Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

All men are not created equal.

This was the reality Izuku learned about society at the young age of four. And that was his first setback.

All Izuku ever wanted was to be a hero. Even when he was pronounced quirkless, he didn’t give up on his dream. He was still confident that his lack of quirk would not stand in his way. He made up for it with his intelligence and analytical mind. He would watch heroes fight and take notes on them and their quirks, their strengths and weaknesses, their fighting style and support items, and even had suggestions for improvement, ways to counter their drawbacks, and possible gear.

Izuku was a hero fanboy all the way. But his favourite by far was the Symbol of Peace, the Number One Hero: All Might. What he wouldn’t give to become just like him, like he and Kacchan planned since they were toddlers.

He would now laugh at his younger self’s hopes and dreams. But let’s take the story from the beginning.

~~~

Izuku was rushing through the crowd. A huge villain was going rampant on the rooftop of Tatooin Station. They were screaming and tearing down power lines, causing them to fall near the civilians that had gathered in the area.

Just as one of them was falling, Death Arms rushed in and stood underneath and caught it with his bare hands. Izuku had already filled a few pages in one of his Hero Analysis for the Future notebooks with information and thoughts about the Punching Hero.

There were a few more heroes at the scene, like the rescue specialist Backdraft, and Kamui Woods, who was the first to attempt at restraining the villain. Izuku made his way to the front to have a better view. Just as the hero unleashed his ultimate move Lacquered Chain Prison, a female voice echoed, followed by a huge woman rushing to the scene, pronouncing the move with which she kicked the villain, causing him to fall from the bullet train station and onto the ground.

The woman – who stood taller than 20 meters! – turned to the highly surprised journalists present and announced her debut as the new hero Mt. Lady. Izuku had already taken his notebook out of his school bag to take notes.

Gigantification was an amazing quirk, and she would certainly become a popular hero, but she would cause a lot of damage to the city. She had already destroyed part of the road where the villain she took down crashed, and she didn’t seem to care for the consequences of her quirk, in favor of a dramatic entrance for her debut. That could have easily ended up hurting civilians, and even kill them, were they unfortunate enough to stand closer to the scene. Did she prioritize appearances over safety? Why would-

“Hey, wait, you’re taking notes? You wanna be a hero?” A man cut his train of thought. Izuku was probably mumbling again, and the man had heard him analyzing the new hero.

“That’s great! You can do it!” He gave Izuku a thumbs up, which made him light up. Not many people thought he could be a hero. He didn’t know Izuku was quirkless, of course, but the boy still cherished the rare moment of bliss.

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

~~~

“Since you’re all third years, it’s time for you to think seriously about your future.”

The teacher was talking about the students’ careers, but Izuku wasn’t paying much attention. He already knew what he wanted. So, instead, he was filling his notebook with observations about the new hero.

“I’ll pass out handouts for your future plans now, but you’re all…” he paused before throwing the papers to the air, “pretty much planning to go into the hero course, right?”

The classroom erupted to cheers. The teacher was praising the students for their amazing quirks, and supposedly scolding them for using them in class, but Izuku remained silent. He generally tried to stay as unnoticeable as possible during school. Everyone knew about his quirk status, and didn’t hide their opinion on it.

“Sensei! Don’t lump us all in the same group,” Kacchan, his childhood friend and current bully exclaimed. He was leaning on his chair, his legs crossed on his desk, grinning.

“I'm not gonna be stuck at the bottom with the rest of these rejects!”

“That was uncalled for, Katsuki!”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“You should all shut up like the extras you are!” Kacchan exclaimed at his classmates’ reactions.

“Oh, if I remember correctly, you want to go to U.A. High, right, Bakugou?” the teacher asked, earning surprised exclaims.

“U.A.? The national school?”

“It was in the top 0.2% this year, you know!”

“Their acceptance rate’s always really low, too!”

“That’s exactly why you guys are just extras!” Kacchan dramatically jumped and stood on his desk. “I aced the mock test. I’m the only one at this school who could possibly get into U.A. I’ll definitely surpass All Might and become the top hero!”

Kacchan may be arrogant, but he worked really hard to achieve his dream. He and Izuku had the best grades in their class, but surpassing All Might was a bit of a stretch. Izuku had also gotten top marks on every test, too, but he was definitely not going to point it out.

“Oh, yeah, Midoriya wanted to go to U.A. too, right?”

Izuku wanted to crawl into a hole and hide for the rest of his days. His teacher had just signed his death sentence. Everyone was already laughing, but he knew that once class was over, he would get the true reaction of his classmates.

So, he said nothing but correcting a person saying that he wouldn’t get in just by studying. After all, there were courses other than heroics in U.A., and Izuku was certain of his ability to get into the school.

But that only made Kacchan lash out and use his quirk to blow up Izuku’s desk, causing him to fall from his chair. Just like always, the teacher said nothing about the blond exploding stuff in the classroom. He had a heroic quirk, and no one would dare compromise his future as a hero.

He was already dreading the moment the bell rang, and Kacchan would once again call him out for his stupid unachievable dream. Izuku admired him, he really did. And he still called him a friend, even though he was starting to believe that wasn’t the case anymore.

“Hey, Deku!”

His childhood nickname was one of the reasons why. It literally meant ‘useless’ and ‘unable to achieve anything’. He started calling him that ever since he found out he was quirkless, after realizing it was another way to read the kanji in his name. At first, Izuku wanted to believe it was just a playful comment. But as they grew older, Kacchan had incorporated his distaste for him to the name, making Izuku doubt he still used it as a friendly nickname, if he ever did.

“You’re below the rejects! You’re quirkless! How can you even stand in the same ring as me?”

Izuku wanted to defend himself. Tell his bully friend that he wasn’t trying to compete with him, or anything. That it was his dream since he was little, and that it wouldn’t hurt to try. But deep down, he knew any effort would be futile. He had already tried to explain himself, change his childhood friend’s mind, and it never seemed to work.

So, he remained silent. He let Kacchan rant about his uselessness, each word expanding the cracks in the glass separating his childhood friend from the rest of his classmates, his bullies. Kacchan was different. He was going to be a great hero, if only he didn’t cause Izuku so much pain. Pain that he made sure to bury, and make himself believe it wasn’t there.

~~~

As the bell rang, signifying the end of classes for today, Izuku started gathering his stuff, leaving his hero notebook for last. Before he had the chance to put it away in his backpack, someone grabbed it from his hands. Said someone was Kacchan, of course.

“We’re not done talking, Deku.”

“Katsuki, what’s that?” one of his lackeys had waited for him and approached them, two others following him.

“Hah? Hero Analysis for the Future?” he snickered, the lackeys already laughing.

“Give it back!”

Kacchan didn’t give it back. Instead, he used his quirk to blow it up, and then proceeded to throw it out the window. He didn’t give Izuku a chance to complain as he started one of his usual speeches.

“Most first-string heroes have stories about them from their school days. I want the shine. I want the shine of being able to be called the only student to make it into U.A. from this mediocre city junior high school. I mean, I am a perfectionist.”

He had the audacity to look timid about it.

“So anyway,” he said, as he casually placed his already smoldering hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “don’t apply to U.A, nerd.” He kept his hand a little while longer, making his point, and made his way to the classroom’s exit. The glass cracked a little more.

He had used his quirk just enough to not sound an explosion, but it still hurt. Just like every other time he had burned him. Izuku’s body had more than a few starburst scars to prove it. 

He barely heard the lackeys commenting on his lack of response, calling him pathetic and delusional, when Kacchan’s voice reached his ears.

“If you wanna be a hero that badly, there’s a quick way to do it.”

Izuku didn’t turn to face him. He didn’t want to believe he would say what Izuku thought he would.

“Take a swan dive off the roof, and pray for a quirk in your next life!”

And just like that, the glass shattered.

Izuku turned to face his bully – he finally accepted it; suicide baiting wasn’t something a friend would do – but he was met with a snarky grin and explosions popping of Katsuki’s palm.

Because he was Katsuki, not Kacchan. He hadn’t been Kacchan in a long, long time. And Izuku only now admitted it to himself. There was no point in hoping for a friendship that hadn’t been real for years.

~~~

As he passed the school’s koi pond, he found his notebook. It was drenched, and was littered in scorch marks. It was probably ruined, but he would try to salvage whatever he could and write a new one.

His thoughts drifted to when the doctor revealed he was quirkless, his mom apologizing when he asked her if he could still be a hero. Ever since, everyone had told him the same thing, over and over again. He couldn’t be a hero. His mom never said those exact words, but Izuku knew that’s what she believed, too. Everyone did. He had started to believe so, as well.

He made his way under the bridge on the way home, when he heard someone behind him.

“A medium-sized invisibility cloak…”

A sludge-like person got out of the sewer entrance behind him and engulfed him before he had the chance to run. He felt slime enter his mouth, getting in his airways. He clawed at the villain, trying to remove the fluid entering his body, overwhelming him, his eyes filling with tears. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe.

“Thanks for the help. You’re my hero,” he heard the villain say. How ironic. The first person to tell him he was a hero, was the one who would end his life.

So, this is how I die, he thought. There was a gush of wind, and he swore he saw the frame of his favourite hero right before passing out.

The next think he knew, he was gently being slapped in the face.

“Oh, good! I’m glad you’re okay!”

Izuku screeched. It really was All Might! And he was screaming like he saw a ghost. Way to go, Izuku.

“Sorry about getting you caught up in my villain fighting. I don’t usually make mistakes like this, but I was in high spirits on my day off in a new place.” The hero’s smile didn’t falter as he explained.

“But you were a big help. Thanks!”

All Might was thanking him! What the heck? There was no way this was happening. He must be dreaming.

“I captured him safely!” All Might held two plastic bottles with slime in it. He had apparently caught the villain with whatever he had in hand.

Izuku was still getting his head around meeting his hero, and reached for his notebook that he dropped when the villain attacked him, but it was already signed. He didn’t expect any less from the Number One Hero, and bowed, thanking him profusely, before a thought crossed his mind.

All Might was getting ready to leave and take the villain to the police, and Izuku started to ask his question. But before he could utter a word, the hero had crouched and activated his quirk, ready to jump, and without thinking, Izuku grabbed the hero’s leg as he took off in the air.

“Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey! Let go of me!” All Might started pushing him off of him, but Izuku held tight.

“If I let go now, I’ll die!”

“That’s true…”

“I have something to ask you directly!” he tried to say, and thankfully the hero understood. He landed on a nearby rooftop, and he already started to leave, leaving Izuku to gather himself, muttering about being out of time, when Izuku called after him.

“Wait! I wanted to ask you… even if I don’t have a quirk, can I become a hero?”

Noone thought he could. He barely believed it himself. But maybe, if his hero told him his dream was possible, it wouldn’t be just a dream anymore.

His meeting with All Might… At the time, he couldn’t even imagine how much it would change his fate. If only it was for the better. Because, with a single sentence, All Might shattered his dreams, and broke the dam that was holding his faith in the hero world.

Chapter Text

“Can someone without a quirk be like you?”

Izuku pinned his eyes to the ground as waited for the hero’s answer.

“Without a quirk, huh…”

Izuku was mumbling about always being made fun of because of his lack of quirk, but he had always thought that saving people with a fearless smile was really cool. As he glanced up to look at the Number One Hero, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

In a cloud of smoke, the hero had disappeared, a skeletal version of him taking his place. Izuku couldn’t hold back a scream of surprise.

“Y-Y-You’re deflating!”

But this couldn’t be All Might! This man was so skinny! He must be a fake. Izuku looked around, trying to find the real hero.

“I am All Might…” the man said, before spewing blood out of his mouth.

“No way!” Izuku screamed again. “All Might is fearless; he saves everyone with a smile…”

The man sighed. “A fearless smile, huh?”

He sat on the ground before explaining his grave injury five years ago, from a fight that had almost cost him his life. How he could only work as a hero for three hours a day. How he had asked the incident not to be made public.

“I will save people with a smile. The Symbol of Peace cannot be daunted by evil.” He clenched his hand into a fist. “I smile to show the pressure of heroes, and to trick the fear inside me.”

So, heroes weren’t invincible, after all. Izuku knew that, but he never expected the Symbol of Peace, the supposedly invincible hero, to mask his weakness and pretend he was the hero that everyone knew and respected. That Izuku looked up to.

He felt pity for the hero. He imagined the pressure of being the Symbol of Peace while hiding such a weakness was bound to break his spirit, and make him suppress his own fear of failure. Still, he had lied to the whole world, and made himself appear as this flawless protector, put on a fake smile and spread the misconception that everything was sunshine and rainbows just because he didn’t want to admit to himself that he was weak.

Izuku finally understood that heroes weren’t as perfect and admirable as society deemed them to be. As the heroes presented themselves to be.

“Pros are always risking their lives. I cannot simply say ‘You can be a hero without power’.”

With those words, his appreciation for the hero evaporated. Any high regard that remained after everything Izuku had just learned turned to dust, along with his dream to become a hero. They were instead replaced by disappointment and something close to resentment.

“I see…”

All Might stood up and started walking away, blissfully unaware he had just shattered a 14-year-old’s dreams.

“If you want to help others, then you could also become a police officer. They’re often teased because they get villains delivered to their doorstep, but that is also a fine occupation.” He stopped as he opened the rooftop’s door.

“It’s not bad to dream, but you also have to consider what’s realistic, shounen.”

Those were his last words to Izuku as he closed the door, leaving him alone on the rooftop.

Before Izuku could process the fact that a hero just left a child, and a victim of a villain attack just minutes before, alone on a rooftop after telling him to be realistic, he heard a loud bang a few blocks over. He instinctively ran to the exit, wondering what hero would arrive at the scene, before All Might’s words echoed in his head.

I cannot simply say ‘You can be a hero even without power’. 

He slowed down to a walk, and made his way out of the building. He walked towards his apartment, his scorched notebook in his hands. He started to leaf through the pages, reaching his newest entry on Mt Lady, and All Might’s autograph, while the words of his teacher and classmates played in his mind.

He still can’t face reality, even though he’s already a third year in junior high.

It’s time for you to think seriously about your future.

You also have to consider what’s realistic.

All Might’s ‘advice’ really stuck with him. Whoever had said “never meet your heroes” was absolutely right. Izuku almost wanted to have remained blissfully unaware of the faults of the hero world. Almost.

He was surprised to notice he hadn’t cried at all, after his dreams were crushed. For the crybaby he had been since he was born, it was strange that he hadn’t shed a single tear today. It was nice, being in control of his emotions for once. He supposed this entire experience had actually benefited him in some way.

He contemplated the reality of hero society, how broken it was. His mind wandered to details he had gathered and chose to overlook, the fanboy he was. Used to be.

Endeavor, for example. He was the Number Two Hero, and yet he had the highest kill to capture ratio in the whole country. There was also an old news report stating his eldest son had burned up in a quirk accident, but no details were ever revealed. The Hero Commission had covered the whole incident up and it was never talked about again. Huh, the HSPC was sweeping under the carpet secrets they didn’t want the public to know about, like All Might’s injury – the hero hadn’t said so, but there was no way they didn’t know about it. Izuku wondered what else the Commission had been concealing to keep up their façade of their perfect little system, with their perfect little heroes.

Izuku then had a thought he'd never imagined would ever cross his mind. If his dream to become a hero was impossible, and the system was as defective as he was sure he would find proof of if he dug a little deeper, then he would try to change it, instead.

His thoughts were interrupted by nearby screams. He noticed smoke and explosions sounding from where he had heard the villain attack earlier. He had walked towards the scene without even thinking about it. His fanboy habits would die hard, he figured. Still, he was curious, so he made his way through the crowd to the front, to get a better view of what was happening. The place had caught fire, and there were a handful of heroes in the area, trying to put out the flames and keep away the civilians.

That’s when he noticed the sludge villain that had almost killed him earlier. Hadn’t All Might captured him? Did they get away? Oh, no. Did All Might drop him when Izuku had clung to his leg? In that case, this was… Izuku’s fault, wasn’t it?

But, wait, why weren’t the heroes doing anything? There were so many of them there! Mt Lady, Death Arms, Kamui Woods…  Why weren’t they attacking the villain?

His questions were answered when he heard a civilian saying the villain had caught a middle schooler, and that it had been like this for a while. What the heck? All the more reason for the heroes to rush in and help them! They were definitely suffocating, just like Izuku had been only a little while ago.

Wait, All Might would have definitely arrived at the scene before Izuku. Where was he? Why wasn’t he doing anything?

Izuku looked through the crowd and spotted the hero in the back, in his skinny form, watching the scene with horror. Izuku was filled with anger. He was just standing there, doing nothing. Why, because he wouldn’t be able to keep his buff form for long? He was letting a kid suffocate, just to protect his secret?

The guilt over the villain getting away was overshadowed by anger and disdain. An innocent person would die, just to keep up the façade of the invincible Symbol of Peace. How dare he. How dare the heroes not even try to do something, anything! Pathetic. They were all pathetic.

He was looking around, hoping maybe, someone, would step in, when he caught the victim’s eyes. Red eyes, wide with fear, were looking back at him. And he recognized them. Of course he did, he would recognize those piercing crimson irises anywhere.

Without any hesitation, he was already running towards Katsuki. He couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, like All Might was doing. He wasn’t like any of those heroes present. Said heroes were shouting at him to stop, but he didn’t listen. He wouldn’t let his childhood friend die. They may not be friends anymore, and Katsuki may be his bully, but right now he was a victim, in need of rescue. And Izuku was going to help him, anyway he could.

His mind ran a thousand miles per hour trying to find a way to free Katsuki from the villain’s grasp. He mentally skimmed through his thirteen notebooks worth of information about heroes as he ran.

The villain’s eyes locked on his own. His eyes! They were the only solid part of his body, so Izuku took his school bag and threw it at the sludge with all his might. In hindsight, it wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to hit his target and loosen the grasp he had on Katsuki enough, so the boy could breathe. As he gasped for air, Izuku started clawing at the villain, trying to remove any amount of sludge to reach the blond and free him.

“Why are you here?” he said in between coughs.

“My legs moved on their own! You looked like you needed help, and I couldn’t stand there and watch while the heroes did nothing!” Izuku shouted, before a powerful gush of wind blew from behind him.

“I really am pathetic…” All Might was then standing in front of him. “Even though I admonished you, I wasn’t putting what I said into practice!”

No, you weren’t.

He grabbed Katsuki’s arm that had managed to get free from the sludge. “Pros are always risking their lives!”

Only after a middle schooler runs to save another, risking his life while you did nothing, apparently.

“Detroit SMASH!” All Might punched the air with such force, it blew the villain away from Katsuki, whom he was holding tight.

The silence that followed was interrupted with the sound of raindrops falling. The wind pressure must have been so high, it created an updraft, forming clouds that poured a significant amount of rain. Izuku was still amazed, despite his disdain. But the hero was almost too late. And he would be if Izuku hadn’t stepped in.

But no one acknowledged his part. Instead, the crowd started praising All Might and how amazing he was. They received his signature smile, and journalists started surrounding him, asking questions and taking pictures.

While the heroes collected the scattered sludge, and safely delivered it to the police, Izuku was getting scolded by Death Arms and Kamui Woods.

“Jeez, there’s a limit to how rash you can be! There was absolutely no reason for you to put yourself in danger!”

There was every reason to do so. The heroes had been doing nothing! Instead of voicing his thoughts, Izuku stayed silent. He glanced at Katsuki, where other heroes were praising him.

What the fuck? The word felt foreign, even in his head; he wasn’t accustomed to cursing, but fuck was describing his thoughts fairly accurately.

“That was amazing toughness! And that quirk!”

The fuck? Seriously, Katsuki should be getting scolded, too. Yes, he was trying to escape, but with his explosions he had lit the whole street on fire, and could have easily hurt someone!

Why was only Izuku getting reprimanded? Was it because he didn’t use a quirk? Because he was quirkless? Why was he even asking, of course it was. As if he needed more confirmation that he would never be a hero. Not that he wanted to, anymore.

“Once you’re a pro, please come to my agency! You’ll definitely be an excellent sidekick.”

Hah, as if Katsuki would ever settle with being a sidekick. Speaking of, he was now looking at Izuku with a weird expression on his face, a mixture of anger, embarrassment and something else Izuku couldn’t put his finger on.

~~~

As Izuku walked home, he heard his terrible nickname from behind him.

“Deku!”

He turned around, and saw Katsuki running towards him. After he stopped in front of him, and caught his breath, he clenched his fists.

“I never asked you for help!”

Izuku mentally rolled his eyes. Sure, you didn’t.

“And you didn’t help me! Got it?!” He was now shouting at Izuku, who stood there with a neutral expression on his face. “I was fine by myself.” Sure. “You’re a quirkless failure playing without a full deck! Don’t think you can look down on me! Are you trying to make me owe you? Don’t look down on me! You damn nerd!”

Before Izuku had the chance to respond, he turned around and walked away.

Izuku frowned. Look down on you? I never… oh, he thought. So that’s what it was. The blond always acted so full of himself, but now he understood. Katsuki was masking an inferiority complex with tough words and violence, and used Izuku’s quirklessness as an excuse.

Well, wasn't that ironic. Izuku had always looked up to Kacchan, since they were kids. Even when he started hurting him with his words – and his quirk – he still thought Katsuki had the potential to be a great hero, and he aspired to be like him. Not anymore, though.

Izuku was even starting to doubt Katsuki’s ability to be a hero. When he finally accepted that his childhood friend had turned into his bully – wow, that was only a few hours ago, so much had happened, it seemed like an eternity ago – he was starting to think that if he continued behaving this way, not only to Izuku, but to anyone, how could he be considered heroic? Just because he had a cool quirk? That wouldn’t be enough in the long run.

Then again, Izuku had lost his admiration for heroes, so it didn’t really matter. If Katsuki made it, he would just be another piece of the Hero Commission’s puzzle of dishonesty and corruption.

Just as he was about to turn around and head home, Izuku heard the familiar booming voice for the millionth time that day.

“I am here!” All Might appeared in his buff form, running towards Izuku.

“All Might? What are you doing here? You were surrounded by reporters until just now…”

The hero laughed. “Getting away from them was a piece of cake. Why?” He flexed his muscles in a dramatic pose. Izuku mentally rolled his eyes. He was kinda surprised to see how quickly his enthusiasm for the man had dissipated.

“Because I am All Migh-” Before he could finish his sentence, he deflated into his skinny form, blood spewing out of his mouth.

After he cleaned after himself, he took a serious expression. “Shounen, I come with thanks, a correction, and a suggestion.”

What? Even if Izuku was intrigued, he was fairly sure he didn’t want to speak to the hero ever again.

“If you hadn’t been there… if you hadn’t told me about your life… I would’ve turned into a guy in a bodysuit who was all talk.” What was he talking about? “Thank you.”

“Oh no, please don’t. It was my fault in the first place.” Izuku was feeling like scolding the man, but instead, he decided to continue playing the part of the little helpless kid with zero self-esteem. The last part wasn’t a lie, but if he was going to change the broken hero system, he could use the cover of a fragile middle schooler. He only had to pretty much act like he would have before his whole world had come crushing down.

“I got in the way of your work, and I said all those impertinent things even though I’m quirkless…” He kept his gaze downwards, and held the straps of his backpack.

“That’s right.” Thanks, that’s so kind of you. “It was because it was none other than the timid, quirkless you at the scene, that I was able to act.” Glad to be of service. Wait… what?

Izuku looked at All Might with a surprised expression on his face.

“Top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Most of the stories have one thing in common: their bodies moved before they had a chance to think.”

Wait, Izuku thought, is this going where I think it is? His eyes started watering for the first time today. For some reason, he remembered his mother’s apologies, when he had asked her if he could be a hero.

“That was true for you, too, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah…” he managed to get out. He was full-on crying, and cursed his tear ducts for once again working excessively without his permission.

That’s not it, mom, he thought. Back then, what I wanted you to say… The words I wanted to hear were…

“You can become a hero.”

Even though he had decided that wasn’t what he wanted anymore, hearing those words, the words that he had longed all his life to hear, felt like a stab in the gut. Just when he had finally given up on his former dream, his childhood hero was hurting him in a way he had never thought possible.

Izuku cried with frustration and pain, that he hopefully passed off as happiness and relief. He felt as if the hero was trying to apply duct tape to the dam that he had broken, but was unaware he was too late. The water had already gotten through, and Izuku’s respect had drowned along with his ambitions and faith.

In another universe, maybe this was a dream becoming reality. But for Izuku, here and now, it was one of the most painful moments in his life.

By the way, this is the story of how he became the greatest villain.

Chapter Text

“You are worthy to inherit my power.”

Huh?

Izuku looked up to the hero. His surprise cut his sobs like a knife.

“Inherit your power?”

All Might burst into laughter. “What’s with that face? It’s just a suggestion. The real show starts after this.”

He walked closer to the boy. “Listen, shounen. You need to decide whether or not you will accept my power,” he exclaimed, pointing a finger at Izuku, as he started spouting blood again.

What power? What was he talking about?

“I’m talking about my quirk, shounen,” All Might said, as if reading his thoughts. “The tabloids called it ‘superhuman strength’ and a ‘boost’, and I constantly dodged the question during interviews with a funny joke.”

That’s right, Izuku already knew that. He had spent quite some time trying to figure out his quirk, but in the end, it didn’t really matter to him. And now, it looked like he was going to get an answer.

“Because the Symbol of Peace, All Might, had to be a natural-born hero.”

Bullshit, Izuku called. Wow, he was on a roll with cursing today.

“But, shounen, I will tell you the truth.” The hero dramatically opened his arms and looked at the sky. “My quirk was passed on to me like a sacred torch.”

What? “It was passed on to you…?”

“That’s right. And next, it is your turn.” He was still looking at the sky for some reason.

“Wait a minute! It’s true that your quirk is something hotly debated as one of the world’s greatest mysteries. So much that not a day goes by when I don’t see someone talking about it online. But, well, I don’t really understand what you mean by inheriting or passing on a quirk…” Izuku had entered mumbling mode. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before, and it’s never even been conjectured in the debate. Why is that? Is it because since the dawn of history, a quirk like that was never confirmed?”

“You always start with denial, huh?” All Might cut him off. “Nonsense!” What?

“I may hide a lot of things, but I don’t lie! The power to transfer power, that is the quirk I inherited!”

Huh? How…? Why…? Where did super strength come from, then? Did it stack the power of all the previous holders, making each successor more powerful? Izuku had so many questions. His obsession with analyzing quirks and curiosity were getting the better of him.

“I was crowned with ‘One For All’.”

“One For All…?”

“That’s right. One person cultivates the power, and passes it on to another person, who also cultivates it and passes it on. It is the crystallization of power that spins together the voices of those who need help, with a courageous heart.” Well, that sounded a bit dramatic, in Izuku’s humble opinion.

He also thought it was stupid, keeping his quirk such a mystery. He could just say he had enhanced strength and durability or something. It was like he wanted people to look more into it. That would just make it more likely for this information to fall on the wrong hands. Speaking of, did the hero make a habit of talking about his greatest secrets to random people or was it his first time? If it was, he was doing fantastic.

“Why are you… why do you want to give me something so great?”

And more importantly, who the fuck gave one of the most powerful quirks in history, that could apparently be transferred – he would have to look into that – to a random 14-year-old who they just met, and didn’t even know their name?! That was so irresponsible!

“I have been looking for a successor. And then, I thought it would be all right for you to inherit it.”

Oh. OH. So, that’s how it was. He was offering Izuku his quirk, so he could be his successor. A hero. Which meant, he thought Izuku could be a hero, but only if he got some super strong quirk like his own. Because Izuku, as he was, quirkless and weak, wasn’t enough.

Also, All Might had been looking for a successor, and he chose a fucking random kid he'd found who, after he crushed his dreams and left him alone on a rooftop, had done his job for him, and offered him a quirk as a pathetic excuse for an apology?

“You are just a quirkless hero fanboy,” thanks for the info, “but you were more heroic than anyone else back there.”

Izuku didn’t agree. He didn’t do it to be heroic. He saw no one was helping and took initiative. It was just common sense. Someone had to do something, and he couldn’t just stand there and watch.

All Might said that word again, though. He thought Izuku had a hero’s heart. But he wasn’t good enough. Not as he was, and he never would be.

“Anyway! It’s up to you...” The man rubbed the back of his head. “What will you do?”

Did he really expect someone to take right then and there such an important decision?  It seemed such a spontaneous decision in All Might’s part, Izuku wanted to slap his forehead. And he still hadn’t asked Izuku his name! Not that it mattered. He didn’t want to be hero anymore. He wouldn’t need a quirk to achieve his dreams.

He was about to decline, when a thought popped into his head. What if, in his efforts to bring down hero society, he had one of the most powerful quirks ever recorded? Quirks were tools, after all. It would be a great addition to his arsenal against the system.

And the irony. Using the Number One Hero’s quirk against the heroes? Oh, that was perfect!

He hid the feral grin that tried to form on his lips, and instead forced his face to make the most determined expression possible.

“I’ll do it!”

“An immediate reply. That’s what I thought you’d say!” Of course he did.

~~~

“Hey hey hey! This is such a comfy fridge to sit on! If only you could move it even a little!”

“Well, I mean, you weigh 274 kilograms, right?” Izuku looked at the hero in exasperation from the ground.

“No, I lost weight, so I’m only 255 kilograms now, in this form.”

Izuku sighed. “Anyway, why am I dragging trash at the beach park?”

It was 5 a.m, two days after Izuku accepted to inherit the hero’s quirk. All Might had brought him to Dagobah Beach Park, that was more of a trash dump than a beach. It had been like this for at least a few years, apparently. Because of the sea currents, objects drifted there a lot, and people took advantage of that to hide their illegal dumping, resulting in mountains of trash.

All Might thought it was the perfect training for him. He explained that One For All was the fullest physical ability of many people gathered into one, so an unprepared body could not inherit it fully. Izuku, small and weak as he was, would not be able to withstand the quirk’s power, and his body would explode. So first, he would need to train his body to be able to handle the quirk. He wondered if All Might had to go through a similar training or if he had already been able to receive it.

The Number One hero added that this wasn’t the only reason they would be cleaning up the beach. He said that heroes these days were all after the showy stuff – shocking – when originally, being a hero meant doing volunteer service. So, cleaning the beach to its former glory would be the perfect first step to becoming a hero. Even though Izuku wasn’t interested in showing the world what a wonderful and selfless hero-in-the-making he was, he did wonder what the coast would look like without all the rubbish that had built up over the years.

For some reason, before he explained all this, the hero had sat on a fridge and ordered Izuku to drag it across the beach, to the truck he had gotten to transport all the trash away. The boy thought it would be counter-productive, trying to drag such heavy weights on the first day of training. He hoped it was just to show him what he would end up being able to do, towards the end of the ten months leading up to the U.A. entrance exams.

“Midoriya-shounen,” – he had finally asked his name! – “you want to go to U.A., right?”

Time to put on his fanboy persona. “Yes, because that’s where you went! So, if I’m going to go to a hero school…,” he smiled softly, as if he couldn’t wait to follow the hero’s footsteps, “I thought it would definitely have to be U.A…”

“You really are a fanboy!” the man laughed. “But I’ve told you this before. It’s not something you can do without a quirk. It’s sad, but that is what the reality is.”

Gee, thanks for reminding me, Izuku thought. As if it didn’t break my spirits the first time you told me.

“U.A. is the hardest hero course to get into,” All Might continued. “In other words…”

“I have to complete my vessel until the entrance exam,” Izuku concluded.

“That’s where these come in!” he held a stack of papers in his hand. Where was he hiding those? He called it his Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan. In other words, a training plan – meal plans and sleep schedule included – for Izuku to follow, so he could get his body ready for receiving his quirk in time.

Izuku would have to make a few adjustments, and overall, as he skimmed through it, it seemed really hard, but not impossible. A genuine smile formed on his lips. He was finally working towards an achievable goal. It wasn’t his real one, getting in the prestigious school, but it was a great first step towards his ultimate goal. He didn’t have a specific plan for overthrowing the system yet, but that could wait. Getting his hands on the Symbol of Peace’s quirk was a solid first stepping stone.

~~~

And so, his ten months of hell began.

He started with cleaning the beach, one piece of garbage at a time. Contrary to All Might’s plan, he didn’t begin with random heavy objects, but worked his way through, from small trash, to old tires, to boxes and containers, to electrical devices, and so on.

Sometimes, he really wanted to shoot All Might with a bazooka. Like when he told Izuku to push a whole car during his first month of training. Or, when he would kindly remind him that he would never pass the exams if he went on like this – this being falling to the ground from exhaustion a few times – or shouting at him when he couldn’t lift weights too heavy for that particular part of his regime.

It was great exercise for honing his acting skills. Even when he wanted to shout at the hero for breaking him, when he wanted to scream his guts out every time he reminded him how his quirklessness was a temporary handicap, and basically any time he wanted to hit his face with the perfectly fine frying pan he found at the beach one day, he kept his soft, goofy and loving expression on his face.

He would keep up his hero fanboy façade, an aspiring hero-in-the-making, and not a manipulator who just wanted to steal a powerful quirk and slither his way into the very hero society he wanted to bring down.

It seemed to work. His mom didn’t seem to notice any difference in his behavior, apart from his constant tiredness, and his requests for training equipment and martial arts lessons.

At first, he thought beginning any other type of training would make him collapse during the first few months. Since the hero was only preparing his body, however, he would end up going to the entrance exam bulked up, but with no fighting experience whatsoever, and a quirk he would have no time to learn how to use.

So, he signed up for classes that would teach him close combat, both evasion/defense and striking techniques, as well as using some kind of weapon, since he wouldn’t be able to use his quirk frequently while his body adjusted. His weapon of choice was a staff. He was also inclined to use knives, but that could wait until after the exam, when he wouldn’t have a deadline that his literal future and new purpose depended on.

His training also included swimming laps on the beach, lifting weights, running figurative and literal marathons. He had scheduled almost everything, so he didn’t overwork himself, but would consistently level up the difficulty in everything he did, and balance his training with All Might and his aikido classes.

One time, he made the mistake of working on his schedule during class. He ended up mumbling for a few minutes before he got hit on the head by his teacher for disturbing the class, hard enough to bang his head on his desk. That was literal child abuse, but he was quirkless, so he couldn’t say anything, or he would get in trouble. Instead, he ignored the teacher’s ‘joke’ about his encounter with the sludge villain making him go crazy and delusional about making it to U.A., as well as his classmates’ laughter and mean comments. He just kept a neutral expression on his face and apologized for the noise before returning to his notes, surprising his class.

Katsuki wasn’t one of the kids making fun of him, though. He had turned quiet after the sludge villain incident, and Izuku would often catch him silently watching him, with a somehow softer version of his usual scowl.

Katsuki seemed to be getting irritated at his new apathetic demeanor during school, or maybe at the lack of his usual whimpering and nervousness, Izuku wasn’t sure. In any case, he would just scoff at his lackeys’ stupid jokes, to which Izuku had mastered the art of not giving a fuck and would either completely ignore them, or occasionally deadpan at them, which always shut them up. It was incredibly funny to watch.

During summer break, he had gained a significant amount of muscle mass, enough to be noticeable under his summer school uniform. On the first day back to school, Katsuki cornered him at lunch break, during which he was usually left alone.

“Deku!”

He walked up to Izuku's desk, usual scowl in place, his lackeys right behind him, as Izuku took out his bento box. He had also done extensive research about his diet, and his mom, seeing him determined, had agreed to help him, cooking for him according to his meal plans.

Izuku looked up as his childhood friend leaned over his desk. He waited for him to begin his rant or whatever he wanted, a neutral expression on his face.

“What, you think you’re too high and mighty to answer me, nerd?”

Izuku wanted to wipe off that stupid grin off of his face with a cheese grater. Instead, he sighed and spoke calmly.

“What do you want, Katsuki?”

He almost laughed at his baffled expression. He hadn’t called Katsuki by his name in years, it was hilarious how the blond almost didn’t realize he was referring to him.

His confused expression turned into an angry scowl. He grabbed Izuku by his shirt and brought him closer to himself, ruby eyes staring into emerald ones. It was almost like he was trying to break through his masquerade, decipher a puzzle that seemed impossible to solve.

“What, do you think you’re better than me? You look less like a twig and you think you can be a hero now, or something, hah? You’re nothing, Deku. You’ll never surpass me.”

He unclenched his fist and jabbed at Izuku with his fingers as he made his point.

“You will always be a weak. Quirkless. Loser. You’ll never be better than me.”

Izuku sighed again. “You know, not everything is about you, Katsuki.” He took advantage of his classmate’s stunned reaction to push away the hand in front of him. He gathered his stuff and hung his new dark green backpack on one shoulder, his bento in his hands.

Katsuki was obviously trying, and failing, to find something to say, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. A snort almost escaped Izuku’s lips.

“Excuse me,” he said as he got past the other boys and made his way to the roof, so he could eat his lunch in peace.  

~~~

As the entrance exam date grew closer and closer, Izuku got increasingly stronger and more confident in his combat skills. He was a quick learner, and he became steadily more dexterous with his staff.

On February 25^th, the day before the exam, he took his last trip to the beach. He had already cleared the part of the coast All Might had instructed a couple of weeks ago, but he wanted to finish what he'd started. He stayed up until 1 am, leaving only a couple trash for tomorrow. He had agreed to meet All Might there, at 6 am sharp, so he could receive his prize for his hard work, and he wanted to get a good night’s rest. He couldn’t afford messing up.

Dagobah beach was completely cleared before sunrise. There wasn’t even a speck of dust left. Izuku felt proud of himself. Not only for that, but for everything he had achieved over the last 10 months. And he would make sure they paid off.

He was sitting on top of the last pile of trash he had made the last few days, admiring his work, when he heard All Might’s footsteps behind him. He didn’t turn to greet him, instead he closed his eyes and felt the breeze on his face. After a long, long time, he felt peaceful.

All Might audibly gasped. “He even cleaned outside of where I told him to! He finished at the last minute! More that perfectly!”

Izuku, instead of replying, jumped down from the trash pile and onto the sand.

“Oh my… oh my… oh my goodness!” the hero exclaimed in English, turning into his buff form at the last word.

Izuku mentally rolled his eyes. His lips curled up into a small smile, almost genuine.

“All Might… I did it… I did it!”

“Yeah, you surprised me, you entertainer! Teenagers are amazing!” the hero said, whatever that meant. “Here, take a look.”

He brought his phone to Izuku’s face. He was showing him a picture he had taken on the first day of training. Wow, he really looked different. He had doubled in size, and grown a few centimeters taller, too.

“You did good, you really did!”

Izuku didn’t really care for the hero’s approval, but he was still proud of himself.

“The mirage of it is finally just barely visible, but you have certainly become a suitable vessel!”

Izuku supposed this should be a heart-warming moment, so he shed a few tears and mumbled about how blessed he felt.

“We’ll have to fix those leaky eyes of yours..." All Might patted him on the back. Izuku had already ‘fixed’ that, if that meant being in control of his emotions and the way he chose to express them. As if proving it to himself, he wiped his fake tears and gave the hero a warm smile.

He found it so irritating, how All Might would say such things, insulting him for everything he used to be – and still presented himself as – with the same smile that he saved people. Like he had saved Izuku.

But no one had saved him. Izuku had saved himself. He had pulled himself away from the charade they called hero society, and could finally see the world as it truly was.

“Now, it’s time for the award ceremony, Midoriya Izuku!”

“Yes, sir!”

All Might plucked a hair from his head and held it in front of him.

“This is something I once said: ‘Something that you receive because you’re lucky, and something that you are given because you are recognized are different in essence’. Take that to heart. This is the power that you earned because of your own effort.”

Izuku pretended to be inspired by his speech, and braced himself to receive one of the world’s strongest quirks, while All Might held the strand of hair in front of Izuku.

“Eat this.”

Huh?

Chapter Text

“It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as you take my DNA.”

All Might rubbed the back of his head, his demeanor far different from his ‘I’m giving an important inspiring speech’ act, just a few seconds ago.

“What?”

“Now, there’s no time! You’ll be late for the exam!” he seemed ready to start chasing Izuku if he fled from the situation or something.

“Wait, why a hair? Isn’t a drop of blood or saliva enough?”

“Well yes…”

“I’ll go with blood, then.” The idea of trying to swallow a hair and it getting stuck in his throat made him shiver.

~~~

As he approached the U.A. High School Entrance Exam location, he let his mind wonder.

In the end, he didn’t have time to test out his new power. He had managed to convince the hero to pinch his finger and give him a drop of his blood, thankfully. He wasn’t feeling any different, though, he started doubting he even received it.

All Might had said it would take two to three hours to start feeling something. He also noted that since its ‘vessel’ was made in a hurry, when he used it, he should be prepared for the physical repercussions it would have on his body. He would find out later, he figured.

“Out of my way, Deku.”

The familiar voice sounded from behind him. I’m not even close to you, asshole.

“Don’t stand in front of me. I’ll kill you.” Katsuki didn’t even stop as he passed by him and went inside the building. Weirdly enough, apart from that one time after summer break, he hadn’t done anything to him since the sludge villain.

“Sure. Good luck, Katsuki,” he said, not expecting a response, and followed him inside.

As he made his first step however, he tripped over his feet. Oh, fuck me. He was holding his backpack’s straps with his hands, and he wouldn’t manage to stop his fall in time.

Instead of falling on his face however, he found himself floating above the ground. Huh?

“Are you all right?” A sweet voice sounded next to him. A pretty girl with short brown hair and pink cheeks smiled at him. She set him straight and touched her fingers together. Five-point activation quirk? “It’s my quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first. But it’d be bad luck if you fell, right?”

She gave him a cute smile that would have probably made him trip over his words, if he could even speak at all, was he attracted to girls.

He gave her a polite smile in return. “You’re right, thank you.”

“You’re welcome! Aren’t you nervous?”

“Haha, yeah…” He really was nervous, and he actually made it seem like it, too.

“Let’s do our best. See ya!” She waved at him and jogged inside. He followed, making sure not to trip again.

~~~

He passed the written portion of the exam with flying colors. He was beyond prepared, having aced the mock tests more than a year before.

The last question on the test was to write a small essay on why they chose to be heroes. He barely kept a snort when he read it. He bullshitted his way through, and ended up writing one of the most inspiring speeches he had ever heard, if he said so himself.

He was done before everyone else, and even had half an hour to spare, so he went through all his answers one more time, handed his papers and took a stroll before it was time for the hero course applicants to gather in the exam orientation room for the practical exam.

After everyone was seated – Izuku and Katsuki were placed next to each other, since they were from the same middle school – the overhead lights turned on, and Present Mic began the introduction.

“For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today! Everybody say ‘hey’!”

No one responded, resulting in an awkward silence.

“What a refined response.” Mic resumed his dramatic mannerisms. “Then I’ll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready? Yeah!”

Once again, silence ensued.

Izuku, a year ago, would have freaked out over meeting the Voice hero, never mind all the teachers at U.A. being pro heroes. As he was, though, he watched the hero explain the rules of the practical exam with a neutral expression, while feeling Katsuki’s piercing gaze on him.

The exam consisted of a ten-minute mock urban battle. Each person had on their application card the battle center they were assigned.

“In other words, they won’t let you work with your friends, huh?” Katsuki surprised Izuku when he pointed out they were stationed in different test locations. Friends?

 Izuku hummed instead of providing a response.

They were all free to bring whatever items they wanted. Izuku had brought his steel staff with him, which was retractable and could fit in his backpack – his sensei at the Martial Arts Center had gifted it to him, after seeing all his hard work and resolve –, along with its case that he would hang on his back. He had submitted his weapon along with his application a couple months ago, just to be safe, and got it approved.

Mic proceeded to presenting the different types of faux villains/robots and the point system.

“Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains.” Use your quirks, huh. That was just plain quirk discrimination. What about quirkless people, or people with a non-combat type of quirk? They would be at a huge disadvantage.

Izuku figured, since the exam was battle-oriented, there should be another way of awarding points, like for helping people. If not, he would be even more disappointed in the system, and the bar was already below the ground. He didn’t have his hopes up, but he would still help whoever needed it.

“Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!” Mic pointed out.

You hear that, Katsuki? Attacking other people is unheroic. Get that through that thick skull of yours. Izuku glared at his childhood friend, as if trying to telepathically get his message through.

A hand shot up from the crowd, accompanied by a loud and stern voice. “May I ask a question?”

After being given the okay by Mic, the tall, blue-haired boy pointed his leaflet with details about the exam. “On this printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake.” Dude, chill, Izuku thought. It was obviously not a mistake.

“We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes.” Izuku held back a snort. Sure.

Subtle laughter echoed in the room.

“Okay, okay, examinee number 7111.” How the heck did he know his number? Had he memorized everyone’s ID? Impressive…

“Thanks for the great message,” Present Mic continued. He provided a summary about the 0-pointer, and the boy thanked him with a deep bow. He was so stiff, almost like a robot.

The Voice hero closed his presentation with a quote a hero had said, that Izuku didn’t bother listening to, before shouting U.A.’s catchphrase. “Go beyond, Plus Ultra!”

~~~

A small bus brought Izuku and other examinees to Battle Center B, after leading them to the changing rooms to put on their gym clothes. Izuku put his staff in its case on his back, and waited for Mic’s signal to charge into the testing grounds.

Among the students waiting with him, he spotted the nice girl who stopped his fall with her quirk, as well as the stiff dude from before. He had a feeling he would be seeing them often from now on.

As soon as Mic said “Okay, start!”, Izuku was running inside the testing grounds.

It wasn’t easy to get points. Izuku didn’t have much experience with his weapon, and certainly not with a quirk, unlike every participant there. Still, he did his best to destroy the robots he found with his steel staff, and helped every person he thought was in danger or injured. He couldn’t do much without a first-aid kit, but he knew enough tricks, spending most of his childhood being physically abused and all.

After Mic’s voice announced the 8-minute mark, at which point Izuku had counted 20 villain points. As he turned to a main street from the alley where he was catching his breath, the ground started shaking, and explosions sounded, not far from where he was.

A gigantic robot appeared, that he recognized as the 0-pointer. Recalling Mic’s advice, he joined the other kids in the area running away from it. Before he could get too far, he heard a pained scream, and turned around instinctively. When he recognized the kind girl who helped him just hours before, he was running before he could even think about it.

His mind conjured up the moment he rushed towards Katsuki, when he was captured by the sludge villain. While it seemed ages ago, even after all his hard work, he still ran towards danger, in aid of another. He was no hero, not then, and certainly not now. But he wasn’t going to let that girl get crushed by a huge robot because the school didn’t care to make the exam safe enough, so no one got seriously hurt.

As he approached the 0-pointer, he felt a surge of power running through his legs. He had instinctively activated his quirk, and the next thing he knew, he was up in the air, facing the robot with his right fist pulled back, his legs screaming in pain. He focused his quirk’s power on his arm, ready to punch the faux villain.

He recalled All Might’s ‘advice’ for when he would use his quirk. “Squeeze your buttocks, and yell this inside your heart: Smash!”

Yeah, no, I’m not doing that, thanks.

Instead, he let out a cry – he was in pain, and scared as fuck – and his fist made contact, causing the robot to fall back with incredible force, similar to the hero’s power, and explode.

As he plummeted towards the ground, he realized he had two broken legs and a shattered right arm. Using All Might’s quirk should be able to help him land without dying, but right now his legs were dangling like cooked noodles. So those were the repercussions the hero was talking about. Well, that fucking sucked.

He was starting to freak out, he didn’t know what to do to avoid getting squashed to the ground, and he had only one working limb. Wait… if he used a Detroit Smash – he had to come up with his own names for his moves – and aimed it downwards… he would have to get the timing right, or he would literally die.

He drew his left fist back, and as he was about to activate One For All, he felt a slap on his face, and he stopped falling just above the ground.

He heard a weak ‘release’ before closing the distance with the asphalt, landing on his face. He barely heard the girl who just saved his life, and spared him from another shattered arm, throwing up a few meters behind him.

Present Mic announcing “Time’s up!” was the last thing he heard before he passed out from the pain.

~~~

It was a week later, and he still hadn’t received a letter from U.A. Izuku wouldn’t say he was getting nervous, but he was a little restless, wanting to know the results of the exam.

