because in the last few years any whispers about a king of the underworld had vanished completely.

 

All For One hurt us for years

 

The thought of someone hurting Midoriya makes Shouta’s blood boil. He’d always suspected of course, the signs had been there after all. Still, to hear Midoriya say it and for it to be someone like All For One… Before Shouta can think further about the implications of Midoriya’s words, Shigaraki breaks the silence. 

 

“You’ve changed.”

 

“But I’m sure Sensei can fix that. I need you as my player two, as my brother.”

 

Brother? Shouta thinks, bewildered, as he slinks closer to the door. He needs to get closer so he can assess the situation inside the room. What is the villain talking about? And who is this ‘Sensei’? He doesn’t get the time to ponder about these questions though.

 

“N-no Tenko, please-”

 

The kid sounds so scared. It chills Shouta’s insides. He’s never heard Midoriya like this, his student is always so good –too good– at keeping his emotions at bay. Right as Shouta gets close enough that he could peek inside, Shigaraki’s voice cuts Midoriya off, “Don’t call me that! My name is Tomura!”

 

Hoping for dear god that no one will be looking at the door opening, Shouta glances inside. Shigaraki is standing near one of the windows, Kurogiri hovering close to his side. Seeing where Midoriya is standing –with his back turned towards the door– Shouta wants to curse. The kid is standing way too close to Shigaraki for Shouta to be able to jump into the situation. Even though he’s lucky that there aren’t any Nomu nearby, Midoriya is standing close enough to Shigaraki that chances would be high the villain would use the kid as a hostage as soon as Shouta were to run into the room. And even if he were to prevent that from happening, Kurogiri and Shigaraki make a dangerous combination. While Shouta’s quirk could cancel out their quirks, it would only be temporary and sooner rather than later he’d have to blink. Just a second would be enough for Kurogiri to portal them away to god knows where. 

 

So even if he hates it, hates seeing his student suffer like this, he has to wait for reinforcements. He whips his head back and presses himself flat against the wall again, not taking any chances at being seen. 

 

“B-but–” Midoriya stammers, only to be cut off by the other villain again.  

 

“No! Shut up! You listen to me!”

 

Shouta grabs his phone to ask Tsukauchi about the reinforcements, only to see that the detective has already sent him a text. On our way. Nearly there. 

 

That was two minutes ago. He can only hope that nearly there means within now and the next minutes. He can tell that the conversation is escalating; it won’t last much longer.

 

“Why don’t you listen to me anymore?! You used to always listen and follow my orders!”

 

Okay this confirms it, Shouta thinks, these two have a history together. The way they’re talking is too familiar to suggest anything else. It does make him wonder what that connection actually is. Brothers, like the villain just suggested? Shouta can’t think for the life of him how that would fit in with what he knows about Midoriya’s history. Maybe the two know each other from when Midoriya’s father was still part of that criminal organization? But then that would imply that the League is somehow connected to this criminal organization…

 

It would explain why the League kidnapped Midoriya of all people. The way the flying Nomu had swooped down and taken Midoriya…that had obviously been targeted. But if the League is connected to this criminal organization and Midoriya knows Shigaraki, then why didn’t the teen say anything about that after the USJ?

 

Shouta hears Midoriya scoff. “I’m not something you own!”

 

For the first time since Shouta’s arrival real anger shines through in the kid’s words.

 

“Tenko please, you have to know that this isn’t right.” 

 

Shouta checks his phone again just in time to see another message from the detective coming in. Entering the building now.  

 

The text doesn’t do much to alleviate the tension coiled tightly inside him. This is a tall building with a lot of stairs to climb. Even for pro heroes, climbing these stairs without alerting the villains can take a while. Backup has to arrive soon. He decides to risk another glance into the room.

 

“There’s another way. Come with me. The heroes will understand, I swear. We can be brothers again!”

 

The positions of the three people inside the room have changed, but only slightly. There’s luckily more space now between Shigaraki and Midoriya. The teen must have backed up a little. Unfortunately the relief is quickly replaced by even more worry when Shouta notices the blood dripping down from the kid’s hands. He’s injured?  

 

Is that why he hasn’t tried to escape yet?

 

But couldn’t he just heal himself with the healing quirk he apparently has?

 

Shouta quickly shakes that thought away. Whatever it was that he saw happening to Iida back in that alley, he doesn’t have time to think about it right now.

 

Kurogiri is now hovering closer to an agitated Shigaraki. The latter stops scratching his neck at Midoriya’s words. “Yes, this isn’t right.” At his tone, Shouta’s stomach drops. 

 

“You need to come with us. I need my player two.”

 

Shit, this isn’t good.

 

Midorya staggers away, his shoulders tensed up. 

 

Red eyes stare at Midoriya, Shouta’s student the sole focus of that gaze. “Kurogiri, bring Izuku to Sensei.”

 

Suddenly multiple things happen at once.

 

At the same time that the mist villain tries to use his quirk, Shouta barrels into the room, quirk active and his gaze trained on the villains. Consequences of this be damned, if he doesn’t interfere now his student will be kidnapped. 

 

Midoriya stumbles and nearly loses his footing while Shouta rushes to stand by his side, capture weapon ready in his hands.

 

The smile that had found its way on Shigaraki’s face falters and then completely vanishes as he watches Shouta enter. Luckily, Kurogiri stays rooted in his spot next to the other villain.

 

Shouta doesn’t have time to feel relieved about it. Yes he’s just in time to prevent his student from being portalled away to god knows where, but now he’s in a room with two highly dangerous villains, a student in unknown medical condition and with dubious chances of backup arriving in time.

 

“You, ” is all Shigaraki spits out as he momentarily seems to be taken over by rage. He doesn’t approach though. The villain must know that his quirk is canceled and without it his chances against Shouta with his capture weapon are a lot smaller.

 

Shouta doesn’t care to respond, and instead directs his next words to the student next to him. “Midoriya, get behind me.”

 

“But–” the kid stammers, unable to keep a hint of shock out of his voice. Shouta can’t even spare a glance to check up on him, he has to keep his gaze trained on the villains in front of them.

 

“Now.” Shouta doesn’t leave any room for argument. From his peripheral vision he sees the kid slightly sway on his feet before staggering behind him. Blood loss?  

 

Probably, there’s a lot of blood on the floor in front of him. He has to fight to keep the anger boiling inside of him down, now is not the time to be ruled by emotions. Still, someone hurt his student and it’s most likely the villains in front of him.

 

By the time that Midoriya has moved behind him, Shigaraki has regained a semblance of control on his emotions. The villain has started scratching his neck again, a scowl on his face. “You know, you really are cool, Eraserhead. You’re not just an annoying side character if you were able to find this place.” 

 

Angry red eyes stare back at him and the man’s scratchy voice seems filled to the brim with hatred when he growls, “But you can’t just come here and try to take Zuku away from me again.”

 

Shouta frowns, anger lowering his voice, “You just tried to kidnap him.”

 

“No!” the other villain shouts, almost as if he were a child. His hands have stopped scratching his neck, instead they’re now flexing at his side. “I just want to bring Zuku back home after you heroes stole him from me!” 

 

In his fury the man takes a step forward and Shouta tenses. At the villain’s side Kurogiri shifts, probably also sensing the tension in the air. The mist villain hasn’t said a word…weird but not something Shouta can dwell on right now. He needs to figure out how to get out of this situation, because his eyes are starting to burn. Backup should be here any moment now, right?

 

Shigaraki’s gaze snaps to a place behind Shouta, probably looking at Midoriya, before wandering back to the hero. It seems as if his anger has cooled again, his emotions as turbulent as those of a small child. A grin spreads on his face, “But you won’t take him this time, you know why? Because you can’t keep up your quirk forever. At some point you will have to blink.”

 

Shouta grits his teeth, the villain is right. The only reason they’re at this impasse right now is the fact that he has canceled the villain’s quirks. He knows he can’t keep his quirk up forever, he’s already stretching his shortened limit after the injury to his eyes from the USJ. 

 

Don’t blink

 

Don’t blink

 

Then his ears pick up on a sound. 

 

Footsteps

 

He grins, “Well, guess it’s good that I didn’t come alone then.”

 

Shigaraki’s eyes widen as he seems to also pick up on the footsteps. “Kurogiri–” is all he can command before the door is literally blown off its hinges.

 

“HEYA FUCKERS!”

 

Something…someone lands behind him so he can’t see who it is, but he recognizes the voice.

 

Not even a second later a white blur jumps past him and barrels straight at Kurogiri.

 

White hair, fluffy ears and a ferocious grin. No one other than Mirko kicks the villain with mighty power into the back wall of the room. The mist villains must still have some solid part to him, because it works and he stays slumped against the wall. Shigaraki’s wide eyes narrow into what can only be described as a snarl while he turns to face this new threat.

 

“You’re supposed to be the big bad boss right?” Mirko asks, that grin still on her face.

 

Don’t blink

 

Shouta forces his eyes to stay open a bit longer. His quirk doesn’t have an effect on Mirko –she’s a mutant type– but if he manages to keep it active for just a bit longer, she might be able to deal with the League once and for all.

 

Shigaraki’s hands flex at his sides while he responds, “Yes–”

 

He can’t say more, because by then the hero has already launched at him with incredible speed.

 

Don’t blink

 

Shouta blinks.

 

For just a moment there’s the relief of blinking again, the sensation of his eyes burning away disappearing. Then there’s complete chaos.

 

---

 

Someone is fighting Tenko.

 

That is the one thing Izuku knows for certain.

 

Who it is though, he isn’t so sure of. Not because he doesn’t know the hero, but because his vision just doesn’t want to focus. Everything is a blur, making it hard to even stand. It has already forced him on his knees, rough concrete scraping his hands.

 

Not that he really notices it beside the tingling feeling in his limbs.

 

He thinks Aizawa is standing in front of him, capture weapon in his hands. Aizawa was here first, right? He believes so, but his thoughts are so sluggish it makes it difficult to distinguish what happened before from what’s happening right now.

 

Is the man saying something to him?

 

Maybe, but it’s impossible to hear anything above the rushing in his ears. His heart pounds away in his chest and it feels like there’s never enough oxygen in his lungs. He keeps taking breath after breath but the feeling never goes away.

 

Why is Aizawa paying attention to him? He should be focusing on Kurogiri. Something happened to the villain, right? Izuku doesn’t remember. He was too hot just a moment ago, but now it feels like he’s freezing to death. There’s a darkness creeping up from the sides of his vision and for a moment his world blacks out.

 

Suddenly there’s someone at his side, saying something again. Aizawa? Izuku tries to tell the man to focus on Kurogiri, but his mouth won’t obey. He’s just so tired, he can feel his eyes slipping shut and the only thing keeping them open is the fear that when he wakes up, he’ll be back with All For One.

 

There’s a sudden disturbance in the room, and without warning more blurs rush past Izuku.

 

The last thing he sees is a purple mist enveloping Tenko and disappearing.

 

Then the darkness drags him down.

Notes:

CW: Shiggy being a possessive little bitch, gaslighting, manipulation. Someone being forced to face their abuser. Blood. After the last separation mark there’s quite a vivid description of someone experiencing severe blood loss.

So, it’s been a while huh. Yeah, sorry about that. My life’s just changed rapidly in the last three months. I just started uni and trying to fake my way through being a functioning adult, keeping myself alive, and living on my own while also having to actually study is *a lot*. I’m convinced that every other adult is just faking it. Uni has been great so far though, learning more about the human psyche is absolutely amazing, it has just left me with little time to write, sadly :(
Now that I've settled a bit, I'll hopefully be able to post a bit more often than once every 2-3 months...

Anyway~

Thank you so much for reading!

Come scream at me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 25: Leap of faith

Notes:

Hi everyone! I come to you with another chapter!

CW: Nightmare. Panic attack. Mention of death. Flashbacks.

Izuku can’t sleep.

 

That isn’t anything too out of the ordinary these days, especially now that his grandfather’s lessons have gotten even more…brutal. While before the exhaustion would usually be strong enough to drag him under before his mind could spiral, lately fresh memories seem to prevent him from getting any sleep, even after the most exhausting days.  

 

He tosses and turns in his bed. Of all days, he would have expected to get some sleep today. His dad finally came back from another mission, after months of being away. Running into his warm embrace this afternoon…it had been the best comfort imaginable. Still, his mind tries to replay this morning. There had been another Nomu. Of course there had been. If he thinks too hard, he can still feel sticky blood on his hands and hear the never ending screeching. A shudder passes through his body as he thinks about it and he pulls his bedsheets tighter around himself. Even though the comforter should be thick enough to warm his body, he still feels cold through and through. Like the room has sucked away all heat. It makes him realize that he craves a different kind of warmth.

 

It’s a stupid, childish idea really. Tenko would probably tell him to just suck it up and to stop being such a baby. But Izuku really wants his mom and dad right now. He wants to crawl onto their bed and sleep tucked between them. He wants their warmth and safety. When he was younger he would do that more often, but he’s ten now, almost eleven, way too big for something like that. Besides, he’s been getting nightmares more often the last few months and he doesn’t want to worry his mom even more than she already does. 

 

Today Izuku decides that he doesn’t care. He just wants comfort. He just won’t tell Tenko, otherwise he’ll be laughed at and he doesn’t like how that makes him feel.

 

So he pushes away the comforter and slides off the bed. The floor feels cold under his feet and the cool air raises the hairs on his bare arms. He pads to the door of his bedroom and quietly opens it. The hallway is dark, just like the rest of their apartment. He can see that the curtains in their living room have been drawn shut, shutting out the streets far below. Not that they would tell Izuku much. He doesn’t really know where the apartment is. Unlike the house where they’d lived before, where he’d known the neighborhood inside and out. He’d known where all the playgrounds were, the best path to take to the little wood bordering their neighborhood and he’d known his way to Kacchan’s house. Izuku shuts that thought out quickly. Even if he doesn’t really remember what his best friend looks like, besides blond hair and blazing red eyes, the thought somehow still hurts.

 

Anyway, he wouldn’t know his way around the place where he lives right now at all. He’s never been outside this apartment. Well, he has, but only to the concrete training room and a few other rooms inside his grandfather’s underground compound. He’s never actually ran through the streets that he can see through the windows. Kurogiri always comes to pick him up and brings him back here. The same goes for his mom and dad, even for Tenko, who’s sometimes allowed to visit. It’s been a while since his brother stayed for much longer than a day though, him sleeping over has become a rare thing. 

 

Izuku isn’t even sure if the door to their apartment actually works. He is pretty sure that the walls aren’t made of normal material though. One time when he was angry, he tried to burn through them with magma hand. It didn’t work, and it only left a black imprint –nothing more. He knows for a fact that Magma Hand can melt through regular brick walls. Usually he doesn’t really like to think about these things though. It makes him feel…not good, in a way. Even if he knows that his grandfather does all of this to keep him and his mom and dad safe.

 

The only source of light spills through the cracked open door at the end of the hallway. His parent’s bedroom. Izuku approaches it quietly, just like his grandfather has taught him. It’s a good opportunity to practice, even if he’s sure that he could do it while asleep. His grandfather likes perfection. There are two quirk lights inside the room. Izuku recognizes them instantly: His mom’s and dad’s light.

 

He’s about to push the door open when he stops, hand hovering above the handle. His parents are talking and not in a normal way. Maybe it’s the quiet voices. Izuku hadn’t heard them until he’d stood right in front of the door. Maybe it’s the urgency that seems to stain their words.

 

“-find anything?” His mom, words almost a whisper.

 

“I think I did” That’s his dad’s smoky voice, filled with a sort of…happy emotion that Izuku’s never heard before. He knows he shouldn’t eavesdrop. It’s bad of him. But he can’t make himself turn away. A quiet curiosity forces him to stay rooted in place.

 

His dad continues, “The group that I was working with for the past few months…I think they’re willing to help.”

 

Help? Help with what? With his dad’s missions?

 

“A-are you sure?” His mom sounds like she can’t believe it, but wants to.

 

“As sure as I can be. Father will likely send me on another mission to their group in a few months. Then I’ll try to get closer to the leader.”

 

Izuku is about to turn around –this seems like his dad is just discussing his work with his mom– but then his mom speaks. “We have to be absolutely sure. If not– I won’t risk it. Izuku he–” her voice halts, as if fear has swallowed it whole.

 

What does she mean? Confusion washes through Izuku. He’s starting to doubt what his parents are talking about is just business.

 

His dad makes a soothing noise, gentle in a way that even Izuku doesn’t hear often. “I know.” There’s a heaviness to his voice that also seems to pour into the air. Izuku feels like there’s supposed to be more context here that he’s missing. Like joining halfway through a movie. You can follow the things happening but you don’t really understand why they’re happening.

 

“I’m just so worried about Izuku,” his mom whispers, anxiety tainting her words. “Your father…his influence…”

 

Izuku’s heart feels like it will hammer out of his chest. Why are they talking about his grandfather? Doesn’t he keep them all safe? Doesn’t he make Izuku stronger? He does right? He must. Otherwise…

 

He doesn’t finish the thought. He’s sure that if he does, he’ll fall into a hopeless pit that he can’t climb out of. 

 

A tired sigh from his dad forcefully brings him back to the present. “I know, sweetheart. I know.”

 

A long silence follows, and it’s clear to Izuku that this is the end of that conversation. He has to force his legs to turn around and sneak back the way he came. Obviously he won’t crawl into his parent’s bed tonight, finding the comfort that he wants.

 

He’s too big already anyway. Tenko would laugh at him. At least, that’s what he tries to convince himself of.

 

The hallway back to his bedroom feels long. Too long.

 

Then he’s turning the door handle. 

 

“Hello little brother.”

 

His heart stops. He knows that voice, though it’s scratchier, deeper.

 

“T-tenko,” Izuku stammers. His feet have promptly stopped in the doorway. 

 

Tenko smiles at him and Izuku flinches. That smile means pain.

 

“You should have come with us,” Tenko says. There’s an anger in his eyes that Izuku doesn’t remember being there before. Somehow, his brother is different. Older.

 

Izuku frowns and tries to remember what his brother is talking about. Is this a trick question? “W-what do you mean?” he asks, because he really doesn’t know.

 

Tenko scowls. “Don’t act stupid! You know what I mean!” He puts a threatening step forward and Izuku tries to back away. Only his feet won’t move. 

 

“You ran back to the fucking heroes as soon as they came for you!”

 

Suddenly Izuku remembers. Hosu. The tall apartment building. A Nomu had taken him. He isn’t ten. He’s fifteen. He’s a hero student at UA. 

 

He tries to respond to his brother, but his tongue seems glued to his mouth. No sound will come out.

 

“But I won’t give up!” Tenko spits, as he stalks forward.

 

Again, Izuku tries to back away. Why the fuck won’t his feet move!?

 

Tenko’s red eyes are suddenly way too close.

 

“You will come home, Zuku!”

 

Then a dry hand makes contact with his chest.

 

---

 

Izuku wakes, gasping for breath and clutching his chest. He can still feel his flesh flaking away. It’s a burning, writhing pain that feels much too cold at the same time. Stark lights from above momentarily blind him and all he can see white, white, white. He doesn’t know where he is but the harsh smell of antiseptic fills his nose and something is hindering his movement. Panic washes over him, because he’s stuck and he has to get out. 

 

His breathing comes too quick and he can’t really see. Still, with shaking hands he tries to tug on the things stuck in his arms. The quicker he can move freely again, the better.

 

“-ey!”

 

Something no, someone is saying something. Izuku tries to wrack his brain because the voice sounds familiar. His thoughts are too sluggish though, so instead he uses his quirk to look at the person’s quirk light. 

 

Burning red. Blazing and bright.

 

“Hey nerd, calm down! Don’t rip out your fucking IV,” a voice grumbles and finally Izuku is able to focus on his friend standing in front of him.

 

“K-kacchan?” he asks between heaving breaths. The sight of his friend calms his beating heart down enough that he stops pulling on the tubing snaking from his arms to some sort of medical monitor behind him. 

 

The other teen rolls his eyes, “Yeah yeah, it’s me. Now sit your dumbass back down again.”

 

Right, he’s already halfway between the bed and the floor. With a shuddering breath he lets himself sink back into the thick pillow. In the span of a second he takes in the room around him. It’s a hospital room, off-white walls, light blue curtains closed before a window. A soft beeping from a medical monitor fills the room, and with his hearing quirk Izuku can hear the usual hustling and bustling of a hospital from behind the door presumably leading into the rest of the building.

 

An itching pain in his shoulders when he shifts makes him grimace. The pain reminds him of the events of…last night? Izuku isn’t sure what time it is. It could be a few hours later or a few days, he wouldn’t know. Not that time is what keeps him busy at the moment. No, he’s trying to process the memories that seem to think that now is a good time to come rushing back.

 

Hosu. Stain. Iida almost dying. And oh, Tenko nearly kidnapping him. 

 

That last one almost sends Izuku’s body back into panic mode again. He fucked up so badly last night. He groans and closes his eyes in an attempt to shut out the rest of the world. “Please let me go back to sleep.”

 

He hears Kacchan huff, “You just slept for nine hours straight, haven’t slept enough yet?”

 

His eyes fly wide open. “I was out for nine hours?!”

 

The other teen rolls his eyes, his arms crossed in front of him from where he’s sitting on a plastic hospital chair next to Izuku’s bed. “Yeah, that’s what I just fucking said.” Izuku watches as his friend’s hands squeeze his own arms and the easy going expression on his face wavers. “Last night…they rushed you here. Apparently a few more minutes without a blood transfusion and you’d have died.”

 

A heavy silence follows.

 

Izuku’s memories of the minutes after Aizawa and some other hero arrived are hazy at best. He knows he suffered from blood loss. He just hadn’t expected it to be so severe. His gaze is drawn to his friend, who has an uncharacteristically solemn expression on his face. Guilt twists inside Izuku’s gut. He is the reason why Kacchan’s so worried.

 

“Sorry,” he mutters and it feels lackluster, even to him, “for making you worry.”

 

The other teen scoffs, “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault that Crusty McDusty is a possessive little bitch.”

 

That startles a laugh out of Izuku. Then he frowns, “How do you know about that? And…why are you here?” Wasn’t Kacchan supposed to be on an internship with Mirko. Why is he here at Izuku’s side in the hospital, and how does he know about what happened with Tenko?

 

With a frown Kacchan explains that he’d gone on a regular patrol with Mirko to Hosu. That is, until several Nomu had set the entire city on fire. Mirko had been called in by Tsukauchi to help with a kidnapping situation. The kidnapping situation that involved Izuku and the League. Apparently the police had hoped to round up the League, so the detective had requested a top hero to assist with the situation. Unfortunately the League had escaped. Mirko had gotten injured while fighting Tenko, so she’d been taken to the hospital as well. Luckily nothing major, but she’d had to stay the night. 

 

Kacchan ends his explanation with the words, “They offered to take me back to the agency so I could get some sleep, but I refused.” He sends Izuku an annoyed glare, “Someone has to keep an eye on you.”

 

“Thanks,” Izuku murmurs. “For being here and stuff.”

 

Kacchan looks away and shrugs. “Whatever,” he says. “I was already here and you’d manage to get into trouble even in your sleep.”

 

Izuku cracks a smile at that, but it fades just as quickly again. “There’s a police officer outside my room, isn’t there?” he asks, words tentative as if they could break like glass.

 

Kacchan scowls, gaze burning a hole in the ground. “Yeah, like Crusty mcDusty is going to take you from a heavily guarded hero wing in the hospital.”

 

“Actually I- I think it’s to keep me in here…” Izuku stammers. His friend looks up sharply at that, red eyes wide and demanding answers.

 

As Izuku explains what happened during his fight with Stain and afterwards with Iida, he can feel the panic rising inside of him like a tide. All the feelings that he’d shoved to the side just minutes ago refuse to be ignored any longer. 

 

“I lied. On my ID about what my quirk was.” The world is blurring again as his voice raises with the rapid beating of his heart. “And now they’ll ask questions and I broke Aizawa’s trust. He probably thinks I’m horrible and–”

 

“Hey!” Kacchan interrupts, red eyes fierce. “Don’t come with that miserable shit!”

 

“But Aizawa-”

 

“No stop that! You should have seen him when you collapsed. Almost threatened the EMTs if they didn't get you to the hospital in time. Pretty sure that if that Crusty guy hadn't run away, Aizawa would have done some not so heroic shit to him.”

 

Aizawa did that?

 

Why would he? Hadn’t Izuku just completely ruined all trust? He remembers the man’s face last night in the alley right after Izuku’d healed Iida. It had been filled with suspicion. And even if somehow Aizawa hasn’t already lost all trust in him, he’ll still want to know what happened. Too much transpired with Izuku in the middle of it all. Izuku stares down at his hands, filled with scars. He rubs at his arms and tries to blink the world back into focus. “I- I don’t know if I’ll be able to tell them,” he whispers.

 

His friend seems to understand what he’s referring to. He clicks his tongue. “You told me, didn’t you?”

 

Izuku shrugs, “Yeah…but never any of the details.” For a moment memories flash before his eyes. Blood. Nomu, dead on a concrete floor. The screeching. Quirks moving up his arms, drifting into new safes. He sucks in a breath and shakes his head. “If they find out what I did…they’ll lock me up!” 

 

This time his vision is blurred by tears. Furiously he blinks them away, just in time to see Kacchan frown. “Why the fuck would they lock you up?! You didn't want to do any of that shit, did you?”

 

“What? No! Of course not!”

 

“Just tell them that. They’re not gonna lock you up, because you didn’t have a fucking choice! Everything that you did back then is on the hands of your evil grandpa!”

 

A silence follows where Izuku tries to process that. He guesses his friend has a point. Still…if there’s anything he’s learned, it’s to never trust an adult. He has to be able to save himself. 

 

“What–” Kacchan says as he watches Izuku start to rip out his IV. “Don’t rip that shit out!”

 

“I need to be prepared! In case–” Izuku cuts himself off as he lets the now loose tubes fall from his grip. He’d rather not think about the worst-case scenario. “Anyway, don’t worry. I’ve got my healing quirk.” Before his eyes the hole left by the IV closes up. The pain in his shoulders and side also vanishes, making Izuku sigh in relief. 

 

Next to him, his friend huffs in disbelief. “Whatever. I’m sure those motherfuckers aren’t stupid enough to try to lock you up. And if they are, I’ll come get you out.” His next words are softer, almost vulnerable for the other teen. “You can’t disappear again.”

 

It’s his friend’s way of encouragement, Izuku realizes. He tries for a small smile, but doesn’t really succeed. “Thanks Kacchan.”

 

Before the other can respond there’s a knock on the door and then a nurse comes walking into the room. “I see you’re awake. Good. Let me do a check up.”

 

Before she can ask him to leave, Kacchan has already stood up from his chair. “I’m gonna leave.” He turns to Izuku and points a finger at him. “I better see you at school next week.”

 

With that his friend walks out of the room. 

The check up is brief, all things considered, and for that Izuku’s glad. He’s pretty sure he’ll never like medical examinations. While checking his shoulder wounds and the wound in his side the nurse keeps muttering about “miraculous healing rates.” Luckily it seems that because of that, she’s willing to let the ripped out IV slide.

 

When she’s done, she turns to him again. “Now, I wanted to let you know that a detective and a hero are here for you. Are you feeling well enough to talk to them, or do you want me to tell them that they have to wait?”

 

Izuku appreciates the offer, and the fact that he's given the option to choose. Still, he’s done running away from his problems. They always seem to find him either way.

 

He takes a deep breath. “No. I’m feeling alright. They can come.”

 

---

 

The wait feels too long and too short at the same time. Izuku tries to calm down his panicked thoughts but only partially succeeds. He tries to remind himself that he’s not alone. Kacchan will support him, his mom as well. Still, it’s his past and he’ll have to deal with the consequences of shoving it away for so long. 

 

There’s a knock on the door and then detective Tsukuachi and Aizawa enter the room. Both look tired. It must have been a long night with Stain’s capture, the attack by the League and a UA student almost being kidnapped.

 

Tsukauchi gives him a polite, if not slightly stiff greeting while walking into the room. Aizawa sends him a long, searching look and Izuku tries not to shift under the scrutinizing gaze.

 

“How are you?” the hero asks, voice gruff.

 

The worry in the man’s voice must be fake. It must be. He stubbornly ignores the relief that he feels at the sight of the hero. Aizawa is no longer ‘safe’, who knows what the man must think of him now? Izuku tries for a strained smile while he’s nearly swallowed up by guilt from the inside. “I’m good, thanks.” 

 

After the two men have taken place on the plastic chairs inside the room, Tsukauchi clears his throat to get Izuku’s attention again. “Now, you probably know why we’re here. We’d like to take your statement about the…attempted kidnapping, as well as get some clarity from your side about certain…events and statements that happened.”

 

A miserable smile tugs on Izuku’s lips as he looks down at his hands. “Yeah, I uh guess you’d want that, huh?”

 

Picking up on his reluctance, the detective sighs. “This is not an interrogation, Midoriya. We’re concerned about certain things that happened and for your own safety it’d be better if you…informed us of the details.”

 

Izuku purses his lips and swallows down his nervousness. He knew that his luck with his cover story would run out one day. It seems like today is that day. There’s no way he can evade all of the detective’s questions. Too much has happened that needs explaining. “Where do you want me to start?”

 

“Start with the Stain fight. Then we can move on to everything that happened with the League,” Aizawa says, dark eyes unreadable. . 

 

For a moment Izuku hesitates. His eyes fly to all the possible exits –two windows, he can just kick them in with a strength quirk, and the door– but he promptly stops when he notices Aizawa watching him with a sharp gaze. He lets out a shuddering breath. He can talk about the Stain fight. That’s the easy part.

 

So, he does just that. He recounts his experiences. The words flow smoothly from him, even if he doesn’t mention that he’d used multiple quirks just yet. Then he gets to the part after the fight.

 

“When I got to Iida there was…a lot of blood. I tried to stop the bleeding, b-but nothing helped, even after Aizawa administered first aid. I knew he was going to bleed out before an ambulance could get to us, so I did the only thing I could think of.” Izuku tries to continue on, but the words refuse to leave his mouth. Up until now his teacher and Tsukauchi have listened patiently. Izuku has their undivided attention, so when he falls silent their gazes quietly press him to continue on. This is it. This is where he has to say it. “So I...I-”

 

The panic in his mind wins and he can feel his throat lock up.

 

“What did you do?” Tsukauchi asks with what is supposed to be an encouraging tone. 

 

Izuku doesn’t respond. He’s too busy trying to draw enough oxygen into his lungs.

 

With a slight frown, Aizawa leans forward. “Midoriya, hey. Look at me. Keep breathing.”

 

Panic slowly drowning him, Izuku looks at the man and he vehemently shakes his head. “I- I can’t tell you! I can’t!”

 

“Just match my breathing. I’m here. You’re safe.”

 

Even though he tries no to, part of him believes the hero. After a while of following Aizawa’s breathing, Izuku manages to calm down a bit. His heart is still hammering in his chest, but at least he doesn’t feel like he’s drowning anymore.

 

With a voice softer than usual, Aizawa asks, “Midoriya, why can’t you tell us?”

 

Izuku rubs at his arms, nervous energy trying to find an outlet. Then he whispers, “Because…you’d hate me afterwards.”

 

A heavy silence follows as the words sink into the room.

 

Someone shifts on a plastic chair, Izuku thinks it’s Tsukauchi. The detective sighs, “Midoriya…though we might not alway see eye to eye on everything, you’re a good kid. You’ve got your heart in the right place. Whatever it is that you need to tell us, it won’t change the way that we see you.”

 

Izuku shakes his head, still looking down at his hands. “I think you’re wrong about that,” he says and he tries to convey how certain he is of that fact. 

 

“Allow us to prove you wrong. It doesn’t matter what you did, we won’t hate you. I promise,” Aizawa says.

 

That gets Izuku to look up. Aizawa has never broken a promise. Never.

 

The man continues, “Please, let me show you that you can trust me. That you can trust us.”

 

For a moment Izuku closes his eyes. He sighs. Trust. That’s what it ultimately boils down to. Part of him screams at him not to trust Aizawa. Last time he trusted an adult, that trust was horribly betrayed and it left Izuku with more than just physical scars. But part of him so badly wants to trust the hero in front of him. He’s just so tired. The thought of having to keep up all his lies much longer exhausts him. So, no matter how deeply the fear is burrowed inside of him, he opens his eyes and takes a leap of faith.

 

“Okay…but if I have to explain everything, then I have to start at the beginning.”

 

---

 

Izuku talks about his early childhood. He talks about how he always wanted to be a hero despite the fact that his quirk just didn’t want to come in. And then it did. 

 

“To tell you the truth…I haven’t been entirely honest about my quirk…with anyone really.”

 

Tsukauchi frowns, seeming to sense the truth in his statement. “What do you mean exactly? Your statements about your quirk have alway rang true.”

 

A bitter smile curls Izuku’s lips. “Well yes, that’s because the exact workings of my quirk are very similar…just different. While I might make it so people are permanently unable to use their quirk. I don’t…turn their quirk off.”

A beat of silence passes where the detective has his eyebrows drawn high in confusion. Aizawa just stares at Izuku with a slight frown.

 

I can trust them. I can trust Aizawa. 

 

Izuku lets out a shuddering breath. This is it.

 

“I can take and give quirks. The quirks that I take, I can also use them.”

 

There it is. The truth drawn out into the world.

 

It doesn’t come with a big sense of relief. Instead, Izuku has to force himself to look at the two men sitting in front of him. Dread and anticipation swirl around his gut, because who knows how they might react?

 

Aizawa looks like he wants to throw himself out of the window whereas the detective has gone white as a sheet. “No…that can’t be possible,” Tsukauchi says while shaking his head.

 

Izuku smiles but bitterness clings to it, drowning out any of its warmth. “Trust me, I’m the first person who wishes it isn’t, but it is.” He looks at Aizawa, “Back in the alley with Iida, I gave him a strong regeneration quirk so he’d survive. I actually stol- took that quirk from the Nomu at the USJ.”

 

Though his teacher is frowning, Aizawa seems to believe his words even without looking at Tsukauchi for confirmation. His next words are drawn out carefully, as if he’d chosen them after much deliberation. “I suppose there’s a reason why you’ve been hiding your quirk like this?”

 

“I-...yes.” More quietly Izuku says, “It has to do with my…grandfather.”

 

“Not with the group after you and your mother?” the hero asks. 

 

“Well…also yes. My grandfather is the…leader or boss –however you want to call it–of the organization. Though I wouldn’t really call it an organization. It’s just my grandfather and the people who work for him.”

 

Hearing that, Tsukauchi pales even more. Aizawa sends him one look, wordlessly telling him to explain.

 

So, Izuku does. He explains that the reason why his grandfather is after him isn’t because of debt from his father. He is the reason. Because of his quirk. Because his grandfather had drilled years of training into him, that would otherwise have been wasted. Izuku talks about their sudden move to a new apartment right after his quirk came in. That from that point on, all he ever saw were the apartment and his grandfather’s compound.

Blood on the floor. The screeching of a Nomu in the background. Heavy footsteps approaching that make Izuku flinch. “Can’t you do any better, Izuku? You’re weak.”

Two boys, brothers by anything but blood, standing across from each other. 

 

“Tomura. Izuku. Show me how much you’ve grown. Fight.”

 

And the boys do just that, even if secretly they don’t want to. They clash, just like they have before and like they will do again in the future.

“I’m sending you on a mission, Izuku. One only you can complete. Do you think you can do that?”

 

Izuku nods where he’s standing, the cold of the concrete beneath his feet creeping into his body. He keeps his shaking hands tucked behind him. He doesn’t want to do this. But Sensei needs his help, and there’s no way he’s saying no to him.

 

“Good. Don’t disappoint me.”

Izuku sucks in a harsh breath, reality washing over him in a second. He can’t get lost in the past right now.

 

“Why did your parents allow this?” Though they may sound lacking in emotion, Izuku can hear the thinly concealed anger in Aizawa’s voice when the man asks his question.

 

“Y- you don’t understand,” Izuku stammers, shaking his head and eyes widening just a bit. The accusation that his parents would just allow this is enough to shake off the grip that his memories have on him. “My grandfather is very powerful. Back then maybe even more so. My parents didn’t have a choice. I think that if they hadn’t agreed, he would have just killed them. Because they agreed…well, at least they were still alive and they could keep an eye on me.”

 

Of course, he hadn’t really realized that all those years ago. But now, as free from All For One’s grip as he can be, Izuku has realized how lucky he is that he still had his parents. They must have been in an impossible position. Try to save their son from a life full of pain and misery but with the big chance of them dying, condemning their son to that life either way. Or stay alive, in the hope that they could protect him as much as possible and give him their love, but having to watch their son drown in the life forced upon him by his grandfather. 

 

Hearing this Aizawa closes his eyes, a flash of nausea taking over his face before it’s smoothed over again. On the other hand, Tsukauchi looks like he’s gotten a hold of himself again. He asks, “So you’re saying that you and your parents were held captive by your grandfather for years?”

 

Izuku gives a small nod. “Yes,” he says, the words difficult to get out. 

 

“And yet you…escaped. How? Did…something happen to this grandfather of yours?”

 

That makes Izuku frown. “Something did happen to my grandfather, but that’s not the reason why I’m here. My father…he worked for my grandfather, so often he’d be sent on missions. I don’t exactly know how, but he managed to come into contact with a group that promised to help us escape.”

“Inko, take Izuku and run!” 

 

“But–”

 

The Nomu’s footsteps rapidly approaching from down the hallway like thunder.

 

“GO!”

 

A tensing frame and a hallway engulfed in flames.

With great difficulty Izuku blinks back his tears. It feels like his throat has been glued shut. “B-but when the day came that we went through with our escape, they betrayed us. The only reason why me and my mom did get out–” He lets out a shuddering breath and swallows down all of his emotions. Later. He can have a breakdown later. “It’s because my dad sacrificed himself.”

 

A beat of silence passes where Izuku tries to collect himself. Then Aizawa says, “Midoriya, if you need to take a break, that’s fine. It would be illogical to push yourself.”

 

He would love nothing more than to take a break. But he’s sure that if he were to stop now, he would never be able to finish his story. Besides, he already feels like shit. If he had to continue about his past another time, he’d have to relive it all over again. He’d rather not. So, he shakes his head and continues on.

 

He talks about the few years after their escape. The first, very difficult year on the streets. The years after, a bit easier because they had a place to live and Izuku could actually go to middle school. That, despite their freedom, the fact that his grandfather is out there, looking for him, always looms over them.

 

“You’re saying your grandfather is still alive?” Tsukauchi asks, a sharp edge to his voice.

 

Something about the detective’s tone makes Izuku pause. The way it’s asked, as if the man hopes that Izuku’s grandfather isn’t alive. Izuku purses his lips, “You have a suspicion who he is, don’t you?”

 

Tsukauchi visibly pales again. He shakes his head. “No. He should be dead.”

 

Izuku lets out a sad sigh. “He isn’t. He was incredibly injured a few years ago, but he survived.”

 

The detective’s eyes widen, disbelief filling them. By now Aizawa is openly frowning, confusion for once clear in the lines of his brow. 

 

Swallowing down his fear, Izuku forces his mouth to open. He has to say it. He has to. 

 

“All For One is still alive…and he’s my grandfather.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

This chapter was supposed to be even longer, but I decided to split it up. I really hope the dialogue wasn’t too lengthy or boring and it was still enjoyable to read. I just really love these kinds of "reveal conversations" so I might have gotten a bit carried away...

I now have a tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 26: Wings of trust

Notes:

Hi! This is part 3000 of Midoriya giving Tsukauchi an existential crisis and giving Aizawa more questions than answers. The poor hero is just so confused. This is a shorter chapter, and I’m not totally happy with it just yet, but it will have to do. I hope it is an enjoyable read nonetheless!

This chapter’s title is partially inspired by the song “Wings” by Hurts. I feel like the song reflects Izuku finally trusting others a bit more.

CW: A more graphic mention of physical abuse (mainly Izuku talking about his past before the first separation mark), dissociation.

If Shouta hadn’t been sure of it before, he’s dead certain now. Midoriya is the problem child of this year.

 

“All For One is still alive…and he’s my grandfather.”

 

As the words leave Midoriya’s mouth his gaze is drawn to the window, away from the two men sitting next to him. What follows is a beat of heavy silence. 

 

In said silence Shouta tries to wrap his head around the things his student just said. All For One. Midoriya had mentioned that name last night, during his conversation with Shigaraki. Could it be…?

 

Shouta has to ask, just because he has to be absolutely sure if it is the case. So he does, words slightly drawn out. “All For One, as in the boogeyman of the underworld?”

 

Though Midoriya still isn’t looking at them, he nods. Quick and with his shoulders drawn tight with tension. 

 

Fucking hell.

 

Next to Shouta, it looks like Tsukauchi is going through all the five stages of grief. He can understand. He’s heard some vague rumors about the king of the underworld. Just those rumors are enough to paint a terrifying picture in his mind. And Midoriya somehow managed to escape the villain’s claws. Just when Shouta thought he’d gotten to understand the kid a bit better, and then his student does stuff like this.

 

Tsukauchi clears his throat and sits up a bit straighter. “Apologies for my unprofessional reaction. By no means do I want to invalidate your experiences. It must have taken a lot of courage and I want to thank you for trusting us with this information.”

 

In a flash Midoriya has whipped his head around, eyes wide for just a second before his expression is schooled into something more neutral. “You’re not mad?”

 

Shouta raises an eyebrow. “Why would we be mad?”

 

Green eyes dart away, down at scarred hands, then up again. “Because I lied about my quirk! And I I-” the kid’s voice dies down, hesitation and conflict flitting across his face in the span of a second.

 

“Yes, you lied about your quirk and I would have preferred to have known sooner, so I could have guided you better as a teacher. But you gave a very valid reason why you hid your quirk.”

 

The detective nods along with Shouta and adds, “Exactly what Aizawa just said. Lying about your quirk might not be legal, but well…exceptional circumstances require exceptional measures. And I think your situation falls under that category.” Then he sighs, with all the weariness of an overworked detective. “Though I have to admit hearing that All For One is alive is an…unpleasant surprise. A few years ago a hero fought All For One, the details of that fight are classified so I cannot disclose them over here. But the outcome of that fight led us to believe that the villain had finally died.” 

 

So that explains the decline of rumors over the past few years, Shouta thinks. He doesn’t get to ponder too long because then Tsukauchi focuses on Midoriya with an earnest expression. “If that isn’t the case…please allow me to at least inform the people involved.”

 

The kid shifts under the intense gaze and hesitation briefly fills his eyes along with one other emotion. A few months ago Shouta wouldn’t have caught any of it, he would have thought the teen was looking at them with empty eyes. But now he can tell that Midoriya feels…guilty. But why?

 

“I know who was involved,” Midoriya eventually responds. His words are soft, careful. “All For One told me. You should know that he was left incredibly injured because of the fight. He’s lost his eyes and his ability to breath without a respirator. You can tell the hero that All For One is still alive, but please don’t tell them that you got it from me. I- I don’t want them to think differently of me. I…think you can understand why.”

 

There’s relief in Tsukuachi’s eyes as he nods. “Thank you, of course I understand. I won’t tell them your identity.”

 

Shouta feels like he’s missing a lot of context over here. What hero would even be powerful enough to take on All For One and come out alive, if the rumors of the villain having a quirk exactly like Midoriya’s are true? Such a quirk could be a terrifying weapon in the wrong hands. There must be a reason why the other two aren’t disclosing any more information about this though, and it’s none of Shouta’s business. So, he turns his focus towards all the other endless questions he still has.

 

“How does Shigaraki and his whole ‘League of Villains’ fit into this?” he asks.

 

Midoriya rubs at his hands while he answers, “He was taken in by All For One. I’m not exactly sure at what age, but I have always seen him as an older brother. He was the only person sort of around my age, so we only really had each other to play with. Shigaraki…or Tenko, that’s his first name. All For One gave him the name Shigaraki Tomura. He used to not like that name, but now Tenko wants to be called Tomura.” 

 

The kid frowns and Shouta can see in the teen’s eyes that he’s been swallowed up by his past. “All For One would make us fight each other every once in a while. That really wasn’t fun, but at least most of the time it would hurt less than when I had to fight a Nomu.”

 

What the actual fuck.

 

Shouta feels like he’s going to be sick. It costs him considerable effort to keep the anger out of his voice when he asks, “You had to fight Nomu?”

 

Midoriya nods, but only barely. “P-pretty often. Sometimes with a quirk, sometimes without. Sometimes All For One would give me random quirks and then I’d just have to figure out how to use them in a fight on the spot.” Swallowing, the kid looks down at his hands. With a tiny voice he says, “I never wanted to kill them, but if I didn’t then it would hurt so much you know? I- I don’t think I’ll ever forget their screeching, or the blood on my hands, but I’ll also never forget how those…those monsters would break my bones if I didn’t fight back.”

 

With tears in his eyes, the kid looks up. “I swear I didn’t want to kill them! You have to believe me!”

 

It costs Shouta considerable effort to contain the emotions brewing inside of him. The idea that someone would willingly subject a kid like Midoriya to such pain…it disgusts him and makes him want to tear out a certain villain’s eyeballs if they’d still been there. He holds up a hand in a placating manner, hoping it will calm the teen down a bit. “We believe you.” He looks at Tsukauchi, “right?”

 

The detective for his part looks visibly shaken, and has to take a moment to collect himself. “Of course we believe you,” the man responds.

 

“You really believe me?” Midoriya mumbles. His question sounds so fragile, as if the teen can’t believe it.

 

Both Shouta and the detective assure the kid that yes, they believe him. 

 

“T-there’s more that I did,” Midoriya says. Reluctance drags out his words and exhaustion clings to the teen’s frame.

 

Shouta narrows his eyes. “Are you sure you want to talk about it?”

 

Letting out a shuddering breath, the teen nods. “Y-yes. I want to tell you, if I stop now I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish.”

 

So, even if Shouta can see how much it costs Midoriya to talk about his past, they let him continue. Midoriya talks about the missions that All For One sent him on so he could take new quirks that the villain wanted. He talks about the plans that All For One had for him. That he was supposed to be All For One’s successor, which is why the villain had started training Midoriya from such a young age. Then he gets to the last mission before the escape. How All For One sent him on a mission, not to take a quirk, but to take a life. 

 

“I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have killed them. A-and I shouldn’t have faked my ID, or lied about my quirk, or kept the things that I knew about the League from you,” Midoriya says, eyes cast down and his hands rubbing at his arms. Suddenly he looks up with panic etched into his face. “But please don’t immediately send me to Tartarus!”

 

Before Shouta can respond, Tsukauchi speaks. “Why would we send you to Tartarus?” the man asks, confusion clear in his voice.

 

“Because of everything I did!” Midoriya exclaims. Tears have welled up in his eyes. “I did horrible things!”

 

God, this kid. Was this the reason why he hadn’t opened up sooner? Because he was afraid of the ultimate consequences to his actions? Why would he think such a thing? Had a mistake back with All For One always resulted in the ultimate punishment? Shouta can imagine that it probably had. It would explain why Midoriya always expected the worst in any situation. Whether it was during a sparring session or now, while confessing his past.

 

“You didn’t have a choice, right? You didn’t want to do those things?” Shouta asks.

 

Midoriya’s eyes widen slightly in shock. “No! Of course not!”

 

Next to him, Tsukauchi is quick to reassure the kid even further. “You are a minor, and were forced to do those things or you’d risk not just your own safety, but also the lives of your parents. There’s no reason why we would lock you up.”

 

Midoriya’s shoulder slump yet his hands stay flexed at his side, as if he can’t fully believe it yet. With his voice more quiet, like he’s afraid to ask, the teen mumbles, “Really? Even if my grandfather is a villain?”

 

Shouta sighs, “Really, kid. It doesn’t matter who your grandfather is, you won’t be locked up. I will make sure of that.”

 

These words finally seem to convince Midoriya. The last traces of the mask that he’d been wearing fall away, leaving behind a tired and scared teenager. The kid sighs, relief flowing out and he looks up at Shouta with an entirely new emotion.

 

Trust.

 

---

 

Izuku isn’t sure how much time passes between Aizawa and Tsukauchi leaving the room and his mom arriving. All he knows is that by the time that the door to his room opens again, the sun has crawled higher into the sky and the shadows have grown shorter.

 

It takes him a moment to register this change in his surroundings. He has to blink away a heavy daze that has settled onto him and has to forcefully pull his brain away from the fog that surrounds it. A familiar quirk light enters his mind, finally bringing him back inside his own body. His mom stands in the door opening, worry etched into her face.

 

“Izuku”

 

Izuku looks back at her, unable to find the energy to let his face be formed by the mixture of feelings inside of him.

 

“Mom”

 

Then his mom is rushing forward and has him wrapped into a warm hug before he can say anything else. Izuku melts into the comforting touch. The exhaustion weighing down on him doesn’t feel as heavy anymore. He can hear the beating of her heart, can feel her lungs going up and down with each breath. They stay like that for a while, just breathing each other in, making sure they’re both still here.

 

After that she asks him what exactly happened. Before coming to the hospital she’d only been told that there had been an attempted kidnapping by the League on her son and that he’d been left injured because of it. With the heightened security risk she hadn’t been able to visit him any earlier. She’d had to wait until she’d been given the clear by the police and the heroes that it was safe enough for her to leave UA. And even then she’d been accompanied by three heroes. 

 

Izuku tries to ignore the leaden weight that settles inside him when he hears that. Even if he’s managed to stay out of All For One’s grasp again, the villain still has such a tight grip on their lives. His mom can’t even go out on her own anymore. Not now the villain knows where they are, where they live. 

 

Of course he tells her everything. The Stain fight, the Nomu, Tenko. 

 

She cries. Izuku doesn’t. Not yet. 

 

Then he gets to the moment when Aizawa and Tsukauchi enter the room. 

 

“I didn’t really have a choice anymore…so I told them everything,” he says, voice brittle.

 

His mom’s eyes soften, “Oh Izuku…”

 

He tries to blink away the tears that threaten to spill. “I- it was…hard” he stammers as his world becomes one blur. 

 

Only now that he’s recounting his story does he realize how scared he was. How scared he still is. Even if Aizawa and the detective assured him that he wouldn’t be going to Tartarus, there’s still so much unclear about what will happen. He doesn’t know what his future will look like and it feels like his control over it has just slipped away. That scares him more than anything. 

 

Before his thoughts can spiral even more, his mom pulls him into another hug. “I know it was hard, Izuku.” She squeezes tighter. “And I’m so so proud of you.”

 

---

 

A few hours pass. At some point a doctor stops by for a final check up and he lets Izuku know that he’ll be discharged at the end of the afternoon. The entire time his mom stays by his side, only slipping away for a short while to get some cheap hospital tea. Shortly after finishing her tea she is asked by a police officer to come with him. It makes sense that Tsukauchi would also want her statement about her and Izuku’s shared past. She leaves after giving Izuku a tight hug, whispering to him that everything will be fine.

 

He’s not sure whether he can fully believe her, but he tries as he watches her walk out of the room, her shoulders squared and her head held high. 

 

It’s only a few minutes later when Izuku’s quirk alerts him of another person approaching his room. With his hearing quirk he can hear the person halting in front of the door and hesitating for a moment. A shaky exhale. Then a rapid succession of knocks follows.

 

“Midoriya? Could I talk to you for a moment?”

 

Izuku sits up a bit straighter before calling out, “Sure, come in.”

 

Not a moment later the door swings open and an apprehensive Iida enters the room. He sends a stiff nod, eyes tense. “How are you doing?”

 

Izuku tries for a smile, but doesn’t really manage. “I’m doing well enough, thank you.” Iida’s quirk light is fluttering nervously. Has Izuku really scared him that much by using his quirk? It’s hard to keep a neutral voice when he asks, “How is your shoulder?”

 

The other rolls said shoulder around a few times. “It’s almost as good as new. The doctors say I might feel some lingering stiffness, but nothing a few sessions of physical therapy can’t fix. I was told I have you to thank for that.” The teen bends down into a deep bow, sincerity staining his words when he says, “So thank you for healing me, even if my injuries were a consequence of my own stupid actions.”

 

Izuku doesn’t really know what to say. Of all things, he hadn’t expected this to happen.

 

Iida doesn’t straighten up. Instead he stays down in his position and adds, “I would also like to apologize for putting you through all of this. You told me not to let my anger consume me, but I didn’t listen. Because of my own selfishness other people got hurt.”

 

“Iida…” Izuku trails off, still unsure of what to say. In the end he slides off the bed and approaches the other boy. Halting in front of him, he softly says, “Please stand up.”

 

The other teen does so, surprise and shame dancing across his face. 

 

“I’m not angry at you, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed,” Izuku continues, words slow and deliberate. He’s trying to make sense of the mess of feelings inside of him. It’s difficult to make out which feelings are still left from his talk with Aizawa and the detective and which are meant for Iida. Add that to the fact that he’s never been very good at expressing or even identifying his feelings. Rather, he’s always pushed them away as soon as he would notice them. Well, it makes it challenging to voice his emotions. 

 

“I understand your anger. I really really do.” God, Izuku is probably most familiar with that emotion. Half the time he’s not even sure what he’s angry at. The other half it’s pointed at the man who managed to destroy his childhood. He knows what it’s like to lose a family member to the cruel actions of someone else and to not be able to get any justice. That’s why he could never fully blame Iida for his actions against Stain. Letting out a sigh he continues, “But like you said, other people did get hurt.”

 

Shame wins on Iida’s face, and his gaze is lowered. “I- I learned my lesson. If it weren’t for you and Aizawa-sensei, my parents would have lost a son. So thank you again for…healing me.” 

 

This time Izuku can very clearly see the question in the teen’s eyes. He lets out another sigh and gestures for Iida to take a seat. “You obviously have questions about my quirk.”

 

Iida presses his lips together, “I do have questions, yes.”

 

Well, that was to be expected. Izuku still doesn’t really like the idea of discussing his quirk with others, but he also can’t leave the other teen with his questions.

 

In the end Izuku gives Iida a brief explanation of his quirk. He can take and give quirks, and also use them. He doesn’t explain any of the mechanics, but enough so Iida’s questions will be satisfied. He ends his story with the words, “There’s a reason why I have kept my quirk a secret for so long. It is…for me and my mother’s safety.” He stares down at his hands, then back up at Iida who’s sitting on one of the chairs in front of him. “I’m not ready yet to share the workings of my quirk with the entire class. I…want to ask you to keep it a secret?”

 

The puzzled expression that the teen had been wearing is immediately wiped from his face, and Iida nods vigorously, hands chopping around in a very familiar manner. “Of course! You saved my life, this is the least I can do to repay you!”

 

The way his friend says it makes Izuku smile. Though it might take Iida a while to fully wrap his head around these new revelations, Izuku is surprised how easily the other teen seems to accept it. “I’m glad you’re here, Iida,” he says.

 

Alive

 

Finally, someone Izuku could save with his quirk.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I want to wish everyone happy holidays, whether you're celebrating Christmas or not. The next few chapters might all be a little shorter. Hopefully that means I can update a bit more frequently :)

I now have a tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 27: Outrunning Karma

Notes:

Hi! I’m back again with another chapter. It should have been done sooner, but it needed just a bit more editing. The title of this chapter was inspired by the song “Outrunning Karma” by Alec Benjamin. I feel like it reflects Izuku’s stance on his past in this current chapter.

CW: After the fourth separation mark there’s a flashback near the end of the scene (in complete italics). It contains some serious gaslighting and manipulation. Panic attack. Mention of human experimentation

The day after Izuku and his mom get back to UA, he tries to rest but surprise, surprise isn’t really able to do so. It’s like ever since his talk with the detective and Aizawa unrest has settled underneath his skin. He feels like he has a bomb strapped to him. He can’t get rid of it and he doesn’t know when it will go off. The only thing he does know is that the damn thing will go off. Maybe he’s just being paranoid, or maybe his talk with principal Nedzu in the afternoon will be what results in the inevitable explosion.

 

All in all, his body hasn’t gotten the memo yet that he’s gotten out of life-threatening situations. Any unexpected sound makes him jump and he can’t stop scanning his surroundings for new threats with his quirk. Yeah, resting is next to impossible.

 

He can guess what Nedzu would want to talk to him and his mom about. The fact that they haven’t been kicked off-campus yet is only slightly comforting. 

 

In an attempt to pass the time until two in the afternoon Izuku puts on the TV. Normally he wouldn’t put it on all that quickly–he’d rather do something useful with his time–but he can’t seem to focus at all, so TV it is. Not that it really takes his mind off the events from the last few days. If anything, any news station that he puts on only talks about the League's attack on Hosu and their use of numerous Nomu. 

 

Above all else though, they talk about Stain.

 

His capture is a hotly debated topic, not just because people are glad that a mass murderer has finally been put behind bars. Right after his arrest a video of Stain was released by an anonymous account. In it Stain can be heard ranting about his ideals to one of the heroes that he would end up killing. That isn’t shown on the video. It cuts right before the kill must have taken place. 

 

The video itself is of grainy quality, Stain and only the arm of the hero visible. Stain’s words are loud and clear, though. He speaks of the corrupted hero industry, and how only All Might is a true hero.

 

That is the reason why no one has shut up about it yet. Because it brings to light some very real issues in the hero industry. Izuku watches as a HPSC official on some talk show tries to explain that people shouldn’t worry, that Stain’s claims are baseless and that the HPSC has got enough protocols in place to keep corruption at bay. His words almost make Izuku laugh. Anyone with a bit of understanding about the real world knows that big institutions like the HPSC always go hand in hand with corruption. On online hero forums he reads about hot debates between the majority of the people who are completely opposed to Stain’s ideology, some people who agree with his views but not his methods, and the few who think that Stain was doing society a favor.

 

A growing sense of unease fills Izuku when he reads these comments. There’s more at work here. Stain’s capture changed something.

 

Stain’s arrest had been attributed to an anonymous underground hero–probably anonymous by Aizawa’s request, the man seems to hate any sort of publicity with a burning passion. He and Izuku have that in common, and Izuku is glad that not only Aizawa’s but also his own face can be kept from the news.

 

Luckily with all the talk about Stain and the League’s attack the media hasn’t caught wind yet of the attempted kidnapping of a UA student by the League. Nedzu must really be doing everything in his power to prevent that story from breaking the news. After the USJ, UA can’t really take yet another scandal. Even if Izuku was on an internship, he’s still a UA student and it would look bad on the school if villains tried something against a UA student and almost succeeded so soon after the USJ. Hopefully another thing can come along to grab the media’s attention before they lose enough interest in the Hosu debacle to start sniffing around for more and inevitably find out about the attempted kidnapping.

 

He’s brought back from his own musings by his mom entering the living room. If not for a slight strain around her eyes, Izuku wouldn’t have been able to tell that she’s nervous when she says, “Izuku, time to go. It’s nearly two.”

 

Ignoring how his heart leaps into his throat, Izuku nods, turns off the TV with a click and then follows his mom out of the room. He tries to remind himself of the fact that they haven’t been kicked off campus yet. Aizawa has probably already talked to Nedzu, explained the situation.

 

It should all be fine. Probably.

 

---

 

Nedzu is terrifying.

 

That is something that Izuku has decided a mere minute after stepping foot inside his office. There’s this glint in the principal’s eye that makes Izuku want to squirm in his seat. He doesn’t like one bit how he feels like the rat can see all his secrets and thoughts. He’s all too familiar with the feeling and it reminds him of another gaze. This one always judging, always seeing every mistake Izuku makes, always criticizing him on it, because “can’t he do better?”

 

It puts him on edge more than he’d like to admit. Suddenly he’s hyper aware of his every action, and he’s checking everything he’s doing for potential mistakes. I have to be perfect. No, I don’t. Nedzu isn’t All For One!

 

First there are the general pleasantries. Nedzu makes tea for the three of them, tells them how glad he is that Izuku is safe and asks about his well-being. His mom does most of the talking, Izuku can only muster short responses. He can’t seem to find the calmness to properly go along with the conversation. 

 

Finally the principal puts down his cup of tea, steam still rising from the surface. “Now, it did come to my attention that neither your registered quirk nor the reason as to why it is necessary for you two to stay at UA is entirely…accurate.”

 

Izuku feels how his stomach twists into an ugly knot. Almost without realizing multiple quirks rise to the surface and his own quirk has started scanning a wider area. Though he can’t really tell what Nedzu must be thinking of this entire situation, it can’t be good. His school was deceived and Izuku kept information from the school that could have prevented the USJ attack altogether. He knew days beforehand that it was Tenko who was responsible for the break-in with the destroyed gate–not the media. He even knew that someone with a portalling quirk was likely involved. And he hadn’t said anything.

 

Shame churns in his gut and Izuku opens his mouth to apologize, to explain. He’d rather not talk about his past again, it leaves him feeling horrible, but he will if it means he has a chance of staying at UA. “I know that lying about my quirk on my admission paper is against UA’s protocol, and I know that I shouldn’t have kept the information about the League from UA. A-and I understand that my actions have consequences, but please let me explain first.” 

 

Before he can say more, Nedzu puts up a paw. “There’s no need to explain your past. I’ve read your new file, and Aizawa informed me as well.” 

 

“Then you must understand that my son didn’t have much of a choice,” his mom says. Although her tone is soft, there’s an undercurrent of steel underneath.

 

The principal sighs. “While I regret that Midoriya didn’t trust me, or any of the other teachers at UA enough to come to with his concerns, I do understand. As a survivor sometimes you have to do what you think is best to survive.”

 

Something about the way Nedzu says it gives Izuku the feeling that the rat is talking from experience. Still, he can’t help but frown. “But–”

 

Nedzu interrupts him before he can continue. “Midoriya, UA will not punish you for trying to survive.” While folding his paws in front of him, the rat completely shifts his attention towards Izuku. “Nor will I judge you for your grandfather’s actions.”

 

It’s like a leaden weight has fallen off Izuku’s shoulders. He won’t get kicked out of UA. He can stay in the hero course. But above all else he’s glad that he and his mom can keep living within the safety of UA’s walls. They won’t have to try to survive out in the open world again, hoping each night that All For One won’t come for them. 

After that they discuss a few more things. Izuku explains that he doesn’t want to reveal his true quirk to the rest of the class just yet. He feels like he isn’t ready for that. He needs time. Besides, it might be best if only a few people know about his true quirk. He wants to go into underground heroics and in that field the less people know anything about you, the better.

 

To his surprise, Nedzu actually agrees. “I will not force you to reveal your quirk, and I do agree that there are some benefits to keeping your quirk a secret if you want to go into underground heroics. That said, I still want you to think about it. UA’s heroics program is most beneficial when you can utilize your entire quirk during class exercises.”

 

Izuku wants to tell him that not fully using his quirk during the class exercises really isn’t an issue to him, but Nedzu continues, “Fortunately Aizawa has already offered to give you additional quirk training where you will be able to train your entire quirk. Here at UA we want each student to grow into the very best version of themselves. Therefore I would highly suggest you consider Aizawa’s offer.” 

 

Feeling like he doesn’t have much of a choice, Izuku agrees. Nedzu is already letting so many of his actions slide without consequences…he can’t find the courage to protest against this one thing. The thought of quirk training doesn’t really appeal to him. Sparring might not be that bad after all, but training his quirk…

 

He’s still not sure where he stands in regards to his quirk. The thought of taking another quirk still sends him reeling but he doesn’t have as much of an issue with using any of his other quirks anymore. Besides, if he has to attend some quirk training, he supposes Aizawa isn’t the worst teacher he could get. Sparring with him wasn’t actually that bad, so maybe…Maybe training his quirk won’t be a complete disaster when he’s with Aizawa.

 

---

 

“Izuku, where can I find the bowls?”

 

“Upper cabinet on your right.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Izuku grabs the two glasses of soda he’d filled and makes his way to the living room, setting them down on the coffee table in front of the TV. When he gets back to the kitchen, Hitoshi has found the bowls and is piling them full with chips in various flavors. 

 

Beep, beep, beep.

 

Right, the popcorn is done. Wordlessly, Izuku moves around Hitoshi and towards the microwave. The sweet smell of sugar wafts into the room as soon as Izuku opens the door of the microwave.

 

The warmth of the fresh popcorn seeps through the ceramic bowl and into his hands as he walks back towards the living room. Hitoshi is already curled up on the couch, munching on some chips. 

 

“Damn, that smells good,” he says when Izuku puts the bowl down and takes place next to his friend.

 

Izuku hums. “Yeah, in my opinion it also tastes better than pre-made popcorn. And it’s cheaper.” He grabs the remote and flicks the TV on. “What do you want to watch?”

 

Hitoshi shrugs. “Don’t really care.”

 

When Izuku sends him a flat stare, the other rolls his eyes. “Fine. Put on some comedy film. Ms. Joke told me to learn some more jokes, maybe a comedy film will give me some fresh inspiration or something.”

 

They put on a comedy film that all the movie experts seem to recommend. It turns out to be a bad movie, with even worse jokes. Or maybe they just don’t understand American humor. Still, Izuku doesn’t complain. He’s glad that he can sit here with his friend next to him, munching on some home-made popcorn and too-salty chips while watching a bad movie. 

 

He’s even more glad that Hitoshi wants to sit here with him now that his friend knows about his past and all the secrets he’d been keeping. He’d debated telling the other teen for the past few days and had finally found the courage to text Hitoshi last night. And here they are, the Saturday after the internship week, watching movies inside Izuku’s apartment, the air between them lighter than it has been in months.

It hadn’t been easy, talking about his past. He hadn’t gone into as much detail as he had with Aizawa and the detective, he hadn’t wanted to. Still, it was difficult talking about everything. About having a supervillain as grandfather, and Tenko as an adoptive brother. About his actual quirk and how its manifestation resulted in him being ripped away from his childhood best friend: Kacchan. 

 

But Hitoshi had been patient. His presence managed to calm Izuku in the way it always had. When Izuku had apologized for not telling him sooner, a small smile had broken on his friend’s sober face.

 

“No, it’s fine,” he’d said. “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me. It’s not like you owe me or anything. You…know that right?”

 

And for a moment Izuku hadn’t known what to say. Because did he know that? Maybe, somewhere he didn’t. Having a friendship, a relationship, without any expectations wasn’t something he was very familiar with. In the past, so many people in his life had wanted something from him, had demanded something from him. And if he did what they wanted, he’d get their favor, their friendship.

 

Follow All For One’s orders. Don’t be punished.

 

Allow Tenko to win a game. Don’t get cussed out for literally anything he did.

 

Wasn’t that how relationships worked?

 

In the end Izuku had just shrugged. “Just…thanks for believing me and for not being mad at me.”

 

Hitoshi had frowned at that, then he’d asked, “Can I hug you?”

 

Bewildered, Izuku had nodded his head. “S-sure.”

 

And so his friend had hugged him. It hadn’t been a particularly long hug, nor had it been without awkwardness, both of them unused to hugging. But it had conveyed everything that Hitoshi hadn’t said with words.

“Earth to Izuku? Do you have any coffee?”

 

Izuku’s broken from his thoughts by Hitoshi waving a hand in front of his face. On the TV the credits are rolling.

 

Seems like that godforsaken movie finally ended.

 

“Didn’t you have a cup like, an hour ago?” he asks, one eyebrow raised.

 

Hitoshi rolls his eyes, “Yes? And?”

 

“All I’m saying is that I don’t think Recovery Girl would approve of your dietary choices as a growing teenage boy and an active hero student.”

 

His friend makes a show of looking around the room. “Well, she isn’t here. So what can she do?”

 

Izuku sighs, “Fine. I’ll show you how to make coffee with our machine.”

 

“You’re the best,” Hitoshi says, a shit-eating grin on his face.

 

“Thanks,” Izuku deadpans while he gestures for his friend to follow him to the kitchen.

 

If this is what real friendship is supposed to look like, then maybe it won’t be so bad to have more friends.

 

---

 

The next day, somewhere late in the afternoon, Izuku finds himself sitting on the sagging red couch inside Tsukauchi’s office together with the man himself and Aizawa. Yes, a Sunday afternoon is the only time that all their schedules align when they want to meet on a short notice. Yes, most people would probably have a lot of other things they’d want to do on their free sunday. Izuku doesn’t mind though, he’s glad for the distraction it’s giving him. After the week he’s had, he feels more on edge than ever. His nightmares haven’t been kind to him. More than once he woke up with aching arms and a cruel smile left as an after image on his brain. Now that he’s left UA’s safety–under the watchful eye of Aizawa, but still–that feeling has doubled. Everything makes him jump and he has his quirk scanning his surroundings the entire time.

 

Not that he would have rather stayed at UA. Working on the Kokkaku Nori case together with Aizawa and the detective is about the one normal thing in his life right now. In all other aspects of his life he’s dealing with the consequences of…Hosu and everything that happened there. It’s a lot and he doesn’t really know how to handle it all.

 

Not that the Kokkaku Nori case has been left untouched by the whole Hosu disaster. In the ensuing chaos of the League’s attack the entire building burned to the ground. The fire had left nothing untouched. It had even reached the underground tunnel and its rooms. 

 

All evidence and possible leads gone just like that.

 

“Have they already confirmed the reason for the fire?” Izuku asks as soon as Tsukauchi has finished explaining the situation.

 

The other shakes his head, his exhaustion manifesting in the movement and in the dark bags underneath his eyes. “Not yet, they’re still working on it. The Hosu forensic team has been…overworked for the past few days. I think we’ll have to be patient.”

 

Izuku hums and lets his eyes roam over the bulletin board, by now filled with clues about the Kokkaku Nori case. So many clues. The support group, the cult, the fucking cages. And still, the red thread connecting it all is missing. Or rather, it’s incomplete. The support group is a farce, created to recruit people for the cult. That much makes sense. But then the cages… why would a cult practice human experimentation? And why would they do it on their own members?

 

Nori’s behavior radicalized in the last months before she went missing. At least, according to her parents. The most likely assumption one could make from that, is that she joined the cult or at least was preparing to do so. They found her cat pin inside one of the cages. They’d need to wait for the forensic team to do their work and hope that not all evidence had been destroyed in the fire. But maybe that could truly confirm her presence there.

 

Aizawa and Tsukauchi are discussing something but Izuku doesn’t hear any of it, he’s too caught up in the web of mysteries of this case. The building in Hosu…there was something odd about it. It hadn’t looked like it had been abandoned long ago, blood still crusted the metal cages, medical instruments were strewn across the operation room. Someone should have been there, but instead it had been completely empty. 

