My Dear Father

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/31905724.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M, M/M
Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero
Academia
Relationship: Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo |
Hawks, Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori | All Might
Character: Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Class 1-B (My Hero Academia),
Todoroki Shouto, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Todoroki Fuyumi, Todoroki
Rei, Todoroki Natsuo, Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Inko, Bakugou Katsuki,
Bakugou Mitsuki, Bakugou Masaru, Hatsume Mei, Dabi | Todoroki
Touya, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Sensei | All For One, Toga
Himiko, Kurogiri (My Hero Academia), Original Characters, David
Shield, Tsukauchi Naomasa, Maijima Higari | Power Loader, Takami
Keigo | Hawks, Sako Atsuhiro | Mr. Compress, Bubaigawara Jin |
Twice, Iguchi Shuuichi | Spinner, Hikiishi Kenji | Magne, Uraraka
Ochako, Iida Tenya, Kaminari Denki, Yaoyorozu Momo, Kirishima
Eijirou, Tokoyami Fumikage, Shinsou Hitoshi, Garaki Kyuudai | Ujiko
Daruma
Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Non-Canonical Character Death, Villain Midoriya Izuku,
Villain Todoroki Shouto, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting,
Todoroki Enji | Endeavor Being An Asshole, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A
Lot, Bakugo Katsuki is terrible, Revenge, Daddy Issues, Everyone has
daddy issues, How Do I Tag, Other Additional Tags to Be Added,
Mineta Minoru is Expelled from U.A. High School, Shinsou Hitoshi is in
Class 1-A, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku,
Weapons, sai - Freeform, Rope Dart, Knives, child Izuku Midoriya,
Angst, Fluff, Chaotic Hatsume Mei, Invention Obsessed Hatsume Mei,
Torture, Childhood Trauma, Bullying, Violence, Blood and Violence,
Bakugo Katsuki is the worst human alive, Katsuki Hate, Everyone Is
Unhinged, Murder, Kidnapping, Crazy Toga Himiko, Toga Himiko is a
Good Friend, Compress and Kurogiri are BFFS, Hawks in love, Dabi in
love, Shigaraki Tomura's true love is video games, Tomura is a little
shit, Tomura is a good brother, Shouto is completely whipped, Todoroki
Shouto Loves Midoriya Izuku
Collections: My Favorite My Hero Fics
Stats: Published: 2021-06-12 Completed: 2021-07-21 Chapters: 28/28 Words:
84805

My Dear Father
by sterling_sloane

Summary

Izuku saw many things in the offer presented with that hand but most of all he saw an
escape, anything had to be better than the hell that he faced at his new home and school.
 “Ok… “ Izuku muttered softly as he took his hand and allowed himself to be raised up from
the bench. “Uncle…?” He questioned.

“Shigaraki. Let’s go home, Izuku.” Izuku allowed himself to be led to a waiting car as he
looked back on the ashes of his old life disappearing in the rear view mirror.

COMPLETED

(I do not own right to MHA or any of these characters)

Notes

Hey everyone! Buckle up, this is going to be a long one. This story came to me in a dream
and now I can't help but get it out in the universe.

TRIGGER WARNING:
bullying and graphic description of death

See the end of the work for more notes

 Uncle?

Izuku Midoriya had a best friend who would always be there for him.

Izuku Midoriya had a mother who loved him fiercely.

Izuku Midoriya had a happy life.

Until he did not.

-----------

On a bright sunny Saturday afternoon little Izuku Midoriya tugged his mother hurriedly down the
sidewalk to the Bakugo home. They had just received the call that his best friend Kacchan had
manifested his quirk a few weeks after his fourth birthday and Izuku was not going to waste
another moment not seeing it first hand. As they arrived Izuku reached out and knocked rapidly on
the door until he heard quick, heavy steps running towards the door. It flung open to reveal a fierce
looking blonde child, just a hair taller than Izuku with crimson red eyes burning with excitement.

“Kacchan! Kacchan! What’s your quirk?! I wanna see!” Izuku squealed. A smirk crossed
Kacchan’s lips as he pulled Izuku further into the house.

“Oi, don’t break the door, nerd. My quirk is awesome! Just watch!.” Kacchan let go of Izuku’s
hand and held his own palm up between them. His small eyebrows furrowed together in
concentration and suddenly there was a loud series of pops and tiny explosions danced across the
boy’s hand. Izuku stared in awe.

“Do it again! Do it again!” Izuku chanted while jumping up and down, which was rewarded by
more pops and a small lightshow. “Kacchan, that is the coolest quirk ever! You are going to be
such a strong hero!” He squealed.

“Hell yeah I am! My quirk is the best! Now you just have to get yours. It won’t be as cool as mine
but since you will be my partner I guess it won’t matter.”
 Izuku nodded furiously in agreement and chirped back. “I promise I will be just as strong as you
are Kacchan!”

Kacchan tsked lightly. “You better! I can’t have my partner slacking off. Let’s go to the park and
see how big I can make the explosions!” Izuku squealed in excitement and ran to the kitchen to
gain permission. In no time the boys were happily making their way to the park to experiment with
Kacchan’s new quirk.

------------

Izuku’s fifth birthday was on a Wednesday. He went to kindergarten that morning over the moon.
Today was the day he found out what his quirk was. Him and Kacchan had been guessing forever
what it would be, but today he was going to the quirk doctor. Today he would know for sure. He
nearly shot out the door when the cranky office lady came to collect him early from class to deliver
him to his waiting mother. Hand in hand they made their way to the doctor’s office. Izuku felt like
he was going to die of excitement on the bus ride over. His legs bounced rapidly as he spouted off
the different quirk possibilities that he and Kacchan had come up with. His mother nodded along
happily as she patiently listened. When they arrived at their station, Izuku dragged her off the bus
and towards the hospital.

They entered the large automatic doors and checked in with a nice woman at the front desk who
was completely purple head to toe. Izuku wondered what her quirk could be that would result in
having purple skin and hair but he was quickly pulled out of his wondering as they were escorted to
an exam room. Another nice girl, this one free of mutations, flitted busily around Izuku. Putting a
cuff around his arm that squeezed him like a tight hug, taking some pictures of his feet, and finally
drawing some blood. Izuku hated that part the most but he put on a brave smile because his mom
had brought his favorite All Might toy and there was no way he was going to let All Might see him
cry.

“Wow you are such a trooper!” The nurse commented.

“I have to keep smiling just like All Might!” Izuku replied happily. “I want to be a hero just like
him so I have to start practicing!”

“I bet you will be the best hero ever!” The nurse winked. “I am just going to go bring this stuff to
the doctor and he will be in in a moment.”

As she exited the room Izuku started to get nervous. He took a deep breath and held tightly onto
All Might as he tried to copy his signature smile. His mother smiled at him warmly and cupped his
small cheek in her palm.

“Izuku, no matter what your quirk is, you are the most amazing boy ever. You know that right? I
love you baby.”

Izuku beamed up at her. “Don’t worry mom! I know I am going to have a quirk just as amazing as
Kacchan’s!” She smiled brightly at the excitement in his eyes but he could also see a bit of anxiety
flash across her face.

A lot of time passed and Izuku felt his nerves change to annoyance. He just wanted the doctor to
come tell him what quirk he had. Would it be something showy like Kacchan’s? Something super
strong like All Might? A stronger version of the telekinesis his mom had? He was pulled out of his
thoughts by a small knock on the door as the doctor let himself in. Izuku sat up straight as a rod as
the doctor took his seat.

Izuku remembered a few things from the next few moments.

He remembered the doctor had eyes that shined oddly under the fluorescent lights.

He remembered his mom starting to cry.

He remembered the picture of his toe hanging limply over the light box on the wall.

He remembered the word Quirkless.

He doesn’t remember anything else.

When they got home from the hospital Izuku clutched All Might close to his chest as he made his
way to the home computer to pull up his favorite All Might video. He could hear his mom on the
phone with someone. Probably Auntie Mitsuki but he ignored it. He watched the video over and
over. He felt the tears burning down his cheeks.

He didn’t have a quirk. Replay.

He didn’t have a quirk. Replay.

He didn’t have a quirk. Replay.

His knuckles were white over his All Might figure when his mom entered the room. He turned to
her and tearfully asked. “I can still be a hero, right mom?” His mother simply began a stream of
apologies as she held him tightly. The moment was broken by a knock at the front door. Izuku
noticed his mother had left but his eyes remained glued to the screen and his body was frozen.
Suddenly Kacchan was directly in his face.

“My mom says you don’t have a quirk.” Kacchan stated dryly. Izuku couldn’t bring himself to
speak, instead he nodded simply, tears still streaming nonstop down his freckled cheeks. Kacchan
took a step back and eyed him up and down. “We can’t be partners if you don’t have a quirk.
You’re useless.” Kacchan turned coldly and Izuku felt his body leave the chair as he reached
towards his friend.

“K-Kacchan, don’t say that...I’m sorry...I’ll find a way to be strong...I’ll still be a hero. P-please.”
Izuku squeezed the words out through fat tears. Katsuki froze at the door, still facing away.

“Whatever…. You’re just a useless Deku.” and slammed the door in his face.

------------

Izuku sat at the back of his third grade class quietly. Or as quietly as he possibly could, he never
seemed to be able to stop the constant stream of muttering that spilled from him. He worked on a
drawing of the voice hero Present Mic as he waited for class to end and pondered about the inner
workings of the voice regulator he used as his support item. He jumped out of his daydreaming as
the last bell of the day rang shrilly. He quickly stuffed his books into his bag and made a beeline to
the door until his teacher called him back. He was on clean up duty with one of Kacchan’s lackeys.
Great. He sighed to himself as he deposited his bag back on his desk and went to retrieve the
cleaning supplies from the closet. The teacher exited the room and must have recalled the other kid
because shortly after a chubby kid with red leathery wings appeared at the door, sour face
lightening at the sight of Izuku.

“Hey, Katsuki,” He shouted behind him. “Wanna help me get out of cleaning?” He smirked as he
stepped out of the way allowing a blonde eight year old access to the room.
“Oi, Deku. Clean this shit by yourself. We are going to the arcade.” Katsuki barked at him and
turned to leave. Izuku, apparently possessed by some other worldly being with no concept of self
preservation, challenged back.

“That’s not fair. It’s Tsubasa’s turn to clean too.” He quickly returned to his normal state of mind
and oh no, he had a sinking feeling that cleaning by himself would have been the much better
option.

Katsuki turned slowly, hands smoking as he sneered. “What did you say?” He stalked towards him,
hands popping. “I think you need a reminder of your place, shitty Deku.”

Six new purpling bruises, a palm size third degree burn on the left side of his neck, a clean
classroom and an hour later Izuku finally left the school grounds. His feet shuffled softly as he
made his way down the street. How was he going to explain this away?

He couldn’t let his mom know, let her worry, let it wreck her relationship with her best and only
friend. She worked so hard to make a good life for them. He could put up with it, he just had to
hide it. He groaned as he turned the last corner and looked up to see his apartment. The light was
off in the window which meant his mom had not come home yet. He sighed in relief, at least he
had a bit of time to patch himself up before his mom came back. Izuku reached his apartment door
and slid the key into the lock but the door began to push inward before he had the chance to turn it.
As the door swung open Izuku froze.

The apartment was trashed, odd items flung everywhere, dishes broken and shattered on the floor,
the couch tipped over haphazardly. Izuku’s eyes quickly settled into the center of the chaos. His
mom. He didn’t even register his own movement until he was kneeling next to her side. Her eyes
were wide, terrified, and lifeless. Her body was littered with wounds, each one slowly seeping
more blood into the growing pool she lay in. Izuku picked up her head and laid it in his lap, feeling
warm blood seep into his pants. He lightly pushed her eyelids closed, placed his palms on her cold
cheeks and broke.

-------

Izuku didn’t remember much of the aftermath. Apparently a neighbor heard him screaming and
called 911. Someone in a uniform dragged him out of the apartment and to an ambulance. After
being checked over Auntie Mitsuki came to collect him, apparently she was his designated
guardian until his father could be contacted, but since he was in America they were having
difficulty finding him. The police caught the man who did it the same day, apparently it was a
robbery gone wrong. The man quickly admitted to everything and shortly after committed suicide
in the holding cell. Izuku didn’t want to know the details. He just wanted to be alone. He managed
to avoid Kacchan, which was easy since he hadn’t left the Bakugo’s guest room until today. The
day of the funeral.

Izuku was attempting to fix his tie when the guest room door busted open as Kacchan strutted into
the room in his pitch black suit, “Oi, Deku, the hag told me to come get you.”

Izuku nodded in acknowledgment, eyes still trained on the floor.

“Ugh, your so fucking pathetic.” Kacchan spat. “Maybe if you weren’t such a quirkless loser then
Auntie would still be here.”

Izuku froze, feeling a strange mix of hot anger and overwhelming guilt churned in his stomach,
making him want to throw up. “How could you say that Kacchan?” he choked, out meeting his
angry crimson eyes.

Kacchan strode across the room and grabbed Izuku by the collar, pulling him close so that he could
feel Kacchan’s hot breath huffing on his face. “Because it is fucking true. If you had a quirk you
could have done something. Even if you had gotten there in time you just would have been killed
too.” Kacchan smirked slightly like he just thought of some sick joke. “I guess that beating you got
saved your ass, I should’ve just let you go home and rid this world of someone who is always
going to have to rely on others to fuckin’ save him.” Kacchan dropped his shirt and stepped back
towards the door. “Now let’s fucking go. The least you can do is grovel at her grave for being
useless.” He slammed the door behind him and the slam shocked fresh tears from Izuku’s eyes.
Izuku’s legs gave out as he fell to the floor. Was it true? If he had a quirk then Kacchan wouldn’t
have targeted him and he would have been home in time to stop it. Was it his fault his mom was
gone and Kacchan hated him? In fear of Kacchan coming back again, Izuku forced himself to
stand, straightened his suit and left the room.

Auntie Mitsuki gestured Izuku towards her. “Izuku, I know this is going to be hard but don’t worry.
Uncle Masaru and I are here for you and so is the brat.” Izuku simply nodded numbly in response.
Mitsuki shot Masaru a worried look as they headed out the door. Kacchan blazed ahead, putting as
much distance between them as possible and Izuku, completely willing to allow the distance, hung
behind the group.

The funeral was a blur of black clothing and softly muttered apologies. Eventually the feeling of
mourning and guilt became too much. He politely excused himself from the small room and exited
the building. He felt the cool breeze hit his face, making the tears dry tightly on his face. He found
his way to a small wrought iron bench and sagged, head plopping softly in his hands as the tears
began streaming again. He didn’t know how long he sat there crying until he felt someone sit on
the bench next to him and lay a strong hand on his back. Izuku looked up in surprise and saw a tall
man, with snow white hair and bright red eyes invading his space.
“I am so sorry Izuku.” The man offered. Izuku sat up, causing the man to retreat back to his side of
the bench.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know you. Did you know my mom?” Izuku questioned, attempting to wipe his
tears and snot away on his sleeve.

“In a way I did. More so I know your father.” the stranger supplied as he produced a handkerchief
from his jacket pocket and offered it to Izuku.

“My… father?”

“Yes.”

Izuku straightened up stiffly in surprise.

“Do you know where he is? Is he coming to get me?”

The man looked slightly disappointed as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

“Izuku, did your mother ever tell you what happened to your father?”

Izuku shook his head and replied. “No, she just said that he was in America for work, but no one
has been able to contact him. He needs to come get me.”

The man hummed thoughtfully. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this but I feel as though I
should. Your father is my little brother. He and your mother separated before he knew you existed.
Your mother finally told him about you and the fact that you were quirkless and he informed her
that he did not want you.”

Izuku felt a stab in his heart as fresh tears filled his eyes. Another person who doesn’t want me
because I am quirkless.
"I don’t know where your father is at the moment, but I can assure you that he is in Japan and well
aware of the situation. I did not find any of this out until recently. I knew that I had to make amends
for my brother's mistake. So I came to make you an offer.”

Izuku’s head was reeling with the new intake of information. His entire life crumbled around him
and his final chance of escaping Kacchan had run away from him because he was quirkless.

“Are you happy with your new guardians, Izuku?”

Izuku froze, unable to answer. He knew Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru loved him. But, he
didn’t know how long it would take for Kacchan to realize that Izuku could never escape him, not
at home or at school. His stomach started to churn at the idea of a life of no reprieve, no safe
places…

“Izuku, I want you to come live with me. I am your Uncle after all. I know we just met, but I have a
beautiful house in the countryside. Two more wonderful sons who I have taken in just like you. I
can give you a new life away from all of this if you will only come with me.” His Uncle stretched
his hand towards him in a welcoming gesture.

Izuku saw many things in the offer presented with that hand but most of all he saw an escape,
anything had to be better than the hell that he faced at his new home and school.

“Ok… “ Izuku muttered softly as he took his hand and allowed himself to be raised up from the
bench. “Uncle…?” He questioned.

“Shigaraki. Let’s go home, Izuku.” Izuku allowed himself to be led to a waiting car as he looked
back on the ashes of his old life disappearing in the rear view mirror.
 Brothers
Chapter Notes

TW: Mentions of childhood abuse and near death scenarios

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku slowly wretched his eyes open, eyelashes crusted shut with dried tears. He was unsure of
when he fell asleep but it took him a moment to gain his bearings. He was in the backseat of a car.
His hand spread over the cool smooth leather of the seat next to him and his eyes slowly took in the
subtly luxurious interior of the car. He saw the back of a white headed man in the front seat, oh
yeah, his uncle. Oh wait.

Suddenly every lesson that his mom had taught about stranger danger hit him like a ton of bricks
and he realized that in his haste for escape he got into a literal strangers car and agreed to go and
live with him. His hand tightly wrapped around the door handle as he looked frantically at the
quickly passing scenery, his head going a million miles an hour.

What have I done? Oh my gosh what if I am being kidnapped? What if this guy just made all that
up? How do I escape? I don’t even know where we are? How do I even....

Izuku’s stream of consciousness was suddenly interrupted by a low chuckle. He snapped his head
towards the man driving, his so-called Uncle. “Don’t worry Izuku, I am not kidnapping you. You
may return to the Bakugo’s anytime you would like.”

Izuku felt his face burn, he didn’t realize that he had been mumbling out loud. “I’m sorry Uncle, I
didn’t mean-”

“It’s ok, to be honest I was a little worried when you came with me with no questions but I did not
want to push it. We are almost to your new home and I can explain more when we get there.”
Uncle Shigaraki assured him.

Izuku felt some of his anxiety leave him as they passed a sign for Nakoshibahikari. He at least had
heard of the place he would be staying. Nakoshibahikari was a small town about 3 hours south of
Musutafu, tucked into the base of a large mountain, where a lot of rich people had their vacation
homes due to its quaint nature and beautiful ocean front. Izuku had never been there himself but
almost everyone had heard of the town that most simply referred to as Nako. Izuku gazed out the
window as he watched more buildings come into view, a cute little downtown sprung to life in
front of him. Small restaurants, bakeries, and quaint shops sped by his window. The sea sparkling
in the background. It truly was a beautiful town, soon enough the shops faded behind them and
they turned onto a small road leading up the mountain. The car slowed to a stop as they reached an
impressive looking gate. The attendant must have recognized the car on sight because he
immediately opened the gate and bowed profusely towards them as they passed. After a few
switchbacks the house finally came into sight. It was a beautiful home, Izuku thought it looked like
a small castle out of an Edo period drama. The grounds were perfectly manicured and the
surrounding mountain and trees gave it the feeling of being cozy and secluded. He couldn’t
imagine he was actually going to live in a place like this. The car slowed to a halt in front of the
house and Izuku tentatively pushed the door open. He stood up and stretched slightly, the fresh
ocean air felt refreshing on his face. He jolted slightly when another car door slammed shut. Uncle
Shigaraki beckoned Izuku to follow him and he fell in line behind him.

“This home is my oasis.” The white haired man began as they removed their shoes and entered
through the sliding door. “Only a handful of very close people know of it’s existence and they all
live here with us. I’m sure you have a lot of questions though so first let us sit and talk.” They
seemed to have stepped right into a side room in the house. There is a low table and cushions on
the floor which is covered in tatami mats. The room was decorated minimally with intricately
designed ranma near the ceiling and a few beautifully painted scrolls. Izuku took the seat across
from his Uncle and sat gingerly on the ornate cushion. A woman in a pale blue dress and white
apron entered and set tea down on the table before them. Keeping her head bowed the entire time.
Izuku could sense the anxiety rolling off her which in turn made him stiffen slightly. She clearly
was intimidated by the man before him.“So Izuku, we may speak freely now. I know you must be
overwhelmed. What would you like to ask?”

Izuku fidgeted slightly. He had so many questions but was unsure where to begin. “Um..” he
started hesitantly. “I am really grateful for you taking me in but I’m sure Aunti Mitsuki and Uncle
Masaru will be worried about where I am. I really should have told them I was leaving.”

His Uncle waved him off. “Don’t worry, I will send someone to answer all their questions.”

“Ok, Thank you. Uncle.” Izuku replied, airing on the side of politeness.

The man sighed. “Hm, I don’t quite enjoy that title. I hope to fill more of a role in your life than
merely a guardian. Why don’t you call me Sensei, that is what the other boys call me.” Izuku
nodded in agreement.

“Sensei, why did you take me in? I know you said that my father is your brother but that really
doesn’t make me your responsibility.”

“Yes, you are right there. To be honest Izuku there are some things about your father that I do not
believe you are ready to hear yet but I promise to enlighten you in time. As for now, just know that
I intend to nurture you along with your brothers so that you can achieve everything you want in
your life. They will help guide you as well. So tell me Izuku, what do you want most in life?”
Sensei eyed Izuku expectantly.

Izuku frowned. He knew the answer well but he had never received a positive response. “Well, I
know it’s stupid but I… I want to be a hero.”

“Hmmm, why?”

“Because they are strong, and keep people safe, and protect everyone!” Izuku exclaimed proudly.
“B-but, I don’t have a quirk, so there is no way I can become a hero.” Izuku ducked his head, ready
for the apologies and all to familiar disappointment.

“Your quirklessness is not a problem. My younger brother was born quirkless.” Izuku’s head
snapped up, that was not what he expected to hear.

“I know you don’t have much reason to trust me Izuku but I will tell you a secret in exchange for
your trust. I have a very special quirk, I can give quirks to other people.” Izuku’s eyes went wide.

“W-what!? That’s impossible!” he squeaked, head reeling with the concept of potentially being
able to actually get a quirk.

“Not impossible, just unheard of, and I have taken great care to keep it that way. I used to think my
brother was weak because he didn’t have a quirk but he ended up taking the quirk I gave him and
making it immensely powerful. I learned then not to underestimate those without a quirk. If you
want, I can give you any quirk you want. You need only find someone with the quirk you desire.”
Sensei sipped his tea while Izuku put it together.

“You would have to take it from someone? I could never do that.” Izuku bridled, feeling nauseous
at the idea of stealing someone's identity.

“Ah, I see you have a strong sense of morality. No worries you needn’t take me up on the offer
now. I simply wanted you to know. I hope that one day your ambition will not be held back by
your morality, but I am a patient man. As you experience more of the world and your beloved
heroes you will realize the deficit in their morality. The only thing I ask in return is that you take
my name and become a true part of our family. As for now, I hope that knowing this secret will
help you feel more at home here.” Sensei smiled warmly at him but for the first time Izuku sensed
an undercurrent of insincerity. Wanting to shift topics, Izuku decided to move onto more practical
matters.

“Um, thank you for telling me Sensei, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“I know you won’t Izuku.” Sensei replied, sounding more like a subtle threat than the comfort he
was going for.

Izuku shifted on his cushion, “The other thing I wanted to say was, well, we kind of left the funeral
in a hurry and I didn’t bring anything with me…” Izuku trailed off, unsure of what he was wanting
to ask.

“Is there something that you require from your old life? I can replace most everything for you.”
Sensei offered, his tone patient and curious.

“Um, I have these notebooks. They aren’t anything special, just I like to watch heroes and analyze
them. Also most of my important merchandise was stolen but I have an old All Might figure that
my mom got me that I would like to keep. Other than that I guess just clothes and like my
toothbrush and…” Izuku started to ramble into a list of daily essentials when Sensei cut him off.

“I will send someone to fetch your notebooks and sentimental items. As for the rest, I already
should have everything in your room. I was unsure of the style of clothing you prefer so I will send
Kurogiri shopping for you later with your preferences.”

“Thank you Sensei.” Izuku felt relief flood through his veins. Sensei was right. Everything in life
was replaceable but his notebooks were something that he had poured so much of his life into.
Even though there were only five and he could potentially rewrite them, he would have been
heartbroken to lose them.

“Now that we have gotten the details out of the way, why don’t I introduce you to your new
brothers. I am sure that the three of you will get along wonderfully.” Sensei assured as he rose
from the floor. Izuku nodded and followed along. The exited the room through a different set of
sliding doors that led further into the interior of the house. It led to a walkway which wrapped
around a beautiful courtyard. Doors lining the outside while the tranquil garden lay in the center.
They moved swiftly down the walkway and turned one corner until they reached the door they
were setting out for. When Sensei slid open the door Izuku peered into the room. He saw two boys.
One looked to be about 18 with significant scarring on his face and exposed body. Despite that you
could tell that he was an attractive young man. His dark black hair and intense blue eyes were
intriguing. The other boy was a bit smaller. Most likely around late middle school with light blue-
grey hair and most shockingly severed hands grasping him from all angles. Izuku subconsciously
hid himself behind Sensei as he peered in on the boys who were deeply engaged in a heated game
of Super Smash Pros. The hand boy was playing Endeavor and the burned boy was playing All
Might. Eventually Endeavor was taken down with a Detroit Smash combo from All Might and the
hand boy threw down the controller.

“Damn it!” He cursed. “I was so close.”

“Haha, fuck Endeavor.” The burned boy teased back.

Sensei cleared his throat and the boys finally noticed the intrusion. “I would like you two to meet
Izuku Midoriya. I told him about you earlier.” Sensei pulled Izuku out gently from behind him.
“Izuku, this is Dabi and Tomura, I will leave you three to get to know each other.” Sensei stepped
backwards out of the door and before he shut it he turned to Dabi. “Please come see me after you
have settled Izuku in, I have a job for you to do.”

Dabi looked unsettled but simply replied, “Yes Sensei.” Sensei nodded and closed the door behind
him. Footsteps padding down the hall. Dabi stood up from the floor and walked over to Izuku,
bending down to meet him at his level. “Hey squirt. How old are you?”

“I’m eight.” Izuku squeaked out. Even though Dabi looked scary he had a comforting kind of
presence.

“Why are you wearing a suit? You look like you just came from a funeral.” sneered Tomura, eyes
trained on the screen. He had switched the game out to Angles of Death and was sorting through
the start screen.

“U-um, because I did.” Izuku felt tears start to swell in his eyes.

“What the hell Tomura?” Dabi shot back, Tomura simply shrugged but curled into himself looking
slightly uncomfortable.

“Once you get dressed in normal clothes you can come play a game with me if you want.” Tomura
supplied, Izuku realized that was his way of apologizing so he sniffled a bit, trying to hold the tears
back and said.

“That would be fun, thanks Tomura-san.” Tomura looked at him weirdly, sharp red eyes peeking
through the hand obscuring his face.

“I thought Sensei said we were going to be brothers. Just call me Tomu-nii I guess.” Izuku nodded
his head in agreement and Tomu-nii turned back to his game.

Dabi stood back up to full height and took Izuku’s hand. “You can call me Dabi-nii. What should
we call you?”

Izuku thought for a second. “I’m not sure. I have never had brothers before. You can call me
whatever you want.”

Dabi smiled down at him. “Ok Izu. Why don’t I go show you your room?”

Dabi led Izuku out of the gaming room and down two doors. “Ok, this is you. Between the gaming
room and your room is Tomu’s room and my room is on the other side. The door next to mine is
the bathroom, but I can give you a better tour later. Here we are.”

He slid the door open and Izuku walked in. The room was spacious. There was a tsuke shoin under
the wall with large windows covered in translucent paper. A futon rolled up and away in the
corner. One wall was lined with closets. Other than the necessities it was decently bare. Izuku felt
himself missing the small homey apartment he shared with his mother. Remembering the
personality that overwhelmed every spec of the loving space he shared with his mom in stark
contrast with the bare nature of this new room he started to cry. Dabi-nii pulled Izuku into a hug
which only caused the tears to fall faster.

“Hey, Izu. It’s ok. It’s been a big day hasn’t it? Let’s get you out of these clothes and ready for bed.
I’m sure sleeping will make you feel better.” Dabi suggested as Izuku nodded shakily into his shirt.
Izuku stood in the room awkwardly feeling dazed as the weight of the day crashed down upon him.
Dabi went to the first closet to fetch some pajamas. “Kurogiri got some stuff for you but we
weren’t sure what size you were. Sensei only told us how old you were and that you would be
coming in the next few days.” Dabi walked back towards Izuku, pajamas in hand and started
helping him out of his suit. As he unbuttoned his white shirt Izuku snapped back to the moment and
clutched his shirt closed but he could already tell he was too late. Dabi looked at him with a critical
eye and pulled his frozen fingers away. He pulled his shirt open to reveal a litany of scars and
burns, which made the bandage he had been sporting on his neck for the last week seem a lot more
suspicious. Dabi reached to pull the bandage away when Izuku clamped his hand down on it
firmly. “Izu, I assumed if Sensei brought you here then you probably were not in a good place.
What happened?”

Izuku shook his head, he couldn’t bear to go into details at that moment. Not when he had been
exposed so much already. Dabi nodded in understanding and his face changed to one of
determination. His eyes scanned Izuku’s body, picking out the worst of the burns. “You have been
treating these yourself haven’t you?” All he could do was nod. “I’m guessing that one on your neck
is the newest, let me see. I have medicine that is good for burns in my room.” Izuku slowly
loosened his grasp on his neck so that Dabi could pull it away. He peeled back the bandage and a
look of pure rage flitted across his face, quickly shoved down. He spun around and Izuku could
hear him bustling around in the room next store. He quickly returned with a small jar and a large
bandage. He carefully spread the balm on Izuku’s burn and Izuku melted into the relief. Then he
gingerly applied the new bandage and grabbed the pajamas which had been discarded on the floor.
Dabi then led Izuku to the bathroom where he pointed out his toiletries and shelf in the hidden
cabinet. He showed him how to fill the soaking tub and left him to take a bath.

Izuku sat in the tub. Methodically rubbing away the stress from the day with a wooden brush. He
was so overwhelmed he felt numb. His mind was racing a million miles a minute but he couldn’t
find a thread to hold onto long enough for any of it to make sense. All he knew was at least for now
he felt uneasy but safe, safer than he had been in a long time. Once he decided that his fingers were
shriveled enough he let the tub drain and climbed out. A towel was waiting for him over a heating
rack. He dried himself off and took a moment to bask in the warmth of the towel before he pulled
on his pajamas and returned to his room. He had the futon pulled out and nearly made when he
heard a soft knock on the door. Dabi pulled the door open without waiting for an answer. “Hey Izu,
did you have a nice bath?”

“Yeah, thanks so much Dabi-nii. You have been so nice to me since I came here. Thanks a lot.”
Izuku responded as he sat down onto the newly made futon. Dabi came to sit next to him, “No
problem Izu. To be honest you remind me of someone.”

“Who?” Izuku asked as Dabi lifted the blanket on the futon and beckoned Izuku to slip under the
covers.

“I had a family before I came here. I guess I technically still do, they aren’t actually dead or
anything but they think that I am.” Dabi began.

“Why? Why don’t you tell them you’re alive?” Izuku inquired.
“Well, Izu, my Father is the one who told them that I was dead.”

Izuku gasped softly. “So he knows you’re not?”

“No, he thinks I am dead too. He thinks that he killed me, he covered it up well. You see, my father
is Endeavor.” Dabi confessed.

“Wait, like the number two hero?!” Izuku sat up, shocked at the revelation.

“Yeah,” Dabi looked away solemnly. “ He paid off my mother’s family so he could marry her for
her ice quirk.”

“Isn’t that not allowed?” Izuku pipped up.

“The word is illegal and yes.” Dabi’s face soured into something scary. “I am the oldest and even
though I have a powerful quirk it is hard to control. I can create fire so hot that it turns blue but at
the same time it is so hot that I burn myself.” Dabi gestured to his marred face. “The old bastard
called it training but he would push me every day until I dropped, burned by my own flames day
after day. He said I was worthless because my quirk wasn’t perfect but he insisted on training me
because my younger brother and sister had weak quirks. Luckily they were just ignored. I never
left because I figured they would be safe if I was there to keep his attention. But then my youngest
brother was born. His name is Shouto. He is the same age as you. He was only three when his
quirk manifested. My father was out doing hero work when it happened. His left side burst into
flames and moments later his right hand was covered in ice.” Dabi chuckled at the memory. “It
scared the crap out of both of us. My mom was gone with my other siblings shopping and I was
alone with Shouto.” His face dropped. “I realized at that moment that this was what my dad had
been hoping for. Sweet little Shouto was going to have to go through everything I did. Probably
worse. I was only thirteen at the time but I didn’t know what else to do so I packed a bag and we
ran. We didn’t get far, not when Endeavor had the entire city after us. They picked us up quickly
and when he figured out why I had taken Shouto he brought me to a building for special training.
He made me use my quirk over and over until I was burnt beyond recognition and the building was
on fire. I begged him not to leave me but he just said if I was strong enough to get out of that
building he would consider letting me come home.” Izuku felt quiet tears run down his cheeks as
he listened to Dabi recount the horrors of his childhood. “Luckily Kurogiri found me and brought
me here. Sensei had the doctor take care of me and patch me up. Everyone already thought I was
dead so Sensei offered to let me stay. He took me under his wing and is training me to achieve the
thing I want most in this world.”

“What is that?” Izuku asked quietly.

“I’m going to kill Endeavor.” Dabi proclaimed intensely. “I’m sorry to dump all that on you but I
want you to know you're not alone. Sensei told me you want to be a hero, but I want you to think
about that. I spent my whole childhood around heroes and most of them are not what you think.”
Dabi gestured for Izuku to settle back down into the bed. “For now go to sleep, I know today has
been crazy. I will be gone for a couple days on a job for Sensei. You should try to get to know
Tomura. He is a little rough around the edges and cranky when he doesn’t get his way but he is a
good kid who’s just dealing with the hand he was given. Literally.” Dabi chuckled. “Good night
Izu.”

Izuku nodded and replied “Good night Dabi-nii”

When Dabi closed the door behind him Izuku rolled over onto his side. He had idolized Heroes his
whole life, but after hearing Dabi’s story about Endeavor, Izuku couldn’t help but feel that pedestal
he had held them up on since a child cracked. Because when Dabi said he was going to kill
 Endeavor, Izuku couldn’t find it inside himself to feel like he shouldn’t.

Chapter End Notes

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I still don't know how long this will be but I am
aiming for 2-3 chapters a week. Also the chance of updates going up exponentially
with comments. They make my whole life. I am still looking for a beta reader if
anyone is interested just let me know. Thanks all!
 Illusion
Chapter Summary

Izuku settles into the house and gets to know a new face. Some unsettling actions
behind the scenes are revealed

Chapter Notes

TW: Mentions of murder

Last section is Dabi's POV

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku awoke in the morning better rested than he had been in years. He wasn’t sure if it was the
extreme exhaustion, ridiculously comfortable futon, or the fact that for the first time in his life he
was looking forward to more than just a weekend away from Kacchan. Either way he felt relieved.
He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. Mom, I hope you don’t mind that I came here instead of the
Bakugos. I have a feeling it will be good for me. I just wish you could be here too. He thought. As
he sighed and sat up he heard a soft knock at the door. Izuku got up and walked over to the door,
sliding it open. He stepped back suddenly as he saw a man, maybe a man? More like a plume of
smoke in a suit. Standing in front of him. The smoke started speaking. “My sincerest apologies if I
startled you young master. I am Kurogiri. My job is to care for you and young Dabi and Tomura. I
was simply stopping by to see if you have anything you need that has not been provided. I know
you require more clothing so if you would like input into styling I can also take that into
consideration before I go. I also washed and pressed your suit for you.”

Izuku flushed as he realized that he hadn’t even looked in the closet or through the room in general.
“One second!” he replied as he grabbed the suit and started rummaging through the room. The
closet was sparse. Holding only a plain white t-shirt, dark jeans, a black zip up sweatshirt, and the
newly hung funeral suit. He hadn’t been kidding about the clothes. Next he moved to the built in
desk. In the drawer were a few pens and pencils as well as a pad of paper, the rest were empty.
Izuku couldn’t help but feel like he was in a luxurious hotel room rather than his new bedroom.
After taking stock of the limited items he turned to Kirogiri. “Um… If you could get me a few
notebooks that would be great, I really like writing. Maybe a couple more pens too, maybe a few
different colors. If that is too much that’s ok I can just use any color.” Izuku could tell by the house
that asking for colored pens most likely was not too much but he wasn’t sure how much to ask in
this situation. Kurogiri seemed to sense his discomfort.

“Young Master, I assure you that colored pens are not an excessive thing to ask for. Please be
forthcoming about anything you might need. Cost is not a factor.” Kurogiri comforted.
“Ok, um, yeah, some colored pens then and maybe some highlighters. Also is there a computer
here that I can use? I like to watch fights so that I can analyze heros.” Izuku said softly.

“Just the heroes?” Kurogiri questioned.

“Um, yes?” Izuku responded, slightly confused by the question.

“It might be prudent to analyze all sides of the fight. You never know what information will be
useful in the future and in this world information is power.” Izuku stood slack-jawed, wheels
turning. He never even thought to analyze the villains but Kurogiri had a point. “We do not have a
communal computer but getting you your own laptop shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh no! That is too much!” Izuku waved his arms frantically in denial.

“Trust me, it isn’t a problem. It will be much less of a hassle than having you bother others to use
thiers. Plus a laptop is not nearly as much as the many gaming systems that I have acquired for
Master Tomura.” Kurogiri sincerely offered. Izuku relaxed, he was happy. This was more than he
had ever hoped for.

“Ok, I think that is all the stuff I need… Oh wait! I need a new backpack for school and a new
uniform. I’ll also probably need some books and maybe a…”

“Don’t worry about that.” Kurogiri cut him off. “The schools around here are not suitable for your
education. Sensei will set an education plan for you as he has with the other boys and tutors will be
brought in if needed.”

“Really? He doesn’t need to do all that for me.” Izuku muttered, not that he really wanted to go
back to school but private tutors seemed a bit much.

“It’s nothing more than he does for the other boys. Now is that all? What about clothing
preferences?”

“Oh, um. I’m not sure. I wouldn’t say I have much of a style. Anything casual is fine. Maybe
green, I like hero merch too so anything hero themed especially All Might would be good.” Izuku
stumbled through his thoughts. “How about I come with you so I can just pick some stuff out.”
Izuku was more so offering because he had a feeling that Kurogiri didn’t understand the concept of
a clearance rack and would come back with a wardrobe worth more than his life.

“No, no. I can go myself. I believe I have gotten all the information I need, thank you. You have
had a very traumatic week. You should be more focused on settling in than shopping. Spend the
day exploring the house and spend some time with Master Tomura. He could use the company.”

“Ok, thank you.” Izuku knew a losing fight when he saw one. “I will just get dressed then and
explore a little.”

“Sounds wonderful, do you require directions to the kitchen?” Kurogiri asked.

“No, I’ll find it on my own but thanks.”

“Of course. Feel free to ask me for anything. I am always around.” with that he vanished. Izuku
blinked and did a double take. Looking into the hallway for a clue as to what just happened. He
must have some sort of teleportation quirk. He thought to himself. That is super useful. He stepped
back into the room and folded up his futon, putting back in the spot by the wall he had found it in.
Then he went to the bathroom, through his morning routine. Luckily his routine was to brush teeth
and splash water on his face, not much needed for that. He returned to his bedroom and pulled the
jeans, shirt, and zip up out of the closet. They were a bit big but still manageable, Izuku had always
been a small kid not just in height but scrawny as well so he was used to slightly baggy clothes.
Once he was dressed he slipped on some house slippers waiting by the door and ventured out into
the walkway. The house itself looked like a large square from the center, with rooms surrounding it
on all sides. The doors all looked identical and Izuku decided the best way to figure this all out was
a map. He retreated back into his room and grabbed a pencil and the notepad. He drew a quick
square and indicated the amount of doors around the outside. He marked his room, Tomura’s,
Dabi’s, the game room, and the bathroom. Then he reemerged. He walked down the walkway,
peeking into quiet unknown rooms. On his side of the garden, besides the rooms he knew, there
seemed to be a training room with cushion mats instead of tatami and some equipment in the
corner. There was also a room with desks and studying materials, which Izuku assumed was used
when the private tutors came. As he turned the corner to start on the next side he heard a door slide
open behind him. He turned to see Tomura exiting his bedroom. Izuku wondered idly how he slept
with hands all over him, or if he took them off.

“Do you even realize that you are mumbling god knows what while you're running around out
here?” Tomura sneered.

Izuku clasped a hand over his mouth self-consciously but then lowered it to reply. “Sorry Tomu-
nii. I didn’t realize I was talking out loud.”
Tomura gave him a suspicious glance from the side but then sighed and turned his head, itching at
his neck harshly. “Whatever, I was up anyway. Let’s go get breakfast.” He passed Izuku and
started down the walkway. Izuku followed closely. Once they were on the opposite side of the
garden Tomura slid open the center door. Behind it was a low table covered in different breakfast
foods. Rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, kobachi, and natto. Tomura flopped down next to the table
and started filling his bowl with ingredients. Izuku noticed he held his bowl carefully, as if to not
let all of his fingers touch at any one time. Tomura noticed him staring. “What the hell are you
staring at?” he challenged.

Izuku felt the blood rush to his cheeks as he sat down embarrassed. “Oh, nothing. Sorry.”

“It’s the hands isn’t it?”

“No, well I mean I did notice them but that’s not it.” Izuku replied as Tomura stopped grabbing
food and eyed him curiously. “I just noticed the way you were holding your cup. Does your quirk
have to do with touching something with all of your fingers?”

Tomura laughed. “Wow you are a perceptive little shit.” he went back to pulling food into his
bowl. “Why the fuck does Kurogiri keep trying to get me to eat natto? Gross. Anyways, if all five
fingers touch something it disintegrates.” He reached out to the bowl of natto and held it firmly
with all five fingers and Izuku watched in amazement as the bowl and contents wasted away to
nothing.

“Wow! That is amazing!” Izuku buzzed with excitement. “I have never heard of a quirk like that.
That is so interesting. Did you notice the natto disintegrated too? So does that mean that if
something is touching what you are disintegrating that will disintegrate too? Does it hurt when you
do that? Can you turn it off? What is the biggest thing you have tried to disintegrate? ” He stopped
suddenly as he noticed Tomura going quiet. “I’m sorry Tomu-nii, I get a little excited when I hear
about quirks.”

Tomura shook his head. “No, it's just… not the reaction I was expecting. As for your questions,
honestly I don’t remember half of them ‘cause you talk stupid fast but the biggest thing I have
disintegrated so far was my family.” Izuku choked on his grilled salmon, that was not the answer
he expected. “That’s where the hands came from. The doctor helped me preserve them so that they
are always with me. So I can remember.”

“Remeber what?” Izuku softly asked.

“What I am capable of.” He gestured towards the hand on his face. “One person can destroy your
life and all it takes is the others to not stand in the way. I hate them all.”

“Who?”

Tomura shrugged “Everyone, I don’t really know. Do you have anyone you hate?”

Izuku put down his chopsticks. Hate? Izuku had been scared of Kacchan, angry at his teachers for
ignoring it, disappointed in his classmates for not stepping in but hate? It seemed so extreme.

Tomura squinted his eyes at him, “What do you need? Permission? Sensei says hate is important.
If there’s someone you should hate then hate them.”

Izuku stared back at Tomura. Was he really waiting for permission this whole time. Wanting to
know if it was ok to hate the person who tormented him and the ones who ignored it.

“Yeah I guess I do.” Izuku confessed.

Tomura hummed as he shoveled food into his mouth. “Whatever, I guess you aren’t that bad. You
wanna play Super Smash Pros after this?” Izuku agreed and they finished the rest of their meal in
relative silence. After breakfast they returned to the gaming room and as Tomura loaded the same
and set up the controllers Izuku pulled his half finished map out of his back pocket. Tomura
noticed and snatched it with his pointer finger and thumb.“What’s this?”

“Oh, I just noticed that all the doors look the same and I was worried about going in somewhere I
am not supposed to so I thought I would make a map.” Izuku explained as he watched Tomura set
it back on the table. Tomura started pointing at doors.

“Don’t go in here unless you're called, that is Sensei’s room, really this whole side of the courtyard
you don’t need to bother with.” He instructed as he gestured to various rooms. Including the one he
was received in on the first day. “This is where we ate but the rest of the rooms on that side are for
the help. You won’t see them around much, they stay to themselves mostly and we just interact
through Kurogiri. This side is all training rooms. Dabi uses the room next to his for personal
training but normally we go here. You’ll figure that out tomorrow when you start.”

“Thanks Tomu-nii! That is really helpful. Seems like we have everything we need here.” Izuku
chirped happily. Tomura looked a little annoyed at the cheerful attitude but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, whatever, let’s play.”

Izuku learned a lot about Tomura through playing games. Firstly he was extremely competitive.
Secondly he always made Izuku use All Might which he began to think was mostly so that he could
beat up on All Might. Lastly he was a supremely sore loser when he lost. All in all though Izuku
didn’t mind him, he acted like a spoiled child and it reminded Izuku of Kacchan back before
everything went wrong, it was nostalgic in a way.

Eventually the boys parted ways and Izuku went back to his room. He sat at his desk and peered
over his hand made map, thinking about their conversation earlier. Hate. Did he really not hate
anyone or was he not strong enough to hate anyone? Dabi and Tomura hated so strongly and they
had the strength to back it up. Izuku realized that he had subconsciously thought that hate was a
luxury only afforded to the strong, because what is the point of hate if you can’t act on it? Izuku
wasn’t strong enough to hate and it had never crossed his mind before but he started to wish that he
was. He wanted to be able to hate Kacchan and do something about it, to hate Endeavor, to hate
those who hurt Tomu-nii. Izuku let his head rest on the table, mulling over his newfound
emotions.

He spun around when he felt a presence behind him. Kurogiri stood there, a pile of bags set neatly
around his feet. “I’m sorry Young Master, you were so deep in thought that you did not hear me
knock. I have returned with your requested items.” Izuku plastered on a grateful smile.

“Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, I will excuse myself and allow you to settle in more thoroughly. Master Dabi should be
back tonight with your personal belongings.” Kurogiri gave a small bow and disappeared in a cloud
of purple smoke. Izuku made a mental note to ask him about his quirk later.

Izuku reached out to grab the first bag. It contained 20 notebooks with pens and highlighters in
every color in the world. Izuku couldn’t help but giggle at the excessiveness. He quickly found
spaces for them and stored them in his desk. The next few bags confirmed Izuku’s earlier
suspicions. He pulled out and stored 6 bags of obscenely priced clothing. Everything was casual
but obviously well made. The thing that caught his eye though were the bright red sneakers that he
pulled out of the final box. They looked like an upgraded version of the ones he had always worn.
He smiled as he tucked them away onto the shelf. He wondered what possessed Kurogiri to buy
them, he didn’t remember mentioning anything about red or sneakers to him earlier. He shrugged
and moved onto the bag that he had saved for last. He slid a sleek box out of the bag and laid it on
his desk. He reverently unpackaged the laptop. He had never dreamed of having his own computer.
It was something far out of the price range of a single mother. He didn’t recognize the brand but it
was easy to set up and worked wonderfully. He automatically opened MeTube and pulled up his
favorite All Might video. That video had been a comfort to him throughout his life. A beacon of
hope. As he watched the video he doubted All Might would approve of him stealing someone’s
quirk but he figured that maybe Sensei could help him be a quirkless hero. After watching the
video a few times he pulled out a brand new notebook and a pen. He wrote out Hero Analysis for
the Future Vol 6 on the front and paused. He remembered what Dabi said about Endeavor, Tomura
about his past, and Kurogiri about ignoring villain quirks. He quickly scratched out Hero and
replaced it with Quirks. After all, if he had learned anything in the last few days it was that quirks
do not define you and heroes are not all good. The world became a little more gray than Izuku had
imagined in his black and white brain.

------------------------------

A few hours later Izuku had gotten caught up on all the battles in Musutafu since he left. He had a
good portion of the notebook already filled and he sat at his laptop staring at the screen. He
debated if he should email Auntie to tell her he was ok. Sensei said he would talk to her but it
would probably make her feel better to hear from him. He nodded resolutely and logged into his
email. However the internet cut out at that moment and Izuku cursed at technology. He shut the
laptop and got up to go to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As soon as he slid open the door Dabi
was standing there with notebooks in hand. Izuku lit up.

“Dabi-nii! My notebooks! Thanks so much!” Izuku happily scooped them out of his arms and
deposited them in the drawer he designated for finished notebooks.

“I hope you don’t mind, I took a look in some of those notebooks.” Izuku froze, blush rushing to
his face, even though those notebooks were his life line he had been teased relentlessly for them so
he was unprepared for what happened next. “You are really talented at quirk analysis. When you're
older I bet you’ll be able to pick apart anybody’s quirk.”

Izuku felt the tears swell up in his eyes. “Thanks Dabi-nii. You really think that?”

“Of course, squirt.” Dabi reached behind him to pull Izuku’s well loved All Might action figure out
of his back pocket and handed it to him. “Sensei said you wanted this as well.”

Izuku gingerly pulled it from his hands as the tears ran silently down his cheeks. “Thanks, this was
the first All Might merch my mom ever got me. He’s been with me through a lot.”

Dabi frowned slightly, he ruffled his hair and said. “All right I better get going, you get to bed.”
Izuku bid him goodnight and slid the door shut as Dabi continued down the walkway.
------------------------------------------------------------

As Dabi heard Izuku’s door slide he turned around. Instead of going to his room he continued
down the hall until he arrived at a familiar door. He slid open the door silently, knowing that he
was expected.

“Ah, Dabi. How did everything go?” Sensei asked without looking up from the papers he was
sifting through on his desk.

“Fine, nobody should question anything. Looks like he just ran away from the funeral and snuck
back into the house late that night. The body is burned beyond recognition but I made sure the
house looked like an accident.” Dabi sat on the cushion across from Sensei. “People need to be
more careful about where they throw their cigarette butts.”

“And the Bakugos?” Sensei looked up at him with questioning eyes.

“There was no exit. I made sure that little shit was gone though. I don’t know why you didn’t let
me just burn him down too though.” Dabi scoffed. “I saw the scars and burns, he fucking deserved
it.”

“I know he reminds you of your brother and you want to protect him but this is for the best.
Katsuki is an important tool for Izuku’s growth. He needs to take care of him on his own.”

“Yeah, I know. By the way, the computer and the All Might doll? What the hell? You should at
least keep him off the internet until this blows over.” Dabi challenged.

Sensei stared him down, suddenly emanating an immense sinister presence that made Dabi curl
into himself. “I am not weak like Endeavor to allow a child to rile me to violence but do not
question my decisions. I will allow you the freedom and opportunities to grow but you will not
question my directions.”

“Yes Sensei.” Dabi squeezed out. Sensei softened, disturbingly quick, putting Dabi even more on
edge.
 “As for the doll, the tighter Izuku holds onto Hero society, the more he will hate them when his
heroes inevitably crumble before him. Everything I do is for the growth and betterment of the three
of you. One day you three will destroy All Might, succeed me, and create a world of your
choosing. You know that Izuku can not be pushed. He must come to that realization on his own.
He must learn to hate strongly enough that his convictions will never falter, and that is not
something that we can falsify, it must come from within. Then the three of you will be able to
grow to unimaginable heights.” Sensei returned his gaze to the papers before him. “Kurogiri is
monitoring his internet usage to ensure he doesn’t stumble upon anything… troubling. We must
make sure to keep Izuku ignorant of our well-intentioned meddling. We are his home now. It is up
to you and Tomura to ensure that he chooses the path of strength as you both have.”

Dabi nodded, waiting anxiously for permission to leave.

“Remember, everything I do is for you, Tomura, and Izuku. You did a good job, you have always
been my most reliable child.” Sensei stated as he waved Dabi away.

