Chapter Text
Izuku had no idea why he of all people had been chosen for this mission. Tsu -total sense. Aizawa, or as he was now supposed to refer to him, Eraserhead, that made some sense too. But what was someone with a quirk like his doing here?
The steady hum from the boat's engine in combination with the rocking movement calmed his nerves. He sat cross-legged, arms propped on the boat's ledge as he watched the shore grow farther and farther away. It was a nice day to be out on the water, the sun covered by a thin layer of clouds that made the heat durable. He hadn't gone out on the water like this very much. There'd been maybe one or two times that his mother had taken him to one of those little boat tours they did during the warmer months. But she worked too much to go out for a day like that now and she'd always worried about Izuku falling in.
He looked over at his friend - turned co-worker. Tsu's long mess of hair had been tied back into two braids. She was leaning against the plastic seat cover, eyes closed and head titled up towards the sky. With all her training she was probably used to being out here. There was something so calming about her presence, it had been like this since their first year together. He was thankful they'd ended up being able to work together after graduation, he was worried they'd all be separated and he'd never be able to see his friends again.
Water splashed over the edge of the deck as the boat suddenly curved, spinning on its axis as they changed course. Eraserhead was behind the wheel. It was funny. A year ago he'd been stiffly shaking his teacher's hand, oversized cap, and gown slipping off. Now they were being sent out on an investigation together.
Apparently, there was some tunnel system that had been long since abandoned- the sea taking over. It had been nearly forgotten about until motion sensors had picked up unusual activity coming from the area. It was suspected of now being a villain hideout or place to make trades. They'd been told there was a little cave from within that was above sea levels at certain times of the day. The only problem was you had to swim in to reach it against strong currents and the air in the cave wasn't clean, meaning they could only spend limited time there.
He didn't know how he could be of much help. His quirk was mainly used on the offensive for fights. This was basically just a dive mission- literally. But he wasn't about to turn down a chance of working with Tsu and the homeroom teacher.
Sounds of rough water hitting the sides of the boat gradually overtook the engine as the boat slowed to a stop. They were too far away now to see land, to see any other boat even. It should have been unsettling to him but he found the isolation to be more tranquil than anything. As an aspiring number one hero, he found he had to be more on guard when there were people around. Quiet moments like these were few and far between.
"Are you two ready?" Eraserhead asked. He'd let down the anchor and had pulled out the two oxygen tanks made specifically for this mission. He was staying on the boat with a radio in case anything went wrong.
Tsu sat up, answering before Izuku had a chance too. "Yes sir. I'll check in once we reach the entrance." Sharp green eyes flashed towards Izuku in acknowledgment.
Izuku nodded in agreement and stood up, allowing Eraserhead to help him put the backpack-style oxygen tank on. It wasn't as heavy as he imagined, probably to make swimming back up to shore easier. But something about the weight made his stomach flip. He didn't have that much experience underwater. What if something went wrong? In theory, he knew what to do but it was a lot harder to think in a moment of panic.
As if reading his mind, Tsu placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry kero. I do this kind of thing all the time. There's nothing to be scared of." A small smile crossed her features, making the edges of her eyes crinkle. "Besides," she added in a joking tone, "beats filling out paperwork."
Izuku chuckled and nodded again. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Tsu."
"Anytime."
"Alright alright, we don't have all day. Let's get you two down there," Eraserhead grumbled. He'd never been the most comforting person in the world. Most of the time it seemed he preferred not speaking at all. But Izuku was still glad to have his teacher there. The man had been a sort of father figure in his life; not that he'd ever tell him that. Mr.Aiz- Eraserhead- would probably suspend him if he did. His real dad Hisashi had been overseas for as long as he could remember. The mental image he had of him had grown fuzzier and fuzzier over the years, mostly appearing as a faceless presence in his dreams from time to time. He'd been- was- tall. Broad shoulders. Strong presence. But every other feature drew up a blank.
Tsu slipped her own tank over his shoulders. Masks were pushed into place. In the next two minutes, they had jumped into the waves, cold water rushing over them.
Izuku followed Tsu, muscles straining as he fought to get under the current. The descent was quicker than he would have first predicted. For some reason, he'd imagined them fighting off poisonous jellyfish that were fifteen feet long, maybe one of those larger-than-life sharks he always saw in the movies. But it was mostly just...water. Endless water that stretched all around them until it seemed like they'd entered an alternate universe.