 

Had they known that the police were coming to investigate? Is that why they hadn’t found a soul inside the building? But if that is the case, then why leave all the evidence lying around? 

 

Unless…

 

Izuku sucks in a harsh breath. “The Hosu fires weren’t responsible for the building burning down.”

 

The detective and Aizawa promptly stop talking, their discussion interrupted by Izuku’s words. 

 

Aizawa frowns at Izuku from where he’s sitting on one of the chairs in front Tsukuachi’s desk. “What makes you say that?”

 

“The report says that the entire building was affected by the flames, including the basement.” Izuku looks at Tsukauchi for confirmation. “Right?”

 

The other man nods in response.

 

“But…how could the fire have reached the underground tunnel, let alone the rooms and burned intense enough to have most likely destroyed all the evidence? Aizawa and I both saw how damp it was in that basement. Everything was made either of stone or metal. There’s no way that a fire that started above ground could have burned the basement down that thoroughly.”

 

Tsukuachi’s eyes widen. “You’re saying…”

 

“Yes, the fire was started in the basement, maybe it was started in the basement and the storage building above ground to cover the tracks.”

 

Aizawa closes his eyes for a moment and lets out a bone-deep sigh. “You think that someone went in there after we left and set the whole place ablaze?”

 

With his mouth set in a grim line, Izuku nods. “Yes, we’ll have to wait for the forensics team to confirm it, but I think that’s the most likely explanation why the basement even burned down in the first place.” It would certainly explain why there hadn’t been a single soul but still so much evidence. Maybe they’d left in a hurry, unable to get rid of all the evidence before the police came. Someone had been sent to clear the place after Izuku and Aizawa had left the building, and well…a fire was the perfect cover with the entirety of Hosu in flames.

 

Tsukauchi somehow manages to look even more exhausted than a minute ago. “Alright…we’ll wait for what the forensics team finds. In the meantime we should figure out what else we can do. Are there any leads left that we can pursue?”

 

“Maybe dig a little deeper into the recruitment scheme of the cult?” Aizawa suggests. “It might give us more clues as to where Kokkaku Nori could be. Besides, it would be nice if we could put a stop to this entire thing if they’re truly out there experimenting on people.”

 

The detective looks thoughtful for a moment, then nods. “Yes, you’re right about that. I will look into what evidence we have already gathered, see if we have any grounds for shutting it down. In the meantime continuing to shadow Madoka might be our best option, especially now that we somewhat know about the…human experimentation.”

 

“We should be careful that we don’t spook them to go completely underground though,” Izuku warns. From what he’s seen, the cult seems to be really careful. If they somehow got wind that they were being watched…well he wouldn’t put it past them to completely disappear for a while. They might already have, if the burned down building in Hosu is any indication. 

 

Somehow the closer they seem to get to finding Kokkaku Nori, the further she seems to disappear. For a moment Izuku considers that her disappearance might not have anything to do with the cult at all. Then he thinks of all the small things that connect Nori to the cult. Her attending the specific support group and disappearing just like another member of the same support group. Her radicalisation in the months before her disappearance. Her cat pin they found inside one of the cages in the building in Hosu. No, something happened to Nori and all of it is connected to the cult. Izuku’s sure of it. 

 

Somewhere along this long web of mysteries he’s certain they’ll find Nori. Unfortunately it means that even if they happen to gather enough evidence to shut the cult down, it wouldn’t do to immediately follow through with that. It could mean that they’d lose the one sliver of a threat leading them to Nori. This web goes deeper than just the cult. Maybe the cult is much bigger than they’re currently aware of, maybe something else is at play. Either way, Izuku’s sure that they need to tread carefully if they ever want to have a chance at finding Nori.

 

He lets out a long sigh and slouches back into the couch. “I don’t know what it is with this case, but it just doesn’t want to be solved.”

 

Tsukuachi hums empathetically. “You’re right about that. Let’s just do what we can for the moment.” He turns his attention to the hero in the room. “Aizawa can you look into Madoka and Sugiyama’s whereabouts? I’ll look into what we currently have, see if I can build a strong enough case to shut the cult down.” Tsukauchi’s gaze slides to Izuku. “Oh, and can you go over everything we have as well? See if you can find something that we’ve all been missing?”

 

Izuku nods and is about to say something, but he gets interrupted by a police officer knocking and opening the door to the office.

 

“Tsukauchi, sir, there are two people at the front office asking for you. I believe Mr and Mrs Kokkaku…?”

 

Tsukauchi’s eyebrows rise and he exchanges a quick glance with Aizawa. Then he’s out of his chair and walking towards the door. “I’ll go talk to them.” He turns to Aizawa and Izuku. “Could you wait here for a moment? Just so we can finalize our plan for the case?”

 

After they both agree, Tsukauchi marches out the door after the other police officer, leaving them alone in the office.

 

For a minute neither of them tries to start up a conversation, and Izuku’s content to let the silence hang in the air. Aizawa grabs some of Kokkaku’s case files from Tsukauchi’s desk to study. Izuku directs his attention back to the bulletin board, but he can’t seem to find the focus for it. For lack of having anything better to do, he starts playing with his hearing quirk. Pulling it to the front, and back again. 

 

Sounds grow louder, and then softer again. Louder and–

 

His quirk snags onto a snippet of a conversation.

 

“--wondering if you have any news about our daughter?” A woman’s voice, sharp but filled with hope.

 

“M’am if you two want, we could also discuss this in my office?” And that’s Tsukauchi’s voice, ever the polite and experienced detective. Then the other voice must have been Kokkaku Michi, Nori’s mother.

 

Izuku tries to pull himself away from this conversation. If Tsukauchi had wanted him present, he would have asked. But the restlessness inside him makes him reckless, it’s trying to find an outlet, so his curiosity gets the better of him.

 

“How have you been doing these last few days?” Aizawa’s gruff voice, way too loud in his ears. Wait–

 

Izuku reluctantly turns his hearing quirk down a few notches, losing his ability to listen to Tsukuachi’s conversation. While still pretending to study the bulletin board, he responds, “Fine. It’s been fine.” 

 

It hasn’t really been fine. In fact, it has been far from fine. It seems like now that he’s opened up more about his past, his brain refuses to let the matter rest. The tiniest things put him on edge, his thoughts are constantly dragged back to the past. The whole thing is exhausting. But Izuku doesn’t really feel like talking about all that with Aizawa right now, he’d much rather listen back in on Tsukauchi’s conversation. So, he does just that without waiting for Aizawa’s answer. 

 

“--no! Why don’t you tell us right now!” Again Mrs Kokkauku’s voice, this time louder and filled with anger.

 

“Honey–” An unfamiliar male voice, Kokkaku Kentaro probably. Nori’s father.

 

“No Kentaro, we’ve already had too much patience! I’m sick of it!”

 

Tsukauchi seems to try to calm things down when he says, “I really think I’d be best if we discuss this in my office–”

 

“Tell me now! Where is my daughter?!” 

 

In a flash Izuku pushes himself up from the couch. He doesn’t know why but something in him prompts him to run out the office, and towards the front desk, towards the conflict. It’s like the restless energy inside him has finally found a purpose, a way to steady himself again. He knows he shouldn’t follow through with the idea. He should stay here, stop listening in and wait for Tsukauchi to return. But he’s itching to get rid of this nervous energy crawling underneath his skin. Maybe looking for this conflict will finally get rid of it, will allow him to pour the energy into something else. It might finally get his brain to shut up and focus on something other than his past.

 

Aizawa, who seems to have been watching him, frowns. “Midoriya?”

 

Luckily his voice isn’t as loud this time, Izuku had the foresight to already turn his hearing quirk down a few notches. “At the front desk. There’s an argument.”

 

That’s all he says before he’s out of the office and rushing along the hallway towards the front desk, his hearing quirk heightened again.

 

“You still haven’t found her?!” Again Mrs Kokakku’s voice.

 

“Unfortunately this case has turned out to be rather complicated. We’ve always tried to share as much as we can with you, but as it is an active case I can’t share everything. I know it is a lot, but I ask for a bit more patience from your side.” 

 

It’s Mr Kokkaku who responds, “Of course, it’s just…it’s difficult you know? Living in uncertainty.”

 

At the same time that Izuku gets to the end of the hallway, the door leading to the front desk already within reach, Mrs Kokkaku snaps, “I just want to know what happened to my daughter! Why…why are you here when you could be out there looking for her?!”

 

Something about the way she says it promptly halts Izuku in his tracks. Maybe it’s the anger in her voice, clear even underneath her desperation. Accusation lines her words and makes Izuku’s gut clench uncomfortably. Maybe it’s just his brain playing tricks on him, distorting reality so everything reminds him of his past.

 

“As soon as we can confirm anything, we will share it with you–”

 

“What have you been doing when you seem to have no idea where she is?!” 

 

Izuku staggers away from the door and tries to find the nearest wall to lean against. Panic is racing through his veins, making it difficult to breathe. The walls feel rough underneath his hands, almost like concrete. No no no, I’m at the police station! Not the concrete room–

“Can’t you do better, Izuku? I’m sure you can.”

 

A hand falls heavily on his shoulder, and Izuku has to do his best not to look away from that piercing gaze.

 

“I know working with a new quirk can be hard, but you’ve done it so many times by now. Or did I not explain properly?”

 

Izuku shakes his head, then hurries to add, “No it’s not your fault, Sensei.” Sensei doesn’t like it when Izuku blames him for mistakes that he, Izuku, made. Even if he has no idea how to work with this new quirk, Sensei is the best teacher around. He always teaches Izuku valuable lessons. It’s not his fault that Izuku is just too slow to figure it out. “I’ll do better next time. I promise.”

 

A hum. “I think you need another lesson. Just so I know that you can follow up on your promises.”

 

All Izuku wants to do is tell Sensei that he gets it, that he doesn’t need another lesson, but he knows better than to voice those thoughts out loud.

 

“Kurogiri, bring in another Nomu.”

Izuku tries to draw in more oxygen, tries to breathe but it feels like the walls around him are pressing down on his lungs. Where is he again? He’s not inside that concrete room is he? Then why does the wall that he’s pressed against feel like that concrete?

 

“--doriya?”

 

What?

 

A voice familiar and calm.

 

His eyes finally manage to focus on Aizawa’s face hovering in front of his own.

 

“Hey, I need you to breathe.”

 

Right, he’s at the police station.

 

“Just try to match my breathing.”

 

Izuku attempts to focus on the man in front of him. He knows he needs to breathe. A human can’t live without oxygen. But through the door he can still hear Tsukauchi talking, Mrs Kokkaku crying, Mr Kokkaku trying to calm her down. Their voices mix with voices of his past and the hallway around him mixes with memories of that concrete room. 

 

He can’t calm down here. He needs to get out of this concrete hallway before he suffocates, see the open sky.

 

So, he does what he always does. He runs away.

 

---

 

Shouta manages to find Midoriya sitting on the rooftop of the police station. 

 

When down in the hallway the kid had staggered to his feet and sprinted away to the backdoor of the building, Shouta had let him. He hadn’t been sure what would happen when he tried to stop the teen, and he wasn’t very keen on finding out. The pure panic in Midoriya’s eyes had told him that the teen would probably do anything to keep running.

 

The kid is sitting cross-legged at the edge of the roof–luckily there’s some room between him and the edge–with his shoulders hunched as if wanting to disappear. The descending sun bathes the sky a vibrant set of oranges and reds. Midoriya’s frame is highlighted by a few rays, his green hair shining where the sun hits it. It seems he’s trying to control his breathing, but seemingly without much success so far.

 

Shouta approaches carefully, though he makes sure to be loud enough that the teen hears him coming. He doesn’t say anything when he sits down next to Midoriya. He just breathes in and out, clear enough that someone else can follow along.

 

After a moment Midoriya seems to catch on to what he’s doing and starts trying to match him. Uneven gasps turn into deep, controlled breaths.

 

For a while silence reigns, only interrupted by the occasional gust of wind and the traffic on the street below them. Then Shouta breaks it, “What happened back there?”

 

Midoriya shrugs, his composed self again if not for the tension coiled between his shoulders. “It’s not important. Don’t worry about it”

 

Unimpressed, Shouta raises an eyebrow. “Don’t say that. We both know you’re lying.” Not that he can tell by the kid’s body language. Any other person would be fooled by that.

 

A frown works its way onto Midoriya’s face and a minute passes where the teen seems to try to find the right words. His voice is soft and halting when he starts, “I’ve just been…so on edge these last few days. Ever since telling you…everything. I’m guessing something in that hallway was the last straw for my brain to uh, panic.”

 

Shouta hums. He’d already guessed that it would be something along those lines. “Ever thought about going to therapy?”

 

It’s a rather straightforward question, but one that he’s been meaning to ask for a while now. God, the kid clearly needs it but forcing him to go wouldn’t really have the desired effect.

 

Hearing his question, Midoriya’s face contorts. “I have,” he says, his answer drawn out. A deep sigh. “I just…don’t know…”

 

“You don’t know what to expect…? Or you don’t know how to trust those people…?”

 

Midoriya shakes his head and says, “No…well, maybe a little. But it’s more that I don’t know how I would handle it. Talking about my past to another person.” He pauses, searching for the right words. “I mean, even just talking to you and Tsukauchi already had my brain on high alert for these last few days. It’s like every single thing that I do is suddenly a reminder of my past. I really don’t know how I could handle that every single fucking week if I’m going to talk about my past with someone on like, a regular basis or something.”

 

“Well, I don’t think you can expect therapy to be easy,” Shouta notes. “Especially in the beginning, but also after that. You’re there to work on something you find difficult. But that’s also why I think it could be good for you.”

 

The teen doesn’t look convinced.

 

Yeah, well Shouta can understand. It took him months after Oboro’s death to admit that he wasn’t dealing with that loss very well. And even then, it took a near accident out on the field and a very angry supervising pro hero to get him to talk to someone. It helped though. The scar that the death left will never fully disappear, but at least it isn’t an open wound anymore.

 

He sighs and tries to catch Midoriya’s gaze but the kid is too busy staring at the traffic below. “Sometimes you need to face the ghosts from your past, kid. It’s the only way to stop them from haunting you.”

 

Reluctance clings to Midoriya’s words when he finally mutters, “I’ll…think about it.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I just realized that quite a lot of my chapter titles are based on song titles. Would you guys be interested if I were to compile a list of songs for this fic? I would probably put it up on my tumblr. Let me know if you’re interested!

Anyway, I hope this chapter was interesting enough to read. There’s just some character development that needs to happen before we can jump back into the intense action…

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 28: Catching up

Notes:

Hi! I'm back with another chapter :)

CW: Indirect flashback after the third separation mark

“I’m sorry Toshinori, but All For One is still alive.”

 

That one sentence.

 

It has been on repeat inside his head like a broken record for these past few days.

 

His worst nightmare, pulled into this world and spoken into existence by his dear friend and colleague, Naomasa.

 

Of course, they had their suspicions ever since that first Nomu at the USJ. But to know that All For One is still out there, to apparently–if Toshinori had to believe Naomasa–have it confirmed by a reliable source. That’s something different.

 

That’s Toshinori’s biggest achievement, his magnum opus, the sole achievement that truly mattered, made into a failure. 

 

Yes, he’d given this country the longest years of peace ever since the dawn of quirks. He’d become a Symbol of Peace, all so children could grow up without fear. But for what?

 

All For One is still alive.

 

Ultimately he’s failed at his duty as a hero, as a holder of One For All.

 

He knows his time with the quirk is quickly running out. His body, and even the quirk itself remind him every day that he needs to pass it on. After each use of his quirk he can feel how his body is struggling to hold on, his bones ache and the scar left after that dreadful fight itches, almost like a living thing crawling underneath his skin. The thought that he needs to pass his quirk on fills his ears nearly every day, a whisper, persistent but there. As if it’s One For All itself that’s pushing to be passed on, so it won’t die with him. Like the quirk knew all along that All For One wasn’t defeated yet, that the fight would fall on shoulders other than Toshinori’s.

 

Toshinori hates the idea that he would burden another person with the heavy duty of defeating All For One. It’s a lonely duty and dangerous not just to the holder of One For All but anyone close to them. To give this quirk to a bright-eyed hero student, all while it comes with so much history, so much responsibility…

 

No, Toshinori would much rather make a last, final stand against All For One. Take the villain to the grave with him. Of course, he’d have to find the villain first. But he knows that either way, One For All has to be passed on. A fail-safe, just in case, because he doesn’t want the quirk to die with him.

 

Though, who would be the next holder?

 

His first choice, the one his instincts told him was the right choice, declined. Young Midoriya had looked so panicked when Toshinori had offered him the quirk. The teen had promptly ran away and afterwards Toshinori hadn’t failed to notice that Midoriya avoided him at any opportunity. Toshinori had debated asking him again, to see if after some time to process the entire thing Midoriya would have a change of heart. But each time he thought of doing that, he’d been reminded of the teen’s scared face right after offering him the quirk. It had kept him from ever putting the idea into action.

 

So, he tried looking for another successor. He watched the third year sport festival back. With his own eyes he saw Togata in action, the teen that Mirai had put forward as a potential successor. Togata will be a good hero, Toshinori is sure of it. But to make him the next holder of One For All? It doesn’t feel right. A rewatch of the first year sport festival also wasn’t a success. If anything, his attention kept being drawn back to Midoriya.

 

There’s something about the teen. Toshinori doesn’t know what exactly but something inside him just can’t seem to let Midoriya go as a potential successor. 

 

He’ll have to though. Midoriya made it quite clear that he’s not interested in One For All and Toshinori would never want to pressure him or any other person into receiving the quirk. It would make him no better than All For One.

 

As he steps into the teacher’s lounge at UA, he decides to just keep his eyes open. The right person will come along. He’s sure of it. For now he just needs to focus on teaching the next generation of heroes and making sure none of his students get themselves seriously injured during one of his classes. That turned out to be considerably more difficult than his teacher training had prepared him for.

 

(He ignores the whispers in the back of his head, telling him that he’s already found the next holder of One For All. Midoriya isn’t an option anymore. He just isn’t)

 

---

 

Monday mornings are not made for him. That’s a conclusion that Izuku has reached yet again as he slides into his seat inside the classroom. Somehow Izuku’s classmates manage to be even more energetic than on a usual Monday morning. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the week of internships is over and everyone is enthusiastically sharing their own experiences.

 

“Midoriya! How was your week?” Uraraka asks as she skids to a stop in front of his desk, a bright smile on her lips and her attention zeroed in on him. “You interned with Aizawa-sensei, right?”

 

For a moment Izuku doesn’t really know what to say. He’d been so busy just processing the past week and worrying about the consequences of said week that he’d completely forgotten what he would tell his classmates when they inevitably asked about it.

 

How was my week, you ask? Well, it was just fine until I had to fight the hero killer Stain who kind of stabbed my friend to death. Oh, and I was nearly kidnapped by my possessive brother because my grandfather–who is a supervillain by the way–wants to use me for his evil plans. How was your week?

 

Yeah, no. That just wouldn’t do. Before he can try to come up with an answer, Kaminari buts in, “Man, you interned with Aizawa-sensei?!” He shudders. “Scary.”

 

His voice is slightly louder than he’d probably intended, and his words draw the attention of the rest of the class.

 

Great. More attention.

 

In the end Izuku forces something that hopefully resembles a smile on his face. “It uh, was fine?” His gaze finds Iida, who’s watching the entire exchange with something like guilt in his eyes. 

 

Ashido, who had drifted closer to the conversation, pouts. “Really? That’s all? Nothing exciting happened?”

 

Izuku shrugs, not keen on elaborating any further.

 

The other girl lets out a disappointed sigh. “Boooring. Not even one life-changing event? Where’s the drama?!”

 

Fortunately Izuku doesn’t have to respond because at that moment Aizawa comes striding into the class, making everyone scramble for their seats. Tired eyes scan the classroom.

 

“Morning hellions. I see all of you survived your internship week.”

 

As Aizawa continues on with homeroom, Izuku’s thoughts drift off.

 

Life-changing, huh?  

 

It almost makes him laugh. If only Ashido knew.

 

---

 

“Midoriya, I was wondering if I could talk to you?”

 

Izuku looks up from where he’d been packing up his things. Todoroki is standing in front of his seat, face as impassive as ever. For a moment Izuku wonders what the teen would want to talk about. A part two of the Todoroki family drama? Would this be a monthly occurrence? Keeping up with the Todoroki’s?

 

He doesn’t really see a reason to decline, so he agrees and follows the teen out of the classroom. On his way out, he tells Hitoshi, Uraraka and Iida–who’d been waiting outside the classroom to go get lunch together–to go ahead without him. Uraraka looks briefly disappointed, she’d probably been hoping to hear more about his internship, but Hitoshi simply nods and drags his other two friends away with him.

 

Not much later Izuku finds himself in a secluded hallway, away from any prying eyes. Todoroki leans against the wall and for a moment Izuku’s overtaken by a sense of deja vu. Instead of waiting for the other to speak though, Izuku decides to go ahead and ask, “So, why did you want to talk to me?”

 

“I wanted to ask you something,” Todoroki answers, voice as even as his face.

 

A beat of silence. Izuku blinks, then raises an eyebrow. “...okay?”

 

“I didn’t intern with my father.”

 

Well, those words certainly give Izuku whiplash. The answer surprises him, everyone had kind of expected Todoroki to intern with his father. Though, in hindsight Izuku guesses it makes sense, knowing just a bit about the family’s history. If he’d been in Todoroki’s shoes he also wouldn’t have wanted to intern with Endeavor.

 

Todorki continues with a slight frown, “I think he wanted me to, but I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.” His voice drops low at the end, a glimmer of the anger simmering underneath the surface.

 

Unable to contain his curiosity, Izuku asks, “Who did you intern with?”

 

“Thirteen. They mainly work in rescue heroics. I like that. It’s not so…destructive.” There’s a hint of…something in the other’s voice. Not admiration, but something close to it. Todoroki’s face seems close to a smile when he adds, “They taught me some good new uses for my ice and they didn’t pressure me into using my fire, which is also nice.”

 

Izuku isn’t sure why the teen is telling him this, but he’s glad he’s being trusted like this again. He can see the potential of Todoroki’s quirk in rescue operations. Temporary building fortification, building temporary shelter, the options are endless. It would require some more delicate control than the big attacks that the teen has mostly used until now. Thirteen is a good hero to teach him that control, with their own destructive quirk. 

 

“That’s nice.” Izuku tilts his head to the side, and makes sure to keep his voice neutral when he asks, “So you’ve decided to not use your fire in heroics?”

 

Of course he didn’t miss the words “my fire”. It’s why he even asks this question in the first place. He doesn’t want to pressure the teen into anything, but it was “my father’s fire” before. Something’s changed.

 

Todoroki frowns, “Actually I… I visited my mother. In the hospital. I think I do want to start using my fire.” He looks down at his hand, flexing it and stretching it out again. “Like you said, it’s my quirk.”

 

The confession makes Izuku smile. “That’s great.” 

 

It doesn’t look like Todoroki really hears him, he just continues, “I just don’t want to ask my father for help. I still want to prove to him that I can become a hero without his involvement.” This time his voice clearly dips into anger, gaze still glued to his hand. Then his eyes flick upward and meet Izuku’s gaze. “So, I was wondering if you could help me with my fire?”

 

The question catches Izuku off guard. Help with a quirk? Why would Todoroki ask him?

 

Todoroki seems to take his silence as an opportunity to explain further, oblivious to Izuku’s confusion. “You seem to know a lot about quirks and the way they work. At the sport festival during the second event you managed to use all your teammember’s quirks to their maximum potential. I thought that maybe you’d be able to advise me on my quirk?”

 

“Todoroki I…” Izuku trails off, hesitation making him unsure. What the other teen is asking of him sounds a suspicious amount like quirk training. Just the thought brings back some…unpleasant memories. His first instinct is to say no, to not think any further about this. But if he refuses, Todoroki will have to find someone else to help him with his quirk. He might even ask Endeavor after all, for lack of a better alternative. Izuku doesn’t want the teen to have to ask his father for help. Besides, Aizawa’s words from the day before echo around his head. 

 

Maybe…maybe he can do this, face his fear head on. Maybe he can stop running away, burying his head in the sand. Maybe he can replace the horrible memories with some good, new experiences.

 

Todoroki is still watching him, not seeming to care about his long silence.

 

Izuku sighs, “Sure, I’ll help you.”

 

And Izuku watches as something that can really be considered a smile blooms across Todorki’s face, small but oh so real.

 

---

 

Izuku finds himself inside one of UA’s smaller gyms at the end of the day, taking a swig from his water bottle while trying to catch his breath. Standing in front of him is Aizawa, capture weapon around his neck and a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead. 

 

“Alright, nice warm up,” the man says, tone as even as ever. “Let’s move on.”

 

Right, quirk training.

 

Izuku swallows down his nervousness. “Yeah…”

 

The other man must sense his hesitation because he sighs. “Start with one quirk. You think you can do that?”

 

A nod. 

 

Aizawa raises an eyebrow. “If you’re not comfortable doing this yet, we can keep on sparring for a bit longer.”

 

Izuku shakes his head. “No…I can do this.” 

 

Though he doesn’t exactly feel comfortable doing this, he also knows this is something he needs to do. Not just because it is something Nedzu clearly wants him to do in exchange for keeping his true quirk from the class. He also wants to do this for himself, to prove to himself that he can do this. That his past is just that. The past.

 

So, despite his hammering heart and the sweat gathering between his palms, he decides to show Aizawa a quirk.

 

Feet heavy and dragging, he walks back to the center of the gym. His water bottle is still clenched in his left hand and he screws the lid off completely before setting the bottle down on the ground in front of him, the water swirling lightly inside. 

 

Aizawa just watches him with his usual tired gaze. A silence hangs around him, pressing Izuku to continue on yet still allowing him some space.

 

A deep breath. Then Izuku takes a quirk from its safe and pulls it to the front. He stretches his hands in front of him and mentally imagines pulling the water inside his bottle towards his hands. Not a moment later it does just that with a slight rushing sound.

 

“This quirk lets me control bodies of existing water,” Izuku says as he lets the water swirl around his hands. “Not huge amounts of water, a pool would definitely be too much water. But up to two buckets of water is pretty doable. It’s also pretty versatile in a fight, though you do need to have water in your vicinity.”

 

He shows Aizawa a few more uses and the man asks him a few follow up questions. It’s not..easy, but it’s doable. After showing a few more quirks, Aizawa asks, “Did All For One give you all these quirks?”

 

It takes Izuku a moment to answer. Not because he doesn’t know how to answer, but because something inside him still doesn’t like talking about this. He has had to keep his past a secret for so long, it feels wrong to talk about it all of the sudden. In the end he shrugs. “Most quirks came from him. He’d give me a quirk pretty often, but also take most of them away again after a while. The quirks that he deemed useless I was able to keep. I guess to him I was a sort of convenient storage space or something.”

 

Aizawa hums, dark eyes unreadable. He doesn’t press on to ask Izuku about the quirks that didn’t come from All For One and for that Izuku is glad. Some quirks are from people he’s helped by taking their quirks because their quirks are a danger to themselves and others. He hasn’t done that in a while, mostly because he’s been too busy. But some quirks are sole reminders to the things he’s done in the past. Quirks taken from Nomus so he would survive another day inside that concrete room.

 

“Do you think you’re up to sparring with me while using some quirks?”

 

It’s a neutral question. Still, Izuku hesitates. He can say no, but part of him wants to try. Maybe it won’t be that bad. Maybe he’s been imagining things. He knows this is with Aizawa, it should be fine.

 

“I’ll try.”

 

It turns out, it’s not fine.

 

Within the first minute of sparring Izuku feels the walls of the gym blending together with the walls of that concrete room. He tries to focus on Aizawa in front of him, tries to force a quirk to his fingertips so he can use it, but that only worsens things. Screeching fills his ears and for a moment Aizawa isn’t standing in front of him, but a Nomu is.

 

With a gasp Izuku stumbles back, heart hammering in his chest.

 

“-doriya?”

 

Izuku rapidly shakes his head, partly in an attempt to shake the image from his mind, partly to keep Aizawa away. He needs space right now.

 

“S-sorry,” he stammers. His hands are shaking and he stuffs them into his pockets in an attempt to hide them. “I just…can’t.”

 

Aizawa doesn’t sound angry when he says, “No, it’s fine.”

 

He has kept his distance, Izuku notices. He dares to look up and sees the man standing a bit away, making no attempt to come closer. Somehow it calms Izuku down. 

 

The man goes to grab his own water bottle from the other side of the room, leaving Izuku to himself. While doing so, he says, “You’ve done well for today. Let’s try another time.”

 

---

 

When Izuku trudges back to the apartment complex on campus the sun has started to set, painting the sky in an array of reds and pinks. His feet feel heavy, reflecting his own exhaustion. These past few days have been so tiring. He feels like he's been living more in his past than the present. Like it has sunken its claws even deeper into his life.

 

The more he tries to outrun it, the faster it drags him back.

 

With a weary sigh Izuku opens the door to the apartment, only to pick up on not one but two familiar quirk lights inside.

 

“I’m home,” he says as he takes off his shoes.

 

“Welcome home, we have a visitor!” his mom calls from the kitchen.

 

Izuku pads his way through the hallways and towards the kitchen, already well aware who the visitor is because of the blazing red quirk light.

 

“Hey nerd, you didn't forget that I was coming over today, did you?” Kacchan asks as soon as Izuku wanders into the kitchen. His friend is sitting at the kitchen table together with Inko, two steaming mugs of tea in front of them. There’s annoyance in his voice but it lacks any bite.

 

Izuku shakes his head, “Of course not.” As a matter of fact, he did forget. He’d been so busy with everything else in his life that he hadn’t even spared the event a single thought since his friend had messaged him the day before. 

 

It looks like the other teen also doesn’t believe him, but before he can respond, his mom says, “‘Well, it was wonderful talking to you again, Katsuki.” She stands up and grabs her mug. “I should get back to work, so I’ll leave you boys to it.”

 

“Thanks for having me, auntie Inko,” Kacchan says in a–for him–surprisingly polite tone. Somehow Inko has always managed to keep the blonde boy’s attitude in check. “We should hang out with both families some time. My mom’s been nagging me about seeing you again for ages by now.”

 

Hesitation and another emotion too quick even for Izuku to catch ripple across his mom’s face. Then she smiles her usual smile. “We’ll see, alright?”

 

On her way out she squeezes Izuku’s shoulder as a greeting, then she disappears into their apartment’s tiny home office. Izuku turns back to Kacchan, only to see his friend already dumping a stack of study books on the kitchen table.

 

The other teen looks up to see Izuku staring. He furiously mentions for Izuku to come sit. “Come on! We don’t have all fucking day to get through the math assignment that Snipe gave!”

 

For a while the two of them work on their homework. Or Kacchan does, Izuku finds it hard to focus on the worksheets in front of him. When his friend has to ask him for a third time how he would solve a certain equation, Kacchan promptly closes his book with a loud snap.

 

“The fuck is up with you?! You've been with your head in the clouds since you came in,” his friend snaps. 

 

At first Izuku wants to deny it. But he feels too tired to lie and come up with another convincing story. It takes him a moment to find the right words. There's too much on his mind and he doesn’t want to unload all his shit on his friend. In the end he says something that takes even him by surprise. “I've been thinking about going to therapy,”

 

Kacchan stares at him, blinks then raises his eyebrows. “Good for you.”

 

Izuku hums.

 

Seeming to pick up on Izuku’s conflict, his friend lets out an exasperated sigh and rolls his eyes. “I’m guessing there’s a reason why you haven’t yet?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“You really need to go to Eyebags if you want some of that emotional talk,” Kacchan says. And yeah, Izuku is aware of that. Surprisingly enough, the other teen continues, “All I’m saying is that you just need to bite the metaphorical bullet or whatever and go. It fucking sucks at first but those shrinks do know their shit.”

 

The way his friend says it, makes Izuku frown. It’s almost as if…

 

“Are you talking from experience?” Izuku asks before he can think better of it, his voice filled with surprise.

 

Kacchan’s eyes are quick to cloud over in defensive anger. He crosses his arms in front of him and huffs, “So what?”

 

Waving his hands in front of him, Izuku quickly backtracks. “No, no! It’s not a problem. Just surprised, that’s all.”

 

The anger in his friend’s eyes cools and he looks away, out the window. “I had some serious anger issues as a kid. The school didn’t really care and encouraged my behavior because I had a strong quirk, but my parents didn’t like my changing attitude and my quirk usage that went along with it. They put me in anger management therapy. I hated it–and hated their guts for a while for making me go–I thought it made me weak.”

 

In a way Izuku can see it. The angry kid inside Kacchan. But now that he thinks about it, he can also see the difference. This Kacchan has never used his quirk while angry.

 

“But somewhere I realized that it made me stronger because now I’m a better version of myself.” At his side, Kacchan’s hands clench into fists. “I’m going to be the strongest hero, so I have to be to best fucking version of myself.”

 

Red eyes return to look at Izuku. Kacchan raises an eyebrow, “That good enough of a pep talk for you?”

 

Izuku looks down at his own hands, then nods. “Yeah, thanks.”

 

Kacchan scoffs. “Fucking awesome. Let’s focus on our math homework then.”

 

Just as quickly as their heartfelt conversation started, it ends again. This time it’s easier for Izuku to focus on the schoolwork in front of him. He thinks he’s finally decided on a way to deal with his past. He’s made up his mind.

 

---

 

It’s during dinner–Kacchan had left, claiming his mom expected him to eat at home–when Izuku has finally gathered enough courage to actually speak his idea into existence.

 

“Mom?”

 

His mom looks up from her own bowl of homemade ramen. Her eyes search Izuku’s for a moment, as if she can hear his nerves through his voice. “Yes?”

 

Izuku swallows down the last of his hesitation. “I was wondering if I could make an appointment with a therapist.”

 

At his words his mom smiles, pride and a tiny bit of relief filling it. “We’ll look into it right after dinner.”

 

While Izuku doesn’t share her relief–there are too many other emotions clouding his judgment–a tiny bit of the weight pressing down on him does lift, if only because it seems part of his mom’s worries are taken away at his decision. 

 

Now the real challenge remains: actually going to said therapy.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I feel like Todoroki is very much like a cat. Difficult to earn his trust, but once you do he’ll follow you around at any possible moment.

I now have a tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 29: Through me

Notes:

Hi! First of all, Thank you so much for 50K hits! That’s really more than I can fathom and it makes me so happy to see how many of you I can bring some joy with this fic. Whether you’ve commented, bookmarked, gave kudos or just read Ghosts From The Past, I appreciate each and everyone of you <3

Second, this chapter's title was inspired by the song "Through Me (The Flood)" by Hozier. I could write an entire analysis about this song, but I will spare you all my ramblings. Just give this song (or any other of Hozier's songs) a listen, I highly recommend it!

CW: This chapter dives a lot deeper into Izuku’s current mental state and his thoughts about his past. Brief mention of self hatred, discussions of memory loss and other trauma-related symptoms. Mention of death. Panic attack.

The blood won’t come off. 

 

No matter how long he keeps standing under the shower, no matter how often he washes his hands under the sink, the blood keeps clinging to them. 

 

How could it not?

 

He’s killed someone today. Again. Besides the blood, it’s the eyes that keep haunting Izuku. The way they’re filled with fear, or anger or defiance, or all three right before. The way they empty out just as quickly, replaced by a cold dullness right after. Just like the blood, the image is impossible to scrub from his mind.

 

Giving up on his fifth attempt at rinsing his hands under the sink, he turns off the faucet. With his hands leaning against the cold sink, he looks up in the mirror at his own reflection. Pale skin, flappy green curls still dripping wet from his scalding hot shower, and those green eyes. He wonders if they look like the eyes of a killer. Then again, he doesn’t have to wonder. They are. He’s killed people after all.

 

Murderer.

 

For a moment the world narrows down, it’s weight pressing down on him. It becomes almost impossible to breathe. Like all the guilt is choking his windpipe. Then he forcibly breaks his gaze away from the mirror and stumbles backwards against the tiled bathroom wall. His knees buckle and he slides down until he’s sitting on the ground, silent sobs wrecking his body. No tears will come, but that’s fine. A voice in his head that sounds a lot like his grandfather tells him that it’s good even, otherwise he would look weak and that’s something he can’t ever afford to look like.

 

No one can see him like this.

 

Still, in the privacy of his bathroom, Izuku allows himself to break down just a little bit. He’s sure that he would suffocate otherwise. Because his hands still feel like they’re coated in that sticky red and it seems like he won’t live without that ever again. The bathroom tiles are swimming in front of him, nothing more than splashes of color. He wants to tug at his hair with his hands, just to bring himself back to reality. But even the thought of doing so makes him want to jump under the shower and wash his hair again. 

 

Instead, he closes his eyes and pulls a new quirk to the front. A simple hearing quirk, nothing too fancy really. His grandfather had given it to him a few weeks ago and Izuku really hopes that he gets to keep this one. He tries to focus on the sounds around him, tries to block any other thought but that from his mind. 

 

At first he just hears the water running through the pipes within the walls. Then he stretches the hearing quirk until he’s able to listen to sounds from other rooms. He hears his clock ticking inside his bedroom and the wind rushing past the windows. He hears the slight humming sound of the refrigerator inside the kitchen. He’s just about the focus back on the sounds inside his room, when–

 

“--listen Hisashi. Please.”

 

It’s his mom, talking in her bedroom which is right next to the bathroom. She’s talking to his dad, who’d come home from yet another mission yesterday. That had been a pleasant surprise to Izuku. 

 

His father answers in an equally hushed tone, his voice with that familiar hint of smokiness. “Inko I am, I really am. But I can’t just–” 

 

“Yes you can.” His mom answers, voice unusually firm yet still just as quiet. As if they don’t want anyone hearing what they’re talking about. Maybe Izuku should just focus on something else with his quirk. He knows he shouldn’t eavesdrop. Of course that’s the moment that his mom mentions him. “And if you would just look at your son, you’d know why.”

 

What?

 

Heart hammering in his chest, Izuku continues listening. What is she talking about? Did he do something wrong?

 

A sigh from his father. “I…”

 

“Izuku killed another person today.” 

 

Those words make Izuku openly flinch. He almost stops listening right then, but curiosity forces him to keep on listening. His mom’s voice is brittle when she continues, like an autumn leaf about to fall apart. “And you might not have noticed because you’re rarely here–”

 

“You know I don’t have a choice in that,” his dad responds, voice harsher and louder. Like they’ve already discussed this before.

 

Words louder and fiercer, his mom says, “I know, but because of that you haven’t realized yet that your father is destroying our son!”

 

A complete silence follows, filled with the aftermath of that heavy revelation. As if the world needs to catch its breath as well. It takes Izuku a moment to process the words. Does he know that what his grandfather is doing isn't right? For the longest time he hadn’t. At first because he’d been a stupid, naive baby. Then because admitting the truth would have made his reality that much more painful. He hoped that his mom wouldn’t notice the effect that his grandfather has on him. The toll that his training takes. Apparently he hadn’t fooled her, because she adds, “Please, i- it’s eating Izuku up from the inside. It’s changing him and this time I can’t do anything to stop it.”

 

His dad’s response comes out softer. “I’m sorry Inko. I did notice some differences but I didn’t know…” He trails off, either unsure how to continue, or unwilling to say the grim truth out loud.

 

“Then you know now what you must do.” His mom leaves no room for argument.

 

A weary exhale. Resigned, rather than annoyed. “I will get into contact with them.”

 

All Izuku can do is sit there, on the cold bathroom tiles. The chill creeping into his bones, and not just from the frigid floor. Yes, he has calmed down from his near meltdown. No, he doesn’t feel better. Just what and who are his parents talking about?

 

“Thank you,” his mom says, her relief clear. “Just…do it quickly. Or it won’t be long before we’ll lose our son after all.”

 

---

 

It's one of those days again.

 

The thing is, Izuku should have known that it would be right when he woke up after a night filled with dreadful nightmares. That should have been the first sign. It doesn’t help that he had a therapy session this morning. While he wouldn’t say that it has been all horrible, it also hasn’t been…easy.

 

He’s been going for a few weeks now, sometimes once, sometimes twice a week. Mrs Kimura is nice enough. Though Izuku hadn’t expected to really open up to her, somehow she’s managed to make him feel safe enough to do just that. They’ve slowly started working through some of the stuff he’s been dealing with for well…the past decade really. He likes that he can decide what to talk about and that while Mrs Kimura can push him at times, it’s never too far. It’s also great that she doesn’t seem to pity him, or that she didn’t run away screaming when he told her just the short summary of why he’s even in therapy.

 

All in all, therapy is as good as it can be, Izuku supposes. That doesn’t make it easy.  

 

Somewhere he’d hoped that once he started going to therapy, all his problems would magically disappear. They didn't. In fact, it turns out it’s just a starting point. And right now, Izuku is struggling more days than not. His past hasn’t gone out of his head. His body hasn’t forgotten. Partly because apparently that’s what happens when you go through a traumatic experience, or rather a traumatic childhood, according to Mrs Kimura. Partly because apparently in order to heal, he needs to process his past. Again, Mrs Kimura’s words, not his. He’s still doubtful of the entire thing. If somehow this therapy thing doesn’t work out, he can always revert back to his usual methods.

 

Pushing everything away always worked wonders for him. Until a few months ago, that is.

 

For now he wants to try, if only because it seems to put his mom at ease. Though she hasn’t outright said it, Izuku can tell from the way she acts around him that some of her worries have been lifted. It’s something he has to keep reminding himself of, that somewhere it will all be worth it. That’s easier said than done. Especially because today is one of those days.

 

With a lot of effort Izuku manages to roll out of the way of a particularly well placed attack from Aizawa. While stooping low he uses a quirk. The one where he can place invisible obstacles on the ground by blowing out some air. Hopefully it will keep the man more wary of his step, even if someone could deduce the obstacle’s placement by watching Izuku place it. 

 

It only momentarily holds his teacher up and then he closes the distance between the two of them again, forcing Izuku to keep up with a flurry of jabs and kicks.

 

Izuku grits his teeth in frustration and parries all of it while trying to come up with a new strategy to best the other man. 

 

After weeks of these after-school training sessions they’re quite familiar with the other’s fighting style. Though Aizawa doesn’t use his quirk that much–that would defeat the purpose of this quirk training–but the times that he does use it, they’re rather evenly matched. Besides, the man never holds back. Something that Izuku can usually appreciate, but today it seems that his teacher is really up to speed and Izuku himself is struggling through it all.

 

The nightmares of last night still cling to his mind and today’s therapy session didn’t help to subdue some of the memories that came with said nightmares. Rather, it has worsened them. Izuku can tell that he’s taking longer on deciding which quirks to use. He can’t help it, it’s like his body refuses to stop being scared of using his fucking quirks today. 

 

For a moment anger heats his veins. He should just stop being scared. Since that first quirk training he’s already fought so many times against Aizawa while using his quirks. 

 

Can’t you do better?

 

His next roundhouse kick is fueled by a muscle augmentation quirk and Aizawa just barely blocks it with a grunt. Yet in the same movement the capture weapon is sent out.

 

Internally, Izuku curses. He’s completely open and within a second the weapon has wrapped around his torso, pulling him closer. 

 

It’s pure muscle memory when he stretches out his right hand, palms burning hot. 

 

A moment before his hand can make any contact, Izuku feels as his entire quirk gets erased. 

 

The world quiets.

 

Just a regular hand makes contact with Aizawa’s abdomen, harmless.

 

Izuku tries to continue on. By now he isn’t phased anymore by the absence of his quirk and the information that it gives him. But that damn capture weapon won’t give in. 

 

Before long Izuku is completely subdued by the capture weapon, brought to his knees and with no room left to escape. Aizawa stands over him, face as stoic as ever. “I win”

 

“Yeah,” Izuku responds and though he tries to keep the disappointment, and frankly anger at himself, out of his voice–such emotion is never appreciated in his experience–he doesn’t quite succeed. The moment the word leaves his mouth, he regrets them. He tenses up, preparing for retribution for his behavior.

 

It never comes. It never does with Aizawa. Instead, the man stares at him a moment longer. Then he says, “Let’s take a break.”

 

And so they do. Both of them trudge to the edge of the gym. It’s one of the smaller gyms at UA. Still, by no means have any expenses been spared. The floors are clean yet have a good grip, the mats are thick and of better quality than most mats Izuku has seen in his life. Better yet, there’s no rough concrete in sight. It’s all nicely painted walls and smooth floors.

 

For a minute neither of them speak, both catching their breath and chugging down water from their respective bottles. Izuku tries to calm himself down. He’s feeling on edge and he needs to get a grip for the next few rounds. He can’t let himself go like that again. His mind isn’t fully here, isn’t working with him, and he needs it to. The reason he lost last round was because he made some stupid mistakes that he wouldn’t normally make. 

 

Because he’s so caught up in his own head, he doesn’t notice Aizawa is still staring at him until the man asks, “Something the matter?”

 

Izuku gives a noncommittal shrug. It takes another second before he says, “Just a lot of thoughts.”

 

The other man hums once, short.

 

Izuku doesn’t meet his gaze, and instead stares ahead of him at the rest of the empty gym. Bright, harsh lights erase any shadows and highlight how spotless this room is. Normally it’s a comfort to Izuku. It’s a clear sign of how different this place is from the concrete room in his past, where some stains just couldn’t be washed away. But today he dislikes this room all the same. Like everything else at the moment.

 

It’s like discomfort has settled underneath his skin and refuses to leave. Like a bug crawling underneath. He tries not to let any of it show. Shoulders back, face slack and breathing even. 

 

Anyone else would definitely have been fooled. But somehow not Aizawa. 

 

“Let’s take a walk,” he says, voice still neutral. 

 

Izuku’s gaze snaps back to the man, careful to keep his face devoid of surprise yet feeling it all the same. “Did I do something wrong?” he asks, unease and confusion almost shaking his voice.

 

Aizawa has already started walking towards the exit. He doesn’t look back to see if Izuku is following as he answers, “No. You trained well today.”

 

Underneath the confusion clouding his mind, there’s some curiosity. So, Izuku follows the man outside.

 

The sun is up high and burning when they get outside. By now summer has really started to pick up. The greenery on campus is lush and green, nothing yet parched by the heat and dryness that the final part of this season will bring. In a few weeks they'll have their final exams of this semester. Whispers of what the practical part could possibly be are already circulating, as well as the dread for the written part.

 

In the time that Izuku is caught up in his own thoughts, they’ve made it to woods on campus. The gym they’d been training in nearly borders on the big park that, really, couldn’t be considered a park anymore with how big it is. For a while silence hangs between him and Aizawa, only the sound of singing birds and rustling trees filling it up. Eventually the other man breaks the quiet, “You’ve improved in incorporating your quirks into your fighting style over the last few weeks.”

 

For a moment Izuku doesn’t answer. He just waits for the inevitable but to drop. That was always the case with All For One. Praising him, but always telling him he could do better. When it becomes clear that Aizawa intends to do no such thing, Izuku hurries to respond. “Thanks,” he mutters, words short and clipped. 

 

Aizawa takes two more strides, Izuku three, before the man asks, “How have you been doing lately?”

 

The question is posed utterly neutral, making Izuku wonder what part of his life Aizawa is asking about? School? His training? His rather…unstable mental state? The hero isn’t one to ask the questions purely to make small talk. He must want an answer to something.

 

Izuku shrugs, and chooses a safe answer, “Fine. I’ve been helping Todoroki out with his quirk. He’s coming over again tomorrow.” One of the upsides to living at UA is that they could make use of one of the many gyms, which is great when you’re training with a fire quirk and have a considerable chance of accidentally setting things on fire. 

 

“So you’re the reason why Todoroki’s control over his fire has improved so much over the past few weeks,” Aizawa comments, tone dry as ever. “I should have known.”

 

Izuku turns to the man, one eyebrow raised. “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

The hero looks back at him. To Izuku’s surprise a near grin tugs at the man’s face. “Well, you do have a track record of somehow always being right in the middle of everything.”

 

Crossing his arms, Izuku huffs and looks away. “Trust me. I wouldn’t mind not being part of the main event for once.” The words come out more bitter than he’d wanted to.

 

“I know,” Aizawa responds, brows furrowed. 

 

An awkward moment of silence passes, the peaceful and almost playful atmosphere broken. 

 

Izuku pretends to stare at a bird sitting on a tree branch, its feathers gleaming gold from the dappling sunlight falling through the blanket of leaves. He didn’t want to ruin whatever nice conversation they had going on. Somehow it’s always his past that manages to ruin things. He tries to consciously sift through his feelings and to refrain from pushing them away like Mrs Kimura has taught him, but the discomfort and hate at…someone himself makes it almost impossible to do so. Maybe that’s why some words escape him before he can think better of it, “Sometimes I wonder why we didn’t escape earlier.”

 

He should just leave this for therapy. Aizawa doesn’t deserve to get trauma dumped yet again. But right now he just wants someone to listen without analyzing every single thing he’s saying.

 

“Maybe things would have gone differently then.” Maybe he wouldn’t have as much blood on his hands. Maybe his father would still be alive. 

 

Aizawa is walking quietly next to him, attention solely focused on his student yet without any scrutiny.

 

Izuku frowns, the corners of his mouth tugging down. “I- I know there are reasons why we didn’t. But part of me wonders why my parents made some decisions.” 

 

The weeks before the escape are a haze to him. Flashes of memories, hushed words between his parents, the feeling that his world was crumbling apart for a second time in his life. He knows he doesn’t remember everything correctly, knows there are things he doesn’t remember at all. Twelve-year-old him couldn’t deal with the deaths that were on his hands, couldn’t deal with all that pressure. So, he condensed it all in a tight metal box, and shoved all those feelings and memories somewhere far, far away inside his brain.

 

There are days where he wonders which of his memories are real, which aren’t. He knows there are chunks of his childhood that his brain has repressed to protect him because he couldn’t possibly have handled those memories when he was younger. Not knowing if, when those memories will resurface, not remembering part of his childhood, it feels terrifying. It’s like a ticking time bomb, only there's uncertainty whether it will go off at all.

 

“Why don’t you ask your mother?” Aizawa asks in the ensuing silence. 

 

Izuku blinks. He hadn’t thought of that. At first he wants to dismiss the suggestion. Then he stops to really consider it. Why hasn’t he talked with his mom about the past more? Probably because at first they’d both been desperate to leave it all behind, their wounds too fresh to talk about it. And after that…Izuku has done his very best to keep his past as far away from his life as possible. All so the delicate spell of normally wouldn’t be broken. 

 

Well, it’s been shattered for weeks now. Maybe even months and he has just refused to notice the broken shards.

 

He frowns, “I’m not sure, actually.”

 

Aizawa hums. “You could try it.”

 

“Yeah, maybe,” Izuku mutters. He looks back at the hero. “Thanks. For the advice. I- I know today’s training wasn’t really the best, but I’ve just been…thinking a lot. I’ll do better next time, I promise.”

 

With a sigh, Aizawa gives him a look. His hands are in his pockets, shoulders slack in the man’s usual tired fashion. “Like I already told you: it’s fine. You can’t perform your very best every single day. That’s irrational and unrealistic. The human body needs its rest days.”

 

They finish their walk in comfortable silence. Izuku considers the hero’s words and spends their time caught up in his own mind. Aizawa seems to notice that Izuku doesn’t really feel the need to continue a conversation, and is a quiet presence at his side. It’s almost peaceful, Izuku decides, as they reach the gym building again, the setting sun casting everything in a golden glow.

 

---

 

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

 

His mom hums from where she’s sitting on the couch, finishing up some of her paperwork. “Yes?”

 

Izuku is sitting next to her and puts the homework he’d been pretending to be working on down on the coffee table in front of him. Trying to work up the courage to continue, it takes him a moment to carry on. His silence is what really draws his mom’s attention, because she looks up with a frown. Seeming to sense that he’s about to ask something serious, she also puts her paperwork aside.

 

 “Why didn’t we escape right after All For One was heavily injured?” The words rush out of him, as if he’s afraid to be silenced before he can properly pose the question.

 

For just a second multiple emotions flash across his mom’s face before her expression shutters. “Why-...where did this question come from?”

 

Izuku rubs at his arms, and shrugs. “I’ve been thinking about…everything and I want to know”

 

Though it’s only for a split second, Izuku watches as dread fills his mom’s eyes. Then she closes them and sighs. “Alright.” When she opens her eyes, her gaze lands on him. “You must know that before the injury, your father and I had talked about escaping, but we’d never made any plans. Partially because trying to make any plans would have been too dangerous. Partially because well, your father…”

 

“What about him?” Izuku asks, confusion clouding his voice.

 

In her lap, his mom’s hands wring together. Her mouth twists down and when she speaks her words are slow and halting, as if speaking them costs her pain. “Your father always had a…difficult relationship with his own father. Yet it took Hisashi nearly losing his son to the man for him to actually decide to leave.”

 

Unable to form a response, Izuku just stares back at her. He’s trying to reconcile the image of his mighty father, broad chest and smokey laugh, with the image that his mom is talking about.

 

With a shuddering sigh, his mom continues, “Anyway, in the months that your grandfather was bedridden, your father was sent away to one of the criminal organizations tied to All For One’s imperium.”

 

Izuku remembers that. It was always his father’s job to check whether organizations were still loyal, and if they weren’t, to make them loyal again. 

 

“It took longer than we’d both liked, but Hisashi managed to get the leader of the organization on board with the escape.”

 

Izuku frowns. “Why did it take so long?”

 

His mom seems to understand that he’s not asking about the leader, he’s asking about pulling off the escape itself. 

 

“All For One decided what missions Hisashi would go on. Your father could only influence that decision so much before it would look suspicious. So months would always go by before he could meet up with the organization again. It also took a lot of planning. We couldn’t just run out, we had to plan how all three of us would get out of that godforsaken apartment, how to get away safely from All For One, where to stay after the escape so he wouldn’t find us.”

 

“Yet none of that mattered in the end.” Izuku can’t help the bitterness that seeps through his words. When he thinks of the betrayal of the organization, all he can feel is a burning anger. It makes him wish that they’d escaped sooner, no matter how unrealistic that might have been. In the end their escape had been chaotic either way. It was already a miracle that he and his mom had been able to stay out of All For One’s grasp without the intended safe house they would otherwise have relied on.

 

Picking up on his feelings, his mom tries to reach out to grab his hands. “Izuku I–”

 

“Why did you even stay in the first place, mom?” Izuku interrupts, pulling his own hands away from her. His own voice grows louder, the anger and hurt that he’s feeling finding an outlet through it. “I know that before you had me, you already knew who dad and All For One were, because that’s what you told me!” 

 

Tears well up in his mom’s eyes, and her voice wavers when she says, “At first I didn’t care what Hisashi did, he was just so amazing, so kind. Then you were born. You were a surprise, but also a blessing.” Her distant gaze morphs into one of love as she looks at him. It shatters just as quickly when she continues, “ I- I wanted to have more distance between you and your grandfather but Hisashi…he told me it would be fine, that he would take care of it.”

 

At her words, Izuku feels his heart break just a tiny bit. His voice breaks along with it. “And you believed him?”

 

He almost can’t wrap his head around it. The fact that his life might have been entirely different, if only his parents had made a different choice when he was born. 

 

“I did.” Her voice is heavy, like a thousand unspoken reasons are dragging it down. Sne sniffles. “And the first few years it was fine. Your grandfather kept his distance, more or less.”

 

“Until he didn’t.”

 

His mom breaks his gaze and looks down, jaw tense and shoulders drawn up. Barely louder than a whisper, she says, “When I realized that I’d made a mistake, it was already too late to get out.”

 

Tears blur his vision, and Izuku furiously blinks them away. “Mom… why?”

 

“I- I wanted you to grow up with a father,” his mom says, voice desperate. It grows more quiet. “I wanted Hisashi to be the man I believed him to be.” 

 

She looks up at Izuku with pleading eyes, “I know that doesn’t make things right-”

 

“It doesn’t!” Izuku cuts in, unwilling to mask the harshness and hurt lacing his words. He wishes that his parents had just protected him, wishes that they’d been strong enough to stand up against All For One.

 

“And I’ll regret my choices for the rest of my life!” His mom’s shoulders shake as sobs rack her frame.

 

Izuku watches her cry and eventually his own shoulders sag in defeat. He doesn’t know what to say, so instead he just grabs her hand. As soon as he does so, his mom tightens her grip. “I’m sorry Izuku. I’m so so sorry.” Her words shake, but the guilt is still clear as day.

 

Izuku doesn’t say that it’s fine–because it isn’t, it isn’t by a long shot–but he also can’t stay angry at his mom for too long. In the end she has still always been there for him, has always comforted him and in her own way has always tried to make the best decisions for his sake. So, he pulls her into a hug. Her body collapses against his, and she firmly grips him back. His own throat feels tight when he mutters, “I understand mom. I understand.”

 

Because she’s his mom. Because life with All For One is confusing and scary. Because sometimes no decision is the right one. 

 

And at the end of the day, it’s them against the world.

 

---

 

“Inko, take Izuku and run!”

 

His dad pushes him and his mom behind him and turns around to face the Nomu coming from the hallway. 

 

“But--” Inko croaks, tears are starting to pool in her eyes and her hair is disheveled and filled with dust. Izuku tightens the grip on his mother's hand, anxiety pooling in his gut thinking about what would happen if his grandfather found them.

 

The Nomu’s footsteps are rapidly approaching from down the hallway like thunder.

 

Things weren’t supposed to happen like this. It should have been a quiet escape. They would help, that’s what they said--

 

“GO!” Izuku’s father looks behind him with pleading eyes. A silent conversation passes between him and Inko, before Izuku knows it he is dragged along with his mother, their hands locked in a tight grip. The tears in his mom’s eyes are gone and steel determination has replaced it.

 

Running, Izuku looks behind him one more time.

The last thing he sees is his father’s broad frame tensing as the Nomu rounds the corner with a screech. Time seems to slow and then the hallway is engulfed in flames, the heat is scorching and Izuku has to look away to shield his eyes from it.

 

They round a corner and are met with a door. Inko blows the door off its hinges with the help of her quirk and they run as far away as they can, until their lungs burn and their knees are weak. 

 

Behind them the building goes up in flames.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

A note about the convo between Inko and Izuku: While Inko is by no means the main perpetrator in Izuku’s childhood trauma, she also isn’t entirely blameless. She made choices that got Izuku hurt in the end, when she should have protected him instead. That said, she’s also a victim in her own right. Her relationship with Hisashi was far from perfect. She was a mother who desperately wanted her son to grow up with a father. By no means is she the *reason* for Izuku's trauma, but in a way, she did contribute to it. She was forced to make some difficult decisions and ultimately, it’s impossible to tell if things would have ended differently if she’d made other choices (especially knowing AFO). It's a complicated topic, and there are always multiple sides to a story.

Anyway, we’ve come full cycle. Back to the very first scene of this fic. From this chapter onward I’ve got some really exciting things planned :) The reason that I didn’t update for a while, is because I was busy making a DnD adventure (for any of you who know the game). Somehow I always underestimate how much time that takes. Next chapter will be the final exams!

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 30: Point of no return

Notes:

Hi! Here’s another chapter for you all!

CW: Ghosts from the past-typical angst+violence, a short flashback after the first separation mark. (If you ever want more detailed content warnings, or a short summary of a scene, just let me know in the comments!)

“I wanted to discuss the final exams with you,” Nedzu says as he takes place on the office chair behind his desk. It’s about a week before the final exams and Toshinori finds himself sitting inside principal Nedzu’s office, two steaming cups of tea in front of them.

 

“You will be fighting Bakugo and Midoriya, as was discussed yesterday.”

 

Yes, Toshinori remembers that from the teachers meeting they had the day before. It had been an avid point of discussion, to let the first years fight the teachers instead of robots. Apparently that was what the usual first year’s final exam consisted of, but in light of the recent villain attacks that had been changed. Like during most meetings, Toshinori hadn’t contributed much to the discussion or the final decision. While he is probably one of the most experienced heroes in his field, he’s totally new in the field of teaching. He’d been happy to let his more experienced colleagues decide on the final course of action. 

 

In an attempt to show Nedzu that he’s finally starting to understand this whole teaching thing–yes, he now understands that he needs to provide students with appropriate challenges that match their skill level–Toshinori says, “They’re up against me because they need to learn to work together, right?”

 

At least, that’s clearly the reason why Bakugo has been paired up with him. The boy really still has a lot to learn when it comes to teamwork.

 

Nedzu hums, “That’s why Bakugo is paired up with you, yes. Midoriya…has a different reason.”

 

Toshinori frowns. What other reason could there possibly be? While Midoriya is one of those students who might be good at teamwork, he would never gravitate towards it, even if the situation called for it. Toshinori has noticed that even during team exercises, Midoriya almost always goes off on his own and often takes care of most of the situation himself while delegating just a small part of the task to his teammates. Really, there’s not much else that the boy could improve on, in Toshinori’s opinion.

 

A beat of silence passes where Nedzu takes a sip of his tea, clearly unconcerned by the sudden quiet. “What’s your opinion of him?”

 

“What?”

 

“Of Midoriya,” Nedzu elaborates.

 

Surprised by this question, Toshinori’s words come out slow and halting. “W-well, he’s a smart and kind young man, if not a tad bit quiet and withdrawn at times. I’m sure he’ll make a fine hero one day, he’s got a heart of gold much like the best of heroes.” He hesitates for a moment, before adding, “Truth be told…I asked him to be my successor.”

 

“Oh?” Nedzu says, surprise and intrigue clear in his voice. Both of them know that so far, Toshinori hasn’t had much luck in finding a successor. They also know that his time limit is increasing by the day. He doesn’t have the luxury of taking much longer to find the next holder of One For All. 

 

Toshinori doesn’t want to give Nedzu the wrong idea–that he’s finally found a successor–and hurries to add, “But he declined.”

 

“He didn’t tell you why?” Nedzu asks, head tilted to the side. 

 

The way that the principal poses the question, there’s something off about it. Toshinori can’t put his finger on that exact something though. 

 

“He didn’t,” he answers, unable to keep the slight disappointment out of his voice. He lets out a heavy sigh, “I have yet to find another successor.”

 

Nedzu hums and seems to consider this while taking another sip of his tea. “Well, the reason for Midoriya’s pairing with you is why I asked you to come here in the first place.”

 

Toshinori sits up a bit straighter as it becomes clear that they’re finally moving on to the heart of the conversation.

 

“First I should inform you that due to circumstances Midoriya has had to keep his true quirk hidden for months.”

 

“What?” Toshinori says, unable to keep from interrupting. “But he’s used his quirk in class before.”

 

He’s given the class plenty of exercises where quirk use was allowed and often even highly encouraged. 

 

Nedzu’s tail flicks sharply behind him. “Are you sure?”

 

The certainty with which the principal asks the question shuts Toshinori up rather quickly. Because has he ever seen Midoriya use his quirk before? Sure, all the other students are always more than eager to use their quirks in class, but he can’t recall Midoriya ever using his quirk. The boy has always been able to complete the exercises with flying colors, so Toshinori had never questioned how he did it. But then how is he so sure that he’s seen Midoriya use his quirk before? 

 

The answer hits him almost immediately, “At the sport festival–”

 

Nedzu stops him with an upheld paw. “Let me finish my story, Yagi.”

 

Toshinori snaps his mouth shut, slightly embarrassed that he’s acting like an eager student. 

 

“Aizawa and I were made aware of Midoriya’s circumstances shortly after the internships. It was decided that Midoriya would keep from using his true quirk in class for the foreseeable future while he received private quirk training from Aizawa, until a good moment would come across to reveal his true quirk to the class. That moment will be the final exam.

 

“The reason why Midoriya has been paired up with you, is because of his quirk,” Nedzu concludes before falling quiet and looking at Toshinori.

 

It’s clear the rat wants him to say something. Knowing Nedzu, he’s probably already planned this entire conversation. For a moment Toshinori fumbles to respond. Questions whir around his mind. Why did Midoriya hide his quirk? And why won’t he hide it any longer? There’s one question that really is the one that he has to ask first though. Because he’s certain that Midoriya used a quirk during the sport festival. “What is Midoriya’s quirk, if it isn’t permanently turning quirks on and off?”

 

From the look in the principal’s eyes, he’s asked the right question. Nedzu picks up his cup of tea again and calmly takes a sip from it. He’s most likely enjoying every minute of this, of keeping Toshinori waiting and guessing, of having this sort of control over the conversation.

 

“He can give and take quirks, Yagi.”

 

What?

 

The world falls silent as Toshinori tries to process that sentence. Give and take…quirks? There’s only one person, one monster, who he knows to have such a quirk. All For One, who up till recently he’d believed to be dead. And apparently that villain isn’t the only person to have the quirk. Part of Toshinori wants to deny it, yet it’s so obvious. How did Midoriya get this quirk? he wonders. Did All For One copy his own quirk? Or…

 

“All For One…has a son?” His own voice sounds distant to his own ears, and he feels One For All buzzing underneath his skin, reacting to his inner turmoil.

 

Nedzu lets out a long sigh. “Unfortunately he had one, yes. Though Midoriya is actually his grandson.”

 

The principal speaks with such a breezy tone. As if they’re just discussing the weather. That’s somehow the thing that really rubs Toshinori the wrong way. They’re talking about things related to All For One. Why is he hearing about this just now? 

 

“All For One’s grandson has been attending UA for months and nothing’s been done about that?!” It takes effort to keep from shouting.

 

Nedzu’s response is quick and sharper than normal, tail flicking behind him in a rapid rhythm. “Midoriya’s connection to All For One has nothing to do with his attendance at UA.”

 

“It has everything to do with that!” Toshinori exclaims. “He could be the traitor!”

 

Nedzu’s cup is nearly slammed down on the table. “I can assure you that Midoriya would be the last person to be the traitor.” 

 

The principal’s words are still stated calmly, yet even Toshinori notices that it’s a forced calm. He ignores the voice in his head telling him that he should be careful, that upsetting someone as smart as Nedzu is a dangerous thing. He has a duty to fulfill to all the previous holders of One For All. Any potential danger from All For One should be taken seriously.

 

“Then why did he keep his actual quirk a secret for so long?” Somewhere Toshinori wonders if the reason Midoriya refused One For All, is to help All For One’s plans. That the teen refused his quirk without giving a reason to keep Toshinori hesitating, giving him hope that Midoriya might still accept the quirk, when in reality he was just trying to waste as much of Toshinori’s time as possible. All so One For All would be passed on as late as possible–or not at all–giving All For One the edge he needed all along to finally win this centuries long battle.

 

“It is not my place to tell Midoriya’s story, but you should know that out of everyone All For One has hurt, Midoriya might have been hurt the most,” Nedzu firmly replies. His eyes glint dangerously, a clear sign that Toshinori really should shut up.

 

He just charges onward, not really hearing what’s just been said. That’s what he’s always done–continuing on even when advised not to. It’s what has allowed him to save so many people. He just has to make Nedzu see that they need to take action on this. That it would be foolish to let Midoriya run around on campus when it is so clear that this is all just another one of All For One’s plans. He presses on, “But his quirk–”

 

“Enough!” Nedzu snaps, his fur slightly raised. 

 

It’s enough for Toshinori to keep quiet. 

 

The principal takes a calming breath, then continues, “Midoriya is still the same boy as you just described: kind and with a heart of gold. He’s at UA because he will make an excellent hero. No other reason.” Disappointment clearly laces his words when he adds, “I’d thought you’d be better than this, Yagi. Quirks don’t define a person.”

 

A slight sense of shame churns in his gut, but it’s easily drowned out by the fact that All For One’s grandson is at UA and that Midoriya has likely been manipulating the situation right from the start of the year. “It’s not the quirk. It’s the fact that Midoriya is All For One’s grandson.”

 

Nedzu looks back at him, as if reading all his thoughts. “Don’t lie to yourself. It’s also the quirk. Besides, do I really have to explain to you that Midoriya shouldn’t be defined by his grandfather’s actions?” His voice hardens when he continues, “Understand, Yagi, that this exam is as much a test for Midoriya as it is for you as a teacher. You will treat Midoriya as any other student. Am I clear?”

 

It’s obvious there’s no room for argument. Even before Toshinori stepped foot inside this office, Nedzu had already made up his mind. This conversation hadn’t been an opportunity to discuss the situation, it’s just a way for Nedzu to announce his plans for the final exams. Part of Toshinori feels like he somehow just failed a test, part of him is too angry to care. 

 

Still, he knows there’s no other option than to agree with the principal’s plans. So he does just that, albeit begrudgingly. He’ll just keep an extra close eye on Midoriya during the exam. One step out of line, one suspicious action and Toshinori will report it to Nedzu. 

 

He won’t let All For One hurt anyone else with his plans. Especially his students.

 

---

 

The universe doesn’t particularly like Izuku.

 

It’s a universal truth, and one he has grown to accept. Still, he’d hoped that for once in his life, it would cut him some slack. He should have known not to hope for such a thing. 

 

He has to fight All Might for his final exam. 

 

The exam where he’d agreed to reveal his true quirk to the rest of the class. 

 

Fuck

 

Now he’s standing in front of one of the mock cities together with Kacchan, waiting for the gates to open and let them in. It feels like he’s dying from the nerves. The fact that he’s going to use his true quirk while the entire class is watching, all while having to fight All Might of all people. It’s a bit much.

 

Yes, he’d agreed to revealing his quirk. After a long discussion with Aizawa, the man had convinced him that it would be best to do so. And a big part of Izuku does think it’s better this way. They’re going on a training camp in a few days, a camp that has the specific purpose of strengthening their quirks if Aizawa’s words are anything to go by. Even Izuku can see how not being able to fully use his quirk would put a damper on his own training progress. Besides, part of him is just so tired of having to hide who he is, of worrying whether he’s done something that could betray who he really is. He thinks that he’s somehow grown a bit more comfortable with using all the quirks he has, at least enough that other people can know about this part of his quirk as well. 

 

That doesn’t take away from the fact that part of him is still absolutely terrified. There’s no saying how the class might react, how the other teachers might react. Yes, all the other people he’s told hadn’t reacted all that badly, but that could just be an exception. Izuku knows what society thinks of villainous quirks, he’s read about it enough online. Hell, he’s experienced it enough himself, even with his ‘fake’ quirk. 