Recovery Girl had come to the exam grounds once it was over, checking the kids for any injuries. She used her quirk on Izuku, and he regained consciousness shortly after. He received an earful for being so careless, but he felt too tired to actually listen. He headed home and fell into a mini-coma. He still went to school the next day; he didn’t want to worry his mom too much.

All Might hadn’t contacted him at all since then. Not that he was going to complain, but it was kinda weird. He thought he would at least ask him how he went, though, or congratulate him or something.

Izuku was currently sitting in the living room, casually lifting weights with his right hand and scrolling through social media with his left, when his mom entered the room calling his name frantically.

“Izuku! It’s here! It came!” she shrieked, showing him a white envelope with a red stamp of the school’s insignia on it. He played the part of an overly anxious applicant who was about to find out whether he got in his dream school, and took the – heavy? – envelope to his room.

Inside it was a small disk that started projecting a hologram as soon as it got placed on his desk. He was greeted with All Might’s face, who declared loudly “I am here as a projection!”

Izuku groaned. Why him of all heroes? Wait… what did he have to do with U.A.?

“I had to do some paperwork that took some time, so I couldn’t contact you. I’m sorry.” Oh no, the tragedy.

The hero proceeded to explain he was the newest faculty member of U.A. – God fucking dammit – and started to say something before someone behind the camera told him to wrap it up. Couldn’t he just tell him up close? Couldn’t he make a simple phone call to his fucking successor?

All Might then announced how Izukuhad  passed the written exam with top marks, and had gotten 20 villain points on the practical exam.

“Twenty points would not be enough for you to pass, if that were the only points you got!”

I knew it! Izuku thought. The exam did award points of heroism or being selfless or whatever. If only they actually told them that, or at least insinuate it, so kids like him would not be discouraged for being quirkless or having a non-combat quirk. Izuku was sure many students would feel like they weren’t even given the chance of proving themselves. Fucking quirkist society.

All Might played a recorded video on the screen, where the nice girl showed up, explaining she went to the teachers right after the exam to negotiate. (All Might was being overly dramatic during the whole explanation, and Izuku did his best to ignore him.)

“Excuse me, um… the person with curly hair and freckles… you know who I’m talking about? Is it possible for me to give him some of my points?”

What? Why?

“He lost enough points because of me… he attacked the zero-pointer when he could have been earning points… he saved me! So please!”

All Might stopped the video. “In addition to now having a quirk,” – what the fuck, dude! Why would you say that in front of the camera crew, do you want people to know your secret? – “your actions spurred others to act. The entrance exam was not graded only on villain points.”

He resumed the video, where Present Mic explained to the girl – he needed to know her name and thank her – that she could not give him her points, but there was no need anyway, before the Number One hero took the floor.

“How can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing?” I don’t know, All Might, how do hero schools let quirkist assholes become pros?

“This is a job that requires risking one’s life to put that into practice! And so, we use rescue points!”

On the screen appeared the examination results, his name on the top of the list, showing 20 villain, and 80 rescue points next to it. Katsuki’s name was underneath his, with 77 villain points – and no rescue, shocker. The blond was going to be so pissed when he saw this. Izuku snickered. This was the first time he bested Katsuki at something, and it was not going to be the last.

“Midoriya Izuku! You received 80 rescue points, for all your heroic actions during the exam, gaining first place with a total of 100 points! Uraraka Ochaco also got 45 points! You both pass.”

Izuku smiled. The girl – Uraraka – deserved it.

“Come, Midoriya-shounen. This is your hero academia.”

Izuku grinned. Lovely.

Chapter Text

The day after receiving his acceptance letter, Izuku met Smallmight – that’s what he had decided to call the man when he was in his true form – on Dagobah Beach so the hero could congratulate him up close.

All Might said he hadn’t told the school about his connection with Izuku, making him want to deadpan so hard. Not only did he literally say in front of the camera ‘now that you have a quirk’ and ‘but there is something I must talk to him about’ when the crew told him to hurry up, there was no way he could hide this from the staff. That man could not keep a secret for the life of him. And he definitely wouldn’t be able to hide anything from the principal, a person – animal? – with a literal IQ quirk, although Nedzu was probably already informed. It was futile trying to hide anything from him, anyway.

When Izuku exclaimed that he was surprised to find out he was a U.A. teacher, All Might explained how he was offered the job while he was looking for a successor. But instead of a promising hero student, you gave your quirk to a random quirkless kid.  

“Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Izuku said. “My bones shattered when I used One For All. You knew this would happen, right?”

The hero rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, yes, there wasn’t any time.” For a simple sentence? Sure. “But it turned out all right – ‘all might’!” Izuku cringed.

“Right now, you’re either at a hundred per cent or zero. But once you learn how to control it, you’ll be able to adjust to what your body can handle.”

“So, will you teach me? To control it?”

“The more you train a vessel, the more you’ll be able to move the power freely, like this!” he said, turning into his buff form and crushing a tin can with his fist. Of course, people noticed him, so, before Izuku could point out he didn’t answer his question, he started running away. Izuku facepalmed, and run after him.

~~~

For the next few days, after school, Izuku would meet up with All Might for training. He had asked the hero for ideas so he wouldn’t break his bones every time he used his quirk. The hero would insist on ‘strengthening’ his vessel, but Izuku argued that he still would have to learn to activate and use just enough power, so that it wouldn’t shatter his arms.

So, apart from strength training, he would experiment on different techniques, trying to use only a percentage of One For All each time, but he couldn’t make the surge of power stop. That’s when an incredible idea formed in his mind.

He figured, since he could only activate his quirk in its full power each time, if he, instead of focusing One For All in one place, he spread it out across his body, each part would be distributed only a percentage of its power, without being too much for his bones to shatter when he used it. And so, Full Cowl was created.

Thus, he trained to keep One For All activated evenly across his body, rather than focusing on one section at a time. He quickly found out that by keeping it constantly activated, he wouldn’t have to waste time re-channeling it from one part of his body to another, while also increasing his reflexes and maneuverability.

He convinced All Might to add sparring in his training, so he could incorporate his new technique with his martial arts skills, and the hero was more than happy to teach him to fight. His weaponless fighting style would become a combination of aikido and brute strength punches and kicks. Of course, he continued his aikido training, and using the staff had become second nature to him.

When he was researching various weapons he could learn to use, back when he first started training, he had been fascinated by knives, and now that he didn’t have any deadlines, he had a bit more free time, so he took the opportunity to research how to use them. He started training on his own, looking at his notes and following tutorials on them, but he later found himself being taught by the most unexpected person.

~~~

He was on his way home from aikido class. He had stayed an hour longer, set on getting right the new move his sensei showed him with the staff, so by the time he got outside, it was already dark, a few dim streetlamps the only source of illumination. Izuku had barely walked two blocks from the Martial Arts Center, before he heard a cry coming from an alley just ahead of him. Confident in his fighting abilities and use of the staff he had on his back, he approached, prepared to fight if he had to.

He stayed as quiet as he could, peaking in the alley to see what was going on, when he saw a blonde girl in space buns, around the same age as him, if her middle school uniform was any indication, getting attacked by a group of teenage boys.

One of them was holding her against the wall, using a metal bending quirk of some kind to trap her with a metal pole he had wrapped around her. The boy next to him was making spider webs with his hands, and had used them to keep her mouth shut and her arms and legs pinned on the wall. The third one didn’t have a visible quirk, but was holding a knife.

The girl’s cat-like eyes were wide open, and she was trembling with fear, thrashing against her restrains, her screams muffled by the thick web that covered her face below her nose.

Izuku watched the scene, trying to form a plan to take her attackers by surprise and incapacitate them without putting her in danger.

“You’re not so scary without your knives, now, are you?” the one who had presumably taken her weapon, said with a stupid grin.

“We thought we had finally gotten rid of you when you left.” The spider web dude grimaced with disgust.

“You seriously thought you could attack Saito like a monster and get away with it, you blood-sucking demon?” the one holding her with the metal pole questioned, closing his fists and tightened her restrains.

The girl had tears streaming down her face, and was shaking like a leaf. Izuku quietly took the staff – his wooden one, that he used for training – out of its case and placed his bag on the ground before stepping closer.

The asshole with the knife got closer and towered over her. He was at least 15 centimeters taller, and in the dim lighting he seemed more intimidating that he probably was.

“We’re going to make you pay for what you did. Disgusting monsters like you should be punished-”

The boy had brought the knife to her cheek, but before he got to use it, Izuku had already come close enough to swing his staff in a reverse strike, hitting the boy on the right side of his head. The shock and pain made him drop the knife, and he stumbled sideways. Izuku gave him no time to recover, performing a cross strike on his head, effectively knocking him out.

By the time he collapsed, the other two had come out of their shock after seeing their friend getting attacked, and the spider web dude pointed his palms at Izuku, and shot a concentrated cobweb at him.

Izuku swiftly evaded the attack and swept him off his feet, knocking him to the ground, and used a downward thrust on his abdomen, before stomping his nose with his foot for good measure. As a loud crack echoed in the alley, the asshole screamed and brought his hands on his bleeding face, but Izuku ignored him and focused on the third guy.

The dude was obviously torn between keeping the girl restrained and letting her go to help his friends, but Izuku gave him no time to make a decision. He used a downward strike on his head, followed by an upward kick on his jaw, sending him tumbling backwards. He lost his balance and fell on his back, and Izuku used a final strike with his staff to hit him in the dick.

The asshole howled with pain, but Izuku didn’t show any pity. He stared at him, his body relaxed, holding the staff loosely.

“Leave.” With that single word, the teenager, got up and ran away clumsily, and the web dude and other guy, who had regained consciousness, were quick to go after him. They didn’t dare utter a word as Izuku followed them with his eyes until they got out of sight.

Izuku then placed his weapon on the ground and turned to the crying girl. The pole that was keeping her against the wall had loosened and fallen down when Izuku attacked the dude with the metal bending quirk, and she was now sitting on the ground, the web on her face removed, her dropped knife in her hand. Izuku put his hands in the air, to show he had no ill intent, and slowly approached.

“I am not going to hurt you. I just want to help. Are you hurt?” He crouched on her level and kept his hands in front of him, but made no move to touch her.

“Why?” She was trembling, but the hand that was holding her knife was surprisingly steady.

“I saw those guys attack you, and I couldn’t sit back and watch," he answered simply.

“So, what? You decided to play the hero?” She scowled, repulsed, baring her teeth. Her canines were pointed and sharp, matching her cat-like slit irises. Her yellow eyes were glaring at him, but Izuku could tell she was afraid.

Another kid failed by the heroes, he thought. He could relate deeply, and didn’t hesitate to show it.

He let out a humorless chuckle. “I am no hero.” That seemed to take her by surprise.

“Then why did you help me?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes.

“Like I said, you looked like you needed it. I was there, and could help, so I did.”

A few moments passed in silence as she contemplated his answer. Finally, she dropped the knife and lifted her shirt enough to show a bruise forming on her prominent ribs, a cut just underneath them.

“The jerk who trapped me with the metal squeezed it a bit too much. I think my ribs are cracked.”

Izuku asked if he could take a look, explaining he had some experience with tending wounds, and after receiving a nod, he poked her ribs lightly. She hissed but otherwise didn’t complain.

“I don’t think they’re broken, but they will be bruised for a couple weeks.” He got up and took his first-aid kit out of his bag. He always carried one with him, even though the bullies at school had stopped attacking him months ago.

He cleaned her cut and wrapped her torso with some gauze, before giving her some pain killers and a bottle of water to wash it down. She accepted, and slowly started returning to what Izuku assumed was her usual cheerful attitude.

“My name is Toga Himiko," she introduced herself, a small smile creeping on her face.

“I'm Midoriya Izuku. Nice to meet you, Toga-san.”

“Call me Himiko! And I’ll call you Izuku-chan. You’re very cute.”

Izuku’s ears turned a bit red, and returned her smile with one of his own. “Thank you, Himiko-chan. You’re very cute, too. You have a lovely smile.”

Apparently, that was the right thing to say, because her eyes went wide, gleaming. Her cheeks were painted rosy pink, contrasting her otherwise pale face. Her smile widened, more than what one would consider the usual amount, her canines in full display. Izuku wondered if they had anything to do with her quirk.

“You really think so? People usually say its creepy and disturbing. Especially when I drink their blood," she said sheepishly.

“I do, it’s really cute. Does drinking blood have to do with your quirk?” he asked with genuine curiosity, which she seemed to notice.

Her eyes lit up even more and started nodding as she shook with excitement. Having a blood-related quirk, she probably hadn’t had many people ask her about it without being disgusted or judgmental.

“Yeah, I can transform into anyone whose blood I drink. But I don’t just drink it to use my quirk. I think my body needs blood regularly, ‘cause if I go too long without it, I go really bloodthirsty.”

Izuku thought that Himiko had probably been deprived of her needs many times. Blood quirks received a lot of backlash, and even though they weren’t as rare – Vlad King could control blood and he was a pro hero for fuck’s sake – society wasn’t as accommodating to people’s needs.

She looked like she was contemplating something, before looking at Izuku with a pleading face. “Can I have some of your blood?”

He was taken by surprise, and Himiko seemed to regret her words. She was now clutching her knife, and avoided eye contact, probably expecting Izuku to freak out and call her disgusting.

But the ex-hero fanboy knew all about quirks, and she was probably asking not for the fun of it, but because she actually needed it.

“Sure. How much do you need?” He extended his arms in invitation. She jumped, baffled with his response, and furrowed her eyebrows, disbelief and hesitation obvious in her eyes and body language.

“It’s okay, really. You need it, right?” he insisted. She nodded, and a few moments later she drew a cut on his forearm, and began sucking his blood with her teeth. Izuku watched with fascination.

When she was finished, he wrapped his hand with some gauze and drank some water. He might be a bit lightheaded for a few hours, but it didn’t bother him.

“You probably don’t get much, do you?” He gave her a small smile in understanding. He may not have grown up with a quirk, but he knew all about quirk discrimination, and Himiko’s case was no exception.

Tears started gathering at the corners of her eyes. “No, I don’t. I was always fascinated by blood, even though I didn’t need it before my quirk manifested.”

Himiko hesitated. Izuku tilted his head, silently telling her to speak her mind.

“When I was little, I found a dead bird on the yard and brought it to my parents, because I thought it was pretty. They thought it was disturbing, and took me to quirk counseling to ‘fix’ me.” She played with her knife while explaining.

“It didn’t work, obviously. They thought they could make me ‘normal’, and behave. I pretended it worked, and would drink blood from dead animals secretly. But as I grew older, it got even more difficult to pretend I was the perfectly normal and well-behaved little girl they thought I was.”

Izuku hummed, and urged her to continue.

“One time, a friend of mine got hurt, and I sucked her injury. I thought it was normal. But when my parents found out, they said I was rotten to the core. That they created something inhuman. I didn’t understand what I did wrong, and they would just yell at me, asking why I couldn’t be normal.”

“You did nothing wrong, Himiko-chan. You were just different from them. It’s not your fault they didn’t try to understand you,” Izuku pointed out, brows furrowed. Even though he had long since accepted the injustice of their world, Himiko’s words tucked his heart in a way that made him resent it even more.

He felt the urge to protect this girl, who was failed by society, and even her own parents. He reached for her hands, silently asking for permission. She accepted, and Izuku took her small hands in his own, and squeezed.

She smiled at him and squeezed back. “Thank you, Izuku-chan. I know that now. And I want to live true to myself. But back then, I just wanted to be loved, until it became too much.” She paused for a second before speaking again.

“Last year, at the end of middle school, I liked this boy. I think I did anyway. Most people don’t want to drink the blood of the people they love… Anyway, one day, I was really hungry, I hadn’t had blood in months, and I saw him at school and I snapped. I attacked him and drank his blood. I felt so happy and so sad at the same time. I was crying and sucking and it was a mess, until a classmate found me.

“The police wanted to arrest me, and my parents would not hesitate to hand me over. They called me a demon, a lost cause. So, I ran away. I’ve been on the streets ever since.”

She looked him in the eyes as she finished her story. She tried to find any sign of judgement, any indication Izuku would be weirded out and leave. But he didn’t. Instead, he smiled and told her his own story. How he was born quirkless, and the treatment he got because of it. How he lost his father, and his best friend, because of something he couldn’t control.

After a very long time, Izuku felt comfortable talking to someone. He was finally able to voice his true thoughts, his disdain towards society, and how it failed him. How the heroes failed him, when he wanted to be one of them.

He told Himiko about his meeting with All Might – leaving out his secrets, about his quirk and injury – and how he had broken his dreams. Instead of revealing the truth about One For All, he said that he manifested his quirk really late. That’s what he would tell everyone who asked, and what he had to tell him mom when he started training with All Might to get in U.A.

He also told her about his plan. It was vague at the moment, and he didn’t have a specific end goal, but he explained why he trained and got in U.A.’s hero course. He recounted his wish to change the hero society from its core, and what better way to bring it down than from within.

Himiko was listening intently, sometimes chiming in to provide her own thoughts. They were talking for about two hours by the time his mom called asking where he was. He was supposed to come home straight from aikido class. He told her not to worry, and that he would be there soon.

“I’m sorry I have to leave you. But I really enjoyed talking to you. I hope we can meet again sometime.” Izuku gathered his stuff and got up.

Himiko’s eyes lit up. “Really? Me too! I don’t have a phone, but I can meet you wherever you want.”

“I have aikido training the day after tomorrow. Do you want to meet me outside of the Martial Arts Center over there-”, he pointed towards the building as they exited the alley and entered the main road, “- when I’m done?”

“Sure thing, Izuku-chan! You’re really good with the staff, by the way. I prefer knives, though. I have been training for a long time, and I now can’t live without them.” She patted her skirt, where she had hidden her weapon.

Izuku’s eyes widened as an idea formed in his head. “Will you teach me? I really want to learn how to use them, but I haven’t found anyone to teach me. It’s not exactly a ‘heroic’ weapon.” He made a grimace, and waited for his new friend’s reply.

He received a crushing hug before her verbal confirmation, that she would gladly be his teacher. They exchanged a few more words before they parted, and Izuku headed home.

He was smiling to himself the whole way. He had just made his first friend in a very long time.

Chapter Text

“I AM HERE!”

Izuku groaned, as his phone played the ringtone that signaled the beginning of the day. He quickly got up to close the alarm, not wanting to hear the Number One Hero shout in his ear at 6 am again.

He had chosen that ringtone specifically to get on his nerves enough to make him get out of bed. His training with All Might, and his aikido classes, followed by his knife-wielding lessons with Himiko-chan were beginning to take their toll on him. He was constantly sore and tired, and having to go to school on top of his busy schedule wasn’t helping.

Thankfully, today was the last day of middle school, and Izuku was almost excited to go. He wouldn’t have to see his awful teachers and classmates ever again. He wouldn’t be able to avoid Katsuki though, since they were going to U.A. together.

Katsuki had been so pissed the day after they received their acceptance letters.

He came up to Izuku before the bell rang, crackling sounds coming from his palms. He didn’t usually lose control of his quirk, so he must have been angrier than usual. He approached Izuku, stomping loudly, making everyone in his way take a step back, to avoid getting in the crossfire. When he reached Izuku’s desk, he used his quirk on it, in a failed attempt to intimidate him.

“Deku!”

“What do you want, Katsuki?” Izuku sighed. The blond was still not used to hearing his actual name from Izuku’s mouth, and scowled in contempt.

“What trick did you pull to get to the hero course, hah? There’s no way a quirkless Deku like you got first place without cheating!”

Everyone within earshot audibly gasped. Midoriya Izuku, the weak useless kid, getting into the top hero school in Japan, that had a one in three hundred acceptance rate, and in first place? Surely, he'd cheated his way in.

Murmurs echoed in the classroom, that Izuku promptly ignored. He just stared at Katsuki until the bell rang a few seconds later, and the teacher walked in, instructing everyone to sit down.

Katsuki mumbled something about getting an explanation later, and sat on his desk.

The teacher, after a couple announcements that Izuku didn’t bother paying attention to, exclaimed how Aldera had two students enrolling into U.A. 

“Especially you, Midoriya. It’s a miracle!”

Izuku didn’t dignify that with a response, while Katsuki clicked his tongue loudly.

At the end of the day, he cornered Izuku before he could leave the school grounds. He pushed him to a wall and went to grab him by his shirt, but Izuku’s reflexes allowed him to evade it, resulting in Katsuki hitting his fist on the wall.

“What dirty tricks did you use to get in, huh?” He attempted to grab Izuku again, who ducked and got out of the way, making the blond lose his balance and almost fall. “‘The first student from his school to go to U.A.’ My future plan has already been torn to pieces.”

Why did it matter that much to him? Wasn’t he gonna be ‘the number one hero’?

“I told you to go somewhere else!” He swung his fist at Izuku, but the teen stopped it with his hand.

“I really don’t care about your stupid plan. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to U.A, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He let go of the angry boy’s fist and walked away, not bothering getting an answer.

Katsuki had been quiet ever since. It was a bit unnerving, but Izuku preferred it to getting pestered all the time.

Izuku approached the school gate as the memory faded away. He was on autopilot mode, and attended the graduation ceremony without paying much attention. He did feel everyone’s eyes on him as his name got called. The principal handed him his diploma and congratulated him on his acceptance in the hero course. He gave a nod in return, and walked back to his seat, most students still staring at him, Katsuki’ gaze lingering the most.

His mom was at work and couldn’t attend his graduation, and Himiko was a wanted criminal and couldn’t risk anyone seeing her, so Izuku didn’t have to stay any longer at that Gods-forsaken hellhole, while everyone else was taking pictures and cheering the end of the school year.

~~~

He had two weeks left until his first day at U.A. Since he didn’t have to go to school, he took advantage of his free time to rest more, and train harder. His lessons with Himiko were paying off. After his martial arts training, he would meet her outside, and they would go to the building she had been seeking refuge in for the past few months on the run.

His prior research and attempts on knife-wielding were nothing compared to the hardships the girl made him go through. After she had taught him the basics, and took him to the market in the sketchiest part of Musutafu to try different types of knives – he ended up getting seal knives, a couple easy-concealed ones and a few throwing knives – she showed him different techniques for all his choices, and proceeded to attack him relentlessly.

His training with her would always start this way, a few minutes of barely evading and counterattacking her merciless stabs and slices. She had a rather unconventional way of teaching him, but her ruthless attacks were keeping his reflexes sharp and his mind constantly on overdrive, resulting in him starting to be able to defend himself without even having to think about it. Once he became good enough with short range attacks, she would tutor him on throwing knives, but considering the short amount of time he had dedicated on training with those weapons, it would be a while. He preferred being adept with one type of weapon, rather than mediocre with many.

His training with All Might, on the other hand, was way easier and casual. Izuku would have to keep his quirk activated for as long as he could, while the hero threw different moves at him to counter. By the time April came, he could use One For All without breaking any of his bones, and as his first day at U.A. – Monday, April 8^th – grew closer and closer, he was experienced enough to use it freely with barely any strain on his body.

Looking back, he had changed so much during the past year, he barely recognized himself. He was no longer the weak quirkless kid everyone ridiculed. He wasn’t the helpless delusional little boy who wanted to be a hero. He had shed sweat and tears and broke his bones and fell bloody on the ground before coming back up again, stronger and more determined than ever before.

He had pushed himself beyond his limits, and gained a quirk he could use effectively, a body that wouldn’t collapse even after hours of training, and an arsenal of weapons he could wield with ease. For the first time in his life, he was proud of himself. And he had a friend who would support him, no matter what.

~~~

Izuku straightened his tie, took one last look in the mirror and bid his mother goodbye before heading at U.A. for his first day of high school. Once he arrived, he wandered in the halls of the huge building, looking for classroom 1-A, where he had been assigned at.

He found a massive door that corresponded with his classroom, and braced himself, before opening the door and stepped inside.

“Don’t put your feet on the desk!”

“Hah?”

Of course. Of course he would end up in the same class with his friend-turned-bully-turned-whatever-he-was-now. Izuku knew he would be seeing him often, since they both got in U.A, but he had hoped they wouldn’t end up in the same class. Maybe they placed them together on purpose, being from the same middle school. Oh well, Izuku wouldn’t do anything to provoke him, but he wouldn’t be responsible for Katsuki’s actions if he decided to act like an asshole.

But alas, Katsuki had managed to make a scene on his first day. The stiff boy from the practical exam orientation was scolding him for being rude to his upperclassmen and the people who had made the desk, while chopping the air with his arms like a robot. Oh, he was a stickler for rules. Lovely.

The boy introduced himself as Iida Tenya, a Somei Private Academy graduate. So, he was the person who got 3^rd place on the practical exam, just below Katsuki. This would be fun.

“Somei? You’re a damn elite, huh? I’ll have fun crushing you,” the blond taunted. The poor boy wasn’t used to him, and took the bait.

“Crushing? That’s terrible! Do you truly aim to be hero?” Apparently, he did, and thought he would actually be one, even with that attitude.

Izuku put on his friendly neighborhood hero student persona, and addressed Iida as he entered the classroom.

“Don’t bother with him, Iida-kun, he’s way too stubborn to reason with.”

Everyone’s heads turned to him. The dude enthusiastically marched towards him. “Good morning! I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya!”

“I’m Midoriya Izuku. Nice to meet you, Iida-kun.”

“Midoriya-kun, I congratulate you for placing first on the practical exam! You realized there was something more to it, didn’t you? I hate to admit it, but you are better than me…” he said, chopping invisible onions. The thought almost made Izuku burst out laughing.

“No, I actually didn’t realize anything.” He did, but decided to play the role of an innocent puppy, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh, those curly hair! You’re that boy!” A familiar voice sounded from behind him. He recognized the nice girl from the exam, Uraraka, he thought her name was.

“I’m so glad you passed, just like Present Mic said! Of course you did! Your punch was amazing!” She punched the air excitedly.

“Oh! Right! Thank you for what you asked him, I really appreciate it.” He gave her a blinding smile.

“How do you know that?”

“They told me on my acceptance letter! It was really kind of you, so thank you again!” He bowed in appreciation. From the corner of his eye, he saw Katsuki scowling at him, like always.

Uraraka was pondering on what their teacher would be like, when a deep voice spoke from behind her.

“Go somewhere else if you want to play friends.” Izuku saw a man in a bright yellow sleeping bag, laying on the floor.

“This is the hero course,” he said, opening his sleeping bag just enough to bring a juice pack to his mouth, and slurped it in one go. He then got up and stepped out of it. “Okay, it took eight seconds before you were quiet. Time is limited. You kids are not rational enough.” Oh, Izuku liked this guy.

Speaking of, the dude, who was probably a pro hero, considering he was their teacher, was the most tired man Izuku had ever seen. He wore all black, with the exception of his gray scarf, and his long black hair hung loosely on his shoulders.

“I’m your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Nice to meet you.” He spoke as if he was definitely not happy to meet them.

Before he gave the students a chance to react, apart from the collective “Ehh?” that echoed in the classroom, he took out a gym uniform from his sleeping bag, and instructed them to put theirs on and go out onto the field. No orientation? This dude went straight to the point. 

Instead of gawking over their weird homeroom teacher, Izuku made his way to the changing rooms, and into a secluded corner, to change into his gym uniform. He wasn’t ashamed of his body or his scars, but he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention to himself, nor did he want anyone to question the array of starburst scars on his torso and upper arms.

Some of them had figured out he had known Katsuki before U.A., and he wouldn’t be opposed to make the blond’s life a living hell for tormenting him for years, but that would also mean having to talk about himself. He would rather play the part of the happy-go-lucky hero student, and when he would finally set his plan of revealing the truth about hero society into motion, he could drop the bomb. Having a bully and quirkist asshole in the hero course of the top hero school in all of Japan wouldn’t be taken lightly.

He also didn't feel like explaining the self-harm scars on his thighs, or get pitied because of them. No one his class knew he grew up quirkless and the hardships he had faced because of that, but regardless, going back to one of the darkest times of his life wasn’t very appealing.

“A quirk assessment test? What about the entrance ceremony?” Uraraka asked, when everyone had gathered outside.

“If you’re going to become a hero, you don’t have time for such leisurely events,” Aizawa said. “U.A’s selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are, that’s how the teachers run their classes.” He looked back at his students with bloodshot eyes, prominent eyebags shadowing them.

“You kids have been doing these since junior high, too, right? Physical fitness tests where you weren’t allowed to use your quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their quirks. It’s not rational.”

He turned to Katsuki. “Bakugou,”– the blond seemed surprised to be addressed – “in junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?”

Oh, he probably wanted someone who placed high in the exam to demonstrate. But he obviously didn’t want to use Izuku, he had used his quirk only once during the exam and he had shattered three limbs.

“Uh, 67 meters.”

“Then, try doing it with your quirk. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle.”

Katsuki grinned. Of course he would want to showcase how strong he was at any given chance.

“DIE!” he screamed as he used a big explosion to throw the ball as far as he could. Izuku noted he had thrown it at the best possible angle of 45 degrees. Katsuki knew what he was doing.

“Know your own maximum first.” The tracker Aizawa was holding showed 705.2 meters. “That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero.”

He had a point, but many quirks had no application on these tests. It would be stupid to measure an average score when many people couldn’t, or didn’t know how to, use their quirks for that. That sounded like quirkist bullshit to Izuku, but it wasn't like he didn’t understand where his teacher was coming from. He was a heroics teacher, after all.

When he showed Katsuki’s result to the class, gasps sounded all around him.

“It looks fun!” Fun? Izuku wanted to laugh at the pink girl’s face for being so naïve, but Aizawa beat him to it.

“It looks fun, huh? You have three years to become heroes. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?” His lips formed a maniacal grin. “All right, whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential, and will be expelled.”

Izuku held back a grin of his own. The man was obviously bluffing, but everyone else seem to buy it, so he sported a surprised expression and joined them in their shocked reaction.

“We’re free to do what we want about the circumstances of our students. Welcome to U.A’s hero course!” Aizawa exclaimed, and Izuku could no longer hold back his grin.

He took it as a personal challenge, to prove himself. Not as a hero, not as one of them, but better.

“But it’s the first day of school! And even if it wasn’t, this is too unfair!” Uraraka protested.

Unfair? Izuku thought with a scowl on his face. Life is never fair. I have never been treated fairly in my whole life! Things will always be unfair because that’s just how the world works. Complaining will change none of that. Privileged people should really take a look on the real world and actually see just how miserable it can be.

Aizawa seemed to be on the same page, when everyone else wasn’t even on the same book.

“Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish villains. Calamities whose time or place can’t be predicted. The world is covered with unfairness.” That’s right! Aizawa knew how the world worked, and didn’t hesitate to show it. Maybe this generation of heroes weren’t so doomed after all.

“Heroes are the only ones who reverse those situations.” And there, he lost him. Heroes were supposed to restore some balance to the injustice that the system really was, but they were the ones supporting it, in the end. Saving people was a just a font for gaining fame and money. Izuku could fill a library with his thoughts on injustice and fake heroes, but now wasn’t the right time to ponder on it.

“For the next three years, U.A. will do all it can to give you one hardship after the other. Go beyond, Plus Ultra, or whatever. Overcome it will all you’ve got!” The maniacal grin, that apparently was his second default expression – the first being ‘done with life’ – hadn’t left his face during his whole speech. It kind of inspired Izuku to copy him, so he let a grin of his own show.

“All right, demonstration is over. The real thing starts now.”

With Aizawa’s last words, everyone got hyped up, ready to give their all. Izuku glanced at his classmates, most of which had a look of determination look on their face, some were nervous, and one red-and-white-haired boy seemed almost bored. Izuku couldn’t figure him out.

He spared a glance at Katsuki, and gave him his best ‘good luck’ smile that was sure to irritate him. He wasn’t in Aldera anymore, Katsuki hopefully wouldn’t get away with attacking a classmate. Izuku had closed his eyes when he smiled, so he didn’t get to see the blond’s reaction as he turned and headed towards the gym, where they would perform the first couple of exercises.

~~~

He didn’t have to use his quirk at the beginning. Sit ups and Seated Toe-touch exercises were part of his warm-up during his martial arts lessons, so he was fairly adept and flexible for both of them, and got a pretty high score.

Next was the Grip Strength test. Izuku decided not to use his quirk on that one. While he had gotten pretty good at using Full Cowl and keeping it activated as he sparred with All Might, he wasn’t yet experienced with the power output he released. Any grip he had to do would end up just shattering the device, not allowing it to actually measure his grip strength. So, he used his brute strength on that one. 67 kg wasn’t that bad, anyway.

Then, they got out on the field and began the rest of the tests. Repeated Side Steps were first, where he got an average score, and then came the Ball Throw that Katsuki had so kindly demonstrated earlier.

As more and more students did the ball throw, Katsuki would have that stupid grin on his face, because he kept having the best score. That changed, however, when Uraraka used her quirk to nullify the ball’s gravitational pull. It ended up going above some of the atmosphere’s layers, making the device show the infinity symbol. Everyone cheered in surprise, while Katsuki returned his face to his default scowl, which only deepened when it was Izuku’s turn.

The green-haired teen stepped into the circle, and took a deep breath. This was the first time he would be using his quirk outside of his training with All Might, and also the first time his teacher and classmates would see him use it without breaking his bones.

He barely heard the conversation Iida was having with Katsuki.

“I wonder what Midoriya-kun will do in this one.”

“Hah? It’s gonna go terribly. He’s a quirkless fry, you know,” he said underminingly, gaining a surprised gasp from Iida.

“Quirkless? Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?”

“Hah?”

Katsuki didn’t know he had a quirk at all. Explaining that would be fun. Izuku was in no mood to please him when he would come forward expecting answers, so if he had to say anything to not make a scene, he would just tell him what he’d planned on telling the teachers.

He activated Full Cowl, drew his right hand back, but as he was about to use One For All at 5% - the most he could use at the moment without injuring himself – and brought forth his arm to throw the ball, he felt the quirk vanish.

He still threw it, at 98 meters. Not bad, but definitely not what he was aiming for. He frowned and looked at his hand, before Aizawa spoke.

“I erased your quirk.”

He turned his head towards his teacher, but was met with a very different demeanor than what he expected. Aizawa’s eyes were glowing red, and his hair were levitating, along with his scarf, that was floating around him while he held it in a stance ready to attack. What drew Izuku’s attention, though, were the bright yellow goggles that were previously concealed by the capture weapon.

He immediately recognized Eraserhead, an underground hero, one of the only ones that Izuku still respected. He never claimed credits for any of his work, and he avoided the media like the plague. He wasn’t driven by money or fame, he genuinely wanted to help people. He even patrolled in the shadier part of Musutafu; he had taken a glimpse of him a couple of times when he hung out with Himiko in her… temporary residency.

“The entrance exam was definitely not rational enough. Even a kid like you was accepted. From what I can tell, you can’t control your quirk, can you?”

Oh, so that was what this was. Eraserhead only knew that he had broken his bones on the entrance exam, and thought he would still try to use it the same way. Before Izuku could explain himself, the hero continued his speech.

“Do you intend to become incapacitated again, and have someone to save you?”

“What… Eraserhead, no, that’s not-” he got interrupted when Aizawa captured him with his weapon and pulled him closer to himself.

He heard his classmates murmur about the Erasure hero, when Izuku revealed the name. Most of them hadn’t heard of him. He was underground for a reason.

“Whatever your intentions are, that’s what those around you will be forced to do.” He glared at Izuku with those burning red eyes, that reminded him a bit too much of someone else who would look at him with that expression of dissatisfaction and resentment.

“In the past, there was an oppressively passionate hero, who saved over a thousand people by himself and created a legend.” All Might? “Even if you have the same reckless valor-” All Might bashing? Sign me in! "- you’ll just be decked and turn into a useless doll after saving one person. Midoriya Izuku. With your power, you can’t become a hero.”

Okay, that was enough. He might have been right, if Izuku didn’t think of a way to use his quirk effectively, because his mentor surely wouldn’t. And those words might have hurt like a bitch, had he not already accepted he would not become a hero, whether he had a quirk, or not. Because he didn’t want to, not because he couldn’t.

But this rant was based on a misunderstanding. So Izuku looked him in the eyes, and spoke before Aizawa could say anything more.

“Sensei, you misunderstand. I don’t have to break my limbs anymore. I found a way around it since the entrance exam.” Well, that got his attention. He turned off his quirk and brought his capture weapon to rest on his shoulders again.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, but didn’t wait for further explanation, as he turned his back on Izuku and walked away. “Then hurry up and get it over with.”

For a person of few words, and who obviously preferred actions rather than explanations, he had already made two speeches today. Maybe he wanted to play the strict teacher role or something.

Izuku casually returned to the circle, and activated Full Cowl. He glanced at Aizawa, to make sure he wouldn’t erase his quirk again, and threw the ball with all his might – wait no, not that word, strength was better – a small grunt escaping his throat.

The ball flew with tremendous force, and gasps of shock and surprise sounded from his classmates. He turned to his teacher, whose device read 705.3. It was just 0.1 meters more than Katsuki’s score, but even that small difference would definitely wound the explosive boy’s pride.

He smiled at Aizawa proudly. “See, my arms are fine!” He gained a feral grin in return.

“He got over 700 meters?”

“That’s so cool! A hero-like score!” What? Katsuki had also gotten more than 700. But he had screamed ‘DIE’ so Izuku could see why Uraraka would ignore him.

“That was so different than the entrance exam. He has a strange quirk…” Iida seemed to ponder it calmly, unlike Katsuki, who was staring at Izuku with his eyes and mouth wide open.

His surprise turned into anger – shocking – and a few explosions popped off his palms. “What is the meaning of this?”

He then ran towards him, ready to attack him as he shouted. “Hey! Tell me what’s going on, Deku, you bastard!”

Izuku watched him run with a smile on his face, which widened when Aizawa pulled Katsuki back with his capture weapon. “What the…?”

“Jeez, stop making me use my quirk over and over. I have dry eye!” Well, that would be expected. Izuku didn’t know why his classmates sounded so surprised.

“You can release him, sensei. I’ll explain later.” He gave a bright smile to his teacher, and then a knowing look to his former friend. If you behave, I’ll tell you. Not the truth, obviously, but what some people would have to know if All Might didn’t want his secrets being found out.

“Whatever. We’re wasting time. Whoever’s next, get on with it.”

~~~

Izuku used his quirk on the rest of the tests, too. With Full Cowl on, he bested Katsuki on the 50-meter Dash by 0.17 seconds – the blond’s face was hilarious – but the best time went to Iida who had literal engines in his legs. In the Long-Distance Run, he got a pretty good place, too.

Finally, he managed to clear the sandbox, in the Standing Long Jump, but landed a couple hundred meters further than he meant to. He had a long way to go, to use his quirk exactly how he wanted to.

Aizawa showed them their results – a ranking based on the sum of all their previous scores – on a hologram. Izuku had placed 3^rd, right after Yaoyorozu Momo and Todoroki Shouto – was he Endeavor’s son? – and Katsuki placed 4^th, just below him. Just like the entrance exam results. Izuku was loving this. Katsuki was fuming, he was sure of it.

On last place was Hagakure Tooru, the invisible girl. See, even though Aizawa was calling bullshit when he said he would expel the last placer, it would be genuinely unfair to judge people with mental quirks, or like hers (or quirkless people, but there had never been a quirkless hero student, so it wouldn’t even matter to them), quirks that were not applicable to those tests. It was ridiculous.

Hagakure had realized her placement and was currently crying softly. Izuku stepped a bit towards her and whispered “Don’t worry, he won’t expel you. He knows it would be another kind of unfair for you to leave without showing what you really got, and those tests were never in your favor.”

The girl looked – felt like she was? Sounded? – surprised to hear such words from her quiet, shy, but also super strong, classmate. “You really think so?” Her crying had died down to quiet sniffs.

“I’m sure of it. His own quirk wouldn’t help him either. He can erase other people’s quirks, but on his own, in these particular tests, he would be competing quirkless, like you.”

She didn’t respond, probably thinking about what he had just told her.

“By the way, I was lying about the expulsion,” Aizawa said, like he was bored. Then his lips formed a huge grin. “It was just a logical ruse!” The rest of his sentence, about wanting to draw out everyone’s quirk’s upper limits, was overshadowed by the surprised shrieks of his unsuspecting classmates.

“Of course it was a lie.” That was Yaoyorozu Momo, Izuku thought her name was, Yaomomo in his head for short. “It should’ve been obvious if you just thought it through.”

“That was nerve-racking, right?”, “I’ll take up the challenge anytime!” Izuku heard a couple classmates exclaim.

He turned to Hagakure. “See, I told you. He’s not as strict as he wants people to think he is.” He barely heard the girl’s soft “thank you”, before heading to his teacher.

“With that, we’re done here. There are handouts with the curriculum and stuff in the classroom, so when you get back, look over them.”

Day 1 over, huh?

“Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests. Prepare yourselves.” He then turned to Izuku. “Midoriya, you wanted to talk to me, right? Come with me,” he said, and turned left towards the classroom building.

Izuku went to follow him, when a hand went to grab his shoulder. He swiftly took the arm before it got near enough to touch him, and flipped the person over his shoulder and to the ground on their back.

If it was any other person, he would just evade and tell them how he doesn’t like to be touched without permission, never mind unexpectedly.

But this time, he could smell smoke - the familiar scent that remained for a while after Katsuki used his quirk - meaning it was the blond bastard, so eh. Maybe he would finally learn a lesson about boundaries here, if U.A. wasn’t a failure of a school, like most educational establishments nowadays.

“Damn, Deku, chill! I just wanted to go with you to Aizawa.” He dusted his pants and took his usual gruff attitude.

“Fine, I’m only doing this so I won’t have to explain everything twice,” Izuku simply said. As he took a step towards where Aizawa was waiting for him, he turned to Katsuki, looked him in the eye, a polite smile on his face. “And next time, don’t touch me without permission, or behind my back. I really don’t like to be touched.”

He barely caught the shocked and concerned expressions of his classmates, that happened to be standing there.

Chapter Text

“Why is the kid here?”

Aizawa was leaning his back against the wall. Izuku stood opposite of him, and Katsuki mimicked their teacher a little further.

“Katsuki is here, because he so kindly demanded to know how I, a quirkless looser, got into U.A., and in first place for that matter, as well as how do I suddenly have a quirk that everyone expected would break my bones, and then didn’t.”

Katsuki was obviously not a fan of that explanation. Still, Izuku preferred his funny faces to slamming doors and desks and blowing things up until he got the answers he oh, so craved.

“What do you mean, quirkless?” Aizawa furrowed his eyebrows, obviously hearing something completely different from what he’d expected.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, and it’s something that I would rather the whole school not knowing, so I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and tell you both.”

The ‘tch’ from Katsuki and Aizawa’s raised eyebrow were his cues to start talking.

“So, I was diagnosed quirkless at the age of four. When everyone found out, my whole world fell apart. My dad left, my friends turned on me, my teachers acted like I was an abomination, a lesser being, not worth being addressed to.” Izuku paused. That was not what he was going to talk about today. Oops.

“Anyway, the point is, I grew up quirkless, but I always wanted to be a hero, and always got hate for it. Ask Katsuki, he would know. We’ve known each other since diapers.” The blond gave him a look, but otherwise didn’t react. Aizawa was frowning, trying to understand the implications of what he had just heard.

Izuku's mind wandered to the sludge villain incident, where, according to official reports, he hadn’t done anything. The Hero Commission wouldn’t want the media to know a little quirkless kid had done the heroes’ job. He pondered whether he should tell his teacher about that day, and play the part of a humble and determined kid who had acted heroically despite his circumstances, but decided against it. Talking shit about the Commission on hero school grounds wasn’t the best idea. He still hoped the underground hero wasn’t in cahoots with the HPSC.

Holy shit, the Commission! I know what I’m gonna do today…

“Midoriya, you alright? You kinda spaced out for a minute.” Izuku detected a hint of worry in his teacher’s question.

“Oh, sorry, that happens sometimes, sorry…” he rubbed his neck and looked at the ground. “A-Anyway! Last year, I started training for the entrance exam. If I made it, I would be the first quirkless hero student Japan has ever seen! But then, a couple of days before the exam...” he paused, looking at Katsuki and his teacher in their eyes, mostly for dramatic effect, “my quirk manifested.”

Aizawa had his tired eyes wide open, but Katsuki was taking it in, a little worse…

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he said angrily, but moderately quiet. “You had a quirk? This whole time? And it manifested now?”

“I’m a late bloomer, I guess,” Izuku shrugged, laughing with the innocence of a child, one that could have been Izuku, wasn’t he already done with heroes and their society games.

“Um, so, until the entrance exam started, I had only used my quirk, Super Power, once, when it manifested. I felt a surge of power and when I used my finger to test it on a glass bottle, both of them shattered. My body was obviously not ready for a super strong quirk, so I tried not to use it unless absolutely necessary on the exam. I brought my staff, as you saw, to take down the robots, but when the zero pointer came, and Uraraka-san was there, in danger, my legs moved on their own. I couldn’t control my quirk at all, but by instinct I use it on my legs, and then my right hand to punch the robot.”

Izuku took a few moments for the other two to take in what they had just heard, and completed his explanation.

“After the exam, I took the time to find different techniques, hoping to be able to use my quirk without shattering my bones. And I did. I came up with Full Cowl and it’s what I’m working on now.”

Izuku then turned to his teacher. “I don’t want any special treatment for it. I’ve had to work harder than anyone in my class to get where I am, from a weak quirkless kid, to getting first place on the practical exam for the hero course. I just… please keep in mind that I only had two months to work on my quirk. Everyone else had at least ten years.”

He hoped, with those words, that his teacher would view him just like every other student, but also not see him as a reckless kid who was arrogant enough to not bother training his quirk and would end up as a liability to anyone. He also didn't want to get on the underground hero’s bad side, since he was one of the only heroes he still respected.

After exchanging a few more words, Izuku left the two behind and headed towards the locker rooms to change into his uniform. Once he turned, however, he saw the buff form of the Number One Hero.

Ugh. Not him again.

“Oh! H-hi, All Might! What are you doing here?”

He was mumbling something about Aizawa seeing the boy’s potential, when he noticed said boy and straightened his back.

“Midoriya-shounen! You did wonderfully in the apprehension test! Congratulations!”

“Thank you, All Might-sensei!” he bowed, to hide his annoyed face.

“Although I wanted to talk to you about something… I overheard you explained to Aizawa-kun about your quirk, and that kid, too… although I thank you for not telling the complete truth, we had agreed to keep it a secret, Midoriya-shounen…”

“A-Ah! I’m sorry, All Might, I just thought that since Katsuki, um, Bakugou, knew me since we were babies, it would be suspicious to suddenly develop a quirk, and pretend I always had it!” Izuku tried to reason with him.

“And Aizawa-sensei thought I had no potential, because he knew the quirk broke my bones at the exam, and he would be paying more attention to me that the other students, and if he noticed the similarities between our quirks, and maybe catch us meeting, that would make him also suspicious about it, so…” Izuku played with his fingers while he rambled, hoping to come off as nervous. Not only could the hero not keep a secret, Aizawa would have figured it out sooner or later.

“Well, he did expel a whole first-year class last year for not having potential with no hesitation. If he thought so about you, too, it was probably wise to get on his good side…” All Might agreed. For an oaf, he at least had some common sense.

Izuku would still have to be careful. The hero was bound to make careless mistakes and reveal his relationship with him without meaning to. Like coming to talk to him right after class, where students and teachers could obviously see them. Izuku wanted to hit his head on the wall.

“He doesn’t like media attention because he says it hinders his work. He and I don’t get along. But he is kind of a good teacher in his own way…” All Might was mumbling. That’s exactly the reason I like him and not you, you stupid fuck. That’s why he is a real one.

“A-Anyway, I have to go now! See you later!” Or never. Izuku didn’t give the hero a chance to reply and ran towards the changing rooms.

~~~

As he reached the school’s exit, Iida and Uraraka caught up to him. The two introduced themselves, and the girl turned to Izuku.

“And you’re Midoriya Deku, right?”

“Deku?” He couldn’t help the hint of disgust for the nickname.

“Oh, is that not your name? But during the fitness test, that’s what that boy, Bakugou, called you…”

“Oh, no, my name is Izuku. Deku is just what Katsuki calls me to insult me, please don’t use it.” He gave her an awkward smile, and rubbed his neck. So did the girl, while Iida was wondering why he would call him an insult.

“Oh, is that right? I’m sorry! Izuku it is, then!”

The three proceeded to walk towards the train station together, making chit-chat Izuku didn’t really participate in. Instead, he was thinking about his first day of school.

Overall, having trained for only a year, he was doing really well. But not enough. If he wanted to bring down and reconstruct this society, he had to be much better than an average U.A. hero course student. So, he would strive to be the best. It’s just, this time, it wasn’t for himself, but for the change he could bring.