Static momentarily filled his ears until Tsu's croaky voice suddenly registered. "Are you alright Midoriya? We're almost at the entrance."
True to her word he could begin to see the seafloor, his flashlight reflecting off sharp rocks and sand.
"Yeah," he breathed. It was so weird how the masks allowed them to talk like this. Just another thing he wasn't used to.
"Remember to stay calm. If you freak out and try to swim back up without stopping you'll get decompression sickness," she warned.
That was so not what he needed to hear right now, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Tsu was just trying to do her Tsu thing and comfort the people around her. As much as the idea of the bends scared him he didn't need to project that onto the task at hand. Izuku swallowed, mumbling some kind of agreement as his hands latched around one of the larger rocks, using it to pull him the rest of the way down to give his legs a break from kicking.
Tsu shined her flashlight onto the entrance, propping it against the sand as she let Eraserhead know they'd made it. It was freezing down here- the water felt more like ice. Izuku ran his hands over his arms but it did nothing to soothe the chill.
"Midoriya come on, we don't want to waste too much air by stalling."
Tsu was already squeezing into the entrance, her and the air tank barely fitting through the small opening. The rock above was cracked slightly, making him more dubious of how secure this really was. But in an emergency, he could probably just use one-for-all to break the rock, grab Tsu, and get free. He just had to be careful. His quirk was incredibly destructive and he couldn't afford to damage the air tanks, not able to just superspeed them up to the surface.
"Midoriya?" Tsu's voice rang in his ears.
He realized he'd been just treading water, staring at the entrance as he let his thoughts consume him. That had been happening more and more on this mission. He didn't know why. There was just something about it that felt...off.
Still, floating here aimlessly was not going to make him feel any better about it.
He swam after her.
The tunnel was dark. Crazy dark. Their flashlights and flairs were the only things they had going for them. Luckily it did get wider at one point, allowing them to swim side by side. Eraserhead was now just out of range, but Tsu seemed to know where she was going. He followed alongside her silently, content to let her take the initiative.
"It's too narrow for both of us up ahead, you go in front. I'll be right behind you," she instructed calmly, the static from the radio slightly chopping up the message. She sounded sure, more sure than Izuku felt at the plan. But her instincts were probably better than his in situations like these.
Izuku sucked in a breath. He pushed past, the knot growing as the tunnel's walls seemed to be closing in on him. He could feel the cool rock brushing against his sides every few seconds. It was an unsettling feeling, like when he hid under the blankets for too long and it began to feel suffocating. He'd never been great with small spaces like these, much preferring the openness of skyscraper rooftops and the big open fields of U.A.
His hands reached out blindly to the sides. The cave began to curve and suddenly he was halfway sure he was actually swimming up. It was hard to tell down here. But it felt like something in the movement had definitely changed.
He reached up again, thinking his hand would land on another part of the cave's interior, but it closed around nothing...nothing but air. A shock spiked through him as he kicked harder, not stopping until his head broke past the surface. They'd been right. There really was a cave down here. Izuku clawed the mask off, sucking in deep gulps of air as the claustrophobia began to lessen. The air down here tasted kinda funny but it was still better than having to swim through such an enclosed space like that.
The flashlight's beam danced over the space, revealing no light switches, just a little platform that was above surface level. He paddled over, heaving himself up with a small grunt. His arms and legs were starting to ache with the constant movement.
Tsu's head broke the surface just as he found enough balance to stand. He surveyed the area, flashlight stopping when he spotted a notebook laying a foot away from him. He crouched down, hands brushing over the worn cover.
"What are you looking at?" Tsu asked, still treading water. She seemed perfectly content to stay there, not even trying to get on the platform. He didn't look at her, gaze frozen on the book. His hands shook as he thumbed through the pages, heart pounding so loudly he could feel it in his entire body.
When he didn't answer she cleared her throat. "Izuku?" She asked. Her voice echoed off the cave walls, filling up the silence.
Mouth going dry, Izuku could barely get the words out. "The pages are dry," he said numbly. It barely felt like he himself had spoken them, voice more monotone than he'd ever heard it. The unsettling feeling was back ten-fold, invading him like a different kind of panic. How long had they been down here? When has the tide gone down?