 

Then there’s also the issue of having to fight All Might. All Might, the man who’s entangled in a centuries long feud against All For One. 

 

All For One, the man who happens to be Izuku’s grandfather, a super villain and oh, also has the same quirk as Izuku. 

 

There’s no way that the hero won’t see the similarities between Izuku’s quirk and his archnemesis’s. He’ll for sure draw some unfortunate conclusions. Izuku has seen what All Might did to All For One–a smashed in face and a life glued to life support–he doesn’t even want to think about what the hero will do to him when he figures out where part of his DNA has come from. 

 

All in all, Izuku still isn’t entirely sure whether he’s actually going to reveal his quirk when he and Kacchan walk into the mock city.

 

At least he gets to fight with his friend. That thought manages to bring him some comfort right until that moment when his friend says, “Let’s go straight at All Might.”

 

Izuku nearly stumbles over his own two feet at the absurdity of the statement. “Hold on, do you hear yourself?” he asks, disbelief staining his words.

 

His friend raises an eyebrow and huffs, “Yeah?”

 

“He’s the number one hero! There’s no way we can win that way!” Izuku exclaims, incredulous that his friend doesn’t seem to see a problem with this proposed approach.

 

Kacchan looks at him with a scowl, his shoulders tense. “Aren’t you going to finally use your quirk?”

 

The question takes Izuku off guard. He’d told his friend about his plans to reveal his quirk a few days before the exam, but now that the time has arrived to actually go through with it he’s unsure whether he can actually do it. 

 

Not picking up on Izuku’s internal conflict, the blonde continues, “Because if you actually are, this fight won’t be a fucking problem. We’re gonna take All Might head on, not run away like some pussies!”

 

With that Kacchan stomps away, leaving Izuku to hurry after him. God, they’re still walking along the broad main road, they really should duck into one of the side alleys. Not just because that’s the territory he’s most familiar with, but also because the cramped spaces limit All Might at least to some degree.

 

Izuku runs after his friend, feeling his own irritation grow. Dammit, why did this godforsaken exam have to be a team exercise. “Kacchan, wait! Why don’t we talk about this–”

 

One second Izuku is running after his friend.

 

The next he’s flying through the air, nearly puking up his guts from a punch to the stomach. He crashes against the wall of a building, his head cracking against the concrete. 

 

For a moment he can only hear the ringing in his ears and blink until his vision wants to work with him again. Stars swim in front of his eyes and he’s so nauseous he really would love to vomit his own gut out. Breathing is difficult, his lungs don’t want to work with him, it’s like they’ve been paralyzed by that one punch.

 

His peaceful moment of trying to gather himself after his lights nearly got punched out is cruelly interrupted when his ears pick up on laughing.

 

Chilling laughter, cold and calculating.

 

It makes his blood freeze and if it hadn’t already, Izuku feels as his body kicks into fight-or-flight mode. He knows this laughter. He’s heard it often enough in his nightmares.

 

All For One is here.

 

Only…no, that can’t be right.

 

All For One wouldn’t laugh in a situation like this. He’d teach Izuku a lesson, sure, but his words would be gentle yet cutting to the bone. He wouldn’t punch Izuku into a building, he’d keep him close and wrap a suffocating hand around the nape of his neck. 

 

“Is that all you have, young Bakugo!?” The voice booms, still with that same familiar coldness. 

 

Oh, that’s right. Finally, it seems Izuku’s brain is able to make the right connections again. They’re fighting All Might. 

 

It doesn’t do all that much to calm his beating heart.

 

As Izuku blinks away the last of the daze, he watches from a good distance away as Kacchan blasts a round of seemingly useless explosions right into the number one hero’s face. All Might just grabs him by the arm with incomparable speed and throws the teen onto the ground.

 

Shit shit shit

 

Izuku tries to sit up–he has to help his friend, no matter how much he’d rather not go up against All Might–but then his body harshly reminds him that he was just thrown into a building. His legs don’t want to cooperate, his vision swims in front of him. He can’t just stand up in this state.

 

A scream of pure rage echoes around the street and momentarily draws his attention away. 

 

Kacchan is pinned against the ground by one of All Might's hands. Not a second later the teen lets out a series of even bigger explosions. It doesn’t appear to do all that much because the hero stays right where he is.

 

The sight of his friend struggling is what propels Izuku into action. It's easy to drag his healing quirk out of its safe–his body is ready for a fight. Within seconds he feels as his upcoming headache disappears and the urge to vomit vanishes. He pushes himself upright without much issue. All Might had punched him about seven buildings down the street into the wall of what was supposed to be a shop. The hero himself is standing with his back facing Izuku and with a furious Kacchan pinned to the ground.

 

Right as Izuku starts sprinting down the street, All Might bellows, “Your fellow hero hasn’t lasted even one punch, so give up!”

 

Izuku pushes himself to go even faster as he racks his brain for a good quirk to use against the number one hero. The man’s own quirk light shines bright like a beacon, white light surrounding the seven different lights at its core. Its presence is so alluring that for a moment it’s all Izuku can think about. His hands start itching and he briefly wonders what it would be like to be able to examine that quirk up close.

 

As soon as he becomes aware of it, he shoves the urge to take away. He isn’t All For One. He can’t just take a quirk, simply to sate his curiosity. 

 

Still, as much as he tries to ignore the thought, it has already touched his resolve to use one of his quirks directly on the hero. What if he loses control? Said control is already more slippery because of One For All’s massive allure. The closer he gets, the more he feels the courage draining out of him. This is All Might he's going up against. The man who nearly killed All For One.

 

So, at the last moment Izuku whips out two of his knives instead. With all his accumulated speed fuelling his movement, he whirls in a wide arc at the hero’s back. 

 

Right as the blades are about to hit their mark, All Might partially twists around and his hands let go of Kacchan to grab both of Izuku’s wrists, still with that bright smile on his lips.

 

It all happens so fast that he almost can't process it. The grip is so strong that it forces Izuku to drop his knives and for a moment the fear that he’s utterly defenseless against the holder of One For All consumes him. Yet despite the terror racing through his veins, Izuku pushes himself to smile back at the hero. 

 

“You said something about me not lasting a single punch? Guess you should punch harder next time,” he grits out as he pushes all the emotion out of his face and shapes it into a cold mask.

 

Though it’s only for less than a second, All Might freezes. Before the man can say anything though, a round of explosions sounds, accompanied by the words, “DIE!”

 

Kacchan comes whirling towards the hero from the other side with murder in his eyes. One of his hands moves in front of him, already glowing from the oncoming explosion. Right before the teen can use his quirk, All Might lets go of one of Izuku’s hands and grabs Kacchan’s to point it up at the sky.

 

It saves the hero from a massive explosion to the face.

 

At the same time he throws Izuku quite literally like a frisbee into yet another building.

 

Again, it happens so quickly and with so much speed that Izuku possibly can’t react on time. He just feels as his body makes contact with concrete and his head hits a wall with a sickening crack. White hot pain flashes through his body, unable to be prevented before his regeneration quirk kicks in. It takes him another moment to collect his bearings and shake away the daze. 

 

This time he wasn’t thrown as far, just into the closest building.

 

Right as he pushes himself up, he sees Kacchan being punched down the street by All Might. His friend lands roughly on the ground and doesn’t immediately get up.

 

For a moment no one moves. Then All Might turns to look at Izuku, both fists clenched at his side and a smile on his face that more so appears to be a grimace. His blue eyes seem to almost cut through Izuku, turning his blood into ice.

 

“Is this all you’ve got, little heroes?!” All Might bellows. “You’re not worthy of calling yourself a hero!”

 

That last bit seems to be directed specifically to Izuku, with anger clearly threaded through the hero’s voice. It’s at that moment that Izuku realizes something.

 

All Might already knows.

 

He doesn’t have long to stress out about how the man is already aware of his true identity. Because All Might decides that his words need some action to strengthen them. He punches the air, producing an enormous shockwave.

 

Izuku can’t suppress a flinch, but the shockwave isn’t directed at him. It’s directed at the building next to him, which collapses as soon as the shockwave hits its mark. 

 

Despite the fear racing through his veins, Izuku forces a speed quirk to the front and lets out a deep breath. The world narrows down as he feels his razor focus slip into place. He needs utter concentration right now. None of the Nomus he’s faced in his life can compare to the level that All Might is on. Not even the one at the USJ. He can’t beat the number one right now. Not in an open field with such an uncertain reign on his own quirk. 

 

Still, he needs to do something until he can figure out a good strategy. So, within the next second his feet have pushed themselves off the concrete and he’s racing down the street at his teacher.

 

For a moment he and All Might make eye contact. 

 

Then it passes and the hero is swinging a hyper quick fist at him. 

 

Izuku narrowly avoids it by twisting out of the way, feeling the breeze of the punch pass his face.

 

He doesn’t have the time to retaliate, because then another punch is being sent his way. By pure instinct his feet step out of the way, saving himself from a certain broken ribcage.

 

Shit shit shit, if this keeps up he’s going to beat the crap out of me!

 

Third time’s a charm for the other man. 

 

While Izuku’s speed quirk does make him slightly faster than he would have normally been, that doesn’t make it a strong quirk. It’s so weak that most of the time no one even notices that he’s using it. Hell, All For One hadn’t deemed it useful enough himself and had just dumped it with Izuku. The quirk is nowhere near good enough to go toe to toe with the number one hero and the current holder of One For All.

 

Izuku watches as another punch is sent his way and knows that his body can’t possibly react in time.

 

Use another quirk

 

It’s the clear solution. Use one of his quirks directly on the hero so it will hopefully startle him enough, and give Izuku a bigger chance at avoiding a punch to the gut. 

 

Take the quirk

 

For a moment he wants nothing more than to take One For All. It’s such a beautiful and unique quirk. Just a look would be harmless, right? 

 

He realizes what he’s thinking about when he notices his hands itching from the temptation. A feeling of nausea washes over him.

 

Right as he feels All Might’s fist making contact, he pushes all his quirks back to their saves. The next second he’s smashed against the asphalt road, skidding to a painful stop about half a building away. When he throws up bile on the ground next to him, he’s not sure whether it’s from the force of the punch, or his own disgust that he’d almost taken a quirk again.

 

He stays down on the ground for a bit longer while trying to drag his mind back from the edge of panic. The world around him appears muted. Either because he’s just minimized his own quirk as much as possible, or maybe because All Might keeps using him as a human punchbag. 

 

Weren’t those weights supposed to slow him down?

 

If so, it’s like trying to stop a coursing river by throwing in some stones–it doesn’t do much. 

 

When he looks down the street to check All Might’s and Kacchan’s locations–he doesn’t trust his quirk to do that at the moment–his heart leaps in his throat when he notices All Might isn’t where he’s supposed to be. Instead, the hero has started strolling down the street towards Izuku.

 

The man says something, but Izuku doesn’t hear it. All he can see is cold eyes and a hulking figure approaching him. The ground beneath his fingers feels like concrete and for a moment the blue sky disappears.

Can’t you do better, Izuku?

With a gasp Izuku blinks away the concrete room from his nightmares.

 

He scrambles up into a standing position, clenching his shaking hands into fists until they still. His legs feel like lead and he can only stand like a damn statue as he watches All Might speed up towards him.

 

Fucking move! This isn’t All For One!

 

The hero is closing in on him, gaining speed. 

 

At the last moment Izuku ducks out of the way of a swinging fist. His heartbeat hammers like a wardrum in his ears.

 

All Might turns around, his face flashing in frustration before it’s wiped away. He reaches his arm behind him, ready for the next punch. 

 

“DIE!” Kacchan screams, suddenly there.

 

His friend blasts his way in between them, one hand twisting up towards their teacher.

 

And Izuku watches in slow motion as All Might’s fist punches forward, right at where he should have been, but where Kacchan now hangs in the air. 

 

He moves before he can think.

 

One moment he’s standing behind his friend, the next he’s pushed Kacchan away with the help of all his speed and muscle augmentation quirks. “No!” he shouts. At the same time a cloud of darkness erupts all around them.

 

Shadows, pulled from Izuku’s own inner darkness. It’s why he never likes to use that shadow quirk. It brings up too many bad memories, especially if he wants to create some decent shadows. 

 

Not a single speck of light manages to permeate the cloud of shadows, but Izuku remembers the outline of this street.

 

A gust of wind from All Might’s punch passes him by a hair, and a second later he hears a building crash somewhere behind him. He can’t spare a thought to what might have happened if that had hit him, or god forbid, his friend.

 

With all his quirks still active, he grabs Kacchan by the scruff of his neck and drags him towards one of the side alleys.

 

If the worst moments of his life keep flashing in front of his eyes so the shadows around All Might stay as thick as possible? Well, no one has to know.

 

---

 

“Why the fuck did you drag me away?! I didn’t need your saving!”

 

Those are the first words out of Kacchan’s mouth as soon as Izuku halts inside one of the alleys. His friend scowls at him, fists clenched at his side. 

 

At first Izuku doesn’t respond, his back turned away from the other teen. He’s too busy shaking away the memories that stick to him like glue–a bloody Nomu, his father’s tensing frame engulfed in flames, glassy eyes staring up at him–and there’s still a ringing in his ears. When the words do register, it takes him a moment to realize what Kacchan has just said. Indignation is quick to follow, a rising tide within him.

 

He whirls around, glaring at his friend. “If I didn’t push you out of the way, you’d have been lying unconscious somewhere against a building!”

 

That, Izuku is sure of. All Might had been gearing up to hit him, not Kacchan. The punch would have hit his friend and it would have been enough to take Kacchan out all at once. The only reason that hadn’t happened to Izuku yet with any of the previous punches, is because of his ridiculously overpowered healing quirk.

 

“I had everything handled!” Kacchan snaps, his shoulders drawn tight. “I was going to blast All Might into the fucking sky until you had to but in! You were just standing–”

 

“Shut up!” Izuku hisses. He stalks closer and while the other teen looks ready to refute, he doesn’t give the blonde room to butt in. “If you keep screaming like that, All Might will find us before we can come up with a decent plan!”

 

His friend still glowers at him, but at least he isn’t shouting anymore when he grumbles, “We had a good fucking plan until you decided to run away!”

 

Insides boiling, Izuku glares back at the teen. “Is your pride really so important that you can’t see when you’re using a losing strategy?!” His voice drops dangerously low. “The Kacchan I know would be willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

 

Kacchan at least has the sense to look a bit cowed. His hands curl into fists next to him, and his gaze drops to the ground as if it might burn a hole through it, but at last he grumbles, “I’m not running away.”

 

“And you won’t have to,” Izuku assures. It takes some effort to keep the relief out of his voice now that it seems that his friend is willing to actually listen to him. “Trust me, I also want to win this fair and square. But we can’t just take All Might head on. We need an actual strategy.”

 

A beat of silence. Then Kacchan closes his eyes and lets out a bone deep sigh. A string of curses follow that would have his grandmother rolling over in her grave. Then he opens his eyes, and although he’s still frowning, at least he says, “Fine.”

 

It’s all Izuku needs to lay out his already thought-out strategy.

 

---

 

Their plan starts with Kacchan letting out a series of enormous explosions.

 

With some smaller explosions he blasts himself up the building that frames this specific alley on the left side. He lands in a crouch, hands poised behind him, before his red gaze finds Izuku.

 

Izuku is crouching on the building that frames the right side of the alley, a bit closer to one of the backstreet’s entrances. He has one hand raised as he mentally stretches out the range of his quirk until he can track one very specific quirk light.

 

All Might is moving towards them with frightening speed. A beacon brighter than the sun moving down the streets.

 

Almost there

 

One more second passes. 

 

Izuku lets his hand drop.

 

Not a moment later the number one hero barrels into the alley below, straight past Izuku and towards the spot where Kacchan is waiting. His smile looks more like a grimace as he bellows, “I AM HERE TO TAKE OUT YOU PESKY HEROES!”

 

At the same time Kacchan throws himself off the building with the words, “HOWITZER IMPACT!”

 

The air behind him dissolves into a tornado of fire and heat as he whirls straight at All Might. The entire alley rockets once the teen makes contact.

 

Izuku doesn’t wait for the smoke to clear. Instead he drops down the building, his weak shock absorption quirk nullifying any impact he might have felt. With all the speed and muscle augmentation quirks dragged to the front, he rushes at All Might from behind.

 

It feels like his heart might hammer out of his chest, and part of him would much rather run away than face All Might again, but he doesn’t allow himself to stop. His hands start itching more and more, the closer he gets to that damn alluring quirk light. He really should turn his quirk off, suppress it again. That’s the safe option. The option that his brain is screaming he should take.

 

Seven bright lights, like a rainbow wrapped into the sun, seem to whisper at him. 

 

Take it. Take me.

 

Instead of giving in, or pushing the urge away, Izuku stands his ground.

 

For a moment the need to take almost overpowers him. Then he pushes through it, grabs it firmly and doesn’t let go. He’s stronger than this. He can resist his own quirk.

 

Somehow, he does. And while the urge to take One For All doesn’t disappear, it’s manageable. With all his quirks still active, Izuku closes in on All Might.

 

The smoke clears and the hero is still firmly standing. Kacchan’s biggest attack didn’t seem to put a scratch on the man. Instead, he grabs the teen’s arm and throws him down the alley.

 

Well, shit.

 

Still, Izuku sees an opening and takes it.

 

He dashes forward, ready to finally use one of his quirks.

 

All Might lets his throw flow into a twist, the same arm ready for a punch right at Izuku. “You didn’t think this little scheme of yours would fool me?!” the hero thunders.

 

Whether he’s just deep into his villain role, or alluding to something else, Izuku doesn’t know. He doesn’t spare the words another thought, because he’s too busy pulling another quirk to the front. One he hasn’t used until now.

 

The punch comes hurling at his direction, impossibly fast. 

 

It hits him right in his chest.

 

He doesn’t fly backward. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t move at all. 

 

The shock absorption quirk from the Nomu at the USJ.

 

A sharp smile curls on his face as he stands his ground. He looks the hero in the eye. “No, but this will.”

 

While pushing all his speed quirks to their limits, he grabs the handcuffs looped onto his belt. In one fluid motion, he clamps them around All Might’s still stretched out arm.

 

In the distance Nedzu’s voice chimes, “Congratulations! You have passed the exam!”

 

All Might stares at him wide-eyed. His gaze moves from his handcuffed arm to where his hand is still touching Izuku’s chest. “Y-you..”

 

Izuku glares back, chest heaving. Now that his brain has a moment to catch up, his feelings decide to remind him that they still exist. Part of him is pissed at the hero–he’s sure All Might wasn’t supposed to go all out for this exam. If not for his healing quirk, he’d have been unconscious–or worse–three times over. Whether it’s because the hero is genuinely such a bad teacher, a bad hero who doesn’t know his own strength, or something else, Izuku doesn’t know. All he knows is that All Might now definitely knows his connection to All For One.

 

Guessing from the look on the hero’s face, he doesn’t seem to appreciate that little fact.

 

In the end that’s what prompts him to open his mouth and say, “I don’t know what you think of me. O-or what exactly you…know. J-just–” He scrambles for words. With the adrenaline wearing off, it’s difficult to think past the exhaustion clouding his mind. 

Ultimately there’s only one thing that he really needs the man to know. So, he settles on, “I will be a hero.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

This chapter could also be called “All Might’s hour of using hero students as punching bags.” No, but this fight scene is for some reason the most difficult action scene I’ve written to date. I think it’s because All Might is so ridiculously overpowered, so trying to find a balance in that was rather challenging.

I know some of you might have expected Izuku’s quirk reveal to AM and the class to happen differently. Things just have to happen this way for *plot reasons*, so I hope it was still exciting enough. And don’t you all worry about exciting things. I can’t tell you all how much I have been looking forward to writing the next few chapters :)

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 31: Fallout

Notes:

Here's another chapter! Sorry for the long wait, life decided to ramp up its intensity... I'm not totally happy with this chapter, but I hope it'll still do.

After the exam, Recovery Girl is the first to see Izuku and Kacchan, demanding she check up on both of them. Which, considering the amount of times they’d been punched into a building by All Might, seems fair. 

 

Izuku of course is all fine. His regeneration quirk had made sure of that. Still, Recovery presses some candy in his hands with the words, “Here you go, my dear.”

 

She almost smiles at him, something that greatly disturbs Izuku because he’s so used to her swinging her cane around.

 

It’s perhaps the kindest he’s ever seen the older woman. 

 

Luckily, with a swift kiss Kacchan is also healed from his incoming concussion and the worst of the bruises. Before leaving Recovery Girl, his friend turns to him and grumbles, “Look, I know I was a stubborn shit during the exam, so thanks for pulling my head out my ass.”

 

Really, it is as much of an apology as Izuku is going to get. He doesn’t really have the mental space or energy to make a big deal out of it, so he just shrugs, “You’d have done the same for me.”

 

That is that, and then they’re both off to the observation room so this godforsaken exam can be wrapped up.

 

All Izuku really wants to do is crawl into a hole and sleep until all his problems have disappeared. Unfortunately that’s not an available option at the moment, so he dutifully trudges down the hallway to his impending doom. His brain feels like it might explode from all the thoughts flying around it. To try and calm his frying nerves he starts pulling his hearing quirk to the front then to the back again, muting and heightening the sounds around him.

 

It works for a while, before even that isn’t enough to stop the thoughts from forming and stressing him out. 

 

What if all his classmates will hate him now that he’s shown his true quirk? He still remembers middle school very well. The not-so-well-hidden stares. The way all the kids would skirt around him, never directly acknowledging him yet always whispering. 

 

What if the other teachers won’t trust him any longer? All Might didn’t react particularly well to Izuku’s identity. He still remembers the endless times he had to visit the principal’s office for things he didn’t do but got blamed for. If he closes his eyes he can still perfectly picture every classroom he’s ever had detention in.

 

By the time they reach the observation room Izuku has worked himself into such a frenzy that he’s sure even Kacchan can hear his hammering heart. He can already tell from the amount of quirk lights inside the room that the rest of the class and quite a few teachers are present.

 

Well, at least that means he can get this over with all at once. 

 

His hand hovers in front of the doors, hesitation halting it.

 

“It will be fine, nerd,” Kacchan says. His voice is gruff but when Izuku turns his head to look at the teen, his eyes lack any real fire. The words are an attempt at reassurance, and a promise.

 

Then his friend shoves his way past Izuku and pushes the door open.

 

A hush falls over the room as all eyes are directed like a spotlight to the two of them. Kacchan marches inside without a word, shoulders squared and hands clenched at his side. A scowl decorates his face, daring anyone to so much as look wrongly in their direction. 

 

The silent display of support from his friend is what gives Izuku the courage to follow him into the room. He carefully molds his face into a blank mask and locks his own feelings somewhere deep, deep down. Then he walks inside.

 

His gaze sweeps past his classmates, who are standing on one side of the room. The returning stares are all varying states of confusion or apprehension. When he locks eyes with Uraraka, who’s standing together with Iida and Tsuyu, she looks back at him with concern. Actually, the other two teens mirror her expression.

 

Why are they concerned? For their own safety? Or for him–…?

 

Izuku doesn’t know what to do, so he just ignores it.

 

Instead, he quickly strides towards Hitoshi, who’s standing close to the door. His friend looks back at him with a clear question. Are you okay?

 

All Izuku can do is shrug. Is he okay physically? Yeah, sure. Mentally? Yeah no, that’s a total shitshow at the moment.

 

Hitoshi grimaces. There’s a tension in his shoulders and a tightness to his face. Is he…angry? Not at Izuku, he knows his friend well enough to realize that. He doesn’t get the chance to ponder on it any longer, because then Aizawa clears his throat.

 

The man is standing at the front of the room, hands in his pockets. The other teachers are standing a bit to the side. Notably, Nedzu and All Might aren’t present.

 

That’s more than fine by Izuku, even if he wonders why. He doesn’t particularly want to be in the same room as the number one at the moment.

 

“Alright everyone, to those who passed their exam: well done. To the people who didn’t pass: you will follow mandatory remedial classes during the training camp next week,” Aizawa says. 

 

While to many he might come across as being in his usual stoic mood, Izuku can tell there’s something off about his teacher. There’s a tautness to his face and a heightened heartbeat when Izuku focuses on that with his hearing quirk.

 

A tense silence follows after his words, where normally such a statement from their teacher would have been met by at least some protest from Ashido and Kaminari. If the tension in the room had been physical, it could have been cut with a knife. Aizawa’s eyes briefly land on Izuku–too quick for anyone else to really notice–before gliding past the rest of the class again. The man lets out a bone-deep sigh, “Now, there is something else I need to discuss.”

 

The entire class’s attention seems to sharpen even more at that, the shifting of feet and exchanged glances the only disturbance.

 

“Many of you might have noticed it during the fight between All Might, and Midoriya and Bakugo. Yes, I can confirm that Midoriya was using multiple quirks during the exam. It is a part of his quirk that he had not revealed until now.”

 

Like a hawk, Izuku tries to keep track of the shifting mood of his classmates around him. He can feel how multiple quirks try to push to the forefront, reacting to his own unrest. Part of him is preparing himself for the inevitable rejection that will follow from the people around him once they figure out what his quirk can really do. Part of him is not yet ready for that, clinging to the feeling of belongingness that he realizes he experiences within 1-A. 

 

Apprehension morphs into clear suspicion, rolling around like a tidal wave. This time hushed whispers float around, but they quiet just as quickly when Aizawa brusquely continues, “Whether Midoriya wants to share the exact workings of his quirk with you, is up to him. I expect each and everyone of you to respect his decision no matter what that might be.”

 

Aizawa’s eyes briefly land on Izuku, silently asking him if he has something he wants to say. Maybe it’s the weird and tense atmosphere in the air, or the new shot of adrenaline coursing through his veins, but Izuku breaks away from his position next to Hitoshi before he can think any better of it. He’s standing next to Aizawa in the blink of an eye. Nineteen pairs of eyes stare back at him, some neutral, some narrowed. 

 

Don’t do it. They’ll never look at you the same.  

 

For a single moment the entire room appears to hold its breath. During that time Izuku tries to muster the courage to say something. His body feels simultaneously hot and cold, with both sweat and goosebumps covering his body. He gulps down the nerves, locking them deep inside himself and making sure nothing shows on his face. Then he says, “Hi everyone.” 

 

Silence. Stretching and gaping, threatening to swallow his resolve. He pushes on before it can do so.

 

“What Aizawa-sensei said is true; I did use multiple quirks during my exam. I…want to tell you all how…I think you deserve to know.”

 

His gaze briefly flickers to Kacchan, then to Hitoshi. It both steels his nerves and calms down his racing mind. He lets out a final shuddering breath.

 

“Truth is…I can give and take quirks. I can also use the quirks that I take.”

 

For a moment he lets the words settle in the air, and he watches as his classmates try to sift the confession around in their minds until they realize what it actually means. He doesn’t wait for them to form an opinion, instead he continues on, “I had to keep my quirk a secret for my own safety so only a few people knew about it, like Aizawa-sensei.” 

 

His eyes quickly dart to said teacher. Aizawa is looking at him with his usual tired expression, but by now Izuku knows the man well enough to spot a glint of worry.  He directs his attention back to the class. The atmosphere hasn’t cleared yet, even if the situation has been explained. If anything, it has only darkened it. In an attempt to diffuse some of the tension, Izuku goes against everything that he’s learned and he shows a bit of weakness, “Our class is important to me. Y-you accepted me at the beginning of the year in a way that I’ve never experienced before. It felt like betraying your trust if I had to keep my quirk a secret from you any longer.”

 

And that’s true. While he’d been able to ignore the discomfort of deceiving his classmates at the beginning of the year–after all, back then it would have meant revealing his past to the heroes–in the weeks after the internships that has become harder and harder. He’s safe at UA, or as safe as he can be, and by now it’s no longer necessary to hide his past. Everything that happened in Hosu had made sure of that. There’s no more reason for keeping his quirk from the rest of 1-A, besides the very real possibility of them losing any trust in him that they might have had.

 

He still remembers the cold stares that followed him around back in middle school.

 

But he can put up with that. He’s done it before. 

 

Inclining his head so he doesn’t have to see the rejection on the others’ faces for just a while longer, he says, “I hope you all can still accept me, even if my quirk turned out to be a lie.”

 

“I expect of you all that won’t be an issue,” Aizawa says, tone clipped in a clear warning. “UA has a zero-tolerance policy on bullying and discrimination. From previous experiences I know that principal Nedzu won’t hesitate to hand out fit penalties if anyone gets it in their head to go against our policy.”

 

“Sensei, I’m sure that won’t be a problem!” Iida exclaims. 

 

Izuku’s gaze snaps up in surprise.

 

His friend continues, hands chopping up and down in classic Iida-fashion, “As class president I want to say on behalf of 1-A that we’re honored that Midoriya trusted us with this information!”

 

“Yeah!” Uraraka pipes up. “You’re super brave, Midoriya!”

 

The tension coiled inside his gut melts when Izuku sees his two friends openly supporting him. It stuns him that none of his classmates are looking at him with open hostility. Yes, Yaoyorozu still looks unsure, but somewhere Izuku can understand that. She’s one of three classmates whose quirks have been taken by him at some point. It might take her a while to come to terms with that. Still, part of Izuku dares to hope. 

 

Maybe this time will be different from middle school.

 

---

 

As soon as all his students leave to get changed, Shouta pushes himself past his colleagues and out the room.

 

There’s someone he needs to have a word with.

 

Shouta had watched Midoriya’s and Bakugo’s final exam with growing concern from the observation room. He’d known that All Might, along with the other teachers involved in the exam, had been informed of Midoriya’s true quirk prior to the exam itself. It should have meant that the exam could progress without any issues, both testing his students’ capabilities and revealing Midoriya’s quirk in a safe and relatively controlled manner to the rest of the class.

 

Obviously all of that was thrown out the window as soon as Midoriya got smashed into a building multiple times. 

 

Now, Shouta is aware of the fact that as a teacher he himself isn’t one to go easy on his students. He knows that there’s always a thin line between pushing a student to their very best, and pushing them past their breaking point. That’s why it’s so important to keep your eyes open as a teacher and spot when you should keep pushing and when you should leave it be. Ever since he’s started giving Midoriya private training sessions, he’s become even more aware of the fact that the thin line should not be crossed.

 

All Might obviously lacks either the ability or the willingness to keep his students’ boundaries in mind.

 

It already annoyed Shouta that the hero is allowed to teach the hero classes on his own after just a brief teaching course, but he could keep those thoughts mostly to himself. Nedzu clearly has his reasons for giving All Might a teaching position. It angered Shouta when he watched the number one hero punching and throwing his students around with barely any restraint. What infuriated him though, was that All Might did not reel it in even just a tiny bit after it should have become obvious to any half-competent fool that Midoriya was not doing okay.

 

The kid had run around half of the exam with a blank face, yet his eyes had been filled by terror. And yes, to most that might not be totally obvious–Midoriya is good at hiding his own emotions–but the vomiting should have clued in any person to hold back a bit more.

 

All Might did not do that.

 

So now Shouta finds himself storming towards the one place where he knows he can find both the number one hero and Nedzu. The rat’s office.

 

The doors swing open before Shouta has the chance to knock–not that he would have–and they reveal Nedzu sitting behind his desk. The rat sends him a bright smile, “Ah Aizawa, I was already starting to wonder what was taking you so long! Come in, come in!”

 

Shouta does so, marching to the principal’s desk and biting out, “Why the fuck did I just watch two of my students getting the living shit beat out of them by this buffoon?!” He points at All Might, who is sitting in his small form in one of the two chairs in front of Nedzu’s desk. Judging by the man’s face, he’s already had quite the talking to.

 

Nedzu puts up a placating paw. “Please take a seat, Aizawa. I was just discussing that fact with Yagi.”

 

“Discussing? What is there to discuss?!” Shouta interrupts. “If not for his regeneration quirk, Midoriya would have been punched into a coma multiple times! I don’t see what other evidence you’d need to decide that the number one hero is not fit to be a teacher! The moron clearly can’t properly hold back against his students.”

 

“I held back enough that they still passed the exam, didn’t I?” It’s the first thing All Might says, probably encouraged by the sudden possibility of losing his job. Even if there’s anger concealed within his voice, there isn’t too much heat behind it. Nedzu must really have given him a piece of his mind. 

 

He rounds on the man, insides hot and his own voice tight. “You pushed my students too far! Anyone with eyes would have seen that.” He points an accusing finger at the hero, “But you didn’t care, did you? You just kept going. Even when Midoriya was laying on the ground next to his own fucking vomit. You. Didn’t. Stop.”

 

With his hands making a placating gesture, All Might stands up from his chair. He’s a tall man and easily towers over Shouta. “I was just making sure that young Bakugo and young Midoriya were giving their all.”

 

It’s such a bad excuse that Shouta has to suppress the urge to scoff. He glares at the man. “Bullshit. You weren’t concerned with their performances. Especially Midoriya was on the receiving end of some sort of personal retribution.”

 

“Look, I do realize that I might have…misjudged the use of my quirk just slightly. But–”

 

A laugh escapes Shouta, even if this situation is anything but funny. “Misjudged? I don’t think you were misjudging anything when you were repeatedly using excessive force on my student! That was deliberate.” His eyes narrow as things start to click inside his head. Both All For One and All Might’s time of injury, Midoriya telling Tsukauchi that he knew the hero involved in All For One’s fight, All Might’s extreme actions against Midoriya during the exam. “You’re the hero that fought All For One, aren’t you? And you can’t stomach the fact that his grandson is attending UA, let alone with the same quirk.”

 

It makes his insides boil. As a kid he’d experienced his fair share of teachers judging him based on his own ‘villainous’ quirk. It had always resulted in hours of detention and alienation from the rest of the class. If there’s one thing that he hates, it’s teachers judging their students based on their quirk.

 

“I don’t know if your whole hero act is just for the camera’s or not. But during the exam you didn’t not treat Midoriya any better than All For One did.” The words slip out before Shouta has a chance to think better about it. Mentally he curses himself, damn these feelings. They make him act all irrational.

 

Hearing the words, All Might visibly recoils. Shock dances across his face. Even if it can’t quite conceal how rattled the man is, his voice trembles with anger when he starts, “You–”

 

“Quiet,” Nedzu cuts in before a metaphorical bomb can explode inside his office. “Both of you, take a seat.”

 

It clearly isn’t a request and both Shouta and All Might take their respective seats.

 

The principal takes a calming breath before continuing, “Now, while I appreciate your very astute observations Aizawa, I did already discuss all of this with Yagi. Albeit…not in such a manner. Did we not, Yagi?”

 

“Yes, we did,” All Might says through clenched teeth.

 

Before Shouta can say anything–because more should be done than just discussing– Nedzu puts up a warning paw. Shouta has worked long enough under the rat to know when the principal is on his last threat of patience. He wisely keeps his mouth shut.

 

“I agree that Yagi did not handle as a teacher should have, and that he acted for his own personal motivations. Midoriya is an excellent hero student–no matter his background–and he deserves to be treated as such.” Nedzu turns to All Might, words laced with something that could only be described as disappointment. “It has become clear to me that you aren’t yet able to teach independently. As such, another teacher will supervise you during your classes to make sure you handle accordingly. You will also no longer be teaching the first years. Am I clear?”

 

Coming to the realization that there’s no room to argue with the principal when he’s in this mood, All Might tells Nedzu that yes, it is clear. If not for his own personal dislike of the number one at the moment, Shouta would have pitied the man for being on the receiving end of Nedzu’s punishments. As it stands he can only think that the principal is being merciful. Anyone less than the number one hero would already have been fired. Scratch that, they would never even have been hired in the first place.

 

Nedzu ends the conversation with some final words of wisdom, “I advise you to reflect on your actions, Yagi. Don’t let your past taint your future as a hero.”

 

---

 

The sun shines down mercilessly on their little group as Izuku and his friends sit down on the grass underneath one of the taller trees on campus, everyone with an ice cream in their hand. Somehow Izuku has gotten roped up in Uraraka’s plan to do something fun to celebrate the end of the exams. It surprises him that she still invited him, even now that everyone knows about his quirk.

 

Maybe she’s afraid to exclude him?

 

Though that thought got discarded quickly when she came to ask him if he had any favorite ice cream shops he’d want to go to. He told her that no, he didn’t have any favorite ice cream shops but that he also wasn’t allowed to go off campus at the moment for his safety, so it didn’t really matter if he had any favorite shops. Hearing that, Uraraka had pursed her lips in deep thought before deciding that they would just try to get ice cream from Lunch Rush and stay on campus.

 

So no, for some reason Uraraka doesn’t want to exclude him. If anything she’s putting in extra effort to make sure that he can join her plans. It stirs something…warm inside Izuku, and as he watches his friends chatting with each other. 

 

While enjoying the sun and their ice creams, Uraraka, Iida, Tsu and Hitoshi are discussing their summer plans. Todoroki has also joined them–he’d become a regular presence ever since the internships–but the teen just silently listens to the conversation while treasuring his ice cream. Kacchan is sitting a bit away from the group with his back against the tree, occasionally butting into the conversation with a single gruff comment. Even though he’d loudly proclaimed that getting ice cream was a waste of time, there’s still a milkshake in his hand. 

 

His friends are content to just let Izuku sit with his own ice cream. The exam and the ensuing reveal to his classmates have been exhausting. He doesn’t have the mental capacity for any more social interactions and his friends seem to sense that. He’s grateful that they just let him be, though part of him is surprised that they haven’t bombarded him with questions yet. 

 

In the end Todoroki is the first to do so.

 

“Midoriya, can I ask you a question?” the teen says, interrupting the conversation about the summer camp. It draws everyone’s attention, a silence falling over the group.

 

Izuku has to blink away a drowsy daze and it takes him a while to respond. “Uh…sure?”

 

Is this the moment where he’ll have to explain himself further?

 

“Are you Aizawa-sensei’s secret love-child?”

 

What?

 

“Hah?! The fuck kind of question is that, Icy-Hot?!” Kacchan hollers from his spot against the tree.

 

Todoroki ignores the teen and just just stares at Izuku with an intense gaze, as if that will pull an answer out of him. Meanwhile, Izuku’s brain feels like it’s short circuiting. In the end, he manages a “No?”

 

“Oh.” The other teen deflates a bit, before he narrows his eyes. “You didn’t sound very convincing, are you sure that he’s not your dad?”

 

“Dude, you are so weird. Who socialized you?” There’s not really any malice behind Hitoshi’s words, just utter bafflement. 

 

Todoroki sends him a confused look. “Why would I need to be socialized?”

 

Hitoshi gestures at him, “This! This is the reason!”

 

At that Uraraka openly laughs and Tsu lets out something that could count as a chuckle. Meanwhile Iida tries to reprimand both Hitoshi and Todoroki for their questions. 

 

Izuku is just starting to think that the whole topic of his father won’t be brought up again, when Todoroki turns back to him. “So?”

 

“Uhm…I’m really sure that Aizawa is not my father.” Izuku hopes that’s enough to let the matter rest.

 

Unfortunately for him, Tsu asks Todoroki the question that everyone seems to have on their mind. “Why would you even think that Aizawa-sensei is Midoriya’s father in the first place, ribbit?”

 

“Aizawa can temporarily erase quirks and you,” Todoroki looks at Izuku, “once told me after one of our training sessions that your mom can pull small objects towards her. So based on quirk genetics it would make sense that if you combine these two quirks you’d get a quirk that can give and take quirks.”

 

There’s a certain fanatic light in the teen’s eyes, and Izuku isn’t sure whether he should be scared or not.

 

Todoroki continues, oblivious to the growing disbelief among the rest of the group. “You’re also both blunt in conversations.”

 

A beat of silence.

 

“That’s it…?” Hitoshi mutters.

 

“Todoroki, Aizawa-sensei is around thirty. It would be highly inappropriate for him to have a child as a teenager,” Iida comments, hands chopping around.

 

Slightly horrified at the direction that this is going, Izuku decides to cut into the conversation before Todoroki can come with another piece of ‘evidence’ for his supposed family ties. Unable to keep the slight mortification out of his voice, he begs, “Can we please talk about something else? I don’t want to hear you all theorizing about my parentage.”

 

While Hitoshi teases him about his embarrassment, and Todoroki throws out another part of his theory, they do eventually move on to other subjects.

 

All in all, at the end of the day Izuku marvels at the fact that it wasn’t all just a giant shitshow. Somehow his friends haven’t cut him off after he revealed his quirk. He even did a fun activity with them. He realizes that it’s maybe one of the first times that he’s truly felt like a teenager, doing teenager things, without a care in the world.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

What is that? An actual fluff scene to end the chapter? I guess it’s time to compensate for that in the next chapter…

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Chapter 32: Before the storm

Notes:

Hi everyone! Here's another chapter, I hope you enjoy :)

The stopping of the bus is what rouses Izuku from his slumber. For the past few hours the rumbling of the motor has served as background noise to the chatting of his classmates. It had started off quiet–with most people still trying to squeeze in a few more hours of sleep–but as time passed the atmosphere had gotten rowdier. Now everyone is clambering out of their seats and exiting the bus onto a parking lot.

 

“Hey, are you coming?” Hitoshi who’s sitting next to him asks. He’s already getting up from their spot in the back of the bus, his headphones still slung around his neck. 

 

Instead of following his friend, Izuku shifts in his seat in an attempt to go back to sleep. “Can’t I just stay here if this is a bathroom break?” he mutters as he shuts his eyes.

 

“Aizawa-sensei said everyone has to go stretch their legs.”

 

Right, he did say that.

 

With a lot of effort Izuku opens his eyes again and pushes himself up from his seat. Maybe some fresh morning air won’t be such a bad idea, it might wake him up some more.

 

He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night after another meeting with Aizawa and Tsukauchi to discuss the latest findings in the Kokkaku Nori case. Even if they’re slowly building a case against the Black Aconites and painstakingly unraveling more threats connecting them to other crimes, there’s still no hint of Nori herself. 

 

Both Madoka, the cult leader, and Sugiyama, the leader of the support group, seem to have gone up in smoke. Aizawa hadn’t been able to find them, let alone their respective groups. The gym used by the cult that Izuku had managed to find months ago was abandoned. Not just abandoned but completely empty, anything that might have been a clue destroyed. The location of the support group was the same story.

 

The analysis of the warehouse in Hosu by the forensics team yielded minimal results. Most evidence had indeed been destroyed, save for two DNA samples found in the cages. A scan in the database did result in a surprising reveal.

 

Rie Nakano and Tsugo Hasegawa.

 

After checking his own report from his little trip to the gym, Izuku remembered the first name. The woman who he saw being initiated into the cult. Another victim of the cult’s schemes.

 

Tsugo Hasegawa though, that’s where things got interesting.

 

It was Tsukauchi who connected the name to a missing person case he’d been working on a good half year ago. Tusgo Hasegawa had last been spotted fighting in an illegal fighting ring called ‘Club Powerhouse’. Eventually the case was dropped, for a lack of any evidence.

 

The fact that Tsugo Hasegawa’s DNA was found inside one of the cages, changes things. Is Club Powerhouse another way for the Black Aconites to recruit people? Is that the reason why Hasegawa went missing?

 

Still, why did the cult need these people? Why were they experimenting on humans?

 

It had kept Izuku awake almost all night, but to no avail. It’s like his brain refused to connect the final threads. There’s something big he’s missing, something he’s somehow unable to see that’s the last puzzle piece.

 

Maybe a week in nature will somehow make things click. Izuku highly doubts it, but it’s the thing that gets him out of the bus.

 

Most of the class is huddled near each other next to the vehicle, looking around them with confused expressions and muttering about ‘no toilets being in sight’.

 

Just as Izuku is about to step off the bus, he senses two quirk lights moving towards them with great speed. His stomach drops and he turns to Aizawa, who is standing next to the door opening with his hands in his pockets. “There are two people coming towards us down the road.”

 

Aizawa’s stoic expression doesn’t change when he says, “I know.” He casts a single glance at Izuku. “Get off the bus, Midoriya.”

 

Izuku frowns, not because he’s particularly worried seeing as Aizawa seems to expect these people who are approaching them, but because the teacher really wants them off the bus and there are definitely no toilets in sight. Right as he takes a step off the bus, a black car drives around the curve, already slowing down. It parks next to the bus and before anyone can react two doors are thrown open.

 

“Rock on with these sparkling gazes! We've come to lend a paw and help! Stingily cute and catlike! Wild, wild.. Pussycats!”

 

Two members of the hero team jump out the car, sliding into their trademark poses. Mandalay and Pixiebob. Shouts and murmurs of surprise rise up among the rest of the class. That quiets just as quickly when Mandalay starts talking about the involvement of the Pussycats in the camp, interspersed by some comments from the rest of the class. Eventually she says, “Now, our camp is down there,” she points somewhere off in the distance, down the cliffside that they’re standing on. “If you’re quick, you can make it there by lunch.”

 

A wave of confusion and discomfort has the class shifting on their feet.

 

“What do you mean, ‘make it there by lunch’?” Sero asks.

 

“Guys…I think I’m just gonna go back to the bus,” Kaminari says as he turns to head back to said vehicle.

 

Izuku realizes what is about to happen a moment before Pixie-Bob’s quirk light brightens.

 

He wisely takes a step back on the bus.

 

Not even a second later the rest of the class is quite literally pushed off the cliff by a landslide of dirt and mud. Some surprised shouts and screams follow them down.

 

“Good luck! You’re going to need it!” Pixie-Bob shouts as she and Mandalay look down the cliff. They turn around while Mandalay starts, “Eraser, now that all your kids–”

 

She stops when she notices Izuku standing.

 

Next to him, Aizawa lets out a bone deep sigh and gives him a look.  

 

“Really?” he says, one eyebrow raised.

 

Izuku shrugs. “What’s wrong with evading a quirk attack?”

 

Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose. “Nothing, normally. But I’d appreciate it if you joined your classmates.”

 

Before Izuku can react Pixie-Bob marches forward, a wide smile on her face. “You’re one impressive bean if you managed to evade my attack!”

 

“T-thanks?” Izuku stammers.

 

Mandalay halts next to her. Crossing her arms, she says, “But Eraser is right. We do really need you to follow your classmates.”

 

Pixie-Bob nods and adds, “It’s the start of your training, after all.”

 

For a moment Izuku’s gaze slides past the adults standing in front of him and towards the cliff. Going down there means facing his classmates. It means seeing if their relatively good attitudes after his quirk reveal held up. He sighs, trying to dispel the nerves suddenly flitting around his body.

 

Aizawa seems to sense his unease. He turns to completely face Izuku and looks him in the eyes. “It will be fine, kid.”

 

It doesn’t necessarily erase his nerves, but it does calm them down. He mutters a “okay.”

 

Then he walks towards the edge of the cliff, already pulling his shock absorption quirk to the front. Without allowing any more time for his own thoughts to stress him out, he jumps down to join the rest of 1-A.

 

---

 

It’s not really a surprise when his class doesn’t make it back to camp before lunch. Shouta never expected them to do so, and quite frankly, he’s glad for that. He’ll have an entire week where he most likely won’t be able to find any peace and quiet for long, so he’ll take all the quiet he can get while he’s still able to.

 

He drives to the camp with Mandalay and Pixie-Bob on their insistence that he join them in their car. Pixie-Bob chats away almost the entire time and only sometimes falls silent, probably to focus on her quirk. It’s rather exhausting in Shouta’s opinion, and he survives the drive with gritted teeth and the hope that once they get to camp he’ll have a few blissful hours to himself.

 

He doesn’t. At least, not really.

 

After they arrive Mandalay disappears into the main building, saying she has to check up on her nephew. Tiger appears to say a quick hello before marching towards the woods to put the last hand on part of the training grounds. Shouta tries to sneak off to find a place to nap with his sleeping bag. 

 

That’s when Ragdoll emerges from the main building, a big smile on her lips and her eyes bright. She crushes Pixie-Bob in a hug. Though she tries to do the same with Shouta but one look has her backing off and instead just shaking his hand all too enthusiastically. Ragdoll turns again to Pixie-Bob and they start exchanging information about his students in the woods. Ragdoll about the students themselves, Pixie-Bob about her mud beasts. 

 

While they do invite him to join them at a table on the porch of the main building, Shouta declines. There’s not much that he hates more than having to make smalltalk. He doesn’t manage to stay away from their conversation completely though, too curious to know how his students are doing.

 

Damn this class. He really has started to care about them.

 

So, he grabs his sleeping bag and finds a dark corner inside the building, close to the door that leads to the patio. As he lays there, the voices of the two women drift through the open door.

 

Their relay of information to each other and comments about the students’ performance paint a clear picture of how they’ve been doing.

 

Apparently they’re doing better than expected. Part of that could probably be ascribed to their early encounter with villains, back at the USJ. Besides that though, they’re also using a surprisingly good strategy and a clever application of quirks to smash through mud beast after mud beast. Shouta doesn’t have to think about who’s responsible for that. 

 

Midoriya

 

The kid has such an extensive knowledge of quirks and a knack for battle strategy, it’s practically unrivaled amongst class 1-A. Knowing that Midoriya is orchestrating the rest of the class and that 1-A allows him to do so, settles something inside Shouta. He’d worried whether the class would take Midoriya back into their folds. Kids, especially teenagers, could be cruel to those they saw as not belonging.  

 

It seems his worries are just that, worries. For now the class appears to at least want to work with him. They seem to trust him enough to let Midoriya plan their approach through the forest.

 

Hours pass. Shouta manages to grab a bit more sleep. The sun is already well on its descent when Ragdoll and Pixie-Bob notify him of 1-A nearing the camp.

 

He and the Pussycats watch the class emerge from the forest, exhaustion clearly dragging down their limbs. Everyone is covered in mud and some teens support each other as they stagger towards the open field where the heroes are standing.

 

Pixie-Bob congratulates the students, and discusses their performance.

 

While she does so, Shouta takes the time to silently observe his class. Who’s standing where, the distance between groups. Naturally most of the friend groups are standing together. No one seems to be injured, nor does it seem like any fights have broken out among the class. Midoriya and his friend group do stand near the edge of the class, Midoriya furthest to the side but he doesn’t appear to distance himself from his friends. The rest of the class also doesn’t seem to keep more distance between each other or Midoriya’s friend group.

 

That’s good, at least.

 

After Pixie-Bob finishes the discussion, Kirishima points out Mandalay’s nephew–Kota apparently–who’s standing a bit away from the heroes with a frown on his face. The subsequent meeting between the two takes a turn for the worse when the kid unexpectedly tries to punch Kirishima in the crotch. Before Shouta can decide whether he should say something about that, 1-A–or rather Iida–already does so. 

 

Kota just storms off, a thunderous expression on his face.

 

Shouta doesn’t pay the interaction any mind. It’s not really any of his concern. Instead he says, “Everyone grab your bags from the bus and put them in your rooms. Just for tonight the Pussycats have prepared dinner for you. I expect you all to be in the dinner hall in half an hour.”

 

By now his students know well enough to listen to him. They’re off to the bus with minimal groaning, some of them even gushing about the dinner.

 

All Shouta can think is that it’s going to be a long week.

 

---

 

Dinner is delicious. Izuku has to give the Pussycats that much. He sits at a table with his friends, listening to the conversation as he eats. He’s too tired to really say anything himself. As they sit there, he feels some of the tightly woven tension in his stomach unwind. There aren’t any scathing or distrustful glances being sent his way. He’s not being paid any more mind than anyone else.

 

It’s…nice. So he just sits and he smiles when Uraraka turns his way and compliments him on his strategy back in the woods. “Thanks,” he says for lack of better words.

 

Iida leans forward as he asks, “Yes, your use of strategy and your knowledge about quirks really is astonishing. Where did you learn that?”

 

Izuku shrugs. “A lot of practice.” It’s not necessarily a lie, but also not necessarily a truth. He can’t very well say that he had to learn to analyze and plot. All For One saw his childhood hobby to analyze quirks and turned it into something to be used, something that would hurt others. Since his escape Izuku hasn’t really done any hero analysis. At least not in the way that he used to, filling notebook after notebook. He still likes to analyze, but can’t bring himself to actually write it down. 

 

Being asked by Uraraka to come up with a strategy, one that the rest of the class actually wanted to use, felt good. She’d insisted that Izuku could help them cross the forest more efficiently. Surprisingly enough, multiple people had supported her words. Todoroki, Iida and Tokoyami. It had convinced the rest of 1-A to give him a shot.

 

Izuku thinks it did help to clear some of the tension in the air. Considering everything, he supposes that things have gone better than expected. Any of the lingering doubts some classmates might still have will either be erased by time, or they won’t at all.

After dinner the rest of the class goes off to the hot springs. Izuku tells his friends to go ahead without him. He needs some time to himself after such a long day of being surrounded by people. A simple shower should do just fine. Before he goes to do that though, he decides that he might as well help carry some of the dishes to the kitchen.

 

The plates have already been stacked up into neat towers, same as any empty bowls by the class. He picks up a particularly high stack of plates and goes to look for the kitchen. He finds it easily, the sounds of clattering dishes and two voices drifting through an open door not far from the dining hall. Right as he’s about to step through the doorway a small figure barrels past him, forcing Izuku to take a hurried step to the side. The tower of dishes in his hands teeters precariously to one side before he manages to find his balance again.

 

“Stupid heroes!”

 

Kota. His words hold a surprising amount of malice as he storms out the doorway and disappears around the corner. 

 

A deep sigh from inside the kitchen. “Sorry about him.”

 

Izuku turns back around to see Mandalay standing in the kitchen, expression conflicted. After hesitating for a moment, Izuku enters the kitchen. He shakes his head, “No, it’s okay. He probably didn’t see me.”

 

Mandalay lets out another sigh and gestures where he can put down the plates. “You don’t have to help today.”

 

“I want to,” Izuku says. He doesn’t offer an explanation. She doesn’t ask for it. Maybe she also understands the need for some quiet, having more outgoing teammates herself. Izuku goes to grab another stack of plates while Mandalay starts in the kitchen. As he does so he stretches out his quirk. Many quirk lights light up around the main building. The one he’s looking for though, he finds running through the forest. 

 

“Will Kota be okay? He’s in the forest at the moment…” Izuku asks as he enters the kitchen again. Who knows what might be wandering among the trees.

 

Mandalay looks up from where she is holding a rag underneath the tap. If she’s surprised that he knows her nephew’s location, she doesn’t show it. Instead she turns off the tap and says, “Oh yeah, don’t worry. Ragdoll will keep an eye on him. Besides, these woods are ours. We know them like the back of our hand. Kota as well. He’s spent a lot of time over there the past two years, away from well…” She trails off, then continues, “I’m sure it’s just that there are a lot of hero students right now.”

 

There’s more behind her words. Hurt, worry, conflict. Izuku doesn’t press about that. He does, however, note the one thing that’s become rather obvious to him, “He doesn’t like heroes, does he?”

 

At first he hadn’t really clocked it as odd, but that might just be because of his own unusual circumstances growing up. Being locked inside the base of a supervillain didn’t exactly mean that he heard a lot of positive things about heroes. But most kids grew up only learning that heroes were to be praised at every turn. Kota even has an aunt who’s a hero.

 

His train of thought is interrupted when Mandalay sighs. “No, he doesn’t. Maybe he would have, had he grown up normally, but well…” For a moment her eyes fill with something breakable. Then she blinks. “I’ve taken care of him for two years now. His parents–my sister and her husband–were both heroes. They died while fighting a villain. Kota obviously didn’t take it well.”

 

She looks up from wiping the kitchen counters with the rag, a stiff smile on her lips. “Goodness, sorry if that was too much. I’m not usually that much of a talker.”

 

Izuku assures her it’s fine. If he hadn’t wanted to know, he wouldn’t have asked. They relapse into silence. Mandalay is clearly caught in her own memories. Izuku mulls the conversation over. He carries a few more dishes to the kitchen. Then Tiger and Pixie-Bob enter the kitchen. Maybe they went for a perimeter check and that’s why they were gone?

 

Pixie-Bob firmly tells him that he should be resting, not working. That will come tomorrow. There’s a glint in her eyes that has Izuku shuddering of what’s to come the next few days. He doesn’t protest and leaves the kitchen with a soft ‘goodnight’.

 

As he wanders off into the main building, on his way to find the showers, he ponders. Two years ago Kota’s parents died. Two heroes. A duo. They can’t have been small-time heroes if their quirks could be compared in strength to that of Mandalay. Of course he doesn’t know every single hero that died two years ago. But one particular tragedy was on the news for weeks. The deaths of the Water Hose duo by the A-rank villain Muscular. 

 

It may very well be possible. 

 

Whether those are Kota’s parents or not, the kid has lost them.

 

In a way Kota’s anger reminds Izuku of Tenko’s when his brother was younger and his hatred hadn’t yet been nurtured by All For One. He doesn’t know much about Tenko’s family barring the fact that they’re dead. Tenko always got…dangerous when Izuku tried to talk about the topic of family. He learned quickly not to mention it. But part of him wonders what kind of person Tenko would have been had he not gotten caught up in All For One’s clutches. 

 

Maybe he would have been taken in by a loving family, just like Kota. Where his anger was allowed to exist, but where it wasn’t being taken advantage of. 

 

Izuku pushes the thoughts away with a shake of his head. It’s all just hypothetical what ifs. He should know better than to entertain those thoughts. They never get him anywhere. Besides, for once in his life he doesn’t want to think about his past. He just wants to worry about this week, and surviving it.

 

---

 

Training the next day is, as expected, tough. 

 

They’re forced to get up at the crack of dawn. Most of his classmates don’t seem to appreciate the hour of the day. Izuku doesn’t necessarily mind, even if he still feels stiff all over from the day before. He hasn’t slept particularly well, feeling too exposed in the big room with the other boys. Too much noise and too many quirk lights pressed together. Luckily he’d been tired enough that despite the unease he was able to catch a few hours of sleep.

 

Everyone is told that this week they’ll focus on strengthening their quirks. The heroes each take a few students and lead them away to instruct everyone’s exercises. Izuku is told to follow Aizawa. Once he’s put every other student to work, Aizawa leads Izuku to a smaller clearing surrounded by trees. Through the trees the big clearing where people like Kacchan and Todoroki are training is still visible, but it does hide Izuku partially from view.

 

He’s glad for that when he hears that he’s going to use as many quirks as possible for as long as he’s able to and then a bit longer. There are three dummies made of high-end nearly-impossible-to-damage steel standing inside the clearing. Aizawa leaves with the words “Work hard”.

 

For the next few hours Izuku spars against the dummies. He’s got more quirks pulled to the front than he has in…a very long time. Magma Hand, Hydrosuction, his strength and muscle enhancing quirks. He pulls various other quirks to the front as well. Ones that aren’t really useful and that All For One had just dumped with him. As he moves between the dummies, he switches between quirks. An attack with Magma Hand here, using water pulled from the plants around him there, all while keeping his muscle and/or strength enhancing quirks active. All in all, for hours on end the clearing is filled with a flurry of quirks.

 

It’s easier than expected to keep training, despite a vague sense of deja vu. This clearing is nothing like that concrete training room from his nightmares. It smells of dirt and he can hear the rustling of the leaves and the distant shouting of his classmates. Surprisingly it’s the physical part that’s harder this time. A glaring headache beats around his head at the end of the day–a clear sign that he’s overused his quirk. 

 

That hasn’t happened too often. He is built for using multiple quirks at a time but he usually doesn’t use that many all at once. Also, now that he thinks about it he hasn’t really been pushing his quirk lately. At least, not in the way that he did today or the way that All For one would make him do. 

 

Finally, Mandalay calls for the end of the day and she tells them to gather at the kitchen. It’s time to make their own dinner.

 

---

 

Making dinner is a chaotic affair. Kacchan takes reign of the situation once it becomes clear that if left to their own devices some of their classmates–read: Todoroki and Kaminari–would sooner chop their own fingers off than cut the vegetables in front of them. Kacchan starts ordering people around, maneuvering Todoroki away from the cutting boards and letting people with a bit more proficiency with knives replace the teen.

 

His friend turns to Izuku once he’s almost done orchestrating the rest of the group. “I take it Auntie Inko taught you some cooking?”

 

Slightly bewildered at the intensity of the blonde, Izuku nods. “I think so? I-I mean I can cook different dishes, I even cook on my own some time, but I’m not sure–”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I get it nerd,” Kacchan interrupts before Izuku can get lost in the details. The teen mutters under his breath, “At least someone who isn’t fucking hopeless.”

 

Izuku picks up the words regardless–his hearing quirk is still running after all. “Hey! I’m not the only one! Yaoyarozu said she can cook!” he gestures at her, then at Sato, “and Sato says he bakes pretty often!”

 

Kacchan looks at him as if he’s grown a second head. He scoffs, “Baking is not the same as cooking, dumbass. If Sugar Rush said he’s good at baking, then obviously I can’t trust him with cooking.”

 

Before Izuku can refute, the other continues, “And at least with you I can guess what your skill level is. I know Auntie Inko can cook, so you should be decent at least. I don’t know that for sure with Ponytail.”

 

“You really care about this, huh?” The words come out more teasing than anything else.

 

Kacchan’s face grows red and his hands flex at his sides. "HAH?! The fuck I do! I’m just making sure these idiots don’t burn down the kitchen!”

 

Izuku puts his hands up in defense, still a grin finds its way on his face. “Okay, okay! You do you.”

 

His friend huffs. “Whatever.” He points at the pans that have already been put on the fires. “You better make sure not a single piece of food gets burned.”

 

The words sound vaguely threatening but before Kacchan can add an actual threat, he gets distracted. “Hey Racoon Eyes! That’s not how you cut a fucking onion!” he hollers, before stomping off in Ashido’s direction.

 

Izuku is left standing by the fire with the grand responsibility of making sure their food actually gets cooked. He can’t help the small smile that crawls up his face as he watches Kacchan wrangle his incompetent classmates. There’s something…almost endearing to it. Watching everyone worry about food and something low-stakes instead of exam results or villains.

 

---

 

In a surprising turn of events nothing gets burned, and an hour later everyone is sitting at the table with their own portion of food in front of them. Somehow Izuku ends up sitting at a long table with not just his own friends, but also Kacchan’s friends. He’s squeezed between Tsu and Ashido and Kacchan sits in front of him. Here and there he can see the drooping of eyes or slumped shoulders, but overall an excited chatter still fills the air along with the rustling of the trees in the distance.

 

That reminds him–

 

He mentally reaches out with his quirk, ignoring how his headache flares up. He tries to cast out the many quirks pressed so close to him and only for a moment the urge to take pushes to the front of his mind. Then he casts the thought aside and focuses further out, into the woods.

 

His range doesn’t span too far. In fact, just a small part of the forest. But it’s enough to notice Kota’s quirk light somewhere inside it. He’d seen the kid leave without any food just a few minutes prior.

 

Before he can think any longer on it, Izuku pushes himself up from his spot at the table and goes to grab another plate of food.

 

“Deku! The fuck are you doing?” Kacchan asks.

 

Izuku turns back around from where he’d started making his way to the stack of still-empty plates. “Grabbing another portion of food for Kota? He left without getting any food, and he might be hungry…”

 

His friend frowns, “That’s his own damn problem.”

 

“Bakugo!” Ashido exclaims. “You can’t just let a little kid go hungry!”

 

“Hah? That’s survival of the fittest!” 

 

Ashido just rolls her eyes, as if she’s used to Kacchan’s responses. She probably is. Then she turns to Izuku. “Don’t mind him,” she says, waving a hand in Kacchan’s direction.

 

“Oh, I know.” 

 

Curiosity fills Ashido's eyes when she says, “You do? Say, how do you two actually know each other?”

 

Izuku frowns. “Kacchan hasn’t told you? We’re childhood friends.”

 

Her mouth falls open, mirth in her eyes. “You are!” she exclaims as if she’s had that idea for a while. “Kacchan always refused to tell me!”

 

“DON’T CALL ME THAT, RACOON EYES!” Kacchan hollers.

 

Oops

 

The attention of the entire table is drawn to the spectacle, and Izuku makes himself scarce. The last he hears as he disappears into the forest with a plate of food is Uraraka and Ashido’s loud laughing and a panicked Kirishima trying to calm the situation down.

 

---

 

Izuku finds Kota easily enough. Even without his quirk he could have tracked the kid without much effort. There are enough broken branches and crushed leaves to guide his way. Kota is sitting at the edge of a cliff, knees drawn up to his chin.

 

“I brought you food,” Izuku says as a way of announcing himself.

 

Kota doesn’t even turn around when he shouts, “Go away! I don’t need your stupid food!”

 

For a moment Izuku just watches the kid. The tense set of his shoulders, the irregular pulsing of his blue quirk light. He wonders what he should do now. He’s never really interacted with kids, and certainly not ones that are as upset as Kota. Should he just go away? Put the plate of food down and leave?

 

A part of him protests at that idea. The note of anger in Kota’s voice is something Izuku recognizes. It’s a hint of the hurt, of the need to be listened to that’s buried underneath the anger. So, instead of just giving up, he extends an olive branch. “You don’t like heroes, do you? I used to feel the same way.”

 

Though Kota doesn’t respond, he also doesn’t scream at him again to go away.

 

Izuku takes it as an invitation to sit down, keeping enough distance from the kid. He searches for the right words to say. Dammit, he’s been at the receiving end of these inspirational speeches for the past few months now. It shouldn’t be this hard to be the one giving it for once. His first words come out halting, “I don’t hate heroes anymore.”

 

Kota’s head whips in his direction and he scoffs, likely expecting another lecture. 

 

Dammit, wrong start.

 

“But I’m still angry at them.”

 

That softens Kota’s angry frown a bit, and confusion flits across his face. 

 

“A few years ago a villain tried to hurt my family. My father stood up against the villain so my mom and I could escape. We did, but…my dad didn’t make it.” Izuku swallows down the emotions that try to rise. 

 

Kota’s anger seems to at least have melted away a bit. Enough even that the kid opens his mouth to ask, “Was your dad a hero?”

 

If it weren’t for the memories clawing at the back of his brain, Izuku would have laughed at the sheer irony of the question. Instead he just shakes his head. 

 

“Then why are you angry at the heroes?” Kota asks, nose scrunched in confusion.

 

“Everyone is always told that heroes exist to save the day. Only…when I needed them, they never showed up. They didn’t even know we were in trouble. For a long time I hated the heroes for that.” Obviously the matter is more complicated than that, but Izuku isn’t about to explain ten years of trauma to a five year old.  

 

For a while Kota appears to mull his words over. Then he frowns. “Why did you become a hero student if you don’t like heroes?”

 

Izuku looks down at his hands, then off into the distance. The forest stretches out in front of them. It takes him a bit to find the right words. Nobody has ever outright asked him why he wants to become a hero. At first it was just the easiest way for him to get a license so he could use his quirk in public and help more people who had quirks that damaged them. But now… “I guess I just want to make sure that no one else ends up in my situation. Part of me is still angry at heroes, but part of me can also see the good that they bring to society.”

 

He knows it’s childish to be angry. The heroes never even knew he was in need of help. Besides, how could they possibly have saved him from All For One? Even All Might hadn’t managed to take down the villain. That doesn’t matter to the part of him that’s still twelve years old and watching his father sacrifice himself though. It also doesn’t matter to the part of him that’s still six years old and forced to train inside that concrete room for the first time. 

 

Kota breaks him from his thoughts by crossing his arms and huffing, “Well, I still don’t like heroes.”

 

Izuku shrugs. “That’s fine. You’re allowed to be angry.”

 

He’s not about to tell the kid that he shouldn’t be angry when both his parents died because they were heroes. Izuku can imagine that his environment would tell Kota how noble that death is. It’s fucked up, how society thinks about heroes. Hell, Kota’s parents never should have been on duty together when they knew they had a young child at home. That’s just a disaster waiting to happen. He’s not about to tell that to Kota though, it wouldn’t do any good. 

 

However, he does add, “Just don’t let the anger consume you. You can be angry, and still think that if a hero saves someone they did a good job.”

 

Kota doesn’t say anything, he just stares off into the distance. Perhaps he’s angry again? Well, Izuku tried.

 

Without waiting any longer, he stands up. As he turns around to walk away he says, “I put the food behind you, if you want it.”

 

Disappearing back into the forest, Izuku’s hearing quirk picks up some final muttered words.  

 

“Thanks, I guess.”

 

---

 

That night Izuku wakes up gasping for breath, a silent scream on his lips. His arms itch and burn and for a moment he’s sure they’re still disintegrating into dust. Behind his eyes images of a wicked grin, blood and broken bones, and a burning hallway flash by. 

 

It takes him longer than he’d like to figure out where he is, his vision refusing to shake away the last dregs of the nightmare. Then he notices the quirk lights around him and the slow breathing that fills the room.

 

Right, he’s at the training camp. He needs to get a grip of himself. He’s in a room with people he only half knows, he can’t show this…this weakness–

 

“Izuku, are you okay?”

 

Izuku whips his head around in the direction of the whispered voice. It’s Hitoshi, who’s laying on the futon next to him. Through a crack in the curtains some moonlight falls into the room, just enough that Izuku can see the outline of his friend. He seems to be looking in Izuku’s direction, arms propped up behind him.

 

Instead of answering the question, Izuku whispers back, “Did I wake you up?”

 

Hitoshi shakes his head. “No. Insomnia, remember?”

 

The tone of his friend’s voice makes Izuku think his words are partially meant to clear the air. Izuku just can’t find it in himself to joke back. He’s still too shaken by his nightmare. Letting out a shuddering breath, he nods, “Right…”

 

If not for the relative lack of light, Izuku is sure he would have seen Hitoshi frown. 

 

A beat of silence passes, both of them wondering how to continue.

 

Eventually Hitoshi asks, “Do you want to go look at the stars?”

 

Izuku doesn’t see much reason to decline, so a few minutes later he finds himself sitting on the steps that lead towards the porch of the main cabin. Above him a vast sky filled with sparkling stars stretches out.

 

Neither he nor Hitoshi say a word. They don’t need to, just sitting with each other is enough. Both of them are caught up in their own thoughts and the endlessness of the starry sky. It helps to clear his mind and dispel any lingering thoughts of the nightmare. 

 

He just sits, breathes and watches.

 

---

 

During dinner the next day, Pixie-Bob announces that they’ll be doing a test of courage. Izuku doesn’t really know what that is until Hitoshi explains to him that it’s supposed to be a fun game where you try to get through a forest filled with people who try to scare you. Izuku doesn’t really know what to think of it.

