Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

PART ONE: THE FIRST USER

AFTER

In the mouth of the void, there was nothing to hold Kudou back.

He drifted through space, untethered from reality. Above him, shooting stars of multicolored light sped past and faded into the emptiness that surrounded him.

Kudou spun around, trying to gain a sense of himself. He felt too weightless, like some part of him was missing. When he looked down at himself, there was only a faint outline where his body should have been. He was translucent, made of thin blue smoke that threatened to dissipate with the slightest gust of wind.

Kudou should have been worried about his missing body. He wasn’t. In this world, emotion felt so far away that it was hard to feel anything but a faint curiosity. This strange universe of shadows and starlight was like nothing he’d ever seen. Despite the part of himself that cautioned against charging towards something he knew nothing about, Kudou wanted to learn more.

He let his shadowy body hang in space, eyes tracing the emptiness until they spotted something hanging in the air ahead of him. As Kudou got closer, he made out a platform of some sort, though it was too dark to tell for sure. He glided down towards it, his shadowy body responding to his will.

Kudou’s not-quite-corporeal form knew when he touched down on the surface, though he felt nothing below his feet. He gazed around, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. The platform appeared to be a floating piece of concrete, faintly resembling the suspended foundation of a building that had long since fallen into disrepair. It was lined with the remnants of thick walls that looked as if they’d been partially blown apart by some sort of demolition or explosion. There was something familiar about the structure, though Kudou couldn’t quite place it.

At the center of the room, a single chair rose up like a throne. It stood in stark contrast to the ruins surrounding it, golden-framed and lined with plush cushions of deep crimson velvet. A single figure perched upon those cushions, his features cast in shadow. He sat uncomfortably on the edge of the chair, like it was too large for him.

Kudou stepped closer, straining his eyes to see in the darkness. There was something about the way the figure hunched in on himself, shoulders sloped downwards like too much weight had been placed upon them. The first prickle of unease crept down Kudou’s spine, cold and invasive. It seemed wrong, somehow, for this shadowy figure to bear such weight in a place like this. Why not put it down? Why not float away?

A burst of light slashed across the sky as a pale blue star shot through the space above Kudou’s head, illuminating the shadowy world in a burst of color. For half a second, Kudou saw the figure in the chair with perfect clarity.

That was all it took to devastate him completely.

Until that moment, Kudou had barely felt a thing in this world. But as soon as his eyes met those familiar green ones, filled with their indescribable sadness, he felt it all. It stabbed through him, sharper than any blade. Guilt he could drown in. Pain that might have brought him to his knees in a more concrete world. What was left of his body seared with agony and he would have cried out if his mouth had any sort of form.

Eyes widened in recognition. An arm lifted, fingers extended towards Kudou with quiet desperation.

Kudou staggered forward without even realizing he was moving. He was still dazed and half-mad with pain, but he moved forward anyway. The need to reach the hand, to hold those fingers between his own…It was all he knew. If he reached it, he wouldn’t let go again. He wouldn’t let it slip out of his grip. Maybe then things wouldn’t have to turn out the way they had.

Kudou stumbled. Right as their fingers were about to touch, the ground beneath his feet gave way. He reached out for the hand, for anything to stop his fall, but he knew before his fingers came up empty that it was too late. The world dissolved like smoke around his fingers, his stomach twisting with vertigo as empty space opened up to swallow him.

He should have known there was nothing he could do. It didn’t matter what world he was in. He was never quick enough to save anyone.

Their fingers never touched and Kudou plummeted into the darkness alone, those wretched, tragic green eyes still the only thing he could see.

----

Kudou woke up sick. He barely made it to the trash can before he was throwing up until his stomach was empty. There was a taste on his tongue that his stomach turned over in response to. It was tangy and metallic—the taste of blood.

When there was nothing left inside him, he brushed his teeth for what must have been a half hour. It helped, but the tang of blood didn’t disappear completely. If he focused on it, Kudou could still taste it on his tongue, salty and accompanied with a wave of nausea.

He tried to distract himself with planning, the same way he had been for weeks. All For One was on the move again. That opened up options to scout, to gain intel, to capture or eliminate more of All For One’s supporters. Kudou had to take advantage before All For One turned to look behind him.

“You look like shit,” Bruce commented when he stopped by Kudou’s office. He eyed Kudou over the stack of papers on the desk. “You been sleeping?”

Kudou knew what Bruce must be seeing. He’d been alarmed himself, when he’d seen his reflection in the cracked glass of the bathroom mirror. He’d lost weight, his face gaunt and drawn. His eyes were the worst. They were bloodshot and hollow, rimmed with circles that seemed to grow darker each day.

His second-in-command’s tone was light, but Kudou could read the tension beneath it. In the recent months, Bruce had trodden lightly around the state of Kudou’s health, like he was afraid Kudou was a feral dog that would snap and bite. Kudou supposed he could understand why. He’d certainly snapped before.

This time, he only sighed, handing over the papers he’d gathered on his desk, “This is more important.”

Kudou couldn’t exactly tell Bruce that there was a chance he was being haunted. He couldn’t mention the nightmares that had barred him from restful sleep ever since that night in the sewers, of the shadowy hand that was always slipping away. He certainly couldn’t tell Bruce that he always woke up from these dreams sick to his stomach, with that terrible metallic tang on his tongue.

Bruce would laugh if he mentioned his theory that he’d been cursed to taste blood every time he swallowed. Or worse. He’d question Kudou’s sanity, start wondering whether Kudou was still fit to be his leader. Plenty of people were questioning him already. Kudou couldn’t afford to add Bruce to that list.

Instead, he focused on everything he’d done during the many hours he’d been awake, gesturing to the stack of papers in Bruce’s hands. They were plans. Plans to hunt down loyalists, to sabotage trade deals, to cut off resources, to track down All For One and destroy him. These days, Kudou only stepped away from his plans when it was time to execute them, “You gonna take a look instead of just bitching about my appearance?”

Bruce looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back. That only annoyed Kudou more. He hated that Bruce was walking on eggshells around him. Bruce, everyone—they needed to believe he was still strong, that he was still someone they could rely on to fight. And right now, he knew they didn’t. His most loyal soldier didn’t believe it, so it was almost certain that no one else did.

Damn his nightmares. Damn whatever curse or sickness had left him with nausea and the constant tang of blood in his mouth. He couldn’t afford to let his strength slip away. In the aftermath All For One’s last big assault, he had to be stronger than ever. The war was all anyone had left, and they were all counting on him to lead them through it.

And they weren’t the only ones counting on him. Kudou had a promise to keep…

He swallowed hard against the taste in his mouth, forcing himself to focus on something else. Bruce was flipping through his notes, scanning the plans Kudou had painstakingly laid out. Kudou watched his lips twist downwards, “You know we don’t have the resources for half of this.”

Since the last attack, Kudou and the Resistance had been barely scraping by. They were scattered across safehouses, cut off from their old connections and from each other. Kudou barely had the resources to keep them all fed, much less launch the type of elaborate strategic offensive he had once been known for.

“We might never have those resources again,” Kudou replied, flat and blunt. “If we wait any longer, we’ll only be more stretched thin. We have to end this quickly.”

Bruce stared at Kudou as if he were searching for something. He didn’t seem to find it, because his gaze hardened, “You’re being reckless. Even if this works, the lives we’ll need to sacrifice—”

“Will be worth it,” Kudou finished firmly. “If we don’t make any sacrifices, we’ll never stand a chance of winning.”

“We make sacrifices?” Bruce muttered under his breath, averting his eyes. Kudou bristled at his derisive tone. He knew what Bruce was implying—that it was too easy for Kudou to be reckless. Plenty of soldiers still had things of value—families, people they loved. Not Kudou. Not anymore. Bit by bit, he’d lost everything of value to All For One.

He scowled at Bruce from across the desk, “Something you want to say to me?”

Bruce looked up. Kudou prepared himself to see resentment, maybe even loathing in his second-in-command’s gaze. Instead, he saw something else, though Kudou couldn’t quite tell what it was. It seemed softer and more sympathetic. Concern, maybe? Pity?

“What happened in the sewers—” Bruce started.

Kudou’s mind flashed with the image of a hand clutching in his own, blood welling between his fingers as it slipped out of reach. His head throbbed, stomach twisting violently. He felt sick. Anything else. He would kill to talk about anything else.

Bruce’s eyes were too knowing, overflowing with sickening amounts of sympathy as he tried to meet Kudou’s gaze. Kudou couldn’t look away from his own hands, clenched into fists in his lap. He couldn’t meet Bruce’s eye. If he did, he ran the risk that Bruce might see straight through him.

He braced himself as Bruce finished his sentence, “There’s nothing you could have done.”

Kudou dug his nails deep into his palm, focusing on the pain instead of the metallic taste that coated the inside of his mouth. He felt sick again.

“Maybe,” Kudou still couldn’t meet Bruce’s eye. “Or maybe I just wasn’t good enough.”

The words were out before he could take them back, and Kudou felt so exhausted he couldn’t even bring himself to regret them. A leader was supposed to be someone who didn’t falter, who made the right choices and didn’t regret them. A leader wasn’t supposed to admit to failure. Kudou shouldn’t have admitted to not being enough, but it hardly mattered anyway. At this point, Bruce and the others had made it clear they only saw him as a shell of the leader they’d once believed in. Why would any of them give a shit if he took a swing at his own image, too?

“Boss—” Bruce started to protest. Kudou didn’t like the look he was still wearing, so he kept talking before Bruce could say anything he didn’t want to hear.

“Doesn’t matter. Can’t do anything about it now,” Kudou did his best to feign nonchalance. “Only thing to do is complete the mission and Defeat All For One.”

His mission and goal, from the moment his meta ability had materialized. For most of his life, it was all he had. Now, it was all he had left. Just the broken scraps of a dream and a bone-deep anger over everything he’d lost. He was floating in the void, and all he had to hang onto was a vow he’d made, late at night on a windy beach, back before everything had gone to shit.

Promise you’ll fight with me?

He’d stared into a pair of green eyes and given his word. He wouldn’t stop fighting All For One. Not until he won.

“But if you burn out—” Bruce still looked concerned, struggling to voice his objections. “If you die—”

“I won’t,” Kudou said immediately. He looked down at the scars and burn marks across his hands, at the red crescents where his own nails had dug into his palms. In his lap, he clenched and unclenched his fists. “I feel stronger than ever.”

He was lying, but it didn’t matter. They both knew the path ahead, even if Bruce didn’t want to admit it. They had to keep fighting, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice.

He’d made a promise. Kudou had to keep it.

BEFORE

For as long as he could remember, war had been Kudou's constant companion and greatest mystery. He was always fighting, but he'd never fully grasped why. The purpose of his fight—of the war his life had become entangled with—had gotten lost somewhere along the line, until one day he’d woken up and realized he wasn’t fighting for any great cause or reason, but simply because it was all he knew how to do.

The war was an inheritance from his father. Kudou’s old man had big dreams of revenge, all involving his only son. All For One had wronged him, and he’d never been able to let it go. He’d started training Kudou as a soldier as soon as Kudou’s meta ability manifested, turning Kudou into a lethal warrior before he even reached adulthood. He’d referred to his son as his greatest weapon—the sword that would strike down All For One.

Maybe that was how he justified taking everything from Kudou except his will to fight.

The old man had gotten himself killed before Kudou turned seventeen, leaving his teenage son to bear the weight of his unfulfilled goal of vengeance. With him gone, Kudou had no choice but to shoulder the burden of his father’s dream. It wasn’t as if other paths were open to him. He was a soldier and that was all. He’d never learned to be anything else.

So Kudou had kept fighting, and soon every pathetic soul who’d pinned their hopes for revenge on his old man started turning to him. He was his father’s greatest weapon, after all, and the only one to walk away from an encounter with All For One unscathed. Kudou was barely more than a child at the time, but with his quirk and upbringing, age could be overlooked. People began to look at Kudou like he was their best hope, which was how Kudou knew the world was fucked.

Those pathetic, revenge-driven souls built the Resistance around him. He became their leader, took up the mantle with an ease that surprised him. His father may have only taught Kudou to fight, but he’d taught him well. Kudou could make hard decisions without flinching and he wasn’t bad at pretending to know what he was doing. Turns out, that’s all you really need to lead a resistance movement.

In the years that followed, Kudou’s Resistance fell into a pattern. He plotted raids, assassinated All For One’s supporters or tortured them for information. Success or failure, his plans never felt as if they mattered. They yielded little and Kudou knew that his makeshift resistance was at most a fly for All For One to swat when he found it convenient. He could let the others delude themselves into believing they were making a difference, but Kudou knew better. It ate away at him, knowing he was losing at the one thing he’d been trained to do.

By the time he was twenty-three, Kudou had nearly gone insane at how little he’d done. They’d rescued, recruited, and taken out more of All For One’s resources, but none of it seemed to matter. All For One grew in power every day. Each morning, Kudou would wake to new horror stories. Quirks stolen, new monstrous villains roaming the streets, heroes and public figures murdered for speaking out against All For One. All of this while Kudou hid in his underground base, knowing he was powerless to stop it.

That feeling of powerlessness was one of the greatest reasons Kudou decided to take his first big risk. His second-in-command, Bruce, had finally gotten one of All For One’s supporters to crack. The man had let slip the location of one of All For One’s strongholds, a fortress full of his supporters. It was the best intel Kudou had gotten, so he couldn’t let it go to waste. He made up his mind that the Resistance would mount the most ambitious operation Kudou had ever dared to try, which was why he was now crouched in an alley, staring out at the looming stronghold ahead of him.

“You sure about this, boss?” Kudou glanced over at where Bruce crouched beside him. Bruce raised his eyebrows at Kudou. “You know we don’t exactly have the upper hand in a fight.”

Kudou nodded curtly, “This is the best chance we have.”

Bruce’s mouth twisted into a wry smile, “Can’t hide in the shadows forever, I guess.”

Kudou didn’t have friends. His position didn’t allow for that luxury. Bruce, though, was the closest he had to a companion. He’d been one of the first Kudou had saved from All For One and one of the earliest members of the Resistance. He fought well with Kudou, being a close-combat specialist who was a good match for Kudou’s long-range ability. Bruce was also one of the few who knew what it was like to wield a powerful meta ability.

Despite having a fair number of good soldiers, most of Kudou’s Resistance was quirkless. Quirks only started appearing in Kudou’s generation, although some older than him had manifested powers during puberty. Generally, though, those with strong meta abilities tended to be children. Kudou was a soldier. He knew certain lines had to be crossed during war, but after his own upbringing, he couldn’t bring himself to turn more children into weapons.

Unfortunately, that meant Kudou only had a few meta abilities at his disposal. His, Bruce’s, and the just a handful other Resistance soldiers’.

 “Leader, we’ve got eyes on two guards at the front,” a faint voice crackled through Kudou’s earpiece. One of his scouts, who went by the name Yua. She was one of his exceptions, gifted with a night vision quirk she’d manifested in her teenage years. “One seems to have some sort of armor quirk.”

Of course, All For One didn’t have the same restrictions. He could steal a child’s quirk without regrets, giving it instead to a trained murderer. That fact made his supporters ten times more dangerous. Kudou never knew when they would whip out a lethal meta power and decimate his forces.

“Keep your eyes open for more,” Kudou whispered back. “We’ve got these two.”

He nodded at Bruce, who aimed a kick at a trashcan on the sidewalk. It toppled over with a crash so loud Kudou would have jumped if he hadn’t known it was coming. It echoed down the silent street, enough to alert even a half-deaf guard.

Kudou melted into the darkness of a side alley as the sound of footsteps approached, leaving Bruce to pick up the trash.

“Armored one on the move,” Yua’s voice crackled in Kudou’s ear. He leveled his right gauntlet at the street, feeling the power of his quirk build beneath the muscles of his arm.

“Hey, you,” A low voice growled. Kudou watched a huge man lumber down the street, glaring at Bruce. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Kudou waited for the man to step closer. Yua was right about the armor. It looked like a thick crust, adding at least a half an inch of width to the man’s skin. As he stepped beneath a streetlight, Kudou saw thin cracks running across the crusted armor. Good. That was all he needed.

He picked out a crack running deep along the side of the man’s neck. Kudou aimed his gauntlet.

“Oh, I’m just—”

Kudou fired straight through the armored guard’s neck.

The man was dead before the gust of wind accompanying the shot ever reached Kudou. He didn’t get the chance to make a sound. He only collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from the cracks in his armor and gurgling up from his mouth.

Bruce kicked over the corpse with disgust, checking to make sure he was dead before attempting to drag the guard off. He glanced at where Kudou remained in the alley, “I could use a hand. He’s got to weigh at least 150 kilos.”

Kudou stepped forward, grimacing at the stabbing pain that shot through his right arm. His quirk was strong, but it took a toll on his body. Gearshift allowed him to control the speed and trajectory of anything he touched, but ignoring inertia was physically draining. He couldn’t sustain the use of his quirk on anything larger than a bullet, and he had a finite amount of time until the backlash became too great for his body to handle.

He'd kicked that projectile all the way up to third gear to make it through the guard’s armor. The shot had taken more out of him than he would have liked. Kudou did his best to ignore it as he helped Bruce drag the guard’s body into the alley and out of sight.

“I’ve got the next one,” Bruce told him, extending his arms out in front of him, then pulling them back towards his body. He repeated the motion again, storing up kinetic energy using his quirk, Fa Jin.

When the other guard rounded the corner to look for his partner, Bruce was on him in an instant. His arms wrapped around the man’s neck and twisted. With the power Bruce had stored in his arms, it almost seemed too easy to snap the guard’s neck.

“Guards are down,” Kudou hissed into his earpiece. “Moving onto stage two.”

His plan wasn’t all that complicated, but it depended heavily on the element of surprise. Kudou’s scouts had been monitoring the building for weeks, keeping track of All For One’s movements. He knew All For One was gone for the weekend, flying off to another stronghold to oversee some twisted science project that Bruce’s source didn’t seem to know much about. The Resistance wasn’t strong enough to go head-to-head with All For One, but this was their chance to damage the resources he depended on.

All For One was strong on his own, but his real strength came from his supporters. He could pile as many quirks as he wanted on himself, but he was still only one person. It was his followers that made him a true menace. With enough willing bodies, it was too easy to build a force armed with powerful quirks. If Kudou and the Resistance could cut down that army before it grew unstoppable, it might actually hurt All For One enough to give them a chance.

That was the goal. Get in, take out as many of All For One’s supporters as possible, get back out. It was simple but risky. If an alarm went off and this quick execution turned into a brawl, the Resistance wasn’t likely to come out on top.

That was where Kudou and Bruce came in. They would take out the guards and sneak down to the lower floor to shut off the power. With the alarms and cameras offline, the rest of the Resistance would be free to invade the facility and dispatch All For One’s followers with well-placed explosives.

After hiding the second body, Kudou signaled for Bruce to follow him into the building. Yua was right. There were only those two guards at the front door, leaving the entrance open. However, as soon as Kudou stepped inside, he came face to face with two more. He dropped the first with gearshift, leaving Bruce to dispatch the second.

They didn’t encounter more than a few more soldiers as they made their way down to the bottom floor. All For One probably didn’t see the point in leaving a place like this well-defended. Who would dare to attack him? Even the government didn’t dare to publicly stand against him, though some officials opposed him from the shadows. There was simply no one even close to strong enough to stand against All For One and live.

Bruce and Kudou made it to the bottom floor with little trouble. Everything was going too smoothly, which might have been why they opened the stair door to triple the normal security. A force of at least six soldiers whipped their heads around, staring at Kudou and Bruce, taking in their bloodstained combat attire.

Almost in perfect synchronicity, the guards jumped into action.

“Shit,” Bruce slammed the stair door back shut just as a barrage of bullets hit where his head had been. “They’re going to raise the alarm.”

Not good. If the alarm went off, Kudou and Bruce were almost certainly dead. He gritted his teeth, summoning up his power. He’d hoped to save his energy, but he had no choice. If Kudou didn’t do something now, the whole mission would be a failure.

He kicked the door open, aimed his left gauntlet, and fired with all his strength. Top gear. Curved trajectory. It was the most power and speed his quirk would allow him.

The bullet shot through the nearest guard’s eye socket and kept going. It tore through the next soldier’s shoulder and straight into the neck of the one reaching for the alarm. It curved back around, following the trajectory Kudou had set, and shot through the chests of two other guards who had been aiming their guns at Bruce, coming back to bury itself deep in the closest guard’s gut.

The backlash hit Kudou immediately, the throb of pain so strong he might have collapsed if not for Bruce’s support. Black spots danced across his vision. It took all his energy to focus on the battle instead of the aching in his arm. He’d hit all six, but only four were down. The other two were injured but still standing well enough to sound the alarm. Those two were the priority.

Bruce let go of Kudou to charge at the two still standing. He aimed an uppercut at the first, packing enough energy into the blow to send the guard’s head snapping back. The guard collapsed to the ground, but Bruce had already moved onto the next.

Kudou clenched his fists, biting his tongue to distract himself from the throbbing of his arms. He had to get over this throbbing pain. At this rate, Bruce was going to leave him with nothing to do but finish off the dying ones. That idiot. Did he think Kudou couldn’t handle himself?

Bruce threw a punch, but the last guard was ready. He blocked easily. Too easily. Kudou realized a second too late that this guard wasn’t bleeding, even though Kudou was certain this was the guard he’d shot through the shoulder.

Kudou knew what that meant. This guard had a meta ability.

“Wait—” Kudou tried to warn Bruce, but before he could finish, the guard threw his own punch, catching Bruce straight in the side of the jaw.

Bruce flew backward, slamming into the wall and collapsing to the ground. The guard flexed his fist, a red sheen reflecting in his eyes as he grinned at Kudou, “Hardened Blood. Pretty useful quirk, huh?”

Hardened Blood. Kudou’s thoughts raced for a new combat strategy. If the guard was being honest about his quirk, it was probably something that allowed him to condense his blood inside his body somehow. That explained why he wasn’t bleeding. And the incredible force behind his punch must have come from hardening the blood in his hand. Kudou had to hope it wasn’t enough to take Bruce out of commission.

“A gift from my master,” the guard was still smiling. “One that I’ll repay by getting rid of you pests.”

He lunged. Kudou sidestepped just in time to dodge the blow, but the guard was already attacking again. He was still wearing that terrible grin as he threw punches,

“Can’t dodge forever, can you?” the guard panted. “Firing that shot really took it out of you. I can see it on your face.”

Kudou ignored him, dodging and throwing a quick punch. It hit the guard’s face straight-on, but it was like punching concrete. Kudou could feel his knuckles splinter on impact, sending even more pain through his arm. Shit. What should he do? He could fire another shot, but he didn’t have the energy to ramp up to top gear. Kudou doubted it would be enough to get through the guard’s blood quirk.

The guard must have seen Kudou’s frustration because his grin only grew, “Too bad you don’t have a stronger quirk. You don’t stand a chance against me, much less my master.”

Kudou clenched his jaw even tighter, “You sure? I handled your friends pretty well, didn’t I? They had quirks, too, right?”

The guard’s eyes darkened, “A dirty trick, killing them before they had a chance to react. That won’t work on me.”

The guard reached out and slammed Kudou against the wall, his blood-hardened fingers pressing down on Kudou’s windpipe. He was strong. Kudou’s right hand clawed at the guard’s fingers, but it was like scratching rock. He couldn’t breathe, his lungs were empty, his throat gasping for air that wouldn’t come.

With his left hand, Kudou fumbled at his waist, feeling the smooth hilt of the knife he’d hung at his hip. As darkness flickered at the edge of his vision, he jabbed the knife upward, stabbing as hard as he could into the guard’s chest.

This quirk, Blood Hardening. It had to have limitations. Hardened blood couldn’t flow to a body’s organs, so all of the guard’s blood couldn’t be hard. Kudou was guessing the guard was choosing which places on his body to harden, which meant that his whole body wasn’t as hard as a rock. Right now, with the guard’s focus on his hands and shoulder, maybe the rest of his body would be vulnerable. It was the only chance Kudou had.

His knife sunk in deep. The guard stumbled back, releasing his hold on Kudou’s throat. Kudou gasped as his lungs filled back up with air, resisting the urge to double over onto his knees. The guard was already pulling out the knife, that repulsive smile creeping back onto his face,

“You think a little knife’s going to stop me? I told you, I can—”

Bruce’s supercharged fist slammed into the side of the guard’s face. He went down hard, his head snapping to the side from the force of the impact. Kudou’s quirk wasn’t strong enough to take down Blood Hardening, but the power Bruce had accumulated with Fa Jin could shatter things much harder than blood. Kudou let Bruce finish him off, checking to make sure the other guards stayed down.

Bruce got to his feet, wiping away a trickle of blood from a gash that had opened up on his head, “Thanks for buying me some time, boss.”

“Sure,” Kudou nodded distractedly, shaking out his hand as he glanced down the hallway. This wasn’t good. The fight had lost them time and had been loud enough to attract attention. They needed to hurry before they were discovered. He glanced at Bruce, “You good to keep going?”

Bruce nodded, wiping his bloody hands on his pants.

Kudou expected more guards to jump out as they made their way down the hall to the electrical room, but the rest of the floor remained eerily quiet. Even the power room itself had only a single guard, who Bruce easily took care of. There was something off about it. Why would All For One station more guards on this floor than any other, but keep them all in one place? Why would that place be so far from the electrical control room, the logical spot to station defenses? It was almost like…

“Hey, Boss,” Bruce whispered as Kudou crouched next to the control panel. “Don’t you think those guards were strange?”

“Hand me the wire cutters,” Kudou ordered, before asking. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, six guards in one spot like that? It doesn’t make sense,” Bruce said. “Not unless—”

Unless they’re guarding something, Kudou finished the thought in his head. It’s what he’d been thinking too. There had been a door in the opposite direction, a door he hadn’t remembered seeing on the blueprint Yua had stolen from the city planning office. He’d pored over those blueprints for weeks, memorizing routes and backup routes in preparation for the meeting. If there was a door, Kudou would have noticed it.

Kudou thought back to the information Bruce had gotten from the supporter he’d cracked. In addition to this location and everything he knew about All For One’s plans, the man had whispered one last thing. A rumor that had traveled in whispers among All For One’s supporters. That he kept something important locked away deep within the compound. A possession he treasured above all else.

If that rumor was true and All For One really was keeping something special to him locked away, then Kudou would find it. Find it and destroy it.

“Mission first,” he said, more as a reminder to himself than to Bruce. He shone a light on the panel, quickly identifying the switch he’d been instructed to flip. He flipped it and was rewarded by a sudden plunge into darkness. Kudou grinned in the darkness, flicking on his earpiece. “Stage three is a go.”

He put on the pair of night vision goggles he’d coerced his government supporters into lending him. Beside him, Bruce did the same.

In the darkness and the wake of the fight, Kudou was flooded with a sudden rush of energy. It was almost enough to negate the pain in his arms. Not only was the plan on schedule, but All For One’s secret might be within arm’s reach. This was Kudou’s chance to finally deal a blow to an enemy that too-often seemed invincible.

He eyed Bruce through his goggles, “Let’s figure out what All For One is guarding.”

They crept back down the hallway, stepping around the bodies of the guards until they came to the door. Kudou surveyed it carefully, running his hands over the surface. It wasn’t just locked. It was bolted shut from the outside, like the door of a safe. Was this where All For One kept hostages? Kudou had never heard of him taking a hostage before—All For One’s style was more steal and kill.

Kudou leaned in, inspecting the lock. Instead of a keyhole, there was a keypad with an odd combination of letters and numbers. A combination lock. That was unfortunate.

“Of course the bastard can’t just use a key like a normal person,” Bruce shook his head. “Think one of the guards has the combo? Maybe we can beat it out of him.”

“Maybe,” Kudou shrugged dubiously. This vault was clearly highly secure. He doubted All For One would trust his low-level thugs to access it. “Doesn’t matter. I can open this.”

He laid his hand against the lock, pulling at what was left of his power. He fished in the zipped pocket of his coat, withdrawing a red projectile.

“Don’t use all your energy,” Bruce warned. “We don’t know what’s in there.”

Kudou didn’t bother with a response. He wasn’t that stupid. There was a reason he was using the new projectile he’d instructed his cousin to make for him. With it, he’d only need second gear to blow through the lock. That would leave him with enough power to destroy whatever was behind the door.

“Stand back,” He warned Bruce, taking a few steps back himself.

He fired his shot, ducking his head as the projectile made contact with the door. As it hit the lock, it exploded in a violent blast. The lock shattered, the door bending and creaking on its hinges.

Kudou made a mental note to thank his cousin for the special projectile.

He kicked the door open, not wanting to give whatever was inside a moment to prepare as he aimed his gauntlet into the darkness. His night vision goggles swept across the interior of the vault, searching for the smallest hint of movement.

The inside of the vault was more like a small cell. It was sparsely furnished, barren of everything but a cot in the corner and a few books scattered haphazardly across the floor. Kudou’s vision flashed across the room before latching onto a shadow near its center. A single figure sat on the floor, hunched over with his back to Kudou and Bruce.

Kudou aimed his gauntlet at the figure, reaching for the power of his meta ability. He couldn’t see well enough to make out any distinguishing features, but he didn’t dare to lower his gauntlet. Who knew what this thing was or what it was capable of?

The slumped figure slowly turned towards the doorway, shifting like every movement caused him pain. Kudou waited, poised to shoot, as the figure finally turned his face towards them.

Beside Kudou, Bruce swore beneath his breath.

The figure was young but frail, his body so malnourished Kudou could almost see his bones through his skin. Filthy, shaggy hair fell over most of his face, so that only a sliver was visible. Kudou sucked in a breath at the sight of that face.

In that sliver, there was an unmistakable resemblance to All For One.

Kudou had heard rumors from his father that All For One had a brother. He had never believed it. So many of his father’s ramblings had been lies.

“Boss,” Bruce hissed through gritted teeth. Kudou could hear what lay beneath Bruce’s voice. Anger. Hatred. Bruce wanted this wretched, emaciated creature gone. He wanted All For One’s blood spilled and didn’t care that it was only bloodshed by proxy.

That was what Kudou wanted too. If this was really All For One’s fabled brother, when else would Kudou have such a golden opportunity? This was his chance to finally hurt All For One, to take his brother from him. This was the opening he had longed for, the chance to finally take a step towards fulfilling the promises his father had made and broken.

Kudou leveled his gauntlet at the slumped figure, aiming for the head as he summoned up his power. He had enough in him for a final shot, straight through the head. Whatever quirks All For One had hoisted upon this hideous creature wouldn’t be enough to stop Kudou’s bullet from blasting through flesh. Even if it meant kicking up to top gear and not being able to use his arm properly for days, Kudou would kill this monster.

The figure angled his head towards Kudou, the light from the doorway illuminating his eyes. For the first time since his father had declared him a soldier, Kudou faltered.

Kudou’s power had never failed him before, but it flickered and died when Kudou locked onto the green eyes of his target. He felt his own arm lower, like his body knew his mind better than it knew itself. It was as if his own quirk understood before he did that he wouldn’t shoot, that he would never shoot.

Those eyes were like nothing Kudou had ever seen. They were a lush green vortex of emotion, swirling with too many thoughts and feelings for Kudou to pick apart properly. In the faint light from the doorway, they glinted with hope. They were hopeful and enthralling and almost familiar in a way Kudou couldn’t quite place. Kudou had a sudden urge to pull this stranger up towards the daylight, if only to get a better look at his eyes.

Kudou stepped forward before he even knew what he was doing, like his body moved on its own. Before he could process how completely irrational this was, he was walking closer, pulling his goggles off his head as he went. Kudou wanted this boy, or maybe young man, to see his face as he approached. Kudou wanted him to know that he wouldn’t hurt him.

“Kudou,” Bruce hissed again, this time more urgent. Kudou understood. It would be safer to keep his distance, to deal the killing blow from afar. Only, Kudou no longer intended to do anything of the sort.

Kudou had always thought of himself as a good soldier, but a good soldier would have taken the shot. Instead, Kudou risked everything he built, the lives everyone who depended on him, the future of his father’s mission. Kudou risked it all without a second thought, because suddenly, there was only one option that existed to him.

Kudou stopped in front of the miserable, emaciated young man wearing the face of his sworn enemy, and he extended his hand.

The first hint of surprise showed on the young man’s gaunt face. For a long moment, he only stared at Kudou with a look of bemusement, as if Kudou were a dream or a figment of his imagination. Kudou worried for a moment that he would ignore him, but then his fingers reached up and clutched Kudou’s own with a kind of quiet desperation that stabbed at Kudou’s heart.

Kudou pulled the green-eyed prisoner to his feet, turning back toward the exit. Bruce was standing in the doorway, staring at Kudou like he was staring at a stranger. His eyes flashed between Kudou and the prisoner, narrowing to slits,

“What are you playing at?” He hissed to Kudou. “Why is he still alive?”

The prisoner flinched backwards slightly, like Bruce’s words had the power to blow him away. Kudou squeezed his hand tighter to keep him from falling back into the darkness of the cell.

“We’re taking him back to the base,” Kudou told his second-in-command, keeping his tone firm. “He can be of use to us.”

Kudou didn’t know if that was true, but Bruce needed to believe Kudou had a plan. He put just enough confidence behind his words to make Bruce back down, though Kudou could still see the tension pulling at Bruce,

“He’s not using some sort of mind quirk on you, is he?” Bruce glared at the prisoner suspiciously.

Kudou glanced to his side, “I don’t think so. If he had one, wouldn’t he be using it on you, too? And if he can only control one person, why wouldn’t he use the power to get rid of the second person? That would be the smartest move.”

“You…definitely still sound like you,” Bruce muttered grudgingly. “Always so damn tactical.”

The sound of gunfire suddenly blasted from above. The prisoner flinched beside Kudou, his grip tightening on Kudou’s hand.

“Shit, we’re out of time,” Bruce swore, heading towards the stair. He glanced back at Kudou, then to the green-eyed young man. “You sure about this? It’s going to be a hard sell back at base.”

“I’m sure,” Kudou guided the prisoner towards the stairs. He was glad he and Bruce had the only pairs of night vision goggles, so that this frail young man didn’t have to see the bodies of the guards still strewn across the ground. Kudou knew what he’d done was necessary, but for the first time, he felt a stab of guilt.