Dabi stood and bowed deeply as he exited the room. Once on the walkway he let out the breath
that he had been holding for the entire second half of their conversation. Sensei had not done
anything to him like Endeavor. However, he was completely aware Sensei had the capacity to do
so much worse. Even more so now that he was old enough to start going on errands for the family
business. He shook his head, Sensei had done everything for him. He owed everything he was to
him. Now he was on his way to being capable of taking care of Tomura and Izuku, destroying
Endeavor and rescuing Shouto. No matter what the price, he would be willing to pay.

Chapter End Notes

Thanks for reading! I am having so much fun, this is literally consuming for life.
Another shameless plug for a beta reader!
Thanks to everyone who has been commenting and bookmarking and leaving kudos,
love you all!!!
 Americans Are Weird
Chapter Summary

Izuku has a nightmare which changes his outlook on certain things. He meets someone
knew who helps him further on his path.

Chapter Notes

TW: descriptions of death and childhood trauma

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku is sitting in the back of his middle school class staring at the clock. It ticks showing five
minutes left in class. Izuku shifts nervously in his seat, he feels like there is somewhere important
he needs to be. Something he needs to do. The clock winds down as his anxiety mounts until he flies
out of his seat at the sound of the bell. He needs to be home. Now. He is suddenly stopped by his
teacher who reminds him of cleaning duty. Is this what he was worried about forgetting? No, this
doesn’t seem important enough. What isn’t he remembering? He goes to collect cleaning supplies
from the closet when Tsubasa enters the room. He smirks and asks Katsuki to get him out of
cleaning. Izuku is frantic, he needs Tsubasa’s help to finish quickly so he can get to his
important… thing? Everything feels foggy but the blasts from Kacchan’s hands feel sharp and
intense. After the beating he grabs his bags. He doesn’t care anymore if he gets in trouble for
cleaning. He runs home down the familiar route. Once he is in sight of his apartment he sees the
light off in the window but the door is wide open. That’s not right. He sprints up the stairs to the
door and is hit with tunnel vision. The entire world is blacked out except his mom, bleeding, crying
out for him. “Izuku…”

He runs to her side. “Mom, I’m here. I’m sorry I should have come sooner. I’m sorry. I’m so
sorry.”

“It’s ok baby you couldn’t because you’re weak.” She struggles through a blood filled mouth.

“What?” Izuku softly mutters in disbelief.

“You didn’t protect me because you’re weak, you don’t have a quirk. It’s your fault.” she speaks
solemnly.
“It’s not my fault, i-it not!” Izuku screams back.

“Then who’s fault is-” he words are cut short by the sickly squelch of a knife burying itself in his
mom’s heart. Izuku snaps his head up towards the perpetrator and is met with blood red eyes, an
evil smirk and a shock of blonde hair.

“K-kacchan!?”

Izuku startled awake abruptly, sweat drenching his clothes and futon. His throat felt sore as if he
had been screaming. He realized that he must have been when Dabi came bursting through his
door. He noticed the tears streaming down his face when Dabi came to sit next to him on the floor.
He pulled him into a tight hug as he used one hand to gently card through his hair. With the
comforting touch Izuku’s silent tears grew loud and he sobbed uncontrollably into Dabi’s chest.
Eventually the sobs grew quieter as he calmed down. Still not a word was said between them until
Izuku pulled back from the embrace. “Sorry” he sniffled. “Just a bad dream.”

Dabi looked at him concernedly, “Sounded like a doozy from my room. Want to talk about it?”

Izuku looked away, unsure of how to answer.

“It’s ok. I promise one of these nights it is either going to be me or Tomu waking you up with
screaming. Talking about it will make you feel better and get you out of your head.” He
encouraged as he tapped lightly on Izuku’s temple.

“Did Sensei tell you why I am here?” Izuku questioned.

“Yes, Tomura doesn’t know the details but I do.”

Izuku nodded solemnly. “I just had a dream about that day. When my mom… you know… when I
found her.” He choked back the tears that were threatening to resurface. “I was too late and she told
me it was my fault, because I am weak and don’t have a quirk. I told her it wasn’t and she asked
me whose fault it was, and then.” he trailed off. Dabi reached out and took his hand squeezing it
tightly. “I saw Kacchan stab her.” He looked up into Dabi’s blue eyes. “Am I a horrible person for
blaming Kacchan? I know he didn’t have anything to do with it but if he hadn’t held me up that day
or if I had been strong enough to fight back maybe I would have made it on time. Maybe I could
have stopped it.” Izuku felt the previously held tears stream freely down his face. Dabi pulled him
back into another hug as his hands continued to travel through his messy green curls.
“Izu, it’s not your fault and blaming Katsuki doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you smart.”
Dabi comforted him.

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked quietly.

“You are smart because you realized where the blame lies. Katsuki deserves blame for a lot of
things and what happened to your mom definitely falls under that umbrella. Just because he wasn’t
the one holding the knife, doesn’t forgive the fact that he’s the reason she was alone. He’s also the
reason you are weak. He put you down all those years, you had to focus on surviving when you
could have focused on becoming strong. He did give you a valuable gift though.” Dabi pushed
Izuku back to look him in the eyes. “He gave you anger, hate. Hold onto that. Use it to make you
strong. Use it to destroy him.”

Izuku frowned, unsure what to think about what Dabi had said, “How could I ever be that strong?”

“I know Sensei has offered you a quirk but I know you aren’t sure about it. You are already the
smartest kid I know and I can help make you physically strong. Those two things alone will put
you miles ahead of even most of the pro heroes I know.” This time it was Izuku that pulled close to
Dabi. He sobbed, no one had ever believed in him like that. No one had ever told him that he could
be strong.

“Dabi-nii, can you stay here tonight?”

“Sure squirt, scoot over.” Dabi replied as he snuggled in under the blankets and held Izuku tight.
Izuku shut his eyes and snuggled close to Dabi. He thought about how lucky he was to have made
it to this place as he drifted off to an undisturbed slumber.

--------------

Izuku felt someone gently shake his shoulder and he blinked his eyes open. Dabi was sitting there,
black hair jutting out in a crazy way from sleep. Izuku was sure that he didn’t look much better.

“Good morning Izu. Today is your first real day here. Kurogiri told you we don’t go to school so
we have a kind of alternative education. Why don’t you get washed up and I will bring you over to
Sensei so he can give you the rundown?” Dabi stood up and pulled Izuku with him. Izuku followed
as Dabi escorted him to the bathroom and then returned to his own room. Izuku brushed his teeth
and splashed some water on his face. He used a little more water to attempt to tame his hair but as
usual it didn’t work well. He returned to his room and pulled out a nice pair joggers and a green
pullover. When he reemerged from his room Dabi was waiting for him.

“All ready?” He asked, Izuku nodded sleepily and followed to the other side of the building. Once
they had arrived at the middle door of the hallway Dabi stopped. “Here we are, just head on in, he
is waiting for you. See you at training later squirt.” He mussed his hair, ruining any vain effort
Izuku had attempted earlier, and strode back down the walkway. Izuku smiled back at him as he
left. Then he turned toward the door and knocked.

“You may come in.” Sensei called from behind the sliding doors. Izuku did as instructed and
entered the room. It was equally as traditional as the rest of the house but this room was filled with
built in storage. The shelves were filled with books, albums, and papers. Each obviously in
meticulous order. The low desk in the middle of the room was covered in papers and Sensei sat at
the other side, smiling at him warmly. Izuku took a seat on the cushion across from him. “So,
Izuku, how have you enjoyed being here so far?” he inquired.

“It has been great. I get along well with Dabi-nii and Tomu-nii and Kurogiri too. Everyone has
been so nice. This house is so beautiful too, and thank you for everything. All the stuff you had
Kurogiri get for me is awesome. Thank you so much.” Izuku professed.

“That makes me so happy to hear Izuku, you are such a good child. The reason I wanted to bring
you here was to talk about your education while you are here. I believe that the public school
system is sorely lacking and with you and your brother’s pasts it makes more sense for you to have
a little less peer interaction.” Sensei stated. Izuku couldn’t help but agree. He had been bullied for
being quirkless but he couldn’t imagine how it would be when you are covered in burns, or hands.
“That being said, I do believe education is valuable. So two days a week you will meet with tutors
to cover your traditional education. The other three days you will train in various aspects to
optimize yourself. Normally part of that would be quirk training but since you are yet undecided I
would like to see what you would like to learn.”

Izuku thought back to his conversation with Dabi the night before, “I want to be strong,
physically.”

“Alright then combat and strength training.” Sensei affirmed.

“Also, I want to learn how to use weapons since I don’t have a quirk.”

Sensei smiled and nodded encouragingly, “That can be arranged.”

“Um, also Kurogiri said something to me the other day. He said that information is power, I’ve
been thinking, and maybe I would like to learn some computer skills too.” Izuku started to doubt
the amount he was asking for, he didn’t want to push for too much.

“It seems like you have been thinking about this quite a bit, Izuku.” Sensei prodded.

“It’s just that Dabi said something about the fact that he thinks I can be strong and I had never
really realised that was an option for me.” Izuku confessed.

“I’m so happy that he has been such a good influence for you. Sounds like you are good at taking
advice from others. You are a very bright boy. I am very pleased with you. Everything I do is to
help my children become strong. I will arrange it all, don’t worry. I told you when I took you in
that I would help you achieve your goals. Is there a specific goal you have in mind?”

Izuku flinched, an image of Kacchan broken and bruised laying at his feet flashed across his mind
but bubbling guilt pushed it away. Izuku could tell that Sensei sensed his hesitation. “Not yet
really. I just want to be ready when I find one.”

“Don’t worry, as time grows so will your convictions. For now, become stronger. That hate inside
you will propel you to incredible heights if you allow it.” Sensei shuffled the papers in front of him
in a neat stack. “For today, why don’t you join Dabi and Tomura in their combat training. Kurogiri
will escort you there.”

Izuku stood from this cushion and bowed deeply. “Thank you so much Sensei. For everything. I
promise I will work hard.”

“I don’t doubt you will my child.” Sensei assured him as he exited the room. Kurogiri stood in the
walkway. Apparently waiting for their meeting to end.

“Young Master, I will escort you to the training room that Master Tomura and Master Dabi are
using.”

“Thanks!” Izuku beamed, he was excited at the prospect of not only getting stronger but learning
something new. Izuku had always loved learning, in any of its many forms. After a short walk they
entered a new room. This one looked more like three or four rooms combined. There was exercise
equipment and weights in the corner. Along one side was a line of dummies in various materials.
The center of the room was empty except for a large mat, currently occupied by Tomura and Dabi.
They were sparring and Izuku realized they must be practicing without quirks because Tomura was
sporting three wrapped fingers on each hand to keep his quirk under wraps. The match didn’t last
long as Dabi threw Tomura to the mat, clearly more skilled at hand to hand. Tomura punched the
mat and complained loudly. “What the hell! This is stupid. Why do I need to practice fighting
without my quirk? This is dumb.”

“Stop whining.” Dabi scolded as he offered a hand which was promptly ignored. “You can’t just
rely on your quirk. You need to be able to at least get close enough to use it.” Dabi turned to Izuku.
“Hey Izu, you joining us today?”

Izuku nodded. “I want to get strong! Just like you said.” Izuku puffed his chest with determination
and Dabi smiled wider than he had seen before.

“I’m glad, come over here and we will get you started. Tomu, since you’re being whiney, go
practice with your quirk.” Tomura sulked off to a door opposite the one Izuku entered and slipped
outside. Izuku could see large stones standing in the yard and he assumed they wouldn’t be there
when he returned. “He’s working on the speed of his disintegration. So what did you want to work
on?”

Izuku hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not really sure exactly. I just know I want to be strong. Learn
how to fight and stuff like that. I also told Sensei that I want to find a weapon I can use since I still
don’t have a quirk.”

“That is a great idea, I’m sure Sensei will get someone to help with weapons. Today we will just
start with some basics and strength training.” Dabi stated as he started Izuku on some stretches.

“I kind of thought there was going to be a trainer today too.” Izuku questioned as he reached down
in a feeble attempt to reach his toes.

“Endeavor was a bastard and what he called training was really just beating the crap out of a child,
but I did learn a lot about hand to hand and strength training. If the day comes that you can beat me
then I will ask Sensei to get you a better teacher.” Dabi teased. The idea of even being able to last
.01 seconds against Dabi seemed impossible but he wanted to get there.

Dabi ended up walking Izuku through a weight routine before showing him some basics of hand to
hand, different forms, stances, how to fall correctly, and how to cover his vital areas before he
called it a day. Izuku felt spent but happy. It was a good distraction from the craziness that had
been the last week.
--------------------------------------------------

The days slipped into an easy routine filled with classes, sparring, and hanging out with Tomura
and Dabi. The boys grew close quickly and even Tomura, with his prickly demeanor seemed to
warm up to him. About two weeks passed when Izuku entered the sparring room and to his surprise
there was a woman standing in the middle of the mat, with a black bag at her feet, that he did not
recognize. She seemed a little older than Dabi and was tall and slim with blonde hair that was tied
into a braid down her back. Her blue eyes assessed him as he made his way onto the mat. “Hey
Izuku, my name is Asuna Kato but you can call me Asuna.”

Izuku bowed deeply “Nice to meet you A-asuna-san.” he tripped her name, feeling too awkward to
lose the honorific.”

“Ah, you Japanese are so polite, it makes me feel weird.” She pouted as she sat down on the mat
and pulled the bag between them. Izuku followed suit, sitting across from her.

“Aren’t you Japanese?” Izuku prodded.

“I mean, technically yeah but I was raised mostly in America. I only came back to Japan because
my dad owes your Sensei a favor. That’s ok though! He pays super well and I haven’t been in
Japan since I could walk so this will be fun!” She beamed at him as she unzipped the bag. “So I
hear you want to learn about weapons, that is my specialty! Anything in particular that you have
been thinking about?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t have a quirk so I figured weapons would be
a good thing to learn.” Izuku explained.

“Hmmm, ok let’s narrow things down. What are your hobbies?”

“Hobbies?”

“Yeah, probably not the question you were expecting but I have found that an effective weapon is
an extension of your personality. You need to love the weapon you are working with in order to
master it. Usually I can find a hint of what will mesh with someone by their hobbies.” Asuna
cheerily explained as she pulled out a short rod of metal from the bag.
“I really only have one hobby, I analyze people’s quirks. I write it all down in my notebooks but I
don’t think that is super helpful.” Izuku said self consciously.

“That is perfect! What I gathered from that is you are smart and good at finding weak spots. You
will probably want something with versatility so you can adapt your fighting style on the fly. You
are also pretty small, well I guess you are young so you could still grow, but I am partial to the fast
and sneaky approach rather than raging head on so that’s what we are going to do. Now grab this
rod.” Asuna instructed as she passed him the small rod. He wrapped his fingers around it and she
grabbed the top of the rod with two fingers. The metal began to heat up and vibrate oddly, it began
to move in his hands as it warped into a small knife. “You should be competent in knives just for
the versatility factor, they are easy to find, can be used at close range as well as long range if you
throw them and they don’t leave any unique marks.”

“That is such an amazing quirk!” Izuku stared amazed at the perfectly formed blade in his hand,
melded to his palm as if it had been born there. “Does it only work on metal? How much metal can
you manipulate? Can you make things other than weapons?”

“Haha hold on there little dude. It’s pretty cool but pretty limited. It only works on pure tungsten
which can get kind of spendy and I can’t manipulate anything much bigger than a long sword. I can
make pretty much anything I want though but I mostly stick to weapons. It’s more useful for
myself because I just carry around a rod like that and I can change weapons as needed. Geez you
weren’t joking about the quirk analysis.” She tapped him on the shoulder playfully. “Back to
business though. Knives are great and all but they don’t have much flare, having a signature
weapon or two is the best.” She pulled out slightly bigger rods and held them out to Izuku. Once
again she grasped the top of each rod as she transformed them into two perfectly symmetrical short
swords with strange looking handles. Izuku stared at them puzzled.

“What are these?” Izuku questioned.

“What! Haven’t you ever watched Ninja Turtles? Raphael? Gah what a sad childhood.” Asuna let
out an exaggerated gasp. “Those are called Sai. They are a super versatile weapon but not super
commonly used. They are a good defense against a variety of weapons and small enough to be used
for stealth.”

Izuku grasped the handle and did some experimental slashes. They did feel good.

“I have one last thing I want you to try. It’s a favorite of mine for long distance but it’s not
commonly used because it is really difficult to master, you are a smart kid though so I bet you’ll be
able to get it down.”
Izuku expected another rod but instead she pulled out a long cable with a diamond shaped dart at
the end. Tied to the dart was a black flag. “This one is mine but if you like it then I will get one for
you too. It is called a rope dart. When used correctly it is great for stealth and long range. Once
mastered you’ll be able to shoot it with your feet, arms, knees, or elbows. Plus it looks super cool!”
She handed it over to Izuku who added it to the growing weapons pile on his lap. “Ok get up and
come over here.” She popped up and walked to the edge of the mat. Izuku followed her awkwardly,
holding the pile of sharp, deadly weapons. “Okey dokey, set those down here nice and pretty.”

Izuku followed her instructions and laid the weapons out carefully one by one.

“Think fast!” Izuku barely had time to turn towards the noise when he was hit in the head by a
wooden knife. He felt the sharp pain snap vibrate through his skull as he subconsciously bent to
the floor to retrieve the knife.

“Ow, what was that for?”

“Hurt didn’t it?” She asked smugly from the center of the mat.

“Yeah.” He hissed as he rubbed his throbbing scalp.

“Are you dead?”

“What? No?” Izuku was thoroughly confused at that point.

“Good and you won’t be because I am not letting you touch those pretty little things again until I
can’t touch you with that wooden knife.”

“Why did you make them for me then?”

“To keep a fire lit under your butt. You are going to get sick of that wooden knife faster than it will
be time to move on and those will keep you motivated.” She grinned mischievously. “Now let’s get
started.
 Izuku thought that sparring was rough but weapons training was no joke. By the end of their
session he was exhausted and he had a whole new array of bruises. He lay on the mat breathing
heavily.

“Not bad, your assignment for tonight is to bring those weapons back to your room. Make a nice
spot for them. Start learning some respect for them. Name them if you want. Next time I come we
are going to make some sheaths and holders. Once those are made I want them on you at all times.
They should become a part of your body. You aren’t to use them until I give you the go ahead
though, sounds good?”

Izuku pushed himself up off the mat to a standing position and bowed, wincing at the movement.
“Thank you Asuna-san, I promise to work hard.”

She threw an arm around his neck and used the other hand to roughly tousled his hair. “God, you
sound older than I am, chill out. No more san and no more bowing. We are going to work hard
together so none of that formality crap. I’ll see you in two days!” Izuku stood there, dazed,
Americans are so weird. He thought to himself.

Chapter End Notes

Ok so I had absolutely no plans to add OC's when I started this but I couldn't find
anyone cannon who worked well for this situation. She will be around for a little bit
but I don't know how long I plan to keep her. Once again thanks for reading and
commenting and all that jazz. I've been working at a bit of a ridiculous pace so Ill let
you all know if I plan on slowing down. For now though, I am addicted to writing so
that bodes well for all of you.

Still looking for a beta reader!

 Nighttime Beach Buddies
Chapter Summary

Izuku makes a new friend and learns a big secret.

Chapter Notes

TW: Mentions of violence, descriptions of wounds, mentions of childhood abuse.

You guys I don't think there will ever be a chapter without trigger warnings so just
keep that in mind.

This chapter is a bit longer than the others but It's got a ton of important stuff. Things
are about to get a lot crazier after this.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The next time Izuku saw Asuna-san was two days later. Instead of meeting her in the training room
she had ambushed him outside his bedroom when he came out for the day.

“Hey there bud! We are going to do a little crafting today. Are you ready?” She chirped as Izuku
jumped out of his skin. He had not expected anyone to be laying in wait outside his bedroom. He
calmed himself before responding.

“Can I eat breakfast and brush my teeth first?”

“Sure thing bud, I'm just going to set up in the courtyard, it’s too nice to be inside. See you in a
sec!” she responded as she turned around and walked happily into the courtyard. Izuku sighed, that
woman had too much energy for this early in the morning. He went about with his morning
routine, returned to his room to retrieve his weapons and met her in the middle of the courtyard.
She had a low table set up with a large rubberish mat laid out on top of it. To the side were large
pieces of leather and other tools.

“Okey dokey, today we are going to make some homes for your new friends. You could go out and
buy some but I think this is a good way to bond.” She began as she pulled out the materials and
tools they needed from the pile beside her. Izuku listened intently to the instructions as they started
on creating patterns for his various weapons. They quickly lapsed into a rhythm, it wasn’t hard
work, just tedious to do well.
“So Asuna-san.” Izuku started but received an overemphasised glare that reminded him of his slip.
“Sorry, Asuna, did you teach people about weapons back in America?”

“Nope! I have never taught anyone before.” She responded cheerily as she reviewed Izuku’s
patterns.

“Really? Why are you here then?” Izuku prodded.

“Well, even though I have never taught anyone before I won’t deny that I know what I am doing. I
have been around weapons my whole life. I think I made my first knife when I was four, got my
first job when I was 10.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “These are good. You can start cutting them
out of the leather”

“What kind of job?” Izuku asked as he received the patterns back from her.

“Hah, I thought you were a smart kid. You don’t get as good at using these things as I am if you
are only fighting dummies.” She chuckled. “And you don’t learn these kinds of skills if you aren’t
planning on using them.”

“Do you mean you’ve hurt people?”

“Of course, it’s an unavoidable part of the job.” She folded her hands under her chin as she tilted
her head curiously.

“Don’t you feel guilty?” Izuku whispered.

“No, and you shouldn’t if you know how to set boundaries. Most people I come across in my job
deserve what is coming to them. If I can make a buck assisting karma then I am not going to lose
sleep over it. I have rules though. I vet my marks before taking a job and no kids. As long as I stick
to those rules I’m good.” Asuna frowned slightly. “It is a slippery slope but if you lay down rules
at the beginning you can save yourself a world of hurt.”

Izuku looked down at the weapons beside him and bit his lip.
“Izuku, the bigger you get the more you will realize that the world is not black and white. There is
a whole lot of gray. There are people who deserve to die and there are more of them than you
would think.”

“I don’t think I ever could.” Izuku quietly confessed.

“Believe me you can. If it is between them or you or someone you love then you won’t hesitate.
After that it gets easier. Make sure your first is someone you won’t regret.”

Izuku just nodded, thinking seriously about everything she had said. They spent the rest of the
morning working on their project. Cutting, punching holes, glueing, and sewing until three sheaths
with straps attached sat in front of him and Izuku felt proud. Asuna clapped and pulled him up to
his feet.

“Good job Izuku! Those look great for your first time and they should work well. Let’s get them
on.” The sheath for the knife had a singular strap that wrapped around his upper thigh tightly, once
it was adjusted he slid the knife into its new home. The sai sheaths were a bit more complicated,
Asuna helped him strap them to his back, buckling around his shoulders. Once the sais were in
place he felt awkward. He couldn’t slouch at all and the grips extended awkwardly past his head.

Asuna-san noticed his uncomfortable shifting, “Don’t worry bud, you’ll get used to it, that is the
whole point. Plus the bigger you get the less awkward it will feel. You’ve got a lot of growing to
do. Now let’s go practice moving around with all that strapped on.”

They ventured over to the training room and spent the next hour relearning everything from the
previous lesson, but now with his weapons attached. It made maneuvering significantly harder but
as Asuna-san said constantly, ‘Practice makes perfect!’ Towards the end of the lesson she got a
stern talking to about the danger of sharpened blades before she allowed him to try throwing the
rope dart a few times. She was right, it was hard but when he watched her do it he was filled with
awe, he desperately wanted to learn.

By the time he was excused he felt ready to pass out. He returned to his room and plopped down in
front of his desk. He wanted to remove all the weapons but Asuna-san had made him promise that
he would only take them off to sleep and even then they had to be right next to him. He groaned
and shifted awkwardly, grabbing a new notebook out of his desk drawer.

Make sure your first is someone you won’t regret.

He did not write anything on the cover but he opened up to the first page and scrawled ‘Katsuki
Bakugo’ across the top of it. Underneath he began to write. Every strength, weakness,
idiosyncrasy, everything he knew about Katsuki Bakugo, anything that could help him destroy
him.

Kill him.

Izuku stared at the five full pages of notes when he was finished and felt joy. He expected to feel
guilty or angry or even sad. However, looking down at these notes, knowing that the only thing
standing between him and vengeance was physical strength. Something that he now knew was
attainable, he laughed. It bubbled up out of him involuntarily. He had put up with so much for so
long and now he had people who believed in him, people who could help him get revenge. For the
first time he saw a future where he could be strong enough to hate. To do something about it, and it
felt good.

-------------------------------------

The next few months passed quickly as spring melted into summer. Izuku made strides in his
training and he enjoyed every aspect of it. Asuna still had him on wooden weapons but he didn’t
mind too much. It got to the point where he barely noticed the weapons that adorned his body and
Asuna had deigned to add a few more knives. One to his ankle and one to his empty thigh. He
enjoyed sparring with Dabi and playing video games with Tomura even though he never won. His
more formal educational tutors were nicer than any teacher he had had in his life and he turned out
to be very gifted at programming and hacking. He loved the way it pushed his brain and he had
always been good at details. He met with Sensei weekly to go over his progress and he was always
encouraging. He was just starting but for the first time ever he saw himself on a path to becoming
someone he wanted to be instead of surviving the way he was.

One evening he was working on homework in his room when Dabi slid the door open. There
wasn’t much privacy between the boys. At this point they treated each other's rooms as their own.
“Hey Izu, I’ve got something to ask you.” Dabi asked nervously. It was a weird emotion to see on
the older boy's face, one Izuku didn’t think he had ever seen it.

“Sure, what do you need, Dabi-nii?” Izuku asked curiously.

“Well, you know this town is like a posh vacation spot for rich people to come in the summer
right?”
Izuku nodded his head, it was the only thing he knew about the town since he hadn’t actually been
to it. They had been too busy training to ever leave and if they needed anything Kurogiri was
always there to get it for them. He had tried to bug the other boys to go on a beach trip or
something but the other two preferred to stay at the house since they drew too much attention.
Izuku didn’t mind, he would rather be with his brothers than alone at the beach.

“Well that bastard is one of them.”

Oh, Endeavor, Izuku wasn’t sure he knew where this was going.

“He comes here every year for this week with Shouto for ‘intensive training.’” Dabi spat, he
looked angry now.

“I go out to see him from afar, he likes to sneak out at night and sit on the beach, but I can’t talk to
him. I can’t let him know I’m alive, not yet.”

Not until he is able to kill Endeavor is what he meant. Izuku could read between the lines.

“It’s just that he looks so lonely.” Dabi’s hand curled tightly by his sides and looked to the side, “I
just thought maybe you would be able to talk to him, maybe be his friend just while he is here. So
he has one.”

“Of course, he’s going to come live with us someday right? Why not be friends now?” Izuku
responded happily, trying to assure Dabi that this was not too much to ask.

“Thanks so much squirt, I already asked Sensei if I could bring you this time. I’ll come get you in a
couple hours. Try to get some sleep before so you aren’t dead in the morning.” Dabi smiled
warmly as he left his room. Izuku shut his laptop and scurried into bed, laying his weapons next to
his head, still in his clothes. He figured there was no point in actually getting ready for bed if he
would just be up in a few hours anyway and closed his eyes. He drifted to sleep, calling upon the
new found skill of instantaneous sleep from so much training.

It seemed like only seconds had passed when Dabi was shaking him awake. Izuku’s eyes flew
open, he hadn’t been sleeping deeply since he knew it was only for a short while. He went to get
his weapons out of habit when Dabi stopped him. “I know you haven’t been out of the house in a
while, Izu but taking a midnight beach stroll fully armed doesn’t look super friendly.”
Izuku set the weapons back down sheepishly. “Oh yeah, habit.”

“Ok, let’s go.” Dabi gestured to Izuku to follow him and he did after grabbing his still unused red
sneakers from his closet. Dabi chuckled at the sight of them. “Did Kurogiri get those for you?”

“Yeah” Izuku whispered.

“Tomura must have told him to. He loves red sneakers.” Dabi smiled fondly.

“I used to wear them all the time,” Izuku responded. “I was wondering how Kurogiri knew to get
them.”

“Now you can match, adorable.” Dabi teased softly. “Must be his weird way of bonding.”

The conversation ended when they walked out of the room and saw Kurogiri waiting for them in
the courtyard. They stopped at the stairs to pull their shoes on and approached.

“Were you able to get some sleep before this Master Izuku?” Kurogiri inquired. “I told Master
Dabi that I would not approve of this if it affected your studies.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!” Izuku replied, honestly he was excited. He wanted to meet Shouto, but
he was nervous too. Dabi had told him what he had been through and he hoped that he was still the
Shouto that Dabi remembered.

“All right let us depart.” Kurogiri stated as purple smoke enveloped them. The next thing Izuku
knew he was dropped unceremoniously on the hard ground. He recovered quickly and looked
around. He was in a forest but he could hear the ocean close by. Kurogiri informed them he would
return in a few hours and the boys thanked him as he disappeared. Dabi beckoned Izuku to follow
him as they made their way through the trees towards the rushing sound of the ocean. Once the
beach came into sight Dabi slowed. He moved carefully to a position obscured by a large tree at
the beach’s edge. Sure enough from that vantage point you could clearly see a young boy about
Izuku’s age sitting a distance down the beach. He gave Dabi a thumbs up as he emerged from
behind the tree and walked out onto the beach. It felt a little strange to be somewhere so open. He
had only been in the house for over a month but with the open air courtyard it never felt
suffocating. He had forgotten how refreshing openness felt. He tilted his head to look at the bright
starry sky as he trudged through the sand, trying to make it look more like a coincidence that he
happened upon the other boy here. Once he got close enough he trained his eyes on Shouto, no
point in pretending like he didn’t notice him now. He had bright white hair and sharp features.
Izuku thought that he had never seen someone so beautiful. He wondered if this is what Dabi
looked like before the burns. Shouto turned slowly to look at Izuku once he got into close enough
range that it was obvious he wasn’t going to just walk by. It was then that he realized that his hair
was actually half bright red as well and under that red hair was an angry burn painted across his
eye. It reminded Izuku of Dabi and made him smile slightly.

“Hi.” Izuku said, unsure of what else to say. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. He knew who
Shouto was but to Shouto he was a total stranger.

“This is a private beach.” Shouto said back coolly.

“Sorry I must have gotten turned around.” Izuku tried to cover himself but Shouto saw through it.
Mercifully he didn’t comment further. “So, I saw you sitting here and you look about my age so I
thought I would say hi, can I sit?”

Shouto simply turned his head back to the ocean which Izuku determined to be a yes as he plopped
down in the sand next to him. “My name’s Izuku, what’s yours?”

“Shouto.” he responded, eyes still facing forward.

“Do you live here?” Izuku prodded carefully.

“No, I only come once a year to visit. This is my Father’s vacation home.”

“Wouldn’t that make it yours too?”

Shouto looked back at him with an unreadable expression. “No. I don’t consider anything of his to
be mine.”

Izuku put his hands up placatingly. “Ok, do you like coming here? Is it fun?”

“No.”
“That’s too bad.” Izuku was running out of things to ask. “So if you're here for a week do you want
to be friends?”

“No, I don’t have time for friends.”

Ouch, this wasn’t going well.

“You have time right now!” Izuku pointed out cheerfully, attempting to lift the mood. “Come on, I
can’t get out much in the day either so we can be nighttime beach buddies!”

“Nighttime beach buddies?” Shouto asked, slightly arching an eyebrow in surprise. It was the most
emotion Izuku had dragged out of him so he went for it.

“Yeah! I have an idea, let’s make a sand castle!” Izuku turned and started pulling the sand between
them into a mound. Shouto simply stared at him dumbly. “What’s wrong?”

“What is a sandcastle?”

Izuku’s jaw dropped. “Uh, it's a castle, made out of sand? Like everyone makes these when they’re
little and at the beach.” Shouto made no show of realization so Izuku continued. “Come on. I will
teach you. It is easier if you have a bucket and a shovel but we can just use our hands.” He pulled
the sand up in exaggerated motions until Shouto followed his lead. In no time at all they had a
large, misshapen pile of sand. “Ok, now we need a stick or a leaf or something.”

“Why?” Shouto inquired.

“For the flag!” Izuku looked around and instead his hand came across a skinny flat rock. “This will
work!” He shoved the rock vertically into the top of the castle and beamed proudly. Shouto looked
a few times between the sand castle and Izuku before speaking.

“That looks nothing like a castle.”

Izuku laughed happily. “Yeah it’s really bad isn’t it?” he saw the sides of Shouto’s lips curl up
slightly before dropping back into his neutral state. “We aren’t done though, now we need a moat.
Start digging a well around the castle.”

The boys worked until there was a well about 5 inches deep around the entire pile of sand.

“Are you ready?” Izuku asked excitedly.

“For what?” Shouto asked.

Izuku popped up and put his hand into the moat and the closest point to the water and dragged
backwards, waddling awkwardly as he made a path from the castle to the ocean. He ran back
towards Shouto and dropped his hand into the bottom of the moat. “Ok, quick, put your hand in it!”
Shouto did as Izuku instructed and when the tide came rushing back the trail caught it and
suddenly water rushed around the castle, pouring over their hand cooly and becoming trapped in
the hastily made moat. Shouto made a noise that sounded like a soft chuckle, Izuku snapped his
head in his direction and saw him smiling softly at his hand covered in water and sand.

“Do you like it?” Izuku met Shouto’s eyes, for the first time realizing that like his hair, his eyes
also were made of two different colors.

“Yeah, it’s fun.” Shouto admitted quietly, smile still lingering. “Will you come back tomorrow
night?”

“Of course! We are night time beach buddies!” Izuku responded enthusiastically.

Shouto removed his hand from the water and stood, Izuku followed suit. Now both standing for the
first time, Izuku also realized that Shouto was a full head taller than him as well. “I need to get
back now, Goodnight Izuku.”

“Goodnight, Shouto.” Izuku chirped back as he watched Shouto turn towards the house that
loomed over the beach. Izuku himself walked back to the forest. It wasn’t long until he was back to
the tree where Dabi was stationed and when they returned to the place they had been dropped they
found Kurogiri already there waiting.

Izuku had good dreams for the first time in a very long time that night. Dreams of sandcastles and
red and white hair. Small smiles and laughter. Izuku was happy that Dabi asked him that favor.
-----------------------------------------------------------

He had been meeting Shouto at the beach at night for three days when Izuku noticed something
concerning. It was summer time and even in the evening it was hot and muggy but Shouto was
always wearing long sleeve turtlenecks.

“Aren’t you hot?” Izuku asked as he packed a bucket full of sand. After the first night Kurogiri had
gotten him a couple buckets and shovels to bring to their beach outings.

“Yes.” Shouto replied plainly.

“Why don’t you wear a t-shirt then?” Izuku prodded, he wasn’t stupid, he knew about what went
on in Shouto’s house. He could guess why, he used to do the same thing, but he also wanted him to
open up to him so he played dumb.

“You don’t want to see what is underneath.”

Izuku stopped building and crawled over to where Shouto was packing his bucket. He pointed to
the burn on his own neck. “Look.” He put his arms out and twisted them in the moonlight, burns
and scars pale under the moonlight. “There are more where that came from, if you feel more
comfortable hot than showing me than I won’t bug you, but you don’t need to worry about me
seeing things like that. I won’t judge you or pry.”

Shouto looked over his various burns and scars solemnly. “Was it your father?”

“No, it was someone who was supposed to be my friend. My dad abandoned me when he found out
I was quirkless, but I have a new family now and they protect me.”

“Do you hate them?” Shouto’s eyes burned into Izuku’s.

“Yes.”
“Even though you're somewhere else now?”

“It doesn’t erase what they did.” Izuku said plainly. “Someday I will make them pay.”

“Sometimes I want to kill my father.” Shouto confessed quietly.

“Then do it.” Izuku said plainly.

Shouto looked shocked. “What?”

Izuku grabbed Shouto’s hand. “Get strong and do it. I will help you. Use that hate to get out of
your situation and make sure he can never put you in it again.”

“What if I am never strong enough?” Shouto whispered and Izuku could swear he heard him
slightly choking up.

“You don’t need to do it alone. You might have more friends than you think. For now just survive
and get strong. You need to come back so we can make more sandcastles.” Izuku smiled gently at
Shouto, trying to encourage his friend.

“Thank you.” Shouto said resolutely.

“For what?”

“For being my friend.”

Izuku felt himself choking up this time. “Of course Shouto, we’re nighttime beach buddies!”

Shouto giggled softly as they got back to work.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The week went by quickly and the residual exhaustion from the late nights had been worth it. Izuku
had thought he had a friend in Kacchan but since he has been here he realized that is not what it
was. Shouto was his first real friend and even if he wasn’t Dabi’s brother he knew that he would
keep his promise in helping him kill Endeavor. They had said their goodbyes the night before and
Shouto was headed back home today.

Luckily since it was the weekend Izuku had been able to sleep in. When he awoke in the morning
he dragged himself over to his laptop, opened it up, and in his half awake state had subconsciously
pulled up the All Might video that he had watched religiously throughout his life. He blinked sleep
out of his eyes as he watched All Might carry people from the burning wreckage, proudly
proclaiming. I AM HERE. Izuku looked at his idol and thought of Shouto. Could All Might save
Shouto? Could All Might have saved him?

-------------------------------------------------------------

It was a warm spring day, the kind that seemed to be itching to shake off the cold embrace of
winter. Izuku had been with Sensei and his brothers for almost a full year now and the anniversary
of his mom’s death was fast approaching. Izuku was walking to the training room to meet Asuna
when suddenly Kurogiri appeared in front of him. “Young Master, Sensei needs to see you now.”
Izuku barely had time to ask what was wrong when the purple mist enveloped him. When he found
his bearings he was in what looked like a hospital room. There were no windows and it felt
claustrophobic and dark. The room was packed full of beeping machines and monitors and
connected to it all was Sensei. Izuku felt frozen, he forced himself to walk slowly towards the
hospital bed. From the shadows of the machines a short bald man with a beard and eccentric
goggles appeared on the other side of the bed.

“He is alive and I am working to make sure he stays that way.”

“What happened?” Izuku hears himself ask the question but the voice feels completely disjointed.

“He was severely injured in a fight.” The doctor answered.

No, that can’t be right. Sensei was strong, who could possibly do this to him.
“He should be waking up soon. There are some things he wanted to tell you if the fight did not go
as planned.” The doctor disappeared as quickly as he arrived into the mess of machines and Izuku
pulled a chair he found on the side close to the bed. Sensei was covered with tubes and machines.
The entire top half of his face burned beyond recognition. His eyes and ears were completely gone.
Izuku could feel the tears burning down his cheeks. He couldn’t lose Sensei too. He buried his
head in his hands.

“I-Izuku.” Sensei called weakly.

“I’m here Sensei, I’m here.” Izuku forced out with choked sobs. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes my child, I have quirks that can make up for this damage don’t worry.” His voice sounded
strained and tired.

“Please, don’t leave me.” Izuku sobbed.

“I am not going anywhere, I will be here until you and your brothers are ready.” Izuku nodded and
wiped at the tears leaking from his eyes.

“Do you remember when you came to live with us I told you there was more to tell you about your
father?”

“Yes.” Izuku said tentatively.

“I believe the time has come to tell you the whole truth.” Sensei started slowly, “Your father is not
actually my younger brother in blood but instead he holds my younger brother’s quirk which was
passed down to him. My younger brother was quirkless like you so I gave him a quirk. He was
selfish though. Instead of being grateful he turned his back on me. He passed on that power and
amplified it under the guise of noble goals to attempt to defeat me. Your father is the current holder
of that quirk. I have kept tabs on him for my own safety as well as Dabi and Tomura's. His real
name is Yagi Toshinori. He had a relationship with your mother but left before you were born. A
little while before she died she sought him out to tell him of your existence but when he found out
you were quirkless he cast you aside. That is how I found out about you. I am only lucky that I was
able to find you in time.” Sensei paused for a while, Izuku could tell that speaking was wearing
him down, but he didn’t seem finished. “Izuku, you know him by a different name. The man who
abandoned you, who put me in this state. Is All Might.”
 Izuku’s mouth fell open. He felt his entire body shaking. “No, no All Might can’t be my dad. There
is no way.”

“I’m sorry Izuku but it is the truth.”

Izuku felt dizzy from the shock. His hero, the man he looked up to his whole life was his father.
Two years ago that would have been a dream come true but now it was a slap in the face. His hero
abandoned him, abandoned his mom, and almost killed the only father figure he had ever known.
Red hot rage bubbled up inside him, filling him to the brim. His nails dug sharply into his hands
until blood started to seep out of his palms. “No, he’s not. You are. You’re the one that saved me.
You’re the one that gave me everything. He left me, he will never be my father, I’ll kill him.”

“Izuku, you don’t know how happy I am to hear that. You have become so strong.” Sensei’s lips
upturned slightly at the corner. “I have been thinking about your quirk for a long time now. I
acquired one recently that I think you might like and I believe the time is right. Will you accept it?”

“Yes sensei.” Izuku said resolutely. There was no way he was going to defeat All Might without a
quirk no matter how good he became with his blades. It was worth whatever price he had to pay.

“I’m glad to hear that Izuku, please take my hand.” Izuku softly slid his hand into Sensei’s as if it
was made of glass. “This may hurt a bit but it won’t be long, when I am done you will be reborn as
my true son, Izuku Shigaraki.”

Izuku took a deep breath in and steadied himself. “I’m ready.”

Chapter End Notes

Thanks for reading and commenting. I am like a real life Tinkerbelle except it's
comments instead of clapping that keeps me alive. Please don't let me die!

Also I kind of hate the title of this whole work so if you have something better let me
know. I might change it on my own anyways.

Also if you want to beta read drop a comment!

Also drop a comment if you think of any other good tags for this. I suck at tagging.
 Return to Musutafu
Chapter Summary

Izuku runs into a few unexpected faces.

Chapter Notes

TW: Canon villain attacks

See the end of the chapter for more notes

---------5 YEARS LATER-------

Izuku walked down the streets of Musutafu for the first time in 6 years. It felt like stepping into a
dream. When he first exited the train in his hometown he felt a little anxious about being
recognized. After all, he was there with a job to do and most of that hinged on no one knowing who
he was. However, as he caught his reflection in the window of a konbini he quickly put those
nerves to rest. Last time he was here he was a small, anxious, barely eight year old. Now he was
fourteen, a sweatshirt hiding an unexpectedly muscular form and a yellow backpack heavy with
weapons. He was still short and his green curly hair, big eyes, and freckles made him look young
despite his lack of baby fat, but he was strong now. Confident. He smiled at his reflection, thinking
about how far he had come. He shook himself out of his daydream, he was here for a reason. Well,
kind of.

He originally had come to Musutafu to scout out UA. Sensei had caught wind that All Might was
going to be teaching there, he assumed to find a successor, so Izuku was going to enter undercover
to see if he could find more. Being the right age and most unassuming, it was the perfect job for
him. Dabi and Tomura had the job of setting up a base of operations in Kamino Ward so that they
could start recruiting for the cause. He hated the bar that Tomura had found with Kurogiri but he
couldn’t help but agree with them that it fit the aesthetic they were looking for, which was
apparently gross and dingey. Although Kurogiri had helped Izuku learn how to make some drinks
so that was pretty fun.

It hadn’t taken long to get done at UA. There was only one entrance and the rest of the property
was air tight. It didn’t matter though. Izuku was sure he would be able to get into either general
studies or support. After all, the identity and new transcript he had were impressive, not that he
needed forgeries since he was capable on his own, but homeschooling wasn’t taken as seriously as
an elite boarding school in America. Izuku just hoped that no one asked him too much in English.
He was good at english and practiced often with Asuna, but probably not good enough to convince
someone who knew what they were talking about that he lived there.
Once he had finished snooping around he found himself back on the train headed towards his old
stop. There were new buildings and changed businesses but overall it felt painfully familiar. For
some reason the first place he found himself at was his old elementary school. He looked at the
building and frowned, he felt the slight urge to burn it to the ground but he let go of the thought
quickly. Everything in due time. He spun on his heel and started on the familiar path towards his
old apartment. He didn’t know if it was a particularly good idea because of what happened last
time he was there but his feet wouldn’t stop moving. He felt like he was walking through a fog. He
was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice what was happening until he felt himself
enveloped in sludge. Before he knew it his mouth was filled with vile tasting slime as a large eye
looked down on him. Izuku started to panic. He was held too tight, he couldn’t reach any of his
weapons, this monster was a mutant so his quirk wouldn’t work on him. Shit he swore in his head,
he was stuck. “Don’t worry, this will only hurt for about 45 seconds.” The monster sneered. Izuku
coughed, fought, and twisted, trying to break free but nothing helped. He felt his vision start to blur
as his brain became rapidly devoid of oxygen. Suddenly he felt an intense rush of wind and
everything went black.

--------------------------------

“Hey, hey. Oh good!”

Izuku blinked his eyes open as he lay on the concrete. Craning over top of him and waking him
with a booming voice was none other than All Might. Izuku’s brain stopped, gears grinding to a
halt as his old hero, biological father, and nemesis stood smiling down at him in complete
ignorance. Izuku scrambled quickly to his feet as he attempted to regain his composure.

“Sorry to get you caught up with my villain fighting but you were a big help, Thanks!” All Might’s
voice boomed. Izuku felt like he was drowning in sludge again, unable to move or speak. He had
imagined meeting All Might for the first time a million times. When he was younger it generally
involved being noticed while witnessing a fight. As he grew it turned into a carefully planned
situation and ended in sweet revenge. Never did he imagine it to be like this, saved from a sludge
monster and unable to move from shock. His vision and hearing was still slightly clouded when he
saw him turn around and prepare to take off. He had the sludge monster gathered in empty pop
bottles and shoved in his pocket. Izuku stared dumbly at the eye staring back at him from the
bottle, tilting as All Might crouched to jump.

Suddenly he was in the air. Izuku had no idea what possessed him to grab a hold of the man’s leg
as he took off. Maybe some inner instinct from when he was a child or anger that he could not push
down. Either way the only thing he could think to himself now was What the fuck am I doing? He
should have just let him leave. He was never supposed to run into him anyways. He couldn’t blow
the plans that had been made.
The drop from the air was as sudden as the take off. He hit the roof hard and fell to his hands and
knees, shaking from the terror of flight. “I really must be going now, Young Man.”

“Wait,” Izuku cried out. He knew the question he wanted to ask. Hot angry tears rushed down his
cheeks. He stood and looked him straight in the eye. He needed confirmation. “Do you think I
could be a hero, even without a quirk?”

All Might looked a little stunned and then doubled over, coughing up blood as he shrank in a
plume of smoke. Izuku had to remember to paint a shocked expression over his face. He knew all
about this form and about that fight five years ago. It was the same day he found out about his true
connection to this bastard in front of him. He spent the last five years hating him, plotting against
him but still. Somewhere, buried deep inside, he wanted to give him a chance to take it back. To
tell that small child that he could do anything even if he was quirkless, that he would want him.

“I hope I can trust you won’t go blabbing about this on the internet or to your friends, right kid?”
The emaciated version of the hulking hero said tiredly. Izuku simply nodded, he couldn’t trust
himself to say anything at this moment.

“Listen, hero work is dangerous. It’s good to have dreams but you also have to be realistic. You
can’t be a hero without a quirk.”

Something inside Izuku cracked. The last nail in the coffin of Izuku Midoriya was pounded shut.
Hot indignation rose in his stomach, instinctually forcing him to grab hold of the knife he had
hidden in his waistband. It would be so easy with him in this state. To cut him, kill him, make him
pay. A small voice in his head stopped him though. It would be pointless for All Might to be killed
on a random roof, easy for heroes to cover up his death and twist the narrative. Izuku loosened his
grip on the knife as All Might disappeared through the door to the stairwell. It wasn’t until then
that Izuku realized that he was still shaking, not from fear anymore but from unbridled rage. He
swiftly yanked the knife from its hiding place and threw it with practice precision. It buried itself in
the metal door with a loud screech directly where All Might’s head had been moments before. For
a moment Izuku thought to call Kurogiri and have him warp him back but he decided that he
needed to walk off this overflowing energy. He retrieved his knife from the door and wrenched it
open with a little more power than necessary, allowing it to slam satisfactorily against the building
as he descended the stairs.

By the time he was back on street level, his head was under control. In fact he felt like he could
think more clearly than he ever had. He felt a wild laugh tear from his throat as he let vindication
flow through his veins. Everything he had worked for, every dream that had been crushed and
resurrected, every morally debatable deed he had done had been for a reason. All Might deserved
everything he had coming to him. Izuku rode that high as he wandered the streets, not quite ready
to return to the dank bar in Kamino. Suddenly a plume of smoke caught his attention and he went
to investigate. A crowd of people were gathered around the entrance of a side street.
Izuku pushed through the crowd for a better look. It was that damn sludge monster again. He must
have fallen out of All Might’s pockets at some point. Izuku was about to turn and leave when he
heard an explosion. His head whipped around to see a shock of blonde hair stuck in the sludge, for
a split second the victim broke free and Izuku saw his entire face. It was Katsuki.

He looked around quickly, pro heroes were surrounding the scene but no one was moving. He saw
All Might’s deflated form staring dejectedly at the scene before him. No, no way . There was no
way Izuku was going to allow the sludge monster to take this from him. If anyone was going to kill
Katsuki it was going to be him. Fuck it.

Izuku pulled his hood up and ran. He quickly yanked off his backpack and threw it at the monster’s
eye. It was the only thing he could think to do without revealing to an alley full of pro heroes that
he was secretly armed to a tee. The monster howled at the impact and loosened its hold on Katsuki.
Izuku started digging in the sludge, trying to find a purchase on anything. He finally caught hold of
Katsuki’s forearm and yanked. Once his arm was free, he twisted Kastuki’s arm awkwardly so that
his palm faced the sludge monster's eye and screamed. “Blast him!” For the first time in his entire
life Katsuki did as he was told. The sludge quickly receded allowing Katsuki to drop to the floor
and be dragged away unceremoniously by Izuku. Once the pro heroes were able to get between
them Izuku dropped his arm and prepared to slip away before anyone caught him up for a
statement. It was not the time to be chit chatting with the police.

He was stopped though, by a nauseatingly familiar grasp around his wrist. “Who the fuck are you?
I had that shit handled. I don’t need to owe a fucking nobody anything.” Izuku turned back slowly
as he peeled Katsuki’s fingers off his wrist, wrenching his wrist back into a painful position. He
leaned into his space, summoning the most intimidating aura he could muster, hood still covering
the top part of his face and said coolly.

“Don’t worry, you don’t owe me anything. I didn’t save you.” Izuku smirked as he watched
confusion flash through Katsuki’s eyes.

“What the fuck is that bullshit supposed to mean?” Kastuki balked.

“‘I’m only saving you for later.” Izuku let a crazed smile stretch over his lips as he saw fear
intermix with the confusion. “See you later, Kacchan.” He released his wrist and watched him
freeze as he slipped into the crowd, taking advantage of the pros still trying to wrangle the sludge
monster. He turned the corner and started walking to the closest bus stop. He had spent too much
time here and it seemed that some cosmic power was telling him to leave or else the next person he
was going to run into would be Aunt Mitsuki.

-------------------------------
The next time Izuku was in Musutafu was for the entrance exams. He had decided on the support
program over general studies since he would work more closely with the hero class where All
Might would be working. There were only two problems with this. First, the support course was
almost as hard to get into as the hero course and second there was the potential to work with
Katsuki. Izuku was pretty sure that he wouldn’t recognize him but Katsuki was too smart
sometimes, and it had probably been a stupid idea to call him Kacchan when he had ran into him
during the sludge attack. Of course it had been years and he could have changed his mind on which
hero course to attend but UA was number one and Katsuki never settled for less than that.

The first of those issues he was working on today. His stellar transcripts from the elite American
boarding school that he had forged had gotten him this far but today he would need to prove
himself to a panel of judges. He entered the campus and made his way to the support studio with
the aid of some upperclassmen who were herding hopeful middle schoolers to their correct
destinations. The support exams were scheduled time slots that were somewhat free form
depending on the type of skill you were showing. There was a line of chairs outside the room with
nervous looking examinees waiting. Izuku took a seat next to a girl with bright pink hair and large
goggles.

“Hey! What kind of baby did you bring to show off?” She asked intently the moment his butt hit
the chair.

“Baby? You mean a support item? Are we allowed to talk about that?” He questioned, looking
around at the other silent people that he now realized were very actively attempting to avoid eye
contact with the pink haired girl.