 

He still doesn’t when together with everyone he makes his way to the starting point of the test.

 

The students who failed their exams are dragged away by Aizawa for their remedial lessons. Izuku watches them go with some sympathy. Aizawa has been pushing their class for the last few days, his unforgiving side showing even more so than usual. Compared to some others, Izuku has been relatively spared by the man and he’d mostly just been left to his own devices throughout the day. That’s fine by him, even without constant commentary from his teacher it’s sometimes already difficult enough to keep on training.

 

Class 1-B had already disappeared into the forest to prepare. That leaves 1-A standing with Tiger, Pixie-Bob and Mandalay on a clearing a little ways away from the main building. 

 

There hangs a tension in the air, but Izuku chalks it up to everyone’s nerves for the test of courage.

 

Even if part of him really wants to, Izuku decides not to check the forest with his quirk. If he wants to experience the test of courage like he’s meant to, then he shouldn’t know where everyone from class 1-B is hiding. Besides, he’s not even sure he could figure out where everyone is hiding. With the range of his quirk he’d likely only be able to scope out the beginning of the route.

 

It goes against his instincts, but he doesn’t want his paranoia to ruin this night for him.

 

Pixie-Bob makes everyone draw lots to decide the pairs. Of course Izuku is the one that ends up alone. They’re with an odd number after all. It doesn’t really bother him. He’s pretty sure that whatever 1-B can come up with, it isn’t even going to be close to the scariest thing he’s ever seen. He’s lived with the real devil after all.

 

Every few minutes a new pair enters the forest.

 

When it’s Uraraka and Tsu’s turn, the former takes a deep breath and turns to her friend. “We can do this Tsu!”

 

They grab each other’s hand before walking into the forest, quickly disappearing from view.

 

Two more minutes pass.

 

Izuku notices that he keeps shifting his weight from one foot to another. Why is he even nervous? It’s just a test of courage. 

 

The forest seems oddly quiet, barring the occasional scream from one of the students already taking part in the test of courage. Izuku frowns and looks up at the sky. Maybe there’s a storm coming?

 

Pixie-Bob turns around and it seems she’s about to tell the next group to start. Then she halts and tilts her nose up in the air. “Why do I smell smoke?” she mutters, eyes clouding over in worry.

 

Mandalay frowns and takes a step in her teammate’s direction. “Is something wrong?” 

 

It’s right at that moment that a very familiar purple quirk light appears at the edge of the clearing.

 

No

 

Izuku whips his head around, just in time to see a purple portal closing and two villains stepping forward.

 

No, please no.

 

He feels his stomach sink and the blood in his veins freeze over.

 

Only one thought is able to cut through the static in his ears.

 

Kurogiri is here, and that can only mean one thing:

 

The league has come to get him.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I hope this chapter didn't feel too rushed. I just struggled a bit with the correct pacing for this chapter, so this will have to do...

For those of you wondering why Izuku hadn’t noticed the villains earlier: they were hiding out of his range. Izuku’s range with his quirk is about a 80-100 meter radius. If the forest is as big as it looks in the anime, then the villains could have easily set up camp outside radius. Only once the attack is already well on its way do they enter his range. The map of the camp is based on this map. It’s the official map used in the manga.

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 33: Impossible choice

Notes:

Hi again! Sorry that this chapter is a bit later. I'm on holiday right now with some really unreliable internet. If there are still spelling mistakes left, please let me know because I wasn't able to properly check.

Anyway, remember how I said I had some exciting things planned? I lied. I planned more trauma for poor Izuku and his friends.

CW: see chapter endnotes, they might contain spoilers.

The league has come to get him.

 

Like a mantra that thought circles around Izuku’s head as he watches two unkown villains grin at them from across the clearing. Had he not seen Kurogiri, he could have convinced himself that this was just another random villain attack. That would have still been unfortunate, but not this type of disastrous.

 

No one else has noticed the villains yet, everyone too preoccupied with the smoke in the air. Izuku knows he needs to call out, warn them. He wants to. But all he can do is stare, limbs frozen and throat locked up.

 

Say something!

 

Static fills his ears, muting everything. His brain refuses to listen to him, refuses to command his body. Panic and a bone-deep terror drown out any of his thoughts.

 

The League is here. That means something. It means–

 

The broad-shouldered villain with brown shoulder length hair raises the magnet in her hands until it’s held in front of her. As if in slowmotion, her quirk light brightens.

 

Saysomethingsaysomethingsaysomethingsaysomething. SAY SOMETHING!

 

All Izuku can do is uselessly watch as Pixie-Bob is dragged impossibly fast towards the villain. As soon as she hits the magnet, the villain deactivates her quirk. Pixie-Bob crumples to the ground, unconscious.

 

People around him let out cries of suprise, their attention finally drawn to the villains. At least Izuku thinks that’s what they do, there’s still cotton in his ears. 

 

Move, dammit! Move move move!

 

Finally–way too late–he is able to put a step forward. To do what, he's unsure of. Attack the villains? Get Pixie-Bob back? Run? 

 

His thoughts still race through his mind. Fast, fast fast. Too fast to grab any and hold onto them.

 

At the same time that he moves, the other two heroes also kick into action. Tiger and Mandalay rush in front of the students, ready to protect and attack. 

 

“Get back to the main camp! Your teachers will keep you safe!” Tiger commands as he stares the villains down.

 

Izuku’s gaze slides from the villains to the two Pussycats. He has to let them know what they're dealing with. “Tiger!” He shouts, or tries to. His voice comes out like a rasp. He clears his throat. “The villains are with the League. Kurogiri–the teleporter–dropped them off!”

 

For a moment Tiger's shoulders tense. Then he nods, “Thanks for letting me know.”

 

“I could–”

 

“Go back to camp. It will make it easier for us to handle it here,” Mandalay interrupts, her voice leaving no room for argument. 

 

It feels wrong to leave like this. To let others fight for him. He should help. This is his fault. The League is here because of him, he’s sure of that. 

 

A hand lands on his shoulder, pulling lightly. “Come on,” Hitoshi says. He must see the conflict in Izuku’s eyes because he adds, “They can handle themselves.”

 

Finally, Izuku lets himself be dragged away. Along with Iida, Ojiro, Kouda and Hitoshi he starts running back to the main building. Behind them, the sounds of fighting follows them through the trees.

 

Hitoshi turns to him while they rush down the path, brows furrowed. “Izuku, you said the League is here. Does that mean…?”

 

There’s nothing Izuku can do to appease his friend’s worry. He can just grimly nod. “Probably.”

 

The word tastes like ash in his mouth.

 

Time feels like sirrup. Slipping through his hands way too quickly, yet also barely moving at all. His thoughts keep racing through his head. Wondering about the what ifs and what might yet happen. 

 

Where is Kota?

 

That thought makes Izuku stop in his tracks, blood freezing in his veins. There must be more villains in the woods. What if…what if–

 

“Izuku?” Hitoshi interrupts the thought before he can finish it. He halts as well, looking back at Izuku.

 

“Kota. He wasn’t at the main camp during dinner.”

 

His friend frowns, “The kid?”

 

A nod. “He must still be in the woods. I think I know where.”

 

Hitoshi puts a step in his direction. “Are you sure you should go? What if…the League–”

 

“I’m the only one right now who knows where he is.”

 

Izuku feels a little guilty, cutting his friend off like that. He understands the worry. The League is here. But he can’t just leave this kid to his own devices. Not now there are villains and there’s a chance Kota might need help.

 

Ahead of them, the rest of the group has also stopped. Iida calls, “Is everything alright?”

 

Neither of them respond immediately. Instead, Izuku gives Hitoshi’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be fine. I’ll get Kota and then return back to camp.”

 

The other teen doesn’t look convinced. He nods though. Both of them know that Izuku has already made up his mind.

 

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

 

Izuku sends Hitoshi a smirk, even if worry taints it. “You know me, right? I won’t do anything stupid if it doesn’t find me.”

 

With that he turns away and rushes into the woods.

 

---

 

Izuku notices the two quirk lights as soon as they enter his range. 

 

One is a by now familiar blue.

 

The other has a wave of worry washing over Izuku, speeding up his steps.

 

It's unfamiliar. It pulses with bloodthirst. 

 

Ignoring the dread settling into his bones, Izuku pushes his speed quirk to its limit.

 

Hurry

 

He’s almost there. If only he could go faster.

 

There

 

A familiar rock formation comes into view.

 

Three more steps. Past the trees he can already see a tiny part of the cliff.

 

Kota’s blue quirk light pulses in panic.

 

Izuku bursts onto the open clearing just as roaring laughter fills the space. 

 

Kota is standing with his back towards him, fists clenching and facing a man in front of him.

 

It’s a monster of a man, muscles hulking and towering over the two of them. He’s got short cropped blond hair and one of his eyes has been replaced by a prosthetic. A cruel smile is stretched on his face.

 

Without slowing down Izuku rushes forward, grabs Kota by the arm and pulls the kid behind him, his own hands stretching out defensively.

 

The smile falls from the villain’s face just as quickly.

 

“What do we have here? A hero brat?” Muscular growls. Because this is definitely Muscular. With the quirk and the missing eye he’s hard to be mistaken for someone else. 

 

Izuku glares back. “Yes, a hero brat.” He spares a quick glance behind him, Kota looks scared and a little wide-eyed but otherwise unharmed. Still, as he looks back around he asks, “Kota, are you okay?”

 

“Y-yes,” comes the stammered reply.

 

Musculare lets out a barking laugh. Harsh and short. “And how do you plan on keeping the kid okay, hero brat? You see, I’m going to kill him.” He grins. “And you won’t stop me.”

 

“We’ll see about that,” Izuku responds as he lowers himself into a fighting stance. He raises his voice, “Kota, run back to camp. You’ll be safe there from the villains.”

 

“B-but–”

 

“Go!” Izuku commands with as much force behind the word as he can, letting a bit of harshness seep into it. This fight will be much easier if he doesn’t need to worry about protecting the kid, even if it means scaring Kota to get him out of here.

 

There’s no answer. Just the turning of shoes on the ground and the patter of running footsteps. 

 

Muscular watches the entire affair with an eager grin. “You really think making him run away will save him from me?” He cracks his knuckles. “I’ll just kill the Water Hose brat after I kill you.”

 

“Are you sure your boss would be happy with that?” Izuku asks. There’s no way Tenko or All For One would want him killed by one of these villains.

 

The other man just barks out another laugh. “Hah! What kind of nonsense is that? You’re not that explosive blond kid, so you’re free to kill as I wish!”

 

Izuku doesn’t get the chance to think about the implications of that statement.

 

One moment Muscular is staring him down with that damned grin.

 

The next he’s in his face, hulking fist swinging forward at Izuku.

 

There’s no time to dive out of the way. By pure instinct he pulls up his shock absorption quirk right before impact. If not for the extensive quirk training of the last few days, he could never have done so in time.

 

His feet don’t even move a bit as Muscular’s fist hits his gut. 

 

Izuku doesn’t wait out the villain’s reaction. Instead he swings out his own fist, backed up by his strength enhancing and muscle enhancing quirks.

 

It doesn’t seem to do anything as he makes contact with Muscular’s solar plexus. When he pulls his fist back he sees why–layers upon layers of thick muscles. He dashes out of the man’s reach before Muscular can try once again to hit him. He’s learned his lesson the first time. 

 

“Pretty nifty quirk you’ve got there.” Somehow Muscular grows even bigger as he growls, “Not that it will help you defeat me.”

 

Izuku doesn’t deign to respond. He’s too busy trying to come up with a way to stop the other man. He really whishes he had his hero costume on right now, just so he’d have his knives and smoke bombs. Right now there’s nothing he can do about that though. It means he has to do with what he already has.

 

His quirks and his bare fists.

 

When Muscular launches himself at Izuku a second time, he’s ready. Just as another punch is sent his way, he whirls to the side and sends out a swift kick.

 

Again, it doesn’t do much, so Izuku withstands Muscular’s counter attack with his shock absorption quirk and tries another time.

 

They dance around each other like that a few more times. With deathly fists and quick steps. 

 

Izuku feels his frustration growing. Obviously even with his strength and muscle enhancing quirks his attacks don’t seem to do much. Muscular’s muscles absorb all of it. He’d tried to use the one quirk that lets him blow tiny invisible obstacles of air to trip the villain up. Inconspicous enough that Muscular hadn’t noticed him doing so. Not that it mattered. He just smashed his way right through them, probably not even noticing what had been in his way.

 

Still, he can see Muscular growing frustrated as well. The villain clearly hadn’t expected Izuku to hold out as long as he has.

 

Once, when the villain comes too close for comfort, Izuku grips the man’s arm with Magma Hand before he can think about it. The flesh underneath his hands sizzles and for a moment memories of another time he’d used the quirk flash before his eyes.

 

 

 

A red, steaming imprint of a hand. Itching, burning arms. Malicious red eyes glaring at him.

 

 

 

Reality comes crashing down on him in an explosion of pain in the arm still gripping Muscular. Izuku has to bite down on his own tongue to keep from screaming out, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. When he blinks away the tears forming in his eyes, he sees Muscular looking at him with narrowed eyes. The spot on the man’s arm that was burned is already covered in a new layer of thick muscles.

 

The villain covers his expression with a scowl. “I’ll just break your entire body another way if I can’t punch you to death.”

 

Indeed, Izuku’s bones in his upper arm have been utterly crushed into pulp. His hand falls away, hanging limp at his side. 

 

He tries to grab the villain’s hand that's still holding onto his arm with his own–still working–hand, Magma Hand active once again. Muscular has learned his lesson though, and he lets go before Izuku can succeed.

 

Izuku takes that chance to create more distance, right as his regeneration quirk kicks in. The pain eases as he regains function in his right arm.

 

Muscular watches all of it with his lips curled back in disgust. “What kind of freak are you?!” 

 

Though he might have imagined it, Izuku catches a slight stammer in the villain’s voice. Is he…afraid? For once it doesn't sting, the reaction of fear. Instead, Izuku sends him one of his own cold grins. “Care to find out?”

 

There's one thing that Izuku realizes while he watches Muscular launch at him as a way of an answer. They’re at a stalemate. If he doesn't switch things up, they'll keep attacking each other without any results. He doesn't have the time for that. 

 

No, he needs to end this fight quickly and there is one very simple solution to that.

 

Muscular closes in on him. Izuku ducks underneath another punch and stretches out his hand towards the man's abdomen.

 

Take it. Take the quirk!

 

It’s for the best. A murderer like Muscular deserves to be without his quirk, at least for a few hours. Izuku knows that. He knows–

 

 

 

Glassy eyes, staring up at him. A new quirk crawling underneath his skin.

 

 

 

The Nomu, brain mangled and laying in a pool of blood. Quirks now his, so he'd survive.

 

 

 

Blood coating his hands. His mother next to him. Someone, unconscious beneath him, quirk stolen.

 

 

 

A hand clasping around the nape of his neck. “Can't you do better, Izuku?” 

 

Pain, all encompassing, as his quirk is torn away from him.

 

“Perhaps a while quirkless will teach you better.”

 

 

 

Izuku’s hand makes contact with Muscular’s abdomen. Harmless.

 

A beat of silence. Izuku tries to tear himself away from his brain, tries to escape his dreadful past.

 

Then a hand closes around his recently healed arm and tosses him into the nearest rock wall. He lands in a heap and doesn't immediately get up. Instead, he stares at the stone ground beneath him, tiny pieces of gravel piercing the skin of his hands and dust filling his lungs.

 

Muscular catches up to him within a blink.

 

The next thing he knows his head is shoved from the side against the stone wall as Muscular slowly starts pushing down on one of his legs.

 

This time Izuku can’t help the strangled cry that escapes him.

 

The villain is going to break every bone in his body.

 

Starting with his legs.

 

His regeneration quirk kicks in again. It heals the fractures in his bone before the bone starts breaking again. It hurts.

 

“How does that feel, huh?!” Muscular exclaims, cruel laughter spilling from his lips.

 

Izuku is too busy trying to keep from screaming his throat raw.

 

“I’m sure this quirk of yours has its limits! I’m going to find it!”

 

Through the fog of pain, all he can do is curse himself. Curse himself for not using his fucking quirk. For being too scared. Hadn’t he trained with Aizawa for weeks? He hadn’t acually taken a quirk, but he’d already done that before. The sports festival, the quirk apprehension test.

 

Why can’t he do it now?

 

He keeps feeling a hand around the nape of his neck. Controlling his every action. Painfully ripping away his quirk. Whispering to him.

 

Can’t you do better, Izuku?

 

By now, Muscular has moved on to the other leg. Breaking, healing, breaking.

 

That’s right, he needs to get out of this situation. If he’s too damn scared to actually use his quirk, then he’ll have to resort to other methods.

 

Part of him protests. Hadn’t he escaped this part of himself? The part that’s brought back to that prison of an apartment with blood on his hands?

 

Then he hears Muscular gleefully say, “You know what? I’ll do this same thing to that precious Water Hose brat of yours! That’ll be payback for my damn eye!”

 

Izuku’s gaze snaps to stare the villain in the eye. The anger that he’s always conceiled so carefully breaks free from his restraint, coursing through him and filling every part of him. Suddenly, part of him doesn’t mind too much what he’s about to do. 

 

All he can hear is the rushing of his own blood as he grabs a few quirks more from their saves.

 

Muscular starts screaming once he activates Hydrosuction.

 

---

 

Later–Izuku doesn’t know how much time has passed–he leaves the clearing with blood coating his hands. Muscular won’t be leaving that clearing any time soon. Not when he doesn’t have the muscle strength to do so. 

 

Besides, how would he know which way to go? Not being able to see where the cliffside ends should keep him from getting too far.

 

Izuku wanders back into the woods. He can’t start running just yet. First he needs a moment to take the events that just occured and stuff them somewhere deep inside a metal box in the back of his mind.

 

Fuck his therapist and trying to experience his emotions. He’ll collapse into a nervous wreck on the spot if he does that. 

 

After a short breath out, he starts scanning the area for Kota. The kid can’t have run off too far.

 

Nothing.

 

He can’t sense the blue quirk light.

 

Maybe he already made it back to camp?

 

Ignoring the thread of unease pooling in his gut, Izuku takes off back in the direction of the main building.

 

Kota will be there. He has to.

 

---

 

Shouta watches as the scarred villain in front of him melts into a puddle of brown goo. The heat of his scorching blue flames till hangs in the air.

 

The camp got attacked by villains. 

 

One of them had already made it to the main building before Shouta put a halt to it.

 

In his periphery he’d already noted four students making it back to camp. Iida, Shinsou, Kouda and Ojiro.

 

He can only hope the other students will make it back here safely. The logical part of him knows how unlikely that is.

 

It is perhaps by some underground instinct that he looks away from the dissolving puddle in front of him and at the tree line in the distance.

 

There.

 

Green curls peek through the shrubs lining the edge of the clearing around the main building. Though the kid is shrouded in shadows, Shouta has had years of experience staring into the darkness of alleyways and backstreets. It allows him to pick up a few concerning details.

 

Dust and blood coating the kid’s face and hair. The tense line of his shoulders and the mask back in place, yet with cracks showing through it.

 

For a moment haunted green eyes lock gazes with him. A beat passes. Then they slide away from him as Midoriya’s head turns to look in the direction of the fires rising somewhere deeper in the forest. 

 

“Midoriya!” Shouta calls out, trying to channel his best teacher voice. 

 

It does nothing to stop the teen from completely turning away from him and disappearing into the forest. 

 

Shouta watches him leave. He can’t do anything else. Not with so many students inside the building and only one other pro hero around to protect them. Not when one villain had already made it here.

 

When he gets inside the building and hears from Shinsou that it’s the League who is behind the attack, he wishes that he’d immediately gone after Midoriya.

 

---

 

Kota wasn't at the main camp.

 

Even without entering the building, Izuku had been able to confirm that. It could mean all of two things. Either another hero student had stumbled across him and taken Kota with them. Unlikely. Anyone with a bit of common sense would know not to take a child into a dangerous and burning forest. Or a villain had somehow gotten to Kota before he could make it back to camp.

 

Izuku has a few theories how a villain could have gotten Kota out of his quirk range so quickly. None of which he likes very much. All of the theories lead him deeper into the forest, into the heart of the danger zone.

 

While he feels a little guilty for ignoring Aizawa, and not going back to the main camp like Hitoshi asked, that feeling is easy to push aside. He hasn't sensed Ragdoll yet, the only other person around capable of locating specific people from a distance, so that makes him the next best option to find Kota, and Kacchan for that matter.

 

Explosive blond kid.

 

Muscular’s words match with the characteristics of his childhood best friend. Perhaps the League hasn't come to get him after all, but instead they're here for another objective. Kidnapping Kacchan. It makes Izuku wonder what the League, and by extent All For One, want with Kacchan. Not that it matters. He'll make sure to prevent his friend from being taken.

 

All he has to do is to get to the blonde before the villains do.

 

So, he runs on past trees and ducks underneath hanging branches. The stench of the fire permeates the air. Multiple quirk lights from his classmates catch his attention, but he keeps on going. They're not the people he's looking for, and he can't be everywhere all at once, he can’t be…well, All Might. He has to trust that his classmates can handle themselves.

 

At some point he senses a Nomu wandering through the woods. It’s quite far though, so he keeps on going, hoping that it won’t encounter anyone.

 

After what feels like ages the quirk light that he’s looking for enters his range. Kacchan’s blazing red quirk light, with Todoroki’s recognizable dual quirk light nearby. There’s also another quirk light pulsing weakly, that Izuku recognizes as belonging to Tsubaraba from 1-B.

Tokoyami’s quirk light–also known as Dark Shadow–is rapidly approaching them, Shoji not too far behind. Even from far away Izuku can tell that Dark Shadow has grown out of control, an inkspill among a sea of tiny quirk lights. It presses into his awareness like a wardrum, a steady building pressure behind his eyes.

 

There’s one other quirk light already near Kacchan and Todoroki. It’s unfamiliar. 

 

Izuku’s stomach drops. That can only mean one thing: a villain has already found his friend.

 

---

 

It's in the middle of utter chaos that Izuku makes it to the location.

 

Dark Shadow is wrecking havoc, smashing aside trees and anything that dares to move. Not even half a minute ago Izuku had sensed as the quirk had quite literaly thrown the unfamiliar quirk light away. That light hadn’t moved again.

 

Tokoyami is kneeling on the ground, expression tortured and screaming, begging his companion to stop. Pieces of shattered ice and charred branches lay scattered around him, probably remnants of Todoroki and Kacchan’s fight against the villain.

 

Because drawing the attention of Dark Shadow right now seems like a very, very bad idea, Izuku has krept underneath some bushes. The quirk light itself is enormous. It overwhelms his senses until he can’t see any other quirk lights besides the blackness of Dark Shadow. The pressure has risen behind his eyes, making it impossible to feel anything else. While Izuku hates that he has to do it, he decides to suppress his own quirk so he doesn’t sense anything anymore. 

 

He’s afraid that his eyes might pop out of their sockets from the mounting pressure otherwise.

 

It does help a lot, allowing Izuku to focus a bit more on his surroundings and take stock of the situation. Because he can’t sense anyone through his quirk anymore, all he can really do is carefully scan the area around him.

 

He notices Shoji crouching behind a tree not too far away from him, panic in his eyes as he stares at the rogue quirk in front of him. It takes a bit longer, but eventually he also spots Todoroki kneeling behind some bushes a bit further away. 

 

Kacchan is nowhere to be seen, but that’s probably because he’s hiding somewhere on the other side of Dark Shadow, which Izuku can’t see at the moment.

 

The only thing keeping him from warning his friend is Dark Shadow. He already knows how to deal with that.

 

Taking a deep breath, Izuku shouts, “Todoroki, use your fire! It will stop Dark Shadow!”

 

He doesn’t get the chance to see if the other teen hears him, because Dark Shadow definitely has. The quirk lashes out at him with a roar, forcing him to dive away. Not a second later the bushes that he’d been hiding under get crushed under a falling tree.

 

Then the quirk turns, its glowing red eyes gazing down at Izuku. Well, fuck. He scrambles to get out of the way before he meets the same fate as the bushes, but knows it’s rather futile. There’s not much he can do against Dark Shadow in this state and just once he wishes he had something like a fire or light quirk.

 

Dark Shadow dives down with a roar. Izuku can only hope that his regeneration quirk will heal his body back together after this.

 

Darkness closes in on him.

 

It never reaches Izuku because a wall of fire arches through the sky and pushes its way in between him and the quirk.

 

After that it’s all over rather quickly.

 

All things considered, Tokoyami turns out to be alright, if not guilt-ridden by his loss of control over his quirk.

 

“Midoriya, what happened to you?” Todoroki asks, bluntly interrupting the conversation as he approaches them from the spot where he’d assaulted Dark Shadow.

 

All three boys turns to stare at Izuku and he realizes that he's still covered in blood. Blood from M–

 

“Not important,” he responds, because he’s shoved all of that into a tight metal box and he's not about to open said box. The teen’s question does remind him why he's here and he starts looking around wildly, disturbed by the fact that he hasn’t seen or even heard Kacchan yet. “The league is after Kacchan. I- I don’t know why but–” he trails off as he realizes something terrifying.

 

His friend isn’t here.

 

Shoji is the one who asks the question that all four of them have, “Wait, where is Bakugo?”

 

Ignoring the rising panic within him, Izuku increases the range of his quirk to the maximum. At first he can’t find anything, but when he closes his eyes and really focuses he gets his answer.

 

Already moving away from their group at rapid speed is an unfamiliar quirk light. Next to it Kacchan’s blazing red quirk light has been reduced to a tiny spot and Izuku wouldn’t have noticed it had he not been looking for it. 

 

His eyes snap open, heart beating wildly. “A villain has got Kacchan.” It must have happened while everyone was distracted by Dark Shadow's rampage. The fact that the villain is moving so quickly must explain why Izuku hadn't sensed them before.

 

“I'm going after him. You should all head back to camp.”

 

Of course, being the hero students that they are, his classmates don't agree with him and insist on going with him. Frustration rises within Izuku, he doesn’t have time for this. Any moment wasted right now is a moment he could go after Kacchan.

 

Trying to keep the harshness out of his voice he grits out, “It's too dangerous. Besides, someone needs to take care of Tsuburaba,” Izuku nods at the unconscious student slumped around Shoji's shoulders, “and Tokoyami, you just told me you can't risk using your quirk again. That will only slow me down.”

 

Seeing Tokoyami’s face Izuku has to suppress a wince. Yeah, he didn't fully succeed at keeping the harshness out of his voice. 

 

“Warn the heroes when you get back and tell them I'm heading south.”

 

With that he’s off, leaving the other teens to decide for themselves what their next action will be. Right now he can't find it in himself to worry too much about what they'll do, he has bigger problems to deal with like getting his kidnapped friend back.

 

In the end he's not surprised when Tokoyami and Shoji stay behind with the 1-B student. They might have a bit of a reckless streak like most hero students, but they're not stupid. However, there is one quirk light that still hurries after him.

 

Todoroki catches up to him with a rush of ice. 

 

“Go back! It’s not safe!” Izuku says while pushing his strength and muscle enhancing quirks to the limit.

 

Though the teen’s face stays as impassive as ever, Todoroki lets out a huff. “Are you going to stop me?”

 

Of course he isn't. He doesn’t have the time for that. 

 

His silence is telling and Todoroki says, “I'm going with you.”

 

Even if Izuku wants to tell him that it will be dangerous, too dangerous, he knows it won't stop Todoroki. So, he just runs on and prays to the gods above that he can catch up to the villain before they reach whatever destination they're heading for.

 

---

 

Kurogiri starts attacking them not long after they've started their pursuit.

 

There's only the brief warning of the purple quirk light before a portal appears at the place where Izuku’s feet had been a moment before.

 

He manages to evade the portal by dashing to the side, almost crashing into Todoroki. He doesn’t get a moment's rest to warn the teen, because then he senses another attack coming.

 

The only reason Todoroki doesn't disappear into a portal right then, is Izuku pulling him away at the last second.

 

They don't stop running, that would only make it easier for the villain to teleport them away. 

 

“Keep holding my hand! I can predict Kurogiri's attacks!” Izuku tells his friend. Todoroki nods. Though his face remains as impassive as ever, Izuku can tell from the teen’s quirk light that he is stressed.

 

Yet another portal opens up beneath their feet, and Izuku pulls them aside before it can swallow them whole.

 

He grits his teeth. Even if he's able to evade Kurogiri's attacks because of his quirk, it prevents him from really focusing on the villain they're actually trying to pursue. 

 

For another few minutes they rush through the forest, Kurogiri hot on their heels. The way the portals are formed, it makes Izuku frown. If the villain had wanted to halt their pursuit, he would have created portals in front of them, not underneath their feet. So what–

 

His thoughts process gets interrupted by another portal opening up beneath their feet. It's small enough that both Izuku and Todoroki are able to jump over it, crashing through some bushes and landing in a crouch.

 

Later, Izuku blames his sole focus on evading Kurogiri for not noticing sooner. For not noticing–

 

“Hello again, little brother.”

 

---

 

“Hello again, little brother.”

 

Very slowly, almost mechanically, Izuku rises from where he’d landed in a crouch. His blood feels as if it has frozen and his stomach tightens into an impossible knot.

 

Standing there, in the middle of the clearing with a wide grin on his face is Tenko. He hasn’t changed much since Hosu. The same unkempt white-blueish hair, the skin around his neck still as raw and those same red eyes staring at Izuku with a sort of feverish mania.

 

One of his hands hangs loosely at his side and the other…

 

The other is holding Kota close, all fingers but the pinky snaking around the back of the kid’s neck.

 

“Let Kota go,” Izuku says, ignoring the taste of ash in his mouth. Even if there’s terror flooding his veins, even if his arms have started itching and burning again, he has to make sure nothing happens to Kota. Kota, who should have been back at the main building but instead is right here, being used for whatever is going on right now. Kota, who is just a kid and shouldn’t know what it’s like to be one breath away from death.

 

Hearing his words, the grin on Tenko’s face drops away. “You’re not even going to greet me?”

 

Izuku’s gut clenches with guilt, hearing the disappointment in his brother’s voice.

 

“Midoriya, what is he talking about?” Todoroki asks, face blank but words sharp. His friend had been silently watching the exchange.

 

Izuku ignores the question–he knows what this situation must look like from an outside perspective–just as he ignores the heavy feeling of guilt. He hides it all away behind a mask of cold anger. Fists clenching at his side, he puts a step forward as he grits out, “Let. Kota. Go.”

 

“Don’t move!” Tenko snaps, voice dropping in warning. His eyes briefly flash to Todoroki before he scowls, “Either of you. Not if you don’t want this brat to turn into dust.”

 

Both teens freeze and they watch as Kota’s eyes start to water in terror.

 

While he doesn’t want to ask the question, fearing whatever answer he might receive, Izuku swallows down his hesitation to ask, “Why are you here?”

 

A gleeful smile spreads on Tenko’s face. “You haven’t figured it out yet?” He turns his head to look at a masked villain standing some ways behind him, his free hand held out. There are more villains standing in the shadows, but Izuku doesn’t dare take away more of his attention from Tenko.

 

“Release him,” Tenko commands. 

 

The other villain drops something in his brother’s hands. Izuku realizes that the villain’s quirk light matches with Kacchan’s kidnapper a moment before the teen himself appears in front of Tenko, also with a hand around his neck.

 

Kacchan frowns, confusion flashing across his face. “The fuck–!”

 

“Kacchan, don't move!” Izuku shouts, fearing disaster otherwise. He’s seen what Tenko can do at the slightest provocation, been at the receiving end of it. It terrifies him that it might happen to his friend.

 

The other teen freezes, seeming to realize his current situation.

 

A laugh echoes across the clearing. Tenko looks at him with cruel amusement. “You really call him that! Kacchan! Like some tragic side-character backstory!”

 

Kacchan’s hands flex at his side the reign on his anger snapping. “Let go Handj–”

 

He's shut up when Tenko suddenly pulls him closer. A sneer decorates the man’s face as he leans towards Kacchan’s ear. “Zuku is right though. Shut up and don't think about using your quirk. You don't need to talk for this next dialogue scene.”

 

While he looks like he wants to do anything but stay silent, the blonde listens with a scowl. 

 

“Let them go. Then we can talk,” Izuku says, hoping to gain some control over the entire situation. He tries to project some confidence into the words but even to him he sounds weak. He knows he does. Something about Tenko being here makes his resolve crumble. 

 

Shaking his head, Tenko tuts in disappointment. “Sensei should have taught you better than that. You're not the one deciding the terms here, so don't act like you are.”

 

The words that Izuku was about to say evaporate from his tongue. Tenko is right, it's stupid of him to think that he can just make demands like that. Then he realizes what he's thinking and he hates that he's feeling like his naive self again, hates that Tenko has that effect on him.

 

Content that he's shut up, Tenko continues, “Good. Now, I have no reason to let these two go. Kacchan over here will make a fine villain. Especially once Sensei has taught him some lessons. And the brat over here…” he trails off thinking. Then Tenko’s face lights up in childish glee. “Well, I'm sure Sensei and the Doctor will find a good use for him!”

 

Izuku feels like he's about to be sick. Next to him, Todoroki’s quirk light pulses irregularly.

 

Red eyes narrow as they glare at him. “You have nothing to bargain with.” One beat of silence. “Unless…”

 

The note of cruel glee in the other man's voice gives Izuku a really bad feeling. “Unless what?”

 

“Unless you come with me. I need my player two for the rest of the game.”

 

No…

 

Please no.

 

“Midoriya, what is he talking about?” Todoroki asks once again.

 

Izuku doesn’t answer, isn't able to. The world is collapsing around him, closing in on him and stealing away his breath. He feels hot and cold all over. 

 

Tenko’s gaze darts between them, picking the situation apart in seconds. “Why don't you answer him, Zuku?”

 

“I-” His throat closes up, not letting any words out and not letting any air in.

 

“If you won't answer, then I will,” the man sneers. He turns to Todoroki who's watching the entire exchange with an actual frown. “You see, Zuku here is supposed to live with me and Sensei. He did until those stupid parents of his stole him away to the heroes. But tonight my party will finally be complete, because Zuku will be coming home with me.”

 

It's at this point that Izuku realizes something. The League never actually wanted to take Kacchan away. That was just a trap to lure him right into Tenko’s waiting hands. Now Kurogiri's portals also make sense. They weren't meant to keep him away, but to drive him forward.

 

“You won't take him,” Todoroki says, dropping low into a battle stance.

 

Tenko scoffs and Izuku is sure he would have scratched his neck, had his hands been free. “Dabi! Make sure this annoying npc doesn't get in the way if he tries anything.”

 

A villain emerges from the group behind Tenko, Dabi apparently. Izuku recognizes him as the one Aizawa had been fighting back at the main building. By now the group has grown, more villains done with whatever they'd been doing. They seem to keep their distance from their leader though, apparently already well aware of Tenko’s temper.

 

Dabi narrows his eyes when he looks at Todoroki. “What do we have here? Endeavor's brat?” He almost spits out the name of the hero.

 

Izuku senses Todoroki’s quirk light flaring up brightly.

 

He doesn’t want this to happen. Doesn't want his friend caught up in this, hurt because of him. Closing his eyes, Izuku forces back the panic trashing around his mind. He locks all feelings somewhere deep inside of him until there's nothing left to push away.

 

Then he opens his eyes and softly says, “Todoroki don't.”

 

Todoroki frowns and seems to want to protest, but Izuku is already talking again.

 

“If I come with you, you'll let Kacchan and Kota go?”

 

Izuku watches as a wide and slightly deranged smile stretches on Tenko’s face. “If you come along like the obedient player two you're supposed to be, then I'll let these two npc's go.”

 

“Deku don't you dare!” Kacchan growls, eyes blazing.

 

“Quiet!” Tenko hisses as he tightens his hold on the teen’s neck. “Dabi, give him the syringe.”

 

Dabi starts feeling around his pockets. “Catch,” he says and he throws something at Izuku.

 

When he looks down at his hands, it is indeed a syringe with purple liquid inside.

 

“A quirk suppression drug. The Doctor has perfected it since Hosu, so you won't try anything funny.”

 

Izuku swallows down the bile rising in his throat. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

 

“Inject it. Then walk towards Dabi. Once you've been contained, I'll let the brats go,” Tenko says.

 

“Promise not to hurt anyone else.” 

 

“If they don't try anything.”

 

“Don't do it Midoriya. The teachers will be here soon,” Todoroki says. There’s a hint of worry in his voice that Izuku has never heard before.

 

It might be true that the teachers are here soon, if they even manage to find this place in time, but Izuku doesn't think Tenko will let him wait that long. His brother has never been known for his patience.

 

He looks down at the syringe in his hands. 

 

Kacchan’s voice strains and cracks when he says, “Deku don't you fucking dare! Think about Auntie Inko!”

 

Izuku almost cries hearing those words. It feels like he's standing at the edge of a chasm, a pack of wolfs closing in on him. There’s no way out anymore. At least not without hurt.

 

Kacchan is glaring at him with anger in his eyes. Kota has started silently crying.

 

Is he really about to give himself up? Is he really about to trade away the freedom that he's fought so hard for? He doesn’t want to go back. He really, really doesn't want to. His mind still remembers what it was like, his body too. He still has a choice. He can still see his mom again if he chooses so.

 

His gaze slides from Kacchan, to Kota, to the syringe in his hands. 

 

It's impossible to try to think about his childhood friend being dragged away to the place of Izuku’s own nightmares. Kacchan is fearless and brave, brash and loud. He's everything Izuku longed for inside that damned concrete room. It shouldn't be beaten out of his friend. Besides, hadn't he told himself the other night that he'd make sure no other kid would have to go through what he did? He can't let Kota experience that kind of hell. He'd never be able to live with himself.

 

“The clock is ticking. Hurry up before I make the choice for you,” Tenko snaps, his patience already thinning.

 

Izuku barely gets the next words out of his mouth. “Tell my mom I'm sorry.”

 

Then he brings the syringe to his arm and empties it.

 

The world goes utterly quiet.

 

His legs carry him to Dabi. Izuku feels like he's floating above his own body.

 

Kacchan is screaming at him. Tenko doesn't stop him, clearly enjoying every moment of this.

 

Izuku doesn’t hear anything though, because the world has gone quiet. There are no longer any quirk lights and there’s cotton in his ears. He doesn’t want to hear this. Doesn't want to remember it.

 

After seconds, minutes, perhaps hours, he makes it to Dabi. A hot hand closes around his neck.

 

Everything happens quickly after that.

 

Kurogiri appears and Dabi starts dragging him through a portal. Todoroki tries to go after him, but gets stopped by a wall of blue fire.

 

Tenko let's Kota go, then he lets Kacchan go with a kick to his back. His friend stumbles to the ground before whirling around.

 

Explosions. 

 

His friend launching at him.

 

One word is able to reach him through the silence in his ears and the fog in his mind.

 

“DEKU!”

 

Then the portal closes.

 

Notes:

CW: Graphic description of violence (the Muscular scene after the first separation mark). Brief PTSD flashbacks. GFTP usual angst. Disassociation. Emotional manipulation (if you're sensitive to these last two things, I would suggest against reading the final scene of this chapter).

Thank you so much for reading!

This chapter has been in my outline notes for the longest time. I really hope I did all of the scenes justice, but staring at them any longer wouldn’t have been very productive. You can all scream at me in the comments ;)

*Longer note (for those of you interested in more details about the Muscular scene):
Somehow the Muscular fight got a little bit out of hand. It was supposed to be less angsty and not as long. These sort of scenes always run away from me. Either way, I hope it was not too brutal to read? If you’re wondering how exactly Hydrosuction was the quirk to…hurt Muscular. Think about blood bending from ATLA. Muscles have water in them. If you can manipulate water then well… (remember that Izuku’s control over Hydro Suction is nothing like Katara’s water control in ATLA. Uncontrollably sucking water out of a body is something entirely different from blood bending)*

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 34: Broken trust

Notes:

Hi! So so sorry for the atrociously late update :( I swear I wanted to get this out earlier, but life has been super busy for me these last two months. To make it up to you all, this chapter is 7K+ words long!

CW: Because of spoilers, see endnotes. Be sure to check them if you’re sensitive to things, this chapter can get quite heavy.

Shouta is trying to find his students in the woods. It’s quiet now–too quiet. Whereas before there had been the occasional distant shout pulling him in the direction of his still missing students, now there’s nothing.

 

Usually Shouta loves silence. He actively seeks it, craves it even. Now he finds that he hates the silence. It feels like the world is holding its breath until it can release a new wave of horrors. 

 

Fires still light up the sky in a haunting blue. Smoke fills the air with a stench and branches scrape and cut his skin whenever he doesn’t push them aside in time for him to run past them. Now that it’s silent, Shouta really doesn’t know how he’s going to find his remaining students.

 

On his quest to find some of his missing students still lost in the woods he had fortunately already encountered a few students. All of which he had sent along their way with strict orders to go straight back to the main camp. Tokoyami, Shoji and Tsuburaba were among those students, mostly unharmed besides Tsuburaba. 

 

Shoji and Tokoyami had informed him of the fact that a villain had managed to take Bakugo in the chaos of Dark Shadow’s rampage. Midoriya and Todoroki had gone after their fellow classmate.

 

Of course they had. Problem children.

 

It leaves Shouta with a lot of thoughts to fill up the silence pressing on him from all sides. He forces himself to focus on trying to locate his students, not allowing any feelings to cloud his mind.

 

Suddenly the silence gets shattered by a scream.

 

Shouta has heard many screams in his life. This one cuts through heart and bone. It fills his ears and drowns out any other thought. It’s absolutely chilling and horrifying and heartbreaking.

 

Blood pumping through his veins, he steers himself in the right direction. He pushes himself to go faster, hoping that he’ll be on time to do something about this absolutely awful scream.

 

Not even a minute later he crashes through some bushes into a clearing. Todoroki is standing not too far from him, ice melting around his feet with a line of blackened grass underneath. A kid is clinging to one of his legs. Kota. Both of them are staring at one specific thing in the distance. Or rather, someone.

 

That’s when another blood curdling scream is unleashed.

 

There, kneeling on the ground and curled in on himself, is Bakugo. His hands grip the grass, twisting it and nearly pulling it out. His shoulders shake, tension and uncontained emotions moving them.

 

Midoriya is nowhere to be seen. Along with the entire scene unfolding in front of Shouta’s eyes, that implies certain things. But he doesn’t want to jump to conclusions. Instead, he’ll stick to the hard facts, stay logical.

 

So he approaches Todoroki, deciding that he seems to be in the best state to respond to some questions. Neither one of the teens have noticed him yet, despite both of them having rather good situational awareness.

 

“Todoroki, what happened?” Shouta asks, slipping into teacher mode.

 

It takes a moment for the teen to answer. His eyes snap away from Bakugo and they widen just a fraction when he notices Shouta. Then his face is smoothed out again and his eyes slide back to watch the blonde. “They took Midoriya.”

 

For a second Shouta just stands there. Not because he can’t process Todoroki’s words. He can perfectly understand what they mean. His brain is already thinking about the horrifying consequences that this will have. No, he struggles for just a moment to keep his composure from slipping. 

 

A breath in. A breath out.

 

“How did it happen?” he asks, forcing his voice to be its usual tone.

 

Finally, Todoroki pulls his gaze completely away from Bakugo who is still knelt in the same position. Shouta will get to the blonde, he just needs to know the situation so he can respond properly. Though his voice is as neutral as ever and his face blank, the temperature around Todoroki has dropped considerably. He says, “Shigaraki took Bakugo and Kota hostage. To get them free, Midoriya gave himself up.”

 

Shouta closes his eyes. Of course that’s what the problem child would do. Of course Shigaraki would make use of the kid’s hero complex. It’s all so very smart and so very manipulative. Opening his eyes, he asks, “Are you and Kota okay?”

 

Todoroki nods. Kota doesn’t say anything, doesn’t look at him, but he seems unharmed. For now that’s enough and it’s all Shouta needs to turn and approach Bakugo.

 

“Bakugo, I’m coming closer now,” he warns, making the teen aware of him.

 

Before he can even think of putting a step in the teens direction, Bakugo’s shoulders tense up and he whirls around to glare at his teacher.

 

“Don’t come near me!” Bakugo shouts, voice hot with anger. Quick as he is, he has pushed himself up on his feet and in a defensive position. His face is covered in dirt and grime, but tears have carved tracks through it all. 

 

Shouta stops right where he is.

 

“It’s all your fucking fault! You said this camp was safe!” Bakugo’s chest is heaving, and small explosions pop from his hands flexing at his sides. He’s looking at Shouta with fire in his eyes and a scowl twisted on his face. “A-and now Deku is gone!”

 

The teen’s voice cracks, either from anger or hurt.

 

Putting up his hands, Shouta tries to calm the teen down, “Bakugo, I understand your anger. The camp should have been safe. That’s our fault as a school. But right now you have to calm down.”

 

In any other situation he would not have tolerated Bakugo’s behavior or his quirk usage. But this is different. Because it is the school’s fault. It is traumatizing to lose your friend like this. Whether that is permanent or not. Shouta would know. Right now Bakugo needs some compassion and someone who hears him. Not an authoritarian figure.

 

The explosions stop and instead Bakugo’s hands just flex at his sides. The anger, fury remains though, when the teen bites out, “He’s been dragged back to his own fucking hell! And no one did anything about it!”

 

For a brief second the image of Midoriya standing at the edge of the clearing and turning around flashes before his eyes. If only he had gone after the kid right then and dragged him back to the main camp. Perhaps then things wouldn’t have gone the way they did. Like a parasite burying itself deeper inside his body, guilt twists around his gut. As a teacher and a hero he’s failed. He should have chosen differently. Should have chosen to run after Midoriya and drag him back to the safety of the camp. But he didn’t and there's no use in dwelling on the what-ifs. It’s not productive.

 

So Shouta takes the words in stride. He says the only thing that he really can say, “I am sorry, Bakugo.”

 

Bakugo’s blazing eyes search him for a moment longer, a frown still on his face. Then his shoulder slump, like all his raging energy has been spent. “He’s gone,” the teen mutters, barely any heat in his voice.

 

There’s a weight to the words. Not simply an admission of Bakugo’s friend being kidnapped, but something more. A display of the clearly long and complicated history between the two.

 

It takes another few minutes before Shouta manages to get the two teens and Kota to follow him back to camp. Kota is quiet in his arms, it’s clear the kid has cried but now all that’s left is a miserable kind of heavy silence. Todoroki follows him, Bakugo not far behind. Anger still pours from the latter, but at least he isn’t screaming anymore.

 

Above their heads hangs a new reality, gaping and sucking away all oxygen like a black hole.

 

Midoriya Izuku got kidnapped by the League. 

 

Midoriya Izuku is gone.

 

---

 

The next few hours are a whirlwind of disaster management. When Shouta arrives back at camp with a quiet Todoroki, fuming Bakugo, and Kota in tow, he finds that emergency services have finally arrived. They get swept up in a flurry of flashing lights and people rushing in different directions to deal with various problems. Both Todoroki and Bakugo are ushered towards a nearby ambulance to get a check up by a paramedic. Shouta feels a smidge of pity for the person who has to deal with Bakugo, as explosive as the teen still is at the moment.

 

Mandalay, Tiger and Pixie-Bob are standing with a police officer next to a police car, clearly relaying information and discussing the next course of action. When he approaches, Mandalay is the first to notice him and her eyes grow wide with relief when she sees who he has in his arms. He hands Kota over to her and she takes the kid from him with thankful tears in her eyes and worry in her voice as she fusses over the boy. 

 

Shouta doesn’t know how Kota ended up as Shigaraki’s hostage in the first place. The kid hadn’t said a word on their way back to camp. He watches as the kid clings to his aunt and starts crying, and all he can think is that Kota’s fate would have been a lot worse had Midoriya not sacrificed himself.

 

There’s such cruel irony in it. Midoriya saved a child from a nightmarish fate, but in doing so condemned himself to be dragged back to the place of nightmares from his own childhood.

 

Not for the first time since learning about the teen’s fate, Shouta feels his composure slipping. The villains took his student. Midoriya had just started to show progress, had just started to reclaim parts of himself that were tainted by the hands of cruel adults. Now, all of that has been ruined. How dare they.

 

Still, there’s also the guilt burying itself deeper and deeper, a splinter pressing further into skin. They made a miscalculation with this camp, thinking they could keep the students safe from yet another villain attack. Thinking they could keep Midoriya safe from All For One’s reach. The price for that miscalculation is a heavy one.

 

In the next hour the rest of the students are found inside the forest, bringing the total count of injured students to twenty-seven. Ragdoll is nowhere to be found, which brings the police to conclude she has also been kidnapped by the League. The three villains that they did contain don’t weigh up in any way to the many injuries and two kidnappings. Moonfish, Mustard and Muscular. A lunatic, a middle schooler and a mass murderer. Shouta watches as Muscular is wheeled into an ambulance. His usual hulking form is shriveled up and his eyes are a bloody mess. 

 

Later, once Tsukauchi arrives on the scene–called here because of his leading role in the USJ case–Shouta hears that apparently Midoriya was the one to fight Muscular. According to Kota’s statement the teen saved him from a rather deadly fate, and told Kota to run. Unfortunately the kid didn’t get very far before he was taken hostage by the League.

 

Muscular was left behind on the cliffside by Midoriya. Blind, and in critical medical condition. The brutality is something that Shouta didn’t expect from the kid. Or rather, not from the person that Midoriya usually shows himself to be. He’s read the USJ reports, seen the pictures from the mangled figure of the Nomu. There’s a side to Midoriya that won’t come out unless it’s forced to. A last resort and a hint to the kid’s past. The fact that Muscular dragged that side of Midoriya into action means the teen had no other way out. 

 

Shouta doesn’t know where Midoriya is, as much as he hates that. He doesn’t know what’s happening to his student. He does know, however, that no matter where the teen might be, his environment will be trying to coax that darkside out of Midoriya. It will try to force it out and let it eclipse the Midoriya that hates violence and blood. Midoriya doesn’t have parents to drag him back after a hard day this time. Doesn’t have people to remind him what kindness looks like.

 

All Shouta can hope is that when they find Midoriya–and they will, no matter how illogical that hope might be–that the kid won’t have lost himself inside all the darkness. 

 

---

 

At two in the morning Shouta and Tsukauchi get into the detective’s car. Neither of them really have the energy to keep going, but they don’t have much of a choice. Sleep is low on the priority list for the both of them at the moment. So Tsukauchi drives the three hours back to UA. They don’t say a word to each other. What needed to be said had already been said back at the camp. Both of them stew in their own thoughts as the rest of the world passes by the windows in utter darkness and stillness. 

 

The calmness feels wrong after the chaos and disaster of the training camp. Perhaps it’s just the world holding its breath, waiting until morning arrives and the rest of the country will undoubtedly learn about the League’s attack, about UA’s inadequacy. 

 

Nedzu meets them at the gates. The air around the rat is more solemn than normal. His suit fits as perfect as always and his fur is groomed impeccably, not a crack to show on the outside. After years of working for the principal, Shouta can manage to look past that facade. Nedzu’s tail is posed utterly still behind him. The closed smile on the rat stretches a bit too far before he says, “Detective Tsukauchi, I would like to say how good it is to see you again, but I’m sure you understand I’d be lying.”

 

Tsukauchi dips his own head in greeting as he says, “Yes, well you’re not the only one who’d hoped that I wouldn’t need to visit UA again so soon.” 

 

As they’re led through the gate and onto the campus grounds, Nedzu turns his attention to Shouta. They’d already briefly spoken on the phone back when Shouta was still at the camp to discuss the next course of action. That’s why Shouta is currently at UA with Tsukauchi instead of at the hospital to check up on his students. 

 

“How were the students, Aizawa?” the principal asks, if only because that’s the appropriate thing to ask after such an event as the attack. Shouta still isn’t entirely sure if the rat actually cares about his students.

 

“Distraught. Obviously,” he grouses. 

 

Nedzu hums. “I’ve already started discussing the possibility of mandatory therapy sessions with Hound Dog.”

 

As great as that is–because, god, all his students are going to need therapy–it doesn’t do much to solve the current very pressing issue. 

 

Shouta says as much and Nedzu sends him a knowing look. “Rest assured Aizawa, I want to bring Midoriya home as much as you do. I’m hoping our next conversation will give us some clues as to where he might have been taken.”

 

Right, because that’s why they’re currently making their way to the edge of campus at five in the morning. Nedzu leads them towards an apartment building and into the elevator to an upper floor until they’re standing in front of a door.

 

Tsukauchi rings the bell.

 

Not even a minute passes.

 

Then the door swings open to reveal Mrs. Midoriya standing in the door opening, wearing a light red bathrobe and with her hair slightly disheveled. There are bags underneath her eyes but they have a sharpness to them that make Shouta think she wasn’t woken up by the doorbell.

 

“Principal Nedzu,” she greets, clutching at the bathrobe. She warily eyes the two other men standing at the principal’s side. “And Mr. Aizawa and detective Tsukauchi. To what do I owe the pleasure at this…early hour?”

 

Nedzu is the one who responds, “Mrs. Midoriya, good morning. I hope we didn’t disturb you too greatly from your sleep?”

 

Mrs. Midoriya gives a slight shake of her head, the weariness not dropping away. “I was already awake, why?”

 

“There’s a matter that couldn’t wait until a more proper time. I do think it’s best discussed over a cup of tea.”

 

Shouta watches as the woman looks at the principal for a moment longer before her gaze briefly slides to the other men and back. She purses her lips, shoulders tensing. “Come inside. I will make some tea,” she says as she turns around and disappears into the kitchen.

 

They follow her inside and Shouta wonders if somehow she already knows. He should be at the camp with her son. Instead he’s at her apartment at five in the morning with the principal and the detective. Mrs. Midoriya is no stupid woman.

 

Ignoring the fact that the current sense of reality is made of glass and that they–the three visitors–are a wrecking ball about to shatter it, the three of them sit down on the couch in the living room. Nedzu in the middle, Tsukauchi and Shouta on either side of him. They leave the armchair standing left of the couch empty. 

 

A few minutes later Mrs. Midoriya enters the living room carrying a tray with a teapot and four mugs that she sets down on the coffee table. She pours tea into every cup, steam rising up and vaporizing just as quickly. 

 

Silence fills the space. No one breaks it. It presses on the glass, almost cracking it.

 

Taking place on the one empty chair, Mrs. Midoriya finally shifts her focus to Nedzu. She folds her hands in her lap, then says, “Tell me why you’re here.”

 

Say it out loud.

 

“Last night the camp location that the hero classes were staying was attacked,” Nedzu starts. Somehow the rat manages to strike the perfect balance between sympathy and a chipped business tone. “I regret to say that your son, Midoriya Izuku, was kidnapped by the League of Villains.”

 

For a moment Mrs. Midoriya’s expression shatters like glass. Then she pulls the pieces back, hardening it again. She smoothes down her bathrobe, gets up and grabs the teapot. Voice distant, she says, “I’m going to put this away. One moment.” 

 

As her steps disappear into the kitchen, Shouta turns his attention to Nedzu. He raises an eyebrow. The rat merely gestures for his tea mug.

 

Shouta grabs the mug and hands it to him. He doesn’t question Nedzu out loud. The principal is more capable at holding these sort of difficult conversations than Shouta could ever be. He became an underground hero for many reasons. One of the reasons being that he absolutely despises the social aspect of limelight heroism. He does not enjoy holding conversations in the way that Nedzu does but he needs to be here for this one, even if he’d rather not. His feelings and preferences don’t matter at the moment. He has failed as a teacher and as a hero. Now he has to be accountable and sit here and explain to a mother why her child has been kidnapped when there were supposed to be multiple heroes around.

 

“Was this really the best way to tell her?” Tsukauchi asks, concerned eyes briefly flitting in the direction of the kitchen before returning to Nedzu. 

 

Nedzu takes a calm sip of his tea. Then his beady eyes meet the detective’s. “You’d rather have had me twist my words so they’d be less of a shock?” the rat asks, tail flicking behind him. “It won’t make her–or our–current reality any prettier.”

 

“No–” Tsukauchi starts, brow creased and voice impatient. Shouta wants to tell the man that getting into a discussion with Nedzu is pointless–he’s tried often enough himself. Neither of them can say anything else though, because at that moment Mrs. Midoriya walks back into the room.

 

Back straight, movements stiff, she sits back down in her chair. Her eyes focus on Nedzu. The look in them suddenly reminds Shouta that she’s a big reason why the Midoriya’s managed to stay free for so many years. He’s glad that look isn’t pointed at him–not yet at least.

 

“You promised you’d keep Izuku safe,” she says. She doesn’t shout, but doesn’t need to. The words cut deep regardless. “Explain.”

 

Nedzu sends a look in Shouta’s direction, and he understands that is his cue to talk. So he does. He recounts the series of events that lead to the disastrous outcome. Tsukauchi sometimes adds some details that he learned from taking the statements from the students that had been able to give them already. 

 

For the most part Mrs. Midoriya listens without any visible reaction. Except for the part where Midoriya gives himself up. Tears manage to push past the stoney expression on her face, washing away the thin veil to reveal broken shards.

 

Nedzu is the one to wrap up the explanation, tying a conclusion to it and steering the conversation in the direction of his choice. “As the principal of UA I am very sorry that our promise to keep Midoriya safe was broken. It is a grave mistake on our side. One I am aware comes with a heavy cost. So–”

 

“Are you aware of the cost?” Mrs. Midoriya cuts it, no longer bothering to hide her anger behind a voice with a soft edge. She wipes away some tears as her face tightens.

 

Next to him, Nedzu tilts his head, “Mrs. Midoriya I–”

 

“Detective Tsukauchi, is the principal lying? About being aware of the cost?” Mrs. Midoriya asks, not allowing Nedzu to properly answer. Shouta wonders if the conversation is still going according to plan, or if even the principal has had to adjust his responses. There’s no way of knowing with Nedzu and his never ending web of schemes.

 

Underneath the layer of professionalism Tsukauchi seems to waver for a moment, brows pulling together before they’re smoothed out again. He lets out a small cough. “I’m afraid I can’t share the information that my quirk provides without a proper legal reason.”

 

Mrs. Midoriya shakes her head and a laugh falls from her lips. Sharp and broken. “That’s fine. I already know that he’s not entirely truthful. None of you could ever know what it’s like,” her eyes pass each of them. Shouta likes to pretend that it doesn’t faze him but he’d hate to lie to himself. Once again the image of Midoriya standing at the edge of the clearing and turning around flashes through his mind.

 

“I’ve nearly lost my child once before. It cost me my husband to keep Izuku out of his grandfather’s grasp. And now you’re telling me you made a mistake. You underestimated All For One.” She turns her attention to Nedzu, hands clenched in her lap. “I had my doubts about the camp’s safety, but you assured me that it would be fine. That you’d put measurements in place.”

 

“All I can say is that I made a miscalculation and I deeply apologize for that,” Nedzu responds.

 

“That miscalculation cost me my son!” Mrs. Midoriya snaps, voice cracking. She sniffles, swallows. “After everything, I’ve still lost him and you have no idea how heavy that cost is.”

 

A beat of silence.

 

Shouta can feel Nedzu’s eyes on him, silently telling him that it’s his turn. Not that it matters much. He would want to say something either way. To owe up to his own failures. For as much as he hates failures, he hates it even more when people don’t claim them as their own.

 

“You are right that none of us can know what it is like to lose a child,” Shouta says, drawing Mrs. Midoriya’s full attention. He sighs, weariness and–he can’t call it anything else–guilt dragging his shoulders down. “But if it is anything like losing a student, then at least I can understand part of your pain. If I had made different choices, then maybe Midoriya wouldn’t have been kidnapped. That is my fault as a hero and, more importantly, as his teacher.” With his hands on his lap, he bows. “I’m sorry for that.”

 

Finally saying out loud what has been going through his head for the last few hours does nothing to appease the annoying feelings. Shouta is aware that’s not how feelings work, unfortunately. When he straightens up again the other three people are watching him.

 

Mrs. Midoriya doesn’t say anything, lips pressed into a thin line. 

 

For a moment Shouta isn’t sure how to continue. A more charismatic person would know how to spin their words into a convincing story. He neither has the skill nor the will to try something like that. Instead, he decides to be blunt about it.

 

“I want to find Midoriya, and I’m not the only one who shares that sentiment.”

 

“The start of a nation-wide search has already been set up,” Nedzu says, neatly slotting back into the conversation. “Both heroes and police are currently on the lookout for any clues that could bring us closer to Midoriya’s location.”

 

“And are there any clues?” Mrs. Midoriya looks skeptical, not yet willing to allow a glimmer of hope to set in. 

 

Tsukauchi shifts on the couch. “Not yet, but I’m sure it is only a matter of time. No one can completely disappear.”

 

Mrs. Midoriya huffs, shoulders still wound tight. “If you underestimate All For One like that, you will never find Izuku.”

 

“Actually, we were hoping for your assistance with the search,” Nedzu says. Just one glance at the rat tells Shouta that the conversation is exactly turning out how the principal had anticipated.

 

“You want me to help you? After you failed to keep my son safe?” Mrs. Midoriya is frowning at them. The last traces of tears are still visible on her face but otherwise the woman has hardened herself, sweeping away any broken shards. 

 

Nedzu nods, a pleasant yet neutral smile on his face. “Yes, You have a unique knowledge of All For One’s behavior that would be extremely helpful.”

 

Mrs. Midoriya doesn’t immediately give her answer. Her hands wring in her lap, conflict clear on her face. Then she lets out a sharp exhale, straightens her back. “I’ll help you. For Izuku’s sake.” Her eyes flash, any softness disappearing. “But don’t forget that while I might not be able to give All For One his due, if you fail at finding my son, I will make sure you’ll regret ever underestimating All For One and not properly protecting my son.”

 

---

 

There’s rough concrete underneath his hands.

 

It is the first thing that really pierces through the daze.

 

There’s rough concrete scraping uncomfortably against the side of his face. 

 

Rough concrete.

 

It takes another moment before he manages to pull his muddled mind out of the daze so that more than just that first observation can pierce through his awareness. A chill has crept into his bones, weighing down his entire body and making his limbs heavy when he tries to move them against the rough ground.

 

He wonders where he is, what happened. 

A syringe in his arm. Silence.

A hot hand closing around his neck.

“DEKU!”

A portal, closing.

Oblivion

With a gasp Izuku’s eyes fly open and he scrambles upright, ignoring his aching body as adrenaline drowns his veins. 

 

Nononononono

 

The room spins as he frantically tries to scan the environment around him. He nearly trips over something low and made from metal. A bed? As he tries to prevent himself from tripping, he backs into a wall, even more rough concrete scraping his hands. Nausea hits him and he stumbles away from the wall, away from that horrible concrete.

 

He tries to push away the panic raging around his mind, tries to breathe even as his lungs constrict tightly. He remembers. The league had come for him at the camp.

 

After four years, All For One has him in his grasp again.

 

Bile rises in his throat and Izuku manages to spot the toilet in the corner of the room just in time to drop to his knees beside it and vomit. His body trembles as he tries to take in gulping breaths. For a few minutes that’s all he can do to keep from spilling out more of his guts.

 

At some point the room stops spinning and he’s at least able to breathe somewhat more easily. His mouth tastes bitter and feels dry. A shaky breath. Then he forces himself to look around and take in the rest of the room. 

 

A rickety metal bed stands in one corner of the square concrete room and across from it Izuku sits slumped against a toilet, a grimy sink next to it. A metal door is built into one wall, creating an imaginary path that separates the bed from the sink and the toilet.

 

In a flash Izuku has pushed himself upright, wobbling slightly before he staggers to the door. He tries the handle. Locked, of course. When he knocks on the metal door it doesn’t sound too heavy. That’s something at least.

 

Then he realizes something. He’s still got his quirks.

 

He hadn’t noticed at first with no other quirk lights near his vicinity. But he can definitely feel all the different quirks stored within their respective saves. No quirks are pulled to the front. Odd, since he usually has a standard few running in the background–like his hearing quirk. Perhaps the quirk canceling drug reset his quirk? He quickly checks all his favored quirks. All still there, and relief washes over him as he pulls some to the front.

 

Although he does wonder why he still has his quirks? With them he isn’t completely defenseless. He could even…escape this room. Why would All For One ever allow that possibility to exist?

 

Perhaps this is one of All For One’s schemes. A trap to test Izuku. Or perhaps they got the dosage on the quirk canceling drug wrong, and he is now able to use his quirk before he should have. Despite the fact that a tiny voice at the back of his head screams at him to be careful, the spark of hope that lights at the second option makes it easy to ignore. 

 

He doesn’t know exactly where he is, but he can take a guess. One of All For One’s bases. The villain would probably want him close after four years of managing to evade All For One. That means this isn’t just a base, this is the base. The base with All For One’s main medical room and that damned concrete training room. 

 

Izuku spares a glance back at his cell. He tries to look for any clues that could tell him where in the base he could possibly be, but he comes up empty. As a child he was never allowed to wander the base. He always found himself either inside the concrete room, the Doctor’s room after especially brutal trainings, or in All For One’s medical room whenever the villain merely wanted to speak to him. The rest of the base was, and still is, a complete mystery. 

 

It leaves him with a dilemma. Does he stay inside this cell and await his own hell? Or does he try to escape, despite having no idea how to actually get out and at the high risk of failing? As he hesitates between the two options, he tries to roll the stiffness from his shoulders. Someone–probably Dabi–must have just dumped him here on the floor without a thought, and Izuku’s starting to feel that. 

 

In the end there’s really only one option he can choose. Try to escape.

 

He doesn’t know how long he has before someone will come to get him, so he better be quick about this. Ignoring the rapid beating of his heart, Izuku closes his eyes and starts scanning the area with his quirk. He doesn’t sense anyone nearby. That means go time.

 

One deep breath to try to calm his ragged breathing. Then he puts his hands on the metal handle and pulls Magma Hand to the front. Not a second later the handle starts glowing red hot, steaming rising up into the air. Ever so slowly Izuku starts pushing the molten metal through the door, creating a tunnel the size of a hand. It feels like it takes ages and by the time he’s gotten to the other side of the door, his forehead is slick with sweat. 

 

After just a short moment of admiring his work–there’s now a small tunnel through the door, right where the handle and the lock used to be–he pushes against the door. It gives. With a low shriek it swings open, making Izuku cringe and hoping with all his might that it won’t draw any attention. When the air stays utterly still, he takes that as his sign to get out of his cell. 

 

Mentally, he adds melting away locks to the list of things he can use Magma Hand for. 

 

He steps into a hallway, walls and floor the same gray concrete. There’s one door opposite his cell, another two doors mirroring each other a bit further down the hallway. No one seems to be behind any of the doors. To his left the hallway cuts off into a dead end. At least that makes it easy to choose the direction that he should go in. 

 

As he starts making his way down the hall, Izuku keeps scanning around for other people. He forces himself to focus wholly on that. If he doesn't, he’s afraid that all the concrete around him will constrict his lungs and paralyze his brain. At first he forces his steps to be cautious but after turning the first corner and still not sensing anyone nearby, he can’t help hurrying quicker and quicker past doors and turning yet another corner.

 

There’s no way that his breakout won’t be noticed at all. They’ll send someone… something after him at some point.

The Nomu’s footsteps rapidly approaching from down the hallway like thunder.

 

His father’s frame tensing and a hallway engulfed in flames.

With difficulty, Izuku blinks away the memory. His stomach clenches tightly. Suddenly he wishes that he’d stayed inside the cell. Why did he ever think that he had a chance at escaping? All For One is going to find him. He’ll be punished, and his body still remembers what that’s like.

 

Stupid stupid stupid

 

He doesn’t stop. Doesn’t allow himself to. 

 

Because while part of his brain might be wishing to go back, he also realizes that’s no option if he wants to ever see his mom again. Her face flashes through his mind like a painful reminder that this was his decision. Izuku tries to squash the sharp stab of guilt. If he hadn’t gone with Tenko, Kacchan and Kota would have been dragged to this hell. That’s a reality he can live even less with.

 

Another end of a hallway, this one ending in a single set of double doors. 

 

That means two options. Either yet another room, meaning that he’s stuck on this floor. Or a staircase.

 

Freedom

 

Steeling his nerves, Izuku pushes the doors open. 

 

It’s a staircase, twisting both up and down. The shadows are sparsely interspersed with weak, flickering lights.

 

At the sight of the stairs he starts nearly sprinting up the steps, legs pumping with his strength and muscle-enhancing quirks. 

 

Up, up, up.

 

His breath sounds harsh in his ears. His heart beats like a staccato to his rushing steps.

 

He passes two doors. Because he doesn't know the layout of the base, he decides to go as far up as he can. That's hopefully closest to a way out of this place.

 

Another door.

 

Then he can't go any higher and there's really only one direction that he can go. 

 

Willing his hands to stop shaking, he pushes down the door handle and carefully steps into a new hallway. More rooms lining the hall. Not what Izuku needs. Frustration sours his insides.

 

His eyes land on two double doors and suddenly he just knows in his bones.

 

That's the way out.

 

Instead of immediately rushing ahead, he takes a calming breath in an attempt to reign in his racing mind. He cautiously scans the area. No quirks on this level. There are some unfamiliar ones a level below, but those are so still that Izuku is convinced they must be asleep. 

 

Two cautious steps. After that his legs kick into a run. He can almost taste the freedom.

 

In a wave of purple mist Kurogiri appears in front of him, his quirk light suddenly just there.

 

Izuku’s feet screech to a halt, heart lurching in his throat. 

 

“You are not allowed to be here.” Kurogiri’s voice carries through the otherwise empty hallway, his eyes glowing that familiar yellow and purple mist rippling around him.

 

For a fleeting moment Izuku feels trapped by the memories from his past where Kurogiri played a role. Then he pushes through the roiling in his stomach and squares his shoulders. He glares at the villain, “You’re not stopping me from leaving.”

 

He wants to say something else, do something–perhaps grab some more quirks from their saves to try and get past Kurogiri–but all those thoughts are abandoned by a single thing that his quirk tells him right at that moment. 

 

His body freezes, heart beating against his ribcage as if it can escape that way. 