As they reached the lobby, he lowered his voice so only the prisoner could hear, knowing whatever they opened the door to wouldn’t be pretty, “Try not to look around too much, okay?”

They waited in the stairwell until Yua’s voice crackled through Kudou’s earpiece, “Building is clear. Transport is ready at the checkpoint. You’re the only team unaccounted for, Boss.”

“Got it. We’ll be out in a minute,” Bruce replied. He glanced at Kudou, his hand still wrapped around the green-eyed prisoner’s, “You going to be able to fight like that? We don’t know what’s on the other side of this door.”

The prisoner didn’t let go of Kudou’s right hand, his grip clammy and tight, so Kudou waved at Bruce with his free left hand, “I’ll be fine. I only need this one, anyway.”

Bruce shrugged and kicked the door open. To Kudou’s relief, the struggle on the ground floor seemed to be over. There were a few bodies strewn about on the ground, and Kudou’s stomach twisted as he recognized a couple Resistance uniforms, but there was no one to stop them as Kudou jogged out onto the side road, pulling All For One’s brother after him. They ducked into an alleyway and down a side door, heading into the abandoned warehouse Yua had been using to scout.

Yua was waiting for them inside, accompanied by one of the newer scouts. She rolled her dilated black eyes as they approached, “You two just had to make me worry like that, you—”

She cut herself off as she noticed the newest addition to their group. Kudou watched her eyes widen then narrow in the same way Bruce’s had, “Taken a hostage, have we?” Her brow furrowed even further as she noticed the young man’s hand, still gripping Kudou’s own. “Or maybe not?”

“He’ll be useful to us,” Kudou told her vaguely, but he tried to tug his hand away anyway. The young man’s grip didn’t budge. He was watching Kudou fearfully, almost like he was afraid they would leave him behind. Kudou decided to give up on freeing his hand for the moment. “Stage four. Are we ready?”

“I’m not done talking about all this,” Yua waved her hand at him and the prisoner, a look of disgust still painted across her face. “But fine. Stage four is a go. We should get a head start on the road before it blows.”

Kudou nodded, pulling the boy towards the car they’d hidden in the warehouse. It was time to return to the base, where Kudou would get the full report of what had happened. He would be able to tell, then, whether the mission had been a success or a failure.

Bruce coughed deliberately behind him, forcing Kudou to look back, “You’re not going to just bring him into the base, are you?”

Kudou tried to hide his split second of confusion, “Of course not. Get me a blindfold.”

He waited for Yua to pass him a strip of fabric, then turned to the green-eyed young man. He lowered his voice so that the others couldn’t hear, lifting up the blindfold to show him, “You don’t mind, do you? It’s the only way they’ll let you come.”

Those green eyes stared at him imperceptibly, almost reflective in the dark. Kudou was starting to think he wouldn’t get an answer when the young man’s chin dipped in the slightest nod. Kudou carefully tied the blindfold, trying not to get it tangled in the prisoner’s shaggy, matted hair.

He took the prisoner’s hand again, guiding him towards the car and seating him between himself and Bruce in the backseat. They pulled out onto the road, heading for the highway and leaving All For One’s compound in the dust. As they pulled away, the ground shook beneath them, a great cloud of smoke rising from where All For One’s base had been.

Good. The explosives had gone off as planned. With any luck, All For One’s stronghold would be dust and rubble by now, with his greatest supporters crushed beneath it.

Kudou glanced at the green-eyed young man, searching his face for a reaction to the blast. He had to have guessed what they’d done to his brother’s compound, to his brother’s supporters. Kudou waited for anger or resentment or fear to register on the boy’s face. Kudou waited for him to scream or cry or curse them all. The young man barely reacted to the blast at all. His blindfolded eyes stared forward, his hand still clutching Kudou’s. He never once looked back.

Chapter Text

AFTER

“Get up off your ass,” Bruce yanked a hastily sketched floorplan out of Kudou’s grasp. “We’re sparring.”

“I’m working,” Kudou made a sluggish grab for the floorplan, which Bruce easily avoided. Their next mission had at least a half dozen holes he needed to fill before it could be executed. Now that the Resistance was a direct target of All For One, it was more important than ever to make sure his strategies were foolproof.

Bruce didn’t seem to pick up on the urgency.

“Work is great, but you’ve been locked up in here too long,” Bruce tossed the floorplan onto the top of a bookshelf, just out of Kudou’s reach. “It isn’t healthy. People are starting to worry.”

“Since when has my health been the priority?” Kudou muttered under his breath, only somewhat bitterly. He knew Bruce had a point. His work in the office was important, but it was also a good distraction. When Kudou was locked away with his spreadsheets and blueprints, he didn’t have to face the rest of the Resistance. Or reality.

“How about this,” Bruce crossed his arms. “If you win, I’ll stop bothering you.”

Kudou considered. It wouldn’t be the end of the world to leave the office for a bit. It would probably be beneficial to let the rest of the Resistance see him. That way, they’d know he was still alive, even if his current appearance wasn’t particularly reassuring.

And, of course, it would be a nice chance to get Bruce to stop pestering him. Bruce had been incessant, always watching with those too-knowing eyes. If Bruce wasn’t around so much, Kudou wouldn’t have to live in constant fear that Bruce would bring up the…thing that happened in the sewers.

“Let me guess. You’re suggesting hand-to-hand combat?” Kudou raised an eyebrow. Kudou’s quirk, Gearshift, was made for long range fighting. With Fa Jin, Bruce would have the distinct advantage up close.

Still, hand-to-hand combat was pretty much the only way to spar at the safehouse. They couldn’t do much else without attracting too much unwanted attention.

“We can fight without quirks if you’d like,” Bruce shrugged, a spark of triumph glinting in his eyes. They both knew he had Kudou where he wanted him. Kudou couldn’t back out without risking looking like a coward, and he was too proud to take that risk.

“Alright, fine,” Kudou shrugged, getting to his feet. “But you’re keeping your word when I kick your ass.”

Kudou wasn’t an idiot. He knew he wasn’t in good shape to fight, even without the additional strain of using his quirk. He’d been too busy to eat recently, and what he did manage scarf down rarely stayed in his stomach. Waves of nausea would strike out of nowhere, always accompanied by the taste of blood. When they hit, there was little Kudou could do but rush to the nearest restroom and wait until he’d vomited up the entire contents of his stomach.

Kudou had never heard of any sickness like his before, and he’d lost his doctor in the last attack. He didn’t have the time or the resources to try to identify his illness and treat it, assuming it even was an illness. Whatever he’d managed to catch, he just had to wait it out. There wasn’t much else he could do.

Kudou met Bruce in a clearing outside of the safehouse. Unlike the old base, they were far enough away from the rest of civilization that they could risk going outside for short periods of time. Kudou soaked in the warmth of the sun against his skin, inhaling the scent of maple trees and cherry. Time had been strange lately. He didn’t even know how long it had been since he’d breathed fresh air.  

The wind rustled the branches of the forest around him, sending leaves dancing through the air. Kudou watched them flutter to the ground. It wasn’t so bad out in the country. He would have liked it.

Kudou had to take a second to refocus, staring at a spot on the ground until he could be sure his thoughts wouldn’t betray him. He looked up to find Bruce waiting on the grass, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He grinned at Kudou, “Almost thought you wouldn’t show.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Kudou said, stretching one arm, then the other. Obviously, he wanted to win the fight, but a more attainable goal was probably to not throw up as soon as he started moving.

Back in the old base, they’d had copious space to train and spar in the gym Kudou’s father had built into one of the lower levels. Now, they just had this small clearing in the woods. Kudou stepped into the clearing, trying his best not to think of it as a reminder of his failure to prevent All For One from devastating the Resistance’s forces.

Bruce shrugged, squaring up. Kudou did the same, watching Bruce’s movements, waiting.

Bruce struck first. His fist punched towards Kudou’s jaw, so fast Kudou could hardly believe he wasn’t using his quirk. Kudou only just managed to step out of range, but another punch was already coming. He barely managed to get his arm up to block, the impact running down his arm.

Bruce stepped back, grinning as he shook out his hand, “I’m not gonna go easy on you, Boss.”

“Good,” Kudou smirked back. Adrenaline had started to kick in. He hardly even felt nauseous anymore. This really was good. The best he’d felt in a long time. “If you can’t beat me while I’m like this, you’re never going to.”

“Talking shit now, are we?” Bruce flashed a slightly amused smile before narrowing his eyes. “Well, just so you know, I’ve got no intention of letting you lock yourself back in the office.”

This time, it was Kudou who charged. He sprinted for Bruce, throwing a big right hook at Bruce’s jaw. Bruce ducked beneath it, but Kudou was ready. His other arm was already in motion, slamming into Bruce’s stomach.

Bruce doubled over and Kudou backed out of range, letting him get his breath. Bruce wheezed but straightened up anyway, “You think you can afford to go easy on me, huh?”

It was true that if it had been a real fight, Kudou wouldn’t have given Bruce the chance to recover. However, Kudou wasn’t showing Bruce any courtesy that Bruce wouldn’t have also shown him.

Bruce still seemed offended as he aimed a series of blows at Kudou. Kudou only just managed to block him, ducking beneath his blows to aim a punch at his stomach. Bruce sidestepped and used Kudou’s momentum against him, tackling Kudou to the ground.

Kudou rolled as he hit the ground, softening the impact and twisting to pin Bruce underneath him. He only managed to land one blow on Bruce’s face before Bruce’s knee caught him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back. Bruce was on him before Kudou could get back to his feet, knocking him onto his back and pinning one of Kudou’s arms under his knee. He held the other down with one hand as his other reared back to hit Kudou in the face.

The blow hit hard him in the mouth. Kudou winced at the taste of blood in his mouth as his lip cut against his teeth. It wasn’t quite hard enough to knock his teeth out, but Kudou felt the impact rattle through his skull. He twisted, kicking upward in an attempt to free himself from Bruce’s grip, but even without using Fa Jin, Bruce was too strong. 

“Yield?” Bruce grinned down at him, pulling back his arm to punch Kudou again.

Kudou grunted in frustration, struggling to pull free. He’d trained in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat for as long as he could remember, but Bruce had a natural ability he couldn’t compete with. Despite all of Kudou’s big talk, at peak health, Kudou could only just manage to hold his own against Bruce. He should have known his second-in-command would have no trouble pummeling him now.

“You going to make me do this?” Bruce huffed out a disappointed breath as Kudou continued to struggle. Before Kudou could react, he’d twisted around, his arm wrapping around Kudou’s neck in a sleeper hold. Kudou immediately felt the pressure against his neck, cutting off the flow of blood to his brain.

He scrambled for a way out, trying not to panic as his vision darkened. He couldn’t lose consciousness. When he was so obviously at a disadvantage in every other way, carefully laid plans were the only way to deal serious damage again All For One. Kudou couldn’t give that up. He had to keep fighting.

As his vision darkened, Kudou made a desperate grab for anything that might give him the strength to get out of Bruce’s hold. For a brief second, stars flashed behind Kudou’s eyes. He thought it was over, that he had lost consciousness, before power suddenly flooded through his body.

He grabbed Bruce’s arm with one hand and pulled away, giving himself just enough room to jam his other elbow into Bruce’s side. Bruce grunted in mixed surprise and pain, releasing his grip. Kudou was on him before he could recover, grabbing the back of his uniform with one hand while he pushed on Bruce’s neck with the other.

Bruce only struggled for a moment before he realized what Kudou already knew. Kudou had caught him in a baseball choke, cutting off air and blood flow to his head. If he didn’t tap out, he’d pass out. Bruce tapped his arm to signal his concession, gasping for air as Kudou released him.

Kudou got back to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he let Bruce sit up, “Guess I’m back in the office after all.”

“How is that possible?” Bruce was breathing hard, staring at him in amazement. His face was still red from the blood flow Kudou had cut off with his chokehold. “You should have lost.”

Kudou frowned, “You want an apology?”

“No, I just mean— You were pathetic at the beginning,” Bruce’s confusion was starting to make Kudou uncomfortable. “You shouldn’t have been able to get out of that hold. How’d you do it?”

“Maybe I was just letting you think I was weak,” Kudou countered, though he knew it wasn’t true. It had taken all his energy to keep up with Bruce at the start of the fight, and by the time Bruce had pinned him, he’d used it all up. Bruce was right. He shouldn’t have been able to escape Bruce’s grip.

Kudou shook out his arms. He felt strange, like there was a weak current of electricity running beneath his skin. It was dissipating now, but back when he’d been pinned, he’d felt it much more acutely. In that moment of desperation, when he’d hung on the edge of unconsciousness, he’d been digging deep for some way out, for some last reserves of energy. And he’d found it. Not much of it, sure, but enough to shock Bruce and escape his hold.

The problem was that Kudou had trained, with and without his quirk, for nearly his whole life. He knew his body too well. Enough to know that those last reserves of strength shouldn’t have existed.

 “Hey, Boss,” Bruce’s tone was so grave that Kudou looked up immediately. “You don’t think that—” Bruce hesitated. “All For One didn’t manage to touch you, did he? Back in the sewers?”

Kudou felt a chill creep over him at what Bruce was implying. The thought of All For One’s touch—it left that too-familiar metallic taste in Kudou’s mouth. Kudou couldn’t think about it. He couldn’t bear to relive it.

He never wanted to be anywhere near All For One again. The white hair, the shape of his mouth— They were echoes of something familiar, twisted to become grotesque and revolting. It felt wrong to look at. Kudou never wanted to see that face. Never again, unless it was to watch the light leave those pale, empty eyes.

“No,” he finally said. “There’s no chance.”

BEFORE

The facility only had so much hot water, so Kudou’s shower was only a matter of minutes. It wasn’t nearly long enough to feel clean after the last night’s mission. How many had he killed this time? Six? Eight? He wasn’t sure, which was almost more disturbing.

Death was a part of being a soldier. Kudou’s father had drilled that lesson into him when he was still a boy, right after Kudou had killed for the first time. In Kudou’s line of work, killing was often the difference between victory and defeat, and sometimes he had to take the lives of the guilty to save the innocent. Kudou knew it had to be done, but that didn’t make him feel any less dirty.

This time, at least, Kudou could comfort himself with the knowledge that the mission had been a success. There had been minimal casualties on the side of the Resistance, while nearly all of All For One’s supporters had been killed by the Resistance or crushed by the collapse of the building. Not only that, but one of the teams had managed to steal a cache of weapons from one of the higher floors.

There was also the matter of what Kudou had discovered, though he wasn’t sure he could call that a victory yet.

He stumbled out of the shower. His next stop was the far wing of the lowest level of his underground base. That was where he’d instructed Bruce to keep their new guest. Bruce would probably be waiting for him to come question All For One’s brother.

Kudou got halfway dressed before his legs started to give out on him. Shit. He immediately recognized the symptoms. When Kudou overused his quirk, his body had to compensate for all the energy he’d expended. Using Gearshift to blow through those guards had been more physically draining than he’d anticipated. Now that the adrenaline was finally wearing off, he was starting to feel the effects.

Still, he had to get down to the lower level. He couldn’t just—

Kudou barely made it to his bed before his body gave out on him. His head hit the mattress and he plunged into deep, dreamless sleep.

----

He woke up disoriented, body slow and mind groggy. It took a second for him to remember where he was. Why was he…? A spike of apprehension jolted through him as he remembered the previous night’s events. All For One’s brother. He’d left Bruce to watch him and then—

Kudou scrambled for the clock on his desktop. What time was it? A good few hours had passed since he’d passed out. It was better than sleeping the day away, but it wasn’t great. So much could’ve happened in that time. Hell, All For One’s brother could have broken out and killed everyone except Kudou.

He finished getting dressed and headed to the far end of the lower hallway, breathing a sigh of relief as he passed through the common area. People were milling around as usual. No one ran up to him with any news that All For One’s brother had escaped to wreak havoc. Kudou figured it was probably safe to stop by the mess hall on the way, pouring himself a thermos of herbal tea.

Kudou hadn’t really thought their new guest would massacre the Resistance. If he had, he never would have brought him in. However, realistically, Kudou knew nothing about All For One’s brother. He didn’t know if he meant harm, or had a dangerous quirk, or even what side he was on. It didn’t hurt to be cautious.

Still, some didn’t think Kudou was being as cautious as he should be. Bruce had wanted to put All For One’s brother in the high-security room they usually used to interrogate prisoners, but Kudou shot that idea down. Although Kudou had trouble extricating his fingers from the young man’s grip when he left, his guest hadn’t caused any other trouble. It felt like a step too far to throw him back into a cage when he’d been so cooperative with them thus far.

Instead, he had Bruce place their newest addition in one of the unused rooms, far from where the rest of the Resistance slept. Bruce had agreed on the condition that the room stay under heavy guard. If All For One’s brother made a move to escape, he’d be quickly subdued.

 Kudou rounded the corner, speeding up as he spotted a few of his soldiers at the far end of the hallway. Bruce was there, accompanied by Yua and a couple other guards. He stood up as Kudou approached, nodding his head respectfully, “Boss, we were getting worried about you.”

Kudou waved him off. It made him uncomfortable how formal Bruce could be with him, given that they were nearly the same age, “Didn’t mean to make you wait. I, uh…overused my quirk. Had to take a rest.”

He’d been debating whether or not to explain himself to them. Kudou didn’t want to come off sounding weak, but he figured it was even more suspicious not to explain himself at all.

Bruce’s brows furrowed in concern, “Are you—”

“I’m fine now,” Kudou reassured him quickly. “Seriously. Don’t worry about it.”

Bruce nodded, though he still looked troubled. He exchanged a glance with Yua that instantly made Kudou uncomfortable, “Good. We were worried he might have done something to you. Like, when he touched you.”

It took Kudou a second to realize what he meant. Bruce was talking about their new guest. They didn’t know if he had a quirk. If it was anything like his brother’s, skin-to-skin contact with him had the potential to be lethal.

Kudou knew he should be worried, but he wasn’t. He shook his head, “Nah, I know my quirk. This was all me.”

Bruce didn’t look completely reassured, but he nodded anyway. Kudou glanced at the door pointedly, “Any updates?”

Yua sniffed in distaste from where she was seated on the only chair outside the door, “He’s a little shit. Smells like one, too.”

“Really mature. Thanks for that,” Kudou replied drily, glancing at Bruce. “Anything else to add?”

“We’ve kept an eye on him all night. He hasn’t said a word, and he freaks out if anyone touches him,” Bruce frowned. Bruce was trying to be flat and factual, but Kudou could still hear the edge to Bruce’s voice. “Other than that, he hasn’t tried anything. Maybe because he knows he’s dead as soon as he does.”

Kudou watched Bruce carefully, noting the turmoil swirling within his second-in-command’s eyes. He still remembered Bruce’s horrified expression, back when Kudou had emerged from the vault holding All For One’s brother’s hand. Bruce was conflicted, Kudou realized. He still didn’t see the sense in Kudou’s decision, especially through the haze of his hatred for All For One.

Kudou nodded in response, mentally weighing his options. This wasn’t like their normal interrogations. Their captive wasn’t some known villain with blood on his hands. In order to find out where All For One’s brother stood, they needed to go into this with an open mind. Looking at Bruce’s cold expression, at the grim looks on the faces of his other soldiers, Kudou wasn’t sure he could count on them to do that.

Yua cracked her knuckles loud enough to force Kudou to meet her gaze. She wasn’t even trying to hide the bloodthirsty look in her dark eyes, “So, Boss, are we doing this? I’ve been waiting all night.”

As one of his upper-level soldiers, Yua should have been excused from keeping watch. Her presence probably meant she’d volunteered to take a shift, and Kudou somehow doubted it was just to help him out. His soldiers all knew Kudou and Bruce interrogated most of the prisoners they brought in. Yua, and maybe the others too, probably wanted to be around so they could see All For One’s brother suffer.

Kudou glanced away, his mind suddenly made up, “Actually, I think I’ll handle this myself. You’re all free to go.”

“Boss?” Bruce repeated, this time incredulously, at the same time as Yua’s loud, “You’ve got to be joking.” The other two guards exchanged a look Kudou liked even less.

“This is All For One’s brother,” Bruce said slowly, like Kudou hadn’t realized that fact. “You can’t expect us to leave you alone with him.”

Kudou fixed them all with a cold stare, “I expect you to follow orders. I’m your leader, aren’t I?”

They fell silent, though all but Bruce were staring at him reproachfully. Kudou didn’t pull rank often, and for him to pull it over something like this? They wouldn’t understand.

“Fine, let’s go,” Bruce waved for the others to clear out, catching eyes with Kudou as he turned to retreat down the hallway. The look in his eyes was a clear message. I hope you know what you’re doing.

Kudou hoped so, too.

----

Kudou knocked on the door before opening it, giving a few seconds of warning before he stepped inside. His eyes adjusted quick to the harsh lighting, scanning his surroundings. The room was furnished just like the rest of the rooms at the base, with a small bed in the corner, a circular table, and two chairs. This room had a bathroom attached, too, unlike some of the others. It was nothing special, but nice enough by Resistance standards. It had probably only gone unclaimed because no one wanted to live so far away from the rest of the Resistance members.

He scanned the room. The chairs were empty. The bed was still perfectly made, like it hadn’t been slept in. The bathroom door was open and the small room beyond appeared vacant, too.

A jolt of anxiety shot across Kudou’s skin, his heartbeat speeding up. Where was All For One’s brother? Could he have escaped? Bruce didn’t seem to have notice, but maybe with the right quirk, he could have snuck out. If he was loose in the facility and still loyal to his brother… Kudou didn’t want to think about what that would mean for the Resistance.

He was already reaching for Gearshift, ready to sound the alarm, when he noticed a huddled figure, barely noticeable in the far corner of the room.

Kudou could have gasped in relief. He didn’t, not willing to completely lower his guard as he cautiously skirted around the edge of the table. All For One’s brother was sitting in the far corner of the room, back hunched and knees pulled up to his chest. His dirty hair had fallen across his face, so that Kudou could barely see the green eyes that had shocked him so completely the night before.

Back in the darkness of the vault, All For One’s brother had looked almost inhuman. In the full lighting of the room, that hadn’t changed much. He hadn’t showered, his hair just as matted and filthy as before. He still wore the worn long sleeve shirt he’d been wearing in the vault, though in this light Kudou could see that his ragged pants were too small, the hem reaching up past his ankles.

The light only made it more noticeable how horribly emaciated he was, his clothes falling loosely on his too-thin frame. Kudou had seen lots of hungry people, but never any as bad as this. It looked to Kudou like All For One’s brother had been starving for a long time.

He would have looked almost completely feral, if not for the slight recognition in his eyes as he looked up at Kudou. All For One’s brother watched him, tracing Kudou’s every movement with his green eyes gleaming from behind his hair.

Kudou was suddenly unsure where to begin.

He took a cautious step forward. All For One’s brother flinched. It wasn’t a dramatic recoil, but Kudou still noticed it. Kudou stepped back again, staying at a safe distance as he slowly took a seat on the floor facing his guest.

All For One’s brother just watched, hands still wrapped protectively around his knees.

Kudou decided to start with an introduction, “My name is Kudou.” He coughed awkwardly. His voice sounded so loud in the quiet room. “I’m the leader here.” He decided to hold off on calling it a resistance until he knew where his guest stood. “And you’re…All For One’s brother, right?”

The young man made a noise. It was so strangled and unintelligible that it took Kudou a second to realize he was trying to say something. He must not have spoken for a while, for his voice to be so unused to forming words. He coughed and tried again, “Yoichi.”

“Yoichi?” Kudou repeated, a little surprised. Bruce had told him All For One’s brother hadn’t said a word so far. Kudou hadn’t expected him to speak with so little prompting. “That’s your name?”

All For One’s brother nodded. Up close, Kudou could tell he was around Kudou’s own age, give or take a couple years.

Kudou grabbed the thermos of tea he’d brought with him, offering it to Yoichi, “Here. For your throat.”

Yoichi hesitated, then slowly reached out to take the thermos from Kudou’s grip. He sniffed it before taking a sip, his eyes widening slightly, “What is it?”

Kudou blinked, “Uh, herbal tea?”

Had he seriously never tasted tea before?

Kudou waited for Yoichi to be joking, but there wasn’t a trace of humor on his face. Instead, he just nodded to Kudou, his face sincere, “It’s very good. Thank you, my…Kudou.”

Yoichi had an abnormal way of speaking. His words were ever so slightly stunted, his voice wavering slightly on some syllables. Kudou wondered how long Yoichi had been locked in that room, and when he’d last engaged in conversation. He knew these were the questions he should be asking, but something made him pause. From his slumped shoulders to the slightness of his frame, Yoichi seemed on the verge of crumbling apart. Kudou didn’t want to be the one to land the final blow.

Yoichi took another sip of tea, but he kept his eyes on Kudou. Those eyes were full of wariness as he asked, “You have questions for me?”

Kudou glanced at Yoichi, taken slightly by surprise, though he wasn’t sure why. He frowned, feeling slightly guilty, “I don’t have to ask them.”

“When you rescued me, you told the other soldiers that I could help you,” Yoichi’s voice gained a little strength, wavered a little less. “You want to know about my brother, right? That’s why you killed his guards. You want to stop him.”

Kudou nodded, choosing his words carefully, “I do. How do you feel about that?”

He watched Yoichi’s expression carefully, looking for any hint that might give away where Yoichi stood. If he was going to stand against the Resistance—if he was on his brother’s side—there was nothing Kudou could do to help him. Yoichi remained composed, not giving Kudou a clear sign either way.

“I’ll tell you about my brother and I,” Yoichi said. “Then I think you’ll know the answer.”

Before Kudou could say another word, Yoichi was telling him everything.

BEFORE KUDO

My whole life, there has only ever been my brother.

I never had a father, and my mother must have died when I was too young to remember. Or maybe she abandoned us. I’ll never know. All I know is if I try to think back to my earliest memories, my brother is the only face I can recall. He’s the only one who’s been by my side, unfailingly, from the day I was born.

My brother was always stronger. He says it’s because he took most of the nutrients from our mother, back when we were still in the womb. That makes sense, I guess. And it explains why I’ve always been so much smaller and weaker, my body always on the verge of failure.

Whatever the reason, my brother was powerful. And in the beginning, that was a good thing. I was in no shape to survive on the streets on my own. I tried to help as much as I could, but he was the one who found us food, made sure nobody messed with us. We didn’t have a roof over our heads and the clothes on our backs were scavenged from dumpsters, but because of him, we lived.

We didn’t grow up with much, but we made the most of what we had. Like, there was this comic book someone had thrown away. Captain Hero. I found it and instantly became obsessed, because it had enough pictures that I could actually read it. I wanted to be just like that hero, flying around and saving people.

My brother read it too, and he became just as much of a fan as I was. I remember how happy I was that he liked it. Back then, we were already so different. It was hard to find common ground with him, so I really latched onto that book series. It was one of the only things we shared, and maybe it was part of the reason I believed in him. How could someone who admired such a great hero be truly bad?

----

We grew older and nothing changed. I was as weak and quirkless as ever. My brother only became more powerful.

I was probably five or six when my brother discovered his first quirk. It was Spear-like Bones, the meta-ability he’d stolen from my mother in infancy. That quirk gave my brother his first taste of real power. If people opposed him—if they turned their backs on him—he could do something about it.

He started killing. Anyone that wouldn’t serve him would die, and not many were willing to bow down to a little kid dressed in rags. When I saw what he was doing, I tried to stop him, but he just kicked me out of the way like I was nothing. He wouldn’t even be angry at me. He’d just lash out and then stare at me with this blank look on his face, like he was looking at some object that hadn’t behaved in the way he expected.

I should have realized, maybe, that something was missing in him. But I couldn’t. He was my brother and the reason I was alive. He was the boy who worshipped the same heroes as me. And he’d saved me, hadn’t he? He’d protected me when I was defenseless, just like a hero would.

We kept growing. My brother kept killing, with me powerless to do anything but beg him to stop. I couldn’t get him to listen to me, but I did successfully annoy him enough that he started locking me in a vault. I spent more and more time in there, until eventually he only let me out so he could boast to me about his accomplishments. He’d tell me all about how strong he was becoming, how soon no one would be powerful enough to stop him.

I wasn’t strong enough to stand against him, but I held out hope that I could still coax him away from his dark path. Of course, then he finally realized what his actual quirk was. The power to give and take quirks was the end of my brother, and the start of All For One.

----

What do you think it takes to convince a man that he’s a god? My brother was born believing in his own greatness. His quirk was the final reassurance, but he didn’t truly become unstoppable until he discovered his dream.

Once, he left me locked away for days. It was the longest he’d ever been gone, and I’d run out of water. I started to think he’d left me to die, but he came back just like he always did. He let me out, and I noticed he looked happier than I’d seen him in a long time. He almost seemed to be glowing.

He told me about the glowing baby we both knew from TV. You’ve heard of it, right? It was one of the first to ever exhibit a quirk. At that point, it had grown up into a leader advocating for the rights of those with meta-abilities. My brother explained that he didn’t understand how that baby could have grown into a leader. Just because it was born first? It didn’t make sense.

It was then that I noticed my brother really was glowing. I got this really terrible feeling and demanded to know what he’d done. He just smiled, with that same empty look in his eyes that he always wore when I tried to fight him. He told me he’d killed that glowing leader and stolen their quirk. I was horrified by how proud of himself he was. I didn’t understand. Why would he go to such lengths to kill someone who wasn’t hurting us?

Turns out, it was because of that book we loved when we were children. I always assumed my brother worshipped Captain Hero, just like I did.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My brother was never interested in being like Captain Hero, who was forced to hide his identity and give up his happy life to fight his sworn enemy. From the start, he had related much more to the terrible villain of the series. That villain, the Demon Lord, lived out in the open while the world cowered at his feet. My brother wanted to use his quirk to live like that, with undisputed power and complete control. He wanted to become a villain.

I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to let go of the belief I’d clung to my entire life—that there was good in my brother. I wanted so desperately for the hand that had gripped my wrist when we were children to have been kind. I wanted the reason I was alive to be because my brother loved me.

But it wasn’t. It never was, and I had been so, so blind.

My brother was, from the very beginning, filled with contempt towards others. He never saw other people as humans. They were possessions, things for him to acquire. If he couldn’t own them, or if they didn’t bow down before him, they were of no use to him.

And me. I was alive because I was his very first possession. My very name—the name he’d given me—was proof of that. He hadn’t kept me alive out of kindness. He hadn’t saved me. The only reason I survived is because I belonged to him.

I exist because he allowed me to.

----

My brother discovered his quirk during a time of chaos. It was right around the dawn of quirks and society was crumbling. There were too many opportunities for people like my brother to slip through the cracks of the law, to grow strong simply because no one wanted to deal with them.

The chaos also meant too many people who were desperate for something to believe in. You remember how it was. When quirks started appearing, no one knew what was happening or how to proceed. Life couldn’t go back to normal. Everyone was afraid. If you had a quirk, you lived in fear of being hunted down for it. If you were quirkless, you were afraid that those with quirks would rise up against you and there would be nothing you could do to stop it.

When people are living with that much fear, they get desperate for someone to cling to. At the beginning, it was the glowing baby. When that leader fell, it opened up a space for my brother to fill. He started calling himself All For One, based on the villain’s words in that book I loved. He fashioned himself as a force of order in this lawless world. With his abilities, people began to flock to him. He would give and take quirks as desired from those who swore allegiance to him. From his enemies, he stole as many quirks as he could. His power and reputation grew, and still more gravitated to him.

By the time the world learned his name, it was too late. All For One was too strong and his followers were a force to be reckoned with. Even the government knew they couldn’t stand up against him and win, so they let him grow stronger still.

I was kept locked away in the vault during most of that time, but I knew he wasn’t done with me. He seemed to hold out hope that I’d bow down and worship him, that I’d become one of his followers and take a place by his side. Because I was his first possession, I stayed important to him, at least enough to keep alive.

One day, he dragged me out to watch as he transferred quirks. He liked to make a show of it because he knew how much I opposed it. He enjoyed it when I tried to stop him. It gave him the chance to throw me aside and remind me of how much stronger he was. I always fought anyway, even if it was pointless, because it was the only thing I could do.

This particular time, though, wasn’t his usual gloating. I mean, he did that too. He threw me down on the ground and laughed as he stood over me. He asked me what difference I thought I could make. I was weak, worthless, had never even tasted true power. Didn’t I know that only those with power could make change?

He looked at me with his empty eyes and told me he would give me a power that even my pathetic body could handle.

I knew, then, what he wanted to do to me.

I fought, I begged. In the end, I was just as powerless against him as I’d always been. I couldn’t stop him from laying his hands on me, from forcing a quirk onto me. It was all true. He was as unstoppable as he claimed, and I was as pathetic.

My whole life, I’d dreamed about being a hero. I wanted so badly to be like the character in my book. I wanted to save people. I knew I was weak, but I still hoped. I dreamed that maybe one day, I would be strong enough to help people.

This act—the quirk he forced on me—was just his way of making me acknowledge a truth I’d never learned to swallow. He knew my great vision. He saw what I craved. So he forced the power I’d always wanted onto me. He twisted my greatest dream into something repulsive and wrong. He made the power I’d always longed for into a reminder of my own weakness, of his strength.

The message was clear. My goals—my dreams—were just another thing that he owned. I was his to play with as he wished, until the day that he decided he didn’t want me anymore. From the day I was born to the day I died, I belonged to him.

----

The quirk he gave me was a stockpiler. It allows me to store up power to be used later, but because I’m not strong, it isn’t really useful. I think my brother knew that when he chose it. I bet he was laughing to himself when he decided to give it to me. The illusion of power probably seemed like a perfect fit.

Since this quirk was forced on me, I’ve had to wrest with my own dreams. All For One broke them into pieces when he gave me this power, but I’ve managed to put them back together. They’re not quite the same as they were, but I’m trying to be okay with that.

My goal is different now. I know I’m not a hero. I’m not strong enough to defeat my brother, but I’ll stand against him anyway. My whole life, I never won against him, but I never stopped fighting either. I won’t stop now, or ever. If it seems pointless, if life seems hopeless, I’ll fight anyway.