"What?" She asked, confusion coloring her voice.
"The pages," he muttered. "How can they be dry? The tides go up twice a day right? This notebook should be ruined. Unless somebody had been down here in the past hour."
"Who could have gotten in and out of here so quickly? The only boat out there is ours and it's too far away for anyone to swim out here from land."
He brushed back the light layer of dust that had been coating the cover.
'AF8' was printed neatly in the upper right corner, golden lettering standing out against the dark brown leather. He squinted. AF8? That couldn't be right. His hand smoothed past it one more time.
'AFO'.
"Izuku? What is it? Tell me."
He let out a choked breath, the notebook falling from his hands. It landed at his feet, the sound resonating off the walls. In a slow movement, he turned, rotating the flashlight so that it shone on his friend. But when he searched for those familiar green eyes, all he saw was a bright yellow. Golden hair sat atop her head, fixed into two messy buns that sagged under the weight of the water.
Something in the far corner clicked- it sounded like a timer. His mind only had a second to process what was happening as a slow smile split Toga's face, revealing pearly white fangs.
Izuku dove headfirst into the water just as a net fell onto the platform he'd been standing on two seconds before. It was a trap, this whole mission was a setup. He didn't have time to worry about the notebook or trying to find another way out. In a frantic tug, he harshly put the mask back in place before swimming down below the surface. He could hear splashing coming from behind, probably Toga trying to catch up.
He used a small percentage of his quirk to knock over some broken-off rocks as he pushed himself back into the tunnel. Hopefully, it would be enough to at least slow her down. It seemed much darker now, when he'd dived into the water he must have dropped the flashlight. All he could do was swim blindly and hope it would lead him back out.
"Eraserhead!" He screamed, gasping frantically as he swam. "Eraserhead if you read me come in! The League of Villians is here. You have to get out of here. NOW."
All that answered him was static.
He twisted his body as the cave curved. He should be almost out. Ten more feet, fifteen at most.
"ERASERHEAD!" He tried again. Raw fear filled his chest. How had they found him? Had they seen them go out? Had the entire mission been premeditated? If Toga had gotten Tsu's blood where had she left the real Tsu? It took everything in him to not let the panic overtake him. He'd known something had been off this entire time. Why hadn't he said anything earlier? Why had he not trusted his instinct?
"Eraserhead come in! You need to get out now," Izuku repeated. He finally got out of the cave, once again entering the open water. It seemed all the more vast now, blue covering his vision. What at one point seemed tranquil now seemed desolate, nobody and nothing around to help.
The static shifted, growing more and more clear as Izuku clawed his way up to the surface. Only when he'd made it far enough to where he couldn't see the seafloor did he stop. There was no way he could swim up all in one trip, he'd get the bends. He twisted around frantically, eyes narrowing as he scanned the waters for any sign of movement. Had he really lost her?
The radio clicked, he'd gotten a signal again.
Izuku nearly cried in relief, "Mr.Aizawa? Can you hear me? Please answer me. I'm really scared. I don't know where Tsu is." He suddenly felt like a first-year again, totally helpless. There was nothing he could do but wait, swimming back down would just bring him closer to danger, and swimming up could make his body shut down.
There was another click and then, "Calm down, you're safe now."
Izuku froze, nearly sinking right back down before he caught himself. That voice...that wasn't his teacher. But it did sound familiar, one he'd heard over national broadcasts. One he'd heard in nightmares.
A strong arm snaked around his midsection, taking him by surprise as it tugged him back.
Izuku immediately activated his quirk, letting one-for-all course through him as he kicked out at the force behind him. The arm dropped away as his foot landed against something solid. He shot back, turning to look at the attacker. In the open water, they didn't stand a chance against him, even if they did have a water-based quirk.
But there was nobody there.
It did nothing to ease his racing pulse. Confusion filled him. Had something gone wrong with his oxygen supply and now he was hallucinating? He circled around again but still- nothing. He couldn't risk it, if there was someone down here with him he needed to get out now.
Izuku kicked up, using his arms and legs to propel him towards the surface. He couldn't have gotten more than a couple of feet when a dark blur flashed in the corner of his vision. Spinning around again, he surveyed the area again. Again...nothing.