“Who cares? It’s not like we are going to be able to change anything now. I love showing off my
babies!” She dug around in the bag under her feet and pulled out a large gun, Izuku jumped in
surprise.

“You can’t just bring a gun to school!” Izuku scolded.

“It’s not a normal gun.” She responded. “This baby is a capture gun! It holds 5 rounds of capture
nets that are compressed into these bullets. It sounds straightforward but it was actually really
tricky. After I found the right materials it took forever to figure out how to compress the nets so
that they didn’t come out a tangled mess.”

“Wow, that is actually super cool.” Izuku gushed.

“I know! Right? I-”

“Mei Hatsume?” A tall lanky teen called from the doorway as he exited the room.

“That’s me!” She shouted as she jumped up, she looked back at Izuku as she deposited the gun
back in her bag. “Good luck with the exam, maybe I’ll see you in class.” and then strode into the
room, closing the door confidently behind her. About ten minutes later Hatsume exited the room
and gave Izuku a big thumbs up. “Izumi Hirai?” Izuku paused for a second before standing. He
probably should have practiced a little more with his fake name because it still threw him off every
time. “Oh! It’s you. Good luck!” She trotted off down the hall as Izuku entered the room.

The room was much larger than Izuku had anticipated. There were large workbenches and every
type of tool, machine or material you could think of all existing in what looked like some type of
organized chaos. At the front of the room was a desk with two men that Izuku recognized. Power
Loader, the support class teacher and Ectoplasm the mathematics teacher. He bowed politely as
they introduced themselves.

“What do you have for us today, Hirai-san?” Power loader questioned.

Izuku pulled a black band out of his bag. He slipped it over his hand. It hung semi-loosely around
his wrist and a piece jutted out over the back of his hand. “This is a compact rope dart.” Izuku
started. ”Traditionally rope darts are pretty cumbersome to carry but they are useful weapons. In
this format they could be utilized for combat without getting in the way of movement when it is
not in use. The sheath also has a compartment that can be used to coat the dart in various chemicals
such as a paralytic.”

“Interesting, let’s see how it works.” Powerloader-senesi encouraged as he gestured towards a

dummy lined up against the wall. Izuku pulled the dummy into the center of the room and took his
position. In a practiced motion he twisted his wrist so that the small sheath lay in against his palm
instead of the back of his hand and taped the release button lightly with his middle finger. In a swift
movement the dart fell towards the floor. Izuku grasped the reinforced cord with his other hand
and swung it cleanly around his elbow, striking the dummy directly in the head. As soon as the hit
landed he pulled back. Keeping the momentum he lifted his foot to anchor it for a low shot. Once
the second hit landed successfully he tapped the button once more and released the cord. It quickly
recoiled back into his bracelet sheath. He then pulled it off his wrist and gave it to Powerloader-
sensei to look over. After a few minutes he handed it back to Izuku.

“Thank you very much Hirai-san. We will be sending out letters in a week.” Powerloader stated.
“Please send in Mina Myoui.”
Izuku bowed deeply and thanked them as he exited the room. He called for the next student and
walked back down the hall towards the exit. He felt confident in his weapon, he just hoped that it
would get him in.

----------------------------

“Guess who is going to UA!” Izuku called out confidently as he strode into the bar, waving a white
envelope over his head.

“Ew, you going to be a hero now?” Tomura sneered from a nearby bar stool.

“Shouldn’t you be happy?” Izuku chirped back as he settled into the bar stool next to him. “It’s all
part of the plan Tomu-nii.”

“Shut up! You’re supposed to call me Shigaraki at the bar.” Izuku rolled his eyes obviously.

“There is no one here besides me, you and Kurogiri.” Izuku rebutted. “Plus why do you get
Shigaraki and Dabi and I have to go by our first names?”

“Because I’m the boss, you idiot.” Tomura huffed.

“Only because Dabi-nii didn’t want to and I look like a five year old so I need to go play pretend at
UA.” Izuku shot back.

“Whatever, I can’t have stupid NPCs calling me Tomura.”

“Hm, should I come up with a code name?” Izuku wondered aloud.

“That might be a prudent idea.” Kurogiri chimed in from behind the bar.

“Got any good ideas Kurogiri?”

 “I believe that is a matter best decided on your own.” Kurogiri supplied as he dried the glasses in
the sink.

“Ugh, you’re no help.”

“What about Gul’dan?” Tomura suggested.

“I swear to god Tomu-nii if that if from World of Warcraft I’ll murder you.”

“Whatever, and it's Shigaraki you brat. What about squirt since Dabi still calls you that anyway.”
Tomura teased.

“Fuck you, Shigaraki.”

As if on cue Dabi entered the bar. “Hey squirt, did you hear back from UA yet?” He was met with
a death glare from Izuku as Tomura laughed.

“He got in, now just a little longer until we face off against the final boss. Did you find more
NPC’s today?”

“Can you just talk like a normal person?” Dabi sighed exasperatedly. “Yeah, I think I’ve got
enough, we just need to come up with a plan and time. Good job Izu, you’ll have to get us our in.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.” Izuku smiled mischievously.

“Yeah, you’re too clever for your own good,” Dabi chuckled as he rubbed Izuku’s hair into a crazy
puff. “Speaking of plans, Sensei needs us to go run an errand.”

Chapter End Notes

Sorry this took so long. I tried not to linger too long on cannon events and mostly focus
on the differences from cannon. The thing that held me up forever was what to have
Izuku invent for his support course interview. I thought of all these really crazy ideas
but then I settled on the compact rope dart because he's fourteen and I didn't want him
competing for genius level with Mei. (I also didn't want him giving away any of his
sweet skills to the heroes right away) I also have three kids so I'm trying to write as
much as possible and still keep them alive and what not. Thanks so much for the
comments and bookmarks. I really love you all and appreciate the support! The next
chapter should be up tomorrow.

Any guesses on Izuku's quirk???? It is going to make an appearance in the next

chapter!
 Quirkless
Chapter Summary

Izuku goes on an errand and starts UA.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/193341755@N08/51256617675/in/dateposted-public/

Chapter Notes

TW: Violence, Crime, Swearing

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Sweet!” Izuku exclaimed as he hopped off the bar stool. “I haven’t been out in ages.”

“Go get ready then.” Dabi said as he sat down at the bar.

Izuku bounded up the stairs to get dressed. He quickly peeled off his shirt and jeans and went to his
closet to pull out his costume. He pulled on his slim fit black joggers with a black turtleneck to
hide his burn scar. Dabi and Tomura used their scars as part of their identities but if Izuku wanted
to get away with doing anything undercover he couldn’t allow there to be any distinguishing
marks. With his underlayers on he started strapping on his weapons. A knife on each thigh, sai on
his back, and his compact rope dart on his wrist. Finally he pulled on a dark green hoodie, the neck
hole was altered to be large enough that he could reach his sai but when he pulled the hood up the
weapons as well as his face were shrouded. Finally he slipped on his red tennis shoes and headed
back down to the bar. Dabi was waiting for him, standing ominously in his leather trench coat. The
two exited the bar and started walking down the street.

“So what are we picking up today?” Izuku asked.

“Another strength enhancer.” Dabi replied, “Luckily this one is close by.”

“Another? Doesn’t Sensei already have two? Oh well, at least that's easy. They always rely too
much on their quirks. No strategy.” Izuku mused as he played with one of his knives, flicking it
into the air and catching it with precision.

“Yeah, I got a lead that he is hitting up the strip club a few blocks down. All we have to do is
wait.”

“Sounds good.” Izuku agreed. In no time at all they were across the street from the strip club.

“I’m going to scout him out. You go hide somewhere, it’s fucking suspicious to have a 10 year old
hanging around a strip club.” Dabi lectured as he rummaged through his jacket for his ID.

“I’m fourteen.” Izuku grumbled as he flicked Dabi off and skulked off to a nearby alley. He
perched on top of a large dumpster that was shrouded by shadows and watched as Dabi showed his
ID to the bouncer and entered the club. He waited as he watched the door. Izuku had learned to get
used to waiting and making up random scenarios in his mind to pass the time but by time Dabi
exited the club with a large man stumbling behind him he was itching to go. He saw Dabi’s eyes
flick in his direction as he allowed a small flame to spring from his finger. He waited until the two
men disappeared into a nearby alley. Izuku walked casually across the road towards the darkened
side street. He turned quickly into the alley to see Dabi lighting a cigarette for the man who was
clearly inebriated. Izuku silently slid into place next to Dabi and announced his presence by saying.
“Is this the guy?” The man's head lolled in his direction.

“Who the fuck is this brat? Did you bring your fucking kid to the tiddy bar?” The man slurred.

“Nah, I’m here with him to help carry you since you look like a heavy asshole.” Dabi replied,
stepping towards the side to allow Izuku to stand in front of the man fully.

“What the fuck? I could pound your ass into the ground brat. You don’t know who you’re messing
with.” He cracked his knuckles and lunged towards Izuku. Izuku simply stepped to the side to
avoid his attack. The man went careening forward with the unexpected miss. “You little shit.” He
swore as he came at him again. Once again Izuku avoided the punch easily, the wall behind him
wasn’t so lucky. The man’s fist had blown clean through the solid brick wall, leaving a hole the
size of a dinner plate. Izuku inspected the hole and whistled.

“I guess that confirms the strength enhancing quirk, thanks for that!” Izuku flicked his hood back
and grabbed one of the sai with his right hand. He struck the man quickly as he reached towards
him, slicing his palm open. The man howled and reeled back.
“Fuckin’ hell. You asked for it you little shit.” The man lunged again but Izuku ducked out of the
way. As the man was regaining his bearings Izuku popped up in front of him, grasping his wrist in
a way that kept him slightly off balance. As the man started to pull back and lift his other hand to
strike him Izuku met his eyes and licked his open wound. The man instantly crumbled to the
ground, panting. He tried to crawl towards Izuku but his limbs were shaking with fatigue. “What
the fuck did you do to me?” he rasped.

Izuku squatted down and rocked on his toes, just out of reach. “You know, the funny thing about
strength enhancing quirks is that you never bother to actually get strong. You’ve relied on your
quirk since you were what four? Five? Imagine a little kid trying to move this big old body of
yours” Izuku chuckled to himself. “Don’t worry, it’s not gone forever… yet.”

“Fuck you.” he sneered.

“Hmmm, you are going to need to try to be a little more polite when you see Sensei if you want to
try to get out of this with your life at least.” Izuku scolded.

“Izu, stop playing. I just texted Kurogiri.” Dabi said monotonically from the other side of the
alley.

“Fine.” Izuku bounced back up to his full height and crashed the grip of his sai down onto the side
of the man’s head, knocking him out cold, before he returned it to its sheath.

Suddenly Kurogiri appeared in a purple swirl. “Good job, I will transport him. Are the two of you
alright to make it back to the bar on your own?”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure the small child doesn’t get lost.” Dabi deadpanned. Izuku rolled his eyes.

“You have my gratitude. Izuku, how much time do I have?”

“About an hour and half? Do you need more time?”

“That should be adequate, See you soon.” With that he vanished into the night along with the
unconscious man.
Izuku pulled his hood back over his head as the two started their walk back to the bar.

“You ready for UA?” Dabi asked, “Going to be able to keep it together?”

“Yeah, I got this!” Izuku replied confidently.

“You know Shouto will probably be there.”

“Yeah, I know.” Izuku tilted his head towards the sky and let out a sigh. The last time he had seen
Shouto was 4 years ago. When he came for the week in the summer when they were ten. He told
Izuku that Endeavor had said he wasn’t coming back anymore. Endeavor had missed some big
fight and so he didn’t want to leave the city anymore since it could risk his number two spot. “It’s
going to be hard to avoid him. Shouto and Katsuki are the only ones who could ever recognize
me.”

“You can do it Izu. You’re a master of disguise.” Dabi teased.

Izuku smirked, “I better be.”

--------------------------

Izuku walked into the support classroom on his first day at UA only to be assaulted by a wall of
smoke. He fanned his hand in front of his face until it had cleared enough to see a pink mass
darting around. Alarms were blaring as Power Loader-sensei yelled from his desk. “Hatsume-san,
how can you already be blowing up the lab when you have only been here for less than ten
minutes?”

“Sorry Power Loader-sensei, I’m just having trouble programming the limiter on my new baby.
It’s so close!” Hatsume glared angrily at a laptop while a large metal backpack smoked behind
her.

“Do you need help?” Izuku offered, settling his backpack down on a nearby work table. Hatsume
looked up from her staring contest with the beaten up laptop.
“Who are you?”

“We met at interviews…” Izuku offered tentatively.

“Oh cool, still no clue who you are. What’s your name?” Hatsume shot back and she turned back
towards her work.

“Izumi Hirai.”

“That’s too long, I’ll call you Izu. You said you can help with this, are you any good at
programming?” Hatsume beckoned him over with a wave.

“Yeah I am, I can take a look. What’s the problem?” Izuku stood close to her looking over the code
on the screen.

“I’m making a jet pack but once I get above 8% power it stops regulating and explodes. I know the
materials are strong enough to withstand full power but the programming is driving me nuts!” Mei
threw her hands up exasperatedly and stepped aside to let Izuku gain access to the keyboard. He
scrolled through the program looking for errors when he spotted it. After about 5 minutes of typing
he proclaimed.

“There we go, that should fix it!”

Hatsume pushed him aside to pour over the screen, then she pulled out a long cord and attached it
to the jet pack. Once the update was complete she refueled it and strapped it to a dummy. “Ok,
let’s test this baby out!” she exclaimed as she knocked her goggles down over her eyes. She pushed
a few buttons on the remote and the jet pack sputtered for a second before it started to blow out
strong, steady streams of air. “Ok, we’re at eight percent, let’s see if we get more power.” After
punching a few more buttons the dummy started to lift slowly off the floor. Hatsume giggled and
jumped up and down. The jetpack finally powered down and Hatsume pulled Izuku into an excited
hug. “Good job Izu, you’re brilliant!” Izuku tried to extricate himself from her arms but the hug
quickly turned into an assessment. “Wow, you’re hiding quite the body under there aren’t you?”

Izuku blushed as he pushed her hands away. “Uh, I guess.”

“Great, you can help me test my babies! Oh wait, I guess the jetpack is our baby now!” Mei
squealed excitedly as Izuku made his way back to his desk.
“It was all you Hatsuman-san. I just tweaked a little.” He pulled his laptop out of his bag and lay it
on the table.

“Call me Mei! I’ll be bugging you for help on programming probably so we might as well be
friends!” She chirped cheerfully.

“Sounds good, I’ll probably need some help in the fabricating department anyways.” Izuku
admitted.

“We can be a team! We’ll make beautiful babies together!” Mei proclaimed loudly as more
classmates filed into the room. Izuku’s cheeks burned bright red as the new arrivals gave them
awkward looks.

“Everybody calm down and take a seat.” Power Loader-sensei announced as he got up from his
desk. “I can already tell we are going to have some problem children this year.” He gave Mei and
Izuku a pointed look. “Today we’re going to be doing an order check for the hero course. Class 1-
A’s costumes have just come in from the support company but since we will most likely have a
hand in repairs and small upgrades throughout the next three years it would be good to see what we
are working with. Then they will be ready for 1-A to use in their rescue drill this week.”

“What rescue drill?” Izuku asked, interest peaked.

“All Might, Eraserhead and Thirteen are taking 1-A to the USJ for rescue training on Wednesday,
1-B will go with King Vlad on Thursday.” Power Loader explained. Izuku had a hard time keeping
a straight face. The USJ was an off campus facility, it was the perfect place for an ambush.
Especially with only three teachers. “We will be joining class 1-A for their exercise so that we can
see first hand how their costumes are working for them and if they need any extra support items.”

Oh that might be a problem.

“I can’t wait!” Mei literally jumped up and down. “We are going to get so many good ideas for
new babies! Right Izu?”

“It’s going to be great.” Izuku agreed with her, a small sinister smile creeping onto his face.
-------------------------------

Tomura was a little too thrilled about the USJ.

“Sensei gave me a Nomu to bring. All Might won’t know what hit him!” Tomura said excitedly as
he slammed on the buttons of the controller, pounding a 2D All Might into the ground on the
screen.

“Tomu-nii, you can’t just bring a Nomu and assume it’s going to work out. There are going to be
two other teachers and a class full of hero students.” Izuku scolded, “You need a plan.”

“Psh, Sensei said this is my mission, I don’t need your stupid plans.” Tomura sneered. “Plus I have
a plan, you don’t go into the final boss fight without a strategy.”

“Well, I guess I’m just going to have to be really good at keeping my cover so that we have a
second chance when you fuck it up.” Izuku clapped back.

“You little br-”

“Whoa, what’s with the tension?” Dabi said entering the bar and placing himself between the
boys.

“Tomu-nii is being stubborn and won’t let me help him plan for USJ.”

“Just leave it squirt.” Dabi dismissed as he sat down at one of the bar stools. “Sensei wants to see
what Tomu can do on his own so we have to let him try.”

Izuku grumbled and narrowed his eyes at Tomura. “Just don’t fuck it up. And don’t come crying to
me that you didn’t want to stop playing video games long to let me tell you the student’s quirks.”

“I don’t care about those NPC’s crappy powers.” Tomura grumbled.

“How do you know their quirks?” Dabi questioned.

“We reviewed their hero costumes today, guess what Shouto picked?” Izuku responded, pointedly
ignoring Tomura hunched over his Switch.

“He’s actually there? What?”

“Nothing, he’s just using the gym uniform.” Dabi let out a loud laugh.

“What an idiot, Endeavor’s going to be so pissed, he’s obsessed with looks.”

“Yeah.” Izuku chuckled as he imagined Endeavor seeing Shouto debut as a hero in his gym clothes.
“What am I going to do if he recognizes me at the USJ.”

“Don’t worry too much. You’ll be there as a student, not one of us. He doesn’t really know
anything important about you besides your name and the fact that you weren’t actually in America.
Just get your story straight.” Dabi said.

Izuku nodded thoughtfully, he would just have to talk to Shouto before then.

-----------------------------------------------------

The next day Izuku arrived at school an hour early and camped out by the front gate. Students
began to trickle in slowly, none of them paying much attention to Izuku standing off to the side.
After a half hour of fiddling on his phone Izuku saw him. Shouto strode through the gates and
Izuku’s heart stopped. In the last four years Shouto had grown up. He was tall and chiseled and
even more beautiful than Izuku remembered. He felt his pulse pick up and the tips of his ears turn
red. He was suddenly immensely more nervous to talk to the boy than he was when he arrived.
Was he being stupid? Would he even remember him? They had only known each other for two
weeks all together. Maybe that just seemed more special to him because Shouto was the only friend
he had that wasn’t a member of the family in the last 6 years. He was about to chicken out and
leave when mismatched eyes met his own and Shouto’s mouth dropped open slightly.

“Izuku?” Shouto whispered as if he was a ghost and he made his way over to where Izuku was
standing.
“Yeah, it’s me. I was worried you wouldn’t remember me.” Izuku suddenly found his red sneakers
to be extremely interesting.

“Of course I remember you.” Shouto stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What
are you doing here?”

“I’m in the support course.” Izuku gestured vaguely to his uniform. “Do you have time to talk?”

“Of course, there is still a while before school starts.” Izuku smiled up at him and turned to lead
them to a deserted part of the on campus forest.

“So, how have you been?” Izuku started awkwardly, already knowing what the answer would be
but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“I’ve survived.” Shouto stated as he stood rigidly in front of Izuku. “How about you?”

“I’ve been good, I just moved to the city.” Izuku fidgeted nervously. “I actually have a favor to
ask.”

Shouto tilted his head slightly. “Oh? What is it?”

“Well, remember that night I showed you those scars?” Izuku started, trying to remain vague.
“Some stuff is kind of going on related to that and so I have been going by a different name and
saying that I have been living in America.”

Shouto nodded resolutely, not needing further explanation, which Izuku was grateful for. “What is
your new name?”

“Izumi Hirai”

“Since you were supposed to be in America I guess we shouldn’t let people know we are friends.”
Shouto said with a twinge of disappointment in his voice. Izuku quickly shook his head and waved
his hands.
 “No!” He said, probably a little too desperately. “I mean, yes, well, kind of? We just can’t let
people know we met before. We go to the same school now so I guess it wouldn’t be weird for us
to have met here right? I mean you will probably need to go to the support class anyway since you
don’t have a costume yet.”

Shouto smiled and the sight of it made Izuku’s stomach flip. “Ok, Hirai-kun. I look forward to
meeting you.”

“Y-you too… Todoroki-kun.” Izuku stuttered out. “Uh… we better get to class now.” Izuku turned
stiffly to walk back towards the main path but a voice stopped him.

“Izuku,” Todoroki called out. “I’m really happy to see you again.”

Izuku couldn’t stop his smile as it overtook his face, “I’m happy to see you too Shouto.”

Chapter End Notes

There is still a lot to learn about Izuku's quirk but I always knew I wanted to see Izuku
with a quirk like this. Also even though he's a big bad villian now, he's still got some
adorable gay panic. USJ is next so buckle up it's going to be a pretty different
perspective than your used to! Also here is a thing I drew, hope you enjoy! Once again
thanks for comments, kudos, and bookmarks! Love you all!
 USJ
Chapter Summary

The USJ attack goes down but not quite to plan. Tomura and Izuku fight and Izuku
finds a new ally.

Chapter Notes

TW: Violence

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When Izuku walked into school on the day of the USJ attack he felt extremely hot and sweaty. Not
because he was nervous or the weather was particularly warm but because he had his entire villain
base layer underneath his uniform, knives and all. Stuffed in a large backpack was his sweatshirt
and his other weapons. He knew that today he was just playing the part of helpless support student
but if things went south then cover be damned. He could find some other way to get intel. Tomura
and him butted heads but he wasn’t just going to let him get murdered by All Might because he had
a crappy plan.

Scatter the kids and let the Nomu take on All Might.

Izuku rolled his eyes. It wasn’t terrible, but there were no contingencies or back up plans.
Regardless of All Might’s weakness Tomura would be stupid to underestimate him, which is
exactly what he was doing. Izuku was sure he would have to bail him out at some point. He wiped
his brow and hiked up his backpack as he continued the walk to his classroom.

Izuku entered the room and looked around. He was sure he was on time. Everyone else was there
but Power Loader-sensei was nowhere to be seen. He plopped down at his normal bench and
turned to Mei, who was fiddling with her goggles on her desk. “Where is Power Loader-sensei?
Aren’t we supposed to be going to the USJ today?”

“Probably still at the support company. He left this morning at like seven for a meeting and hasn’t
come back.” Mei responded casually.

“Wait, why were you here at seven?”

“Huh? No, I got here at five. Power Loader-sensei let’s me come early to work on my babies! He
found out that I had been staying here at night to work and he made me promise that if I would
sleep he would let me in early in the morning.” Mei explained and then scrunched her face in
annoyance. “It would save me even more time if he would let me give him a nickname. Power
Loader-sensei is like the longest name ever!”

Izuku chuckled at her complaining. Inside though, he was torn. If Power Loader was late then they
wouldn’t have to worry about an extra pro hero at the USJ but if they didn’t go then Izuku
wouldn’t be there to bail out Tomura. Nothing I can do now. He sighed to himself. The minutes
ticked by and the class decided to go off and work on their projects for the upcoming sports
festival. Finally an out of breath Power Loader-sensei burst through the door.

“Sorry about that students, I got caught up in a meeting at the support company and was just able
to get back.” Power Loader explained as he dropped his bag at the desk. “I also ran into an
associate who is visiting from America for a few days. He wanted to stop by and talk to you about
your support items and future in the hero support industry. We’ll meet up with class 1-A at the USJ
when we are done.” A few moments later a tall brown-haired man entered the room and Izuku
could have sworn he heard Mei internally combust.

“Wow Maijima-san you’re a quick one.” The man quipped.

“Sorry about that Shield-san. I have a few students in here that are best not left unsupervised for
too long.” He then turned to the class. “Students, this is David Shield, as you know, he is quite
well known in the hero support world. He wanted to stop by and answer any questions you might
have about working in this field or any specific support items.”

Izuku knew exactly who he was. He was All Might’s old sidekick from when he lived in America.
He had renewed his interest in him when he was preparing to enter the support course since he was
the head researcher at I-Island. However at the moment he was more worried about Mei dying on
him. He wasn’t sure how Mei was stopping the obvious stream of questions that was practically
leaking out of her but it seemed that her curiosity and respect for the man in front of them were at
an intense battle of wills. As soon as Power Loader had stopped talking she tore out of her seat and
pulled Shield-san over to her corner of the room. There was an audible groan throughout the class,
knowing that this valuable resource was going to be monopolized. “Don’t worry guys.” Power
Loader-sensei assured. “I’m putting a time limit on her, everyone will get their chance.” Everyone
dispersed back to their stations and Izuku took the opportunity to take out his phone and shoot Dabi
and Tomura a text.

Squirt: We are going to USJ late. PL brought David Shield to talk to us. Theres no way were
getting out of here soon so thats one more pro you dont have to worry about.

Firelord: Good to know. Things have already started so Tomu wont get this. Theyre jamming
signals.

Squirt: Good. Hopefully he survives this so I can murder him for changing my name in the group
chat.

-Squirt has changed Squirt’s name to TheFavoriteChild-

-TheFavoriteChild has changed Mastermind’s name to HandFucker-

Firelord: rip hes gonna kill you

Izuku pushed his phone back in his pocket and started to pull his laptop out of his bag when he
noticed movement at the door. He looked up and there, standing gaunt in a suit three times too big
for him, a sickly smile pulling across his face, was All Might. Shit, shit, shit! Izuku thought to
himself. He whipped his phone out quickly and reopened the chat.

TheFavoriteChild: All Might isn’t at the USJ

Firelord: How do you know?

TheFavoriteChild: cuz hes standing in my fucking classroom in skeleton form!

Firelord: Shit. its ok. once Tomu sees hes not there hell leave.

Izuku nodded to himself. It would be fine, Tomura might already be gone, though he doubted it
since his phone wasn’t blowing up.

All Might entered the room and walked directly over to Shield-san. Of course he would come visit,
he was his old sidekick. Is that why he didn’t go to the USJ? The two of them started chatting,
much to Mei’s chagrin.

“Power Loader-sensei, this strange man is stealing my time!” She argued from her growing pile of
babies that she was overlooking with Shield-san.

“This is Yagi-san, he also works with us. Be polite Hatsume-san.” Power Loader-sensei scolded
her.

“Ah, I am sorry young Hatsume. I got a little too excited when I heard my old friend was here. I’ll
let you get back to work.” All Might apologized and no longer was that sentence out of his mouth
than suddenly there was a sound like a car engine racing down the hallway. A boy, who Izuku
identified at Tenya Iida from his costume, screeched to a halt in the room.

“Power Loader-sensei, There has been an attack at the USJ. It is overrun by villians. As Vice-
President it is my duty to acquire the help of as my pro heroes as I can find for our cause. I must go
now, please send anyone available to the USJ.” IIda-kun shouted with exaggerated chopping
motions and as quick as he had come he was gone. Closely followed by All Might. Shit. One jump
and All Might would be halfway there, with a horde of pro heroes on his tail.

“Students, go home. We are done for the day. That includes you, Hatsume-san. Shield-san and I are
going to head to the USJ. Be careful.” Power Loader directed, as him and Shield-san quickly exited
the room. The room exploded around him as the kids hurried to pack their stuff and leave but Izuku
tuned it all out as he grasped his phone.

TheFavoriteChild: one of the kids at the USJ escaped hes calling all the teachers

Firelord: what the hell? I havent heard from Tomu yet.

TheFavoriteChild: come pick me up at the front gate. Be there asap.

Izuku thrust the phone back in his pocket, grabbed his bag and laptop and sprinted towards the
exit. He pushed through crowds of panicked students as the front gates came into view. He shoved
his laptop into his bag as he ran and slung it over his back. Once he saw Dabi’s familiar
motorcycle he jumped on and Dabi took off. The sped towards the USJ but once it came into sight
the front entrance was swarmed with police and ambulances. Dabi skidded to a stop and Izuku
pulled out his phone.
HandFucker: WHAT THE FUCK IZUKU!?

He let out a long held breath and shoved the phone in front of Dabi’s helmet. After a second he
nodded and turned the bike around towards the bar.

-----------------------

The second the boys entered the bar, Tomura was at his throat, literally. Izuku felt his head slam
against the wall as four fingers wrapped tightly around his neck. “What the fuck was that Izuku?”

Izuku planted his hands in the middle of Tomura’s chest and shoved him away, allowing his lungs
to fill with air again. “What the hell do you mean?”

“All Might was supposed to be there. You were in charge of getting the information!” He
screamed.

“He was!” Izuku countered. “When he showed up in my class he was in his skeleton form and his
old side kick was there so it probably had to do with one of those things.”

“Or it could be that you’re trying to fuck up my operation so you can hold it over me!” Tomura
screeched as he grabbed a glass off the bar and threw it at Izuku’s head.

“Why the fuck would I want to do that?”

“So you can be the favorite!”

“It’s not a competition Tomura,” Izuku steeled, he didn’t like where this was going.

“You’ve been telling me this whole time my plan was shitty. You just wanted to prove yourself
right so that Sensei would make you the leader.” Tomura accused and Izuku felt rage build hotly in
his stomach.
“There is no leader Tomura! There’s no favorite! You aren’t any better than me and Dabi just
because you get to sit at the bar all day and be called Shigaraki! You’re just playing your part, just
like we are. Get your head out of your ass!”

“Whatever, fuck you, you brat. This is all your fault.”

“Are you five? I had to get into UA and go to school with all those fucking heroes so you could
have this chance. Who cares about you, why would I screw up all the work that I have done?”
Izuku spat.

“I don’t know, you were always so fucking obsessed with All Might as a kid, maybe you don’t hate
him as much as you say you do.” Izuku’s blood boiled and he clenched his teeth so tight he thought
they might burst.

“You take that back you fucker.” Izuku gritted as he instinctually went for his knife. Finally Dabi
deemed it time to intervene.

“Cool it, both of you. Your daddy issues are showing and that’s saying something coming from
me.” Dabi sighed. “Tomu, you know Izuku didn’t do this on purpose so stop riling him up. Izu,
you know that Tomu is still a five year old so be a grown up and ignore him.”

Dabi’s words did absolutely nothing to calm Izuku’s fury but they got through enough that he
realized he needed to leave the situation. He spat out a “Fuck both of you.” and turned to stomp up
to his bedroom.

----------------------------

Tomura was still pissy when Izuku went back to school two days later. School had been canceled
again the next day so they could investigate what happened. The major injuries had been to
EraserHead and Thirteen but it seemed like the students had made it out ok so at least that meant
that Shouto was ok. Izuku was still in a sour mood when he slammed his bag loudly on his work
bench and slumped into his seat.

“Izu, you seem stressed.” Mei said, not bothering to look up from her tinkering. Izuku just let out a
loud hmph and rested his chin on the table.
“I know what will cheer you up!” Mei offered suspiciously. “Testing out some of my new babies! I
got them finished with the advice I got from Shield-san.”

Izuku lolled his head to the side so he could look at her. “When did you have time for that Mei?”

“Oh, I never evacuated. I haven’t slept since then, Got to be ready for the sports festival!”

Izuku rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think they are going to cancel that after what happened at the
USJ?”

Mei gasped dramatically. “They better not! Power Loader-sensei! Hey! The sports festival is still
on right?”

“Yes Hatsume-san, we had a staff meeting this morning and it’s not cancelled.” Power Loader-
sensei sighed. He clearly wasn’t too happy with the decision but Mei was.

“Can Izu and I go to one of the gyms to do some test runs with our babies?” Mei asked excitedly.

“Knock yourself out.” Power Loader-sensei said as he waved them off but then quickly amended
his statement. “Not literally, Hatsume-san.” Mei agreed fervently as she piled Izuku’s arms high
with invention before grabbing her own pile and leading him out the door.

Once they arrived at Ground Beta they deposited the items on the ground and Mei started tinkering
with some last minute adjustments.

“Hey Mei, what do you think about heroes?” Izuku asked, surprising himself.

“That’s a weird question, Izu.” Mei replied not bothering to tear her eyes away from her baby.

“Yeah, nevermind, my brother was just saying some dumb stuff the other night.”

“What do you think about heroes?” Mei countered. Izuku froze, he wasn’t sure what to say. He
hated them but he couldn’t just tell Mei that. She wouldn’t understand.
“I didn’t have a great time when I was younger because I was quirkless. Nobody ever saved me
and there was one person especially who made it his job to make my life miserable. Now he’s here,
training to be a hero. So I don’t really know…” Izuku tapered off.

“Then why are you here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sounds like you don’t like heroes so why come to UA? You’re smart and I think you have even
more skills than you’re letting on so why not use those skills somewhere else?”

Izuku was silent, he was already telling Mei more than he probably should.

“Hm, well they have the best stuff, that is why I’m here.” Mei stated.

“Huh?” Izuku question, a little taken aback by the odd answer.

“I’m going to be straight with you Izu.” Mei started, finally looking him in the eye. “I don’t care
about heroes. They have never cared about me unless I am making something for them and even
then I can tell they don’t particularly like me. I like you though, probably more than any human in
the world.” Izuku blushed at the sudden, apparent confession. “No one has ever tolerated my
presence as well as you, not even my parents. Most people think me and my babies are too much.
But there’s no one I love more than my babies. I like heroes because they have access to the best
stuff and my babies deserve the best. I will do whatever I need to do to be able to have the freedom
to create what I want.”

The air between them hung heavy. Mei showed an enormous amount of trust in Izuku to say that
aloud. The only thing Izuku could think to say was.

“I’m really glad we are friends, Mei.”

“Me too, Izu, now let’s get these babies ready and show those heroes what we're made of!”
Chapter End Notes

What did you all think of this USJ version? I didn't feel the need to rehash the actual
battle since it is still pretty cannon. Mei's future is becoming pretty interesting as well.
Thanks for keeping up with me so far!
 Recognition
Chapter Summary

Izuku remakes a friend and an enemy.

Chapter Notes

TW: Violence

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku and Mei became an inseparable duo after their heart to heart at Gym Beta. Partially because
of their newfound closeness but mostly because they had decided to collaborate on their support
items for the sports festival. The two hadn’t even left school all weekend, much to Power Loader-
sensei’s disapproval. When he returned Monday morning, Izuku and Mei were pouring over their
laptop and inventions respectively. The students were completely strung out on coffee, energy
drinks, and power bars, the wrappers and cans creating a haphazard pile in the corner of the room.

“Hirai. Hatsume. What are you doing here?” Power Loader-sensei demanded.

Izuku snapped his head up towards his teacher, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Before he
could come up with an excuse Mei cut in. “Power Loader-sensei, the sports festival is in two
weeks! Sleep is merely a hindrance to progress!” She said maniacally as she waved a wrench in the
air.

“Neither of you will be able to even make it past the first round of the sports festival to show those
things off if you fall asleep at the start line.” Power Loader-sensei pointed out.

“I guess you’re right.” Mei conceded.

“I’m putting time limits on both of you.” Power Loader-sensei demanded. “I’ll keep letting you in
early in the morning but you both need to be out of the lab at 5. If I find out that you are sneaking
back into the lab later then no sports festival.” Mei started sputtering out arguments but Izuku
slapped a hand over her mouth and responded for her.
“Ok, sorry Power Loader-sensei. We’ll play by the rules.”

“Good, Hirai, keep her under control.” Power Loader-sensei grumbled as he made his way to his
desk to get ready for class. “And clean up all this garbage before the other students get here.” He
added, motioning to the mountain of cans and wrappers.

Izuku agreed as he dragged Mei over to the pile and they started properly disposing of their
garbage before returning to their stations to continue. “This isn’t fair!” Mei whined. “How are we
going to get everything done in only 12 hours a day?!”

“It’s ok MeiMei, What’s our first priority?” Izuku comforted her as he sat down at this laptop.

“The jet pack is done but It isn't going to work until we make our auto balance babies so that's our
first priority.” Mei conceded after taking careful stock of all the projects spread out across both
their work tables.

“Ok, let’s get working on that then.” Izuku smiled encouragingly. “We can do this MeiMei!”

“You’re right Izu! We can do anything for our super cute babies!” Mei said happily as she dove
into a box full of scrap metal to start on the fabrication.

A few hours had passed when the other students started filling into the classroom. Mei and Izuku
had a good start on the Auto Balancers when Power Loader-sensei started the morning
announcements.

“For the next two weeks you're going to have free reign to prepare for the sports festival.
Remember that even though the hero course usually takes the spotlight, this is a great opportunity
to show off your support items. The support companies will be watching, I guarantee you.” Power
Loader- sensei explained. “Also, there is a student, Shouto Todoroki, from class 1-A that is going
to be stopping by later to get advice on costume design. Any volunteers?” Izuku’s hand shot up
suspiciously fast but luckily no one seemed to notice. “Alright, he’s all yours Hirai. Now
everybody, get to work.”

“Izu!” Mei complained, “Why are you volunteering for a costume design when we have so much
to do?”
“Uh, it’s Shouto Todoroki.” Izuku tried to scramble for a passable excuse. “He doesn’t have a
costume at all yet and no support items. He has an amazing quirk so if we are able to lock him
down now that we can have an exclusive on his support items in the future.” He explained, pleased
with the answer he came up with.

“Ok,” Mei conceded. “But hero students can’t use support items or costumes at the sports festival
so make sure to tell him that we won’t be making anything until it's done.”

Izuku made a x over his heart with his finger and smiled brightly. “I promise. Let’s get back to
work!”

Before they knew it, the bell rang for lunch. As usual the class drifted out leaving Mei and Izuku
behind to continue working. As soon as the last student had filed out, a red and white haired boy
came through the door.

“You must be Todoroki-kun.” Izuku said with a small wink which turned Shouto’s cheeks a light
pink, Mei was completely absorbed in her own world anyways.

“Yes, I am here to consult about my hero costume.” Shouto said with a blank expression.

“Great! My name is Izumi Hirai. I was assigned to you so let’s get started.” Izuku beconned Shouto
to sit at his lab table with him. Once they were seated Mei finally noticed the intruder.

“Hey, you’re Todo right?” Mei quipped.

“My name is Shouto Todoroki.”

“K, whatever. I just want to make sure you know that we aren’t going to be able to work on your
babies until after the sports festival. Got it?” Mei asked expectantly.

“Babies?” Shouto’s neutral face turned slightly confused.

“Izu and I are working on making our own super cute babies right now so you’ll have to wait your
turn.” Mei explained and turned sharply back to her workspace. Todoroki turned to look at Izuku
and his face had upgraded to a shade of red that made his burn blend in.

“No, no! She calls the support items we work on babies. It’s not like that!” Izuku explained as he
waved his arms wildly and shook his head. Finally Todoroki’s face returned to its normal color and
Izuku pulled a notebook out of his desk. “So I actually have some ideas that I’ve been working on.”
Izuku started.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The lunch hour went quickly and when the support students started returning to the classroom
Todoroki decided to take his leave. “Thanks for all the advice Hirai-kun. Can I take this notebook
with me?”

“Sure! We aren’t authorized to make full costumes, only small alterations. Once you decide what
you want just let Power Loader-sensei know.” Izuku smiled happily at Shouto.

“Hirai-kun, I was wondering if you wanted to train with me for the sports festival.” Shouto asked
quite directly.

“Um, yeah, actually that would be great! I need to be able to make it as far as I can to show off our
support items so some extra training would be good.” Izuku accepted. “We get kicked out of here
at 5.”

“Meet me at Gym Delta at 5:15 then and we can do some sparring.” Todoroki decided, “See you
then, Hirai-kun.”

“Bye! Todoroki-kun.” Izuku said as he waved him off, turning to a peeved Mei who needed Izuku
to hold something still while she soldered it since everyone else in the class valued their lives too
much.

The time flew by as they worked and they didn’t even notice the clock until Power Loader-sensei
appeared behind them.

“Times up you two.” He stated. “I’m locking the lab up.”

“One more hour,” Mei begged. “PLEASE????”

“Nope, that’s not the deal. Leave now or I am not letting you back in until 8:00 tomorrow.”

Mei scowled and grabbed her bag, Izuku had already finished packing up during their interaction.
“Fine. 5am, you better not be late.”

“Don’t worry Hatsume, you’ll have plenty of time.” Power Loader-sensei chastised as he shooed
them out and locked the door behind them.

“I’m going to train with Todoroki-kun, do you want to come with me?” Izuku offered as they
walked down the hall.

“Who?” Mei asked.

“The guy from 1-A who came in about his costume.”

“Nope, no idea. Whatever, I’m going to go home and work on some of the programming. Make
sure to keep your phone on in case I need some help.” Mei demanded .

“Will do. See you tomorrow MeiMei!” Izuku waved as he turned and jogged in the direction of
Gym Delta.

He arrived at Gym Delta and quickly changed into his gym clothes. Once he exited the locker
room he saw that Todoroki was waiting for him on the mat already. He looked good in his gym
clothes. Well, he looks good in everything Izuku thought. Izuku joined him on the mat where he
was stretching and joined in.

“So, what are we going to do today?” Izuku asked.

“We should start with a spar, no quirks, to see where your level is.” Shouto stated. Izuku nodded
his head. When they were little they avoided the topics of quirks and training so Izuku had a
feeling he might be a little surprised at his skill level. It brought a mischievous smirk to Izuku’s
face.
“Sounds good! Let’s start!” Izuku popped back up to his feet and shook out his nerves before
assuming his fighting stance. He had a feeling Shouto was going to go easy on him, at least at first,
so he planned on taking advantage of it. Once Shouto assumed his position there was a pregnant
pause while they waited to see who would move first. Shouto ended up moving first, throwing an
obviously slowed and underpowered right hook. Izuku ducked under it easily, grasping his arm and
side while using his back and the momentum of the swing to flip him onto his back. Shouto hit the
mat with a loud thud and a groan. “You’re going easy on me aren’t you?” Izuku teased.

“I won’t again.” Shouto responded and Izuku could sense he was slightly impressed.

They took their starting positions again. This time Shouto started again but it was clear he was not
holding back this time. He moved extremely fast as he faked another right hook and instead tried to
sweep his feet. Izuku noticed it though and was able to jump back. This time they both initiated the
attack which ended up with them falling to the floor and wrestling for domination. Neither could
hold long enough until Izuku hooked his leg around Shouto’s thigh and twisted him face down,
finally gaining enough purchase on top to wrench his arm backwards until Shouto slapped the mat
twice and Izuku let go.

“You are a lot more advanced than I thought you would be.” Shouto pointed out as he rubbed his
shoulder and stood up.

“Being underestimated is my biggest advantage.” Izuku smiled back. The boys went for three more
rounds, the last two Shouto won until they decided to take a break as they slumped against the
wall. He watched Cementoss-sensei spot weights for some kids across the room. The lack of sleep
was finally catching up to Izuku.

“I’m glad we can use our quirks at the sports festival or else I would be in trouble.” Shouto
commented before taking a long drink of water.

“Don’t get too cocky.” Izuku teased. “I get to bring support items so just you wait.” His threat fell
slightly empty though as he was closing his eyes and looking like he was about to fall asleep on
Shouto’s shoulder. Once his head finally reached it’s destination he smelled something burned. He
jerked his head up and looked concernedly at Shouto who was attempting to put out a fire that had
burst on the sleeve of his shirt. “You ok?”

“Y-yeah, I just need to go to the restroom.” Shouto stuttered as he stood up quickly and speed
walked to the locker rooms. Izuku simply sighed and rested his head back onto the wall.
“Oi, who the fuck are you?”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Izuku turned to meet crimson eyes, attempting to stare holes into his soul.

“I’m Izumi Hirai.” Izuku responded confidently, staring right back at him.

“What the fuck are you doing here. You aren’t a hero student.” Katsuki retorted.

“I’m a support student and I am training for the sports festival. The last I checked, this was a
school facility that is open to any class.” Izuku challenged as he stood, matching his aggressive
stance.

“What shitty quirk do you have?”

“I don’t have one. Who are you to be interrogating me?” Izuku stated firmly, sticking with his
cover story.

“I think you’re a lying sack of shit who knows exactly who I am, Deku.” Katsuki gritted out
through clenched teeth.

“My name is Izumi not Deku and I wouldn’t consider us close enough to be on a first name basis
anyways.” Izuku tried to cover.

Suddenly Katsuki shoved him against the wall, pushing on his neck with his broad forearm,
explosions sparking in the opposite palm. “You’re supposed to be dead you fucker.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Izuku strained against Katsuki’s arm, trying to gain
some purchase to free his throat.

“The fuck you do. You died in a fire with my parents, so why the fuck are you here at school
chatting it up with fuckin’ Icyhot?” Katsuki demanded, pressing down farther.

“I’m not who you think I am!” Izuku protested. Even with all his training, Izuku was unable to get
any leverage to pull himself free.

“We’ll see about that.” Katsuki smirked. “Deku’s a crybaby, if you can take this quietly maybe I’ll
believe you.” Katsuki’s hand clasped hard onto Izuku’s side and Izuku steeled himself for the pain.
An explosion tore through his side at the same time that the weight on his throat lifted. He opened
his eyes to see a wall of ice stretched out before him and Shouto at the the origin of it looking
irate.

“This is none of your fucking business Icyhot!” Katsuki raged. Finally Cementoss-sensei’s
attention was caught as he walked over to the two.

“Todoroki-san, no quirk usage in this gym. Go to one of the grounds or Gym Gamma if you want
to go all out.” Cementoss scolded.

“Sensei, I was simply stopping Bakugo from assaulting Hirai-kun.” Shouto reported, a remnant of
rage still settled on his stoic face.

“Bakugo-san, stop bugging people and get back to training.” Cementoss-sensei said as he turned to
leave.

“Sensei, he wasn’t just bugging him, it was assault.” Shouto pushed back.

“Todoroki-san, everyone is under a lot of stress with the sports festival coming up, just let it go.”

Bakugo scowled at the two and turned on his heel to leave the gym. Shouto rushed over to Izuku
who was still holding his side. “Izuku, are you ok?” Shouto asked worriedly.

“It’s Hirai-kun remember.” Izuku offered with a small smile. “I’m fine, just one more scar.”

“Let’s take you to recovery girl.” Shouto said as he looped his arm around his side, being careful to
avoid the burn.

“No,” Izuku said strongly. “You heard what Cementoss-sensei had to say. Worst case we go to
Recovery Girl and she yells at me for pushing too hard, best case she takes pity on me but can’t
 heal me because I haven’t slept since Thursday night.”

“You haven’t slept since Thursday night?” Shouto asked, shocked. “Why did you come to train?”

Izuku looked away bashfully. “I missed you.” he admitted.

“I don’t understand you.” Shouto said plainly. “But I missed you too. Come on, I’ll walk you
home.”

“No, no.” Izuku protested. “I’ll text my brother to pick me up.”

“Ok, I’m walking you to the front gate then.” Shouto insisted.

“Ok.” Izuku gave in as he shot a quick text to Dabi and allowed Shouto to help him to the front
gate. Once they had made their way to the gate, Dabi was standing there with his motorcycle
helmet still on as they approached. “Thanks Shouto, I’ll be fine really.”

“Let me know if you need anything.” Shouto responded. Standing awkwardly like he wanted to
initiate some sort of contact but in the end they both chickened out.

“I will, I’ll see you tomorrow Todoroki-kun!” Izuku finally blurted out as he turned and Dabi
helped him onto the motorcycle. Shouto turned to walk towards the train station and Dabi turned
around slightly so Izuku could hear a soft thank you before revving the engine and taking off.

Chapter End Notes

I actually had more planned for this chapter but it ended up too much so I'm splitting it
in two. What do you all think? Does Katsuki deserve redemption or no? Also I'm
obsessed with TodoDeku but for the sake of drama is anyone wanting a love triangle?
Hmmm... Thanks again for reading and comments, I read them all and try to respond
best I can!
 True Friends
Chapter Summary

Izuku becomes closer to Mei and Shouto. He is let down once again by those who
should protect him so he comes up with his own plan for revenge.

Chapter Notes

TW: Violence, Abuse, Mentions of murder

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The motorcycle screeched to a stop behind the bar. Dabi hopped off and went to help Izuku who
swatted him away.

“It’s fine, I can walk.” Izuku replied grumpily.

“Didn’t look that way at school.” Dabi prodded, but Izuku simply looked away to hide his blush.

“I just wanted to make sure he came out with me so you could see him.” Izuku covered flimsily.

“Uh huh, whatever you say, squirt.” Dabi smirked slightly as they walked slowly through the
backdoor of the bar. Izuku hissed as he pulled himself up on a nearby barstool. “Kurogiri, can you
grab the first aid kit?” Dabi asked.

“Of course.” Kurogiri responded, reaching behind the bar to pull out a well used case. Izuku pulled
his shirt up to reveal a large second degree burn. Honestly, Izuku thought it was going to be a lot
worse but Shouto must have pushed Katsuki off just in time to spare him the full power of the
blast.

“Yikes, what the hell happened.” Dabi asked as he began tending to the wound.

“Katsuki thinks I’m Izuku Midoriya.” Izuku stated as he winced at the disinfectant.
“So your cover is blown?” Dabi pointed out.

“Not really.” Izuku admitted. “He also seems to think I am dead so it shouldn’t be too hard to
convince him that I’m Hirai.”

Dabi fell silent.

“You don’t seem surprised.” Izuku accused tentatively as Dabi wrapped the bandage around his
waist.

“I’m not.”

“What did you do Dabi?” Izuku demanded.

“Izuku, you’re old enough to realize that the way Sensei brought you to us wasn’t exactly legal.
We had to make sure that no one would come looking for you and take you back to the Bakugo’s.”
Dabi reasoned.

“So you faked my death.” Izuku put the pieces together. “How?”

“I stole a body from the morgue and burned it beyond recognition and put it in your old room
before starting a fire so it looked like you went back after the funeral.” Dabi confessed, slipping
into a practiced cold alter persona.

“What about Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru?” Izuku met Dabi’s eyes with a challenging look.

“It was necessary Izuku, we couldn’t risk you going back there.”

Izuku suddenly felt like he was drowning. They were dead. They were dead because of me. He felt
his breath pick up and his heart start to beat erratically. His vision started to blur as he felt the
familiar strong grip of Dabi’s hand on his shoulder. He flinched away from the touch violently.
No, it’s Dabi’s fault. He did it. Suddenly Dabi’s face entered his field of vision. The familiar
patchwork of skin and scars. The face of the person who got him through nightmares, helped him
grow strong, loved him. Dabi picked up Izuku’s hand and placed it on his chest. He could hear his
far away voice encouraging him to breathe with him but he wasn’t ready to comply yet. He
couldn’t trust this touch right now. It can’t be Dabi’s fault, it can’t. He began to let in and slow his
breathing. Eventually the world came into focus and he could finally hear Dabi’s words.

“I’m sorry, Squirt. I couldn’t let you go back there. I already had to leave Shouto behind. I couldn’t
leave you too.”

That’s right, it wasn’t Dabi’s fault, he was trying to protect me.

“I saw the scars and the burns. Even if they didn’t give them to you, they didn’t stop Katsuki. They
couldn’t protect you like we could.”

Katsuki? Oh. That’s right. It’s Katsuki’s fault. Everything is his fault. If he hadn’t abused me then
Sensei wouldn’t have had to rescue me.

“I- I’m tired.” Izuku finally whispered.

“Ok, go get some sleep, squirt.” Dabi said softly, carding a hand softly through Izuku’s curls.
Izuku nodded and dropped off the bar stool, making his way up the stairs. He flopped down on the
bed, sucking in a sharp breath when the move jostled his injury. He closed his eyes, wanting to
escape, and drifted off to sleep. Izuku awoke to a soft knock on the door. By the time he had
rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and indulged in a small stretch, Dabi had entered the room and sat
on the end of the bed.

“Feeling better?” Dabi asked.

“Yeah.” Izuku replied groggily.

“If you want to leave UA that’s ok, we'll figure it out.” Dabi encouraged.

“No, it will be fine.” Izuku stated. “It will be more suspicious if I suddenly leave school. Plus we
still need more information. I can handle Katsuki.”
“Ok, just do what you want.” Dabi looked off to the side. “So, what were you doing with Shouto?”

“He’s helping me train for the sports festival.” Izuku replied, “We’re close. Once All Might is out
of the way we can take down Endeavor and get Shouto out of there.”

Dabi smiled warmly at Izuku. “You’re too perceptive.”

“Thanks, Dabi-nii.”

“For what?”