When I first learned my brother’s true quirk, I never imagined what it would go on to become. Instead, I thought that the power to give and take could be the solution to this world’s problems. I believed that All For One could have been the kindest, most charitable power in the world.

I still believe that. I still believe that there’s kindness to be found, and that it is powerful enough to stand against the empty way that All For One sees the world. When you reached out your hand to me, you were proof of that. So I’ll keep fighting to stop One For All, even if it’s not as the hero I always wanted to be. And I’ll stand strong, so that heroes like you don’t have to stand alone.

Yoichi explained his life in a cool, factual tone. That was probably the only reason Kudou could sit through it. He told Kudou the story of his life, from the very first memories to the reason he’d gotten locked away in that cell. His voice stayed emotionless through it all, like he was reciting lines instead of recalling past trauma. Kudou thought it was probably a coping mechanism, or maybe Yoichi was trying not to disturb him.

“So,” Yoichi finished, looking away from Kudou and down at his hands. “Now you know what I think of him.”

Kudou looked away too, feeling slightly queasy. The life Yoichi had lived was so empty. Had there been a single moment of happiness in it? Yoichi’s entire existence had revolved around All For One, and not for a single second had he ever been free.

Yoichi was watching him again, resting his head against his knees like he was waiting for Kudou to say something. Kudou just stared.

This wasn’t the information he wanted. The Resistance needed All For One’s weaknesses, the locations of his bases, the numbers of his supporters. Never before had Kudou questioned someone and gotten their life story. He didn’t know what to do with the knowledge Yoichi had given him, or how to handle the sense of pity he felt.

Had Yoichi told him all this on purpose, to make Kudou let down his guard and feel bad for him? Was it all a lie?

“Why did you tell me this?” he demanded, unable to keep the cutting edge from his voice.

Yoichi’s eyes widened at the change in Kudou’s tone, his voice wavering slightly, “I-I thought you wanted to know.”

Kudou saw fear in Yoichi’s face. He spotted worry in the depths of those emerald eyes. Nowhere did he see a trace of dishonesty.

Kudou let his tension fade away. Yoichi’s story wasn’t a lie. More likely, he really had just been trying to help. Kudou had to remind himself that Yoichi wasn’t an ordinary captive they’d abducted from All For One’s side. His life had never contained even a trace of normalcy, so he probably had no idea what Kudou and the Resistance wanted from him.

“I did,” Kudou softened his tone slightly. “Thanks for telling me.”

Yoichi brightened immediately, “Of course. You saved me. I want to help you.”

Kudou nodded, “So…do you know where any of All For One’s hidden bases are located? Or the identities of any of his connections in the medical field?”

Kudou tried not to feel guilty when Yoichi flushed in embarrassment, “Oh. That’s what you wanted to know.” He looked down again, his hair obscuring his face from Kudou’s view. “I’m sorry. I don’t.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kudou shrugged. It wasn’t typically his policy to try to cater to people’s feelings, but in this case, he had to try. He didn’t want Yoichi to feel helpless anymore. “You know All For One better than anyone, right? That’s going to be helpful to us.”

Yoichi looked back at Kudou, slightly dubious, “I’m sorry I don’t have more to tell you.”

“Don’t apologize,” Kudou waved him off. “It was a long shot to think you’d know everything. You’ve been helpful to me. Really.”

Yoichi nodded, though Kudou wasn’t sure a single affirmation would be enough to convince Yoichi of his own worth. Kudou got to his feet.

“I’ll let you rest, but just so you know, you’re not our prisoner,” Kudou glanced towards the door. “If you want to join us and fight against your brother, there’s a place for you here. Think about it, okay?”

Kudou knew the idea was a little radical. It wouldn’t be an easy sell with the rest of the Resistance, since they didn’t know anything about Yoichi other than that he was All For One’s brother. He didn’t even know whether it was something Yoichi would want. Kudou offered anyway, and not just because he wanted Yoichi’s insight. It was Yoichi’s words that had made up his mind.

Yoichi looked at him with such wide-eyed shock Kudou almost wondered if he’d accidentally suggested something truly insane, like joining forces with All For One.

It took a second for Yoichi to form words, “You…really mean that?”

“The others will need time to get used to the idea, but yeah,” Kudou rubbed the back of his neck, recalling what Yoichi had told him. “You said you’ve been fighting All For One your entire life, right? And that you’d keep fighting him? That’s all we’re looking for here.”

“I—” Yoichi’s voice was hoarse. He bit the inside of his cheek, his eye twitching slightly. Kudou wondered for a second if he was trying to hold back tears. “Of course I’ll join you.”

Kudou smiled slightly, “Okay, then. Welcome to the Resistance, Yoichi.”

----

“I know why we’re here,” Bruce crossed his arms, leveling Kudou with an intent look. “You got All For One’s brother to talk, didn’t you?”

After his meeting with Yoichi, Kudou had called his most elite soldiers in for a meeting. His three lieutenants were the ones he trusted the most, and the ones who had been with him the longest. Bruce, his second-in-command, sat in the middle, leaning forward in anticipation. Next to him was Yua, who Kudou had placed in charge of surveillance and intelligence. She sat back in her chair, fiddling with the tinted glasses she wore to protect her super-dilated eyes during the day. The final chair was occupied by Kudou’s older cousin, Atsuo, a demolitions expert who also oversaw the training of new recruits. The three of them watched him expectantly from the other side of his desk.

Kudou nodded, “Yes, he was willing to talk to me.”

“Well, spit it out,” Yua frowned at him, tilting her head to stare him down over the top of her glasses. “Did he say anything useful?”

Kudou sighed, “Not as much as I would’ve liked. He’s been kept in that cell for years, apparently. He knows the broad strokes of All For One’s plans, but none of the details.”

“So he’s useless,” Atsuo said drily. “Damn. When I heard what you and Bruce had brought back, I really thought you’d struck gold.”

Since the rest of the Resistance had gotten word of who Kudou had brought back, reactions had been mixed. Half the resistance seemed to be on Atsuo’s side. They believed Kudou and Bruce had made the right call by bringing Yoichi back, if only because Yoichi had the potential to be the best source of information they’d ever managed to snag.

The other half of the Resistance didn’t care about Yoichi’s intel. They wanted him dead. To them, bringing in Yoichi was nearly the equivalent of bringing in All For One himself. Knowing he was around meant living in fear and hatred. How could All For One’s own brother not be a danger to them all? How could the right path not be eliminating him?

“He’s not useless,” Kudou corrected. “He grew up with All For One. He knows his brother’s motivations and a decent number of his quirks. We can take advantage of his input at the planning stage.”

Bruce frowned, “You want him helping you make plans? That doesn’t seem like the best idea.”

Atsuo snorted, “What I think Bruce means to say is, ‘Why are you acting like an idiot?’” Kudou just stared at Atsuo, not letting his temper rise. Atsuo was older, so he sometimes had trouble respecting Kudou’s authority. This time, Kudou refused to let Atsuo get under his skin. “Do you really think he’s just going to help you bring down his own brother?”

“I do,” Kudou answered. “He’s been cooperative so far. And—” He took half a second to brace himself. “He’s going to join the Resistance.”

For a second, the room was silent. All three of the other Resistance members just stared at Kudou. It was almost like they were trying to convince themselves that Kudou’s last sentence had never been uttered aloud. Bruce was the first to find words, his eyes still wide with bewilderment,

“Boss,” Kudou had never seen his second-in-command at such a loss. “What the hell?”

“I knew it,” Yua laughed, her mirth at complete odds with the savage look on her face. “You’ve finally gone insane.”

“What do you mean by ‘finally,’ Owl-Eyes?” Atsuo raised his eyebrows at Yua. “He’s always been crazy. Now he’s proving it.”

Kudou knew his plan to integrate Yoichi into the Resistance would be a tough sell, but he hadn’t anticipated just how horrified even his most trusted lieutenants would be by the proposition. He gritted his teeth, preparing himself to weather their incredulity.

“Tell us you’re joking,” Yua demanded, leaning forward in her chair. “I don’t find this very funny, but I’ll cut you some slack since you’re new to the whole ‘humor’ thing.”

“Seriously, Boss,” Bruce still looked confused and maybe a little betrayed. “You can’t expect us to be okay with this. He’s All For One’s brother. You want us to just let him wander around the base?”

“Of course he does,” Atsuo grinned. “He can’t help it. He’s under some sort of quirk influence. It’s the only explanation.” Atsuo smirked knowingly at Kudou. “I didn’t believe anyone could get the upper hand on my little cousin, but it looks like that grimy little bastard managed it.”

Kudou straightened, meeting Atsuo’s eyes, then Yua’s, and finally Bruce’s. They all met his gaze, but none of them could hold it,

“For the last time, I’m not doing this because of some mind quirk,” he snapped, unable to hold in his irritation. “He has a weak stockpiler meta ability. That’s it.”

“He told you that?” Yua raised an eyebrow. “And you just believe him?”

“I do,” Kudou said simply. “But I understand that you’ll need more than that. I’ll ask him to take a blood test. Then we’ll be able to tell for sure.”

One of the doctors Kudou had recruited to join the Resistance had recently managed to organize the acquisition of a device that determined quirks from blood samples. It was a complex scientific instrument and Kudou didn’t fully understand how it worked, but the important thing was that it did. It had already come in handy in testing new recruits.

“Even if he isn’t using a quirk on you, that doesn’t change the facts,” Bruce protested. “All For One is his blood. You think he’s just going to join us? That’ll never happen. He knows we’re trying to kill his brother.”

“He told me he wants to fight his brother, and I believe him,” Kudou said simply. He knew he wasn’t going to change their minds with a single conversation, but he needed them to accept that they weren’t going to change his, either. He frowned, letting his voice harden,

“I’m not telling you this so that we can argue,” Kudou told them. “I’ve already made up my mind. I’m telling you as a courtesy, because I want my most trusted lieutenants to know before anyone else.”

“Boss—” Bruce started to object, but Kudou raised a hand to signal that he wasn’t finished.

“I know we don’t agree on this, but you were the ones who put your trust in me when you chose me as leader,” Kudou watched them carefully. “As your leader, I’m asking you to continue to trust my judgement.” He hesitated, his voice intense. “I’m asking that you continue to believe that our shared goal is my priority.”

The room was silent for a second longer. Bruce looked down at his hands, not meeting Kudou’s eyes. Finally, Yua sighed dramatically,

“Alright, fine, Boss. No need to get so heavy.”

“Seriously,” Atsuo rolled his eyes. “You just had to pull out the melodramatic speech, didn’t you?” He met Kudou’s eye and gave him a nod. “I might not agree with you, but you’ve led us right so far. I’ve got no reason to think you’re wrong this time.”

Kudou nodded back appreciatively, then turned to Bruce. His second-in-command was still looking down at his lap, not meeting Kudou’s eye.

“Bruce?” Kudou prompted.

Bruce was silent a moment longer. Kudou tried to shove down his unease. He and Bruce had been a team from nearly the moment the Resistance had been founded. Kudou might have been leader, but Bruce was just as important. If he decided to stand against Kudou now, it would rip a divide down the center of the Resistance.

Bruce finally looked up, “This feels wrong to me. Whatever bigger picture you have in mind, I just can’t see it.

He sighed, shaking his head in bemusement, “But fortunately for you, I trust your judgement more than my own. I’ll stand by All For One’s brother, if only because it means standing by you.”

Kudou met Bruce’s eyes, trying to hide his relief, “Thank you, Bruce.”

Bruce just nodded, his expression still conflicted. The two of them so rarely disagreed. If there was anyone Kudou could count on to see the logic in his decisions, it was Bruce. This time, though, his decision wasn’t completely logical. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t explain himself in way that would make sense to Bruce.

Bruce pushed back his sweatband, searching Kudou’s gaze. He knew that Kudou was holding back something, keeping his reasons to himself in a way that wasn’t normal for him.

“Don’t thank me,” Bruce narrowed his eyes. “The second that little white-haired bastard even looks like he might be up to something, no amount of respect for you will stop me from killing him.”

Kudou knew Bruce meant every word. And he couldn’t blame him for it.

Chapter Text

AFTER

The afternoon sun streamed through the window of Kudou’s new office. It was warm against the back of his neck, casting Kudou’s long shadow across the scattered papers on his desk. The sunlight felt nice after so long underground, and before Kudou knew it, his eyes were growing heavy. He hadn’t slept well in days, still plagued by dreams of a broken vault and a hand reaching towards him, always just out of reach.

A loud knock startled Kudou, pulling him back from the edge of sleep. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, “Come in.”

“Sir,” One of his soldiers, Utsushimi, pushed into the office. He stopped in front of Kudou’s desk, eyes downturned respectfully. “The last search team just returned from the old base.”

Kudou glanced up, hoping it wasn’t evident just how close he’d been to dozing off. He recognized this soldier. Utsushimi was one of only a few in the Resistance who had a useful quirk. He was only a year or two younger than Kudou, but his wide eyes and round face gave him a look of youthful innocence that Kudou had lost long ago.

“Anything to report?” Kudou asked, shuffling the papers on his desk into a neater pile.

Utsushimi shook his head, looking slightly worried, “Nothing, sir. We confirmed the location of the cache of explosives that the last group spotted, but other than that…”

“No new survivors, I take it?” Kudou clarified, keeping his face expressionless.

“No sir,” Utsushimi shifted his weight awkwardly, bobbing up and down on his heels as he waited for Kudou’s reaction. Kudou didn’t flinch, but beneath the desk, he let his hands clench into fists. His fingernails dug deep into the skin of his palms, but Kudou barely felt it.

“And…” Kudou hesitated, careful to keep his voice slow and level. “The sewers?”

“We checked, sir,” Utsushimi still didn’t meet his eye. Kudou watched a bead of sweat form on the younger soldier’s forehead. “There was…nothing left to find.”

“Very well,” Kudou dug his fingers in deeper, until he finally felt the sting of pain as his nails cut through flesh. He embraced the feeling, not letting it show on his face as he nodded to Utsushimi, “Good work. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir,” Utsushimi hurried out of his office, the door slamming shut behind him.

Kudou sighed as he left, taking a long sip of water to calm his stomach. This was the third sweep of the old base. He’d known better than to get his hopes up that they’d find anything, especially after Kudou had searched every inch of the base himself. Still, another search turning up empty hurt him more than he thought it would. The people who had fallen during All For One’s attack deserved to be laid to rest. Many had been recovered and cremated since the attack, but the ones Kudou cared about most eluded him.

He popped a tablet of nausea medication, following the medicine with a stick of gum to get rid of the taste in his mouth. He laid his head in his hands, waiting for the room around him to stop moving.

A second knock forced him upright. Kudou groaned, pushing his hair back from the cold sweat collecting on his brow, “Yes?”

The door opened and Atsuo stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He took a seat in the chair on the other side of Kudou’s desk, eyeing Kudou with a flat expression, “You’ve looked better, little cousin.”

Kudou managed a wry smile, “Thanks. I’m aware.”

Atsuo leaned forward, “I take it the search came up empty?”

His tone was nonchalant, but Kudou didn’t miss the way Atsuo’s fingers clenched the desk in front of him. Kudou wondered if his cousin had been waiting outside Kudou’s office, ready to pounce as soon as Utsushimi finished making his report.

Kudou hated that he had nothing to share, “Yeah. They didn’t find anything new.” He paused. “I’m sorry.”

Atsuo tensed. Anger flashed across his face, but it quickly faded, “It’s fine. I figured if the last two searches didn’t pick up on anything…”

He trailed off, eyes glued to the desk in front of him. Kudou waited for him to speak again, fixing his gaze on a scrape mark in the wood. If he focused, the room didn’t move around quite as nauseatingly.

“I heard you’re planning something big,” Atsuo finally said.

Kudou glanced up in surprise. The rumors were spreading already, and Kudou hadn’t gotten a chance to brief even his lieutenants. He needed to be more careful with his plans.

He shrugged elusively, “I might be working on something.”

Atsuo’s face darkened. The change was almost imperceptible, but Kudou knew his cousin enough to read the lines on his face for what they were, “Maybe you should stop.”

Kudou tried to hide his confusion. Stop? Kudou was leader of the Resistance. He couldn’t stop fighting. He smirked, hoping it was a joke, “Yeah, okay. I’ll just throw my plans in the trash. Good call.”

“You should,” Atsuo insisted, not cracking a smile. “What do you think you can do, anyway? You’re outmatched. You’ve always been.”

Kudou tried not to flinch. Atsuo was right, of course. The Resistance had always been at a massive disadvantage in their fight against All For One. With the meager number of soldiers and resources Kudou had access to, defeating the Demon Lord had always been a reach. Even so, hearing one of his lieutenants—his own cousin—ask him to give up was like a punch in the already-unsettled stomach.

“Come on, you can’t mean that,” Kudou tried to be calming, both for Atsuo’s sake and his own. “You joined for a reason, didn’t you?”

“I joined because All For One murdered my little cousin’s family,” Atsuo said bluntly. “But being a part of this Resistance has just meant watching more people I care about die. I wouldn’t call it a particularly rewarding experience.”

Atsuo’s hands were white knuckled where he gripped the desk. The bitter taste returned to Kudou’s mouth and he clenched his own hands into fists to distract himself from it. Fighting meant death. It was an inevitable part of their battle. Kudou’s father had drilled that lesson so deep into him that he’d truly believed he’d accepted it. Yet, as it turned out, Kudou didn’t know anything at all.

“You’re right,” he finally said. “We’ve lost too much, especially recently. But everyone we lost died for a cause. If we stop fighting for that cause, their lives lose their meaning. Losing them is even more of a reason to keep fighting.”

Atsuo’s head fell, his salmon-colored hair cascading in front of his eyes. He had Kudou’s hair, though it wasn’t nearly as spiky, “I don’t know if I can see it that way anymore. I don’t know if I believe there’s a point to all this.”

Kudou dug his nails deep. He’d already punctured his skin, so his nails now sunk into the flesh of his palms, “What are you saying?”

 Atsuo looked momentarily surprised by the edge to his tone, but he met Kudou’s eyes anyway, “I think you should stop fighting. Stop sending soldiers to their deaths. Stop risking your life.” He swallowed, as if he were steeling himself. “Step down as leader of the Resistance.”

Kudou gritted his teeth, unable to keep himself from grimacing.

“You’ve lost that much faith in me?” Kudou asked, trying to keep his voice expressionless.

“It’s not like I wanted to,” Atsuo pushed his hair back, revealing the pained expression on his face. “There’s just this thought I can’t get out of my head.” He chewed on his words before spitting them out, “If you hadn’t reached your hand out in that vault, maybe things wouldn’t have gone to shit. Maybe we wouldn’t have had to lose so much.”

Kudou flinched. He couldn’t help it. Atsuo was pointing back at a single decision, which he seemed to believe had led the Resistance down the cruel, bloodstained path they now walked. A decision Kudou had made.

Was stepping down really a possibility? Kudou hadn’t been able to save even half of the people he wanted to. Would someone else be more suited to the task? If he gave up his position, he could flee somewhere far away. He could live on a house by the beach, unburdened by the heavy task of marching his soldiers to their deaths.

No. He couldn’t shove the burden of leadership onto Bruce, and even if there was someone to replace Kudou as leader, he couldn’t turn his back on the fight. It was his burden and his dream. He could find no peace by running. Fighting was the only way he could hope to make sense of everything he’d lost.

He straightened his back, meeting Atsuo’s eye, “I can’t do that.”

Atsuo nodded in disappointment. He didn’t look surprised. Kudou was sure Atsuo knew him well enough to know how he’d answer.

“Then I can’t be here,” Atsuo replied simply. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep making you projectiles or anything else you need. I just can’t keep watching you make decisions that cause yourself and others to suffer.”

Kudou watched him with empty eyes. He felt cold inside, like a part of him had been ripped away. His own cousin couldn’t stand to fight by his side. Everything was falling apart. Kudou was so tired.

“Where will you go?” Kudou asked when he could be sure his words wouldn’t reflect his inner turmoil.

“Send me to another safehouse,” Atsuo suggested. “I can oversee things there. That way, you don’t have to tell people I’m keeping my distance.”

Kudou nodded. Atsuo was thinking about his image. If one of Kudou’s lieutenants left the Resistance, it would shatter the confidence his soldiers still had in him. At least Atsuo didn’t want to take the Resistance out with him when he left. Kudou was grateful for that, if nothing else.

“Done,” Kudou sighed, making a note on a spare piece of paper. “I’ll restation you tomorrow.”

Atsuo nodded in satisfaction. Kudou watched as he climbed to his feet. His eyes were sorrowful as he cast a last look back at Kudou, “If you insist on dying, little cousin, at least make sure it means something.”

Kudou forced a weary smile, even though he wasn’t sure what Atsuo meant, “I’ll do my best.”

BEFORE

Yoichi was waiting for Kudou, sitting at the table with the notebook Kudou had given him a few days prior. He smiled brightly at Kudou from his seat, “Welcome back. I had some more thoughts on your plan.”

A week had passed since Kudou had invited Yoichi to join the Resistance. During that time, Kudou had taken to visiting Yoichi every day. They talked about All For One—his quirks, his followers, his weaknesses. Kudou figured Yoichi knew his brother’s patterns better than anyone.

Kudou usually preferred to shoulder the responsibility of planning his missions on his own, but with his latest mission, he was a little too in the dark. He needed Yoichi’s insight into his brother’s behavior to make sure his plans had the highest chance of success.

Recently, some of his soldiers had gotten word of a biotech company where a force of All For One’s strongest supporters were gathered. If they were gathering together, it meant they were up to something. Kudou wanted to exterminate them before they could launch any sort of attack on the city, but he didn’t know much about the company or how powerful All For One’s supporters would be. That was where Yoichi came in.

He met with Yoichi, sometimes for hours, to plan for the mission. Yoichi was always eager to help and offered good feedback even if he couldn’t predict All For One’s every move.

“Good. I’ll look them over later,” Kudou nodded approvingly, setting a cup of tea on the table in front of Yoichi. He’d taken to bringing Yoichi different kinds since he’d learned Yoichi had never tried tea before. “For now, I thought we could do something different.”

Yoichi frowned, looking a little worried, “Nothing’s happened, has it?”

“Huh? No,” Kudou shook his head, slightly amused. He held out a folded piece of paper with Meta Ability Test Results typed across it in bold lettering. “Since your test results are back, I thought you might want to get out of this room.”

Yoichi had agreed immediately when Kudou had asked him to take the quirk test, no questions asked. But they’d both decided that until the results came back, it would be best for Yoichi to lay low. Kudou didn’t like the idea of keeping Yoichi in another glorified cell, but he couldn’t protect Yoichi outside of his room. Until the rest of the Resistance could be sure that Yoichi wasn’t just another All For One, they couldn’t be trusted in his presence.

Luckily, Yoichi’s test had come back supporting what he’d already told Kudou. His quirk was a stockpiler that was so weak that it barely even showed up on the machine. Kudou doubted the test would assuage all of the Resistance members’ fears, but it did show that Yoichi had no capacity to overwhelm them with a lethal quirk.

Kudou watched Yoichi’s eyes widen, “Really?”

“If you’re going to join us, you should get to know the facility,” Kudou shrugged, quietly enjoying the slight smile that had stolen across Yoichi’s face. He lowered his voice. “It’ll be good for the others to see you, too. The longer you stay holed up here like a prisoner, the harder it’ll be to convince them you’re on our side.”

Yoichi hesitated, “Are you sure they’re ready? Bruce told me—”

He trailed off. Kudou had pushed Bruce to take a few shifts guarding Yoichi’s room over the last week. Bruce was one of the few Kudou could be certain wouldn’t try anything with Yoichi, but he still wasn’t happy with Kudou’s decision. Kudou frowned, “What did he say?”

“Nothing,” Yoichi’s voice wavered. “Just that people aren’t happy you haven’t killed me yet.”

Kudou didn’t like the way Yoichi used ‘yet.’ He hoped Yoichi didn’t think he was still considering getting rid of him.

“They’re afraid,” Kudou acknowledged. “I think they can overcome it, but if you’d feel more comfortable staying here—”

“No,” Yoichi exclaimed, not letting Kudou finish his sentence. He got to his feet, closing his notebook. “I want to go with you.”

“Alright then,” Kudou felt his lips twist up into the beginnings of a smile. “Let’s go.”

The Resistance base was divided into three levels. The bottom two were belowground and much larger than the top level. The floor Yoichi’s room was on was mostly housing. Yoichi’s wing of the hallway was largely unpopulated, but the rest of the floor housed resistance members in single or double bedrooms. There were a few storage rooms on the bottom floor too, but nothing very interesting.

The second floor was the center of life within the Resistance. It housed the gym and dining quarters, as well as the med bay and some of the larger meeting rooms. Kudou’s office, where he planned the Resistance’s next moves, was on that floor. It also had a common area, furnished with books and a television, where many of the Resistance members liked to socialize when they were off work.

Since it was the middle of the day and most of the Resistance was busy at work or training, Kudou and Yoichi hardly saw anyone on the bottom floor. When they reached the top of the stairs to the second level, though, there was no way to escape being noticed. The stairs led right up through the common area, where at least a dozen Resistance soldiers were gathered.

One soldier looked up as they approached, nodding respectfully to Kudou before he noticed Yoichi. His eyes darkened and Kudou watched him nudge his companions, pointing out the newcomer. A second later, everyone in the room was watching Yoichi.

Every pair of eyes on Yoichi was filled with hostility.

Kudou tried not to tense up at their stares. There was so much anger in these men. Kudou was sure that if he wasn’t there, his soldiers wouldn’t hesitate to kill Yoichi. Even with Kudou’s presence, he could almost feel the soldiers weighing their options. There were twelve of them. That might be enough to overpower Kudou and kill Yoichi.

Kudou took the smallest step forward, placing himself ever so slightly in front of Yoichi. He dug his hand into his pocket, feeling the reassuring weight of the projectiles he always kept on his person. He didn’t want to hurt his own soldiers, but if they came at him, he’d defend himself. At least if it came down to fighting, he could send a message to the rest of the Resistance. Yoichi was a member now, and the Resistance didn’t attack their own.

“Leader,” the first soldier to spot them spoke up, eyeing Kudou. “You’ve brought a piece of filth with you. Do you need help disposing of it?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Kudou narrowed his eyes, playing dumb. He wanted to reprimand the soldiers for insulting Yoichi, but he figured it was smartest not to incite them any further.

“I mean him,” the soldier jutted his chin out at Yoichi, like he hated even having to acknowledge Yoichi’s existence. “We all know what he is. There’s no mistaking it.”

Kudou used his peripheral vision to glance at Yoichi. To Kudou, Yoichi’s resemblance to All For One was becoming barely noticeable. All For One was a giant of a man, while Yoichi was frail and shorter than Kudou by several inches. Yoichi’s face, too, didn’t look much like his brother’s. It was all sharp angles, yet somehow softer than All For One could ever be. The only traces of Yoichi’s infamous brother were in his moon-white hair, the stubborn set of his mouth, and the rough shape of his eyes.

At first glimpse, Yoichi looked unbothered as he looked back at the soldier, but Kudou knew better. He saw the way Yoichi’s eyes were distant, fixed stubbornly on a point somewhere past the soldier’s head. He noticed Yoichi’s hands, clenched so tightly into fists that the blood had drained from them.

“You want to elaborate?” Kudou growled, making sure the message his eyes were sending was, No. You don’t. His grip tightened on the projectile clenched in his fist. The power of his quirk surged towards his hands.

The soldier opened his mouth, his eyes still seeping with animosity. He wasn’t going to back down. Kudou could tell from the look on his face.

 Before the soldier could speak, another voice echoed across the room, “Cousin, there you are!

Atsuo limped over to Kudou from the other side of the room, accompanied by Bruce and some of the newer recruits, “We’ve been looking for you. You’re needed in the gym.”

He practically shoved Yoichi down to the hallway, leaving Kudou to hurry after them. Bruce trailed in their wake after leaving the new recruits in the common area.

“Want to tell me why you thought parading him around was a good idea?” Atsuo hissed as soon as they were out of earshot. “You’re rubbing his existence in their faces. Did you think they weren’t going to react?”

“If they did, I would deal with them,” Kudou shrugged. “I’m going to make them accept this. I’ll resort to force if I need to.”

“You would hurt your own allies for him?” Bruce sounded horrified. He shot Yoichi a disgusted look. “These people have been on your side a lot longer than a week. And they’re not All For One’s own blood.”

“You need a new argument. That one’s getting worn out,” Kudou rolled his eyes. He knew it wasn’t the most mature response, but he was tired of hearing the complaints.

Bruce stared at him for a long second. When he spoke, his tone was flat, “We need to talk. Privately.”

 He turned and stormed down the hallway, ducking into an empty room without waiting to see if Kudou was following.

“And now he’s storming off,” Kudou muttered scornfully, glad he wasn’t the only one being immature. Atsuo just stared at Kudou thoughtfully. Yoichi stared at the ground.

“You’d better talk to him,” Atsuo said. “You owe him an explanation. He doesn’t get why you’re doing this, and he’s got too much respect for you to disagree to your face.”

Kudou stiffened, “I don’t owe him anything.”

Atsuo shot him a knowing look before turning to Yoichi abruptly, “Hey, All For One’s brother. Want to see the gym? You’ll need to join me for training eventually anyway if you’re going to join the Resistance.”

“His name’s Yoichi,” Kudou reminded Atsuo grumpily. “And he’s busy. He and I are—”

“It’s fine, Kudou,” Yoichi met his eye. “Go talk to him. I’ll wait for you with Atsuo.”

Kudo chewed on the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to leave Yoichi unprotected. Atsuo was a good shot, but a leg injury in an attack a few years back had left him with a permanent limp. He wouldn’t be able to defend Yoichi if the soldiers from the mess hall decided to circle back around.

 “Relax, cousin. I won’t let anything happen to your little friend,” Atsuo patted his back reassuringly. “Besides, we’re literally a door down from you. If anything happens, I’ll just shout.”

Atsuo clearly wasn’t going to let the subject go, so Kudou didn’t have much choice but to follow Bruce into the empty meeting room.

Bruce was leaning against the conference table as Kudou stepped inside, arms crossed with a grim expression painted across his face.

“Boss,” Bruce greeted him unsmilingly.

Kudou didn’t bother asking why Bruce wanted to talk. The subject of the conversation was obvious to them both. He just waited, knowing Bruce would break the silence.

“You’re making a mistake,” Bruce burst out after only a few seconds. “I don’t get what you’re playing at by keeping him here and pretending he’s one of us. It’s too much of a risk.”

“Bruce, we’ve discussed this—” Kudou started, unable to keep the strain from his voice. He felt his fingers clench into a fist beneath the table, where Bruce couldn’t see.

“Have we?” Bruce interrupted. “From my angle, seems like you’ve shut down anyone who’s asked about it.”

“And why do you think that is?” Kudou snapped, unable to hold back his irritation. “As soon as anyone sees his face, they stop listening to reason.”

Bruce laughed cuttingly, “That’s hypocritical.”

Kudou ignored him, “You decided from the start to hate him for something he can’t change. You won’t even try to hear him out—”

“Because there isn’t a point,” Bruce exploded, his voice rising. He was staring at Kudou like he was looking into the face of a particularly idiotic stranger. “You think I enjoyed killing all those guards back at the compound? Don’t you think I would’ve rather tried to save them, or at least given them a chance to surrender peacefully?

Bruce’s expression was fierce. Kudou could guess where Bruce was going with this, but he couldn’t find the words to stop him.

“But that was never an option, because we’re at war, Kudou,” Bruce spat. “Keeping those soldiers alive might have meant the failure of our mission and the death of our soldiers. We couldn’t afford the risk, and you knew that. It’s why you killed even more than me. It’s why you finished off the injured even when they couldn’t lift a finger to defend themselves.”

“Bruce—” Kudou started, but Bruce wasn’t finished.

“You’ve never had an issue making those decisions before. You’ve always done what’s necessary, shouldered the burden of hard choices for the sake of our cause. It’s why you make a good leader,” Bruce’s eyes were hard, but Kudou caught a glimpse of something more vulnerable at their center. It looked hurt and betrayed.

“So why?” Bruce asked. “Why is it that this time, you can’t make yourself put our mission first?”

Kudou let out a breath through clenched teeth. It was the question he’d been asking himself since the night at the vault, but Kudou still couldn’t think of an answer that would satisfy his second-in-command.

“This isn’t like with the guards,” Kudou met Bruce’s eye, trying his best to explain. “Not everyone can be saved. I know that better than anyone. But if someone is asking for help, shouldn’t we at least try?”

“Not once you saw who he was,” Bruce answered simply. “The second we realized his identity was the second the risk became too high. You should have killed him then.”

I couldn’t, Kudou wanted to say. Bruce hadn’t seen what Kudou had seen in Yoichi’s eyes. If he had, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. Kudou had known, the second he’d looked into those eyes, that Yoichi was no threat to them.

He didn’t think Bruce would be particularly receptive to that argument, so he stayed silent.

“The Resistance wants him dead,” Bruce said, his tone flat. “He won’t have a future here.”

“He will,” Kudou replied evenly. “You’re going to see that I’m right about him.”

“That doesn’t matter. Whether you’re right or wrong isn’t the point,” Bruce sounded slightly exasperated, but mostly exhausted. “I know you. I know how you think. And I know that back at the compound, you weren’t thinking about our mission.

He stared at Kudou, challenging him to disagree. Kudou had nothing to say.

Bruce looked drained, all of his wrath falling away to reveal the hurt and confusion beneath. He got to his feet, fixing Kudou with a weary look. His voice wasn’t accusatory as he spoke. Instead, he just sounded bone tired,

“I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but you’re our leader. We placed our faith in you. For our sake, you need to figure out where you stand.”

----

Kudou’s mind was frazzled by the time he rejoined Yoichi and Atsuo in the gym. He couldn’t stop thinking about Bruce’s words, You weren’t thinking about our mission. He couldn’t stop thinking that maybe Bruce was right.

“Kudou!” Yoichi’s eyes brightened as he spotted him. He waved Kudou over, slightly out of breath. “Atsuo’s teaching me how to throw a punch, but I don’t think it’s going so well…” he trailed off at the look on Kudou’s face. “What happened?”