~~~

When he got home, he began working on the idea that formed on his head while talking to Eraserhead.

He figured that the whole hero society was being controlled by the Hero Commission, so what better way to bring it down, than by finding any dirt he could on them? He could release it on the public, make a case so big no one would be able to deny the facts, ridicule so many heroes that the people would start losing faith in them.

He had so many options, but first, he would collect anything he could find. From hidden articles about corrupt heroes, shit the Commission tried, but failed, to bury, and maybe find stuff the public wasn’t normally able to access. He would have to learn a thing or two about internet access and hacking, then. What better source of information is there, than the Commission’s database itself?

He revealed his plan to Himiko after their training that evening, as they ate the bento Izuku prepared – he would always bring her homemade meals, and periodically give her some blood, to help her as much as he could – and she was more than happy to support him. But he would need more people by his side if he wanted to do this correctly. He needed connections. He only needed to find a way to get them.

~~~

On the second day, school started like any normal high school. They had regular lessons in the morning – like English with Present Mic, but Izuku was already proficient, so he instead focused on his plans – then lunch, and finally, in the afternoon they had heroics courses.

“I AM…”

Oh, Gods, please, no.

“…coming through the door like a normal person!” Normal people don’t announce their entrance loudly, you moron.

Instead of letting out the huge groan that built up in his throat, Izuku joined his classmates’ excitement with a super fake gasp.

“I teach Basic Hero Training,” All Might said as he took his place behind the podium. “It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero.”

Izuku had a feeling this wouldn’t go well. Had this man even trained to be a teacher?

“Let’s get right into it! This is what we’re gonna do today; Combat training!” On the first day? Without any prior lessons whatsoever? What the fuck?

“And to go with that, are these!” Behind him, a few cases in the wall opened, that held suitcases with the hero costumes the students had made based on their quirk registrations and requests before school started. Izuku feared of what he would see today. Hero schools tended to forget they were teenagers.

After they changed, they met the hero at Ground Beta.

Izuku was very satisfied with his hero costume. He had done an incredible amount of research when he had to submit his requests to the school. He had been as thorough as possible, making sure they followed every guideline he provided. He sincerely hoped they had actually read and gone through his requests for the costume materials and gear.

His costume was a two-piece dark green suit, weaved with Kevlar on the inside. The material was fireproof, waterproof, temperature controlled, shock resistant, stain resistant, and impact absorbent. It had black outlines on the sleeves and sides of both his shirt and pants, as well as shoulder and knee pads.

His shirt was flexible, and tight, showing the outline of his muscles, but comfortable enough to move around freely. The sleeves were long enough to meet his black fingerless gloves, that went up just above the elbows, and were equipped with elbow pads.

His pants were a bit looser than his shirt, with various pockets around the waist and on the sides, for his gadgets and anything else he might need to carry.

Dark green goggles, a shade darker than his costume, hung from his neck. They were designed to protect his eyes from dirt, smoke and any toxic substance that might reach them, like the eye irritant that the smoke bombs he had requested were laced with.

The only color that stood out in his entire costume were his dark red boots; a darker version of his bright red everyday shoes. Those were the only kind of shoes that were available for people who were quirkless, or rather, had the extra pinky toe joint - though not many people were aware of that. The dark shade his steel-toed combat boots bore was both a stylistic choice, and a reminder to himself of the hardships he had faced, a tribute to a vital part of himself.

Finally, his retractable steel staff hung in its black case on his waist. The case was steady enough on his costume, so that it wouldn’t bounce while he moved, but it was loose enough so it didn’t hinder his movements.

Izuku made it outside of Ground Beta, along with some of his classmates, All Might already waiting for them. As he waited for everyone to gather, he looked at some of the students’ costumes. And oh, fuck, were some of them problematic.

First of all, some of the girls’ costumes were super sexualized. The support department were aware that they were all fifteen-year-olds, right? Especially Yaomomo’s costume, it was as revealing as it gets. Izuku understood that she used her lipids to make stuff, but she didn’t have to expose her whole body when she could just have a couple of zippers on. Also, Uraraka’s and Ashido’s costumes were both unnecessarily skintight, and why were they wearing heels? That was so impractical.

The worst one, though, by far, was Hagakure’s costume, in Izuku’s humble opinion. He couldn’t even call it a costume. She was literally naked, save her shoes and a pair of gloves. He was going to have a word with the support department. Surely, they could make a suit that went invisible with her, from her DNA, or something.

That didn’t mean the boys’ costumes were great, either. Kirishima, for example. Why was he naked from the waist up? Why wear sleeves, then? Izuku didn’t understand.

Izuku’s heart squeezed a bit when he saw Katsuki’s costume. Although it was fairly modernized, and with a few logical alterations, it was obviously based on Izuku’s idea. When Katsuki had manifested his quirk, four-year-old Izuku had offered to draw him a costume design. Even the mask, the one Izuku had said looked like butterfly wings, was there. If Katsuki hated him so much, why did he still use his design?

“Midoriya! You look so cool! Really down to Earth…” When Uraraka spotted him, she complimented his design, but explained her dislike for her own.

“I should have written what I wanted… Mine ended up being a skintight bodysuit.” What the fuck, UA. Seriously. Who takes a couple ideas a teenager gave them and makes a costume like that? And for what, to please the media? With a ‘hot’ fifteen-year-old? What was wrong with them?

“Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?” Zygotes? The fuck?

All Might proceeded to explain the Heroes vs Villains exercise, after a speech that Izuku ignored.

“Without basic training?” The frog girl – he had to ask her name – remarked. Thank you! That’s what I was wondering, too!

“This is the real battle to understand those basics!”

Izuku wanted to facepalm so bad.

All Might was then bombarded by questions, and really seemed unable to answer them on his own. Instead, he took out a fucking handbook, and read aloud the instructions for the exercise, and then took out a box to draw lots for the teams. Because heroes could be paired up with people they didn't usually team up with, not because All Might couldn’t pair the students responsibly, of course.

Izuku was glad to be paired with Uraraka, as team A, and they were assigned to play the heroes. His luck ended there, however. Team A would go against Team D as the villains, i.e. Katsuki and Iida. Katsuki was probably looking forward to beating him up.

Izuku felt it was ironic for himself to be the hero, while Katsuki was the villain. He couldn’t quite say why, but it seemed like a game of fate, something he would look back to later on and laugh.

Team D went inside the building, where the fake bomb was located, and Izuku stayed with Uraraka outside while the other students and All Might headed for the monitor room.

They were looking through the building’s blueprint layout, and Izuku started forming a plan.

“So, Katsuki will probably come for me first, so Iida-kun will be left to guard the bomb. While I distract Katsuki, you can sneak your way to the bomb…” He brainstormed a few ideas, that the girl seemed to be in favor of.

“Okay! Bakugou is the one who makes fun of you, right?”

“It doesn’t bother me anymore,” Izuku said sincerely. “For a long time, I thought he was better than me, in everything. But now, we’re in the same school, and I bested him in the entrance exam, and the quirk apprehension test. I won’t let him run over me ever again.”

Izuku had a determined and serious look on his face, and Uraraka seemed to understand.

“A fated battle between men, huh?”

“Ahaha, not really… sorry for involving you in this…” Izuku said returning to his awkward and shy persona.

“We’re a team, right? Let’s do our best!”

They walked over their plan, and All Might signaled the start of the combat training. Izuku gave his teammate one of his smoke bombs, and bid her good luck, as she floated herself to the last floor’s window. He entered the building and casually made his way upstairs, waiting for a certain explosive boy to charge at him.

He barely managed to dodge the explosion that blasted from right behind the corner, as Izuku went to turn right.

“Come on Deku, don’t dodge,” the blond said with a weirdly calm voice.

Instead of responding, Izuku prepared himself for another attack. When the expected right swing came – Katsuki always started with one – he took his arm, and with a swift move he'd learned early on his aikido lessons, he flipped the boy over his shoulder and onto his back.

As Katsuki got up, he yelled into his earpiece. Iida was probably asking what happened, hearing the explosion, but he only got a “Just shut up and defend, I’m angry!” as a response.

Katsuki propelled himself towards Izuku with a blast from his palm, and went to kick him with his left leg. Izuku was practiced enough to evade and counterattack without a thought.

He didn’t want to use his quirk in this case; he could seriously injure Katsuki and, as much as he thought the teen deserved it, he didn’t want to get into trouble. So he got his staff out of his case and expanded it. He then took advantage of the smoke from the explosions and ran away, giving Uraraka enough time to find the fake bomb. He hid behind a turn, and waited for the blond to charge. He wouldn’t stand a chance.

Izuku grinned widely. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

“Hey! Deku! Don’t run away, you coward!”

Katsuki’s shouting echoed in the building. Izuku remained silent in his position behind the turn, waiting to ambush the angry blond.

“You have a flashy quirk now, don’t you? Then use it!” Izuku heard small explosions sounding closer and closer to him. “You can try and beat me! But I’m better than you!”

Izuku rolled his eyes. Katsuki was still so full of himself, even though he had already been bested in many instances. He was so set on proving himself, he had – predictably – left Iida to guard the bomb. It was going to be so easy.

“Where are you, you damn nerd?!” Katsuki was just around the corner. Izuku raised his staff, ready to attack.

Before Katsuki could notice him, Izuku swept the staff on Katsuki’s ankles, causing him to fall on his back. He then placed it vertically right above his stomach, and thrust it downwards, enough to make the explosive boy double in pain.

Izuku swiftly got behind him, turned him on his stomach and used his legs to pin him in place. He couldn’t use the capture tape to bind his arms together, the grenade-shaped things on them were too big to allow that, so he placed his staff under Katsuki’s neck and pulled it with his hands.

“Yield,” he grunted in Katsuki’s ear. The blond struggled to breathe, but didn’t relent. He made desperate explosions, but Izuku’s costume material protected him from any burns, and he could barely feel the heat coming from his opponent’s hands.

Izuku repeated himself, and Katsuki gave up. He tapped the floor with his grenade things – his hands couldn’t reach the floor – and Izuku loosened his grip on the staff, allowing him to take a breath, but didn’t let go, thinking the teen would take the first opportunity to fight back.

Izuku was right, of course. Katsuki tried to free himself after he got enough air in his lungs, but the green-haired boy knew better. He made a swift move and hit the back of the blond’s head with the steel staff, just hard enough to make him lose consciousness – and maybe give him a mild concussion.

He then quickly tied Katsuki’s feet together, and used the rest of the capture tape to tie the boy’s arms to his torso, so when he woke up, he would struggle to free himself. Izuku tapped his comms and asked Uraraka about her whereabouts.

“I just found him and the bomb on the fourth floor,” she whispered.

Izuku could hear Iida in the background, getting into the role of a villain, and the girl holding back her laughter.

“All right, I’m coming up. Don’t reveal yourself, wait for me.” Izuku didn’t wait for a response and quickly made his way upstairs. Iida had already noticed his teammate, and was making a speech as his villain persona.

“I knew you would come here alone the instant Bakugou ran off by himself!” he announced dramatically. “Your quirk allows you to make the objects you touch float. That is why I put away all the things on this floor before you arrived!”

Izuku had arrived behind him, so Iida couldn’t see him signaling to the girl to throw the smoke bomb he had given her.

“Now you cannot play any little tricks! Muahahaha! You have blundered, he-” As the smoke filled the room, Izuku took advantage of the boy’s decreased visibility, and ran silently towards the bomb.

As the smoke dispersed, All Might’s voice boomed from the speakers - “The hero team wins!” - just as Katsuki appeared behind them with wide eyes.

“No…” The explosive teen seemed less upset about losing, and more about losing to Izuku. Although the green-haired teen had already bested him in more ways than one, this was Katsuki’s first direct loss to him. He had started mumbling about how Izuku didn’t even use his quirk and still beat him.

His breathing had started to quicken. His eyes were red and he was obviously freaking out, and Izuku almost pitied him. Almost.

Their two other classmates had already left the building, and before Izuku could call him out and leave, All Might called for them to come to the monitor room to review their results. That seemed to snap Katsuki out of his spiral, and Izuku left him to gather himself.

He’s finally realized I’m not the useless kid beneath him. Go figure.

~~~

After Yaomomo provided a very thorough review of the whole exercise and every team’s rights and wrongs – Izuku listened carefully so he could write them down – the rest of the battle simulations went on smoothly.

Izuku was only half paying attention. He took notes on his classmates’ quirks, strengths, weaknesses and strategies almost on autopilot, having done so for years, over pro heroes and villains alike. His new series, U.A. Hero Analysis, would consist of information exclusively on hero students and staff of the school. His analysis was more than just a hobby, now. It was a safety net, incredibly useful and dangerous, if fallen in the wrong hands. An asset, that would aid him tremendously when the eventual fall-out with the heroes began.

He didn’t even realize when all his classmates had taken part in the exercise, until All Might announced the end of class and school day, before bolting out of Ground Beta, leaving the students to wonder what that was about.

Izuku wasted no time gathering his stuff and leaving right after he changed out of his – thankfully – unscathed costume. His research and instructions to the support department had paid off.

He didn’t have aikido training today, so he headed straight to Himiko-chan’s place. She had texted him during class about having good news she wanted to share, and since his mom didn’t come home from work until later in the evening, he was free to meet his friend. His homework could wait until later.

Izuku had gotten her a smartphone a couple weeks after they met. Now that she had someone that she actually wanted to keep contact with, and she barely made – i.e. stole – enough money to stay alive, she had tried to steal one from an electronics store, but they had better security than she expected, and almost got arrested. So, Izuku just used some of his savings to provide her a cheap model, and she was more than happy to treat him to dinner the next day.

Of course, she didn’t buy the food, or steal it for that matter. In fact, she had located a middle-aged man who had been charged with sexual assault of a minor, and had been convicted for only five months, due to lack of sufficient evidence. Himiko-chan had been bloodthirsty one day, and when she recognized him from the news, gazing the children playing in the local elementary school’s yard, she had followed him home and satiated her thirst. She spared Izuku the details, but they enjoyed a lustrous meal that evening.

He had barely made it inside the familiar building, when his best friend all but crushed him into a hug, like they hadn’t seen each other the day before.

“Izuku-chan! How did school go? Did you kick ass today?” She took him by the arm and dragged him by the stairs to the first floor, where she had taken refuge, as she bombarded him with questions.

“I did, actually!” He didn’t hide the huge grin that appeared on his face, while he explained in detail how his second day of school had gone, how he had absolutely crushed his friend-turned-bully and given him an existential crisis.

Himiko didn’t even attempt to conceal her excitement and pride for her friend, peppering him with compliments that were almost too much for him, not being used to people commending on his accomplishments.

“So, what did you want to tell me?” he questioned, changing the subject. “Your text seemed very enthusiastic.”

“Right! So, I was taking a stroll in the market yesterday, after you left.” She rambled a bit about how she had wanted to replace one of her favorite knives, that someone had broken as she attacked them to take their blood, before Izuku got her back on track.

“I overheard some people talking about this super cool broker, that would accept any job for the right price. I remembered how you said yesterday that you wanted connections to gather information against the Commission, so I asked them how could I get into contact with him.”

“Himiko, that’s great!” Izuku instantly lit up. Gods, he loved his friend. “What did they say?”

“Well, after they made fun of me, because what business does a little girl have with him,” she mocked their words with funny faces, making Izuku laugh, “I, of course, attacked them and licked their blood off of my knife to make them listen to me. They did.” They both burst into giggles before she continued.

“His name is Giran. He usually scouts and approaches people before they can find him, but I didn’t mention anything about you or your plan.”

She then told him about an acquittance of his that she had gotten info for, and gave him her phone to contact them. She didn’t mind getting tracked, promising to make use of her weapon collection, if it came to it, and Izuku got straight to work.

His appointment was in two days, on midnight.

~~~

Izuku sighed, as he saw the swarm of reporters at the entrance of U.A. They had been gathering outside the main gate for a couple of days now, since word got out that All Might would be teaching there. Yesterday was the hero’s first lesson, so more journalists were bound to turn up and pester any student or staff member they saw.

Izuku did his best to avoid them as he got closer to the gate, but he wasn’t as stealthy as he hoped. A woman with a microphone spotted him and started bombarding him with questions about the Number One Hero’s teaching, that Izuku did his best to deflect and enter the school.

Uraraka and Iida weren’t so lucky, being surrounded by other reporters. Polite and heroic as they were, they answered a few questions before Aizawa came to save the day – not intentionally, people were just surprised to see an almost homeless-looking man working there.

The woman who had invaded Izuku’s personal space – Katsuki’s too, she had recognized him from the sludge villain incident – tried to enter the school, but as she didn’t have an ID or pass, the security system activated the U.A. Barrier, as they called it, safely cutting them off.

Right after class started, Aizawa congratulated his students on their combat training yesterday, and provided them some thoughts and advice. He even told Katsuki to stop acting like a child, being talented and all. Izuku failed to hold back a snort, gaining a glare from the blond, and stifled giggles from a few of his classmates.

Aizawa then declared it was time for them to decide on a class representative, resulting in half his classmates proclaiming their desire to be elected.

Izuku didn’t restrain himself from taking Mineta’s head and banging it on his desk, when he heard his comment about making it mandatory for all the girls’ skirts being 30 centimeters above the knee. Thankfully, Aizawa pretended not to notice. Izuku even got a smile from Yaomomo for his intervention. Honestly, allowing a disgusting pervert like him in a hero school in the first place was infuriating.

“Silence, please!”

The classroom turned quiet at Iida’s loud request. If everyone respected the boy enough to stop their shenanigans, he should be the class representative, in Izuku’s opinion. He even suggested an election for the class to choose one, and got everyone to cooperate.

Aizawa resigned himself in his caterpillar sleeping bag, requesting to wake him up when they chose someone, leaving the students to do their thing. Most of them got a vote, probably from themselves, but what surprised Izuku the most was himself gaining three votes, while he used his to vote for the stiff boy. Yaomomo, who got second place with two votes, was his other choice, but she was too unsure of herself to take initiatives and responsibility, so he opted for their engine-quirked classmate instead.

After Katsuki – oh, so kindly – expressed his dissatisfaction over Izuku winning the election, the green-haired boy spoke his mind about the development, before their teacher would officiate the results.

“Oh, I don’t want it.”

He shied away from his classmates’ surprised reactions, and explained how he didn’t do well with crowds and would rather give his place to someone who actually wanted the job. He offered his place to Iida, explaining his reasoning, before receiving mixed responses and a quite lengthy thank-you speech from his classmate.

He genuinely didn’t want it, mostly because he didn’t want any responsibilities, but also because he didn’t want anything more to do with the hero school, if he could help it. Besides, he really wasn’t great with crowds.

When his morning classes ended – Aizawa officially announced Iida as class president, and Yaoyorozu as vice – he took out his bento box and chose the most secluded table in the cafeteria to eat his lunch in peace and quiet. He saw a couple classmates looking for him, but he didn’t want to interact with anyone, more than he had to, from his class. He saw a couple students who had done the same, one of them being Todoroki, the other a purple-haired boy he didn’t recognize.

As he finished his lunch, an alarm started ringing, and an automated voice sounded from the speakers.

“There has been a Level 3 security breach. All students please evacuate outdoors.”

Chaos erupted in the cafeteria. Everyone rushed towards the exit, pushing and tripping over each other as they tried to make their way through the –too narrow for the whole student body – hallways leading towards the exits.

Izuku overheard a third-year explaining it meant someone had trespassed on school grounds. He thought a reporter from this morning had managed to get through the gate barrier, at first, but the press overriding Nezu’s security was quite unlikely. He wondered if there was something else going on behind the scenes.

Izuku calmly got up and headed towards the windows, and indeed saw the press swarming his teachers, demanding information about All Might. Not an emergency, then. He stayed in the cafeteria while everyone was panicking, until Iida managed to calm them down, and headed towards the classroom. He couldn’t wait for this day to be over.

~~~

He jinxed it.

That day seemed endless.

Hero training was particularly hard today, mostly because All Might made all of them attack him at the same time, until no one could stand upright. It seemed like the hero had no clue what to do for Foundational Heroics, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

Izuku barely had time to get home and change, to get to his aikido class in time. He was already really tired by the end of training, but Himiko, who came to get him right after, insisted on finally teaching him how to wield throwing knives properly, now that, according to her, he had become a pro in close combat and sneak attacks with her weapon of choice.

And so, by the time Izuku left Himiko’s place, he felt like a walking corpse. The universe, however, was set on tormenting him. As he walked home, barely keeping his eyes open, he heard the distinct sounds of people fighting nearby. Tired as he was, he intended to completely ignore the two people in the alleyway, until he caught a glimpse of the man Izuku recognized as the pro hero Odd-Eye.

Although he didn’t know much about the hero, he noticed his peculiar costume, that bore numerous magical symbols, as well as his eyepatch, that he usually wore over his right – perfectly functioning – eye, and was now discarded on the ground. The hero was desperately trying to touch the person attacking him, to activate his quirk, but he ended up collapsing, as a katana was pierced through his chest.

Izuku watched silently from behind the corner of the alley, as the pro hero took his last breath, while his attacker – whose silhouette suggested they were an adult man – stood above him, making sure he had killed his target. Now that he wasn’t moving – and he was incredibly fast before – Izuku was able to take a look at the ruthless killer.

His clothes were tattered, as well as the white fabric he used as a mask. Bandages were wrapped around his arms, and he had numerous knives and other weapons strapped on the front of his chest. The most notable thing about him, though, were his blood-red scarf, and matching headband.

Izuku froze when red irises locked on his wide, green eyes. The killer slowly approached him, as he wiped the blood off of his katana on his pants and placed it in its case on his back. Izuku, who would normally have taken a defensive stance, found himself petrified by the man’s murderous aura, which was strange, considering he had put back his weapon and was casually walking towards the teen.

“Is there something you want, kid?” the man sneered.

Izuku didn’t reply, he just stared at him with wide eyes, jaw clenched shut.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. Unless you give me a reason to,” he chuckled. “I only go after fake heroes, anyway.”

Izuku’s eyes somehow turned even wider. That wasn’t something he expected to hear. The man’s pure bloodlust didn’t exactly scream purge the world of fake heroes. Still, he found himself intrigued, and stayed where he was, waiting to see whether the masked person, who had stopped a few meters in front of him, had anything else to say.

“You know, I don’t actually enjoy killing. I didn’t want to stain my hands with the blood of these so-called heroes.” He said the word with such disgust. Izuku could relate. “But someone has to cleanse the world of those who become heroes for fame, or money. Someone has to change this broken society.”

“So you decided to do it yourself,” Izuku blurted out. Even though he was terrified, and he thought the man would murder him on the spot for interrupting his speech, he couldn’t stop himself.

“That’s right!” The man didn’t seem at all bothered by his intervention. On the contrary, he looked amused and even excited to have someone not actively dying to preach his ideals to. “I’ve come to realize that words, peace, and diplomacy are useless. Only actions and violence can change Heroics and fix this society, and I won’t stop my purge of those Pro Heroes until the world actually realizes the flaws in the Heroics system.”

As he finished speaking, he took a look at Izuku, who had relaxed considerably, compared to a couple minutes before.

“What do you think about this, kid?” he asked, a dry laugh escaping his lips.

“I agree,” Izuku found himself saying, surprising the man before him. For some incredibly peculiar reason, the teenager felt somewhat comfortable, and agreeing with him. They shared the same views, after all, minus the whole killing thing.

“I mean, the whole system is built on the trust people have on heroes. The Hero Commission just took advantage of that and are now in control of a society where they prioritize appearances and the image of the heroes they promote, without actually caring whether or not they actually save or endanger civilians. They have ended up protecting heroes that are actually worse than the villains they supposedly protect us from.”

Izuku had entered rambling mode, one he thought he had grown out of. Apparently, meeting someone he could rant about his true ideals to – apart from Himiko, of course – was enough to bring out his old habit.

“And don’t even get me started on some of the top heroes, like that flaming trashcan of a Number Two. He has killed more people with his quirk during arrest attempts than people he actually apprehended! The Commission is protecting them just to keep up the image of their perfect system with their perfect heroes, without giving a fuck about the lives they destroy in the process.”

The murderer in front of him stared at him for a few seconds, baffled by Izuku’s words, before bursting into laughter.

“Damn, I really wasn’t expecting a kid your age to have such ideas. What’s your name?”

Izuku opened his mouth to answer, but then thought better of it and clenched it shut. He wasn’t about to reveal his name to a random killer, no matter how much he agreed with him.

“Smart choice, kid. I’ll give you mine, anyway. I go by Stain, nice to meet you.” He bowed dramatically, and widened the grin that had appeared on his face.

“You’re absolutely right, you know. Most heroes out there are fakes. They flaunt their power and chase petty dreams. They don’t deserve to be called heroes. True heroes do not desire anything return for their actions. They don’t boast their accomplishments.” He clenched his fists and had a determined look on his face, what Izuku could see of it, anyway.

“Only those who commit the ultimate acts of self-sacrifice are worthy of the title of a true hero, like All Might.”

Izuku snorted lightly. So Stain was another All Might fan. He didn't blame him, he had been one himself, before learning the truth. The villain gave him a sharp glare, but Izuku didn’t feel like apologizing. “You’d be surprised,” he murmured instead.

“Care to elaborate?” Stain asked, curiosity and disbelief obvious in his tone.

Izuku sighed, as he sat on the ground, with his back on the wall. He was exhausted, after all, and he had a feeling this conversation would take some time.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad hero, and he doesn’t deserve to die,” Izuku defended himself, not particularly interested in joining the dead pro hero laying just a few meters away from him. “But you know heroes aren’t always as they present themselves on the media. All Might is no exception. He’s still human, and he has secrets.”

He paused, thinking he shouldn’t spill the Symbol of Peace’s greatest secret. Not yet. Instead, he chose to tell his own story, one only Himiko knew.

The hero killer didn’t speak, or ask him to explain. Instead, he listened intently, like Izuku held the secrets of the universe, and he was about to reveal them to him.

“It’s kinda personal too, to be honest.” He smiled bitterly. “He saved me from a villain, a year ago. Back then, I was a hero fanboy all the way, so when I saw my favorite hero, I wanted to ask him a question.”

He proceeded to explain how the Number One Hero shattered his quirkless 14-year-old self’s dreams, and spilled his secret – that Izuku didn’t reveal – before leaving him alone on a roof. How the hero sat still and watched, like all the other heroes present, while a kid was being suffocated by the sludge villain. That he only rushed in after a middle-schooler put himself in danger to save his peer.

He left out the part where he tried to patch things up later by offering him a quirk. He didn’t say how he was a terrible heroics teacher, because if he did, he would betray his identity as a hero student, and that would seem controversial to his opinions. Never mind the whole situation where he had made Izuku his successor and everything the teen had to endure during his training with him.

“So, you see, he’s not as perfect as he seems.” Izuku sighed. “Heroes aren’t invincible, even All Might. Still, he made himself seem like a flawless protector, a true hero, in your words. He puts on a fake smile, and ensures that everyone will be fine as long as he’s around. But what happens when he gets seriously injured? When he grows older and weaker and can’t keep up? When he stops being the Symbol of Peace – and it will happen, sooner or later – it will break society.”

At that point, he was mumbling, more to himself than the man listening to him. He had been holding a deeply buried resentment towards the hero, he couldn’t ever let it show, especially in front of the heroes and his classmates, and had an opportunity to finally let it out. His fatigue was getting the better of him.

He rubbed his face with his hands, and glanced at the hero killer, who had yet to say a word. He had just changed his idol’s image, after all. Izuku could understand. And he hadn’t even told him the whole story.

“…You’re an interesting kid,” Stain ended up grunting. “I look forward to hearing your thoughts again,” he said, before swiftly climbing up the fire escape of the building and onto the roof, leaving a confused Izuku alone in the alley, with only a corpse to give him company.

Chapter Text

“Today, we’ll be doing rescue hero training,” Aizawa announced with his usual bored expression, gaining enthusiastic reactions from his students.

“Looks like it’ll be a lot of work this time, too…” Kaminari sighed.

“Idiot, this is the duty of a hero!” Kirishima exclaimed. “My arms are ready to rumble!”

“No one can beat me in the water, kero,” Asui Tsuyu – or Tsu, as she had requested everyone to call her – added with excitement.

Izuku was too tired to react, so he remained silent. He had barely slept the previous night, contemplating what he had witnessed, and his following conversation with the Hero Killer.

On one hand, Izuku agreed with Stain’s views on fake heroes, and having to do something to change the way hero society worked. He had even ended up rambling about his own thoughts on the matter, and his opinions on the Number One Hero.

On the other hand, though, he didn’t think that actually killing all the pro heroes was the correct solution. Sure, many of them had only entered the field just for money and fame, but they still ended up helping people. And others hadn’t been that bad, either. Izuku thought murder was a bit extreme. Besides, killing wasn’t right. Right? Himiko also killed people sometimes, but this was different

“Hey, I’m not done,” Aizawa interrupted his thoughts. “You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time, some of them will probably limit your abilities.”

Of course they will, Izuku thought. Many of them were so impractical. He had to talk to some of his classmates about them, especially the girls. He made a mental note to do that after training today.

“The training will take place off-campus, so we’re taking the bus. That is all. Start getting ready.” And with that, Aizawa left the classroom, the students getting up, too.

~~~

After they all changed and gathered outside, Iida was instructing everyone to line up and board the bus, having taken his job as class president very seriously.

In the bus, Tsu – who apparently always said whatever came to mind - sat next to Izuku and bluntly remarked how his quirk was very similar to All Might’s.

“Yeah, it kind of is…” Izuku smiled politely, trying not to receive too much attention over it.

“Well, All Might’s quirk never caused him to break his bones, as I recall happening on the entrance exam,” Iida thankfully pointed out. “Although I must commend you, Midoriya-kun, on managing to overcome your quirk’s drawbacks in such a short amount of time!” he said while chopping his hands in the usual manner.

Izuku had already gotten used to it, but every time he thought about that time he'd compared Iida’s mannerisms to chopping invisible onions, he always had to hold back his laughter.

“If I may ask, Midoriya-kun, have you always had this problem? Damaging your limbs whenever you activated your quirk? If my memory serves me right, Recovery Girl had to heal both your legs and your right arm, correct?”

“Oh, yeah…” Izuku thought he could actually put off this conversation a little while longer, especially since only Iida and Uraraka – and Aoyama, his name was, if he remembered correctly – had been in the same testing grounds with him, and had seen the effects of his quirk at the time.

“Really?” Kaminari questioned, surprised. “I mean, my quirk makes my brain short-circuit if I go over my limit, but breaking bones just by using it sounds really painful!”

“Well, that’s actually because… um…” Izuku fiddled with his hands, aiming to look nervous and embarrassed, but also modest about the subject. “I may have had my quirk for only a few months…”

He wasn’t looking at his classmates, but from the sudden silence in the whole bus, he could already picture the baffled expressions on his classmates, all of which had probably heard him.

“WHAT?”

Everyone exclaimed their surprise on the matter, except for Katsuki, who already knew. He caught a few asking when exactly had he gotten it, since the entrance exam had been a few months ago, too.

“I, um, I actually manifested it a few days before the entrance exam…” he gave them a small smile, but everyone was even more flabbergasted than before.

“WHAT?!”

“Stay quiet, I’m trying to sleep…” Aizawa mumbled from the front seat. After apologizing to their teacher, they all turned back to Izuku.

“Dude, that is so manly!” Kirishima exclaimed. “You had your quirk for only a few days and you still got first place!”

“Yeah! That’s super cool, Midori!” Ashido babbled. Midori?

“Wait, if you only had a quirk for that long, didn’t you basically grow up quirkless?” Tsu asked, always to the point. That was another thing he had hoped he wouldn’t have to talk about so soon, but oh well.

Everyone turned quiet as they pondered the question and realized what that implied.

“Yeah…” Izuku glanced at Katsuki, curious about his reaction. He wasn’t looking at Izuku, and seemed incredibly uncomfortable, and kind of… guilty? Good, he should be.

He tuned out his classmates’ sympathetic words, about how strong he was, what he must have endured, how hard it must have been. He didn’t like being pitied. He wasn’t that fragile kid anymore, a weak, useless Deku. Yes, life had been hard. He had been bullied, discriminated against, and talked down by kids, teachers and heroes alike.

But he'd gotten through it. He might have a quirk now, but that wasn't the reason he got strong and determined. He worked on that by himself. He shed sweat, blood and tears to get to where he was now, and he was damn proud of himself for it. No quirk would make up for that.

Instead of voicing his thoughts, however, he smiled politely. He thanked his classmates for their kind words, and assured then he was perfectly happy with his quirk, and his eventual control over it.

At some point, they must have realized that being the center of attention was making him uncomfortable, because they resumed the conversations they were having before, and moved on.

“It’s nice to have a simple augmenting-type quirk, though. You can do lots of flashy stuff!” Kirishima pointed out. “My Hardening’s strong against others,” – he activated his quirk on his right arm to demonstrate – “but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like much.”

Now, Izuku may not be a hero fanboy anymore, but he never stopped being fascinated by quirks. Therefore, he didn’t have to act being entranced by the display of his classmates’ powers, and was free to express his actual thoughts on them, just adding his former habit of associating them with hero work.

“I think it’s really cool! It’s a quirk that can definitely pass as a pro’s!” he reassured the redhead.

“A pro’s, huh? But you have to think about popularity, too. If we’re talking about someone flashy and strong, it’s gotta be Todoroki and Bakugou, though, right?”

Katsuki was incredibly expressive on the matter – “Tch!” – while Todoroki was further back in the bus and didn’t seem to hear them. If he did, he made no attempt to show it. Izuku thought that he must have heard comments about how cool his quirk was a million times.

“Bakugou’s always mad, though, so he doesn’t seem like he’ll be popular, kero.” Tsu’s comment was enough to gain a reaction.

“What the hell! You wanna fight?”

“See?”

Izuku couldn’t help but snicker at Tsu's reaction.

“We barely know each other, and yet he’s already made abundantly clear the unpleasantness of his steamed turd of a personality,” Kaminari taunted him. Izuku burst out laughing, along with a few of his classmates, namely Uraraka, who looked like she was having the time of her life.

“Hah? What’s with that vocabulary, you bastard! I’ll kill you!”

As Iida and Yaomomo were commenting on their vulgar language, Aizawa announced they had reached their destination.

Izuku was surprised to see the Space Hero: Thirteen, welcoming them to the facility. The moment they stepped inside, the students were all amazed by the size of it.

Thirteen opened their arms as they presented the place. “A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, and many more- it is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters. Welcome to the ‘Unforeseen Simulation Joint', USJ for short!”

“Wow! It’s like Universal Studios Japan! Literally!” Kaminari pointed out, everyone agreeing.

“Thirteen, where’s All Might?” Aizawa asked the rescue hero, quietly. “He was supposed to meet us here.”

“About that…” They came closer to Aizawa, obviously to tell him something the students shouldn’t hear, but Izuku was close to them, and he could already guess the reason for the hero’s absence.

“It looks like he did too much hero work on his way to the school and ran out of time, so he’s resting in the lounge,” they whispered. Izuku mentally rolled his eyes. Of course he was.

“That’s the height of irrationality,” Aizawa sighed. “Anyway, let’s begin without him.”

“Before we begin,” Thirteen started, “let me say one thing… or two… or three…”

They proceeded to explain the nature of their quirk, Black Hole. “I can suck up” – Kaminari snorted – “anything and turn it to dust.”

“You’ve used your quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters, right?” Uraraka, an obviously big fan of theirs, chimed in.

“Yes, but it’s a power that can kill easily.” Everyone turned quiet. “Some of you have quirks like that, right?” Oh, Izuku could see where this was going. He didn’t expect to hear anything of the sort, if he was being honest.

“In a superhuman society, personal quirks have been certified and strictly regulated, so that doesn’t seem to be a problem at first glance. However, don’t forget that there are many quirks that can easily kill, or seriously maim”- Izuku glanced at Katsuki, who looked away when he noticed – “with one wrong step. With Aizawa's physical fitness test, you found out about the possibilities of your own hidden powers, and with All Might’s person-to-person combat training, you experienced the danger of using those powers against others.”

Yeah, Izuku thought, because the buffoon didn’t teach us proper quirk training before making us fight each other.

“This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your quirks to save people’s lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others.” Well, some pro heroes, and students – Izuku subtly glared at Katsuki again, satisfied to see him look guilty – really needed to listen to this speech.

“I hope you leave this class with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others.” Thirteen bowed dramatically and concluded their speech. “That is all. Thank you for listening.” The students cheered, and Izuku joined them. He was actually content to see teachers talk about things like that. It was some version of ‘the quirk doesn’t make the person’, that Izuku longed to hear his whole life.

All of a sudden, the lights around the facility crackled and shut off, before a purple warp appeared in the center of the USJ’s plaza.

Before anyone could react, Aizawa turned more serious than Izuku had ever seen him before.

“Gather together and don’t move! Thirteen, protect the students!”

“What’s that?” Kirishima asked. From the warp, that had expanded over the whole plaza, people started appearing. “Is this like the entrance exam? Has the lesson already started?”

“Don’t move!” Aizawa instructed, and put on his goggles. “These are real villains!” Well, fuck.

Izuku noticed some villains, who, once they appeared, didn’t move towards the heroes and students. Among them was a pale person with numerous dismembered hands all over their body, and one on their face, another whose body was seemingly made of purple mist – probably the one with the warp quirk – and a… mutant-quirked person? They were about as big as All Might, a beak with huge sharp teeth instead of a mouth, but most notably, they had their brain exposed, and their eyes were placed on it. They didn't look exactly human, but in the age of quirks, that wasn’t uncommon.

“The teacher’s schedule we received the other day said that All Might was supposed to be here,” Izuku heard one of the villains say. The schedule they received? But no one got into the school when the press destroyed… the gate… oh, so it was their doing.

“The trespassing yesterday was the work of these scumbags after all, huh?” Aizawa voiced his thoughts.

So, they took advantage of the chaos they had caused and got into the building? But if they did, Nezu would know about it and have an emergency shut down. Unless… they never got in… and someone gave it to them instead…. Izuku’s eyes widened at the thought. Was there a spy inside the school?

“Where is he?” another villain, the one with the hands all over his body, and presumably one of the leaders, questioned. “I went through the trouble of bringing this whole crowd, too…All Might… The Symbol of Peace… I can’t believe he’s not here. I wonder if he’ll come if we kill some kids.”

So, this was a personal grudge. Apparently, it was so important for them to kill the Number One Hero, that they would kill 15-year-old students to gain his attention and bring him here. Izuku wondered what would drive a person to orchestrate such a plan, just to kill him.

Aizawa, at the threat on his students, immediately activated his quirk, his hair floating and his capture weapon ready to be used. Izuku’s classmates were starting to get visibly nervous.

“Villains?”

“There’s no way they could get into a hero school!”

“Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors?” Yaomomo asked Thirteen.

“We have them, of course, but…” They obviously didn’t work. Maybe because the villains had been teleported here? The warp that appeared should have worked as a teleportation method, Izuku figured. Perhaps they had a quirk that jammed the sensors, like a radio wave-type power that interfered with them.

“Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?” Todoroki wondered out loud. “Either way, if the sensors aren’t responding, that means they have a quirk that can do that. An isolated area separated from the main campus, during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools, but they’re not dumb.”

Izuku agreed. They must have planned this, specifically to attack All Might in a secluded area, after nullifying the alert system.

Aizawa instructed Thirteen to proceed with the evacuation, and told them to try and contact the school, Kaminari too, with his electricity quirk.

“But what are you going to do, sensei?” Izuku asked. “With so many villains, even with your erasure quirk… it’s not Eraserhead’s style to fight so many head-on.”

“You can’t be a hero with just one trick,” the hero retorted. “I’m leaving them to you, Thirteen.” And with those words, he rushed towards the sea of villains that had entered the building.

Thirteen guided the students towards the exit, when a deep voice accompanied the sudden appearance of the same purple mist that had brought the villains inside.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go.” Everyone stopped in their tracks as the mist villain stood in front of them, his glowing, yellow eyes prominent on their otherwise dark form.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, “We are the League of Villains” – Izuku almost snorted at the name – “It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in, to U.A. High School, in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath,” he explained, rather politely. “I believe All Might should have been here. Has there been some kind of change?” Noone replied. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I have my own part to play.”

He spread his mist towards the students and Thirteen, who started using their support gear and quirk to suck the mist.

“Black hole, sucking everything and turning it to dust. That’s an astounding quirk, but you’re a rescue hero… you have less battle experience than most heroes…”

As he spoke, the villain made a warp appear behind the hero, apparently with the mist that they had sucked, because the warp started pulling Thirteen in, like a black hole. He had used their own quirk against them. Those villains knew what they were doing.

“You turned yourself to dust,” he said as Thirteen’s costume started disintegrating, presumably along with the back of their body. All of Izuku’s classmates watched in horror as they collapsed on the ground.

Before anyone had the chance to react, the villain expanded his mist all around the students, as he revealed that his assigned job was to scatter them all, and Izuku found himself high in the air, falling towards a deep body of water. He took a deep breath and shifted his body, diving into the water head-first.

As he started swimming towards the surface, he saw a villain with a shark-type quirk approach him with incredible speed. He activated Full Cowl, hoping he could use it somewhat effectively in the water, when Tsu appeared, kicking the villain away for him, and wrapping Izuku with her tongue, before swimming upwards.

She gently elevated Izuku and dropped him on a boat. They must have been warped to the shipwreck zone, then. The villain probably scattered all the students in the various disaster zones, where they would have to fight the villains, while the main ones would deal with All Might and the other pro heroes.

Tsu then yeeted Mineta, who she had also been dragging with her, to the boat, understandably not really caring about causing him pain – the disgusting excuse for a human was mumbling something about the girl having surprisingly big boobs for a frog – and proceeded to climb on board.

“Thank you, Tsu.”

“No problem, Midoriya-chan. This has turned into a bad situation, though,” she sighed.

“Yeah.” Izuku explained his thoughts about the villain orchestrating the media intrusion to get their schedule, but didn’t point out his theory about a possible spy.

“But it’s not like they can kill All Might!” Mineta exclaimed. “Once he arrives, he’ll pound those guys.” Not if he has run out of time, Izuku thought.

“Mineta-chan, don’t you think they would try so hard if they didn’t have a way to kill him? I wonder if we’ll be able to hold on until All Might arrives, and making it out alive…”

Mineta, the oh, so brave hero student he was, started crying.

“Kero!” Tsu noticed that villains were approaching them from the water, and surrounded the boat.

Izuku, once again, played the part of the motivated hero student. “It doesn’t matter whether All Might comes or not. No matter the reason they want to kill him, or how they think they can do it, we will stop them!” He really didn’t want to risk dying because a classmate of his couldn’t handle the stress of his chosen field.

“We will fight and win!” He looked at his classmates with a determined expression, and hoped they would make it out alive.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean, fight them?”

Izuku’s efforts to be inspiring hadn’t borne fruit, apparently, because the pervert started freaking out even more.

“These guys came to kill All Might, right?” he wailed. “The best plan would be to sit tight and wait for the heroes to come and save us!”

Izuku gave him a glare, that almost shut him up. The fact that a hero student was acting like a helpless baby went untold. Izuku turned to look at the villains in the water, who were obviously ready to attack them.

“Those guys are clearly assuming we’ll fight in the water,” he noted. “The villains had probably already known about the facility when they started gathering people. They all seem to have quirks that give them an advantage. But so does Tsu.”

He turned to the girl, who nodded.

“If you think about it, it’s strange they would gather information so meticulously, and yet send you to the shipwreck zone. That means they probably don’t know our quirks.” Which was weird, if the spy theory was true. If they could provide the schedule for today’s lessons, they could have easily given a summary of every student’s quirk, too.

“That’s true, kero!” the girl exclaimed. “If they knew I was a frog, they would probably have thrown me in the fire zone, over there.” She pointed to the dome beside the shipwreck zone.

“They probably separated us so they could overpower us with numbers. So our only advantage is that they don’t know our quirks.” Izuku looked at the villains, who were still in the water around the boat. “The enemies aren’t even trying to climb the boat. They are waiting for us to fight them where they have the bigger advantage. They aren’t underestimating us, either…”

“I’ll tell you more about my quirk,” Tsu began, when they sat down to form a plan. Izuku wished he had his U.A. Hero Analysis notebook with him.

She explained the basics about her frog quirk, that he had already gathered from watching her during heroics class, and Izuku gave his.

“I have strength augmentation. I distribute my quirk across my body evenly, and while it’s activated, I can use enough power on my limbs for punches, jumps, kicks and stuff, without any strain on my body. Oh, and my reflexes and maneuverability are enhanced, too.”

“That’s really amazing, Midoriya-chan,” the frog girl remarked.

“Thank you…” Izuku put on a polite smile, like an embarrassed teenager being complimented by a girl.

“My quirk lets these” – he took a purple ball out of his…hair? – “stick super tight. Depending on how I'm feeling, they can even stick for a whole day. They grow back after I pull them off, but if I pull off too many, I’ll start bleeding. And they don’t stick to me, they just bounce off.”

In another situation, Izuku would have probably asked some questions about the grape’s quirk. But now was neither the time nor the place to ask about stuff that wouldn’t help them in their current predicament. So, Izuku stayed quiet, and so did Tsu, making the pervert cry, again, about how his quirk was totally unfit for battle – if it is, and with that attitude, why did you even apply for heroics, dumbass? – and how they should have stayed put, like he'd said earlier.

Izuku had no time to groan about his classmate’s antics, because a villain had decided they were waiting for too long and used their quirk to smash the boat with a huge hand made of water.

“I’m getting impatient! Let’s end this quickly!” the villain said, putting Mineta on a frenzy, as he started maniacally throwing his balls towards the villains.

“What are you doing?!” Izuku whisper-shouted. “They'll figure out your quirk!”

He went to look at the villains’ reactions, and was surprised to see they were avoiding touching the balls. They were instead talking about how the boat would sink in less than a minute, and once the students reached the water, it was over for them.

Mineta, bless his soul, bawled at this, making Tsu question his plan to become a hero, and got a half-ass response about just starting high school, all the while sobbing and shrieking, proving her point.

“I wish I could have at least touched Yaoyorozu’s boobs before I-”

He didn’t get to complete his disgusting sentence, because Izuku gave him a quirkless punch to the jaw. “If you ever attempt to do something like this, I won’t hesitate to use my quirk on you.” He glared at the midget, who nodded frantically out of fear, and heard a quiet ‘thank you’ from the frog girl behind him.

He proceeded to explain to his two classmates the plan that had formed in his head, taking into account their quirks and abilities, apart from his own, thankful they both agreed.

Izuku then turned his attention to the villains, who were snickering at the kids’ reactions, and starting to underestimate their abilities. Izuku took this chance to attack. He activated Full Cowl, and jumped off the boat. He released a scream that was bubbling in his throat and, while in the air, punched the air towards the surface of the water where some villains were gathered, causing the water to spread out, and then converge in the center like a whirlpool. All the while, the short asshole was throwing his balls repeatedly towards the water, and they ended up getting pulled in the center, along with all the villains there, causing them to stick together and making them unable to move.

Tsu then wrapped the two boys with her tongue, and leaped away from the ship, that had almost sunk at that point, thus making their escape.

~~~

“My balls will be sticking them together for at least a couple hours!” Mineta proudly exclaimed, looking at Tsu with a dreamy look. "I could do this more often if it means you use your tongue-"

He was promptly cut off when Izuku gave him a deadly glare, his teeth audibly clacking as he clenched his mouth shut. Izuku glared at him for a few good seconds, before returning to his cheerful persona and looked at Tsu.

“You were amazing, Tsu-chan!”

“You too, Midoriya-chan. But you can be terrifying sometimes…” she brought he finger to her chin in thought.