“For protecting me.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days fell into a familiar routine. The school day was spent working on support items
with Mei, the evenings were spent sparing with Shouto and by the time Izuku would return home to
the bar he would shovel some food into his mouth before completely passing out. There was one
addition to this routine though that made Izuku uneasy. The staring.

Katsuki had suddenly begun to pop up everywhere. Outside the support room, at the gym, at the
school gate and he would just stare. Hot, angry, intense, soul burning stares. Izuku tried to ignore it
but it was literally impossible. He was almost relieved when it all came to a head on the Monday
before the sports festival.

“Oi, extra, come the fuck over here.” Izuku turned his head to see Katsuki standing off to the side
as soon as he had entered the school grounds. He sighed and made his way to the blonde.

“Are you finally going to tell me why you’ve been staring at me like a pervert?” Izuku shot back. It
had been years since his fear of the boy had been replaced by rage and he wasn’t going to just back
down like he used to.

“Fuck you.” Katsuki spat back at him. “I haven’t been staring at you.”
“Whatever you say Bakugo. Why did you want to talk to me then?” Izuku said, dripping with
sarcasm.

“I’ve decided you can’t be the shitty nerd I thought you were.”

Oh, that’s not where I thought this was going to go.

“But it doesn’t change that you’re also a useless fuckin’ Deku.”

There it is.

“I don’t know where you get off thinking a quirkless loser can go to UA even as a support student.”
Katsuki growled. “You better drop out and go to some fuckin’ loser school and stop bringing down
our reputation.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I will.” Izuku glared back at him before turning to leave.

“You little shit.” Katsuki screamed after him. Izuku barely registered him moving towards him
before he felt the blow to the back of his head. He started to fall forward before Katsuki grabbed
him, spinning him around to face him. Izuku forced himself not to maneuver out of the hold and
body slam him. Shit, I can’t fight back. My big advantage with him is being underestimated. “You
will leave this school or else.” He brought his empty hand near Izuku’s face and let off some small
threatening sparks. The two boys locked eyes intensely before Katsuki dropped him roughly and
stalked off towards his class. Izuku rubbed the back of his head and winced, there would definitely
be a bump there. He readjusted his backpack and headed towards class.

From that point on Katsuki seemed to continue to show up everywhere. It seemed that Izuku’s
extremely repetitive routine made him an easy target. This time though instead of stares it was body
checks, threats, and sometimes punches. Izuku took it all, storing it for when he would turn the
tables. He was fine, he could handle it. Until a few days later Mei started noticing bruises and
Todoroki walked in on a particularly violent altercation.

“Hirai-kun, has Bakugo been harassing you still?” Shouto asked worriedly after Bakugo stalked off
once again.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Izuku responded.

“We should tell a teacher.”

“Teacher’s won’t care, they never have.” Izuku replied with a harsh tone.

“It was him wasn’t it. When you were little. He’s the reason you need a new name.” It wasn’t a
question. Izuku looked off to the side, a little embarrassed that it was that obvious.

“Let me tell Aizawa, he will care I promise.” Shouto begged.

“Fine.” Izuku relented.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shouto had managed to rally Mei into his conquest to stop Bakugo’s rampage since she had also
witnessed some of the effects of the abuse. The two had never spent time together but he felt as if
he knew her simply through Izuku talking about her so much. She wasn’t too happy to leave her
babies when she still had so much work to do, but if it was for Izuku she was willing. The two of
them walked towards the teacher’s lounge while Mei went off on a rant about her different babies
that she was making for the sports festival. Todoroki was listening enough to give the appropriate
nods but he doubted Mei noticed. The two finally arrived at the door and knocked. The door
suddenly swung open and All Might was standing there. “Hello young Todoroki and friend. How
may I help you?” He boomed.

“We are looking for Aizawa.” Shouto replied, not bothering to introduce Mei. He had a feeling she
would do that for herself if she wanted to and to be honest she didn’t seem as excited to see the
number one hero as people usually are.

“I’m sorry young Todoroki, you have already missed him. He had to leave for a family
emergency.” All Might said, still blinding them with his signature smile. “Why don’t you come in
and maybe I can be of assistance.” It wasn’t who he had intended to speak to but from what he
knew of All Might he doubted he would blow this off either so he agreed. The students entered the
lounge and sat on a couch across from All Might, whose large form took up an entire loveseat on
his own. “So first who is your friend?”
“My name is Mei Hatsume.” Mei stated plainly. “Let’s get to the point I need to get back to my
babies.”

“She means the support items she is making for the sports festival.” Todoroki explained. “We are
here today to report bullying.”

All Might looked between the two. “That is a grave accusation. Which one of you is experiencing
this?”

“Neither.” Shouto took the lead in the conversation. “It is our friend Izumi Hirai. He is part of the
support class with Hatsume-san.”

“You should probably be speaking about this with Power Loader then.” All Might pointed out.

“The person who is bullying him is Katsuki Bakugo so we thought it was best to speak to Aizawa.”
Shouto explained.

“What has young Bakugo been doing?” All Might inquired.

“He has been threatening him and physically assaulting him.”

“I’ve seen the bruises.” Mei chimed in. “I told Izu that I would beat him up for him but he told me
not to.”

All Might raised his eyebrows. “That does sound serious. Why is young Hirai not here with you?”

“He doesn’t think the teachers will care.” Shouto confessed.

“Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention.” All Might started with a sigh. “I can not do
much without young Hirai coming forward but I will speak to both of them and get to the bottom of
this.”

Todoroki stood and bowed politely and said “Thank you All Might- sensei.” as him and Mei exited
the room.

Once outside he turned to Mei. “Do you have something against All Might?”

“Not particularly.” Mei admitted. “He just doesn’t use any support items so I really don’t care
about him one way or another. My time was better spent strategizing how I’m going to spend my
time than making small talk. Alright, see you later.” Mei waved as she started heading back
towards the support studio. “If this doesn’t work I'm doing things my way.” she shouted back at
Shouto as she turned the corner. It sent a bit of a shiver down his spine to think of what her way
would be.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Shouto was feeling pretty good about himself as he warmed up on the mat waiting for Izuku. That
feeling was extinguished though when an extremely angry looking Izuku came bursting through
the gym doors, still in his uniform, and proceeded to shove Shouto squarely in his chest.

“You told me you were going to talk to Aizawa, not fucking All Might!” Izuku shouted.

“Aizawa wasn’t there and All Might said he would handle it.” Shouto explained, hands raised
placatingly.

“He handled it alright, you know what he did?” Izuku challenged. Shouto couldn’t find the
strength to ask what. “He came and took me out of class to talk. He told me that tensions are
running high because the sports festival is in two days.” Shouto’s heart broke as he saw angry tears
leaking out of Izuku’s eyes. “He asked me to let it go. He said he would keep Bakugo away from
me but he didn’t want to ruin such a bright future when he was still trying to get his anger issues
under control.” Izuku seethed.

“I’m sorry, Izu. I thought he would do something.” Shouto stammered, he wasn’t good at
comforting or apologizing or emotions in general.

“I told you he wouldn’t!” Izuku screamed, tears falling in full force now. Shouto sat there stunned.
He had no idea what to do, he wanted so desperately to reach out and comfort him but he didn’t
know how. Suddenly his mind flashed to an image of two boys on a beach, making sand castles
under the night sky.
“Sometimes I want to kill my father.” Shouto confessed quietly.

“Then do it.” Izuku said plainly.

Shouto looked shocked. “What?”

Izuku grabbed Shouto’s hand. “Get strong and do it. I will help you. Use that hate to get out of
your situation and make sure he can never put you in it again.”

“What if I am never strong enough?” Shouto whispered and Izuku could swear he heard him
slightly choking up.

“You don’t need to do it alone. You might have more friends than you think. For now just survive
and get strong. You need to come back so we can make more sandcastles.”

“Do you remember what you said to me on the beach when I told you about my father?” Shouto
blurted out. Some of the rage on Izuku’s face melted a bit as he nodded. “I’ll help you too. If the
teachers won’t do anything then I will. You have more friends than you think.” A smile broke
across Izuku’s face as he jumped forward into Shouto’s arms. Shouto caught him, trying to keep
his fire in check which ended up in giving Izuku an extremely chilly hug but he didn’t pull away.

“Thank you Shouto.” Izuku spoke into his chest. “I promise I’ll help you too. When the time is
right I’ll get you away from Endeavor and we’ll kill him so he can never hurt you again.” Shouto
didn’t respond, he simply buried his head into soft green curls and pulled him tighter into his chilly
embrace. It was that moment that Shouto realized that he would do anything for the boy in his
arms, his first and only friend.

-----------------------------------------------------------

“Dabi-nii, I want to do something a little bit stupid.” Izuku announced as he opened the door to
Dabi’s room. Dabi looked up from his phone with his eyebrows raised.

“Ok, like what?” Dabi asked.

 “I want to make my villain debut.” Izuku stated.

“How?”

“Well, I want to do something big at the sports festival.” Izuku replied.

“Izuku, how the hell is that going to work? Security there is going to be insane especially after the
USJ.”

“Well, I already have an in since I’m competing in it. I promise you I have a plan.” Izuku still
looked nervous.

“There’s something you aren’t telling me.” Dabi accused.

“Well, the plan involves my friend Mei and Shouto but he already agreed to help-” Izuku started
but was already cut off.

“No. No, we are not ready to take on Endeavor and All Might at the same time and he will pull out
every stop to keep his masterpiece safe.” Dabi said as he sat up fully in the bed.

“Don’t worry, he’s going to stay at UA. Him and Mei are going to keep getting information for us.”
Izuku pointed out. “I just think that maybe after this is done we let him know that you are still
alive. He hates Endeavor as much as you do. He can help.”

Dabi eyed him suspiciously. “Ok, so what is this ‘big thing’ you have planned?”

Izuku’s face turned dark as he spoke. “I’m going to humiliate Katuski at the sports festival, and
then I’m going to kill him.”

Chapter End Notes

Ok that question last time was misleading because hell no Katsuki is not getting
redemption! Mwahaha. Next chapter might take a little longer than the others because
I want to make sure it's perfect. Thanks for reading and commenting they really make
my whole day! Also I just couldn't find it in me to have Aizawa not care about the
bullying so All Might is taking the fall once again.
 The UA Sports Festival
Chapter Summary

The UA Sports Festival doesn't go quite to plan.

Chapter Notes

TW: Violence

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku and Mei ran around the support class waiting room rechecking all their equipment. They
were the only two students from the support course to reach the third round of the sports festival. A
purple haired boy from general studies had made it in as well but more importantly, Katsuki made
it so everything was going according to plan. For the first round of the tournament Izuku was going
to be facing a student named the purple haired kid from general studies and Mei would be facing
Tenya Iida from the hero course. They were deciding on who would use which inventions in the
first round to show off to the support companies when someone entered the room.

Izuku recognized him by his costume and large tail, but couldn’t quite remember his name. He was
the student from the hero course who bowed out of the third round. “Are you Izumi Hirai?” The
tailed boy asked.

“Yeah?” Izuku answered suspiciously.

“My name is Mashirao Ojiro from class 1-A. You’re fighting Shinsou in the first round right?”
Ojiro continued.

“I think so. That purple haired kid from general studies.” Izuku was getting curious now about
where this conversation was going.

“I was on his team for the cavalry battle.” Ojiro explained. “I think his quirk is some sort of mind
control that’s triggered by talking. He asked me a question and then I didn't remember anything
until the end of the battle.”
“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I don’t think it’s fair. I just wanted to warn you. You can do what you want with the
information.” Ojiro finished as he shrugged and turned to the door.

“Thanks, Ojiro-kun.” Izuku called after him as he paused at the door.

“Just beat him for me.” Ojiro stated as he pulled the door closed behind him.

“Well so much for showing off our babies.” Mei hummed thoughtfully to herself. “Maybe I can
convince Iida-san to use some of them and you use the rest for your second round.”

“Sounds good MeiMei, whatever you want to do.” Izuku encouraged.

“Izu, they are your babies too. You’ve worked just as hard.” Mei chastised.

“I know, but you’re a lot better at the talking about them part.” Izuku pointed out, earning a
chuckle from Mei.

“That’s true! We’ll I’m off to go con Iida into being my moving billboard. See you in a bit Izu!”
she bid as she ran out of the room, leaving Izuku to make the final adjustments.

So I just have to not talk. Hopefully that’s it. If he brainwashes me I’m done for. With a quirk like
that it wouldn’t be surprising if he was skilled at hand to hand. Does he use any weapons? Gah
why do I have to go into my first battle with so many unknowns! I don’t want to bring any support
items that I don’t absolutely need since I can’t talk about them. What should I...

“You’re mumbling.”

Izuku whipped around to see Shouto standing near the door. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.
Don’t you need to get ready for your match with Sero?”

“I’m fine. You need to worry about your match. Nobody knows anything about him because he is
in general studies.” Shouto pointed out.

“I know.” Izuku sighed, “Ojiro came here and told me he has a mind control quirk that has
something to do with talking but that is all I know. I’ll just have to do my best.”

“Well, I believe in you. If it comes down to hand to hand I’m sure you can beat him.” Shouto
encouraged with a small smile that made Izuku immediately feel more calm.

“Ok, I’ll do my best!” Izuku promised. “Now go get ready for your fight! I need you to stay in the
running if this is going to work.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I need to do. Good luck.” Then Shouto exited the room.

Izuku took a deep breath, and headed out to the pitch.

-------------------------------------------------------

Izuku was almost one hundred percent positive he knew what strategy Shinsou would use to try to
get him to talk and he was correct. Being from the support class he was almost as unknown as
Shinsou which was to his benefit but there was one thing that was easy to figure out. His quirk, or
lack of one, since Katsuki had made it his job to make it common knowledge. As soon as the
starting gun fired Shinsou started talking while slowly approaching the center of the field to put as
much distance between him and the boundary line as possible.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Shinsou called looking bored and tired.

Silence

“That’s rude. Why aren’t you talking?”

Silence.

“Someone told you. Didn’t they?”

Izuku let a smug look creep over his face as he closed the gap between them.

“What is a quirkless support student doing here anyways?”

Ouch, that would hurt if Izuku didn’t know it was only because he wanted to get a response,
although maybe he really did feel that way. Oh well.

“Where is your weird pink haired girlfriend?”

Izuku felt a response form in his throat before he pushed it down. He could handle things being
said about him but not Mei. He continued his walk across the field, Shinsou had stopped moving
and looked like he might actually start backing up any second. Good Izuku thought, that probably
means he wasn’t good at hand to hand and was planning on relying on his quirk. He had almost
reached him when he froze.

“Maybe it’s a boyfriend. I see you with Todoroki a lot, is he your boyfriend? Don’t you think he’s
a little out of your league?”

Izuku saw red and he jumped across the last few feet and landed a punch square on Shinsou’s jaw.
He went flying and Izuku followed. Grabbing him before he could scramble to a standing position.
He slapped a hand hard over his mouth and wrapped the other around his neck, dragging him to the
boundary. Once they had arrived he threw him over the line and heard the whistle blow. He was
about to chew him out until Shinsou cut him off.

“Sorry about all that, my only chance was to get you to answer.” He got up from the ground slowly
and looked at Izuku with an exhausted expression. “Didn’t mean to push buttons.”

“Yes you did.” Izuku pointed out.

“You’re right.” Shinsou deadpanned. “Still, no hard feelings?”

“Sure.” Izuku responded, thoroughly confused at the outcome of their conversation.

------------------------------------------

Shinsou sighed as the two walked in silence back under the crowd to Recovery Girl’s office to be
checked. They were both let go right away with a little ice. Shinsou started his way up the stairs
while Izuku started walking back towards the support student waiting room. He was almost to the
door when he heard heavy footsteps round the corner and was assaulted with a wave of heat.
Endeavor.

“Are you the boy who has been distracting my son?” Endeavor demanded. Izuku could feel the
rage building up in his gut. Thinking about all the stories that Dabi had told him and all the scars
and bruises he had seen on Shouto.

“Fuck you Endeavor, Shouto can spend his time how he wants.” Izuku fired back, resting on the
safety that even though he was a dick they were still on campus.

“What did you just say to me boy?” Endeavor raged, the flames escaping his suit, rising even
higher.

“What are you going to do? Beat up a quirkless kid in an empty hallway? Sounds pretty villainous
to me.” Izuku chuckled, then let his face fall flat. “Don’t you get off enough on beating up your
own family?”

“I don’t know what Shout-” Endeavor started but Izuku swiftly cut him off.

“Shouto hasn’t told me anything. I have my information from another source. You might want to
tread carefully, Endeavor, that pillar you stand on has a lot of cracks.” Izuku said with a glint in his
eye as he reached for the doorknob for the waiting room.

“Was that a threat?” Endeavor roared.

“No, that was a friendly piece of advice. It’s interesting though that you would consider anything
that poor little quirkless me would say to be a threat.” Izuku responded before entering the room
and slamming the door in Endeavor’s face. He heard an angry growl and loud footsteps as
Endeavor stomped away. Izuku channeled his frustration through a well placed kick to a nearby
chair that sent it flying. There was a small TV in the corner that showed the results of the matches.
Him and Shouto had already won and Mei was in the middle of her fight with Iida. Izuku was about
to go up to the stands to watch when the TV flickered and showed Mei to be victorious. Izuku
smiled, he knew he could count on his friends. Now Mei just needed to win her next round and it
would be a straight shot to the finals. It wasn’t long until the three were reunited in the waiting
room.

“Good job everybody!” Izuku cheered.

“Ugh, Iida was such a spoilsport. Once he realized what he was doing he went out of bounds.
Blabbing about honor or something. I hope the next person will give me a little more time to show
off our cute babies.” Mei pouted, removing her support items.

“Don’t worry Mei, we can make our match as long as you want to show off everything!” Izuku said
with a warm smile.

“You’re the best Izu!” She jumped up and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m going to scout out who
I’m fighting next. I’ll be back!” Mei winked as she left the two boys in the room.

Shouto was the one to break the silence. “How much does she know?” The aura in the room went
cold.

“As little as possible. She just knows she needs to get me in the ring with Katsuki.” Izuku stated.
“The police department has a detective that has a lie detection quirk, the less she knows the better
she can convince them that she was deceived just like everyone else.”

“Do you think she’ll be upset?” Shouto wondered.

“No,” Izuku said confidently. “Honestly, I trust her and I hope she trusts me. She’d be more mad if
I let her in on everything and she got in trouble and couldn’t make her babies. She’ll understand.”

“So where does that leave me?” Shouto asks.

“Sorry, well, my best advice is to be vague. Your best defense is to put on a good show.”

“I wish I could go with you.” Shouto said quietly.

“Hey, it’s ok,” Izuku said as he placed a hand on Shouto’s arm. “I told you, when the time is right,
I’ll come for you. I promise. This isn’t goodbye forever.” The boys smiled warmly at each other.
“You better go to your own waiting room though. It might be a little suspicious for you to be
hanging out with the competition.”

Shouto nodded and left the room. Izuku gathered his thoughts and pulled on a pair of boots that he
and Mei had worked on together. He strapped on his sai and grabbed a few small cylinders and
shoved them into his pockets. He felt a little bad that he would probably be too focused on the fight
to jabber on about his tech but he would make it up to Mei in the next round.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shouto and Izuku stood across from each other when the gun fired. Immediately Shouto shot off a
wave of ice and Izuku crouched to jump out of the way. As soon as he took off, he flew over the
arena. The boots propelling him into a super powered jump. He landed softly with the built in
shocks absorbing the majority of the pressure and unsheathed his sai. Though, as soon as he landed
he took off again, avoiding another ice attack. Izuku smiled, Shouto was doing a good job at
making this look convincing. After a few rounds of jumping around to avoid the attacks Izuku
finally landed close enough to Shouto’s left side. He swiftly sliced a deep wound onto Shouto’s left
hand and simultaneously kicked him in the chest. Then he saw it, Shouto raised a small wall of ice
close to the boundary to stop himself but before he could reach it Izuku pulled out a cylinder and
chucked it. It exploded on impact, destroying the ice wall as Shouto went sailing over the line. The
whistle blew and Izuku rushed over to Shouto, who had maneuvered back into a sitting position
after he recovered the wind that had been knocked out of him.

“Are you ok?” Izuku fretted.

“I’m fine Hirai-kun.” Shouto replied as Izuku helped him up with his good hand. “Let’s just go to
Recovery Girl.”

The two boys returned back under the roaring crowd and reluctantly parted ways as Shouto turned
to the nurses office and Izuku went to the stands to watch Mei’s battle. She had opted for the
jetpack and a small portable but powerful flame thrower this time. It ended up being a short battle
once it devolved into another support item exhibition except this time Mei was able to get a proper
win by pushing the vine girl back with her flamethrower, showing off how long the flames could
be maintained with just one can of accelerant. Mei bowed theatrically at the end and skipped back
down to the room where she was waiting for him.
“We’re up next!” She squealed, “No one’s going to know what hit them!” Izuku smiled brightly,
because she was right.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izuku and Mei’s round lasted over a half hour until Midnight warned them that if they didn’t
actually fight then they would be disqualified. Finally Mei announced that she had said everything
she had needed to say and repeated their names, spelling included, three times before stepping out
of the ring, leaving Izuku the victor. The two returned happily to the waiting room where they
deposited all their support items.

“Thanks Mei, I couldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

“You’re right, me and my babies are awesome!” She teased, warranting a light punch on the arm
from Izuku. “But they wouldn’t be this good without you.”

“Mei, I know I’ve been really vague about everything but just know that our friendship is real.
Even if everyone says it’s not… even if I say it's not.” Izuku’s head hung a little at the admittance.

“Izu, I know you’re only keeping me in the dark for my sake. Don’t worry so much!” Mei said
cheerily. She turned to her bag. “I have a couple presents for you!”

Mei pulled out a sleek black bracer and what looked like a phone. She handed the phone over first.
“This isn’t anything that cool but it’s a phone that's completely untraceable. At least it should be,
you’ll be a good tester for that one.”

Izuku started to feel tears well in his eyes. “Thanks, MeiMei.”

“Did you think I was going to let you slip away with no way to contact you?” Mei tsked. “What if I
get stuck on programming with my babies?” She offered the black bracer to Izuku. He slid it onto
his wrist and once it was in place Mei pressed a small button on the back and it tightened to fit his
arm perfectly. “This is an upgraded version of your rope dart. I’ve been working on it since the
start of school. It should work a lot more smoothly and there are three cartridges for different
coating chemicals as well as a dissolving chemical to clean it between dips.” Izuku pressed the
release button and swung it a few times, confident in the similar weight and feel. He retracted it
and pulled Mei into a hug.
“Ok, ok you big baby, I better go up to get a seat for the big show. Unless explodo-boy gets beat
by that bird kid.” Mei said as she pulled herself away and rested her hands on Izuku’s shoulders.
She looked deeply into her eyes and said. “See you later, Izu.” and with a wink and a ruffle of his
hair she was gone. Izuku sucked in a big breath. The moment he had been working towards for
years was actually about to happen. A lot of things could have gone wrong but as he saw Bakugo
light up as the winner of his final fight he realized that it was actually going to happen. Izuku felt a
lot of things, a little anxious, a little excited, but mostly ready. He pulled on his bounce boots and a
tricked out gas mask that he had been saving for the final round as well as his weapons and entered
the hallway to make his way to the pitch when he noticed Shouto standing to the side.

“Recovery Girl offered to heal me up but I told her I was fine with it healing on it’s own. She said I
could watch from here if I wanted too.” Shouto remarked as Izuku got closer. “Also I got what you
asked for.” He handed Izuku a small folded up tissue which he pocketed quickly.

“Sorry about that.” Izuku said as he took Shouto’s hand in his, feeling his blood rush at the
innocent contact. He traced his thumb over the bandage lightly.

“It’s ok, I couldn’t be down here if I wasn’t injured.” Shouto reminded him, with a small dusting of
pink on his cheeks.

“Well, I better go.” Izuku said. “I’ll be back. I promise.” Shouto flipped his hand so they were palm
to palm and squeezed Izuku’s hand slightly before dropping it. Izuku turned towards the arena, the
thrill of anticipation coursing through his veins.

----------------------------------------------------------

“Oi, shitty nerd. I don’t know how you made it this far but I’m not going to let some quirkless shit
beat me.” Katsuki raged from across the field. Izuku threw his head back and laughed, feeling freer
than he could have ever remembered. The sun was warm on his face and he felt alive. Katsuki
seemed a little thrown off by the action though. “What the fuck is wrong with you, you psycho?”
Izuku didn’t answer, he simply met his eyes with a smirk as he pulled the tissue out of his pocket.

“You boys ready?” Midnight asked while cracking her whip suggestively. Izuku maintained his
eye contact as he pulled an ash blonde hair out of the tissue and laid it on his tongue for Katsuki to
see. After an exaggerated swallow Midnight shot the starting gun and the fight began.

Izuku released his new rope dart, swinging it in a practiced pattern while he waited for Katsuki to
realize the situation. Katsuki threw his hands behind him, jumped, and…
Fell.

Face first into the cement.

“What the fuck did you do?” He growled, pushing himself up to stand and wrenching his hands,
attempting to activate his quirk.

“You know you’ve always thought so little about the quirkless. Haven’t you? Kacchan.” Izuku
baited him with a dangerously playful grin, excitement building in his chest. Katsuki took the bait,
screaming as he ran forward into Izuku’s range of attack. With an easy twist Izuku carried the
momentum of the rope dart and swung it around his elbow, grazing Katsuki on the arm before
retracting it into the bracer.

“A little scratch isn’t going to do shit to me!” Katsuki screamed as he pushed forward. Suddenly
about three feet from Izuku he dropped. Laying limply on the ground but continuing to spit out a
string of profanities. Izuku pulled up his gas mask and crossed the small distance between them. He
wrapped his arm under Katsuki and hauled him up into a standing position. He held him up with
one arm strapped across his chest and one of the sai pinned to his throat. He heard screams tear
through the crowd as the situation became obviously dire.

“What do you think, Kacchan? A little taste of what it was like to be me.” Izuku chirped into his
ear.

“Give it back you fucking, Deku.” Katsuki spat out.

“Hmm, I don’t think so.” Izuku teased.

“Fine, then just kill me.” Katsuki said. “If I don’t have my quirk then I’d rather be fucking dead
like you should have been.”

“Hirai-kun, let Bakugo-kun go.” Midnight demanded in a strained voice, pulling the boys out of
their private conversation. Her hand was on her sleeve as if to activate her quirk but she must have
realized it would be pointless with the gasmask. Izuku smiled to himself at her realization.

“Show time.” he whispered to Katsuki which caused the speaker in his gas mask to activate.
 “Hello everyone!” Izuku’s voice boomed through the stadium. “My name is Izumi Hirai of the
support class. Oh wait, that’s not right.” He chuckled. “No, no, my name is Deku of the League of
Villains.” He gave a moment for a dramatic pause as he heard gasps and screams rain down on
him, feeding his mania. “I see the horror on all your faces looking down on me in ignorance. If you
knew everything than you would know I am not the real villain, it’s only a title. Look at the heroes
you idolize so much. Who torment and ignore the ones closest to them. They are the real villains.”
He pushed the sai harder into Katsuki’s throat encouraging a new flood of red to seep down his
pale neck. “He is the real villain. He took everything from me and only left me a name and a
drive.” He tilted the hilt of his sai up so he could force Katsuki's raging crimson eyes to meet his
own. “You want me to kill you? I was planning on it, for years actually. But, you’ve made me
realize something important. Death is too easy, it’s not enough for you. I have a better plan for you,
Kacchan.” He turned his head towards the entrance tunnel where Shouto was running towards him,
face contorted in what looked like rage and panic. Shouto reached his hand towards the two and i n
an instant he and Katsuki were enveloped in a dome of ice. Kurogiri’s portal suddenly appeared
and pulled the boys through. By the time the ice had cracked under the pressure of hell flames they
were gone.

Chapter End Notes

Ok time for my rant! There's a few things that have always drove me crazy about the
sports festival. First there is no way Iida would have let Mei just mess around with him
for ten minutes and then let him win, I believe in my soul he would have forfeited due
to the spirit of the competition or whatever. Also I think that there is not way the LOV
would have just let the sports festival go on without a hitch right after the USJ. Also it
has always kind of bugged me that Deku is Izuku's hero name because to me it just
would work soooo much better as a villian name, to remind him of all the crap that
drives him, like Shigaraki's hands. Lastly mwahaha I was never going to kill Katsuki
here. I have much bigger plans for that turd. That being said I never intended for Izuku
to be the true traitor. I want him to have a strong separation from UA and the hero
students because he's still developing on his path to villany so I can't have those
goodie two shoe hero students and Aizawa pulling Izuku back to the good side! Next
chapter is going to be a lot of different POVs of the direct aftermath of the sports
festival.
 Aftermath
Chapter Summary

Aftermath of the Sports Festival

Chapter Notes

TW: Distressing scenes

Beta read by TheSaphireDemon! Thanks so much!!! Now you all don't have to suffer
through my spelling errors and terrible use of commas. :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Shouto watched as Izuku shone so brightly it was almost hard to watch. He looked so free and
confident, he would almost be jealous if he wasn’t filled with so much admiration. This boy who
was so strong, so willingly, to do whatever it took to face his oppressor, called himself his friend.
Shouto felt his chest squeeze a little bit at the thought. The wistful feeling didn’t last long though as
movement behind Izuku caught his eye, no. Endeavor was striding down the hallway on the
opposite side of the pitch, eyes blazing with anger.

Shit

Shouto looked quickly back at Izuku, he was talking to Katsuki now instead of the crowd but with
his mask still activated Shouto could hear everything. He tuned out the voice though as he assessed
the growing threat. He was getting too close. Shouto couldn’t wait anymore. He started sprinting,
catching his father’s eye. He felt the anger and panic rise in his chest in an almost primal way. He
caught Izuku’s veridian eyes for only a second before he shot his hand out to create a dome of ice
around the boys, protecting them from his Father’s brand of justice. Seconds later Endeavor had
arrived on the other side of the stadium and was making quick work of Shouto’s ice, but, by the
time the fire breached the ice, they were gone.

“Shouto!” Endeavor screamed while stomping towards him. “What were you thinking?!”

Shouto responded easily, having rehearsed beforehand, however, thanks to Endeavor, he was able
to slip in an extra excuse that made everything more believable. “Nobody was doing anything.” He
responded in his normally stoic tone, having gotten his momentary flare of emotions under control.
“My classmate was about to be murdered, if not by Hirai then by you trying to take him down.”
Endeavor growled but kept his composure since there was still half a stadium full of people
watching their interaction while they were being evacuated. “We will talk about this at home. I see
you may need some special training, because this behavior is inexcusable.” Then he left, mostly
likely knowing that his temper would not be contained much longer. Shouto watched him walk
over to Midnight to discuss what happened. Shouto sighed, now he just had to survive the
interrogation and Endeavor’s wrath, he wasn’t sure which he was dreading more.

-------------------------------

Mei sat in the stands with the rest of the support class. She honestly didn’t know any of their
names. None of them were even in the same league as Izu and her so there wasn’t much of a point
if she didn’t need them for anything. She felt excitement bubble up in her as Izuku stood across
from Katsuki on the field. She pulled out her notebook, this would be her first time seeing her new
rope dart and the gas mask in action after all. Izu pulled something out of a tissue but it was too
hard to see what it was from here. It wasn’t anything she had given him so she disregarded it. The
gun shot and Katsuki fell on his face. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud, that jerk deserved it.
She watched as Izuku released his rope dart. Good release, looked smooth and his actions look
normal so the weight ratio must be correct. She hoped he would use a coating serum and she wasn’t
disappointed. As Katsuki ran at him he easily sliced his arm and seconds later he was limp. Mei
scribbled in her notebook. Seeing that she could still hear a faint stream of cursing he must have
used the level 1 paralytic. She had designed it to allow the victim to be able to speak while the rest
of the victim was left paralyzed. Everything was working flawlessly. Mei smiled to herself. She
saw Izuku raise the gasmask to his face, she still wasn’t sure what he had wanted a gasmask for,
but once he pulled Katsuki up into tight hold with a sai at his neck she put it together. It was a
counter against Midnight. She looked over at the hero but Midnight didn’t even try to release her
Somnambulist, which Mei was pretty disappointed about. Guess that test would have to be done
another time. Suddenly Izu’s voice filled the stadium and Mei had to suppress a cheer. She wasn’t
the most socially aware but even she knew that cheering in this situation would probably not be
good. As he talked she wrote, his tone sounded normal, the volume level was good for the stadium
but she should probably find a way to change the volume without using his hands, maybe another
voice command. No, even better would be if she could make a sensor so that the mask would
adjust itself to the area and noise volume the wearer was in. Suddenly Izu was covered in ice and
gone. Mei sighed and put her notebook down, she really wished she could have seen the gasmask
working against Midnight. She packed her bag and went along with the evacuation. She noticed
Todo and Endeavor having an argument on the pitch but with Izu gone she didn’t care much. She
just hoped that when the police came they wouldn’t take up too much of her time so she could
work on the automated volume control baby.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Naomasa groaned. He could tell there was a long year ahead of him. School had only been in
session for three weeks but he had already been called to the famous high school twice for high risk
villain attacks. This time a student had actually been taken. Maybe this would get it through
Principal Nezu’s brain that the sports festival was not a good idea. At least Naomasa had already
been there for security purposes so he saw everything first hand but it didn’t stop him from feeling
frustrated by the fact that in a stadium full of police officers and pro heroes no one was able to stop
a student from being kidnapped. He was standing down on the pitch, staring at the place where the
students had been standing, not twenty minutes before. Other officers were taking witness
statements but since it was seen by a stadium full of people he doubted they would find anything
useful. Instead Naomasa started looking for Power Loader. If the information was correct, he was
the homeroom teacher of Izumi Hirai, now known as Deku. It didn’t take him long to find him
since the man had also made his way down to the stadium floor in anticipation of this very
conversation. “Power Loader,” Naomasa acknowledged.

“Hello, Detective Tsukauchi.” Power Loader responded.

“Izumi Hirai was your student correct?” Naomasa asked.

“Yes.” Power Loader responded, crossing his arms and looking frustrated. “I never would have
seen this coming. He practically lived at school with how dedicated he was.”

“Was there anyone he was close with?” he prodded

“He spent almost all his time with Mei Hatsume, but I also saw him with the Todoroki kid
sometimes.” Power Loader answered.

“Alright, I will bring those students in for an interview, I believe that Todoroki-san is still here.”
Naomasa thought aloud to himself.

“I can contact Hatsume for you and have her go down to the station.” Power Loader offered.

“Thank you.” Naomasa responded as the two parted ways. Todoroki-san was standing next to
Endeavor, who was giving a statement to one of his colleagues. Naomasa pulled Todoroki-san off
to the side to speak with him.

“Hello Todoroki-san, my name is Detective Tsukauchi. I would like to ask you some questions.”
Naomasa started, the boy in front of him gave him an excessively neutral face.

“Yes, sir.” Todoroki responded. Naomasa accessed his quirk, the boy's oddly calm demeanor had
him on edge.
“Did you know Izumi Hirai?”

“Yes.”

True.

“Would you say that the two of you were friends?”

“I thought so.”

True

“Did you know he was planning on hurting Katsuki Bakugo?”

“I knew he wanted to.”

True

It wasn’t exactly a direct answer to his question and Naomasa was curious.

“Can you explain?”

“Katsuki was bullying him. Mei Hatsume and I reported the bullying to All Might but he did
nothing.”

True

“Did you know he was a member of the League of Villains?”

“No”

True

“Hirai was able to escape when you used your quirk. With your relationship I have to ask. Did you
conspire with him to escape?”

“I acted on my own volition.”

True.

“Thank you for your cooperation Todoroki-san.” Naomasa finally said, receiving a polite bow
before Todoroki returned to his Father’s side. There was something off about that kid but Naomasa
wasn’t sure what. Naomasa’s phone chimed. Mei Hatsume was waiting for him there. Perfect, he
thought as he returned to his car.

He walked into the precinct and Hatsume was having a heated conversation with the secretary. As
soon as the secretary had eyes on Naomasa, she started pointing in his direction while giving him a
look that screamed save me. As soon as she pointed yellow eyes had him pinned in the cross hairs.

“I have been here for thirty minutes!” Hatsume huffed at him. “Do you know how much I could
have accomplished in that time?”

“I’m sorry Hatsume-san, if you can follow me to the interrogation room we can make this quick.”
Naomasa said with his hands raised placatingly. The girl almost growled but followed him. “Would
you like any water?” he offered.

“I want to leave. My babies are waiting.” Hatsume responded. Naomasa briefly remembers her
calling her inventions her babies so he assumes that's what she is referring to since he is unaware of
any teen parents at UA high.

“Ok, let’s get into this then.” Naomasa states as he activates his quirk.
“Did you know Izumi Hirai?”

“Of course, we make all our babies together.”

True.

“So you’re close then.”

“Yeah, he’s my best friend.”

True.

“Did you know he was a member of the League of Villains?”

“No, we only ever talked about our babies.”

True.

“You made some of his support items correct?”

“Yup! He’s the perfect tester for my super cute babies, I love making things for Izu!”

True.

“Did you know he planned on hurting Katsuki?”

“No, but if he hadn’t I would have.”

True.
“Because of the bullying?”

“Yes.”

True.

“Alright, that should be all for now. I will call you if we need anything else.” Naomasa said and no
sooner was Hatsume out of the chair and at the door.

“Please don’t.” she responded. “If you need something you can come to the UA support lab to ask
me. This took way too much time, I need to get back to my babies.”

Tsukauchi let his head fall into his hands once she had excited the room. What weird kids. He
wasn’t sure if they knew anything they hadn’t told him but he was almost positive that if they did
they would never give it up.

--------------------------------------------------------

Katsuki had been angry pretty much his entire life but he had never felt rage to this extreme before.
He was sitting in a fucking dank ass bar, tied to a chair. The paralytic had worn off but he still
couldn’t use his quirk. What the fuck had Deku done. That little shit had dipped off somewhere as
soon as they had arrived and left Katsuki with some patchwork douchebag that was glaring at him.
“Oi, where the fuck did Deku go? Bring him back here so I can kick his ass.” Patchwork asshole
just glared at him but didn’t answer. “Are you his fucking lackey?” That received a small snort of a
cross between a laugh and a scoff, but still no answer. Katsuki growled and tried to free his hands
to no avail. Was Deku a fucking boyscout? How are these knots so tight? Suddenly there was
purple smoke and Deku appeared. “What the fuck Deku! What did you do to me?” He wasn’t eight
anymore but he still had those fucking doe eyes and freckles that made him obviously the same
useless kid as all those years ago. Katsuki knew he had been right when he recognized him at the
gym.

“Calm down Kacchan.” Deku smiled at him in a way that made him want to vomit. “I told you I
was saving you for later.”

Katsuki immediately flashed back to that sludge villain and the hooded kid who had pulled him
out. He had thought he was hearing things when the boy called him Kacchan but it was actually
him. “You fucker.” He growled. “Let me out of here so I can beat your ass properly.” Deku just
clicked his tongue and came even closer.

“You already had your chance at the sports festival, Kacchan.” Deku pointed out which only
infuriated Katsuki further. “My plan was to kill you there, but then, I had a better idea, you wanna
know what it is?” Katsuki didn’t know what to say so instead he growled. “Hmmm, you’re not
being very nice so I’m not going to tell you.” Deku then had the audacity to fucking tap Katsuki’s
nose lightly with his finger, like a fucking dog.

“Don’t touch me you fucking freak.” Katsuki spat at him. “What the fuck did you do to my quirk?”

“Kacchan, you’ve always been mean but you’ve never been stupid.” Deku said with a look of
pretend offense. “I showed you exactly what I did.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Katsuki snarled, this guy had become seriously fucking
derranged.

“Sensei gave me a quirk.” Deku said straightening up to his full height, which still wasn’t much,
Katsuki noticed satisfactorily. “I can erase people’s quirks for a time if I ingest their DNA. Saliva
barely lasts but blood is what I usually use, I don’t mind the taste and depending on how much I
ingest it can last quite a while.” Katsuki almost gagged at the thought. “Hair works the longest but
I hate eating hair, it makes my throat feel weird.” Deku made a scrunched up face at the idea and
then leaned back into Katsuki’s space, just barely out of biting range to Katsuki’s chagrin. “I have a
theory though.” He mused as he pulled out a knife and dragged it on Katsuki’s face. The cool
sharp edge of the blade made Katsuki freeze. “I’ve always wondered how much of someone I
would have to consume to make it permanent.” Katsuki’s heart rate shot through the ceiling, What
the fuck is wrong with this kid? Did he really just threaten to eat me alive!? The fuck?? Deku
chuckled at the look of horror on Katsuki’s face and returned the knife to its sheath. “Don’t worry,
with you I need a sure thing.” Deku nodded at the smoke fucker and moved to stand behind
Katsuki, his hands resting gently on his shoulders.

Suddenly they were enveloped in purple fog and the next thing Katsuki saw was a man, if you can
call him that, laying on a hospital bed, surrounded by a frankly ridiculous amount of machines.
Deku skipped over to the vegetable and held his hand, saying, “Sensei, This is Katsuki Bakugo.” as
if he was introducing a friend who had come to visit.

“I’m so proud of you Izuku.” The raspy voice of the man on the bed responded. “Bring him closer
so we may begin.”
 “Yes Sensei.” Izuku chirped as he returned to the chair and pushed Katsuki towards the bed, chair
legs scraping harshly on the concrete floor. Katsuki could finally see his face and holy fuck. His
head was barely there, full of scar tissues, there were no eyes but Katsuki had a creepy feeling that
this thing could still see him. Suddenly it spoke.

“This may hurt a bit but it won’t be long.” Katsuki suddenly started to struggle in his chair, What
the fuck was this guy planning on doing? He had to get away now! He realized his chair was being
held still by Deku and the last thing he saw was his smiling face as he looked above him and
screamed in pain.

Chapter End Notes

Guys Shouto and Mei and psychos and I love it. That is all. Thanks for reading and
leaving kudos and comments, you all keep me motivated. :)

Also, I have been reading waaaaay too much fan fiction because I realized while
writing this that Tsukauchi doesn't have a lie detection quirk in cannon. Then I
realized I got this idea from Mastermind. Go read that too its an amazing Villain Deku
fic but if we're being honest, if you have made it all they way to mine you have
probably read it already.
 Kacchan
Chapter Summary

Izuku and Katsuki relive their childhood. Hawks and Dabi's relationship is revealed.

Chapter Notes

TW: Descriptions of Abuse, Torture

Once again beta read by the amazing TheSapphireDemon. You all have her to thank
for the extra insight into Katsuki's POV.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Keigo felt the wind tear across his face as he flew towards UA High. There had been radio silence
from Dabi since the sports festival, until this morning that is. He got a text from him saying to go to
UA but he didn’t say why. The large gates came into view and as he hurdled towards the ground he
saw a figure on the sidewalk. He landed and approached the figure laying on the ground in front of
him. It was Katuski Bakugo, covered in burns and completely passed out. Keigo carefully picked
the student up off the ground and flew as fast as he dared, without causing more injury, towards
Recovery Girls’ office.

What the hell Dabi?

----------------------------------------------

Izuku paused at the door and took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he pushed the door open.
“Kacchan, are you awake?” He asked quietly. Katsuki had been sleeping for over a day but he
should be up by now. Must have been the shock. They had business to get to though, before they
gave the heroes too much time to look for him. As he peeked into the room crimson eyes locked
onto his.

“Deku, what the fuck happened?” Katsuki demanded but Izuku could hear the panic behind it and
it made him smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything.” Izuku replied as he entered the room. Katsuki visibly
stiffened in the metal chair he was cuffed to when he saw the state Izuku was in. He stood before
him, sporting only boxers and a small black marker in his hand. Katsuki was in a similar state in
the chair.

“Where the hell are your clothes, Deku? What the fuck are you trying to pull on me?” Katuski
accused, looking like he was going to vomit. Izuku, too, felt sick at the situation that was clearly
passing through Katsuki’s eyes. Ew, he would never.

“Kacchan, get your mind out of the gutter. I only wanted to show you your handiwork.” He smiled
at him while spreading his arms out so Katsuki could see every inch of him. His body was covered
in scars of various sizes and ages adorning every section of his body. The scars let off a sickly type
of shine under the fluorescent lights if he stood at the right angle. “You’ve never been able to fully
appreciate it before.”

A look of horror flashed passed Katsuki’s eyes before he quickly wrangled it back to his usual
anger. “So does that mean you're done with your shitty strip tease?” Katsuki countered. Deku
shook his head and showed him a black marker that he had been holding in his hand.

“No, it’s my pattern so I’ll be staying this way.” He replied as he wagged the marker in Katsuki’s
face. “You see, Sensei has a very special quirk. He has a quirk that can both take and give quirks.”
He paused for a moment while he allowed the realization to sink in. Then he lifted his hand in front
of Katuski’s face. “Too many quirks can cause… complications. But don’t worry, two is safe.” He
let off a small spark in his hand and saw Katsuki’s face contort from confusion into rage. For the
first time in his life he seemed to be speechless. Izuku was happy.

“Should we begin?” He asked with a smile as he pulled the cap off the marker with a satisfied pop.
“How do you want to do this? Top to bottom? Oldest to newest? What do you think?” Izuku asked
while Katsuki seemed to take the silence-means-winning approach. “Ah no preference? I like to be
organized so let’s start from the bottom.” He sat in a chair that was placed across from Katuski and
brought his foot up onto his other leg. There was a small burn there that he proceeded to x out with
the marker. He then showed it to Katsuki. “A week after I found out I was quirkless I followed you
to the playground. You pushed me down and took my shoes off so you could burn my feet so I
would stop following you. Sounds like a good place to start?”

Katsuki’s eyes widened as he took in Izuku’s scars in a whole new light, and suddenly he found his
voice again. “Don’t touch me you fucker! You can’t use my own fucking quirk against me!” Izuku
grabbed his leg and grappled for control until he was able to get it into an iron hold.

“You want to bet?” He replied with a smirk as he laid his unused palm on the sole of Katsuki’s foot
and set off an explosion. Katsuki tried his best to control himself but he couldn’t help but let out a
pained grunt. “Good, keep fighting it. I don’t want you passing out on me. We have three years of
this to get through.” Izuku explained as he let go of his foot and picked the black marker back up
off the floor. “What's next?” he mused.

------------------------

It took everything in Katsuki to keep himself from screaming but he refused to give fucking Deku
the satisfaction, the pain was relentless, only breaking for small explanations.

I asked you why you hated me and you told me you would show me instead.

Pain.

I was writing in my notebooks afterschool and you said you had a bad day.

Pain.

You saw me watching a villain fight and you told me I needed to learn why watching fights when I
was quirkless was stupid.

Pain.

There was a love note on my desk one morning and when I went to meet them it was you making
sure that I always knew my place.

Pain.

I was sitting on the playground when you and your friends must have gotten bored. They held me
down while you used my back for quirk practice.

Pain
I told you I would do anything to make you leave me alone and you told me this was what I get for
being quirkless.

Pain.

My mom saw one of the burns I couldn’t hide and told your mom. You made sure they were never
in a place I couldn’t hide after that.

Pain.

Katsuki tried to tune the words out and just focus on the pain because the pain, the pain was so
much easier to take.

-------------------------

Izuku exited the room hours later, almost his entire body was covered in black marker. He hissed
as he looked at the palms of his hands. He still wasn’t completely used to this quirk and he had
definitely overused it. He made his way upstairs to the bar. Dabi, Tomura, and Kurogiri were
waiting for him. He slumped into the barstool and placed his hands palm up on the bar.

“Izu, I told you not to overdo it.” Dabi chastised as he went to grab the burn ointment.

“I have to get it done today so we can get him back before the pros come looking.” Izuku
defended.

“You better.” Tomura demanded from the corner. “You weren’t supposed to bring him back here
anyways.”

“Calm down Tomu-nii. Everything is still under control, I’m sending him back tomorrow.” Izuku
retorted as Dabi rubbed the soothing ointment on Izuku’s hands. He only received an indignant
hmph in response.

“How do you feel?” Dabi asked, most likely referring to his hands but Izuku couldn’t help but light
up with a big smile and respond.
“Satisfied.”

-------------------------------

Katsuki’s head felt fuzzy from the pain, time had melted together until he didn’t so much notice
Deku leave but noticed the silence. Tears started to fall from his eyes, stinging the wounds they
landed on as they fell. He didn’t cry because of the pain, though that certainly did not help his self
control, but the hours of stories and reminders were what had broken him. He remembered it all.
He remembered every instance of taking his anger out on Deku for all those years. The anger of a
lost future all because Deku couldn’t keep up with him. He had to push him away, had to hurt him
so he could let that go. That future he so desperately wanted, he could still have by himself, if only
he could get rid of the one reminder of how easy it was to fail, how out of his control things really
were. Now though, with no uniform or dirty play clothes to hide the results of his fear and anger,
his sins were laid bare in a way that he would be forced to remember. He looked down at the angry
red wounds that litterd his body in shock. He did this. He could have chosen to protect Deku but
instead he did this and now everything was ruined. His quirk was gone, his family was gone, his
body was ruined, and Katsuki didn’t know what to think about it. He didn’t even try to stop the
tears from falling. He sobbed until his tears turned harsh and he defaulted back to the only emotion
that he ever had felt safe in, anger. He strained on the cuffs and screamed horsley. There was no
going back now, he had made his choices and so had Deku. He couldn’t escape the evidence of his
fault but fuck Deku if he thought that let him off the hook. Someday there would be hell to pay.

-------------------------------------------------------

When Izuku awoke the next morning he went straight to the basement. His body was still covered
in black ink but he didn’t intend to rid himself of it until he was finished. He swung open the door
to see Katsuki slumped in the chair sleeping. He looked over his body, covered in fresh burns.
Evidence, so that Katsuki could never forget what he did. He smiled bittersweetly knowing that
their time together would be ending soon. He strode over to him and poked him in the cheek.
“Kacchan, Kacchan, it’s time to wake up.” He whispered softly into his ears. Katsuki awoke with a
jolt and a wince as his wounds were jostled with the sudden movements.

“Get the fuck away from me Deku.” Katsuki hoarsley demanded as he tilted his head far away.

“Good Morning Kacchan, did you sleep well?” Izuku asked politely.

“What the fuck do you think?” He spat back.

“Well, good news! You get to go back to your life today!” Izuku said cheerfully. “Although
without your quirk we’ll see how much of it you can salvage.” Izuku loved the rush of satisfaction
he got when Katsuki clenched his teeth so tightly it looked like they would break. “Now there is a
condition to your leaving. I don’t want you to get any bright ideas about taking the easy way out if
you know what I mean.” Izuku winked and it made Katsuki narrow his eyes in a way that should
have been threatening but Izuku was way past caring at this point. “So if I hear about you killing
yourself or any suspicious accidents then…” Izuku put a finger to his chin and pretended to decide.
“Ah, I'll blow up UA.” Katsuki’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open before quickly
snapping closed again. “I’m glad you understand the consequences.” Izuku said as he dared to pat
the blonde on his spiky hair.

Katsuki jerked away and yelled. “You’re a fucking derranged psychopath! I’ll fucking kill you in
the end, just fucking wait!”

Izuku threw his head back and laughed. “I can’t wait to see you try. Now there is one last memory I
want to relive with you before you can go.” Izuku walked around behind Katsuki and wrapped his
hand around his throat as he spoke softly in his ear. “The day you gave me this was the day my
mom died. The day that I should have been able to get home earlier to save her but I couldn’t
because you just had to put me in my place didn’t you?” He felt his palm heat up and Katsuki
started to jerk under his hand. “Karma’s a bitch, Kacchan.” he whispered as he let the sparks fly
and felt the skin warping and bubbling under his hand, he soaked in the satisfaction of the guttural
screams that ripped from Katuski’s throat. He finally released his hand and Katsuki’s head lolled to
the side. He picked up the marker and drew a large x over the scar on his own neck as he exited the
room. “See you around, Kacchan.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Keigo adjusted his hat as he entered the darkened alleyway. His feather’s were hidden in an
oversized backpack slung over his back. It was uncomfortable to have his feathers detached but he
couldn’t risk being recognized meeting up with a villain, even if it was for a commission
sanctioned mission. A little down the alleyway he spotted the man he was looking for. “Did you
like your present birdie?” The man called as he walked to meet Keigo.

“I guess you must not trust me as much as you say you do Touya.” Keigo jabbed, admittedly a little
pissed that he wasn’t told anything about the sports festival plans.