 

A set of measured steps approaching Izuku from behind.

 

Every step sends another wave of fresh anxiety coursing through his veins.

 

He wants to move, to run, but it’s as if the connection to his brain has frozen up as well.

 

A sigh, disappointment already clear in the air. Then a hand lands heavy on the back of Izuku’s neck, curling around his nape and pulling him close. Izuku flinches–he can’t help it, and part of him whispers that that will have consequences. He wants to crawl out of his skin and scream and cry. He wants to curl up into a ball and hide.

 

“My dear grandson, you did not think you could leave quite so soon?

 

Above all, Izuku doesn’t want to hear this voice. But he can’t help it. Like a dog trained for tricks, his brain focuses on that damned voice. He feels stupid for thinking just what is being implied. That he could just walk out of this place. That escaping would be this easy.

 

And even after all these years, All For One can read him like a book. He can drag the bare truth out of Izuku and twist it into something painful. 

 

“You did.” The villain tuts. “Oh Izuku, you should know better than that. Didn’t you realize I was testing you?”

 

Of course it was a test. Shame curls around his gut. He feels even more worthless for ever thinking that it wasn’t a test.

 

All For One continues as if Izuku isn’t slowly losing it–or perhaps because of it. “Besides, you hadn’t even said hi to your dear grandfather yet.”

 

When Izuku doesn’t say anything, the grip on his neck tightens. “Won’t you say hi?”

 

Even it’s phrased as a question, it clearly isn’t a request. Izuku refuses to play along with the villain’s games this time around. Things will be different. They have to be if he ever wants to survive this again.

 

A beat of silence.

 

All For One waiting.

 

The hand on his neck is pulled away. Within four steps, All For One has moved from his place behind Izuku, to right in front of him. A looming figure, making Izuku feel impossibly small and incompetent. 

 

“Look at me.”

 

Izuku just keeps his eyes trained on the concrete floor, despite the danger hanging in the air. 

 

Suddenly his chin is grabbed and roughly pulled up. Voice low, yet pressing, “Look. At. Me.”

 

For the first time in four years, Izuku looks at All For One. 

 

Not all that much has changed. Perhaps a new mask that covers his entire head, but otherwise he looks the same. The same subtle menacing air still hangs around him, body posed in a casual way that whispers of the power lurking beneath. 

 

Izuku wants to yank his head out of the villain’s grip. It feels like his skin has turned into ice. He tries to suppress his fear, tries not to show it. Not that it matters much. Somehow All For One always knows.

 

They look at each other. Or at least Izuku thinks so, All For One doesn’t have eyes. At least not in the physical sense. Still, Izuku nearly cries underneath the gaze as the villain says, “Since you have been away from me for so terribly long, I will remind you just once: When I ask you something, you listen. Do you understand?”

 

He has to say yes. Has to apologize and say that it’s his fault for not understanding sooner, that he’ll do better. That’s how this game goes. If he does that, he might still escape any punishment. But Izuku doesn’t want to do that. In the end it always resulted in pain either way. 

 

“I won’t listen to you this time around,” he grits out. He nearly doesn’t get the words past his lips, almost chokes on them. But he won’t give into All For One, doesn’t want to. He’s sure he’ll lose himself if he does so. 

 

“That is unfortunate.” All For One sighs. He hasn’t let go of Izuku yet. His grip only tightens. “Well, in that case I do think you need a lesson so you can learn.” 

 

The hand lets go and slides down to grab the back of Izuku’s neck.

 

Despite his effort, Izuku’s breath starts to quicken. He knows what comes next.

 

No no no no, please no.

 

His pleas never reach his lips.

 

All For One continues, voice clearly dipping into a cool anger for the first time, “You failed the test I set for you and left your room. Even when I made it so easy to pass. The door was locked after all. I really had hoped you’d do better.”

 

One second Izuku is standing. The next he nearly sinks to his knees from the pain that suddenly pierces through his entire body as his quirk is slowly ripped away from him. It’s excruciating, all-encompassing pain. Like his nerves being cut in half and his soul torn from his body. 

 

Izuku is pretty sure he screams. He can’t be sure. Even his throat feels on fire.

 

When all is done, All For One lets go.

 

Like a doll with its strings cut, Izuku falls limply to the floor. Only the villain’s tight grip had kept him standing.

 

As he lays there, in a haze of pain and with his entire body covered in sweat, All For One crouches down beside him. He brushes a sweaty lock of hair out of Izuku’s eyes. Izuku doesn’t even have the energy to recoil or react.

 

Words almost a murmur, he says, “Remember Izuku, you will listen to me.”

 

All For One stands and starts walking towards one of Kurogiri’s portals. As he does so, Izuku looks past the two villains, at the door that is barely visible. So close, yet so far away.

 

 If only he could move, then perhaps he could escape.

 

Then his attention is drawn back to All For One because the villain says something to Kurogiri. Izuku doesn’t hear what’s being said. Darkness is creeping up from the edges of his vision and cotton fills his ears. There’s one final thought that he has.

 

Trying to escape would be pointless. Right now against All For One he is utterly powerless.

Notes:

CW: Vomiting. Manipulation, gaslighting. AFO just being a terrible person. Feelings of worthlessness. Flashbacks. GFTP typical angst. There’s probably more, but in general I would advise against reading the final scene (starts at the sentence “There’s rough concrete underneath his hands.”) if you’re mentally not feeling the greatest at the moment, or if you’re sensitive to things regarding abusive/very unhealthy interactions. Stay safe everyone!

Thank you so much for reading!

Because it’s my birthday today, I’ll give you all an update regarding the length of this fic: it will probably be around 42 chapters long! That means we’re really in the final stretch of the story (as you might have guessed). I’m so so excited to be writing all these chapters, and I’m hoping to finish this fic within the next few months.

Also, an interesting thought I’ll leave all of you with regarding the last scene. When Izuku wakes there aren’t any quirk lights around. Not one that’s familiar, despite the fact that his range is quite big. Now, one could say that All For One does not have a lot of personnel around his own main base (quite likely), and that he just kept the people familiar to Izuku out of range until after the test. OR Izuku wasn’t in the main base at all, but rather another base. One devoid of almost anyone, and perfect to test a rogue grandson’s loyalties/intentions. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which option was more likely ;)

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 35: Puppetmaster

Notes:

Hi! Back again :) Please check the content warnings! This is a very, very heavy chapter. I'm not totally happy with it, but I have stared at it long enough. If I work on it any longer, I fear I'll go insane.

CW: Check endnotes! Please be careful, it's a very, very heavy chapter. Please stay safe, and if you just want a summary of what happened, let me know!

The second time Izuku wakes, it’s again on a stone cold floor. Everything hurts and an even deeper chill has crept into his bones. It takes everything in him to find the energy to move. He wants to curl into a ball and cry but the thought of not knowing his surroundings forces him to get up. His arms shake from the effort and he nearly collapses back on the ground before he can get himself to sit upright.

 

He’s been put inside a different cell. More barren, darker. An old and dirty mattress lies on the floor in one corner. In the other a bucket stands. Simple metal bars line one side of the cell, giving him a look into a shadowy hallway. There’s no door. Then again, that’s not a necessity with a portal quirk. 

 

In the distance he can hear the faint dripping of water. He tries to focus on any other sounds, tries to scan around with his quirk. All that greets him is a great emptiness inside him. 

 

For a moment his breath hitches. Reality collapses upon him. An avalanche burying an unfortunate soul. The cold coils tighter around his body, making him shiver and his hands shake. Or perhaps that’s the panic, rattling his thoughts and quickening his heart. The world shifts into blurs and blobs.

 

No no no not here. It’s not safe.

 

In an attempt to keep the panic from completely seizing him, Izuku squeezes his eyes shut. He can’t show weakness right now. His hands clench tighter, fingernails digging into his palms. Pain pricks into his awareness like tiny needles.

 

He has to calm down. What if someone comes to get him? What if they see him like this?

 

He feels the warmth of blood seeping through his fingers, dripping onto the cold ground. 

 

Powerless. Empty. That’s what he is right now. A gaping hole of nothing where part of him used to be. 

 

His heart feels like it’s beating out of his chest. His breath comes up short.

 

Hands unclenching. Coming up to tug at his hair. Body rocking back and forth.

 

Please please please

 

He has to calm down. But the more he thinks that, the more his body refuses that demand. 

 

The world blurs. His lungs constrict. His hands shake.

 

Somehow he manages to crawl upon the ratty mattress to sit and lean against the wall. He draws his knees tightly up to his chest, arms wrapping around. 

 

He doesn’t know how long he sits there. Struggling to breathe, rocking back and forth. It feels unending, but at some point his mind calms down. So does his body.

 

Exhaustion replaces any of the panic and fear and worry. His head tilts back against the wall, eyes so heavy they slide shut. He sits and he breathes.

 

Weak. Stupid.

 

That’s what he feels. He failed. Didn’t escape. 

 

There’s no way out. That much he has realized. Part of him wonders if the heroes are looking for him. Not that it matters much if they are. They’ll never find him.

 

---

 

When Kurogiri appears inside his cell, it is unexpected. Of course it is without his quirk.

 

He tries to scramble backwards, to evade the portal and refuse the villain’s demands to step through. That just ends in a portal opening up beneath his feat and him falling through it, heart lurching and arms flailing. He lands in a heap, rough concrete scraping his hands and knees.

 

His first instinct is to use his quirk to scan around. Then he realizes that is not something he can do anymore, that he’s lost one of his senses. 

 

“Izuku, welcome back.”

 

Words like ice, a chilling shock to his brain. Izuku’s head snaps up, his eyes wide and searching. They meet All For One’s figure almost immediately. He’s standing a few paces away, his posture seemingly relaxed and his focus on Izuku. Kurogiri hovers behind the villain while he stands in the middle of…

 

Of–

 

The concrete training room.

 

Concrete beneath his hands. His knees. He’s surrounded by it. Suffocated by it. It collapses around him, entombing him. Phantom images replay behind his eyes. Phantom sounds fill his ears, drowning out whatever All For One is saying.

 

In an attempt to snap out of it, he squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his hands. He needs to get it together. Distantly he realizes that this is not a good place for this. Somehow the pain of his nails piercing his skin is enough to forcibly break him out of it. He opens his eyes with a shaky exhale, hoping that All For One won’t have noticed his breakdown.

 

“--hope you have had some time to think about your behavior.”

 

Silence descends on the room as Izuku doesn’t say anything. There’s another old dance here that he has to follow. Routine steps to move in. He doesn’t do so. For once the dance feels too foreign, steps half forgotten. His own body doesn’t fit right, bits and parts chafing and creating discomfort. 

 

A heavy sigh. Then All For One begins moving in his direction. Izuku has to suppress the urge to flee. He imagines his own face as if made from stone, bargains with his own muscles until they agree to his wishes and go utterly still. 

 

“Get up.”

 

Still as prey. He could refuse again. But he remembers the pain that followed last time. He doesn’t want that, doesn’t–

 

Something sharp stabs into his shoulders, interrupting his hesitation. Pain erupts as if stars are spreading underneath his skin and he can’t silence a strangled sound before it escapes him. He twists his neck just in time to see red spikes dragging him up. They hoist him on his feet, pull back from his shoulders and return towards All For One in the span of a second.

 

Izuku has just enough of his bearings to force his legs to support him. His shoulders burn and already there’s a warmth leaking down his back. 

 

Meanwhile, All For One continues on as if nothing happened. “Now my dear grandson, besides that terrible display of yours at the spectacle that UA calls a sports festival, I have no idea where your training stands. So I believe a proper assessment is in order.

 

“Kurogiri.”

 

Instinctively, Izuku knows what that tone of voice means. It layers over all the times he’s heard the name said by the same voice. Each time promises of pain and fear. He dreads the next words. Feels like the world is turning, twisting, mocking him.

 

“Bring in a Nomu.”

 

Kurogiri obeys without a word. Yet another puppet moved by his masters every whim, and Izuku watches as a purple portal opens and as a familiar hulking thing steps through. This one a dark blue, without the creepy smile, but with the same exposed brain. Its limbs are more dangly instead of bulking and it doesn’t have a beak. 

 

The sight gets Izuku’s stomach curdling. A distant, delusional part of his brain wonders if this is really happening. If this isn’t just a horribly long nightmare. Izuku swallows down bile rising in his throat and stammers, “I- I don’t have a quirk.”

 

The moment that the words leave his mouth, he regrets saying them. 

 

“Of course not. I want to see your abilities. Not some quirk’s.” Drawn by All For One’s voice, Izuku tears his gaze away from the Nomu. Heavy disappointment stains the villain’s voice, reminding Izuku how stupid his words from just now are. All For One tuts, “You haven’t been brainwashed so much that you think a quirk defines everything, have you?”

 

Izuku nearly replies. Nearly. He hates that he almost does so, almost begs the villain to believe that he hasn’t been brainwashed. He hates it even more that the villain’s words still have such a grip on his mind. They burry deep inside his brain, sowing doubt and horrible, horrible feelings. 

 

When it becomes clear to All For One that Izuku won’t answer his question, he steps back. Words cold and final, “Fight, Izuku. Show me what you can do.”

 

---

 

Izuku tries. He really, really does.

 

In the end, he doesn’t stand a chance against a Nomu without quirks or proper weapons. There’s only so much he can do with his bare hands before his limbs give out from exhaustion. There’s only so long of evading swipes and punches before they hit their mark. 

 

At some point the balance of the fight completely tips over and it turns into a one-sided punching game.

 

His bones break in that familiar way. Just as they had all those years ago, before his younger self got stronger and learned to hide his feelings when fighting a Nomu. At first when he hits the ground, the concrete feels rough against his skin, but the sensation gets buried quickly underneath waves and waves of new pains setting his nerves on fire. 

 

He almost doesn’t notice when the onslaught stops. Almost. Except that some instinct forces him to open his eyes just in time to see the Nomu being portalled away and a set of nicely polished shoes stop in front of him. All he can do is lay curled up on the ground, trying to breathe through the pain.

 

Blood trickles like a warm and sticky syrup down his face, onto the ground and he’s pretty sure his arm is bent at a wrong angle. The feeling of floating underwater, the rest of the world just a distorted collection of sensations, washes over him. 

 

Even muffled, All For One’s voice can be understood when he asks, “Izuku, can’t you do better?” Something that could be a sigh. “I’d expected you would. But…I guess you really have grown too reliant on your quirk.”

 

Izuku wants to say that’s not the case. He wants to scream and cry. He wants to beg for another chance, wants to show his strength. But he knows to keep his mouth shut, lest he risk even more of All For One’s disappointment. He’s already in so much pain.

 

Some final words manage to pierce through the daze, “I think a little while longer without a quirk will do you good.”

 

Then he plunges into the darkness.

 

---

 

The second time Izuku wakes inside his new cell, it’s almost without pain. If not for the slight ache in his bones and the soreness of his skin in some places, he could convince himself that the horrible fight with the Nomu didn’t happen. The Doctor must have healed his wounds, either with the help of All For One, or without. He tries not to dwell too long on the fact that he doesn’t know what happened to his own body. There are a lot of things that the Doctor is capable of that Izuku would rather not think about.

 

A bowl of bland food has been left inside his cel. At first he decides not to eat it–there might have been been tampered with–but after a while he realizes that he’s absolutely ravenous and caves to the craving for food. How long has it been since he’s last eaten? Hours? Days? 

 

When he has emptied the bowl, he curls up on the ratty mattress and wraps his arms around himself in an attempt to keep warm. Even though he feels tired, oh so tired, he can’t find it in himself to sleep. Too many things his brain keeps cycling through, too much tension flitting around his body.

 

How long has he been here?

 

Does his mom know by now?

 

Will the heroes look for him?

 

He pushes those thoughts away. They only send his mind spiraling into what if’s and feelings that he’d rather not dwell on. Instead he forces himself to focus on staying warm, on breathing and on the distant drip of water.

 

At some point he must have dozed off, because he wakes with a shock when he hears the sound of footsteps coming his way. Adrenaline shooting through his veins, he scrambles to get up. Right as he does so a familiar figure comes walking into view from the right. 

 

“Hello little brother,” Tenko says as he stops in front of the cell. Those red eyes of his scan Izuku’s haggard state within a second. He tilts his head to the side, a sharpness to the tilt of his mouth when he asks, “Still in here? I thought you’d learned the rules of the game by now.”

 

For one moment longer Izuku just stares at the other. Then he forces himself to swallow away the dryness in his throat. He scowls and his voice sounds rough like sandpaper when he asks, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Just saying hi, going for a dialogue scene.”

 

Even if he’s trying to act all casual about it, Tenko must be here for a reason. Or rather, he must have been sent here for a reason. By now Izuku has probably been at the base for a while, and Tenko hadn’t stopped by before. That can only really mean one thing. Izuku calls him out on it, “Did it take you so long because you needed All For One’s permission?”

 

Tenko scoffs, mouth twisting and hands flexing by his side. “I can choose to see you whenever I want, because you’re my player-two! Mine.”

 

It’s clear that Izuku’s hit a nerve, judging by the childish answer. He can’t tell if Tenko is actually lying though. He used to be able to, but now Tenko has become difficult to read. His last words make Izuku’s insides twist in discomfort. Memories of their past encounters try to push to the front of his mind. 

 

“I’m not yours.” The word yours tastes like ash in his mouth. 

 

“Oh yeah?” Tenko asks, mocking and clearly not even really listening to him. He raises an eyebrow, “Then why did you willfully follow me back here?”

 

“Because you didn’t leave me a choice!” 

 

Tenko scoffs. “Yes I fucking did. I gave you two options, and you chose this storyline!”

 

“But I still don’t want to be here!” Izuku exclaims, desperately trying to keep his voice from shaking. He doesn’t want Tenko to focus on how upset this is making him. No, he wants Tenko to finally understand what he’s saying. “Why would you think that I’d want to be here? All For One has hurt me for years! He has hurt us for years!”

 

It’s barely visible, but Izuku catches it. The moment the words actually land and a flinch shudders through Tenko, leaving him without words.

 

“I still have nightmares from what he did to me,” Izuku professes. Then softer, “And I know you do too.”

 

Saying that last bit out loud is a risk, but Izuku decides it’s worth it. Everything to hopefully really get through to the other. He watches as Tenko takes a step back from the cell, as his hands go up to scratch at his neck. Eyes unseeing, distant.

 

“N-no I don’t.” 

 

The words don’t really hold any strength in them. An opportunity presents itself to Izuku. Pieces of a plan slotting together and melding with a desire that has long been kept so distant that he doesn’t realize he has it until he feels it. Emboldened, he strides forward until his hands clench around the cool metal bars and he can see Tenko clearly, nothing obstructing his view. 

 

“Please just listen, Tenko. I don’t want to be here right now. Just as me and my parents didn’t want to be here four years ago. We left because we chose to, because we didn’t want All For One to keep on hurting us. The heroes didn’t have anything to do with it. 

 

“You and I can choose as well. We can choose our fate, choose whether All For One will keep on hurting us. We can leave. We can be brothers again.”

 

Izuku lets a silence fall. Just so his words can actually be processed. He watches Tenko’s face shift through various emotions. The scratching increases. Apprehension winds tighter and tighter within his own body. 

 

Then the scratching stops. Voice a rasp, “Leave?”

 

It’s difficult to place Tenko’s tone. At least, it is for Izuku right now, after years apart. He makes a guess. Nods. “Yes, leave. If we explain, the heroes will understand. They’ll take both of us. UA will–”

 

“Really?” Tenko cuts him off. The tone of his voice makes Izuku’s stomach drop. Tenko stalks closer to the bars, until Izuku can feel the breath hit his skin when the other sneers, “Because last time I checked, the whole of Japan was fucking horrified by the news that the grandson of the biggest villain in Japanese history has been attending UA for the past three months.”

 

This time it’s Izuku who flinches away until the bars come into view again. Something is rising within himself. A tide he can’t possibly stop. He realizes that he’s shaking his head. As if the physical action of denial will keep the words from becoming truth.

 

“Do you know what the heroes are calling you? A spy. A traitor. Do you really think they’ll take you back?” Tenko sounds so cruel when he speaks. His red eyes regard Izuku with nothing but cold contempt. Has that always been the case? Izuku wonders when his brother changed so much that all he could do was spit cutting words meant to harm. Then again, he wonders if they even really are brothers anymore.

 

With a scowl on his face and his words pointed, Tenko says, “You only have me and Sensei on your side.” He turns to leave, then stops and stabs his finger in Izuku’s direction. “And don’t call me Tenko again. I’ll dust your fucking vocal cords. I’m Tomura.”

 

A tear slides down Izuku’s face as he listens to Kurogiri teleport the other man away. With the imminent danger gone, the little energy that he’d managed to gather evaporates from his body. He nearly crumples to the floor as he finally lets the full weight of the conversation settle.

 

Tomura

 

His brother really is gone.

 

All that’s left is yet another puppet for All For One to control.

 

---

 

The heroes aren’t going to come save him.

 

It's a fact that Izuku tries to come to terms with over the next few…hours? Time is difficult with no natural light and nothing else happening around him. Logically, he knows that Ten– Tomura could have been lying about the rest of Japan knowing. It could be that Izuku’s familial ties haven't been revealed yet to the general public, that Nedzu is trying everything in his power to keep that story from breaking. Even so, it’s probably a matter of time before the media does catch on and it doesn’t change much about the fact that Izuku is still here.

 

All For One finally has him again. There’s no way he’s going to make it easy for anyone wanting to find Izuku. If there even really is a trail left to follow. All For One had managed to make the number one hero think that he’d been dead for years when, in fact, he wasn’t and was actually still actively involved in the underworld. Making one single teenager unfindable should be laughably easy in comparison.

 

And if the whole of Japan does know?

 

Well, Izuku has already experienced first-hand how deep prejudice still runs. His middle school years aren't an exception to how people with ‘villainous’ quirks are treated, let alone people with relatives that were or are actual villains. Even if UA were to try to stand by his side, public opinion is an influential power. What is a single missing student against the stability and trust in the heroes? What is it against UA’s already weakened reputation?

 

Izuku can imagine it. Aizawa demanding that Nedzu set up a rescue operation, and Nedzu telling him in that tone of his that they will do no such thing. The shareholders have spoken, UA’s reputation is at risk. Really, if they want to keep all the other students as safe as possible, if they want to keep the funding that has allowed them to produce such outstanding heroes, then what is one single missing student? Of course it is unfortunate, deeply tragic, but it is for the greater good. Knowing Nedzu, he might even set up a discreet rescue mission, but one destined to fail. 

 

No, Izuku thinks as he wraps his arms tighter around his drawn-up knees, the heroes aren't coming to save him. He's on his own, and his one last chance at escape evaporated the moment that Tenko ceased to be.

 

---

 

When the portal appears the second time inside his cell, Izuku doesn’t try to refuse. He steps through it willingly.

 

Of course he’s brought to the concrete room. All For One is there, in another impeccable suit and with his arms relaxed behind his back. It doesn’t look right to Izuku, makes his skin crawl. He tries not to focus too much on the room around him. Already he can feel his breathing growing more shallow, his hands getting sweaty. 

 

All For One asks him again if he’s had some time to think about his behavior.

 

This time Izuku gives a single, tight nod. He forces himself to say, “Yes, I have.”

 

He keeps his eyes averted, down at the ground and tracing the cracks in the concrete. Already he can feel the warmth of blood seeping past his hands from how tight he’s clenching them.

 

“Well, even if it’s the bare minimum that I asked of you, I will give you a reward for doing that much.” There’s an undercurrent of gleeful satisfaction in All For One’s voice. Will he get his quirk back? Izuku stamps down on that sliver of hope all too quickly. Tension winds his shoulders tight as he hears footsteps coming his way. His eyes snap up and it takes everything in him to keep his face a careful blank slate as he watches All For One approach him.

 

Run

 

He stays rooted in place, breathing nearly impossible. 

 

A heavy hand curls around the back of his neck.

 

In the end he does get a quirk back. Just not his quirk.

 

Izuku barely hears All For One’s next words though the haze of pain.

 

“I hope that your knowledge of quirks isn’t as poor as your combat abilities against the Nomu. Be thankful that I’ve decided to only give you one quirk for now. That should be no problem for you to handle.” 

 

Of course there’s no room left for failure. Then again, that never was an option to begin with. 

 

His entire body is shaking, and Izuku has to put in effort to keep from entirely collapsing to the ground. He’s on his hands and knees, trying to draw in enough oxygen and working through the last waves of pain. It’s as if tiny needles have been stabbed into his skin across his entire body. His heart beats faster than it should and his blood sings in his ears. 

 

He can tell that he hasn’t gotten his quirk back. If that was the case, then he should be seeing at least two other quirks lights right now. Screaming won’t help him at all at the moment. Otherwise that’s what he’d do. 

 

“Kurogiri.” Words more distant. In the few seconds that Izuku was trying to get his shit together, All For One must have retreated to his standard spot inside the room: off to the side, out of harm's way but with a perfect view. 

 

Please not again please please please

 

The opening of a portal. Izuku sucks in another deep breath, curls his hands into fists. 

 

“Fight, Izuku.”

 

The moment that Izuku hears something step through the portal, his head snaps up. Another Nomu. This one is smaller, but bulking with muscles. That creepy smile on its face, brains half exposed. He doesn’t allow himself to dwell on the fact that he’s fighting against a Nomu again, doesn’t try to think about the fact that was once a person too.

 

As he pushes himself up on his feet, he starts scanning how his body feels. Energized, but past a tipping point. His muscles feel weirdly…tight as he moves them. 

 

He blinks once. Then the Nomu is rushing at him, one bulking arm already swinging.

 

Before his mind can even catch up, his body has already quickly slid past a thundering fist. Too quickly. All of the sudden the muscles in his legs cramp up. As if he’s been shocked. He stumbles, heart beating unrelenting, and feels a second fist make contact with his side.

 

He hits the ground hard. Gets the wind knocked out of him. Not allowing himself a second rest, he’s already scrambling to get up and desperately trying to draw in new oxygen. The Nomu is in his face again but that’s not where Izuku’s focus lies as he ducks underneath yet another punch. His brain is cycling through all the possible quirk categories that he could have been given, scrutinizing and discarding them at top speed. 

 

It can’t be a mutant quirk, also probably isn’t a transformation quirk. That leaves the emitter option. The second time his muscles didn’t cramp up when he moved. Does that mean he’s already subconsciously controlling the quirk? 

 

His focus on his new quirk and momentary disregard for his surroundings earn him a nasty surprise in the next second, when the Nomu twists around and its arm suddenly extends. An awful squelching sound accompanies the growing limb as it wraps around Izuku’s throat. 

 

Eyes bulging, Izuku’s hands fly up to grip the Nomu’s arm and try to pry it off. The moment that his hands make contact with the flesh, he feels a sort of current travelling from his heart, through his body, into his hands. 

 

The Nomu lets out a pained screech, and for a moment it's hold slackens enough for Izuku to push out of it and with his feet back onto the ground. The beginning of a theory starts forming in his head and, realizing that he needs to create some distance, he decides to test it.

 

His theory is proven when he dashes away from the Nomu faster than he should be able to. This time he notices the current zapping from his heart to his legs. He overestimates the needed amount of power by a bit, and the moment that he screeches to a halt, he feels his muscles cramping again. The miscalculation earns him another punch to the side that he isn’t quite able to evade.

 

Pain shoots up his side and a hiss escapes him as he scrambles to gain his footing before the Nomu can get another hit in. Mentally, he’s frantically trying to come up with a strategy to end the fight. 

 

A sort of electrical quirk. That’s what he’s been given. Judging from the few times that he’s activated it now, it can energize his muscles but also emit the energy in the form of an electrical current. It’s also quite likely powered by his heart, but he doesn’t have the time to think about the implications of that any further. The only drawback that he can conclude, is the cramping of his muscles whenever he uses too much energy.

 

Could he paralyze Nomu’s limbs, and end the fight without any more blood on his hands?

 

With that horrible squelching sound one of the Nomu’s arms extends again. Izuku tries to evade with another, bigger zap of energy. He does get out of reach but just barely, despite his legs cramping up even worse because he still hasn’t figured out the right amount of energy to use.

 

Frustration makes him grit his teeth, but that quickly dissolves into panic when he watches as the Nomu doesn’t just stop using its quirk. Its fingers start extending rapidly, growing to a grotesque length.

 

Move move move MOVE

 

But he can’t. Not with his legs cramping. 

 

Long fingers close around his face with crushing strength. Before Izuku even has a chance to react, the hand lifts him off his feet and then smashes him into the ground.

 

His head hits the concrete with a sickening crack. For a moment the world blacks out. Sharp pain drags him back from the dregs of unconsciousness. His nose. It must have broken. The world around him spins and blurs. 

 

On instinct, his hands fly up to grab the arm that’s pushing him down. He tries to use Magma Hand, like he’d always do, but realizes that of course he can’t. Instead, the one quirk that he does have reacts to his need for an out. 

 

With a pained screech the Nomu’s hand loosens its grip, just enough for Izuku to wiggle out of the grip and onto his feet. The world spins again and he’s just barely able to keep standing. Somehow he manages to create some distance without cramping up his legs again. At the same time he sees the Nomu’s fingers and arm retracting again, before its head twists and its eyes zero in on Izuku. Or at least, he thinks that’s what happens. Everything is still blurred around the edges.

 

Still, this fight follows the same rhythm that all the other fights he’s gone through inside this concrete room had. They’re at a tipping point now. Either Izuku keeps doing what he’s been doing. But that will result in pain, in disappointment, in punishment. Or he changes tactics, tries to win. 

 

Izuku grits his teeth. Like a warm syrup, blood flows down his nose, leaks into his mouth. The coppery taste mixes with a bitterness staining his throat. Even if he hates it, he decides to choose the latter option. He can’t risk the chance that he’ll be able to incapacitate the Nomu with paralysation of its limbs. It has barely stopped it before. 

 

The Nomu rushes at him as it lets out another screech. Izuku blinks away the wetness in his eyes. Pain, that’s why there’s tears in his eyes. Not for any other reason. 

 

There will be more blood on your hands after this. How is your pain more important than a life?

 

He doesn’t have a choice, doesn’t want to feel the pain of breaking bones yet again. I’m sorry, he thinks. 

 

Then he moves to meet the Nomu.

 

A quick flurry of punches.

 

Izuku ducks, dashes to the side. This time he’s more careful with his quirk and really focuses on keeping the energy that he sends to his legs as low as possible. When he sees an opening, he rushes forward, hand outstretched and shocks the Nomu in its side.

 

It retaliates with another screech, twisting around with a growing arm.

 

Izuku attempts to evade with the help of his quirk. His legs cramp up again but not as bad as before, and he’s able to push through it. A fist grazes his cheek, but nothing more than that.

 

For another minute Izuku dances around the Nomu. His legs cramp up only once, and that earns him a punch to the ribs that he can’t entirely avoid as he twists to the side.

 

The Nomu barrels past him with the movement of the punch as Izuku follows the twist. It leaves its back open.

 

Without hesitation, Izuku sends more energy surging through his legs. It’s just enough to dash forward, quicker than the Nomu can react, and jump up to clamber onto its back. Despite the cramps in his legs, Izuku pushes through that with a cry and wraps them around the Nomu’s thick neck to keep from falling off.

 

For a moment he stares down at the exposed brain.

 

Then he plunges his bare hand into the maze of nerves and tissue. 

 

All things considered, it’s easy to electrify a brain to destruction.

 

---

 

Heart a beating staccato that won’t stop, that keeps accelerating more and more. 

 

Hands numb and twitching.

 

An echo of a final, horrible screech that won’t leave Izuku’s ears.

 

“I expect you’ll do better next time.” All For One’s cold voice as he approaches.

 

Through lidded eyes, Izuku sees All For One inspecting the body of the Nomu before turning to Izuku.

 

“It took you an embarrassing long time to take this thing out.”.

 

Distantly, he realizes that he’s expected to say something, to follow the steps of the dance. He tries to swallow away the taste of blood in his mouth. He’s sure it’s on his hands as well. It clouds all his senses. Will probably never leave his nightmares.

 

Of course he should do better. It was a messy fight. He made too many mistakes. 

 

Even if only part of him believes that, he knows what to say. He doesn’t want to, but the memory of what happens when he doesn’t dance along is enough to force the words past his lips, “I- I’m sorry. I will.”

 

No more pain comes as a portal brings him back to his cell. 

 

Izuku feels horrible all the same.

 

---

 

Time passes. Izuku is unsure how much. 

 

He tries to wipe the worst of the blood from his face and hands with his shirt. His nose hurts, same as the places on his body where the Nomu managed to hit him. A headache beats around his head relentlessly, keeping him from falling asleep for most of the time, despite his exhaustion.

 

He doesn’t cry, doesn’t panic. That's a weakness, and not something he must show.

 

Another bowl of food appears. As soon as he’s emptied it, he gets dragged down into the depths of unconsciousness.

 

When he wakes, his nose has been healed and his headache is mostly gone. They must have taken him to the Doctor again, and Izuku is glad he doesn’t remember. He feels a little sluggish, as if the drug that they’d used hasn’t fully left his system yet. He also still smells blood everywhere, still tastes it on the back of his tongue.

 

At some point a portal appears inside his cell. A summoning. Wobbling slightly, Izuku staggers through it. He knows better than to keep All For One waiting.

 

---

 

“Izuku, come closer.”

 

Surprisingly, he hasn’t been brought back to the concrete training room. Instead, he’s been brought to a dim room filled with brimming and whirring medical machines. The only light is the blue glow of all the machines, leaving most of the room shrouded in shadows. In the middle of the room, hooked up to a sort of breathing machine sits All For One. His helmet lies on a table next to him.

 

Despite the lead weighing his feet down, Izuku listens and approaches him. In his memory, this room is somewhat hazy. He hadn’t been brought here very often, to All For One’s medical room. Still, he knows that he should say something, a greeting perhaps. He refuses to do so, though. He can’t bring himself to bend to All For One’s will completely just yet. 

 

When the silence holds All For One hums, clearly dissatisfied. “You know, I’d thought you’d have learned quicker. All the lessons I’ve given you already, and still you refuse to learn. Don’t tell me I made it too difficult for you?”

 

“No, of course not! I-” Izuku snaps his mouth shut, presses his lips together. The words rushed out before he could think better of it, his brain following a habit. His stomach clenches uncomfortably. 

 

A beat of stillness. With his hands laced together in front of him, All For One regards him. He doesn’t have eyes, but Izuku doesn’t think that’s ever really stopped him. “I was planning on just telling you this lesson but…” He trails off, thinking. “Showing you will be more effective.”

 

“Kurogiri”

 

Izuku flinches, he can’t help it. Part of him expects a portal to open and a Nomu to step out. That doesn’t happen. Rather, he watches as All For One unhooks himself from the breathing machine, puts the helmet on with a hiss, and gets up from the chair. Then he walks towards Izuku and puts a heavy, guiding hand on his shoulder.

 

“Bring us to the Doctor’s quarters.”

 

---

 

The corridors that Kurogiri brings them to are dark, save for a flickering light every other step. They smell of strong disinfectant and old blood hangs thickly in the air. Hand still heavy on his shoulder, All For One leads them further down the hallway. Izuku tries to keep his breathing level, and forces himself to focus on what the other starts saying.

 

“Do you know why I’ve brought you here, Izuku?”

 

“No,” Izuku answers. Even if he’s very much trying to figure that out. Why was he brought to the Doctor’s quarters? He hopes that it’s okay that he doesn’t know. 

 

All For One hums, doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, his voice sounds almost…amused when he says, “This is the place where all the Nomu are kept.” 

 

He opens a door to his left and steers Izuku to enter as well. As soon as he steps inside–into a big room–he’s hit with a musty smell. Low groans fill the room, and Izuku is horrified to see tiny cells lining both sides of the room. The figures inside are mostly obscured by shadows, and the single light inside the room is barely enough to be able to see the outlines of everything. 

 

It takes everything in him to keep his face blank and his breathing even.

 

A sigh, it sounds slightly mechanical through the mask. “Of course not all are complete Nomu yet, that takes time and the Doctor likes to switch between subjects. So this room is really more for the in-between cases. They’re not all success stories, and when one of them…fails, well, a supply is needed.”

 

Faintly, Izuku wonders where this story is going. Surely he hasn’t been performing so poorly that this will be his new fate? All For One continues before he has the chance to think any more about it. “Individuals that won’t be missed are the best. Unfortunately the situation is sometimes misjudged, and then people start poking around places where they shouldn’t. A nuisance, usually. Until a few months ago. Do you know why?”

 

With a slight push, All For One starts walking the both of them past cells. Meanwhile Izuku is scrambling to make sense of the situation. There are threads here to follow to the center, to the truth. Details and hints so he can answer the question.

 

All For One halts them in front of one cell.

 

“Tell me Izuku, have you already cracked the Kokkaku Nori case?”

 

For a moment the world stops, screeches to a halt. A shaky outhale.

 

Even before he peers into the cell, and spots a glinting white cheek bone, he already knows. After all, his brain is quick to piece together clues. Just not quick enough this time around. Because right there, behind bars, Izuku sees her.

 

Kokkaku Nori

 

---

 

It’s difficult to see much with all the shadows, but Nori has changed from the school picture that Izuku had first seen of her, back when he’d just taken on the case. Her brown hair falls in thin, oily strands down her face, and her skin seems to have more white than color to it. There are bones protruding from her body where there shouldn’t. She doesn’t seem to react to them standing in front of her cell.

 

“You…knew I was on the case?” The words taste dry in his mouth. It’s the first thing that his brain snags onto to try and make sense of. Right now he can’t think of all the ways that he’s failed Nori.

 

“Of course,” All For One responds. Something in his voice makes Izuku’s skin crawl. “Otherwise you would never have gotten as far as you did with the case.”

 

All For One knew that there were people poking around his…well, Izuku guesses they were elaborate schemes to recruit more test subjects for the Nomu projects. And despite knowing about the police investigation he didn’t do much about it?

 

“Why?” Izuku chokes out as he drags his gaze back to All For One. He’s shaking, he realizes. Is it that cold inside this room?

 

Another mechanical sigh. All For One waves a dismissing hand. “To lead you back to me, of course. One of the downsides of having an elaborate information network is the delay of information sometimes. By the time I was informed of your involvement, UA had already put you and your mother behind its golden walls. Planting a few clues for the police to find allowed me to draw you out.”

 

All of the sudden everything that happened back in Hosu makes sense. The oddly empty warehouse, burned to the ground before they could find any real substantial evidence. The suspiciously timed attack of the League, perfect to keep the heroes distracted while a Nomu swept in and kidnapped Izuku. A perfect plan if not for the hidden tracker that Izuku had been wearing.

 

“I have to say that I was disappointed when I learned that you hadn’t figured everything out as soon as you learned about Madoka.”

 

Madoka? What did he have to do with any of this? Wasn’t he just another pawn in the recruitment scheme? 

 

“The cult leader?” Izuku asks, pushing aside the stab of shame because he just can’t figure out what Madoka has to do with any of this.

 

All For One ignores his question, and just continues on, “Although I suppose you never got the chance to meet him. After all, your parents were betrayed by him before you got the chance.”

 

As if punched in the gut, Izuku sucks in a harsh breath. He stammers, “W-what?”

 

All For One tuts, giving a slight shake of his head. “Well, you didn’t think I didn’t know about your parents’ escape plans?”

 

“Then why did you allow them to continue?”

 

Izuku has the feeling like All For One looks him right in the eye when he says, “It was simply a good excuse to get rid of your parents.”

 

No no no no no

 

It can’t be true that their escape was doomed from the start. That it was all just another one of All For One’s plans. Had All For One finally deemed his parents more trouble than they were worth? An obstacle in Izuku’s path to greatness.  

 

His fathers smokey laugh echoes through his memory, his warm hugs. The only reason why Izuku and his mom managed to escape is because of his father’s final stand against the Nomu. Perhaps a miscalculation on All For One’s part, not expecting his son to be willing to sacrifice himself.

 

“Y-your plan failed,” Izuku grits out. It doesn’t sound very strong. Then again, there are tears forming in his eyes and he has to keep his voice from shaking. “I escaped.”

 

“You did. Unexpected, but ultimately no problem because you came back here either way. And we have all the time in the world to catch you up to all your lessons.”

 

“The heroes–”

 

In a flash All For One’s hand has come up to grip his chin. “The heroes won’t be doing anything. Didn’t Tomura tell you about their reaction when they learned whose blood flows through your veins? I know it is painful to hear, but they won’t come to save you.”

 

Eyes wide, Izuku stares back at All For One. It finally dawns on him that he doesn’t have anyone left. His father is dead. His mother is far, far away from All For One’s clutches. And the heroes? Well, they’re either unwilling or unable to find him. The only people here right now are Tomura and All For One, his grandfather.

 

His grandfather’s hand squeezes his face. “Have you learned now?” he asks, words soft.

 

Has he learned?

 

He has learned that Tomura and Kurogiri aren’t the only puppets dancing to their master’s will. He is a puppet, too. Has been all along. No matter how far he strays away from his grandfather’s hands, he will always, inevitably be dragged back to dance as he’s instructed. 

 

“Yes, t-this is where I belong.”

 

It’s almost a relief, to stop struggling, to follow what the strings instruct him to do. To follow the dance.

 

Even through the mask, his grandfather’s smile is audible when he says, “Good. Then you’ve earned your reward.”

 

---

 

When all is done Izuku is kneeled on the ground, body aching. The world is blurry, but he knows to look up at the figure waiting in front of him. His quirk guides him, tells him about all the quirk lights around him and about the familiar one standing there.

 

He smiles through his tears and says, “Thank you, Sensei.”

Notes:

CW: pretty graphic depiction of a panic attack. Form of self harm to regulate. Manipulation. Gaslighting. Physical abuse (in a way). Graphic depictions of violence. Graphic depiction of injuries. Blood. Broken bones. Self-deprecation. Mention of medical care against consent. Mention of human experimentation. Bones (in a more horror-esque way). Please let me know if I've missed anything!

~
A note about my long absences:
As some of you might have noticed, chapter updates have been very slow. This is partly because real life has been rather busy for me this past year. It is also partly because I have been struggling to write these chapters. I do have an entire, very detailed, outline of this fic, and I’m planning to see it through to the end. I have just been struggling with feelings of dissatisfaction about my writing, fueled by some negative comments that I’ve been receiving. I try not to let those get to me–it is an unfortunate but inevitable consequence of putting your work online–and constructive criticism is something that I can always appreciate. Not all comments have been constructive. I plan–promise even–to finish this fic. It is very dear to my heart, and there is no way that I’m abandoning it after nearly three years of working on it. However, updates will probably stay rather slow. I want to make these last ~10 chapters as good as I can make them without any stress because I haven’t updated in three or four weeks. I am sorry about these slow updates, but I hope some of you will stick with me through the end.
Lastly, please, if you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say it. No one is forcing you to read this fic, and it is as easy as clicking away to ao3’s homepage to stop reading and find something else that you might like. I am always open to constructive criticism, as that helps my writing grow, but criticism with nothing but bad things to say is not part of that.
Thank you everyone who has read this far, left kudos and commented (other than blatant criticism lol). It has motivated me to keep on going, and I will do my very best to give you all the very best ending to GFTP that I can <3
~

Anyway, this chapter has been a very long time in the making. I really really hope I did it justice (at least to some degree). So many plotlines and little details that I could finally (semi-) wrap up.

Thank you so much for reading!

Come find me on tumblr! (I have started posting tiny snippets of future chapters!)

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 36: Disruptions

Notes:

Happy 2025 everyone! I hope everyone was able to enjoy their holiday, whether or not they celebrate christmas and new years eve :)
As you might have seen, yes, I have finally added how many chapters this fic will have. This number is still up to change, depending on how long the next few chapters turn out to be and stuff, BUT I’m confident that GFTP will be finished this year! Besides that, I want to thank everyone for the truly kind comments last chapter! They really motivated me, and really really warmed my heart <3

CW: Slight mention of abuse after the first separation mark. After the second separation mark; verbal abuse, mention of physical abuse, display of a toxic relationship.

They’re in yet another meeting when the news hits.

 

Shouta’s dream of finally–after close to twenty four hours without–getting some sleep, goes up in smoke along with it. He’s in the…well, he forgot to count after meeting number six. Normally Shouta wouldn’t have bothered to attend all these meetings, instead preferring to find a dark corner to get a nap. This time though, there’s no way that he’s skipping on any meetings. Not when any meeting could be the one where they’ll finally have a breakthrough. 

 

So far, less than a day has passed since Midoriya has been kidnapped, and it isn’t looking too good. After agreeing to help them, mrs. Midoriya gives them any facts and details that she can remember from her time with All For One that might help them in finding her son. Multiple times she emphasizes that things might have changed in the last few years and that she’d always deliberately been kept in the dark about most of the details, so they shouldn’t take any of her information as a sure fact. It’s better than no information, but Shouta also realizes that they’ll need a whole lot more if they ever want to have a chance at finding Midoriya.

 

By the time that the sun is up and well, the news of the attack on the camp has broken on every major news outlet. Shouta’s sure that if he’d walked out of UA’s gates and onto the streets, he would have heard the whispers of concern and doubt everywhere. 

 

This was the third attack of the League in as many months that totally surprised the heroes. The seeds of doubt have slowly started to accumulate, and now they’re starting to grow. If the heroes can’t stop a single group of villains, what does that say about their ability to keep people safe?

 

Either way, Nedzu holds meetings the rest of the day. Heroes, high-ranking police officers, ministers even, Shouta sits across all of them at some point during the day. One crucial fact is kept from nearly everyone involved.

 

Midoriya’s familial relation to All For One.

 

At one point during a short reprieve between meetings, Shouta approaches the rat. He asks him whether it really is such a good idea to keep that fact a secret.

 

Hearing that, Nedzu turns to look at him from where he'd been gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Tell me Aizawa, have you forgotten how strong prejudice runs in this society? Because right now we might have the public’s support for rescuing our missing student. They see him as the victim, the hero in training who needs help. But as soon as they learn about the blood in his veins, they’ll see him as a villain’s grandson, possibly a traitor even. They’ll protest and condone anyone who might try to help him. And wherever the public opinion goes, politicians and heroes hungry for fame will follow. It would put an unfortunate strain on our rescue operation.”

 

The principal shakes his head. “No, I will try to keep Midoriya’s connection to All For One under wraps for as long as possible. Hopefully until we’ve rescued him.”

 

Shouta doesn’t ask any other questions, regardless of the sour feeling in his gut. 

 

Despite Nedzu’s words, the news does break. Right before the sun is to set and during a small meeting with Nedzu, All Might, an old man named Gran Torino who is apparently something like All Might’s mentor, and a haggard looking Tsukauchi. They’re trying to get a better picture of All For One’s possible motives and whereabouts by piecing together all the information that they have, when there’s a knock on the door. 

 

Not much later Nedzu’s secretary opens the door, with a straight face but with her voice trembling just slightly when she says, “I’m sorry for interrupting, but you told me to inform you whenever the media release new information surrounding Midoriya Izuku. Twenty minutes ago, Nippon News claimed to have been informed by a reliable source that Midoriya Izuku is the grandson of the villain who kidnapped him.”

 

Fuck

 

That is really the only thing that Shouta can think of when he hears that. When he looks at the other men sitting in the room, he can also see it written on their faces. The only one who doesn’t seem to visibly react, is Nedzu, who just nods at his secretary. “Thank you Shiozawa for informing me. Please keep doing so if any new developments pop up while I’m in a meeting.”

 

As soon as the door closes, the room’s attention turns back to the rat. 

 

“What now?” Tsukauchi asks, because there’s no way this won’t have any effect on the rescue operation.

 

Nedzu’s tail twitches behind him as he sighs, “Well, it is unfortunate that the situation developed like this, but ultimately it won’t change our end goal. It will just mean that we’ll have to do some damage control. I will draft up a statement to make it clear that UA will keep doing everything in its power to find our missing student.”

 

“Perhaps the public’s reaction won’t be so bad. He is a kid after all,” All Might speaks up. He’s in his small form–with everyone in the room being aware of his secret–and his usual blinding smile is lacking for once. Despite that, his voice sounds disgustingly hopeful. As if he actually is so naive to believe what he just said.

 

“Are you really that out of touch?” Shouta asks, before he can push down the irritation boiling inside him. He’s had a long day, softening his words is not high on his priority list right now. He sends the hero one of his terrifying glares. “The discrimination rates against people with villainous quirks are higher than they’ve been in years! Let alone what it is against people who are actually related to villains. You think the public will just accept Midoriya’s family relations?”

 

“Aizawa–” Tsukauchi tries to interfere.

 

“Remind me again how you reacted?!” Shouta bites out, his quirk activating for just a moment as he glares at All Might. He still remembers Midoriya’s terrified gaze and the vomit on the ground during the exam. It’s difficult to forget. 

 

All Might raises his hands as if to placate, a grimace on his face and shame dancing across. “I now realize that my actions were too extreme. And that’s something that–”

 

Before he can continue, he’s whacked across the head by a cane. Gran Torino, who is sitting next to him, sends the man one of the most disappointed looks that Shouta has ever seen. “Yagi Toshinori. What . Did. You. Do?”

 

The number one hero looks every bit the guilty–and slightly terrified–student when he shrinks into himself even further. “Look, I learned and–”

 

Shouta is about to butt in himself to explain just what exactly the man got up to when Nedzu puts down his cup of tea with a loud clatter. 

 

“That’s quite enough.”

 

Just like that, the room stills and an icy silence descends upon it. Nedzu looks at each of them, mouth tight. “Are you all really so easy to manipulate? This. Discord amongst ourselves, so we can never hope to bundle our powers. This is exactly what All For One wants.”

 

The implication that it might have been All For One who leaked the information hangs heavy in the air. 

 

To calm himself down, Shouta lets out a breath. He let himself go, let emotions cloud his mind. Nedzu is right. If they want to have a chance at succeeding, they need to work together. Even if Shouta would rather not involve the idiot of a number one hero, he also knows that All Might has exceptional experience in dealing with All For One and his organizations. As far as they know he’s the only one who has survived an actual fight against the villain. Removing him from the rescue operation, no matter his past actions, would be irrational.

 

When Nedzu seems satisfied by what he sees on their faces–which appears to be the realization that yes, they need each other–he continues, “Now let's focus on what matters: finding Midoriya.”

 

---

 

It is by pure accident that Toshinori runs into the crying woman. 

 

He’s on his way to Recovery Girl to get a health check up. Just in case. You never know how quickly a case can develop. Especially when the case involves high-profile villains. By now the sun has well and truly set and when Toshinori looks out the tall windows lining the hallway and past the looming UA gate, he can see the lights of the city twinkling like stars. The rest of the world feels distant, as if behind UA’s walls all of it can be ignored. He’s always felt that way, even decades ago when he was still a teenager himself and the embers of One For All inside his veins were yet to grow into the blazing fire that it’d been for years. 

 

The same air still hangs inside of UA: one of eager learning and big dreams. But the outside world has changed.

 

No longer is society being plagued by the disorder and chaos of rampant villain attacks. All For One’s once enormous empire is nothing more than ruins now. An era of peace and an era of heroes, that’s what followed after. Toshinori is aware that as the Symbol of Peace he’s an unmissable pillar to that era. But the fire of One For All inside him has started to wane, and he wonders what will happen to the era of peace now that one of its pillars is starting to crumble. He wonders if, perhaps, he should have started looking for a successor sooner. Especially now that it's become clear that the ruins of All For One’s empire are perhaps not all… ruins.  

 

As absorbed as he is by his own thoughts–so much so that at first he doesn’t even pick up on the crying–he does break out of them when he sees the small woman with disheveled green hair walking down the hallway, in his direction. She isn’t even crying particularly loudly, far from it actually, just some snivels and an occasional muffled sob. At first she doesn't seem to notice him, and as the distance between the two of them decreases, Toshinori is able to see the glistening of tears on her cheeks.

 

“Ma’am, are you alright?” he asks before he can even think about it.

 

If the woman is startled by his presence, she only shows it for a moment by the stiffening of her body. Then she’s wiping away her tears and looking up at him with a strained smile. “I ah- yes. Yes. No need to worry!”

 

Toshinori frowns, takes in her still teary eyes and one of her hands that is clenched around a phone. 

 

“Are you sure?” he asks. Even if he’s in his small form right now, he’s aware of his ability to draw sincerity out of people. One time, many years ago, Mirai jokingly suggested that he must have a secondary quirk for that. 

 

Even if he knows that he doesn’t have that quirk, his question still draws out sincerity. The woman’s composure crumbles, and she presses her lips together as she averts her gaze. “I- my son…” Her voice cracks.

 

“Come, let’s just sit down over there,” he says as he begins guiding her towards a nearby bench that’s pushed against one of the windows. The woman’s shoulders shake, but when they sit down she looks away from him with a clenched jaw as she presses a hand to her mouth to muffle her sniffles. 

 

For just a second Toshinori wonders what the hell he should do now. Usually just being ‘All Might’ is enough to console people, but he’s in his small form right now. Then he shakes the hesitation off. He’s been a pro hero for decades now, if he can’t make one person feel better, then he doesn’t deserve the title of Number One Hero. He fumbles inside one of his pockets and takes out a–still completely clean–handkerchief. 

 

“Here,” he murmurs as he hands her the cloth. She takes it, sends him a flash of a thankful smile, and swiftly dabs at her eyes.

 

Letting out a shuddering breath, she says, “I-I’m sorry for inconveniencing you like this. You must have things to do.”

 

Toshinori waves her concerns away with a chuckle. “No need to worry.” What kind of person would he be if he ignored an obviously distraught person? 

 

Cursing his own awkwardness, he searches for the right words. In the end, the best he can come up with is to bluntly ask, “Say, do you need help with anything?”

 

The woman lets out a sigh, then shakes her head as she looks down at her phone. Toshinori follows her gaze, and catches a glimpse of a news article before she shuts off the screen. Even if he didn’t see much, the title is enough to connect some dots.

 

‘Everything we know about Midoriya Izuku’s connections to the infamous “King of the Underworld”’

 

The woman starts, “Oh n–

 

“Are you…Midoriya’s mother?” Toshinori interrupts. Looking at her face, there’s a definite resemblance between the two. Realizing that perhaps such a question might come across as rude, he hurries to add, “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

 

Toshinori watches as the woman pulls back her shoulders, as a guarded suspicion crawls up on her face. Words cold and clipped, “I am his mother.”

 

Uh oh.

 

Maybe Toshinori shouldn’t have asked. Well, too late now, so he continues on, “I ah, am one of the people working on your son’s case.”

 

There’s a moment of silence where the woman–Midoriya’s mother–regards him with a critical eye. As if by looking at him, she can tell whether he’s someone who will act just as the media did: villainizing her son just because of the blood in his veins. 

 

The worst thing is that Toshinori did do that. The moment that he learned that Midoriya was the grandson of All For One, he was unable to see Midoriya as anything but villainous. It took multiple people calling him out on his behavior–with Aizawa going so far as to compare him to All For One– and a long, hard look at himself for him to realize that what he did was terribly, horribly wrong. 

 

Now when Toshinori thinks back to his behavior during the final exams, all that fills him is burning shame and regret. He doesn’t know what Midoriya went through during his childhood, but if the bits of information that he learned during the past meeting are anything to go by then… Toshinori doesn’t think he deserves the boy’s forgiveness. 

 

Then Midoriya’s mother gives him a curt nod. Even if there’s a wariness in her voice, somehow she seems to have lowered her guard a bit when she says, “Thank you. For your work. Even if…well…with the news and the public–”

 

The rest of the words catch in her throat as she chokes up again. Either way, they both know what she means. The shifting of public opinion. The disappearing support for the rescue. 

 

Toshinori tries to say something, perhaps to tell her that he will keep on looking no matter what the public might think, but Midoriya’s mother beats him to it. “He’s such a kind boy, you know. Always helping people, even at the cost of himself. And now…”

 

Not everything from All For One’s empire was cast into ruins. Toshinori is starting to realize that much. He is also starting to realize that he shouldn’t have been so naive as to believe that the villain was truly dead. He shouldn’t have lowered his guard and instead should have checked.

 

He did no such thing. As a result countless other people have been hurt.

 

When Toshinori looks at Midoriya’s mother there is such pain in her eyes. That is physical evidence of All For One’s terrible actions. A mother whose son has been kidnapped, who has probably had to watch her son be hurt for years. 

 

“The thought of what those villains will do to him is almost unbearable,” she whispers.

 

“I– we will find him. I promise.” Toshinori wants to apologize, because in a way all of this is also his fault, but that wouldn’t help anyone. He will find All For One–he has done so before–and in doing so, will find Midoriya. He will rescue Midoriya, and then he will do what he failed to do the last time.

 

Defeat All For One.

 

Midoriya’s mother looks at him, eyes searching and surprisingly sharp. It is the first time that Toshinori feels like someone can look past his small form, and see the hero that he is beneath. Then she sends him a small, nearly non-existent smile.

 

“I hope so.”

 

---

 

“Here, I’m player one and you’re player two. Got it?”

 

Izuku nods, slightly bewildered, as he takes a controller from Tomura. “Y-yes,” he says, because he knows Tomura wants him to respond.

 

“Do you know how to play this game?”

 

Izuku shakes his head. “No.”

 

Tomura scoffs and Izuku can feel his muscles tense, anticipating. Then the other’s face smoothes out into mild annoyance as he starts explaining the game. Izuku tries to listen. It’s some kind of shootergame. The controls feel vaguely familiar. Still, he hopes that he’ll be able to properly keep up with Tomura. It’s been years since he last played a video game. The last time was…before he and his mom escaped. 

 

With a shake of his head, Izuku focuses back on the explanation. It’s stupid to get distracted now. 

 

They start playing. Tomura keeps muttering under his breath, and occasionally bites out a command that Izuku has to follow. Izuku tries to keep up, despite his hammering heart and the aching in his body. He had to fight another Nomu a few…hours? days? ago. Time is still impossible when he doesn’t see the outside world. 

 

The fight had left him with new bruises and pains, and with a new quirk crawling underneath his skin. It’s a minor air controlling quirk, allowing him to control small bodies of air around him. It was surprisingly difficult to counter because the Nomu kept using pockets of air to slow his attacks down, but he managed. Luckily his grandfather hadn’t been too disappointed. Izuku supposes that’s probably why he’s allowed to spend some time with Tomura instead of in his cell. 

 

The quick look around before Izuku had gotten a controller pushed into his hands hadn’t revealed much. Just a small room with an old couch that they are currently sitting on, a tv on a table and tall cabinets filled to the brim with games and various gaming consoles. No windows as far as Izuku can tell, and all the walls are made of grey stone. They’re probably still somewhere underground, if the chill in the air is anything to go by.

 

They move onto the next level of the game. Izuku dares to relax a bit more and he starts scanning the area with his quirk. He almost startles when he notices the quirk lights right above them. Kurogiri’s and…lights that he recognizes as belonging to the villains that attacked the camp. 

 

“Hey!” Tomura snaps when Izuku stops playing for a moment, causing the man to nearly be shot. 

 

It takes everything in Izuku not to flinch away. 

 

“S-sorry,” he stammers and he drags all of his attention back to the screen in front of him. In the back of his mind all the possibilities of where he could be whir through his head. He could just be at the main base. Or…somewhere else.

 

“I…was wondering…” Izuku starts, trying to test the waters.

 

“Hmm?” Tomura grunts, his focus clearly on the game in front of him as he aggressively jams on the buttons of his controller. 

 

“Is this your room here at the base?”

 

Tomura scoffs. “I wish, but Kurogiri wants me to sleep in a proper bed.” He shakes his head, red eyes snapping between different characters on the screen. “This is just my gaming room.”

 

Izuku widens his eyes. “All– Sensei allowed you to have a gaming room at the base?”

 

“Of course not,” Tomura rolls his eyes. “This is at– FUCK! YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!”

 

On the tv, a big red ‘Game Over’ flashes across the screen. Izuku got so distracted that he forgot to keep on playing, tipping the scales of the fight in favor of the enemy. Now they’re both dead.

 

Tomura lets out a furious screech, jumps to his feet and in his rage throws his controller against the wall. It breaks as soon as it hits the wall with a loud crack. Then he whirls around to face Izuku.

 

This time Izuku does flinch.

 

“You are such a noob! I gave you a fucking tutorial on the game, and you still can’t do shit!” Tomura snaps, red eyes wild and angry. 

 

“I-I’m sorry!” Izuku stammers, staring up at the man with wide eyes and with his heart lurching in his chest. 

 

The other man stalks closer and bends down until he’s face to face with Izuku. He’s so close that Izuku can feel hot breath hit his skin when Tomura hisses, “Can’t you do any better?!”

 

Izuku frantically shakes his head. “I can do better! I promise.”

 

For a moment he’s scared that Tomura will hurt him. That quickly passes when the door to the room flies open.

 

“Tomuraaa~ someone has knocked on the door! Should we open?”

 

A beat of silence.

 

Izuku doesn’t dare take his eyes off the man in front of him.

 

The playful voice of a teenage girl sounds rather amused when she continues, “Oopsy daisy, am I interrupting something?”

 

Tomura lets out an annoyed huff. “No. I’m coming.”

 

Then he’s turning around and following the girl with the blonde space buns out of the room. The door falls shut behind them, a lock clearly clicking into place. 

 

Izuku lets out a shuddering breath. When he looks down, he realizes that his hands are shaking. Stupid stupid stupid, that’s what he is. He should have just kept his focus on the game. Before he can try to calm down some more and think, he hears shouts coming from somewhere above.

 

What?

 

He jumps up from the couch as his quirk frantically starts to scan around. New quirk lights have entered his range and they’re…it’s difficult to tell but…fighting?

 

He doesn’t recognize any of the quirks, doesn’t know what any of this means, but he wants to get out of this room and take a look. Then he remembers the last time he broke out of a room, remembers the pain and the punishment that followed.

 

What if this is another one of his grandfather's tests?

 

But what if it’s not?

 

Frustrated, Izuku grits his teeth and clenches his fists. He doesn’t know what to do. 

 

Maybe it’s better to do nothing?

 

Then again, he doesn’t want to disappoint his grandfather if he is supposed to act.

 

Tears fill his eyes, and he blinks them away before they can blur his vision. He takes a deep breath and–

 

As soon as he exhales, he starts choking on some sort of grey sludge.

 

His hands fly up to his throat, gag reflex kicking in. Vaguely, past the panic, he wonders what’s happening. The sludge expands, engulfs his body. He blinks away more tears, opens his eyes again but they won’t directly focus.

 

His quirk tells him that he’s somewhere entirely different, that there’s danger right behind him. At the same time he can feel a hand wrapping around the nape of his neck, pulling him close.

 

“Izuku, how nice of you to join us,” his grandfather says.

 

For just a moment Izuku wonders who he means with ‘us’. Then his gaze finally focuses on the scene in front of him.

 

Rubble, dark skies and them.

 

Heroes.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I am so so *so* excited for the next chapter! So I hope I’ll be able to post it soon, as I’ve literally been thinking about writing this chapter for the past three years.
Also, if you want to read small snippets of future chapters, I’ve started posting a bit more on Tumblr. I try to post a snippet of the next chapter a few days before posting the actual chapter on ao3, so if that’s something you want to read then definitely check out my tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 37: The choice

Notes:

First of, apologies for the long wait. This chapter was complicated to write, as I wanted to do it justice to the best of my abilites. It also took longer than thought to edit, but again, I wanted to take my time, because this chapter really deserves that in my opinion.

Second, with this chapter we not only hit the 200k words, but in the meantime this fic has also hit the 2000 kudos! A huge thank you to everyone who read, gave kudos, commented <3 Without all this support I am unsure if I would have ever gotten this far.

Enjoy!

CW: Check endnotes, they contain *major* spoilers. This chapter can be quite intense at times, so please be careful. Please stay safe, and if you just want a summary of what happened, let me know!

On the second day after Midoriya’s kidnapping, they have a breakthrough.

 

In the early afternoon Yaoyorozu wakes up from her coma. She sustained a serious head injury, along with a broken arm during the camp attack. Luckily due to the hard work of her doctors, she’ll be able to make a full recovery. Shouta travels to the hospital along with one of Tsukauchi’s men as soon as he hears of her awakening. She’s the last of his students to wake up, and Shouta can’t deny the rush of relief when he sees her sitting upright in her hospital bed.

 

After nearly two days without finding any decent trail, it feels like a sweet victory when Yaoyorozu tells him about the tracker that she put on one of the Nomu. 

 

When Yaoyorozu asks if they have any leads on Midoriya yet, Shouta tries not to be too blunt about it. Because no, up until that point it wasn’t looking too good. No good leads, and with the public opinion shifting against them, stirred on by the continuing media posts about Midoriya. They’re calling him everything. From a traitor, to a natural-born villain. The voices that go against this narrative aren’t loud enough to drown out the continued villainization of Midoriya.

 

Over the course of two days, Shouta watches as videos of Midoriya during the sports festival resurface. People wonder why the teen never seemed to use his quirk up until the last moment–because yes, even the information on Midoriya’s actual quirk has been leaked–and they wonder why it looks like he’s hiding his quirk. Of course without knowing the real reason, people come to the conclusion that Midoriya must have been trying to hide his quirk from everyone. Which is true, except people seem to think that it’s because Midoriya must have been the spy for the League. That he didn’t want anyone to know what his real quirk is, because of its similarities to the quirk of the ‘king of the underworld’--as people are calling All For One. Again, true, but not because Midoriya had any malicious intent.

 

Of course, it doesn’t help that 1-A was attacked not once, but twice by the League. With UA’s near spotless reputation when it comes to villain attacks before the USJ, it is easiest to put the blame on Midoriya for the occurrence of the two attacks. 

 

People don’t know Midoriya, don’t know even a bit of what the kid has gone through. It makes it even more frustrating to see them acting like they’ve got him all figured out. 

 

The fact that the continued efforts of Nedzu and All Might don’t seem to have much effect yet on the public opinion is also worrying. Either All For One is one hell of a manipulative bastard, just as skilled at swaying the public as Nedzu is. A realistic option, considering what Shouta’s has heard about the villain. Or social prejudice runs just that strongly. For years the discrimination rates have risen. It has become normalized to villainize people for their quirks, for the blood in their veins. Once someone has been branded villainous, it is almost impossible to get rid of that label no matter any opposing evidence. 

 

Despite all of the upheaval and unrest, Shouta doesn’t actually have the time to think too much about it. Most of his time is spent in meetings, placating worried parents or–practically forced by Hizashi–catching up on a bit of sleep. 

 

That night–after Midoriya has been kidnapped for two days–there’s finally a major breakthrough.

 

Not only did the location of Yaoyarozu’s tracker turn out to be a potential site, through an anonymous tip Tsukauchi managed to locate a second site that the League–and thus, perhaps even All For One–might be hiding out at. They’re hesitant to celebrate just yet. One of Mrs. Midoriya’s useful insights was that apparently All For One has multiple bases. It could very well be that the place where Midoriya is being kept isn’t the place where the League is hiding, and All For One might be at yet another location. 

 

Still, it would be illogical not to take the two leads that they have seriously. So they do just that. It takes an entire night to put together a plan, a morning to debrief all the heroes, policemen and other personnel involved, and then an afternoon of painful waiting and quietly setting up.

 

They’ll split up into two strike teams. Endeavor will lead a team to raid the location that Tsukauchiwas tipped off about. It’s the smaller of the two, yet with heroes like Kamui Woods and Edgeshot taking part it is by no means taken less seriously. All Might will lead the second team, with heroes like Best Jeanist, Tiger, and Gang Orca to raid the other location. Both are located within highly populated areas in Kamino, which makes the operation a whole lot more risky. They can’t risk evacuating civilians, as that might tip All For One off and thus foil the entire operation. The next best thing is to bring enough heroes to deal with whatever they might find–whether that be low level villains, the League itself, or All For One–so a bloodbath amongst civilians is avoided.

 

Shouta practically demands to be part of the operation as well. He’ll be damned if he doesn’t go along when there’s a chance, however small, that they might rescue his student. Considering his quirk, he’s put on All Might’s team as that’s also the location deemed most likely to run into Nomu or perhaps even All For One. That’s at least their thought process, again helped by Mrs. Midoriya’s information. 

 

So, that’s why that evening Shouta finds himself waiting inside an undercover police car a few streets removed from the actual location. Hizashi is sitting next to him, both of them intently listening to their comms. Tension fills the air inside the car as they follow the proceedings of the raids. Both of them are on backup duty. Hizashi because his quirk isn’t the subtlest and works the best in open combat situations–something they’re hoping to avoid. Shouta because they’re waiting to see how the situation develops. If he happens to be needed at the location of Endeavor’s team, then the car will get him there in under two minutes. If he’s needed by All Might’s team, it’s a minute and a half away when he takes the shortcuts through the small alleyways. 

 

The two teams start their operation at the same time, with Edgeshot–who’s acting as a pizza delivery boy–knocking on the door of the first smaller location and with All Might bursting into the second location.

 

For a moment nothing happens. No one opens the door for Edgeshot. All Might begins reporting on his location.

 

“All Might reporting. This is definitely a Nomu factory, there are at least a dozen stored over here in tanks and–

 

“HOLD!”

 

For just a few seconds there’s some struggling, with All Might clearly using his insane speed against whoever–or whatever–just crossed his path. 

 

At the same time that All Might reports arresting a man who matches the vague description of All For One’s Doctor, a fight breaks out at the other location. The League has been located.

 

Shouta almost drives off to the smaller location–a bar apparently–right then and there. It was the League who attacked his class. Twice. It was the League who tried, and eventually succeeded at kidnapping his student. 

 

Hizashi stops him before he can act on the irrational impulse, one hand on his arm.

 

“Shouta, don’t. Let’s stick to the plan and wait until one of the teams requests backup,” Hizashi says in a–for him–soft voice. His usual cheery disposition has been replaced by a grim focus, and a frown had crawled up his face as they followed the two raids through their comms. 

 

Closing his eyes, Shouta breathes out all his frustration. When he opens them again, he relaxes his death-grip on the steering wheel. Hizashi is right, and Shouta knows that all too well. He’s been a pro for more than a decade now, rushing into situations is how missions end in failure. For now, he needs to wait and see how the situation will develop.

 

“All Might we’re moving in as well. Jeanist over.”