“A-anyway! We should see what to do next.” Izuku looked around the establishment. “We should make getting help our top priority. It’d be best to follow the shore” – he pointed towards the exit – “and avoid the central plaza as we head towards the exit.”

“That’s true. Aizawa-sensei has drawn many villains to the plaza.” They all turned to look at their teacher defeat his enemies one by one, but his movements were getting slower and sloppier. They quietly swam to the shore and stood behind a rock to get a better look at what was happening at the plaza.

“But there are too many. He will overexert himself protecting us if he keeps up like this, until help arrives. If we could somehow lessen Aizawa-sensei’s load…”

At that moment, the hand villain charged at the teacher and kept him immobilized, until Aizawa's hair fell down, meaning his quirk deactivated.

“It’s hard to see because you keep moving around, but there’s an instant when your hair falls,” they heard the villain say. “That’s when you stop an action, and it’s getting shorter and shorter.” Damn, he was smart. He had been watching the hero while he was fighting his minions, and keeping track of the times between activation and deactivation of Erasure. He was waiting for the right time to attack.

The villain was gripping Aizawa's left elbow, and must have activated a quirk, because the skin started turning to dust, revealing the muscle underneath. A disintegration quirk, then?

Aizawa immediately freed himself and stepped away, grunting in pain. More villains rushed to attack, and the hero was clinging his arm while trying to get away.

“That quirk isn’t suited for long fights against a large group, is it?” the villain rasped. “Isn’t it too different from your usual job? What you’re good at is a short fight after a surprise attack, isn’t it?”

Eraserhead was panting, trying to catch his breath, while Izuku watched, thinking of what he should do. Eraser was actually one of the only heroes he respected, he didn’t want to him to die because of villains who just wanted to kill All Might.

“Even so,” the villain continued, “you jumped right in to fight us from the front. Was that to put your students at ease?”

Aizawa was once again fighting ravenously the villains who kept jumping on him ruthlessly. The heroes in the school still hadn’t arrived. And Izuku doubted they would.

“You're so cool, Eraserhead… but, I'm not the last boss, you know…”

The person with the exposed brain, that Izuku saw earlier, had appeared behind the hero, and without warning, they grabbed him and slammed him on the ground.

“I’ll tell you Eraserhead…He’s the anti-Symbol of Peace, the bioengineered ‘Nomu’,” the hand villain explained.

The ‘Nomu’ opened its mouth and released a deafening screech, before taking Aizawa’s – partially disintegrated – arm, and snapped it like a twig. It then lifted Aizawa’s head by his hair, ready to smash his teacher’s face to the ground.

Izuku didn’t wait to see what else that monster would do to the hero, who was screaming in pain. The other heroes weren’t coming. Aizawa would sacrifice himself for students that no one else could protect after he was out of commission. Thirteen had been defeated, and the supposedly hero students were doing nothing to help their teacher.

He activated Full Cowl, concentrated One For All on his legs and, despite the protests of his classmates beside him, he launched himself towards them. He wasn’t fast enough, though, because by the time Izuku drew his right hand back, the Nomu had already smashed his teacher’s face on the concrete below. With all the power he could muster from his quirk, he punched it in the face, sparing Aizawa any other maiming he would have gotten, had Izuku not intervened.

The hand dude was scratching himself as he cried out when the Nomu was attacked, and even though it didn’t react to the punch, it let go of Aizawa, who collapsed on the ground. It must have a strength or durability quirk, there was no way someone could withstand Izuku’s quirk like that.

“Hey, Kurogiri…” the hand villain asked, presumably the mist villain who had just arrived at the scene, “did you kill Thirteen?”

Kurogiri explained how he had taken out the space hero, but couldn’t defeat all the students, and one of them had even gotten away. Thank goodness, someone would finally alert the stupid heroes. The other villain was obsessively scratching his neck, murmuring something about turning his subordinate to dust.

Meanwhile, the Nomu had charged towards Izuku, who swiftly dodged and gave it a semi-roundhouse, downward kick to the back of its knees, hoping it would lose its balance and fall, but it didn’t even budge.

Izuku proceeded to attack it relentlessly, but his efforts were fruitless. The Nomu didn’t seem to get injured at all during his attacks; on the contrary, it looked like it was absorbing the shock of all his quirked punches and kicks. He would have to find another way to bring it down.

As it released a screech and charged at Izuku – who was starting to feel lightheaded from exhaustion and quirk overuse – the teenager heard the raspy villain call it off.

“Man, it’s game over. Let’s go home.” He then turned to look at Izuku, who was surprised to see the monster had stopped in its tracks and was standing idly in front of him. “Oh yeah, before we leave, let’s smash some of his pride as the Symbol of Peace.” Izuku mentally snorted. Nice choice of words.

The villain charged at him, hand outstretched, and Izuku barely dodged to avoid getting touched on his face. His opponent, however, had managed to grab his arm, and Izuku braced himself for the pain that would follow its disintegration, judging from what had happened to Eraserhead's elbow.

The pain never came. Instead, the villain’s hoarse voice sounded, disappointment evident in his tone. “Damn it. You really are cool, Eraserhead.”

Izuku glanced at the aforementioned hero, who was panting on the ground, holding his broken arm, blood oozing from his forehead and face. He had activated his quirk despite his pain and exhaustion.

The green-haired boy took this opportunity to attack the villain in front of him, but was met with the already familiar creature, that had stepped in to protect its master.

“Hmm, you fight well. But I'm done with you,” said master sneered, and the Nomu raised its fist to punch Izuku, before a crash sounded from the entrance of the building.

“It’s all right, now. Because I am here.” All Might appeared, in his buff form, his usual smile evidently absent from his face. He even seemed angry. Well, Izuku thought, took you long enough. If he had managed his time limit right and actually come to his class, instead of resting in the fucking lobby, this would have been over hours ago.

“Oh, we’re getting a ‘continue’,” the hand dude exclaimed in amusement. What was it with him and his video-game references? “I’ve been waiting, hero. You trash of society.” Whoop, there it is. Can’t say I don’t agree with him.

All Might, before anyone could see what he was doing, bolted in the scene, punched the villain to the ground and grabbed Aizawa and handed him to Tsu and Mineta, who had come closer to the plaza after Izuku jumped in.

“He’s fast, as expected, I couldn’t even follow him with my eyes…” the villain mumbled, more to himself than the heroes and students there. “But not as fast as I thought he’d be. So the rumors are true, then. He’s getting weaker!” A maniacal grin could barely be seen behind the embalmed hand on his face.

“He hit me to save others…” he continued. “The violence of a government puppet… violence for the sake of others makes it admirable. Isn’t that right, hero?” He snickered as he opened his arms in a wide gesture. “You know what, All Might? I’m angry. I'm angry at this world that categorizes the same violent acts as heroic or villainous, depending on who makes them. ‘Symbol of Peace’? Hah! You're just a device to repress violence. Violence only brings violence. The world will know this once we kill you!”

Damn, Izuku actually agreed. He couldn’t say that out loud, of course, but those words somewhat resonated with him.

Meanwhile, the clusters of villains that had come to the plaza by that point, started getting attacked by some of the students who had just arrived there to help, namely Kirishima and Katsuki. Maybe the first actually heroic thing the blond had ever done.

Todoroki also rushed to the scene, and encased the right side of the Nomu – who had started charging towards All Might – in ice. In its attempt to break free, it tore apart its arm and leg, but even brutal self-mutilation didn’t get a reaction out of the monster. Instead, to everyone’s horror, its limbs started regenerating.

“Isn’t its quirk shock absorption?” Izuku wondered.

The villain laughed. “It is, but that’s not its only one. This is its super regeneration.” The Nomu’s arm and leg had fully healed, and it was ready to attack once more. “The Nomu has been modified to take down All Might at 100%.”

Bio-engineered weapons with multiple quirks, made to kill a specific hero? Who were these guys?

“These guys are crazy… but if we back up All Might, we-” Kirishima’s suggestion was cut off by the Number One Hero himself.

“No! Absolutely not! You're going to run away now!”

“You would have been in trouble if I hadn’t done anything earlier, though, right?” Todoroki pointed out.

Izuku hummed in agreement, not expecting to get praised for his own efforts, and he wouldn’t bother bringing it up, either. It was more like silently trying to communicate with the half-and-half boy that they shared the same thought. That they were the ones who had actually done some damage, while the teachers – sans Aizawa and Thirteen – slacked off, and now they were being dismissed because ‘it’s not their job’ or whatever.

“That’s different, Todoroki-shounen. Thank you, but it’s fine. Just watch a pro give everything he’s got.”

Well, it won’t be everything you got, you arrogant asshole. Izuku was getting angrier with his ‘mentor’ every fucking time he saw him, but sometimes the man was beyond stupid. You literally didn’t come today because you wasted your three hours this morning! You’re barely keeping your buff form as it is, fighting that thing will surely reveal your secret, if not kill you because of it.

The creature charged at the hero, but Izuku had already started running towards it, ignoring, once again, the protests of his teacher and classmates – “What the hell are you doing, Deku?!”

“Todoroki-kun, ice!” he shouted, hoping his classmate would understand what he was asking, and by the time he used Full Cowl to jump into the air, Todoroki had thankfully understood and trapped the Nomu once again in ice, this time its whole body, apart from its head.

Izuku had figure that since brute attacks, quirked or not, weren’t effective at all, perhaps he should find a weak spot, and the most promising think he could see was the Nomu’s exposed brain and eyes. It was worth a shot.

Izuku, who had started falling from the air towards his target, released a scream as he concentrated the maximum amount of power to his fist, and punched the monster’s head, and specifically its brain.

Silence engulfed the whole establishment when the monster collapsed to the ground, its head smashed to pieces, brain matter scattered all over the floor and, unfortunately to its attacker, on Izuku’s face.

“No… that can’t be… he used a cheat code…” the hand dude whispered, and started frantically scratching his neck with both arms. “I can’t believe he did that to my Nomu… It’s game over...”

That was when gunshots reverberated in the building. Everyone’s heads turned towards the source, and Izuku spotted the pro hero Snipe, gun in hand, with Present Mic, Cementoss, and other U.A. faculty members standing beside him.

“Sorry we’re late, everyone!” principal Nezu’s distinctive cheerful voice came from behind them.

So now the heroes decided to join the party. Izuku almost groaned. Fucking finally. The heroes swiftly scattered to the different parts of the establishment, and started attacking the villains that were still standing, taking them out easily. Snipe started firing his gun again, effectively shooting the hand villain in the legs and arms, causing him to fall down, grunting in pain.

“Shigaraki Tomura!” Kurogiri yelled, and engulfed the aforementioned villain in his mist.

Right before disappearing, Shigaraki's hoarse voice sounded, barely audible as he got deeper and deeper into the mist. “I may have failed today, but I will kill you next time, All Might!”

And with those words, the purple warp that had previously brought all the villains in the USJ, vanished into thin air, along with the two villains responsible for this whole mess.

~~~

Not much happened after that. Most of the heroes arrested all the villains that had been brought along with the Nomu and the two men in charge, whereas the others were looking around for the students, ready to provide first-aid if necessary. All Might, who hadn’t sustained any injuries, literally fled the scene as soon as he thanked Izuku for saving him and made sure he wasn’t hurt, so no one would see him turning into Smallmight.

Izuku, who was already exhausted from the lack of sleep this morning, and had used his quirk too much for his liking, was now laying on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

“If this many pro heroes have gathered here, then they probably didn’t attack the whole school…” Todoroki remarked. “Oh, Midoriya, are you okay?”

Izuku’s eyes snapped open at the sound of his name. Todoroki was coming towards him, a hint of worry on his otherwise apathetic face.

“Oh, I'm alright, Todoroki-kun. I'm just exhausted.” He gave him a tired smile to prove his point, and stood up. His vision went black for a few seconds, and he almost fell, but Todoroki was quick to catch him. He took Izuku’s arm around his shoulders, supporting his weight, and helped him walk towards the exit.

“Thank you.” He smiled genuinely at the boy, who only hummed instead of responding.

When they got outside, a detective counted the students to ensure no one was left inside the USJ, and then everyone started recounting their experience during the attack. Thankfully, no student was injured, but they all had stories to tell with the villains they had encountered and the fights they'd gotten into.

Izuku only half listened to everyone close, and thankfully they could tell he was tired, because no one asked him any questions. There were others with him who could explain his own battles.

What seemed somewhat odd to Izuku was Aoyama, who was going around to everyone, asking where they thought he was. Most didn’t even seem to have heard him, but Tsu was kind enough to listen.

“So, where do you think I was?”

“Where?”

“It’s a secret!” Sparkles started glimmering around his face – was this a part of his quirk? – and smiled to no one in particular, as Tsu deadpanned at him, before turning away.

At that point, the detective from earlier announced that everyone was going back to their classroom, since they won’t be questioned right away.

“Where are Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen-sensei?” Tsu asked.

“They are both in the hospital, being treated. Aizawa had a comminuted fracture in his left arm, and a concussion and subdural hematoma caused by head trauma. Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any serious brain damage, so he’s going to be just fine.” He paused, giving some time to the students to take in what they had just heard, and express their relief.

“As for Thirteen, they had a bad laceration on their back, but they will be fine, too. Even All Might is in good shape. Recovery Girl’s quirk is enough to treat him, so he’s in the nurse’s office.”

Izuku suppressed a snort. He was only with her so no one would see his skinny form. Thanks to Izuku, he had no injuries to treat in the first place.

He thought of the irony in this situation. Izuku didn’t want to be a hero, but ended up doing their job in their place. And it was only the first week of school.

The attack on USJ by the League of Villains seemed only the beginning. Izuku sensed it was the first step for something bigger.

~~~

Izuku made a visit to Recovery Girl, to his classmates’ requests, who saw him exhausted. At first, he'd declined, since he wasn’t injured, but they'd insisted he at least got a look.

As he reached the nurse’s office, he hesitantly knocked on the door.

“Hello? Is it alright if I come in…” He slightly opened the door, and peaked inside.

“Midoriya-shounen! Come in!” All Might’s sounded, but he was greeted by Recovery girl, who was holding a handful of energy gummies for him to take. She gave him a quick kiss, to see if there was anything she needed to heal – there wasn’t – so she handed him the gummies and shooed him towards the Number One Hero.

All Might was sitting on a bed, chatting with the detective from earlier. Wait… he was Smallmight right now… did the detective know about his secret?

“All Might! Is it alright to show that form…”

The hero laughed. “Yeah, it’s fine. This is my best friend in the force, Tsukauchi Naomasa.”

“What’s with that introduction?” the detective laughed nervously. “Anyway, I was saying about Eraserhead’s and Thirteen’s conditions, which you already know,” he told Izuku, who nodded, and then turned to the hero, “and only a few students had light injuries.”

“Thank goodness…” All Might sighed in relief.

“If you three heroes had not risked your lives, then the students would not have survived,” Tsukauchi exclaimed.

What? Izuku suppressed a frown. What the fuck, seriously? Yes, Aizawa and Thirteen had risked their lives, but All Might had barely done anything, other that risking his secret getting exposed, not only to the students, but to the villains that literally wanted to kill him! It was Izuku and Todoroki who'd done the most damage and even killed the Nomu. And, most of the other villains had already been defeated by his other classmates, by the time the heroes arrived.

“You’re wrong about one thing, Tsukauchi-kun. The students also fought and risked their lives.” Thank fuck, someone was acknowledging it. “There have never been any first-years who experienced a real fight so soon, survived, and learned the world of adults and fear.”

Yes, Izuku thought. Because you, heroes, failed to protect us. Such a thing shouldn’t have happened in the first place. It was your incompetence that let the villains break into the supposedly impenetrable school, and traumatizing literal children.

“This class is strong. They will become strong heroes. I am certain of that.” All Might then turned to Izuku, stood up, and bowed. “Thank you, Midoriya-shounen. You may have saved my life today, and for that I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Oh, no please, All Might, I'm…” Izuku forced himself to shed tears, to seem relieved that his teacher was fine. “I’m just glad you’re okay!”

“Midoriya-kun,” Recovery Girl lightly tapped his head with her syringe cane, “go home and rest!”

“O-okay, then, thank you very much!” Izuku waved the heroes and detective goodbye, and wiped away the tears off his face.

“You're welcome,” Recovery Girl said, “be careful on your way home.”

“Yes ma’am!”

He let his cheerful attitude drop the moment he closed the door, and made his way to the exit. He was surprised to see Todoroki waiting for him at the gate. He jogged towards him and gave him a polite smile as they left the school.

“How are you feeling?” Todoroki asked after a couple minutes.

“I’m good, just tired. Nothing sleep can’t fix!” He gave the boy a small smile, and looked him over. “How about you? Were you injured?”

“I’m fine. Nothing I haven’t gotten in training before…” He stiffened at those last words, as if he hadn’t meant to say them out loud. What kind of training-

Oh. Of course. He was Endeavor’s son. Of course the flaming trash bag would train his kid ruthlessly. He couldn’t have a weak hero of a child now, could he? Izuku had already disliked the Number Two Hero, but now his feelings about him were getting closer to hatred.

He shook his head, dispersing those thoughts, and focused on the boy walking beside him.

“Thank you, Todoroki-kun.”

The taller boy frowned. “What for?”

“For helping me. With the Nomu, I mean. I'm glad you understood what I meant.”

“Oh, yes, of course. It’s not like any of the heroes were there or could do anything.” His face was neutral, as always, but there was a tension that Izuku could faintly understand.

“We kinda did their job, didn’t we?” Izuku muttered, before he could think about it. Fuck, now Todoroki would think he disliked the heroes or something and maybe tell someone and-

“Yes, I suppose we did.”

Oh. Well, thank fuck he agreed. Izuku wondered about the boy’s thoughts on heroes in general, but he didn’t know him that well, and that seemed like a question he would ask after they felt somewhat comfortable with each other.

“Um, I also wanted to thank you for checking up on me later, and helping me stand on my feet,” Izuku added. “No one has ever done that for me before…” He glanced at the boy next to him. He wore a perplexed expression on his face.

After a few seconds of silence, Todoroki turned his head to look at him. “No one has ever asked me if I was okay, either.” His face may seem indifferent, but Izuku could tell he was being sympathetic. His mismatched eyes were kind, and he could tell the boy was trying to be comforting.

Izuku gave him a thankful smile, and they walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

Chapter Text

By the time Izuku got home, he was utterly exhausted.

The whole USJ incident had been pretty draining, even more so for a certain sleep-deprived green-haired boy.

Izuku wearily took off his shoes, tossed his bag in his room, and made his way to the bathroom. He had a long shower, cleaning up all the debris and dust and brain matter that had littered Izuku during the whole thing. He promptly ignored his rumbling tummy – he was way too tired to make something to eat – put on some PJs and went straight to bed. He fell asleep seconds after his head hit the pillow.

He got woken up, hours later, when his mom barged in, frantically asking if he was okay. She'd been at work when the incident was announced in the news, and she didn’t get off until now, so she hadn’t had the chance to see him.

After he reassured her that everything was fine, that he wasn’t hurt, just exhausted, and had only been sleeping, she finally calmed down, and went to prepare dinner.

She made katsudon – his favorite – in an attempt to make him feel better, after everything he'd experienced. And it worked. As he relished his mom’s cooking, he thought about what awaited him tonight.

He had almost forgotten about it, but a lengthy text from Himiko, who was also concerned and wanted to make sure he was okay – he reassured her he was fine – reminded him of the meet-up he had arranged for tonight at midnight. He would have to sneak out, but that wouldn’t be a problem; his mom was a fairly heavy sleeper.

After they ate dinner, he kissed his mom goodnight, and prepared for his meeting with the most renowned broker in the underground. Izuku was fairly nervous, not because of the meeting itself, but because of what it signified. It was his first concrete step towards his goal, and he really didn’t want to fuck it up.

~~~

He arrived at the meeting spot at exactly 23:57. The person on the phone – the one Himiko had gotten info on and was sure would get him an appointment – had given him instructions on the time and place, as well as how to get there without risking being followed. It had taken quite some time for Izuku to persuade them he wanted to meet the broker for a legitimate reason, but it would totally be worth it. If anyone could help Izuku with his plan, and make his life a hundred times easier, it was Giran.

The instructions led him to a pretty secluded part of Himiko’s neighborhood, right outside an antique furniture store. He double-checked the address to make sure he wasn’t in the wrong place. He supposed it was a font, a meeting point for the rare occasions the broker didn’t scout and approach the other person first.

At twelve o’ clock sharp, the door to the seemingly closed store opened, and a tall – compared to Izuku – figure entered his field of vision. The green-haired boy was leaning against the wall, right beside the entrance.

He had worn a formal attire, hoping that he would be taken seriously despite his young age, that was unfortunately showing on his face. He was wearing a 3-piece dress suit, consisting of black pants, a white shirt underneath his black vest, and a red tie to complete the look, as well as a pair of black faux-leather derby shoes - which he’d bought a couple sizes bigger, so his extra pinky toe joints could fit.

He had purchased the outfit a few days ago, thinking it would come in handy for exactly that kind of situation, and Himiko wouldn’t stop bombarding him with compliments when he showed her.

The middle-aged man took a look at him through his glasses for a second, before sporting a grin. One of his front teeth was missing, leaving a gap right in the middle.

“Ah, right on time. Come on in,” was all the man said, before going back inside.

Izuku was a little bit surprised they didn’t check for credentials or something, but since this was Giran, he probably always had measures against set-ups. Izuku took a deep breath and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

The man led him to the back of the store, up a staircase and to an office on the first floor. He sat on his chair behind the desk, and gestured Izuku to take a seat as well. The boy complied, and placed his heavy green backpack on the empty chair next to him.

Giran introduced himself formally, and leaned onto his desk. Under the better lighting, Izuku could make out his facial features, and the pink pair of eyes that were watching him with curiosity.

“So, in what way does a U.A. heroics student need my assistance?” Izuku stiffened. How did he know he went to U.A.? Did this mean he had already fucked up and didn’t even have a chance to speak-

The man’s laughter interrupted his thoughts. “Don’t worry, kid, I was just surprised a hero student of all people wanted to meet me.” He took out a cigarette packet from his blazer’s front pocket. “I always do background checks on my clients. It’s good for business, ya know?”

Giran placed a cigarette between his lips. He silently urged Izuku to explain his reasons for contacting him.

Izuku cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t sound too childish in the man’s ears. “I need connections. I have a goal, and I need help, from people I wouldn’t be able to find on my own.”

Giran chuckled as he lit his cigarette, and took a long drag. “And what goal would a kid like you have in mind? It must be important if you contacted the underground for it.”

“It is.” Izuku’s face turned serious, completely different from his previously nervous-but-trying-to-seem-calm demeanor.

He wasn’t sure if the man was mocking him before, but his smug attitude disappeared the moment Izuku spoke. Giran was now sitting up straight, smirk gone, his hand brought up to scratch the goatee on his chin.

“I want information,” Izuku continued. “I need a competent hacker, someone with enough knowledge and skills to break into a very secure, impenetrable almost, database and retrieve me data without being found out, or being traced back to me.”

The broker listened intently, nodding along as Izuku spoke. After a few seconds of silence, he took another drag and exhaled slowly.

“And what impenetrable database would that be?” he perked up his lips into a small grin, albeit more subtle than before.

Izuku gave him a grin of his own. “The Hero Public Safety Commission.”

Giran choked on the smoke he had just inhaled, and Izuku watched in amusement as he coughed and reached for a bottle of water to clear his throat. After the man composed himself, he looked at Izuku in utter disbelief.

“The Commission? Are you serious?” When he only got a smirk, instead of an answer, he paled considerably, and started muttering to himself. “He’s serious… What the fuck…” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“You know what, I’m not even going to ask.” Giran cleared his throat and resumed to his professional demeanor. “You just want me to introduce you to a hacker, right?”

Izuku nodded.

“And are you able to pay for that?”

Izuku shifted in his seat. He had to play his cards right, or this was for nothing. “I can't pay you with money,” he started. The man raised an eyebrow, but didn’t interrupt him.

Izuku opened his backpack, and took out twelve notebooks. Specifically, his Hero Analysis for the Future ones. “I have information. I have been analyzing heroes since I was a toddler. Strengths, weaknesses, fighting styles, patrol routes, personal information, you name it. These are the ones I wrote up to my last year of middle school.”

He handed them to the broker, who started skimming through them. The more he read, the more surprised and amazed his expression turned, his eyes wide and brows raised.

“As you can see, the first ones were written when I was still in elementary school.” He gestured to the notebooks that were mostly written in crayons, and had more childish drawings than actual analysis, but the notes inside were still impressive for a six-year-old to take.

“However,” Izuku smirked, “I have re-written all my analysis in new notebooks, with a lot more details than the latest ones.” He gestured at the double-digit ones, and locked his eyes to the broker’s.

“I can give you copies of all my analysis. You can sell them, trade them in the black market, I don’t really care.”

Giran took one last drag and discarded his cigarette in a glass ashtray. “You do realize that if people get their hands on these, many Heroes will most likely end up dead?”

“Yes,” Izuku said, the indifference obvious in his tone. “I lost my faith in heroes a long time ago. I don’t really care what happens to them.”

Giran didn’t speak for a while. Izuku figured he was probably trying to process everything the hero student was saying, and why he was a hero student in the first place, if he was willing to sell his information on the heroes in order to literally break into the Commission’s database.

So Izuku sat in silence, letting the man gather his thoughts. He didn’t provide any further explanation, either. He didn’t own him any, and he had already provided everything he needed to persuade him, or so he hoped.

Eventually, the broken took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses on his nose, and stared intently into Izuku’s eyes, as a grin formed on his lips, the gap in his teeth fairly visible.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Izuku gave him a grin of his own.

~~~

“Did you see how everyone in class was on-screen last night?”

“Man, all the channels made such a big deal out of it.”

Izuku listened idly as his classmates conversed about the USJ incident making the news. The school had been temporarily closed the day after the incident, so today was the last day of his first week of High School. Izuku couldn’t wait for it to be over.

And it was a Saturday. Izuku really didn’t understand why they had to go to school on Saturdays. Sure, most of Japan’s schools did, but that didn’t mean that it was efficient. Izuku had read a study once, comparing the average grade point of schools in the same district; some used the usual weekly program, while the others had the whole weekend free. Unsurprisingly, in the first case, the average grades were much lower, and their students felt much more pressured for their academic performance than the kids that had two days off. It was as if working kids to the ground wasn’t the best way to ensure their academic success. Shocker.

Still, he'd been glad to have a free day yesterday, and had called Himiko to hang out – Izuku had insisted they didn't train, he'd still been tired from the USJ attack– and he'd updated her on his meeting with Giran. He'd also told her about his encounter with Stain the day before, to which she'd responded overly excitedly, having mad respect for the man and his ideals.

“Of course they did. It was the hero course that was attacked, after all,” Jirou reasoned.

“Who knows what would have happened of the teachers hadn’t come when they did,” Sero chimed in.

Izuku suppressed a snort. Nothing is what would have happened. Eraserhead, Izuku and some of his classmates were handling the villains just fine when All Might blessed them with his presence. The Number One Hero hadn’t even done anything, and he'd still gotten most of the praise for saving the class.

Well, it wasn't like the school could let the media know that the students were the ones that had defeated most of the villains and even killed the monster they brought to kill All Might – its existence hadn’t even been made public. Instead, they'd told them that the pro heroes defeated and arrested 72 villains, with the help of the students of 1-A. They had also failed to mention how the ringleaders had gotten away.

“Stop that, Sero! Just thinking about it makes me wanna wet myself-” Mineta cried, but Katsuki was quick to yell at his to shut him up, before Izuku had the chance to.

“But man, Midoriya was awesome! He crushed that crazy strong villain!” Satou exclaimed, and everyone’s attention turned to their green-haired classmate, who was trying, and failing, to conceal himself.

“Yes, his strength is worth admiring,” Tokoyami agreed, the others providing their own opinion on Izuku’s heroic actions.

Izuku muttered a few humble ‘thank you’s, and resumed scrolling through social media on his new phone.

After they'd sealed the deal, Giran had gifted him a virtually untraceable smartphone, that he'd put his personal phone number and information in, so he could keep him updated about the meeting with his contact. The teenager had refused at first, but the broker had insisted, claiming that it was his policy to ensure an unassailable means of communication with his clients, especially with prestigious ones like the hero student. Izuku was glad he wouldn’t have to borrow Himiko’s phone again, and had even gifted her his old one.

Izuku had given the broker a copy of his first two updated Hero notebooks – that he had also brought with him – as an upfront payment, and when the broker introduced him to ‘the most competent hacker he knew’, he would give him the rest. Of course, Izuku wouldn’t give him all of his re-written notes. He wanted to keep some, in case he wanted to make another deal with the broker. And he had a feeling he would be seeing him again.

Izuku vaguely registered Iida declaring the beginning of homeroom, and instructing everyone to take their seats.

“Hey, Tsu, do you know who will be teaching homeroom today?” Ashido asked.

“Well,” the frog girl brought her index finger to her chin, “Aizawa-sensei is supposed to be in the hospital recovering from his injuries, kero.”

Izuku grimaced at the memory of his teacher’s head getting crushed on the ground by the Nomu. The crunching sound that had reached his ears right before Izuku attacked the monster would never leave his mind. He couldn’t even imagine how much worse Aizawa would have been right now, assuming he had gotten out alive, if Izuku hadn’t stepped in.

“Morning,” the familiar gruffy voice sounded as the huge door of the classroom opened. And there stood Aizawa, in all his glory, his face wrapped in bandages, and his right hand in a cast.

Everyone started shouting their concerns over the teacher being there, asking if he was alright.

“My well-being doesn’t matter,” the teacher declared as he made his way to the podium. Izuku rolled his eyes. So dramatic. “More importantly, the fight isn’t over yet.” Aizawa squinted through his bandages, eyes barely visible. “The U.A. Sports Festival is drawing near.”

Izuku chuckled at his teacher’s antics, while everyone was getting hyped up.

“That’s a super normal school event!” Kirishima declared enthusiastically.

“Wait a minute!” Kaminari butted in. “Is it a good idea to have a festival so soon after villains snuck into the school?”

“Yeah, what if they take advantage of it and attack again?” Ojiro questioned.

Izuku thought it was somewhat sad, and also infuriating, how the students were already relieved that they were having a normal high school experience, instead of a villain attack, or something equally dangerous. They weren’t supposed to be afraid about their school activities in the first place.

“Apparently,” Aizawa answered, “they think that, if U.A. holds the event, it will be showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock.”

Izuku barely managed to stop himself from laughing.

“Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years,” the teacher continued. “More importantly, our Sports Festival is a huge chance for you hero students.” He proceeded to explain the importance and significance of the event, that would be held two weeks from now on the first day of May, that Izuku already knew about and tuned out.

“Of course, all the top heroes in Japan will be watching for scouting purposes!” Yaomomo noted.

Others started talking about how the heroes would look for potential sidekicks, once the students graduate.

“Well, some of them loose their chance to become independent, and become internal sidekicks,” Jirou emphasized. “Kaminari, I feel like you’d be one of them. Cause you’re dumb.”

Well, that wasn't very nice. Kaminari wasn’t the smartest kid in their class, but he wasn’t dumb either. He did seem like one when he overused his quirk, though. Izuku had already analyzed the boy’s powers – as he had all his classmates – and had so many ideas for improvement. He had briefly wondered if he should approach him and give him advice, but Katsuki’s yells over how creepy his notes were, would echo in his ears, and he thought better of it.

Aizawa carried on with his speech, and he highlighted the importance of the Festival for the students who wanted to become pros. “No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event. So don’t slack off. Go beyond, plus ultra or whatever.”

“Yes, sir!”

~~~

During lunch, Izuku left the classroom quietly, bento box in hand, while his classmates expressed their thoughts on the upcoming festival, with various levels of excitement. As he sat down on a secluded spot and ate his meal, he started thinking about his own aspirations for the event.

On one hand, if he tried his best to win, he would attract a lot of attention to himself. He wouldn’t be able to stay low after that, while he would be actively trying to bring down the Commission, and he would be risking getting found out.

On the other hand, he really wanted to prove himself. No to the heroes, or his classmates – well, maybe except Katsuki, but he would never admit that. He wanted to prove to himself that he was better than all of them. That even a weak, useless Deku could rise high enough to get a spot in the biggest event in all of Japan, even if almost no one knew he used to be quirkless.

He wanted to feel powerful, and beating all those hero students in their own game, never mind his friend-turned-bully, would be beyond satisfying. It’s not like he hadn’t already showed that he was better. The entrance exam and the quirk apprehension test were enough proof of that. But winning a national event, where millions of people would be watching, albeit terrifying, felt exhilarating.

So, yeah. Izuku would do his best. He would show those heroes what he was really made of. The risks would be worth it, even for a selfish reason like that.

“Uraraka-kun,” Iida’s booming voice interrupted his thoughts, as he and their classmate passed by Izuku, thankfully without noticing him. “If you don’t mind me asking, what were your reasons for applying for U.A., and wanting to become a hero?”

“Oh, um… actually…” Izuku could tell this wasn’t something she really wanted to discuss, but he would also admit he was curious. He really hoped it wasn’t a selfish reason. Heroes were already corrupt and choosing the job for literally any reason other than being selfless and heroic, but a small part of him wanted to believe the new generation would actually have righteous motives.

“For money?!” Iida exclaimed. “You want to be hero for money?”

“To boil it down simply… yes…” Uraraka was rubbing the back of her head, eyes glued to the floor.

Oh well, that threw a noble reason out the window. Not that Izuku was disappointed. No, he had already lost any expectations for everyone in heroics. He just… he wished it was different. That his generation would be different.

No matter. Even if his peers were the same as the older ones, Izuku would just have to be the one to change things.

He ate the last of his bento, got up and left the cafeteria, before he could hear any excuses the girl would spew out.

As he turned at the corner, a very familiar and very annoying laugh sounded from behind him.

“Midoriya-shounen is here!” All Might was pointing at him, making everyone in the hallway, including the two classmates he wanted to avoid, turn to look at him.

“A-All Might? What are you doing here?” Seriously, what was he doing? If he wanted to speak to him, the worst possible way to do so was to announce it to everyone around.

 “Lunch!” He took out a bento box that he was hiding behind him, and pointed at it, looking rather sheepish. “Wanna eat together?”

Izuku wanted to facepalm so hard. He might as well announce to the whole school that he had a special student he wants to hang out with and eat lunch together. How does this man expect to keep his secret, seriously?

Of course, Izuku said none of that. Instead, he made his face light up, and rushed towards him. “I’d love to!”

He ignored the whispers of his classmates, who were wondering about his relationship with the hero, as well as where he was the whole break.

~~~

“Only one hour?”

“Yeah…” Smallmight sighed, as he poured Izuku and himself a cup of tea. “That’s the limit to how long I can use my powers now.”

They were sitting in the teacher’s lounge at the hero’s request, to talk privately. Izuku wasn’t expecting that to be the topic of discussion, though.

“I overdid it many times,” All Might continued. “I can barely maintain my muscle form for two hours now…” He sipped some of his tea, before turning to Izuku with a solemn expression.

“I think it would be a lot worse, if it was me who fought the Nomu… Midoriya-shounen, that day, you may have saved my life. I’m not sure if I would have enough strength to fight the monster until the other heroes arrived, never mind kill it.”

He paused, letting Izuku process what he was saying. The student himself had already thought of this, of course. All Might appearing when he did didn’t contribute to anything, other than removing Eraserhead from the scene, but that could have been done by literally any student there. The man had not only risked his life when he knew he wouldn’t be able to fight, but he also jeopardized his secret, and that would bring a whole lot of other problems.

When he realized Izuku would not say anything yet, the teacher cleared his throat and stood up. “What I want to say, Midoriya-shounen, is that, on that day, your heroic actions” – Izuku held back a grimace, and smiled with fake pride instead – “saved not only your classmates, and Aizawa-kun’s life, but also mine. And for that, I will always be grateful for.”

He proceeded to bow 90 degrees, and spoke again. “Thank you, Midoriya-shounen. I own you my life, and I will forever be in your debt.”

Well, Izuku was not expecting that. Although, a hero being in his debt, never mind the Number One, was an asset he could definitely take advantage of later. He filed that information in the back of his mind, and took a deep breath.

“P-Please, there’s no need to thank me!” He also stood up, as the hero looked up. “I was only doing what was right, and I knew you had already spent your three hours that day, so I did everything in my power to help you!”

The hero smiled proudly, and took his seat, Izuku copying him. “I didn’t expect to kill that Nomu though… I’m glad I saved everyone, but killing…” he played with his fingers as he expressed the troubles of a hero student causing their first death.

If he was being honest, Izuku didn’t really think much of it when he smashed the Nomu’s brain. He was more upset about getting brain matter on his face, rather than actually having killed someone.

Sure, it wasn’t an actual person, from what the villains had said. It was a bioengineered weapon – hopefully not a human that was experimented on, but that was an entirely different conversation – but still a living being. And yet, Izuku didn’t feel any remorse, or guilt, or anything an innocent child would after their first kill. On the contrary, he felt somewhat… proud? He saw it more like an achievement, a victory. Even though it might seem ironic, it was revitalizing. Thrilling, even.

He felt powerful, being in control, in a seemingly uncontrollable situation. If he wanted to, he could have turned the tables so easily. And that thought exhilarated him.

But he obviously couldn’t admit that, the heroes might think he was crazy, and maybe traumatized to the point he was having villainous thoughts, or whatever. So, he pretended the whole incident troubled him, and let All Might talk about how it was an important feat to his journey of becoming a hero. A necessary action for the greater good, and all that stuff.

Not surprisingly, the hero didn’t even mention the possibility of Izuku attending therapy, or even just speaking with Hound Dog, who, apart from a pro hero, was also the school counselor. Speaking of, why didn’t the school immediately order mandatory therapy sessions for everyone in his class?

It was literally a traumatic event. Did they seriously think “Well, they are hero students, so eh, they’ll get over it”, or “it’s part of the job” or “they’re strong”, as All Might put it. The Number One Hero had also said they, too, fought and risked their lives, which proved the point! What if they had died, or been seriously maimed? What would the school do then? It was infuriating.

They didn’t even consider the effects of the incident on the kids’ mental health. And the heroes dealt with that kind of stuff every day! They should have known better than to assume they were strong, and leave them be. Maybe that was one of the reasons pro heroes ended up the way they are.

“Anyway,” All Might changed the subject, completely oblivious to Izuku’s internal turmoil, “I also wanted to talk to you about the Sports Festival.”

Izuku frowned, as he raised his cup of tea to his mouth. What did he want, now?

The hero stood up again, and walked towards the window, looking outside instead of his student. “Frankly, I don’t have much time left as the Symbol of Peace.” Yeah, no shit. “And some of those villains are starting to realize it.”

Izuku recalled the hand villain, Shigaraki Tomura, as the mist person had called him, realizing All Might’s speed was getting slower.

“I granted you my power because I want you to succeed me.” Oh, no. Izuku didn’t like where this was going. He stood up when the hero turned and faced him with a serious expression.

“It’s time to show the world the kind of hero you want to become. The U.A. Sports Festival is an event that pro heroes – the whole country, even! – will be watching closely. This is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Oh, crap. Izuku really didn’t like where this was going.

“The next All Might, the fledging Symbol of Peace, Midoriya Izuku! I want you to tell the world ‘I am here!’”

Oh, fuck me.

Chapter Text

No.

No no no no no no no. This was just the worst.

Izuku was internally fuming. All Might had literally just assigned him the role of the Symbol of Peace, without giving him a choice.

The zygote had obviously made an entire plan for his successor; he gave him his quirk, and just assumed the student would want to follow his footsteps. He didn’t even ask him what he wanted. He might have wanted to be a rescue hero, or go underground, like Eraserhead. He might not have wanted the publicity of a limelight hero, never mind being the successor of the Number One Hero, the next Symbol of Peace. Sure, Izuku wanted in no way to become a hero, but that was not the point.

It was blatantly obvious the buffoon was sure that Izuku would want to become a newer version of himself. Because Gods forbid he wanted to become his own person, a totally different hero with his own personality. To have a purpose in life other than to fulfill All Might’s dreams and aspirations, that he had failed to complete.

Besides, objectively speaking, it would be a terrible idea to announce an upcoming replacement for the Number One Hero. Not only would he have to live up to the almost impossible standards that people would have of him, Izuku would also only be just that. A replacement. He would never be his own person, just a cheap copy of the Symbol of Peace with a similar quirk and a weak attempt to compensate for the retirement of Japan’s favorite hero.

Izuku couldn’t begin to express how furious and exasperated he was with the man’s blatant stupidity. But, as it was, he was now standing right in front of him, and he had to provide an answer to the idiot’s wish. He suppressed all of his anger and forced his face – which took quite the effort – to morph into something he hoped to appear as a mix of modesty, nervousness, and a tad of fear.

“A-All Might, I don’t know if I'm up to this…” Izuku could feel his face burning with fury, but he glued his eyes to the floor and shifted his weight, hoping it could pass as embarrassment and self-consciousness. “I don’t think I can stand out that much…”

An impressive amount of blood spewed out from All Might’s nose and mouth. “No one’s better at spouting nonsense that you!”

Dude, that was so mean and uncalled for! “Nonsense…?” Izuku made himself say, instead.

The hero then started spouting actual nonsense that Izuku didn’t bother actually listening to, but he did register an “I won’t force you”, as if that would make him feel better if he was actually interested in becoming a great hero.

When the man finally stopped talking, Izuku wished him a good day – actually hoping he stubbed his pinky toe on a table – and left the teacher’s lounge in a hurry.

He could finally let his mask drop, and he could feel his face forming into a scowl that would put Katsuki’s to shame. He took deep breaths through his nose, as he walked towards his classroom, hoping that by the time he made it there, he would be calm enough to play his usual part of a shy, anxious little kid.

Before he reached the classroom, however, he felt a pair of eyes following him. He looked around and spotted a boy his age, sitting on the stairs alone, eating his food. It looked like he was having a meal from the school’s cafeteria, but why was he alone?

As they made eye contact, Izuku noticed the boy’s eyes were deep purple, almost the same shade as his gravity-defying hair, with dark circles underneath. The teen raised an eyebrow, and Izuku, who realized he was still frowning from his previous conversation with All Might, put on his polite hero student mask, and gave him a small smile before walking away.

~~~

When the school day finally ended, Izuku gathered his stuff and quietly walked towards the classroom’s door, before noticing a crowd, that was blocking the exit.

“What business do you have with Class A?” Iida asked the students that had gathered in the hallway, stiff and serious as always.

“Scouting competition, obviously,” Katsuki replied instead, unusually calm, but with his signature scowl still in place. “We’re the ones that made it out of a villain attack, in the USJ. They probably wanna check us out before the Sports Festival. There’s no point in that, really.”

Despite the protests of his classmates, Katsuki walked towards the other students. “Out of my way, extras.”

“Don’t call people extras, just because you don’t know them!” Iida scolded him. Izuku chuckled lightly. Katsuki has been calling everyone extras since he was four, he’s definitely not stopping now.

“Are all the hero students like that?” one of them questioned. “Seeing you like this makes me disillusioned.” The person who spoke made their way to the front of the crowd, the other students making way for them to pass, as if afraid of them.

Izuku was surprised to recognize the purple-haired boy that he'd seen in the hallway just a few hours ago. He was really tall, Izuku thought, but then again, everyone was tall compared to him.

“There are quite a few people who enrolled in the general studies or other courses, because they didn’t make it to the hero course. Did you know that?” The boy was looking right into Katsuki’s eyes, unbothered by the blond’s snarls.

The other kids around him, that were visibly trying to get as far away from him as possible, while still blocking the classroom’s door, were also watching him with expressions that ranged from annoyance, to disgust and dismay. It really rubbed Izuku the wrong way.

“Depending on the results of the Sports Festival,” the tired-looking teen continued, “they can be transferred into the hero course. And it seems that hero students can also be transferred out.”

That got quite a reaction from Izuku’s classmates.

“Even if you’re in the hero course, if you get carried away, someone may sweep you off your feet.” His purple eyes met Izuku’s, amethyst meeting viridian.

They lingered for a few seconds, before the boy turned and walked away.

“That was so simple and manly!” Kirishima exclaimed, as students from the other courses started gathering and commenting on their class. Izuku himself was inclined to agree.

~~~

Izuku was laying in his bed with his laptop, watching the newest Gentle Criminal video – this time he had broken into a big brand clothing store that was recently exposed for child labor, and was shaming the heroes that had agreed to collaborations and sponsorships with them – when he heard his phone ding.

He stopped the video and placed his laptop on the nightstand. A surge of excitement and nervousness ran through his veins, when he saw the broker’s name on the screen. It had only been a few days since his meeting with Giran, but Izuku guessed he was the most popular broker of the underground for a reason.

With slightly trembling hands, he opened his phone and read the laconic message the man had sent him.

Tomorrow, 9 pm, XXXXXX Musutafu-shi 9-7-13. Bring your goodies :)

Izuku looked up the address, glad to see it wasn’t too far from his house, albeit on the outskirts of the city. He almost couldn’t wait, he would be meeting the person to guide him towards the destruction of this stupid hero society, after all.

He quickly sent a text to Himiko, letting her know of the development, and fell back on his cushions. Letting out a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and let his mind wonder.

~~~

“Bye mom! See you later!”

“Ok, sweetie, have fun! Say hi to Himiko-chan for me!”

“I will!”

Izuku all but slammed the door shut as he ran out of the apartment, barely having put his shoes on.

It was Sunday, so he didn’t have school today, and he totally took advantage of the free day to relax and do nothing. And by nothing, he meant no training, no homework – he had done everything yesterday, when he came home for school – no interactions with heroes or hero students, and most importantly, not having to keep a mask on, pretending to be someone he’s not. He could finally be himself, even for a day.

He woke up late, almost worrying his mom, but with everything that happened the past week – and it was just the first week of school! – he really needed to rest and catch up with his sleep, or he would end up collapsing from exhaustion. He ordered takeout, as his mom was at work, and only came home late in the afternoon, and he really didn't feel like cooking. Even though he had a meal plan to be in his best shape, he wasn’t as strict with following it to the letter, especially since he had bulked up significantly the past few months, and had already gotten All Might’s quirk.

At around 8 pm, having been stuck on his laptop screen, browsing on YouTube and binging on Gentle Criminal videos and vigilante documentaries, his mom came into his room to ask about dinner, and he literally jumped from his bed realizing he had totally forgotten about the important meeting he had to attend.

He spewed some excuse of having plans with Himiko as he hastily got dressed in a pair of jeans and a green hoodie that said ‘hoodie’ on the front. He planned on wearing his formal attire again, since he was going for business, but his mom would think it was weird, so he took the clothes and shoes with him, and he would change in a public restroom or something. He also put his updated Hero Analysis copies in his backpack, and promised to be back before midnight.

He rushed towards the address Giran sent him the day before, making a quick stop to change, and fortunately arrived ten minutes early. He took a moment to collect himself, and sat on the stairs just outside the apartment building that bore the number 13 above the entrance door.

Izuku stared at his phone, waiting for the clock to turn 9, when he heard a familiar voice approaching him.

“There he is!” Giran exclaimed, and leaned against the door as he took out his own phone.

Izuku stood up and braced himself, as the broker made a quick phone call, presumably to the person they were meeting, and the entrance door opened. Giran led him to the elevator and to the 7^th floor, where they found an apartment door open. Giran stepped inside without commenting the fact that no one had come to welcome them, and guided Izuku to a seating area. He sat on the couch, and ushered the teenager to do the same, when a really short woman stepped inside.

She had her long dark pink hair in two high pigtails, the color matching her big eyes, dark circles around them. If she was the hacker Giran had been talking about, Izuku guessed being in front of a computer screen all of the time would really strain her eyes.

She was wearing a cute, eccentric outfit, most notably a huge white bowtie that matched her gloves, and poofy stripped pants, contrasting her violet buttoned-up shirt.

“Kid,” Giran started – Izuku just realized the man hadn’t asked for his name, even though he definitely knew it, considering he knew of his U.A. student identity – “meet La Brava. She has the most impressive computer and hacking skills of anyone I know, and she was kind enough to accept a meeting with you.”

La Brava squinted her eyes at Izuku, and sat on a love chair – literally, it was pink and the back of the chair was in the shape of a heart – before speaking. “I don’t usually work for anyone except Gentle, but Giran told me some interesting things.”

Oh, so she was helping Gentle Criminal. He filed that for later, it could prove useful.

Izuku didn't reply, so she continued. “He said you want to break into the Hero Commission’s database.” Izuku nodded. “Why should I help you? I'm screwed if the Commission finds out – which they won’t, I'm excellent at my job. But what’s in it for me?”

Izuku was silent for a few moments, looking for the right words to convince her. “I’m familiar with Gentle Criminal’s work.” He gained a raised eyebrow from the woman – girl? She didn't look much older than him, late teens, early 20s at most – and took it as a sign he had her attention.

“I’ve seen most, if not all, of his videos, quite recently, too. I respect his work, and his motives. But he could use some help.” Before La Brava could retort, he started explaining. “Some of his videos lack insight, or suitable reasoning. I’ve noticed that most of his low-viewed ones don’t really get the message across. I can see that he’s trying to show the truth of our corrupt society, but sometimes his criminal acts don’t necessarily align with what he’s trying to say, and I think he’s struggling with expressing his arguments.”

Giran was silent, a small smirk on his face, as he watched them in amusement. La Brava, on the other hand, was fuming, getting more upset with every negative comment. It seemed she was really close to the man.

“I can help you with that,” Izuku offered. “I can make plans for you, get you more views.” Well, that seemed to work. She perked up, and looked at his with wide eyes. “We have the same goal. I want to show the world how wrong the system is, how corrupt the heroes and corporations are, just like him. That’s why I need your help in the first place. I can help you make videos that will actually reach your audience, and make them see the truth. We can help each other.”

Izuku was getting nervous at her lack of response, but he tried his best to appear confident with his words. Besides, he was telling the truth. Gentle really couldn’t articulate arguments for the life of him, and some of his crimes were completely theatrical and irrelevant to his goal.

After a couple minutes of silence, La Brava sighed. “I really want to help him. He’s not getting enough views, and he’s really upset about it, even though he doesn’t want me to worry and hides it. But lately it’s been getting the better of him.” She was fidgeting with her fingers, like Izuku used to do when he was nervous. She looked him in the eyes and clenched her hands into fists. “Can you really help?”

“Yes.” Izuku’s answer was immediate.

She smiled, almost excitedly, and her tired-looking eyes lit up. “Then I accept.” She got up, walked towards him and extended her arm.

Izuku smiled back, and shook her hand.