“Don’t call me that and it wasn’t mine to tell. I’m not going to let you in on anything until you can
show your commitment to the league, Keigo.” Dabi retorted, peeved at the use of his prior name.

“Guess my commitment to you isn’t enough?” Keigo jokes, uncomfortable with the serious turn the
conversation was taking. Dabi took it as an invitation though as he pushed him firmly to the wall,
caging him between his arms.
“It’s a decent start.” Dabi responded as he captured Keigo’s lips with his own, kissing him
thoroughly until the two parted in need of oxygen. As he felt Dabi’s hot breath tickle his face,
Keigo thought about the fact that this definitely didn’t fall under the duties of his mission but fuck
the commision. If he was going to play double agent at least he would have this. “Once you're sick
of your double agent shit and following my father around like a puppy then you can, maybe, be in
on our plans.”

“I do not follow Endeavor around like a puppy!” Keigo gasped theatrically. “I’m a bird, not a dog.”
Dabi scoffed and pushed himself back out of Keigo’s space. “Plus I have to if I’m going to keep up
this double agent thing, you know?”

“Ok, you want to prove yourself so badly, I’ll see if Deku can come up with something for you.”
Dabi responded.

“So what happened with the Katsuki kid? He woke up but he still hasn’t spilled any details. Gotta
have something to report back.” Keigo prods. Hopefully Dabi can at least tell him this much.

“You saw him right?” Dabi asked rhetorically. “He’s known Deku since they were kids. All Deku
did was give him a matching set of scars that he had given him.”

Keigo’s eyes widened. What? He knew better than to be too surprised though with what he knew
about Endeavor from Dabi. The man he once idolized had been destroyed by those stories. It was
hard to see anyone in the same light after that. “Dude, that’s messed up.”

Dabi nodded solemnly and tightened his fists. “That little shit deserved everything he got.” He
turned to Keigo with a look that bordered on anger and protectiveness, he reached his hands up to
rest them on Keigo’s shoulders who was stilled by the contact. “Keigo, I don’t expect you to swap
sides out of nowhere. I’m smart enough to realize that you're still on their side, but I believe
someday you’ll be strong enough to realize that we’re all just people. The sides are made up and
the only thing you can be sure of is being strong enough to take down those who hurt you and
protect the people you love.”

Keigo froze, he felt his carefully cultivated laid back facade chip slightly because Dabi wasn’t
wrong. Was the world really as black and white as he had been raised and trained to believe? He
shook the question off, not ready to face the answer and slipped back into normal demeanor. He
leaned his head forward to slightly knock his forehead on Dabi’s “Geez, getting all deep on me
Dabs. Do I get to be on your protection list?” He joked.
 Dabi released him and backed up. “Not yet, birdie. Now go tattle. I’ll text you when Deku has
something for you to do.”

Keigo gave a stiff fake salute and smirked before he turned to leave the alleyway. His head
swimming with his worldview shifting into a little more gray.

Chapter End Notes

I have always wanted to make Katsuki quirkless as well as have Izuku take it. I feel
like it's the ultimate revenge. Our little Izuku is quickly learning that death is not the
worst punishment. Interested to hear all your thoughts. Also here you go, I promised
Hawks/Dabi and its going to be coming in full force. What do you guys think Izuku
will come up with for Hawks test?? Thanks again for keeping up with my story you all
mean so much!!
 Found You
Chapter Summary

Katuski's future at UA is decided. Shouto has a realization. Izuku makes a potential

new ally.

Chapter Notes

Beta read by TheSaphireDemon who can somehow keep up with my pace. Thanks so
much!

TW: References to death and trauma

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Toshinori took a deep breath before sliding open the doors to the school conference room. The
large table was surrounded by chairs, three of which sat Tsukauchi, Aizawa, and Principal Nezu.
He silently slid into a fourth chair. “Ah, Toshinori, you are finally here. Now we can get started.”
The principal said a little bit more cheerily than the situation called for. Toshinori nodded as the
principal began speaking. “We are here today to discuss the future of Katsuki Bakugo at our school
as well as the events of the past few days. As the facts stand, Bakugo-san has lost his quirk and it
has been confirmed by himself that he took an active role in bullying another student. Does anyone
have any opinions they would like to share?”

Toshinori cleared his throat and began. “Young Bakugo has been through immense trauma not just
in the last few days but in his past as well. I think that this should be considered as we think of his
future. I don’t think the hero course is the best place for him without a quirk but maybe it would be
a good idea to transfer him to general studies.” Nezu smiled mischievously which Toshinori wasn’t
quite sure to make of but his thoughts were interrupted but Aizawa’s sharp voice.

“Why do you have such a soft spot for that kid? I didn’t expel him because he had talent and I
figured I could whip his attitude into shape.” He drilled into Toshinori with his stare. “If I had
known about the bullying he would have been expelled before the sports festival even happened.”

“He and his family took care of someone important to me.” Toshinori vaguely explained. “In a way
his parents died because of my negligence. I promise that I will personally take responsibility for
him if he is allowed to remain at the school.”
Aizawa only scoffed but Nezu looked thrilled. “I’m all for second chances!” The principal
exclaimed and then turned to Tsukauchi. “Detective, will you please show us the recording of the
interview? Then we can have a clearer picture of the situation before we make a final decision.”

A screen lowered behind the principal, a paused video of young Bakugo in a hospital bed and
Tsukauchi sitting next to him flashed up onto the screen. Tsukauchi stood and announced. “I used
my quirk during this interview so I assure you that everything Bakugo-san is saying is the truth.”
With that declaration the video sprung to life.

“How are you feeling?” Tsukauchi asks Bakugo.

“What do you think? I feel like shit.” Bakugo snaps back.

“I’m sorry Bakugo-san.” Tsukauchi attempts to calm the boy, “Are you up for some questions?”

Bakugo tsks but agrees. “Might as well get this over now so you can leave me alone.”

“Can you tell me what happened after Izumi Hirai took you from the sports festival?”

Bakugo sighs and begins. “He took me to some shitty bar and said all sorts of dumb shit. Then the
smokey fucker warped us to a hospital room where some vegetable was lying there who Deku
called Sensei. He knew who I was and was pretty happy I was there. Then there was a lot of pain
and I blacked out. When I came too I was in a little concrete room where Deku had stolen my quirk
and did all this shit. The next thing I remember I was in Recovery Girl’s office.”

Tsukauchi nodded. “Thank you for telling me Bakugo-san.” Bakugo just huffed. “Do you know
why you were targeted?”

Bakugo visibly tenses, looking like he might not even answer at first but instead he nods.

“Can you tell me why?” Tsukauchi prods. Bakugo looks away, almost ashamed but then seems to
regain his composure and turns to meet Tsukauchi’s eyes.

“Because I did it to him.” He admits.

“I don’t follow.” Tsukauchi looks confused.

“Every burn on my body is a copy of one I did to him.”

“What?”

Bakugo lets out a humourless laugh. “I’ve known that kid since I was fucking born. He has a shit
ton of reasons to hate me just as much as I hate him. I fucking thought he was dead though until I
saw him at school and even then I though my brain was just going shitty.”

“Why would you think he was dead?” Tsukauchi asks, his tone slightly tinged with horror.

“Because they told me he died in a fire with my parents. Had his body and everything, don’t know
how it was faked but Deku is the same fucking Deku he was when we were kids, still that shitty
little Izuku Midoriya.”

Toshinori stood up so suddenly that he smacked his knee on the table harshly causing it to
violently shake the table, grabbing everyone in the room's attention. Even the Principal looked
surprised, which was a look that Toshinori was sure he had never seen adorn the rodents face
before. Tsukauchi quickly paused the recording as he looked worriedly at Toshinori.

“Toshi, are you ok?” Tsukauchi asks quietly.

Toshinori looked down over his body and realized that he was shaking. He reached a hand up to
identify the warm tears that had started running down his face. He gaped at Tsukauchi, wanting
words to escape his mouth but they couldn’t. He felt Tsukauchi’s hand rest on his shoulder,
grounding him to the world around him but he still felt like his entire being could fly away at any
moment. “H-he is my son.” He finally pushed out.

----------------------------

The day Toshinori met Inko he would never forget. He arrived at the hospital to visit a fellow hero
who had been injured in a mission a few days earlier. He made his way to the nursing station when
he saw her. Her beautiful green hair was pulled back into a low bun, her doe eyes shined at him
with kindness as she smiled and asked if she could help him. He stuttered out who he was there for
as she dutifully brought him to the room. She spoke animatedly and kindly and it made his heart
squeeze in a way it never had before. It took three more visits to work up the courage to ask her on
a date which luckily she had agreed to.
The day Toshinori left Inko he would never forget. It was a year later and Toshinori had been
involved in a hostage situation with a fellow hero's spouse. As he looked at the woman being held
tightly in the villains grasp he couldn’t help but imagine that being Inko. Their relationship was
secret to all but themselves but there was no way that he could keep it like that forever. He knew
what he had to do. He met her at her apartment as he explained how being with him endangered
her. She cried fat tears that somehow never diminished her beauty as she held him tightly. He
carded his fingers through her soft veridian locks and held her close. They spent one last night
together before parting for good.

The day Toshinori saved Inko he would never forget. Toshinori was in Musutafu for a meeting at
his alma mater when a villain robbed a bank. He quickly got it under control but as he turned to
check on the civilians in the bank his heart sank. There was Inko. Her hair was a bit shorter and she
had gained a bit of weight but she was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. His heart shattered
as their eyes met and she broke into tears. The police arrived and helped the other civilians but Inko
pulled him aside. With tears in her eyes she confessed that their final night together had resulted in
a son. His name was Izuku, he was 8 years old and All Might’s biggest fan. He had trouble with
bullies because he was quirkless. She had never contacted him because she didn’t want their son to
be in danger but now being face to face she couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. Toshinori’s heart
stopped, he knew why he was quirkless, he had inherited it from him after all but that just made
this all the more dangerous. He told her she made the right choice by not telling him and left,
leaving her sobbing behind him. He couldn’t pull a quirkless child into his mess.

The Day he found out Inko and Izuku died he would never forget. Toshinori had seen on the news
that Inko had been murdered just days after they met at the bank. He was in a different city at the
time. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. All these years forced apart for
nothing. But it wasn’t actually for nothing, he reminded himself. He had a responsibility now. It
didn’t take much snooping to find that Izuku was staying with the Bakugo family, the funeral was
that day and so Toshinori decided it was time to stop living in fear. He arrived at the funeral a little
late. He watched a black luxury car pull out of the funeral home parking lot as he entered the
building. He paid his respects and explained to Mitsuki and Masaru who he was. They seemed to
really care for Izuku and he had been grateful for their love of his son. They promised to break the
news to Izuku and Toshinori could come collect him in the morning. However, it was already too
late when he was called to the blaze later that night. The only person who escaped from the flames
was the son, Katsuki Bakugo, who had been out walking. All Might held his strong persona as he
broke inside watching young Bakugo scream the way he wished he could. His uncle came to
collect him shortly and All Might left the fire feeling like a dead man himself.

---------------------------------------------------------

“What are you talking about All Might? If he is your son, how the hell did you not recognize him?”
Aizawa’s voice cut through his reminiscing and he met his angry eyes with a start.
“I, uh, I never met him.” Toshinori confessed quietly. Though now looking back he was unsure
how he didn’t draw the similarities between him and Inko. But how could he recognize someone
who was supposed to be dead?

“Please enlighten us about the situation.” Nezu encouraged, looking slightly sour.

“I was with a woman a long time ago. I loved her.” Toshinori started feeling his throat swell
uncomfortably. “I really loved her but I am the Symbol of Peace. I couldn’t let her be put in harm
because of me so we parted ways. I didn’t even know I had a son until I ran into her again 8 years
later. I didn’t react the way I should have. I continued to stay away until I found out she died, I
went to find him but he died as well. Or so I thought.”

“How did you react?” Aizawa asked with a dangerously low voice.

Toshinori dropped his head in shame. “She wanted me to come back into their lives. He was being
bullied because he was quirkless. She wanted me to protect him. I didn’t want her to hope that I
would come back or change my mind so I told her that I didn’t want a quirkless son. If he couldn’t
protect himself from middle school bullies how would he survive being targeted by villains as my
weakness”

“Looks like it happened anyways.” Aizawa hissed as he began to rub his head. “Looks like we
know who his childhood buddy was too.”

Toshinori looked up at the screen at young Bakugo covered in bandages. His parents truly seemed
to care for Izuku. How could this all be true?

“Well, this conversation has taken quite a few turns.” Principal Nezu pointed out. “Detective, is
there anything going on on your end we need to know about?”

“No, he can’t very well be in legal trouble for bullying especially without anyone pressing charges
and the fact that it was so long ago. I would ask you to consider keeping him here though for his
protection. No matter who he was or what he is called, the villain Deku is now very dangerous and
Bakugo is clearly a target. It was under the school’s watch that he was taken so I believe it would
be better for him to stay here.”

“I agree!” chimed Principal Nezu. “So a transfer to general studies then?” The room remained
tensley quiet but no one objected. “I will take that as a yes! I will personally keep an eye on him,
don’t you all worry. You are dismissed.” The chimera waved everyone off with his paw.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Shouto stared out the window as Aizawa droned on. They had been informed this morning that
they would be taking part in internships but Shouto didn’t pay much attention to his long list of
offers since he knew his Father would force him to go to his agency. Instead he thought about
Izuku and what he might be doing. Bakugo had been found the morning prior and in poor
condition. Shouto had been able to message Izuku on the untraceable phone that Mei had given
him when they came back to school after the sports festival but he couldn’t say much over text. He
knew that the other boy must be feeling a million different things right now, his feelings towards
Katsuki were as complicated as his towards Endeavour and he would do anything to be there for
him right now. He let out a sigh that was maybe a little too loud because it drew the attention of his
excessively pink classmate.

“Todoroki-kun! You look like the lead of a shoujo manga staring out the window and sighing like
that. What are you thinking about?” She teased him as she wiggled her eyebrows. Shouto turned to
look at her. Aizawa's lecture must have ended because he was on the floor in his sleeping bag and
the rest of the students were talking amongst themselves.

“Nothing.” he responded coolly, he had no interest in getting to know any of his classmates. The
only reason he was even at this school was because his Father was making him attend.

“Ok then who are you thinking of?” she asked with a suggestive wink. Todoroki felt his cheeks
heat up subconsciously. “Oh my god! So it is someone! Spill!”

“It’s no one.” Todoroki choked out, hopefully convincingly.

“Ok, keep your secrets. Looks like you have a big fat crush though.”

“Crush? How would you know that?” Todoroki mentally slapped himself, why was he letting
himself get dragged into this conversation?

“Because it’s obvious.” The girl rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat so she fully faced Todoroki.
“K, I am going to ask some questions and you answer, you don’t have to tell me who it is. Deal?”
Todoroki simply nodded, a little curious now. “Do you find yourself thinking about her a lot?” she
started.
Todoroki tilted his head to the side slightly. “What if it’s not a girl?”

She let a sly smile cross her lips like she was up to something. Todoroki didn’t know how to feel
about being pinned under that gaze. “That’s fine, Ok, do you think about him a lot?”

“All the time.” he stated plainly making the girl squeal.

“Ahhhh, ok. Do you want to spend time with him alone?”

Todoroki thought for a second, that would be a yes because when they hung out together with Mei
it was slightly insufferable to handle two strong personalities at once. “Yes.”

“When you think about being alone with him, do you ever think about kissing him?” Todoroki
froze.

Kissing?

The thought had never crossed his mind but now that she mentioned it he imagined him and Izuku
sitting together. His face was so close that Shouto could count the freckles on his cheeks. Shouto
thought about running his fingers gently across them, connecting them with an invisible line. He
thought about his lips, warm and full, what it would feel like if-

“Whoa! Todoroki!” Shouto snapped back to reality when he realized his face was as red as the
flames that had momentarily burst from his side. He quickly got them under control as he heard his
classmate giggle. “Guess that’s a yes! Congrats, you definitely have a crush.”

Oh shit, he thought. She’s right.

------------------------------------------------------

The line only rang twice before Izuku heard a cheery voice on the other side. “Izu!! Our babies
miss you!”

“I miss you too MeiMei, are you alone?” Izuku asked worriedly since she just answered with his
name and wasn’t the best at being aware of her surroundings.

“Of course! Everyone left and Power Loader-sensei is at a staff meeting. What’s up?” She asked
directly, always one to get to the point.

“I was wondering if you could help me with some costume upgrades. Right now I am just wearing
pretty normal clothes that don’t give me any protection, especially since I don’t have a defensive
quirk.” Izuku explained.

“Of course! Do you like the style of what you're wearing?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He replied.

“Great! Send me some pictures and I will get to work. It’s perfect timing, I was just finishing up
some babies and looking for a new project!” She explained excitedly. “Also I gave Todo a phone
too because I figured you would want to talk to him too, did he message you?”

“Yeah he did and I’ll send those pictures. Thanks MeiMei.” Izuku smiled, he missed their days
spent tinkering together.

“Ok, Power Loader should be back soon so I have to go. I have some stuff I want you to look at
though for the jetpack upgrades so I’ll email you. Bye bye Izu!” She bid happily.

“Bye MeiMei. Thanks again.” Izuku said as he hung up the call and slid the phone into his pocket.
He leaned against the damp wall of the alley that Dabi wanted to meet in, he wouldn’t give him a
super clear answer as to why though. Izuku sighed and waited until he saw Dabi turn down the
alley followed by a man with an extremely large backpack and obnoxious hat looking like either a
celebrity trying to evade the paparazzi or an extremely tacky tourist.

“Dabi, who’s that?” Izuku asked, too curious to be polite.

“This is someone I’ve recruited, they want to prove themselves.” Dabi replied, gesturing for the
man to join him by his side. Izuku eyed the man suspiciously, normally Dabi would be the one to
vet people, this was weird. The man finally removed his hat and the secrecy was suddenly clear. It
was Hawks, fucking number five hero in Japan, darling of the hero commission Hawks.

“What the hell Dabi, this is Hawks!” Izuku whisper-screamed at Dabi, in case anyone could hear
them. “He is most definitely not on our side.”

“I can hear you, you know.” Hawks replied in his usual laid back tone. Izuku shot him a look of
assessment.

“Why would someone like you want to leave your precious commission and cush top hero spot to
join us?” Izuku shot at him. Dabi, oddly, stepped between them and responded first.

“Deku, cool it. I just want you to come up with a test for him.” Dabi pushed.

“Why? Recruitment is your job.” His eyes darted between Dabi and Hawks and the protective
position Dabi had taken, Hawks still looked laid back but Izuku could see through his act. There
was something he was missing. Something going on with these two, oh.

“Dabi…” Izuku said in a warning tone when he didn’t get an answer. He looked between the two
before announcing. “You two are hooking up aren’t you?” Hawks doubled over and laughed while
Dabi just looked dumbstruck. “Are you dating?”

“No. Just letting off steam.” Dabi said a bit defensively, Izuku’s eyes shifted momentarily to
Hawks who didn’t seem to have a problem with the answer. “Does Shigaraki know?”

“No, I don’t want him to know until I can be sure that Hawks is on our side.” Dabi countered.

“Then be less fucking obvious.” Izuku rolled his eyes, this explained all of Dabi’s late night
recruitment appointments even though he had barely brought in anyone new since the USJ. He
took his phone and thrust it towards Hawks. “Put your number in, I’ll message you if I need you.
You better come right away and be willing to do whatever I say.” Hawks took the phone from
Izuku’s hand and started punching in numbers. “Don’t worry I won’t make it anything public. If
you actually are on our side then it would be useful to have a mole in the commission.” Then he
turned to Dabi. “At least you’re still smart enough to realize that you aren’t the best person to
assess him. Don’t do anything stupid please.” He said exhaustively as he exited the alley. That was
 definitely not how he anticipated that meeting to go and now he had some homework to do on the
number five hero.

Chapter End Notes

Hosu is coming up!! Any theories on what will happen? Thanks for reading and
commenting, you all keep me going!!
 Stain
Chapter Summary

Izuku meets an old friend. The league recruits. Hawks speaks with the Hero
Commission.

Chapter Notes

Once again beta read by TheSaphireDemon, thanks!!!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku tabbed through the string of text messages he had received from Shouto earlier in the day as
he swung idly on a swing. Internships had begun and he had sent him a list of where all of class 1-
A was going. All Might had been oddly quiet since the Sports Festival and wasn’t taking any
interns so Izuku figured he would have to be a little more patient. He did notice that Shouto would
be interning with Endeavor in Hosu which was good to know. He noticed someone enter the park
and he looked up to see bright pink hair rushing towards him. He stood up from the swing just
quickly enough to be tackled by the girl. “Izu!!!! I missed you!!!” she screeched into his chest.

Izuku chuckled as he hugged her back. “I missed you too MeiMei! I miss making our babies.” The
two parted and Mei shoved a bag into his face.

“We’ll I’ve been busy while you’ve been bumming around. I got your costume all done! We were
working on textiles in class so I actually ended up designing the fabric for my project. I got an A on
it!” She exclaimed proudly.

“Yeah, and now you're turning around and giving it to a villain.” Izuku jokes.

“Whatever, you're just Izu.” She replied. “Now open it up!” He followed her directions and the first
thing he pulled out of the bag was a black bodysuit.

“Instead of a shirt and pants I decided to go with a body suit since it will stay in place better. The
fabric I created is lightweight but fireproof and mostly cut proof. If you take a direct close range
stab it will probably be able to penetrate so be careful, but without having straight up armour there
is no avoiding that.” She snatched the suit from Izuku’s hands so she could show him more details.
“I have reinforced the knees and elbows for you as well. There are some pockets for flash bangs
that are at the bottom of the bag too in case you need a distraction.” Then she handed the body suit
back to him and dug the sweatshirt out next. “I tried to keep your sweatshirt close to the style of
your old one. I made sure to keep the opening wide enough that you can access your sai easily. I
also put something special in the front pocket. There are more coating cartilages in here so if you
need to coat one of your knives you can do it easily.”

“This is amazing! Thanks MeiMei!” Izuku gushed.

“That’s not all!” Mei exclaimed as she dug her hands into the bag once more and took out a pair of
gloves and some metal. “I also made you some gloves with brass knuckles embedded and I made
some insertable steel toes for your red tennis shoes. The bounce boots we made have them already
but you never know when you might run into trouble so they should be good to have.” Izuku felt
like he was going to cry, how did he deserve a friend like Mei.

“You are the best Mei. How can I repay you?” Izuku asked earnestly.

Mei waved him off with a giggle. “Don’t worry I have a whole list of quirks I need you to analyze
for gear ideas and some programming I need help with. You aren’t getting off scot free.”

“Ok deal. So you have any info?” Izuku asked.

“Not really, we're working on a special project for final exams but I haven’t heard much about the
hero class aside from internships.” Mei hummed thoughtfully. “Ah! I heard someone mention that
Katsuki got transferred to General Studies but Shouto probably already told you about that. He got
switched out with that purple hair kid you fought at the sports festival.”

“Yeah he did, Shouto is probably best for info. I know you hate talking to people anyways.”

“I don’t hate talking to people!” Mei said defensively. “I love telling them about my babies, I just
hate listening about stupid drama when I could be working.”

Izuku laughed, “That’s ok MeiMei that’s why I love you. I better get going though, I’ve got some
business back home.”

“Ok, I better get back to my babies too. Love you Izu! Miss you!” The two shared a hug and parted
ways. Izuku excitedly hurried back to the bar to try on his new costume.

------------------------------------------------------

Izuku rushed up to his room to try on his new costume. The black body suit fit perfectly and the
added knee and elbow pads didn’t seem like they would hinder his movement at all. He pulled on
the dark green hoodie as well as his gloves, bounce boots, gas mask, and weapons and stepped in
front of the mirror. He looked badass. The overall design wasn’t much different than before but it
felt amazing, like putting on a designer suit for the first time when you have been wearing
knockoffs your whole life. The body suit accentuated his hard earned muscles and the sweatshirt
made him unassuming enough to slip into a crowd. He loved it. He sent a mental word of thanks
towards Mei and made his way down to the bar.

“New costume?” Tomura asked.

“Yeah, MeiMei made it for me. Need anything?” Izuku offered.

“I don’t need support items.” Tomura scoffed. Izuku rolled his eyes. They had mostly gotten over
their fight but it didn’t alter the fact that the two boys had always been competitive. Well, mostly
Tomura was competitive but Izuku wouldn’t let him push him around.

“Who are we meeting?” Izuku asked, choosing to ignore the earlier tone.

“The Hero Killer.” Tomura supplied. “Apparently Dabi convinced him to come talk to us.”

“That could be interesting.” Izuku replied. He had been hearing about the Hero Killer a lot.
Someone who wanted to rid the world of corrupt heros. It sounded like someone who would be
easy to persuade to their cause.

Suddenly the door swung open and the man himself entered. He looked a little terrifying, clothes
wrapped around his face, failing to hide an obviously missing nose. He had even more knives than
Izuku as well. He might have a blood quirk as well. thought Izuku. “So you all were the ones that
attacked UA. I was told you are trying to rebuild after your attack on the USJ.” Stain started.

“That’s right.” Tomura replied smugly. Izuku cringed, this is why Dabi is in charge of recruiting.
“And what are your convictions?” Stain asked, Izuku sighed, he knew Tomura was going to bomb
this one, maybe this wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.

“I don’t know about convictions but right now I just really want to kill All Might, he pisses me
off.” Tomura shrugged as Stain’s lip curled in anger.

“You are a child. I was foolish to come here.” Stain began to slide two knives out of his sheaths.
“You are the kind of person I hate most.” Izuku saw the way the conversation was going and
quickly jumped between the two, knife in hand as well.

“Let’s not get hasty.” Izuku said placatingly. “What are your convictions?”

Stain seemed intrigued by his question. His stance loosened slightly but his hands were still
gripped on the hilts of his blades. “I will purge false heroes from this world until the only ones that
remain are true.”

“I would say that we share a common goal then.” Izuku offered. “We are still young and honing
our convictions but we only want to kill those who have hurt us or the ones we love, which most
often end up being false heros.”

Tomura scoffed behind him and Izuku was ready to deck him in the face. Didn’t he realize this guy
was a fanatic that they needed to calm down. What Izuku said was true for himself and Dabi, most
likely, but Tomura saw life too much like a video game. The rest of the people in the world were
like NPC’s that could be discarded for any reason and that ideal was not going to satisfy Stain.
Stain looked between them and released his blades. “You’re interesting.” He remarked. “I’ll watch
your progress as you ‘hone your convictions’ as you say. If we cross paths in this manner again I
can always end you later.”

“You think you can kill me that easily!?” Tomura shouted indignantly.

Stain didn’t dignify the outburst with a response, instead he turned towards Izuku. “If you need
help purging false heroes you may count on me for help if I am around. However, I will not be
joining your group.” He then turned to Kurogiri. “Bring me back to Hosu, I have not finished my
work there yet.” Kurogiri nodded and the two were gone in a puff of smoke.

Tomura screamed in frustration and disintegrated a nearby glass. “Who does that mini boss think
he is? He can always kill us later?”

“Tomu-nii, he’s a fanatic. You can’t get hung up on what he says.” Izuku tried to reason but he
knew at this point he was talking to a brick wall.

“No, fuck him. He’s going to regret threatening me.” At that moment Kurogiri reappeared and
Tomura turned to him in an instant. “Kurogiri get the Nomu ready, we are going to Hosu tonight.”

“Tomu-nii, calm down, you don’t want hi- Wait!” Izuku gasped. “This is the perfect opportunity!
Go let the Nomu run mad in Hosu, I have a plan.”

“I was going to do it anyway.” Tomura grumbled.

Izuku waved him off and responded. “Yeah, yeah, go have fun with your science experiments.
Tonight is going to be a night that everyone remembers.” Izuku said with a sinister grin.

-------------------------------------

Keigo walked into the Hero Commission Building and greeted the front desk ladies with a wink
and some small talk. Then he entered the elevator and rode it to the twelfth floor. He didn’t even
knock before he strode into the office and unsurprisingly found Mera asleep at his desk. He
flopped down into the chair across from him and loudly dropped his feet onto his desk, waking the
man.

“Oh, Hawks. Can’t you ever knock?” He complained sleepily.

“Mera-san, why should I knock when I know you won’t answer because you’re always passed
out.” Hawks shot back with a smile.

Mera simply rubbed his face harshly. “What do you want, Hawks? I’ve got enough work to do
aside from dealing with you.”

Hawks brought his feet back to the floor and rested his elbows on his knees, trying to be slightly
more serious than usual. “Deku is going to call me for my test at any time so I need to know what
the ground rules are.”

“Ok.” Mera said plainly.

“So they probably aren’t going to ask me to bring fried chicken to a movie night.” Hawks pressed.

“Obviously.” Mera sighed. “Just do whatever, we need you in.”

“What if someone gets hurt?” Hawks asked, astonished by his nonchalance.

“You’re trying to infiltrate the League of Villains, someone is probably going to get hurt.” Mera
agreed.

“What? What if I don’t want to? What if they are innocent?” Hawks rushes, grasping for a line in
the sand that Mera keeps erasing.

“Do it, whatever they ask, just do it. Priority number one is keeping The Symbol of Peace safe and
uncovering their leader. The only way we can do that is if you’re on the inside.”

“What if they ask me to kill someone?” Hawks asks quietly, afraid of the answer.

“Hawks, I am not going to sit here and go over every scenario with you. Whatever they ask, do it, I
can cover up more than you would believe. Try not to go overboard though, I’ve already maxed out
my overtime. You can go.” Mera sighed and waved him off.

Hawks felt himself rise and leave the room but his mind was swimming. He felt like he was going
to throw up. How could Mera expect him to go so far? He leaned against a nearby wall, not
trusting himself to stand at the moment. He stumbled towards the window at the end of the hall
and tore it open. The breeze on his face grounded him as he took off into the sky, he couldn’t stand
to be there any longer. After about half an hour, he landed on a rooftop and collapsed onto the
ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest and let the tears fall. He spent his whole life being
pushed to be a hero who saves people. Being plucked out of poverty to be molded into the perfect
weapon of justice. How could those same people ask him to just turn around and do unspeakable
crimes? How could Mera have so much experience in covering those types of things up? How
much of his view of hero society was even real, or was it just a facade carefully painted by the
Commission? He was pulled out of his thoughts by his phone ringing in his pocket, he pulled it out
 to see an unknown number. He quickly wiped away his snot and tears and cleared his throat before
he answered. “Hawks here.”

“Hey, it’s Deku. It’s time for your test. I’ll tell you more later but for now I need you to be in Hosu
tonight.”

“No prob, see you then.” Hawks replied, trying his best to sound his usual nonchalant but slightly
failing.

“You ok?” Deku asked. Hawks was caught off guard, damn this kid was perceptive.

“Yeah, I’m fine, little dude.” He replied slightly more confidently.

“Ok, see you tonight.” Deku replied and ended the call.

Hawks looked at the phone in his hand. Tonight was the night. He pulled his knees back to his
chest so he could rest his chin on them. He looked out over the city and wondered when the
villains had seemed to start caring more about him than the heroes.

Chapter End Notes

This was just a short little prep episode for Hosu. By the way, things are about to go
massively off canon timeline so heads up! Also the next chapter might take a few days
because it's going to be a lot, I might split it into two but I will upload both together if I
do. Thanks for reading and commenting! You all are the best!
 Hosu
Chapter Summary

TW: Explicit Violence, Mention of Rape, Mentions of Child Abuse, Non Canon Death

Chapter Notes

Thanks again to TheSaphireDemon! You rock my socks!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Tenya looked around frantically. His airway was assaulted with smoke as he tried to assess the
situation, Hosu was being torn apart by Nomu. Manual had told him to help with the evacuation
but he couldn’t help but take this chance. He turned on his heel and sprinted away from the fray.
He had studied the hero killer, he knew how he operated. Tenya peered down alleys as fast as he
could as he sped away from the main battle. Stain would use the cover to take down heroes in back
alleys, like a coward. He knew it. Tenya screeched to a halt as he saw movement in an alley. He
was right. He stepped into the alley in a defensive stance.

“Who are you? A child in a suit of armour?” Stain asked, seemingly surprised by his presence. “Go
away, I have no business with you.” Tenya felt his blood boil at the dismissal.

“You attacked my brother!” Tenya exclaimed. “I have come to stop you because he can’t anymore.
You will never forget what you did to him, you will always remember my name. I am Ingenium!”
With the declaration Tenya revved his engines and lined up a large recipro burst centered right at
the hero killer. Moments before his foot connected, his target was suddenly gone. He heard a sick
voice behind his head.

“Oh. Brothers.” The hero killer snarled and Tenya felt himself get blown back with a kick to the
stomach which was ripped open by a spike that extended from Stain’s boots. Before he even had
the chance to catch his breath, Stain pinned him to the ground with his blade, slicing cleaning
through Tenya’s flesh, making him cry out in pain. “You are weak just like him. You don’t deserve
to be a hero. All you want is revenge.” Stain stated as he roughly yanked the blade back out
sending another shockwave of pain through his body. Tenya watched as he brought the bloodied
blade to his mouth and ran his tongue across it. Suddenly Tenya froze, he couldn’t move. The hero
killer had stepped off of him but his body wouldn’t listen. “That is why you’ll die tonight.” Tenya
watched helplessly as the hero killer raised his sword.
“No, not like this.” He cried as he imagined Tensei, waking up in his hospital. His bright smile,
that had always encouraged Tenya, was wiped from his face by the news that his younger brother
had died. His family sobbed as they mourned him, what had Tenya been thinking? Suddenly a
voice cut through the panic in his mind.

“Finally, you sure are hard to find.” The voice echoed from the entrance of the alley. Tenya
couldn’t turn his head to see who it was but he quickly stepped into view. It looked like a boy
around his age with an oversized sweatshirt, his hood was pulled over his head so Tenya couldn’t
get a good look on his face. The panic began anew. “Get out of here!” He screamed at the boy who
looked down at him calmly.

“Oh, it looks like you're busy.”

“Deku, I told you I wasn’t joining up with your little league.” Stain retorted.

Oh no, this was Deku. The kid who kidnapped and tortured his classmate. He reverted to silence as
he watched the interaction, unsure of how to even respond to the new information. He tried to
steady his breathing and stay focused as the blood loss began to pull at his consciousness.

“I’m not asking you to join, I just have a little project I am working on tonight that I thought you
might want to get in on. I can do it myself but I figured since you were around you would want to
get in on taking down the biggest false hero in Japan.” Deku explained. Stain’s eyes widened in
surprise.

“I’m interested.” Stain replied, taking a step away from Tenya.

“Do you mind if we use these two?” Deku asked while peering over at Tenya. These two? What
was he talking about? Tenya shifted his eyes to see a man, unconscious but still breathing, propped
up against the wall of the alley. He recognized him immediately as the pro hero Native. How did
he not notice him before? Stain was right, he wasn’t fit to be a hero. He was blinded by his pursuit
of revenge. Tenya gritted his teeth as he began to struggle to move. He needed to get away, he
needed to save Native and abandon this foolish quest.

“For what?” Stain asked.

“Distraction.” Deku replied with a smile that made Tenya’s stomach turn.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Keigo was evacuating citizens while Endeavor fought a Nomu along with a group of pros when he
felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Shit. He pulled out his phone to see a text from Deku with a
location pin and a short message.

Bring Endeavor and Shouto.

Keigo's stomach dropped. He was sure he wasn’t bringing the two to a picnic. He didn’t have a
choice though. Mera was right, Endeavor’s the number two hero. He can hold his own and if things
went south Keigo would protect Shouto. He turned to Endeavor who had now amassed a group of
pro heroes in his fight. “Endeavor there has been another Nomu sighting, leave this one to the rest
of the pros here.” Keigo shouted to him. Endeavor roared in anger but started shouting directions at
the rest of the pros at the scene and turned to follow Keigo.

“Shouto, stay close.” Endeavor ordered and Keigo let out a breath of relief that he didn’t try to send
him away. The three ran towards the new location, hopefully the two didn’t find his lack of flying
unusual. He wanted to make sure he stayed close to Shouto. They ran farther and farther from the
main brawl until they turned down an unsuspecting dark alley. The three stopped suddenly when
they saw the two bodies on the ground. Keigo easily identified the man by the wall as Native but
there was another body laying in the center that had a costume extremely similar to Ingenium, who
was still bed ridden in the hospital. Standing a small distance behind them was a boy in a green
sweatshirt, playing with a knife who Keigo recognized easily, Deku. Keigo let himself be pushed to
the side as Endeavor strode into the alley. He stood frozen as Endeavor addressed Deku.

“Who are you? How dare you attack heros in this city.” Endeavor exclaimed. Deku simply
laughed.

“I didn’t do this.” He replied. “The hero killer did.” Deku explained plainly. Without warning there
was a flash of movement and the hero killer was standing next to Deku, his blade covered in blood
as Endeavor clasped his arm in surprise.

“You will pay for that!” Endeavor screeched as he began to heat up the small alley. As he leaned
forward to take a step Stain released a sickly long tongue from his mouth and Keigo watched as he
ran it up the blade. Suddenly Endeavor stopped moving, slumping down to the ground.

“You are the most false of them all.” Stain spat. “I would love to kill you but I have promised
Deku that we will allow your ‘mistake’ to do it instead.”
“Hello Father.” Keigo almost jumped at the familiar voice as he felt a hand land gently on his
shoulder. He turned to see Dabi behind him, he squeezed his shoulder gently, but the cold harsh
gaze in his eyes didn’t match up to the gesture. He walked past Keigo and squatted down onto the
balls of his feet to come face to face with the man.

“Hawks’ end them!” Endeavor growled but Keigo couldn’t move, he could feel Deku’s gaze
pinning him in place. He could hear Mera’s voice in the back of his head. Whatever they ask, do it.
He could see the pain and intention in Dabi’s eyes. He knew exactly what was going to happen but
he couldn’t stop it. He just couldn't.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shouto was evacuating citizens nearby Endeavor when he heard him call out to him. “Shouto, stay
close.” He followed quickly as they rushed away from the scene. There were already a lot of pros
here so Shouto assumed that there was another Nomu. He had seen one with wings at the
beginning of the fight but Shouto had quickly lost track of it and hadn’t seen it since. He ran behind
Endeavor and oddly Hawks ran beside him, matching his pace in a way that seemed almost
intentional. Shouto thought it was odd. Finally the trio screeched to a halt at the opening of an
alley, they were far from the chaos and for a moment it almost seemed peaceful, the smoke from
the fire was out of reach, the sirens had dulled to a distant whine, the cool breeze tickled his face
but something wasn’t right. He heard Endeavor demand. “Who are you? How dare you attack
heros in this city.” as he peered around Hawks wings that were splayed out in front of him in a
protective manner. There was a pro laying in the alley and so was Iida, his class president. Behind
them stood Izuku taunting his father. Shouto felt the breath leave him, he hadn’t seen Izuku in
weeks and despite the tense atmosphere and carnage around them, he couldn’t pay attention to
anything aside from his freckled face. In a flash he was joined by a grotesque looking man. Shouto
immediately went on edge until it became obvious that Izuku wasn’t the target since his father’s
fire was exploding in rage. The man was now ranting and Shouto was able to piece together that
this was the hero killer, it explained why Iida was here. Shouto remembered that Iida’s brother had
been hospitalized by the hero killer. Mr. Aisawa had given them a briefing about it in class one day
when Iida had been called out for some reason to make sure they were being sensitive towards
their classmate since the hero killer had been a hot topic amongst all of Japan at the moment.

Shouto jumped slightly as he sensed a presence standing next to him. A man with patchwork skin
and inky black hair rested a hand on Hawks’ shoulder, who subconsciously lowered his wings a
bit, allowing him to pass by as he addressed Endeavor. “Hello, Father.”

Time ground to a halt, Shouto’s mouth gaped. Father? Who was this guy? He searched his face for
something familiar but came up empty. Suddenly he remembered something.
Shouto stood just out of view of the doorway with his hand clamped over his mouth to control his
breathing.

“Fuyumi, we should do something or Shouto is going to end up like Touya.” Natsuo whispered
angrily and loudly at his sister.

“Shhh! It’s fine, it's just training. Shouto would never be as disobedient as he was. Father just
wants him to be his best.” Fuyumi defended.

“You’re deluded, Fuyumi! Why are you still defending him!”

“He’s our Father. He has unorthodox methods but he has to love us. We’re his children.”

“He’s the reason Touya is dead. Obviously he doesn’t love his children that much.” Natsuo spat
and slammed the door as he exited the house. Shouto slowly peered around the corner and met
Fuyumi’s eyes. She was crying but she quickly wiped the tears away when she saw Shouto.

“Who is Touya?” Shouto asked earnestly.

“He was your big brother. He did something very bad so he had to go away.” Fuyumi explained as
she pulled Shouto into a hug. “Promise me that you’ll be good.” Shouto nodded slowly into her
chest.

The older boy with the patchwork skin turned to him as Shouto heard Endeavor demand Hawks’
assistance. The pro was still unmoving though. He looked up into his bright blue eyes. Ones that
matched his left eye perfectly. “Hey, Sho. Do you remember me?”

“Touya?” Shouto asked timidly.

“That’s right.” Touya answered. “I go by Dabi now, we can talk more later but right now there is
only one thing I need to know. Do you want to help me kill Endeavor?”

Shouto turned his gaze to the man, paralyzed on the ground, his flames still whipping angrily with
emotion. The man who had used his mom and pushed her to insanity. The man who had made
Touya disappear. The man who pushed Shouto cruelly past his limits and controlled every aspect
of his life. He felt his secret wish grow strong and all consuming. He had wanted this opportunity
for so long he forgot when it had begun and now he had the opportunity and all he needed to say
was.

“Yes.”

Touya turned to Izuku. “Deku, we’re ready.” Izuku looked suspiciously at Hawks as he took the
blood soaked blade from Stain. As the blade passed over his tongue Endeavor's flames dissipated
quickly. Once the flames extinguished Izuku and Stain each picked up an unconscious body and
exited the alley to stand behind Hawks. Leaving the brothers alone in the alley with the paralyzed,
quirless pro hero.

“Stop with these underhanded tricks!” Endeavor roared. “If you two want to fight me, then fight
me like men.” Touya laughed.

“A little too late to be spouting about sportsmanship you bastard.” Touya jeered, “Maybe you
should have thought about that when you were ‘training’ children within an inch of their lives, or
paying off mom’s family so you could rape her for her quirk, or when you left me to burn alive in
that building for trying to save my baby brother.” Touya squatted down so he could look Endeavor
directly in his eye. “I would rather find a way to make you miserable the rest of your life but the
reality is that no one will be safe until you’re dead and I am more than happy to be the one that
makes the call.”

“Dabi,” Shouto heard Izuku call from behind him. “He won’t get his quirk back for a few hours but
he’s probably going to get up soon.”

Touya came back to Shouto and cupped his cheek gently. “I can’t do this without you Sho. My fire
is too hot, I’ll burn myself.” Shouto nodded and took a stance beside his brother, placing a chilly
hand on his shoulder. Touya smiled.

“Goodbye, Father.” Shouto said as he watched blue flames explode out of Touya’s hand towards
vengeance.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Keigo couldn’t remember the last time he moved. He felt like he had been frozen in place for an
eternity. It took so much effort to strain against his carefully honed instincts to help and save that
when it was over and Dabi and Shouto slumped to the ground from quirk exhaustion he still
couldn’t find the power in him to do anything but stare at the cruel scene before him. His senses
were assaulted with death, the smell of burnt flesh, the smoke stinging his lungs, the tension of the
silence that hung once Endeavor’s screams had ended, leaving only the distant sounds of sirens in
its wake. He could barely register hands on his shoulders until he heard a voice in his ear, maybe
whispering, maybe shouting. He couldn’t tell. He turned his head to see who was speaking and was
met with large green eyes. “Hawks, Hawks. Answer me.”

“Yeah.” was all that Keigo was able to squeeze out.

“Are you ok?” The green eyes asked. “I think you're in shock.”

Keigo didn’t know how to respond.

“We need to get out of here before the pr-” suddenly the presence that had been grounding him
was gone in a flash. The unexpected motion yanked him suddenly into the present as he saw an
incredibly old man in a yellow and white hero suit holding down Stain. Keigo didn’t recognize
him. Deku was standing near them in a battle stance. Near the brothers a purple portal opened and
they began to scream at Deku to leave. Keigo finally forced himself to take a step towards the
elderly man, finally having brought himself fully into the present. He shot some feathers towards
Deku, giving him a look to tell him that he was back to playing the part of the hero. Deku jumped
backwards in surprise and the feathers missed him just barely. Shouto was already through the
portal and the only thing left of Dabi was his head calling for Deku.

“Get out of here, I still have unfinished business.” Stain called out, reaching for a knife. That was
all the encouragement Deku needed as he ran full speed towards the portal. Keigo shot a few more
strategically placed feathers to keep up appearances but within seconds the portal was gone.

--------------------------------------------------

The days after the incident passed in a blur. A swarm of pros showed up shortly after the escape
and they were able to save Native as well as the kid who turned out to be Ingenium’s brother. Stain
was arrested but not after his message was put on blast on every major news station in Japan.
Endeavor’s funeral was put together quickly, but somehow, still a major event with all of Japan
torn between mourning him and praising Stain for his conviction that led to the purge of heroes
like Endeavor.

The day after Endeavor’s funeral Keigo stood outside an unsuspecting bar in Kamino ward. He
adjusted his disguise as he walked through the door. Kurogiri was standing behind the door and
offered him a slight bow. Dabi was sitting at the bar but got up quickly when Keigo entered, he
pulled him into a rough hug.

“Hey, are you ok?” Dabi asked. Keigo blinked owlishly, usually he had a casual retort to
everything but he wasn’t really expecting that question.

“Y-yeah man, why wouldn’t I be?” Keigo stuttered out trying to grab back onto his laid back
demeanor.

“Deku said you didn’t look so good at the mission the other day. He was afraid you were going to
have a panic attack or something. He’s good at sensing stuff like that.” Dabi explained as he went
to retake his seat at the bar and gestured for Keigo to join him.

“Oh yeah, I’m all good.” Keigo waved off, hoping he wouldn’t push more.

“How did the commission take it?” Dabi asked.

“They’re.... glad you guys finally trust me.” Keigo answered truthfully, thinking back to the
conversation with Mera.

“So they trust you now I take it?” Mera asked without an ounce of emotion.

“Yeah, because I stood by and did nothing while they literally murdered Endeavor.” Keigo
explained bluntly, trying to pull any sort of emotion out of the man.

“That’s fine.” Mera waved him off. “You did a good job keeping up appearances in front of Gran
Torino. Now I don’t have to keep covering for that asshole. Thanks to you, half my workload has
lightened up.”

“What the fuck? That is all you have to say when I watched the number two hero be murdered?”
Hawks yelled.

Mera made a face at the volume. “Calm down, you were following orders. This is part of hero
work sometimes, you’ll learn to get over it.”
Hawks didn’t even have words for that so instead he turned and left the room before he did
something he would regret.

Dabi could read between the lines a little too easily. “That bastard was always making trouble for
them, he had ridiculous property damage and civilian casualty rates. I’m sure they weren’t too torn
up about it.” Dabi grabbed his free hand which was resting on top of the bar. “Hey, Keigo, I’m
sorry I dragged you into that. It’s a fucking shitty thing to witness especially when you weren’t the
one hurt first hand.”

Keigo felt his throat swell shut and pin pricks start to assault his tear ducts. What the hell was he
getting emotional about? The fact that Dabi was saying it was ok to be upset that he watched him
literally burn his father to a crisp in front of his eyes? Dabi was the murderer but somehow he
cared more about how it affected Keigo than Mera did. Keigo pushed it all down behind a relaxed
smile. “It’s ok, I needed to prove myself to the League and it’s not like I’m that torn up about his
actual death after everything you told me.” That sentence was about as true as they came. The
world might be mourning the loss of Endeavor, the number two hero, but the Todoroki family was
much better off without him. “How’s Shouto doing?” Keigo hoped he could steer the conversation
away from himself.

“He’s doing good. We had a long talk about what really happened to me and what he has been
through.” Dabi chuckled a bit as he continued. “He’s been attached to Deku’s hip like a puppy,
they never go anywhere without each other. It might be nauseating if they weren’t so fucking
cute.”

Keigo half heartedly agreed. Cute isn’t quite the word he would associate with either of those boys,
but he guessed Dabi probably had a different view of them.

“So are you still keeping up your hero gig or are you going to be staying here from now on?” Dabi
asked.

“I can’t stay. The new hero ranks are going to come out soon now that Endeavor is gone.” Keigo
responded as he slid off the bar stool.

“Sounds good, next time you come I’ll introduce you to Shigaraki.” Dabi replied. “Brush up on
Super Smash Pros if you want to get on his good side.” He suggested.

“Like I ever got rusty.” Keigo retorted. It was true, he was a bit of a video game fanatic himself,
 when he got the time. He turned to leave but a strong hand grabbed his wrist and spun him back
around. Suddenly Dabi’s lips were on his in an oddly soft kiss. It lasted only moments and the two
separated. “What was that? Going soft Touya?” Hawks jabbed.

“Fuck you, I’m just glad you’re ok and still here.” Dabi said, growing quieter as he talked. It made
Keigo’s stomach flip in an uncomfortable way that made him want to assure him but he simply
couldn’t. He couldn’t say he would always be there because when this mission was over he
wouldn’t be, so instead he said.

“I’m fine. Catch ya later.” and walked out of the bar feeling like maybe he could see a version of
this where he would always be there but right now it was still too far to grasp.

Chapter End Notes

What did you all think?? This will be a big turning point for all out characters. The
next couple chapters are going to be written as some relationship building one shots.
First up is going to be Dabi/Hawks and how they go to the point they are at. If there is
a relationship you want more insight into then let me know and maybe I'll make a one
shot for them, like AllMight/Inko or Izuku/Shouto or even Izuku/Katsuki when they
were little. I don't want to do too many but I want to know what you all want. Thanks
again!!
 Touya and Keigo
Chapter Summary

Hawks and Dabi get to know eachother.

Chapter Notes

TW: References to child abuse

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Dabi sat at yet another dank bar as he played with a shot of sake, sulking in a foul mood. He got
why villains like to use places like this for meet ups but it didn’t stop Dabi from feeling gross when
his shoes stuck to the floor with every step and he couldn’t rest his hands on the table without
picking up some questionable residue. Tch , at least Kurogiri kept their bar clean. He’d gotten a
lead on someone who wanted to join the league, apparently a big player who was impressed by
their break in at the USJ wanted to meet here. A man slid into the seat next to him and when Dabi
turned to look at him he almost laughed. They weren’t in the best part of town but this guy looked
like a fucking tourist. He had a giant backpack which he set on the seat next to him and was
wearing a bucket hat paired with a ridiculous pair of glasses. His only saving grace was the fact
that his clothes were decently normal. “Get outta here before you get into trouble.” Dabi spat, not
really in the mood to interact with any more people than he absolutely had to. His tolerance for
people outside his family was minimal.

“You’re Dabi right?” The man asked. Dabi quirked his eyebrow.

“Yes, are you who I am supposed to be meeting?” Dabi gave him a look up and down. He learned
a long time ago to not judge people by their appearances but what was up with this guy. Isn’t he
supposed to be some sort of big shot?

“Yeah.” The man responded cheerily as he pulled his hat and sunglasses off. “Hey, I’m Hawks.”

“What the fuck?” Dabi almost screeched. What the hell was the number five hero doing here?

“Calm down burn boy. The whole getup was so people won’t recognize me.” Hawks said
nonchalantly as he swiped the shot of sake from in front of him and downed it. “I want in with the
league.”
Dabi gaped at him for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. “Why would you want to join the
league? Aren’t you a hero?”

“Like I had a choice.” Hawks responded. “The Commission gave me the mission to infiltrate the
league but I want to use it to get back at them.”

“For what?” Dabi questioned suspiciously.

“I want you to trust me and I know you won’t just believe anything I say.” Hawks explained. “So
I’ll tell you a secret and let you vet it for yourself. My real name is Keigo Takami. Do some
digging and you’ll find your answer.” Hawks then put a card down on the table and redid his
disguise. “Shoot me a text when you have your answer.”

Dabi took the card into his hand as he watched Hawks, now Keigo exit the bar. He pulled out his
phone to shoot Izu a text.

---------------------------------------------------

The next time Dabi met Hawks it was in an alley close to the bar they first met in. Dabi didn’t
enjoy meeting in alleys much more than bars but at least it was private. He felt the cool brick push
a comfortable chill through his coat as he waited for Hawks, who arrived shortly after in his
ridiculous get up again. “Hey Dabs!” He called from the entrance of the alley.