 

“Copy that. Please bring some officers to pick up the–”

 

Anything else that the number one hero might have said is lost as static suddenly erupts from the comms. It’s such a painful screech that both Shouta and Hizashi have to quickly remove their comms.

 

Not that they need them anymore, because at that moment a huge crash breaks the silent night, a plume of smoke rising high into the air from the direction of the raid’s location.

 

Neither of them needs to say anything as they both dash out of the car and towards the alleyway that will get them to All Might’s location fastest. There’s really only two options for what could have happened.

 

Either the Nomu inside the tanks woke up.

 

Or…

 

All For One made his entrance.

 

---

 

Toshinori didn’t think he’d be leading yet another mission to raid one of All For One’s locations. Yet here he is, making his way to one of the locations that they’d found, a group of heroes following in his wake. He’d thought that his fights against the supervillain six years ago would have been his last mission to stop any of All For One’s activities. 

 

Ever since Tsukauchi informed him that All For One is still alive, Toshinori has slowly come to accept that his fight against the villain isn’t over yet. Despite the pain in his bones and the dying fire of One For All inside his veins, he knows he won’t be able to rest until All For One has been stopped once and for all. Until he’s gotten justice for all the people that have been hurt by the super villain. Until he’s gotten justice for his master. 

 

He’s one of the first people to enter the building and do a quick stake-out, along with Gang Orca. With his strength and speed he’s well suited for that job, and the same goes for the other hero. With the chance of finding various Nomu inside they’ll need all the strength they can get. Besides, when they’d planned the raid he’d demanded that he take this role. It’s a dangerous one as they know next to nothing of what’s inside, and Toshinori is all too aware of how he’s partly responsible for the mess that they’re in right now. 

 

If only he’d actually checked that All For One was well and truly dead.

 

No, Toshinori won’t let anyone else come to harm. He’ll be the pillar of society, the Symbol of Peace, for just a bit longer.

 

Inside it’s dark, damp and filled with a soft whirring of machines. Rows and rows of tanks fill the room. All of them are filled with Nomu. Next to him, Gang Orca sucks in a harsh breath as they take it all in. While it isn’t Toshinori’s first time encountering the dark side of quirk experimentation–he’s been a pro for far too long for that, has been hunting down All For One for too many years–but seeing it at still scale, with the experimentation being this successful and horrifying…

 

It sours his gut, makes it difficult to remember the brightness of his own smile.

 

“All Might reporting. This is definitely a Nomu factory, there are at least a dozen stored over here in tanks and–

 

The sound of something moving deeper inside the room draws his attention and he abruptly stops talking. The other hero als seems to have picked up on it, as he also stills. 

 

“I hear another human heartbeat,” Gang Orca growls, gaze searching the darkness. Right as he says that, a shape moves again. Toshinori doesn’t even think, merely reacts to his instincts, and dashes forward.

 

“HOLD!”

 

After decades of working as a pro hero, his instincts are rarely off. The vague shape turns out to be a man, stocky and with a distinct mustache. He’s holding a- a…–Toshinori almost can’t believe what he’s seeing–tiny Nomu with red shoes on its feet. The man is fumbling with the Nomu’s helmet with desperate, terrified eyes that widen even more when Toshinori grabs hold of the man with one arm and the Nomu with the other. 

 

He throws the Nomu away in the darkness. Not with too much force because he remembers the debriefing where he’d been informed that Nomu were originally humans, and this Nomu is so small. Small like a child. That realization has some horrifying complications that Toshinori doesn’t have the time to unpack in the milliseconds that it costs him to remove the Nomu from the situation.

 

The man doesn’t even have time to cry out before Toshinori has slapped quirk-cancelling handcuffs around his wrists. “J-johnny!!” the man exclaims when the realisation settles that within the blink of an eye he’s lost his–weapon? escape?--and has been handcuffed.

 

Toshinori scans the man, clocks the lab coat, round glasses and striking mustache, and easily connects them to the description of the Doctor. One of All For One’s closest accomplices, perhaps the one closest to being a partner, and the despicable mastermind behind the creation of the Nomu. As he takes the man in, the villain suddenly starts rapidly aging. His body morphs, until wrinkles line his skin and his back is hunched over.

 

Although the man cries out yet again, he doesn’t actually appear to be in pain or in danger. So, Toshinori decides it’s not his priority to find out why this happened, besides the vague notion that it must be something to do with the quirk-cancelling cuffs. Instead, he informs the man of his arrest and of his charges.

 

Behind him, Gang Orca finishes up scouting around the room and joins his side just as Best Jeanist announces that his team is also moving into the building.

 

Toshinori starts responding, “Copy that. Please bring some officers to pick up the–”

 

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence.

 

One moment he’s holding the Doctor in one hand, and surveying the room around him.

 

The next a loud blast rocks the world around him, nearly throwing him off his feet. Dust clogs the air, thick and impossible to see through. The first few seconds Toshinori doesn’t hear anything besides the beeping in his ears, his breath shallow in his chest and the adrenaline pounding through his veins. Even after decades of experience on the field, his body will never outgrow that first primal instinct.

 

Two breaths pass.

 

Then he pushes past the shock and forces the motions of procedure to take place. 

 

Check himself: fine, but coated in dust and unable to hear anything. 

 

Check his surroundings: difficult to see past the dust, but he’s still got the Doctor in his grip. If not for that, the villain would have probably been blown away. Now he seems mostly fine as well. The building does not appear to have gone without a scratch. In fact, when Toshinori twists around he sees that the entrance has collapsed and parts of the walls around it as well. If not for the few cracks through the collapsed concrete here and there they would have been plunged in utter darkness. Instead, a grey filter has been painted over his surroundings, not allowing for many details but still allowing decent vision. 

 

Toshinori’s gut twists when he notices the glistening of a foreign fluid on the stone. There was fluid inside the Nomu tanks. The tanks that have now been partially crushed underneath the rubble. 

 

When he turns back to the Doctor, he notices that the man is talking to him. He can’t hear what exactly, but muffled sounds have now started filtering through the beeping in his ears. Faintly, he can hear static crackling through his comms. That’s definitely not a good sign. It does trigger him to send out a searching look for his colleague. He has faith in him as a hero, for sure, but this blast was not only big, it was sudden. Even he hadn’t managed to evade it. 

 

Gang Orca was flung forward it seems, into one of the still intact walls. Luckily, he seems reasonably fine because he’s already gotten up again and is surveying the room around him. Toshinori has approached him in the blink of an eye, dragging the Doctor with him. 

 

“Are you alright?” his voice still sounds distant in his own ears. 

 

Gang Orca nods, then gestures at his own ears and shakes his head. With his more sensitive hearing he must not have recovered any hearing function yet.

 

“Any idea what might have caused this?” Gang Orca asks, words slightly off as he still can’t hear himself. His eyes scan the room behind Toshinori.

 

Toshinori follows his gaze and something inside of him twists, pulls. A foreign, yet all too familiar song sings in his veins as for a moment One For All flares up. He doesn’t just have an idea who might have caused this, he knows.  

 

With a grim expression, he hands the Doctor to the other hero.

 

“Get him into police custody. Get as much back up as you can,” he instructs, hoping that Gang Orca can lipread. 

 

It seems he can, as the other nods and tightens his hold on the Doctor just a bit.

 

That is all the confirmation Toshinori needs to turn around, punch through the rubble and rush towards the epicenter of the explosion, where Best Jeanist had been stationed with his team, and where One For All is pulling him towards.  

 

For a second he’s speeding forward, nothing on his mind besides the need to get there fast. 

 

Then he watches as Best Jeanist–covered in blood and dust–gets impaled by a thick, red spike. Just as quickly, the red spike retracts back towards–

 

All For One

 

White rage rushes through Toshinori’s mind, and it takes considerable effort not to rush at the villain with a swinging fist. Instead, he steers towards Best Jeanist, and manages to catch the hero before he can crumple to the floor. There’s a lot of blood, but he still seems to be breathing.

 

“All Might, you seem to have gotten slower.” The words are filled with open disdain as they’re drawled out.

 

Toshinori’s gaze snaps up and for the first time in six years, he properly looks at All For One. A black mask covers his entire head, and the villain is wearing a crisp black suit underneath. His figure seems no less imposing than six years ago as he floats just a bit above the ground and gazes down at them.

 

“You couldn’t even prevent your fellow hero from getting injured.”

 

Toshinori doesn’t rise to the bait, even if a smidge of doubt chills the back of his mind. Does the villain know about his time limit, about the decline of One For All? Surely not. He did tell Midoriya about his time limit, but he would not have informed All For One, would he? Toshinori wishes that he could tell himself that he’s sure that Midoriya wouldn’t have, but…

 

“Where is Midoriya? You will return him,” he grits out, because right now that is the most important thing to achieve with this mission.

 

“Hmmm? Return him? What makes you think he wants to leave me, his dear grandfather?” All For One taunts, his arms swinging wide to the sides as if to show himself off. 

 

Toshinori glares at the villain, remembers Midoriya’s mother, crying in one of UA’s hallways. “Midoriya would never willingly stay with you.”

 

There’s a beat of silence where the villain seems distracted by something, where it almost seems like he’s looking off into the distance. Then All For One lowers himself to the ground, and at the same time that some sort of sludge portals start appearing around the villain, he gleefully asks, “How about we ask him personally?” 

 

Toshinori doesn’t have the ability to act with Best Jeanist still in his arms. He casts a quick look around and clocks two police officers, Tiger and one other hero lying a ways away on the ground. Both a police officer and the two heroes seem to have just gotten their senses back, and are starting to push themselves up as they take in the situation. Before Toshinori can say anything more–either to All For One, or to his colleagues–figures get dropped straight out of the sludge portals. 

 

Toshinori recognizes them as some members of the League.

 

The two portals right in front of All For One spit out two figures as well. One is Shigaraki Tomura, the leader of the League, but that is not who catches Toshinori’s attention. Because the other figure gets pulled close by All For One, hand around the back of the neck.

 

“Izuku, how nice of you to join us.”

 

---

 

All Might is here.

 

All Might is here.

 

For once there is no smile plastered on his face as his gaze is drawn towards Izuku, eyes widening just a bit. 

 

The back of his mind is screaming at him to figure out this situation, because All Might being here does not make any sense. His eyes fly around, trying to take all of it in and sniff out context clues.

 

There's the other members of the League who have been dropped

 

Besides All Might, a seemingly unconscious Best Jeanist, Tiger and two police officers seem to be present. Compared to the three members of the League–Izuku does not know who they are, but it’s a lizard, a person with an enormous magnet, and the villain who had taken Kacchan back at the camp–and both Kurogiri, who also appears to be unconscious, Tomura and grandfather, well…it does not look good for the heroes. 

 

What are the heroes even doing here? What happened? Does this have to do with the attack on the place where Tomura and he were just a moment ago? Speaking of–

 

“S-sensei the heroes attacked the bar, but I swear I had it under control! I–

 

“Of course, Tomura. You did well.” Grandfather cuts off Tomura with a calm voice. Too calm, a calm that has the hairs on Izuku’s arms standing up straight. He realizes it’s the calm of a forest right before a devastating storm. 

 

Tomura’s posture doesn’t relax, but he does stop scratching his neck when he hears those words. Then his eyes fall on the scene in front of him, on the rubble and heroes, on the figure standing like a pillar amongst it all, and his face morphs into a scowl. 

 

“All Might,” he spits, as if the words taste disgusting. “Of course you’re the reason for this surprise quest, I–”

 

“Tomura.” A clear command by grandfather. Izuku watches as Tomura’s mouth snaps shut, as his quirk light pulses irregularly when he registers grandfather’s tone. Grandfather is furious, and Izuku wonders how the heroes don’t seem to notice, how their hands don’t shake because they are the reason for that fury. 

 

“Keep the heroes busy while I deal with All Might,” grandfather instructs, clearly with no room for argument. Then after a slight pause, as if he has to check something, “And make sure Eraserhead does not interfere with my fight.” 

 

The next moment, a lot happens. All Might drops Best Jeanist off at the feet of the two police officers. The other members of the League all start shooting questions at Tomura. Grandfather sends out a flurry of red spikes at All Might.

 

All Izuku can do is watch as All Might reacts to the attack impossibly fast, smashing through the red spikes while launching himself at grandfather. There is no time to wonder what he should do, or to worry that grandfather still has an iron grip on him, because then All Might is too close, fist swinging, and Izuku’s heart lurches in his throat and–

 

Suddenly he gets yanked backwards. A floating sensation takes over his body for a second. Rumbling fills his ears and he’s unsure if that’s just the blood rushing or buildings around him collapsing. Then his feet land back on the ground.  

 

Around him, more buildings have collapsed. Whether that is because of All Might’s punch, or because grandfather used one of his quirks, Izuku does not know. There’s still that hand on the back of his neck and Izuku knows he should be fine with that, but he wonders if he really is. He really, really isn’t. Before he can dwell any longer on those feelings, grandfather says something to him.

 

“I expect you won’t disappoint me, Izuku. This is your final test, do you understand?”

 

Izuku knows how to respond, and so he does, “Yes, Sensei.” 

 

A puppet with strings, that is what he is. He knows that now. He’s expected to dance however grandfather instructs him to. A puppet does not think, and so Izuku doesn’t either.

 

His grandfather sounds pleased when he says, “Good, then show me.”

 

At that moment All Might lands in front of them, with enough distance between them that he has to raise his voice when he demands, “Give Midoriya back!”

 

“Give? Izuku belongs with me, and he knows that.” grandfather says, a taunt clear in his voice. Suddenly, Izuku feels the back of his neck being released. Instinctively, he looks up. 

 

His grandfather’s head is tilted in his direction. A sharp current runs through his voice when he asks Izuku, “Don’t you?”

 

Izuku nods. “Y-yes.”

 

A puppet does not think, and so when he returns his gaze to look at All Might he does not feel anything. Even when the hero’s gaze shatters right then and there, even when he seems to gather the shards and morphs his face into a pleading look.

 

“Midoriya, please come with me! I am here to rescue you.”

 

Grandfather laughs. A sharp, mechanical sound. “Really? You’re not here because you couldn’t stand the fact that I am still alive?”

 

“Those two things can coexist together,” All Might grits out. At his side, his fists clench. Then he turns yet another pleading look at Izuku. “Please Midoriya, your mother is eagerly awaiting your return.”

 

A puppet does not think. That is the mantra that Izuku keeps repeating for himself.

 

“Don’t let him fool you, Izuku,” grandfather says, and there is that dangerous calm again. “He just wants you out of this situation because he’s afraid otherwise he can’t take me on. You see, I am a testament to his failure as a holder of One For All. Just as his dear mentor Nana was and all the other holders before her.”

 

As if being lit on fire, rage ripples across All Might’s face. His quirk flares up, a rainbow pulsing with its user’s emotions. He yells, “I won't allow you to ruin the lives of anyone else, All For One! You're going down once and for all!”

 

Then he launches himself forward.

 

At the same time, grandfather gives Izuku one single order. “Izuku, fight with me.”

 

A puppet does not think. Izuku tries to hold onto that sentence, tries to let it guide him, but a tiny part of him screams at that. It fights the thought, it desperately tries to claw itself to the front of his mind. Because isn’t it true that the first thing All Might tried to do was to get him back? Is that really his priority? Or is his grandfather right, and is that just a way to do what he really wants: defeat his archnemesis? 

 

He doesn’t know, and that makes him want to scream. He should be a puppet, and puppets don’t think. He should be free to think for himself. But the seed of doubt keeps Izuku frozen to the ground as All Might sends out a thundering smash towards grandfather. 

 

The force of the attack throws Izuku off his feet, and he lands roughly on the ground a few meters away. Pieces of rubble prick into his skin, but he doesn’t pay it any mind as he immediately rolls along with the shock and back onto his feet. 

 

Izuku knows he should make a choice. He knows that he shouldn’t even be doubting right now, but he is. His grandfather seems to keep up with All Might effortlessly and actually sends him reeling back a few buildings.

 

Choose!

 

Before he can do so, his grandfather’s head twists towards him. Even with the helmet on, Izuku can tell that he is in deep, deep trouble. He opens his mouth to say something–what he doesn’t know–but then his grandfather stretches out his arm. With the movement Izuku gets hurled backwards with such speed that the breath leaves his lungs when his back hits concrete. It must be a partly collapsed building, with all the rubble and the metal construction bars sticking out.  

 

Instinctively, he tries to draw in new air. “Sensei, please!” he gasps, eyes wide.

 

His grandfather ignores him, and closes his hands into an outstretched fist. There’s one thick metal bar that sticks out to Izuku’s left and as his grandfather’s fist clenches together it bends to the right, across Izuku’s torso and then tightens until he can barely breathe. It happens so quickly that he only realizes what really happened once it is done.

 

“Please!” he shouts again, but his grandfather merely shifts his attention back to All Might who attacks yet again. Izuku watches as grandfather counters the attacks with his own flurry of quirks. 

 

Still, his attention quickly returns to the metal bar keeping him in place because it’s impossible to ignore the pressure against his chest and he wants to get out out out.

 

First, he just tries to push against it. That, of course, doesn’t do anything. Then he tries to use the one quirk that he has. He feels as an electrical current runs from his heart to his muscles. It energizes them, gives them new strength. He starts pushing.

 

It doesn’t do anything.

 

Izuku tries again. 

 

Same result.

 

After another three tries, he lets out a scream of frustration and gives up. If only he’d had his other quirks, then he would have found a way to get out. If only he’d done what his grandfather had asked of him, then he wouldn’t be stuck watching his grandfather and All Might beat the shit out of each other. Or well, it only really goes one way. All Might seems to be struggling to keep up. 

 

Is that because of his time limit? Or perhaps One For All has weakened within him?

 

Izuku doesn’t know, and either way it doesn't matter because he can’t do anything but watch. Frustration claws at the back of his throat. Izuku clenches his hands, feels his nails pierce skin. 

 

Gusts of wind hit his face from the intensity of the attacks. Even more buildings have collapsed, and Izuku hopes the building that he’s stuck to won’t fall apart even more. He wants to scream and cry. He wants to tear himself free and fight.

 

Fight who?

 

He doesn’t know. He should. A puppet does not think. But All Might’s words pierce through his mind like weeds. 

 

Your mother is eagerly awaiting your return.

 

Feelings rise underneath the surface, a flood threathening to break the control he has over his thoughts. A puppet does not think. Izuku tries to cling to those words even more tightly. 

 

The loud crash of more buildings directly to his right collapsing breaks him free from his spiralling thoughts. Plumes of smoke explode and expand, until all Izuku can see is gray and the ground directly in front of him. The dust tickles his nose and fills his lungs, making him cough and splutter. His eyes water. Because of the dust, of course.

 

As quickly as he’s drowned in a cloud of dust, it is also blown away by yet another powerful gust of wind. When Izuku has blinked away the tears in his eyes, he’s met by a sight that makes his heart drop.

 

All Might on the ground in his small form, grandfather standing over him. 

 

All Might does not try to get up. It seems he can’t.

 

They exchange words. Grandfather asks something as he pushes All Might down with one foot. All Might responds, face contorted in a way that Izuku can’t quite make out. It is obviously not the answer that grandfather wants to hear, and Izuku watches as he presses his foot down harder, until All Might lets out a pained yell and he goes limp. 

 

For a moment, Izuku thinks that grandfather will deal the final blow. He expects that to happen, even. It doesn’t. Instead his grandfather does something that has Izuku’s heart rate shooting up. He turns away from the limp hero and towards Izuku. In a single breath, he’s standing over Izuku.

 

“You disappoint me, Izuku,” grandfather growls as he grabs hold of the metal bar and easily bends it back to its original shape. Then he roughly grabs Izuku’s upper arm. “I'd have thought you would have rid yourself of the heroes’ brainwashing by now.”

 

Izuku’s breath hitches as he starts to be dragged along, back towards All Might. There’s barely enough breath in his lungs, still he stammers, “S-sorry! Please I–”

 

“Quiet! You are going to come with me, and you are going to watch as I kill All Might.”

 

“No, please–” anything but that. Izuku can’t stand that. 

 

His grandfather continues on mercilessly, for once his rage is unfiltered as he aims it at Izuku. “I surely hope that you realize that I am doing this for you. Had you fought with me, I would not have to resort to this, but this is apparently the only way for you to understand.”

 

This is really happening. Grandfather is so angry. At him. And this will be his punishment. Is there a way to stop this from happening? To placate and get a second chance to make this situation right?

 

Words rush out of his mouth right as a solution starts forming in his head,  “I can get the quirk!” 

 

A quiet beat. 

 

Izuku tries to not let his desperation shine too much, tugs his one free, shaking hand behind his back. He molds his face until there’s no more fear etched into it.  “I-I can get One For All. For you.”

 

Abruptly, grandfather halts his steps and Izuku nearly stumbles over his own two feet at the suddenness of it. His grandfather tilts his head down at Izuku.

 

“Explain.”

 

So, Izuku rushes to do so, knowing that hesitation right now would obliterate any chance that he might have. “All Might offered the quirk to me a few months ago, I declined, but I can get it now!” he hurries to add before his grandfather can latch onto that first part of his sentence. “H-he hasn’t passed it on yet, which of course you can tell as well, and if I go up to him I’m sure he’ll give me the quirk if I ask.”

 

There is no way All Might will risk letting One For All die with him. Not when there’s even a chance to pass it on. His grandfather knows that too.

 

“I’ll pretend to take it so I can defeat you, that will reassure him.”

 

His grandfather can’t entirely dismiss the idea, Izuku can tell that much. He’s been hunting down One For All for nearly 2 centuries now. After the many failed attempts to get the quirk, any possibility of finally getting the quirk must be tempting. Still, he isn’t convinced either.

 

Izuku needs him to be convinced if he wants to be given a second chance. So, he lowers his head, just in the way he knows he should. “Please, allow me to show you that I have learned. I know now that I belong with you, a-and I’m sorry it took me so long to realize.” He looks up, eyes wide and watery. “Please Sensei, allow me to get One For All for you.”

 

Another moment of consideration.

 

Then his grandfather grabs Izuku’s chin, leans in closer. His words are low, demanding, when he says, “If you disappoint me again, there won’t be a second chance. I will make you regret it.”  He lets both Izuku’s chin and his upper arm go, stretches himself up to his full imposing height. “So make sure you’re convincing.”

 

And Izuku eagerly nods and smiles.

 

“Of course Sensei, I will”

 

He knows who to fight for now.

 

He’s made his choice.

 

---

 

Toshinori had not expected his career to end like this. 

 

He had thought that if he would fight All For One again, that it would be a dirty fight, a fight where both of them would deal each other deep cuts. A fight to the death, even. If anything, he had expected a tough fight for both of them. 

 

He had not expected to feel a gap between the two of them in terms of strength. At least, not one that he knew he could not bridge.

 

Right from the moment that they clashed, Toshinori had felt it. The strength of One For All waning. Or rather, the clear realisation that his strength had declined in the last six years. It felt as if One For All was showing him what the consequences were of not passing on the quirk when he should have, almost like it was telling him that his time with the quirk was long due. 

 

Still, if there’s something Toshinori has always possessed in plenty, it’s stubbornness. So, he’d pushed on, forced every drop of strength into each of his punches. He knew he would have to be the person to end this fight, because the other heroes were too occupied with equally important matters. Although he didn’t know much about the fight against the rest of the League–he was too busy evading and countering All For One’s attacks for that–he did know that things hadn’t gone according to plan.

 

Unfortunately they couldn’t have guessed that All For One had yet another portalling quirk at his disposal. Portalling quirks were already rare, and the fact that the villain had only relied on Kurogiri up until this point–even according to mrs. Midoriya–had led them to believe that if they took out Kurogiri at the start of the mission, All For One would not be able to quickly move his pawns around.

 

They had been wrong. As a result, part of the League had ended up where they weren’t supposed to be, along with multiple Nomu at the two locations. 

 

Aizawa was supposed to support Toshinori in his fight against All For One. The fact that he wasn’t, meant the other heroes needed all the hands they could get against the rest of the League. 

 

Toshinori did not ask for back up, even when, perhaps, he should have. This was his mess to clean up, his fight to win. He had promised himself not to get anyone else involved. 

 

No back up had come, either. The world was used to ‘All Might’ winning every fight. His fellow heroes were not exempt from that belief, and so they seemed to trust that Toshinori would manage to deal with this situation.

 

For the first time in his long, long career as a pro hero, Toshinori does not manage to deal with the situation. By the time that he realises that he should have requested back up a lot sooner, it’s too late and he’s flat on the ground with two shattered kneecaps. 

 

His grip on One For All is long since gone by then, and his small form is revealed for all the world to see.

 

When All For One approaches him, he taunts Toshinori about his small form at first. Then he asks for One For All.

 

Toshinori refuses. 

 

Of course he does.

 

If the only option is to pass One For All on to All For One, then Toshinori would rather let the quirk die with him. 

 

There’s a second where Toshinori thinks it will be his end. Instead, All For One pushes down on Toshinori’s ribs until he feels them break simultaneously. 

 

Pain explodes across his entire body and his vision goes dark.

 

---

 

When Toshinori comes to, there’s a blur approaching him. He blinks, once, and that blur turns out to be Midoriya.

 

Even through the pain Toshinori notices the clear nervousness on Midoriya’s face when he crouches down, something he has never seen before on the boy’s face.

 

Toshinori wonders why and how the boy is here, at his side. The last time he’d seen Midoriya, the boy had been stuck to a building by All For One. There’s the briefest of terrifying thoughts that Midoriya has been sent to kill him, which would perhaps explain his nervousness. Then he watches as Midoriya’s eyes scan his battered body, as a softness fills them in a way that reminds Toshinori of his mentor.

 

A blink and the look is gone, but it’s all Toshinori needs to push past his own pain and say, “Midoriya…please escape while you can. The other heroes will do everything they can to keep you safe, I promise.”

 

The words taste like blood as he speaks, and making them loud enough for the teen to hear almost costs too much effort.

 

Midoriya shakes his head. “I won’t let him kill you.”

 

A cough crawls up Toshinori’s throat and he tastes blood yet again. “Please–”

 

“Give me the quirk.” The words are nearly whispered, yet intent.

 

“What?” Toshinori croaks, startled by the demand.

 

Midoriya looks at him with pleading eyes. “Give me One For All. I will defeat Sens- All For One.”

 

“You said you didn’t want it,” Toshinori stammers. He wonders why all of the sudden Midoriya wants the quirk, when he so vehemently declined it just a few months ago. What happened? Why is Midoriya here at his side without All For One? How did he manage that, when Toshinori can see the villain standing in the distance behind Midoriya, watching them?

 

Midoriya casts a quick look behind him, towards All For One. 

 

Did he do that check in with All For One, or because he’s scared to let the villain out of his sight?

 

The boy extends his hand to Toshinori. A shuddering breath. His voice sounds almost desperate when he says, “Please, trust me.”

 

Toshinori looks at the hand. Hesitation washes through him, and there’s a moment where it overpowers anything else. He doesn’t know what All For One did to try and break Midoriya’s spirit these last few days. He doesn’t know if the villain succeeded, and if he did, how Midoriya changed. 

 

Then he remembers how Midoriya hesitated to attack him right at the beginning of his fight against All For One, how he did not follow the villain’s order and as a result got trapped against a building. Toshinori remembers the kind look in the boy’s eyes just now. 

 

There’s doubt in his mind, but it gets soothed by the way his blood sung in his veins when Midoriya asked for the quirk.

 

In the end, Toshinori decides to trust Midoriya, to trust the boy’s heart.

 

A heart which Toshinori hopes still has that heroic spark which it possessed when Toshinori first offered him the quirk.

 

Toshinori takes Midoriya’s offered hand, and transfers One For All. 

 

It almost feels like seven pairs of hands are guiding him as he does so.

 

---

 

For the briefest of moments after One For All gets transferred, Izuku swears he sees eight figures standing in a shadowy landscape. The vision disappears as soon as he blinks and removes his hand from All Might’s grasp.

 

He marvels at the brightness of the quirk as it settles into his body. 

 

Then he shakes away the awe, gets up and leaves All Might to himself.

 

The walk back to his grandfather feels simultaneously too long yet too short, and he’s standing in front of his grandfather in the blink of an eye.

 

A beat of quiet as his grandfather towers over him. 

 

Izuku realizes the silence is a command to speak and so he does, albeit with a voice that shakes just slightly, “I got One For All.”

 

“Good.” The smile is audible in his grandfather’s voice, and has relief flooding through Izuku’s system. Two hands come up to hold the sides of his face, creating a firm pressure. “Now let me take it.”

 

Izuku smiles up at his grandfather. “Of course, Sensei.” 

 

He lets his own hands move up to wrap around grandfather’s wrists, until his five fingers are touching the bare skin.  As expected, he feels as an outside force tries to pull at One For All. 

 

Tries.

 

“Izuku, I said I will take the quirk,” grandfather growls, impatience lowering his voice. Underneath the surface simmers that anger again, the tone that has alarm bells going off inside Izuku’s head because it means he’s doing something terribly wrong. 

 

This time, Izuku pushes through the feeling and looks up at All For One with a scowl.

 

“No.”

 

Then he starts pulling.

 

At the same time the simmering anger turns into a wave of pure rage aimed solely at Izuku, and he almost stops what he’s trying to do.

 

“Stop this little rebellion now, Izuku and I will forgive you,” All For One snaps, that same rage colouring his voice. 

 

“No,” Izuku grits out through clenched teeth. It’s taking everything he has to keep on pulling because the quirk feels heavy, like a thousand other weights are dragging behind it. 

 

“Stop,” All For One demands while he clearly tries to use some quirk–his own or perhaps one of the hundreds of other quirks–but somehow fails at that. When he realizes that, he starts to try and physically pull away from Izuku’s grip. To keep the villain in place, Izuku uses the one other quirk that he has. The quirk that All For One chose for him to have. The electrical strength quirk. It is enough to keep the villain in place.

 

All For One tries to increase the pressure on Izuku’s head with his hands, but Izuku keeps them firmly from doing that with the help of the electrical strength quirk. He doesn’t know why the villain can’t use his quirks, but won’t waste the opportunity it gives him.

 

For a second, the world seems to hold its breath.

 

Then the quirk All For One snaps free and flows towards Izuku.

 

“You will regret this!” All For One spits out, because he too realises what’s happening.

 

Izuku stares up at the villain as he feels the quirk flowing towards him. For the first time since he’s made his choice, he lets any and all masks drop away in front of All For One, until it’s just him. Izuku. He makes sure the villain sees it, so he realizes that what he was seeing before was just a mask. And Izuku responds, “I don’t think I will.”

 

Finally, the quirk light of All For One exchanges bodies entirely. The pressure of the exchange almost overwhelms him, and briefly Izuku wonders why. It shouldn’t feel like this, like the pressure of the ocean pushing inside his body. He realizes what’s wrong when along with All For One, hundreds of other loose quirks get dragged into his body.

 

For a second his vision blacks out as all these quirks push into him at once. His head almost explodes because of the pain, and the world around him flickers in and out of focus. Maybe he screams, maybe he doesn’t. He doesn’t know, as he can’t focus on anything but that all consuming pain. 

 

In the end, his attention gets dragged back to the present by the slackening hold on his face. Izuku blinks, forces his eyes to focus and is met by the sight of the limp body of All For One in his grip. The only thing holding the body up is Izuku’s hands around the villain’s wrists.

 

When Izuku lets his grip go, he watches as All For One falls, no crumples, to the ground. Without his de-aging quirks, the villain’s body rapidly ages the two hundred years that he’s lived. It appears that after over two hundred years, all that’s left of a body is mere dust.

 

All For One’s helmet clatters to the ground, empty, save for some dust.

 

That’s about the only sound for a good few seconds.

 

Izuku just stares. It all feels too sudden, too quick. He can’t possibly wrap his head around it. A quiet fills his mind, his ears, the air around him. The only thing he does hear is his own, shaky breathing, He stares at his hands, still held out in front of him. Something just irrevocably changed. It feels like it must be the balance of the universe.

 

Did he just make a mistake?

 

For a moment it feels like he did, because it’s not supposed to be this quiet inside his head. He’s got his quirk back, he should be seeing all the quirk lights around him and he isn’t. He can’t even sense his own quirk all that easily. Distantly, panic fills the empty space inside his brain, piercing through the mental fog.

 

No no no no, what did I do wrong?

 

He looks up, desperate to find a reason for the quiet.

 

As soon as he looks up, his eyes meet Aizawa’s red gaze from where the hero is crouched behind a piece of rubble a bit in the distance. 

 

Relief is the first thing he feels, because Aizawa is here. A dawning understanding follows as he realizes that the man must be the reason why All For One couldn’t use his quirk during those final moments, and–now that All For One no longer blocks Aizawa’s line of sight on Izuku–why he can’t use his quirk right now.

 

They stare at each other for a bit longer, gazes locked, before Aizawa blinks.

 

That blinding pain from a moment ago immediately rushes through Izuku again, and he cries out as it fills his entire body. It consumes him, makes it impossible to think about anything else. He feels as his brain overloads, as it becomes too much. 

 

Then his world goes dark.

Notes:

CW: mention of quirk experimentation. Implied experimentation on children. Violence that exceeds canon. GFTP typical angst. Gaslighting. Manipulation. Threat of a character being killed. Death of character (!SPOILER! =afo). Please let me know if I missed anything!

SO, that’s done. I have never felt such a rush of excitement when writing scenes before. During the last two scenes my heart was constantly racing. I hope I did this chapter justice, and it was able to live up to your expectations >~<

Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully Izuku will be able to get all his hugs next chapter ;)

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 38: Subdued

Notes:

Hi there! I'm back again with another update :) With this chapter we're entering the final stretch of this fic, which is absolutely *insane*. Anyway, enjoy!

CW: Panic attack

Above all, it’s the pain that runs like a red threat through Izuku’s memories of the hours after the heroes’ rescue operation. 

 

Pain when Aizawa was knelt above him, red gaze trained upon him because a moment before red spikes had almost impaled him. His teacher was shouting something at the medics rushing towards them.

 

Pain somewhere inside a white room, bright lights glaring, beeping noises and shouting voices all around him.

 

Pain inside his nightmares as that concrete room keeps returning. There, the pain differs each time. Broken bones and a Nomu looming over him. A suffocating hand on the nape of his neck and a new quirk squirming underneath his skin.

 

Perhaps it is the silence, the emptiness, that draws his brain away from the dregs of restless sleep and the edges of unconsciousness. At first it’s impossible to open his eyes, as if there’s a malfunction in the connection between his thoughts and his actions. Then, very slowly, movement sluggish, he peels them open.

 

White ceilings greet him, with the lights turned off. Streaks of the cool, morning sun spread across it all. 

 

It takes a moment for Izuku to truly register it all. He can only stare, mind slow to catch up to what he’s seeing. A beeping to his right and the familiar noises of a hospital just awakening fill the air. His gaze is drawn to the right, to the slightly swaying blue curtains as a brisk morning breeze sneaks through a cracked open window. When his gaze travels to the left, he spots a head of green hair at the edge of his vision.

 

The beeping of the monitor to his right picks up as he fights the sluggishness that seems to have seeped into every part of his body. Something close to a grunt scrapes his throat as, finally, his arms follow his orders and push him up. 

 

There, on one of those crappy hospital chairs, she is.

 

Mom

 

Her entire body is slumped into the chair, head rolled back against the white wall. She’s sleeping. 

 

At first Izuku can only take in the sight of her. Even though there’s a peaceful look on her face, it doesn’t conceal the bags underneath her eyes and the paleness of her skin. Her usually neatly pinned up green hair falls in messy locks down the sides of her face. 

 

As if something inside her senses him looking, she stirs. Her eyes blink open, look ahead, then turn and meet Izuku’s gaze. Her body tenses, a shuddering inhale as her eyes widen.

 

“I-Izuku?”

 

For one breath longer they stare at each other. 

 

As if in a trance, his mom pushes herself out of her chair. She takes two uncertain steps in his direction until Izuku can smell her familiar, sweet scent. Slowly, she stretches out a hand to cradle the side of his face. 

 

Izuku tenses. He can’t help it. Then he reminds himself that these are not the hands that only take. He forces his body to relax, leans forward. 

 

His mom’s touch is soft, gentle when she takes his face in her hands. Her thumbs sweep his cheeks, all tenderness. Tears well up in her eyes as she takes him in.

 

“Izuku,” she whispers, as if saying his name again will solidify his presence here. 

 

They stare, drinking in the sight of each other. 

 

Something snaps, and next Izuku gets pulled into a hug. It’s warm, and comfortable, and unwinds the ball of emotions coiled inside him. His grip tightens, and he presses his face into her shoulder. His mom’s frame shakes in his hold. 

 

Izuku sniffles, presses his eyes shut. It is difficult to believe that he’s hugging his mom, that he’s seeing her again with his own eyes. 

 

“M-...om.” The words come out as more of a croak, his mouth dry and there’s this huge lump lodged inside his throat. 

 

His mom hugs him closer, one hand strokes his hair. 

 

Neither of them say anything else. They don’t need to, because sometimes words can’t possibly encompass the reality of living, breathing, feeling. 

 

After about a minute Izuku tries to scan around with his quirk, a simple force of habit. It is at that moment that he realizes that something is wrong. Really, really wrong. Behind him, the beeping of the monitor accelerates.

 

Breath shallow, Izuku breaks free from the hug and asks, “M-mom, something is wrong with my quirk.”

 

“Sweetie, what do you mean?” His mom asks, brow furrowed and worry all at once returning.

 

“I can’t feel my quirk or- or see any quirk lights,” he stammers, unable to keep the panic at bay any longer. Did something actually go wrong when he took All For One? Has it corrupted his own quirk? Or does he remember that night incorrectly, and was his quirk somehow taken?

 

What if this is the price he had to pay to defeat All For One?

 

What if–

 

“Izuku, I need you to calm down,” his mother says, voice suddenly serious. A loud beeping fills the room and she presses a button next to his bed.

 

“B-but–”

 

“It is the quirk suppressants you’re on right now. That’s all,” she says as she grabs his hands. She catches his gaze. “Nothing happened to your quirk.”

 

Izuku lets out a shuddering breath. Nods. His heart settles back into a slower rhythm. Then he frowns, because, “Why am I on quirk suppressants?”

 

His mom grimaces. “Your quirk kept…acting up while you weren't fully conscious. The doctors think that because of the mechanics of your quirk, not all of the other quirks were able to fall into the right places before you fell unconscious. You couldn't control your quirk, so they had to subdue it for now.”

 

When she sees his face, she squeezes his hands. She sends him a watery smile, “Now that you're conscious and capable again of controlling your quirk, it will be fine.”

 

Izuku doesn't have the chance to truly let her words sink in, because suddenly the door to the room opens. Izuku startles–he can't help it now that he doesn’t have his quirk to alert him ahead of time–and it's only his mom’s presence next to him that keeps him from scrambling onto his feet.

 

It is just a nurse who enters, greeting on his lips as he sweeps into the room. Izuku doesn't say anything, but his mom sends a polite greeting back. She gets up to give the nurse the space to check up on Izuku, claiming that she needs to get some coffee anyway. 

 

Before she leaves, she tugs a stray curl behind Izuku’s ear. She smiles, a clear encouragement to survive for a few minutes without her. “Don't worry sweetie, in a few hours the suppressants will wear off.”

 

Izuku decides to believe her. He feels too vulnerable without his quirk, but he'll survive for a few hours. 

 

He'll be fine.

 

---

 

The morning after the rescue operation Shouta gets a call from Nedzu.

 

After a restless night, Midoriya is finally awake and fully conscious. Shouta is sent to check up on the kid in the name of UA. Regardless of Nedzu assigning him to visit Midoriya, Shouta would have wanted to do so. He may not be the most empathetic teacher, but he is not heartless. Besides, part of him realizes that he’s become attached to this class, and perhaps most of all to Midoriya. It is difficult not to after everything.

 

So, that morning just before lunch time Shouta finds himself knocking on the door of a hospital room inside the hospital wing with the highest level of security. 

 

“Come in,” the voice of Mrs. Midoriya calls, and that is enough for Shouta to push the door open and walk inside. 

 

The room he enters is small, and indistinct in a way that most hospital rooms are. Mrs. Midoriya is sitting on a plastic chair to his right, hands curled around a nearly empty cup of coffee. Her frame seems to be more relaxed than Shouta has seen it in the last few days, although her eyes keenly track his entrance. Next to her, sitting propped up against a few pillows on the hospital bed, is Midoriya. 

 

In a similar manner as his mother, Midoriya’s gaze snaps to follow Shouta. It is not unfamiliar in the way the kid would usually watch him, if not for the dullness clinging to the action. The feeling that something is wrong crawls up Shouta’s spine, whispering to him that Midoriya’s focus should be sharper. Shouta pushes it away in favor of greeting the two, “Good morning. Nedzu should have informed you two that I was coming?”

 

Mrs. Midoriya nods. “He did.” She gets up, turns to look at Midoriya. “I’ll leave you two to it for a moment, alright?”

 

Midoriya tears his gaze away from Shouta to look at his mother, and for a moment the two seem to hold a silent conversation. Then a sigh escapes him and he nods. With that, Mrs. Midoriya takes her leave and Shouta watches her go and close the door behind her. 

 

When he turns his attention back to Midoriya, the kid doesn’t seem to have moved even a bit. Only his eyes have moved, which seem glued to the door.

 

“It’s good to see you again,” Shouta says in an attempt to gently pry the kid’s attention away from the closed door. 

 

Shouta watches as Midoriya’s shoulders tense, then slacken, as his face flickers through various emotions, all of them too quick to truly be registered. In the end it’s something between the ghost of a smile and a grimace that takes form as Midoriya focuses back on him. “It’s good to be…out.”

 

At the last word Midoriya’s voice tightens. Something else breaks through on his face, something more vulnerable, before it’s pulled back. For a moment the air inside the room seems to press down on the two of them. A cool breeze through the open window chases the heaviness away, and it prompts Shouta to take the seat that Mrs. Midoriya previously occupied. 

 

“How are you?”

 

Midoriya shifts under Shouta’s scrutinizing gaze, he shrugs. “The doctors say I should be free to go tomorrow if all stays well. I’m physically…fine.” He grimaces, and his gaze is drawn downward, where he’s rubbing at his bare under arms. The scars left by Shigaraki are on full display.

 

Silence lulls as the kid seems caught up in his own world, distracted in a way that’s new for Shouta. Just when he’s about to call out to the kid, Midoriya says, “I’m on quirk suppressants though. The doctors say they should wear off in the next hour or two. Apparently my quirk kept acting up…”

 

Midoriya trails off, what he was about to say clearly cut off by whatever thought came up. Suddenly his eyes flick up, back to Shouta with that familiar focus. “W-what exactly happened yesterday? How…how?”

 

How?

 

It is something that still isn’t entirely clear to Shouta either. Did all the planning and their immense precaution do the trick? Or was it a stroke of pure luck that they managed to free Midoriya and arrest almost the entire League?

 

With a slight shake of his head, Shouta pulls his attention away from his thoughts so he can actually answer Midoriya’s question. First, he explains how exactly they managed to find the locations, the preparations they made and the start of the raid. Then he gets to the part where the mission went south. “We didn’t think All For One had access to yet another portalling quirk. Because of that miscalculation, a part of the League ended up where they weren’t supposed to be, like Shigaraki.”

 

At the mention of Shigaraki, Midoriya frowns. His left hand wraps around his other under arm, clenching around the scars there. He swallows. “Did-...what happened to him?”

 

“Once Present Mic and I arrived at the scene, there were five members of the League–including Shigaraki and an unconscious Kurogiri–along with multiple Nomu. With the manpower that we had, I couldn’t follow the plan to assist All Might. That would have put the other heroes in too much danger. Besides, Shigaraki immediately engaged me personally, forcing me to fight him.” Shouta pauses, allowing the flashes of memories to wash over him for a moment. 

 

Shigaraki’s snarling face. 

 

Outstretched hands, ready to let everything they touch crumble to dust. 

 

Cutting words, meant to shake Shouta’s faith and strength.  

 

The desperation, in a way so familiar to what Shouta has seen when fighting Midoriya.

 

A blink, and the memories get pushed away. “I managed to knock Shigaraki unconscious, and he’s been arrested.” 

 

It clearly takes Midoriya a moment to digest that information. He nods, slowly, and rubs at the scars on his arms. “Okay…yeah.” He frowns, and shifts on the bed. 

 

“That’s…” he trails off, bites his lip. Green eyes trace the faint pattern on the floor, clearly searching. Shouta stays quiet and decides to give the kid the space to work through his thoughts.  While he still doesn’t entirely understand the bond that Shigaraki and Midoriya have–something that he probably never will understand–even to him it’s clear that it’s a complicated one.

 

Midoriya chuckles, yet it doesn’t sound even remotely cheerful. “I think I should feel happy, or relieved but instead…” His hands clench, he huffs, “I just feel…sad.”

 

When Midoriya meets Shouta’s gaze again, there are tears in his eyes. He stammers, “I- I tried to talk to him, to convince him that the heroes would help us if we escaped, but he wouldn’t believe me. He just–” Midoriya wipes away some tears. “He was so angry.”  

 

“I know he was horrible to me, and that the way he treated me and others wasn’t okay. But for so long he was all I had as a friend,” the kid says and sniffles. He stares down at his fidgeting hands. “I keep thinking about how he didn’t know any better because this…this hate is all he knew and all he was taught and I tried to tell him and he wouldn’t listen, but maybe if I had tried harder, if I had–”

 

“Midoriya,” Shouta cuts in, before the kid can spiral any further down that dark path. Trying to catch Midoriya’s gaze, Shouta leans forward. The movement does draw the kid’s attention, and he looks at Shouta with watery eyes. “Nothing good comes from dwelling on everything that could have happened, so don’t. Shigaraki might not be completely responsible for the choices that led to his arrest, but neither are you.”

 

Midoriya nods slowly, clearly not entirely convinced. There’s doubt in his eyes, unspoken thoughts. Shouta gets the distinct feeling that even to Midoriya, those thoughts are tangled, unclear, and unprocessed. The kid asks, “What is going to happen to him?”

 

“He’s being kept in Tartarus at the moment, due to his current rank as an A-class villain. Depending on the outcomes of the investigation that might change.”

 

Midoriya hums, eyes roaming the room again before they focus back on Shouta. “And the rest of the League?”

 

The next few minutes Shouta explains to the kid what happened to all the other villains. All the members of the League were arrested besides Dabi and Toga, who managed to get away. With the chaos of the Nomu appearing and All For One making an entrance at the other location–which forced part of Endeavor’s team to split up because along with the villain’s entrance, half of the League had been teleported away–Dabi and Toga were able to slip away. Luckily the experts say that they’re also the two members most unlikely to try and break their fellow League members out. Hopefully with the entire country on high alert, it won’t be long before they’re also arrested.

 

Either way, all the other members were arrested. Including Shigaraki, Kurogiri and the Doctor. As Shouta informs Izuku of the arrest of the Doctor, he’s reminded of something else that the police discovered while investigating the location of the Nomu factory: the base underneath. They found Ragdoll there, who seems alright but whose quirk has been taken. Besides her, they also stumbled across multiple rooms with people locked inside them. And in one of the rooms they found–

 

“They found Kokkaku Nori inside one of those rooms,” Shouta says, ignoring the bitter taste that those words leave behind. They weren’t meant to find her this way–by accident. As illogical as it is, it feels like failure. That feeling of failure, of ugly surprise is what Shouta expects to see on Midoriya’s face.

 

“You did?!” Midoriya exclaims, and he lets out a relieved sigh. "Oh, that's good.” Then his eyes widen, shame washing over his face. “Shit I- I totally forgot, with everything that’s happened! What if you hadn’t found her–”

 

“What do you mean, you forgot?” Shouta asks, perplexed at the rapid and unexpected emotions from Midoriya.

 

The kid’s mouth tugs into a grim line, his shoulders sag. What follows is the explanation of how All For One used the Black Aconites among other groups to not only farm quirks, but also to collect suitable bodies for his and the Doctor’s experiments. After all, the Nomus are human. Kokkaku Nori is just one of the many unfortunate people who got trapped in the super villain’s web, with all of the horrific consequences that followed. 

 

What sickens Shouta to his stomach, is when he hears that the only reason they were ever able to come as far with their investigation as they did, is because All For One allowed it. All to draw Midoriya back to him.

 

When he’s finished with the story, Midoriya looks down at the clenched hands in his lap. His voice shakes when he says, “I should have realised a lot sooner who was behind Nori’s kidnapping.”

 

“That's hindsight Midoriya–”

 

“But it was so obvious!” Midoriya interrupts, eyes flicking up to meet Shouta’s. “Maybe if I’d figured out the case sooner all of this could have been avoided! I- I mean All Might nearly died, and so many people lost their homes and–”

 

“Midoriya stop. That's not how it works,” Shouta cuts in, wanting to break the kid from the spiralling thoughts that must have been going through his head for hours. His voice comes out louder, sterner, than intended and he watches as Midoriya’s face goes blank, as his shoulders tense.

 

Internally, Shouta curses. Of course he can’t be his usual blunt self, the teacher that will tell his students the harsh truth without a hint of remorse. So, he reigns himself in. Softens his voice when he continues, “Look, I understand that it’s difficult to accept everything that happened these past few days. That’s going to take some time. But the solution isn’t to blame yourself. It’s not your fault, Midoriya”

 

Midoriya frowns, he bites his lip. “B-but All For One–”

 

“Was a manipulating bastard. From what you’ve told me, he knew how to get what he wanted by manipulating everything around him. Don't put too much value on his words, that’s exactly what he would have wanted.”

 

Silence envelops the two of them as Midoriya doesn’t respond. The kid just stares out the window, mouth drawn into a grimace. In his lap, one of his hands is clenched tightly around the scars on his other underarm. 

 

Shouta doesn't know what happened during the three days that Izuku was with All For One. It's not his place to know, but even if it hasn't been talked about, he can tell those days have left their marks. How deep those marks run, how difficult they'll be to close up, to heal, is something only time will tell. For now, he decides to give Midoriya some space again. Yes, he has questions about how the kid defeated All For One. But those questions can wait. They'll get answered as soon as the final mission report is completed and sent to him. 

 

“I should get going,” Shouta says as he gets up from his chair. 

 

A beat of silence. Just as Shouta is starting to wonder if Midoriya heard him, the kid’s head whips back around again. Eyes wide, worried. “How is she? Nori?”

 

“Alive, but in a coma.” Shouta sighs. The whole situation isn’t a pretty one, but despite his worries that Midoriya will only feel more guilty about it all, Shouta is not about to sugarcoat it for him. The kid would never appreciate that. “They’re not sure if or when she’ll wake up. Something irreversible seems to be done to her quirk that’s messing with her body.”

 

“I see…” Midoriya mutters, distant as if trapped by his own thoughts again.

 

For a moment Shouta debates whether he should just leave the room, give Midoriya the space to deal with his thoughts. He decides that no, there’s one more thing he wants to say, wants to do.

 

Slowly he extends his hand, stretches it out towards Midoriya. Then he ruffles the kid’s messy curls. 

 

At first Midoriya tenses, and Shouta worries that he overstepped and made a mistake, but then the kid actually leans into his touch. Tension seems to drain out of both of them. 

 

“I’m proud of you Midoriya,” Shouta says. As he looks down at Midoriya, he realizes how glad he is that his student is safe and alive. What’s more, how glad he is that he could check up on the kid today.

 

Damn him, he really has gotten attached, hasn’t he?

 

---

 

Izuku doesn’t stay inside the hospital room for very long after Aizawa has left. A restlessness crawls underneath his skin, itching him to move. Maybe if he walks around for a bit, his brain will quiet and he will stop feeling like his body doesn’t fit right.  

 

The halls of the hospital are quiet. Or at least the ones where Izuku is allowed to go are. Most of the hospital he can’t access. The security isn’t high enough. Still, anything is better than staying cooped up inside one room, and if he doesn’t think about the fact that somehow he’s still trapped inside a building it’s actually quite nice to be able to move around a bit. 

 

While at first he’s wearing a hoodie, soon he tugs it off and ties it around his waist. His skin feels flush, and sweat is starting to coat his brow. It must be the quirk suppressants wearing off, Izuku decides. Luckily, he can see a seating area coming up to his left, right at the end of the hallway. A sort of reception is opposite to it, the hallway cutting in between the two areas. A nurse is seated behind the reception, typing on a computer. She sends Izuku a distracted smile before returning her focus back to the screen. 

 

It takes some effort, but he manages to keep his steps measured as he gets to the seating area. Two pale green couches stand opposite one another and in between a coffee table is placed with a few magazines scattered across the surface. A waiting area for visitors, perhaps.

 

Two windows line the wall behind the two couches. One is tilted open, and the slight breeze that flows through and past Izuku’s hot skin feels like heaven. He rushes forward, eager to cool off. Once close, he puts his face close to the open crack. A sigh or relief escapes him, and for a moment he closes his eyes. It doesn’t do much to stop his body from overheating, but at least he has the feeling of cooling off for a bit. 

 

Raised voices floating up from the sort of inner courtyard below have his eyes opening again, and looking for the source. The hospital seems to be built like a square around an inner courtyard, which has the function of a safe outdoor area for patients. A woman wearing a nurse outfit is being dragged away by two security guards, towards the exit of the hospital. Two people who appear to be either doctors or nurses stand watching from another door opening.

 

“-et me go! The people deserve to be informed!”

 

“Reporters are not allowed to enter our building unsupervised!” One of the guards snaps.

 

The woman doesn’t seem daunted, and just presses on, “What is All Might’s current health status? Is Midoriya Izuku being kept in police custody!?”

 

Inhaling sharply, Izuku staggers back from the window. There’s no way that she saw him, but still. If one reporter managed to infiltrate the building, who knows who else might be watching, sniffing for information? Here inside the hospital it’s easy to forget about the outside world. For just a few hours Izuku has been living in blissful ignorance. But the entire country knows now. Who he is. What he has done.

 

It almost feels like the evidence of his actions is crawling underneath his skin, pushing to get out. His hands have started shaking and breathing is becoming more difficult. An itch slowly spreads across his entire skin, and Izuku starts scratching at his arms to get it to stop.

 

“Young man, are you alright?”

 

Through teary eyes Izuku twists around to see that the nurse from behind the reception has gotten up from her seat, and is walking towards him.

 

“The- the quirk suppressants–” Izuku stammers, then lets out a cry as suddenly his head explodes from an immense pressure from within. Vaguely, he hears the nurse call for backup before she rushes to his side.

 

“--any pain?”

 

Izuku tries to stumble backwards, and he frantically shakes his head. “Y-you need to get back.”

 

Something is writhing underneath his skin, pushing against some thinning, invisible wall. It wants to get out.  

 

“Get back!” he cries. At the same time the pressure snaps and Izuku can feel as it pours towards his right arm, until it starts bulging and growing. He raises the arm so he can look at it, eyes wide because in a matter of seconds it has blown up immensely. A horrible realization dawns on him when he realises what is responsible for this.

 

Quirks. Dozens of quirks pushing to get out.  

 

He tries to fight for control over the quirks writhing underneath his skin, tries to push them back down, but something seems to be pushing back. 

 

“No, no no–”

 

The tone in his voice must convince the nurse and she takes a step back, caution clear on her face. 

 

In the end, Izuku is not strong enough and the last shreds of control slip through his fingers.

 

“Get back!” he shouts again, desperate for her to listen. 

 

The nurse only has a chance to take one more step back, shock on her face, before a blast of energy bursts from Izuku’s right hand, and hits her in the shoulder. She lets out a pained scream and collapses to the floor.

 

At the same time multiple nurses come rushing towards them. They’re shouting, but Izuku doesn’t hear them past the rushing in his ears. Before another blast can hit the nurse, he manages to aim his arm at the wall to her side. He cries out as the surge of energy leaves him and hits the wall, leaving a shallow hole behind.

 

This shouldn’t be happening. He shouldn’t be losing control like this, shouldn’t be hurting others like this. Something is very, very wrong.

 

Suddenly there’s a nurse at his side, and Izuku feels something prick into his neck. He shouts, tries to twist away, because what are they doing? He doesn’t know, and that absolutely terrifies him. As the world starts blurring, arms close around him. Izuku tries to fight them off, and in doing so another energy blast hits the ceiling, plaster raining down on them. 

 

Then a sudden, familiar quiet washes through his body. The writhing underneath his skin stops. Izuku lets out a sigh of relief as the pain lets up. His eyelids drag down, impossible to keep open. Finally, it is the blissful silence of unconsciousness that pulls him under.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

So, I really tried to make one scene without angst. Obviously, I failed. I hope the first half of the first scene is good enough compensation >~<

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 39: End of an era

Notes:

Hi, here's another chapter! I wanted to get this out a few days earlier, but each time I thought I was almost finished, it turned out I wasn't lmao. I hope you all enjoy :)

CW: Panic attack. GFTP typical angst.

An hour after the ‘quirk incident’, Izuku wakes. Groggy, mind slow. Around him that same silence hangs, the world a quiet place without his quirk to inform him of the many people nearby. 

 

Izuku almost panics, almost succumbing to the guilt that crashes through once he remembers what exactly happened. The only reason he doesn’t is because of his mom. She’s there to soothe him, to tell him that all will be alright despite the very real fact that it won’t be, not for a long while. His guilt loses its edge a bit when he hears that the nurse he hit with a quirk is fine. A hospital full of people with all sorts of healing quirks does help with that. It allows him to push the guilt to the back of his mind and to find the strength to follow another nurse towards a testing room. 

 

Quirk tests, the nurse explains. To try to determine what is wrong with his quirk. Hopefully, to find a way that he can use his quirk again without losing control. 

 

When he returns from the tests, it’s dinner time. By then, Izuku is exhausted and all he really wants to do is sleep. But his mom is still there, waiting for him, and it means they can spend a bit more time together. They can eat together, a privilege now, in Izuku's eyes. 

 

They do so mostly in silence. Another time his mom would fill the quiet, but after multiple days without enough sleep she’s clearly exhausted as well. Izuku doesn’t have much to say either. At least, nothing to talk about over dinner. Nothing that really happened to him these past few days really falls under the category of ‘small talk’. Besides, he’s trying not to let his mind wander, trying to focus instead on the meal in front of him. Simple rice with enough veggies and some pork to get the necessary nutrients. 

 

Carefully, he picks up a piece of bell pepper with his chopsticks. He pops it in his mouth. Chews. Tries to taste anything past the constant blandness coating his tongue. He wonders if it’s just the quirk suppressants that paint the world in dull colours, or if it’s something different. It feels off, the calmness of it all. Wrong. After everything that happened–

 

Izuku swallows the bell pepper. He shuts down his thoughts and forces his mind back on the food in front of him. Still, after almost a day of being able to ignore the last few days it is difficult to keep his mind from wandering. Most of it is a haze, blurred out by his mind into vague feelings and impressions. Izuku is more than fine with that. He’s pretty sure that he’d collapse into a nervous wreck if he were to remember everything in detail right now. A few things though, he remembers with the utmost clarity.

 

His conversation with Tomura is one of them. His conversation with All For One the next day is another. That memory is almost too painful to think about. It is a reminder of his failures, of his naivety. But his mom deserves to know the truth about their escape. Izuku hasn’t told her up till now. At first they’d wanted to just be in each other’s presence, and then there hadn’t been the right moment. 

 

Once he’s finished as much of his meal as he can get himself to eat, Izuku decides that now is as good a time as any. It doesn’t feel like the right moment, but then again, it will probably never be the right moment for conversations like this. He swallows down the sudden dryness in his mouth, takes a steadying breath, and starts, “Mom, there is something I need to tell you.”

 

---

 

That night Izuku sleeps very little. He tosses and turns, mind churning. Without any sleep medication coursing through his system–like had been the case the previous night–he finds it nearly impossible to get any rest. Flashes of memories from the past few days keep cycling through his mind, like a film tape that runs on endlessly. Only, the film tape has a sharp edge that keeps on cutting deeper and deeper, twisting and hurting. It gets to a point where he has to sit up and use some of the breathing exercises that his therapist gave him many weeks ago. 

 

His mind keeps on attacking him, and he can’t escape it. 

 

Izuku screws his eyes shut, forces himself to focus on his breathing, on the sounds around him, on the feeling of a slight breeze on his skin that flows through the tilted window. While his thoughts are far too loud, the world around him feels far too quiet. It has felt like that ever since he woke up in the hospital. Perhaps his body hasn’t gotten the memo yet that he’s safe, that it no longer needs to dull the harshness of his surroundings. Perhaps it’s the quirk suppressants that keep him from experiencing the world with all its quirk lights in the way that he’s so comfortingly familiar with. 

 

A breath in. A breath out.

 

With a sharp pang, he realizes that he misses his quirk. He doesn’t know if– when he’ll be able to use it again. Back with All For One at least he knew that if he behaved himself, he’d eventually get his quirk back. Now though, it’s a big unknown, and that…

 

Izuku shakes his head, shuts out the doom thoughts. Tomorrow morning the doctor will tell him about the results from the quirk tests. They will have found what is wrong, and there will be a solution. Simple. 

 

He will get his quirk back. He will.

 

---

 

After a near sleepless night, morning rolls around.

 

His mom arrives shortly before the doctor does so. She sends him a smile when she enters his hospital room and gives him a warm hug. Still, there’s a tightness to her smile and the bags underneath her eyes haven’t lessened. While last night she had taken everything that Izuku told her quite well, he’s sure her night must not have been easy either.

 

He doesn’t know whether she fully believes All For One’s claim that he knew about the escape all along. Izuku also doesn’t know which of the villain’s words are truths, and which are lies. But it’s the possibility, the knowledge that the villain would do something like that if given the chance, that sits heavy in the back of his mind. 

 

“How did you sleep?” his mom asks as she breaks free from the hug. 

 

Izuku grimaces, shrugs. “I’ve slept better.”

 

His mom hums in understanding, and her eyes soften. She tucks a loose curl behind his ear. “Maybe we could ask for some sleep medication? Just for these first few days?”

 

“Maybe…” Izuku mumbles. It might give him a few days of good rest, but it won’t make sleeping any easier once he stops with the meds.

 

As if she can read his mind, his mom says, “I’m sure sleeping will get easier after a while.” She sends him a thin smile, “Let’s just focus on the here and now, hmmm?”

 

She clearly says that not just for Izuku, but also as a reminder for herself. While she’s trying to be a strong presence in front of Izuku, he can see the cracks here and there. These days have been hard on his mother as well.

 

At that moment the doctor enters the room, and any thoughts of sleeping problems leave Izuku’s mind. It’s a woman in her fifties, with her black hair pulled back and without any clear sign of a quirk. Almost absentmindedly Izuku wonders what her quirk is, if she has a quirk. 

 

Of course those thoughts quickly turn sour, because there’s no way for him to know at the moment. 

 

Once some basic pleasantries and introductions have been exchanged, the doctor cuts to the chase, “Unfortunately we haven’t been able to pin down what the exact issue with your quirk is. More extensive testing at a later date will be needed to hopefully get some answers.” 

 

The doctor pauses, allowing Izuku some space to digest the news. He nods, and tries no to show his rising disappointment. Next to him, his mom squeezes his hand.

 

The doctor continues, “However, there is something that we could try in the meantime. There is a chance that gradually lowering the dosage of the quirk suppressants will help. Abruptly stopping with quirk suppressants can at times be too much of a shock for the body. Especially with a quirk as powerful as yours. By slowly lowering the dosage, it might help the body adjust.” She goes on to explain the logistics, and all Izuku can do is listen in a daze.

 

He won’t be able to use his quirk today, probably not for a while. Disappointment and frustration fill him. He’s starting to realize that there might not be an easy solution to his quirk issues, if there is a solution at all. That last thought he shuts out quickly. The doctor still seems optimistic that they’ll figure it out. He’ll do the tests and in the meantime the suppressants will keep the people around him safe from any sudden quirk attacks. Even if he’s bitter about it, he can live without his quirk for a while longer.

 

---

 

Morning has nearly come to an end when his mom leaves to fill in some final paperwork before Izuku can be discharged. A few minutes after she has left, Izuku gets an unexpected visitor.

 

All Might.

 

A nurse rolls him into the hospital room once Izuku has given permission to enter. The man looks frail in the wheelchair. His skin has a paleness to it, and there are bandages peeking out underneath his shirt. Despite that, his eyes still hold that same intensity as they focus on Izuku. 

 

“Midoriya, how are you?” the man asks after he’s thanked the nurse and she’s left the room. 

 

“I’m okay. How are you?” Izuku responds, words stiff. While he had expected that he needed to talk to All Might at some point, he didn’t think it would be right now.

 

All Might casts a look down at himself. A wry smile pulls on his lips. “I’ve been better, but thanks to all the doctors I’ll make a good enough recovery.” He shifts in the wheelchair, and seems to think about something. Then he continues, “But I’m not here to talk about my health. There are other things that I wanted to discuss with you.”

 

Slowly, Izuku nods and waits for the hero to go on.

 

A steel determination crawls up All Might's face as his entire focus lands on Izuku. His face grave and voice firm, he says, “Firstly I wanted to apologize for my behavior during the final exam. It shames me deeply not just as a hero, but also as a person, and…I’ll regret my actions for the rest of my life.” He bends into as low a bow as he can in the wheelchair. “I am truly so sorry, Midoriya. Please know that I don't expect forgiveness from you, I simply wanted to give you the apology that you deserve.”

 

For a moment Izuku doesn’t know what to say. If All Might’s words had been any less genuine he probably wouldn’t have appreciated the apology, but it’s so sincere. There’s clearly not a single part of the hero that doesn’t feel a deep regret. While indeed Izuku can’t forgive the man just yet–too much happened for that–something inside him has been touched by All Might’s sincerity. 

 

“Thank you,” Izuku says, and he can feel as his face softens. “I appreciate it.”

 

All Might straightens again and he nods as relief passes across his face. He lets them sit in the moment for another second before he continues on, “I also wanted to thank you for doing what I, and all the previous holders of One For All couldn’t do. You defeated All For One and by doing so not only saved my life, but also the lives of countless other people that might otherwise have been caught in his web.” He sends Izuku a warm smile, and his voice rumbles with a sliver of that familiar power when he adds, “You’re a true hero.”

 

“T-thank you,” Izuku stammers. It’s difficult to talk past the lump in his throat. Even though it's not something that he necessarily wanted to hear, there’s something about All Might declaring him a hero that touches his heart. The younger him who loved heroes with a burning passion would have been over the moon. There is one thing that sits heavy in the back of his mind though, and that keeps him from really taking the praise to heart. Something he feels he needs to make clear again. Yes, he’d taken One For All but–

 

“I…I want you to know that I don't want to be your successor.”

 

All Might doesn’t even blink in surprise. In fact, he seems to have expected no less. He nods in understanding. “Of course. You already made that clear when I asked you a few months ago, and I respect that. I gave you One For All because I trust you with it, no matter if you’d be my successor or not.”

 

Izuku bites his lip, then blurts out, “I also won’t be using One For All. O-or All For One.” While he can’t even use his own quirk right now, let alone access any of his other quirks, he has thought about what he will do with All For One and One For all. The decision was an easy one to make, but he doubts that this is what All Might wants the fate of One For All to be.

 

As expected, All Might frowns in confusion. He clearly hadn’t seen that coming. “Can I ask why?”

 

Izuku rubs at his arms to dispel some of his nervousness. He shouldn’t be nervous, this is his decision. Still, part of him feels like he somehow tricked All Might. He asked the man for One For All in a vulnerable moment. Sure, that had been life or death, but what if All Might already had someone else he wanted to give the quirk to once they were ready? Even if he wanted to, Izuku couldn’t give One For All to someone else at the moment. Besides, he doesn’t want to give the quirk away. Not because he wants to use One For All, but for another reason.

 

“These quirks…they’ve caused so much pain, so much suffering. So many lives have been ruined by All For One and so many people were hurt to get One For All.” Izuku shakes his head. He straightens his shoulders and looks All Might right in the eyes when he declares, “No, it will end with me. Now that All For One has been defeated, One For All has fulfilled its purpose. I promise I will keep both of the quirks safe, but I will never use them.”

 

---

 

As Midoriya explains why he won’t be using One For All, Toshinori feels some of his confusion clear and morph into acceptance. The boy has clearly thought it through, and Toshinori knows he’s in no place to have any say over Midoriya’s choices. He can even understand that ending the legacy of One For All and All For One like this might be for the best. It probably is. So much blood has been shed, so many lives hurt. 

 

So, Toshinori dips his head in understanding. “It is your quirk now, so how you will use One For All is up to you. If this is your decision, then I will respect that.” A smile–not his bright hero smile but a genuine one–blooms on his face. “Besides, I don’t think there’s a person more worthy to call themselves the final holder.”

 

Midoriya’s eyes widen just a bit and a smile ghosts his lips as he ducks his head. 

 

Yes, Toshinori thinks, he is the right choice for the quirk. Midoriya might not be his successor, but Toshinori isn’t even so sure anymore if he wants a successor. After his final fight against All For One he’s come to realize how easily even the strongest of pillars can fall. As Symbol of Peace Toshinori is perhaps one of the most important pillars that keeps society safe and stable. He doesn’t want anyone else to bear that heavy mantle. He doesn’t think any one person should.  

 

“There is one last thing you deserve to know,” Toshinori continues on. His words are slow, reluctant to ruin the boy’s improved mood. Still, it is something Midoriya deserves to know as the ninth holder of One For All. “It concerns Shigaraki Tomura.”

 

At that, Midoriya’s face falls. “What about him?” he asks.

 

With a frown, Toshinori explains Shigaraki’s true roots as Shimura Nana’s grandson. All For One’s ultimate trump card against Toshinori during their fight. “Before his name was Shigaraki Tomura, it was Shimura–”

 

“Tenko”

 

Toshinori blinks, wondering if he heard that right. “Hmm?”

 

“His name is– was Tenko,” Midoriya says, words soft. His eyes have a far-off look to them. “I used to call him that, when we were younger, but uhm–” the boy swallows, and his eyebrows draw together. In his lap, his hands rub at some scars on his underarms. “It’s only Tomura now.”