Kudou forced a smile, “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Yoichi didn’t look any less troubled as Atsuo limped over, studying Kudou’s expression.

“I take it you didn’t kiss and make up?” Atsuo questioned, raising his eyebrows.

Kudou shook his head, “He still doesn’t get it.”

Atsuo nodded, his tone softening, “You know he’s got good reasons for hating All For One. You did the right thing by trying to talk to him. Now you just have to give him some time.”

“Sure. Whatever,” Kudou waved off his advice. Atsuo didn’t realize what Kudou now knew. Bruce’s resentment might have been directed at Yoichi, but the person he was really angry with was Kudou.

Kudou glanced at Yoichi, searching for a distraction from Bruce’s words, “Want to see my office next?”

Yoichi hesitated, “Maybe we should just go back.”

Yoichi’s voice sounded too even, like he was trying too hard to stay calm. He didn’t meet Kudou’s eye, his hair falling across his face as he looked down at his feet.

He was upset, Kudou realized. It must have been hard on him, dealing with so much hateful bullshit from Kudou’s soldiers.

“It’s the last thing on this floor, and there won’t be anyone around,” Kudou told him, hoping to sound reassuring. “We can go back after, okay? We’ll skip the med bay, since it’s pretty boring.”

“Okay,” Yoichi said after a moment, but his voice sounded distant.

“Alright,” Atsuo was looking between Kudou and Yoichi with a strange expression. Kudou figured it was because his cousin wasn’t used to seeing Kudou be considerate. “The new recruits will be coming back from lunch soon. You be careful, okay? I’d really prefer to go about my day without hearing that you’ve shot down a room full of Resistance members.”

“That depends on them,” Kudou grumbled irritably. At the look Atsuo shot him, he relented. “Fine. I’ll try to avoid it.”

Atsuo nodded approvingly before he left them, dragging his injured foot back down the hallway towards the common room. Kudou and Yoichi followed him out, turning the opposite way down the hall to get to Kudou’s office. Kudou hoped Yoichi would be excited by the new blueprints he’d managed to secure of the villains’ gathering spot, but Yoichi just nodded distractedly, answering Kudou’s questions with one-word replies.

Kudou knew Yoichi was bothered by what had happened in the common area, but reassurance wasn’t Kudou’s strong suite. He thought about it as they made their way back down to Yoichi’s room, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that would make Yoichi feel better.

Still, as Yoichi made his way into his room, Kudou knew he couldn’t just leave without saying anything. He stopped in the doorway,

“I should have warned you,” Kudou spoke to the back of Yoichi’s head. “I’m sorry.”

Yoichi stopped, turning around to stare at Kudou. There was a strange expression on his face, “You’re…apologizing to me?”

Kudou had made it worse. He could tell.

He cursed himself for not being more considerate. Of course a simple apology wouldn’t be enough to make up for the way those men had treated Yoichi. Kudou should have been more sympathetic.

“I’m the one making your life difficult,” Yoichi said, his green eyes sorrowful as they peered out from behind his hair. “I should have realized earlier how hard it is to keep me here. I don’t want to be a burden on you when you’ve already done so much for me.”

Kudou blinked, wresting with a jumble of emotions. He was relieved he hadn’t said anything to upset Yoichi, but not as much as he was troubled by the mournful expression in Yoichi’s eyes.

Kudou stepped inside, letting the door fall shut behind him,

“Yoichi, you’re not a burden,” Kudou corrected, keeping his voice firm. “And this is bigger than just you. If a person wants to fight for what they believe in, they should be able to, regardless of their background. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course I do, but—”

“Then don’t worry about me,” Kudou smiled, trying to ease Yoichi’s apprehension. “I figure that the Resistance chose me as leader because they like that what I stand for. They might not understand now, but they will eventually.”

Yoichi looked like he might protest even further, but Kudou shot him a look that told him not to bother. Kudou didn’t often change his mind once he’d made it up. Yoichi hadn’t known him long enough to realize it, but Kudou was prepared to argue as long as it took to prove it to him.

Luckily, Yoichi seemed less inclined to fight. The worry didn’t fade from his eyes, but the tension he carried in his shoulders seemed to ease slightly, “You’re very heroic, you know?”

Kudou frowned, wondering if Yoichi was making fun of him. He didn’t know Yoichi well enough to tell if he’d make that kind of joke. Kudou couldn’t pick out anything humorous in Yoichi’s expression. Instead, Yoichi looked so sincere that Kudou felt slightly flustered.

He didn’t know what to say in response, so he just waved Yoichi’s words off, “You should relax. I’ve got to go find Bruce, but let me grab your notebook. I’ll look over your ideas later and get back to you.”

Yoichi nodded, grabbing his notebook from where he’d left it on the table. He hesitated before handing it to Kudou, “Can I ask you one more thing?”

Kudou nodded. He was in no great hurry.

“Why did you rescue me?”

Kudou paused, arm still halfway extended to take the notebook from Yoichi. Yoichi was still holding out the notebook, but he was also watching Kudou intently, his green eyes tracking Kudou’s every expression.

“I’ve wanted to ask from the beginning, but I guess I was scared,” Yoichi glanced away then back, like he didn’t want to miss anything Kudou’s eyes might say. His words came out faster, like he’d been storing them up and they were only just beginning to overflow. “Earlier, though, I was thinking. You said you would defend me because I wanted to stand up against All For One, but when you first saw me, you couldn’t have known I would be on your side. You had every reason to see me as your enemy. So…why do it?”

Kudou let out his breath, his hands closing on the notebook. He took it from Yoichi’s grasp, his fingers brushing against the same hand that had held his own so desperately. He had asked himself that same question countless times and still hadn’t managed to land on an answer that made sense. To reach out a hand to the brother of his sworn enemy—it wasn’t logical. His father would be rolling over in his grave, if he hadn’t clawed his way out already to come slap sense into Kudou.

“When I saw your face,” Kudou said finally, glancing down at Yoichi’s hands. He bit down on his tongue, hoping it would help him spit out words that made sense. “There was a look in your eyes.” Kudou met Yoichi’s gaze. “You looked like you wanted to be saved.”

Kudou braced himself for Yoichi to deny it, to act indignant or maybe even laugh at Kudou’s presumption. Instead, Yoichi’s lips turned up at the corners. It was only a ghost of a smile, but after everything, Kudou was surprised he could even manage that.

“I never expected anyone to reach out to me like you did,” Yoichi finally said. His gaze was solemn, his voice ringing with an air of intensity that simultaneously drew Kudou’s attention and made him want to look away. “You and Bruce. You’re my heroes.”

If anyone else had said those words, Kudou would have laughed. He was a soldier, not a hero. If he saved someone, it was only as a step on a path towards victory. He would never be the fearless, selfless hero on front pages of the comic book Yoichi had once adored. Kudou’s hands were far too bloody for that.

 And yet, Yoichi’s words were nothing but sincere. His eyes when he looked at Kudou were full of admiration. In the face of that look, Kudou didn’t know what to say or how to feel.

Kudou wasn’t the hero Yoichi believed him to be, but for the first time, he wished that he could be.

Chapter Text

BEFORE

Almost a month after Yoichi joined the Resistance, Kudou mounted a second offensive against All For One’s forces.

The target was a biotech company that crossed Kudou’s radar after he received a report that All For One’s supporters were frequenting its headquarters. The company conducted research on metahuman genetics, specifically what caused quirks to manifest, which meant it had a lot to gain from siding with All For One. Kudou had been suspicious and decided to look into it further, sending one of his spies to scout out the company.

The spy had reported back with the rough details of a back-alley deal between the company and All For One. In exchange for DNA and metahuman test subjects, the biotech company was allowing All For One full access to their records. That meant All For One had a list of quirks to steal at his leisure—a list that grew with every new DNA sample that the company obtained. Worst of all, many of the people on that list—especially those with powerful quirks—were currently listed as missing by the police department. After more digging and surveillance, Kudou’s suspicion was that the targets were being lured into the company and subdued by a select force of All For One’s supporters until All For One himself could come and steal their quirks.

The risks were high in attacking an established biotech company, but Kudou couldn’t afford to let the deal continue. Without interference, All For One would continue to steal quirks until he was impossible to stop, and more people would go missing. That wasn’t an outcome Kudou could tolerate, so he’d spent the last month planning an attack on the biotech company, charting out every detail of the building and working with Yoichi and his spies to identify the quirks of All For One’s team of supporters.

A month later, finally, he was ready to go on the offensive.

“You sure I can’t go with you?” Bruce asked as he parked his car in the company parking lot. They’d both changed out of their uniforms and into everyday clothes. Kudou wore a jacket with the hood up to hide his face. Bruce’s features were hidden by a baseball cap and thick sunglasses.

Kudou shook his head, “It’ll be suspicious if it’s two of us.”

Bruce still looked uneasy, “I don’t like this, Boss. You’re acting like glorified bait. If our intel is wrong and this ends up being a trap—”

Kudou frowned at Bruce, his tone harsh, “Would you drop it? Our intel is good.”

Yoichi was the one who had provided most of their intel on All For One’s supporters. He was the sole reason Kudou’s plan was even possible, but that hadn’t stopped Bruce from doubting him.

“I’m just worried about you,” Bruce sounded exhausted.

“Worry about yourself,” Kudou shook his head, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. He sighed as a look of hurt flashed across Bruce’s face. “I’ll be fine. I always am, aren’t I?”

He left Bruce in the car, walking towards the front door of the company and pretending not to notice that the worry hadn’t left Bruce’s face. The glass doors slid open and Kudou stepped inside, bracing himself against a wave of antiseptic scent and cool, air-conditioned air.

At the counter, a middle-aged woman smiled at him, “Hello, sir. How can I help you?”

Kudou approached the counter, tugging at his hood and ducking his head to hide his face from the security cameras, “I have an appointment scheduled. With Dr. Garaki.”

The woman clicked through her screen until she saw the appointment Kudou had scheduled under a fake name. She nodded, “Got it right here. Take a seat and Dr. Garaki will be right with you.”

Kudou nodded and thanked her, taking a seat on the couch near the window and trying not to let his leg bounce with nerves. He couldn’t afford to lose focus for a second. The rest of the Resistance was depending on him, waiting for his signal. Kudou had no intention of failing, nor did he have any plans to die.

He thought back to his last meeting with the Resistance members he planned to bring on the operation. After he’d wrapped up a final overview of the mission, Yoichi had grabbed his hand before he could leave.

Kudou blinked, glancing down in surprise at Yoichi’s hand in his own.

“What’s up?” Kudou asked as the last of his soldiers filed out of the room.

“I was thinking,” Yoichi hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “What if I come with you?”

“Bad idea,” Kudou said immediately. Yoichi’s mouth twisted into a frown.

“Just hear me out,” Yoichi started. “My brother wants me back, right?”

Both of them already knew the answer. All For One’s activity had become increasingly irregular ever since Yoichi had escaped. He was always on the move, his supporters more active than ever. It was clear that All For One hadn’t taken kindly to Yoichi’s absence.

“You can use me as bait. If he sees me, he’ll definitely come.”

“And then what?” Kudou raised his eyebrows dubiously. “We kill him?”

Yoichi didn’t look amused. He tugged his hand from Kudou’s and crossed his arms over his chest, his frown deepening as he stared Kudou down, “It’s not a joke. It might be the only way to ensure that we face him on our terms.”

“I know it’s not a joke,” Kudou replied. “Which is exactly why I’m not going to bring an untrained civilian on a mission like this. I don’t have enough soldiers to protect you.”

Kudou and Yoichi had spent hours hand-selecting the soldiers for the mission based on their knowledge of All For One’s supporter’s quirks. They’d worked together to develop the plan, with Kudou discussing nearly aspect of his strategy with Yoichi, so Kudou didn’t know why Yoichi was suddenly suggesting something so obviously impractical.

“You don’t need to waste men on protecting me,” Yoichi burst out suddenly. “I’ve been training with Atsuo. I can look out for myself.”

Atsuo had agreed to let Yoichi go through the same basic training regimen required of all new recruits. He was teaching Yoichi standard things—basic self-defense and how to shoot a gun. Those elementary skills wouldn’t be enough when going against one of All For One’s powerful followers, but Yoichi already knew that.

Kudou furrowed his brow, “Where’s this coming from?”

“What do you mean, ‘Where’s this coming from?’” Yoichi’s voice had a slight edge to it. Kudou hadn’t heard him get angry before. He felt surprised and a little guilty that he’d done something to upset Yoichi. “Obviously, I want to help you fight. I’m a part of this resistance, aren’t I?”

Kudou frowned, “You’ve helped plenty already. We wouldn’t have the intel to pull this off if not for you."

Yoichi had recognized several of All For One’s supporters that had been stationed at the biotech company, and he knew their quirks from their interactions with his brother. That kind of information was invaluable to Kudou.

“Intel,” Yoichi scoffed, looking away in disgust.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Kudou was surprised by the strength of Yoichi’s reaction. “It’s just as important as fighting on this mission. Maybe more important.”

Yoichi was still staring stubbornly to the side, not meeting Kudou’s eye. He didn’t seem to want to respond to Kudou, so Kudou added, “You don’t have to worry about not being useful to us.”

Yoichi let out a long breath, finally looking back at Kudou, “That’s not all that I’m worried about.” His voice had lost some of its anger, but it was still tense. “You’ll be risking your life based on my intel, while I’ll just be sitting here. What if you die? There’s nothing I’ll be able to do.”

Kudou considered his reply carefully.

“That’s the hardest part of this fight. Every time I send soldiers out on these missions, I know I won’t be able to save them all. I know I’ll be sending some of them to their deaths. I have to accept that reality for the sake of giving the mission the highest chance of success.”

Yoichi chewed on the inside of his cheek, his expression still troubled. He looked away, not meeting Kudou’s eye, “That all makes sense, but it’s a little harder, knowing I have to watch you walk away. Knowing you might not come back.”

Kudou blinked in surprise. Yoichi was worried about him. He was oddly pleased by the thought. He tried to meet Yoichi’s eye, but Yoichi was still looking away.

Kudou reached out to touch Yoichi’s shoulder, unable to hide a small smile, “Hey.” Yoichi turned to glance at him in surprise. “I’ll come back.”

Yoichi’s eyes flickered, his worry mixing with something unidentifiable. His voice was soft as he looked up at Kudou with his wide green eyes, “Promise?”

It was bad practice to make promises. Kudou usually discouraged it amongst his soldiers. In war, nothing was guaranteed. Making a vow that couldn’t be kept was hurtful to everyone involved. Even so, the hope and desperation in Yoichi’s eyes was enough to make Kudou wonder what the harm would be in making an exception.

“Promise,” Kudou grinned bright enough to outshine his own doubts.

Yoichi had managed a wobbly smile back, “In that case, I guess letting you go without me won’t be so bad.”

“That’s right,” Kudou had nodded in approval. “It’s just a ‘see you later.’”

Days after, sitting in the biotech company lobby, Kudou wondered if he’d done the right thing. He’d just wanted Yoichi not to worry, but this mission wasn’t going to be simple. If he messed up and didn’t come back like he said he would, what would Yoichi think? Would he blame Kudou for breaking his promise?

No. Kudou wouldn’t let that be an issue. He refused to die.

A young woman with a clipboard stepped in and called his fake name. Kudou straightened, getting to his feet and pushing his worries away. Time to act.

The woman had sleek auburn hair pulled into a tight bun, her carefully-lined eyes glittering dark blue. She smiled at him, flashing perfect teeth, “Hello there.”

Kudou recognized her from Yua’s surveillance. Dr. Garaki’s assistant and a known devotee of All For One. Yoichi had seen her before by his brother’s side. He knew his brother had given her a quirk as a reward for her loyalty. She had the ability to put people to sleep when she sang.

Kudou stopped in the hallway, right next to the fire alarm, and used the name Yoichi had given him, “Hello, Aira Kanako.”

Aira spun around, her eyes wide with surprise at the use of her full name, “Who—”

Kudou pulled back his hood and watched as Aira’s eyes widened with recognition.

“It’s you,” she breathed. “You’re one of the two thieves he’s looking for.”

The two thieves. Him and Bruce.

Yoichi had warned Kudou that All For One would be looking for him, that he wouldn’t forgive Kudou for taking his property. All For One would want revenge, and probably to torture Kudou until he revealed Yoichi’s locations. The fact that Aira recognized Kudou meant that All For One was already on the hunt.

It was only further confirmation that Kudou had to move first.

Before Aira could recover from her surprise, Kudou reached out and yanked the fire alarm. A loud trill filled the hallway as he shoved past Aira and ran. People piled out of offices and into the hallway as the alarm continued, trickling confusedly towards the exit. Kudou shoved past them and kept running deeper into the building.

He stopped at the end of the hallway, where the hall ended in an expansive room of desks and monitors. The last employees were trickling out, leaving Kudou alone in the empty room. That was good. The building was getting evacuated, just like he planned. It would give him a chance to seek out All For One’s victims. He looked around anxiously. There should be an elevator, stairs, something. Kudou knew there was more to this building than was shown on the rough layout his spy managed to chart. The missing people had to go somewhere.

“There’s nowhere to run.”

Kudou turned around, his eyes focusing on Aira as she emerged from the hallway behind him.

“My master will be overjoyed when I give you over to him,” she continued, her blue eyes glittering in the fluorescent lighting. “Maybe he’ll even give me another meta ability.”

Kudou just lifted his right arm and aimed it at her chest, a projectile clenched between his fingers.

“You know who I am, right?” Kudou demanded, watching as she nodded. “Then you should know what my quirk is, too.

Kudou shot her a challenging look, “I’m willing to bet I can shoot faster than you can put me to sleep.”

Aira chewed on her lip. Her ability to easily subdue people with her quirk was the reason she was stationed at the biotech company. It was a strong meta ability, but not a good matchup against Gearshift’s speed.

Still, she looked less disconcerted than Kudou would’ve liked.

“You might be right,” she shrugged. “But I highly doubt you’ll be able to take out all of us.”

More figures emerged from the hallway behind Aira. Kudou counted them as they stepped into the room, recognizing them from surveillance and Yoichi’s insider knowledge. One was a man with three eyes who could put anyone who stared into his third eye to sleep and wake them up under his complete control. Another was a thin, scraggly man Kudou didn’t know the name of, but Yoichi recognized from pictures. He had some sort of toxic breath quirk. And finally, a third man with quills protruding from his back emerged from the shadows. That wasn’t good. Kudou didn’t recognize him at all.

They spread out, closing Kudou in. He held out both arms, backing away. He’d already signaled the Resistance when he pulled the fire alarm. His attack force should be moving into position. Kudou just had to buy time for a little longer.

He kept one arm trained on Aira, shooting her the best unbothered smile he could manage, “Yeah? What are you going to do? Use your quirk and knock out your little friends?”

Two of the villains, Aira and the scraggly man with the toxic breath quirk, had area-based quirks. Their quirks affected a set area and didn’t distinguish between friend or foe, which meant they couldn’t attack him without also endangering their companions. That made Kudou’s fight a two-on-one instead of a four-on-one. Slightly better odds.

“He’s mouthy,” the toxic breath villain hissed. His eyes flickered to the unknown man with the quills coming from his back. “Can’t we kill him?”

“The master needs him alive, you idiot,” Aira snapped. “Use some restraint, would you?”

The man with three eyes shot them both a look of distaste, “The thief has a point, Aira. You’re useless to us at the moment, so how about you take a step back?”

“And let you claim all the glory?” Aira sneered incredulously.

The quilled man cleared his throat and the others fell silent. Kudou felt a tremor of apprehension as they looked to him. He clearly commanded respect, and Kudou still had no idea who he was or what his quirk might be. He couldn’t plan for an enemy he had no knowledge of.

“You’re all missing the obvious,” the man’s voice was smooth and self-confident. “The thief probably planned for you to call reinforcements, Aira, just to eliminate you as a threat. He clearly knows your quirk.” He met Kudou’s gaze. “I highly doubt he’s backed himself into a corner like you think. I think he has you right where he wants you.”

Kudou forced a laugh, though his fists were white-knuckled at his sides. The man was more perceptive than he would have liked.

He arched an eyebrow, doing his best to hide his unease, “I’d say you were clever, but if you saw the trap coming, why’d you walk into it?”

“You’re tempting bait,” The man smirked. “And I’m sure you know what happens if a shark bites a fishhook.”

Kudou shrugged. Fishing analogies went straight over his head. It wasn’t like he’d ever had time for hobbies like that.

“It’ll bite straight through the line,” the man explained. He rolls his eyes. “Damn, does no one even fish anymore? What is society coming to?”

“Asakura?” the three-eyes turned to the quilled man, seemingly asking for permission. Kudou tensed, bracing himself.

The quilled man, Asakura, nodded, “Yeah, sure. Take him, Hypnos.”

Hypnos’s third eye started to open. Kudou glued his eyes to the floor, refusing to look up as he kept one arm pointed at Asakura and the other at Hypnos. Asakura stayed still, watching like a gambler who wanted to keep his cards hidden.

Just as Hypnos stepped forward, the Resistance attack force crashed into the room. Kudou’s specially-trained soldiers fanned out and surrounded the villains, aiming their guns at the villains’ heads.

Perfect timing. Despite Asakura’s unexpected appearance, things were still going according to plan. Kudou straightened, keeping his arms aimed at the villains who had suddenly found themselves outnumbered, surrounded, and held at gunpoint, “Tell me where you’re hiding the missing people.”

Hypnos swore under his breath. The toxic breath villain glared at him, “You asshole. You really think—”

“Tell me,” Kudou demanded, cutting him off. “Or I’ll shoot you through the head right now.”

“Our master will come for us,” Aira hissed. “I sent out the signal as soon as I saw your face. He’ll be here any minute, and he’ll slaughter all—”

“No he won’t,” Kudou said firmly.

“What?” Aira gaped. Even Asakura looked a little surprised by Kudou’s absolute certainty.

“He won’t be coming,” Kudou repeated. “Your signal was jammed, just like the emergency signal from the fire alarm was jammed. No one will get here until we’re long gone and you’re long dead.”

Hypnos swore a little louder. Aira looked genuinely uneasy for the first time.

“Surrender now,” Kudou warned them. “Tell me where you’re keeping the missing people, and I’ll let you live.”

The villains were silent for a moment. The toxic breath villain seemed obviously unsettled. He rocked back and forth anxiously, his eyes flashing to Asakura, “Asakura—”

“Stay calm,” Asakura told him, his voice perfectly even. “I still intend to bring the master his prize.”

Kudou narrowed his eyes, “What are you going to do? Two of you can’t even defend yourselves without incapacitating your companions. The smartest thing is to give in now, before it’s too late.”

“Asakura,” Aira whispered. “Maybe we should—”

“I said stay calm,” Asakura snapped. Kudou watched with his peripheral vision as Aira flinched. “Both of you, just—”

“I’ll give you five seconds,” Kudou told them, not letting Asakura finish speaking. “Five.” The villains exchanged panicked looks. “Four.” Aira started to lift her hands into the air, looking resigned. “Three.” Hypnos started to follow suit. “Two—”

“I’m not letting you assholes bring me down with you,” the toxic breath villain snapped. Kudou watched his eyes flicker wildly between Asakura and Kudou.

“I told you—” Asakura started to caution.

“Fuck off! I’m not going back to jail,” Toxic Breath exclaimed. Kudou braced himself as Toxic Breath sucked in air. He knew what was happening. Toxic Breath was going to use his quirk to knock out everyone in the room. It wasn’t ideal, but Kudou had planned for it. He’d made some of his soldiers bring gas masks as a contingency plan. “Fuck all of you stupid—"

Asakura moved so quickly Kudou couldn’t react. Before Toxic Breath could release the air he’d gathered in his lungs, Asakura had lunged forward and stabbed him in the neck with a quill from his back. Toxic Breath staggered and fell to his knees, toppling headfirst to the ground.

He laid motionless on the floor. Kudou couldn’t make out whether he was still breathing.

So that was Asakura’s quirk. The spines on his back seemed to have some sort of paralytic effect. Maybe they were poisonous. Kudou would have to stay at a distance to avoid getting scratched, but with Gearshift, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“As I was saying,” Asakura straightened like nothing had happened. “The missing people you’re looking for are on the lower level. You get there by taking the hidden elevator in the executive office.”

Kudou didn’t lower his fist. Asakura was giving him the information he’d asked for, but his arms weren’t in the air and he didn’t look like he had any intention of surrendering. Kudou watched, feeling a trickle of unease flow across his spine as Asakura met his gaze.

“But it’s not going to matter,” Asakura grinned. “Because you’re never going to make it past me.”

Kudo grimaced. He had really hoped the villains would submit, that this wouldn’t have to end in bloodshed. He had really wanted, just once, to keep his hands clean.

But he knew the look in Asakura’s eyes.

He fired a projectile straight at Asakura’s head.

Kudou wanted to save energy for the other villains, and it was harder to control his quirk without his gauntlets, so he only kicked the projectile up to second gear. It raced towards Asakura, cutting through the air faster than a bullet. It should have been fast enough.

Quicker than Kudou had anticipated, Asakura ducked and twisted under Kudo’s projectile. He crouched down, his back to Kudou’s soldiers and a terrible grin on his face.

Kudou knew, in that instant, that he’d miscalculated.

Quills flew off of Asakura’s back and shot across the room. His men dove for cover, but they weren’t all fast enough. He watched three of them were struck by sharp quills. They staggered and fell to the ground.

Asakura didn’t just have one quirk.

Asakura laughed at the expression on Kudou’s face, his quills already beginning to grow back, “What are you going to do now, thief?”

Kudou ducked behind a desk as a few of his soldiers opened fire on Asakura, trying not to get caught in the crossfire. He scanned his surroundings. Aira was taking advantage of the chaos to try to sneak down a far hallway, but Kudou watched a few of his soldiers tackle her to the ground. On the other side of the room, Yua and Utsushimi were attempting to lure Hypnos away from the group.

As his soldiers stopped to reload their weapons, Kudou took the chance to shout at the top of his lungs, “Stick to the plan! I’ll handle Poison Quills.”

His soldiers must have heard, because he spotted a good number of them retreating to assist with the rescue or going to help with the other fights against Hypnos and Aira. Kudou reached for his projectiles, drawing on his energy. He didn’t have his gauntlets, but his quirk could still handle Asakura. He just needed a higher gear and an open shot.

Someone dove under the desk next to Kudou. He tensed until he recognized Bruce.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kudou hissed at him. “You’re supposed to be helping with the rescue.”

“No way am I letting you face this guy on your own,” Bruce told him, his eyes filled with resolve. “I’ll get in close and distract him, then you can take him down.”

Kudou hesitated. As far as he could tell, Asakura had at least two quirks. One was the poison he secreted, which covered his quills. The other was the ability to shoot his poison-covered quills from his back. It was a strong ranged ability, capable of taking out enemies quickly but lacking Gearshift’s immense physical backlash. And it was a bad matchup against Bruce’s close-range quirk.

“I don’t like it,” Kudou shook his head. “He’ll see you coming. He’s quick.”

“Not faster than me,” Bruce insisted. “Come on, Boss. I’ve been storing up energy for this all day. I can get in close, I’m telling you.”

Kudou grimaced. He hated feeling so unprepared. He’d taken so long to prepare every detail of this operation, and it was on the verge of failure because of the unexpected presence of a single man.

“Okay,” he muttered, because he knew he didn’t have a choice. “Let’s do it.”

Asakura’s voice carried across the room, “Where are you, thief? Don’t tell me I hit you already?”

Bruce used Fa Jin to shoot out from behind the desk, his legs glowing with energy. He lunged towards Asakura, almost too fast for Kudou to track. Kudou used the distraction to line up a shot, aiming straight at Asakura’s eye.

Asakura smiled. Spiky quills grew from his entire body instead of just his back. His face and chest were covered with them, and they were all aimed at Bruce. Bruce’s eyes widened, but he was too close and with no cover in sight. There was no way to avoid them if Asakura fired.

Just as Asakura shot off his quills, Kudou switched projectiles and fired at top gear. His projectile was just quick enough to hit one of Asakura’s quills midair. On impact, it exploded. The blast threw the surrounding quills off their path and knocked both Bruce and Asakura to the ground. The flying quills were thrown outward by the blast, and they shot across the room. Kudou ducked behind the desk as they zipped towards him, hitting the hard wood where his head had been.

As soon as the quills hit, Kudou leapt upward. Bruce and Asakura were both clambering to their feet, seemingly unhurt by the explosion or the flying quills. Asakura’s quills already looked like they were growing back. Kudou had to finish this fast, or Asakura was going to get to Bruce before he could recover.

He reached for his quirk and fired.

Or, he tried to.

When he looked down at his arm, it didn’t move.

Asakura’s wild laugh bounced across the room, “Hah. I got you, didn’t I?”

Kudou looked down at his arm, breath catching in his throat as he noticed a thin scratch along the skin of his lower arm. It was barely even bleeding, too small for Kudou to even spot at first, but it was there. He must have gotten grazed when the exploded quills had flown towards him.

He reached for Gearshift again, trying his best to lift his right arm. His fingers didn’t even twitch. The limb was completely paralyzed.

Kudou only just managed to duck as Asakura fired another round of poison quills. Bruce rolled out of the way, hiding behind a fallen desk just before Asakura’s quills hit.

“My poison is incredibly potent,” Asakura told Kudou. “Even a scratch is enough to immobilize you in a matter of minutes.” He laughed triumphantly. “I told you that you wouldn’t make it past me, didn’t I? Now I just have to wait you out.”

Kudou watched helplessly as Asakura advanced on where Bruce was hiding, that wide smile still on his face, “And you. I know your face, too. Problem is, my master only needs one of you.”

Kudou still had his left arm. He rolled into a crouch and fired another projectile at Asakura, his right arm hanging limply at his side. Kudou could feel the poison spreading from his arm. His whole right side was beginning to feel numb, and Kudou could no longer summon the full power of his quirk. The best he could manage was a wobbly, short-range shot at the lowest gear.

Asakura dodged it easily, laughing like he was playing a particularly amusing game, “Just give up, thief. It’s time for you to face the consequences of stealing from my master.”

“Boss,” Kudou heard Bruce’s voice from behind the desk. “Don’t worry about me. Just blow him up.”

Kudou fired another explosive projectile at Asakura, but at low gear, Asakura was able to detonate it midair by firing his quills. It exploded harmlessly in the air, far from Kudou’s desired target.

Fuck, this was bad.

Kudou was running out of time. Once the poison reached his left arm, he’d lose access to his meta ability. He’d be entirely helpless, unable to defend himself or protect Bruce. And Bruce was at a complete disadvantage against a ranged quirk like Asakura’s. Kudou couldn’t leave him to fight alone.

His thoughts raced, clawing desperately for something that might let him take out Asakura. For Gearshift to work, he needed to get in close, and to get in close, he needed…

Fuck it. Kudou had already been poisoned. What else could Asakura do to him?

He charged.

As soon as Asakura finished firing, Kudou leapt out from behind the desk. He used the time it took for Asakura’s quills to regrow to sprint straight for the quilled villain, angling his body to protect his left arm.

Kudou didn’t make it in range before Asakura’s quills regrew. All he could do was turn his body to the side as Asakura fired. Kudou heard Bruce cry out in dismay as quills dug into Kudou’s upper arm and just below his ribcage, but Kudou didn’t stop moving. He only had seconds before the poison took effect. Kudou used that time to twist around, angling his left arm at Asakura’s head.

Asakura’s eyes widened, the first traces of fear flashing inside them as he realized what Kudou was about to do.

At only a few feet away, Kudou fired his last exploding projectile straight into Asakura’s eye. The blast knocked Kudou backwards, his body bouncing against the ground and slamming into the far wall.

Kudo slumped to the ground. The impact should have hurt, but he couldn’t feel anything. He was barely even aware of his body anymore. The tingling numbness of the poison had taken over his entire body and was climbing up his neck towards his head.

A spike of fear jolted through him. He tried to feel something, to fight back against the numbness that was spreading across his skin. He tried to stay conscious, to focus on breathing evenly and slowing his pounding heart.

The fight wasn’t over. He couldn’t die yet. He didn’t know if Bruce was safe, or if his soldiers had managed to rescue anyone. And he’d promised.

The poison spread, and as hard as he fought to cling to consciousness, Kudou just wasn’t strong enough.

Kudou’s vision blurred and he plunged into darkness.

----

Kudou woke to a body that wouldn’t cooperate.

He struggled to open his eyes or even sense his own face. He couldn’t feel much of his limbs, could barely even move his head as his eyes adjusted to the harsh lighting.

As his eyes adjusted, he recognized the fluorescent lighting of the room around him. He was in the Resistance med bay, an IV plugged into his arm. Kudou managed to shift his head to the side. The beds next to him were empty, but he spotted Utsushimi sleeping a few beds down, a thick bandage wrapped around his head.

Kudou rolled his head over to look in the other direction. Yoichi was sitting in the chair next to his bed, scribbling something in the notebook he was always carrying around. He looked tired, his hair messy and face drawn and pale.

He looked up as Kudo turned his head, his expression brightening as he noticed Kudou’s open eyes.

“You’re awake!” he exclaimed, practically throwing his notebook away as he jumped out of his seat to reach Kudou’s side. “How are you feeling? I’ll get the doctor.”

Kudou tried to tell him there was no need, but his throat was so dry he couldn’t form words. He tried again and managed to croak out, “Water.”

“Right,” Yoichi glanced around urgently, rushing to retrieve a cup of water from the bedside table. “Don’t try to move. I’ll pour it for you.”

Kudou opened his mouth obediently, letting Yoichi tip the cup of water down his throat. He ended up nearly choking, since he couldn’t tell Yoichi when to stop with a mouth full of water.

“Ah, sorry,” Yoichi apologized as Kudou dissolved into a fit of coughs. He tried to pat Kudou’s back to stop the coughing, but since Kudou was already lying down, he just sort of tapped Kudou’s shoulder. It wasn’t very helpful, but it was a nice thought.

“It’s fine,” Kudou managed, his throat starting to clear. He struggled to lift his head, letting Yoichi place a pillow behind it to prop it up. “But I— I can’t move.”