Hesitantly he slowed. "M-Mr.Aizawa? Are you there?" He asked, voice shaking. He was beginning to question his own judgment. How long had it been since they'd come down here? Their teacher should have come looking for them by now.
The radio clicked at the same time another figure blurred in his peripheral. Izuku yelped, folding in on himself just before the thing could grab hold of him. This had to be a quirk...or a hallucination. Either way, there was no way somebody could be sneaking up on him like this. He was close enough to the surface, he'd just have to risk it.
Izuku swam quickly, making a break for it.
Almost there. He could see where the water met air. Relief filled him at the thought of getting out of the water. Even if there were villains up there waiting for him he much rather fight them in a place that didn't require an oxygen tank.
Just another minute and he'd be there.
Fifty seconds.
Thirty.
Ten.
Izuku broke past the surface. The back of his mask snapped in half as he ripped it away from him. This was the last time he'd ever do shit that required a mask like that again. He let it and the oxygen tank sink down into the murky depths beneath. Good riddance. The salty air hitting his lungs was like a drug to him. He gasped, breathing hard as the fresh air hit him. He loved air so so much, air got MVP every time as far as he was concerned.
Once he'd collected himself enough to breath properly he squinted his eyes open. It was hard to see after being in the dark waters for so long, everything seemed much brighter than before. He hovered in the water, using one arm to keep him above the surface as he used the other to shield his face.
The boat! It was just a few feet away. The universe was finally on his side again. Once he was out of the water he'd be able to clear his mind enough to think about what he needed to do next. Hopefully whatever force had attacked...and the blood girl.... was waiting below to avoid the bends. The fact that he himself hadn't gotten it was honestly a miracle.
Izuku swam over and latched his arm around the side, pulling himself up and over in one big heave. He landed awkwardly on his back, knocking the air out of him and causing pain to shoot through his body. A groan escaped his lips as he flipped over to his side and began to cough.
What was that sound? It was like a steady chopping? Had water gotten lodged in his ears?
The coughing grew so violent he almost didn't notice the hand on his back, rubbing slow soothing circles.
Izuku's eyes widened.
He shot up, ignoring the pain as he frantically turned to see what had been touching him. There was a man standing calmly, adoring what appeared to be a freshly pressed suit. Maybe he really was hallucinating because that made the least amount of sense out of everything. Who wore a suit on a boat besides politicians and Frasier Crane?
"Easy," the man instructed, voice just as calm as the rest of him. He held out a hand as if Izuku was a dog about to dart away. Maybe that wasn't the right analogy, a dog held too much power. The only thing he felt like right now was prey.
His eyes focused on what lay beyond the man. Mr.Aizawa was behind him, body turned away and seemingly unconscious. The only indicator Izuku had that he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his shoulders. His gaze flitted back to the man, traveling up until he got to his face. Then to what was above them. He'd found the source of the sound, a helicopter hovered over the boat and he could place his bets on who was waiting for him inside of it.
Izuku needed to do something...needed to move. They needed help. But he could barely breathe let alone move. Pure terror filtered through him. Blood rushed in his ears, nearly deafening. He could try and run and get help but then he'd be leaving his teacher here unprotected and Tsu was still missing. But he couldn't fight against the man. He'd known that as soon as he'd seen the mask.
All For One.
"Izuku I need you to calm down. Everything is alright now," All For One soothed, taking a step closer. His arm was no longer outstretched but that didn't make him look any less intimidating. He practically radiated power.
Izuku immediately took a step back and raised his fists in a clear warning. He might not be able to win but he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.
All For One's head tilted to the side as if amused at the gesture. His body was relaxed, hands hanging limply at his sides. He didn't even perceive Izuku as a threat. This was bad. This was really bad. Had he figured out Izuku was the holder of one-for-all?
He glanced back at his teacher but the man was still out cold. He was out of options.
"Before you do anything you'd regret-"
Izuku didn't let him finish that sentence. He made a mad dash to the side of the boat- once he was in the water he'd use his quirk and swim to shore. He didn't exactly know where the shore was but he'd take the odds of being lost at sea to fighting All For One any day. He leaped out, going airborne for a split second.
He didn't get far.