~~~

After he ‘paid’ Giran for his services – meaning he gave him the copies of four Hero Analysis notebooks – Izuku received a high-tech laptop from the broker. The man said it was virtually untraceable, like the smart phone he had gifted him after their first meeting, and that it was an act of good faith in Izuku’s capabilities, and his own desire to see the teenager succeed in his goal.

Izuku stayed a couple hours at the girl’s apartment, that he learned was actually Gentle’s. She had been living with him since last year, but they had been working together for almost two years now.

Izuku kept his end of the bargain, brainstorming ideas for a least five videos for the villain duo, and even wrote ten pages worth of speeches for him to give during them. He actually had fun with her, and even offered to keep in touch regularly, and provide them with more video ideas, plans and scripts. La Brava was overjoyed, and was sure to reciprocate with a quick display of her hacking skills, just a glimpse of her capabilities, that would allow her to come through with her part of the deal.

Izuku watched in awe as she effortlessly got through the security in a random hero’s – the closest in the area – personal computer, and check their email history, in case they found anything suspicious. And, oh boy, they did. It was Pro Hero Native’s computer, and it was clear he was in cahoots with the Commission.

Some of the heavily encrypted, but easily decoded by “Japan’s fairest hacker” – she blushed at Izuku’s comment – emails, were exchanged between Native and the Commission President, mostly her ordering him to do their dirty work, that consisted of silencing villains – and even corrupt heroes! –  to preserve the peace, as they claimed, and rewarding him for his services, of course.

Izuku didn't hide his disgust and anger towards both the HPSC and the hero. He was almost afraid of what he would find in their database, what programs they had created, what heroes they had groomed, how many had died just to cover up their own mistakes and keep up their image.

La Brava was not surprised by his reaction; he had come to her for a reason, after all. Izuku, on the other hand, didn't expect to see her usually bubbly and expressive personality to shift into a silent, calm rage.

From what Izuku gathered during the hours he spent with her, as she talked about herself and Gentle, she wasn’t as interested in the man’s work itself, as much as helping him achieve his dream, to gain enough views while preaching about his ideals, and eventually become famous. Now that Izuku had shown her a glimpse of the reality of today’s heroics, she could only imagine the scale on which this was happening.

With a determined expression on her face, she looked him in the eye and swore she would help him bring it down. She would immediately get to work, both about the HPSC itself, and finding any hero’s personal emails looking for similar findings, and update him every time she got more intel.

She promised to find any dirt she could on the HPSC’s database, and have a hard drive ready for him in less than 2 weeks. Izuku was impressed. If she actually managed that, he would be starting sorting everything out before the Sports Festival.

Right before Izuku left, they exchanged phone numbers. As he saved her contact as ‘La Brava’, he realized he hadn’t given her a name, apparently at the same time she did, because she was awkwardly standing in front of him. Her fingers were hovering above her contacts app, waiting for a name that should have been given in the beginning of their meeting, but none of them had actually thought about it.

Now, Izuku could use his actual first name; he was easily recognizable as the hero student Midoriya Izuku, after all, green hair and eyes. If he didn't give her his true name, though, but a fake one, she was bound to recognize him from the Sports Festival in two weeks, and call him out for lying. Well, any name except his real one would prove him a liar, but a codename, like La Brava – who hadn’t revealed her true identity either, but in the end, it didn't really matter in these situations – was secretive, but also practical.

He would be separating the persona he had interlaced with his name - Midoriya Izuku, the U.A. heroics student - and the real him, who was hanging out with villains, having deals with underground brokers, and assisting another villain with his work. All in the name of his true goal; to destroy the Hero Public Safety Commission, reveal to the world how corrupted hero society had become and how much it needed to change.

The goal to shed light to everything the Commission was hiding and doing under the shadows, and to the unfair discrimination that had resulted from that system. He would be the light, guiding them to the truth.

“Sooo...” La Brava asked sheepishly, “What should I call you, then?”

Izuku grinned. He was now witnessing the birth of his alias, the person who would change everything.

“Call me,” Izuku started, wide grin on his face, gleaming eyes looking directly in hers, “Light.”

Chapter Text

“…and he had the audacity to call me creepy!”

Izuku grumbled as a response.

“Like he wasn’t the one who followed that girl to her house before I caught up to him!” Himiko whined. “So, I took his blood and called it a night…” Her eyes wandered dreamily as she pictured sucking the dude’s blood or something.

“You’re definitely not creepy, Himiko-chan.” Izuku closed his textbook, having just finished his homework for the day, and gathered his school supplies.

“I know, Izu-chan.” She blushed, just like every time Izuku reminded her of how cute she was, and how wrong everyone else was when they talk bad about her. “So, what about you? Any exciting news over the weekend?”

“Not really,” Izuku hummed in thought, as he put back everything in his backpack. “I already told you everything about the meeting with La Brava, and that was the only notable thing yesterday.”

When he got home the night before, after making sure his mom was already asleep, he called his favorite vampire and told her all about his deal with the hacker, and his part of making her plans for Gentle’s videos.

“Yeah, you did.” She groaned with boredom. Nothing much happened during the day when she stayed in her hideout, so she was a sucker – pun intended – for gossip.

“I loved your villain name, by the way! Light… It’s so… enlightening!” she giggled, getting a few chuckles out of Izuku, too. 

“Thank you,” he smiled, before frowning. “Is it a villain name, though?”

He didn't think he was a villain, or what the heroes considered as one, anyway. Was he?

“I mean, you hang out with villains,” she gestured herself, making him roll his eyes, “and helped Gentle Criminal with his videos, right?”

“Well, yes…”

Gentle did upload a video a few hours ago based on one of Izuku’s ideas, and even had preached one of his speeches. Izuku was impressed with how fast they made it, how he and La Brava managed to shoot, edit and post it, all before lunch time. They were desperate for views, Izuku supposed. Still, he was happy for them, and kind of proud of himself, too. In just a couple hours, it had gotten over 5k views, which was almost as much as all their previous videos combined.

Having written the script made Izuku an accomplice, even if he hadn’t done anything outright illegal. Well, he did make a deal with an underground broker and a villain, both of which were illegal. And he was planning to continue doing so, so he might as well accept he had a villain alias, even if he hadn’t done anything actually villainous. Not yet, at least.

“Anyway, I don’t think I told you about school on Saturday,” Izuku successfully changed the subject. Himiko shook her head frantically, and plopped in front of him on the ground, holding his hands in her own. Her other hand was busy holding a plastic cup that contained a ‘smoothie’ of Izuku’s blood and whatever else she had decided to blend it with.

Izuku explained everything he had heard about the school festival, and recounted his talk with All Might. Himiko made funny faces and provided hilarious commentary, and by the end they were making fun of all the pro heroes in the school, laughing so hard, they couldn’t catch their breath. The smoothie Himiko had been slurping coming out of her nose as she laughed certainly didn't help.

“And at the end of the day,” Izuku said after they somehow calmed themselves, “a whole class worth of students came to our door and blocked the exit. Katsuki said they were scouting the competition,” he shrugged, and played with Himiko’s hair, who had by that point laid her head on his lap.

The girl made a face at the mention of his childhood friend’s name. Izuku had told her everything about Kacchan, and she almost took it personally, how he had tormented Izuku all those years, having been through the same thing herself.

“At some point, a boy came to the front,” Izuku continued. “He was really tall, and purple.” He blushed at Himiko’s raised eyebrow. “His eyes were purple, and so was his hair, and they were floating on his head, like a cloud! Maybe it has to do with his quirk? Does he some kind of anti-gravity quirk like Uraraka’s, or is it-”

“Woah there, Izu-chan!” She grinned maniacally, but looked less intimidating than usual, seeing her upside down with her head on his legs and her blond locks between his fingers. “Looks like someone has a crush!”

“W-What?! I do not!” he stammered. “It’s just, he was in the front of the crowd and talking, and I couldn’t help but look at him…”

He looked away from Himiko’s piercing gaze, who was smiling like a predator, looking at their prey. Of course, Izuku would only suffer from too many kisses and cuddles from his best friend, but he still shivered when she looked at him like she could read his mind, especially when he couldn’t even sort out his own thoughts.

Izuku explained what the tall teen had said to his class, his frown deepening with every word. “It was like he was about to declare war on the heroics class, but he didn't, and he almost seemed sad? I mean, he’s probably one of the kids with no physical quirks that couldn’t pass the entrance exam, but he didn't seem as committed anymore.”

Himiko only hummed in response, and closed her eyes briefly as Izuku brushed her hair with his fingers, and started separating them to make them into her signature buns.

“And the worst part was that, every kid around the door that came with him, looked like they were afraid and repulsed by him when he walked to the front. They even made way for him to pass, like they would get the plague if they touched him or something!” Izuku had raised his voice, and he mumbled an apology when he realized it, seeing his friend flinching slightly.

“It reminded me of middle school, especially when everyone found out I was quirkless.” Flashes of his early school days crossed his mind, the laughter, the nicknames, the explosions…

Izuku shook his head. It wasn’t like that anymore. He wasn’t that kid anymore.

“I even saw him earlier that day, during lunch. He was eating alone on the stairs, and he had such a defeated look on his face, it made me…” He sighed, when he couldn’t find the right words. “I don’t know, but… I saw myself in him.”

Himiko, whose buns were finished, sat on her butt and looked at Izuku with a shit-eating grin, snickering. It took Izuku a few moments to realize she had made a dirty joke out of what he had just said, without even speaking!

Izuku groaned loudly. “Agh! It’s not like that!” he whined, and gave her a playful punch to the shoulder.

“Sorry, Izu-chan,” she gave him a smile that told him she was definitely not sorry, but then she took on a serious expression. “You should talk to him, though.”

Izuku looked up with a frown. “Why? He didn't even seem to like the heroics students; I don’t think he would want to talk to me.”

She gave him a shrug and got up to polish her knives. “You’re not like the other heroics students, though. And he’s all alone at that school, isn’t he?”

The boy nodded. “It doesn’t seem like people want to hang out with him, and I’m sure it’s for a bullshit reason.” He unclenched his fists; he hadn’t realized he was doing that. 

“And we both know what it’s like to be alone at school, especially because of a quirk. Besides,” she wiggled her eyebrows in a way that made Izuku want to groan again, “he might actually come to like you, like a friend or more~” She gave him her signature grin, ignoring his wails.

~~~

For the entirety of the week, after their regular classes in the mornings, all 1-A students were training for the Sports Festival, in groups, pairs, or individually, like Katsuki, and Todoroki.

Izuku caught the heterochromatic boy’s eyes staring at him a couple times, especially when they had quirk training, but didn't think much of it.

On Saturday, he even offered to train with him. Izuku couldn’t tell exactly what made him approach the boy right before their Foundational Heroics class, where All Might unleashed them in Training Ground Beta to do their own thing – how recreational – but he was glad the boy agreed to train together.

Izuku was pleasantly surprised to find out the two could work together while exchanging little to no words. They did their warm-up exercises in comfortable silence, and then spar, with and without using their quirks. There was an unspoken level of understanding between them; work hard and don’t waste time, do your best and prove people wrong. Well, that last part was mostly about Izuku, but Todoroki had let out a few comments about getting back on his father, whatever that meant, so who was he to judge.

Todoroki proved to be an excellent training buddy, if that meant Izuku would barely be able to walk for the next five business days. Damn, this boy was not holding back. When the school day ended, Izuku headed home, skipping his aikido class, and wanting nothing more than to eat his dinner and take a five-hour nap.

Now that he thought about it, since school had started, and he would be training on a daily basis – his school schedule included both Heroics training and gym classes every day – he could drop his martial arts classes. He had already mastered using the staff, and his sensei had praised him for his proficiency on his aikido skills, especially considering the short amount of time he had been training there.

Izuku was fairly sure that with those skills, combined with his training with All Might after the entrance exam, and his heroics classes, he was competent enough to withdraw from his extracurriculars, now that he had a more important task to focus on, after school.

La Brava hadn’t contacted him yet, but Izuku had faith in her abilities, and waited patiently. He did some research on his own, though, looking through old articles and reports over past incidents revolving around heroes, trying to find any dirt he could, both for himself, and for video ideas to give Gentle Criminal. The villain duo would receive a huge thank-you gift when La Brava gave him the promised hard drive.

~~~

Izuku dropped by the Martial Arts Center on Monday afternoon, right after school, and took advantage of his newly-acquired free time slot to take a stroll around the neighborhood. Himiko texted him earlier that she had a meeting to attend – whatever that was about – so he made use of the free time and walked home, instead of taking the train.

His peaceful walk ended abruptly, however, when he was unexpectedly dragged to an alley. He hadn’t even noticed the perpetrator walking up to him, never mind taking his arm and all-but-yeeting him to the alleyway, but when he recognized them, he wasn’t all that surprised.

Izuku regained his balance and looked at the Hero Killer with a bewildered expression.

“What the fuck do you want?”

Bold choice of words, considering the man was capable of killing him on the spot, without giving Izuku a chance to react. But he was actually enjoying his walk, and got pissed that it was interrupted.

Stain chuckled, and approached Izuku, playing with the knife in his hand. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you, Midoriya Izuku.”

Oh, shit, Stain had found out his identity. Wait… what? Why? Was the dude that interested in him to track him down? And he had gotten through the trouble of following him for Gods know how long? Well, that wasn't creepy and disturbing at all.

What for, though? Surely not to kill him. He was the Hero Killer; he was more than capable to end him without anyone ever knowing. He also wasn’t radiating the murderous aura Izuku had felt the first time he met him. But if he knew his name, he had also found out Izuku was a heroics student, and that was something probably not in his favor.

“You’re an interesting fellow, I’ll give you that,” the vigilante continued, unaware of Izuku’s internal turmoil. “I was surprised to find out you’re a hero student, after everything you said last time we met.”

He squinted his eyes at the teenager, like he was trying to see through him, figure out if everything he had said was true, and he wasn’t bullshitting his way out of a potentially deadly situation.

“I know you weren’t lying,” he said, as if reading his thoughts, “but I am curious, why would a kid with your experience and beliefs apply for the hero course?”

Izuku glanced at Stain’s hands, that were still toying with his knife playfully. He decided that the man did not, in fact, intend to hurt him. On the contrary, he seemed genuinely curious about him.

Izuku sighed as took his bag off his shoulders, and sat on the ground. He got hit with a strong sense of déjà vu as he got himself comfortable, his forearms resting on his knees.

“I didn't get into the hero course to be a hero,” he started, gaining a raised eyebrow from the man. “I know it sounds weird, but…” He took a deep breath, and looked the Hero Killer in the eye. “Remember how All Might told me I couldn’t be a hero and left me on a roof?”

Stain nodded, giving him his undivided attention.

“That was the day I decided I didn't want to be a hero anymore. And if society said I couldn’t be a hero, if I couldn’t become one of them, I would bring them down instead.” Izuku’s eyes focused on his hands, as he clenched them into fists.

“You told me you wanted to cleanse society from all those fake heroes. My aspirations are similar, but bigger. I want to bring down the whole system. I want to destroy every inch of this fucking heroic society that raised me to believe a quirkless nobody, a useless Deku” – Izuku all but spat the word – “like me could never achieve my childhood dream of becoming a hero, or any dream for that matter.”

His anger had become apparent in his voice, he was almost shouting, and he forced himself to take another deep breath.

“I don’t just want society to change. I don’t want for the world to just realize how fucked up the hero system is. I want to bring down the Commission.” Izuku was clenching his fists so hard, he was almost breaking his skin with his nails. “I want to destroy every inch of this fucking system, reduce it to ashes.”

Izuku’s emerald eyes glowed, as the light of the setting sun fell on his face. He stared deep into the vigilante’s widened eyes as he stressed his next words.

“I want them to burn.”

Stain was quiet for a few moments, watching Izuku intently.

“I knew I liked you for a reason,” he finally said, surprising the teen. “I caught you training with your friend a few times. You’re very skilled with knives.” He pointed his own weapon at Izuku as he spoke. “I can teach you more than she can.”

Izuku’s brain almost short-circuited when he realized what the man had just said. Did he just offer to train him? What the hell?

“You want to teach me? That’s the reason you dragged me here?” Izuku voiced his thoughts, not bothering to hide his wariness. “Why?”

Stain hesitated a bit before answering, probably thinking over his words. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me, last time we met. Especially about All Might.”

Izuku nodded. He figured the man would have to digest what he had revealed to him about his idol. He knew from experience how hard it was to have your whole world turn upside down, after learning the truth about your– literal and metaphorical – heroes.

“I think we have a lot in common. I find you worthy in this world of worthless heroes.”

Izuku suppressed an eye-roll. It wasn't like he wanted or needed the man’s approval, but it was a pleasant surprise. Himiko had blabbered about the vigilante for hours when he first told her about their meeting, and Izuku had come to appreciate his ideals and goals as well, albeit being in a grey zone about his methods.

“You don’t have to join me in my work,” Stain went on, as if reading Izuku’s thoughts. “That’s not what this is about. But you show incredible promise. I want to help you with your goal. I can train you, teach you all I know. I have faith in your convictions, and your abilities, considering you got first place in U.A.’s hero exam.”

Izuku wasn’t even going to question how he had come to know that. Instead, he displayed a proud smirk.

“I can teach you about the underground, too, how it works. Connections, intel, the whole lot. You want to break down society, you're gonna need all the help you can get, more than what a hero school can give you. So, what do you say, kid?”

Izuku contemplated it. If he agreed, he would have one of the heroes’ most dangerous rising threats on his side, and if he ended up meeting the right people, he would have a significant advantage for his goals. He would have to be careful not to let out his identity as a hero student, though. Thankfully, he already had a ‘villain’ alias, and making a name for himself as Light early on wasn’t a bad idea in the slightest.

As for the training he offered, Izuku would very much like to learn how to be as stealthy and sneaky as the Hero Killer. The man knew tricks that one couldn’t easily learn if they weren’t part of the underground, or at least a vigilante, as Stain had started as. Hero schools didn't focus on that kind of stuff, anyway. It was more likely he learned how to be flashy and cool there, rather than stealthy and effective, considering the amount of limelight heroes it produced, compared to underground ones.

Izuku finally looked up to the Hero Killer, and with a new sense of determination, he got up.

“Okay.”

Stain gave him a huge grin, his unusually long tongue licking his lips.

“Well, then. Let’s get started.”

~~~

Stain was, surprisingly, a good teacher.

For the past few days, Izuku had been meeting the vigilante every evening, after sunset. They had agreed to meet in the same alley they sealed the deal, when it was dark enough for the man to train him while roaming the city, without people noticing them.

When he'd told Himiko about the Hero Killer taking him under his wing the day after, the girl had been way beyond excited. She had pestered Izuku to introduce them, as he was one of her idols. In the end, he couldn’t go against his best friend’s wishes, especially when she'd begged him with that cute face of hers, but he'd made her promise she wouldn’t go all crazy on him.

Izuku had texted the man to meet him in Himiko’s place earlier the next day to introduce them, and the two had really hit it off. Izuku had watched in amusement as his friend and his mentor – was that what the vigilante was? – bonded over their blood-related quirks, and the way they were shunned because of them. Izuku, of course, had made a whole analysis on Stain’s paralysis quirk, and had made sure to ask him for details later.

The three of them had ended up having a heated discussion over their views on hero society’s ‘fundamental decay’, as the adult called it, and it'd been the most fun Izuku had in a long time. Being able to discuss his real views with people, without the fear of being criticized, gave him a sense of belonging. Needless to say, that day Izuku did barely any training.

Stain made up for it the next few days, though. He showed him how to move inaudibly and conceal his presence, as well as how to patrol an area without being noticed. Izuku had requested he taught him stealth and sneak attacks first. He had been impressed by the Hero Killer’s ability to sneak up to him without Izuku even registering another presence nearby, and he was fairly confident in his situational awareness, too. He had a lot to learn, and the man was more than willing to teach him.

Izuku had asked his mentor to call him Light. He didn't want to be associated with the hero student Midoriya Izuku when he indulged in… less legal activities – even if he wasn’t doing anything outright illegal, roaming around with the Hero Killer would be taken as such. He also figured he had to find a way to acquire proper attire for them. He couldn’t use his hero costume, as it was kept in U.A., but he wouldn’t use it anyway, to avoid being recognized. He made a mental note to ask Giran to get him a different costume; he still had a stack of Hero Analysis notebooks at home that he could give him in return.

Speaking of, he didn't know where the broker had given or sold them, and he hadn’t asked either. But Stain did tell him that word had gotten out in the underground that info about heroes were circling around, and it would be a matter of time before a Pro got attacked. The small part of Izuku that was feeling guilty over that happening was overshadowed by his actual resentment towards the heroes he had written about, and in the end, he wasn’t responsible for other people’s actions.

On another note, Izuku continued his training with Todoroki at school. They were both comfortable doing their individual routines in silence, and spar during their gym classes.

Izuku was avoiding his other classmates as much as possible; he couldn’t deal with their constant optimism and totally false view about their world. They were all so oblivious about what society really was like, it was driving him mad. He had managed to deal with All Might during the year he trained him, but eighteen overly enthusiastic teenagers were too much.

If his classmates noticed his reluctance to join them in any activity, or at the cafeteria during lunch, they didn't show it. Not while he was present, or when they thought he was, anyway. He had overheard some comments during lunch, when he usually sat alone at a corner and utilizing his training with Stain to conceal his presence, about how he was overly shy and awkward, but also polite and kind (and sometimes scary during his short outbursts, mostly regarding Mineta’s behaviour, but the girls didn't seem to mind). At least his fake persona worked, and they didn't suspect him for lying about basically everything and putting on a mask.

Only Katsuki seemed to watch him when no one else paid him no mind, but since he knew Izuku since they were babies, it was logical to assume he had noticed something different about him. He had caught Katsuki’s glare more than once, and the blond had immediately turned away, but Izuku could still tell his childhood friend was trying to figure him out. There was no way he actually would, though.

He had also caught the eye of the purple-haired boy from General Education a couple times. He was always alone at lunch, too, usually at the bottom of a staircase, and it had crossed Izuku’s mind to join him, before remembering Himiko’s taunts that made him blush and walk away. He still gave the boy a nod or two when he saw him, if only for solidarity - not that the taller teen would know.

Izuku had overheard kids gossiping about the lavender-haired teen, mostly about how he had a villain’s quirk, and to stay away from him. It made Izuku’s blood boil. No kid deserved to be shunned by his peers for their quirk – or lack of it – and it really hit close to home, seeing the teen all alone, avoiding the stares and whispers of his classmates. At least he wasn’t receiving any physical repercussions for simply existing.

Well, that was until Saturday, just four days before the Sports Festival.

Chapter Text

The moment the bell signaling the start of lunch period rang, Izuku took out his bento box, and skillfully slithered his way out of the classroom.

He took out his phone as he crossed the hallways, and answered the texts he had received this morning but hadn’t had the chance to reply.  

La Brava had texted him that she had successfully infiltrated the Commission’s database, and had his promised hard drive ready. She had really kept her promise of getting the job done in less than two weeks. Today was exactly 13 days after their meeting, and Izuku was even more impressed in his new friend’s abilities. He had already seen what she was capable of, but this job definitely took the cake.

They agreed to meet in the afternoon, after Izuku got off school, at the apartment where they had met the first time. Izuku, having seen her messages as he got ready for school, had already taken with him his formal outfit for their meeting – he had grown to like the feeling of wearing a suit while doing business – as well as a notebook filled with ideas for Gentle’s videos and whole pages dedicated to monologues for the villain to make during them. Although Izuku had already honored his part of deal, and was planning to continue working with them after this, he still felt like he wanted to give the villain a thank-you gift.

He also contacted Giran, about getting him a villain costume. During his training with Stain, he had been wearing a simple black outfit – sweatpants, a sweatshirt with the hood over his head, and a medical face mask – but it felt wrong. He felt like he should be wearing an actual costume, similar to his ‘hero’ one, with a few alterations, of course. The broker asked Izuku to text him his exact requirements for it, and he would contact an associate to get it ready as soon as possible. He promised Izuku to get in touch when the costume was ready, and requested a couple of Hero Analysis notebooks for payment.

Izuku turned off his phone, sat on the bottom of a staircase, as usual, away from the cafeteria, and started eating his home-made lunch in peace. He was getting better at concealing his presence, making use of his training with Stain, and was happy to see that students would pass by him without registering his presence, or him staring at them.

That skill really came in handy when he caught on half a dozen students harassing a classmate. Izuku had just swallowed the last bite of his bento, when he heard a group of kids snickering and dropping slurs and mean comments, as well as cries of pain.

“A little birdie told me that you applied for the hero course, is that true?”

“Dude! Don’t ask him questions! He could control you!”

“That’s not how-” The last person’s sentence was cut off, with the sound of a punch and grunting.

Izuku frowned. That voice seemed familiar, and his gut told him to go check out what was happening. He closed his bento box shut, left it on the bottom of the stairs to retrieve it later, and walked towards the noise, leading him to the nearest gender-neutral bathroom.

“You can do so many bad stuff, you know? And no one would know it was you…” Izuku saw a boy he vaguely recognized from the day the other courses had barricaded the 1-A door, with flushed cheeks and a dreamy face that made the green-haired boy scowl in disgust.

Izuku, still obscuring his presence, took a better look at the scene unfolding in front of him. Students he recognized from the Gen Ed course had surrounded the purple-haired boy he had gotten used to seeing in the hallways, and were using him as a tester punching bag for their quirks. One of the kids could sharpen their nails, their right index finger dripping with blood, while another had a rock quirk – well, didn't that bring up some pleasant memories – and had apparently been punching the taller teen with quirked fists, that were painted with blood. So was the purple kid’s face.

Izuku saw red. There was blatant quirk discrimination and bullying happening on U.A. grounds, and the school, that – knowing Nedzu – had eyes and ears literally everywhere, was doing nothing? How the fuck did a hero school allow such things to happen? Who knew how many times this had happened in the past and the teachers had done nothing.

There was no one else around, and it didn't seem like anyone was coming. Not that Izuku would wait for someone to show up. He activated his quirk, One For All coursing through his veins, and approached the assholes surrounding the kid. It took an incredible amount of self-control not to beat all of them to a pulp, but that wouldn’t have been very heroic, and he didn't want his persona to slip up and get in trouble with the school.

“Leave. Him. Alone.”

Izuku didn't bother concealing the venom in his tone, and most of the kids got the message and backed off with a frightened expression, recognition evident. One of them was not as smart.

“Oh, come on dude, it’s no biggy! He’s basically a villain with that quirk-”

Izuku didn't let him finish his sentence. He punched the boy square on his nose, a deafening crunch echoing in the bathroom. It took all the self-control Izuku had to deactivate his quirk right before his fist connected to the asshole’s face, otherwise he would have likely killed him. If they weren’t on U.A. grounds, he probably wouldn’t have minded, either.

“D-Dude, w-what the fuck…” the shitbag wailed, but Izuku didn't relent. He activated his quirk once more and clenched his fists, glaring at the boy, burning holes into his skull.

A girl with magenta hair took the crying asshole by the arm. “What are you doing?!” she whisper-shouted. “He’s the 1-A prodigy! You don’t mess with him!” So he already had a reputation, huh? That could prove useful.

Izuku’s eyes were wide with rage, his lips curled up just enough to show his teeth, One For All's green aura glowing on his skin.

“I won’t ask again. Leave.”

All six students scrambled their way away, the girl all but dragging her friend as he cried and held his bleeding nose. Izuku watched them intently until they got out of sight, and then redirected his focus to the purple boy, who had fallen on the ground next to the bathroom sink, and was clutching his bleeding face.

He was looking at Izuku with wide eyes – well, eye, his left one was concealed by his hand – a mix of fear and anger emanating from his curled-up body.

Izuku deactivated his quirk, made his expression drop from scowling with malice and fury to a frown, his worry and empathy for the other teen genuine. He held out his hands, so they were visible, and walked towards him slowly.

“You’re hurt, can I see?” He crouched to the taller boy’s level, but made no move to touch him.

The teenager was clearly in pain, and was curling into himself like a wounded animal. He removed his hand from his bleeding face, but he still narrowed his eyes at Izuku when he offered to help.

“Wh-” His voice was hoarse and got caught on a sob. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “Why would you help me?”

Izuku would feel the mistrust and wariness radiating from the kid from miles away. “You were being beaten and I heard, I couldn’t leave you-”

“No,” he interrupted, “I meant why would you help me?”

Izuku frowned. “Why wouldn’t I? You were being hurt and mistreated, and no one else came to help.”

The boy’s usually apathetic, bored-looking eyes started watering. “But why? I have a villainous quirk, I’m sure you’ve heard about it…”

He looked away as Izuku sat down in front of him, still not touching him, but close enough.

“There’s no such thing as a villainous quirk, um…?” Izuku tilted his head, silently asking for the teen’s name.

“Shinsou. Hitoshi.” Shinsou looked like he was fighting back tears threatening to spill.

“Shinsou-kun, whatever your quirk is, it can’t be villainous. Even if a villain used it, it’s still a tool. And it doesn’t excuse people beating you in a hero school bathroom.” Izuku didn't hide his resentment. “Being discriminated against just because of your quirk is inexcusable and wrong. I'm sorry you had to go through this.”

Shinsou was now quietly sobbing, from the pain, the shock, or Izuku’s words, he wasn’t completely sure. But he heard a soft ‘thank you’ between sobs, so the shorter teen took it as a win.

“Can I see your wounds? I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.” Izuku stared at those beautiful amethyst eyes, before they turned away, and the boy nodded.

Upon inspection, Shinsou had a nasty gash over his left eye, but his eye didn't seem to have sustained any damage. There were ugly bruises forming on his other eye, jaw and cheeks, as well as a deep jagged cut on the right side of his jaw, just next to his chin. And those were only the ones on his face.

When he received permission, he lifted Shinsou's uniform, and held back a wince at the number of bruises he had all over his torso and stomach.

“I could probably treat them on my own, but I’d have to back to my classroom to get my first-aid kit, or we can go to Recovery Girl.”

Shinsou shook his head as soon as the Youthful Heroine was mentioned. That was some trauma regarding school nurses, right there. Izuku could relate.

“It’s okay, I’ll go and bring my stuff. I’ll be back in a minute, can you wait?”

As soon as he received a nod, Izuku bolted out of the bathroom, and ran towards the 1-A classroom – taking his bento box from the ground on the way. He quickly got his medical supplies and left for the bathroom again, ignoring his classmates’ questions and confused reactions.

When he got back, the boy was exactly as he'd left him. Izuku closed the bathroom door for privacy, and sat next to the purple boy.

They sat in silence as Izuku disinfected the boy’s cuts on his face, and removed all the blood with a damp towel. Shinsou thankfully could see normally from his left eye, but the cut across it would leave a scar, as the one on his jaw. Luckily, they weren’t deep enough to need stiches, but Izuku could do them if it was needed. The Gods know he’d had to stitch himself before.

As he applied antiseptic cream on his face, Shinsou broke the silence between them.

“Why are you helping me?” It was said in a whisper, barely audible.

Izuku frowned. “I told you; I saw you get assaulted and-”

“No,” Shinsou interrupted him, shaking his head. “I mean now. You did your heroic act, you stopped them from beating me up.” He said the last part ashamed. Izuku wondered if it was because he couldn’t fight back, physically, or because he froze as a trauma response – because he surely had been bullied before U.A.; Izuku knew how middle-schoolers could be. Maybe both. The boy may be tall, but he was scrawny, and he didn't seem like he knew how to defend himself.

“I didn't do it to be heroic,” Izuku mumbled, as he covered the teen’s cuts with gauze pads. “I just know what it’s like, getting beaten up and not have someone help you afterwards.” He gave Shinsou a small, sad smile and proceeded to take a closer look at the boy’s bruises on his torso.

Shinsou furrowed his brows. “You’ve been bullied, too? Why? You’re the 1-A prodigy!”

Izuku gave a heartless laugh as he fixed the boy’s costume. The bruises were many, but they didn't to need any sort of treatment, except an ice pack, like the ones on his face.

“You’d be surprised…” he said softly, before packing up his first-aid kit. “I’ve disinfected your cuts and applied gauze, you should change those at least once a day, and put ice packs on your bruises to reduce the swelling. Do you want a painkiller? I have some if you need them.”

Shinsou nodded and accepted the tablets and a bottle of water, and Izuku got up and dusted himself off, just as the bell signaling the end of lunch period rang.

“I gotta go,” Izuku said. “If you need anything and don’t want to go to Recovery Girl, come find me.”

Shinsou watched him as he walked away. “Wait!” he called, making Izuku turn his head.

The taller teen had gotten up, wincing – not surprising, considering the number of wounds and bruises he had sustained.    

“Um…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn't catch your name.”

“Midoriya Izuku.”

“Thank you, Midoriya. For helping me.” The boy seemed as awkward as the green-haired teen used to be. A light blush crept up Izuku’s cheeks, and he turned his head as he started walking away.

“No problem, Shinsou-kun.”

Chapter Text

Right after school ended, Izuku took the train to La Brava’s place, only stopping by the station’s restrooms to change into his formal clothes.

Looking at himself in the bathroom’s mirror, Izuku was filled with pride.  

His suit was starting to look more like his size. He had purchased it a size bigger, so it would fit him after he gained more muscle mass, too. He still couldn’t knot his tie correctly, but he chose to ignore it. No one had ever shown him how to do it, and he didn't really have a father anymore to show him stuff like that, anyway.

He noticed his hair had gotten longer, too. He hadn’t cut it in a while, but he didn't dislike it. He had found a spare hair tie of his mom’s this morning in the bathroom, and the idea crept up in his mind until now. Feeling experimental, Izuku tied the upper half of his hair in a small ponytail on the back of his head, and was honestly impressed with the result. It made him seem more professional, in a sense, compared to having bushy and unruly curls in random directions.

He straightened his clothes, and confidently made the way out of the train station and to La Brava’s apartment. The hacker greeted him with a tight hug, and ushered him to her study, that was actually just a desk with all her computers and hacking-relevant electronic devices on the left corner of the apartment’s master bedroom.

“Here, this is for you, Light.”

La Brava was practically vibrating in place, as she handed him a hard drive.

“This is everything I found in their database, including any and all heavily encrypted documents, as well as every email and letter sent to and from the Commission! I have all of them copied in a hard drive on my desk, just in case, but this is yours!”

Izuku’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, his bright smile almost filling the room with light.

“Thank you, Brava. I have a gift for you, too.”

She tilted her head as she frowned. “What gift? You already ‘paid’ me.” She used air quotes, as her payment were basically notes.

“I know, I know, but I still wanted to give you something extra,” Izuku chuckled, taking out the notebook from his backpack, “so, here you go.”

Izuku’s smile widened as he watched the small villain’s expression shift from curiosity to surprise, to enthusiasm. Her eyes were almost heart-shaped by the time she read it all, and they started watering as she looked at Izuku with a fond expression.

“Light-chan, thank you so much!”

He smiled earnestly, and then directed his focus on the hard drive in his hand.

“Oh, right! Let me show you how I’ve organized them.”

Before she got to explain, Gentle Criminal came into the apartment, pleasantly surprised to see Light, the person who had already provided an infinite amount of help for his channel, even though they hadn’t met in person yet. They introduced themselves properly, and Gentle left the two to their devices, after thanking Izuku profusely and offering a cup of tea – Izuku gladly accepted.

La Brava proceeded to show him the amount of information in the drive, that was, in simple words, colossal. The hard drive had a maximum storage capacity of 100 terabytes, and it was nearly filled. The hacker had downloaded every single file on the Commission’s database – that explained her more-than-usual dark circles – and she had done a first sweep of the files to sort them into vague categories, most of them already arranged by the Commission, some sorted by the young villainess.

One folder, containing almost 10% of the drive’s memory, was named ‘Hawks’. La Brava explained that when she skimmed through the files, she found very regularly the Number 3 Hero’s name, sometimes accompanied by the name Takami Keigo – apparently his birth name – so she sorted all folders, documents, and emails referring to the Wing Hero into one big folder for Izuku to peruse.

As Izuku went over the document titles, his anger and resentment towards the HPSC turned into pure fury. ‘Child soldier program’, ‘hero assassinations’, and ‘cover-ups’ were only a handful of all the atrocities the Commission had perpetrated. Izuku could tell he was in for a headache, that would at least a few weeks, as he sorted out all the documents.

The whole deal with the Number 3 Hero especially had piqued his interest, and he decided he would be starting his research with that. He had to start somewhere, after all.

After thanking the young villainess profusely, and promising to be in touch, he changed once again, this time in his workout outfit, and left to meet Stain for another training session.

The Hero Killer decided he would be teaching him parkour today, and how to incorporate his stealth skills into navigating the city. He vowed to make Izuku a ghost, invisible. Seen by none, feared by all.

Izuku found out he really enjoyed roof-hopping. The warm touch of the wind brushing his face while in the air, as well as the seconds of free-falling before his feet touched the ground, gave him a sense of peace and security he couldn’t quite explain.

Izuku’s mind briefly wandered to a time where he was seeking that feeling, but for completely different reasons. A time where he wanted to feel the calmness and simpleness of the elements reign over his mind and body, giving him an escape from the torment that was his life. A time where he wanted everything to just stop, not because he didn't want to live, but because whatever followed would have been a better alternative than the hell that was his pitiful excuse of a life.

A time where he was just so tired, he wished he could just go to sleep and never wake up. Where he was sick of pretending, hiding, coming up with excuses for his wounds and smiling like he wasn’t just told for the umpteenth time that there was no room in this world for someone like him. Where he begged and prayed and cried himself to sleep, pleading with the universe to grand him the one thing he wanted the most. The only thing that it had deprived him of.

A time, where he’d rather tear his skin and stain his shower floor than remembering the harsh voices of his teachers and classmates, kindly reminding him of his useless existence. A time of tears and blood and silent screams under the blue light of midnight.

But that was then, and this was now. Izuku wasn’t that person anymore. That child died the day Katsuki told him to jump off a roof, and All Might left him on one. It was ironic, really, how it could have easily ended that day. How a simple step off the ledge would have granted him the peace he used to crave for.

Running through the city with his mentor, Izuku found himself on the very rooftop his destiny changed. He slowed to a stop, closed his eyes briefly and relished the light chill of the breeze ruffling his long curls. Looking down the streets from the rooftops gave him a new perspective. A sense of control. He was free, pulling the strings in his own life, changing the fate of the weak quirkless child he once was.

He glanced at the Hero Killer, who was watching him with a curious look, a hint of worry in his expression. Izuku smiled and shook his head. Even though he wasn’t falling, wasn’t holding the metal that carved his skin, he could savor the peace the night was bestowing him.

~~~

Izuku closed the door, took off his shoes, and quietly made his way to his room, all but flopping on the bed. His mom had already signed off for the day, and even though she was a heavy sleeper, he made sure to be a quiet as possible.

He internally groaned as he realized he had to get undressed, but really didn't want to bother. It wasn’t very late, but the day had been quite eventful.

After a brief dispute with the logical part of his mind, he conceded, and got up to shower and get ready for bed. He wouldn’t sleep immediately, though. The information the hard drive La Brava gave him contained was too tempting. He grabbed some potato chips from the kitchen to munch on while he did his work, and opened the laptop Giran had gifted him.

Opening the folder named ‘Hawks’, Izuku started reading the documents it contained, one by one, and organized them in his computer, while taking notes, so he could sort everything out effectively.

During the following four hours, Izuku managed to make a timeline that was basically the Number Three Hero’s life, before and after the Commission took him in. Takami Keigo was born on the island of Kyushu to Takami Tomie and her husband, Takami Yoruha, a villain who was on the run for theft and murder. His parents, while being pursued, forced Keigo to stay at home at all times, hiding him from the rest of the world, to ensure he didn't rat out his father.

Eventually, Yoruha was caught and arrested by Endeavor, and Keigo – who was seven years old at the time – and his mother were forced to flee their home to avoid getting arrested for harboring a fugitive, and lived on the streets.

The HPSC took notice of Keigo when he intervened in a car accident and saved a bunch of people. They basically bought him off his mother, ‘offering both of them compensation and protection so long as they abandoned the "Takami" name’ and enrolled Hawks in their child soldier program - or the Next Generation Project, as it had been called.

At that point, Izuku had to stop reading for a while, to make some tea and collect himself. He didn't even want to get into their child soldier thing right now, that was a problem for another day. He only skimmed through some files to get the general idea, so he could make sense of Hawks’s documents, and was almost relieved to see the Commission had disbanded the program after the hero ‘graduated’, even though it had been running since before the hero was even born. 

Izuku was surprised to find out that Hawks was actually a heteromorph. Sure, he had his wings and the shape of his eyes were bird-like, but he didn't portray any animalistic behavior or characteristics. He wasn’t surprised anymore, though, after he read that his ‘caretakers’ had trained his heteromorphic traits out of him, and had put him on suppressants from the day they took him in.

And as if that wasn’t enough, when they eventually created their perfectly human child soldier, they made him forget his training to get rid of his animalistic traits, and even that he had any to begin with. The training had been so engraved into him, that he wouldn’t even need to remember how to suppress any potential slip-ups. Hawks would just instantly correct any animalistic behavior he might present, without even remembering what he was correcting, or why.

Apparently, the former Commission President– he was killed seven years ago, Izuku would look that one up later – had a memory-altering quirk, whose effects had stayed even after his death. He had used his quirk on all of the kids in their program to make them forget most of the shit they put them through, and basically shape them into puppets that wouldn’t question them or their methods.

Izuku’s eyes started drooping as he started working on the Hero’s training, so he decided to call it a night and continue tomorrow. It was Sunday, after all, and he’d have all day to get through more of the Commission’s bullshit.

~~~

During the next couple of days, Izuku read all there was to read about the Hero Commission’s child soldier program. He made no attempt to hide his fury as he recounted his findings to Himiko and Stain, who were unfortunate enough to have him rant about them, on separate occasions.

Izuku was so pent up, reading about literal children getting bought off their parents – and those had been the lucky ones – or picked off the streets and put through such intensive training, that pro heroes would struggle to follow - Izuku just had to rant about it.

They had taken dozens of children, and had raised them to believe they would make them into fine heroes. They had put them through gruesome training, pushing them to their limits, and deaths, in no small number of cases. Children had literally dropped dead from exhaustion or quirk overuse and the Commission had discarded them like failed experiments. It was so fucked up, Izuku didn't even want to recount the specifics of what the poor kids had had to go through.

It took great effort for him to go to school and pretend he was a happy-go-lucky heroics student who hadn’t just read the most infuriating piece of information about how their beloved Commission abused and killed children that weren’t lucky enough to be in their place. Still, he put on his mask, smiled politely and avoided all confrontations he could.

Well, not all confrontations. During lunch on Monday, Izuku’s eyes absentmindedly searched for a certain purple-haired boy, but came up empty. Though Shinsou had gained a number of injuries when those assholes attacked him on Saturday, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he spent the next few days at home to recover.

As he scanned the cafeteria for the Gen Ed student, Izuku noticed Todoroki eating alone, and his legs brought him to his classmate before he could even think about it.

“May I sit here?” Izuku asked, bento box in hand.

Todoroki, who was in the process of slurping a mouthful of his cold soba, looked up to him, noodles hanging off of his mouth. Izuku thought it was kind of adorable, and a little funny, how the boy slurped the rest of his noodles and swallowed while maintaining eye contact.

“The seat isn’t taken.”

The two proceeded to eat their lunch in comfortable silence.

The next day, Izuku found himself wandering in the cafeteria again, looking for the peppermint-haired boy. Todoroki spotted him only seconds after Izuku started heading for his table, and gave a nudge towards the empty seat across himself. Izuku didn't need to be told twice. Maybe this would become a habit, eating lunch with the Number Two Hero’s son, who didn't seem to enjoy being there more than Izuku did.

~~~

A few minutes before the bell rang, Izuku was ecstatic to receive an update from Giran, informing him that his villain costume was ready, and told him to come to his office – the place where they first met – to pick it up.

It got Izuku quite perked up, Katsuki shooting glances at him like it was his business when Izuku was actually looking forward to something, and even Tsu questioned his restlessness. He made up some bullshit excuse about being thrilled about the Sports Festival coming up, and everyone seem to buy it, considering the event was tomorrow.

After school, Izuku all but ran to the train station to get home, changed into his business outfit, packed Giran’s payment – aka two notebooks – and took off to the broker’s office.

He casually entered the antique store he used as a front, the girl on the counter not giving him a second glance – she had probably been informed he would be coming – and headed to the back and up the stairs to the office, just like a few weeks ago, when they'd made their first deal. It hadn’t even been a month ago, but so much had happened since then, it seemed like ages ago.

Giran was waiting for him inside, sitting on his desk, a cigarette between his lips. He was wearing a God-awful scarf, that looked like human intestines in both shape and color, that Izuku didn't bother hide his disdain for.

“What the fuck are you wearing?”

“Well, hello to you too, Light.” Giran sported his usual grin, and took a briefcase from bellow the desk and placed it on top of it. Straight to business, then.

“The materials were a pain to get,” he said as he opened the briefcase, revealing Izuku’s – no, Light’s – costume, along with an array of knives. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“Whatever you say, Giran.” Izuku grinned as he traced his fingers on the black material. He couldn’t wait to try it on.

“Go on, try it,” the broker said, as if reading his thoughts. “The changing rooms are down the hall, second door to the right.” Izuku didn't need to be told twice.

Giran gave him some time to change, before getting in the changing rooms as well. Izuku was adjusting his utility belt on his waist when the man knocked. With Izuku’s permission, he came in, and they both stared at the full-length mirror, admiring the result.

The costume was all black, the material similar to his hero costume – weaved with Kevlar, fire and water proof, impact absorbent, slice-proof, all that jazz. It was two-piece, a tight sleeveless shirt with a hood and loose pants with knee pads. Both had enough pockets to store everything he might want to bring, some of them hidden for his smaller knives, while his utility belt held enough knife holsters for a small army.