Kudou tried to hide the anxiety from his voice. His face was regaining feeling and he could move his head and chest well enough, but he couldn’t feel his limbs at all. Was the damage from the poison permanent?

“Don’t worry,” Yoichi helped him sit up slightly. “The doctor said that might happen. It’ll take a couple hours for the poison to wear off, but you should make a full recovery.”

Kudou couldn’t conceal his relief. If that blow had paralyzed him, he didn’t know what he would do. Everything depended on his ability to fight.

Yoichi got to his feet, “I should get the doctor. He’ll want to check on your progress now that you’ve woken up.”

“No, wait,” Kudou managed, trying to reach for Yoichi’s hand before he remembered that he couldn’t move his arms. “Tell me what happened first. Please.”

The last thing Kudou remembered was taking out the poison quills villain, Asakura. Obviously, he’d made it back to the Resistance somehow, but that didn’t necessarily mean the mission had been successful.

His wariness only grew as Yoichi hesitated, “I should probably find Bruce. He wanted to debrief with you when you woke up.” Yoichi must have seen the unease in Kudou’s face, because he added. “As far as I know, things went well. You rescued a good number of my brother’s victims from the bottom floor, and casualties were low.”

“How’s Bruce?” Kudou asked warily.

“He’s fine,” Yoichi reassured him. “Nothing more than some scrapes and bruises. You got the worst of it.” He paused, his green eyes troubled. “The poison was pretty strong. The doctor said if you’d been hit even a couple more times, you might have died.”

Kudou nodded as much as he could manage. He’d gotten lucky. They all had.

“I messed up,” Kudou stared at his motionless hands. “I should’ve planned for another villain.”

“This isn’t all on you,” Kudou’s own anxiety was reflected in Yoichi’s eyes. Yoichi reached for his hand, and Kudou wished he could feel it as Yoichi squeezed Kudou’s fingers comfortingly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

----

Not long after, Bruce came to fill Kudou in on the details of the mission. Based on Bruce’s report, the Resistance had managed to take out or incapacitate all of the villains, and over twenty survivors had been rescued from the building’s lower level. Bruce had sent the survivors to the Resistance’s various safehouses until they could be safely reunited with their families, and although there were plenty of injuries due to the Poison Quills quirk, none of the Resistance’s attack force had died in the operation.

Bruce’s report framed the mission as a success, and it was true that the mission had achieved its objectives, but Kudou couldn’t stop thinking about how close to failure they’d come. Neither Kudou nor Yoichi had anticipated the arrival of another powerful villain. If he hadn’t been able to handle Asakura, their mission might very well have failed. Kudou might’ve fallen into All For One’s clutches, the Resistance would suffer devastating losses, and Yoichi would be in danger again. It might have technically been a win for the Resistance, but Kudou certainly didn’t feel like celebrating.

It was a little ironic, then, that he was discharged from the med bay just in time for the party his soldiers were throwing that evening. In celebration of their victory at the biotech company, the Resistance pulled out the stash of moonshine that was Atsuo’s pride and joy, and by the time Kudou made it down to the common area, the raised voices and loud music made it clear that they had already made a dent in the supply.

Kudou wouldn’t have bothered to attend, seeing as he was still recovering from the poison, but he still needed to talk to Yua. According to Bruce, she and Utsushimi been fighting the third-eyed villain, Hypnos, whose quirk let him bring people under his control. He needed to make sure no sensitive information had been leaked during the battle, and Utsushimi was in no state to answer questions.

He reluctantly stepped into the common area, scanning his surroundings for his lieutenant.

“Boss,” A nearby table of soldier lifted their drinks in Kudou’s direction. “Congrats on the mission.”

Kudou nodded, moving on before they could say more. He felt uncomfortable taking credit for their victory when his plan had brought them all so close to failure.

“Little cousin!” someone called loudly. A second later, Atsuo was limping over, slinging his arm around Kudou’s shoulders. Kudou could tell by his flushed face and unfocused eyes that he was already plastered. “I’ve got good news for you.”

“Could you try to be a little more respectful?” Kudou tried unsuccessfully to shrug off Atsuo’s arm. “I’m your leader, you know.”

“But also my little cousin,” Atsuo reached up to ruffle his hair affectionately. Kudou gave him a halfhearted shove. “Come on, don’t you want to hear my good news?”

“Not particularly,” Kudou confessed flatly, looking around for an escape. Atsuo’s idea of good news was often mildly concerning.

“Yeah, you do,” Atsuo insisted, dragging Kudou towards the far side of the room. As they got closer, Kudou recognized Bruce’s ponytail at a table near the back. He was leaning forward, deep in conversation with…Yoichi?

Kudou’s eyes widened and he started towards the table, now dragging Atsuo along. This couldn’t be good.

“Wait. Look. Look,” Atsuo grabbed at his arm, waving in the direction of Bruce and Yoichi. “Before you go rushing in to save him, witness this miracle.”

Kudou paused as Atsuo’s meaning sunk in. Bruce was smiling. At Yoichi. He looked back at the table to make sure he’d seen it right. Sure enough, Yoichi was speaking animatedly to Bruce, waving his arms in excitement. Bruce seemed to be following along, nodding and grinning.

“What the hell?” Kudou muttered under his breath, wondering for a second whether he’d died back at the biotech company and woken up in some strange afterlife. “They’re getting along now?”

“Like I said,” Atsuo smirked. “Miracle.”

They made their way across the room to the table. Bruce and Yoichi both looked up as they approached, expressions brightening as they spotted Kudou.

“Boss,” Bruce greeted. “Glad you made it.”

“You’re up!” Yoichi grinned in delight. Kudou couldn’t help but smile back. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty much normal,” Kudou answered. Once he’d regained consciousness, the effects of the poison had faded over the course of the day. Now, all that was left was a faint soreness in his limbs and a slightly numb, tingling feeling across his skin.

“Yoichi was just telling me about Captain Hero,” Bruce told him nonchalantly.

Kudou waited a second, but neither of them offered any further explanation for Bruce’s sudden switch-up. He frowned, staring between the two of them suspiciously, “What’s going on here?”

“Well, in the first volume, he’s just an ordinary citizen,” Yoichi started eagerly. “But then later, he gets this power—”

“He means what’s going on with you two, not what’s going on in the story, dumbass,” Atsuo interrupted, loudly but not unkindly. Kudou jabbed him in the ribs anyway.

Yoichi rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, “Uh, right. I knew that.”

Kudou took another sip. Now he felt guilty for not asking about Captain Hero. Yoichi had looked so excited to talk about it. He made a mental note to ask Yoichi to explain more later.

“I realized I misjudged things,” Bruce answered Atsuo’s question, holding Kudou’s gaze. “Yoichi knew the villains’ quirks and planned out how to deal with them. He was a huge asset to us in this mission.” He glanced over at Yoichi. “He’s one of us. I was wrong not to see it sooner.”

Yoichi blushed, looking down at his own cup of moonshine, “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“It sort of was, but we’re good now, right?” Bruce grinned at him. “Friends?”

“Friends,” Yoichi affirmed, smiling back brightly.

Bruce turned to Kudou, “Now’s your chance for an ‘I told you so’ moment.”

Kudou shrugged, not feeling the need to rub it in. Honestly, he was just extremely relieved that Bruce and Yoichi were finally getting along.

“As long as you’re aware, I don’t think I need to say it.”

“How magnanimous,” Atsuo smirked at him. “You’re so great, little cousin.” He fixed Yoichi with a sly look. “Isn’t he great, Yoichi?”

Yoichi just beamed, “Yeah, he’s amazing. It’s why he’s my hero.”

Kudou felt his neck heat up in embarrassment. He still didn’t understand how Yoichi could just say stuff like that, his eyes so full of sincerity. He didn’t even look embarrassed.

Atsuo snickered, “You hear that, little cousin. You’re a hero!”

Kudou elbowed him in the side, hoping Atsuo didn’t notice the flush creeping across his face, “Shut up.”

“Aw, look, he’s blushing,” Atsuo tried to pinch his cheek. Kudou grabbed his hand and twisted it away before Atsuo could reach him. “Ow, ow, okay. Message received.”

Atsuo winced and withdrew, shaking out his hand. Kudou let him return to his cup of moonshine, taking a long swig from his own cup as he glanced around the room, “Where’s Yua, anyway? I would’ve thought she’d be here.”

Kudou knew Yua had been discharged from the med bay long before he had even regained consciousness. He’d expected to find her at the party. She didn’t often miss functions like these.

“Yeah, where is Owl-Eyes?” Atsuo echoed curiously, glancing around. “She’s discharged, isn’t she?”

“She was here a second ago,” Bruce answered. He glanced around. “Oh, she’s over there.”

He pointed a few tables down. Yua was leaning against the bar, engaged in an animated conversation with another soldier.

“I’m going over,” Kudou got to his feet. “There’s a few things I need to follow up with her about.”

Across from him, Yoichi glanced away from Kudo with a slightly troubled expression on his face.

“It can’t wait until tomorrow?” Bruce raised his eyebrows. “Harsh, Boss.”

Kudou shook his head, making his way towards Yua. He agreed with Bruce—asking her about this stuff at a party maybe wasn’t the kindest move—but he had to know. If anything had gone wrong, if her or Utsushimi had slipped up in any way, it could put the entire Resistance at risk.

Yua looked up as he approached. Behind her dark glasses, her expression tightened with apprehension. She turned to her companion, saying something that caused him to straighten, looking at Kudou.

He nodded his head respectfully, “Boss.”

Kudou nodded back before turning to Yua, “A word?”

Yua sighed, shooting a long-suffering look at her companion as she slid out of her seat. She grabbed her drink and followed Kudou, sitting down with another heavy sigh at an empty table near where Bruce, Atsuo and Yoichi were seated.

“You good?” Kudou asked as he slipped into the seat beside her.

“Yeah, amazing,” Yua responded immediately. “You got a reason for being the worst wingman ever?”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Kudou apologized halfheartedly. “I wanted to talk about the fight.”

Yua turned to look at him from behind her tinted glasses. Kudou couldn’t see her eyes, but he could tell she looked troubled, “Oh.”

“You want to tell me what happened?” He asked.

Yua took a long sip of her drink, “Not particularly.” Kudou waited until she heaved a sigh. “Alright, fine.”

Yua walked Kudou through her report. It lined up closely with what he’d already heard from Bruce, with a few added details. After they’d lured Hypnos into a room, Utsushimi had used his quirk to plunge the space into darkness. Yua had used the darkness to sneak up on Hypnos and finish him off, but not before Hypnos had managed to attack Utsushimi. Based on her report, it didn’t seem like Kudo needed to worry about a security breach.

Yua looked down as she finished recounting, sipping the last drips of whatever had been in her cup. She looked uneasy, “It was too close today. If I’d been a second slower, Hypnos would have killed us both.”

Kudou nodded. It was a sentiment he could relate to, “Thank you for telling me. And…I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”

Yua’s expression softened, “Don’t worry about it, Boss. Sounds like you had bigger problems to deal with. If you and Bruce weren’t able to take down that poison quills villain, this whole thing could’ve been a massive failure.”

Kudou knew she was trying to reassure him, but it only made him more aware of how close they’d come to disaster. He stared out at the crowd gathered in the common area, all of them celebrating and laughing. In another universe, they were mourning their losses against the villains.

Yua was staring out at the crowd too, though her expression had shifted from troubled to thoughtful. After a moment, she nudged Kudou’s arm with her elbow, “I guess you got what you wanted, though.”

Kudou followed her gaze to where Yoichi sat next to Bruce. Atsuo was offering him some of his moonshine, and Kudou couldn’t hold in a smile as Yoichi took a large gulp. He immediately broke into a cough, eyes watering as Bruce thumped him on the back.

“I hope so,” Kudou tore his eyes away from Yoichi to glance at Yua. With her eyes nearly always hidden behind tinted glasses, she was always hard to read. “You don’t mind?”

Yua paused, removing her glasses. Her over-dilated eyes were almost completely black.

“I’ve been watching your little friend since the beginning,” she said, glancing up. Kudou tensed. “That’s why I didn’t trust him at first. I thought it was suspicious, the way he was always watching you.”

Kudou blinked in surprise, “What do you mean?”

“There’s no way you haven’t noticed,” Yua raised her eyebrows. Kudou stared back at her, still lost. Her lips curved upwards in amusement as she watched Kudou’s reaction. “Or maybe there is. Interesting.”

“Huh?” Kudou rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. Yua’s smile only grew. He frowned, not appreciative of how clueless Yua was making him feel.

“To answer your question, I don’t think he’s suspicious anymore,” she answered. She fixed her smile on Kudou, her dilated pupils a little too knowing. “Not since I noticed that you like to keep your eye on him too.”

Kudou stared, feeling the blood rush to his face. What did she mean by that? Of course Kudou wanted to keep an eye on Yoichi. He was trying to keep Yoichi safe. There wasn’t anything suspicious about that, was there?

Yua burst out laughing at the expression on his face, nudging him again with her arm, “Aw, Boss. Don’t be embarrassed. I’m sure you have your reasons.”

Kudou rolled his eyes, getting to his feet to escape Yua and rejoin the others. He ducked his head, muttering, “Yeah, whatever.”

Yua hopped off the bench and followed him over to where Bruce and Atsuo were trying to set up a drinking game. Yoichi was sitting across from them at the table, watching while finishing off the cup of moonshine Atsuo had poured out for him. Kudou slid into the seat next to him, letting Yua squeeze in next to Atsuo.

“Ah, perfect timing,” Atsuo beamed at Yua. “Bruce has just invented a drinking game.”

“I call it ‘Confess Your Darkest Secrets to Me,’” Bruce chimed in, leaning past Atsuo to grin at Yua and Kudou, his cheeks flushed pink. “Because I’m so plastered I won’t remember anything by tomorrow.”

Kudou groaned, rolling his eyes. Drunk Bruce was a pain in the ass to deal with.

“Okay, no drinking game for you,” Yua leaned over the table to try to grab Bruce’s drink. He pulled it away before she could grab it.

“Ah, come on, Owl-Eyes, let the man drink,” Atsuo protested as Yua practically crawled over him to steal Bruce’s cup. “Who knows if he’ll get another chance?”

Yua set down Bruce’s cup to glare at Atsuo, “Hey. We’re celebrating here. Don’t be depressing, idiot.” She sat back down, ignoring Bruce’s protests as she downed his cup in a single gulp.

Kudou glanced at Yoichi, wondering how he was taking all of this. Celebrations like these didn’t happen often, since the Resistance rarely had any big victories. When they did occur, the soldiers went all out. It was fun enough, but it could get rowdy. Kudou worried it would be especially overwhelming to Yoichi, who wasn’t used to this kind of thing.

Yoichi was watching the exchange between Atsuo and Yua with a slightly bemused expression. He seemed more entertained than overwhelmed, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Kudou was relieved that he seemed to be handling the festivities so well.

As if sensing Kudou’s gaze, Yoichi turned to meet Kudou’s eye. Kudou glanced away before Yoichi could catch him staring, heat creeping up his neck as he recalled Yua’s words. He wasn’t exactly proving her wrong.

“We need more alcohol if we’re going to play this game,” Bruce announced loudly, trying to make himself heard over Yua and Atsuo’s bickering.

When no one else moved to get up, Kudou rolled his eyes, “I’ll get it.”

Kudou got to his feet, walking around the common room with his eyes peeled for another bottle. Most had already been emptied, and those that weren’t were quickly in the process of being drained. On nights like these, the Resistance went through a staggering amount of Atsuo’s moonshine. Kudou worried they’d be out of stock after the night’s festivities.

Guess we’ll have to take a break from winning, Kudou thought to himself wryly.

He gave up on finding a bottle at the tables, grabbing one of the few left in the pantry instead. By the time he got back, Bruce was face down on the table and Yoichi was nowhere in sight.

“I think we might have to pass on Bruce’s game,” Atsuo told Kudou, motioning to Bruce. “As it seems Bruce is incapacitated.”

“M’awake,” Bruce slurred, raising a single hand without lifting his head. It immediately flopped back to the table. He said something else, but it was completely muffled because he muttered it right into the sleeve of his uniform.

Kudou shook his head, pouring himself another cup of moonshine as he scanned the room, “Where’s Yoichi?”

Atsuo shrugged, motioning vaguely in the direction of the west hallway before slumping against Yua. She shoved him off half-heartedly, glancing up at Kudou, “He said he had to grab something from your office, I think.”

Kudou nodded, “I’m going to go check on him, then I’ll be back to help you with these two.”

Bruce wasn’t walking back to his room on his own, and Atsuo didn’t seem to be many drinks behind Bruce. Yua would need help making sure the two of them made it to bed before they both crashed in the common area.

“Ah, don’t rush back for our sake,” Yua grinned at him conspiratorially, like she knew something he didn’t. “I’ll recruit some of those other idiot soldiers to help me with these two.”

“Fine, sure, if you don’t want to wait,” Kudou frowned, slightly confused. He was just going to get Yoichi and come back. It wasn’t like Yua would have to wait long.

Kudou got back to his feet, grabbing his cup of moonshine. He slowly made his way past the drunken soldiers in the common area, many of whom wanted to congratulate him or thump him on the back. He was relieved when he got through to the long west hall, although he narrowly avoided stepping in vomit and did have to walk by some couple doing questionable things in the dark of the hallway.

Further down the hallway, it was much emptier. Kudou usually appreciated the silence, but without the distraction of the others’ company, it was easier to notice the soreness in his own body. Although Kudou was grateful that he could move again, the poison hadn’t completely faded away.

He stopped in front of his office, cracking the door open and peering inside. If Yoichi was inside, he hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights.

“Yoichi?” He called in softly.

It was quiet for a moment, then he heard a faint voice call back, “Back here.”

Kudou stepped inside, letting the door fall shut behind him. He found Yoichi sitting against the wall beside his desk, scribbling something in his notebook using the light from the hall.

“Not still working, are you?” Kudou asked in surprise.

“Not very productively,” Yoichi admitted, closing his notebook with a sheepish smile. “Your cousin’s moonshine is a little stronger than I thought.”

Kudou squinted to see Yoichi’s face in the light that trickled in from the windows facing the hallway. He had to hold in a smirk as he realized Yoichi’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes slightly unfocused. Now that he thought about it, Yoichi’s tolerance level was probably close to zero. Kudou seriously doubted Yoichi had been drinking much as All For One’s prisoner.

“You want to go back?” Kudou asked. “Or I can walk you back to your room if you want.”

Yoichi shook his head, “I’ve spent too much time in my room. And I figure I shouldn’t overstay my welcome at the party. People’s real feelings come out when they’re drunk.”

Kudou understood Yoichi’s meaning, though he didn’t like its implications. His lieutenants might have adjusted to Yoichi’s presence, but not everyone had. It hadn’t been more than a few weeks ago that Yoichi had almost been killed in the common area. Things had gotten better, but not every soldier was ready to overlook Yoichi’s connections to All For One.

Kudou knew that with so many drunk soldiers stumbling around, Yoichi was making the right call by trying to stay below the radar. Even so, the thought that Yoichi still wasn’t safe at the Resistance left a sour taste in Kudou’s mouth.

“Scoot over,” Kudou nudged Yoichi’s leg with his foot. “I’ll join you.”

“You don’t have to,” Yoichi leaned his head back against the wall to look at Kudou, blowing a strand of hair out of his face. “You looked like you were having fun back there.”

“I want to,” Kudou said, meaning it. Yoichi moved over to accommodate him, letting Kudou settle on the ground next to him. Kudou leaned his back on the wall, his shoulder just brushing against Yoichi’s.

He took a long sip of moonshine, savoring the burn as it slipped down his throat. Somewhere far down the hallway, he could hear the distant roar of voices and laughter, but in the office it was so quiet. Although this was the room he worked in nearly every day, it felt unfamiliar in the darkness. It was more peaceful, or maybe Kudou just felt more at peace within it.

Yoichi reached for his hand, taking Kudou’s cup of moonshine and stealing a sip. He winced as it made its way down his throat, coughing slightly before speaking, “You and Yua seem close.”

Kudou shrugged, “I guess. She reminds me a little of my sisters.”

He must have been drunk too, or he never would have admitted that.

“You have sisters?” Yoichi asked. Kudou felt Yoichi’s gaze against the side of his head. He didn’t turn to meet it.

“Had,” Kudou corrected, hoping Yoichi would be able to tell just how desperate he was to talk about anything else. Kudou admired how open Yoichi was about what he’d gone through, but it wasn’t an ability Kudou possessed.

Yoichi was silent for a moment, “I’m sorry.”

“S’okay,” Kudou couldn’t meet his eyes, taking another big sip of his drink instead.

It was silent for another long moment before Yoichi switched the subject, “How’s your arm? Bruce told me its where you got hit with that quill thing.”

Kudou nodded, grateful for the change in subject. He rolled up his sleeve, showing Yoichi the already-scabbed-over scrape on his arm, “Not bad. It’s going away fast.”

“I saw them wheel you in on the gurney,” Yoichi reached for Kudou’s arm, his fingers tracing the scratch mark. Kudou nearly shivered at the touch. Yoichi’s fingers were ice-cold.

Kudou had floated in and out of consciousness as they’d transported him back from the biotech company. He thought he remembered a flash of green eyes and white hair he’d seen through blurring vision, though at the time, he hadn’t been sure it wasn’t a dream.

“Oh,” Kudou responded. “I might have seen you, too.” He grinned at Yoichi, slightly sheepish. “Sorry I didn’t say hi.”

Yoichi withdrew his hand, letting Kudou’s arm fall back to his side. Kudou’s skin was cooler where Yoichi’s fingers had been. It felt sort of nice.

“I thought you were dead,” Yoichi said.

“Oh,” Kudou repeated, turning to look at Yoichi. This time, it was Yoichi who wouldn’t meet his eyes. After a moment, Kudou realized why. “None of us could have known that guy would be there.”

“No, but—” Yoichi swallowed. “We should have had a plan. We should have sent more backup.”

Kudou hesitated. His first instinct was to reassure Yoichi, to say that it wasn’t their fault, that there was nothing they could have done. But Kudou couldn’t tell him that. It would be hypocritical, when Yoichi’s thoughts were identical to the thoughts always running through Kudou’s own head.

“You’re right. Maybe we could have done better,” Kudou admitted. “We got through on luck. We won’t always have that.” He nudged Yoichi with his arm. “But we did get through. I came back, just like I promised. So now we’ll get the chance to do better next time, right?”

Yoichi finally met Kudou’s gaze. His eyes were illuminated by the faint glow from the hallway. Kudou watched emotions swim through the emerald depths of those eyes, moving too fast for him to catch.

Finally, Yoichi beamed at him, cheeks flushed and eyes still slightly unfocused, “Right. Next time, my hero.”

Kudou smiled back instinctually, feeling heat crawl up his own face. Yoichi very rarely smiled so wide, though he seemed to grow happier with every day away from his brother. Kudou was glad he got to be there to offer Yoichi a life beyond All For One, even if it was only a life hidden away underground.

He leaned his head back against the wall, letting the coolness of the paint combat the heat that crept up from his neck into his face. It was heat from the alcohol, most likely, though Kudou found it peculiar that the warm feeling also spread from where his upper arm and left leg pressed against Yoichi’s.

“What do you mean when you call me—” Kudou started to ask, turning back to Yoichi. He stopped midsentence as Yoichi slowly listed to the side, his head falling onto Kudou’s shoulder.

He’s finally crashed, Kudou thought to himself in amusement, feeling a rush of affection as he looked down at Yoichi’s sleeping face. He guessed he had been right in assuming Yoichi was a lightweight.

Kudou sighed, leaning back against the wall again. He could feel Yoichi’s chest rise and fall as he breathed, his long white hair falling down across the smooth skin of his face. It probably made sense to bring Yoichi back to his room, but Kudou couldn’t quite get himself to wake him.

He let Yoichi slumber on, content not to move until sleep claimed him too.

Chapter Text

BEFORE

After their victory at the biotech company, the Resistance fell into an easy rhythm. The high spirits of Kudou’s soldiers aided in their success in the next couple of missions, which only served to elevate their morale even higher. Kudou knew the dangers of being in the Resistance’s position—rising high would only mean falling further—but he also couldn’t help but notice what hope did to his people. They were friendlier, more willing to help, more motivated.

Nowhere was this more evident than with Yoichi. After the biotech operation, behavior towards him began to shift. Soldiers began to follow Bruce’s example, commending Yoichi for his help in planning the attack, and while a few continued to regard him coldly, the looks in their eyes were no longer quite so murderous as they’d once been.

With the change in behavior, Kudou’s goal of the Resistance accepting Yoichi suddenly felt more achievable. Though Kudou still didn’t like the idea of leaving Yoichi unprotected, he was no longer quite as wary about trusting his soldiers around Yoichi, and he no longer felt the need to constantly keep one eye on Yoichi while the other searched for threats. In the wake of their streak of victories, no one seemed to see Yoichi as much of a danger anymore.

Kudou probably should have known that the peace was an illusion, but he let himself get sucked in and blinded by the same hope as the rest of his soldiers. He was so desperate to believe that Yoichi had been accepted that he let down his guard. And a couple weeks after the biotech mission, he paid the price for it.

He was in the mess hall for lunch, getting an update on the new recruits from Atsuo. On the other side of the room, Yoichi and Bruce were in line for lunch. They were laughing about something, and Kudou remembered thinking about how happy he was that they were getting along.

A soldier sitting at the table next to them got up slowly, blocking Kudou’s view. He stepped towards Bruce and Yoichi, still moving at a leisurely pace. Kudou blinked as a glint of metal caught his eye. There was something clutched in the soldier’s hand. A knife?

The man lunged, his blade descending in an arc towards Yoichi’s still-smiling face.

Kudou didn’t have time to process it.

One second, the hand with the knife was inches from Yoichi’s face. The next, the mess hall line exploded with blood.

Screams erupted, the room temporarily overwhelmed by chaos as people leapt from their seats, preparing for an attack. Their shouts died off until only one soldier was left screaming. The man who had attacked Yoichi cried out in horror as blood spurted from the mangled stump where his hand used to be.

Kudou swallowed, feeling dread creep up through his throat as he stared at his own extended palm.

The whole food line was so splashed in blood that it looked like a scene from a slasher film. Yoichi and his attacker were drenched in it. It had splattered into Yoichi’s hair and all across his face. His eyes, stark in contrast to the deep crimson, were horrified as he followed his attacker’s gaze across the room.

The soldier hadn’t given Kudou any time to think, so he’d had no choice but to act. Kudou’s instinct had been to protect Yoichi, to remove the threat.

So he’d fired a projectile at the man’s hand.

Kudou was only trying to stop the soldier, not injure him too badly, but he’d worried his bullet wouldn’t make it in time, so he’d shifted to top gear. He hadn’t had time to think it through, hadn’t gotten a chance to consider the fact that the projectile was too large and the distance was too small. At Kudou’s maximum velocity and only a room’s worth of distance, the projectile didn’t just shoot through the soldier’s flesh.

On impact, it blew his hand apart.

Everyone in the mess hall was staring at Kudou now, realization dawning on their faces. This wasn’t an attack from All For One. It had been Kudou. Their own leader had been the one behind the blood and the screams and the grisly stump where the soldier’s hand had been. He had attacked his own man. Anxiety curled inside Kudou’s stomach as his thoughts finally caught up to his body, as he processed the implications of his actions.

There were whispers. Kudou listened to them grow quickly in sound and anger. Across the room, Bruce was dragging the injured soldier off somewhere, pulling a shellshocked Yoichi after him. Bruce tried to catch Kudou’s eye. Yoichi was still staring in his direction. Kudou couldn’t look at either of them.

He met the hard stares of the rest of the soldiers instead, forcing his own gaze to be harder. He kept his voice as firm as he could manage, a voice that would accept no arguments,

“I won’t allow us to harm our own.”

Kudou turned away before the fear in their eyes could shift to resentment. He fled before they remembered themselves enough to call him out for his hypocrisy.

----

It wasn’t long after the mess hall incident that Bruce and Atsuo found Kudou in his office. The grim looks on their faces were enough to confirm that Kudou’s dread hadn’t been misplaced.

Bruce collapsed in the chair across from Kudou, his hair still wet from the shower, “You got blood up my nose, Boss.”

“Sorry,” Kudou frowned, glancing at Bruce bemusedly. Compared to the last time Kudou had made a questionable leadership decision, Bruce was a lot calmer. “Didn’t mean to.”

“I gathered that,” Bruce said drily. He sighed, gathering his silver hair up into its usual high ponytail. “Well, this is fucked, isn’t it?”

Kudou huffed a bitter laugh, “Extremely. How’s Yoichi?”

“Fine. I left Yua to guard him,” Bruce updated him. “Other guy will be fine too. Or, mostly fine. Fine minus a hand.”

Atsuo leaned on the back of Bruce’s chair, fixing both of them with a stern expression, “I’m not sure you two are reacting appropriately.” He poked Bruce’s shoulder, glancing down questioningly. “I thought you brought me along to help chew him out?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce leaned forward on Kudou’s desk, resting his head in his palms. “Boss didn’t have much of a choice, did he? Someone was going to get hurt either way. At least this way no one died.” He shot Kudou a regretful look. “Although, if I’d been paying closer attention, maybe all of this could have been avoided. I’m sorry, Boss.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kudou said immediately, still in shock that Bruce wasn’t screaming at him. This was so at odds with the fight they’d had back when Kudou had brought Yoichi into the Resistance, the fight Kudou wasn’t sure Bruce had completely forgiven him for.

Atsuo clearly shared Kudou’s surprise. He shot Bruce an incredulous look, “Now is when you decide to flip sides?”

“I want the Resistance at its strongest,” Bruce explained. “I’m against bringing in strangers with ties to All For One, but Yoichi’s not a stranger anymore. He’s one of us, and Kudou’s right. We can’t turn on our own.”

Atsuo scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Clearly you don’t understand the position my cousin’s put himself in,” Atsuo looked like he couldn’t believe they were even having this discussion. “Fine. I guess it’s my turn to deliver the reality check.”

Bruce motioned for him to go ahead, but Kudou wished he could protest. He knew what Atsuo was going to say. There was just nothing he could do with the information. He couldn’t reverse what he’d done, nor would he want to.

“That soldier you attacked has been part of the Resistance nearly as long as we have. Ever since All For One wiped out his entire family,” Atsuo told them. “People here know him, respect him. He’s never gone against orders before. How do you think it looks, that you sided with All For One’s brother over a loyal soldier like him?”

Kudou crossed his arms, “If he was loyal, he wouldn’t have tried to kill Yoichi.”

Atsuo let out a breath of exasperation, “You’re being dense on purpose. Soldiers like him—the ones that whisper about Yoichi behind your back? They don’t think they’re being disloyal to the Resistance. They just think they’re being disloyal to you.”

Bruce made a noise of protest, but Kudou understood. Kudou’s soldiers fought under his leadership because they shared a common belief. They were united against All For One. If his soldiers no longer believed Kudou shared their goals, there was no reason for them to follow him.

“In their heads, there’s a divide between your leadership and the cause that we all fight for,” Atsuo confirmed. “That’s bad news, little cousin.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Kudou snapped, unable to keep the irritation from his voice.

He regretted his tone as Atsuo’s eyes darkened, “You’re being childish. The success of our goal depends on your leadership. People pinned their hopes on you. You don’t have the luxury of prioritizing anything but our mission.”

“I don’t get what you want from me,” Kudou exclaimed in frustration, his voice rising. “Should I have just let that soldier attack Yoichi? Did you want me to let him die?”

Atsuo couldn’t hold his gaze, “His presence is compromising to us.”

“Our last mission wouldn’t have succeeded without him,” Kudou countered immediately. Bruce nodded in agreement.

“Maybe not,” Atsuo admitted. “But the last mission doesn’t outweigh the danger he’s put us in now, by impairing your leadership abilities.”

“Atsuo—” Bruce said, his voice full of warning.

“No,” Kudou shook his head at Bruce, not looking away from his cousin. “Let him say what he needs to.”

Atsuo finally met Kudou’s eye, “You’ve always been so good at prioritizing our goals, but when it comes down to the Resistance or him, you’ve made it clear who you’ll choose.” He paused, his face hardening as he chose his next words. “I don’t wish Yoichi harm because he’s All For One’s brother. But I do think the Resistance would’ve been better off if you hadn’t been in the room to stop the attack today.”

“Atsuo—” Bruce repeated, his voice thick with dismay as he realized Atsuo’s meaning. Kudou couldn’t feel anything but disgust as he looked at his cousin,

“Get out.”

Atsuo nodded, getting to his feet like he’d expected Kudou’s reaction. Before he left, he turned over his shoulder. His eyes were the same dark red as Kudou’s, with the same cold intensity within them. Kudou felt as if he were looking into a mirror as Atsuo spoke,

 “This organization will crumple without you at its head, my cousin. Every time you choose him, you come closer to dooming us all.”

----

The conversation with his cousin left Kudou furious for the rest of the day. Every time the pit of anger and frustration in Kudou’s stomach began to ebb away, he would remember that his own cousin wished Yoichi was dead and all the fury would return.

Kudou wasn’t even entirely sure who he was angry with. Atsuo was an asshole, sure, but Kudou couldn’t direct all his rage towards his cousin. Except for Bruce and maybe Yua, the whole of the Resistance probably shared Atsuo’s opinions. The whole of the Resistance would probably prefer to let Yoichi die in the mess hall, even if they didn’t want to do the deed themselves. Just because it would be more convenient, make life easier if their leader had nothing in his life to care about more than the fight.

Selfish. They were being selfish, always asking too much of Kudou. What were they thinking, telling a 23-year-old to bear the immense weight of their dreams, to constantly put their goals over anything he might want for himself? They had to know what they were asking of him, what they were forcing him to sacrifice. They just didn’t care, so long as it meant the best chance of achieving their own ends.

So selfish. And yet they couldn’t understand even a little why Kudou might want to be selfish too.

Fine, then. Kudou was mad at the entire Resistance. And himself. And everything.

“Hey. Hey,” Kudou looked up at the sound of Yua knocking on his desk. “Did having to listen to your idiot cousin make you go deaf?”

“What do you want?” Kudou snapped, shooting Yua a look of annoyance.