 

Midoriya’s gaze focuses back on Toshinori, and it nearly startles him how much sadness those green eyes hold. At first he wonders how Midoriya already knew that name. Then Toshinori remembers that the boy must have grown up along with Shigaraki during his years with All For One. Judging from Midoriya’s reaction, he must see Shigaraki as more than just a villain. As what else, Toshinori can only guess. An estranged friend? A tragedy?

 

Perhaps that is what prompts him to say the next thing, “I plan to keep an eye on him, to make sure he gets the help he needs.”

 

Hearing that, Midoriya’s eyebrows rise just a bit, then push together into a frown. “Are you sure? You do know that he really, really hates you?”

 

“...I’ll check in on him from a distance then,” Toshinori says, trying not to show that he hadn’t actually thought about that. Thinking back, he does remember that young Shigaraki hadn’t looked very kindly at him at the beginning of the Kamino fight, right after he’d been teleported to All For One’s side along with Midoriya. 

 

Midoriya hums, and it almost seems like he’s…positively surprised? He doesn’t say anything else, but Toshinori can see as some of that sadness in his eyes brightens into hope. It solidifies Toshinori’s belief that doing this is the right thing. Besides, it's the least he can do to honor his mentor’s wishes. 

 

He should have checked up on her relatives sooner, but he didn’t. As a result, yet another child got entrapped in All For One’s web. Precisely the thing Nana didn’t want to happen, the reason why she gave up her own son. Hidden somewhere deep inside Shigaraki Tomura there must still be that hurt child, Toshinori is certain of that. Yes, it might take years of help and work. It might even take that long before Shigaraki is open to being helped. Shimura Tenko will probably never come back. Still, there’s more to Shigaraki Tomura than just a villain. Toshinori is sure of it.

 

---

 

That afternoon, at around three o’clock, Izuku and his mom are set to be escorted back to UA under heavy security. It means two police cars and another two cars with heroes will be driving along with their car. Despite the uncomfortable reminder that they’re still not free to go wherever they please all by themselves, Izuku is glad for all the protection. Whether that protection be from All For One’s underlings looking for revenge, or from the bloodthirsty press.

 

A few minutes before three, Aizawa enters the hospital room along with two police officers. His face is set in a grave focus as he explains the proceeding operation and that he’ll be in the car with them. Yet another safety measure. Izuku wonders if it’s to protect the other people in the car–namely his mom and a driver–from him. The thought prompts him to check his pockets for a third time in as many minutes. 

 

As expected, he’s still got the extra dose of quirk suppressants with him. He shouldn’t need it, but still. If there’s something that he wants to avoid, it’s another quirk incident with other people getting hurt.

 

His mom notices him checking–again–and squeezes his shoulder. There’s a wordless reprimand in her eyes, telling him to stop worrying. It does not help much to calm him down. The image of that nurse lying on the ground, hurt because of him, has not left him alone. Neither has the idea that he might do something like that to Aizawa or his mom if his quirk decides to act up again. Izuku doesn’t have too much time to be eaten up by worries though, because then Aizawa receives the go-ahead through his earpiece. 

 

In the following minutes they’re ushered through the hospital hallways, all the way down to the underground parking area where their car is waiting for them. Izuku and his mom slide into the back seat, Aizawa takes the front seat next to the driver. As soon as everyone has taken position, the car lurches into action, and they start following a nondescript car with two other heroes in it out of the garage. A police car with the two officers that accompanied Aizawa comes up behind them. Outside, another police car and a car with two heroes are waiting and will be keeping a discreet distance, ready in case of any trouble.

 

They get out of the garage without any issues. Even through the heavily tinted windows, the sun shines bright and hot as they drive up to street level. They take a sharp turn. Up ahead, Izuku sees the main road that lines the front of the hospital, and which they need to take to get to the freeway. Just as Izuku thinks that they might get off the hospital terrain unnoticed, he spots the figures standing crowded near the exit of the terrain, right where they need to pass.

 

They continue driving regardless–there’s not really any other option. In the front seat, Aizawa exchanges a few short words with the other cars. Despite the fact that Izuku knows that these are probably just some harmless reporters, sweat pools in the palms of his hands and he has to put in effort to keep his breathing level. As they drive closer Izuku watches how the group notices them, how they reach for cameras and microphones. Even if they can’t possibly see him through the tinted glass, he still slides down until his knees hit the seat in front of him. 

 

From his spot next to the driver, Aizawa mutters something along the lines of “vultures.”

 

Then they’re driving past the group, and even inside the car Izuku can hear the clamor of voices, all shouting questions, demanding answers. Bodies jostle and push and try to shove cameras closest to the window as if that might help them to get a glimpse of Izuku. Helplessness weighs heavy inside him. He wishes he could use his quirk, could at least sense whether someone is about to use a quirk. Instead, he has to hold his breath and hope the driver can keep on driving. 

 

Finally, they’re through and onto the road. The car speeds up, carrying them away from the reporters. Izuku lets out a shuddering breath, but doesn’t relax any further. No one in the car does. Not until they’re on the freeway, and rapidly making for UA.

 

A few minutes after they’ve entered the freeway, Aizawa seems to decide that they’re in the clear, for now. He twists around in his seat and breaks through the heavy silence in the car. “There is actually something that Nedzu wanted me to discuss with you.” He pauses, until he seems sure he’s got their full attention. “UA is implementing a dormitory system, which means all students will be living on campus. This is done to further ensure student safety, and will also provide students with the opportunity to safely learn independence.”

 

Aizawa shifts his gaze to Izuku’s mom. For a moment Izuku swears he sees a look of apprehension flash across the man’s face before it’s schooled back into its perpetual tired expression. “Mrs. Midoriya, do you give permission for Midoriya to live in these dorms? On behalf of UA, I promise that we will put all the possible measures in place to give him a safe environment to learn.”

 

The car drives on for some long, silent seconds. Izuku’s mom seems to consider Aizawa’s words. Finally, she breaks the silence, “UA broke a promise once before.”

 

At that Aizawa inclines his head, but Izuku can tell it’s also to hide a wince. 

 

His mom sighs, “But that was not on campus grounds, and afterwards UA did everything possible to get Izuku back.” She glances at Izuku, and her face softens. “I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

 

“You have my permission. Whether Izuku wants to move into the dorms is up to him.”

 

Aizawa’s tired gaze slides towards Izuku, and he asks, “Do you want to move into the dorms? To be honest, your other classmates did not have a choice, but because you already live on campus and because of recent circumstances UA can make an exception if you want to.”

 

Izuku shifts in his seat, unsure what exactly he wants. After all the media coverage these last few days, there’s nothing he wants more than to blend in for a while. Moving into the dorms just like everyone else would help with that. Living with nineteen other students close together while he’s still relying on quirk suppressants, and doesn’t have any real control over his quirk, sounds like a horrible idea though. He might accidentally hurt someone. Besides, he wouldn’t be close to his mom. He glances at his mom, who’s watching him with a patient expression.

 

No, he doesn’t want to leave her. Not now that he’s only just able to see her again.

 

“I- I want to be home for a while,” he stammers. It’s probably not what Aizawa wants to hear, but it’s what he needs right now.

 

Neither Aizawa’s face, nor his voice give away if he actually is disappointed when he says, “I will let Nedzu know. Just keep the option in mind, living on your own is an invaluable learning experience.”

 

Izuku swallows and nods. He tries to ignore the bitter feeling that he’s failed a test. He’s out of that concrete room. Aizawa is not like All For One. In an attempt to focus on something else, he goes back to staring out the window. 

 

Up ahead, UA’s gleaming buildings grow closer. 

 

---

 

That night Izuku and his mom watch All Might’s press conference.

 

Dinner had been a stilted affair. Although they tried to get back into routine, it felt wrong to Izuku. Like a piano that has gone out of tune, making even the most-played song sound off. Afterwards, his mom suggests they watch some tv together. Izuku agrees. His mom’s searching glances to make sure that he’s okay everytime she thinks that he isn’t watching is starting to get on his nerves, but the idea of withdrawing to his room is even less appealing. He’d be alone with his thoughts.

 

So, they sit down and Izuku chooses a nature documentary to watch on some random channel. At least that way there will be no sudden reminders of the last few days. After twenty minutes an ad break interrupts the program. The first thing that flashes across the screen is a smiling presenter in a studio that’s clearly used for a talk show. With that blinding smile, she announces to ‘Keep on watching after The Green Planet for a thorough discussion on All Might’s press conference...’ She says more, but Izuku doesn’t hear that as he turns to his mom and asks, “All Might has given a press conference?”

 

When he’d seen the man this morning, he’d looked in no fit state to be giving a press conference any time soon.

 

His mom shrugs, and grabs her phone so she can look it up. Izuku doesn’t take out his own phone because he doesn’t have it on him. Even though they gave him his phone back yesterday, he hasn’t had the courage yet to turn it on. It’s still tucked in his bag–which he still needs to unpack. 

 

“He hasn’t given it yet…” his mom mutters as her eyes scan through something on her screen. “It’s in…ten minutes. Apparently experts think it’ll be an important one.”

 

You don’t need to be an expert to come to that conclusion, Izuku thinks. The entire country had seen the number one hero nearly die on national television. That’s bound to make any following press conference an important one. 

 

Without saying a word, Izuku grabs the tv remote control, and switches to the main national channel. 

 

“Izuku, are you sure–”

 

“I want to see it,” Izuku interrupts, irritation sharpening his tone. 

 

His mom purses her lips and frowns, but doesn’t say anything else.

 

Izuku lets out a calming breath. He hadn’t meant to snap, but for some reason even small things are setting him off at the moment. Unrest crawls under his skin and nothing feels quite right.

 

At eight o’clock in the evening, they watch as All Might walks up to a podium inside a room meant for press conferences. He uses two crutches, but even that Izuku finds impressive when he remembers the man had been in a wheelchair less than twelve hours ago. The doctors must have really used any healing quirks they had at their disposal. 

 

All Might stops in front of the podium, puts the crutches up against the side so they don’t fall, then straightens to his full height. For a moment he seems to lose balance, but then his hands come up to grip the sides of the podium. His usual bright smile is not in place. Neither is his usual form. He’s in his small form, wearing a fitted blue suit. No bandages peek out from underneath his clothes like had been the case that morning. The paleness and the bags underneath All Might’s eyes remain, but if someone didn’t know any better that could be chalked up to the harsh studio lights.

 

All in all, the hero looks a far cry from his heavily injured state a two days ago.

 

“Good evening everyone,” he says, voice rumbling. His eyes look straight into the camera, his gaze still that familiar piercing blue. “Thank you all for coming here, or for tuning in. Following the events two days ago, there are some things that I feel the need to address.”

 

All Might pauses, and glances down at the notes in front of him. “First off, I want to confirm that yes, the villain that I engaged was named All For One. The authorities have already released a public statement that should inform you who this individual was and the reasons for the large scale operation that was conducted. As there is an active investigation ongoing into All For One and his organisation, I cannot disclose any further information about this at the moment. However, I will repeat one thing from that statement: All For One was an incredibly dangerous and powerful villain. Had I or any of the other people involved in the operation taken this threat any less seriously, we would have failed to arrest the League of Villains, or to rescue the hero Ragdoll and the first year UA student Midoriya Izuku.”

 

“That brings me to my second point.” All Might casts another look at his notes. “Midoriya Izuku’s character.”

 

If Izuku hadn’t been informed by All Might that the hero would be talking about him on public television at some point, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stay as calm as he is. As it is, he’s even able to send his mom a reassuring smile. 

 

All Might hadn’t actually told him he’d be holding a press conference. Izuku guesses the hero might not have even known that he’d be doing so at the time, especially if his health is as precarious as it had looked. Holding the press conference this evening must have been a last minute decision. What All Might had told him–promised him, even–before leaving that morning, was that he would do everything in his power to clear Izuku’s name.

 

“These past few days Midoriya Izuku has been named a traitor, a villain, and countless other vile things. While I have only known him for the few months that I have been teaching him as a teacher at UA, I feel confident in saying that anyone calling Midoriya anything besides a hero, is plainly wrong. In fact, had it not been for Midoriya’s courageous and heroic actions during the fight against All For One, I would not be standing here, alive, talking to you.

 

“A hero is defined by their actions. Not by their quirk, or their lack thereof. Not by their family ties. Midoriya chose to risk his life to save me, to ensure the safety of the entire country, and to defeat All For One. By all rights, Midoriya Izuku is a true hero.”

 

Next to Izuku, his mom sniffles. Tears glisten in her eyes. He’d already heard All Might say it to him personally, but to watch the pride bloom on his mom’s face is something else. For as much as he’s able, he tries to savor the moment and ignore the restlessness coiling inside him. 

 

On the tv, All Might continues on after he’s taken a sip from the glass of water in front of him. “Lastly, I wanted to discuss the concerns and questions surrounding my health. This form that you are seeing right now, and which was revealed during my fight against All For One, is a result from my many years of working as a hero. While I have always served the public and this country with everything I could give, it has had a profound impact on my health. Unfortunately the fight against All For One caused my health to deteriorate even further, to the point that this form was revealed to the public.” A heavy pause stretches on as the hero seems to prepare himself to say something. 

 

Then, “It is with great regret that I must announce my immediate retirement from hero work, as I am unable to carry out the necessary duties any longer.”

 

---

 

A shocked silence fills the room as Izuku and his mom watch All Might answering questions from reporters. In a way Izuku had known that this was coming. He was one of the few people already aware of All Might’s small form and his decreasing ability to use his quirk. He’d even seen the hero this morning, looking sickly and sitting in a wheelchair. Still, to have the Symbol of Peace announce retirement after decades of standing at the top, is a shock nonetheless. It means the end of an era.

 

At first the questions are purely focussed on All Might’s retirement, but then they shift to the overall fight against All For One. Izuku tries to listen, but he can’t. Everything is still too fresh in his mind. To hear people who, really, know nothing at all about the situation questioning the fight, the choices that were made, is too frustrating. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth. 

 

“How can you be sure Midoriya Izuku won’t follow in his grandfather’s footsteps after all?”

 

In a flash, Izuku has pushed himself up from the couch. His ears are ringing, and a thin sweat has broken out across his skin. He doesn’t want to hear this, doesn’t want to hear these reporters voice the questions that plague his mind at night.

 

His mom’s focus snaps towards him, worry smeared across her face.

 

“I’m going to take a shower.” Izuku hears himself say, as if through cotton. He’d already taken a shower right when he got home, but he needs to get out of this room right now.  

 

He reaches the bathroom in a blur. A blink and he’s locked the door behind him. He stumbles forward to the sink, and grabs the sides of it with an iron grip to keep himself upright. His heart hammers in his chest, and his skin feels too hot. 

 

Distantly he realizes that he should turn on the shower so his mom won’t worry too much. Somehow, he manages to get the water running. The itching starts as soon as he does so. It’s that feeling of something crawling underneath his skin, pushing to get out.

 

His quirk suppressants are wearing off.

 

Panic surges through his veins at that realization, and Izuku scrambles in his pockets for a new dose. He’s about to inject the suppressant when he hesitates. 

 

He doesn’t want to live without his quirk. He really, really doesn’t.

 

Without his quirk he feels helpless and incomplete, the world too dull and too quiet, and it’s just unfair. After everything he went through, this is his reward for finally defeating All For One?

 

It’s childish maybe, to wish for more. He’s alive and free. That should be enough. But how can it ever be enough when he’s living with part of himself suppressed?

 

So, he doesn’t inject the quirk suppressants and instead decides that he’s going to push through all the pain until he’s got his quirk back. He scratches at his arms as he feels quirks pushing against the final dregs of the suppressants.

 

A breath in. A breath out.

 

The next second his world explodes in a burst of white-hot pain. He has to bite down on his tongue to keep from screaming out as he collapses to his knees. For a moment the pain is all he can think about. Then he forces himself to focus on keeping all the quirks that are pushing to the front from uncontrollably activating. 

 

He can do this. He can push back and get everything under control.

 

His right arm starts bulging again, and Izuku grits his teeth as he tries with all his might to make it stop. It almost seems like these quirks are being pushed to the front by something else, because whenever he pushes them away, it feels like they’re pushed back again.

 

A horrible thought takes form when he realizes that.

 

What if–....What if it’s All For One pushing these quirks out? A final act of revenge on a disobedient grandchild? A final way to gain control?

 

For a few seconds Izuku can’t even breathe. Just as he wrestles for control over his quirk, he wrestles with his own thoughts. He feels it again: that hand at the back of his neck, guiding him, keeping him in place, controlling him.  

“How can you be sure Midoriya Izuku won’t follow in his grandfather’s footsteps after all?”

Maybe he would never willingly follow his grandfather’s footsteps, but what if he starts hurting others and taking quirks against his will? He doesn’t know what will happen if he loses control over his quirk, but the idea of having to watch while his quirk is used to hurt others, is too much. It prompts him to grab the dose of quirks suppressants that lays abandoned next to him and inject it.

 

Almost immediately, that quiet washes over him and his arm is reduced to its regular size. Suddenly exhausted, he crawls to the nearest wall and sits up against it, the cold tiles cooling his feverish skin. 

 

“Izuku!? Is everything okay?” his mom’s worried voice sounds through the bathroom door.

 

“I-I’m okay!” Izuku calls, somehow keeping his voice from shaking too much. He wipes away the tears staining his cheeks. “I just slipped, that’s all!”

 

He doesn’t think for a moment that his mom believes him. Guilt burns his insides, but he ignores it. He doesn’t want her to worry even more, doesn’t want to share his pain just yet.

 

Drawing his knees up to his chest, he wraps his shaking arms around them. He lets his head slumps back against the wall, and a few more tears slip from the corners of his eyes. 

 

All For One might be dead, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone.

 

Izuku doesn’t want to live without his quirk, but if suppressing part of himself keeps All For One from gaining control, from ever hurting anyone else, then he will.

Notes:

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Chapter 40: Trying

Notes:

Hi! Apologies for the late chapter. I suffered from some pretty heavy writer’s block, and have had a stressful period IRL. That said, I hope that with this chapter out of the way, I’ll be able to write a bit more easily again. Also, if this chapter seems a bit all over the place. That’s because my exact plans and outline for this chapter just. kept on changing. It just didn’t know what it wanted to do, to my great frustration. At this point I’m as happy with it as I’m going to get, I think.

Either way, enjoy!

The day after his release from the hospital, Izuku spends mostly in bed, ignoring the rest of the world. He still hasn’t looked at his phone, and by now it has become too intimidating to do so. His mom tries to get him out of his room a few times, but it’s only once dinner time rolls around that Izuku can find the energy to get up and join her. Once he’s finished as much of the food as he can, he excuses himself, saying he’s tired and that he’s going back to bed. Part of him feels guilty for pushing her away so much, especially when he catches her lips pressing together in worry. Though mostly he just…doesn’t have the energy to think too much about it.

 

Night passes in a continuous battle between restless turning under the covers, and fits of sleep filled with nightmares. He could take the sleep medication he’d been given, but the thought of doing so makes it so he doesn’t even look at the little box with pills. Right now he can’t get himself to take any more medication than absolutely necessary. While for the first two days, the quirk suppressants had been reassuring to have close at hand, now they’re just another bitter reminder of the price he’s had to pay. The final thing that All For One managed to take from him.

 

He has to take the suppressants. There’s no way around that. For now.

 

He doesn’t have to take that sleep medication. At least, not as long as he doesn’t become delirious from lack of sleep. So, he chooses not to take the meds. It’s childish perhaps, to make that choice. But if he didn’t cling to those small choices, he wouldn’t be getting out of bed at all.

 

When morning rolls around, his mom informs him that Aizawa and Nedzu will be visiting. Apparently there are a few more things that need to be discussed. She asks if Izuku will join them. He declines, saying he’s not feeling well. That is true. Nausea has his gut tied up in knots. A side effect from lowering the dosage on the quirk suppressants. It’s the first time it has been lowered. According to the doctor, it might take two weeks for the side effects to diminish, then Izuku will need to be without them for another two weeks. Only then can the dosage be reduced again–just a tiny bit. 

 

At the quickest rate, it’ll take six months to get off the suppressants completely. That’s hoping his quirk won’t go haywire as soon the quirk dosage goes below a certain point. If that’s the case, well… They’ll need to find another solution.

 

From down the hallway their bell rings, and little while later Izuku hears as his mom leads Aizawa and Nedzu into the living room. Their voices sound muffled, and without his hearing quirk Izuku can’t actually hear what they’re saying. Like the day before, he can’t find the energy to care much about what they’re discussing, or to join them. He just pulls the covers tighter around himself.

 

This isn’t sustainable. He knows. Eventually he’ll have to pick up the pieces, and try to live his life again. Perhaps, move on. He’d been making progress before the camp attack, he knows. Now, he feels like he’s back to square one. What’s the point, if one thing is all it takes for him to lose all progress? Is this how it will be for the rest of his life? Fighting, clawing his way to betterment and then falling back because of a little push. Over and over and over again. Like Sisyphus forced to push a boulder uphill, but never reaching the top, the boulder always rolling back down right before that.

 

For now, Izuku isn’t able to gather the energy to try. If he starts trying it’ll become clear how much progress he’s lost, how deep the marks are that All For One left. He isn’t ready for that, so it’s easier to ignore everything, the world, the oppressive quiet that’s now his new normal. It might be sticking his head in the sand, but he doesn’t care.

 

He would probably have passed his teacher’s entire visit in a lustless daze, if not for the knock on his door at some point. Izuku wonders who it is–he doesn’t have his quirk to tell him–and he debates whether to answer.

 

“Midoriya? Can I talk to you?” Aizawa’s gruff voice from behind the door.

 

“Sure.”

 

A click, two feet stepping over the threshold and into the room. Izuku doesn’t turn around to look at Aizawa from where he’s lying in bed, cover drawn up to his chin and back facing the door. 

 

“How have you been?”

 

“Tired.”

 

“Your mother told me about the issues you’re having with your quirk, and the minimum timeline that they’ll last. I wanted to assure you that we’ll be looking at ways to adjust the curriculum where possible. You won’t need to worry about your spot on the hero course.”

 

“Okay.” Izuku hadn’t yet even considered the possibility that he might be kicked off the hero course. To a lot of people, quirkless means worthless. That’s what he essentially is right now–quirkless. Any other time it would have been a relief to know that even quirkless, Aizawa will stick with him. Now though, Izuku just feels…nothing.

 

A sigh. “Midoriya…I understand that being unable to use your quirk is difficult to deal with–”

 

“You don’t understand.” In a flash, Izuku has pushed himself up to glare at Aizawa. His teacher is standing in the door opening, a frown on his face. Izuku mutters, “You don’t know what it’s like,” he lets out a shuddering breath, swallows, “to lose a piece of yourself.”

 

Aizawa purses his lips and lets out a frustrated huff. He nods, once, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t understand that, but I know what it’s like to have your world collapsing around you. And this,” he waves around the half-dark room, “is not the solution.”

 

Annoyance flares up, and Izuku grits out, “I can deal with it.”

 

“Really?” Aizawa asks, clearly unimpressed. He shakes his head. “Ignoring the outside world won’t keep it out forever, kid.”

 

Izuku clenches his fists. He knows that. He’s learned that lesson before. 

 

“All the students are moving into their dorms tomorrow. I’d like it if you joined 1-A during the tour and the discussion of the most important rules. You’re part of the class.”

 

“I’m not moving into the dorms,” Izuku says, frowning. Seeing his classmates again, and his friends whose texts he’s been ignoring for the past few days… It feels like an overwhelming prospect. 

 

“I know,” Aizawa says. “I’d still like you to come. Some of your classmates have been nagging me about you for days. I’m sure they’d appreciate seeing you in person.”

 

When Izuku doesn’t say anything, Aizawa adds, “It’s your choice.”

 

The man turns to leave, then stops and seems to change his mind. His tired gaze lands on Izuku once again. “One last thing. If you want to pick up sparring again, let me know. It might help blow off some steam.”

 

With that he exits the room, leaving Izuku sitting in the sudden silence of his room. 

 

---

 

Shouta is really starting to wonder who in their right mind would want to put twenty teenagers in a single building to live together. The answer is Nedzu, of course. The rat had been pushing for this change for years. After the ‘camp incident’ the board had finally relented. Unfortunately, that leaves Shouta with the unpleasant task of wrangling twenty teenagers for more than the necessary hours in a school day. 

 

Dammit. He’s going to ask for a raise the next time he speaks to the rat.

 

Either way, implementing the dormitory system means that the teenagers who are going to be living in said dorms have to move into them. Which means moving day. Actual hell on earth.

 

It’s the whole reason why Shouta is currently standing in front of the building that will house his class, instead of sleeping off the absolute chaos of the last few days somewhere in a dark corner with his sleeping bag cocooned around him. Most of his students have already arrived, all bright chatter and crisp uniforms. Some of his students haven’t yet. Kaminari, Ashido–those two are most prone to being late–and Midoriya.

 

Shouta watches the present students with veiled interest, his hands in his pocket and his posture slouched. There are still a few minutes left before everyone is expected to be present, and he takes the time to study the class. Most students appear their ordinary self, if not a little nervous because of the whole new ‘dorms situation’. There are a few exceptions. Bakugo, for one, stands off to the side. His entire demeanor screams ‘Don’t Come Near Me!’ with the way his shoulders are set, and the scowl on his face.

 

Indeed, when Kirishima approaches the teen with a wide grin and a cheerful greeting, he’s met with a rather harsh scoff. 

 

“Go pester someone else, Shitty Hair!” Bakugo snaps, twisting away from the other teen. A look of hurt flashes across Kirishima’s face, before his usual bright grin snaps back into place and he turns around to jump back into the conversation with Jirou and Sero. 

 

Shouta will have to keep an eye on Bakugo. What happened at the training camp had been hard for the teen, and if he isn’t able to properly deal with it, that would cause issues. 

 

Another group that doesn’t behave as they normally would, is what Shouta would call ‘Midoriya’s friend group’. Shinsou, Uraraka, Iida and Tsu all stand together, the air around them oddly subdued even though Uraraka tries to keep some small talk going. The reason for that is, of course, obvious. Both Uraraka and Shinsou had sent Shouta various emails to ask about Midoriya’s well being, as well as asking him in person when Shouta visited their houses to discuss the new dorm system. Shouta hadn’t been able to tell them much–either because it was a security issue, or a matter of privacy–besides the fact that Midoriya was in safe hands.

 

Seeing Midoriya’s friends still so worried meant that Midoriya hadn’t contacted them yet. Considering the state that Shouta found the kid in yesterday, that is not…unsurprising. Midoriya had not looked okay yesterday in the doom and gloom of his bedroom. Saying that Shouta doesn’t worry about the kid would mean he’d be lying to himself. That would just be unproductive and simply illogical. No, Shouta can admit that seeing Midoriya with such a dull look in his eyes, so devoid of any spark, had caused him quite a bit of worry.

 

He offered Midoriya what he could. Advice, earned through the experience of losing Shirakumo during his own years at UA, and a way to blow off some steam. It was up to the kid whether he’d take him up on it.

 

By now, both Ashido and Kaminari have also arrived which means that Shouta should be starting. After all, everyone who will be living in the dorms is present. He checks his watch. Two more minutes before eleven–the time that the students were told to meet in front of their respective dormitories. He will wait that long. Then he’ll start, whether Midoriya is present or not. 

 

Another minute passes, and right as Shouta is beginning to think that Midoriya won’t show, he spots a head of green curls walking up to the class. He’s wearing dark sweats instead of the uniform that the rest of the class is wearing, but he’s here. They briefly make eye contact, dull green eyes clearly saying ‘here I am, like you wanted’ . Shouta flashes the kid a swift, proud smile, only meant for his eyes. At the gesture, Midoriya looks away, as if he can’t bask in the pride too long.

 

Right at that moment, the rest of the class seems to finally notice Midoriya’s approach. A wave of excitement and unrest ripples through the group, voices rising and eyes snapping to the newcomer.

 

"Midoriya!"

 

“Hey, it’s Midoriya–”

 

“Everyone, attention,” Shouta calls, his voice brusque. When that doesn’t draw away enough attention from Midoriya, he adds, “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

 

That does the trick. All his students know by now not to test his patience. They focus back on him, albeit most reluctantly and not without stealing glances at Midoriya. The teen has stopped close to the group, yet there’s still a clear distance between him and the rest of the class. Some of the tension that coiled his shoulders tight while all of the class’s attention was on him loosens a tiny bit at the short reprieve from all the staring eyes. 

 

Shouta goes on to welcome the class and to discuss some of the basic information regarding the dorms. His students listen well enough, though there’s shuffling of feet and darting glances in Midoriya’s direction all throughout. As Shouta comes to the end of his explanatory lecture, the focus of the class actually sharpens. As if they’re hoping that he’ll mention something about Midoriya’s arrival.

 

Shouta sighs, lets his eyes sweep across the class, and says, “As I’m sure you’ve all just noticed, Midoriya is with us today. No, he will not be living with you in the dorms for the foreseeable future. He’s here because this is a class activity. I expect you will all welcome him back, and respect his privacy.”

 

When he’s sure that everyone understands–especially the gossips among the class like Ashido and Hagakure–he tells the class to follow him, and he turns around to give them a guided tour through the building. This is going to be a long day.

 

---

 

“--Finally, please let me know if there are any additional living accommodations that you need in case you haven’t done so yet. We don’t want any quirk accidents,” Aizawa drones out. After the guided tour they circled back to the common room, where Aizawa is currently giving some final instructions. Izuku is standing as far back as he can without it becoming too obvious. That way none of his classmates can stare too much. 

 

“All your things have already been moved inside your rooms. You’ll only need to unpack them. Now, get moving,” Aizawa commands, tired gaze sweeping across the class. His expression turning stern, he says, “I expect there won’t be any issues.” 

 

The unspoken ‘or else…’ gets the class moving with a chorused “Yes Sensei.”

 

In the sudden flurry of movement and rush of his classmates to get to their new rooms, Izuku is left standing, unsure what to do. No one seems to pay him any mind any longer, everyone too focussed on not pissing Aizawa off on their first day living on-campus. While Izuku is glad that Aizawa is keeping the class’s attention on such a tight leash–it means he can settle for a bit, find a semblance of balance–, he knows this is only a temporary solution. In the end he’ll have to face his classmates, look them in the eyes while everyone knows what happened to him, who he is related to. It was plastered all over the news, still is. Hell, the fight against All For One was live streamed. They watched him kill a man. Not a man, a monster.

 

What will they think of him? 

 

To find out Izuku will have to actually talk to his classmates, to his friends, and he wonders if he should do that right now. He did what Aizawa asked and showed his face. Maybe he should just go home–

 

“Hey, do you want to help me unpack?”

 

Hitoshi’s voice draws Izuku from his racing thoughts. For a moment, Izuku can only stare. His friend is standing here. Next to him. A hand rubbing the back of his neck, as if to dispel some of the awkwardness. He’s waiting for Izuku to say something.

 

Izuku fumbles for an adequate response. Hi? Sorry that I ghosted you these last few days? Sorry that I didn’t come back after rescuing Kota? Are you sure you want my help? Are we still friends? 

 

In the end, all he says is, “Sure.” It comes out small, unsure, and Izuku wants to kick himself. It shows weakness, which can be exploited. Then he reminds himself that this is Hitoshi, he wouldn’t do that, and guilt crashes through Izuku for ever thinking that his friend would.

 

“Thanks,” Hitoshi says, unaware of Izuku’s inner turmoil. Relief clearly fills his voice as he motions for Izuku to follow him. By now everyone else has already disappeared to their respective dorm rooms, and it’s only them and Aizawa still in the common room. Before following Hitoshi out the room, Izuku spares a glance at his teacher.

 

Aizawa stares back, raises an eyebrow in a clear question as to why he isn’t just following Hitoshi.

 

Gathering his courage, Izuku hurries after his friend. He can do this. Being social. Easy.

 

---

 

Hitoshi’s room is on the second floor. Inside, the furniture has already been put in place, only leaving various boxes in the middle of the room that need to be unpacked. Izuku follows his friend inside, closing the door behind him. He watches as Hitoshi walks up to the boxes, and randomly opens one to peer inside. A thoughtful look crosses his face as he seems to consider what the best way is to go about unpacking.

 

Izuku should walk over and help. He really should, instead of standing there, rooted to the ground. But there’s this horrible pressure growing inside of him. It has been building ever since Hitoshi asked for his help, increasing on the way up the stairs, down the hallway. Standing here, in the stillness of the room with nothing to shut out his spiralling thoughts, it breaks. With it, two words tumble out of Izuku’s mouth, “I’m sorry.”

 

Slowly, Histoshi looks up from where he’d been peering into a box. They stare at each other as a tense silence stretches on.

 

Izuku continues, his words now impossible to stop from pouring out of him, “I’m sorry for ignoring your texts the last few days, and- and for not coming back when I promised you and I know you’re probably angry but–”

 

“I’m not,” Hitoshi interrupts. 

 

“W-what?”

 

“I’m not angry. Not at you,” Hitoshi says, words firm.

 

Izuku frowns. He doesn’t understand. “But I…I…” He doesn’t know how to continue. 

 

Hitoshi sighs. He seems to gather his thoughts for a second. Slowly, he starts, “The way things happened at the camp…that’s not your fault.” Anger shines through those last words, and it takes Hitoshi a moment before he continues, “And I’m not angry because you ignored my texts. I understand why you probably didn’t. It’s just…”

 

His friend looks away, jaw clenched. Izuku notices how his fingers grip tightly around the cardboard box in front of him. Then Hitoshi huffs, and his eyes find Izuku’s again. “It’s frustrating.”

 

“Why?” Izuku asks, frown deepening. Confusion flits around his body, coiling, trying to find a way out. He doesn’t understand, and he doesn’t know where his friend is going with all of this. Not for the first time that day, Izuku wishes he still had access to his quirk. If only for the comfort it would bring.

 

Hitoshi sighs again, and there’s something fragile in his eyes as he says, “You don’t let anyone in, Izuku. There are so many people around you who care, who want to help you, but you don’t let them. You keep everything so tightly to yourself, and only once it’s impossible to keep from spilling over, then you allow other people just a bit closer.”

 

The words strike true. Sharp, with a clarity that can only come to be because they carry nothing but the truth. They hurt more than an actual punch to the gut could ever do. Izuku has to suppress a flinch. He wants to hide in denial a bit longer, so he whispers, “That’s not…”

 

He doesn’t continue. Can’t lie to himself. 

 

“Isn’t it?” Hitoshi asks, calling him out on it. His face softens, his voice lowers when he urges, “I want to be there for you Izuku, because I care about you and you’re my best friend. But you have to let me.”

 

In the ensuing silence, Izuku tries to get his thoughts somewhat in order. He knows Hitoshi is right. He’s always kept his friends at a distance, to keep them from danger, to keep them from seeing his struggles. Weaknesses can only be exploited. That’s how it has always been. Or at least, that’s how it was. Logically, he knows that his friends aren’t anything like Tomura or All For One. They’ve done nothing to suggest otherwise. But knowing and feeling are two completely different things.

 

“I’m sorry,” Izuku stammers. His chest feels tight, and he has to swallow down the lump in his throat before he can say, “It’s difficult to trust.”

 

Hearing that confession, Hitoshi turns away from the pile of moving boxes and walks up to Izuku. He puts a hesitant hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I know.”

 

There’s such understanding in the words. It reminds Izuku that his friend didn’t have it easy in middle school. He still remembers how their classmates in middle school would treat Hitoshi. Trust doesn’t come easy for Hitoshi either.

 

Letting out a breath, Izuku pushes away the doubt and the lingering fear. “I want to try. I will. I want to trust you.”

 

Hitoshi smiles at him. It’s slightly awkward, the way it always is with Hitoshi, but that makes it even more genuine. He says,” It’s good to see you again.”

 

The words are simple, but Izuku hears the real weight behind them. He wonders what makes him so deserving of such a good friend. Someone who will stick with him when he makes mistakes and when he’s struggling. Someone who won’t lash out at him for it, won’t use those mistakes as a weapon to hurt him. He doesn’t know how to put the feelings that rise to the surface into words. The immense sense of gratitude that fills him. So, he does something that he normally wouldn’t ever do. 

 

He reaches out and pulls Hitoshi into a hug.

 

Both of them seem surprised at first, then melt into the touch. It’s foreign, awkward, yet comforting. It isn’t something Izuku would have done before, but perhaps it’s something he’ll do more often in the future. Reaching out, and trusting he’ll be answered.

 

---

 

The air between them is light and comfortable after that conversation, and unpacking goes smoothly. After two hours the final box has been emptied, and they’re both hungry and more than ready to leave this room. 

 

When they enter the common room again, there are already quite a few people milling about. On the couches in the corner of the room Ojirou and Shoji are quietly chatting together. At one of the tables in the center of the room Uraraka, Tsu and Iida are sitting, playing a card game. Uraraka spots them first–the other two are sitting with their backs to them–and she enthusiastically waves them over.

 

For a moment Izuku hesitates to follow Hitoshi, apprehension weighing down his limbs. Then Hitoshi glances behind him, spots Izuku still standing still, and motions for him to follow. So, Izuku does. If only because he doesn’t know what else to do.

 

“Hey you two! Also finished unpacking?” Uraraka asks when they’ve stopped at the table. By now Tsu and Iida are also looking at them, or rather, Tsu’s attention is split. Iida is just staring at Izuku.

 

“Yeah, it was pretty quick between the two of us,” Hitoshi comments. “I’m really craving some coffee though.”

 

Uraraka laughs, bright, bubbly, before she turns her attention to Izuku. Her smile grows more solemn. “It’s good to see you, Midoriya.”

 

Izuku blinks, tries not to show how much her words throw him off balance. He sends her something that hopefully passes for a smile. “Uhm thanks. It’s good to be back.”

 

Before Uraraka can say anything else, Iida breaks out of his continued staring to say, “Yes, as class president, I wanted to welcome you back on behalf of 1-A.” His hands make chopping motions as if to support what he’s saying. 

 

“Thank you,” Izuku says, unsure how else to respond.

 

“Do you guys want to join, kero?” Tsu asks, waving the cards in her left hand around. 

 

“Sure, just let us grab some food real quick,” Hitoshi responds. 

 

Once they’ve grabbed something to eat and drink–coffee and some crackers in Hitoshi’s case, Izuku choses a simple apple–they join their friends. The rules are explained, and soon Izuku finds himself wrapped up in an intense game where a lot of luck and bluffing are needed. Iida doesn’t really seem to understand that, and his exasperation keeps on growing when he watches Hitoshi bluff his way through round after round.

 

“I’m sure this is not how you’re supposed to play!” Iida loudly protests after the third round where he comes in dead last. “We really should check the rulebook!”

 

“Iida there’s no rulebook,” Uraraka giggles. Her cheeks are flushed from laughing.

 

“Yeah Iida,” Hitoshi adds, not bothering to hide his smugness from winning three times in a row, “we made the rules up ourselves.”

 

His own amusement growing, Izuku watches as Iida tries to argue that there must be some rules somewhere online. Hitoshi and Iida bicker back and forth for another minute before Tsu bluntly cuts in that she really just wants to play, and if they’d like to cut it out. That’s enough to get the two teens to stop, much to Uraraka’s delight. 

 

While their group continues on playing, more classmates seem to finish up unpacking and they make their way down to the common room. Some actually stop at their table, and greet Izuku. It’s…kind, welcoming. At their words Izuku feels some of the tension inside his body unwinding. 

 

At some point Todoroki joins them. He sends Izuku a nod, then promptly sits down and starts playing the game with a complete disregard for the rules. Izuku almost takes pity on Iida when the teen has a near meltdown trying to get Todoroki to understand and follow the rules.

 

The one person that doesn’t come down to the common room at any point, is Kacchan, Izuku notices. Kirishima, Ashido, Kaminari…they’re all huddled together on the couch, watching Kaminari play some sort of game on a gaming console, but Kacchan isn’t with them. When Izuku asks Hitoshi–who’s sitting next to him–about it, the teen just shrugs.

 

“He’s been in a mood ever since the camp. I don’t know why, though. He refuses to talk about it with anyone.”

 

That has Izuku frowning in worry. Although before he can think any deeper about it, Uraraka draws his attention by handing him the pack of cards with the clear command that it’s his turn to shuffle and distribute the cards. All too quickly he’s wrapped up in another increasingly chaotic round as more and more people join in.

 

At the end of the afternoon he leaves the building with a real smile on his face and the feeling that maybe, trying to pick up his life again isn’t completely impossible.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

Can you tell I have absolutely no clue what the lay out is of the dorm buildings? I’ve tried looking it up online to figure out what the set up of the common room is supposed to be, and I just. couldn’t figure it out. So, a vague desciption of the common room it is. I hope it made some sense lol. Besides that, I'm super excited for next chapter. I can't wait until you all get to read it! (I do need to write it first though...)

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Chapter 41: Blue

Notes:

What is this? An update that’s early?? An actual miracle…
To be honest, this chapter was supposed to include more scenes, but I decided to split everything up. This way the pacing is a whole lot better. The chapter title was inspired by the song 'Blue' from Billie Eilish. This entire song, but especially the part from 'You were born bluer than a butterfly..." and onwards, reflects the latter half of this chapter very, very well.

Anyway, strap in folks. This chapter contains a whole lot of feelings.

CW: Brief PTSD flashbacks. Panic attack.

The next morning, Izuku finds himself putting on some workout clothes for the first time since the summer camp. The day before, right before Izuku went home for dinner, Uraraka convinced him to join her and some other classmates for a sparring session in one of the gyms. It would be a pretty relaxed training, she’d said, so everyone could slowly get back into the flow. In a few days they would officially begin the intense training for the licensing exams, and she argued it’d be nice to already have done some light work so it wouldn’t be as gruelling. 

 

One of the great things about everyone living on campus now, is that students can request to use UA’s gyms for training outside of school hours. Of course there are restrictions on quirk usage. Any student without a license isn’t allowed to train their quirk without the supervision of a teacher or an approved student. But training without a quirk is allowed without supervision as long as the request to use the gym gets approved by a teacher. Since none of the first year’s have their licenses yet, they’re planning on merely training some hand-to-hand combat.

 

Even though Izuku had hesitated, in the end he’d accepted Uraraka’s invitation. Partly because resisting her hopeful eyes and wide, inviting smile hadn’t been possible. Partly because he hopes that training with his classmates, in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, and without any quirks, will be something that he can actually get through. The knowledge that soon they’ll be training intensely, in a training room where his teachers will be supervising, sits heavy in the back of his mind. Everyone will be using their quirks, growing stronger, and Izuku–

 

Either way, training again will be good. Perhaps it will help to get rid of the restlessness simmering underneath his skin. In the afternoon an officer will be dropping by the apartment to take another statement, and Izuku knows that if he doesn’t do something in the morning, he’ll go crazy. 

 

Besides, this first relaxed training session might even help his mind remember that training at UA is different. That it is safe. That even inside a training room, with teachers watching, it is worlds apart from the last time Izuku was put inside that concrete room with that horrible gaze watching him, judging him.

 

All the nervous energy that thrums inside his veins is put into getting ready and making breakfast. Izuku eats alone–his mom is already working in the tiny home office that their apartment has–and even though he tries to taste what he’s eating, he isn’t really successful. When he’s finished his bowl of miso soup, he grabs the dose of quirk suppressant that he’s put ready next to the bowl. 

 

He stares at it, bitterness staining the back of his throat. For a moment the sharp flash of grief and anger that fills him is almost overwhelming. It snatches away his breath and twists his insides. 

 

Then he forces himself to inhale, to swallow it all away and put the feelings someplace where they won’t keep him from doing what is a necessary routine by now. It didn’t use to be. It isn’t fair.

 

He injects the dose. The silence is deafening. As it always is.

 

---

 

The group that Izuku meets in front of the training facility is much bigger than he’d expected. In fact, it’s the entire class. Not what he’d mentally prepared for.

 

“Morning, Midoriya!” Uraraka calls as she walks up to him.

 

Instead of greeting her, Izuku lets his eyes flick to the class behind her and he mutters, “Training with a small group, you said?”

 

Uraraka sends him an apologetic smile. “Word spread and apparently they liked my idea. Everyone wants to be in good shape when we officially start training again.”

 

And so, that’s how they enter the gym with the entire class. Inside, the class scatters across the room as everyone starts to warm up. Friends group together so they can chat while doing so. Izuku sticks close to Hitoshi as they both start stretching. There are a lot of people in this room and without his quirk he can’t keep track of everyone, which is making him jumpy. He knows his eyes snap to any movement too quickly, that his breath comes in too quick. The only reason he gets through the stretches is because Hitoshi keeps him engaged in some casual conversation.

 

Once everyone has warmed up, they try to decide how to train. The gym itself is too small to let everyone safely train in duo’s all at once. The solution is to only let three duo’s spar at the same time. The rest of the group goes to stand along the edges of the room. Uraraka challenges Hitoshi to a spar, which leaves Izuku standing alone as the three duo’s go to take their positions. 

 

When he looks across the room, he makes unexpected eye contact with Kacchan. Kacchan, who would normally be the first to volunteer for a fight, but somehow isn’t doing that right now. Kacchan, who he hasn’t spoken to since the camp attack.

Sparking hands reaching for him, too late.

 

“DEKU!”

Blinking away the memories is difficult. The mix of guilt and fear and longing and sadness sticks to his insides like hot glue. Kacchan is still staring at him, and his anger is clear even when Izuku can’t see the burning of his quirk light. It’s obvious in the line of his shoulders, the too hot spark in his eyes, in the way his hands are clenched at his side. His friend is the first to look away, a scowl crawling up his face.

 

The reaction feels like a rejection, and it stings harshly. Izuku wonders if he’s done something wrong. If so, what? Giving himself up so Kacchan and Kota could go free? That thought brings too many unpleasant memories, and Izuku forces himself to focus on the duo’s in front of him who are about to start. He watches Iida give the starting signal, and Uraraka rushing forward at Hitoshi. As the two clash, they’re swept up in their own rhythm of kicks, hits, and whirling bodies.

 

Izuku watches and he tries not to focus too much on the sound of feet skidding across concrete, on the increasing voices around him, cheering on and giving advice. It’s difficult when he can almost feel a coldness seeping into him from the concrete floor beneath his feet. The voices around him rise and blur until all he can hear is one voice.

“Izuku, can’t you do better?”

 

“I think a little while without a quirk will do you good.”

A sharp intake of breath. Izuku clenches his hands into fists, hoping the feeling will draw him back. It doesn’t. One blink he’s in the training room, the next in that horrible concrete room. Around him voices keep blurring, morphing into the one voice he’d hoped he’d never have to hear again.

 

Out. He needs to get out.

 

He barely registers what is happening around him as he pushes his way out of the room, as he staggers out of the building. The fresh air and warm sun that hit his face are enough to shock him back into the moment. His heart is still racing, his skin is coated in a thin layer of sweat, and from inside he can still hear voices. Deciding that getting somewhere further away from the building will probably help him calm down quicker, he starts down the path lining the gym. 

 

He’s taken perhaps a few steps, when a voice stops him.

 

“Hey! Deku!”

 

Slowly, Izuku turns around. He looks at Kacchan’s angry face.

 

“Where are you going?!”

 

At the sharpness of the words, Izuku feels his guard rise. He’s still unbalanced, his mind hasn’t settled yet. His face is carefully blank when he answers, “I’m leaving.”

 

Kacchan frowns. An emotion too quick to name flashes across his face. Anger burns in its place just as quickly. “What?! Then why the fuck where you here?!”

 

“Because I wanted to train,” Izuku grits out, hoping his tone is enough warning that he doesn’t want to talk about it any further.

 

The other teen doesn’t take the hint, or chooses to ignore it. He just barrels on, “Then why are you just…running away?!”

 

“Because I can’t be in there!” Izuku snaps. With it his patience snaps as well. “I can’t do it.”

 

Hearing that, instead of the anger heating, it surprisingly cools off on Kacchan’s face. Something like a dawning understanding replaces the anger, and a complicated mix of expressions flicker one after another.

 

It does nothing to temper Izuku’s own rising anger. He stalks forward, in Kacchan’s direction until he could touch the teen if he wanted to. He lets that anger leak into his voice. “And why do you even care? Why are you so angry about this?”

 

Kacchan sets his jaw and his shoulders tense. He growls, “That’s not–”

 

“No? Is it something I did instead? Are you angry at me?”

 

Kacchan flinches, then tries to cover it up. His hands flex at his side, and whatever feelings had just cooled explode again into a, “NO!” 

 

“Then what is it?!” Izuku demands. His own frustrations and anger about not just his own reaction inside the gym, but just… everything are perhaps the reason why he pushes, why he answers fire with fire.

 

“I…I-” Kacchan hisses, shakes his head.

 

“What?!”

 

“I’m angry at myself!” Kacchan shouts. Chest heaving, his friend glares at Izuku. There’s something broken in that gaze, something vulnerable. It’s enough to douse the burning inside Izuku’s veins. 

 

Voice much quieter, he asks, “Why?”

 

“Because I’m the reason you’re not in there right now!” Kacchan waves a furious hand at the gym behind him. “If I hadn’t been so weak those motherfuckers at the camp wouldn’t have taken me hostage, and you wouldn’t have given yourself up, and All Might wouldn’t–” He falters, seems to grapple with the next words. “He wouldn’t have almost died!”

 

Shaking his head, Izuku counters, “None of that is your fault.”

 

“But it is!” At that, Kacchan’s voice cracks. His eyes glisten, but he doesn’t allow any tears to fall. Instead, he rages on, “I’m the reason you went with Shigaraki! Because of that your grandfather got his hands on you again! And now–” He swallows, then whispers, “you can’t even be in a training room anymore.”

 

For a moment, Izuku doesn’t say anything. He tries to process what his friend just said, make some sense of it. The only thing that he can really answer with is, “Kacchan…all of this would have happened regardless of if you’d been involved.”

 

When the teen looks ready to interrupt, Izuku sends him a glare. “Let me talk.”

 

He continues, words slow so he’s sure that they’re the right ones which will hopefully make Kacchan understand. “If Tomura hadn’t taken you hostage, he would have used someone else. He did, he used Kota. Do you blame him for what happened?”

 

Kacchan almost looks offended. He scoffs, “Of course not. He’s a little brat. But I–”

 

“All For One would have dragged me back into his grasp eventually!” Izuku wants Kacchan to understand– needs him to–that this isn’t his fault. That he shouldn’t blame himself. He shakes his head, continues, “You have nothing to do with that. He knew exactly where I was. For months. He already tried to take me once, during the Hosu attack. If the camp attack hadn’t worked, he would have tried again. And again. And again.” 

 

Izuku’s voice cracks, breaks, when he spells out the final damning conclusion, “It was inevitable.”

 

There’s a beat of silence, where that statement hangs in between them, sucking up all the air. Kacchan is looking at him with all the anger drained out of his face, clearly trying to accept what Izuku just said. Which, well, he isn’t the only one. It takes Izuku a few breaths to pull himself together enough that he can say, “I’m sorry that you got caught up in one of his plans. That it hurt you. I know how horrible that is.”

 

Kacchan grimaces, and there’s as much stubbornness as desperation to his voice when he says, “I just–...I wish things didn’t happen like this. That you weren’t taken. Again.” 

 

There’s nothing Izuku can say that would console his friend. He wishes the same thing, hates that it did happen this way. He doesn’t know how to put any of it into words, doesn’t know how to deal with that mess of feelings yet. 

 

“I want things to be how they were. I want everything to be normal again,” Kacchan confesses. Frustration lines his face, has him clenching his hands. 

 

“This is the new normal,” Izuku says softly. “You can’t ignore it, or what happened.”

 

He knows at least that much. Ignoring it, pretending it never happened, that everything is normal, isn’t a solution. It just pushes everything away, prolongs it until it becomes too painful to ignore. 

 

“You just…learn to live with it.” It’s the only way to deal with it, even though Izuku is still figuring out how exactly he’s supposed to do that.

 

Kacchan huffs. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and tilts his head back to look at the bright blue sky with a dramatic sigh. But he doesn’t protest or deny Izuku’s words. It’s as much as Izuku had hoped for.

 

When his friend straightens his head again, he doesn’t say anything at first. Instead, he looks to his right, to a patch of grass next to the path, seeming to decide on something. Then he looks at Izuku, and asks, “You want to spar together?” He nudges his head towards the patch of grass, “We can stay outside.”

 

It’s a peace offering. 

 

For a moment Izuku considers it. Wonders if it’ll be any different from the gym. When he focuses on his surroundings though, he knows the answer. There’s sunlight warming his skin, instead of a coolness that would settle into his bones. The sound of the wind and the distant song of birds fill his ears, instead of the horrible screeching or any ever-cutting critique. He’ll be on grass instead of concrete. 

 

So, he smiles, nods. “Sure.” With half a grin, he adds, “Though I’m not going to hold back.”

 

Kacchan sends him a sharp grin of his own as a response. “Wouldn’t fucking count on it.”

 

---

 

That afternoon, an officer visits to take Izuku and his mom’s statements. Not regarding the Kamino incident–those had already been taken days ago–but regarding their time spent living with Shigaraki Tomura. They're building a case against him, and the officer explains that while one part of the team is gathering all the evidence regarding Tomura’s villainous activities, the other part of the team has been assigned to gather as much information about his personal history as possible. 

 

When Izuku asks why, the officer tells him that they’re aware that Tomura was probably groomed from a young age. That, apparently, having evidence of that, could change Tomura’s sentence from a simple prison sentence, to a sentence where he would get help. Help he probably needs, the officer explains, even if he might not want it. 

 

It makes it a bit easier for Izuku to talk about his experiences and to answer the questions, knowing that his answers might get Tomura some help at some point in the future. So he explains what it was like to grow up with Tomura. How one hour they could be gaming together on Tomura’s console, and the next they could be standing across from one another inside that training room. How, in the end, it was always All For One that controlled all their interactions one way or another. To allow Tomura to visit, to take him away, to pit them against each other. 

 

Once Izuku is done, it’s his mom’s turn. He doesn’t stay to listen. He needs some fresh air, so he flees to the balcony and shuts the door. Not that he can escape the thoughts. Or the one realisation that has finally dawned on him.

 

He won’t ever have to see All For One or Tomura again.

 

All For One is dead. Izuku already knew that, but it hadn’t really sunk in yet. But now the police are building a case against Tomura, and somehow, that is what gets Izuku to realise that All For One won’t be coming back. He would never have let the police dig into his business like this if he’d been alive. He isn’t, and thus the police are slowly picking apart his criminal empire, piece by piece, along with arresting anyone associated with it. 

 

Tomura is just one of the pieces, one of the many people that have been arrested. And he’s probably going to be locked away for a very long time, even with any help that he might receive. Izuku won’t ever have to see him again. Not unless he wants to, which is an odd realisation to have.

 

He should be happy. Should feel more free than he has since…forever.

 

He is. Not even a year ago he would never have dreamed that the day would come where he wouldn’t just be out of All For One’s grasp, he’d be completely free from it, would never have to worry about it ever again.

 

But it isn’t the only thing that he feels. An inexplicable guilt steadily burns his insides. Because while he’s free, Tomura isn’t.

 

He wonders why it happened like this. 

 

Why does he get to live the rest of his life in freedom, and Tomura doesn't?

 

What if their places had been reversed?

 

---

 

Dinner is a silent affair, as it has so often become these last few days. Both Izuku and his mom seem to be sunken in their own thoughts as they eat. Half way through, Izuku gives up on tasting his food, on ignoring the one question that has been going through his head the entire meal. So, he puts down his chopsticks, looks at his mom, and asks, “Why didn’t we take Tomura with us when we escaped?”

 

His mom doesn’t seem surprised when he asks. She just swallows down her food, and for a moment seems to debate how to answer. If she notices the name change from ‘Tenko’ to ‘Tomura’, she doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she slowly starts, “There are reasons. Why we didn’t.” She sighs, presses her lips together. “I’m sure you remember that the last year before we escaped, Tomura wasn’t at the apartment very often anymore.”

 

“He barely visited,” Izuku supplies. He remembers that much, remembers the feelings of disappointment and loneliness that Tomura wouldn’t visit more often.

 

His mom nods. “Yes, All For One had been increasingly…isolating Tomura from us.”

 

That makes Izuku frown. He doesn’t remember it like that. Or at least–

 

Seeing his expression, his mom finishes where his thoughts are going, “You didn’t see it like that because…well, your grandfather made that decision and…”

 

“He knew best,” Izuku mumbles.

 

His mom hums, sends him an understanding look. She continues, “It made it almost impossible to plan an escape where we could take Tomura with us. We tried to plan for it, in the beginning, but then Tomura he–”

 

She falters, and when after a beat of silence she doesn’t continue, Izuku presses, “What? What happened?”

 

Eyes filled with something fragile–something that’s more than just sadness and regret–his mom looks at him. “He changed, Izuku. Exactly as All For One wanted, I’m sure. It would have been too much of a risk to take him.”

 

“So you decided to leave him with All For One?” Izuku asks, disbelieving. 

 

“He wouldn’t have wanted to come with us,” his mom argues. There’s something urging to her voice, desperate to be believed.

 

Izuku can’t quite do that. He shakes his head, scoffs, “You don’t know that!”

 

"Exactly!" His mom presses. She takes a breath. Seems to reign in her emotions. Softer, she continues, “Exactly. We didn’t know, and if we wanted the escape to be successful we needed absolute certainty. We had to choose between a smaller possibility of escape by trying to take Tomura with us, or leaving him behind so we’d be more sure that you would get out.”

 

“And you chose me,” Izuku concludes. He blinks away the stinging in his eyes, and tries to swallow the horrible bitter feeling in his throat. 

 

His mom nods. There are tears in her eyes, but also the hint of steel that got her through the last decade. “I chose you. Because you’re my son. I will never regret the decision, but trust me, Izuku,” her voice cracks, “it still haunts me.”

 

“I-...I,” Izuku tries to say more, but he can’t stop the sob that claws its way up his throat. He wipes at his eyes and stammers out, “I’m grateful you and dad tried to escape, that we got out. I don’t blame you, b-but I wonder– Why did I get to escape, and Tomura didn’t? Why?”

 

Instead of immediately answering, his mom pushes her chair back and walks over to take the seat next to him. She takes his hands from where he’s clenching them in his lap. Holds them, until they relax. Voice kind, she says, “It’s not your fault, Izuku. You didn’t make any of the decisions.”

 

“I know, but I also know that I used to play games with Tomura and that he was just as scared as I was, and that he was a child and— and I keep wondering what if his parents had been there for him? What if our places had been reversed?”

 

“Izuku…” Gently, she takes his face in her hands, forces him to look at her. Her voice is still kind, but there’s also that firmness to it that tells Izuku he’s being unreasonable, and that he should listen to her. “I know how easy it is to keep thinking about all of these potential scenarios, but you have to draw a line at some point. Don’t make it harder for yourself by imagining all the other ways it didn’t happen. It’s already difficult enough to deal with what did happen.”

 

Izuku sighs. He closes his eyes and lets her words sink in. He knows she’s right, knows he shouldn’t keep thinking about all the what ifs. He has to deal with the things that happened, but…

 

“I don’t even know how to do that,” Izuku confesses when he opens his eyes and looks at his mom. Frustration drags at his voice. Yes, he knows he can’t ignore it all, but actually being able to properly deal with it is an entirely different thing.

 

His mom tucks a stray curl behind his ear as if to soothe him. She looks at him, a look full of a mother’s love, and a small smile blooms on her face.

 

“You accept how the things did happen. That’s the first step.”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

I want to make clear that Shigaraki is an adult, and as such needs to take responsibility for his actions. The way he treated Izuku is not okay. That said, Shigaraki is as much a victim as Izuku, if not more. He was groomed by All For One from a young age. Arguably, he didn’t know any better. It doesn’t completely excuse his actions–which is why he will face a sentence–but it also doesn’t make him *solely* responsible for them. It is a tragic situation for everyone involved, and I hope I managed to make the nuance of Shigaraki’s situation clearer in this chapter.

Besides that Bakugo and Izuku finally had a chat! Which, well, you know it’s bad when Bakugo starts using people’s real names…

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Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 42: Family line

Notes:

Hi, I’m back with another chapter! Apologies for not responding to your comments in the last chapter. I was trying to survive my exam week without going mad from deadlines and studying, so have been incredibly busy the past few weeks. This chapter’s title was inspired by the song “Family Line” by Conan Gray. That song was actually a really big inspiration when I first started planning out this fic, so it was only fitting that this chapter would bear its name.

CW: mention of a panic attack. GFTP typical angst.

The earthy smells of nature all around him fill the air as Izuku makes his way along the path that winds through UA’s tiny forest. Underneath the shadow of the trees it’s actually pleasant to be out in the early afternoon. A cooling breeze flows past him, rustling leaves and tiny branches. From up above, streams of sunlight filter through the rather dense canopy.

 

It’s peaceful. Quiet, but not too quiet with the breeze and birdsong in the background.

 

It’s exactly what Izuku needs right now to sort through his thoughts.

 

He had a therapy session this morning. The first since he came back. They hadn’t picked up where they left off. Instead, his therapist, Kimura, had suggested they take stock of the situation, to see if the goals they'd established before the camp were still something Izuku wanted to complete.

 

And Izuku…had said he didn't really see a point in setting any goals at all. He’d set goals and he’d worked hard, improved step by step, gotten closer to reaching his goals. Then the camp attack happened and now…all progress had been undone. 

 

What was the point of setting goals if all it took was a single thing for him to lose all that he’d worked so hard for?

 

Instead of answering immediately, Kimura had let the words hang in the air for a few moments. Then she’d said, “The fact that you’re struggling more right now, after the difficult things you’ve recently experienced, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve lost all progress.”

 

Izuku had frowned, not quite understanding what she meant. “But there are things that I can’t do right now, that I could do before.” Like actually training in one of the training rooms. Frustrated, he’d pressed, “I’ve lost all of that progress!”

 

Kimura had hummed, taken in his words, then said, “I often like to think of our journeys to heal, to grow, as a journey of travelling a road through the mountains. No road like that is flat and easy forever. There are times when the road will be a steep, perhaps even difficult, climb, but with a clear peak in sight. There are also times where the road will drop back down again. You, the traveller, might feel like there was no point to all the climbing that you just did to reach the last peak. After all, you’re descending back down again and you’ve lost part of the height that you climbed. Sometimes the road will be descending for a little while, but sometimes for a long time. Perhaps, for so long that you lose sight of the next peak all together.

 

“But a road doesn’t stop just because a peak is no longer in sight, just because it has descended for a while. And you have not forgotten what it’s like to climb. So, you’ll continue down the road, and at some point it will start to rise again. The climbing might be difficult, but you’ve done similar before and that experience will help to make the journey just a bit easier. The next peak you want to reach will come into view again, despite the steps that took you back down, and if you just follow the road–no matter its ups and downs–you’ll inevitably reach it.”

 

To that, Izuku didn’t have anything to say. At least, not at first. He tried to think about what Kimura really meant with the words, tried to imagine himself along a road. Words slow, he’d asked, “So I’ve just…lost some height on my journey? Or well, a lot?” he’d added with a bitter laugh. “But I haven’t lost any part of my journey.”

 

Kimura had nodded. “You can see it like that, yes.”

 

A hum. Izuku wondered if he agreed with her strange metaphor. Was there progress that he’d kept? He knew not to ignore everything, to not pretend it never happened. That was something he hadn’t known just a few months ago. But Kimura implied that he would reach his goals at some point, that he wouldn’t keep on losing progress again, and again, like a never ending cycle with that goal always just barely out of reach. In fact, she implied that he carried the progress still with him, that it would help him overcome his current struggles. It was such a comforting prospect. Izuku wasn’t sure if he believed it. 

 

When he’d asked her about it, she’d replied, “What you’ve experienced is a setback. A significant one, perhaps, from what you’ve told me. But like I said, everyone will experience some sort of setback, and the only way to overcome them, is to continue working towards your goals.” 

 

Kimura hadn’t been wrong about a lot of things yet. Perhaps that was why Izuku decided to put some faith in her words. He’d believe that he could pick himself up again, and that he would reach his goals, that he wouldn’t be struggling like this forever.

 

So, they’d discussed possible goals. That’s how Izuku found himself mentioning his mom’s advice from the day before.

 

“You accept how the things did happen. That’s the first step.” 

 

Then Kimura had asked whether he knew what her words exactly meant, and Izuku…hadn’t been able to reply. He’d tried to, but found himself grasping at thoughts that were too fleeting and that couldn’t possibly form into anything concrete just yet. So he had shrugged and had expressed with no small amount of frustration that he didn’t know.  

 

At the end of the session, Kimura had given him a single task as homework. To figure out what his mom’s words mean to him.

 

It’s what brings Izuku here, wandering through UA’s forest, thinking on his mom’s words.

 

How can he accept the things that happened? What does that even mean?

 

His brain turns the words over and over again, examining them from every angle in the hope that something will click. It feels like working on a particularly difficult case with not enough leads, though a part of Izuku knows that a solution is possible. If only he can grasp it. From experience, he’s learned that he can’t force his mind to solve a problem. He needs to give himself room to think, to wander.

 

So, he walks a dirt path past trees and bushes and allows his thoughts to stray. 

 

They return, as they so often have over the past few days, to Tomura. He’s locked up in Tartarus, probably. And Izuku is taking a walk through nature. Free. Just like yesterday, he feels that bitter guilt weighing down his gut. It makes it difficult to walk, and turns the breath inside his lungs stale. 

 

He shouldn’t feel this way. 

 

And yet he does.

 

The scars on his arms itch, yet still a part of Izuku’s heart weeps at his once-brother. All of the feelings clash and conflict, all sharp edges that cut him up and won’t easily find their place. Frustration rises to the surface and Izuku stops in his place with a huff. The emotion tries to find a way out, and Izuku kicks at the ground, causing a spray of dirt to arch up through the air. It doesn’t do much and he drops down to his knees and tugs at his hair and tries to push everything away and stop feeling and breathe–

 

It doesn’t make any sense. All of these feelings when it has happened and there’s no way to change anything. Izuku doesn’t know what to do about them, or how to find a place for them. For a moment it overwhelms him, the idea that if he doesn’t want to live with this mess of feelings forever, he’ll have to deal with them. Like being swept away by the strong currents of the sea, until wild waves stretch out all around him and if he ever wants to return to shore, he’ll have to brave them all. 

 

His lungs don’t seem to want to cooperate and Izuku knows that if he doesn’t pull away from his spiralling thoughts right now, he’ll work himself into a full on panic attack. He forces his eyes open, forces his hands to find the dry dirt beneath him. There’s a bush right next to him, some sort of red berries are growing from its branches. The smell of the berries runs like a faint current through the air, sweetening the heavy dirt scent. 

 

On the path in front of him a line of ants crosses over to the other side, disappearing into the greenery. Or at least, that’s what they would have been doing if the dirt that Izuku had just kicked up didn’t interrupt their line. Now, the ants are wandering around in disarray, a panicked mass with their usual path disrupted. Although slowly, order returns. It’s a mesmerizing sight. The ants find a new path, not exactly the same one, but it gets them across in a rather straight line.

 

They don’t entirely walk around the new dirt patches–that wouldn’t create an efficient path–instead they climb over them. And just like that, the ants continue on with their work.

 

A distant part of Izuku’s brain registers that he’s calmed down again. The bigger part of his brain is busy taking in the sight in front of him. There’s something about what he just witnessed that his mind has snagged onto. It keeps him busy as he continues on his way–careful not to disturb the ants a second time. Yes, the ants were thrown into disarray by the very sudden disruption of their line. That isn’t the interesting part. What fascinates Izuku is the fact that they managed to find their way again, in such an easy, accepting manner.

 

“You accept how the things did happen. That’s the first step.”

 

The one thing that Izuku can’t seem to figure out about his mom’s words, is the fact that somehow he needs to be able to accept what happened. How can he do that when he’s carrying not just physical scars, but also the mental scars? When he still can’t enter a training room without absolutely freaking out, all because of what happened in his childhood? When everytime he sees Tomura’s face flash across the news, he can’t help but feel that irrational guilt? 

 

Though perhaps being able to fully accept his past isn’t something that he needs to do today, or even this week. That wasn’t even the task that Kimura had given him.

 

All he needs to do is understand what acceptance would mean to him. 

 

He thinks back to the ants, wondering how they were able to get back to their work so quickly. He compares it to his own situation, as different as the two are. The one similarity is that he’s also had things happen to him that he had no influence over. Just as the ants had no say over that dirt landing in the middle of their line.

 

As he stops at the edge of a small clearing, something clicks. That final puzzle piece that he’s been searching for, finally slots into place.

 

He did not have any influence on what happened to him as a child, or on what happened after the camp attack. He also couldn’t have changed Tomura’s fate, no matter how much he wants to do just that. Ultimately, a single man has the final responsibility for all of it. Other people might be complicit, might have watched and done nothing, but they always answered to one man.

 

All For One

 

The fact that one person could ruin Izuku’s life this much, could completely destroy his childhood and wreck any chances he might have had at a normal life, is almost too painful to think about. For a moment he considers that maybe, acceptance means allowing that fact to simply exist in his mind. Without trying to convince himself that he could have changed anything. While that might be the case, it feels incomplete, like part of the meaning is missing.

 

Taking a step into the clearing, Izuku lets the sun wash over him. Grass fills the clearing, with flowers dotting in between. Bees buzz around. He closes his eyes and focuses on the feeling of warmth soaking into his skin.

 

He’s figured out what the other part is, figured out what acceptance means to him.

 

Because for all the talk about the past, he hasn’t thought a lot about his future and what role acceptance could play in that. 

 

There’s one thing that he’s sure about: he won’t let the past influence his future any more than it already has. 

 

All For One is dead. He’ll never be able to hurt Izuku ever again. Not unless Izuku lets him. 

 

Izuku won’t. He refuses. The past might belong to the cold hands of everything that has hurt him, and that is something he’ll have to come to terms with, but the future is his. 

 

That is what acceptance means to him.

 

---

 

For a few minutes Izuku just stands there in the sun, allowing himself to soak in this new realization. Then a sharp, beeping alarm shatters the peace.

 

With a sigh, Izuku tugs his blaring phone out of his pocket. He knows what this is. A reminder to take his next dose of quirk suppressants. 

 

Izuku stares at the alarm for another moment, before clicking it away and putting the phone back in his pocket.

 

He doesn’t take the quirk suppressants.