Thin black gloves went up to his elbows, bearing elbow pads and a couple knife holsters strapped on his forearms. His steel-toed boots, instead of dark red like his other costume, were dark green, with extra padding for stealth, and had hidden compartments for – surprise – more knives.

The major difference with his hero costume was his face mask. Made of a sleek and thin dark green material, it went up to his nose, with a voice changer and sound muffler – for stealth mode – installed, as well as a smoke and gas filter. Izuku was grinning widely behind it, exceptionally pleased with the result.

“So, how do you like it?” Giran asked, although, judging by his own expression, Izuku could tell he was impressed as well.

Izuku’s grin widened, threatening to split his face into two. “I love it.”

~~~

After leaving Giran’s office, Izuku headed towards his and Stain’s usual meeting place, not bothering to change out of his new costume. His mentor barely realized it was him, but was pleased to see his disciple had requested so many knife holsters and compartments.

After their training, Izuku dropped by Himiko’s place to give her some food, and she wouldn’t let him go, smothering him in hugs and good luck wishes for the Sports Festival tomorrow. She would be watching the event, most likely from the T.V. in her next victim’s house, and she would be rooting for him all the way.

Izuku was really happy, finally having the support system he had always needed. Sure, he always had his mom, but she wouldn’t exactly approve of his goals now.

But Himiko, and Stain, they would both be supporting him, in anything, every step of the way. So how could he not give it his all, when he had the most important people in his life, having his back?  

Chapter Text

When Izuku arrived at the U.A. entrance gate, he went into stealth mode and slithered his way between the crowd to the stage and into the waiting room for his class.

The was a much bigger crowd this year, including both civilians and reporters. Class 1-A, having been attacked by villains only two weeks ago, had attracted a lot of attention, and were bigger news than the third-years, that were usually the media’s main focus of the Sports Festival.

For that reason, U.A. would host the Festival on three separate days, each for every year. Today was the first-years’ turn, while on Thursday and Friday would be the second and third-years’ turns, respectively.

As Izuku arrived at the changing rooms, he went to a secluded corner to change, just like always. Sure, his class now knew he and Katsuki had a rough history, but he still didn't feel like explaining their actual bully-victim relationship and the subsequent quirk-induced burns that littered his body, nor his self-harm scars. They may be aware that he grew up quirkless, and had a rough childhood, but he didn't feel like sharing that vulnerable part of himself, not if he could avoid it.

After changing into his gym uniform, he joined his other classmates in their assigned waiting room. He heard a couple kids complaining about wanting to wear their hero costumes, but were forced to wear their gym uniform instead. Heroics students weren’t allowed to have their costumes on, or bring any support items to the Sports Festival, in favor of being fair to the other classes.

Izuku was standing against the wall in the corner of the room, his eyes closed, vaguely registering his classmates wondering what the first round will be, when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

“Midoriya, can I talk to you for a second?” Todoroki asked in a calm tone, but Izuku could tell the boy was tense about something.

“Hmm? What is it, Todoroki-kun?” Izuku didn't need to open his eyes to know that a few of their classmates had turned their attention on them, but he did anyway, if only to not be rude to the boy who was now standing in front of him.

“Objectively speaking, I think I'm stronger than you.”

Izuku frowned. “Uh, yeah, probably.” He really couldn’t tell what Todoroki was thinking.

“Even so, All Might has his eye on you, doesn’t he?”

Izuku barely managed to suppress a groan. He wasn’t even surprised that one of the brightest students in his class had noticed the favoritism the Number One Hero was showing. Honestly, it was a miracle the whole school hadn’t found out. The zygote couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.

Even so, Izuku wasn’t particularly willing to talk about his relationship with that sorry excuse of a hero. Thankfully, Todoroki didn't give him a chance to reply.

“I’m not trying to pry. I just wanted to say… I'm going to beat you.” The dual-colored teen looked almost sad, practically declaring war on Izuku in front of their class. There was something more to this than just a classmate being arrogant or over-confident in their abilities.

Izuku tuned out the other students’ exclamations and opinions on the whole thing, focusing on his classmate, who, behind that stoic and determined-looking expression, Izuku could tell was hiding some sort of desperation he couldn’t quite understand.

“Hey man,” Kirishima butted in hesitantly, “don’t go picking up fights, the event is about to start.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Todoroki shrugged him off, and started walking away. “I'm not here to make friends, anyway.” He exited the room before anyone could reply, leaving a confused 1-A, and an even more confused Izuku behind.

Now, Izuku could have called him out. Ask why he was declaring he would beat him, or even reply with a provocation of his own. Accept the challenge and say he would do his best. But, looking at the teenager’s solemn expression, one that didn't comply with the distress Izuku was sure he was hiding, he decided he would talk to him later, away from the prying eyes of his classmates.

Before he could dwell on it further, Present Mic’s booming voice echoed through the speakers around the stadium, the crowd erupting in cheers.

“It’s time for the first-year students to enter the stage! Are you ready?!”

Mic proceeded to make a dramatic presentation of their class and the hardships they had faced, as the students entered the stadium. Izuku noticed that the hero didn't add anything special to the other courses, as he announced the arrival of the respective student body. Well, that wasn’t biased at all.

Izuku willed his face to remain neutral, as he walked. The stadium was huge, and filled to the brim with people. He still didn't do well with crowds, and he struggled not to wince and let the anxiety of thousands of people watching him get to him. His classmates’ nervousness wasn’t helping, either. Instead, he focused on the students that were slowly entering the stadium after them.

His eyes skimmed through the 1-B hero students – he was already making guesses on their quirks; he would definitely be analyzing them as the Festival went on – before his gaze landed on a familiar cloud of purple.

Shinsou was walking towards the center of the stadium, following the other General Education students. Izuku was glad to see the injuries on his face had healed considerably, and the scarring wasn't as bad as he initially thought, even though they were fairly prominent. The tall teen had his usual tired look on, but he also looked way more disheartened than what a Gen Ed student, who aspired to get into the hero course via the Sports Festival, would be expected to look like. He almost seemed like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

“All right, time for the student pledge!” Midnight, who was assigned the role of an umpire, called out, drawing the attention of both students and spectators. “Representing the students is Midoriya Izuku from class 1-A!”

God fucking dammit. Izuku had totally forgotten about this. Since he'd scored first at both the written and the practical exam, he would be the one to deliver the opening speech. All Might had informed him last week, but with everything that had happened the past few days, it had completely slipped his mind.

Izuku straightened his back and walked towards the podium with a neutral expression, not revealing the mess that was his brain right now, trying to form a speech in less than 30 seconds.

All Might would want him to say ‘I am here’ and show the world the new Symbol of Peace. Izuku imagined himself doing his All Might impression – which was pretty spot on, if he said so himself – and the thought almost made him laugh. Yeah, no, that was not happening. If he was going to make an impression, he would be doing it in his own terms.

He could bullshit his heart out, make an inspiring speech about the heroes-in-the-making doing their best and giving it their all.

But some part of him wanted to be sincere. Stay true to what he believed. He wouldn’t say everything on his mind, obviously, but he wanted to weave his speech with a hint of truth, while staying loyal to his heroics persona.

He walked up to the podium, and accepted the microphone from the R-rated hero. He took a deep breath, put on a sweet smile and addressed the crowd looking at him in anticipation.

“Hello everyone! Welcome to the first-years’ Sports Festival!”

Everyone cheered.

“I'm Midoriya Izuku. If I'm being honest, I had forgotten I would be giving a speech, so I'm kinda improvising right now.” He let out a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head, as the crowd laughed.

“I placed first in the written and the practical exam for the hero course. I’m not saying this to boast.” He made a small pause. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a hero. All my life, I've been told that I would never achieve anything, that my dreams are unattainable. That I should give up.”

Izuku briefly glanced at the students below him, seeing their mixed reactions. Most of his classmates, knowing his previous quirkless status, where looking at him with a mixture of pity, sympathy and pride. Katsuki, on the other hand, was staring at the ground with a tense expression. The rest of the student body was watching him with confusion and curiosity. Izuku turned his attention back to the crowd. 

“And yet, I stand here today, giving a speech at U.A.’s Sports Festival as the student representative. This is a message to everyone who has ever been discriminated. To everyone watching that has been bullied, abused, made fun of, and mistreated, for things out of their control.”

He searched for a camera and stared right into it as he stressed his next words. “Your dreams are not unreachable. Don’t let society tell you your goals are unrealistic.” Izuku wondered whether All Might remembered what he had told him that day.

“Don’t let those around you put you down, tell you who you are. Prove them wrong. Show them what you're made of. We can, and we will, make a difference.”    

He turned to the students below him and smiled once more.

“So let’s give it our all! Go beyond!”

“PLUS ULTRA!” Everyone shouted the phrase with him, as he raised his fist into the air. The crowd cheered, and Izuku handed the microphone back to Midnight.

“Wow, Midoriya, you were so manly!” Kirishima exclaimed as Izuku made his way back to his classmates.

“Yeah! So inspiring!” Uraraka punched the air in excitement.

“I sure don’t feel like it,” Izuku mumbled, “I hate crowds.”

“Don’t worry, Midori,” Ashido reassured him, “you were great!”

She went to hug him, but seeing the way he flinched, and probably remembering how he had summersaulted Katsuki when he went to grab him after the quirk apprehension test, she decided against it and gave him two thumbs-ups instead. He gave her a polite smile and turned his gaze towards Midnight, who was about to announce the first event.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

A hologram appeared behind her, ‘drawing the lots’ – the events were all predetermined – and everyone watched in anticipation.

“The first event… is an obstacle course!”

She then proceeded to explain that the course would take place outside and around the stadium, as well as specify the rules, that were basically ‘anything goes as long as you stay on the course’.

The students gathered around the gate leading outside the stadium, which was kind of stupid, if you asked Izuku. They would all get trampled trying to take the lead and end up getting hurt. Izuku stuck to the back, if only to avoid getting stomped on and pushed around.

“Ready? Start!”

At Present Mic’s signal, just as Izuku thought, everyone rushed forward, and started pushing each other in the narrow exit. Some of his classmates, most notably Katsuki, Aoyama and Yaomomo, used their quirks to propel themselves forward, while Todoroki used his ice to entrap the first wave of students and get ahead of them.

Izuku activated Full Cowl, and jumped over the students and towards the wall. Using his legs to push himself from wall to wall, he made it to the exit in no time, and when he landed on the ground, he started running. The ground was covered in ice from Todoroki's quirk, but with the force of One For All on his feet, the ice shattered underneath him.

Izuku deactivated his quirk – he didn't want to overuse it so soon – as he ran forward, when a wild robot appeared (he snickered to himself at his joke). And it was not just one, but a whole bunch of the zero-pointers, and some of the smaller robots from the entrance exam. Every student that had caught up to them stopped in their tracks, seeing the huge automatons ready to charge at them.

Izuku didn't hesitate to repeat his actions from the Entrance Exam – without breaking his bones this time – and with a grin on his face, he activated his quirk. A strong wave of déjà vu hit him, as he jumped to one 0-pointer’s level and punched it with enough force for it to lose balance and fall backwards. Izuku landed on the same robot as it descended, and safely made it to the ground before he started running again.

In the meantime, Todoroki had used his quirk to freeze all the remaining 0-pointers and ran after Izuku as they came crashing down. Izuku could vaguely hear Present Mic’s commentary, with the occasional observation and remark from Aizawa, who had apparently been dragged to the announcer’s booth, too.

The next obstacle was a pitfall; a really deep, kinda scary pit that Mic introduced as “The Fall”. Izuku didn't have much experience yet, but during his training with Stain, they would run across the city, and more specifically, on the rooftops. Of course, Izuku hadn't parkoured on skyscrapers, nor on buildings with that much of distance between them, as the pieces of land scattered across the pit did, with only ropes connecting them. He had, however, been feeling pretty confident today, dare he say brave, almost.

And so, Izuku activated Full Cowl once again, mustered all his strength and training he had with his mentor so far, and started running towards the pit. His quirk allowed to leap over the gaps and onto the isles of land. It was like an extravagant version of roof-hopping, jumping from isle to isle, his quirk providing the power needed to cross the distance.

Alongside him were Tsu, who was hopping on the ropes, Katsuki, who was using his explosions to fly over the whole area, and a pink haired girl with gadgets strapped on her person – was it her quirk? or maybe she was from the support course, that seemed more likely – and Todoroki, who was sliding on the tightropes with his ice – almost like an ice skater (the thought nearly caused Izuku to fall in the pit).

After he cleared the obstacle, Izuku continued running through the course, right behind Todoroki and Katsuki along with a few other students, not particularly interested in beating them and coming first. After a couple of minutes, he heard Present Mic announce the final obstacle, a minefield.

Bruh. They had literally planted bombs. Well, not actual bombs, but they could seriously hurt someone! Some students had already attempted to weave their way through the mines, and they had been blown up to the air. Even if they didn't outright hurt them, falling to the ground from the height they reached would definitely end up injuring them.

Most students that had reached the minefield were carefully treading through, but every now and then, someone would get blasted upwards, or backwards, depending on the angle they stepped on the ‘bomb’.

Hmm. Izuku decided to get creative.

At that moment, he saw Yaomomo passing, and asked her for a favor. He promised to return it after the Festival, and even though she was very confused – honestly, who wouldn’t be if they were asked to make a snowboard in the middle of an obstacle course – she actually went through with his request. Perfect.

Next, he started digging up some of the bombs. Most students had been particularly careful in the beginning of the minefield, giving him enough of them to work with. He ignored the stares and perplexed glances of his classmates and started making a pile of the bombs he gathered. He figured, if one was to step one a mine and be flung backwards, if done correctly, one could also be flung forwards. And what better way to do so, than with the force of multiple, non-lethal bombs?

After he collected enough of them, he loosely strapped his feet on the snowboard bindings, praying to whoever God was listening that this worked. He had never snowboarded before, but it was never too late to try, right?

“Yeehaw motherfucker,” he whispered, before jumping onto the pile of bombs.

He could see the shellshocked expressions of his classmates who were all – almost comically – following his trajectory with wide eyes and open jaws. Izuku started laughing as he sore through the air, crouching and holding the board so it wouldn’t turn over, but was still paying attention to where he was – hopefully – going to land, which happened to be Katsuki’s face.

Katsuki and Todoroki, who were apparently in the middle of a fight over who would be coming first, were both gawking at him, before getting out of their trance and started sprinting forwards, using their quirks in their advantage.

At that point, Izuku was descending, and as he got closer to his two classmates and to the end of the minefield, he unstrapped the bindings, and right before landing, he held the snowboard, in hopes to use the force of the mines he landed on to propel himself forwards once more.

Miraculously, it worked, and it gave him enough momentum to get past the minefield and onto the ground. He landed with a smooth roll, just like Stain had taught him, and sprinted towards the end of the course. He could hear Katsuki shouting his stupid nickname, and that was enough for Izuku to start running faster. If winning this course meant hurting Katsuki’s ego again, just when the blond thought he was going to win, he would take the chance and fucking win. And win he did.

“The first student back in the stadium is Midoriya Izuku!” Mic announced through the speakers.

The crowd raved, and Izuku reveled in it. He had just won the first event of the infamous U.A. Sports Festival, on live television, for the whole world to see. Maybe he would regret this decision later, but right here, right now, he let himself enjoy the thrill of being recognized, being congratulated for his own feats and efforts.

As he was catching his breath, Izuku looked back at the entrance of the stadium, where students were coming through one by one.  He took great pleasure in seeing Katsuki fuming and having another existential crisis over losing to Izuku, again. Todoroki was also catching his breath, but Izuku also noticed he was exhibiting signs of hypothermia. Could be a drawback to his quirk, considering how powerful his ice was, but if so, why wasn’t he using his fire to counter it?

Now that Izuku thought about it, he had never seen Todoroki use the fire aspect of his quirk, neither in heroics classes, nor when they sparred together the past two weeks. Well, wasn’t that concerning.

Before he could think about it further, Izuku heard Uraraka calling his name. 

“Midoriya-kun! You were amazing!”

“Thank you, Uraraka-san, you were amazing too!” He gave her a polite smile, and turned his attention to Midnight, who was announcing the results of the first event.

“The top 42 makes it through to the next round! But for those who didn't make it, don’t worry! We’ve prepared other chances for you to shine!” The hero licked her lips seductively, which Izuku found really disturbing. Yes, she was the R-rated hero, and it was part of her persona, but they were teenagers!

“Now, here’s the second game!” The hologram behind her stated the next event, gaining mixed reactions from the students.

“A cavalry battle!” Midnight announced. She then proceeded to explain how the game worked, as well as how the points of each student were assigned, depending on the results of the previous game.

“And the point value assigned to first place is…” Oh, no. Izuku didn't like where this is going. “…ten million!” God fucking dammit.

Everyone was looking at him like he was some sort of prey. It makes sense, if anyone got his headband, they would automatically place first and guarantee their place in the final event.

“Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. Start!”

Izuku skimmed through the students, considering their quirks, strengths and weaknesses, trying to form a plan. Ideally, his team would specialize in defense, so it would be harder for the other teams to steal their headbands. He also needed a person that would help in offence, mostly to keep the other teams away, and steal a headband or two, for good measure. Even if someone ended up getting the ten-million-point band, he still wanted to have enough points to pass.

The only problem was, no one wanted to team up with him! He wouldn’t blame them, keeping a headband for the whole duration of the game seemed much more difficult and a pain than actually trying to steal it.

“Midoriya-kun!” Uraraka’s voice sounded from behind him. “Let’s be a team!”

“Oh, are you sure?” He was pleasantly surprised to see the girl actually approach him. She had actually made quite a few attempts to talk and hang out since the first day of school, but he always avoided it. She was very kind and sweet, but also too enthusiastic with heroics, like most of his class, and Izuku avoided them whenever he could. “Everyone will be coming after me.”

“Of course! Besides, it’s better to team up with people you get along with, right?” Well, if getting along meant being friendly and polite, then sure, they got along.

“Okay! In that case, we need someone to help with defense. If we use your quirk to make us lighter, it will be easier to maneuver the team and avoid the others as much as possible.”

“I see! You’re so smart, Midoriya-kun!” She gave him a bright smile, and he gave her a polite one in return, before they started looking for people who wanted to team up with them.

Iida refused, saying that he saw him as a rival, and wanted to challenge himself. So did Todoroki and most of their class, and Katsuki wouldn’t even think of teaming up with him for any reason whatsoever.

Izuku had almost accepted it would be just the two of them, and he would have to figure out a plan to make it through with just Uraraka, when he saw a girl with pink dreadlocks, that he vaguely remembered seeing at the pitfall from the obstacle course, coming towards him. She had a pair of goggles on her face, and numerous gadgets on her body and head.

“Team up with me, person in first place!” she exclaimed, getting right on his face, making Izuku take a step back. “I'm Hatsume Mei, from the support course! I don’t know you, but let me use your position!” Oh, that made sense.

“I’m Midoriya Izuku. You want to use me to attract attention and show off your support items, right?” Izuku asked, hoping it didn't come off too insensitive. He had heard that, just like the hero students were doing their best to draw the pro heroes’ attention, the support course could advertise their inventions so that support companies would take notice of them. It was a solid strategy, and Izuku respected it.

“Yeah, you get it! You will be the team everyone’s watching the most, and then the big companies will be watching me and my babies!” She was invading his personal space as she spoke, making Izuku place a hand on her shoulder, which she didn't seem to notice, too fired up talking about her ‘babies’ – probably meaning her inventions.

“Okay, sure!” Izuku grinned. The girl kind of reminded him of Himiko, they both had the same gleam in their eyes, talking about something that excited them.

“Great! Don’t worry, I think you will also benefit from this alliance!” Hatsume proceeded to present a suitcase – where was she even hiding that? – with a variety of support items. “I have tons of babies, I'm sure you’ll find one that you like!”

As Izuku skimmed through the items, his eyes landed on something, that looked like a jetpack. Hmm…

“Oh, did this catch you eye? I made it based on a certain hero’s backpack, adding my own original twist to it!”

As she explained the functions of her jetpack, he started forming a solid plan. He just needed another person, to help them with offence. He scanned the students that didn't have a team yet, and his eyes landed on the perfect person for the job.

“Let’s hear those battle cries!” Present Mic shouted through the speakers. “It’s time for battle!”

Chapter Text

The cavalry battle went smoother than Izuku expected.

Izuku’s team, consisting of himself as the rider, Uraraka and Hatsume as the wings, and Tokoyami as the horse, mainly relied on defense. Izuku would flick his fingers while having Full Cowl activated to send back the teams that pursued them, and the other three would navigate the whole team around the arena.

At first, almost every team went after his, but thanks to Uraraka’s gravity quirk making them float, Hatsume’s jetpack providing airborne maneuverability, and Dark Shadow defending and attacking any team that got close enough to try and steal their headbands, they managed to make it through without losing a single one. They even stole a couple, and even came close to take Todoroki's.

The fire-and-ice user had cornered his team, trapped them with his ice a couple minutes before the end of the battle, and almost stole their ten million points. As the two teams clashed again, team Todoroki still aiming for Izuku’s headband, the One For All user activated his quirk, and Todoroki used his fire in defense, before Present Mic declared the end of the battle.

The top four teams were the ones that would proceed to the final event. Team Izuku took first place, Todoroki’s was second, Katsuki’s was third, and at fourth place was, surprisingly, Shinsou's.

“Now we’ll take an hour-long break for lunch, before we start the school festivities!” Mic announced, and Izuku wasted no time.

He thanked his classmates and Hatsume for their help, and bolded out of the arena. Before he could make it to the changing rooms, though, he heard Todoroki calling his name.

“Midoriya, I need to talk to you.” Again?

“Okay? Is everything alright?”

Todoroki didn't respond, he instead guided him somewhere more private. Even after they came to a stop in a hallway, the heterochromatic boy still didn't speak. Izuku frowned. Todoroki’s usual apathetic expression was exhibiting a mixture of confusion, frustration, and… pain?

“What is it, Todoroki-kun?” The boy didn't answer for a few seconds, and Izuku almost thought they would be having a staring contest, but eventually Todoroki sighed and looked at the floor.

“Because of you, I broke my pledge.”

Izuku’s brow furrowed, but he didn't reply, waiting for the other teen to continue.

“I had promised to myself I would never use my fire, but at that moment, I was overpowered. I could feel the intensity of your quirk. At the USJ, I witnessed All Might’s power. Yours is similar.”

Oh shit. Had he figured out the true nature of their relationship? Izuku wouldn’t be surprised if more people had realized All Might had a ‘special interest’ in Izuku, but someone finding out the truth would be bad news.

Todoroki looked up to Izuku, his gaze filled with such intensity, Izuku was getting nervous.

“Are you All Might’s secret love child, or something?”

Izuku choked. All Might's secret love child? 

The teen started coughing violently while laughing. Oh, that was gold. His laughter echoed in the hallway, and as his coughing died out, tears started springing to his eyes. His stomach started hurting, he hadn’t laughed like this in so long.

“Oh, fuck no!” Seeing Todoroki’s serious but confused expression only made him laugh more, and by that point he was basically crying.

“I'm sorry, Todoroki-kun, that really caught me off guard,” Izuku said after he somewhat calmed down, wiping the tears from his eyes. “No, I'm not All Might’s son. My father is an asshole who left when I was five.”

Todoroki’s eyes narrowed, but said nothing. Izuku tried really hard not to burst out laughing again.

“Even so, you have some sort of connection to him. Isn’t that right?”

Izuku sighed. “Yes, I do.”

Todoroki seemed surprised at his straightforward answer, but didn't reply, waiting for his classmate to elaborate.

“You know I got my quirk late, right? And it’s pretty similar to All Might’s?” The other teen nodded. “He saw my footage from the entrance exams, and volunteered to train me. He helped me adjust, get used to my quirk and figure out a way to not break my bones every time I used it.”

Izuku patted himself on the back. He'd come up with the lie on the spot, but had laced it with enough truth to be believable. Still, part of him felt bad for lying. Not about the lying itself, but lying to Todoroki.

“I see…” The boy seemed to gather his thoughts before looking up at Izuku again. “Even so, your connection to All Might is more than enough of a reason for me to beat you.” There it was again, the sadness and desperation he'd been giving off when he had practically declared war this morning.

“Why?” Izuku felt like he was missing something. Something that was right in front of his face and he couldn’t see, and it irritated him to no end.

“What do you mean?”

“Why is my connection to All Might that important? Why is that the reason you want to beat me?” Izuku questioned.

He let the other teen think his answer through, and watched his expression shift from intense and downhearted, to sorrowful, but also… angry? Izuku was having a hard time interpreting the boy’s emotions. To an untrained eye, he would seem stoic and apathetic, but Izuku, who was usually adept at reading other people’s emotions, could pick up on the subtle changes on the other teen’s face. Sometimes though, his expressions were hard to decipher.

“My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world, to be the Number One,” Todoroki started, after a minute of silence. “He made a name for himself and rose through the ranks, but All Might, the living legend, always bested him. And when he couldn’t surpass him, he moved on to the next plan.”

He then looked at Izuku in the eyes, and uttered the next words with such venom, Izuku couldn’t help but share the sentiment. “Have you ever heard about quirk marriages?”

The teen proceeded to tell his story, one of pain, blood and tears. A story of anger and violence and death. As Izuku listened, he could only describe what he was feeling as pure and indisputable fury.

Izuku already disliked the Number Two Hero. He had seen the statistics, the brutality of his arrests. He knew of the kill-to-capture ratio, the collateral damage, the injured civilians who just happened to be in Endeavor’s vicinity. He had read about his eldest son’s ‘quirk accident’ that the Commission had covered up, but he hadn't expected the truth that was Todoroki Touya's tragic existence.

A boy with a fire quirk stronger than his father’s, raised to be greater than him. Only to be rejected, when his flames started consuming him. Having inherited his mother’s ice constitution, his quirk was not compatible with his body. Still, the boy tried his best to please his father, being told all his life that surpassing him was his purpose in life. Until he pushed himself too far, and burned to death by his own power.  

Even so, Endeavor showed no pity towards his wife, who had to grieve her eldest, and mourn the childhood her youngest would never have. He showed no parental love to his second son and only daughter, only seeing them as failed experiments. He showed no mercy to the child he called his masterpiece, training him to a legacy he never asked for, to be someone his father created him to be.

“My mother… she couldn’t handle the stress of being a literal baby machine, making child after child, just to be discarded as a failure. Until I was born. But even then, in all my memories of her, she is always crying.” The teen cupped the left side of his face, when the scar on his eye was. “She called my left side unbearable, before she poured boiling water on my face.”

Izuku’s breath hitched. Holy fuck. That was so fucked up. He couldn’t exactly blame the poor woman. She had obviously been so traumatized, and her mental health had deteriorated to the point she thought her own son – or his left side – was her abuser, and she had ended up burning him.

Wait, burning? Wasn’t Todoroki’s left side fire-resistant? Just like his right side was ice-resistant, high temperatures shouldn’t do any damage- oh. Oh. His mom had an ice quirk. She'd probably realized what she’d done and had tried to help with her quirk. It was an ice burn.

“The heroes failed you, too, didn't they?” Izuku murmured.

Izuku looked up at the boy’s face, realizing he had said that out loud. Oh, shit. He had just confessed that heroes had failed him.

“Yes, I suppose they did.” The other teen seemed surprised at his question, but he'd actually answered. And agreed.

“This is why I have challenged you,” Todoroki continued. “I wanted to show the old bastard what I can do, and I'm going to win this festival without using his quirk.”

“It’s not his, though,” Izuku argued. Mismatched eyes widened, staring into his own. “It’s not his quirk. It’s yours.”

Izuku felt great sympathy for the other teen, who seemed greatly confused. He didn’t blame him. His whole existence was the product of his sperm donor’s fucked up desire to make the perfect hero with two powerful quirks, one being his own. It was no surprise Todoroki didn’t view half of his quirk as his own. It was literally the perfect hybrid, half fire, half ice. And Izuku would be damned if he didn't try and change his mind.

“Just like the ice aspect of your quirk isn’t your mother’s, your fire isn’t his. Your eyes are not theirs, they're yours. Same thing with your hair color. You are your own person, Todoroki-kun, not the sum of your parents’ characteristics.”

Todoroki stayed quiet for a few moments, processing. He was clenching and unclenching his fists, his lips pursed into a tight line. Izuku had probably just ruined his whole world view and given him an existential crisis. Whoops. He didn't regret it, though.

“It’s just food for thought,” Izuku finally said, seeing the boy struggling. “You don’t have to use your power if you don’t want to, but it is your power. Just think about it.”

“I'm not using it,” Todoroki stated as a matter of fact. “I'm going to beat you, Midoriya. I'm going to show him I can win this without his fire.”

“Look, I don’t really care about winning the festival. I've probably gained more attention than I’d like already.” Izuku shrugged. “I don’t want to be a limelight hero,” he explained, seeing Todoroki frowning in confusion. Or any type of hero, but we’re not getting into that right now. “But you do, so you should give it your all.”

Todoroki didn't respond, his gaze stuck on the ground. Izuku decided to leave him alone and give him some time to process, think things through. Izuku had stuff to think about, too. He dropped by the locker rooms to get his bento box and sat on the bottom of a staircase to eat his meal in peace, while he contemplated the conversation he just had. Of all the things he expected to happen today, Todoroki trauma dumping wasn’t one of them. Still, he was glad the other teen trusted him enough to share his story. And what a story it was.

Now that he knew the truth about the flaming garbage that called himself a hero, Izuku would have to do extensive research about him. This seemed much more urgent than sorting out La Brava’s hard drive.

If Todoroki’s claims were true – which Izuku was sure they were – who knew what other atrocities the Flame Hero had committed, that the HPSC had shoved under the rug. The Number Two had led his eldest son to his death, and Todoroki surely had received incredible abuse in the name of ‘training’ in order to become his masterpiece. Todoroki hadn't gone into details about himself and his own experiences, but Izuku felt an urge to protect him. To take him away from his abuser. Maybe he was overstepping boundaries, but if he didn't do anything about it, no one else would.

~~~

“Now that lunch is over, it’s finally time to reveal the final event!” Mic announced, once the students were back in the stadium. “But before that, there’s good news about those who didn't make it to the finals! It’s just a Sports Festival, after all! We’ve prepared recreational games that everyone can participate in!”

Cheerleaders – that had apparently come from America – started, well… cheering, signaling the beginning of the games. Izuku was glad to see the girls from his class were not among them.

He had overheard Mineta explaining to them earlier, during lunch, that all the girls were supposed to wear cheerleader outfits for a cheer battle, and that Aizawa himself had said so. Kaminari had also been there, nodding along.

Izuku could've smelled the bullshit from a mile away, so he'd walked up to the group and casually asked what the grape pervert was talking about. The little shit obviously hadn't expected his appearance, but tried to explain, hoping he would convince Izuku to go along with it. Izuku, who strongly despised objectifying teenage girls, but was also very gay, had no interest in seeing his female classmates in revealing cheerleader outfits.

With the fakest smile he could muster, he'd said “I’m sure Aizawa-sensei wouldn’t mind confirming this, right? In fact, I’ll call him right now!”

He'd made to take his phone out of his pocket, and the two boys started sputtering something about being confused and that it wasn't necessary and whatnot. Izuku had then crouched to Mineta’s level, still smiling, and whispered “If you ever attempt tricking the girls like this again, I’ll make sure you wish you were born blind.”

Izuku must have put the fear of God in him, and started snickering when Mineta all but cried and run away, Kaminari following him, visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Yaomomo had thanked Izuku for intervening, relieved that she didn't have to make and/or wear cheer outfits, while Tsu pointed out how outright scary the green-haired boy could be sometimes. Izuku had just shrugged it off, content to have helped. (He wasn’t actually going to turn Mineta blind, but he sure was tempted to.)

Present Mic then explained the basics of the final event, a one-on-one tournament, and Midnight started drawing the lots to decide the pairings. Before she had the chance, though, Ojiro declared he was withdrawing from the tournament.

“I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle,” he replied to his classmates questioning. “It must have been that guy’s quirk.”

Izuku followed his furious and disgusted glare, landing on Shinsou. Oh, that’s right. The Gen Ed student’s team was the one who placed fourth in the second event. The purple-haired boy avoided his gaze, clearly embarrassed, but Izuku could tell he was also downhearted.

“I know this is a great opportunity,” Ojiro continued, “and that it’s foolish of me to waste it, but everyone here competed by giving their all. I don’t want to pass to the final game without even knowing what really happened.”

Izuku tuned out his classmates’ objections and instead focused on the lavender-haired teen. He was slouching more than usual, and looked like he was trying to hide from the numerous revolted glares he was receiving from everyone around him. Izuku could hear whispers from students, not really bothering to be subtle about their opinions on the boy and his ‘villainous’ quirk.

“How dare he use a quirk like that.”

“Who does he think he is?”

“He’s a villain, tricking hero students like that.”

Izuku’s mind briefly replayed the events from just a few days ago; Shinsou being surrounded by his classmates, face bleeding and broken and scarred, and Izuku was furious. He was furious that a hero school allowed this to happen. That a kid like him was being beaten for nothing more than the nature of his quirk. That the same kid was now receiving dirty looks and harmful words and was being avoided like the plague, like he was a monster.

Izuku was furious. But he was also among hero students, participating in a Sports Festival that was being broadcasted to all of Japan. So he bit his tongue and summoned all the self-control he had to make his face remain stoic, as another member of Team Shinsou also withdrew from the tournament.

Two 1-B students, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki, took the empty slots – Izuku didn't bother paying attention to how that was decided – and Midnight finally drew the lots and announced the pairings for the first round. Izuku would be going first, against Shinsou. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Present Mic announced the beginning of the recreational games, that Izuku had no interest in participating, and instead withdrew to a quiet area to let off some steam. Before he had the chance, though, Ojiro’s tail flickered in front of him.

“Midoriya, wait.” Izuku turned to face the other teen, raising an eyebrow. “I need to talk to you.”

Ojiro led him to their class’s waiting room, and proceeded to ‘warn’ him about Shinsou's quirk.

“His quirk… it controls people. I don’t remember anything after I answered his question, so I think that’s how he does it.” Ojiro was scowling at the memory of being under the influence of Shinsou's quirk, and he didn't bother hiding his disgust while talking about it.

“I snapped out of it at some point, though. When Shinsou” – he practically spat the name – “took Tetsutetsu’s headband, I bumped into Shiozaki. I think you can snap out of his control with an outside force, but you shouldn’t rely on that in a one-on-one match.”

Izuku’s expression remained neutral, but he didn't speak, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Midoriya, that quirk, it’s villainous. Don’t let him control you.”

And there it was. Honestly, he should have expected it. The tail-quirked student was usually humble and polite, but Izuku knew better than to get his hopes up. He was just like the rest of them.

“You know, you really shouldn’t judge someone based on their quirk status.” He got up and didn't wait for the other student to respond. “Even if you do, keep your opinions to yourself. Don’t go bad-mouthing people just because their quirk is different. Especially not to someone who has been mistreated his whole life for being quirkless.”

Ojiro paled when he realized to whom he was talking to, and making discriminatory comments. He started sputtering apologies, but Izuku had no interest in hearing them. Not trusting himself to not punch his classmate square on the nose, he left the room, heading for a more secluded spot to spend the hours leading up to his first match.

~~~

“All right, people! The first match of the one-on-one tournament is about to begin!” Present Mic announced. “Are you ready?”

The crowd roared, making Izuku a tad more nervous. A whole stadium would be watching him, never mind the thousands of people watching from home, and would be focusing solely on him and his match.

“First, the boy who placed first in the entrance exam, Midoriya Izuku!” Present Mic introduced, as Izuku made his way towards the arena. “Versus the mysterious Gen Ed student, Shinsou Hitoshi!”

The purple-haired boy was drooping as he walked, eyes glued to the floor. He looked like he was regretting every life decision that had led him to this moment.

“The rules are simple! Force your opponent out of bounds, or immobilize them! You can also win if you make your opponent say ‘I give up’! Bring on the injuries, we’ve got our own Recovery Girl on stand-by! Put your morals aside for a moment! Of course, anything life-threatening is not allowed! Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains!”

Izuku suppressed a groan. This whole speech was so wrong, he didn't know where to begin. Firstly, promoting violence between students just for a show was fucked up. It didn't matter that they had a healer on standby, the students would still be in pain until the match was over. They were allowed to seriously maim their classmates, putting their morals aside, again, just for a good show. What kind of hero school promoted that kind of thinking? And people were okay with this? Of course they were, it was just an event, after all.

Also, using deadly attacks was prohibited, unless they were directed towards villains. Because killing wasn’t okay, unless it was for catching bad guys, regardless of their crime. That kind of mindset was the reason heroes like Endeavor existed.

“Ready? Begin!”

Izuku walked towards his opponent, having decided to fight quirkless in this match. Shinsou didn't have a physical quirk, and Izuku thought it would be unfair to him to use his literal super strength, when the boy could hardly defend himself. Of course, what happened a few days ago, when his classmates grouped up and assaulted him, wasn’t the same thing as an actual battle, but Izuku doubted he knew how to fight.

“’I give up’, huh?” Izuku stopped in his tracks when the purple-haired boy started talking. “This is a fight to test the strength of your spirit. If you know what you want for your future, you can't worry about appearances.”

Izuku blinked in confusion. What was he on about?

“That monkey was going on about his pride,” he continued, “but don’t you think he was dumb for throwing away his chance?”

Oh, Izuku understood now. His quirk was response-based, he was trying to get Izuku to answer him to take control of him. Well, as much as Izuku agreed with him, he knew better than to fall for his taunts. He felt rather bad for the boy, having been paired up with himself in the first round. Izuku had more than enough practice in controlling his emotions to slip up in a situation like this.

Izuku started walking towards him once more, his lips sealed. Shinsou's eyes widened, and tried another tactic to get him to respond.

“You’re lucky you have been blessed, Midoriya. You probably won’t understand, but even with a quirk like mine, I still had a dream.” Wait… had?

“Because of my quirk, I've always been left behind. Someone blessed like you can't understand, can you?” Oh, Izuku understood. More than understood. He could feel what Shinsou was saying deep in his bones. Being quirkless, but still having that stupid dream of being a hero.

Still, he kept his mouth shut, and got even closer. Shinsou looked even more nervous, and took a sloppy defensive stance. Present Mic, who was providing commentary from the beginning of the match, explained the nature of Shinsou's quirk to the understandably confused spectators, earning gasps and whispers in response.

“Someone like you, who was born with the ideal quirk will never understand!” At that, Izuku snorted. It probably didn't count as a response, but even if it did, the taller teen seemed too flabbergasted to activate his quirk. Izuku would be, too.

Izuku took advantage of his startled reaction, and started pushing him towards the edge of the platform.

“Say something!” Shinsou went for a weak punch to the face, but Izuku stopped it with his hand, and made an apologetic expression before using a swift move to throw him off balance, and pushed him backwards.

“Shinsou is out of bounds!” Midnight announced. “Midoriya advances to round two!”

The crowd roared. Way too enthusiastically for a boring match like this one. Izuku could hear people shouting things like “Show him his place!” and “Take that, villain!” that made Izuku livid. Shinsou didn't deserve that, no one did.

Izuku tuned everyone out, and focused on the boy laying on the ground in front of him. He extended his arm, silently offering to help him stand up. The other teen hesitantly took him up on his offer, but before Izuku could say anything, he turned and walked away from the arena.

As he passed beneath the stands where their classmates were seated, several Gen Ed students started shouting at him, throwing slurs and mean comments like their lives depended on it. Even some pro heroes, that have been attending the Festival – probably to scout for interns – were discussing the villainous nature of his quirk, and were wondering if the kid actually intended to be a hero.

Shinsou kept his head down and dragged himself into the changing rooms.

“Shinsou-kun, wait!” Izuku followed him, ignoring the protests and ‘warnings’ of his classmates, and caught up to the boy right as he walked into the changing rooms.

“Shinsou-kun!” The teen had obviously heard him, since he left the door open for Izuku to enter, but didn't turn to look at him. Instead, he sat on a bench, his back to Izuku, and rested his elbows on his knees and his face on his hands.

Izuku quietly closed the door and approached the taller boy. He sat on the bench next to Shinsou, leaving enough space between them so the other boy wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable. The purple-haired teen didn't say anything, so Izuku took a deep breath and voiced his thoughts.

“Shinsou-kun, I just wanted to say…” Izuku licked his lips, trying to find the right words, “I don’t believe any of the things the others are saying.” He spared a glance to the other boy, who remained silent, before continuing.

“Everything they are saying about you, they’re wrong. I meant what I said the other day. Judging you and mistreating you because of your quirk, because of something you can't control, is just wrong.” Still no response. “Calling you a villain just because your quirk could be used for villainy is just plain stupid. If anything, they are the ones acting like villains.”

At that, Shinsou's head snapped towards Izuku, wide violet eyes staring into emerald ones, unshed tears threatening to spill. They both barely registered the crowd cheering over the next match.

“I’m really sorry you’re being treated like this,” Izuku continued, a small empathetic smile on his lips. “No one should have to go through that.” 

Silent tears started streaming down Shinsou's face. “You really mean that?”

His voice was so soft, so broken, it shattered Izuku’s heart. It reminded him of himself, every time the kids at school told him he was worthless, that he was better off dead. That he should kill himself so no one had to bother with him and his pathetic existence.

“Of course I do,” Izuku said softly. “I know what it’s like, being treated like the scum of society-”

“How could you possibly know what it’s like?” Shinsou interrupted him, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. “You're the 1-A prodigy. You have the perfect quirk, meant for a hero.” He let out a short, mirthless laugh. “How could you possibly understand what I’ve gone through?”

Izuku knew that it wasn’t personal. That Shinsou wasn’t bitter towards him, but towards the society that treated him this way. Izuku knew that. But still, insinuating he had the perfect life, because he now had the perfect, heroic quirk, lit a spark that he couldn’t ignore.

“You don’t know what I've been through,” Izuku replied, calmly. “My life wasn't – isn’t – as perfect as you might think.”

“Enlighten me, then.” The taller teen was clenching his jaw shut, a vein visibly pulsing on his forehead, just above the scar over his left eye.

Izuku was silent for a few moments, contemplating whether he should tell the truth. For some reason, he found himself wanting to share his story. He felt like he could trust Shinsou, who had been through similar hardships because of something he couldn’t control. Izuku figured that, if anyone in this stupid school could understand what he had been through, it would be him.

“I was quirkless,” he finally admitted.

Shinsou was, understandably, surprised. His beautiful, amethyst eyes were wide open, and Izuku felt he could stare at them for hours.

The green-haired teen cleared his throat and turned his attention to his fidgeting hands.

“For fourteen years, I was quirkless. My quirk… manifested late. Right before the entrance exams, to be exact.”

Izuku eyes darted to the other boy’s face, meeting Shinsou's impossibly wide ones. The taller teen seemed like he had a million questions, but made no move to interrupt.

“I know what it’s like to be discriminated against because of your quirk, or, well, lack thereof. I’ve been beaten, tossed around, ridiculed, bullied in every way you can think of. I've been told to kill myself, by all my classmates, even a few teachers insinuated it. I've been left bleeding on the ground, forced to do my own stiches at ten years old, because the school nurse didn’t care enough to treat a quirkless kid.”

Izuku took a deep breath, refusing to let his tears spill. Shinsou wasn't fairing much better. Silent tears were once again streaming down his pretty face, no matter how much he tried to wipe them off.

“My dad, he, um,” Izuku bit his lip. He hadn’t told anyone about this. “He has a fire-breathing quirk. He had used it on me a few times, before he decided that having a quirkless son just wasn't worth his time and left us, me and my mom.” Izuku’s hand absentmindedly ran over a particular burn scar on his left forearm. It was faded enough to not be noticeable, but Izuku could vividly remember when and how he'd gotten it, even though he had been only four at the time.

“My childhood friend turned on me, when his quirk manifested, and mine didn't.” The bitterness was obvious in his tone. “He would berate me, beat me, use his quirk on me, you name it. The funny thing is, I hadn’t realized he wasn't my friend anymore until last year, when he told me to jump off a roof and pray for a quirk in the next life.” Izuku let out a heartless laugh at the memory.

Shinsou, on the other hand, looked furious. Izuku would, too, if someone told him they had been treated this way, especially by one they called a friend.

“So, yeah, I get it. I may not have been called a villain, but I've been told enough times that I was better off dead to know what discrimination is like.”

“Oh, Gods, I'm so sorry,” Shinsou whispered. “I didn't know – I didn't mean-”

“It’s fine, Shinsou-kun.” Izuku gave him a wobbly smile. “You couldn’t have known.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have said…” He made a vague gesture with his hand.

“It’s okay, really.” Silence engulfed them. Just like with Todoroki, it wasn't uncomfortable, or unpleasant. They just co-existed, with the sounds of battle, Present Mic’s commentary, and the crowd cheering barely registering in their minds.

“I also wanted to apologize,” Izuku blurted out.

“What for?” Shinsou wrinkled his nose and cocked his head in confusion. He looked like a cat. A tired, tall, purple cat. Izuku averted his eyes as he felt heat rising to his cheeks.

“For our match. You didn't get to show off your abilities,” Izuku explained, playing with the hems of his gym uniform sleeves. “You want to be a hero, right?”

“I did.” Shinsou said woefully. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Oh?” Izuku lifted an eyebrow. This sounded vaguely familiar.

“I’ve always wanted to be a hero, ever since I was a kid, despite everyone telling me someone with a villainous quirk, like me, could never be a hero.” The tired teen started picking on his nails.

Izuku hummed, but otherwise didn't interrupt.

“When I didn't pass the practical exam, seeing how combat-oriented it was, I started having doubts. I got placed in General Education, and when everyone found out about my quirk, it was like middle school all over again.” Another mirthless laugh escaped his lips. “I thought U.A. would be different. I guess I was wrong.”

“Yeah.” Izuku understood. If he hadn’t inherited One For All, and had gotten in U.A. quirkless – assuming he would even be allowed to – he was pretty sure he would have been treated just like in Aldera. 

“Aoyama has fainted! Ashido advances to the second round!” Present Mic’s voice echoed throughout the stadium, signaling the end of the second match.

Izuku planned on taking notes on his classmates during their fights, but considering Shinsou looked much calmer than before, talking to him was definitely worth it. He wasn't sure why, but he would do it again in a heartbeat.

“I should go,” Shinsou interrupted his thoughts. He got up and walked up to his locker.

“You won’t stay? Watch the other matches?” Izuku got up as well, but made no move to stop him.

“Nah.” He started changing out of his uniform, but Izuku noticed he hesitated when he went to get his arms out of his sleeves. Izuku turned the other way to give him some privacy, gaining a soft ‘thank you’ from the other boy.

“Will you be going home, then?” Even though he couldn’t see him, he could feel the taller teen stiffen. Well, wasn't that a red flag.

“I guess.” Shinsou didn't elaborate, and Izuku got the message.

“I will head back, then.” Izuku went to walk away, but turned to face the other boy, who had already changed into his school uniform – bar the tie. “Do you want to exchange numbers?”

Shinsou froze, his tired eyes widening slightly. “Uh, sure.”

A hint of a smile crossed his lips, and Izuku could feel the blush creeping up his cheeks. He suddenly felt the need to see it more often, to be the reason Shinsou smiled.

He couldn’t help but smile back.

Chapter Text

After Izuku exchanged numbers with Shinsou, the latter wished him good luck on his next match and their bid their goodbyes.

As Izuku walked towards the stands where the students were sitting, he could hear the next match – Yaoyorozu versus Tokoyami – starting. Before he left the locker rooms, Izuku had taken his U.A. Hero Analysis vol 3 notebook with him, eager to update his notes on his classmates, as well as begin analyzing the 1-B students.

“Stop being so stubborn, Shouto,” a deep voice sounded from just around the corner. “If you used the power in your left side, you would have won both the obstacle course and the cavalry battle.”

Izuku concealed his presence, and took a peek at the person speaking. Confirming his suspicions, Endeavor was there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, while Todoroki was walking away from him.

“Instead, you lost to that All Might wannabe.”

Izuku wrinkled his nose in disgust. Not just for how the hero called him, but for the way he was looking at his own son. The way he grabbed his arm and yanked him towards himself, when he didn't receive a response.

“Stop this childish rebellion already,” the flaming piece of trash sneered. “You have a duty to surpass All Might.”

Todoroki yanked his arm free and curled his upper lip to the man who called himself a father. “Is that all you have to say, old bastard? I will win with just Mom’s power.”

“You have a duty, Shouto, as my masterpiece.”

Okay, that was enough. Izuku stepped out in the corridor and approached the two Todorokis.

“You should leave,” he said calmly, controlling the rage building within him.

“What did you say, you runt?” Endeavor narrowed his eyes, glaring at Izuku with contempt.

“This area is for students and faculty only. You’re not allowed to be here.”

“Lister here, you brat.” He towered over Izuku in a pathetic attempt to intimidate him, but the teen glared back at him, clenching his fists, resisting the urge to activate his quirk and punch the asshole in the face.

“You…” Endeavor seemed to recognize him, and straightened his back. “You have a very powerful quirk. Similar to All Might’s, I would say.”

Izuku rolled his eyes. He knew where this was going and he didn't want to hear it.

“It is my Shouto’s duty to surpass All Might. Beating you will-”

“Spare me, Endeavor,” Izuku interrupted him, before more bullshit could spew out of the hero’s mouth. “I am not All Might. And Todoroki-kun is not you, either.”

He got past him and looked at his classmate, nudging his head towards the exit. “Let’s go, Todoroki-kun.”

The other teen nodded, and with a final glare to the fuming hero, who had started throwing profanities for being ignored and disrespected, he left the corridor and headed towards the arena, Izuku accompanying him. They could hear the crowd cheering at Tokoyami's win, meaning the third match – Todoroki versus Sero – was about to start.

“Good luck.” He gave him a small smile, gaining a nod in return, before heading for the stairs leading to the stands.

Most of his class was there, watching the battles and chatting. Izuku, not wanting to interact with any of them, made his way to the back, concealing his presence so no one noticed him, sat in the back row and opened his notebook.

Izuku had already seen how powerful Todoroki was. Maybe he hadn’t seen the full extent of his power, never mind his actual full power – since he refused to use his fire. He had seen him freeze a whole building, and a bunch of 0-pointers, with seemingly little effort. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when he unleashed a glacier so enormous, it encapsulated his opponent, as well as half the stadium.

The whole arena went quiet. In the deafening silence, Izuku could hear Midnight asking Sero if he could move. After confirming he – obviously – couldn’t, she declared Todoroki as the winner, and the crowd roared.

Present Mic announced they would be having a 30-minute break, to clear the stadium from the ice, and in the meantime, Izuku worked on his U.A. Hero Analysis. He looked over his notes on his classmates, making corrections and additions, including observations he had made during the obstacle course and cavalry battle, as well as some recreational games he had watched.

After the break, the first round of the tournament went on, and Izuku watched intently, filling his notebook with more information. Kaminari went against Shiozaki Ibara from 1-B, and lost spectacularly. Iida went against Hatsume, who basically used him to advertise her support items. She had him running around for ten minutes straight, while she introduced her babies and demonstrated how they worked, before stepping out of bounds. Slay.

Next was Kirishima and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu from 1-B. They had really similar quirks, and apparently the same levels of strength and endurance, making for a quite boring match of exchanging blows and brute strength until both of them were too exhausted to continue, and agreed to decide the winner via an arm-wrestling match.

The final match of the first round was Katsuki versus Uraraka. The gravity girl had excused herself a few minutes before Iida was declared the winner against Hatsume. She was understandably nervous, going against Katsuki. Even though she would probably hold her own for a while, Izuku knew the explosive blond long enough to be sure he would win. It wasn't for the reason people thought, though.

Sitting quietly behind his classmates, he could hear them chatting about the upcoming match, and wondering if Uraraka would be able to defeat him.

“I don’t think even Bakugou would use a full-strength explosion on a girl,” Iida stupidly insisted, when Jirou commented on their difference in strength and quirk proficiency.

Of course Katsuki would. He wouldn’t hold back in a fight just because his opponent was female. It was the 24^th century, having that kind of mindset was plain stupid and insulting. Seeing, however, the crowd’s reaction to his brutal attacks against Uraraka, it was obvious people still had a long way to go. Civilians, heroes and students alike, were booing, commenting on how unheroic – Izuku snorted at that one – Katsuki was, bullying the poor girl, attacking her relentlessly, toying with her and playing around.

Izuku would beg to differ. Actually holding back because he was against a girl would be like insulting her right to her face. Besides, people were watching and cheering on an event where children fought to the point of exhaustion, serious injuries, and overusing their quirks, just to make a show, but boys hurting girls is where they drew the line?  

Even Present Mic started saying Katsuki’s actions were too harsh, but Eraserhead took the reins and pointed out the obvious, that he was treating her like an equal, giving it his all and not letting his guard down. It wasn't like Uraraka was a helpless little girl either, she was a strong heroics student who was actually in the middle of executing a solid strategy. Treating her like a child that was being bullied was blatant disrespect. Not that Izuku was expecting any better.

While the crowd focused on the explosive teen’s defensive attacks, Uraraka was taking advantage of the nature of his quirk. She was laying her body low as she was seemingly trying to touch him, making him focus his attacks towards the ground, and using all the debris that was created and keeping them floating above them, storing them as weapons to be released once she had gathered enough. Honestly, people not noticing the huge pile of rocks and slabs of concrete floating above the stadium, especially the pro heroes and hero students, was just embarrassing.

In the end, Katsuki’s overwhelming explosive force was enough to blow the rubble to bits, once Uraraka release them. Their classmates were too busy labeling him as villainous to notice Katsuki was yelling at Uraraka in excitement, even calling her by her actual name instead of a stupid nickname.

Katsuki would never admit to this, but Izuku knew the blond was actually terrible at remembering names, so he went for nicknames to show he never cared to learn them in the first place. Calling someone by their actual name was a way for him to show respect and/or affection.

Izuku remembered a time where he was also called by his name, before he became Deku, quirkless and useless, not worthy of Katsuki’s attention and respect. Even though he had already accepted his fallout with Katsuki, a part of him still longed to be recognized.

Yes, he had placed above him at the entrance exam and the quirk apprehension test, he had beaten him at the battle trials, and both the previous events at the Sports Festival, but Izuku couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like, hearing his own name from his childhood friend, being seen as an equal, just like when they were toddlers. Before Katsuki manifested his quirk, when they would dream of becoming the Number One hero duo. When they were just Kacchan and Izu.

“Uraraka is out of commission,” Midnight’s voice brought him back to the present. “Bakugou advances to the second round!”

The crowd cheered, and Izuku watched silently as his childhood friend left the arena. Anyone else would think he was smug, but Izuku could tell he was actually impressed by the gravity girl, even though she had exhausted herself with her meteor shower attack before they could fight again.

Present Mic announced they would be taking a 20-minute break before proceeding with the quarter-finals. Izuku started to get up, and prepare for his match against Ashido, when Katsuki arrived at the stands. He stopped in his tracks, meeting Izuku’s eyes. He glared at him for a few moments, and the green-haired teen raised an eyebrow. The blond huffed and turned towards the two boys calling him.

“Hey, Bakugou!” Sero exclaimed. “That was tough, huh? Playing the villain…”

“Shut up!” Katsuki yelled, before sitting right next to him. Izuku was almost certain his tone and body language shifted for a couple seconds, indicating he was hurt by the comment, before returning to his default state of aggression.

“Man,” Kaminari started, “I can't believe you aimed such a huge blast at a frail girl! I couldn't help but hold back with Shiozaki.”  Izuku could almost see his eyes turning to hearts at the mention of the 1-B student.

He rolled his eyes and went up the stairs, not interested in his immature classmates’ commentary.

“Tsk! What part of her was frail?”

Izuku almost didn't hear Katsuki’s reply as he turned to the corridor leading to the changing rooms. A small smile involuntarily grazed his lips. For all the things Katsuki had ever said to him, he had at least started recognizing he wasn't stronger than everyone else. Izuku could tell U.A. had started changing him. He couldn't help but mourn the friendship they could have had, if things were different.