“Holy shit, he really got to you, didn’t he?” Yua’s eyebrows shot up over her glasses at the irritation in Kudou’s voice. “Come on, don’t take him so seriously. He’s an idiot, okay?”

“Do you need something?” Kudou hissed, though he felt his anger diminish slightly. He wasn’t sure if Yua was on his side, but at least she wasn’t on Atsuo’s.

“I’m delivering a message,” Yua shrugged. “Yoichi needs you.”

Kudou tensed, “Did something happen?”

“Sorry, should have phrased that differently,” Yua amended. “He’s fine. Just wanted to talk to you when you get the chance.”

After the attack, Bruce and Yoichi had agreed that Yoichi should stay in his apartment for a while. Bruce had stationed Yua and some of his more trusted guards to keep an alternating watch at the door, just in case someone decided to try another attack. Kudou disliked that Yoichi was back on glorified house arrest, but he couldn’t help but agree that for now, it was the best way to keep Yoichi safe.

“What does he want to talk about?” Kudou asked cautiously, eyeing Yua suspiciously.

“I don’t know,” Yua rolled her eyes. “Probably the fact that you blew up some guy’s hand in his face. If I were him, I’d be pissed. It’s super unsanitary.”

“Well,” Kudou nodded down to the stack of papers he was filing through. “I’m busy. I’ll get around to it later.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Yua nodded like she didn’t believe him. “Not that it’s any of my business—”

“It’s not,” Kudou agreed, though he knew it wouldn’t stop her.

“—But you shouldn’t avoid him,” Yua finished like she hadn’t heard him. “I think he was pretty shaken up by what happened earlier.”

Kudou wasn’t surprised. He remembered the horrified look on Yoichi’s face as he’d realized what had happened. Kudou didn’t want to have to see that look again. He didn’t want to watch Yoichi’s expression shift when he inevitably asked Kudou to explain what had happened, and Kudou had to admit to his own failures.

“I said I’d get around to it, didn’t I?” Kudou growled, the edge coming back into his voice.

“Okay, fine, forget I said anything,” Yua backed off, shooting him a look of concern. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

Kudou thought he’d feel relieved when she left, but he didn’t. He was left alone with his anger, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t manage to shove it down. Every time he tried, he thought of the knife flashing towards Yoichi’s face, the fear in his eyes, and Atsuo’s words, His presence is compromising us.

And that was all it took. His fury returned.

He stalked back and forth in his office, his jaw clenched tightly. He wanted to shoot something, to punch someone, to work his rage out somehow, but he couldn’t go out and spar with his soldiers. Having to stare into the faces of the men who would’ve let Yoichi die would probably make him angrier. And besides, his soldiers would only resent him more if he acted like nothing had happened.

He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead. Bruce was right. This was all so fucked. If he’d done nothing, Yoichi would have been killed. So he’d acted, and made things worse for Yoichi anyway. Now, people like Atsuo were saying that Kudou was putting Yoichi above the Resistance, that his leadership was impaired, just because Kudou had tried to save an innocent life. It made things all too clear to Kudou—his soldiers hadn’t truly accepted Yoichi as one of them, and there was a good chance they never would.

That revelation made him the angriest of all.

Because it just was too cruel. Yoichi was so good. He had a stronger sense of justice than anyone Kudou had ever met. If anyone deserved his soldier’s respect, it was him. And yet they continued to reject him, because of factors that were outside his control. Kudou didn’t want Yoichi to exist that way—never accepted, always fearing for his own safety. Yoichi deserved so much better. Yoichi deserved to live.

And Kudou didn’t just mean survive. He wanted Yoichi to experience the good parts of life—all the little joys that Kudou himself no longer remembered well enough to appreciate. Kudou wanted Yoichi to find things to hope for, to look forward to, to love. Since he’d learned of Yoichi’s past, he’d wanted Yoichi to have the chance to become something more than his brother’s prisoner.

Kudou had hoped to be the one to show Yoichi how to live, but he was no longer sure that he could. He couldn’t scare his men into accepting Yoichi. The best he could do was protect him, and Kudou had nearly failed at even that. He wished he could do more, but within the walls of the Resistance base, he couldn’t think of a way.

He let out a heavy breath. As much as he didn’t want to face Yoichi, Kudou needed to ensure that he was safe, to make sure that he could protect Yoichi in the wake of what had happened. Kudou couldn’t offer Yoichi as much as he wanted to, but he would give as much as he could. And if keeping Yoichi alive was the most he could offer, that’s what he’d do.

He reluctantly made his way to Yoichi’s room, trying to distract himself from his lingering frustration by planning for what came next. He’d need to station only guards he trusted outside Yoichi’s room, just in case his soldiers decided to try again. And he needed to address his soldiers more clearly, to make sure they knew they’d face consequences if they raised a hand against Yoichi. Kudou had a halfway-drafted speech written in his head by the time he arrived at Yoichi’s door.

He knocked on the door of Yoichi’s room and pushed it open. Inside, Bruce and Yoichi were sitting at the table, talking in low voices. They both straightened as Kudou stepped inside.

“My hero,” Yoichi stood up abruptly, pushing his chair back and staring at Kudou with wide eyes that Kudou could see everything in.

Kudou looked away as fast as he could, “I just came to see if you were safe.”

Bruce got to his feet too, “I’ll let you two talk.”

“That’s not necessary,” Kudou said quickly, taking a step back and swallowing down the unease that climbed up his throat. He’d thought he could handle this, but being in the room with Yoichi felt like too much. “I’m heading back out. Now that I know you’re fine—”

“Kudou, wait,” Yoichi cut him off, taking a step forward. Bruce took the chance to slip past Kudou’s shoulder and leave the room. “I need to talk to you.”

The longer Kudou remained with Yoichi, the harder it would be to avoid those green eyes. And Kudou didn’t want to see them. He didn’t want to know what lay inside of them—if Yoichi already knew that Kudou’s grip was slipping, if he resented Kudou for putting him in such a terrible situation. Kudou knew he deserved Yoichi’s bitterness, but he was a coward. He didn’t want to face it.

“I have to go,” Kudou kept his gaze on the floor. “I’m sorry.”

He turned away, but Yoichi stepped forward, catching Kudou’s hand in his own. He squeezed Kudou’s hand with cold fingers, not quite so tight that Kudou couldn’t pull away if he wanted to. Kudou didn’t bother attempting it. As much as he wanted to escape, he also didn’t want to let go.

“Please,” Yoichi whispered. His voice wavered just slightly, like he was trying to hold himself together. “Just listen.”

Kudou swallowed hard, turning back towards Yoichi. He stared fixedly at a spot past Yoichi’s ear, “What is it?”

Yoichi sucked in a breath, “I think I should go.”

Kudou couldn’t help himself. His gaze flashed to Yoichi’s eyes. They burned with astonishing ferocity, hard coals of resolve glittering within their depths. Kudo hoped he misunderstood what he saw within them.

“What?” Kudou stared at him blankly.

“I think I should leave the Resistance,” Yoichi repeated, his voice steady with conviction.

Leave? Kudou’s heart twisted unpleasantly in his chest. Yoichi knew, then. He knew that he’d never live a good life while he was around Kudou. Kudou, who was violent and fucked up and couldn’t even protect Yoichi from his own men. He was right, of course, but hearing him admit it hurt more than Kudou could have prepared himself for.

Kudou clenched his jaw tight, speaking through gritted teeth, “Don’t say stuff like that unless you mean it.”

Yoichi’s eyes flickered for the first time, but his words were decisive, “I mean it.”

Kudou’s heart thumped unevenly. He didn’t want Yoichi to leave. He already couldn’t imagine the Resistance without him. Kudou wanted things to be different, to be able to offer Yoichi something better. But maybe the only way to do that was to let Yoichi go.

“Me being here. It isn’t working,” Yoichi told him.

Kudou swallowed hard, “Yoichi, I don’t—"

“I’ve put you in a terrible position, my hero,” Yoichi’s voice wavered. “The best thing I can do to fix it is leave.”

Kudou stiffened.

The truth was in Yoichi’s face. Blame leaked from his eyes and guilt painted the sharp corners of his pursed lips. Yoichi held so much of both, yet he directed none of it at Kudou or the Resistance or the soldier that had attacked him.

All of it was aimed at himself.

“You—” Kudou couldn’t even find the words to express what he was feeling. A small, sickening feeling of relief, maybe, that Yoichi’s resentment wasn’t directed at him. Much stronger than that, though, was rage. His anger returned, even more overpowering than before, coursing through his veins like blood. Yoichi was so quick to shoulder blame that wasn’t his to carry. But he shouldn’t have to. It wasn’t right.

“How could you even think that?” Kudou snapped. His words came out harsher than he intended. So harsh that Yoichi flinched. Kudou didn’t think he could forgive himself for that.

“Kudou, I—” Yoichi’s voice trembled. “I didn’t mean—”

Kudou just turned away, because Yoichi had never seen him this angry and Kudou never wanted him to. He usually knew how to shove down his fury, to keep it below the surface where no one could see. Sometimes, though, it would all bubble over. Moments like these, Kudou couldn’t control his ire, and he was terrified of lashing out and hurting Yoichi with it.

“You’re not a prisoner,” he spoke coldly, the only way to mask his rage. “Go, if that’s really what you want.” He didn’t turn to watch Yoichi’s face fall. “But don’t you dare leave for me.”

He walked out the door, letting it slam shut behind him and clawing desperately at the selfish hope that Yoichi would still be there when he returned.

----

Kudou spent the rest of the day in his office, angrily scribbling out plans and strategies only to rip them apart. When day drifted into night, he moved to his room and paced across his floor. He couldn’t stop thinking about Yoichi, about how Yoichi wanted to leave for Kudou’s sake. Thinking of Yoichi’s offer still made Kudou’s skin crawl, because how could Yoichi possibly think Kudou’s life would be better if he were gone? How could Yoichi think Kudou wanted this old building and his soldier’s approval more than he wanted…

Kudou didn’t know what he wanted, but he knew it wasn’t this. It wasn’t this bone-deep anger at the life he’d been stuck with and the terrible position his own men had put him in. It wasn’t this bitter feeling that swelled inside of him at the knowledge that he’d never have any of the things his men wanted him to fight for.

Kudou wanted more than that. For Yoichi. For himself.

He flung open the door to his room. Before he could change his mind or dwell on his decision, he stomped down the opposite hallway, not caring that he wasn’t wearing the Resistance uniform he never left his room without. He stopped in front of a familiar door on the bottom floor.

Yua was sitting out front, holding a half-eaten apple with one hand and a handgun with the other.

If Yua thought it was strange that he was wearing a plain black shirt and cargo pants instead of the usual uniform, she didn’t show it. She only smiled at him, “Oh, good. You’re here to take over my shift, right?” She got up as Kudou nodded, handing him the handgun but keeping the apple. She patted him on the shoulder as she passed, whispering, “Don’t get into too much trouble” in a tone that made Kudou flush.

He was grateful when she slipped away into the darkness of the corridor.

Kudou knocked on the door and waited. It took a second for Yoichi to open the door. When he did, his hair was slightly disheveled, his eyes bleary like he’d just rolled out of bed. They widened as they fixed on Kudou, “My hero, I didn’t expect—”

“Will you come somewhere with me?” Kudou asked before he could change his mind. “I want to show you something.”

Yoichi blinked, the only sign of his surprise, “Of course. Give me a second to get dressed.”

Kudou handed him a blue jacket he’d nicked from the storage room on the way over, “Put this on.”

Yoichi accepted it curiously, but he didn’t ask questions as he vanished into his room. A minute later, he reappeared wearing the jacket, his hair slightly less mussed. Kudou surveyed him appraisingly before taking a step closer, “Come here for a second.”

“What—?” Yoichi started to ask. He cut himself off as Kudou carefully pulled his hood over his head. He adjusted the hood carefully, his hands grazing Yoichi’s face as he made sure to hide Yoichi’s white hair from view.

Kudou stepped back, nodding in satisfaction at Yoichi’s face, which was now obscured in shadow, “Okay, let’s go.”

Kudou led Yoichi to the staircase. They climbed up, past the second and first levels. Yoichi hesitated as Kudou turned down a side hallway, opening the door to a final set of stairs. His voice was a whisper, “Are you sure?”

Kudou sometimes forgot that Yoichi hadn’t left their base since he’d arrived nearly two months ago. He had never even been to the ground floor of their building. The last time Yoichi had been outside had been when he was fleeing from All For One, blindfolded and clutching Kudou’s hand with quiet desperation.

Kudou tensed, “You think I still don’t trust you?”

“It’s not that, but with everything that’s happened—” Yoichi paused, his eyes assessing Kudou. “Is this a bad idea?”

“Maybe,” Kudou admitted honestly. “But I don’t want you to talk me out of it.”

Yoichi paused, staring at Kudou as if weighing his options. After a slight hesitation, he stepped forward like he’d reached a decision, his fingers reaching for Kudou’s hand. He entwined their fingers together and nodded at Kudou, “Okay. Let’s go, my hero.”

Kudou eyed their joined hands curiously, but he didn’t pull away. He wasn’t usually a touchy person, but Yoichi seemed happy, and Kudou didn’t mind his touch nearly as much as he would’ve expected. There was something comforting about how Yoichi’s hand was a near-perfect fit in his own, and Kudou supposed it was fitting that Yoichi left the Resistance in the same way he entered—his slender fingers intertwined with Kudou’s.

Kudou opened the door to the ground level and pulled Yoichi after him. He scanned the room once the door closed behind them, surveying the building’s upper level.

The resistance base was an abandoned army compound, built during a long-ago war to house troops safely in the city. Once that war had ended, the army kept its existence a secret in case the worst were to happen, but it had long ago been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Kudou’s father had learned of its existence during his time in the army and had secretly worked to repair it once All For One began to rise to power, building a place below even All For One’s radar.

Part of the reason that was possible was the building’s ground floor. From the street level, it didn’t look like anything special. It seemed like a boarded-up storefront attached to a single-level parking garage. No one would know from looking at it that the ground floor was connected to an expansive belowground fortress.

Kudou carefully stepped forward, motioning for Yoichi to stay behind him. He never stationed more than a few guards at the ground floor, for fear of drawing attention to their location. The Resistance’s strength had never lain in its manpower or combat ability. Their only advantage was staying in the shadows, striking quickly and disappearing. Kudou’s highest priority was keeping the base hidden.

Of course, there were always a couple guards on duty. As Kudou crept forward, he spotted them on watch. He stepped out before they noticed him, letting go of Yoichi’s hand and motioning for Yoichi to go down the left hallway that led out to the parking garage. Kudou waited for Yoichi to be out of eyeshot before he walked up to the guards.

“Boss,” the nearest one jumped in surprise when he saw Kudou. Utsushimi, Yua’s spy with the illusion quirk. “What are you doing here?”

The other guard was approaching. Kudou didn’t know his name, but he looked just as surprised as Utsushimi by Kudou’s appearance. Kudou waited for him to be within earshot before saying, “I’m going out. I’m taking one of the cars.”

“Now? It’s the middle of the night,” Utsushimi blinked in surprise. Kudou stared at him until he shifted uneasily. “Sorry, Boss. Of course you mean now.”

“I’ll head out then,” Kudou nodded to them. “Keep your eyes open.”

“Just you?” Kudou had already turned halfway around as the other guard narrowed his eyes, looking behind Kudou as if he were hiding something. Kudou didn’t like the accusatory gleam in the second guard’s eye.

“Just me,” Kudou replied flatly. He nodded to Utsushimi and swept past the other guard down the far hallway. It led out to the parking garage that was attached to the ground floor. Kudou and the Resistance stashed their vehicles in the garage, which wasn’t visible from the street outside.

Yoichi was waiting outside the side door, staring at the inside of the garage with amazement. Kudou had to remind himself that even before the Resistance, Yoichi didn’t get out much. Maybe that was why he found the inside of a parking garage so interesting.

Kudou motioned for Yoichi to follow him as he pulled a tarp off of a dark gray SUV. He got into the driver’s seat, turning the key in the ignition as Yoichi hopped up into the passenger seat, his face still hidden by the hood of his dark jacket.

“You’re going to have to duck when we pass by the building,” Kudou told him. “And keep your hood up until we get out of the city.”

Kudou pulled out of the garage slowly, keeping his lights off as he crept down the first couple of blocks towards the highway. He only turned them on when he made it to the first major road, and only allowed Yoichi to stop hiding when they made it onto the highway, leaving the city behind them.

It was late and the roads were mostly empty, but Kudou waited until they were far outside the city limits before he dared to lower the car’s speed. He watched from the corner of his eye as Yoichi cracked the window open, sticking his hand out to feel the cool breeze against his skin.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Yoichi asked him, nearly shouting to be heard over the wind. The wind had blown his hood back and sent his hair flying back from his face in moonlight-white tendrils. His cheeks were flushed pink from a combination of excitement and the cold.

“You’ll see soon,” Kudou told him, forcing himself to keep his focus on the curved road ahead of them. This road that crept along the coastline was pitch black but for the lights from his car. It wasn’t an easy route to drive.

He felt Yoichi glance at him, but Kudou couldn’t offer more than a sidelong glance in return. Yoichi returned to leaning out the window in a way that had Kudou fearing for his safety. His whole head was sticking out, neck craned upwards like a dog smelling the air. Kudou wanted to warn him to get his head back in the car before he got hit by a branch or something, but Yoichi looked so happy that he couldn’t quite get the words out.

Kudou finally slowed down as he pulled off onto a dead-end road. He drove all the way to the end before he parked and turned off the car. Yoichi jumped out, smoothing his windblown hair as he looked around him.

There were no lights nearby, but the moon was nearly full and bright enough to see by. From the bluff Kudou had parked at the top of, he could see where the moon hung above the gentle waves of the ocean, its reflection painted on the water’s surface. Far below them, the ocean reached out as far as Kudou could see.

Yoichi’s eyes were wide with wonder, his mouth parted in amazement as he stared out at the immense body of water that stretched out before him. Kudou didn’t know if Yoichi had ever been to the ocean. It was hard to imagine All For One bringing his little brother out on beach vacations.

“Want to go down to the water?” Kudou asked softly, half-afraid his words would shatter the sense of wonder that hovered around Yoichi like an aura.

Yoichi turned to him. To Kudou’s relief, his awe didn’t fade when he turned from the sea to Kudou. He nodded, like he couldn’t quite manage speaking at that moment.

Kudou led him down a winding path that cut its way down the bluff to the sandy beach below. The beach was hidden from the road and empty of anyone but the two of them.

Yoichi took off his shoes and rolled up the legs of his pants, wading into the cold ocean water. Kudou was content to stay on the beach, burying his own bare feet in the sand as he stared across the cove to where a single house stood, a warm yellow light glittering welcomingly within it.

He leaned back on his elbows, watching as Yoichi waded even deeper into the water. When Yoichi finally collapsed besides Kudou on the beach, his pants were soaked nearly up to his knees from the ocean waves. Kudou wanted to make fun of him for it, but his words died in his throat at the look of pure joy on Yoichi’s face.

“You’re not going to come in?” Yoichi asked breathlessly, his face flushed with excitement. “The water feels nice.”

Kudou shook his head, “It’s too cold this time of year. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Didn’t think a little cold would stop you,” Yoichi said teasingly, his eyes full of laughter.

Kudou shrugged, smiling back, “Guess you’ve found my weakness.”

He felt an ache in his chest at the ease between them. In some other universe, maybe things could have been like this. They could have been friends that drove out to the ocean together and laughed over meaningless jokes. The thought made Kudou sad, then angry again.

Yoichi must have seen something in his face. His smile faded away and Kudou immediately missed its presence, “Are you going to tell me why you brought me here?”

“I need a reason to go somewhere with a friend?” Kudou tried for a light tone but failed. They both knew Kudou wasn’t really serious, but Yoichi addressed him anyway,

“You do if your friend is me,” Yoichi said. There was a slight note of regret in his voice. “What you did to protect me—"

“Do we have to talk about that?” Kudou looked back at the waves crashing on the sand in front of them. “Can’t we just watch the ocean for a while?”

He felt Yoichi’s eyes on him, but Kudou stared ahead. There was something entrancing about the rhythmic way the waves crashed upon the sand. He watched intently as each wave reached further onto the sand, only to be dragged back out to the ocean.

“Yeah, okay,” Yoichi sighed, flopping onto his back. He stared up at the sky, squinting to make out the stars above them. The brightness of the moon drowned most of them out, but a few of the brighter ones were still visible. “Whatever you need.”

They lapsed into silence, Kudou watching the waves as Yoichi’s eyes traced the stars. The tide was coming up, Kudou realized. Each wave on its own seemed to accomplish nothing, but the tide crept steadily towards his feet anyway. Kudou studied each swell of water as it stretched its wet fingers up the beach. There was something almost desperate about the way the waves clung to the sand in the moment before the ocean reclaimed them.

“Do you know how I found this place?” Kudou finally asked, his words the only sound besides the crash of the surf. Yoichi shook his head from where he lay, his white hair falling away from his face like a halo. “I was looking for my sister.”

Yoichi’s brow furrowed, “I thought your sister…”

“Was dead?” Kudou finished the question for him. When Yoichi had asked him about his sisters before, he had answered with the past tense. “One of them is. My sister and my mother died before I could even really remember them.” He paused. “All For One killed them.”

Yoichi turned his head away, probably trying to hide the look of devastation on his face.

Kudou reached out to touch Yoichi’s shoulder reassuringly, “I’m not telling you to make you feel guilty. I just want you to understand me.”

Yoichi nodded, looking down at Kudou’s hand with an unreadable look on his face. Kudou withdrew it, glancing away,

“It was just bad luck, really. Some men upset your brother by refusing to bow down to him, so All For One killed everyone in the vicinity,” Kudou kept his tone offhand. “My mother and sister just happened to be standing across the street.”

“Kudou—” Yoichi sat up, his voice soft and sympathetic.

“Don’t feel bad for me,” Kudou shot Yoichi a warning look, not sure how to deal with the compassion in Yoichi’s eyes. “I told you I barely remember them.

“Anyway, my father never really got over it,” Kudou continued. “He was obsessed with making All For One pay, but he was too weak. He’d fought in the army for nearly a decade and still didn’t stand a chance against some kid with the power to steal quirks. It drove him insane, how powerless he was.

“And then my quirk manifested, and all of a sudden he decided that I was the weapon he’d wield against your brother. He spent the rest of his life training me to fight All For One, making me into a soldier.”

“I’m so—” Yoichi stopped himself mid-sentence as Kudou shot him a warning look. Kudou didn’t want apologies. Yoichi’s voice was hushed as he rechose his words. “What happened to him?”

“He died like a fool,” Kudou said harshly. “When I was a teenager, he decided I was strong enough to kill All For One. He and some other revenge-driven idiots brought me and a few other kids with quirks to fight your brother. We lost, of course. I was the only one to make it out.”

Kudou clenched a handful of sand in his fist, then let it run out through his fingers. He hadn’t anticipated how hard this was. He never talked about his past. Even Bruce didn’t know the whole story, and if Atsuo did, he knew better than to bring it up in Kudou’s presence. Kudou’s origins had lain in the back of his head for too long, adding fuel to the fires of his resentment.

“After that, the Resistance just took shape around me,” Kudou finished. “I convinced myself I was okay with letting the course of my life be decided by my father’s righteous anger. I mean, comparatively, there are worse ways of living. But sometimes I wonder…”

He trailed off, staring back across the cove. The light in the window of the house across the water flickered softly. Whenever Kudou looked at that house, he felt an ache swell inside him. The sight of it was a reminder of a part of Kudou that had always been missing, a place inside his chest that he never realized was empty until he came to the beach.

“My oldest sister didn’t have a quirk,” he told Yoichi. “She didn’t have a part in my father’s big revenge plan without one, so he cast her aside. She resented him for it, and as soon as she was old enough, she left him behind.

“She offered to take me with her when she left, but I was still just a stupid kid. My father told me I could grow up to be strong enough to avenge my sister and mother, that I would be a hero one day for killing All For One. And I was an idiot. I actually believed him.”

Yoichi stared at him. Kudou was surprised to see something like anger in his eyes. Outrage, on Kudou’s behalf, “You were a kid, my hero. You weren’t to blame for trusting him.”

Kudou shook his head. Yoichi didn’t get it. If Kudou had realized the harsh truth a little sooner, maybe his life wouldn’t have turned out the way it had.

“I always thought I’d see her again,” Kudou admitted, glancing away. “I thought she’d come back for me, or maybe my father would realize his mistakes and bring her home. I waited for her, but she never came back, and my father never spoke her name. It was like she just stopped existing to everyone but me.

“I didn’t understand how she could leave me like that. I was afraid she might have died, and that was why I’d never heard from her, so I tracked her down a few years back, after I got my hands on the Resistance’s resources.

Kudou pointed across the water, his finger reaching towards the single house on the other side of the bay, its lights flickering invitingly, “She lives there.”

Yoichi’s eyes widened as he followed Kudou’s gaze across the water, “That house?”

Kudou nodded, “She’s married now. She has a kid. She’s happy.”

“Did you ever talk to her?” Yoichi asked, studying the house across the bay with a thoughtful expression.

Kudou shook his head, feeling an odd pang in his chest, “She wouldn’t be happy to see me. I’ve grown up exactly like our father wanted.”

Yoichi glanced at him tentatively, “Don’t you think she’d want to know that you’re alive?”

Kudou shrugged. His sister probably thought both he and his father had died a long time ago. She had grieved him and moved on to better life. Seeing him now would only bring back memories of a dark time in both of their lives, and Kudou couldn’t do that to her.

“I think for her, I was dead from the moment she left,” Kudou answered. “It’d probably be like seeing a ghost.”

Yoichi leaned back on his elbows, watching the waves. Kudou watched the wind weave its way through Yoichi’s hair, blowing it back from his face. The pale skin of his face was still flushed from the cold. His lashes fluttered against his cheeks as he blinked, his expression thoughtful, “I don’t know if seeing ghosts is so bad, if they’re ghosts of people you love.”

Kudou didn’t answer. He didn’t know that he agreed. It didn’t matter that his sister had loved him. Seeing him would only drag her back to the time when she’d lost him. It must have been hard for her, choosing to leave and put her own happiness first. He didn’t want her to suffer the agony of reliving it.

Kudou had resented his sister’s decision. When he’d realized what his father was turning him into, he’d cursed himself for not running with her and cursed her for leaving him behind. But her choice wasn’t as selfish as Kudou had once thought it to be. Now that he was older, he could understand the pain she must have endured.

Kudou took a deep breath, running his hand through soft grains of sand, “Do you ever think about running?”

“What?” Yoichi’s head jerked away from the sea in surprise. He stared like he didn’t quite comprehend what Kudou was asking.

“I can’t promise you a good life at the Resistance,” Kudou confessed. The admission still filled him with anger and resentment. “I hate it, but we both know I can’t ensure that my men won’t try something again. And I don’t want you to have to spend your life hiding in your room because people won’t accept you.”

“Kudou—” Yoichi started, but Kudou wasn’t finished.

“My sister ran, and she’s happy now. We could do it, too,” Kudou breathed. “We’ve made enough sacrifices already, haven’t we? Neither of us owes the Resistance anything.”

Kudou had spent his whole life chained by the wills of the others. His father’s will had come first, then the hopes and dreams of the Resistance. He didn’t know what it was like to have the freedom to follow your own dreams. Until very recently, he’d given up on having any dreams for himself at all.

He’d sacrificed his entire life to their mission, and still the Resistance asked more of him. What was the point of it all? If it was to give his people the chance of a happy life like his sister’s, why couldn’t Kudou have the same opportunity to be happy? Why was he the one who had to give up everything?

“I know you think I’m some great hero who founded the Resistance and led the charge against All For One, but that’s not really the truth,” Kudou knew it would destroy Yoichi’s image of him to hear him suggest something as selfish as running away, but Yoichi deserved to know who his rescuer really was. “The Resistance formed because a bunch of desperate people needed something to cling to, and they just happened to cling to me. I’ve never been a hero. I’m just the product of my father’s training.”

Kudou dreaded what he’d see in Yoichi’s face, but he forced himself to meet Yoichi’s eyes anyway. Something tightened in his chest at Yoichi’s expression. There was no judgement in it, nothing resentful or accusatory. Nothing but compassion.

“I don’t think of you as my hero because you’re the leader of the Resistance,” Yoichi’s eyes were soft and unguarded. “You’re a hero to me because of the things that you do.”

Kudou frowned. He wasn’t sure he understood.

“You look out for your friends. You go out of your way to make them happy. You put yourselves on the front lines of every battle so that others don’t have to. You spend days going over notes and plans to make sure as many soldiers survive as possible. And what you’ve done for me—” Yoichi trailed off,

“Your father’s training didn’t make you do any of that. You chose to act, because you are a good person.”

Kudou stared. Yoichi stared back, his expression earnest. Yoichi really believed what he was saying. The realization felt like a vise wrapping around Kudou’s heart, squeezing too tightly. He couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just watched as the breeze laced its fingers through Yoichi’s moonlit hair.

“I know you’re not really going to run away,” Yoichi whispered to him.

Kudou swallowed, his voice dry, “How do you know that?”

Yoichi smiled gently, his voice soft but firm,

“If you were the type to turn your back on the people who need you, you never would have reached out a hand to me.”

The moon was so beautiful as it reached out to touch Yoichi’s face. Somehow, Kudou doubted his own face glowed in the same way. There was something about Yoichi that defied the limits of what was possible, a strength in him that shouldn’t have been able to endure. Yoichi should have been brought down by the weight of it all long ago, but he had persisted.

Kudou had walked in a world of shadows and blood for much less time than Yoichi, yet the hopelessness and despair of that world clung to his back with relentless desperation. He fought for the sake of fighting, just as he’d been trained. He never thought about the future, because whenever he tried, he saw nothing. His world was only muted colors and shades of grey, but he’d resigned himself to it long ago.

Now, though, things had shifted. The world wasn’t what he thought it was, because Yoichi existed. If someone like Yoichi could survive, maybe other things Kudou had once thought were impossible had always been within his reach.

“But if I go back, what about you?” Kudou asked him. He didn’t want Yoichi to have to live the way he had been, confined to his room for his own safety. How was it any better than the life he’d lived in All For One’s cell?

“I’ll follow you,” Yoichi said simply. “I’m not asking you to protect me. I just want to keep fighting by your side.”

Kudou’s stomach twisted with a mix of relief and concern. He wanted Yoichi to be safe, to live a full life somewhere far away. But selfishly, he also wanted Yoichi to stay.

“Okay,” he said, because it was Yoichi’s decision to make. He got to his feet, dusting sand off of his pants as he cast one last look across the house across the water.

Yoichi didn’t move from where he sat in the sand, eyes still locked on Kudou’s own, “Do you promise?”

Kudou blinked. There was a deep intensity to Yoichi’s gaze. The second he met it, he was petrified, sucked into the depths of Yoichi’s soul. He could see everything in Yoichi’s green eyes. Fear, pain, affection, desperation, longing.

“Promise you’ll let me stay. Promise you’ll fight with me,” Yoichi breathed, his whisper mingling with the gentle wind. “Whatever comes next, I want to face it with you.”

The war Kudou fought might have been only an inherited battle, but he would fight in it anyway. Not for his father’s sake, or because it was his duty. Not anymore. Kudou would fight for the people who had placed their faith in him. He would fight for everyone who still believed in a better future, whether or not he believed in it himself.

Kudou turned his back on the house across the cove, offering Yoichi his hand, “I promise.”

Chapter Text

AFTER

“I got something for you,” Bruce stood in the doorway of Kudou’s office. “From the old base.”

Kudou looked up as a couple of his soldiers finished giving their reports and filtered out of the room. The door shut behind them, leaving Kudou to eye his second-in-command suspiciously as Bruce fished around in his bag.

“Here it is.”

Bruce pulled something out and tossed it onto the table in front of Kudo. Kudou didn’t move to grab it. He only stared, immediately recognizing the navy color and black binding. He’d picked that notebook out himself from the storage room. Yoichi had brought it everywhere with him.

Bruce must have picked it up from Yoichi’s old room during the most recent search of the old base. Kudou hadn’t gone on that one, so he hadn’t been around to tell Bruce to stay on task, to not waste time picking up things that weren’t essential.

“I don’t need it,” Kudou told Bruce flatly, looking away.

Bruce shifted his weight from one foot to the other, “You sure? I thought it might be good for you to have it.” Kudou bristled and Bruce quickly added, “For strategic reasons, I mean. He took a lot of notes on All For One, didn’t he?”

“He did…” Kudou conceded, eyeing Bruce suspiciously. He knew what this was. This “gift” wasn’t based in strategic usefulness. It was an attempt to get Kudou to…crack, maybe? Talk about his feelings?

He wasn’t sure why Bruce thought something like that would be helpful. Kudou needed to stay strong, now more than ever. So many people were relying on him to fight. He couldn’t afford to let emotion get in the way. Bruce knew what they were up against. He should understand.

“So keep it, then,” Bruce instructed him. “You might learn something new.”

“I don’t—” Kudou couldn’t quite hide the strain from his voice. Bruce wasn’t hearing him. He really didn’t want the notebook. In fact, he was barely managing to hold himself back from screaming at Bruce to get it out of his sight. Every time he looked at it, he couldn’t stop remembering the way Yoichi used to hunch over the pages, his nose close to the paper as he scribbled frantically…

“I don’t want it,” Kudou spat the words out in a jumbled rush.

Bruce face was carefully expressionless, “And why is that?”

There was no logical reason to refuse the notebook. Bruce was right—the information between the pages could be useful. Kudou’s aversion to the notebook was purely emotional, but he couldn’t admit that to Bruce. If he did, it would mean talking about what had happened in the sewers.

Kudou let out a slow, shaky breath, knowing Bruce had him trapped, “Fine. Leave it here. I’ll look through it.”

“Good,” Bruce looked satisfied. He reached over the desk to clap Kudou on the shoulder. “Hope you find something helpful in there, Boss.”

Bruce headed back out, the door shutting behind him. Kudou didn’t move, staring at the notebook in front of him. He should put it away, somewhere out of sight. He didn’t need to read it right away. Maybe with a little more time, he’d feel okay enough to look through it.