 

---

 

The sun is well on its way down when Izuku meets Aizawa in front of a training field. At this point he’s covered in a thin layer of sweat, and he has to keep his shaking hands in the pockets of his jogging pants if he doesn’t want his teacher to see.

 

Even though Izuku tries to hide his current state, something must slip past because Aizawa sends him a searching look while he scans his teachers pass to grant them access to the field. 

 

“You wanted to train again?” Aizawa asks as they both slip through the entrance and go to put their stuff on some nearby benches. It’s a simple field with a fence around it to keep it restricted for training use only. A few benches stand off to the left side of the entrance gate and a storage building meant to keep some training equipment is located on their right. Izuku hopes it’s different enough from a training room that he won’t be experiencing any issues.

 

He puts down his water bottle on one of the benches and for a moment hesitates to answer. Then he remembers why he’s doing this, and steels his nerves. “Actually…no,” he admits. He stuffs his hands back in his pockets so he can’t fiddle.

 

Aizawa doesn’t say anything, just raises an eyebrow.

 

“I want to try and get my quirk back and I need your help.” Saying the words out loud makes the idea seem even more ridiculous. The last time he was taken off the suppressants he hurt a nurse and damaged the hospital. Of course Aizawa is going to say no–

 

“I assume you have a plan that has a chance at succeeding?” From anyone else the question would have been to voice doubt. Not from Aizawa though, from him it’s a clear statement of his faith in Izuku’s plans.

 

That’s enough for the last of Izuku’s hesitation to morph into a steel determination. He nods, “I think I might be able to solve the quirk issue myself if I get a chance to look at my own quirk. Obviously because of the quirk suppressants I can’t do that, so that’s why I haven’t taken my last dosage. The effects should be wearing off any time now.”

 

Aizawa hums, face unreadable. “What’s my part?”

 

“You’re a safety precaution. If things go wrong I need you to erase my quirk and inject me with some quirk suppressants.” Izuku pauses, prepares himself to say the next part with as much conviction as he can so Aizawa will agree. “No matter what happens, you can’t erase my quirk unless I ask you to, or if you’re in danger because of me. Not when I lose control. Not even when I’m in pain or…screaming.”

 

At that, Aizawa frowns, a note of worry fills his voice when he asks, “Kid…why will you be in pain?”

 

“It’s what happened the last time I got off the suppressants,” Izuku answers. “I think it’s tied to my control issue.”

 

Aizawa sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You want me to agree to a plan where you’re actively putting yourself in pain?”

 

“It’s the only way.”

 

Aizawa’s eyes narrow. “The actual only way, or the quickest way? Aren’t the dosages of the quirk suppressants going to be slowly reduced?”

 

“That won’t work!” Izuku exclaims. As soon as the words leave his mouth, he snaps it shut. He ducks his head in apology, but quickly returns to look Aizawa in the eyes. The man needs to understand. Voice a bit softer but no less sure, he explains, “Just reducing the dosage isn’t going to solve my issues. That works when a body only needs to slowly adjust to a quirk because its power suddenly increased. For instance after a quirk awakening. But there’s something wrong with the other quirks inside me, there’s a reason why they won’t settle within my quirk. If I ever want to use my quirk again, that needs to be fixed, and I am the only one who can do that.”

 

For a long moment Aizawa doesn’t respond. Izuku considers pleading, but decides against that. His teacher will either help him, or he won’t. Then Aizawa huffs, mutters something about ‘problem children’, and says, “Alright. But if I judge that you’re putting yourself into too much danger, I’ll also be erasing your quirk.”

 

At first Izuku wants to protest, but a stern look from Aizawa has the words dying on his tongue. If he wants the man’s help, these are the final conditions. So, he nods. “Deal.”

 

He has no idea if this plan will even work, but it’s his last shot at getting his quirk back. The quirk suppressants are only a way to ignore what happened, to keep the consequences of the Kamino fight at bay. Izuku knows he has to deal with those consequences, one way or another.

 

After this he either gets his quirk back, or he’ll have to start looking into more permanent ways to suppress his quirk. Either way, if he doesn’t want All For One to have this final influence over his future, he has to try. 

 

---

 

It takes about ten minutes for Midoriya to explain the details of what he thinks Shouta can expect, and for them to set everything up. The set up mainly consists of taking some of the stored gym equipment like mats and hurdles and putting the mats up against the hurdles on various places around the field. Midoriya had the idea that perhaps if he doesn’t know where Shouta is, there will also be a lower chance that his quirk will try to target Shouta. Hopefully the mats will be good enough places for him to hide behind.

 

After everything is set up, Shouta walks Midoriya to the middle of the field. Once there he looks the kid in the eye with as stern a look as he can. “Be careful, okay?”

 

He watches Midoriya swallow down his nerves. Instead, a sarcastic smirk appears on his face. “I’ll try not to ruin your expensive gym equipment.”

 

Shouta has to suppress rolling his eyes. Of course now is the time the kid starts joking around. “If that's the worst thing to happen I’ll gladly write up some extra reports to Nedzu about the damages.”

 

“Well, in that case, maybe I will put in some effort to blast a few of the mats away..” Midoriya says in a conspiratory voice, his smirk morphing into a sharp grin.

 

Exasperated, Shouta shakes his head. It’s all in good nature though, because he can see that the last of the tension has drained away from Midoriya’s frame. It’s good that the kid can joke around with him like this again. He hadn’t for a while, reverting back to the distant politeness that Shouta still remembered from the beginning of the school year. After knowing what Midoriya could be like, it had been disconcerting to see.

 

 A beat of silence follows, and Midoriya takes a deep breath. He mutters, “We should get started.”

 

Shouta nods. He reaches out and squeezes the kid’s shoulder in reassurance. “Good luck.”

 

With that, he walks to the edge of the field. From there he watches as Midoriya sits down crosslegged and closes his eyes. Once he’s sure Midoriya won’t see him, he chooses two mats that are put up against a hurdle to hide behind. Squatting behind them, he can look through a thin gap between the two mats at Midoriya. From this angle he can really only see the kid’s right side. Still, if he needs to use his quirk, that’ll be enough.

 

For a good ten minutes nothing happens. Shouta is almost starting to wonder if Midoriya counted the time correctly that it would take for the suppressants to wear off. 

 

Suddenly, Midoriya moves.

 

Because the kid has sat as still as a statue for the past minutes, it sharpens Shouta’s attention. Midoriya starts scratching at his arms, and Shouta realizes that the itching feeling must have started. From what Midoriya explained, that means the suppressants are very close to wearing off. After another minute the kid is breathing heavier and squirming in his spot. Even from far away, Shouta notices the frown crawling up Midoriya’s face as he clenches his jaw. 

 

Then he cries out and his right arm starts bulging. At the same time red spikes burst from the arm and wildly lash out at the space around them, gouging deep tears in the grass field. The cry grates against Shouta’s eardrums, and he almost wants to put an immediate stop to it by using his quirk. He doesn’t. They made a plan, and he made a promise.

 

So, Shouta merely watches and hopes that Midoriya’s plan will work.

 

---

 

The final stretch of the suppressants wearing off is the same as the last two times. The itching, that crawling feeling of quirks pushing to get out. Next, the pain. At first Izuku tries to breathe through it, but it builds, and builds, and builds, a pressure ever rising until something breaks.

 

He cries out in pain, his eyes fly open just in time to see his arm start to bulge. It’s a mangled combination of flesh and quirks and to Izuku’s horror, it looks exactly like the abomination that All For One used in his fight against All Might. Red spikes shoot out from his arm, cutting into all directions. Panic floods Izuku’s brain and all he can think is that he needs to gain control. What if he hurts Aizawa? He’d never forgive himself. 

 

He starts pushing back with all his might, trying to get the quirks back into control. Another wave of pain floods his system, and the meager control that he managed to gain slips right through his fingers. As a result, more spikes burst out into the air, and an energy burst hits one of the mats, blasting it away along with the hurdle behind it. 

 

No no no no no

 

He can only hope that Aizawa wasn’t behind that. One of the spikes cuts into another mat to his right. There’s movement in his periphery, but through the haze of pain he can’t be sure whether it’s another mat being blown away or Aizawa rushing for cover. 

 

Why did he ever think this was a good idea? All For One is going to take over. Aizawa is going to get hurt. It’ll all be Izuku’s fault because he so desperately wanted his quirk back. 

 

He’s about to call out to Aizawa, when something stops him from doing so. The memory of that morning, of the sun on his skin and the promise not to let All For One control his decisions, his future, ever again. If he calls out to Aizawa right now, isn’t that exactly the opposite of what he wants? Wouldn’t he be giving into the fear, letting All For One control his decisions?

 

He wants his quirk back, or at least to try everything possible to get it back. If he quits now, he’ll be living the rest of his life with part of himself suppressed. All out of fear for All For One.

 

So, he gives it one last shot. He starts pushing for control again, but soon realizes that if he keeps doing that, he won’t get anywhere. There are too many quirks pushing back, and he’s already tried this method a few times and he got overwhelmed each and every time. He needs to do something different. Perhaps, he needs to look further below the surface. Perhaps, the quirks themselves aren’t the problem, but something else is.

 

It’s nearly impossible to ignore the panic in his brain and the pain that fills his body, but somehow he manages. Eyes closed again, he shuts out the world around him and forces himself to focus solely on his own quirk. It’s a writhing mass of quirks swarming around without control. 

 

For a moment Izuku just observes it, then he dives in. It feels like he’s drowning at first, quirk lights pulling at his attention left and right, new waves of pain washing over him as he struggles to not lose his senses. But this is all happening within his quirk, and so he’s able to push past and further towards the heart of his quirk where he’ll find the safes meant for storing any inactive quirks. 

 

Before he even gets there, the mass of quirks grows denser and it becomes even clearer that they’re actively being pushed out by something. It becomes more difficult to keep going, but Izuku refuses to lose his way inside his own quirk. The pressure grows and grows and it hurts and he’s not sure but he might be screaming and—

 

Suddenly a quirk light brighter than any other pushes close to him, chasing away the worst of the pressure. It seems to whisper to him, drawing him closer and closer until Izuku feels his vision shifting. He doesn’t fight it. The relief of not feeling that horrible pressure is too great, and he knows this quirk, knows it wouldn’t harm him. 

 

The world turns and twists around him. He has to blink a few times to adjust his vision. All the pressure has fallen away, and what’s left is an ache in his bones and a heavy exhaustion. Izuku knows he can’t rest yet, and so he gathers all his strength to open his eyes and focus on the scene in front of him.

 

A vast, dark expanse stretches out all around him. Stars and streaks of color intersperse the darkness. That doesn’t draw his attention though, as strange as it might be. No, his eyes are immediately drawn to the man standing in front of him.

 

White hair framing a pale, gaunt face. A grey sweatshirt hanging onto a thin frame. Green eyes, familiar because Izuku is greeted with their sight every time he looks in the mirror. 

 

Yoichi gives him a kind smile. Voice soft, he greets, “Hello, grandnephew. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

 

Izuku can only stare. That smile. It feels like a deja vu. He used to see that smile on his father’s face whenever he looked at Izuku. It takes him a moment to push through the initial shock, and to respond, “H-hello.”

 

Yoichi smiles again. There’s a look on his face as if he knows exactly what is going through Izuku’s mind. “I’d hoped we would get to meet under different circumstances, but it seems even now my brother is causing issues.”

 

“S-sure,” Izuku says. He hadn’t been certain that it was All For One that was causing the issues with his quirk, but he supposes that if anyone were to know, it would be the ghostly personification of a quirk who also happens to be the villain’s brother. 

 

“You were trying to get your quirk back under control, yes?” his granduncle asks.

 

Izuku nods, shoulders slumping when he admits, “I can’t get through, though.”

 

Yoichi hums, “We might be able to help with that.”

 

“We?”

 

Behind the man seven other shadowy figures appear, each of them one of the colors from One For All’s quirk light. Their shapes are too vague for Izuku to really recognize anyone, though he notices one female figure who must be Shimura Nana. Yoichi waves a hand behind him as if to indicate to the figures behind him while he explains, “All the previous holders of One For All have had the one goal to defeat All For One, yet you’re the one who finally succeeded. The very least we can do right now, is to help you with this.”

 

Izuku shrugs. “I did what was necessary,” he mutters. Anyone else would have done the same if they’d had the chance, wouldn’t they?

 

To his surprise, a sadness fills Yoichi’s eyes when he hears that. “I wish you didn’t have to,” the man says. He puts a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “Allow us to take this burden from you, Izuku. You have already done your part.”

 

Izuku swallows, nods. “It was nice to meet you, after all the stories.” 

 

He doesn’t know if they were even remotely accurate, coming from All For One. Yoichi’s kindness is something that seems to have been lost in the stories. Seeing the man in front of him, Izuku can understand why he’d rebel against his older brother.

 

Yoichi smiles at him. At the same time the world around them starts to twist again. 

 

When Izuku blinks, he’s back inside his own quirk. Quirks push against him on all sides, that pressure returning in full force. This time though, a quirk light brighter than any, and with all the colors of the rainbow shining from it, goes on ahead of him. It forces a way past all the other quirk lights, allowing Izuku to follow along without much trouble.

 

Then, suddenly, they’re through. 

 

There, blocking the passage towards the safes, is a single quirk light.

 

While Izuku might not know what a black hole looks like, he imagines it could look like this. Less black and more just a pure emptiness. An actual black hole might just draw stuff in. This quirk light, somehow, is the sole thing responsible for pushing all the other quirks out.  

 

Even without the hundreds of quirk lights filling it up, Izuku recognizes this quirk.

 

All For One

 

He stares at the light, apprehension mounting. It should have just drifted into a safe without issue, yet it didn’t. Somehow this quirk managed to go against the natural workings of Izuku’s quirk without him noticing. Will he even be able to get this quirk into a safe?

 

As if sensing his hesitation, One For All drifts closer to him.

 

“We will help”  

 

The words are barely a whisper, yet Izuku hears them clearly enough. He steels his nerves, and starts pushing All For One in the direction of one of the safes. It is a difficult, slow process. The quirk doesn’t want to be moved. Whether this is because part of All For One is still in there, or because this is just the peculiarity of the quirk, Izuku doesn’t know. It also doesn’t matter. Either way, the quirk needs to go.

 

If it had just been him, he’s not sure he would have succeeded at getting All For One into a safe. He has help, though. One For All lends him the strength needed to keep going. It still isn’t easy, but he can do it. He’s faced All For One once before and won. This time, he’ll ensure he’ll never have to again.

 

Finally, he manages to push All For One into a safe. Before he can slam the metaphorical door closed, One For All brushes up against him.

 

“Unite us.”

 

Izuku hesitates. He’s never put two quirks in the same safe before, He isn’t sure it’s even possible. Then again, One For All and All For One are almost inextricably bound to each other. To keep them separate would be wrong. Their separation was one of the main things which caused a conflict that stretched across generations. 

 

So, Izuku decides to put his trust in his granduncle, and in the other holders of One For All. He keeps the door to the safe open for a moment longer, and allows the quirk to flow inside.

 

Once in the safe, One For All absorbs All For One, irreversibly uniting the two quirks forever.

 

---

 

As soon as Izuku closes the door to the safe, he feels the pressure decreasing. Without anything blocking the way, all the hundreds of other quirks easily flow into their own safes. It takes some time for Izuku to give them all a place. He’ll probably revisit those places at some point, change some here and there and give the quirks a proper, organised spot when he has the time and mental space to do so.

 

Finally, when every quirk has settled, he allows his focus to return to the outside world. He lets out a slow, painless breath. Next, he lets his awareness shift and wander. The first thing he senses is Aizawa’s dark red quirk light, pulsating in that calm, familiar manner. 

 

When Izuku opens his eyes, it has grown dark. Even without the help of his quirk it’s easy to find Aizawa, because the man is standing next to one of the mats in front of Izuku. He isn’t even bothering to hide behind it anymore. Their gazes meet. 

 

Izuku takes in Aizawa’s quirk light a second time, marvelling at the fact that he’s able to do so again. A smile blooms across his face.

He has his quirk back, and it’s so very beautiful.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

This chapter has been a long time in the making, so I hope it lived up to everyone’s expectations >~< . I at least got rather emotional writing the final part. After this chapter there are two more chapters to wrap everything up, and a possible epilogue, depending on the way I order certain scenes.

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Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 43: To unite

“Recipro Extend!”

 

That’s all the warning Izuku gets before Iida speeds up yet again, rushing at him faster than most eyes can track. Luckily, Izuku doesn’t need to rely on his eyes. He lets his quirk track Iida’s quirk light. Blue, moving faster than any of their classmates can. 

 

With the help of a muscle augmentation quirk, Izuku manages to twist to the side at the last second. Surprisingly, Iida twists along with him, hands outstretched in an attempt to grab Izuku and push him to the ground. 

 

With no time to evade, Izuku exhales fast and hard. 

 

Iida’s hands are stopped by an invisible barrier. Air obstacles, made by exhaling the air and hardening it. 

 

In the second that Iida is surprised by the sudden halting of his movement, Izuku distances himself from the teen. Since the sport festival Iida has gotten better, he thinks. His movements are more fluid, less obvious. It makes his Recipro Burst that much more dangerous. Otherwise this fight would have ended before Iida could have even used Recipro Extend.

 

The moment that Iida recovers, wide eyes narrowing into that steel focus again, he pivots away from the air obstacle, speeding in Izuku’s direction. Izuku responds by pulling the water from the bottle that Sero is holding towards himself. The other teen lets out an indignant shout–he’s watching their spar from the sidelines–but any other response doesn’t register with Izuku. He’s too busy using all his focus to direct the water right into Iida’s face.

 

It catches Iida off guard, and he falters at the shock of cold water. Izuku uses that opportunity to rush in close with a boost of his speed quirk, going for a move to grapple the teen to the ground.

 

In a last ditch effort, Iida twists his speed-enhanced leg up and into Izuku’s side.

 

It does not have the desired effect. Izuku’s shock absorption quirk makes sure the impact of the kick is negated. His footing already unbalanced, it’s easy to hook a foot behind Iida’s other leg. At the same time, Izuku grabs hold of one of the teen’s arms, pulling it behind his back.

 

Iida lands on his stomach, hard. The air escapes his lungs with an audible gasp. He tries to push up from the ground with his other arm but Izuku snatches Iida’s wrist and easily stops any attempts. He presses one knee into the teen’s back to keep Iida pinned below him and he plants the other foot firmly on the ground.

 

After a bit of squirming, Iida slumps with his head on the ground. “I yield.”

 

Izuku grins, lets the teen go, and pushes himself up. He offers a helping hand to his friend. Iida takes it with a grimace.

 

“You fought really well, Iida,” Izuku says as he pulls his friend up. “Your moves were a lot harder to predict.”

 

Iida sends him a stiff smile. “Ah, thank you. Although even my ultimate move was no match for you.”

 

“Yeah man!” Sero exclaims before Izuku can respond. “You used so many quirks. Totally wicked!”

 

“Uhm, thanks?” Izuku stammers, unsure what to do with all the praise. 

 

“How many quirks did you even use?” Sero asks as he walks over from his spot on the side of the sparring area. They’re in one of the bigger training halls, which is large enough that the entire class can safely train their ultimate moves for the upcoming provisional license exam. While most of the students are still working on their ultimate moves, the few who have mastered their moves to some degree, or those who need to work on things beside their ultimate moves for the exam, have been assigned to groups of three for sparring. Izuku has been paired up with Iida and Sero. 

 

Izuku shrugs. “About six or seven?”

 

Exasperated, Sero shakes his head with a laugh.

 

Iida hums, then says, “Is that your ultimate move?”

 

“What? Using multiple quirks?” Izuku asks. 

 

Nods from both Iida and Sero. 

 

Izuku shakes his head with a chuckle. “No, I’m just trying to incorporate different quirks into my fighting style a bit more frequently.”

 

“It could definitely be an ultimate move, though,” Iida says, his hands chopping in the air as if to strengthen his words. “I had a hard time keeping up.”

 

Sero nods along with enthusiasm. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking! You could call it something like ‘Quirk Rush’ or something.”

 

Before Izuku can respond, Aizawa calls for the end of the training session. It has the three of them rushing back to the entrance. On their way over, Izuku thinks about Iida’s suggestion. As one of the only people in their class, he doesn’t really go to these training sessions with the goal of coming up with and mastering any ultimate moves. Hell, when they first started training a week ago Izuku was barely able to set foot inside the building, let alone actually train in it. At the time he’d only had his quirk back for a day, and his first goal had been to find a new balance again in his fighting style. While now it’s easier to deal with the enormous amount of quirks stored in the safes, the first time he tried to pull any quirks to the front it was overwhelming. He almost got lost in the labyrinth of safes. It took nearly a day to locate the older safes where the quirks that he already had before the summer camp were stored. 

 

After a week of training, he’s now able to use those quirks more fluidly in his fighting style. He no longer has to hide his quirk, after all. The entire country knows exactly who he is and what he can do with his quirk. All things considered, Iida’s suggestion that using various quirks in quick succession could be an ultimate move isn’t actually such a bad idea. Izuku could use it to overwhelm his opponent so he can easily swoop in to incapacitate them. He could also use it to abruptly change the rhythm of a fight, or as a distraction. Really, if he increases the rate at which he switches between quirks and manages to use quirks that are best suited to counter his opponent, it could definitely be an ultimate move. 

 

Quirk Rush, huh?

 

A grin spreads on Izuku’s face as he halts in front of Aizawa to await being dismissed for the day. He didn’t expect to actually come up with any ultimate moves this week. At the beginning of the week, he’d already been happy with the fact that he could set foot in this building and train without running away. Surprisingly, his quirk had been a big help. It still is. It grounds him in the here and now. If he’s struggling, he’ll focus on the many familiar quirk lights around him. He’ll seek out Aizawa’s light, or Hitoshi’s, or Kacchan’s blazing red light. They steady him, help him remember that he isn’t in that concrete room. That he’s safe.

 

If that doesn’t help, he can focus inward on his own quirk. On the overwhelming but reassuring sensation of the hundreds of quirks in their safes. A good reminder that things have changed, that he isn’t defenseless. Most of the time though, he’ll search out a specific quirk, stored in a specific safe. When he looks at it, at the bright rainbow of light at the center of the quirk, it’s easy to notice the new light added to it.

 

That, above everything else, is the thing that helps him the most. After all, it reminds him that All For One won’t be coming back to haunt him.

 

---

 

Izuku is busy examining his fingers-turned-tentacles when the bell rings. 

 

“Izuku, can you get that please? I’m a little tied up here in the kitchen.” His mom’s voice floats through the half open door that leads to the tiny balcony where Izuku is currently busy cataloguing quirks. The balcony is one of the few relatively open spaces at their apartment where he can safely experiment with quirks.

 

“Sure! Give me a second!” Izuku calls as he pulls the quirk that allows him to change his fingers into tentacles back into its safe. It is the current quirk that he’s experimenting with so he can properly analyze it and note down its defining features in a new, designated notebook. After a few days of cataloguing quirks, he’s only just scratched the surface on analyzing the hundreds of new quirks. 

 

It is a slow process, but Izuku doesn’t mind. It feels right to take his time with each quirk, to really get to know it before giving it a proper, organized place. There is also another reason why he’s documenting each quirk in this much detail. All of the quirks that he has have been stolen. While most of the original owners of these quirks won’t be alive anymore, there must also still be people around whose quirks have been ripped away from them. People like Ragdoll. Izuku wants to return as many quirks as he can to their owners. Hopefully, by carefully documenting the defining features of each quirk it will be easier to identify quirks that can be returned. He isn’t sure yet how he’s going to find the people whose quirks have been stolen, but he’ll figure something out.

 

Mentally making a note that he isn’t finished analysing the tentacle quirk yet, Izuku grabs his notebook and pen and hurries back into the apartment. A speed quirk helps him to quickly drop off his things in his bedroom before rushing down the hallway towards the door. 

 

Three quirk lights are waiting behind it. Izuku only vaguely recognizes two. The third is very familiar by now.

 

Letting out a calming breath, Izuku pushes down his nerves. There’s no reason to be so tense. These people are only here for dinner. That’s all. Nothing dangerous or potentially life-threatening. While it doesn’t do much to slow his beating heart, he doesn’t allow himself to stall any longer. 

 

So, he pulls the front door open to reveal the Bakugo family waiting behind it.

 

It seems like Mitski and Kacchan have just finished arguing about something if Kacchan’s disgruntled expression towards his mother is anything to go by. Mitsuki almost doesn’t look a day older than the last time–about ten years ago now–that Izuku saw her. Her skin is still glowing, and her expression has the same intensity to it that Kacchan has inherited from her. Only the look in her eyes clearly indicates that she’s gotten older. Masaru does have new lines around his eyes and some faint gray streaking through his mostly brown hair.

 

“H-hi,” Izuku stammers. There’s a sudden lump in his throat now that he’s standing in front of the two older Bakugo’s and actually looking at them. He swallows it away. Now is not the time to be getting all emotional. Besides, he’s known for days that the entire Bakugo family was visiting. That should have already been more than enough time to mentally prepare himself. He gestures for the three Bakugo’s to enter, “Please, come in.”

 

For a moment longer Mitsuki stares at him. Then she marches inside and pulls Izuku into a crushing hug. Her orange quirk light pulses with unsaid emotions.

 

“Hi auntie Mitsuki,” Izuku mumbles, unsure what else to say.

 

She squeezes a little tighter before letting go and looking him over from an arm-length distance. “You’ve grown so much. You look just like your mother.”

 

Izuku feels his cheeks heating, and he ducks his head in an attempt to hide the blush. “It’s uhm…it’s good to see you again.”

 

A squeeze in his shoulder has him looking back up. At the same time Mitsuki says, “It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you, but I suppose better late than never, right?”

 

Before Izuku can respond, Kacchan cuts it, “Can you lot save the sappy bullshit for after dinner? I’m hungry.”

 

“Hah?! Shut it, Katsuki!” Mitsuki snaps, any softness burning away as she sends Kacchan a blazing look. “I haven’t seen Izuku in ten years, so I’ll be as sappy as I want, yeah?!”

 

Despite her saying that, she does move over so Masaru and a grumbling Kacchan can enter as well. Izuku sends his friend an apologetic smile. In response, Kacchan rolls his eyes and huffs.

 

Right as Masaru has greeted Izuku–much less intensely than his wife did–Izuku senses his mom coming down the hallway. Her quick light pulses in a way that tells Izuku that she’s nervous. 

 

“Hello,” his mom says a moment later, drawing everyone’s attention. She’s standing at the edge of the hallway, hands clasped in front of her. An apron is tied around her waist. “I’m glad you three could make it.” She pauses, hesitates, her eyes flick from Mitsuki to Masaru, and back to Mitsuki again. Then she adds, “You can come in and we can…eat?”

 

A beat of silence.

 

Mitsuki huffs, shakes her head. In two big steps she has reached Inko and pulled her into an even tighter hug than she did with Izuku. Eyes wide, Inko slowly wraps her arms around the other woman.

 

“I’m here for you, not for the damn food,” Mitsuki says, voice tight. 

 

Inko lets out a wet laugh as she seems to cling on even tighter. “I’ve missed you too, Mitsuki.”

 

Next to Izuku, Kacchan lets sighs exasperated and casts a long look up at the ceiling. He looks ready to say something, but then Masaru puts a hand on his son’s shoulder and sends him a warning look.

 

That promptly shuts Kacchan up.

 

They do eventually manage to move to the dinner table to eat. Conversation is awkward at first, too much has changed to easily return to any dynamics from ten years ago. Mitsuki barrels through all of it by asking questions about Inko’s work, about how Izuku’s doing at school, by talking about her own family’s life. Soon, the tension in the air eases, and Izuku watches as his mom laughs at a story about Kacchan’s earlier teen years–mucht to the teen’s embarrassment. Even though Kacchan cuts into the story halfway through to snap at Mitsuki to cut it out with the childhood crap, the damage has already been done.

 

Izuku watches the scene in front of him with some amusement. His mom laughing, Masaru trying to hide his laugh, and Kacchan and Mitsuki bickering. One thought rises to the front of his mind: he hopes there will be more nights like these to come.

 

---

 

After two weeks of rigorous training, the day of the provisional license exam finally arrives. As soon as their class gets off the bus, Izuku feels the attention of many foreign eyes drawn to them. The entire class is still wearing their school uniforms, clearly marking them as UA students. Even without that though, all of their faces have been televised across the entire nation during the sport festival. Anyone going up against them during the license exam would be stupid not to have analysed their fighting styles and quirks beforehand, Izuku thinks. At least, that is what he would have done if he had any reference material of his opponents before an exam.

 

“I think we need to assume that everyone knows our quirks and stuff,” Izuku mumbles to Hitoshi, who’s standing next to him. A few Shiketsu students have approached their class, and have started talking to Kirishima and Kacchan who are standing at the front of the class. Izuku wisely stayed at the back of the group, not keen on drawing any more attention to himself.

 

Hitoshi casts a glance around him, obviously also noting the not-so-subtle looks from the other examinees, and groans, “Man, why did UA need to televise the sport festival again?”

 

“Money,” Izuku quips.

 

A huff. His friend rolls with his eyes. “Of course.” Then a sharp grin spreads on his face, “Guess they’re in for a surprise when they find out we’ve been training.”

 

Izuku hums, half his mind already putting together various plans that account for the fact that the quirks and fighting styles of the entire class will be known. He can work with the fact that this information is outdated. Everyone has gotten stronger. It should be fine. 

 

---

 

The waiting area is already buzzing with the nervous energy of the other participants when their class arrives. The many close quirk lights press into Izuku’s awareness, overwhelming his senses. 

 

For a few frightening seconds he fears that the control over his quirk will slip through his fingers. 

 

Taking a calming breath, Izuku focuses on the familiar quirks close to him. Hitoshi’s purple light, pressing closer as if his friend can sense him struggling. Kacchan’s blazing red light, as always a bright beacon. It helps to ground himself, and the nervous energy sparking through his body settles a bit. He’s in control of his quirk, he can stay in control despite the many interesting quirks in his vicinity.

 

That thought is enough that he can actually turn his attention elsewhere. He notices the looks sent his way by quite a lot of unfamiliar participants. It is at this point that he’s reminded that his face was plastered all across national television for a good three weeks. And that very few news anchors had anything good to say about him. Although that had been changing once All Might started making some public appearances on late-night shows. 

 

While the man mostly talked about his own retirement and clearly was sent there by his PR-team to keep the public calm in the wake of his unexpected retirement, whenever given the chance he would reiterate again and again that Izuku is nothing like his grandfather. That neither he, nor anyone else, should be judged based on their quirk. That being heroic is determined not by someone’s quirk, but by their actions.

 

Despite public opinion slowly shifting, Izuku can still sense the many prickling gazes grazing his skin. He tries to ignore them, and the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Face blank, breathing steady.

 

Surprisingly, he isn’t the only one who’s noticed the staring. Hitoshi clearly notices, as well as Kacchan and a few other classmates with good situational awareness like Jirou. Even more surprising, they respond to the staring. Either by drawing in closer to Izuku–Hitoshi does so–or by staring right back at the offenders. If looks could kill, Kacchan would have succeeded about three times over by now. 

 

Izuku sends Hitoshi a flash of a smile, silently thanking him.

 

Hitoshi shrugs. He mutters, “These assholes should know it’s rude to stare.”

 

That startles a full on laugh out of Izuku.

 

Soon, Mera–the worker from the Hero Public Safety Commission in charge of leading the provisional license exam–has finished explaining the first part of the exam and everyone puts on their targets. The room around them opens up, and with that, the provisional license exam officially begins.

 

---

 

Even though only a hundred people move on to the second part of the exam, surprisingly, all of 1-A passes. It brings all of them to the waiting area, either chatting about or catching their breath while they wait for the second part to begin. On screen they just watched half of the exam area explode. They’ll need to carry out a rescue exercise with the correct rescue procedures. If they do so successfully, they’ll pass.

 

Next to Izuku, Uraraka is excitedly regaling how she, Izuku and Sero managed to pass after their class got split up by some earth-tremoring quirk. Both Tsu and Hitoshi are hanging on to her every word as she explains their tactic of drawing in as many people as possible and trapping them by using some floating rocks, long strips of tapes attached to them, and gravity. 

 

Izuku tries to focus on the conversation, but he can’t help the need to scan the room and watch the people around him. A grumbling Kacchan is standing together with Kaminari and Kirishima. The three of them passed the exam together after they got split off from the class as well. He notices Todoroki talking to a tall, muscled Shiketsu student. Izuku recognizes him as the guy who approached their class right when they got off the bus that morning. Yoarashi Inasa, if he remembers correctly from what Aizawa told them after the guy left. Someone with an incredibly strong wind quirk who, despite earning the top score at the recommendation exam, rejected UA’s offer and went to Shiketsu.

 

Seeing Todoroki’s tense posture and Yoarashi’s scowl as he turns around and marches away, Izuku wonders if something happened during the first part of the exam between the two teens. Before he can approach Todorki and ask him about it though, a sharp buzzer sounds. 

 

“Villains have carried out a large-scale terrorist attack. Due to damage to the roads the first group of rescuers have been delayed.” Mero’s tired voice sounds through the speakers. Around them the walls of the building start to unfold once again. “Your job as heroes is to respond to this disaster and carry out a successful rescue of all the civilians caught up in the area.”

 

Unlike during the UA entrance exam where all participants waited for a clear starting signal, here everyone rushes into the arena as soon as the walls have unfolded, class 1-A included. While doing so, Izuku pulls multiple quirks to the front, ready to be used. He can feel new adrenaline pumping through his veins, sharpening his focus and drawing out a familiar calm. He scans his surroundings and notes the crumpled buildings in front of him, the factory behind and the nature area to his left. All areas have received quite some damage as a result of the earlier explosions.

 

At the edge of the ‘city area’, Iida halts and turns to address the rest of the class, “Everyone, let's work together to save as many people as possible!”

 

A few classmates enthusiastically agree. In the corner of his eyes, Izuku already notices Kacchan turning away from the group with a scowl. The teen isn’t really one for big teams. Before he can actually leave the group, Izuku decides to interject, “I think we should split up into smaller, well-balanced teams. That way we can cover more ground at the same time.”

 

Next to him, Uraraka eagerly nods along, “Good idea! We can’t all help at the same time at the same spot if we’re with so many people.”

 

Iida seems to consider it for a moment, then hums, “Alright.” He raises his voice, “Everyone, please team up in small groups so we’ve got well-balanced teams! I’m sure Midoriya can be of help as well!”

 

And just like that, with some of Izuku’s suggestions, everyone pairs up in teams. Some teams go off to the nature area or the industrial area because their quirks are more suited for those environments, but most teams rush off to help out in the city area.

 

Izuku teams up with Uraraka and Kacchan. He convinced the blonde to join their team before he could go off on his own. After arguing that they could rescue more people together, and thus would do better on the exam, Kacchan begrudgingly agreed.

 

So now they’re slowly searching the nearby buildings–or Izuku is, by scanning around with his quirk and with his hearing quirk–and they’re working together to get people out. Once they’re out, Kacchan is off to get them to the temporary first aid base. Izuku really hopes Kacchan can keep some of his hotheadedness to himself while escorting the ‘civilians’. As he watches the teen rush off with their newly rescued civilian, he hears Kacchan mostly talking in brusque, grumbling sentences to the person. 

 

Well. It’s better than screaming and cursing.

 

With a shake of his head, Izuku pulls his attention back to the scene in front of him. He casts out the range of his quirk, and focuses on what his hearing quirk can pick up. Soon enough, he manages to locate yet another person in need of rescuing.

 

“Over there,” he points towards two walls that are collapsed against each other while he carefully makes his way over. Uraraka follows him, eyes already scanning for the best way to get someone safely out from between the walls. When they get closer, someone’s muffled cries grow loud enough to be heard without any enhanced hearing. 

 

Together, they work to get the person out, settling into a rhythm to locate, rescue, and move all the nearby civilians. They’re getting the last two people out–Uraraka by making some rubble weightless, Izuku by using a new quirk to keep everything stable, and Kacchan by grabbing the people and getting them out from under the rubble–when a new explosion in the distance ripples through the air.

 

For a moment they all freeze, and Izuku is sure they’re all thinking the same thing: is this a real villain attack? He’s thinking it at least, heart sinking and his mouth going dry. 

 

Then Mero’s tired voice echoes around the arena, “The villains from the large-scale terrorist attack have made a new appearance, threatening the rescue operation.”

 

That’s all he says, clearly wanting the participants to draw their own conclusions. Izuku immediately whips his head around to look in the direction of the explosion. An enormous plume of smoke is billowing up into the air. It seems awfully close to the temporary first aid base where they’ve been bringing all the civilians. 

 

Well, fuck.

 

Izuku turns back around to Uraraka and Kacchan. Uraraka is holding one of the civilians while keeping her quirk active so Kacchan can get the final civilian out. The latter is just walking up to them with said civilian in his arms.

 

“Let’s go and fight these fuckers, yeah?!” A grin spreads on Kacchan’s face as he says this, as if he’s been waiting for this moment and the rescue operation is just a side-quest to him. Knowing him, it probably is.

 

Uraraka frowns, “Shouldn’t we focus on the rescue, though?”

 

“Hah?! How can we rescue people if there are villains who could fuck the entire operation up and bring more people in danger, Roundface?!” Kacchan snaps. In his arms, the civilian is looking at the teen with what should clearly be interpreted as a scared expression.

 

Before Uraraka can retort in clear exasperation, and Kacchan can scare the civilians even more, Izuku cuts in, “Uraraka is right. The rescue has to take priority.” He sends Kacchan a look so his friend doesn’t interrupt. “You and I will bring these last two civilians to the first aid base. Uraraka, you should already join one of the other teams around and help them with the rescue. Your quirk is the best suited for that.”

 

Kacchan scoffs, shakes his head. “What about the villains?” he asks.

 

“We’ll check at the first aid base if they need our help against the villains. If they do, then we’ll join the fight. Otherwise it’s more important to finish the rescue operation.”

 

When Kacchan doesn’t audibly disagree-he just rolls his eyes–Izuku squares his shoulders and says, “Alright, let’s do this.”

 

---

 

Both he and Kacchan arrive at the rescue base just in time to see Gang Orca shattering the ice that was keeping his many helpers in place with one hypersonic wave from his quirk. Clearly, Gang Orca is playing the villain in this exercise along with dozens of his helpers. 

 

Now free, the helpers all rush at the temporary rescue base. Screams erupt from behind Izuku and Kacchan, where over a dozen remaining civilians are still waiting to be evacuated. The only person standing between them and the villains is a student from Ketsubutsu–Shindo, the one with the earth-tremoring quirk. As strong as his quirk is, it won’t hold off the villains forever. 

 

Izuku shifts his gaze towards Kacchan and meets his eyes. They share a look. “I’ll help evacuate the civilians, you keep the villains at bay?” Izuku asks as he shifts the ‘unconscious’ civilian in his arm so she’s draped over his shoulder.

 

Kacchan sends one longing glance towards the fight against Gang Orca. Another student has gotten mixed up in it: Inasa. Both Yoarashi’s wind quirk and Todoroki’s dual quirk should be enough to keep Gang Orca busy, Izuku thinks. He doesn’t have the chance to really look at the fight though, because then Kacchan is handing over his civilian and Izuku is too busy pulling another strength quirk to the front and keeping his balance so he doesn’t drop either of the civilians. 

 

“Those fuckers are going to regret signing up for this exercise,” Kacchan says as a sharp grin spreads across his face. Then he’s blasting off, for once agreeing to Izuku’s plan without a fight.

 

Izuku doesn’t waste another moment and turns around to get the remaining civilians to safety. It’s tricky to move very quickly with two civilians slung over his shoulders, but he manages.

 

“It’ll be alright,” he says to the man that Kacchan was carrying. He’s still conscious, and Izuku can hear the rapid beating of his heart. “We’ll keep you safe.”

 

The new evacuation point is in complete chaos. It’s clear that this wasn’t meant to be a first aid point, because big pieces of rubble are still strewn around the area. The cries of civilians fill the air, either tinged with pain or panic. No matter that it’s all acting, the cries have the hairs on Izuku’s arms standing up. Other participants are rushing between civilians to administer any pressing first aid, or to drop off civilians and hurry back to evacuate the remaining people.

 

For a moment after he’s dropped the civilians off, Izuku has to stop and simply breathe. The rubble, the air tinged with smoke and panic, it’s all too similar to Kamino and Hosu. He closes his eyes, focusses inward and allows himself to be soothed by the presence of the many quirk lights. It helps to slow his ragged breathing, to center his thoughts to the here and now. 

 

He wants to be a hero. He wants to do this, rescuing people. He wants to help more people when their quirks are hurting them. If he wants to do all of that, he’ll need this provisional license. He’ll need to pass this exam.

 

So, he steels his resolve and hurries off to evacuate more civilians.

 

---

 

Together with a few other participants it shouldn’t take much longer to evacuate all the civilians. When Izuku reaches the old first aid base yet again, there are only a few civilians left. He fully intends to keep on evacuating, and only spares a single glance towards the fighting in the distance. Of course that is also the moment that Todoroki’s fire and Yoarashi clash, combining into a deadly tornado speeding towards the rescue area. A single figure is standing right in its burning path, too close to duck out of the way in time: Shindo.

 

The world around Izuku slows, and he can only watch in mounting horror as that tornado relentlessly rushes towards the other teen. He’s pulling all speed and muscle enhancing quirks to the front that he has, feet grinding on the ground beneath him to get moving.

 

Suddenly another round of explosions blasts through the air, yet their sound is familiar. Then Kacchan comes flying right at Shindo, grabs him around the torso with one hand, and gets him out of the tornado’s range in the nick of time. They skid to a stop, and even if Izuku can’t see his friend's face, he can see the furious pulsing of his red quirk light when Kacchan shouts at Todoroki and Yoarashi, “HEY DIPSHITS! WORK. THE. FUCK. TOGETHER!”

 

He puts Shindo down, and launches himself into the air and at Gang Orca without a second to waste. At the same time Gang Orca takes Todoroki and Yoarashi out with two well placed hypersonic waves.

 

Izuku reaches a dazed Shindo, pulling more quirks to the front as Gang Orca’s helpers rush at them. 

 

“Move! Let me!” Shindo shouts, shoving past Izuku and planting his hands on the ground. A moment later the ground in front of them breaks apart, stopping the helpers in their tracks. Further in the distance, Kacchan tries to attack Gang Orca but his explosions are stopped by another hypersonic wave, and the teen falls to the ground before he even reaches Gang Orca.

 

There’s not much that Izuku can do about that, though. If he leaves Shindo’s side, the teen will be overrun by the villains, and that is something he can’t let happen. Gang Orca also can’t be left unchecked though, and Izuku grits his teeth in frustration. If only Todoroki and Yoarashi could pick up their slack.

 

Miraculously, they do, paralyzed as they are, by combining their fire and wind into a dangerous inferno with Gang Orca trapped inside.

 

Shindo shouts, “Hey, help me out against these guys!,” and Izuku pulls his attention back to the villains in front of him. He jumps into the fray, quirks at his finger tips. This is what he needs to do right now. Take out as many of the helpers as possible.

 

They rush at him from all sides, but Izuku is ready. Over the course of a week he’s developed and fine-tuned his first ultimate move: Quirk Rush. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s good enough. While weaving and twisting between various attacks from different villains, Izuku is able to switch between quirks almost effortlessly. Shock two villains, ducks underneath a swipe from a third. He lets the fingers on one of his hands morph into tentacles and uses them to pull the third villain down into the grasp of his other hand so he can shock him as well.

 

Just like that, he dances between attacks, a flurry of quirks and quick moves. 

 

At some point Kacchan joins his side, still looking a little dazed from Gang Orca’s hypersonic wave, but clearly more than ready to join the fight again. “Whoever knocks down the most of these guys wins!” his friend shouts as he blasts a villain in the face and whirls away from another villain’s attack.

 

Izuku grins, “Better hurry then, if you want to catch up to me!” He grabs a villain’s arm and throws him over his shoulder, using a new quirk to make the ground underneath the guy stick like glue. That guy is not getting up any time soon. 

 

Kacchan laughs, not backing down from the challenge. “I’ll win by beating Gang Orca! He’s worth fifty points, so when Icy-Hot and SkyGuy stop with that damn inferno, I’m going to kick his ass!”

 

Izuku doesn’t immediately respond. He’s too distracted by Gang Orca’s quirk, which is brightening as if he’s going to use it. Shit. No matter how effective the current tornado of fire is, it’s not going to keep a top ten hero in their place for very long.

 

“Kacchan, when the fire attack is stopped, I need you to attack Gang Orca with everything that you have!” Izuku shouts. With half his focus still on Kacchan, he trips up two villains and sticks them to the ground as well.

 

If he could, Kacchan would probably roll his eyes, but since he’s locked into a fight, the teen merely responds with, “Deku, I just told you that’s what I’m gonna do!”

 

Right, the blonde doesn’t do half-assed attacks. Everything is a hundred percent with him.

 

Gang Orca decides at that moment to unleash an enormous hypersonic attack, promptly blowing away all fire and wind. “You’ll have to have more than one trick up your sleeve if you want to stop me!” he bellows.

 

“Kacchan, now!” Izuku shouts as he uses multiple speed quirks to rush towards Gang Orca. 

 

He needn’t have said anything. His friend has already blasted away, into the air.

 

“HOWITZER IMPACT!” Kacchan screams, arms behind him and twisting around and around.

 

Izuku doesn’t take the quickest way to Gang Orca. Instead, he makes a wide arch around the man so he can approach the hero/villain from behind. His heart hammers in his chest, and he can feel the many quirks at his fingers tips, ready to be used. Explosions fill the air, his ears, and Kacchan whirls ever closer to Gang Orca.

 

Until he isn’t.

 

A strong, focused hypersonic wave blasts the teen away. Just like Izuku predicted.

 

He doesn’t let the momentary distraction go to waste and uses it to close in on Gang Orca from behind. A burst from his strength enhancing quirk and Izuku jumps up on the man’s back and wraps his legs around his torso. He grabs the side of Gang Orca’s head both to steady himself, and because it provides him skin-to-skin contact.

 

Gang Orca growls in surprise, tries to shake Izuku off. Izuku grips on tighter. Two pointed black hands come up to pry Izuku’s hands away. 

 

He. Will. Not. Budge.

 

It takes several quirks, but Izuku keeps his hands where they are.

 

4…5!

 

At the same time that a new quirk light snaps loose and drifts into him, a buzzer goes off. 

 

“Uhm, at this moment all the H.U.C civilians who were deployed have been rescued from the danger zone. With this, all the provisional licensing exam procedures have been completed.” Mero’s voice echoes through the arena, announcing the end of the exam.

 

Gang Orca lets go of Izuku’s hands, and Izuku jumps to the ground, slumping forward in relief. Both because he managed to take Gang Orca’s quirk, and because the exam is over. The other man turns around and looks at him with, well, it’s not surprise because Izuku doesn’t think Gang Orca can make that expression with his features, but it’s probably supposed to be surprise. While there are no obvious physical changes to the man, he must feel the absence of his quirk.

 

“Please return to the waiting area while we tally the scores. The results will shortly be announced.”

 

“H-here, I’ll give you back your quirk,” Izuku stammers, suddenly nervous because he doesn’t know how Gang Orca will react to his quirk being taken.

 

But Gang Orca just laughs. “You’re a strong one, kid. Don’t feel sorry for using your quirk.”

 

“I’m not,” Izuku says, quick to correct. He doesn’t feel guilty when using his quirk. Not anymore. “Most people find it upsetting, though.”

 

Gang Orca hums while he holds out his hand so Izuku can give his quirk back. Izuku takes the hand to do just that.

 

“That’s good. That you don’t feel sorry for using your quirk, I mean,” Gang Orca says. “Don’t let other people who villainize your quirk get to you.”

 

It’s obviously advice learned through hard-earned experience. A distant part of Izuku’s brain supplies that Gang Orca is ranked third on the list of heroes who look the most like villains.

 

Quirk returned, Izuku sends the man a smile. “I won’t.”

 

---

 

An hour later, Izuku walks out of the building with a shiny new card in his hand. Both Hitoshi and Kacchan walk next to him, similar cards in their hands as well.

 

Izuku looks at the both of them, and they grin at each other. Then he looks down to read the words written on his card once again.

 

Provisional Hero License 

 

Hero name: Ghost

Quirk: Unite

 

He’s done it. Despite everything, he has honoured the promise that he made when he was twelve: that he would be free, and that one day he could do anything he wants without any invisible shackles holding him back.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!

Next chapter will be the last chapter, which is actually crazy to say. I will be posting that together with the epilogue (hence why this fic is 45 instead of 44 chapters).

A few extra notes on this chapter for those interested:

I chose the quirk name Unite for multiple reasons: 1) it sounds radically different from All For One or One For All, something I think Izuku would like since he wants to distance himself from that legacy and have a new beginning. 2) it implies that all these many quirks are united inside one quirk, which is exactly what Izuku’s quirk does. 3) It also implies that Izuku can unite the stolen quirks with their previous owners, something he plans on doing. 4) In that same line, it also implies that Izuku can unite any quirk he takes with their owners, something that Izuku also definitely plans on doing whenever he does take a quirk during a fight.

The first part of the license exam went pretty much the same as in canon (minus the Toga impostor, because there’s no reason for her to be infiltrating since the League no longer exists). The only difference really was that Bakugo stuck with the group in the beginning. The entire class still got split up by Shindo’s earth-tremoring quirk, and got split up into pretty much the same groups as in canon.
I changed the way some stuff happened in canon here and there. If something isn’t mentioned, assume it happened like in canon. I didn’t want this chapter to be a literal iteration of the canon license exam, which is why I skipped through a lot of stuff. Also, technically Gang Orca’s quirk is a mutant quirk. I decided that the physical features are not part of the quirk, so Izuku ‘only’ took the hypersonic abilities and super strength. (which might not make it a mutant quirk any more, but it worked better for the fight scene so *shrugs*)

Come find me on tumblr!

Comments and kudos always make my day <33

Chapter 44: Case closed

Notes:

The final two chapters!

CW: slight mention of bones growing wrong (idk how else to put this tbh)

A week after getting his provisional license, Izuku and Aizawa travel to the police station together. Once there, they meet Tsukauchi in his office. The room is practically the same as the last time that Izuku was here. A tidy desk, safe for the many empty coffee mugs cluttering the surface, and the faded red couch in the corner. The one thing that’s different is the bulletin board. It's been cleared from all the clues regarding Kokkaku Nori’s case. After all, there’s no need for that any longer since they’re here for the final debrief regarding Kokkaku’s case before it will be closed.

 

Izuku plops down on the couch while Aizawa and Tsukauchi sit down on two chairs like the proper adults that they are. The debrief itself proceeds as usual, with all three of them sometimes clarifying a few details in the reports so they’re as accurate as possible. They’re nearing the end of the debrief when Izuku asks what will be happening to the case now that it’ll be closed. Especially because it turned out that the web that Kokkaku got caught up in is much bigger than just her single case.

 

Tsukauchi answers, “The Kokkaku Nori case, while it will be closed, will be included in the bigger case against All For One. Her case highlights some crucial workings of his criminal empire, which I’m sure we’ll need if we want to root out as much of it as possible.”

 

Izuku hums, catches the ‘we’ in his explanation. He looks between Tsukauchi and Aizawa. “So you’re both working on the All For One case then?”

 

The two men exchange looks. Tsukauchi is the one who answers, “Yes, we’re both part of the team.” He pauses, brows knitting together to send Izuku an understanding look. “We did not approach you with an offer to work on the case because we currently have no need for any external consultants.”

 

“We also didn’t think it would be wise to include you, considering your own history with All For One,” Aizawa adds with his usual tired voice.

 

Izuku shakes his head, eyes wide, “Oh no, that’s fine! I was just curious. I uhm…also don’t want to be involved.” He laughs, “I want to focus on my own future for now, so digging into all the stuff that All For One did doesn’t really fit with that goal.”

 

It feels great to be able to say that. To know that for now, he can work on himself without his second thought being about All For One. He’ll focus on his hero training, on cataloguing all the quirks, and on healing. Only once he’s catalogued all the quirks will he start looking into ways to give as many back as possible. That might mean he’ll have to do some research into All For One’s past actions, but it’ll be quite some time before he’s documented all the quirks. Hopefully by then, the case built against All For One can help Izuku out with locating anyone whose quirk has been stolen. 

 

The two men look relieved to hear that he doesn’t want to get involved in the All For One case. Which, sure, Izuku likes to stick his nose in things–he can’t deny that–but can’t they give him some credit? 

 

Some of his thoughts must be visible on his face, because Aizawa shakes his head and mutters something about ‘problem children’ and ‘being too curious for his own good’. The only reason why Izuku doesn’t respond to that–he has a hearing quirk of all things, of course he’s going to hear what Aizawa is mumbling–is because Tsukauchi clears his throat and pulls their attention back to the task at hand: wrapping up the case.

 

At the end of the debriefing session Tsukauchi closes the file in front of him with a snap. He looks up at Aizawa and Izuku, and lets out a relieved sigh.

 

“Case closed.”

 

---

 

A few days later, Izuku finds himself at the Kamino hospital. This time not as a patient, but as a visitor. After he’s registered himself at the central reception, a nurse called Furuya comes to pick him up from the waiting area to escort him to the correct hospital room. She’ll be there to oversee the entire process, she explains as she leads him down yet another hallway. That much Izuku had expected. This is not his first time taking a quirk, and he’s found that there’s usually a nurse present during this sort of thing. 

 

It is weird to be walking these hospital walls as a visitor. Izuku tries not to dwell too long on the memories from the last time he was here. Those days right after his entire world had just changed aren’t his favorite to think about. They have his mouth going dry and his stomach clenching uncomfortably. He reminds himself that he’s here to help someone. To be a hero in a way that no one else can. It helps to keep on walking and pulls his focus back to the task at hand. 

 

They stop in front of a room, and Furuya knocks before she enters. Izuku notes they’re in the hospital wing for long-term patients, which he isn’t sure he’d expected when he’d gotten the request a few days ago. Then again, it has been over a month since the Kamino ‘incident’. He follows Furuya–who’s already greeting the person inside–into the room, taking in his surroundings as he does so.

 

It’s a small, private room, instead of a shared room with another person. The walls are painted white, the curtains a pale blue. A bed stands to his right and on one side two plastic chairs are facing it. On the bed there’s a young woman propped up against various thick pillows. She’s awake, watching Izuku enter with guarded eyes.

 

Steeling his nerves, Izuku greets, "Good morning. I’m Midoriya Izuku or, uh, Ghost. It’s good to finally meet you, Kokkaku.”

 

Kokkaku Nori gives him a nearly imperceptible nod. One of her arms is in a sling, probably from a surgery to correct her bones. Izuku still remembers how some of her bones had protruded from her body in the wrong places. Most of the superficial damage seems to have been healed by now though, barring that one arm and the fact that her cheek bones nearly seem to pierce her skin. That doesn’t mean anything about long term effects but, well, it’s something at least.

 

“Good morning…You’re here to take my quirk right?” she asks. Even though she speaks softly, a desperation clings to her words. As if she wants nothing more than for her quirk to be gone. 

 

For a moment Izuku is taken aback by it. Then he takes a closer look at Kokkaku. Her frame is thin. Too thin. A feeding tube runs from her nose, clearly meant to remedy that. Even in the golden morning light spilling through the window, Kokkaku’s skin color doesn’t seem to be able to hold any color beside a sickly gray tint beneath near porcelain white. Her brown hair, though clean, falls in thin strands around her head. For all the proper care that she must be receiving at the hospital, something seems to be eating at her. 

 

Izuku has read the report that was sent to him. The one explaining why he needs to be here today for a quirk removal. The thing eating at her, preventing her from regaining any more strength, is her own quirk. 

 

Two weeks ago, the doctors finally decided to put her on quirk suppressants. Of course, the downside of quirk suppressants is the fact that they’re such heavy medication–a fact Izuku can confirm after his own time on the damn meds. While they might prevent the quirk from hurting its host, due to their heavy effect on the body, the suppressants also have a negative effect on any healing processes. Especially when someone is as heavily injured as Kokkaku was. So, it took an entire week before Kokkaku regained enough strength to wake up. They got her off the suppressants as soon as possible with the hope that her quirk might not have such a devastating effect on her body once she’d woken up.

 

Unfortunately, whatever All For One and the Doctor did to the quirk seemed to be irreversible. Kokkaku’s quirk kept fighting her body, even once she’d woken up. She and her parents could have decided to look for permanent quirk suppressing options. Though they have their own set of side-effects, there are things like bracelets on the market that do the same thing that quirk-suppressing cuffs do. They are difficult to get, expensive, and after a certain amount of years prone to malfunction, but they do work. Instead of going for that option though, Kokkaku and her parents contacted Izuku. 

 

Luckily, because Izuku now has a provisional license it’s a lot easier to get the permission to use his quirk for a quirk removal. He’s even here without any supervision, which, well, he’d be lying if he said he isn’t nervous about that. Not necessarily because it’s the first time he’s taking a quirk in this context without anyone to supervise. No, it’s the fact that he was allowed to leave UA grounds and travel here all on his own. 

 

The security measures that were put into place shortly after the first kidnapping attempt in Hosu–and which had been drastically increased after the successful kidnapping at the training camp–were finally lifted. They were meant to keep Izuku and his mom from any further harm at the hands of any of All For One’s lackeys. The police finally deemed that they were no longer at risk of, say, kidnapping. It means that they can get off campus, even move off campus, without the need of a hero escort.

 

When Izuku set foot outside the UA gate this morning, the freedom felt almost dizzying. He took the train to Kamino, albeit with a hood up so he didn’t draw any unwanted attention, and now here he is. About to do a quirk removal on his own, with his provisional license in his pocket.

 

“I’m here to take your quirk,” Izuku answers Kokkaku’s question as he moves to sit on one of the chairs. Meanwhile the nurse, Furuya, goes to check some of the readings on the monitors that Kokkaku is hooked up to. 

 

More tension drains from Kokkaku’s shoulders and she lets out a shaky exhale. “Good…I want it gone.”

 

Even suppressed, Izuku can see the way her quirk light flutters. She’s nervous. Perhaps even scared. That’s only logical when your quirk is about to be taken. Still, Izuku wants her to feel as comfortable as possible, so his mind races to try and come up with a possible solution. At that moment he notices the leather hand bag next to the chair he’s sitting on. It must belong to Kokkaku’s mother who is, notably, not here.

 

“We can wait until your parents have returned?” Izuku asks. Maybe her parents being here will help.

 

Kokkaku shakes her head, bites her lip. “I don’t want them here. They can be a bit…much and I don’t want them to have to see…this.”

 

Izuku is about to tell her that that’s totally okay, when she blurts out, “Will it hurt?”

 

She’s looking at him with big, brown eyes, bracing herself for the pain that she expects to come. Izuku knows, because he’s done this exact thing more times than he can count. It reminds him that Kokkaku was a victim at the mercy of the Doctor's hands for months, that pain was a constant for her. It probably still is. She only knows that when her quirk is tampered with, it will mean more pain.

 

“No, it won’t hurt,” Izuku is quick to assure her. He sends her a kind smile, “You won’t feel a thing.”

 

He goes on to explain how his quirk works and what she can expect, making sure to answer all her questions. While it doesn’t do a whole lot to ease Kokkaku, she does calm down a little bit. 

 

“Now, I need to ask you one more time if you’re certain that you want to go through with this.”

 

Kokkaku straightens her shoulders, a strength returning to her frame that she previously lacked. “I am.”

 

Izuku sends a glance towards Furuya, who is allowing them some space. When the nurse gives him a thumbs up that she’s noted down the final confirmation, Izuku returns his full attention to Kokkaku. He holds out his hand and says, “Then give me your hand.”

 

Without a trace of hesitation, Kokkaku puts her one free hand in his.

 

It takes five seconds. Only their breathing fills the quiet during those seconds.

 

A pearly white quirk light snaps loose, floating into Izuku. He immediately guides it to its own safe. There is something wrong with the quirk, and he’s glad when he’s put it away. He’ll have more time to look at it later, but the damage done to it is irreversible. That much, Izuku is sure of. 

 

Words soft, as if otherwise they might break the delicate atmosphere, Izuku says, “It’s done.”

 

Kokkaku withdraws her hand and stares at it, a quiet wonder washing over her face. “I really didn’t feel it.” She looks back up at Izuku, bends down into as low a bow as her body allows. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You’re a hero.”

 

Her voice sounds tight, and when she straightens again there are tears spilling down her cheeks.

 

“It’s the least I can do,” Izuku says, a bitter smile pulling on his lips. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but I was on the investigative team of your case. We should have found you sooner, and I’m sorry that we didn’t.”

 

Kokkaku shakes her head as she grimaces. She wipes away a few tears and shrugs.“This is how it happened. Back there…I thought I would die, but then you found me.” A beat of silence where she seems to consider something. Then, words halting, “I heard part of your conversation with All For One, back at the…cells.” She swallows, takes a breath. “I don’t remember all of it because I wasn’t completely lucid, but from what I do remember it sounded like you were led around by him.”

 

Thinking back to that talk with All For One is painful, but Izuku does vaguely remember that they were standing in front of Kokkaku’s cell as All For One was detailing how he used her case to draw Izuku back to him. 

 

“I think I was meant to be found by you, but I don’t think I was meant to ever be free again,” Kokkaku continues. “But I am free. You derailed that villain’s plans. Knowing that you did, that I’m free again despite everything, it helps me to…keep going.”

 

“I’m glad,” Izuku mutters. He hadn’t thought about it like this. In his head, the Nori case feels like a failure. They found her, but by accident, and too late. Though the way Kokkaku frames it… They did find her, and perhaps too late, perhaps there were clues they should have caught a lot sooner, but they freed her. They ruined All For One’s plans, and they freed her. 

 

Soon after, Izuku gets up to leave. Before he does, another thought occurs to him. “If you ever do want a quirk, I have a lot of quirks that won’t ever be able to return to their owners. I’m sure we can find a suitable quirk together that’ll work with your body.”

 

Kokkaku shakes her head. Her free hand comes up to touch the place on her cheek where the skin is stretched taut across her cheekbone. “No thanks. I’m done with quirk experiments for now.”

 

Izuku dips his head in understanding. He grabs his yellow bag, swings it over his shoulder, and is about to leave when–

 

“Ghost.”

 

At the use of his hero name, Izuku looks back at Kokkaku. Her hand fiddles with the sling around her neck as she says, “I want you to know that you’re a real inspiration to everyone who has ‘villainous’ quirks. Or uhm, had in my case. You’re showing the world that you can achieve your dreams, no matter what. That it doesn’t matter what your quirk is, or who your parents are.” 

 

She smiles, it’s a wobbly smile, as if she hasn’t used it for some time, but it’s genuine. Her eyes light up along with it, a spark returning that Izuku knows he’d never have seen if he hadn’t taken her quirk. 

 

“I look forward to seeing what sort of hero you’ll become, Ghost.”

Chapter 45: Epilogue

“Izuku do you have everything?”

 

“Yes mom.”

 

“Did you pack that packet of paracetamol I gave you?”

 

“Mom.”  

 

“Did you–”

 

“I’m pretty sure I packed everything,” Izuku interrupts. He squeezes his mom’s shoulder, “And if I didn’t, I can just come and get it.”

 

His mom sighs. “Alright. Just…” She looks behind her, at the boxes that are stacked up high in the hallway. “I’m not sure I can find it in all of these boxes…”

 

Izuku shrugs, “I’m sure if I really need something, I can also just borrow it from someone else.” He grins, “Or I can come pick it up at your new place.”

 

Hearing that, his mom chuckles. “Well if you do decide to drop by, please help me out with all the unpacking. I’m really not sure how we managed to collect so much stuff in these last few years.”

 

“Isn’t aunt Mitsuki going to help you move tomorrow?” Izuku asks, frowning.

 

“She is. I just don’t think one day will be enough to unpack everything,” his mom says, once again surveying the many boxes stacked behind her. She shakes her head, “But enough of that. I’ll manage. Come here.”

 

Izuku allows himself to be pulled into a hug, letting himself soak in his mother’s calming presence. His mom holds on tight, and when she lets go there are tears in her eyes.

 

“I’m proud of you Izuku,” she whispers.

 

Izuku smiles, “Thanks mom.”

 

Before they can say anything else, the doorbell rings. 

 

“Oh, gosh!” his mom exclaims, hurriedly wiping away her tears. Izuku takes it upon himself to open the door and–

 

“Ready for hell, nerd?” Kacchan’s boisterous voice greets them as soon as Izuku swings the door open.

 

“Hey! Don’t say it like that! We just got him to move into the dorms with us!” Hitoshi snaps, glaring at the blonde. Then he turns his attention to Izuku, “Hey, Izuku. Ready to go?”

 

“Uhh…sure?” Izuku says, suddenly wondering if he’s made a mistake.

 

Kacchan rolls his eyes, points a finger at Izuku. “I’m just warning you that you’ll probably regret your choices.”

 

Next to him, Hitoshi winces. “Uh, yeah. Can’t deny that. Just this morning Kaminari accidentally electrocuted the toaster. So, no toast for us this week.”

 

Finally, Izuku catches on that they’re just messing with him. He huffs, a grin pulling on his lips, “I’ve survived worse things. I’m sure I’ll survive a week without toast.”

 

A short, sort of hysterical laugh escapes Hitoshi, “Oh you say that now…”

 

Patience evaporating, Kacchan groans, “Can you stop being such a dramaqueen, Eyebags? We’ve got a fucking schedule. First Deku needs to unpack, then all you extras want to hold a ‘coolest room’ competition, and then Round Face has planned a movie night.” 

 

Izuku decides to interrupt their conversation right then and there, before Hitoshi can come up with a retort that’ll inevitably blow Kacchan’s already short fuse.

 

“Okay time to go,” he says, swinging his yellow backpack over his shoulder. It’s the only thing he still needs to bring, all his other stuff has already been moved to his dorm. He steps out of the apartment and waves at his mom, “Bye, I’ll miss you.”

 

His mom smiles, eyes watery again. She also waves. “Have fun, and study hard. We’ll see each other next weekend.”

 

“Bye auntie Inko.”

 

“Yeah, good luck moving, Mrs. Midoriya.”

 

Both Kacchan and Hitoshi also chorus their goodbyes. That done, the three of them set off in the direction of the dorms. 

 

Time to unpack, Izuku thinks, and make his dorm his own.

 

---

 

The face of a younger Midoriya Hisashi stares at Izuku from its position on the small shrine at their new home. 

 

For the past five minutes, all Izuku has been able to do is to stare back.

 

It’s a picture of his father around the time when Izuku was just born. Mitsuki brought it with her today, framed and all, to the small house-warming party that Izuku and his mom are throwing. She’d explained that she’d found this picture of Hisashi while browsing through some old photobooks, and that she’d wanted them to have it. Wordless, his mom had taken the photo, stared at it with tears in her eyes, and reverently put it on the shrine that they’d made on a side table in the corner of their living room.

 

After their escape, they didn’t have any photos of Midoriya Hizashi, and so for years they’d had a faceless shrine. Izuku hates to admit it, but he was starting to forget the exact features of his father’s face. He didn’t think he’d ever have a shrine for his father with an actual photo, so he drinks in all the details. The exact pattern of his father’s white curls, the beginnings of smile lines in the corners of his eyes, everything.

 

Dad

 

Izuku leans forward on his knees and lights the incense sticks. Though he isn’t religious, he likes this moment. He finally feels like he has the space to just sit here and honor his father’s memory. Perhaps, this can be another step to put the ghosts from his past to rest.

 

There are days where he struggles, where getting out of bed seems like too much effort, or where stepping into a training room feels impossible to do. There will never be a day where he won’t carry his past with him, but he thinks he can live with that. He’s fought through his pain and his struggles before, he knows he can do so again. Besides, he’s not alone, and there are people around him that he can lean on.

 

“Hey nerd, are you coming?!” Kacchan’s loud voice floats through the open back door that leads into the garden. Yes, they have a garden now. Currently that’s where all the guests for their house-warming party are being hosted. There aren’t that many guests. Some of Izuku’s friends, and the Bakugo family–who live just a few streets from here.

 

Izuku is glad his mom lives close to Mitsuki and Masaru so she’ll never be lonely, even when Izuku is at UA throughout the week. The fact that this is the old neighborhood where they used to live back when Izuku was a small child, is an added bonus.

 

After stealing a final glance at his father’s photo, Izuku pushes himself up from his kneeling position.

 

“Coming!” he calls. Sunlight spills through the windows facing the garden, brightening up parts of the darker, shadowy living room. Izuku walks out the backdoor, leaving the shrine behind, and into the sunny garden.

 

He joins the party.

Notes:

First off, I want to thank everyone who has read this far, gave kudos, and/or bookmarked this fic, from the bottom of my heart. A special thanks to everyone who left a comment, I looked forward to them every time and if not for these comments I am not sure I would have managed to finish GFTP.

When I first started writing GFTP, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it would take me one, maybe two years to finish. Alas, I was very, very wrong about that. This fic is very dear to my heart though, and I think the fact that it took me so long to complete is for the better. Especially these later chapters gained so much more depth because there are certain aspects that I understand a lot better now. Not only that, but my writing skills also had the chance to grow so I could write many important scenes (like the AFO fight) as I had imagined.

I’m proud of how much not just my writing has improved, but my English as well. It is not my first language, so dialogue was incredibly challenging at times. I managed though, and writing dialogue comes a bit easier to me now. If there were times where certain things didn’t make complete sense language-wise, that is probably because English isn’t my first language.

Thank you, again, for reading and joining me on this long, long journey!

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I have compiled a playlist of all the songs that were incorporated into this fic as chapter titles, or that inspired me! You can find the list on Tumblr!, along with a bit more in-depth explanation of some songs.

If you want to read more of my work, I have two other MHA works: Is Neutrality Not Enough? a quirkless Izuku AU where Izuku is a neutral informant. Caught between heroes and villains, how long can he stay neutral? Dreamwalker is a coffee-shop AU where Izuku has the powers of the Sandman (it’s inspired by the Sandman show), and where he is a vigilante/informant. Although this shorter fic is not finished yet, I do plan on finishing this in the near future. Besides that I will also be writing an Andor one-shot, and probably some Star Wars fics (for those interested).