~~~

Izuku’s second match was barely more strenuous than the first. He started running towards Ashido the moment the battle begun, putting her immediately on the defensive. She would throw acid attacks at him, but Izuku, an expert at evading lethal knife attacks from both Himiko and Stain, easily avoided them. The pink girl bombarded him with desperate acid shots while clumsily stepping backwards, and by the time he got close enough to touch her, she was already at the edge of the ring. It only took a little push on her shoulders to make her fall backwards and out of bounds.

Izuku went back to the locker rooms to retrieve his U.A. Hero Analysis vol 3, up to the stands, and resumed taking notes on his classmates.

Tokoyami and Todoroki’s battle took a surprising amount of time. Even though the bird-headed boy was incredibly proficient with his quirk, Dark Shadow, and could keep his ground against Todoroki’s ice attacks fairly well, in the end, he didn't have ten years of experience in combat and quirk training that the other boy had to go through, and inevitably lost.

Izuku had noted during hero training that the sentient shadow had a considerable weakness for light. If Todoroki had used his fire, he would have won much quicker. Rejecting a part of his power, a part of himself, was seriously holding him back. This was just a Sports Festival, it wouldn’t matter much if he didn't use his fire, whether he won or not. But he could be in a serious situation in the future, and his stubbornness could prove dangerous. Never mind the mental strain of denying a vital part of himself. Izuku knew all about hating yourself and a part of your identity, and he would be damned if he didn't try to change the boy’s mind. 

Iida and Shiozaki's match was over in a flash. The stiff boy used his speed to get behind the 1-B student, and push her outside the arena before she had a chance to attack him.

Katsuki’s match with Kirishima, on the other hand, was long-drawn-out. At first, it looked like an endurance battle. The blond would throw explosions, and the redhead would harden his body to deflect them. Then, Kirishima would strike with quirked fists that Katsuki would evade before attacking with explosions again, and so on and so forth. Neither had sustained any kind of injury, so it seemed like the match would go on until one of them collapsed from exhaustion.

At some point, Katsuki must have realized that assaulting his opponent with consecutive explosions would weaken his Hardening state, that the redhead was continuously keeping activated. And so, he started bombarding the other boy, not giving him a chance to recover. Eventually, Kirishima’s quirk couldn't keep up, and Katsuki dealt a final blow – “DIE!” – knocking him out, and subsequently won the match, proceeding to the semi-finals.

The second round drew to a close, and Izuku made his way down, since his match with Todoroki would be starting shortly. As he walked through the hallways, Todoroki's and Endeavor’s words echoed in his mind.

“I'm going to win this festival without using his quirk.”

“I'm going to beat you, Midoriya. I'm going to show him I can win this without his fire.”

“The heroes failed you, too, didn't they?” “Yes, I suppose they did.”

“You have a duty, Shouto, as my masterpiece.”

“It is my Shouto’s duty to surpass All Might.”

Izuku could feel the rage pulsing through his veins. He clenched his jaw, willing his face to remain neutral as he entered the arena, the crowd cheering for the upcoming match.

“The first match of the semi-finals is a big one!” Mic shouted through the speakers. “The boy who left the crowd literally frozen with his win in the first round, Todoroki Shouto!”

The teen seemed as stoic as usual, but the anger searing through him was evident in his eyes.

“Versus the champion of the obstacle race and the cavalry battle, Midoriya Izuku!”

Izuku joined his classmate to the center of the arena.

“Both have shown top class performances! It’s like two great rivals fighting against each other!”

Well, wasn't that ironic. Endeavor sure looked at it that way. A fight between All Might’s and Endeavor’s successors. Izuku wasn't sure how much the Number Two knew about One For All, if he did at all. In any case, he seemed to view Izuku as a stepping stone in his masterpiece’s road to triumph, to fulfil his duty. It made Izuku’s blood boil.

“Ready? Start!”

Todoroki immediately shot pillars of ice towards Izuku, who had activated Full Cowl and smashed them with his fists. He sprinted towards his opponent, while destroying his relentless ice attacks.

“Midoriya stops Todoroki’s attacks!”

The crowd cheered while Present Mic provided commentary on the two boys’ quirks and moves.

Todoroki created an ice wall to prevent the One For All user from attacking him directly, while shooting ice spikes and freezing the ground to immobilize him. Izuku jumped to avoid getting trapped and used his feet to smash the ice below him. Giving the other teen no time to send another wave of ice, he smashed the ground, causing the arena’s floor to shatter.

“Wow! Midoriya absolutely crushes the ground!”

Izuku did his best to tune out the Voice Hero’s remarks and focus on his match. He had a job to do, after all.

The dual-colored boy used his quirk to avoid touching the ground, and created a bridge to walk on and run towards Izuku. The green-haired teen retaliated, punching the upcoming attack with a quirked fist, while approaching his opponent, who stopped just a few meters away from him. Izuku could already see the boy’s breath and shivering body, clear signs of hypothermia.

“Thank you, Midoriya. The bastard’s face is already clouded thanks to you.” He tilted his head towards the crowd, and Izuku followed his eyes, spotting the Number Two asshole fuming, bright crimson flames flaring.

“TODOROKI!” Izuku shouted while turning the boy’s next ice attack to smithereens. The other teen looked startled, and frowned in confusion. “You’re trembling! You're reaching your limit, aren’t you? Won’t that be solved if you use your fire?” Seeing the boy’s angry expression, he clenched his fists and walked towards him.

“I'm going to beat you, Midoriya. I'm going to show him I can win this without his fire.”

“You haven’t even laid a scratch on me and you want to win? With just your ice? If you want to beat me, you have to use your full strength!”

Todoroki glared at him with an icy stare – pun intended. “Midoriya, what are you planning? Did my father put you into this?” He charged at Izuku, but his movements were too slow, and the shorter boy dodged easily.

“The heroes failed you, too, didn't they?”

“This has nothing to do with him!” Izuku punched the other teen, sending him flying backwards to the rubble that had formed when he destroyed the floor. Todoroki got up and sloppily attacked him again, sending small, desperate ice pillars towards him. Izuku smashed them and punched him again.

“I won’t use his power!” Frostbite had started forming on Todoroki’s right side. Even so, he launched another wave of ice, and Izuku, whose rage had been vibrating through his whole body like a drumbeat, briefly lost control over his quirk. He concentrated One For All in his right hand, and pounded his fist on the oncoming glacier, shattering the ice, as well as his arm.

“Yes, I suppose they did.”

“But it’s your power!” Izuku clenched his broken fist, doing his best to ignore the pain screaming from his arm. “Shouto!” That seemed to gain the boy’s undivided attention. “It’s your quirk! Your power! It belongs to you!”

“I'm going to win this festival without using his quirk.”

“It’s not his quirk! It’s yours! Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise!”

Todoroki’s eyes started watering, and before they knew it, his whole left side was set ablaze. Every bit of ice left in the arena evaporated, and a huge wave of heat engulfed the stadium. Izuku let a huge grin appear on his face, and Todoroki mimicked him.

“You're crazy, Midoriya, you know that?” The half-hot-half-cold teen activated his right side, and released another ice attack towards him.

Izuku activated Full Cowl, shattering the glacier, and launched himself towards the other boy, left fist drawn back.

“Midoriya…” Todoroki sent another wave of ice, and expanded his fire. “Thank you.”

The sudden rush of flames heated the cooled air, expanding it, and created an enormous explosion that blasted both of them back.

As the dust settled, the stadium turned quiet, everyone waiting for the result of the blast to be revealed.

“Midoriya is out of bounds,” Midnight announced, once the dust dissipated.

Izuku, who was clutching his shattered arm and panting, looked at his feet, and indeed, he was a couple steps outside the ring. Todoroki was standing at the edge of the arena, half of his uniform burned off.

“Todoroki advances to the final round!”

The crowd roared. Izuku, who was trying to catch his breath, was approached by medical bots, that led him to Recovery Girl’s office. To Izuku’s dismay, All Might was also there, waiting for him.

“Oh, h-hey, All Might…” Izuku rubbed the back of his head with his good hand. “I'm sorry I lost… I know you told me to give it my all, and tell the world ‘I am here’, but…”

He glanced at his shattered arm. He didn't regret what he did. He knew that if he had said nothing, Todoroki would weaken himself from hypothermia, and Izuku could have beaten him. But after everything the other teen had told him, after learning the truth about his father and the reason he detested a part of himself, Izuku couldn't just take advantage of that and win the match.

Izuku didn't really care about getting first place, or living up to the zygote’s expectations, anyway. He even had a valid reason to lose, now.  

“I saw Todoroki-kun, and I couldn’t help but think of how sad and angry he was…”

Izuku kept his head low as he walked inside the temporary office. Recovery Girl ushered him to lay on a bed and gave him a quirk-induced kiss, healing his arm. Winning two events, as well as his exhausting match with Todoroki, had left him with little stamina. The Youthful Heroine’s quirk drew almost all the remaining energy he had left, leaving him with just enough to stay awake, lying in bed.

“Shounen…” All Might had this stupid sympathetic smile of his that made Izuku want to hit him with a frying pan, “it is an unfortunate outcome. However…”

The hero rested his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, and the teenager held back a flinch. All Might was never one for boundaries, and he had no qualms about invading his personal space.

“You did this to help Todoroki-shounen, did you not?” Izuku nodded. “Meddling when you don’t need to, that’s what makes a hero. You are a hero, Midoriya-shounen.”

Izuku wanted to scowl in disgust. Even now, several weeks into U.A.’s hero course, he couldn't help but be repulsed by the idea of himself being a hero. Every time someone called him that, he just wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He was not a hero. And he never would be.

“You know,” All Might continued, unaware of Izuku’s thoughts, “every time I see you using One For All, your quirk, I am amazed. You have exceeded my expectations in more ways than one.”

He squeezed Izuku’s shoulder and sat on the chair next to the bed.

“You already know I originally became a teacher here to find a successor. There are so many students here, giving it their all, doing their best to become great heroes.”

Izuku looked up to the hero with wide eyes. Where was he going with this? If All Might ended up asking for his quirk back and give it to someone else, Izuku would seriously consider leaking every bit of information on him to the press. And possibly murder.

“Even so, I have never once regretted my decision to choose you. Your progress and mastery over your quirk in such a short amount of time is astounding, even with little slip-ups like today.”

The hero gave him another sympathetic smile, and Izuku lowered his head and started fiddling with the hems of his tattered uniform, to keep himself from introducing All Might’s face to the bedside table.

“You have come so far, Midoriya-shounen. To be honest, your resolve to do better, to be better, reminds me of myself when I was younger.”

At first, Izuku thought this was just the hero congratulating Izuku and sharing his thoughts on his progress. But Izuku could tell this was going somewhere. He watched the hero carefully from the corner of his eye, still keeping his fingers occupied.

“You see, I was quirkless, too.”

He. Was. What.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s mind went blank. His ears started ringing, and his vision blurred.

In his head, a single word was repeating itself, over and over.

Quirkless.

All Might was quirkless.

He was quirkless. So he knew. He knew.

Izuku was seething. He bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood. He couldn't attack him, not here. If they weren’t in U.A., and Izuku wasn't completely exhausted, he would have made a punching bag of that, that fucking-

Izuku took a deep breath through his nose, his teeth still making his tongue bleed. All Might was quirkless, so he knew. He knew what it was like. He knew the discrimination Izuku had faced, how society treated them, and isolated them. Maybe it wasn't as rare then, but being quirkless in Japan had not been common since the 23^rd century.

And yet, he still did what he did. He still crushed Izuku’s dreams, told him to be realistic, and left him on a fucking roof. He still told him he could be a hero, but only if he had a quirk, his quirk, and changed everything about himself that made him the weak quirkless Deku. He still reminded Izuku every day during their training that he could be worth something only with his help, his quirk, his support. That he wasn't enough, wasn't useful, wasn't worth a damn unless he became his successor, a carbon copy of himself.

And now, he reminded him of his younger self?

They weren’t anything alike. Izuku didn't have a molecule in his body even resembling the man that would later become the Symbol of Peace. If this was All Might’s pitiful attempt at some sort of bonding moment and solidarity, he had downright failed.

“…even so, my master believed in me, gave One For All to me, and raised me to be a hero,” Izuku heard him say, once the ringing in his ears subsided.

All Might probably mistook his silence as a simple case of surprise and loss of words. But that wasn't the case. Izuku wasn't just shocked, dumbfounded, stunned. No. He was completely, and utterly, livid.

“At first, I saw the old me in you.”

Oh, so that’s how it was. He saw the weak, little, quirkless kid with an unrealistic dream and a potential for heroics and decided to save him. He made Izuku his successor and gave him a quirk because he pitied him.

“But you have gone beyond what I imagined, time and time again. I know you will be a greater hero than I am.”

Izuku wanted to laugh, so bad. No, he wouldn’t become a greater hero. He would become so much more. He would surpass the Number One Hero; he would surpass all of them. But not as a hero. No, he would never become one of them.

And if that made him a villain, then so be it.

~~~

“Midoriya.”

He blinked a few times and looked to the left, where the voice had come from.

“Oh, hi, Todoroki-kun.”

The boy was sitting in a chair beside the bed, where All Might was sitting before.

“Hello.” His face was stoic as always, with a hint of worry across his eyes. “I'm sorry, did I wake you?”

Izuku didn't remember falling asleep, but he did close his eyes at some point while the Number One Asshole was talking – he was trying to calm himself after the bombshell the hero dropped, and he had no interest in whatever the man had to say, anyway. He must have drifted off a little while afterwards.

“No, I wasn't sleeping. I probably dosed off a bit after Recovery Girl healed me.”

Todoroki hummed. “Are you okay, now?”

“Hm? Oh, my arm? Yeah, it’s fine.” He wiggled his right arm to show it was completely healed, gaining a nod from the other boy. “How about you? Are you okay for your final match? I didn't miss it, did I?”

Izuku glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been 30 minutes since he was brought in Recovery Girl’s office.

“No, they were fixing the arena from our match until 10 minutes ago. Iida and Bakugou are still battling.” Right. Izuku could faintly hear the sound of explosions under the loud cheering of the audience.

Todoroki fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. He probably got a new uniform, since he burned off the last one. “I'm okay. I didn't have any serious injuries. The frostbite melted after I… used my fire.”

The teen looked at his left hand like it had insulted him, and Izuku was hit with everything that happened during their match, and how he had convinced the other boy to use his fire quirk.

“I'm glad you did. I meant everything I said earlier.”

Todoroki’s face didn't exactly say he agreed. “I don’t think I can just use my left side now. It’s not something that can easily be reversed. But then, just for a moment, I forgot about him.”

Izuku smiled. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, accepting a part of himself that he had denied for so long. But the green-haired teen was glad he convinced him, if only for that instance. Baby steps.

Izuku’s mind then blanked, recalling exactly how he managed to persuade him into unleashing his fire.

“I'm sorry for calling you by your first name,” he blurted out, “I just wanted to gain your attention! I won’t call you that if you feel uncomfortable-”

“It’s okay, you can call me Shouto. I’d rather not be called by my father’s name, anyway.” He grimaced at the mention of the Number Two Asshole.

“Oh, okay! You can call me Izuku, then.”

“Okay, Izuku.”

They sat a few moments in silence. It was not uncomfortable, though. They always seemed to be perfectly content in just co-existing, even without exchanging any words. Izuku had only ever felt like this with Himiko, but she was his best friend. Did that mean he and Todo- Shouto were friends now? 

“You know,” Izuku started, “if you want to get back at your sperm donor, why don’t you use your quirk for something he hates?”

A hint of a smile appeared on Shouto’s lips. Izuku thought it suited him. He wanted to see him smile more often. The Gods know he deserved to feel happy, after everything he had been through.

~~~

Izuku and Shouto stayed in the nurse’s office, dropping ideas on things the dual-quirked teen could do with his fire that would piss Endeavor off the most, until Present Mic announced Katsuki’s victory and advancement to the finals.

Izuku wished his friend – ??? – good luck on his final match, and, after getting the okay – and a handful of energy gummies – from Recovery Girl, he headed once again to the stands, and sat on the far back.

He wondered whether Shouto would use his fire against Katsuki. If Izuku was being honest, Shouto had been set on winning with only his ice, so using his fire during the final match wasn't a very plausible scenario. He would definitely win if he used his full strength, and knowing Katsuki, the blond would yell at him to stop holding back, but Izuku wasn't sure it would work.

He was right, in the end. Shouto tried to end the match quickly, trapping him with a big ice pillar, but Katsuki melted it with his quirk. They sparred for a few minutes, until the explosive blond grew tired of Shouto not using his full power, accusing him of underestimating him and declaring he didn’t want to win if the other didn’t give it his all. Izuku could tell his friend was conflicted, but in the end, his stubbornness got the better of him.

Katsuki used his quirk to get high in the air and spin himself around, and launched himself with a move that basically created an explosive tornado, hitting Shouto head-on. After the dust settled, the dual-haired teen was revealed to be unconscious and out of bounds, and Midnight declared Katsuki the winner.

Obviously, the blond wasn't happy with that outcome. He went to attack Shouto, demanding explanations, screaming about how he didn't want to win like this. Midnight approached the student, and without even trying to calm him down, she used her quirk to knock him out.

Izuku saw red.

~~~

Shouta was glad the Sports Festival was finally over.

Even though he had fully recovered from the villain attack at the USJ, he still found himself getting fatigued more easily the past couple of weeks.

He considered himself very lucky, having gotten out of the USJ alive, never mind with only a broken arm, a concussion, and a scar on his face. That bioengineered weapon – the Nomu, the hand villain had called it – had held him on the ground like he weighed nothing, snapped his arm like a twig, and smashed his face on the ground without a second thought. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Midoriya, Shouta would have probably sustained serious injuries, considering he'd even lived to tell the tale.

The damn problem child had rushed into the scene without a thought, with no regards to his own safety. Shouta believed the kid had incredible potential as a hero. He was awkward and quiet and shy but also kind and polite and terrifyingly smart. He didn't look like he had a mean bone in his body, and the Gods know that if he did, he would have been beyond justified. Growing up quirkless certainly couldn't have been easy. The kid had said so himself, back on the first day of school, after the quirk apprehension test.

Even so, Midoriya seemed set on achieving his goals, the determination in his eyes reminding Shouta of himself when he was his age, hell-bent on proving people wrong and becoming a hero, despite everything they said about him. He trained hard and improved at a remarkable pace, easily surpassing even some of the strongest students U.A. had ever had. Midoriya had that same spark, the same resolve and strength of will, exceeding any and all expectations Shouta and the other teachers had of him.

Shouta’s other students also seemed to have the same opinions on the kid. They all respected him, especially the girls; Shouta had overheard Asui saying how he had put the fear of God in Mineta, while also stating that he could be terrifying sometimes. Shouta had a hard time believing that. He had caught the kid glaring at the shorter boy or bang his head against his desk when he made a weird comment – Shouta would deny he ever saw that happening – but he couldn't picture Midoriya as scary. He was always so sweet and polite.

For all his kind-hearted and friendly personality, Shouta was surprised to find out Midoriya didn't actually hang out with his classmates. He would isolate himself at any given opportunity, and all but vanish at lunch time. Shouta had caught him hang out with Todoroki – with whom he usually partnered up with during hero training – a couple of times, and that was only the past few days.

Midoriya’s relationship with Bakugou, on the other hand, was sketchy at best. The way the explosive brat had acted after Midoriya’s turn at the ball throw, the way Midoriya had referred to himself as a ‘quirkless loser’ when he started explaining his quirk situation to Shouta and Bakugou, it rang a few alarms. Shouta had checked both of their records but nothing noteworthy came up. Still, them knowing each other since they were kids and growing up in the same school would indicate they were childhood friends, but the brat’s behavior towards him didn't really tally with that.

If anything, Midoriya had insinuated that Bakugou had been one of the friends that had turned on him after his diagnosis, which implied the brat had actually been a bully – and with the behavior he exerted, Shouta wouldn’t have a hard time believing it.

Even if that was the case, Midoriya showed no signs of being scared or intimidated by the explosive blond. On the contrary, he usually had an almost bored expression when he had to deal with Bakugou’s shenanigans. That wasn't what a typical case of a bullied child looked like. Well, Midoriya was far from a typical, ordinary kid, but the point still stood.

Shouta had caught the kid a few times with a furrowed brow, or a complete neutral expression, devoid of any and all emotions, but he always shifted back to the good-natured student everyone knew. That really rubbed Shouta the wrong way, but he couldn't exactly tell what bothered him about it.

Shouta shook his head. There was no point in thinking about it now.  

He couldn't wait to go home, put on his comfy pink pajamas that Nemuri had gifted him for his 25^th birthday, and cuddle with his husband and cats. But first, he had some work to do.

Nemuri had gone and used her quirk on Bakugou, after he tried attacking Todoroki for not using his fire – and didn't that raise red flags about Endeavor’s son – without trying to talk him down first. And then, she had called Shouta and a few other staff members to help her restrain him, because after he woke up, the boy adamantly refused to accept the first-place award.

And that’s how he found himself in his current predicament. He and Nemuri, Hizashi and Ishiyama – aka Cementoss – were discussing what to do with the explosive blond, who, as soon as he woke up, went feral, started screaming and throwing profanities at Todoroki, who was also there, sitting on the 2^nd place podium with a neutral expression, not even acknowledging his classmate’s yelling.

Ishiyama had already helped Nemuri restrain the kid with locks on his arms and hands, as well as tie his body on a wooden log to keep him in place, which Shouta thought was a bit excessive, if he was being honest. He was standing against the wall with his hand rubbing his face, unable to resist pinching the bridge of his nose, considering the absurdity of the situation.

The other heroes were in the process of putting a mask on Bakugou’s face, since he wouldn’t stop yelling, when they heard a familiar voice. They almost didn't recognize it, considering the enraged tone it was laced with.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

All heads turned towards Midoriya, who was standing a couple meters away – Shouta hadn’t even noticed him enter the room – his fists clenched tight, glaring at them with the most indisputable fury Shouta had ever seen a person emitting. He had his quirk activated, making green electric-like energy flow through his body, his eyes glowing bright viridian. It looked so wrong, seeing the problem child, who was usually reserved and friendly, seething with such rage. Shouta could swear the room temperature had dropped.

The only sounds that could be heard were Bakugou’s labored breathing, and the crackling electricity of Midoriya's quirk. No one dared speak up as the green-haired kid stomped his way towards the explosive blond, and easily broke the chains and locks, freeing his classmate.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Midoriya looked like he wanted to strangle Cementoss and Midnight, but settled for gently taking the mask away from Bakugou’s face instead, and then crushing it to dust.

“Apart from the fact that this whole thing is extremely inhumane – he’s not an animal for fuck’s sake! – have you not read his file?” Midoriya didn't give the gaping heroes a chance to answer. “Didn't you see in his record that he was attacked by a villain last year? A sludge villain that restrained him and almost suffocated him to death?” Midoriya was glowering at each of the heroes, his eyes feeling like knives piercing their skin.

“And you want to do the same thing to him, chain him and muzzle him like a monster, and for what? Because he doesn’t want to accept an award? And you were going to do that on live television, where the whole country is watching? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Shouta was at loss for words, his mouth slightly ajar, eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. His coworkers were pretty much in the same state. No one had expected the kid to lash out like that, never mind to the heroes’ faces.

Ishiyama cleared his throat, and opened his mouth to speak, but a single glare from the problem child shut him up, making him press his mouth shut and turn his eyes away in shame.

“And not only that,” he continued, turning to Nemuri, who looked seconds away from throwing up, “don’t you know how Katsuki’s quirk works? That’s also in his file, and you of all people should know about it, but let me remind you! He sweats nitroglycerin. That’s a vasodilator, and it lowers blood pressure. Your quirk is a fast-acting sedative, that also lowers blood pressure. He could literally die if it gets too low. Did you even think of that, when you decided to knock him out instead of, I don’t know, talk to him?”

Midoriya scoffed, when Nemuri, who was white as a sheet, stayed silent. “Of course you didn't.”

By that point, he had deactivated his quirk, and he was sitting on the 3^rd place podium, his fists clenching the edge of the podium tight, the acrylic material creaking under the pressure.

Shouta got out of his shocked state when Bakugou broke the silence.

“I don’t need you to defend me-” he started, but Midoriya cut him off with a sharp glare.

“Spare me, Katsuki,” he grumbled, effectively shutting the explosive brat up. “I didn't do this just for you.”

Bakugou clicked his tongue, but otherwise didn't retaliate. Shouta spared a glance at the other student occupying the room. Todoroki’s mismatched eyes were wide, but he was looking at Midoriya like he had hung the stars right in front of him.

Before the Erasure Hero could ponder further on his student’s odd reaction, Nemuri cleared her throat, he eyes glued to the floor.

“I, uh, I-I guess we can, um, proceed with the a-award ceremony.” She all but fled the scene, heading upstairs to begin the closing ceremony, since all the winners had gathered, apart from Iida, who would not be participating.

Tensei’s mother had called Shouta earlier, saying Ingenium had been attacked by a villain and was currently in the hospital, undergoing surgery. The doctors said he would be lucky to survive. Shouta’s heart had clenched, he didn't want to lose anyone close to him, ever again.

“Right,” Shouta mumbled. Since no other adult seemed willing to speak, he took the reins, hoping to lighten the tense atmosphere. “The ceremony will be starting soon. Take your places, and behave.”

He gave Midoriya a pointed look, but he didn't scold him for his outburst. The kid had been right, after all. There was no denying that. Shouta couldn't really say anything to defend himself.

And just like that, the heavy blanket keeping the atmosphere heavy, was lifted. Midoriya’s demeanor changed completely, going from absolutely livid, to his usual neutral and polite attitude. It felt so wrong, it set Shouta on edge.

“Yes, sensei.”

“Shou…” Hizashi started, but he shut him off.

“Let’s go, Mic.” The blond stared at him for a few moments before nodding, and left the corridor, Ishiyama following him without a word. Shouta spared one last glance at the problem child, who was looking at him intently, but otherwise seemed relaxed, almost bored.

He gave his student a final nod, and headed to the announcer’s booth. He wouldn’t take part in the award ceremony, but he wanted to provide emotional support to Zashi, who was surely freaking out but didn't want to stress out Nemuri even more, since she was the main target of the problem child’s verbal onslaught.

Shouta rubbed his temples as he went up the stairs. He could already feel a headache coming. There were so many things wrong with everything that had just played out. Apart from the unexpected tirade and foul language, the most shocking revelation about the problem child was the amount of sheer rage pouring out of him, and how it seemed to evaporate, like with the flick of a switch, after he was done.

It really concerned Shouta, how easily the kid could conceal his feelings, put on a mask in the blink of an eye and turn from looking absolutely pissed to his usual polite and nonchalant demeanor. Shouta wondered whether he had been wearing that mask all this time, disguising his true feelings and putting up a façade. Whether he had ever been his true self since the first day of school. And the scariest part, was that, if Shouta hadn’t seen him shift his mood, he wouldn’t ever be able to tell he was faking it.

~~~

Izuku was fucked.

Now he had done it. He had let his anger get the better of him, and fucking yelled at his teachers. He couldn't bring himself to regret it, though.

When he saw Midnight use her quirk on Katsuki, he couldn’t help but get mad at that gross display of hero malpractice. Having grown up with the explosive blond, it was logical for Izuku to know exactly how his quirk worked and affected his body. As a former hero fanatic, on the other hand, he had already made an entire section of the R-rated Hero’s quirk and its properties. It wasn't difficult to put two and two together, and figure out how Katsuki’s body would react to the heroine’s anesthetic.

So when he saw her approach him and immediately activate her quirk, without even trying to call him out, Izuku got mad. As he headed down to the corridor where the podiums were, he had only intended to calmly explain to her why what she did was dangerous, how Katsuki could have died because she didn't think twice about the consequences of her actions.

But then, he saw him being restrained. He saw Katsuki being wrapped up and chained, his hands trapped in locks so he couldn't use his quirk and free himself. He watched Midnight putting a fucking muzzle on his face, like he was some sort of wild beast, and not a literal child throwing a temper tantrum. He saw Katsuki’s eyes, impossibly wide and glazed over, his chest moving irregularly, as he panicked and struggled to breathe normally.

Izuku couldn't help but think back to that fateful day, the moment he caught Katsuki’s eyes, pleading for someone to help him as he was being suffocated by the sludge villain, while the heroes did nothing. He remembered how he had been suffocated by the same villain, just an hour earlier, the burning feeling of sludge inside his lungs, his mind telling him that this was how he was going to die.

He was absolutely certain that Katsuki was on the brink of a panic attack, being restrained while the heroes did absolutely nothing to help him. At that moment, Izuku could feel raw and molten anger flooding his veins like a tide, vibrating through his very being. Any self-restraint he had managed to show in any situation concerning heroes and their complete incompetence evaporated. He snapped.

Before he knew it, he had activated his quirk, and was yelling at the heroes for treating Katsuki like an animal, channeling his anger on the fucking muzzle– if only to keep himself from attacking the adults in the room that called themselves heroes – and reducing it to ash.

Aizawa thankfully didn't scold him, but Izuku knew he would have to apologize later, even if he wasn't sorry for anything he said, nor for stepping in.

After the heroes left, an awkward silence engulfed the hallway, none of the three teenagers daring to speak about what had just happened. Izuku glanced at the two boys on his right. Katsuki was clenching his fists, his leg bouncing nervously, his scowl revealing something more than just irritation and anger.

Shouto, on the other hand, was looking at Izuku with wide eyes. When he caught Izuku’s gaze, he finally broke the silence, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

“That was so cool.”

 Izuku’s eyebrows went up in surprise, and Katsuki turned his head towards the dual-colored teen so fast, his neck audibly cracked.

Before anyone could say anything else, the crowd on the stadium above them cheered, and the podiums started ascending, revealing the three winners of the Sports Festival to the world.

“In addition to Midoriya,” Midnight absolutely refused to look at him as she spoke, apparently still shaken up from before, “there is also Iida in third place, but he won’t be attending the ceremony for family reasons.”

Oh, that’s right. Izuku had overheard the class president confide in Uraraka during the final match, that his brother, the hero Ingenium, was critically injured by a villain, and that he would be taking the first train to Hosu to visit him in the hospital.

“Now, we will be handing the medals! The person who will be giving them is, of course…” She made a dramatic pause and with a grand gesture extended her hand, and a familiar, booming laugh, coming from the place she was pointing at, echoed across the stadium.

Oh, Gods. Please. Don’t.

“I AM HERE… bringing the medals!”

But alas, the Gods had never been merciful to Izuku.

“…our favourite hero, All Might!”

The crowd roared at the zygote’s entrance, and Izuku did his very best to keep his facial expression neutral. Optimally, he would have adopted a happier attitude – being one of the winners of a national event – but he was way too tired to bother. He could feel Katsuki’s piercing glare on him, but he glued his eyes to the ground, until a splash of red and blue and yellow entered his vision.

“Congratulations, Midoriya-shounen.” The Number One Hero placed the bronze metal on his neck, and proceeded to hug Izuku, who was way too tired for this shit and just wanted to go home.

“You already know it, but I’m so proud of you. This is only the beginning. Keep up the hard work, and a journey of greatness awaits you.”

Izuku let a smirk show on his face. All Might was right, after all. He would become greater than the hero could ever expect. The heroes had no idea what was coming for them.

All Might gave Shouto and Katsuki their medals, the latter throwing some pretty colorful words, making his dissatisfaction clear, but accepted the medal nonetheless. The hero then made a closing speech that Izuku didn't bother listening to, ending it with his signature catchphrase.

“…go beyond…”

“PLUS ULTRA!!!” Izuku joined everyone, if only for appearances, as they celebrated the end of the Sports Festival.

Chapter Text

Before Izuku could even think about bolting out of U.A., Aizawa requested the whole 1-A class’s attendance for a few minutes before everyone went home.

First, he congratulated them on their performance, and reminded them they wouldn’t be having any classes the two following days – fuck yeah! – since U.A. would be holding the Sports Festival for the second and third-years. Finally, he announced that on Saturday, they would be receiving their internship offers.

The class was dismissed, but Aizawa didn't leave the classroom. Instead, he sat at his desk, spared Izuku a glance, and watched his students as they left one by one. Izuku took that as a sign to wait until everyone left, so they could talk. The teen was already planning on talking to the teachers he yelled at earlier and apologize, but he was hoping he could put it off until they returned to school after their mini break. Oh well.

The last students in the classroom were Katsuki, who had been watching Izuku intently as he waited for everyone to leave, and Shouto, who was probably waiting for Izuku so they could leave together. The blond eventually gave up on his one-sided staring match with Izuku, and decided to go home as well.

When the room finally emptied, apart from the two boys and their homeroom teacher, Izuku turned to his friend as he got up.

“Go ahead, Shouto-kun. I want to speak to Aizawa-sensei about something.”

Shouto nodded and started walking towards the exit. “I’ll wait for you at the gates.”

Izuku smiled and watched the boy leave and close the door behind him, before turning to his teacher, who had been observing them with a raised eyebrow, but made no comment on their growing familiarity and the switch to first-name basis.

Aizawa open his mouth to speak, but Izuku got ahead of him, bowing ninety degrees, before spewing out apologies.

“I’m so sorry, Aizawa-sensei! I apologize for my outburst, I didn't mean to start yelling and cursing and talking to you and Midnight-sensei and the other teachers that way, I’m so sorry!”

Izuku raised his body from his bow, but still kept his head hunching, and his eyes glued to the floor, managing to make them water for dramatic effect.

“I lost control of my feelings, and I really shouldn’t have acted that way, but when I saw Katsuki like that, I couldn’t just let it go, he might not be my friend anymore but I've known him since we were babies, I couldn’t-”

“It’s okay, problem child,” Aizawa interrupted him, and sighed. “You were right anyway; it was a mistake of Midnight and the other heroes present.”

Izuku finally made eye-contact with his teacher. He could see the exhaustion on his face; he could tell the man was being sincere. Also, problem child?

“I spoke with Nedzu, and he was actually furious this even happened.” Izuku thought he saw a hint of fear in the man’s eyes when he mentioned the chimera. “He apparently wasn't informed about what Nem- Midnight was planning, but I assure you this will never happen again.”

Izuku could only nod. On the inside, he was trying to picture the principal going feral and reprimanding the heroes that chained Katsuki up.

“But I… I still shouldn’t have spoken that way. I'm really sorry, Aizawa-sensei.” Izuku made a small bow.

“You’re not in trouble, problem child. You were defending your classmate, after all.” Aizawa sighed again, and rubbed his face with both of his hands. “I was just surprised at your… colorful language.”

Izuku averted his gaze and held his breath, cutting off the oxygen supply to his face, causing his cheeks to turn red. His attempt to look embarrassed seemed to work, judging from the man’s light chuckle.

“Now go get some rest. I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“Yes, sensei.” Izuku bowed one last time, and bolted out of the classroom. Until he got out of sight, he could feel his teacher’s piercing gaze on his back.

~~~

“Deku.”

Izuku sighed, and turn to face his childhood friend. He had just left the building, but Katsuki had apparently been waiting for him outside. Izuku wasn't surprised, honestly. It only made sense for the blond to want to talk about what had happened before the award ceremony, at least assuming that was the reason he was calling him.

Katsuki was leaning against the wall next to the doors, arms crossed. He wore his usual scowl on his face, but he didn't seem as angry as usual. He looked frustrated, and embarrassed.

Izuku walked up to him, stopping a couple steps in front of the other. Katsuki uncrossed his arms, and let them fall on each side of his body, fists clenched. His cheeks were dusted light pink, jaw clenched tight, and he wouldn’t look Izuku in the eye.

After a brief moment of silence, Katsuki took a deep breath and met the shorter boy’s eyes. His own were glowing fiery red in the light of the setting sun.

“Thank you.”

Izuku’s brain short-circuited. Did Katsuki just thank him?

“Huh?” he replied, intelligently.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, you heard me!” Katsuki resumed glaring daggers at the floor. “I- fuck!” He rubbed his face with his hand, and Izuku could swear he saw him holding back a sob.

“You stopped them. When they…” he made a vague gesture to his body, before cupping the bottom half of his face. Where the muzzle had been.

Izuku let his anger show for the umpteenth time that day. “I couldn't sit back and watch them do that, Katsuki. I could see you were on the verge of a panic attack.” The blond began to deny it, but Izuku didn't let him. “Anyone would freak out in that situation, but you almost died from that sludge villain. I would be surprised if you didn't panic. I mean, I would.”

“What…?” Katsuki’s eyebrows were scrunched in confusion.

“I was also attacked by the sludge villain. He almost killed me, too.” He wasn't sure why he was sharing this. Izuku’s mind briefly went back to those few excruciating seconds that seemed like hours, when he could feel the sludge enter his airways.

“That wasn't on the news! I didn't-”

“Do you really think they would care if a quirkless kid died in the hands of a random villain?” Izuku shot back, effectively shutting the other up. “They wouldn’t care, no one would! No one did! Even the hero that saved me left me behind!” He pressed his mouth into a thin line, to avoid saying anything more.

Katsuki was looking at him intently, trying to figure out the lie, or who he was talking about.

“Quirkless people don’t matter, Katsuki, we don’t matter. You should know that better than anyone.” Izuku glared at the blond, who had paled considerably, and had the audacity to look hurt by Izuku’s words.

The green-haired teen turned to leave, and Katsuki went to grab his shoulder, but stopped midway, to avoid getting judo-flipped again.

“Don’t think I owe you anything-”

“That’s not why I stepped in, asshole,” Izuku interrupted him, turning to face him again. “I was only going to yell at Midnight at first, for using her quirk on you without thinking.” Katsuki’s eyes somehow got even wider, but Izuku didn't let him speak.

“But then I saw you chained up, and muzzled, like a fucking animal.” He didn't bother hiding how furious he was with this whole situation. “Did you really think I would just let them do that to you? To anyone?”

Katsuki didn't respond, but his clenched jaw and burning eyes were enough of an answer.

“Do you really think I would let someone being restrained, and gagged, and ridiculed, and whatever else they were planning to do, after what I went through? You really think I would let someone go through what I did?”

It was quiet for a few moments. Izuku wasn't really expecting an answer, but he could tell the other teen was debating over something.

“…Why?” Katsuki whispered. Too soft, too quiet.

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean ‘why’?”

“Why help me?” Katsuki was yelling again. Not that Izuku preferred it, but it was familiar territory. “You said it yourself; you’ve been through… that shit, too. Why would you help me, anyway, after what I-” he took a shuddered breath. “You could have just let them…” He made another vague gesture, his eyes no longer looking at the shorter boy.

Izuku wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face. How dare he act remorseful, like he was sorry for everything he put Izuku through. And how dare he insinuate Izuku was like him, like them.

“Even after everything you’ve done, Katsuki, you're not a monster. I'm not a monster, either,” was all he said, before turning around and leaving. The not like them was left unsaid.

~~~

Izuku flopped on his bed with a groan.

He was so tired and sore, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. It took a few minutes to convince himself to get up and have a shower. As he relished the scalding-hot water on his skin, washing away the sweat and grime on his body, his mind couldn't help but replay everything that had happened today.

Shouto declaring war on him, and then trauma-dumping – Izuku’s blood boiled even thinking about everything his new friend had said about his and his siblings’ childhoods. His battle with Shinsou and some more trauma-dumping by both the green and the purple-haired teen – were they friends now, too?

His fight against Shouto, Izuku persuading him to accept and use his fire, and how they talked about pissing off Endeavor afterwards. All Might telling him he used to be quirkless – yeah, he wasn't going to be thinking about this anymore today.

Katsuki and Shouto’s final match. The whole incident with the explosive blond and the heroes’ outrageous actions. His talk with Aizawa, Katsuki thanking him.

His walk with Shouto, who was waiting for him by the gates, and their official establishment of their friendship – “So, are we friends now, Shouto-kun?” “I guess, I’ve never had friends before.”

Now that he really thought about it, so many things had happened, it was no wonder he felt like it had been days. His last meeting with Giran, where the broker gave him his villain costume, was only yesterday, yet it felt like it was ages ago.

By the time he turned off the shower and went to change into comfortable clothes, his mom had returned and was already preparing dinner. He sat with her for the next couple of hours, recounting the events of the Sports Festival that she had missed because of work – she had seen him win the first two events, and didn't restrain herself from showing how proud she was of her son.