“It’s our second time meeting and you’re already starting with the crappy nicknames?” Dabi
retorted, much too uncomfortable with the familiarity the other man was pushing onto him.

“Well, since we are meeting I’m guessing you found the info you were looking for. So you
officially know me better than almost anyone else in the world. Figured nicknames wouldn’t be too
weird.” Hawks replied casually.

“So what was the point of telling me all that? You had a shitty childhood and the Commission
saved your ass from poverty. How is that supposed to make me trust you?” Dabi pointed out.

“Close but no cigar.” Hawks teased, “You’re right about the Commission getting me out of a shitty
situation but I wouldn’t say they saved me. More like they bought me.” Dabi's eyes showed he still
wasn’t convinced. “It was easy to do when my mom had nothing. I’m sure you saw from one of the
articles that the commission found me when I saved some people in an accident. They saw
potential in my quirk so they told my mom they would set her up nicely in exchange for me.”

“She didn’t even bat an eye.” Hawks continued, “I haven’t seen her since. I haven’t used that name
since. All I have been is Hawks, a tool for the Commission.”

Dabi looked him up and down. He was particularly good at seeing through bullshit and this story
struck too close to home for him to not realize what was going on. “Bullshit.” he accused. “I
believe everything you said but after what happened when you were little there’s no way you’d be
anything less than ecstatic to help out the people who saved you from that.”

“You say that like you have personal experience.” Hawks pointed out smuggly.

“Just because you’re spouting all your life secrets doesn’t mean that I will.” Dabi retorted.

“K, so you don’t believe me. What can I do to change that burn boy?” Hawks asked.

“First, don’t call me that. No more fucking nicknames or else I’m gonna start calling you birdie.
Second, I don’t know, guess that’s for you to figure out if you want in so bad.” Dabi huffed in
annoyance. “The Commission isn’t even on our radar right now so if you want revenge you’re
going to play the long game. We have other targets we need to hit.”

Hawks held his hands up placatingly. “All right, I’ll figure it out then and get back to you.” He
turned to leave the alley. “Also you should call me Keigo, I kinda miss being able to be me.”

Dabi was a little taken aback by the statement as he watched Ha-Keigo exit the alley. What the hell
was this guy playing at?

---------------------------------------------------------

Keigo was patrolling with Endeavor. He always enjoyed their patrols partly because he was the
number two hero so Keigo could learn a lot from him and also because he had a short temper and
was ridiculously fun to tease. Endeavor especially hated dealing with fans on patrol so Keigo
always made sure to spend extra time signing autographs and taking selfies. They were swarmed in
such a group when Keigo took a phone from a young fan and shoved it in Endeavors face, getting
as close as he could to the giant man without singeing his feathers. “C’mon Endeavor, let’s take a
selfie. This little dude will love it.” Keigo pushed.

“We should be patrolling for villains and not wasting our time with this.” Endeavor scowled back
and Keigo snapped the photo and gave the phone back to the kid. “What do you want to be when
you grow up little dude?” Keigo asked as he heard Endeavor groan impatiently behind him. “I want
to be a hero like you and Endeavor!” The boy pipped up.

Keigo turned to Endeavor. “Any advice for a future pro?”

“If that is truly your goal you would be training instead of wasting our time with photos. Now we
must continue on our patrol.” Endeavor snapped as he pulled Keigo away from the crowd as he
waved and apologized on his behalf.

“I don’t know how you got number two with that attitude.” Keigo ribbed. “Although I was
obsessed with you when I was younger so I guess I can’t judge.” Endeavor seemed to lighten up at
that statement. Keigo chuckled, that man was ridiculously easy to manipulate. Hawks turned back
to see if the young fan was still there but instead he picked out a very specifically scarred man
standing at the back of the crowd looking absolutely furious. He turned sharply and disappeared
down an alley. “Yo, Endeavor, I’m going to go check something out. I’ll catch up with you in a
sec.”

“I will go with you.” Endeavor insisted but Keigo assured him he just thought he saw someone he
knew. He quickly flew down the alley he had seen Dabi disappear into and was completely
unsuprised to see him there waiting for him. He was surprised though when the space between
them disappeared and he was roughly pushed against the wall.

“What the fuck are you doing with Endeavor?” Dabi seethed

“Whoa Dabs, we were just on patrol. No need to get worked up.” Keigo tried to calm him.

“Bullshit, he’s the one who set you on this fucking mission wasn’t he?” Dabi accused, thoroughly
confusing Hawks.

“Huh? Why would he have anything to do with a mission I got from the Commission.” Hawks
asked honestly. Dabi's eyes bore into him as if he could stare the truth out of him. “What the heck
is with you anyways? Do you have some issue with Endeavor?”
“He’s a fucking bastard.” Dabi replied, finally letting Keigo free from the wall.

“Well yeah, he’s kind of an asshole but he’s also the number two hero.”

A blue flame ripped from Dabi’s hand, startling both men before it disappeared. “You’re right, he’s
the number two hero so he can get away with whatever the fuck he wants.”

Keigo reached out to place a hand on Dabi’s shoulder. “Dude, what’s going on?” Dabi roughly
shrugged him off and pulled his hood up over his head as he started towards the exit of the alley.

“You wanna know? Figure it out yourself.” he retorted as he left. Leaving Keigo in the alley dazed
and a little confused.

----------------------------------------------

Keigo landed on an abandoned rooftop, anxious about the conversation that awaited him. He sat
down on the edge of the building, letting his legs dangle idly over the side. He looked out over the
city, lights shining brightly in the darkness, never allowing it to truly settle completely into its inky
depths. He heard the door to the roof creak behind him and he turned to see Dabi taking his place a
few feet behind him. Keigo swung around so that he was facing towards the roof and met his eyes.

“Touya?” He asked, knowing that was the only word he truly needed to express what he had
found.

Dabi lifted a bottle and took a large swig before nodding his head. “Don’ fuckin’ call me that.” He
slurred. Keigo jumped down from his perch and walked over to meet him.

“How much have you had to drink?” He asked.

“‘Nough to have this fuckin’ conversation.” Dabi spat, he didn’t fight though when Keigo took the
bottle from his hand and set it on the ground.

“Does this mean you trust me now Dabs?” Keigo prodded, trying to lighten the mood.
 “Fuck no!” Dabi yelled as he walked to the edge of the roof and sat down, back propped up against
the elevated ledge. “Now you know my shit with that bastard, congrats. But you don’t know that I
was saved like you were. The fact that you want to turn on them makes me even more fucking
suspicious of you. You’re either an ungrateful asshole or you are loyal and you’re going to screw
me over. Those are the only options.” Keigo wasn’t sure what to say so instead he crossed the
distance and sat in front of Dabi, legs crossed and hands in his lap waiting for an idea of what to
say back. “So which is it, Keigo?”

Keigo stilled, he hadn’t heard another person say that name out loud in years and it made his heart
feel tight as he heard it fall from Dabi’s lips. “I-I don’t know, I just want to be able to be me.”

“Then why the fuck are you here? Why are you bringing all this shit up? Telling me all your crap?
Go be a hero and leave me alone!” Dabi growled.

“Because I care!” Keigo blurted out. He almost clasped his own hand over his mouth with how
shocked he was by what he had said but he couldn’t stop the words. “I want to trust you for some
reason. I was supposed to gain your trust obviously but I haven’t been able to tell anyone about that
part of me since I was that kid. Now knowing that you know what that’s like. Fuck, how can I not
care?”

Dabi looked up at him with an unreadable expression as he grabbed the front of Keigo’s shirt.
Keigo put his hands on Dabi’s shoulders to attempt to calm him down, but instead found himself
being dragged forward. Their mouths crashed together in an awkward meeting of lips and teeth.
Keigo could taste the bitter alcohol on his tongue as pushed it past his lips, drawing him even
closer than before. His hand slipped up into Dabi’s soft black hair as he tugged him into a better
position. He could feel his heart pounding out of his chest at the thrill until his mind caught up
with what his body was doing. Suddenly he pushed back, breaking the connection. Dabi looked a
little peeved at the loss of contact.

“Whoa, what was that?” Keigo asked incredulously.

“Stress relief.” Dabi responded, pulling him back into his space. “Why? You don’t like it?” Keigo
stalled, he had liked it, maybe a little too much but how was he supposed to admit that? His lack of
response seemed to encourage Dabi rather than the opposite because now he had pulled him so
close that he could feel Dabi’s warm breath on his face and feel their noses brush lightly together.
“Doesn’t have to mean shit birdie.” Keigo nodded as he was pulled back into another heated kiss.

Chapter End Notes

Sorry this took so long to upload this weekend has been a little crazy and I was
finishing a leather working project that I have been putting off forever. Thanks for
your patience. This chapter is a little different, it covers how Dabi and Hawks got to
know each other's identities. Hope you like it! Who do you think is going to be the one
to catch the real feels first??
 Shouto
Chapter Notes

Love to my wonderful beta!! She's back with us now after the holiday. I appreciate you
so much!!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Shouto barely caught himself as he fell through the portal and landed harshly on his hands and
knees on the cold floor. Touya and Izuku followed suit, albeit with much more grace. They seemed
extremely used to this mode of travel but the sensation of being thrown through space made Shouto
nauseous. Before he knew it he was being pulled to his feet and enveloped in strong arms.

“Sho, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Touya chanted like a mantra into his shoulder. Shouto stiffened.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had been held like this. Finally Touya must have sensed his
discomfort because he released him in favor of resting his hand lightly on his shoulders.

“What are you sorry for?” Shouto asked blankly. To be honest, even though he was aware this man
was his brother he really was nothing more than a stranger to him.

“That I couldn’t save you sooner.” Touya confessed. Shouto's eyes widened as he sharply inhaled.
He never thought about the fact that there might be someone out there who wanted to help him or
even knew that he needed help. The only person who had ever been like that was Izuku.

“Why didn’t you?” Shouto asked quietly. A part of him was soothed by the idea of someone in the
world caring for him but the other part choked him with anger that he could have gotten out sooner
if he had only known.

“I tried.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

“Touya-nii!” Shouto shouted from the living room, calling the older brother to him.

“What’s up, Squirt?” Touya asked, plopping down next to the little red and white haired boy. He
ran a hand through the toddlers hair idling wishing that he could get away with bleaching the red
away.

“All MIght is the best!” The small boy squealed, plastering a large fake smile on his face in an
attempt to imitate the hero. Touya laughed freely at the sight. He always loved to watch All Might
videos with Shouto when they were alone since Endeavor would never allow such a thing in his
house.

“You’re right Sho!” Touya encouraged. “Now show me your best Detroit Smash!” Shouto popped
up excitedly and took up a poorly formed fighting stance. He screwed his face up in concentration
and jabbed his left arm forward with as much strength as he could muster.

Suddenly the world seemed to crawl to a stop.

Fire erupted from his left side making both boys scream in surprise.

Ice suddenly coated his right side, almost in response.

No, no, no, no!

Touya grabbed a blanket to suffocate the fire and pulled Shouto to his lap. He rocked the scared
young boy carefully as his mind sped forward.

This is what Endeavor had wanted. Shouto was the perfect combination of his parents' quirks. He
wouldn’t be able to save Shouto from Endeavor’s ambitions. He needed to get him away. He pulled
the sniffling toddler out of the blanket and looked deep into his dual toned eyes. “Sho, shh, it’s ok.
You’re ok. We are going to go on a trip, ok?”

Shouto sniffled but nodded. “Is it because I have a quirk now?”

Touya smiled sadly at Shouto. “Yes squirt, but Touya-nii is going to be there to take care of you
alright? There’s nothing to be scared of.”

Touya whisked the boy upstairs and packed as much as he could carry into a backpack as well as
hats, sunglasses and masks to disguise them and took off.

The first place they stopped was an atm where Touya drained as much money from his father’s
card as he could before throwing it in a nearby trash can. The two boys then jumped on a bus and
started riding. It didn’t take long for Shouto to fall asleep on Touya’s lap, which he was grateful
for because it gave him time to think. They had nowhere to go. They had no family they could trust.
Endeavor had made sure to isolate them from everything and everyone. Touya finally decided on
Tokyo. The more people there were, the easier it would be to hide. Now he just had to figure out
how to get a job as a thirteen year old and a place to stay where Shouto wouldn’t be taken from
him. Luckily he was tall for his age so he could at least lie his age up a bit. He looked down at the
peaceful oblivious face on his lap and felt determination coursing through his veins. He would
make this work. Shouto deserved better, he couldn’t allow the same thing to happen to him. The
bus screeched to a halt at the next stop and Touya’s stomach fell through the floor as the doors
squeaked open.

He watched as the man with bandages wrapped over his entire body entered the bus and talked
quietly with the bus driver. Touya put his head down and tried to cover Shouto as best as he could.
This man was his father’s sidekick. He had met him multiple times. Enough where he could easily
identify them. He looked quickly around and saw the rear door of the bus was also open since they
were at a designated stop. Touya took his chance, he gathered Shouto in his arms and bolted. He
streaked down the street, trying to make it to a more crowded area where they could blend in. He
could hear Kido’s footsteps echoing behind him which just pushed him harder. For the first time in
his life he was happy that he had trained so hard. He was about to turn the corner when the tip of
his shoe caught on a crack in the sidewalk. He went careening forward as he attempted to turn his
body to shield Shouto from the fall. He screamed as his shoulder ripped open on the rough
concrete and felt Shouto tumble out of his arms. By the time he had recovered he looked up to see a
crying Shouto reaching for him from Kido’s arms. Touya tried to get to him but was redirected by
Kido’s bandages. He saw the look of determination on the toddler's face as he burst into flames
and ice. Kido nearly dropped him except the boy’s quirk stopped abruptly when Shouto noticed
someone behind Touya and stilled in the man’s arms. Touya spun around to see his Endeavor
hovering above him in an enormous blaze. Touya crumpled to the ground, knowing it was over, he
had failed.

--------------------------------------------------

The boys spent the rest of the evening sharing their lives with each other. Touya told him about
how he was rescued by Kurogiri and Sensei. How he changed his name to Dabi when he joined his
new family. How he was able to grow up with Tomura and Izuku. How he would watch over
Shouto when he visited the beach house for his special training. How he encouraged Izuku to
befriend him. In turn Shouto shared all the things that Dabi had missed. His childhood. How he got
his scar. Where their mother was. How Fuyumi was still foolishly hanging onto the hope that
Endeavor loved them. How Natsuo had moved away to college after apologizing for the millionth
time for leaving Shouto. The brothers talked and bridged the years apart until the sun started to
peek through the windows of the bar. Izuku, who had left at some point during the reminiscing,
came back downstairs.

“Hey guys, I know you have a lot to catch up on but you both need to sleep.” Izuku reminded them
from the bottom of the stairs.

“You’re right Izu.” Dabi agreed. “Sho, you’re going to bunk with Izuku since we don’t have much
space here is that ok?” Shouto nodded sleepily, he had been running on pure adrenaline but the
idea of sleep had reminded him that he indeed was about to pass the fuck out. Dabi pulled him into
another hug, this one being actually reciprocated and bid him goodnight. Shouto returned the
sentiment and followed Izuku upstairs.

Izuku opened the door to his room to reveal a pretty basic bedroom. There was a desk with a laptop
and notebooks strewn about. A bed in the corner and a futon laid out on the floor. All in all it was
pretty plain which surprised Shouto. For some reason he had a feeling that Izuku was the kind of
person to have a room that exploded with personality. As if he could read his thoughts Izuku
chimed in. “Sorry it’s so plain. I didn’t move anything here since it is just our hideout. If we get
raided I don’t want to lose anything. Do you want the futon or the bed?” He offered.

“I’ll take the futon.” Shouto responded quickly, he already felt like he was imposing enough.

“Ok.” replied Izuku. “The bathroom is down the hall if you want to take a shower. We didn’t have
much time to prepare so I’ll send someone to get you some clothes tomorrow. Dabi has some
pajamas you can wear tonight.” He handed him a towel with a bright smile that made Shouto
swallow hard. “I’m glad you're here, Shouto.”

“Me too.” Shouto replied as he left the room in search of the shower.

--------------------------------------------------------

Shouto woke up in a daze. He had the oddest dream, he couldn’t believe that his head was capable
of making up such madness. He went to slowly stretch out when he realized that his arm was stuck
under something. He turned to look down at a fluffy green head of hair mere centimeters from his
face. He suddenly realized that almost every inch of him, including the arm that was trapped under
a now identified body was touching Izuku. He felt heat shoot through his body as he yelped and
fell out of the bed in a shock of flames. He quickly got his quirk under control and looked back
towards the bed. Izuku was sitting straight up with a look of shocked surprise. Matched with his
wild bed head, Shouto was afraid he might combust again. “Are you ok?” Izuku asked him
concernedly.
“Y-yeah, sorry about that.” Shouto stuttered out. He genuinely did not remember moving to the
bed. Or cuddling up to Izuku. He felt the tips of his ears burn and hoped Izuku didn’t notice.

“No big deal.” Izuku shrugged it off. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, I slept well.” Was the only answer Shouto was able to come up with in the moment. Izuku
gave him a pointed look and moved down to sit with him on the floor.

“That’s not what I meant Sho.” Izuku chided, “You just helped Dabi kill your father last night. Are
you ok?”

Oh yeah, that. Shouto took a second to take stock of his mental status. He flashed back to the
image of his father laying helpless in front of him as Dabi doused him with his blue flames. He
remembered hearing the man scream and not once feeling an ounce of remorse. He focused on
keeping Dabi cool and balancing his quirk. When it was over and Dabi had collapsed in
exhaustion, dragging Shouto down with him he had felt… free. “I think so.” He responded. “I
shouldn’t be though, should I?” He asked earnestly.

“Whatever your feeling is valid. The man who tormented you and your family is gone and you
were strong enough to help make it happen.” Izuku started with a look of absolute assurance. “You
don’t need to feel guilty for protecting yourself or the people you love.” Shouto nodded and
allowed Izuku to pull him into a warm hug. The two broke apart after a while and Izuku ran his
fingers through Shouto’s hair in a way that was oddly comforting after years of isolation. “Why
don’t we go downstairs and see what's going on?”

------------------------------------------------

When Shouto entered the bar he was slightly startled by a familiar face. He technically knew that
Shigaraki was the head of the league but it also was odd to see him face to face when the last time
he had seen him was the USJ. “So you’re Dabi’s kid brother huh?” Shigaraki asked.

Shouto bowed awkwardly, unsure of how to act in the situation and replied. “Yes. My name is
Shouto Todoroki.”

“Glad you’re here finally so Dabi can shut up about you. He’s been fucking obsessed over getting
you away from Endeavor since he came here.” Shigaraki replied crankily.
“Ignore Tomu-nii.” Izuku said cheerfully as he got an evil glare shot at him from Shigaraki. “He’s
always crabby. If you want to be friends you just have to play some video games with him.”

“I’ve never played a video game.” Shouto confessed to the two shocked faces.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Shigaraki gasped.

“I wasn’t allowed to do any ‘frivolous activities’. If I had any free time it was spent training.”
Shouto responded.

Shigaraki practically jumped off the stool and dragged him to the console that was set up in the
corner. “We are changing that right now.” he demanded as he pushed Shouto into one of the chairs.
He could hear Izuku chuckling behind him. Shigaraki booted up the system and pushed a controller
into Shouto’s lap. “We’ll start with smash, it’s easy.” With that Shigaraki schooled him in the ways
of video games. What all the buttons did. The differences with the characters and their moves.
How not to fall off the edge and die. It was fun. Soon Shouto was laughing and swearing at the
screen right along with Shigaraki. He could hear Izuku in the background talking to Kurogiri but he
didn’t pay much attention until he heard Izuku call for him.

“Hey, Sho, look you're famous.” Shouto turned around to see a small TV on the edge of the bar
screening a news story. On the screen were his and Izuku’s school photos as well as a blurry image
of Dabi taken from a security camera. Underneath ran a banner in bold letters proclaiming IZUMI
HIRAI (DEKU), SHOUTO TODOROKI, DABI WANTED FOR THE MURDER OF
ENDEAVOR on repeat. “Looks like that old man recognized us, or Hawks gave us up to keep his
cover. That sucks, we won’t be able to go out for a while. They also said they caught Stain. That’s
too bad, they seem to be linking us with him though...” Izuku continued to mumble as Shouto
stared at the screen. There was no going back now, not that he wanted to anyways, but seeing his
face on the screen made it feel real. Suddenly the screen cut to static and then a voice echoed from
the box.

“Izuku, my child. Would you please bring Shouto for a visit?” The voice asked politely. Izuku
looked up towards a camera near the ceiling that Shouto hadn’t noticed before and gave a big
thumbs up.

“Do you want me to bring Dabi too?” Izuku asked.

“No,” the voice responded. “Dabi is out gathering supplies for Shouto.”
“Ok, See you soon, Sensei.” Izuku replied as he beckoned for Shouto to come over to him. “Let’s
go meet Sensei. He has been looking forward to meeting you.” Shouto simply nodded. He had
heard about this Sensei from Izuku and Dabi but he still felt apprehensive meeting the man as he
had no idea what to expect. Kurogiri opened a portal in front of them and the two stepped through.
Shouto’s foot landed on a solid surface and he teleported much more easily this time. He still felt a
little dizzy but overall it was a much better experience. Once on the other side of the portal he
looked around. They seemed to be in a hospital room except it was void of windows. The only light
source coming from various camera screens, one of which showed the bar where they had just
previously been. Izuku quickly pulled him over to the bed in the center of the room. On the bed lay
a man who looked like he had died many times over but somehow kept going. Despite his
appearance though he gave off an extremely powerful aura, it was intimidating to say the least.
Shouto was suddenly very glad for his practiced collected demeanor. “Sensei, this is Shouto.”
Izuku introduced him cheerfully.

Shouto bowed deeply. “Hello, my name is Shouto Todoroki.” unsure if the gesture would even be
appreciated due to the man’s absence of actual eyes.

“What a respectful young man.” Sensei said warmly. “We have been waiting for you for a long
time, Shouto. It brings me great joy that Dabi was able to get you out of that terrible situation.”

“Thank you.” Shouto responded, surprised by his gentle tone.

“I hope you do not feel offended by my use of your first name, my child. I want you to know that I
have always considered you a part of the family since we took Dabi in as well.” Sensei continued.
“My goal for all my sons is to push them to achieve their goals and afterwards create the world that
they want and I want the same for you. Is there anything that you want to achieve?”

Shouto stalled. Never in his life had anyone asked what he wanted. He was told. Told he would be
a hero. Told he would train all day. Told he would not have friends because they would make him
weak. The only thing he had ever wanted was to get away from his father. That was the only desire
that had ever been burned into his soul and now that it was over he realized that he had never
thought about what he wanted.

Except he did. He realized that there was one thing he wanted more than anything and for the first
time in his life someone was giving him permission to go after it. “I-I just want to be with Izuku. I
want to help him achieve all his goals.”

Sensei smiled. “That makes me happy to hear. Shouto. Izuku deserves a loyal friend such as
yourself, as do you. If you need anything I am here for you. As long as you are with us you will be
 a part of our family and you will never have to part from Izuku.” His head then turned to Izuku. “I
should get some rest, make sure Shouto is comfortable and keep me apprised of any upcoming
plans. We are so close to our final goal.”

“Yes Sensei.” Izuku responded and as if on cue the portal reopened behind the boys and they
turned to leave.

“Shouto, my child, welcome home.”

Chapter End Notes

So our boys are officially reunited!!!! Also I know that we went over this story in like
chapter 2 but I really wanted to do a flashback full fledged scene because I love the
concept of Touya being so protective of his family but like anyone else can just go die.
Y'all please go home and love your children so they are not so easily snatched by
murders who give them an ounce of affection. Happy 4th!
 Secrets
Chapter Summary

Toshinori learns some secrets.

Chapter Notes

TW: Mentions of death and violent crimes

Big thank you to my wonderful beta!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Toshinori walked into the police station a few days after young Bakugo had been discovered. He
turned immediately and descended the stairs to the archives. The ginger woman at the window
greeted him warmly.

“Hello, Yagi-san. What can I help you with today?”

“I’m just looking into an old case, Yuuki-san.” He replied with a smile.

“Alrighty, as long as you have cleared it with Detective Tsukauchi.” she said as she pushed a
clipboard towards him. “Just sign in and I’ll have him sign off on it later.”

“Thanks so much Yuuki-san.” He replied gratefully as he signed his name on the paper and she
buzzed him into the archive room.

The room was silent, fluorescent lights flickering ominously as he made his way to the back.
Finally he came upon the year he was looking for and started searching down the row. Towards
the back of the row under closed cases were two boxes. One labeled Midoriya and the other
Bakugo. He carefully pulled both boxes from their spots on the shelf and carried them to a nearby
desk. First he opened the Bakugo box. There were photographs of the fire as well as some autopsy
reports and a fire inspection. He passed by the photos for the autopsies. He didn’t feel the need to
resee what he had witnessed all those years ago. The first was for Masaru Bakugo.
Cause of Death: Asphyxiation

Notes: Minor burns and smoke inhalation consistent with severity of fire.

Second was Mitsuki Bakugo.

Cause of Death: Asphyxiation

Notes: Minor burns and smoke inhalation consistent with severity of fire.

Finally he flipped open the report for Izuku Midoriya.

Empty.

Toshinori flipped through all the reports and completely emptied the box but the autopsy was
nowhere to be found. Finally he settled on looking through the fire investigation and was once
again surprised.

Cause of Fire: Fire originated from a lit cigarette butt near the residence.

Notes: Cigarette butt lit dry brush outside the house which in turn caught on the siding on the
NW side of the residence. The exterior doors seemed to have been jammed shut. Excelerant
detected. Evidence of foul play discussed with the lead Detective. Excessive fire damage in
the rear bedroom where the fire was instigated. No security footage available near the
residence.

Toshinori hummed thoughtfully to himself. He looked over to the cover of the box where the
pertinent information including lead detective was written. Eizo Tanuma. He worked with
Naomasa and always seemed to be around but the two hadn’t interacted much. He glanced over to
the other box as well and saw the Detective’s name written clearly under Midoriya. He set his
current files aside and opened the box.

The report was short and succinct. Clear cut robbery gone wrong. Toshinori noticed a flash drive at
the bottom of the box. He pulled it out and moved over to the viewing station set up in the corner.
He popped the flash drive into the machine and the video popped up on the screen. After searching
for the remote for a few minutes he pressed play. The video began with an agitated looking man
sitting across from a younger Detective Tanuma.

“Please walk me through what happened yesterday.” Detective Tanuma asked politely.

Suddenly the video glitched subtly only to refocus on the two men in slightly different positions.
Toshinori had to watch it three times over to catch it.

“Fine! The bitch walked in on me taking shit. She scared the crap out of me and said she was
going to call the cops so I killed her.” The man confessed haughtily.

“Did you know Midoriya-sama before this incident?”

“No, just her lucky day. I’m not saying anything else.”

“Thank you for your cooperation. I will get this matter settled.” Detective Tanuma replied.

“You better.” The man tsked.

The video went black. Toshinori slowly pulled the flash drive out and turned it over in his hands.
This had been tampered with. How had no one caught onto any of this? Toshinori shook his head as
he replaced all the items, save for the flash drive. He exited the building and pulled out his phone
to make a call. “Hello, David? It’s Toshinori. I’m going to send you something that I would
appreciate you taking a look at.”

---------------------------------------------------

Two days later Toshinori picked up his phone in the teacher’s lounge at UA. “Hey, David. Were
you able to recover anything?” he asked directly.

“Yes I was. Toshi, what case is this for?” David asked with a cautious tone that made Toshinori a
little nervous. He rubbed his face harshly with his free hand and let out a deep sigh, there was no
reason for secrets anymore.

“It’s for the case of a woman named Inko Midoriya. We were involved years prior to this and I
have recently gotten information that makes me believe there is more to this case than I thought.”
Toshinori confessed vaguely.

“I would say you are right about that.” David sighed on the phone. “I sent the recovered file to
your secure email. Just be careful.”

“I always am, David. Thank you.” he encouraged as the men said their goodbyes. Toshinori moved
to his desk and pulled up his secure email. At the top of his inbox was the message he was looking
for. He plugged in some earplugs as he pulled up the video and pressed play.

“Please walk me through what happened yesterday.” Detective Tanuma asked politely.

“What is this shit? I’m not supposed to be here. You were supposed to let me get away.” the man
seethed.

Detective Tanuma looked around nervously and lowered his voice. “You were supposed to actually
leave the area, you idiot. I can’t cover for you if you get picked up by someone else.”

“Fuck this. The deal was that I kill that bitch, make it look like a robbery and your boss man gives
me my money and I’m on my way. Me getting put in jail was not part of the deal!” The man
slammed his hand down on the table to emphasize his point.

“Yeah, but who stabs someone 11 times in a robbery gone wrong?” Tanuma rubbed his head
=exasperatedly. “Just make a confession to a robbery gone wrong so I can wrap this up and I will
make sure everything works out.”

“Fine! The bitch walked in on me taking shit. She scared the crap out of me and said she was
going to call the cops so I killed her.” The man confessed haughtily.

“Did you know Midoriya-sama before this incident?”

“No, just her lucky day. I’m not saying anything else.”

“Thank you for your cooperation. I will get this matter settled.” Detective Tanuma replied.

“You better.” The man tsked.

Toshinori leaned back in his chair after reviewing the video a few times. He felt his heart sink. All
for One was behind this, it had to be. Who else would target them? Somehow he found out about
Inko and Izuku and Detective Tanuma was part of it. There might even be more officers involved,
he had no idea who was safe.

---------------------------------------------------------

Naomasa eyed Tanuma suspiciously from his desk. After his talk with Toshinori he knew he
needed to tread carefully but he also needed to find some answers. Finally he decided there was no
time like the present and he walked over to the other Detective’s desk, activating his quirk.

“Hey, Tanuma.” The man looked up from his paperwork.

“What’s up, Tsukauchi?” He responded with an expectant look.

“Oh, we just got some intel that had caused us to look into some old cases that you were lead on
and I wanted to see if you remembered anything.” Naomasa tried to ask casually.

Tanuma automatically stiffened slightly but also seemed to be trying to keep the casual
atmosphere. “If they are my old cases, I can take them over,” he offered.

“No, they aren’t being reopened. They are just related to a different case I’m working. Do you
remember a house fire about 7 years ago? Two adults and a kid died in it. The kid’s name was
Izuku Midoriya.” Tsukauchi pressed.

“No, sorry, that was a long time ago.”

Lie

“No worries, we just have intel about the kid, but his autopsy report is missing from evidence.
Have any idea where it might be?”

“No, sorry. That was such a long time ago. You know how that stuff gets misplaced sometimes.”

Lie

“Yeah, just thought I would ask. Last thing, do you remember anything about a woman named
Inko Midoriya?”

“No, sorry Tsukauchi, it was so long ago.”

Lie

Tanuma started to look agitated. “Is this connected to the League of Villains?”

“Is there a reason you would think they were connected?” Naomasa asked, hoping to pull
something more.

“Oh, no! I just know that’s the big case you are working on right now so I just assumed.” Tanuma
rushed to clarify.

Lie

“It’s no issue. Thanks for your help.” Naomasa replied as he turned back to his desk, now
absolutely sure that Tanuma was deeply involved in all of this. He shot a text to Toshinori
confirming their suspicions.

------------------------------------------------
7 YEARS PRIOR

Eizo finished piling the final villain into the squad car as he slammed the door shut, taking out his
aggression on the car door. He hadn’t heard anything from Shigaraki about this robbery so he
hoped he wouldn’t have to tamper with anything, it was going to be enough of a paperwork
headache without further complications. At least he was compensated well and he didn’t have to
worry about anything if he stayed on Shigaraki’s good side. He didn’t really care to think about
what would happen if he didn’t. Out of the corner of his eye he saw All Might speaking with a
hysterical green haired woman. He had an odd look about him, missing his signature smile that he
usually used to calm citizens.

“Hey, Tanuma. Are you ready to head back to the station?” Detective Tsukauchi called to him.

“You go ahead, I’ll make sure everything is wrapped up here.” Eizo called back. He approached
the hero, careful to stay blended in the background, just barely within hearing shot.

“Toshi, he needs you.” the woman pleaded through her tears. “He’s being bullied for not having a
quirk. He needs a strong role model in his life. He’s already obsessed with you as a hero. Please, if
not for me than for him, he’s your son.”

All Might stiffened at the statement. “Inko, It’s too dangerous and you know that. I can’t be there
for him in that way.”

“Please, we can stay somewhere safe. You can keep us safe, I know you can.” The woman
reasoned.

All Might’s face turned hard as he responded. “I don’t want a quirkless son.” Then he turned and
left the woman standing there sobbing into her hands. Once he was far enough away Tanuma
approached.

“Excuse me ma’am are you ok?”

“Oh,” the woman wiped her face on her sleeve. “I’m so sorry, yes I’m fine. Just a little shaken up I
guess.”

“That is to be expected. Can you come with me so I can get your information and witness
 statement?” Eizo asked politely. “What is your name?”

“Oh yes, my name is Inko Midoriya.” The woman replied as she followed him to his squad car.

“Alright, Midoriya-sama, just fill out this form with your personal information in case we need to
follow up on anything and I will just ask you a few questions before you are free to go.” Eizo
smiled at her conivingly. Midoriya-sama filled out the paperwork and answered his mundane
questions before wandering off. As soon as Eizo climbed into his car he made a call.

“I have some information you’ll want to know. Very valuable information.”

Chapter End Notes

I officially have the rest of this work planned (Yes I have been winging it up to this
point with loose goals instead of an actually solid plan). There should be about 10-12
chapters left depending on how things go. Did this change anyone's opinion on AFO??
Also I have no clue what an actual autopsy report or fire inspection report looks like so
don't judge me haha. Thanks for reading and commenting and leaving kudos!! You all
keep me going <3
 Fire
Chapter Summary

Izuku and Shouto have a heart to heart. Dabi helps Shouto with his quirk.

Chapter Notes

Once again thanks to my wonderful beta! Thanks for reading!!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku swiftly moved a soft tape measure around different parts of Shouto’s body as he called out
numbers to the phone set to speaker mode on the table next to him.

“Shoulder width… forty two centimeters.”

“I think that’s the last one I need, Thanks Izu! You sure you don’t have any opinions, Shouto?”
Mei asked through the phone.

“No, anything is fine.” he responded as he sat down on the bed behind him.

“Mei, nothing flashy, this isn’t a hero costume.” Izuku chided.

“I know, I know. Lucky for you I have been meaning to work on my sewing skills since they are
getting rusty. He doesn’t even want any real support items!” Mei complained.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to sneak some in there.” Izuku responded, shooting a mischievous smile at
Shouto.

“You know me too well, Izu! Since Mr.IcyHot is so boring, this shouldn’t take too long. I’ll shoot
you a text when it’s done. Good thing I love you so much! Also our jet pack baby is working
perfectly now! I swear on everything that is holy that you must have some sort of tech quirk.”
Izuku laughed. “You just wish you were as smart as me.”

“Bah! Yeah right! Well mister smarty pants, start reviewing that code for me then. Don’t get too
distracted now that you’ve got your boyfriend living with you. I still have projects you promised to
help with.” Mei teased.

Both boys turned a spectacular shade of red but, out of the insistence to look anywhere except each
other, it went largely unnoticed by the two.

“MeiMei! Stop it!” Izuku choked out, only to be met with a cackle and the click of the call ending.
Finally the two boys' eyes met as the air hung awkwardly around them. Izuku rubbed the back of
his neck shyly. “Uh...You know how she is.” he explained as he went to sit next to Shouto on the
bed. “I’m excited to see what she comes up with.”

“Me too.” Shouto agreed. “So are you going to be changing anything with your costume?”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

“Well, judging by the state of Bakugo, you have his quirk now. Are you going to need to change
anything because of that?” Shouto asked earnestly.

“Oh!” Izuku exclaimed, putting the pieces together. “Yeah, I guess we didn’t get the chance to talk
about that did we?”

“No, I had barely heard from you since the Sports Festival.” Shouto stated, sounding slightly
dejected.

“I’m sorry Sho. I just didn’t want to bring you any more trouble than I already had until we were
ready to make our move.” Izuku explained, Shouto simply nodded his head in response. “But no, I
don’t have to change anything because I don’t have the quirk anymore.”

Shouto’s head snapped to meet his eyes. “What? What do you mean?”

“Honestly, I wanted to take it. I wanted him to have to live quirkless like I did but I never really
wanted to keep it. I’ve worked really hard to get where I’m at and suddenly having such a strong
offensive quirk just seemed... wrong? Weird? I’m not sure how to explain it, mostly it changed my
fighting style too much and I stunk like nitroglycerin all the time. I had Sensei take it back. He said
he would hold on to it until I decided what I wanted to do with it.” Izuku explained.

“That’s still so crazy to me. To think there is someone who can take and transfer quirks.” Shouto
admitted.

“You know he can do it for you too right Sho?” Izuku suggested softly, not wanting to offend his
friend. “I just, I know you’ve hated your fire and there’s no reason you have to live with it.”

Shouto looked away from Izuku and down to his left hand. “I did, but now that he’s gone. For the
first time, I feel like I can make it mine.”

“That’s great! I bet Dabi would love to help you get it under control.” Izuku encouraged as he
boldly grabbed Shouto’s left hand. “Fire can be such a beautiful quirk. So powerful.” he continued
as he traced Shouto’s palm with his fingertips as if he could willingly draw the fire out.

“Um, Izu.” Shouto started timidly. Izuku looked up to realize that he had subconsciously scooted
closer and now the two were only a breath away. Silence stretched between them for a moment
before Shouto spoke up again. “Before I left for my internship one of my classmates made me
realize something.”

“What was it?” Izuku asked while the two sat as still as possible. Unwilling to break the tension
that was coursing between them. A blush started to creep up onto Shouto’s cheeks.

“Um, I think. I have a crush… on you.” Shouto confessed and Izuku felt like his entire body caught
fire. Partly to do with the confession but mostly to do with the extremely close proximity to Shouto
who actually was on fire. Shouto quickly moderated the flames with his ice before apologizing
profusely. “I’m so sorry Izu. Are you ok?” he panicked.

Izuku laughed at the absurdity of the situation and then even harder at the confused look on
Shouto’s face at his outburst. “Sho, I’m fine. I’m glad you told me because I like you too.” The
mood quickly settled as Izuku once again slid back into Shouto’s personal space. “Can I kiss you?”
he asked nervously.

“Uh.” Shouto stuttered as he slightly backed away, making Izuku’s heart clench painfully at the
rejection. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I just burst into flames telling you I like you. I don’t
know what would happen if we.. did… that.”

Everything clicked in Izuku’s head, Shouto was scared of hurting him. Izuku smiled. “Sho, do you
trust me?” Shouto nodded his head furiously, making Izuku giggle. “Don’t worry then. I’m going
to kiss you now, ok?” Shouto froze but didn’t make a move to oppose him. He let his eyes flutter
shut as he drew closer to Shouto. Their lips met in soft touch and, as Izuku suspected, Shouto's left
side flared causing him to gasp suddenly. Izuku took the opportunity to quickly dart his tongue into
Shouto’s mouth, licking the other boy’s tongue slightly. Suddenly the flames disappeared and
Izuku pulled back.

“W-what just happened?” Shouto asked, looking somewhat shocked.

“It will only last a few minutes.” Izuku responded as he saw the realization hit Shouto.

“You’re quirk!” He exclaimed as he attempted to use his and failed.

“See! You can’t hurt me. I promise.” Izuku encouraged, hoping that Shouto was as pleased with
the situation as he was and wasn’t mad that Izuku cancelled his quirk. Shouto responded by
wrapping his hand around the back of Izuku’s neck and pulling him back into another kiss. This
one felt different. There was no hesitancy. No fear. The kisses were soft and chaste and perfect.
After a while the two broke their lips apart in favor of hugging each other tightly.

“Thank you.” Shouto whispered into Izuku’s hair.

“For what?” Izuku asked, muffled but unwilling to move from his current position.

“I’ve never been good at controlling my quirk when I am emotional. Instead of learning to, I just
pushed all my emotions away. I never thought I would be able to get close to someone like this
without hurting them.” Shouto confessed as he ran his fingers through Izuku’s hair. Izuku hummed
at the gentle scratching on his scalp.

“I guess we were just meant to be then.” He mumbled into Shouto’s chest. He felt Shouto press a
kiss into his hair.

“You must be right.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Shouto stepped out of the portal into a large empty warehouse, Dabi following quickly behind him.
He turned to look back at him. He still had such complicated feelings towards him. He knew Dabi
was his brother but their views of each other were vastly different. Shouto didn’t even know he
existed until he was eight and even then he thought he was dead so he honestly hadn’t given him
much thought. On the other hand, Dabi had spent almost half his life watching Shouto and working
to get him out. Shouto hoped that this training would bring him closer. He could feel how intensely
Dabi cared for him and he wanted to catch up to those feelings.

“I’ll be back for you both in three hours. Please contact me if you need to leave earlier.” Kurogiri
stated before vanishing in his plume of smoke.

“You ready Sho?” Dabi asked him excitedly.

“Yeah.” Shouto responded. Feeling the jitters course through him. They had been cooped up in the
bar for a week now waiting for the heat to die down and even though they were just in an
abandoned warehouse, the open space felt refreshing.

“You pretty much have your ice mastered so we are just going to work on your fire. First I want to
see your limits. Make as big and hot a flame as you can for as long as you can.” Dabi instructed.

Shouto turned his back to his brother and allowed the heat to take over him. He allowed the flames
to explode from him. They only lasted a few moments before he dropped them. Not because he
was overheating or fatigued but he realized that allowing an entire half of your body to go up in
flames will leave you completely naked. He dropped to the floor trying to cover himself with the
half of the clothes that had not been burnt to ash while he heard Dabi howling in laughter behind
him. He felt a fabric thump against his back and quickly pulled the newly discovered sweats on as
Dabi got himself under control.

“Hahahaha, sorry that was just too funny. I thought something like that might happen so I brought
extra clothes, don’t worry. First thing we need to do is try to concentrate your flames through only
your hand and shoot it more like a flamethrower and less like an explosion.” Dabi instructed.

“How do I do that?” Shouto asked.

“Just try to picture it in your head, or do whatever you do to get your ice to do something precise
instead of a large attack.”

Shouto nodded. That made sense. He had tons of experience working with his ice but when it came
to fire, he could control it enough to melt ice or completely explode and there was really no in
between. He remembered when he was younger and Natsuo had taught him how to shoot ice
pellets at the back of Fuyumi’s head when she wasn’t looking. That was probably a good place to
start. He looked ahead and reached out his hand. Instead of releasing completely he focused on his
palm and imagined the ice pellets. He released his quirk and surprisingly a small somewhat steady
stream of flames erupted out of his palm.

“Good job!” his brother exclaimed. “Now remember, fire acts differently than ice so even if you
are using similar techniques you're going to get different results. Ice is precise and solid but fire has
a mind of its own. It’s harder to tame. Now let’s go again and try to see if you can get your flames
to go farther.”

The boys continued training. Only taking breaks for water when needed. Shouto made immense
progress which Dabi attributed to his mastery of his ice. Instead of starting from scratch he was
able to apply the concepts and techniques he used for his ice to control his fire. He ended up
burning through three sets of clothes but all in all it was a good day. The brothers sat next to each
other on the ground as Shouto chugged yet another water bottle.

“Do you think we’ll ever be able to tell Mom and Fuyumi and Natsuo about you?” Shouto asked.
“You know, now that Endeavor is gone?”

Dabi ruffled Shouto’s hair as he responded. “Definitely Sho. This has been part of the plan all
along. There’s no reason for me to stay dead if the bastard’s gone.”

Shouto smiled sadly at his brother. “I just hope they don’t hate us. I doubt Natsuo and Mom would
but Fuyumi was always defending him.”

“Hey. Sometimes you have to do something that others might see as bad for the greater good. If
Fuyumi can’t see that then that’s her problem. When it comes down to it there are only the people
you love and want to protect and what you are willing to do about it.”

“You’re right Dabi.” Shouto agreed quietly. He crushed the empty water bottle and threw it back in
the bag. “Is it bad to feel like you would do anything for someone?”
 “Depends who it is I guess.” Dabi shrugged. “Although I can make a pretty good guess as to who
you're talking about and in that case I don’t think so.” He teased as he nudged Shouto in the side,
making him blush.

“It just feels.... Dangerous sometimes.” Shouto confessed.

“That’s how I feel about you and Izu and even Tomu.” Dabi replied. “I talked to Sensei about it
one time and he told me it’s a good thing. Having people you love and rely on can push you. All
types of strong emotions can push you to become great. Love, hatred, hope, vengeance. They are
all useful and important. He said he used to think having people you love was a weakness until he
realized that having something worth protecting is the strongest motivator of them all.”

“Thanks for saving me.” Shouto murmured as he pulled Dabi into a hug.

“No problem, squirt.” Dabi replied as he carded his fingers through Shouto’s hair. “Once we have
achieved all our goals, then together we will make a new world exactly how we want and no one
will be able to stop us.”

--------------------------------------------------

Dabi silently exited the portal into a dark hospital room. He walked slowly over to the bed where a
beautiful white haired woman slept peacefully. He took in her face, years older and more weary,
but still the same face he remembered as a child. He laid a letter on her nightstand and softly
brushed stray hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have told you sooner Mom. I promise when
this is all over I will be back for you.” he whispered before disappearing back through the portal.

Chapter End Notes

Gah I love them so much. TodoDeku forever!!!!!! Also I'm starting to think about
what project will be next and I am torn between a fantasy (pairing TBD) or a forced
villian ShinDeku fic. Any of those sound interesting??? Who is your OTP in
MHA????
 New Friends
Chapter Summary

The boys decide on their next move. Some new faces join the LOV.

Chapter Notes

Thanks again to my wonderful beta!!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku, Dabi, Tomura, and Shouto all sat comfortably around Tomura’s room. Mostly due to the
fact that World of Warcraft dropped a new patch and Tomura didn't want to leave his laptop. Izuku
flopped back on the bed with a loud groan.

“Gah! How the hell are we supposed to get to All Might if he never fucking leaves UA?” he
complained.

“Let’s just raid UA. We just need to recruit enough players for a take over.” Tomura suggested,
eyes not leaving his computer.

“Tomu-nii, we can’t just bust into the middle of UA. That place is crawling with pros. We need to
find a way to draw him out into our turf.” Izuku retorted as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He sat up and flipped it open. “Hey, MeiMei, you’re on speaker phone.”

“Izu! I was just working on some ultra compressed weight babies for finals and I overheard
something interesting.” Mei began. “Some blonde kid from the hero course came for some support
item upgrades and he brought a pink girl with him. They wouldn’t shut up about how excited they
were for some summer training camp out in the woods.”

“Did they say All Might would be there?” Izuku asked excitedly.

“No, they said it was just their teachers but it’s being kept on the down low so I don’t even know
where it is.” Mei admitted.
Izuku slumped slightly with disappointment, then suddenly shot straight up. “MeiMei, you’ve got a
couple tracking devices hanging around don’t you?”

“Of course. I’ve got a drawer full.” Mei replied.

“Perfect. Will you do me a favor?” Izuku asked with a playfully cute tone.

“Anything for my Zuzu!” Mei responded.

“When they leave for their trip, can you put a tracker on their bus?”

“Hah, I thought you were going to ask for something difficult. Sure, easy. By the way I have
Shouto’s costume done, can we meet up?”

“Things are still pretty hot right now but I can have Kurogiri warp you here, just text me when
you're available.”

“Ok, see you soon, Izu!”

“Bye, MeiMei!” Izuku responded cheerily before ending the call to a room of confused faces.

“Why do we need to track a bus going to the middle of nowhere, where All Might is not even going
to be?” Dabi asked.

Izuku smiled. “Because in the middle of nowhere, with limited supervision, is a whole group of bait
waiting to be taken.”

“Bait?” Dabi questioned.

“Those hero course kids.” Izuku gestured like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “If we
take a couple of those kids then we can lead All Might and the other pros exactly where we want
them. Then we will have a trap waiting. We just need to sort out the details.”

A thoughtful silence fell over the room, surprisingly Shouto spoke up next. “That’s actually a
really good plan. All Might has a soft spot, especially for class 1-A. At first he seemed to really
favor Bakugo but even after he got transferred to Gen Ed he seemed to have grown attached to 1-
A.”

“Sho, are you cool with this? They were your classmates up until now.” Dabi asked.

“He’s going to have to get over that if he is part of the league.” Tomura scoffed.

“Tomu-nii, be nice.” Izuku scolded.

“Yeah it’s fine. I wasn’t close to any of them anyways and it’s not like we are going to be harming
them right? If it helps Izuku and Shigaraki get back at All Might then I’m ok with it.” Shouto
insisted.

Izuku held up two fingers. “Scouts honor! Only bait then, we’ll let the pros take them back.”

“Call me Tomura when it’s just us.” Tomura grumbled from his computer.

“Ahhh, look at how nice you can be Tomu-nii.” Izuku cooed as he ran over and threw his arms
around the uncomfortable gamer.

“Get off of me, you brat. He’s one of us now. I swear to god though. No more picking up strays. I
don’t need any more annoying brothers around. At least that one is polite and is decent at games
for a noob.” Tomura said, shaking off Izuku and gesturing to Shouto.

“Whatever, you know you love us.” Izuku teased before turning back to Shouto and Dabi. “Ok, I
think I have a plan but it’s going to take more than just us.”

“That’s fine.” Dabi replied. “I’ve been getting hounded since the whole Hosu thing. Now that
people think Stain was with us there’s tons of them wanting to sign up. I’ll call some in.”
“Does that include your boyfriend?” Izuku teased, getting a facefull of pillow as punishment.

“Screw you, he’s not my boyfriend and yes that includes Keigo.” Dabi retorted.

“Oooo first name! Should I start calling him Keigo-nii.” Izuku screeched as he jumped behind
Shouto, using him as a human shield. “I call best man! Tomu-nii can suck it!”

“You little shit.” Dabi growled as he quickly weaved behind Shouto and pulled Izuku into a
headlock. “You keep this up and I’m going to spill all the embarrassing stories I have of you as a
kid. I can call Asuna and get her in on it too.”

“Noooo!” Izuku cried, tapping on Dabi’s arm. “I give up!” Dabi released him and the boys laughed
together, even Tomura chuckled from his spot at the desk. “So you actually have more than just
Hawks?”

“Yeah, they are coming to the bar tomorrow to talk to our great leader Shigaraki.” Dabi said in a
mocking voice.

“Can’t wait!” Izuku chirped.

-----------------------------------------------

Shouto lay on his futon reading through Izuku’s notebooks. He had always been so impressed by
his attention to detail. He felt like he learned more through Izuku’s analysis notebooks than he had
through his entire formal education. It had taken a lot of promises on Shouto’s part and blushing on
Izuku’s for him to gain access to them but it was definitely worth it. There were pages dedicated to
heroes, villains, vigilantes, and even random people that Izuku had managed to strike up enough of
a conversation to get some insight into themselves. It was one of the things he admired most about
Izuku. He saw everyone as individuals. He saw their potential instead of their labels. Shouto closed
the notebook reverently as he heard the bedroom door creak open.

“Oh, you’re still awake.” Izuku commented as he entered the room and took a seat next to Shouto.

“How did it go?” Shouto asked. Dabi was bringing some people in who wanted to join the league.
Shouto decided that he would stay upstairs since he was pretty new as well and on top of that was
aware of his lack of social graces.

“Good! Well, OK I guess. Tomu-nii managed to get in a fight with a couple people because he was
pissed that they were all here because of Stain and not him and his Nomus.” Izuku recounted. “So I
had to step in and basically give everyone the ‘We are all here for the same reasons, let’s be
friends.’ talk. Everyone seems decently happy now, most of them decided to stay so that’s good.”

“Why am I not surprised that’s how it went?” Shouto jabbed, eliciting a chuckle from Izuku.

“I’m not surprised either. It’s a lot of strong personalities though so I’m probably going to be
playing peacemaker a lot. They have some awesome quirks though! It will be great to have them
on our team.”

“Oh really?” Shouto pressed, he knew it wouldn’t take much to send Izuku on a quirk rant but he
also loved hearing him talk so it was a win-win situation.