Kudou reached for the notebook, fully intending to lock it away in some dark cabinet, but his hands had other plans. Before he could process what he was doing, he has flipped the notebook open to a random page.

Kudou sucked in a breath as he took in the sight of Yoichi’s familiar untidy scrawl. He pulled the book closer, breathing in the scent of composition paper and pencil dust. Yoichi’s shaky, childlike handwriting was hard to decipher at first, but Kudou quickly adjusted to the spelling mistakes and scribbled characters. They were notes on the biotech company, stuff Kudou and his lieutenants had gone over in meetings.

He flipped through the next pages. Yoichi’s notes were extensive and detailed. He wrote about everything: detailed reports of Resistance meetings, everything he could remember about All For One’s business dealings and allies. He had a long list of the meta abilities of everyone he’d ever encountered, Resistance members included. Kudou scanned the list until he found his own name.

Gearshift, Yoichi had written. Ability to manipulate the speed and trajectory of small items by “shifting gears.” Top gear can reach supersonic speeds. Physical backlash on the body of the user is greater with a longer duration of use and utilization of higher gear.

Yoichi then went into several examples of Kudou’s quirk in action. Kudou hadn’t realized he’d been paying such close attention. Kudou had rarely used his quirk around Yoichi, since Yoichi hadn’t been in the field during their missions. And yet, Yoichi understood his quirk so well. He was incredibly observant.

Kudou flipped further, looking for information he could use against All For One. He turned a few more pages and froze, letting the book fall open. His heart lurched painfully in his chest, breath restricting as he read the first line on the page.

To my hero,

I’m writing this for you so that when my brother comes for me, there won’t be anything I wish I could’ve told—

Kudou shut the book hard enough to shake the desk, throwing it into a drawer like it was a bomb ready to explode. He slammed the drawer shut before he dared to breathe, locking away everything that had threatened to escape.

He got to his feet and left the room behind him, wishing he’d never opened the stupid notebook.

BEFORE

In the days following the soldier’s attack, Kudou was on high alert. He was constantly on edge, his nerves fried as he waited anxiously for another disaster to strike. He barely let Yoichi out of his sight out of fear that his soldiers would try something in his absence, and he’d picked up more shifts guarding Yoichi’s room than anyone.

He knew it was starting to become noticeable that the stress was getting to him, especially to Yoichi. When Kudou brought Yoichi his usual cup of tea in the morning, Yoichi pushed it back across the table towards him.

“You need this more than I do,” he frowned, his face pinched with concern. “You look exhausted, my hero.”

Kudou tried his best to hide his fatigue, not wanting to worry Yoichi. He knew Yoichi would only feel guilty if he learned why Kudou was so tired.

“I’m fine. Really.”

“Bruce told me you were on guard duty all night last night,” Yoichi told him. Kudou winced. He thought he’d warned Bruce not to disclose that information. Maybe he’d forgotten.

Kudou sighed, knowing there was no use in denying it, “Yeah, well, there’s no one I trust to keep you safe as much as myself.”

Yoichi’s brow furrowed, his expression just as worried and regretful as Kudou had expected. He frowned at Kudou, “You shouldn’t worry so much about me. It’s important that you stay healthy—”

“And what about you?” Kudou interjected. “What about your health?”

“You’re more important than—”

“Bullshit,” Kudou didn’t let him finish. “I think in the grand scheme of things, me being a little tired is a much more acceptable outcome than you being dead.”

Yoichi chewed on his lip, not agreeing or disagreeing. The thing that scared Kudou was that Yoichi was so altruistic and self-sacrificing that he might actually prefer dying to causing Kudou even the slightest bit of harm.

At least Yoichi seemed to know better than to admit it to Kudou’s face, “There’s got to be a better solution. Maybe I don’t need to be guarded all the time? Things seem to have calmed down.”

“No way,” Kudou frowned. “It’s only been a few days since the attack. I’m not leaving you unprotected.”

“Is there anyone else that could take up some more shifts?” Yoichi suggested. Kudou knew Yoichi would prefer not to burden anyone by having them protect him, but Kudou wasn’t so willing to put Yoichi’s life on the line.

“No one I trust,” Kudou admitted.

It was only really Bruce, Yua, and himself who he trusted around Yoichi completely. He also had Utsushimi and Atsuo on guard duty out of necessity, because he didn’t believe either of them would turn on him, but he still hadn’t forgiven Atsuo for what he’d said in the aftermath of the attack.

“There’s got to be a way,” Yoichi said thoughtfully. He looked troubled as he rested his head against his palm, his elbow on the table.

A thought occurred to Kudou, and he spit it out without thinking,

“Maybe you should sleep with me.”

Yoichi choked on his sip of tea. His eyes grew wide as he dissolved into a coughing fit.

Kudou felt heat crawl into his face as he realized his mistake. He ducked his head to hide the way his was face burning, “Sorry, bad phrasing. That’s not what I—” he coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat. “I think you’d be safer if you slept in my room.”

Yoichi looked up at him, finally recovered from his coughing fit. His pale skin made it pretty hard to cover up the bright red color that his face had turned.

Kudou flushed too. He needed to explain himself before Yoichi decided he was a total creep, “No one will come looking for you there.”

Nope. That didn’t help. He sounded even more suspicious.

“And if anyone does come for you,” Kudou added, a little desperately. “I’ll be there to protect you.”

Yoichi hesitated, chewing on his lip, “I…don’t know.”

Kudou nodded. He couldn’t blame Yoichi for having reservations about the idea, given the absolutely god-awful reasoning Kudou had just provided.

Yoichi glanced up at him, “I don’t want you to have to share your room. Sounds inconvenient for you, my hero.”

Kudou sighed, slightly exasperated. As per usual, Yoichi wasn’t even considering himself. He cared more about Kudou’s comfort than his own safety.

“Yoichi, I really don’t mind. I’ve got enough space,” Kudou replied honestly. “Actually, I’ll probably sleep better knowing you’re safe.”

Yoichi stayed silent, a hint of color lingering on his cheeks as his eyes locked onto Kudou’s.

“I know it’s not ideal. You wouldn’t have your own room,” Kudou admitted. “But it’s not like you’d have to stay with me forever. Just until this whole thing blows over. Or I guess you could stay with Bruce, but his room kind of smells.”

“Don’t want that,” Yoichi chuckled, wrinkling his nose. Bruce’s room wasn’t actually that bad, but Kudou was feeling selfish. He wanted Yoichi to stay with him. “And I’ve had enough time to myself to last a lifetime. I’d much rather stay with you, my hero.”

Kudou smiled at him, happy to be Yoichi’s first choice.

----

That night, Kudou led Yoichi to his bedroom. He ushered Yoichi inside, feeling slightly self-conscious. It wasn’t often that he let anyone inside his room.

As leader of the Resistance, one of Kudou’s special privileges was a slightly larger room. Kudou’s room had a large living room in addition to the bedroom, plus an attached bathroom. He’d set up a pillow and a blanket on the couch of the living room and made sure the bed was made before Yoichi arrived.

He stepped into the room behind Yoichi, glancing around in embarrassment, “Sorry for the mess.”

Kudou wasn’t a total slob, but his room was far from pristine. Clothes were thrown haphazardly across the floor and papers and notes were strewn across every flat surface in the apartment. He kicked a jacked into his closet, clearing up some of the space.

Yoichi shrugged, “I don’t think it’s messy. It’s pretty empty, actually.”

Kudou nodded in understanding. Although his apartment was cluttered, it was sparsely decorated. It had all the necessary furniture, but nothing more. There were no posters on his walls or framed pictures on his desk. For lack of a better description, it had very little in the way of personality.

Kudou guessed he’d just never been tempted to decorate. The room served its purpose, and that was all he needed from it. Besides, it wasn’t like he had hobbies or interests to display. All he had room for was his fight against All For One.

“Well,” Kudou hesitated as the door shut behind him. “Bedroom’s through there. You can go to sleep whenever. I’ll take the couch.”

Yoichi didn’t move, his lips twisting into a frown, “My hero, I’m not taking your bed from you.”

“Huh? Why not?” Kudou blinked. “I basically made you give up your own bed. It’s only fair.”

“That’s not—” Yoichi’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t make me give up anything. I wanted to sleep here.” He flushed. “Because it’s safer, I mean.”

“Either way, you’re technically my guest,” Kudou told him. “Which means I’d be a terrible host if I made you sleep on the couch.” Yoichi opened his mouth to protest, so Kudou backed away before he got the chance. “I’m going to shower. Take the bed. Go to sleep.”

He locked himself in the bathroom before Yoichi could argue the point any further.

When he emerged from the shower, rubbing his wet hair with a towel, Yoichi was not in the bedroom. Kudou heaved a sigh of exasperation as he saw Yoichi already settled on the couch.

“What are you doing out here?” Kudou frowned at him, draping the towel around his neck.

Yoichi just blinked, “You look…different.”

Kudou had changed into a faded black tee shirt and sweats to sleep. He supposed it was probably a change for Yoichi, who only ever saw him in his Resistance uniform.

“I don’t actually sleep in the uniform,” Kudou told him wryly. “Shocking, I know.”

“Huh,” Yoichi smirked playfully. “I sort of thought you would.”

“Hey, I don’t always wear it,” Kudou poked him in the shoulder lightly. “You’ve seen me without it. At the beach, remember?”

“That doesn’t count,” Yoichi shrugged, eyes glinting mischievously. “If you wore your uniform to the beach you’d be a true psychopath. Worse than my brother.”

Yoichi was making jokes about All For One now. That was new.

Kudou raised his eyebrows, “Good to know where you draw the line, Shigaraki. I’ll be sure to wear my uniform as little as possible around you.”

“That’s…not necessary,” Kudou could’ve sworn Yoichi blushed. “I like the uniform, too.”

Kudou squinted at Yoichi suspiciously, “I feel like you’re lying to me right now.”

“No, I just…” Yoichi looked embarrassed. “It looks fine.”

“Fine?” Kudou repeated, smirking sardonically. “That’s a strong endorsement. I’m really convinced now.”

Yoichi hesitated, glancing away. Kudou caught a glimpse of his flushed face before he ducked his head, “You can pull it off.”

Kudou blushed, feeling surprisingly flustered. He was at a loss for how to respond, so he did his best to play it off.

“Flattery, huh?” He crossed his arms. “You really think you can distract me that easily from the fact that you stole my sleeping spot?”

Yoichi shrugged, “I don’t know, I’d just rather sleep here, so...”

“I wanted to sleep there,” Kudou countered. “You took my spot.”

“Sorry my hero, but there’s no way you’re convincing me you’d rather sleep on the couch than your own bed,” Yoichi smiled gently, like he was trying to let Kudou down easy. “Just go take the bed. You need your rest.”

“And you don’t?” Kudou raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll sleep fine here,” Yoichi reassured him, eyes glinting with resolve. “I used to sleep on the streets when I was little, remember? This is pretty luxurious compared to that.”

Yoichi was staring at him with his jaw set and a stubborn look in his eye. It seemed like a lost cause to try to convince him to move, so Kudou quietly decided that he’d wait until Yoichi was asleep, then swap beds with him. Yoichi probably wouldn’t notice until morning, and then it would be too late to switch back.

“If you’re sure,” Kudou sighed in defeat.

“’Course I am,” Yoichi smiled brightly, like sleeping on the lumpy old sofa was somehow a win for him. “Get some sleep, my hero. I’ll see you in the morning.”

----

Kudou went to bed fully planning to stay awake longer than Yoichi, but after running on so little sleep for so long, his plan quickly became a failure. As desperately as Kudou tried to cling to consciousness, he passed out nearly as soon as his head hit the mattress, falling into a deep sleep.

He dreamed of going to a baseball game with his family. He was a little kid in his dream, reaching up to catch fly balls as they raced towards him. He was leaning over to catch one when he lost his balance, falling down, down until he crashed to the sandy ground.

When he opened his eyes, a baseball player that looked vaguely like Bruce was holding out a hand, “C’mon, champ. You fall, we carry you, right?”

Before Kudou could answer, a cry of fear sliced through his dream.

Kudou jolted awake, hands already reaching for the projectiles he kept by his bed. Were they under attack? He didn’t know how All For One could have managed to find them, but it was possible. Kudou knew better than to underestimate either of the Shigaraki brothers.

He shot upright, scanning the room. As his eyes dilated, he made out only one other figure. Kudou recognized the shape of Yoichi’s shoulders as he huddled on the couch. His whole body was trembling.

Kudou rushed to Yoichi’s side, worry climbing up his throat. He leaned down towards Yoichi, trying to see what it was that had frightened him so completely.

“Yoichi,” Kudou whispered in alarm, reaching toward him. “What is it? What happened?”

With a shout of alarm, Yoichi swung a fist straight for Kudou’s face. Kudou was only just quick enough to grab onto Yoichi’s wrist before it hit him in the chin. Yoichi struggled wildly, twisting out of Kudou’s grip and lashing out with sharp elbows. His eyes were glazed over with fear, tears streaming from his cheeks. He looked at Kudou like he was seeing someone else.

“Yoichi, stop. It’s just me,” Kudou struggled to keep Yoichi from attacking him. “You’re in my room at the base, remember? You’re safe.”

Yoichi swung his face towards Kudou. Slowly, his eyes softened with recognition. He let out a choked gasp, and something in Kudou’s chest twisted almost painfully at the pure relief in his gaze. His voice was hoarse from crying and barely louder than a whisper, “My hero.” His eyes widened with horror as he realized what he’d tried to do, tears pooling at their corners. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Kudou didn’t hesitate. He didn’t think. He just reached out and pulled Yoichi into his arms.

Yoichi stiffened in surprise. For a second he didn’t move, and Kudou was terrified that he’d made the wrong call. Then, like something gave way inside of him, Yoichi buried his head against Kudou’s shoulder and sobbed. Kudou squeezed him tighter, letting Yoichi’s tears soak through the fabric of his shirt. He rubbed Yoichi’s back in what he hoped were comforting circles until Yoichi’s tears finally began to subside.

For a while, Yoichi didn’t move, his head still resting against Kudou’s shoulder. Kudou wondered if he’d cried himself to sleep until he heard Yoichi muffled voice, hoarse from crying, “I’m sorry, my hero. I had this dream…”

“Don’t apologize,” Kudou murmured against Yoichi’s ear, as gentle as he could manage. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I get it.”

“You do?” Yoichi breathed. Kudou’s chest tightened painfully at the disbelief in Yoichi’s tone. He spoke like he couldn’t imagine that someone might understand his pain and not blame him for it.

“Yeah. I get them too sometimes,” Kudou explained, stroking Yoichi’s hair soothingly. “Here, you can have my bed. Maybe you’ll sleep better.”

“Wait, but—” Yoichi started to protest, but before he could say anything, Kudou was lifting him up and carrying him over to the softer mattress in the room next door. Yoichi had gained weight since he’d started eating again at the Resistance, but he was still so light. Kudou set him down on the bed as carefully as he could.

“Don’t try to argue with me,” Kudou told him, getting to his feet. “I’m not changing my mind.”

Yoichi sat up, his cheeks still tearstained, “You’re leaving?”

“I’m—” Kudou started to remind Yoichi that he’d sleep on the couch, but the look on Yoichi’s face stopped him. His eyes were wild with quiet desperation. “I’ll just be in the other room. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Yoichi’s arm shot out, his hand clasping Kudou’s. He squeezed Kudou fingers like he was terrified that Kudou would slip away. “Don’t go.”

Kudou tensed, “Yoichi—”

“Please, my hero,” Yoichi’s eyes latched onto his and didn’t let go. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Kudou could see the undercurrent of fear in Yoichi, lingering after his nightmare had ended. The color hadn’t returned to Yoichi’s face, and his free hand trembled where it lay at his side. He knew Yoichi didn’t want to talk about his dream, but Kudou had a good guess of who was responsible for instilling such fear in Yoichi.

He never wanted Yoichi to feel like that again.

“Okay,” Kudou whispered, letting Yoichi pull him towards the bed.

In the back of his mind, he knew he was crossing some sort of line. Kudou didn’t care. He couldn’t think about it. Not when Yoichi was reaching out to him with such need. All that mattered was making sure Yoichi was okay.

The bed was still warm. Kudou laid back beneath the covers, wrapping an arm around Yoichi and pulling him close. Yoichi curled against his side, his body warm against Kudou’s, one hand thrown over Kudou’s chest like he needed to reaffirm that Kudou wasn’t going anywhere. He nuzzled his head against Kudou’s neck and Kudou ran his fingers soothingly through Yoichi’s long, silky hair.

Kudou wasn’t used to letting anyone so close. He expected to be uncomfortable, to want to escape as soon as Yoichi had fallen asleep. But the warmth of Yoichi’s body was surprisingly comforting, and Kudou found reassurance in the constant rise and fall of Yoichi’s chest as he breathed.

He fell asleep only moments after Yoichi, drifting off to the steady pulse of Yoichi’s heartbeat.

----

Kudou woke up to a knock on the door.

He was still wrapped around Yoichi, his arm stuck beneath Yoichi’s body. Yoichi’s head was lodged under Kudou’s chin, his legs tangled around Kudou’s own.

Kudou stayed still for a moment, listening to the soft sound of Yoichi’s steady breathing. His breath was warm, tickling Kudou’s collarbone. It felt sort of nice.

The knock sounded again, this time louder and more insistent.

Yoichi stirred against Kudou, muttering something unintelligible. Kudou tried not to shiver as he felt Yoichi’s eyelashes flutter against the skin of his neck.

“Kudou?” Yoichi murmured, his voice still thick from sleep.

“Go back to sleep,” Kudou took the chance to carefully extricate his arm from beneath Yoichi. “I’ll be back in a second.”

He heaved a sigh, climbing to his feet as he stole a look at the clock. As soon as he saw the time, he felt anxious energy surge through him. It was still ungodly early. Who was looking for him at this hour? Had something happened?

Kudou made sure he had his projectiles with him before he cracked open the door.

Bruce was standing on the other side, his eyes wide with alarm, “Boss, we’ve got a problem.”

Kudou tensed, his fingers wrapping around the projectiles in his pockets. Had there been an attack? The alarms hadn’t gone off…

“What is it?”

Bruce took a second to catch his breath. It looked like he was steeling himself to deliver a message that Kudou wouldn’t like. The look only filled Kudou with more apprehension.

“It’s Yoichi,” Bruce said. “He’s missing.”

Kudou couldn’t quite hide the relief from his voice, “Oh.”

“I took over after Yua’s shift, and about an hour in I noticed the door was unlocked,” Bruce filled him in. “So I checked, and he was gone. No signs of a struggle, but—” He stopped abruptly, his gaze suddenly filled with suspicion. “You’re not freaking out. Why don’t you look worried?”

“Did you tell anyone else he was missing?” Kudou asked. He hoped the Resistance wasn’t already searching for Yoichi. That would be pretty awkward.

“No, I came straight here,” Bruce answered, his brows still furrowed in confusion. “I thought that’s what you’d want—”

“You did the right thing,” Kudou reassured him. “Thank you. Really.” Kudou coughed uncomfortably. “But he’s fine. No need to worry.”

Bruce frowned, narrowing his eyes. “How do you know?”

Kudou rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “Because he’s sleeping here.”

“Oh,” Bruce blinked. Kudou watched his eyes slowly grow wide with realization, brows shooting up towards his forehead, “Wait…what?”

“Shut up or you’ll wake him,” Kudou hissed at him. He flushed at the incredulous look on Bruce’s face. “I thought Yua would’ve told you I brought him here?”

Yua had been on guard duty when Kudou had come to get Yoichi. Kudou had explained the situation to her before he left.

Bruce shook his head, looking faintly betrayed, “Yua didn’t say a word.”

“Oh,” Kudou blinked in confusion. He’d expected Yua to fill Bruce in before he took over her shift so they could avoid a panic like this. It didn’t make sense for her to leave without saying anything. “That’s strange.”

Bruce eyed him thoughtfully, “She probably thought she was supposed to keep it a secret.”

She was supposed to keep it a secret from people who wanted to hurt Yoichi, but Bruce clearly didn’t fall into that category.

“From you?” Kudou asked dubiously. “Why would she think that?”

“Well…” Bruce scratched his head, looking embarrassed by having to explain. “She probably thought she was doing you a favor by, y’know, being discreet. It’s not like you told me you two are…together.”

“What do you—?” Kudou started. Together? It took a second for Bruce’s meaning to sink in. Kudou felt his face heat up with embarrassment as he met Bruce’s eye. “We’re not— It’s not like that. I just thought it would be safer if he slept here.”

Bruce looked skeptical, “In your bed?”

He cast a pointed look over Kudou’s shoulder at the conspicuously empty couch.

Kudou flushed, “It’d be bad manners to make him sleep on the couch.”

“What a gentleman,” Bruce scoffed. He raised his eyebrows at Kudou. “And I bet you’re going to tell me you were on the couch, then?”

“I—” Kudou was a little too flustered to pull off a convincing lie. “Y-yeah.”

“Uh huh,” Bruce smirked like he could see straight through Kudou. “Just admit it, Boss. I’m not gonna be mad about it.”

“I’m not admitting anything,” Kudou snapped irritably. “Because nothing happened, asshole.”

Bruce smiled widely, nodding his head up and down, “I totally believe you, man. You’re not acting cagey and suspicious at all. Your face isn’t completely red right now, either.”

“Dumbass,” Kudou glared. “I’ll make you go missing if you don’t shut up.”

Bruce just grinned, “C’mon, Boss. I’m happy for you. I mean, we all saw this coming, but still.”

“Asshole,” Kudou groaned, swiping a palm across his burning face. “If you’re going to keep spouting this shit, I’m going back to bed.”

“I’ll bet you are, you—”

Kudou slammed to door in his face before Bruce could finish whatever raunchy insinuation he was inevitably cooking up. He sighed, rolling his eyes as he stumbled back towards the bed.

Bruce was such an idiot. Sure, Kudou cared about Yoichi, but it wasn’t like that. Bruce didn’t get it at all.

Yoichi stirred as Kudou returned, his voice still slow and thick with sleep, “Who—?”

“Just me,” Kudou reassured him.

“My hero,” Yoichi breathed in relief. A second later, he murmured, “You’re not leaving, are you?”

“No,” Kudou answered, climbing back into bed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Yoichi rolled toward him, tucking his head back into the space above Kudou’s shoulder with a noise of contentment. He was back asleep in minutes, his heart beating steadily next to Kudou’s own. Kudou didn’t drift off as quickly. He watched Yoichi’s chest rise and fall, felt the tickle of Yoichi’s breath against the skin of his neck and the softness of his hair beneath Kudou’s chin.

Something stirred, deep in Kudou’s gut. A warmth, deeper and softer than fondness or affection. It wasn’t aggressive or unsettling or clawing for attention—it was just there. Maybe it had always been there, unnoticed, growing inside Kudou like an ember since the night he’d first reached out a hand.

He turned his head slightly, and without a single thought, he leaned down and brushed his lips against the top of Yoichi’s head.

Yoichi didn’t move, still fast asleep in Kudou’s arms. There was no one to witness what had happened. No one but Kudou, lying awake on his mattress, staring in astonishment at the spot on Yoichi’s head that he had kissed like it was second nature.

Oh.

Wait...

Bruce might’ve been onto something.

Chapter Text

BEFORE

“You’ll be careful today, right?” Yoichi asked, eyeing Kudou somberly over his bowl of rice.

“Huh? Oh, sure,” Kudou swallowed a bite of food before waving Yoichi off. “It’s just a supply run, though. Nothing to stress about.”

The Resistance was running low on supplies, so Kudou and Bruce were headed out on a day trip to pick up resources from their various contacts and supporters. It was a routine trip—one that they made every month without a hint of trouble.

“Don’t worry, Yoichi,” Bruce grinned from where he sat at the table next to Kudou. “I’ll make sure he comes home to you.”

Kudou scowled at Bruce, heat crawling across his skin. He glanced furtively in Yoichi’s direction, but Yoichi was nodding like Bruce hadn’t said anything amiss, “Thank you, Bruce. I’m glad he has you to look out for him.”

“And now he’s got you, too.” Bruce smirked. Yoichi nodded without hesitation, smiling at Kudou affectionately. Kudou’s heart thumped irregularly in his chest, and he had to look away.

He ducked his head, staring at the wood of the table until the strange feeling faded. It had been like this ever since Kudou had realized that his feelings for Yoichi weren’t entirely platonic. There were moments where he felt completely out of control around Yoichi—easily flustered in a way he hadn’t been before he’d become aware of his own feelings.

It was extremely inconvenient.

He rolled his eyes, hardening his voice, “You two need to stop acting like I’m some misbehaving kid. It’s a routine trip. Nothing dangerous.”

Yoichi’s smile wavered and crumpled away, “I still worry.”

Kudou felt a twinge of guilt as he realized he might have been too brusque. He softened his tone, trying to be reassuring instead of gruff, “Don’t lose sleep over it, okay? We’ll be fine.”

Yoichi opened his mouth then closed it, like he had something to say but thought better of it. His eyes flickered with something Kudou couldn’t place, his face still pinched with concern.

Bruce glanced between the two of them, brow furrowed in thought, “You’re really stressed about this, huh, Yoichi?”

Yoichi winced, looking slightly embarrassed, “I’m not… Don’t let it get in the way of your mission or anything. I’ll be fine.”

His response was an answer to Bruce’s question, but he didn’t look away from Kudou as he spoke.

Bruce frowned, “Well… if you’re really so worried, maybe you should just tag along. Keep an eye on the boss yourself, huh?”

Kudou stiffened, swinging his head around to gape at Bruce.

Yoichi’s eyes grew wide, “You mean…come with you? Leave the base?” His gaze flashed between Bruce and Kudou. “I can do that?”

“I don’t see why not,” Bruce shrugged. “Right, Boss?”

Kudou hesitated, trying to shove away the urge to shoot the proposal down immediately. He didn’t want to put Yoichi in danger, and the world outside the base was far more dangerous than the world within it. All For One had eyes everywhere, and he still hadn’t given up on finding his brother. Kudou had been dodging his spies for weeks.

But on the other hand, the last thing Kudou wanted was to keep Yoichi confined. If there was a chance for Yoichi to leave the base, he wanted to give Yoichi the opportunity to taste freedom.

He sucked in a breath, turning to meet Yoichi’s soft green eyes, “Is that what you want?”

Yoichi bit down on his lip, “I… Yes. If you’re going, I want to come.”

Kudou let out the breath he’d been holding. It came out fast, in a gust of wind, “Fine.” Yoichi’s face brightened. “But you gotta listen to everything I tell you, okay? We slip up and your brother could find us.”

Yoichi’s excitement dimmed, “Yeah, I know.” He met Kudou’s gaze with resolve. “I’ll do whatever you say. Promise.”

“Good,” Kudou nodded in satisfaction before turning to Bruce. “Find him something to wear, would you? I’ll meet you both at the truck.”

----

Just as Yoichi had warned, All For One had not given up on searching for his brother. Kudou had seen more of his followers in the city than ever before, and he’d received disturbing reports of attacks and interrogations as they searched for clues regarding Yoichi’s whereabouts.

With All For One’s followers in the area, Kudou knew that any venture outside would come with risk. Even so, if he’d thought the risk was too high, he never would have let Yoichi come along. Kudou’s trade deals were longstanding, and his contacts were reliable. Of course Kudou would’ve felt more comfortable staying belowground, but if there was one outing he felt most comfortable letting Yoichi join him for, it was the supply run.

Sure enough, their first pickup went even more smoothly than Kudou could’ve hoped. They stopped by their set location, met with Kudou’s contact, loaded up the delivery, and were headed to the second location well ahead of schedule. At their pace, they’d be home by early afternoon.

As Bruce slowly drove them through traffic to the second location, Kudou stared back at Yoichi through the rearview mirror. He felt a little bad. Even though they were outside the walls of the Resistance, the trip was pretty strictly business. Though he knew Yoichi would never complain, it had to be a little disappointing.

Kudou glanced back out the window, watching the crowded streets of the city. He wasn’t exactly helping Yoichi experience much, by only letting him see the world from the backseat of their truck. He wished he could offer Yoichi something a little more exciting.

As they drove down a city street, a flash of color on a storefront caught Kudou’s eye. He straightened, looking back over his shoulder to make sure he’d seen correctly.

“Pull over for a second,” Kudou ordered impulsively.

He probably should have specified that it wasn’t an emergency, because Bruce violently swerved into an open parking space, nearly ramming into the curb. When he looked back, Bruce and Yoichi were both looking at him with alarm.

“Don’t worry. Nothing’s wrong,” Kudou reassured them. He glanced at Yoichi pointedly. “I just thought you might want to make a stop.”

Yoichi’s brow furrowed in bewilderment, but Bruce’s gaze followed Kudou’s gaze to the store across the street. As he spotted the store name, an amused look crept across his face, “Hah. I should’ve known.”

Kudou shot him a cautioning glare before he leaned around in the passenger seat to face Yoichi, softening his tone, “We still have some extra time, so if you wanted to get anything to keep at the base… Y’know, to keep yourself entertained when I’m out…”

“What do you…” Yoichi finally looked past Kudou, to the store across the street. His eyes caught on the store name, growing wide and maybe a little watery as they traveled back to Kudou. “Y-you… Really?”

It was a comic book store.

Kudou hadn’t been able to help himself.

“Sure,” Kudou shrugged like it was nothing, but he was really trying to memorize the look of wonder that was slowly stretching across Yoichi’s face. “But hurry up. We don’t have forever.”

“Right. I’ll be fast,” Yoichi didn’t hesitate. He unbuckled his seatbelt and darted across the street into the shop, leaving Kudou and Bruce to follow him in. The two of them lingered at the front while Yoichi made a beeline for the hero comics and immediately dove into an intense conversation about Captain Hero lore with the bookstore attendant.

Bruce jabbed Kudou in the shoulder, distracting him from watching the way Yoichi’s face lit up when he talked about heroes. When he turned to look at his second-in-command, Bruce was still wearing that creepy, knowing smirk.

“Would you stop looking at me like that?” Kudou asked irritably.

Bruce snickered, “Sorry, Boss. Guess I’m just in shock.” His eyes darted from Kudou to Yoichi and back again. “I never thought I’d see the day when you stopped at a bookstore in the middle of a mission.”

Kudou glowered at him, “So what? We’ve got the time.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Bruce held his hands up placatingly, though his eyes were still glinting with amusement. “It’s just unlike you. You’re always so serious.”

“You trying to get at something?” Kudou’s scowl deepened as soon as he saw Bruce’s grin widen.

Bruce smirked, “Maybe.” He raised his eyebrows. “You still in denial?”

Kudou blinked, his eyes flashing towards Yoichi and back again before he could hide it, “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

His words sounded flimsy, and Bruce clearly didn’t buy it. He looked even more smug as he glanced from Kudou to Yoichi in amusement, “Ah, so you’ve finally figured it out. Congrats, Boss. You’re officially the last one to realize how fucking whipped you are.”

“What the hell?” Kudou exclaimed, jerking his head to glance at Yoichi in alarm. “Don’t say shit like that. He’ll hear you.”

To Kudou’s relief, Yoichi still seemed immersed in his conversation about Captain Hero with the store clerk. Bruce just grinned at him, “Relax, Boss. I’m not gonna spill.” He drew his fingers across his mouth and mimed turning a lock. “I am curious, though. Why haven’t you told him how you feel?”

Kudou scowled, “Would you mind your own business? I never even said I had…” he coughed awkwardly. “…feelings for him.”

“You never denied it, though,” Bruce pointed out. “And it’s kind of extremely obvious.” He glanced toward Yoichi thoughtfully. “Honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t figured you out.”

Kudou tensed, “What the fuck are you even talking about? I’m not obvious.”

“Uh huh. Sure,” Bruce nodded, clearly only humoring Kudou. “Boss, you sneak off together during parties, you offered him your whole room, you literally blew up your own soldier’s arm for him… And don’t even get me started on your whole secret beach trip thing.”

“What? How do you even know about that?” Kudou stared at Bruce in astonishment.

“Oh, Yua and I had a whole debrief after I found out about your sleepover situation,” Bruce shrugged. “Very illuminating, let me tell you.”

Kudou was extremely disturbed that his love life had somehow become a topic of discussion amongst his lieutenants.

“Back to my question, though,” Bruce narrowed his eyes. “Why haven’t you confessed?”

Kudou crossed his arms, “Would you drop it? I’m not going to answer that.”

“Aw, Boss, why not?” Bruce pouted, slinging an arm around his shoulder. Kudou immediately shrugged him off. “You should be telling me everything. I give great relationship advice.”

“I don’t need advice,” Kudou told him flatly. “Seeing as I’m not in a relationship.”

Bruce arched an eyebrow, “Don’t you sleep together every night?”

Bruce had only caught them sleeping together that first night, but he wasn’t technically wrong. Kudou and Yoichi had never been able to reach an agreement on who’d take the couch, so they’d just decided to keep sharing the bed. It seemed like the most logical solution, and with Kudou’s queen-sized bed, there was plenty of room.

“We sleep in the same bed,” Kudou corrected. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yeah, sounds extremely platonic,” Bruce scoffed sarcastically.

“It is,” Kudou insisted. “Get your mind out of the gutter, would you? Nothing happens.”

He was telling the truth, although there was maybe one exception. Since their first night together, they never fell asleep holding each other, but they still tended to wake up wrapped in each other’s arms. Kudou wasn’t sure if it was Yoichi who was reaching out to him in his sleep or if he was the guilty party, but Yoichi hadn’t offered any complaints.

Kudou, for his part, had never slept so comfortably.

Bruce nodded slowly, disbelievingly. “You need to work on your lying, Boss.”

“What the fuck? I’m not lying,” Kudou exclaimed loudly. He stiffened as both Yoichi and the store clerk glanced at him in surprise. “Shit.” He released a heavy breath, lowering his voice. “Look, I only stopped here because he’s bored out of his mind at the base and too damn nice to ever complain about it. Don’t read too much into it.”

Bruce studied him for a long moment, “Alright, fine. You’re not in a relationship.” Kudou nodded, relieved that they could finally settle the argument and move on. “But do you want to be?”