He was grabbed from behind and somehow gently yanked back. Even with the quirk activated it did nothing. He kicked out and squirmed but there was no way out of the hold. Izuku was lifted off his feet as if he weighed nothing - less than nothing.
There was nothing he could do. All For One had an arm wrapped securely around him, plastering him to the villain's side.
"You don't know who you're up against!" Izuku tried to warn but it came out as more of a plea. "Put me down!"
He yelled frantically. Twisting as much as he could to see Mr.Aizawa.
His teacher had finally started to wake up. He raised his head- unfocused eyes turned in their general direction. Head injury most likely.
"Kid-" He slurred, voice gruff.
That just made Izuku struggle harder. He hit All For One's chest. "Let go of me you stupid excuse for a villain."
The villain just laughed. He grabbed a hanging rope Izuku hadn't even noticed, clipping the end to his belt. "I know exactly who I am up against. Do you think I would be here if I did not?"
Izuku felt like passing out when he realized what was happening, nearly dizzy at the realization. The rope was growing taunt, they were being pulled up until the helicopter. He was being kidnapped...or killed...or tortured for information. Whatever it was he knew it wasn't good.
"No!" Izuku yelled, straining to get back to Mr.Aizawa. His teacher had forced himself to a stand, hands reaching out for Izuku with a terrified expression that must have mirrored his own. But it was too late, they were already in the air.
The hold around him tightened, but not to the point of hurting or even as a warning. It almost felt like the man was trying to comfort him. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack, take some deep breaths," he chided.
Shock and disgust came in equal waves, burning in his chest. "Give me a-are you kidding? I swear if you don't let me go right now I'll...I'll." What would he do? his quirk didn't even work against the dude. He was screwed.
They were suddenly in the helicopter and Izuku really shouldn't be there. He felt sick, really sick. A wave of dizziness washed over him, stronger than anything he'd seen out in the ocean. It was like the entire aircraft had turned sideways. All For One set Izuku on his feet, probably sensing he wasn't going anywhere soon...except maybe to the land of the unconscious. He didn't know if it was from the sudden altitude change or the shock of what was happening to him. All he knew was he was definitely not going to be staying upright.
Izuku's knees buckled.
All For One caught him before he could hit the floor, hand under each of his arms as he easily scooped him up and placed him in a soft leather chair. Someone else was in here, someone was flying the helicopter. But the villain was crouched down and taking up his entire line of vision before he could even think to check.
Something sharp pricked his skin. Izuku opened his mouth to argue or maybe try insulting the man again but he was cut off.
"Shh, it is okay. I just do not want you to hurt yourself by trying to use your quirk right now," All For One hushed him, running an all too gentle hand through his hair. Hatred filled him at the touch.
His tongue felt heavy as he heard himself ask, "W-what's going on?" His voice felt far away like he was underwater. Actually, everything was heavy, his arms, his legs, his head. There must have been a sedative in whatever he'd been injected with. The helicopter hummed and he could feel them going higher in the air. It was dark on the inside but looked expensive, everything was either made of metal or leather. Except for the little flash of gold in the corner.
AFO was painted in bright gold letters. He groaned and sank further down in the seat, suddenly the ocean was looking pretty darn good.
Mistaking his movement for pain All For One leaned closer to him, a large hand brushing over his face. "Are you hurt?" He asked, head tilting again.
"Fuck off," Izuku managed to get out, straining to get away from him. His body no longer wanted to corporate with him and there was nothing he could do as the villain began to check him for injuries, lifting his arms and carefully inspecting his neck. Confused, Izuku's eyes darted around. What was he doing? Why did he care if he was hurt?
Once he seemed certain Izuku was relatively fine he sat back, balancing on the balls of his feet. "It's been so long. You've grown up quite a bit since I've seen you up close."
Izuku's mind raced, even as the edges of his vision started to grow dark. He could barely feel the rest of his body, everything suddenly felt very detached. If he really was hurt that had been long since forgotten about.
All For One slowly raised his hands to the mask, fingers slipping around the edges of it. In a careful motion, he pulled it away and set it on the seat beside Izuku. For the first time, Izuku saw his face- his real face.
His stomach dropped.
The hand was back, gently cupping his cheek. "Time to bring you home my son."