“Yeah!” Izuku started excitedly. “There’s a girl named Toga, she’s only a little older than us. Her
quirk can let her transform into anyone if she drinks their blood. She’s great with knives too so
we’re going to practice together sometime. There’s also a guy named Compress. His quirk is that
he can compress anything into a marble and release it at will. It’s the perfect quirk for our plan, I
almost fainted when he told me about it. It’s so versatile! There is also a guy named Twice. He’s
pretty funny. He’s always contradicting himself but he can create clones of people which has so
many applications. I want to ask him if he can clone himself too. Wouldn’t that be so cool? There
is also a woman with a magnetizing quirk who goes by Magne but she didn’t go too in depth as to
how it works. Oh! And there’s a guy named Spinner with a mutant quirk. He also said he is good
at hand to hand. He’s a major Stain fanatic though so he was the hardest one to convince. I think
he’s still on the fence but I have a feeling he will stick around. Anyways, they all joined up and
they said they have some friends who might be interested too. Looks like we aren’t going to have
any trouble getting enough people to go through with our plan! Also we’ll have more people
around which will liven things up. My whole life it’s been mostly just my brothers and Sensei so I
think it will be fun!”

Shouto gazed at Izuku through his recollection. He loved how excited and animated he looked
when he talked passionately about something. Izuku had so many sides and he wasn’t ashamed to
show any of them. It was a virtue that was beaten out of Shouto at a young age which made him
cherish it even more. His lips quirked up in a smile. “Sounds great. I can’t wait to meet them all.”

“Well I think that Toga and Compress are still here if you want to go meet them.” Izuku suggested.
“I thought you would be asleep but I came to grab a notebook because Toga told me she would
give me a demonstration of her quirk.”
“Ok. Let’s go.” Shouto responded as he rose from his spot on the floor, offering a hand to Izuku to
help him up as well. Izuku took the assistance and then opened his desk drawer to procure his
current analysis notebook. The two boys then exited the room and walked down to the bar. When
they entered the bar there were two new faces in the mix along with Hawks sitting at the gaming
console with Dabi and Tomura. One was a girl with blonde space buns and one was a man dressed
like a magician.The blonde was the first to notice him.

“Oh! You’re the cutie that’s all over the news!” She squeaked as she ran over to him, throwing her
arms around him in a loose hug. “I’m a little partial to freckles here but if you definitely take
second place!” Shouto stood ramrod straight looking pleadingly over at Izuku.

“Toga, hands off.” Izuku scolded as she pouted at him but released her grip.

“So possessive.” She complained as she bounced over to Izuku and took his hand. “You just want
me all to yourself, Deku?”

“Other way around.” Izuku said slyly as he pulled his hand away and instead laced it with
Shouto’s.

Toga clamped her hands over her mouth and gasped. “Even more adorable. You two would be even
more perfect, all covered in blood!”

“Anyways,” Izuku began, choosing to ignore the last comment. “Toga and Compress, this is
Shouto Todoroki.”

“It’s a pleasure.” Compress said theatrically with a flourished bow. Shouto returned the gesture
with his own more simple version.

“So, Toga! I got my notebook, can you show me your quirk?” Izuku asked excitedly. Shouto had to
fight back a chuckle. Growing up he had this image of villains lurking in the shadows. Ready to
hurt or maim anyone who crossed their paths. The reality was so far removed.

Here he sat. In the villain hideout of the most prolific villain gang in Japan. Where the leader was
playing Mario Kart with his brother and a pro hero, two men were sitting at the bar conversing
about sleight of hand, and his boyfriend was squealing like a fanboy and taking notes on a teenage
girl’s quirk. The home he had grown up in felt more like a villain’s lair than this.
He decided to take a seat at the bar with Compress and Kurogiri since Izuku was thoroughly
occupied. “Why hello Shouto.” Kurogiri acknowledged as he took his seat. “Compress here was
just showing me a few magic tricks. Seems he used to be a professional Magician.”

“That sounds interesting.” Shouto remarked. “I have never seen a magic show.”

“What a travesty!” Compress gasped.

“I wasn’t allowed to do anything that would be considered recreational growing up.” Shouto
admitted.

“Well it sounds like it’s time to fix that egregious error. Would you like to see some?” Compress
asked while impressively fanning a deck of cards out over his hands. Shouto nodded. Shouto lost
track of time as he watched trick after trick. Everytime being utterly amazed and completely
unconvinced that it was not an actual quirk. He had never seen anything more fascinating in his
life. Eventually Compress decided to teach Shouto a trick he could do on his own. As soon as he
learned he jumped off the stool to show Izuku and turned to where he had been hearing him chatter
non stop only to see two pairs of large green eyes peering back at him.

“Huh?” He said dumbly.

“It’s Himi-chan’s quirk! Isn’t it convincing?” The Izuku with the notebook replied.

“A little too convincing.” Shouto admitted. The only thing that made him reasonably sure that he
was speaking to the correct Izuku was that he would never let someone else write in his notebook.
The other Izuku, or Toga he guessed, ran up to him and wrapped herself around his arm.

“Don’t I look cute?” She asked in a perfect copy of Izuku’s voice which was, admittedly, extremely
creepy. Before he had the chance to answer, she started melting right on his arm. He panicked and
tried to catch her until he realized that she was simply changing forms, which seemed to delight
her. “Aww, you’re worried about me! It looks a little gross but I’m fine!”

“I think I like it best when you look like yourself.” He replied bluntly, making a mental note to
come up with a code word between him and the real Izuku later.
“You sure know how to talk to a girl, Sho-chan.” She said as she playfully slapped his shoulder
and skipped back to Izuku, pulling Shouto along with her. “We’re going to be best friends!” She
squealed as she pulled them into a group hug completely overriding Shouto’s daily allotment of
physical contact from new people. “Oh did you hear, Sho-chan?” She continued as she released
them. “Deku-chan came up with a great support item and he’s going to ask his cute friend to help
him make it!”

“Yeah! I was thinking that since she’s like me and her quirk works regardless of distance she needs
a way to extract blood to use at a different time. I can always just grab hair so it’s easier for me but
wouldn’t it be cool if we could get her some automated syringes? I’ve already got the plans drawn
out, I just need MeiMei to help with the fabrication.” Izuku said excitedly as he showed Shouto the
drawing of the device.

“Sounds great.” Shouto replied as he looked between the beaming faces of his boyfriend and his
new friend. He felt an odd mix of completely out of his comfort zone and completely at home.

-------------------------------------------

Rei Todoroki awoke feeling exhausted. When she had heard the news of Endeavor's death she
couldn’t help but feel relieved but, when she saw that her precious Shouto took part in his murder
and was now being considered a villain, she became wracked with guilt and panick. She suffered
from a breakdown the likes of which she hadn’t had in years. Leaving her feeling emotionally
fatigued. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt adequately rested and this morning was no
different. She sat up in her bed and stretched slightly, gazing out the window and wondered where
Shouto might be and if he was ok. Even though she hadn’t seen Shouto in years she still thought
about him often. Fuyumi and Natsuo had been visiting even more regularly since Endeavor’s death
and that helped immensely. She could tell though that they were worried for their brother too,
which sometimes just amplified the guilt. Rei couldn’t help but feel like if she had been stronger
she could have found a way to leave. A way to save not only Shouto but her darling Touya too.
Tears flowed down her cheeks which had become such a common occurrence that she barely even
noticed them anymore.

She did notice, however, a blank envelope sitting on her side table. She picked it up curiously and
opened it. Inside was a short letter.

Mom,

I’m sorry it took me so long to get strong enough. I’m sorry that you had to be sent away and go
through so much. Shouto told me everything. He doesn’t blame you and neither do I. I promise
Shouto is safe and when all this is over we will be back for you and Fuyumi and Natsuo. Please
stay strong. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier that I was alive but I am and I’m going to make
 everything right, regardless of the cost.

Love your son,

Touya

Rei reread the letter more times than she could count with baited breath before she clutched it to
her chest. Willing the words to inscribe themselves onto her heart. She knew it was naive to
imagine that Touya was actually alive and with Shouto but she couldn’t help but hold onto that
hope. To the promises in that letter. She just had to wait, just a little longer, and they could be a
family again.

Chapter End Notes

Ok so I rewrote this like 10 times. I have no clue why this chapter was so hard for me
but I hope you all enjoy it. I had a hard time deciding how to bring in the new recruits
to the league without rehasing everything we already know from the manga. I'm trying
hard not to redo things too much since if it is already canon and you are here reading
this fic you probably know about it anyways. So yeah there is my terrible explanation
and now I'm going to bed haha. Thanks again for reading and commenting and leaving
kudos! You all are amazing and keep me going :)

Also would it be weird to change the fic title this late in the game??
 No One Is Perfect
Chapter Summary

Hawks gets more comfortable being in the league. Izuku and Shouto go on their first
date.

Chapter Notes

Thanks to my beta! It's so wonderful to have you to bounce ideas off of. You're the
best!!

TW: Hostages

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Keigo felt weird looking around the bar. He had been spending every spare minute there since
officially joining the league and it was slightly unsettling how quickly it had begun to feel like
home. Especially now that they had new members and the hideout was livelier than usual.

He never grew sick of Compresses’ impromptu magic shows, which more often than not ended up
with Kurogiri getting roped in to assist. Or Magne’s long tangents on trans rights and appropriate
use of pronouns. He was quickly getting in the habit of asking everyone their pronouns upon first
meeting now. He was getting a little sick of playing the ‘Which one is Deku’ game. It seemed like
Deku was more than willing to give up as much blood as Toga wanted, to keep both of them
entertained. At this point it was almost impossible to tell the two apart. One day Shouto had told
him that he has a secret code with Deku to make sure he doesn’t accidentally makeout with Toga,
aside from that hitch, the three seemed to be as thick as thieves. To be honest though, Keigo
wouldn’t put it past her to try as a prank.

The most common occurrence at the bar though was him, Dabi and Shigaraki attempting to destroy
each other at Mario Kart. They played a lot of different games but Shigaraki had too much of an
upper hand at first person shooter or RPG games so they mostly stuck to the childhood classic in
the spirit of fair play.

“Fuck Rainbow Road!” Dabi screamed at the screen as Waluigi, once again, careened off the edge
of the technicolored road way.

“It’s not the road’s fault Dabs. Maybe if you didn’t suck so bad you could stay on the road.” Keigo
teased while coming up on a sharp corner.

Suddenly his controller was smacked out of his hand as he watched Toad fall off the edge. “ Maybe
if you didn’t suck so bad you could stay on the road, “ Dabi replied smugly in a mocking tone.

Keigo recovered his controller by the time he was lifted back onto the track. “Fuck you, burn boy.
You’re on.”

“Yeah right, birdie, suck on this blue shell!” Dabi cackled.

“Both of you noobs can suck it.” Shigaraki laughed triumphantly as Bowser crossed the finish line.
Keigo and Dabi had been too caught up in their feud to realize how far ahead he had gotten. “If you
guys would pay attention to the game instead of shit talking each other then maybe you’d have a
chance at beating me.”

“Fine then handsy. Let’s go!” Dabi challenged, but Shigaraki put down his controller and turned
off the console.

“Nah, I know how to stop when I’m ahead, plus I still need to get my dailies done in WOW so I’m
leaving.” Shigaraki stood and stalked up the stairs towards his room.

Keigo suddenly realized the odd situation of being alone at the bar. It wasn’t often that it was this
quiet. “You got patrol today?” Dabi asked as he set his controller down and took Keigo’s as well.

“Yeah, but not for a bit. I should probably head out soon though to show my face around the
agency.” Keigo admitted. “It’s just, ugh.”

“Ugh?” Dabi asked.

“It’s just better here sometimes.” Keigo admitted probably a bit too truthfully. “I feel like I can
actually be myself here, like you guys care more about me than what you can just use me for. I just
don’t wanna go back sometimes” Oh shit too honest Keigo swore to himself. Something about
Dabi made him way too honest, he needed to work on that.
Dabi smiled mischievously. “You sound stressed.” he said as he pressed himself into Keigo’s
space. “Need help with that?”

Fuck he should say no. But he should have also said no to all the other times and not have initiated
any of the remaining times either, so screw it. Because he was right. Dabi was a pro at… stress
relief so instead, being stupid, he grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him the rest of the way
in until their lips met in practice fashion. Their kisses were always passionate and desperate as if
they kissed each other deeply enough all the rest of their problems would just melt away. Keigo let
his free hand travel up to Dabi's face and trace the lines of his scars. the small metal staples cool
under his finger tips. He couldn’t help but think that this wouldn’t be a problem if Dabi wasn’t so
goddamn hot. Fuck.

He gasped lightly at the feeling of Dabi’s hand slipping under his shirt to shamelessly grope his
hard earned abs. The feeling of skin to skin sent shivers down his spine. Keigo moved his hand
into Dabi’s soft black spikes as he tugged slightly, eliciting a small noise that made him smirk.

“God damn, you guys must have a shit ton of steam to let off.”

The two men lept apart at the interruption and Keigo turned his head to see Deku and Shouto
standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“You know Dabi has a room right?” Deku continued.

“Yeah, sorry about that kid.” Keigo responded nonchalantly. “I gotta get going anyways.”

The four exchanged goodbyes as Keigo exited the back door and took off into the sky. I gotta get a
hold of myself. He thought to himself as he zoomed towards the commission. It’s not forever, it’s
not real.

---------------------------------------------------------

Izuku turned to Dabi as soon as Hawks had left. “So…when are you going to stop pretending with
all this ‘friends with benefits’ bullshit?”

“It’s not bullshit.” Dabi responded curtly.

“Uh huh, sure it’s not.” Izuku responded, completely unconvinced. Those two were just purposely
blinding themselves. They were more all over each other than Izuku and Shouto who were actually
dating.

“So I was thinking, it’s been a while and Sho needs some practice going out undercover and we
haven’t had the chance to go on a real date. So I was thinking we could go to the mall!” Izuku
excitedly presented his plan.

“Yeah, whatever.” Dabi sighed.

“Really?” Shouto asked incredulously. They had been prepared for a bit of a blow back.

“It’s not like I could stop you anyways. Plus you’re right. You can’t stay at the bar forever so it
would be good practice. Just keep Kurogiri on speed dial in case something goes south. You two
can take care of yourselves.” Dabi responded.

“Yay! Our first date!” Izuku said excitedly while clutching on to Shouto’s arm. “Let's get ready!”

The boys bounded back upstairs to get dressed. They decided to pick out their own disguises first
before giving feedback. Once they were dressed they counted to three to turn and look at
eachother. Izuku burst out laughing at the sight of Shouto.

He had chosen black pants, a black shirt, A black sweatshirt with the hood up, a black baseball hat,
sunglasses and a medical mask. “We are going to a mall in the middle of the day, not a back alley
drug deal.” Izuku wheezed, finally composing himself.

“I figured black wouldn’t stand out.” Shouto defended.

“It’s ok babe, you’ve never had to go incognito before. I’ll help you.” Izuku encouraged.

After a few outfit changes. The two had settled on their looks. Izuku wore his signature red sneaker
which he defended saying that he hadn’t worn them to the sports festival so they weren’t that
obvious. He wore light wash jeans that were slightly ripped at the knees paired with a white t-shirt
that said t-shirt across the front and a red zip up hoodie with the hood up. The look was completed
with lensless glasses and a headband that pushed his curls back under his hood.

Izuku had put Shouto in a pair of black jeans, since he had insisted on some part of his outfit being
black. White tennis shoes. A dark blue hoodie pulled up over his head and the black hat from
earlier with his bangs tucked back inside. He had also somehow scrounged up some makeup to
cover his scare and a fake nose ring for him to wear.

The two looked in the mirror together and Izuku clapped his hands happily. “Now I just look like a
nerd with scary dog privileges.”

“Scary dog privileges?” Shouto asked.

“It's a TikTok thing. I’ll show you later.” Izuku waved off as he went to his bedside table and
started sliding knives and other gadgets into various places on his person. “Just in case.” He
replied to the worried look on Shouto’s face. Finally he slipped on a silver ring “I think we are
ready! Let’s go!”

Kurogiri left the two at a condemned building close to the mall with the assurance that they would
call if they needed anything. They made their way towards the mall hand in hand. “I can’t believe
this is both our first times at a mall!” Izuku squealed.

“Wait, this is your first time too?” Shout asked, sounding surprised.

“I think I probably went with my mom when I was little but it’s been so long I don’t remember.
Once I moved in with Sensei I was so busy and Kurogiri was there to get us anything we needed so
there was really no reason to leave. I hadn’t really been out much in the real world except for
missions for Sensei before we started the league.” Izuku explained.

“Makes sense.” Shouto responded. “I’d like to see where you grew up.”

“Someday I’ll take you. It was beautiful. You’ve been to the town but it’s not really the same. Our
house was up on the mountain, tucked back in the forest. It was an oasis. I’ll introduce you to
Asuna too. She was my weapons instructor. She is back in America right now but I’m sure I could
convince her to come visit.” Izuku rambled.

“I’d love that.” Shouto replied, smiling down at Izuku. Izuku loved Shouto’s smile. He hadn’t seen
it much at the beach or at school but since he had been living with the league it had been popping
up more and more.

The two boys entered the mall and stood in front of a large map where they decided their plan of
attack. They spent their morning hitting the arcade and checking out all the Stain merchandise that
had been popping up. Izuku bought some because he just couldn’t get over the fact that there was
actually villain merchandise being sold. He told Shouto all about his planned line of merchandise
that would most likely never come to fruition, but it was still fun to design.

Finally around lunch time the two decided to head to the food court for lunch. The two were
deciding what to eat when Shouto stumbled backwards. Izuku caught him before he fell straight
onto the floor but not quickly enough to stop his hood from slipping down, pulling his hat with it.

“T-Todoroki?” the blonde boy who had unceremoniously bumped into Shouto muttered, looking
confused. Izuku recognized him. He was one of the hero course students, the one with the electric
quirk. Hoping that Shouto had recovered enough to stand on his own, Izuku let go of him and
quickly slipped behind this blonde. He popped the hidden blade on his ring open and in a single
movement cut his neck slightly and licked a few drops of blood. The blonde grabbed his neck as he
turned to look at Izuku.

“Ew, did you just lick me?” He asked incredulously. Izuku almost had to stop himself from
laughing because in this entire situation, him being licked was the least of his problems. Izuku
already had a blade pressed up to his ribs as he answered.

“Yes, now are the rest of your hero friends here?” Izuku asked into his ear, still behind him. At this
point Shouto had recovered his disguise which Izuku was grateful for. The blonde nodded and
shakily pointed towards a rambunctious table in the middle of the food court. “Great, Why don’t
we go say hi?” He suggested as he pushed the blonde towards the table.

The three made it to the table without issues until a pink girl looked up at them. “Oh Kaminari!
Are these your friends?”

Izuku made a gesture to Shouto and passed Kaminari to him as the table grew tense at the lack of
response. Shouto and Kaminari took seats at one end of the table while Izuku made his way
towards a distinctive purple head of hair.

“Yeah we all went to the same school right? Aren’t we all friends?” Izuku asked as he slid into the
seat next to Shinsou. Before the purple haired boy could react, Izuku quickly ripped a hair from the
back of his head and swallowed it quickly.
“Hirai?” Shinsou asked.

“Yupp!” Izuku replied, enjoying the look of panic that crossed his face when he realized he could
not reach his quirk. “Sorry I had to cancel your quirk. Can’t chit chat with a quirk like that. We
were just enjoying our date until Kamanari there, so rudely, interrupted. I figured we would come
say hello!” Izuku continued, now holding his knife to Shinsou’s rib, holding him in place.

“What’s stopping us from turning you in?” Asked a brown haired girl who Izuku remembered to be
Uraraka. He was assigned her costume when he was in the support course. She seemed like a sweet
girl in their previous interactions but her gaze was full of anger now.

“Well, I guess you could if you don’t care about your classmates. I have already cancelled Shinsou
and Kaminari’s quirk so they would be taken down easily. Oh also I have this.” Izuku pulled a
grenade out of his pocket. “I wonder how many civilians would be taken out in the blast before the
pros arrived? Guess it’s up to you though.” he shrugged.

Uraraka snapped her mouth shut and Iida responded in her stead. “You murdered Endeavor!”

“Oh, Iida! You survived. I saw that you did but to be honest it was pretty foolish to be out hunting
Stain on your own so you kinda deserved it.” Izuku responded. “Also you are right. I mean you
were passed out by the time he got there so you didn’t get to see it. But you would have been fried
to a crisp with him if I hadn’t pulled you out of the alley so you’re welcome.”

The class didn’t seem to know how to respond to that so the attention started to turn to Shouto.
“Todoroki-kun, please come back. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding.” a girl with a large
ponytail pleaded.

“It’s not Momo.” Shouto responded coldly. That must be the girl that was family friend’s with the
Todoroki’s, Izuku thought to himself. “I killed him and I would do it again. I’m not a hero.”

“Why did you go to UA then?” Momo asked in a pleading voice, seemingly still trying to convince
herself that she could save Shouto.

“Because I was forced to by Endeavor.” Shouto stated plainly, still holding his grip on Kaminari. “I
had no free will, no choice, I was only a tool to be wielded by Endeavor. It was never about what I
wanted.”
“So that was enough to kill him?” Momo responded desperately.

“No, training me to within inches of my life, covering up the death of my older brother, and driving
my mother to insanity were enough to kill him.” Shouto deadpanned.

A gasp ran through the group.

“What about Bakugo? What did he do to deserve that? He wasn’t even a licensed hero!” A boy
with spiky red hair asked, shaking in anger.

“Thank god they didn’t give that asshat a license. I didn’t do anything more than he did to me, you
can ask him yourself.” Izuku replied, feeling the anger rise inside him. “The fact that they let
someone like that into a hero course is proof of how broken our world really is.”

“And All Might?” Iida asked. “Even Stain acknowledged that he was a true hero, why are you
trying to kill him?”

“That one is none of your business.” Izuku snapped. “You are all holding on too tightly to a system
that tries to fit everyone into little boxes. You guys are lucky that you are young enough to try to
change it.”

“Is that what you are supposedly doing?” Shinsou challenged.

“Yupp. The world doesn’t need heroes like Endeavor and Katsuki. In fact the world doesn’t even
need silly labels like heroes and villains. We’re going to change all of that.” Izuku replied with
conviction.

“There’s a mad darkness in everyone’s soul. That does not mean it is not worth struggling to stay
within reach of the light.” A boy with a bird head spoke up.

“You’re exactly right bird boy.” Izuku complimented. “Who says that hero society is the only type
of light though? If a system is broken you need to fix it.”
 “No system is perfect.” Uraraka shot back.

“True, but this one has let too many people slip through the cracks.” Izuku retorted.

“So how are you planning on fixing it?” Momo spoke up, still mostly watching Shouto.

“You’ll just have to watch and see.” Izuku looked down at his phone. “Kurogiri is here, time’s
up.”

The two boys stood up and released their victims. “Your quirks will be back eventually, don’t
worry. Don’t follow us unless you want this place to go boom.” Izuku said as he mocked an
explosion, a grenade still in hand. “Also remember, there are a lot more heroes like Endeavor than
you might think. Even your precious All Might has secrets. Try to be better. See you around.”

Then the two disappeared into the crowd. Beelining to the exit where Kurogiri was waiting. They
were sure that the hero students were calling the pros already.

“Did you seriously bring a grenade?” Shouto asked as they power walked through the mall.

“No, it’s a flashbomb in case we needed a distraction. My bluff worked though!” Izuku replied
triumphantly, flashing his large signature grin.

“You’re ridiculous.” Shouto chuckled as they finally made it to the exit and disappeared in a cloud
of purple smoke.

Chapter End Notes

What's a date without some hostages? Also can anyone explain to me how the heck
tumblr works??? I make a fanart for this fic a while ago and failed miserably at
attempting to add it into the story. The consensus seems to be tumblr for that but what
to do past just posting it? Who knows. Here's my tumblr incase anyone wants to say
hi! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sterling-sloane Thanks for being you and I hope that
you all have a wonderful week! Happy Monday!!!
 Discoveries
Chapter Summary

Dabi and Hawks go on a mission. Toshinori digs into the past. Mei makes a new
friend.

Chapter Notes

Thanks to my beta!

TW: Light Violence

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Dabi stood in an alley next to an abandoned warehouse with Keigo. It was his first real mission
after Hosu aside from feeding the league information about the Commission and their movements.
The two sat in silence as they watched a group of men inside the building through a side window.

There were five men dressed in cheap business wear. One had a mutation quirk that made him look
more like a badger than a human. The men were speaking animatedly to each other and the man
who seemed to be the leader kept looking towards the door as if waiting for someone’s arrival.

“So who are these guys?” Keigo whispered.

“They used to smuggle shit for us. They weren’t great at it but they somehow always came
through. They almost got caught a few days ago and decided to pin their whole operation on the
league.” Dabi explained. “Now, I don’t really give a shit, but Sensei isn’t a fan of traitors and we
are going to need as many Nomu’s as we can get for the upcoming battle so I guess it’s their lucky
day.”

“What’s the plan?” Keigo asked.

“I set up a meeting so they are waiting for me. They must know they fucked up so they are going
to be on their guard. They won’t be expecting you though.” Dabi smirked. “There is a skylight
that’s open on the roof, go through there. I’m going to distract them and you take them out. Then
we restrain them and Kurogiri will come pick them up. Make sure you don’t kill them.”
“I’ll try to contain myself.” Keigo replied sarcastically.

Dabi rolled his eyes as Keigo shot up to the roof. He took a breath as he slipped into his business
persona and entered the warehouse. As soon as he entered he could feel the tension in the air. “Hey
Sato, wanna explain what the fuck this shit is about the league smuggling god knows what?” he
asked, projecting a menacing aura onto the men.

“Dabi, hey it was all just a misunderstanding.” Sato replied, raising his hands placatingly. “I have
no idea where they got the idea that the league was involved.”

Dabi cocked his head and stared harshly into the plain man’s face, he had some crappy odor
cancelling quirk which was good for fuck all outside of smuggling. “Bullshit.” he sneered,
allowing blue flames to emerge and bathe the room in an eerie glow. “Everyone in this room
knows that’s fucking bullshit and we don’t really tolerate that.”

Suddenly Keigo dropped from the ceiling. He shot his feathers out, ambushing three of the men
before they could even activate their quirks. The badger looking man took the opportunity to
charge Dabi, snarling and gnashing his teeth. As soon as he got close Dabi released a small
explosion of flames which forced the man to rear back. Dabi took the opportunity to slip behind
him and deliver a precise, intense chop to the neck, knocking the man out. Thank God his anatomy
wasn’t all crazy. Dabi thought to himself. His thoughts froze though when he heard a loud bang.
He whipped his head back to where Keigo was fighting to see him stumble away from Sato who
was brandishing a gun behind him.

Who the fuck uses guns these days? Dabi swore as he sprinted over and knocked the man out in one
punch and delivered a harsh kick to his ribs for good measure. He turned to see Keigo on the floor
clutching his bleeding shoulder.

“Shit, shit. Are you ok? Where did you get hit?” Dabi asked as he knelt down in front of Keigo and
supported him.

“Yeah, just clipped my shoulder and wing. Takes more than that to bring me down.” Keigo replied
weakly. Dabi could see the blood oozing out of the wound now that he was closer.

“Fuck.” Dabi growled as he stood up angrily. He quickly tied up all the men before returning to
Keigo’s side. He learned early on that tying people up is the number one priority the hard way and
he had a scar to remind him. Once the men were securely tied he peeled back Keigo’s coat as he
hissed. The bullet had gone clean through which was good. “Looks like you’ll live to see another
day birdie.” Dabi replied as he more closely surveyed the damage.

“Aw, sounds like you actually care Dabs.” Keigo joked.

“Of course I care, you dipshit, you're my…” Dabi halted, blood quickly rushing to his cheeks.
Keigo looked stunned before recovering into a mischievous grin.

“You’re what?” he pushed.

“Fuck you.” was all Dabi could choke out as a response.

Keigo grabbed his coat and pulled him closer. “You're mine too.” he smirked as he lightly pulled
Dabi in for a kiss. It was nothing like their others. It was small and full of absolutely everything.
All he could think was,

Damn, I’m fucking screwed.

-------------------------------------------

Toshinori paced the teacher’s lounge at UA. Nezu suggested he not leave campus except for a
couple hours a day with at least two other heroes to keep up appearances. He knew it was smart.
He knew that the league was looking for an opportunity to take him down and leaving the school
just put more people in danger. Plus he needed to maintain his current time limit for the time when
he inevitably had to go against All For One again.

Toshinori flipped open the files in front of him. He had pulled every single reference to Inko or
Izuku Midoriya that he could find in the police database. Him and Naomasa had been working
tirelessly to figure out a solid connection to One for All or at least how anyone even knew about
Inko and Izuku. So far it was all conjecture and they couldn’t risk confronting Tanuma until they
had more information.

His phone vibrated once on the counter. He picked it up to see a message from Naomasa telling
him to check his email. He opened his laptop and pulled up his email. At the top of his inbox was a
message from Naomasa.
Toshinori,

Sakura in records was doing some filing when she came across this witness statement from a
bank robbery close to the time that Inko was murdered. It was never digitized so it didn’t come up
in our search but I thought I would send it your way in case it helps. Stay Safe.

Naomasa

Toshinori opened the scanned file and read it eagerly. It wasn’t anything special. Just a run of the
mill witness statement from the bank robbery but there were two things that stuck out to Toshinori.
First, that this statement belonged to Inko and second, the officer who took the statement was listed
as Tanuma.

He froze. This was the missing link. That was the bank robbery where Inko had told Toshinori
about Izuku. The only time that conversation was ever uttered aloud. Tanuma must have overheard
them and had the perfect excuse to collect her personal information. Tears started streaming down
his face. He didn’t even need to check the dates to realize that the murder happened only a few
days later. It was all his fault. He ended up putting them in danger anyways. He slammed his fist
down on the desk in frustration, eliciting a satisfying crack from the strained wood.

He returned to his laptop and pulled open his hero commission portal. He found the link for
Request of Information and filled out a request for any classified information on the ‘League of
Villains’ as well as ‘Inko Midoriya’, ‘Deku’, ‘Izumi Hirai’, and ‘Izuku Midoriya’.

While he was already on the official task force he knew that the commission sometimes held onto
classified information until it was absolutely need to know. At the very least he should be able to
find information on where to start looking. He needed to find Izuku. He needed to save him. He
couldn’t allow him to continue to be abused by these villains.

Toshinori’s heart broke as his mind began to race to all sorts of possibilities. All kinds of horrors
and abuse that his son must have been subjected to at the hands of his arch nemesis. If only he had
been faster he could have had a normal life. He could have even been a hero, maybe he would be
going to UA now and preparing to take on One for All. He was wracked with guilt for allowing it
to happen. The number one hero and he couldn’t even keep his son safe.

He jumped when he heard a vibration. He looked down at his phone which flashed an unknown
number as it vibrated. He flipped it open.
“Hello?”

“Toshinori.” The voice on the other line stated, and his stomach dropped. He would recognize that
voice anywhere.

“G-gran. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Toshinori stuttered. He hadn’t spoken to his old mentor
in years but that didn’t mean he still didn’t strike the fear of god into his soul.

“You know why I’m calling Toshinori. I know you went to UA for a reason. Have you found a
successor yet?” Gran Torino asked bluntly to the core of the matter.

“Oh, well, Nighteye has highly recommended his intern and there are a few promising students in
class 1-A as well.” Toshinori responded while scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“So you haven’t. The League of Villians is hunting you down Toshinori. You need to pass on One
for All before something happens.” Gran Torino chided.

“I know, I know. It’s just that I have to look into some things before I make a final decision. I
promise I will soon.” Toshinori placated.

“Fine. You better call me when you do. I will whip them into shape if you need help. Be careful
Toshinori, and hurry it up.” Gran Torino replied before ending the call.

Toshinori let out a long sigh and rubbed his gaunt cheeks. Gran Torino was right. He needed to
pass on his power. He just couldn’t do it. Not yet.

--------------------------------

Mei looked over her workstation. She was proud of all the things she had accomplished in the last
few months. She had been kept extremely busy between her school projects as well as all the things
that Izu requested. She wouldn’t have it any other way though. She could sleep when she was
dead.
She started packing up Shouto’s costume and the Automatic Syringes as well as some other things
that Izuku had requested. They planned to meet later that day and Mei couldn’t wait to see how all
her new babies worked. He even said he was bringing a new friend who was going to test the Auto
Syringe baby. She was almost giddy in excitement.

“Hatsume. Remember no more overtime.” Powerloader-sensei reminded her as he packed up for

the end of the day as well. She was lucky that he had long given up checking on her projects. He
knew that when she was ready he would never hear the end of them so he didn’t go out of his way
looking for extra explanations. “You need to be out of here in twenty minutes.

“No prob!” She flashed a thumbs up and a grin as she zipped close her large black duffle bag. “I’ll
just bring some babies home to tinker on!”

He sighed and waved her off as she exited the room. She cheerily sauntered towards the front gates
of the school. She was happy that she lived decently close. Her bag was heavy and awkwardly
shaped so it would have been a pain in the butt to have to take the train.

She was passing by the park near her house when someone caught her eye. There was a man at the
playground. He was bald with a bushy mustache and odd looking goggles that made her curious as
to if they had a purpose. She couldn’t help but stare since he looked so out of place. He stared back
as the two entered an awkwardly unintentional staring contest until the man finally started walking
towards her.

“What’s an old man like you doing creeping around a playground?” Mei asked unabashedly.

“I was waiting for you.” The man responded.

“Sorry, I only need my babies. Bye.” Mei retorted, honestly a little creeped out, as she began
walking again.

“Wait, you’re Mei Hatsume correct?” The man called out to her.

“What’s it to you?” Mei asked concernedly.

“My name is Dr. Garaki. I am doing some research that I could use your help with.” He responded.
“My master told me his son had an extremely talented friend so I came to look for you.”
 “Who’s that?” Mei asked, intrigued.

“Izuku, but I believe you know him as Izumi Hirai.” Dr. Garaki explained.

Mei hummed thoughtfully before depositing her bag on the ground and pulling out a small
notebook. She tore off a page and and grabbed a pen before handing it to the man.

“I’ll ask Izu about it myself. Give me your number and If you’re legit then I’ll give you a call
tomorrow. I don’t come cheap though.” Mei said casually.

“I will be speaking to you soon then.” The doctor responded.

“Ok.” Mei said as she hauled her bag back onto her shoulder. “Also stop hanging around parks,
you look like a pervert. Ok, byeee!” Mei called as she walked off. She would definitely need to talk
to Izu about all this but if he was true it could be interesting. A smile overtook Mei’s face as it
always did when presented with a new challenge. Interesting indeed.

Chapter End Notes

Those dummies have finally gotten together for real. Gosh I love them so much,
nothing like getting shot while kidnapping a group of thugs to show you where your
heart lies! Also LOL suck it Toshinori this ain't a forced villain situation. Izuku got a
better life than he would have ever had without Sensei. I can totally see him spiraling
thinking about how abused he must be to be with the villains and it's his job to save
him. Mwahahaha. Also any ideas on what the project Mei is needed for by the good ol'
doctor??? Sorry this update took a while and the next couple will too. I just started
working out again and I was re-watching Princess Mononoke and decided to make a
cosplay because apparently I'm not happy unless I am drowning in projects. I also have
this book and I'm for some reason planning my sister in law's wedding. I am going out
of town on the 26th though and I am really hoping to have the book finished by then.
Send me lots of encouragement and good vibes!!!
 Camp Secrets
Chapter Summary

Izuku is faced with a dark secret. Summer training camp is infiltrated.

Chapter Notes

Thanks to my beta!!!

TW: Canon-typical violence. Mentions of death, murder, and childhood abuse.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku sat next to Sensei, speaking animatedly about the ongoings of the league and idiosyncrasies
of the new members. The machines beeped familiarly as he regaled him with stories. All three of
the brothers took turns spending time with Sensei. Mostly meetings in regards to business with the
league or other matters. However, Sensei was always patient and seemed to enjoy the long winded
ramblings of Izuku’s daily life that he began their meetings with. Uncustomarily though, Izuku was
cut short.

“My child.” Sensei stopped him. “Something has been brought to my attention that I need to speak
with you about.”

“What is it, Sensei?” Izuku asked.

“Do you remember when you first came to live with me and I promised that when the time came
there were things that I would tell you about your father?” Sensei prodded.

“Yes.” Izuku squeezed out, his throat swelling slightly with nervousness.

“First I need to elaborate more on my relationship with All Might.” he responded. Izuku felt
himself freeze. He obviously knew that All Might was his father and had cast him aside. Sensei
had also admitted that he was his brother but he had never gone into the details of their past.

“I once told you that your father was my younger brother.” Sensei began. “In reality we are not tied
by blood. However, he does possess my true younger brother’s quirk. My younger brother was
born quirkless or so I thought. I cared deeply for my younger brother and saw fit to give him his
own quirk so that he did not have to live life in that state. In reality though, he did possess a quirk,
one that allowed him to pass quirks onto others. I bestowed upon him a quirk that stockpiled
power. He passed this quirk to a successor and so forth until it was given to your father by his
predecessor. Nana Shimura. The woman, who abandoned Tomura’s father and in turn, Tomura
himself, devotes herself to their foolish cause.”

Izuku gasped softly. Tomura didn’t like talking about his past. He knew that he hated All Might as
much as Izuku and Sensei did but he would beat around the bush when the question of why came
up.
“My younger brother did not agree with my way of doing things. He believed that I was too
ambitious and lacked the necessary empathy and moral compass to keep me in line. He was
poisoned by the foolish idea that justice and strength come from the masses and the subjective
concept of morality. He did not appreciate the strength that was cultivated from unrestrained hate
as well as love that I encouraged my followers to use to bring about their own justice and goals as
well as my own. He passed this belief to his predecessors who have been hunting me since. By the
time I realized the error of granting him that quirk it was combined with his own which stopped me
from taking it forcefully.” Sensei sighed regretfully. “I have since made it my life goal to either
destroy that quirk or take it back so that I can freely live in a world where my successors can create
a reality where justice can be taken into your own hands and you are empowered to reach your full
potential. In that quest I have also made it my responsibility to care for the ones that my brother’s
predecessors have discarded, such as you, Tomura, and Dabi.”

Izuku felt the tears well up in his eyes. He imagined a life where he had grown up with the
Bakugos. Subjected to years of torment and bullying, being useless without a quirk and no one to
believe in him. Instead he had become strong. He had learned how to make difficult decisions and
found people worth protecting and making those decisions for.

“You boys have become so much more than I could have ever hoped. You three are strong in
different ways and you will only continue to grow. It is because of this growth that I can not come
to regret my actions but I do regret the pain I caused you.” Sensei admitted to a slightly confused
Izuku.

“What are you talking about Sensei?” Izuku asked.

“My contact in the police force told me that All Might and Detective Naomasa have been looking
into your mothers death.'' Sensei stated.

Izuku froze, what did his mother’s death have to do with anything?

“A few days before her death she was a victim in a bank robbery, do you remember that?” Sensei
asked.

“Y-yeah… she was really shook up by it.” Izuku replied shakily.

“The hero who stopped the robbery was All Might. It was the first time she had seen him since you
were born. She tried to tell him about you and the bullying but he cast you aside. He said he did not
want a quirkless son. My contact witnessed the entire conversation.” Sensei admitted. “Your
mother was devastated. She nor your father were willing to protect you.” he paused.

“Izuku, my child, I couldn’t leave you there. I couldn’t allow you to be abandoned like that. I knew
how much more I could give you. How much more you deserved.”

Izuku felt the world cave in as he pieced together where this conversation was headed. His breaths
became shallow and rapid as he curled in on himself. His brain turned fuzzy as he attempted to
block out all his senses. His hands tightly covered his ears in a feeble attempt to postpone the truth.
He could feel tears and snot stream down his face as he cried harshly.

He couldn’t handle it.

It couldn’t be true.

He felt a hand reach out and touch his knee, grounding him back into reality. He slowly let his
hands fall from his ears as he heard Sensei call his name through his cries. The sound of the man
who had done everything for him, who loved him when no one else did. The sound became clearer
until his breath began to even out and his cries died to small hiccups and sniffs.

“I know you understand my motivation, you saved Shouto from Endeavor.” Sensei pushed.

“That’s not the same.” Izuku choked out.

“There are different kinds of abuse Izuku.” Sensei stated calmly but firmly. “You’re mother never
hit you but she also never made you feel safe. She did not believe in your dreams. She ignored the
signs of extreme bullying you were subjected to. She only asked one person to help you in eight
years and never bothered to try herself. She allowed you to slip through the cracks in favor of a
false sense of peace.”

Izuku didn’t know how to respond to that.

It was…

Not wrong.

Izuku had never truly felt safe until he became a Shigaraki. Even when his mother was alive and he
was safe in his home from Katsuki, he was never safe from secrets. From not rocking the boat and
upsetting his mother. From worrying about her worry or even worse. Lack of worry and excuses.

“I know this is painful to hear, my child, but I needed you to hear it from me. I have reason to
believe All Might has pieced enough together and with the upcoming mission, the last person I
wanted you to hear it from was him.”

Izuku let out a shaky breath and let his head fall onto the bed next to Sensei. He felt Sensei’s hand
run through his hair, petting him gently.

“Izuku. When I see you, Dabi and Tomura and all you have accomplished and the men you are
becoming, I am filled with pride. I would do it all again to see you become the person you are. You
are strong and capable and willing to do anything it takes to protect the ones you love. But most
importantly, you are my son. I will never abandon you. Do you understand?”

Izuku paused but then nodded weakly into the blankets. He did understand. He understood because
deep down he knew he would do the same. If he knew that he could give Sensei or Shouto or Dabi
or Tomura a better life there was no sin too great to make it not worth it. He would destroy the
world for his family without a moment of hesitation. Izuku released a large breath before sitting
back up.

“I’m sad.” Izuku said truthfully. “It makes me sad that you were forced to do that to keep me safe.”

“I wouldn’t have had to if All Might had kept you safe like he should have.” Sensei responded
softly.

“I’ll kill him.” Izuku said resolutely. “I’ll make him pay for everything he did to me. For hunting
you down. For his predecessor, abandoning Tomu-nii and choosing him. He’s the one to blame for
all of this. Then we won’t have to hide. We can remake this world however we choose.”

Sensei smiled. “You are so strong, Izuku. I’m so sorry for everything I needed to do to get you to
this point.”

“There’s nothing to forgive Sensei. You are more of a Father to me than that bastard ever was and
as far as I am concerned my mother’s blood is on his hands. I won’t abandon our family.” Izuku
said decidedly.

“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that, my son.”

--------------------------------------------------

Izuku stood at a crumbled outcropping on the side of the road. Gazing out over an expanse of
forest. He could see the lights of a large cabin in the distance. The sun was setting slowly over the
horizon as Compress exited a smoky plume behind them.

“They are doing a test of courage after sundown. The students will be split up and Eraserhead and
Vlad King are staying behind with some kids at the cabin. We will just have to deal with the
Pussycats.” Compress reported.

“Perfect.” Izuku replied. “Let’s go over the main goals one more time. Compress, you need to get
at least two students, doesn’t matter who as long as they are from 1-A. Himi-chan, get as much
blood as you can, we won’t probably get a chance to get this close again for a while. Twice, you’re
in charge of keeping Eraser and Vlad at the cabin. Muscular, patrol the perimeter to make sure no
one gets out. Everyone else, keep the students separated and distract the Pussycats. We need them
to know the league was behind this.”

“Kurogiri and I also found a closer spot in the forest for us to rendezvous.” Compress added.

“Ok, let’s go then.” Izuku replied. Kurogiri reopened the portal behind the group as they filed in.
Izuku stopped to speak with Dabi before entering.

“Are you sure about these new guys?” Izuku asked, referring to the muscled maniac and the high
schooler named Mustard who Dabi had arrived with just before the operation.

“They’re just some extra muscle. Useful quirks and you don’t have them doing anything important
anyways.” Dabi explained with a wave of his hand.

“Alright, did they at least have time to look over my quirk analysis of the pros and students here?”
Izuku asked.

“I gave it to them.” Dabi said with a shrug to which Izuku simply sighed and entered the portal,
exiting in a dense section of the forest. They could hear the far away chatter of the students as well
as pros, preparing to begin their game.

“Twice. Dabi.” Izuku stated expectantly and the man began to create a clone of Dabi. “Great, send
it to the cabin and keep them busy when you see the signal.”

“You got it!” Twice chirped with an expressive thumbs up.

“Everyone else, go take your positions. Shouto and I will signal the start of the attack. When
Compress has acquired his targets, he will contact you on your coms. If you aren’t back at the
rendezvous point within five minutes we are leaving without you.” Izuku finished. The group
nodded in agreement and stalked off to surround the group of unsuspecting teens.

Izuku and Shouto made their way through the trees until they could catch a faint glimpse of a green
haired pro sitting at a table. They started to hear shrieks and laughter as the test of courage began.
After a few minutes the first group came by to retrieve something from the Pussycat sitting at the
table.

“How has she not detected us with her quirk?” Shouto asked quietly.
“How fast would you get exhausted if you used your quirk at max power consistently?” Izuku
asked.

“I’m not sure, pretty quick though probably.” Shouto admitted. “It makes more sense to use it
strategically than at full power.”

“Exactly. I’ve done a lot of research into her quirk. She can track up to 100 people within a certain
radius but that is at full power and concentration. The more people, the more difficult it is to
maintain. Since the students are split up and she is focused on keeping track of them she isn’t
going to waste energy searching further since no one should know they are here and we have given
no indication of being here.” Izuku paused as another group of students passed by the table, once
they were gone Izuku continued. “As long as we don’t get too close we should be fine, unless she
gets suspicious of something.”

Shouto nodded in agreement and the two lapsed into silence as they saw more groups pass by.
Once the fifth group left the table Izuku nodded to Shouto who stood up silently. He looked
ridiculously good looking in the suit Mei had crafted for him. This wasn’t the first time seeing it
and it most definitely wasn’t the first time he got derailed, ogling him in it. It was a fitted jumpsuit
made entirely of black with subtle modern white piping. His suit also included an extra long
turtleneck that could be pulled over his mouth and nose to be used as a form of disguise but also
had filtering capabilities. His carefully cared for steel toed white high tops and freshly dyed black
half of his hair completed it perfectly. Dabi and Shouto had had fun bonding over dyeing the
Endeavor out of their hair together a few days prior. He also had a blue sweatshirt, similar to
Izuku’s green one but it was left at home along with his own, since there was no reason to hide
here.

Izuku slightly shook his head out of his thoughts and coated his rope dart in a paralytic. He knew
that once he got close enough Ragdoll would easily pick up on his presence. He had to work with
the element of surprise. Izuku creeped forward, away from Shouto. As soon as he was in range he
hurled his rope dart forward, surprised when the yellow clad pro jumped out of the way at the last
second, whipping around to assess the threat. At that same moment Shouto shot a pillar of ice to the
sky and chaos ensued over the camp.

Izuku quickly retracted his rope dart and switched to his sai, also coated in the paralytic. He
charged towards the woman who dodged his attacks with practiced precision. It wasn’t often that
he met someone who could match his speed without a quirk. He supposed though that if she made
it to being a pro with a mental quirk then he shouldn’t be overly surprised.

“What’s a little kitten like you doing out in the woods?” Ragdoll asked as she blocked with her
giant cat paw which must be actually made out of something decently durable.

“You have something that Sensei wants, and he’s never been too great at self-control.” Izuku
responded. “Sho and I got the task of retrieving it for him.”

“Oh yeah? What would that be?” Ragdoll questioned, taking the bait.

“Your quirk.” Izuku answered with a mischievous grin. The answer threw Ragdoll for only a
fraction of a second but it was enough for Shouto to catch her foot in his ice. Ragdoll struggled and
reached up to her communication device to send out a distress call. Before she could though, Izuku
knocked the electronic ears off her head with his weapon, slicing the side of her face at the same
time. Ragdoll crumpled to the ground a few moments later. Fear painted across her eyes. Izuku
knelt down as he began to tie her up. “Sensei asked for you specifically. You should feel honored.
He has been watching you.”
Ragdoll’s eyes turned harsh and angry.

“Don’t worry you’ll be meeting him soon.” Izuku continued before putting a hand to his ear.
“Kurogiri, target one acquired. Please come to transport.”

Moments later Kurogiri appeared and pulled Ragdoll through his warpgate. “I will bring her to
Shigaraki and be back momentarily at the rendezvous point.” Kurogiri declared as he disappeared,
leaving the two boys alone in the woods.

“All right, let’s head back to the rendezvous point and wait for the others.” Izuku stated while
taking Shouto’s hand.

The two made it back to the small clearing quickly as they had started at the closest point. A few
minutes later Dabi arrived in the clearing. “You guys get your mark?”

“Yeah.” Izuku responded. “Kurogiri already took her to Shigaraki and Sensei.”

“Good, hopefully Compress and Toga hurry it up. Eraserhead is doing better against my clones
than I anticipated.” Dabi replied as Twice swore and made another Dabi, sending him on his way.

“Looks like they took out Mustard.” Izuku mused as he looked towards the patch of forest that had
been previously covered in smoke. “We better get moving.” Izuku was about to ask for a status
report when suddenly Compress’s voice sounded over the coms. “Target acquired, meet at the
rendezvous point in five.”

A minute later Himiko came skipping into the clearing. “Deku-chan, Shou-chan! I met the cutest
girl! I got her blood too!” She wrapped her arms loosely around Izuku’s neck and nuzzled into his
neck. “I think I’m in love.” She sighed. “I’m so happy!”

Izuku gave her a quick squeeze before extricating her hands from his neck. “I’m so happy for you
Himi-chan. Did you get anyone else's?”

“No.” She pouted. “Those stupid teenagers ganged up on me and I didn’t feel like dying tonight.”

“Well I can’t blame you for that.” Izuku said with a shrug. “Did anyone see Sis Magne and
Spinner?”

The group looked around at each other shaking their heads. Suddenly Kurogiri appeared behind
them. “I have returned Magne and Spinner to the bar. Are you all ready to go?”

The group nodded as they started entering the portal until only Izuku, Dabi and Shouto remained.
They turned as they heard Compress land behind them, running full tilt towards the portal. “Time
for our disappearing act!” He shouted as he rushed past them into the portal. The three stood there
a little dumbfounded until they saw two teenagers rushing towards them. Dabi entered the portal
and Izuku was halfway through when they finally caught up.

“Give them back!” Asui screamed. Extending her tongue in an attempt to grab Todoroki’s wrist. It
was quickly buffeted with an intense flame.

“Why are you doing this Todoroki?” Shoji asked with a pained expression in his eyes. “I can
understand why you left but how could you do this to your own classmates?”

Shouto tilted his head slightly. “Because it will help Izu.” He responded like it was the most
obvious thing in the world.
 The two students were left slack-jawed as Izuku reached out and pulled Shouto with him through
the portal. Damn did he love that man.

Chapter End Notes

Ok so I want to clarify how Dabi is considered to be a casualty of OFA in sensei's

eyes. His dad was the number two hero and was abusing his family terribly. Sensei
blames All Might for not being able to see a bad situation so clearly in front of his
eyes. That is why he picked up Dabi. In my head he has always favorited Tomura and
Izuku a bit more because of their more direct relationships. We see this way back in
the end of chapter three when he is less patient with Dabi. He kind of snaps at him in a
way we have never seen him do with Tomura and Izuku. However he still thinks of
Dabi as his son. This has always been kind of in my head but I don't think there will be
a good spot in the story to explain this so I wanted to add it here.

Secondly, I always thought it was odd that in the original training camp arc that
ragdoll wasn't able to immediately know when the villains entered the area and send a
warning so this is what made sense to me. Also I didn't have them bring a Nomu or
Moonfish because Moonfish normally fights Bakugo and Todoroki who aren't there
and the Nomu fights Momo and that guy from class 1-B that I can't remember but I
have a plan for that so don't worry!

Also any theories on which students got kidnapped??

Thanks so much for reading! We're getting close to the end. Thanks for all the
comments and kudos and hit. I have the best readers in the whole world!! <3
 Compromises
Chapter Summary

Keigo picks a side. Izuku doles out a punishment. The heroes make a plan.

Chapter Notes

Thanks to my beta. Also I have officially finished and since I love you dear readers so
much, get ready for a big dump! I'm uploading them all at once. I hope you enjoy!!

TW: Mentions of death/ kidnapping

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Keigo swooped through the window in Mera’s office. Not even bothering to come through the
normal entrance. Mera sat at the desk rubbing harshly at his temples.

“You didn’t think it would be a good idea to give us a heads up about a kidnapping?” Mera asked
roughly.