Kudou stiffened, heat rushing into his face, “Huh?”

“You heard me,” Bruce shrugged, studying Kudou intently. “Do you wish you and Yoichi were together?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?” Kudou growled. “I told you it’s none of your business, didn’t I?”

Bruce just smirked, “You’re not answering the question.”

That was because Kudou didn’t know the answer. His mind had been a mess since he’d realized his own feelings, stretched into a tangled knot of thoughts and emotions that he couldn’t even begin to unravel. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how easy it had felt to kiss Yoichi’s head, and every night that he lay with Yoichi’s arms wrapped around him, he couldn’t help thinking that he might want to do it again.

But it wasn’t that simple. Yoichi trusted him, and Kudou didn’t want to mess things up between them.

Kudou sighed. He knew Bruce meant well, but he made the whole thing sound a lot less complicated than it was. Kudou wasn’t used to letting people close to him, but with Yoichi it was like he couldn’t help himself. He’d opened up to Yoichi as easily as if he were one of the comic books Yoichi tore through so desperately, and it terrified him.

Kudou had never had anything like the relationship he had with Yoichi, never been around someone he could talk to so openly. He’d never been so motivated to learn all he could about someone else, to study Yoichi like a map and uncover his habits and interests like buried treasure. It hadn’t even been two months, and Kudou had told Yoichi things he never thought he’d tell anyone.

He stared out the bookstore window, watching the cars as they sped past on the street outside, “It’s not that easy. I don’t want things to change between us.”

If Kudou told Yoichi how he felt, he might put their relationship in jeopardy. Yoichi might not feel comfortable around him anymore, especially if he didn’t reciprocate Kudou’s feelings, and that wasn’t a risk Kudou could afford to take. He didn’t know what he’d do if Yoichi turned his back on him, but he was sure he could never revert to the emotionless soldier he’d been before.

“Come on. You don’t have to worry about that,” Bruce laughed lightly, looking surprised by Kudou’s troubled expression. “Nothing’s gonna change. It’s not like he’d reject you. He’s obsessed. Everyone can see it.”

“He’s not—” Kudou started to protest, blinking at Bruce in confusion.

“Everyone can see it except you,” Bruce amended, unable to completely hide his amusement. “I don’t know how you haven’t noticed. He’s always staring at you like he can’t believe you’re real. And he calls you his hero. How romantic is that?”

“He calls you his hero, too,” Kudou pointed out. “Is that romantic?”

“Nah, it’s not the same,” Bruce waved him off like he’d suggested something ridiculous. “He says it different when it’s you. His voice gets all soft… Seriously? You really haven’t noticed?”

Kudou just stared at him. He didn’t know how to tell Bruce that he was reading into things a little too much. Kudou wasn’t going to deny that Yoichi felt something for him. But it was admiration, gratitude for rescuing him. Nothing romantic.

Bruce’s expression softened as he took in the look on Kudou’s face, “Look, my point is that he obviously cares about you. A lot. Your friendship isn’t going to be ruined if you’re honest with him about your feelings.”

Kudou wished that were true, but Bruce didn’t know Yoichi like he did. Bruce didn’t understand just how terrifyingly self-sacrificing Yoichi could be. Kudou was afraid that if he confessed, Yoichi might try to spare his feelings. He might be afraid to hurt Kudou by admitting that he didn’t feel the same. Worse, he might feel like he owed it to Kudou to try to reciprocate his feelings, because Kudou had been the one to rescue him from his brother.

All of that might be overlooked if Yoichi actually did feel the same way, but there was a bigger reason to keep his feelings hidden. Kudou had sworn he would give Yoichi every opportunity he could offer to live a full life. To be free. He didn’t want to take away from that by asking Yoichi to tie himself to Kudou before he got the chance to experience everything life had to offer.

Kudou shook his head, “I can’t tell him. I don’t want him to feel pressured into anything.”

Bruce stared at him for a long second before speaking, “But…what if he wants the same thing you do?”

“Then I’ll wait until he’s ready to tell me how he feels,” Kudou responded. “But he’s only just tasting freedom. I don’t want to rush him into anything he might not be ready for.” He looked past Bruce, his eyes catching on Yoichi’s smile. “I don’t mind waiting.”

Bruce just shook his head pityingly, “That’s sweet, Boss. Totally and completely unnecessary, but sweet.”

----

In the backseat of the truck, Yoichi flipped through the pages of his new books. He’d summoned Kudou to the checkout stand back at the bookstore, his voice a welcome distraction from Kudou’s uncomfortable conversation with Bruce, “My hero!”

Kudou glanced up at where Yoichi was beckoning him over, a wide smile on his face. He left Bruce to join Yoichi at the checkout desk, letting Yoichi grab onto his arm with the hand that wasn’t carrying a stack of graphic novels.

Yoichi beamed at him, setting the books on the checkout desk, “I need your help. I can’t decide which ones to get.”

“I’m not gonna be much help,” Kudou tried not to get distracted at Yoichi’s fingers slid down his arm and reached for his hand. Kudou let him twine their fingers together, even though he knew Bruce would have something to say about it. “You know I haven’t read any.”

“Hm, okay. I’ll start at the beginning, then,” Yoichi squeezed his hand, shooting Kudou a triumphant look. “Then you can read them, too!”

Yoichi looked so excited that Kudou didn’t bother trying to tell him he wouldn’t have much time to read comic books. He just let Yoichi pick out the first few volumes. Who knew? Maybe he would have time someday to let Yoichi guide him through the series, once All For One had been defeated.

The store clerk at the checkout desk watched their interaction with a faint smile, her eyes lingering on their intertwined hands. As Kudou pushed the books across the desk at her, she grinned at them conspiratorially, “You guys are super cute together.”

Yoichi smiled, mouth parting to reply. Kudou beat him to it, his face flushed with embarrassment, “We’re not— It’s not like that.”

Yoichi shut his mouth, awkwardly tugging his hand out of Kudou’s grip.

“Oh,” the clerk looked mortified. From somewhere behind him, Kudou thought he heard Bruce snicker. “My mistake. Sorry about that.”

Back in the car, Bruce glanced between Kudou in the front seat and Yoichi through the rearview mirror, “Can’t believe that lady at the shop thought you two were dating. Crazy, right?”

“Huh?” Yoichi glanced up from the pages of his book, forcing an uncomfortable laugh. “Oh, uh, yeah. Crazy.”

Kudou felt Yoichi’s eyes on him, but he didn’t turn around. He didn’t offer any response, just stared out the window fixedly and tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. Crazy. Is that what Yoichi thought?

He didn’t stop thinking about it until they pulled into the parking lot of the final pickup location. Bruce backed the truck into the cargo bay and the three of them headed inside to meet with Kudou’s contact.

The man Kudou was meeting had connections to the government, but he worked mostly independently. It gave him the freedom to make deals below the government’s radar, such as supporting efforts like the Resistance. Kudou didn’t know his real name. Whenever he and Bruce met with the man, he went by an alias—the Peddler.

The man was waiting for them, sitting at a desk and staring with shifty eyes. He had a pinched expression that made him look perpetually suspicious, though maybe that was just his personality.

The man raised an eyebrow as Kudou stepped in, combing his slicked-back hair, “Ah, the Leader has finally decided to grace us with his presence. You’re ten minutes late.”

Kudou never went by his real name, either. The Peddler just knew him as the leader of the Resistance.

He pasted on a tight-lipped smile, “Apologies. You know how traffic is in the city.”

“Sure, sure,” the Peddler waved him off with a bored look, but he perked up when he noticed Yoichi standing behind Kudou’s right soldier. “Brought a new friend, did you?” The man lifted a hand to wave at Yoichi. “Hello there, pretty eyes.”

Something strange flickered across the Peddler’s face as his eyes cut to Yoichi. It looked almost hungry, in a way that made Kudou instantly uneasy.

“He’s a new recruit. Doesn’t talk much,” Kudou replied quickly, taking a step in front of Yoichi to block him from the Peddler’s line of sight. “You have the shipment?”

“Hasty today, aren’t you?” the man frowned. Kudou didn’t answer, staring the man down expectantly until he heaved an exasperated sigh. “Alright. Fine.”

He signaled his men with a hand gesture. The two standing behind his desk filed out the back door to retrieve the packages, leaving Kudou, Yoichi, and Bruce alone with the Peddler. The man smiled at them, “My men will load everything up for you. Feel free to relax until they’re done.”

Kudou pursed his lips together. That was unusual. Most times, the Peddler made him and Bruce help out with the loading process. There was no reason for the man to be doing them a favor this time, unless maybe he was trying to impress Yoichi.

Kudou restlessly took a seat in an empty chair, letting Yoichi and Bruce settle on either side of him. He ducked his hands into his pocket, feeling the reassuring weight of the projectiles he always kept on his person. The Resistance’s dealings with the Peddler were so longstanding that he didn’t think it was likely the man would turn on him, but even so…it was nice to have reassurances.

The Peddler leaned forward to study them over his desk, “I heard your little business has been booming recently. You must be happy.”

Kudou frowned. The news of the Resistance’s recent triumphs seemed to be spreading. That wasn’t necessarily good news, since most of Kudou’s edge came from guerilla tactics and the element of surprise.

“We’re getting by,” he offered stiffly.

“You’re as reticent as always, I see,” the man eyed him, his tone dry. “Anyways, I’m a little surprised to see the two of you back here.”

Kudou’s frown deepened. He and Bruce always came to deal with the Peddler. Why would that change now?

Kudou felt unease creep across his skin as the man’s lips twisted upwards into a smirk. The Peddler looked smug, like he knew something Kudou didn’t, “Ah, so you haven’t heard? I thought that might be the case.”

The door creaked open, four of the Peddler’s men stepping back into the room. Kudou’s fingers curled around a projectile as one of them leaned over and whispered something into the Peddler’s ear. He didn’t like this. Something was off.

“You want to tell us what you’re talking about?” Kudou asked stiffly, not appreciative of being left in the dark. To his left, Bruce leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.

“Spit it out, Peddler,” Bruce growled threateningly. Bruce disliked dealing with the shifty-eyed man even more than Kudou.

The Peddler’s smirk grew, “I don’t think so. Information costs extra, you know.” He grinned as Bruce’s scowl deepened. “Anyways, you’re all loaded up. Let me get the door for you.”

Kudou got to his feet, but he didn’t follow the Peddler to the door. He didn’t want to turn his back on the four men behind him until the door was open and he could be sure the Peddler would let them leave. Something strange was going on. Kudou didn’t know what it was yet, but he could tell the Peddler was plotting.

The Peddler’s hand paused as his hand wrapped around the doorknob. The uneasy feeling grew, spreading across Kudou’s body and speeding up his heartbeat.

“Ah, right. I almost forgot,” The Peddler said. “Just one last thing…”

Instead of pulling open the door, the Peddler twisted the lock shut.

Before Kudou could react, twin clouds of smoke erupted from where Bruce and Yoichi had been standing. He summoned his quirk, dread pumping through his veins, but it was too late. When the mist cleared, two of the Peddler’s men had taken Bruce and Yoichi’s places, both aiming their guns at Kudou’s head.

Kudou’s hand was still wrapped around a projectile, his body thrumming with Gearshift’s power. Those two men were nothing. He could take them out in seconds, if he just—

“I wouldn’t shoot.”

Kudou hesitated as the Peddler turned to face him, still with a smile on his face.

The man stared pointedly past Kudou’s shoulder. Kudou turned his head to look, fear stabbing through his lungs. At the back of the room, Bruce and Yoichi were held down by the other two men. One had fingers that sharpened into knives, which he held up against Bruce’s neck. The other pressed the barrel of a gun against Yoichi’s temple.

Panic crawled up Kudou’s throat and down his skin. He’d known something was wrong. How could he have let this happen? If he’d reacted a second faster, shot first instead of waited for the Peddler to make his move, then Bruce and Yoichi’s lives wouldn’t be—

“It’s a handy meta ability, isn’t it?” the Peddler advanced on him, patting the shoulder of a younger one of his men with greasy black hair. “He can switch the places of any two people within a five-meter radius, not including himself. It was light work to switch your friends with my bodyguards.”

Kudou forcibly choked down his fear. Focus. He could still get them out of this, if he was fast enough.

He glanced from the Peddler to Bruce and Yoichi, weighing his options. He could still shoot. If he could get up to top gear, he could take out everyone in the room. But that was a big if. The guards might be able to attack Bruce or Yoichi before he could make it up to full speed.

“How about you take those hands out of your pockets,” the Peddler suggested, though it was clearly more of a command. “We both know you can’t save both your little friends before my men cause some damage. Real slow…Yeah, just like that.

The Peddler smiled in satisfaction as Kudou lifted his hands in the air, “Good man. I appreciate your cooperation.”

“Why are you doing this?” Kudou hissed through his teeth as the Peddler handcuffed his hands behind his back.

The Peddler huffed a laugh, “Ah, right. I didn’t tell you. All For One put a bounty out. Everyone in the underworld knows about it. The reward for handing over just you and your friend might not have been worth it, but when I saw you brought that one with you…” the Peddler paused, his eyes flashing to Yoichi. “For whatever reason, All For One wants him bad. He’s willing to pay an awful lot to get him.”

A bounty. On all of their heads, but especially Yoichi’s. Kudou could use that information. If he knew anything about All For One’s relationship with his brother, he’d guess that All For One wanted Yoichi returned alive and unharmed. That meant the gun against Yoichi’s head was probably a bluff. The lives that were most in danger were likely Bruce’s and his own.

“I thought you hated All For One,” Kudou glared at him, stretching out his fingers behind his back. If he could grab onto anything, he could still use his quirk.

The Peddler shrugged, “I do. But I’m not nearly as honorable as you. If someone offers a good deal, I take it. Even if I despise the person offering.”

“What if we could offer you something better?” Kudou asked, mostly trying to keep the Peddler talking. It bought him time to think of a plan.

The Peddler chuckled, “Good one. We both know you’ve got nothing to give.” His smile faded, replaced by something a little more serious. “Truthfully, though, I do wish it didn’t have to be this way. We had a good thing going. It’s a shame it has to end like this.”

“Then let us go,” Kudou demanded, summoning up all the authority he could. “Drop this now and I’d be willing to overlook this…transgression.”

“Can’t. All For One’s men are already on their way to come collect you,” the Peddler told him. “And besides, you’re lying to me.”

Kudou stared with a blank expression.

The Peddler just smiled, “I’ve known you a long time. I know how your father raised you. You kill everyone who stands in the way of your goals, so there’s no way you’d ever let me walk away from this.” He eyed Kudou knowingly. “I heard all about what you did at that biotech company last month. Your little Resistance killed four civilians.”

“They weren’t civilians,” Kudou growled. “They were All For One’s supporters, and you have no idea—”

“Did that give you the right to blow off a man’s head?” the Peddler interrupted. “I heard that’s what you did to…what was his name? Asakura?” His grin widened. “And that’s not even mentioning everyone you slaughtered when you kidnapped this one.” He jabbed a finger in Yoichi’s direction. “How many people have you killed, Leader? Do you even know? Enough to qualify as a mass murderer, for sure.”

Kudou stared at him, his protests dying in his throat. He knew the Peddler was trying to get under his skin, trying to shatter his resolve before he tried anything. He knew he couldn’t let the man’s words get to him, but…

“Truthfully, Leader,” the Peddler sneered. “You’re not so different from him.”

Him. All For One. Another man who destroyed everything that stood in his way.

“Stop it,” Yoichi’s voice cut over the Peddler’s. He stared the man down defiantly, ignoring the gun pressed against his temple. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The Peddler glanced over at Yoichi, raising his eyebrows with faint surprise, “Well, Stockholm Syndrome. You’re awfully loyal for someone All For One has listed as a kidnapping victim.”

“I’m not a victim,” Yoichi’s voice was hard. Kudou used the distraction to claw desperately for anything he could reach. Anything he could use his quirk on. “He saved me. He’s nothing like All For One.”

The Peddler scoffed, “Then you clearly don’t know him very well. I’ve been working with the Leader for years. Long enough to know that he’s a cold-blooded killer.” He grinned at Yoichi. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a problem with it. I just know better than to ever let my guard down around someone like—shit.”

Kudou’s arms jerked backwards violently as he used his quirk on the chain link of his handcuffs. He adjusted the trajectory of the chain into a spiral, twisting the metal at a high speed until it snapped. The force of ripping the metal chain apart was enough to send searing pain through the tendons of his arms, but he didn’t let go. He shifted the trajectory of the broken chain as soon as it broke free of the cuffs, sending it hurtling through the neck of the man guarding Bruce.

Bruce sprung free and launched himself at the Peddler just as the two bodyguards near Kudou opened fire. Kudou dropped to the ground and rolled, dodging bullets as he kicked the chain up a gear. He adjusted the trajectory again, yanking it from the first man’s neck and shooting it straight through the chest of the closest bodyguard to him. He kept going, pulling it through and curving its path toward the man with the greasy black hair before he could even think to use his switching quirk.

There was only one man left standing. Kudou didn’t even bother turning around to face him. He grabbed a projectile from his pocket and wrapped the trajectory around himself, sending it hurtling straight at the hand holding a gun against Yoichi’s forehead. The gun went flying as his hand shattered, and Yoichi dropped to the ground as Kudou twisted the projectile in midair and buried it in the man’s head.

With all the Peddler’s bodyguards down, Kudou climbed to his feet, turning to where Bruce had tackled the Peddler to the ground. Bruce had the man pinned, the Peddler’s nose already bloody from where Bruce had struck him across the face.

Kudou stepped toward them, gasping for breath as Gearshift’s backlash began to set in. He couldn’t let the man live. He knew too much.

The Peddler watched him come, a laugh bubbling from his throat as blood trickled from his nose, “S’just like I said…” He watched with bitter resignation as Kudou withdrew a projectile. “You’re as cold as—”

Kudou fired a final shot, watching the life fade from the man’s eyes.

He helped Bruce to his feet, scanning both his second-in-command and Yoichi for injuries. Neither seemed to be seriously hurt, though they both looked shaken. Bruce’s eyes were wide as he surveyed the bloody landscape of the room around them. Yoichi was still crouched on the floor, his body trembling as he stared at the corpse of the man who’d pressed a gun against his head.

Kudou swallowed hard, still struggling to suck in air, “Let’s go. Before All For One’s people get here.”

“Should we…take the bodies?” Bruce asked tentatively. “All For One might steal their quirks if we leave them.”

Kudou shook his head, “We don’t have time for that. We need to go. Yoichi?”

Yoichi didn’t look up, didn’t react to Kudou’s voice. Kudou thought he might not have heard, but after a pause, he climbed shakily to his feet and stumbled towards the door. He didn’t even look in Kudou’s direction.

Kudou felt his stomach twist as he stared down at his own bloody hands, his arms already throbbing with the exertion of using his quirk. He’d killed five men in under a minute. He could hardly blame Yoichi for not wanting to look at him.

Kudou flinched as Bruce squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, staring out the door in the direction Yoichi had disappeared, “He’s in shock. Don’t take it too hard. We both saw how they forced your hand.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kudou nodded, shoving his bloody hands in his pockets so he didn’t have to look at them. “Let’s just get out of here.”

The drive back was silent. Bruce sped down the highway as Kudou compulsively checked the rearview mirror to be sure they weren’t being followed, trying to ignore the growing pain from his quirk’s backlash. In the backseat, Yoichi stared wordlessly out the window, hands clenched into fists in his lap.

They left the truck behind about halfway to the base, to eliminate chances of being followed. Yua picked them up and brought them the rest of the way back, her face paling as she took in their bloodstained clothes and worn-out appearances. To Kudou’s relief, she didn’t ask questions until they were safely back at the base.

Once they were back, Kudou sent Bruce and Yoichi to get cleaned up while he met with the rest of the soldiers. The meeting went long, with lots of questions about the bounty and how the Resistance would deal with the new threat. Kudou eventually decided to put the entire Resistance in lockdown, with no one leaving the base until they figured out how to deal with the bounty. That only led to more questions, and Kudou wasn’t able to escape until late.

By the time he finally stumbled back to his room, his body was throbbing from the backlash of his quirk, his skin itching from the blood that had crusted and dried along his hands and the side of his neck. He hoped Yoichi would already be asleep by the time he returned, so he didn’t have to see Kudou looking so haggard.

To his dismay, Yoichi was sitting on the couch, flipping through the pages of a comic book with an oddly intent expression on his face. He’d showered and changed, and although his face was still drained of color, he didn’t look nearly as shaken and terrified as before.

His head jerked up as soon as Kudou stepped through the door, “You’re back.”

Kudou looked away immediately, painfully aware of the blood staining his shirt and skin. He glanced down at his hands. They were shaking from exhaustion.

“I wanted to—” Yoichi started, but Kudou didn’t think he could bear to face him.

“I’m gonna shower,” Kudou cut over him gruffly, sweeping out of the room and locking himself in the bathroom before Yoichi could say anything.

In the shower, Kudou turned the heat up high. He let the water scorch his skin, burning away the dirt and grime and blood that had crusted across his neck and hands. He scrubbed himself thoroughly, dragging his hands through his hair and across his skin until he could be sure that he was clean.

He knew he couldn’t get much cleaner, but he could still feel the pain of what he’d done. It lingered in the bruises and scrapes across his skin and throbbed in the aching muscles of his arms, still sore from Gearshift’s backlash. When he closed his eyes, he still saw the Peddler in the moments before death, his eyes dark,

You’re not so different from him.

In spite of himself, Kudou shuddered. He’d gotten plenty of threats from the villains and enemies he encountered, and he’d never been bothered before. The Peddler and his men had been weak, not worthy of his fear. So why did he feel so unnerved?

Maybe he was unsettled because the Peddler was wrong. Kudou might’ve once been an emotionless soldier, but that wasn’t who he was anymore. He was different. He’d been different for a while—ever since that night at the vault.

The image of Yoichi with a gun to his head flashed behind Kudou’s closed lids, and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter. Maybe Kudou was afraid because before he’d reached out a hand, he had nothing left to lose. And now, even though he wasn’t sure what it was, Kudou had something. The thought of losing it—losing him—was terrifying.

Kudou released a shaky breath, drying off his hair and forcing the thoughts from his head. It would do no one any good to let the worry and dread burrow itself so deep in his gut that he couldn’t remove them. If he was going to protect Yoichi, he couldn’t let himself be swallowed up by the constant fear of something happening to him. He couldn’t let his personal feelings get in the way of logical thought, no matter how overwhelming they sometimes felt.

He cracked the bathroom door open and stepped outside. He had hoped Yoichi would’ve given up on talking to him by the time he got out of the shower, but Yoichi was still in the living room, flipping through the pages of his books. Kudou wondered with a sinking feeling if it was because Yoichi didn’t want to go to bed. Maybe he didn’t want to be so near to Kudou, after everything that he’d seen Kudou do.

Yoichi straightened as the door opened, staring right at Kudou, “Can we—”

Kudou beat him to it, pushing down the hard knot in his stomach before Yoichi’s words dug a knife straight through it, “If you want to sleep in your own room tonight, I can get somebody to keep watch.”

Yoichi drew his brows together, “Wh-what are you talking about?”

“I know you’re probably…shaken,” Kudou tried and failed to act indifferent, still avoiding Yoichi’s gaze. “If you wanted some space tonight, it’s not like I’d blame you.”

Yoichi blinked slowly, silent for a long moment, “Do you want me to leave?”

“I—” Kudou hesitated. Truthfully, the last thing he wanted was to be alone, but he was hardly going to force Yoichi to stick around. “Don’t worry about what I want.”

“How can I not?” Yoichi huffed out a frustrated breath. Kudou swung his face upward, surprised by the exasperation in his voice. He wasn’t used to hearing that tone from Yoichi, especially directed at him. “After everything that happened today—”

“We don’t need to talk about what happened,” Kudou cut him off, staring back down at his shaking hands. There was still dried blood beneath his fingernails, lodged so firmly that no amount of scrubbing could wash it away.

“We do,” Yoichi insisted, climbing to his feet. Kudou tensed as he stepped towards him. “What that man said to you—” Kudou braced himself as Yoichi fumbled for the right words. “You can’t believe a word of it.”

Kudou looked up in surprise. Yoichi’s voice was firm and thick with conviction, but his eyes were soft. There was nothing accusatory or resentful in his gaze, even after everything Kudou had put him through.

Kudou couldn’t understand how Yoichi could still look at him that way.

“I meant what I said,” Yoichi told him, his green eyes intense. “You’re nothing like my brother.”

“Yoichi, you just watched me kill five people.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Yoichi breathed. “You only had to do it because Bruce and I got caught. You saved us both, saved me again, and I…

He trailed off, regret painting his eyes with tears, “I couldn’t do anything to help you.” He looked pained and helpless. “I was useless to you. If you would rather not be around me…I understand.”

Yoichi tried to back away, but Kudou caught his hand just before he stepped out of reach. He stared deep into Yoichi’s eyes, searching hard for something that might make Yoichi’s words make sense, “You think I blame you?”

Yoichi sniffed, his voice wobbling, “You should. This is my fault. My brother’s doing this for me, and I…” He blinked, a tear tracing a path down his cheek. “I’ve done nothing to make all this risk worth it for you.”

Kudou stepped towards Yoichi, a weight turning over in his mind. He’d thought Yoichi was upset because of the realization that Kudou was just like his brother, but this whole time it was the same as always. Yoichi’s distress stemmed from his own guilt and self-loathing. He could always excuse Kudou’s actions, but never his own.

“Don’t say stuff like that,” Kudou told him. “Your freedom is worth a lot to me.”

“More than your life?” Yoichi asked abruptly. His words were tinged with desperation.

“What—”

Yoichi’s face was pale as he stared at Kudou, his eyes still watery, “Because that’s not a price I’d ever be willing to pay.”

Kudou frowned at him, “What are you even—”

“I’ve been thinking a lot…” Yoichi stared at him a long moment, his expression grave. He looked as if he were struggling, fighting to get something out. Kudou watched him swallow hard. “Maybe the best thing I can do for you—for the Resistance—is go back to my brother.”

Kudou stared at Yoichi in horror, not quite believing the words he was hearing, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“It would get him to stop breathing down your neck,” Yoichi breathed. “He wouldn’t come after you so hard. You’d have an opening to attack, and then—”

“No,” Kudou told him firmly. “It’s not an option. There’s no way I’m letting him get his hands on you again.”

“What if it’s the only way to keep the Resistance safe?” Yoichi asked, his voice strained.

Kudou just shook his head, “It’s not. I won’t let it come to that.” He stared at Yoichi incredulously. “You want to tell me what’s going through your head? I thought you said you were going to fight by my side. Are you having second thoughts?”

“No!” Yoichi exclaimed immediately, the first hints of frustration showing in his voice. “Of course not. I just… I’m just…”

He trailed off, staring back down miserably. Kudou felt himself soften, and he let go of Yoichi’s hand to reach for Yoichi’s face. His fingers brushed against the smooth skin of Yoichi’s cheek as he carefully wiped away a tear.

“I’m scared, my hero,” when Yoichi finally spoke, his voice was cracked and tremulous. “My brother’s not going to forgive you for rescuing me. If he finds us, I don’t know what he’ll do to you.”

Kudou lifted his fingers to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Yoichi’s ear, running the thumb of his hand soothingly across Yoichi’s cheek. “You don’t have to worry about me. I can look after myself. You know that.”

“Yeah,” Yoichi nodded, letting out a shaky breath. “But I still worry.” He swallowed hard. “You mean a lot to me, my hero. If you were gone…”

Kudou knew how Yoichi felt. It was all that had been in his mind when he’d seen the barrel of a gun pressed against Yoichi’s temple. White-hot panic clawing at his insides. Terror like he’d never felt before.

“I know,” Kudou’s voice was quiet as he traced Yoichi’s jaw with his fingers. “I feel the same way about you.”

Yoichi blinked, his lips parting in surprise, “You do?”

Kudou huffed a quiet laugh, “Don’t act so surprised. Why do you think I’m trying so hard to keep you safe?”

“Because…you’re a good person?” Yoichi frowned uncertainly.

“Because I want to make sure you have a chance to live,” Kudou answered. “Your life—your happiness—is important to me, Yoichi. Keep that in mind before you suggest going back to your brother again, okay?”

Yoichi sighed, leaning into Kudou’s touch, “It’s not like I ever want to go back. If I had the choice, I would never leave your side.” He swallowed, his eyes flickering. “But I want you to live. More than anything. I don’t want my brother to take anything from you.”

Kudou tilted Yoichi’s chin up so he could stare into Yoichi’s eyes.

“Yoichi,” he breathed, his gaze fierce. “It seems like we feel the same way.”

Yoichi stared back, his skin hot beneath Kudou’s touch.

“Let’s stay together,” Kudou suggested, still looking deep down into Yoichi’s eyes. “If you want to look out for me, then stay by my side. Just like you promised at the beach.”

“Kudou,” Yoichi’s voice was hushed. It had been a while since his mouth had wrapped around Kudou’s real name and not ‘my hero.’ He leaned closer, until his face was right next to Kudou’s own. “Tell me what you mean by that.”

His face was so close Kudou could make out every shade of green in his eyes. He stared straight through Kudou, his gaze intent as he traced the sharp lines of Kudou’s face with his gaze.

Kudou frowned uncertainly, hyperaware of Yoichi’s proximity, “What are you…”

He trailed off, distracted midsentence by the smooth lines of Yoichi’s face. He couldn’t stop himself from staring back, couldn’t pass up the opportunity to let his own eyes wander down the gentle slope of Yoichi’s nose, the curve of his jaw, the stubborn line of his lips. Yoichi’s face was familiar to Kudou now, but there was still so much to see in it. Kudou didn’t think he would ever tire of studying the soft edges of Yoichi’s cheeks or the faint flush that traced a path across his skin.

Or his eyes. Kudou saved them for last, because he knew that once he saw them, he’d be captivated completely, unable to tear his gaze away. Slowly, yearningly, he let his own gaze move upward until he fell into shades of green, into the soft flutter of lashes against skin.

Yoichi was waiting for him, his eyes already focused on Kudou’s own, following their path like a magnet. His eyes widened just slightly as their eyes met, lips parting as he released a shaky breath. The air was warm against Kudou’s face, and he nearly shivered as he watched Yoichi’s gaze dart away and back again, flickering down to Kudou’s lips.

“My hero,” Yoichi’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his voice a low whisper tinged with longing. “I care about you. I care so much that hearing you say things like that hurts. Because I know you don’t mean them the way that I do, but I still…”

Kudou nearly forgot how to breathe as Yoichi’s fingers brushed against his skin. They traced a slow path down his arm, down further, until they reached his hand. Kudou tried not to shiver as Yoichi pulled his hand towards his own body, tracing each of his fingers with his own and drawing patterns on the skin of his palm.

This wasn’t the way Yoichi had held onto him before. It wasn’t need or desperation that made him cling to Kudou. He was reaching for Kudou now, eyes never straying from his own, solely because he wanted to.

Bruce’s question from back at the bookstore drifted into Kudou’s head,

What if he wants the same things you do?

Kudou had tried not to let himself even consider it as a possibility, fearful of getting attached to something that might never make it to reality. But the way Yoichi was watching him, touching him… It left Kudou thinking he might have a chance. 

“Yoichi,” Kudou struggled to keep his voice even as he felt Yoichi’s warm breath against his face. He was so close, testing all of Kudou’s self-control. “Why would you think I don’t mean them that way?”

Yoichi blinked, “At the bookstore, you said…”

Kudou winced, remembering when the store clerk had suggested that they were a couple and he’d immediately shot the idea down, “I said that because I’d never act on anything. Not unless I knew for sure that you felt the same way.”

Yoichi nodded, leaning closer still, until Kudou could feel the warmth of his skin, “And now?”

Kudou’s eyes flickered uncertainly to their interlocked hands, to the callouses and fine lines of his palm that Yoichi was outlining so carefully with the pads of his fingers. This was dangerous. So dangerous for both of them. But Kudou craved it with a hunger that frightened him.

He clenched his jaw, watching Yoichi’s lashes flutter against his cheeks. With so little space between them, it would be so easy to close the distance. And he wanted to. Desperately.

Kudou used his fingers to angle Yoichi’s chin so their lips were almost touching, but he made himself stop just before they met. He forced himself to remember the reason he’d held back before. It had to be Yoichi’s decision. It needed to be Yoichi who reached for him.

He still couldn’t keep the strain from his voice as he breathed into Yoichi’s parted lips, “Yoichi—"

He was going to ask a question, but he never got the chance. Yoichi leaned forward, squeezing his eyes shut as he closed the distance between them. Kudou froze in shock as he pressed his lips against Kudou’s, kissing Kudou’s mouth before pulling away. It was just a peck, but as he pulled back, Yoichi’s eyes were wide like he couldn’t believe he’d done it. 

He stared up at Kudou, face flushed with embarrassment, “I didn’t want to keep waiting. I’m sorry if you didn’t—”

All of Kudou’s walls crumpled.

He surged forward, tugging Yoichi close with the hand still wrapped tight around Yoichi’s own, tangling his other hand in Yoichi’s moon-white hair. And then they collided, and Kudou was kissing him. Really kissing him, with nothing to hold him back from tasting Yoichi on his tongue, from feeling Yoichi’s skin beneath his hands.

Kudou’s heart was pounding in his chest, but he couldn’t feel anything except Yoichi. Yoichi’s lips were soft against his own, his free hand gripping the fabric of Kudou’s shirt in his fist with a desperation that fueled Kudou’s own intensity. Kudou couldn’t get enough of him—of his skin, his lips, the soft gasp of surprise he made against Kudou’s mouth. He’d never known such a craving, as if he was a dying man and Yoichi was air and water and all the other necessities of life.

When he came up for air, it was with astonishment, like his body couldn’t process that he needed oxygen and not just Yoichi. He watched Yoichi’s eyes flutter open, his lips parting into a half-dazed smile against Kudou’s mouth.

Kudou pulled away to brush Yoichi’s hair out of his face, staring intently into his green eyes, “You and me, Yoichi. Promise me.”

“You and me,” Yoichi repeated, out of breath but never looking away. “I meant what I said on the beach. I’ll follow you wherever you go.”