“Hey, chill. I’m not in on everything they do. Dabi messaged me after the fact.” Keigo replied
hoping that Mera would buy it. He did know about the kidnapping and his role in it but as long as
Dabi promised the kids would be fine he didn’t see a reason to say anything since it would be
obvious who the informant was.

“Hawks, what’s the point of you being undercover if we aren’t able to circumvent headaches like
this?” Mera sighed.

“I thought I was supposed to go along with everything unless it had to do with All Might?” Keigo
asked sarcastically.

“Ugh.” Mera groaned. “At least tell me you know where those kids are.”

“Yeah I do.” Keigo replied. “They are fine too.”

“Good,” Mera sat up a little straighter in his chair. “I guess this moves things up then.”

“What'd ya mean?” Keigo asked.

“Well, All Might has already told me that he refuses to sit this out. It will be the perfect time for the
league to attack, which I am assuming was the plan with kidnapping the students anyways. So it’s
the perfect opportunity to take care of the league.” Mera replied monotonically.

“So we turn their ambush into our own and take them in.” Keigo inferred.

“Ugh, do you know how expensive it is to house an inmate in Tartarus?” Mera asked with a raised
brow.

“I’m going to guess a lot?” Keigo answered.

“It’s extremely expensive not to mention the massive amounts of paperwork required.” Mera
corrected. “We will capture All For One and their leader Shigaraki. The rest are expendable and the
more accidents there are the less headache for me.”

Keigo’s stomach dropped to the floor. His head started spinning as the point drove home. He
wanted them dead. He wanted everyone in the league dead so he wouldn’t have to deal with the
headache and expense of putting them in jail. Images flashed through his head as he imagined his
friends expressionless and void of life.

Dabi with a sharpened red feather shot through his chest.

“No.” Keigo choked out involuntarily.

“No?” Mera asked. “You don’t make these decisions, Hawks. You follow orders. Unless you
aren’t playing on our side anymore.”

“That is not heroic. We don’t kill. They need to be brought in and have fair trials. That is what
heroes do.” Keigo grasped.

“They are villains, Hawks.” Mera scolded with cold eyes. “Or did you forget? You are a hero, yes,
but first you are an asset of the commission and this is what I am ordering you to do. It will be an
intense battle. Accidents happen. That was the only thing Endeavor was any good for but he isn’t
around anymore.”

“They don’t deserve to die! They are villains, yes, but they aren’t all bad. They deserve a chance to
change.” Keigo pleaded. “I won’t kill them and I won’t tell you anything if that’s what you intend
to do.”

“This is about that recruiter. Dabi, Isn’t it?” Mera accused. Keigo didn’t have time to respond
before a hand cut him off. “Don’t think I haven’t realized that you don’t tell us everything. Stop
acting like a child, Hawks.” Mera huffed. “Fine, we’ll take them in but after this you are done.
You’re getting in too deep.”

“Fine.” Keigo replied, feeling his chest tighten in pain. He could stay away as long as Dabi and
everyone else was alive. That was what mattered.

“Ok, then tell me everything.” Mera demanded.

------------------------------------------------------------

Izuku pulled Shouto through the portal and into a tight hug. Shouto pushed back just barely so that
he could dip down and capture Izuku’s lips in a kiss. Izuku relished in the dual temperatures as he
kissed him back passionately. The two broke apart quickly though when Tomura screamed at them
to get a room. Izuku shot an annoyed look his way but still untangled himself from his boyfriend.

He looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be safe and accounted for aside from the two
newbies that Dabi had brought in.

“Hey Kurogiri, can you go check on the new guys? Verify if they got captured.” Izuku requested of
the purple smoke, who disappeared quickly. “Everybody ok?”

“Never better!” Twice exclaimed. “I stubbed my toe on a dumb rock.” he grumbled in the same
breath.
“Kurogiri was able to get us out of there just in time.” Magne replied while Spinner nodded in
agreement.

Toga was sitting in the corner seemingly daydreaming about her new love while Dabi nodded in
response.

“Great!” Izuku exclaimed before turning to Compress. “Alright, let’s see who you got.”

Compress threw the marbles into the air and snapped with a flourish, allowing two students to fall
in a heap on the floor, gasping. In a flash Izuku was by their sides and ingesting DNA from both.
Almost immediately he heard a gasp from the corner.

“Oh Compress! You’re the best!” Toga exclaimed as she rushed to the students. “It’s my
girlfriend!” She pulled Ochako Uraraka from the floor and sat her in one of the waiting chairs
while Dabi secured her hands.

Izuku pulled up the other student who turned out to be Fumikage Tokoyami. As he went to secure
him, Dark Shadow snapped at him aggressively. “Compress, why did you have to pick someone
with a mutation quirk?” Izuku asked annoyedly. “Some help Sho?”

“Hey, you said anyone from class 1-A.” Compress replied teasingly. Izuku rolled his eyes.

Shouto ignited a medium sized flame in his hand and pushed Dark Shadow back. Meanwhile Izuku
finished tying him up to his chair. “Keep him on a short leash or else Shouto will have to be more
forceful. OK?” He said to Tokoyami as he finished tying him. Tokoyami simply stared him down
while Shouto released his flame. Dark Shadow stayed close though.

“This is such a fun surprise, Chako-chan!” Toga giggled as she sat in the girl's lap. Tracing the
sides of her face with her switchblade. Uraraka looked frozen with a mix of fear and repulsion.
Izuku felt for her a bit since he knew how Toga could be.

“Himi-chan. Get some blood from Tokoyami. No cutting though, we don’t want to harm our bait.”
Izuku scolded as Toga pressed a kiss to Uraraka’s cheek before hopping over to Tokoyami.
“Why did you take us? What do you want from us?” Uraraka asked aggressively. Seeming to have
found courage now that she wasn’t being used as a human chair.

“I don’t want anything from you.” Izuku replied. “If you are good, you get to go home nice and
safe. In fact, I’m sure you’ll be home by tomorrow night. It shouldn’t take long for the heroes to
get their raid together.”

“Why would you take us then if you are just going to let the heroes save us?” Uraraka seemed
confused now and slightly less panicked at the promise of safety.

“Because you’re bait. We need All Might to come dashing to save you.” Izuku replied with a smirk.
“When he does, one of you will be lucky enough to get a front row seat to the fall of the Symbol of
Peace.”

“What a mad banquette of darkness.” Tokoyami whispered from his chair, wincing as Toga
pierced his leg with her auto syringe.

Their conversation was interrupted by Kurogiri and Muscular arriving in the bar.

“Mustard was captured, unfortunately.” Kurogiri stated as he returned to his spot behind the bar
and poured Compress a drink.

“Gotta thank you Dabi. I was a little pissed that you put me on patrol duty but it ended up being
more interesting than I thought.” Muscular said as he sat roughly on a bar stool.

“You're welcome.” Dabi deadpanned while checking his phone.

“Got to get a little revenge for my eye here.” He continued gesturing to his mechanical socket.
“There was a little brat, turned out to be the kid of those two water heroes I killed a while back.”

“No!” Uraraka screamed, pulling everyone’s attention. “What did you do to Kota?!”

“Was that the brat’s name?” He asked nonchalantly. “I squished him like a little bug. Wouldn’t
have even been fun if it wasn’t for him crying about his mom and dad the moment he recognized
me. That chick who could pull stuff out of her body was a much more interesting fight.”

Izuku felt confused. He had done his research on everyone who was supposed to be at that camp
and the only Koda he remembered was the kid with an animal quirk which would mean he most
likely did not have parents with water quirks. Meanwhile, Uraraka continued her rant.

“He was seven! He hated heroes because of what you did to his parents! How could you! He was a
child!” Uraraka screamed through her tears. Izuku’s eyes went wide, what the fuck was a kid doing
there? Tokoyami looked shocked as tears ran down his beak as well.

“I don’t give a shit.” Muscular spat back and suddenly collapsed onto the floor, revealing Izuku
standing behind him, blade red with blood and dripping in paralytic. Everyone in the bar looked
surprised at the turn of events. Izuku felt his entire being shake with rage as he squatted down next
to Muscular.

“Guess what. I give a shit. He was a kid, a defenseless kid who even hated heroes. What the fuck is
wrong with you?” He reached down and ripped his fake eye out of his socket. “You didn’t need
revenge for this piece of shit. You are just a murderer. Sadly for you, our Sensei isn’t a fan of
people who hurt kids and I think he will know exactly what to do with you.” Izuku stood up and
turned to Kurogiri. “Take this fucker to Sensei. A quirk like this is wasted on him.” Kurogiri
phased him out of the room in acknowledgement.

The room fell quiet aside from Uraraka’s soft sobs. “Fuck.” Izuku swore as he kicked the stool
Muscular had been perched on. How could he have missed that. He had to focus though, what was
done was done. “Any word from Hawks?” he asked Dabi while running his hands through his hair
roughly. Shouto came up behind him and took his hand, rubbing reassuring circles into his palm.

“All Might’s coming to the bar. The second team is going to the warehouse.” Dabi responded.

“Ok.” Izuku nodded to himself. “Me, Compress, Toga, Spinner and Shigaraki will stay here with
the girl. You, Sho, Twice, and Magne keep the pros busy at the warehouse. The Nomu will be
there to help. Once All Might is dead I’ll send Kurogiri for you guys. Be careful.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Toga had migrated back behind Uraraka’s chair and had her arms
wrapped loosely around her neck, wiping the tears off her face. Uraraka looked like she had lost
the will to even try to fight against her. “Aw don’t cry Chako-chan. We get to stay together babe!
Maybe you’ll even bleed a bit for me. Let’s have some fun!”
--------------------------------------------------------

Naomasa looked around at the people gathered around the table. Hawks, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot,
Tiger, Gran Torino, Mt. Lady, All Might and Kamui Woods. He couldn’t ask for a better team but
it made him a little nervous when the door opened and another person entered the room. Yokumiru
Mera. Why was the commission getting involved in this? It was a big case but Mera never
personally sat in on ops.

“Mera-san, how can I help you? We were just about to begin the debriefing.” Naomasa said as he
addressed the newcomer.

“This is a big case involving coordination of multiple hero agencies. I need to be here to make sure
it all goes smoothly.” Mera replied. “Let’s just get this over with so I can go home.”

“Alright.” Naomasa said slowly. “Let’s get to it then. Hawks has been able to find the location of
the students. It seems that they are being held in two different locations so we are going to have to
split our forces. All Might, Gran Torino, Kamui Woods, and Edgeshot will go to the bar which we
believe is their main base of operation. Best Jeanist, Hawks, Tiger and Mt. Lady will go to the
warehouse.”

“I want Kamui at the warehouse.” Mera interjected. “Mt. Lady can go to the bar.”

“Mera-sama. Mt. Lady’s quirk would be much more useful at the warehouse. She won’t be able to
do much at the bar.”

“She can hold the perimeter. I doubt the fighting will stay contained in the bar and if it does then
she won’t be needed anyways.” Mera countered with finality.

“Ok then Mt. Lady will go to the bar and Kamui will go to the warehouse.” Naomasa confirmed
hesitantly.

“Do we know which students were taken?” Best Jeanist inquired.

Naomasa nodded and grabbed the controller on the table in front of him. He turned on the projector
and pulled up the student photos of Ochako Uraraka, Fumikage Tokoyami, and Tomoko Shiretoko.
“These are the students and pro that were taken. Hawks has told us that the students were taken as
bait to lure All Might into a fight so we have hope that they will be uninjured. We are still unsure
as to why Ragdoll was taken. The students are both enrolled at UA in 1-A’s hero course. Uraraka’s
quirk is anti-gravity and Tokoyami’s quirk is Dark Shadow. Even though we do not believe these
students to be in imminent danger we still need to work quickly and carefully. If they want to take
down All Might then they must have a plan. We need to tread carefully.”

“Do we know how many villains to expect?” Mt. Lady asked.

“We are unsure of how many will be at each location. However, from student reports there were
ten seen at the camp, one of which was arrested. We do know that there is one other villain named
Tomura Shigaraki who is the proclaimed leader, however he was not at the camp. Finally there
could potentially be a final villain named All For One. He is priority one. He is extremely
dangerous so do not even think about engaging him in a one on one battle.” Naomasa replied.

Mera pulled out a stack of folders from his bag and began to pass them around the table. “These are
all the information we have on the villains and their quirks. Please pass them around.”

The heroes pursued the folders for a moment until Kamui Wood spoke up. “This can’t be right.
This villain's quirk is that he can steal quirks. How is that even possible?”

“Unfortunately it is real.” All Might spoke up. “I have fought him before. I thought I had defeated
him but it seems he has found a way to pull through.”

“He can also give them as well.” Naomasa explained. “We believe that is how he has been creating
the Nomu.” The table went silent. “Please review your docies and report at 17:00. That is all.”

Chairs screeched as the heroes started to exit the room and prepare for the upcoming battle.
Naomasa noticed that Mera pulled aside Tiger and Kamui Woods but his focus was redirected
when Toshinori came up to him.

“I’m afraid, Naomasa. With my limit. I just want those kids to be ok. I feel so foolish that I wasn’t
able to defeat him last time.” Toshinori admitted.

Naomasa rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “There is no way you could have known. There’s
no way you could have stopped it either. Now we just have to focus on winning and we will
because...”
 Toshinori plastered on his winning smile and announced. “Because I AM HERE!”

Chapter End Notes

Ok, I know you all have been so worried about Kota in the comments so let me say.
I'M SO SORRY :;( That being said. Decisions have consequences and since Izuku was
not there to save him and take down Muscular this is a consequence of him becoming
a villain. (Also Momo is fine, she basically received the same damage that she did
fighting the Nomu cannon because he got called back. He just wasn't able to get back
to the rendezvous point fast enough that's why Kurogiri had to go back for him.) Also
anyone else think Mera is being a little sketch?

Here's a little behind the scenes for you all

*Me writing this chapter*

No one:

Absolutely no one:

Me: “No.” Keigo choked out involuntarily.

“No?” Mera asked. "No?

Oh, I see how it is

Hawks knows best

Hawks is so mature now
Such a clever grownup miss..."

Y'all this fic almost became a Tangled cross fic real bad. I was wheezing.
 The Warehouse
Chapter Summary

Showdown at the warehouse.

TW: Death, Gore, Fighting, Violence

Chapter Notes

Thanks again to my beta who was so wonderful when I threw four chapters at her at
once! Part one of the big battle! Hope you all enjoy.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Dabi, Shouto, Tokoyami, Twice, and Magne exited the portal into the warehouse. Tanks filled the
majority of the interior of the building. Wires and tubes sprawled throughout the space. The liquid
casting a sickly green glow across everyone’s skin. Each of these tanks contained a Nomu, waiting
and ready to cause destruction at the beckoning of a few individuals. Only about one third of the
Nomu there were able to be controlled by Dabi but he was confident that would be enough. The
rest were waiting to be brought to wherever Izuku and Shigiraki needed them. The doctor had been
working at a breakneck speed to prepare as many as possible for the big day.

Tokoyami was re-tied to a new chair with the help of Shouto’s flames to control Dark Shadow who
had started to act up again in the lowly lit setting. “Don’t get any big ideas.” Dabi threatened as he
secured the bird boy. “Once the pros get here we will let you go. You just have to be good.”

“I want no part in your plan. If you play willingly in the shadows the darkness will overtake you.”
Tokoyami replied cryptically.

“Don’t care.” Dabi deadpanned before turning and gesturing to the rest of the group to follow him.

Shouto quickly made a thick ice prison around Tokoyami so that Dark Shadow couldn’t run wild
and they could speak about their plans freely without him overhearing. Then he joined the group
across the warehouse.

“Ok so according to Hawks. He, Best Jeanist, Tiger, and Kamui Woods will be headed here. We’ll
let the kid go right away but since they are still looking for Ragdoll they won’t just leave plus we
will start our attack immediately. Our job is to buy time so we’ll start with some clones.”

“Oh fun! That’s my job!” Twice exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah. You’ve made mine before so we’ll stick to that for now.” Dabi responded.

“Wait. Where is Ragdoll?” Shouto interjected.

“She’s somewhere down in Doc's old lab. He cleaned it out and moved everything to the new
warehouse. Sensei already has her quirk so he left her for the heroes. As long as they don’t level
the building they’ll find her once we’re gone.” Dabi explained.

“I want Tiger.” Magne volunteered. “We had a run in at the training camp. I can definitely keep
him busy for a while. Plus I feel like he is a kindred spirit.” She mused.

“Great.” Dabi replied. “Best Jeanist and Kamui Woods are good matchups for me and Shouto
anyways. Once we get tired we’ll send the Nomu out if we need more time. As soon as Kurogiri
comes we get out of here.”

“So is Hawks going to be fighting for our side?” Shouto asked.

“He’s going to try to stay out of it as much as he can. It would be nice if he could still be our inside
man.” Dabi explained.

“Got it.” Shouto stated. After some grumbles of acknowledgement Dabi made his way over to
Shouto.

“Sho, be careful.”

“I will be.” Shouto replied.

“I’m serious.” Dabi dropped his tone to drive home his point. “We are going up against pros and I
have done too much to get you back and away from that man. I won’t have you dying on me or
going to prison. If things go south you run. Get out of here. Izuku will find you. I know he will.”

“How could you expect me to just leave you and everyone else behind?” Shouto asked defensively.

“Because I spent my whole life trying to create a world for you and Izu. You are what matters Sho.
I will never forgive you if you do something stupid trying to be some sort of shitty hero. We both
know heroes suck.” Dabi said, trying to lighten things up slightly.

It worked because Shouto chuckled slightly. “Fine, but I won’t have to. Everything is going to be
fine.”

Dabi laid a hand on Shouto’s cheek. He looked into his heterochromatic eyes and thought back to
the little boy he remembered.

The little boy whose dual colored hair would always poke out of the curtains when he played hide
and seek with Natsuo.

The little boy who would shadow Fuyumi around the house anytime their mother was gone.

The little boy who furrowed his brow in concentration while applying burn cream sloppily to
Dabi’s wounds and told him that “Touya-nii was so brave”.

The little boy that he prayed and wished would have the most useless quirk in the world.

The little boy that he had thrown his life away to protect.

He knew he would go back and do it all the same. To see Shouto here. Grown up and with Izu of
all people. Strong and confident and no longer having Endeavor lording over him. This was the
final step. Things were about to change one way or another.

“You’re right, Sho.”

-------------------------------------
Keigo stretched his wings as he circled above the warehouse. His stomach was in knots thinking
about the upcoming battle. It was up to him to end this whole thing as civilly as possible. He tried
not to imagine the betrayal on Dabi’s face when he took him in. He hoped that he would realise
that this was a much better option than being slaughtered along with all their friends.

He sucked in a tight breath as he watched everyone fall into position. As Best Jeanist approached
the doors to the warehouse, they opened and Tokoyami stumbled out. Running towards the pros
who quickly directed the student behind the police line. Once he was a decent ways away from the
building, blue flames surged out, throwing the fiber hero back ruthlessly. Dabi walked out casually
as Tiger and Kamui Woods raged forward. Kamui trapped him in his lacquered chain prison as
Tiger flew through the air with an intense blow to the head.

Keigo would have been more concerned if he hadn’t known that Twice was there and Dabi wasn’t
stupid enough to face three pros on his own. Sure enough, as soon as the hit landed Dabi melted to
the floor, throwing off the two pros. Another Dabi excited the warehouse, flames whipping around
particularly focused on Kamui.

Before Tiger and Best Jeanist could join in the fight, a magnificent wall of ice shot up between
them and shifted their focus. The younger Todoroki exited the warehouse along with Magne to
face off against the two remaining heroes.

Keigo continued to circle above. Watching the fight as well as the police attempting to evacuate the
nearby citizens. He knew once he landed that he would need to make his side clear and at that
point the tide of this fight would change drastically. At the moment both sides were giving their all
but the battle raged on. Kamui cut down Twice’s Dabi clones while Dabi would burn him as much
as he could. Magne used the magnetic forces to try to keep Tiger down but was only moderately
successful since Tiger was still enraged and tunnel visioned on saving Ragdoll. Shouto was facing
off against Best Jeanist and holding his own surprisingly well. Seems like denim was decently
flammable but Jeanist still had years of experience to make up for the poor match up.

No one was letting up until a screech tore through the air. Suddenly, out of the warehouse came a
wave of Nomu. They quickly pulled the attention of the pros and even the police force as they
pushed the battle outward into the evacuating city. The villains were able to retreat as the Nomu
began to ravage the city. It was time.

Keigo swallowed hard and landed softly next to Dabi. He could see Mera out of the corner of his
eye, standing just outside the fray, eyeing him down. Dabi shot him a smirk as Keigo walked over
to him. Keigo pulled him into a harsh kiss as he grasped his hands into his own. He selfishly
relished in the passionate heat between them, knowing this would be the last time. He pulled away
slightly, allowing their foreheads to rest on eachother. He let out a shaky whisper.
“I’m so sorry.”

Click.

Dabi’s eyes widened with surprise as he looked down at his wrists. Now adorned with quirk
canceling cuffs. In less than a second. Shouto, Magne, and Twice were pinned to the wall tightly
with red feathers. Too shocked to even attempt to escape.

“Keigo…. What the fuck are you doing?” Dabi asked shakily, voice filled with disbelief and
underlined with betrayal.

“I had to do this to keep you safe.” Keigo pleaded as he stepped towards the others and began to
cuff them. Once he got close enough to Shouto though he felt a hot flame burst from his hand and
burn his leg. He couldn’t control it well since he was immobilized but he was completely devoted
to not letting Keigo touch him.

“How could you?!” Shouto raged. “We trusted you! Don’t touch me you bastard!”

Since he knew he couldn’t get out of his feather prison at the moment anyways Keigo raised his
hands and backed away slightly. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” was all he could choke out.

He watched Mera walk slowly up behind them, his bored eyes and sleepy expression ever the
same. “Whoever of you is in charge of the Nomu. It’s over, call them off.” He demanded lazily.

“You fucking wish.” Dabi spat.

“Dabi.” Keigo pleaded. “Call them off. Do it for Shouto. You’ll be able to get a better deal if you
cooperate.”

“Fuck you, Hawks.” Dabi seethed as he literally spat at him.

Keigo recoiled slightly at the look in his eyes, the pure hatred.
“I’ll let the kid go with minimal sentencing if you call them off.” Mera stated.

Dabi glanced over to Shouto who was still stuck to the wall and struggling vainly against his
feathered prison. Ice encased the wall behind him but only served to tighten the hold so now steam
was rising as he attempted to melt it. Keigo saw Dabi’s eyes resign.

“Come back.” He barked out at the Nomu. Obediently they stopped fighting and turned. Marching
towards the warehouse. Behind them, Best Jeanist, Tiger, and Kamui Woods came running, along
with a large portion of the police force. Guns aimed at the cuffed villains.

“Great.” Mera scoffed as he turned around and nodded slightly to Tiger and Kamui. Keigo turned
to face Dabi. Eyes meeting in a hardened contest. He squeezed back his tears as he watched the
emotions dance across his brilliant turquoise eyes. There was no going back now. No more
wondering what if. He had made his decision and it was reflectant harshly and honestly in Dabi’s
stare. Keigo was about to turn away when Dabi’s eyes widened and he lurched forward.

Time screeched to a halt.

He registered a scream tearing through the air but couldn’t place where it was coming from. His
feathers shot off his back as if they possessed a mind of their own, Keigo could barely bother to
notice though. All he could see was Dabi leaning forward precariously, only held up by the length
of sharpened wood piercing through his chest. His teal eyes wide with shock as his head bent down
to see what was causing the pain.

Keigo didn’t even register his own movement until the wood slid backwards out of Dabi’s body,
allowing him to start freefalling towards the ground, blood seeping out of his wound and bubbling
up in his mouth. Keigo caught him swiftly before he hit the ground, ending up awkwardly leaning
up against him. He could feel his weight pressing warmly against him as he clutched him tightly.

Keigo felt the atmosphere around him seize with ferocious heat and vicious cold but he couldn’t
pull himself out of the moment. Instead he slowly maneuvered Dabi into a position on his lap
where he could attempt to compress the wound between his leg and hand. He ran his free hand
through Dabi’s soft jet black spikes as he felt hot tears run down his cheeks. He threw his head
back and screamed.

A heart wrenching, guttural noise that, until he created it in that moment, he had no clue was even
possible to be made.
He jolted back into reality when a hand landed roughly on his shoulder, bearing down with more
weight than would be expected. He jumped a little and looked up towards the newcomer. Shouto
collapsed in front of him, hand still holding tightly onto his shoulder with an eerily vacant
expression trained on his older brother. Keigo slowly started taking in the world around him.

Faraway sirens and screams.

Helicopters thumping above them.

The wet, sticky, and sickly warm feeling of the blood soaking through his pants and coating his
palm.

The stench of burning assaulting his lungs.

The sight of a strange post-apocalyptic looking wasteland.

Half the area around them was frozen solid. Heroes and police alike frozen in ice and littered with
feathers.

The other half of the area was incinerated, barely moving bodies moaning in agony.

In the middle of the two lay Mera.

He could have been mistaken for one of Keigo’s wings with the amount of feathers that were
protruding from his body. Blood was seeping into a puddle underneath him as he finally received
the rest he so longed for.

Keigo finally met Shouto’s eyes with the realization of what they had done. Shouto looked
terrified, enraged, sad, confused, and surprised all at once. Keigo was certain that his eyes reflected
the exact same emotions. The two watched each other silently as Dabi laid limply in Keigo’s lap.

Suddenly the three men were surrounded by black slime. It creeped up their bodies and covered
 them whole before pulling them away. Leaving behind a decimated wasteland of death.

Chapter End Notes

I'm sorry. That's all I can say. Please forgive me. I love you all! Leave all your hate in
the comments, I deserve it.
 The Bar
Chapter Summary

Showdown at the bar.

Chapter Notes

Thanks again to my beta!

TW: Death, Gore, Fighting

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku sat expectantly at the bar with Spinner and Tomura. Compress and Kurogiri stood behind the
bar. There was no point in keeping an eye on Uraraka because Toga had gladly taken that role upon
herself. She was currently loudly, lamenting their little time left together. Uraraka had gotten better
at fending off her advances so Izuku had only had to intervene a few times.

“Chako-chan, pleeeeease let me just cut you up a little?” Toga asked playfully, wiggling her knife
in Uraraka’s face.

“No.” She stated forcefully.

“Awwww…” She turned to Izuku. “You told me that if I like someone that I should ask first but
she’s not nice like you are!” She pouted.

“Himi-chan, most people don’t like getting sliced up.” Izuku replied, slightly exasperated at the
amount of times they needed to have this conversation.

“You don’t mind though!” She countered, crossing her arms definitely.

“I’m not most people.” Izuku pointed out.

Toga thought about it for a second. “True.”

“Just have fun while she’s here. No cutting though, she’s clearly not into that and she hasn’t done
anything to warrant injury.” He turned to stare down the girl in the chair. “Yet.”

Toga sighed but then turned and flounced back to her victim. Pocketing her knives and plopping
down onto her lap, chatting away. Uraraka still didn’t look terribly comfortable with the current
situation but she seemed a lot more at ease without knives flying around. Izuku got a little lost in
thought watching the two girls.

He wondered what it would have been like if he had somehow ended up at UA like he dreamed
when he was little. Would he and Uraraka have been classmates? Friends? Would he have the same
relationship with Shouto? He shook the thoughts quickly from his head as he turned back towards
the bar.

Izuku liked where he was. He had a quirk and power and the ability to change things. His
childhood dreams were just that, childish. Idolizing the man who failed him and the system that
allowed him to be abused. He frowned as his daydream turned sour and his phone pinged.

He opened the security cameras around the bar to see the heroes getting into position. Sure enough
All Might was there along with Mt. Lady, Edgeshot, and an ancient looking hero in a yellow baggy
suit. Izuku squinted slightly at the screen. He almost never ran across a pro he didn’t recognize. He
seemed to be buddy buddy with All Might though so that was enough to put the nail in his coffin.

Izuku sighed, he had spent enough of his life studying quirks to know that he would be able to
figure him out in a second. “They’re here.” Izuku stated as he shoved his phone in his pocket and
pulled his sai out of their sheaths. He coated them in paralytic and walked towards the back of the
bar. Tomura and Spinner followed, leaving Toga and Uraraka in the center. Compress entered
Kurogiri’s warp gate as the two disappeared. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

“Pizza La Kamino!” A voice shouted through the door.

Izuku smirked, weapons at the ready.

There was a blast as All Might punched through the wall, throwing rubble throughout the bar.
Izuku panicked for a second but saw that Toga and Uraraka seemed to have avoided most of the
rubble. This was a hostage situation. What was that jackass thinking busting in here like that?
Through the dust and debris two flashes shot through the bar. One was Edgeshot who had already
taken down Spinner and the other seemed to be the old man. Damn it, two speed quirks and they
only had a plan for one. Those were the most troublesome for Izuku since he needed to catch
someone to cancel their quirk. All Might was going toe to toe with Tomura which seemed to cause
him some trouble since he had to hold back due to the enclosed space as well as avoid being
touched. All in all it mostly turned into a sort of awkward dance of grabbing and dodging punches.

Edgeshot was now trained on Toga who was slyly maneuvering herself into the corner while using
Uraraka as a human shield. As soon as her back was against the wall a purple warp gate appeared
behind Edgeshot and a hand shot out to compress him into a small marble before disappearing once
again.

Izuku, however, was focused.

Focused on this damn old man who was too fast for him to catch. After receiving a few blows, he
somehow managed to semi-block by pure instinct. After a few failed attempts at catching him with
his blades Izuku came up with a new plan. Instead of attacking randomly he focused on where he
was traveling.

When he would hit.

He turned his head for a moment, feigning ignorance to the pros' location and as soon as he went
for a solid kick to the chest Izuku pulled harshly upwards with his weapon. Slicing the old pros leg,
just enough to send him crashing to the floor, paralyzed. He quickly sliced him with a clean knife
and ingested the blood, moving onto his next target.

Izuku was stalled though by Kurogiri appearing in the middle of the bar. “Sensei needs us to move
this to the warehouse.” Kurogiri stated as he began to warp everyone from the bar to the other
location. All Might included.

Izuku stepped out of the portal and into what seemed like a different planet. The ground was
absolutely destroyed with ice and fire. Bodies littered the ground in various states of death and
injury. Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, What the fuck happened here?

The next thing he noticed was a man standing tall in the center of it all. He wore a black mask
covering his entire head with tubing reaching over his shoulders. Other than that he was dressed in
a suit. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder who this man was and where the other members had gone.
Where Shouto had gone. There was no sign of them anywhere.
“Izuku, Tomura.” The man acknowledged. Izuku recognized his voice. It was Sensei. His breath
hitched, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw Sensei in anything other than a bed or a
wheelchair. Yet here he stood looking so powerful. “Kurogiri, the others are in the lab. Please
warp them to the Doctor.”

“Sensei… what…where... how?” Izuku didn’t have the words to ask everything that was racing
through his mind.

“I will explain things later, my child. For now we have a task to complete.” Sensei replied as he
turned to All Might who had been dropped close to the police line. The ground shook as Mt. Lady
ran towards them from the bar, seemingly having realized that they had disappeared. Izuku saw
other pros who had started to gather as well. Gang Orca, Miriko, and Fat Gum were now also
crossing the police line, eyes blazing in preparation for the standoff.

“This is a private family matter.” Sensei announced loudly to the crowd. “I know you are a nosey
bunch so I will send you something to occupy you while we settle this.” He nodded to Izuku and
Tomura who turned towards the warehouse.

“Nomu, rise.” They spoke in unison. Izuku watched as masses of Nomu began to exit the
warehouse and walk, fly, and crawl towards the police line. Pushing back the heroes and officers
alike. Leaving the barren wasteland to Sensei, All Might, Tomura, and Izuku. Their colleagues
filed into the purple mist which had reappeared, knowing this wasn’t their fight to intervene in.

All Might turned towards Izuku with a pitiful look that made Izuku’s blood boil. He went to move
forward but Sensei stopped him by holding his hand out slightly. “All Might. We meet again. This
time, however, I doubt you will be leaving this alive.” Sensei goaded.

“I’m not sure what makes you so confident about that All For One. You were left in much worse
shape after our last battle.” All Might shot back.

“I won’t deny that. However, I have something new this time. I have your failures.” Sensei spoke
with venom in his tone as he gestured towards Izuku and Tomura. “I have the child you abandoned
as well as the child your predecessor abandoned for you. The legacy of dereliction left by One for
All. Today you will witness the power they have honed to spite you. Today you will be
destroyed.”

For a split second All Might turned his head towards the two brothers and his smile faltered for a
moment before he turned back towards Sensei. “You have twisted them to suit your sick agenda!
Do not blame me for your meddling!” He roared. “I will not be defeated, I will save them and I will
defeat you, because I AM HERE!”

With that declaration All Might roared into battle fists flying. Izuku and Tomura were relegated to
the sidelines to watch the intense battle. The area around them shook with the destructive power of
their attacks. Izuku watched with bated breath. He had never before witnessed the true power of his
Sensei.

As the fight raged on, All Might started to grow weaker, fluctuating between his different forms.
He still managed to land a rough punch, destroying the top half of Sensei’s mask. Uncovering his
disfigured face, however in return Sensei pushed back, destroying All Might’s arm until he knelt,
panting on the ground in his skeletal form.

Izuku could register that the two were speaking about something but he couldn’t focus on their
words. Instead he watched his Sensei with rapt attention as he turned his head towards the two,
beckoning them to his side.

Izuku started to take a step forward but stopped suddenly when All Might suddenly leaped back
into action. Powering up a single arm and crying out “UNITED STATES OF SMASH!!!!!!” Izuku
cried out as he watched his fist connect with Sensei’s face, sending him flying across the burnt
wasteland.

Tomura immediately started running towards Sensei’s mangled body as Izuku watched All Might
collapse back to the ground. His power was almost completely depleted. Izuku started walking
towards the gaunt man without thought. His body moved on its own. His mind was fuzzy with
pain and rage as hot tears burned down his cheeks. He released his rope dart violently and shot it
out towards All Might, clipping his cheek.

When he finally approached the man he grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and delivered a
harsh blow to his face, spraying blood over the two of them. He could taste the familiar tang of
iron hitting his tongue.

“My boy.” All Might weakly gasped.

“Don’t you dare call me that!” Izuku raged, shaking him like a doll.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You need to know though.” All Might continued, seemingly resigned to
the rough treatment.

“I need to know what?” Izuku seethed.

“All for One. H-he killed your mother. He kidnapped you. H-he’s using you. My boy, I was
coming for you. I-I was too late, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you c-couldn’t have a normal life. I want to
make it up to you. P-please come with me. You can be a hero.” All Might rambled, semi-
coherently.

Izuku threw his head back and laughed. He laughed so hard he wanted to puke. When he recovered
himself he looked back down at the man. “Sensei saved me. He raised me. He cared for me. He
did everything you should have done. He took me from a system determined to beat me down and
convince me I was worthless. A system you spent your whole life uplifting and defending. I know
everything. I know he put the hit out on my mother. I know he didn’t have the legal right to take
me home.” A crazed, bloody smile stretched over Izuku’s face as he continued. “Guess what
though. I don’t care! The only thing he used me to do was achieve my own goals and love me. Like
you should have!”

Izuku pulled back and clenched his whole body as he prepared to punch the ground next to All
Might’s head. He needed to release his pent up emotions but he wasn’t finished with the man just
yet. As his fist made contact with the ground though, strange green lighting lit up his arm blowing
the two back with a ridiculous amount of force. He sailed through the air, hand still holding tightly
onto All Might’s costume. The man seemed almost weightless as he dragged him through the air.
Howling in pain as his arm followed behind him broken and useless, the two landed in a rough pile
before their eyes met again.

“No, no, no, no.” All Might muttered, his eyes filled with pure fear as he stared at Izuku like he
was a ghost. Izuku looked between All Might and his broken arm, piecing things together.

“You never found a successor.” Izuku stated, chuckling manically at the irony. He felt almost
lightheaded at the realization. “So you really are sorry I guess. I can’t take this from you
unwillingly after all.”

“My boy, Izuku, please. I really am sorry. Please come with me. Be a hero.” All Might pleaded,
face still twisted in horror at what he had done.

“All Might. I would do anything for my family. I would burn this world to the ground to give them
a moment of happiness.” Izuku stood shakily, towering over the man paralyzed on the ground.
“You, my dear Father, are not my family.” he said coldly as he pulled out one of his sai and made a
quick deep slice across his neck. Blood immediately started gushing from the wound as All
Might’s eyes bugged wide in fear. “Good bye All Might. I wish you could see the world you
created crumble, but we don’t always get what we want.”

Izuku watched the life drain from the eyes of the man who ruined his life. Allowing his hatred to
drain alongside it. Once his eyes had turned dull and empty he turned and ran towards Tomura who
was still sitting with Sensei. Sensei was breathing hard as Izuku approached and quickly knelt next
to the man.

“Izu..ku… did you..?” Sensei breathed out, his face even more mangled than before.

“Yes, Sensei. I did it. He’s dead.” Izuku replied. “I took back One for All.”

“Th... ank you.”

“He’s really gone?” Tomura asked quietly. Izuku nodded.

“My boys…care for one another...make the world how you want…continue my legacy...”

“No, Sensei. You are going to be fine. Kurogiri can bring you to the Doctor.” Izuku pleaded
through his tears.

“Maybe…” Sensei sighed. “Just in case….”

Izuku’s eyes widened as a litany of black tendrils exited Sesei’s body and shot into Tomura.
Tomura screamed in pain as the tendrils extended further and further into his body until they
finally exited Sensei completely, leaving him slumped on the ground.

“Tomu-nii!” Izuku called, “Are you ok?”

Tomura looked up with tears in his eyes, hands planted firmly on the ground to keep himself from
collapsing. “No… no... Sensei!”
 The boys both looked down at their Sensei laying limply on the ground. Izuku could hear the chaos
of the Nomus farther off and the cries of the city who lost their symbol of hope. Slowly Izuku rose,
pulling Tomura with him as he looked towards the sea of cameras braving the battle.

“The age of Heroes is dead.” He shouted. “Your symbol of peace has been destroyed by the
children he abandoned. It is the dawn of a new era!”

“We are the League of Villains.” Tomura added, looking up from Sensei and finally finding his
voice. “Remember our name!”

Chapter End Notes

Ahhh the climax! Let me know what you all thought! Sweet sweet revenge. All Might
truely was sorry and wanted to see a future with Izuku as a hero and successor but that
ended up biting him in the butt in the worst way. The new generation has taken over!
Thanks for all your comments and kudos! Love you guys!
 The End
Chapter Summary

The aftermath of Kamino.

Chapter Notes

TW: Mentions of Death

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Izuku lay in the familiar courtyard that he had grown up in. As the sun warmed his face he thought
back to all the fond memories he had here with Dabi, Tomura, Sensei and Asuna growing up. Now
he had Shouto here too, laying next to him with cold fingers tracing patterns onto Izuku’s forearm.
It had been a few days since Kamino and the boys were still dealing with the aftermath. Somehow
though they had found a moment amidst the craziness to slow down for a moment. Izuku faintly
heard bare feet pounding down the wooden walkways towards them, immediately identifying their
cadence.

“What’s up Meimei?” He asked without even opening his eyes.

“He’s awake!” She shrieked. The two boys shot up to their feet, rushing past her to the stairs.

Hidden away in Sensei’s side of the home was a stairwell that led to a hidden lab where Dr. Garaki
re-setup his makeshift hospital and Nomu lab. He had the majority of the Nomu that had survived
Kamino at an off location warehouse though. There was also a large studio that had been taken
over by Mei, filled to the brim with any materials she could possibly ask for. After Dr. Garaki had
convinced her to help make Sensei’s life support helmet; he offered her a job with him. Creating
support items for the league as well as medical support items as needed. She told Izuku she didn’t
need to think twice after he said she would have access to any materials or technology she needed,
regardless of cost.

The boys rushed past all these rooms and burst into the final room on the right. On the bed, still
hooked up to a multitude of wires and tubes, lay Dabi. “Dabi-nii!” They cried out in unison as they
rushed to his side.

“How are you feeling?” Izuku pressed.

“Like shit.” Dabi groaned. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days.” Izuku replied.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Well, we killed All Might.” Izuku stated with a small smile.

Dabi smiled and reached up to cup his cheek in his hand. “Congrats, Squirt. I’m happy for you.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Shouto asked him, looking uncomfortable. Izuku knew
why, so he stepped to the side to let the two talk.

“Uh..” Dabi started, closing his eyes to aid his concentration until they flew open. “That fucking
traitor!” He yelled as he tried to sit up. Only to be pushed back by Shouto.

“Don’t move like that. You need to rest.” Shouto scolded him. “Kamui Woods stabbed you.
Hawks… I…” he began to falter.

The door swung open at the moment as the short doctor rushed in. “Mei, I told you to get me first
when he woke up.” He chastised, but she did not look at all remorseful. “All of you out, I need to
see my patient.”

“Just hear him out ok?” Shouto finally settled on before being pushed out of the room along with
Izuku and Mei, followed by a thoroughly confused look from Dabi.

Once they were in the hall they ran into Tomura and Hawks. “He’s awake but the doctor kicked us
out.” Izuku explained.

“When can we go in?” Hawks asked, guilt painted over his face.
“You’ll have to take it up with Doc.” Mei stated pointedly.

“He’s probably not going to react well to seeing you.” Shouto warned. “I didn’t get a chance to
explain.”

“That’s ok little dude. I should be the one to explain anyways. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him
to forgive me.” Hawks replied.

“Ugh.” Tomura sighed. “Once you guys are all done being gross I’ll come back.” He turned to go
up to his room. Tomura had been acting a little odd since Kamino. He was having a difficult time
adjusting to his new quirk. For some reason this had resulted in him hanging around Hawks almost
constantly. He had been helping him learn how to control it and he liked video games almost as
much as Tomura so they two were joint at the hip. Izuku also thought part of it was avoiding
thinking about Dabi, for Hawks, and avoiding talking to Izuku, for Tomura. Izuku threw a
meaningful glance at Shouto and ran after his brother.

He caught up to him at the top of the stairs and fell in step with him walking towards his room.
“Tomu-nii, I’m sorry.” He blurted out, the first thing he had said to him in three days.

“What for?” Tomura snapped back.

“You wanted revenge on All Might as much as I did. I-I’m sorry you didn’t get that.” Izuku
explained quietly.

Tomura stopped walking, seemingly stewing on his words. “It’s not your fault Izu.” he groaned. “I
could have gone with you. I could have gotten my revenge with you but I didn’t. I just couldn’t
leave Sensei.” he admitted.

Izuku froze. He had never heard Tomura sound so serious or sincere in his life. He didn’t want to
break this trust so he tread carefully. “I’m still sorry, and for the record, I’m glad you were with
him. Are we ok?”

Tomura nodded slowly, digesting his words. “Yeah. Let’s go play some Super Smash Pros until
the Doc will let us see Dabs.”

-----------------------------------
The entire league stood in the forest on a hill overlooking the house as well as the ocean. The view
was spectacular. Izuku remembered Dabi dragging him and Tomura up here when they were little
sometimes to take it all in.

Magne and Twice had almost completely recovered from their injuries at Kamino, luckily Kamui
hadn’t had time to get to them as well. The rest of the group had luckily come out of the whole
ordeal mostly unscathed, aside from Dabi of course. Toga clung to Mei who had become fast
friends due to their passionate natures and willingness to trade blood for testing Mei’s babies. Izuku
and Twice had a bet going as to whether Mei would get over her babies enough for it to ever
become something more. At the front of the crowd stood Izuku, Shouto, Tomura, Hawks, and
Dabi-who was still bound to a wheelchair for the time being. The five men looked down at an
ornate marker on the grass.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t save you like you did for us.” Izuku sobbed as he lay a white rose on his
Sensei’s grave. Followed by Shouto who simply whispered a word of thanks as he laid his rose
down.

“Thank you for giving me a real family.” Dabi muttered as he followed suit.

“I won’t let you down, Sensei.” Tomura stated tightly, trying not to belay his emotions.

The rest of the group followed suit.

Whispering words of thanks or condolences .

Laying white flowers.

Eventually, when the marker was completely covered in roses, people started making their way
back to the manor they were all living at together. Finally, only the brothers remained along with
Shouto and Hawks.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.” Dabi whispered.

“Yeah, he was almost immortal and way OP.” Tomura replied.

“That’s you now, Tomu-nii.” Izuku reminded. “Now that I have One for All too, you’ll probably
never find a boss you can’t take. Just don’t forget us NPC’s on your way to greatness.”

“You aren’t NPCs. Your important guildmates.” Tomura grumbled.

“Aw! Did you hear that? He does love us!” Hawks joked.

Tomura rolled his eyes and sighed, choosing not to dignify him with a response. Dabi reached up
and swatted him on the back of the head. “Of course he loves us. We’re his brothers. Can’t get rid
of us that easily.”

Izuku chuckles at their antics. “Just look at it all.” Izuku sighed, gazing over the horizon.

“What do you mean?” Shouto asked.

“With All Might and Sensei gone it’s up to us now. We get to decide how we want our world to
be.” Izuku explained. “That was always what Sensei wanted for us, right? To be strong enough to
reach our goals and create whatever world we chose.”

Dabi and Tomura nodded. “We better get started then.” Dabi replied.

-----------------------------------------------------

Rei sat up in her bed. Today Fuyumi and Natsuo were visiting. Fuyumi was flitting around her
hospital room, cleaning and adjusting the flowers on her windowsill while Natsuo regaled her with
animated stories of college life. Rei nodded along happily as she listened.

It had been over six months since she had received that letter from Touya but everytime her
children came to visit it made her think back on it. Made her wish that he and Shouto were here
too.

Things were different now that Endeavor and All Might were gone. The League of Villains had not
operated as blatantly since Kamino but was still seemed to be stirring up trouble when they could.
On the other hand, the hero world was still reeling from the loss of the Symbol of Peace. Izuku
Midoriya and Tenko Shimura’s photos and stories had been blasted across the nation. All Might’s
faults laid bare to the world. Vigilantism and villainy were at an all time high, heroes were now
afraid to be in the spotlight. Everyone had secrets after all.

Everyday it seemed that different laws were pushed through or changed. Heroes as well as the Hero
Commission were trying to regain the footing they had in the past but it was clear that their
overarching power was being greatly reigned in and scrutinized. Rei watched it all unfold from the
newspapers brought to her room every morning. She wasn’t sure how things would end up but it
was clear things were changing.

As she refocused on Natsuo’s story there came a knock at the door. Two men entered in sharp suits
and hats, carefully keeping the brims tilted to the floor. Natuso was the first to question them. “Hi,
uh, sorry. Who are you?”

In response the men took off their hats. Fuyumi promptly dropped the vase she had been dusting.
“Shouto?” She gasped.

The black and white haired teen addressed her before he turned to Rei. “Hi Fuyumi. Hi, Mom.”

Rei felt tears prickle in her eyes. “Shouto.” She whispered before turning to the other man, whose
face was mutilated by burns. “Touya, you came.”

Touya leaned over her bed, taking her hand in his own. “I promised you I would come for you,
Mom.”

--------------------------------------------------

On the anniversary of what was now referred to as the Kamino Massacre. Izuku Shigaraki and
Shouto Todoroki sat on a familiar stretch of beach and stared up at the stars painted across the
night sky. Izuku slumped into Shouto’s left side, leeching the warmth contendely.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year.” Shouto mused.

“I can’t believe it’s only been a year.” Izuku groaned. Learning how to use One for All without
destroying his body, running the underground, and changing the world turned out to be a lot more
work than he or his brothers ever expected. Thankfully his skills at analyzing quirks and the fact
that Sensei had the foresight to leave lots of notes that Izuku poured over constantly made it
doable, but it was still a giant undertaking. “You know. The biggest thing I have learned this year
is that you’ll never know the names of people who truly hold power in this world.”

“Yeah and now that’s you.” Shouto pointed out.

Izuku hummed agreeably. It was true. Tomura had stayed as the figurehead of the League of
Villains. Happy to rile up the heroes and keep them on their toes with all their friends. He wasn’t at
all jealous of the mantle Izuku had taken up in Sensei’s stead of being behind the scenes. Izuku
liked it though. He enjoyed seeing the change he was able to make without leaving a trace. Pulling
strings and changing the world from the shadows. Shutting organizations he didn’t agree with and
pushing laws through to alter the world as he pleased. He realized quickly that influence and
money are more powerful than brute force and when you lived as long as Sensei had, money was
not a difficult commodity to come by. He loved the power he wielded without ever even needing to
take a life. He left that job to Tomura in the cases it was called for. He always had more of a
penchant for that type of thing and Izuku found his bloodlust was greatly diminished after the fall
of his true rival.

“How are you liking having your mom here?” Izuku asked. Rei had come to live with them around
six months ago. Natsuo and Fuyumi still had their own lives that they didn’t want to give up but
the whole family met together often.

“It’s nice. We have had a lot of catching up to do. She loves it here. She told me after her time in
the hospital she has an easy time with eccentric personalities.” Shouto replied with a chuckle.
Although the league moved into a new base all the members still frequented the mountain home
often.

“I’m glad.” Izuku smiled as he turned to capture Shouto’s lips in a quick kiss. “It seems like a
whole different life when we were sitting on this beach building sandcastles.”

“You’ve stolen all my firsts.” Shouto reminisced. “My first sandcastle, my first kiss, my first
love.”

Izuku pushed him playfully into the sand. Quickly climbing onto him and pinning him to the
ground. “You’re so embarrassing.” He accused. “And right... Every single one of your firsts better
be with me.” Shouto looked like he was going to respond but he was cut short by Izuku diving in
for another kiss. Shouto hadn’t spontaneously combusted while kissing Izuku in a long time but
Izuku still loved to use the potential as an excuse to quickly deepen the kiss. Rending Shouto
powerless against him. He released Shouto’s wrist and allowed the other boy's hands to roam his
body. The two lazily made out in the sand until a beat of air kicked up sand all around them.

“Keigo! What the hell!” Izuku complained, rolling off his boyfriend and shaking the sand out of
his hair.

“Ew, PDA.” Keigo gagged exaggeratedly.

“You’re one to talk.” Shouto pointed out as he stood up.

“I’m an adult! You two are still little hatchlings. Keep it in your pants.” Keigo retorted. “Tomura
called a League meeting. Come back to the house.”

“Fine.” Izuku sighed. “Why didn’t you tell Kurogiri to come get us?”

“Because he’s busy warping people to the house. Dabs is coming in the car to pick us up but I went
ahead to make sure you two were keeping it PG out here.” Keigo winked.

“We’re villains. Everyone here has murdered people. Multiple people. Why are you so worried
about keeping our innocence intact?” Izuku asked with a quirked brow.

“Doesn’t change the fact that you guys are like my little bros.” Keigo defended. Suddenly there
was a loud honk behind them. “There’s our ride, let’s go!” Keigo announced before jetting towards
the car, leaving Shouto and Izuku to trudge across the sandy beach.

“Dabi-nii shouldn’t have taken him back.” Izuku sighed. “He’s so annoying.”

“You love him and you know it.” Shouto teased. “Plus, he’s good for Dabi-nii.”

Izuku grumbled but relented. He was right. Dabi had the hardest job of all of them which was
basically babysitting two immature supervillains. He was the constant peacemaker and voice of
reason between the brothers. He kept Tomura from doing anything too impulsive and reckless and
helped Izuku keep tabs on his hundreds of projects that he juggled. Keigo seemed to help him not
lose his mind in the endeavor so Izuku was truly grateful for the cock blocking bastard.
 Izuku turned to look at the beautiful boy walking next to him.“Sho, I love you.”

Shouto slipped his hand into Izuku’s hand. “I love you too, Izu.”

Chapter End Notes

And with this our tale is done! I tried really hard to tie up any loose ends in this
chapter. If there are any that I missed or you are curious about please leave it in the
comments and I will either update this chapter or I will make an additional epilogue if
there are a lot. This is my first real fic that isn't just an extended one shot. I know the
quality isn't the best but I am so proud of the story and I am so grateful for all of you
readers. Especially the ones who have commented consistently and kept me
motivated. I truly appreciate you all. I am going to take a break and come back with
my forced villain ShinDeku so keep an eye out for that. Give me all your thoughts and
notes and constructive criticism. I am immensely proud of myself for even finishing
this but I do want to continue to work on my writing skills.

End Notes

Please leave comments! They feed my soul. Thanks for reading. I am hoping to get a few
more chapters out this week. Comment with any suggested tags too! Thanks!

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