Once he started yawing, she ushered him to bed, and he was too tired to refuse. Izuku kissed his mom goodnight, crawled under the covers on his bed, and a minute after his head hit the pillow, he was dead to the world.

~~~

Izuku checked his phone, making sure he got off the right stop. Himiko had asked him to meet her at Kamino, a ward in Yokohama City. She wouldn’t say why, but she had promised she had something important to show him, so he complied, and took the train to their meeting place. He really hoped the journey was worth it, it took more than two hours to get there. By the time he arrived at Yokohama, the sun had already set, the stars barely visible in the early night sky.

He got off the bullet train and out of the station, following the directions on his phone to get to the address Himiko had texted him. Izuku had barely gotten a couple blocks away from the train station, when Himiko jumped at him from an alley, crushed him into a tight hug and smothered him in kisses.

“Izu-chan!! I'm so proud of you, you did great! You kicked so much ass!”

“Himiko… I can't breathe…” Izuku wheezed. His best friend was squeezing his torso too tightly; she was way stronger than she looked.

“Oh, sorry…” Himiko released him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I'm so proud of you, Izuku.” She offered him that cute smile of hers, displaying her canines.

Izuku blushed, both from the compliments, and the use of his full name. Himiko usually called him Izu-chan, or a similar nickname or term of endearment, and reserved his actual given name for important things, or to emphasize she was being genuine.

Izuku offered a soft ‘thank you’, but Himiko wasn't done. As she led him to wherever they were going, she proceeded to point out every single amazing, spectacular, incredible, astonishing, remarkable and so fucking cool – among others – things he'd done during the Sports Festival, making sure to provide her own thoughts and criticism, mostly over the heroes’ commentary and actions.

“It’s too bad you didn't end up against Kacchan, though,” she pouted. She had been using Izuku’s childhood nickname for the blond, mostly so if she ended up meeting him, she could provoke him and piss him off.

“Yeah, but it was worth it, going against Shouto-kun instead.” Izuku smiled, knowing he had helped his friend, both during their match and afterwards.

“Ooh~ It’s Shouto-kun, now?” She wiggled her eyebrows, making Izuku’s cheeks turn pink.

Instead of feeling embarrassed, though – like when she teased him about a certain lavender-haired boy – he smiled fondly, and explained everything that had happened yesterday with the dual-haired teen.

He recounted everything Shouto had told him before the start of the Festival – where he'd basically declared war on him, but explained his reasoning afterwards – and after the Cavalry Battle. He talked about the teen’s resentment and refusal to use part of his power, as well as his need to beat Izuku because of his connection to All Might – they laughed so hard when Izuku told Himiko how Shouto theorized he was the hero’s secret love child, they had to stop walking for five whole minutes to calm themselves down.

Izuku was reluctant to tell her about the boy’s past, since it technically wasn't his business, and they were friends now. He didn't want to betray his trust, especially with telling anyone his literal traumatic experiences.

In the end, he settled for giving her a vague summary of what he had learned about the Number Two Asshole, some of which – i.e. Endeavor’s strive to be the best and beat All Might – were basically public knowledge. Izuku only added how his obsession with surpassing the Number One was the reason for a quirk marriage and 3 children that he discarded as failures, until Shouto, his masterpiece, was born. Izuku didn't go into details over the tragic life and death of Todoroki Touya, nor about Shouto’s and his other siblings’ childhoods, but Himiko could probably imagine what it was like.

Most importantly, though, Izuku emphasized Shouto’s absolute rejection of his fire, and how Izuku tried, and succeeded, to convince him that his fire was his own power, not Endeavor’s. Himiko, knowing all about hating her quirk and accepting it as part of herself, could understand, and she thoroughly expressed how proud of him she was for helping his new friend.

“I made another friend. Apart from Shouto, I mean.” He could already feel the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Really? Who is it?!” Himiko hugged his right arm and shook it excitedly.

“We haven’t interacted much before yesterday.” Himiko raised an eyebrow. “But I’ve actually talked to you about him. Remember Shinsou-kun?”

She tilted her head to the side, a smirk growing on her lips.

Izuku had thought he wouldn’t be receiving any more teasing today. He was sorely mistaken. The moment he uttered the boy’s name, he knew he was doomed.

“You know! The tall, purple kid, from General Education.” Izuku avoided her piercing gaze like the plague, his face feeling like it was on fire.

“So, Shinsou-kun, huh?” Izuku could feel the gleam in her eyes deep in his bones. “And how did you become friends with ~Shinsou-kun~?”

“Well… we exchanged numbers…” Izuku did his best not to stutter from embarrassment, but Himiko could definitely tell, judging from her not-so-quiet snickering. “You know how Ojiro – the tail guy – withdrew from the tournament, after the cavalry battle?”

“Yeah, something about not remembering how he passed?”

Izuku nodded. “It was because of Shinsou's quirk. It’s called Brainwashing. He can control someone if they verbally answer to a question, it’s so cool! I wonder if he-”

“Izu-chan, honey, I love your analysis, but I need the tea right now!”

Izuku mumbled an apology, his face still tinged a light pink. “So, anyway, it probably wasn't broadcasted, but everyone started calling him a villain for controlling a hero student and bullshit like that. Ojiro came up to me after they announced the pairings, and that I would be going against him first, to fucking warn me. It was so fucking bad, Himiko!”

He explained how his talk with Ojiro went. Himiko was listening carefully, quiet rage radiating off her, matching Izuku’s energy as he spoke about everything the purple boy had said during their match, trying to get him to answer. How everyone had reacted to Izuku winning, and how he had followed Shinsou to the changing rooms to talk.

Himiko started tearing up as he recounted his conversation with the tired teen. She was too familiar with the boy’s experiences, and hearing about it hit close to home. She was also really moved by Izuku’s words to him, even though he had already said every variation of them to the girl herself time and time again, since the first day they met.

 “…at some point he said he doesn’t really want to be a hero anymore, and to be honest, I don’t blame him.”

“That’s great, Izu! Maybe you can be yourself with him, too.” She smiled knowingly, but her tone bore genuine affection. She really meant what she said, despite teasing him.

After that, he told her about his interaction with Endeavor, as well as the conversation he had with All Might. Izuku had already revealed to her the truth about his quirk, and every single secret the Number One had entrusted him with. He trusted his friend not to tell anyone else, if only to not jeopardize his cover in U.A.. Endangering the hero wasn't really one of his concerns.

Understandably, she was furious. And if she was mad then, Izuku couldn't even begin to describe her reaction, when he revealed everything that had happened with Katsuki before the award ceremony. He had to contain both his best friend and himself from screaming in anger, no wanting the whole of Yokohama to hear them.

Just when they had started to calm down, Himiko halted to a stop outside an abandoned building in a relatively quiet part of the city. She was suddenly acting a bit sheepish, crossing her legs, her hands behind her back.

“Um, we’re here.”

Izuku tilted his head in confusion. “Where’s here?”

“So, there’s something I haven’t told you.” She didn't see Izuku raising an eyebrow, since she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Remember a couple weeks ago, when I told you I had a meeting?”

“Right, I had forgotten about that.” Izuku tried to remember if she had shared any details about it, but she beat him to it.

“Well, Giran actually approached me, too.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Did he question you about me or…?”

Himiko started waving her hands. “No, no, he actually offered to introduce me to some people. He said they had commissioned him to find people to join their group. They are supposedly trying to destroy the hero system, like you! They even approached Stain-sama!”

Izuku was intrigued. He had so many questions, but he let his friend explain.

“So, I met them a couple times. Tomura-kun wasn't very nice at first, but I think I've grown on him! Hehe…”

Izuku was sure he had heard that name before, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember from where. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

“They offered me to stay here, with them. They would provide food and everything, and I just had to join their group. So I did.” Himiko was playing with a stray strand of her hair, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but not like when she was excited about something.

Izuku’s frown deepened. “Are you sure they're safe? Stain hasn’t mentioned this to me…”

“They only approached him yesterday! He’s probably here, too! But, um…” She met Izuku’s eyes and smiled sheepishly. “I wanted you to meet them. If I'm staying with them, I want you to get to know them, too. You're like family to me…”

The green-haired teen gave her a loving smile. “Okay.”

“Yay!” Her attitude completely shifted, going back to her usual bubbly self. She knocked on the door, and opened it before she got a reply.

“Hey, guys! It’s Himiko! I brought a friend!”

Said friend stepped inside the hideout – that was apparently a bar – but stopped in his tracks when his gaze landed on a very familiar set of crimson eyes. He now realized where he knew the name Himiko had mentioned from. Izuku would recognize that person anywhere, even without the dismembered hands all over his body.

He didn't have a chance to say anything, before Shigaraki Tomura, the leader of the League of Villains, spoke the exact words Izuku had on the tip of his tongue.

“What the fuck?”

Chapter Text

“What the fuck?” Izuku whispered, copying Himiko’s new friend.

“Sooo…” Himiko titled her head and glanced between Izuku and Shigaraki, “you guys know each other?”

“Know each other?!” Shigaraki sputtered, his face twisted with rage. “You…”

He stood up from the stool he was sitting on, and went to charge towards Izuku, hand outstretched. But before he could do anything, a purple misty portal appeared in front of him, warping his arm beside him.

“Now, now, Shigaraki Tomura…” the mist villain from the USJ – Kurogiri, if Izuku’s memory served him correctly – who had been cleaning glasses behind the bar counter, said, “this is no way to treat our guests.”

“He’s a hero student! He was at the USJ! He killed my Nomu!” Shigaraki was basically throwing a temper tantrum, acting completely differently from the man who had been so set on killing All Might.

Izuku, who was still flabbergasted after stepping in the League’s hideout, got out of his trance and scanned the room, ignoring Shigaraki's complaints and fruitless efforts to decay him.

At the stool on the far left of the bar sat a young man, probably in his early twenties, with black hair and bright turquoise eyes. His most striking features, however, were the numerous patches of purple skin covering his lower face and neck, his arms, as well as under his eyes, and they seemed to be attached to his normal skin with staples. He had an amused grin on his face, but had yet to say anything.

To the door’s left was a single booth, that was being occupied by Stain. He didn't seem very surprised to see Izuku there, considering he was Himiko’s best friend, but he was just as entertained by the whole situation.

“Himiko…” Izuku started, looking at his best friend with amusement, “do you remember when I told you U.A. was attacked by villains a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah?” She was frowning, but then her eyes widened in realization.

“That was them,” the green-haired teen confirmed, gesturing with his head at Shigaraki. The villain had stopped throwing profanities at him and had resigned himself to his stool, seeing as Kurogiri wouldn’t let him disintegrate Izuku.

“Well, I think some introductions are in order.” The mist villain hadn’t stopped cleaning glasses, even though there didn't seem to be any dirty ones on the counter to begin with. “My name is Kurogiri, and this is Shigaraki Tomura.”

He gestured at the other man sitting on the bar, but left him to reveal his own name.

“Dabi,” is all he provided. Izuku gave a nod in acknowledgement.

“And this,” Kurogiri continued, “is-”

“Stain-sama!” Himiko ran towards the man and gave him a hug.

“Hi, Stain.” Izuku gave him a wave, and approached the booth.

“Hey, kid.” The Hero Killer ruffled Izuku’s fluffy hair. “Good job on the Sports Festival!”

“You know him?!” Shigaraki shrieked.

“Yeah, he’s my mentor.” Izuku shrugged and took a seat to Himiko’s right.

“What the fuck…”

“Would you like anything to drink? Some tea?” Kurogiri asked, ignoring the man-child. He was way less intimidating than at the USJ, both because of the absence of the dismembered hands, his young age now showing on his face, and the difference in attitude compared to when he was trying to kill people, Izuku included.

Izuku gave a polite smile to the mist villain. “Yes, I’d love that, thank you.”

“Are we really gonna ignore that there’s a hero student here?!” Shigaraki opened his arms in exasperation.

“Oh, right! I didn't introduce myself,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “My name is Midoriya Izuku, which you probably already know from the Sports Festival, but I also go by Light!”

“What, is that your hero name, or something?” Shigaraki scoffed.

“Gods, no!” Izuku laughed. “It’s my villain alias!” Well, he wasn't sure if he could be considered a villain, but he had interacted with villains enough to feel like he belonged with them, more than he ever could with the heroes.

“Villain alias… I'm so confused…” The blue-haired villain turned around, his back to Izuku, and rested his elbows on the counter and his head on his palms, while Kurogiri brought Izuku a cup of tea – oolong tea, specifically – and a smoothie for Himiko. He was probably already familiar with her preferences and needs, though Izuku didn't know where he'd gotten the blood from. He wasn't particularly interested in finding out, either.

Himiko took a long slurp of her smoothie, before turning to Shigaraki, grinning widely. “Izu-chan is All Might’s successor, and got into U.A. to destroy the hero system!” She turned her attention to one of Stain’s knives, apparently content with her explanation. The villain, however, seemed even more confused.

“All Might’s…” His confusion notably turned into sheer anger. He charged at Izuku again, an exasperated Kurogiri stopping him. Izuku deadpanned at him, maintaining eye-contact as he sipped his tea. He was really enjoying toying with the villain, even when the latter was set on killing him.

Shigaraki groaned, seeing his efforts to decay the teen were futile, and once again plopped on his stool. He gave Kurogiri a glare before settling his narrowed gaze on Izuku, emanating unconcealed hostility towards him. “Explain.”

Izuku took his time to answer. He took another long sip of his tea, and placed the cup on its saucer, eye contact never wavering. “It’s just like Himiko-chan said. I’m All Might’s successor and I want to bring down the system.”

Shigaraki opened his mouth, but Izuku spoke again before he could interrupt him. “I want to destroy the hero system, and all the heroes along with it, All Might included. Believe me, he’s the hero I despise the most.” He let a smirk show in his lips, as Shigaraki perked up at the last comment, his eyes widening. “I don’t blame you for being confused, I would be, too. Why would I want to follow in the footsteps of a person I hate?”

He paused for dramatic effect, as he scanned the room. Kurogiri was once again cleaning glasses, but his eyes were fixed on Izuku. Dabi was staring at him, curiosity apparent on his face. Himiko was too preoccupied with Stain’s weapons to pay attention, having heard her best friend talk about this numerous times, while his mentor was grinning with pride.

Izuku gave a grin of his own as he met Shigaraki's scarlet eyes once again. “But when he offered me his legacy, gave me a free ticket to the hero world, a means to destroy it from the inside, expose all their dirty little secrets and use their own power against them? How could I possibly refuse?”

Izuku’s viridian eyes were gleaming under the dim lighting of the bar, his grin gone a bit past what one might consider normal. Shigaraki stared at him in awe before starting crackling, which ended up in full-blown laughter.

Kurogiri gave the subtlest of nods, while Dabi joined Shigaraki, quietly snickering while shaking his head.

“Oh, that’s gold! And they have no idea?” Shigaraki's ruby eyes flickered to Izuku’s, once he calmed down enough.

“What can I say,” Izuku replied, his smirk ever-present on his face, “I'm a good actor.” He finished his tea, and Kurogiri was already at the table, teapot in hand to refill it. Izuku nodded his thanks, while Himiko slurped the last of her smoothie.

“So,” Shigaraki started, “why would All Might choose you, of all people?” He narrowed his eyes, obviously still not trusting the green-haired teen.

Izuku shrugged. He wasn't planning on telling the whole story, but he had a feeling he would be interacting with the man-child quiet often from now on, since Himiko had joined their group. Izuku might as well take advantage of it.

“He said he saw potential in me. After he crushed my dreams, and left me on a rooftop” – he didn't miss how everyone stiffened at that – “he saw me act heroically, despite being a weak quirkless kid.”

The three members of the League were watching him with their undivided attention. Himiko was leaning on him, providing silent support, even if Izuku had long gone past the point of being affected by that day’s events.

“You see, I saved a kid from being suffocated to death while the heroes did nothing, and he thought I had the heart of a hero.” He clenched his hands into fists, his gaze cold as ice. “He offered to train me, help me get in U.A. and become the next Symbol of Peace. A dumb idea, if you ask me. He hadn’t even asked for my name yet.”

He snickered at the zygote’s stupidity. The whole thing was even more ridiculous, considering the hero had let spill some of his most well-guarded secrets to a random child he had just met.

“I almost declined, since I didn't want to be a hero. Not anymore.” Izuku caught a slight shift in Shigaraki's and Dabi's expressions, but decided not to dwell on it. “But then, I thought, what better way to destroy a system, than from within? So, I accepted. Manifesting a quirk a couple days before the entrance exams was just a lucky bonus.”

He shrugged at that last comment, but all three villains’ eyes went comically wide. Well, Shigaraki's and Dabi's did. Kurogiri’s yellow misty ones became more circular, before settling into their usual abstract shape.

“You… manifested a quirk,” Dabi uttered in disbelief, “at fourteen-years-old.” It wasn't even a question. Just pure bewilderment.

“Yup,” is all Izuku offered, and sipped some of his tea, making it clear that was all he was going to say about the matter. Shigaraki, though, either didn't get the message, or he chose to ignore it.

“You seemed pretty good at using it,” he hissed. “You held your own against my Nomu, and then killed it.” The villain didn't bother hiding the acidity in his tone. He was obviously still mad about that, considering he had tried to disintegrate him the moment Izuku stepped into the bar.

Izuku sighed. “You tried to kill my teacher, and my classmates.”

“I thought you hated heroes,” Shigaraki countered, narrowing his eyes.

“I do, but you were only supposed to kill All Might. You attacked teenagers.”

“I attacked hero students.”

“…fair enough,” Izuku shrugged, and finished his tea. He declined Kurogiri’s offer for a refill, and leaned back on his seat. The blue-haired villain watched him with narrow eyes, but eventually lost interest and pulled out a Nintendo Switch from his hoodie pocket.

For some peculiar reason, Izuku didn't find himself threatened by the villains’ presence. Sure, his mentor and best friend were there, but Shigaraki didn't have any qualms about killing him, and he didn't know anything about Dabi – even though the young man was vaguely familiar, but Izuku couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about his eyes…

“So, do you want to join us?” Shigaraki interrupted his thoughts. Izuku’s brain short-circuited.

“…what?”

“Do you want to join the League of Villains?” The villain didn't look at him, his eyes glued on his gaming console.

“You want me to join your group?” Izuku asked, bewildered. “You tried to kill me less than 20 minutes ago.”

“He tries to kill everyone,” Stain noted, “it’s like his initiation ceremony.” The comment gained a snort from Dabi, Himiko nodding her head in agreement.

“Is this how it went with you too?” Izuku asked his mentor, an amused smirk appearing on his lips. “How did you end up joining, anyway?”

“Oh! I know!” Himiko chimed in. “Kurogiri-san came looking for Stain-sama yesterday, and brought him here to talk to Tomura-kun! Dabi-kun was already there, and I walked in when Tomura-kun was about to decay Stain-sama!”

Izuku snickered, and turned to the Hero Killer. “Was this before or after you agreed to join?”

“Before. At first I rejected the offer, since Shigi here was basically acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum.” That gained a glare from the aforementioned villain, but Stain brushed him off. “But then Himiko came in and got him to calm down, so we sat down and talked.”

He proceeded to explain everything from the beginning. Kurogiri had approached him in hopes to recruit him and help Shigaraki grow out of his impulsive nature. Stain’s first impression of the blue-haired villain had been that of a spoiled brat that wanted to destroy everything he didn't like – those were basically his own words, after all. But when Shigaraki revealed his hatred of All Might and the society that worshipped him, the Hero Killer decided to give him a chance, seeing potential in him.

Shigaraki had also expressed his resentment over U.A. and its heroics students, bringing Shouto and Izuku as examples, having seen them at the Sports Festival. Hearing this, Himiko, who had been present when that was said, had thrown a knife at Shigaraki, who didn't even flinch, Kurogiri making a portal and warping it to the other side of the room. Of course, Himiko hadn't been trying to hurt him – not much, anyway – but she didn't like people talking ill of her best friend.

Stain admitted he had also been mad when he heard that, but hadn't allowed his feelings for his protégé to show, not wanting to reveal anything about him without Izuku knowing or agreeing – the teen would be lying if he said he wasn't touched by his mentor’s words.

Even so, Stain gave the League a chance, after a couple of hours talking about their shared interest in destroying the current system, even though they had different methods in mind to accomplish their goals. Stain did end up talking about Izuku and his own ideals and plans, only referring to him as his apprentice – “of course that was him!” – in hopes of making Shigaraki understand that impulsively and recklessly attacking heroes wasn't the best course of action. Still, he found the young villain’s conviction formidable, and eventually agreed to join him, if only to help him grow and guide him in his mission.

Shigaraki was scowling and glaring at them throughout the whole of Stain’s explanation, occasionally scratching his neck, but otherwise didn't retort or pause his game. Kurogiri was occasionally nodding along the vigilante’s words, especially when the young villain’s potential for growth was addressed, while Dabi was silently watching them.

Izuku had been sparing the scarred villain a few glances as Stain spoke. He had noticed the man was trying to keep his face neutral, but Izuku had caught the subtle shift in his expression, his eyes slightly widening, gleaming at the mention of the green-haired teen’s plan to expose the faults of hero society. He wondered what his story was, whether there was a specific hero, or the system as a whole that wronged him and let him down enough to push him to villainy.

“Izu-chan?”

Izuku dispersed his thought bubble and turned to his best friend. “Hmm? Sorry Himiko-chan, I was lost in thought. What did you say?”

“It’s okay!” She gave him that adorable grin of hers, her hands fidgeting with a knife Izuku hadn’t seen before. “I asked if you’re going to join us now!” She leaned towards him and fake-whispered, “I think Tomura-kun is embarrassed to ask you again!”

“Hey!” Shigaraki whined, but didn't look up from his game.

“You’re not denying it~” Himiko taunted him, but seeing the man-child was too focused on whatever he was playing to dignify her with a response, she turned to her best friend again. “So?”

Izuku pondered over it a bit. On one hand, Shigaraki, albeit very dangerous and smarter than he let on, considering the deductions skills he had shown at the USJ, he was incredibly immature. He had an intense hatred for the Number One Hero, even going so far as carrying out an entire attack on U.A. grounds just to kill him, without having an endgame goal in mind.

In any case, Izuku doubted he and Kurogiri were the only members of the League, before the rest of the occupants of the bar joined. Kurogiri acted like the young villain’s caretaker, acting in his best interest, not letting him decay people and reprimanding him like a parent, while also seeking ways to help him grow – approaching Stain on his own was proof of that – but otherwise following his commands and going along with his plans, not taking any liberties other than for Shigaraki's growth.

Shigaraki’s character didn't exactly imply he had orchestrated the entire thing, either. He was intelligent, sure, but he was way too impulsive to plan out an entire attack like the one at the USJ. Someone had to be pulling the strings, observing behind the scenes and giving out orders. Izuku wondered whether they were watching, right now. That could prove troublesome, considering what he had already shared. He wished he had thought of that sooner.

Regardless, having more people on his side would always be an asset. Shigaraki may not appear to like him, but he had been the one to ask him to join the League in the first place. Himiko and Stain were already members, and whether he joined or not, Izuku would be probably seeing them often from now on, so he might as well make it official.

“Izu-chan?” Himiko had slightly tilted her head, frowning. Izuku could feel the stares of all the villains in the room on him. Ah, he still hadn’t given her an answer.

Izuku gave her a grin, his friend copying him, already knowing his answer.

“Sure.”

Chapter Text

“Yay!!!”

Himiko jumped from her seat and crushed Izuku in a tight hug, with a little too much force, sending them both off their seats and onto the floor. The two teens burst into giggles, and the Hero Killer joined them and patted their heads affectionately.

As if on cue, triumphant music echoed from Shigaraki’s gaming device, the universe acknowledging Izuku’s decision to join the League of Villains.

“Welcome to the League, Midoriya Izuku,” Kurogiri said, formally accepting him as a member, and gaining a thankful smile from the teen, “or would you rather be addressed as Light?”

Izuku hummed. “As a member, it’ll definitely be Light. When it’s just us, though, call me Izuku.”

Kurogiri nodded, and resumed his never-ending task of cleaning glasses.

“I gotta ask, though,” Izuku turned to Shigaraki, “are there any other members?”

“Just Sensei.”

Izuku perked up. “Sensei?”

“He is Shigaraki Tomura's mentor,” Kurogiri offered, since the young villain was too preoccupied with his game to answer Izuku’s questions, “and the founder of the League of Villains.”

“Is he the one making your plans? The leader behind the scenes?”

“I suppose one could say so, yes.” So he had been right. Someone was truly pulling the strings.

“So, where is he, now?”  

Kurogiri’s hands halted. “He… is not able to join us here,” he admitted. Well, that was an odd way to phrase it. “However, he can communicate with us through the monitor over there.” He pointed at the screen mounted on the wall to the left of the bar, right above the counter, and resumed his cleaning.

It looked like it was turned off, but Izuku had a feeling that this Sensei could be watching them – or hearing them – at any given moment. Izuku would have to be careful with his words whenever he visited.

Izuku nodded, feeling like he wouldn’t be getting any more information on the mysterious mastermind, and turned his attention to his best friend, who had started pestering Shigaraki about the game he was playing.

“Why won’t you use knives? They're the best!”

“I have a gun. It’s way more efficient!”

They started bickering over which weapon would be more effective against zombies, while Kurogiri was shaking his head like an exhausted parent. He might as well be, considering he was dealing with a teenager, and a man-child that acted like one.

“I'm going out for a smoke,” Dabi announced, crossing the room and left the bar through the back exit. Izuku got up and went after him, but stopped as he felt his mentor’s questioning gaze on his back.

“I want to ask him something.”

Stain nodded, and Izuku made his way to the back entrance.

The scarred villain was leaning against the wall to the right of the door, an unlit cigarette between his mismatched lips. He paused briefly, watching Izuku as he closed the door and stood next him, before lighting a small blue flame on the tip of his left index finger, using it to light up the cigarette.

A fire quirk, and a half-burned body. Izuku’s suspicions were correct, then. 

The man’s cheeks hollowed as he took a drag, his eyes closing as the first wave of nicotine entered his lungs. Izuku watched Dabi intently as he exhaled the smoke and opened his eyes, bright azure gleaming under the moonlight.

The villain took another couple drags before turning to Izuku, and offered the cigarette.

The teen had tried smoking a couple times, back in middle school, when his anxiety was getting the better of him. He'd found it did almost nothing to relax him, so he hadn't bothered making it a habit. He accepted anyway, and took a long drag before speaking.

“You’re Todoroki Touya, aren’t you?” Dabi's expression was enough of an answer. His eyes went impossibly wide, and his lips curled into a snarl. The villain lifted his left arm and blue flames erupted from his palm.

“I'm not going to tell anyone,” Izuku reassured him, unphased by the man’s threatening stance. He took another drag and offered the cigarette back to the villain.

Dabi's eyes flickered between him and the offered item for a few seconds, eventually putting out his fire and accepting the cigarette, but didn't make a move to smoke.

“How did you know?” His expression had somewhat toned down, from hostile to distrustful and skeptical.

“Well, for one thing, you have the same eyes as Endeavor,” Izuku ignored the flash of anger crossing the man’s face, “and a strong fire quirk. I read about Endeavor’s eldest son burning to death in a quirk accident, a few years ago. The Commission had covered the whole thing up and never revealed any details about it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he survived.”

Dabi hummed as he brought the cigarette to his lips. He didn't interrupt him, probably sensing Izuku wasn't done. 

“You hate heroes, but you have a strong sense of justice.”

Dabi raised an eyebrow. “How exactly did you figure that?” He took a drag and turned his head to blow the smoke away from Izuku’s face.

“I noticed the shifts in your body language. Every time I mentioned revealing the heroes’ secrets, or when Stain talked about exposing the wrongs of hero society, you seemed more attentive. More interested. Excited, almost.” Izuku accepted the cigarette, and took a puff before returning it, and spoke again. “I figured you have been wronged by a specific hero. You seem to hate heroes too much for it to not be personal.”

“But that could be true about anyone.” Dabi narrowed his eyes. “You know more.” It wasn't a question, just a statement. Izuku smiled softly.

“Shouto told me about you.”

He was surprised at the sheer anger the villain radiated at the mention of his youngest sibling. The man reduced the cigarette to ashes, the flames illuminating his scarred face, making him seem even more intimidating.

“That brat…”

Izuku frowned. “Why are you angry with him? He didn't do anything to you.”

“Didn't do anything…” His face had morphed into an ugly scowl, eyes almost glowing with rage. “He took everything from me,” he sneered. “After he was born, I suddenly didn't matter, it was all about him! He was Father’s perfect creation.”

“He was a child,” Izuku pointed out.

“He was his masterpiece,” Dabi basically spat the word. “He was born with the perfect quirk, while I was deemed a failure!” He gave a mirthless laugh as he opened his arms and gestured at himself. “That old bastard stopped training me, stopped loving me, because I was just a failed experiment.”

Izuku stared at him in disbelief. “Are you seriously blaming your baby brother for being born? Because you're jealous of him?” Bold words, considering the villain could reduce him to ashes in the blink of an eye. Still, he found the situation absolutely ridiculous.

“Shouto is mourning you.” A flash of surprise crossed Dabi's face. “He barely remembers you, and yet he mourns you. He never chose this life. He didn't ask to be born with those powers; he doesn’t even see them as his own!”

Dabi opened his mouth to interrupt him, but Izuku beat him to it.

“It’s not his fault he was born with the perfect quirk, and you weren’t. It’s not his fault Endeavor is a piece of shit that only sees his children as experiments. And it is definitely not his fault that you were rejected and unloved. He’s everything you couldn't be, but he was a victim in this, just like you were.”

Izuku pointed a finger at the villain, whose blood had drained from the healthy parts of his face.

“The heroes failed him just as much as they failed you. You don’t get to blame him for that.” Izuku didn't give Dabi a chance to reply. He turned around and went back into the bar, leaving the villain to contemplate everything, with only the moonlight to keep him company.

~~~

Izuku stayed at the League’s hideout for a couple more hours, before returning home. Kurogiri was kind enough to use his quirk and teleport him straight to his house, saving him two hours of using public transport.

They agreed that whenever Izuku would meet them, he would just text his location to the mist villain – who gave him everyone’s number – and he would make a portal right where he was. It was incredibly convenient, and in the event that someone got a whiff and followed Izuku – even though it was highly unlikely – they would only be met with a dead end.

On Friday, Izuku spent most of the day watching the third-year’s Sports Festival and taking notes on the most impressionable students. He especially focused on three specific students, Togata Mirio, Hado Nejire and Amajiki Tamaki, or U.A.’s “Big Three”, as they were called. They were rightfully characterized as the top hero candidates in all of Japan, in terms of strength at least. All of them had extremely powerful and versatile quirks, and Izuku made sure to pick them apart and write down his analysis on them.

Watching the three hero students, Izuku realized he still had a long way to go in terms of strength and quirk training. If he wanted to bring down the system, in the eventual clash with the heroes, he would have to be able to hold his own against the pro heroes and students that would oppose him. The thought made him even more determined.

Honestly, it was the only thing keeping him from dropping out of that fucking school. Sometimes, being surrounded by all these fake ass heroes and their mindless teenage followers would get too much, but they also served as a reminder of why he wanted to bring them down in the first place.

It was absurd, how most of them were blind to the truth, even when it was staring right at their faces. They would literally be talking about themes like discrimination, and no one would even question the hero world’s contribution to all the oppression and prejudice it had created, that everyone literally lived in.

He often wanted to lash out, scream at the top of his lungs about how things weren’t how heroes presented them to be. That society wasn't this perfect paradise where everyone had their role to play. That nothing about the system was righteous, and no amount of hero wannabees would be able to keep the justice going, as there was no justice in the first place.

But all that was going to change. Izuku would make sure of it.

For now, he would continue his research on the Commission, and see how things played out with the League – he would have to look into what this Sensei was on about, and what the LoV’s true purpose was. And in the meantime, he would continue pushing himself forward, training his body and quirk, surpassing his limits. Go beyond, plus ultra, or whatever.

~~~

After dinner, Izuku retired to his room, sent La Brava his latest video ideas for Gentle, and opened the HPSC files on his laptop. He intended to pick up where he had left off last time, but first, he would search for any information on Endeavor and Todoroki Touya.

There wasn't much to find, apart from what he knew already. The Number Two Asshole had basically bought Shouto’s mother, Himura Rei, from her parents, in order to get his hands on her ice quirk and produce a child with the perfect combination of their quirks. The HPSC’s only evidence of the transaction was a very generous wedding gift to the Himura family, but it wasn't actually illegal.

Izuku also found a few email transactions between the Commission President at the time and Endeavor from 19 years ago, where the former was asking whether Todoroki Enji would be enrolling his son – referring to Touya – to their child soldier program. The Number Two Asshole had refused the offer, since he wanted to train the child carrying his legacy himself, at home. He had claimed he didn't want to raise a soldier, but a hero – and wasn't that ironic.   

Izuku spent the next four hours gathering all evidence that would ruin the Number Two Hero’s image, using both the Commission’s data, and information that were accessible to the public – government records, official reports on villain attacks, all that jazz.

Public and private property damages and their respective payouts, civilian injuries and casualties, villain kill-to-capture ratios, Commission-sponsored pay-offs to the victims’ families, injury and mortality rates for other heroes while working in teams, Izuku included them all.

He also included the incident where Endeavor had admitted Rei in a mental hospital, after she snapped and threw boiling water on Shouto’s face. Endeavor would pay the hospital directly, but the hospitalization itself had been done in secret, mostly thanks to the Commission buying the staff’s silence with extra paychecks. On the official report, she was admitted because of a psychotic episode and Endeavor’s fear that she was a danger to their children’s safety. Izuku would have to ask Shouto, and maybe Dabi, if they wanted to take part in destroying him and release a video recording or something, where they explained everything.

The last thing he added was Touya's ‘accident’ that the Commission kept under wraps. The only thing the public had been made aware of, was that he had died in a quirk accident, but Izuku found all the reports of the Commission’s investigation. They had found no body, only a part of a jawbone that they identified to be Touya's. They assumed the rest of him had been burned up by his own flames, and they closed the case, just like that.

Izuku was tempted to text Shouto and tell him that his dead brother was actually alive, but thought better of it. How would he explain that he knew that, anyway? So, turns out Touya is alive and a member of the League of Villains, that my best friend, my mentor and I have also joined. Yeah, no chance in hell.

He did text Shouto, though. Not for any reason in particular, just to see how he was feeling after everything that had happened during the Sports Festival.

Endeavor hadn't been happy about him winning. Even though it was to be expected of his masterpiece, his stubborn refusal to use his flames irritated him to no end. Shouto had taken a page from Izuku’s book and completely ignored him, and had gotten out of the house to visit his mother in the hospital for the first time.

Izuku:

Oh you did?

Shouto:

Yeah

I thought my presence would put pressure on her and her mental health, so I never went to see her before

Izuku:

What changed your mind?

Shouto:

In order to become who I want to be, with these powers, with everything I am, I needed to see her and talk to her

Izuku chuckled. Formal and solemn as always.

Izuku:

Well, I'm proud of you. So how did it go?

A few minutes passed before Izuku got a reply. He saw the three dots appearing and disappearing a few times. Izuku guessed it wasn't an easy thing to talk about, so he let his friend take his time to articulate his thoughts.

Shouto:

It went okay. It was awkward at first, and she apologized for everything, but I don’t blame her. I never did. I told her about my life until now, and everything that has happened since I got in UA. I think we can fix our relationship to how it was when I was a child. I will be visiting her often from now on

Izuku:

I'm glad everything went okay, I'm really happy for you

Shouto:

Thank you

Izuku smiled. Even though Shouto was his classmate from the hero course, he was a genuine friend. Besides, he had never really expressed any aspirations to become a hero, only that he was being pressured by his father to be one. Maybe, with Izuku’s help, he would figure out who he really was and what he wanted to be. And if that entailed rejecting his father, rejecting the role that was assigned to him, well, who was Izuku to complain?

After exchanging a few more words, they wished each other goodnight. Izuku wouldn’t be going to sleep, though. He wanted to sort out the rest of the documents on the child soldier program, from last time.

He had already gone through the details of the program itself, but had a few more files to look over, mostly about its ‘graduates’ and their whereabouts after they officially joined the hero world.

Turns out, more than a dozen current pro heroes and sidekicks had been part of the program, but Hawks – being one of their best and most popular – was the only one they had promoted enough to rise to the Top 10. The HPSC had been controlling the heroes from the shadows, having their minions ‘dispose of’ corrupt heroes, or covering up their shit to keep up their image, depending on how useful said hero was to them.

The Hero Public Safety Commission had originally secretly enlisted Vigilantes to do their dirty work. When quirks first started to manifest, there had been no organization controlling the people who used their Quirks to help others and take down criminals. Since those individuals were operating outside of the control of the government and law enforcement, they were declared Vigilantes.

After the Pro Hero system had first been put into place in Rhode Island, U.S.A. under the "Rhode Island New State Statute", the Commission had abandoned that idea and had instead focused on recruiting Pros to handle the job.

One notable case was that of Lady Nagant. Also known as Tsutsumi Kaina, she had been a pretty popular Pro Hero a decade ago, among the public and heroes alike. She was well known for her skills with her Rifle quirk, and had even gained the title of the best marksman – or markswoman – in all of Japan. It was no surprise, since she had been trained by the Commission since she was a toddler.

Izuku found hundreds of reports on her undercover missions, all of them ordered by the previous Commission President. She had basically been assigned the role of an assassin, killing Heroes and Villains alike whenever the HPSC seemed fit, all in the name of peace.

Seven years ago, she was convicted to Tartarus, supposedly for killing a fellow hero. Details of her arrest and trial were never made public, and other than that she was sentenced for life, no other information was released. Eventually she was written off as one of the rest of the heroes that had gone corrupt with fame and wealth, and was promptly forgotten.

Obviously, that was not exactly what happened. Her last order had been to make two corrupt Heroes who were taking advantage of the system "go missing", as the report claimed. By that time, she had started questioning the morality of her actions, and had come to her caretakers with her reservations, all their conversations recorded and forwarded to the committee. The President would continuously use his quirk to erase the memories of her defiance, but it didn't really affect her heart, Izuku supposed.

When Lady Nagant expressed to the President her reservations about her latest order – “isn’t the lack of transparency akin to brainwashing?” as she had rightfully put it – and his insistence on the act's necessity failed to convince her, he had threatened her, causing her to snap and kill him on the spot.

Rather than executing her, the current President had chosen to instead lock her up in Tartarus. She reportedly disagreed with the previous President's methods, and had ordered Nagant’s imprisonment so there would be no information leaks, and had used her as an example to discourage disputes between heroes. In other words, she had threatened to lock up any other hero in the same position as Nagant, that dared to question the Commission and their methods.

By the time Izuku wrapped up all the information on Lady Nagant in a single folder, his alarm clock read 04:49. Goddammit, he had school tomorrow. Honestly, reading about all this stuff would ruin his sleep schedule, apart from giving him a permanent headache.

~~~

“You can't be serious!”

“He’s got incredible potential.”

“He has sided with the villains!”

“Yeah! You can't be seriously thinking about this!”

“He can change everything!”

“He's got a point. His sense of justice is better than any of the heroes at that school.”

“Not you, too! I can't believe you’re agreeing with this! He wants to destroy society!”

“He wants to change it. You can't possibly believe the system is acceptable as it is.”

“You know what he’s been through. You can't blame him for disliking heroes.”

“He doesn’t just dislike them, though. He hates them.”

“And you wouldn’t? That boy has been through hell, and the heroes failed him.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to kill them!”

“You say that like you haven’t killed people before in the name of justice.”

“…”

“…”

“That’s different.”

“How is it different? Because you're a hero and they were villains, you had the right to kill?”

“…”

“He’s right, you know. This is part of the reason he wants to change things in the first place. And I will support him.”

“So will I.”

“No! Please, think about it!”

“I’ve thought about it enough. You can disagree all you want. If I can reach him, I will.”

Chapter Text

Izuku sighed as he entered the 1-A classroom.

Today was already a pain in the ass. He woke up with a terrible migraine, feeling incredibly tired – he blamed the late-night research for that.

Then, some guy on the train recognized him from the Sports Festival and congratulated him, causing the whole car to turn their attention towards him and express their support and encouragement. Izuku could only smile politely and mutter soft ‘thank you’s for so long, but luckily it didn't take long for the train to arrive at his stop.

And then, it started raining cats and dogs, and by the time he got his umbrella out of his bag, his hair was already a dripping mess, and when he reached U.A. campus, Iida, who was uncharacteristically late, splashed him with rainwater as he ran past him.

Izuku barely made it to his seat before the bell rang, and Aizawa opened the door with a gruff “Morning”.

“Good morning, sensei!” the class replied, everyone having already taken their seats before the man stepped foot in the classroom.

“Today, we’re having a special hero informatics class,” he started, as he stood behind the podium. “You will be choosing hero names.”

The whole class cheered, while Izuku internally groaned. He hadn’t thought of a hero name in ages, and he definitely couldn't go with his previous childish ideas.

Aizawa activated his quirk for a couple seconds, promptly shutting everyone up.

“This is related to the internships I mentioned the other day. Usually, only second and third-years have their internships with pro heroes, since they already have some experience in hero work and can become immediate assets to them. So, the fact that they have extended offers to first-years like you means they saw your potential.”

Izuku could see his classmates’ excitement and nervousness. He himself was more irritated than not, having to interact with more heroes other than the ones at U.A.. He was also pretty sure those internships weren’t just because heroes saw their potential. The USJ attack must have shaken things up quite a bit if they were changing the whole curriculum to prepare the first-years for a hero world full of villains.

Aizawa pressed a button on a device he was holding, and on the board appeared the results of all the offers class 1-A got.

At the top was Shouto, Izuku and Katsuki, with more than 3.000 offers each, and then seven more of their classmates, their offers ranging from 300 to 20.

The students’ reaction varied from shock and disappointment, to excitement, and, in Izuku and Shouto’s case, indifference.

“Ugh, there’s such a big difference between us!” Kaminari deflated, and leaned back on his seat.

“Todoroki first, Midoriya second, Bakugou third… it’s opposite from their placement in the Festival,” Jirou remarked.

“Wow! We got offers!” Uraraka shook Iida's shoulders, who was sitting in front of her with a neutral expression. Something wasn't right with him, but it was really Izuku’s business. They weren’t friends, anyway. Still, something rubbed him the wrong way, and Izuku had learned long ago to trust his instincts.

“Whether or not anyone asked for you,” Aizawa continued, “you will all be participating in internships with pro heroes. At the USJ you went against villains” – Izuku didn't miss how many of them stiffened at that, nor the strained and guilty expression on their teacher’s face – “but it’s still important that you train with pros, and experience hero work first-hand.”

“So that’s why we’re choosing hero names!”

“Things are getting even more fun!”

There it was again. Fun. Just like on the first day.

Izuku suppressed a scowl. This wasn't fun. Hero students weren’t supposed to be here to have fucking fun. This was why everything in this hero society was going to shit.

“Well, those hero names are temporary, but if you’re not serious about it…”

Before Aizawa could finish his sentence, a familiar female voice sounded from behind the door.

“…you’ll have hell to pay later!” Midnight exclaimed loudly as she entered the classroom. Izuku saw Katsuki stiffen, his hands clenched into fists, and Izuku’s face darkened for a fraction of a second before returning to his normal apathetic expression.

Midnight walked towards the podium, avoiding Izuku’s glare like the plague, something that apparently didn't go unnoticed by Aizawa. A few boys – and girls – in the classroom perked up at the R-rated hero’s appearance, and didn't bother hide their excitement.

“Many students’ hero names get recognized by the public, and they end up becoming professional hero names!” She went on, as she took Aizawa's place at the podium.

“Midnight will be making sure your hero names are okay,” he explained as he took out his yellow caterpillar sleeping bag from the-Gods-know-where, “I can't do stuff like that.”

Izuku wondered how Eraserhead had chosen his own hero name.

“When you choose your hero name,” he continued, as he climbed into his sleeping bag on the floor next to the teacher’s desk, “you get a more concrete image of who you want to be in the future, and you can get closer to it. But you also show the public part of your identity. Choose wisely.” He leaned his back against the wall and promptly fell asleep.

Katsuki passed Izuku the boards and markers that Midnight gave Hagakure for their row, without turning to face him. Izuku could see his hands slightly trembling, his body shaking from the uneven breaths he was taking. Not that Izuku blamed him. Being in the same room as the person who had chained and muzzled him, and had basically triggered a PTSD flashback, was bound to make Katsuki uneasy.

Izuku kept a board and a marker, passed the rest to Mineta behind him, and tried to think of something to write.

He really wanted to laugh. How could he choose a hero name to represent him when all he wanted was to literally eradicate them and the system that supported them?

He briefly entertained the idea of choosing a name he would have picked if he still wanted to be a hero, but dismissed it almost immediately. Even with the fake persona he portrayed, choosing a name his over-enthusiastic hero fanboy self would was too much of a stretch.

No, he wanted to choose something that represented Izuku as he was now. A name that would resonate with his ideals, but was vague enough to conform to what would be expected of a hero student. A name that would portray his drive to change the world, without revealing his means to do so.

“Okay, let’s start presenting names,” Midnight chirped. “Who’s ready?”

While some of the students expressed their distaste in presenting their names, Aoyama walked up to the podium.

“I will be… The Shining Hero: I can not stop twinkling. It means, you can't stop my sparkles!”

Izuku suppressed a snort. Midnight actually approved it, only providing a few minor changes.

“I’ll go next!” Ashido jumped from her seat and presented her name. “Alien Queen!”

Midnight didn't bother to hide her distaste for the name, something about it sounding too villainous.

“Wait,” Izuku jumped in, before Ashido could walk away. He took great pleasure in seeing Midnight flinch at the sound of his voice. He tilted his head to side, his wide eyes staring right into hers. “There’s literally a hero called Death Arms. Why can't Ashido-san be an alien? It even fits her theme!”

“Midoriya’s right!” Hagakure agreed.

“Yeah, there’s no such thing as a villainous name!” Ojiro added. Izuku really wanted to slam the blond’s head against the wall. Wasn't that ironic. A name couldn't be villainous, but a quirk could? No wonder Shinsou didn't want to be a hero anymore, like those pretentious assholes.

Midnight didn't need much more persuading to accept ‘Alien Queen’ as Mina’s – the girl insisted everyone call her so – hero name, after Izuku’s comment.

Izuku tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, a hero being afraid of a 15-year-old kid. Said kid had been ready to murder her a few days ago, but that was beside the point.

The class proceeded to present their names one by one, while the teacher provided her thoughts. A few of them were cute, like Froppy and Uravity. Others were inspired by pro heroes, like Red Riot. It reminded Izuku of himself as a kid, whose hero name ideas were variations of All Might’s. That was definitely not happening now.

Izuku’s heart clenched a bit when Katsuki presented his as King Explosion Murder Dynamight. Ignoring the first three words – they were the reason Midnight turned the idea down – Dynamight had actually been Izuku’s idea. Same as his hero costume, Katsuki still remembered and used four-year-old Izuku’s ideas. It really pained him sometimes, thinking that they could have been great friends, if things were different.

A few names, like Tsukuyomi, were very original, and Izuku actually liked them. Some were indicative of their quirks, like Earphone Jack, Cellophane – personally, Izuku wouldn’t want to be known as a kitchen item – or Creati. Others weren’t as creative – pun intended – like Tailman, or Invisible Girl, but were pretty straightforward.

Shouto and Iida chose their first names. For Shouto, it made sense, choosing his own path, and it was quite in character for him. Iida, on the other hand… Izuku had noticed how he had written “Ingenium” – his brother’s hero name – at first, before changing it.

Right, Izuku had seen on the news yesterday how Iida Tensei had been attacked by a vicious murderer, or as Izuku knew him, his mentor. He'd texted Stain about it, but the man said Ingenium hadn't actually been on his hit list, he had just intervened when he attacked another hero. Ingenium wasn't a noble hero or anything, but he wasn't as corrupt as the ones the Hero Killer targeted. Still, he'd gotten in the way, and tried to kill him, so Stain had simply retaliated. 

They hadn’t said anything official on the news yet, but if Iida was considering taking his brother’s hero name, Ingenium would probably not be returning to hero work. Oh well, one less hero to deal with.

And not just one. After the news report on Ingenium, they announced another Pro Hero, Airjet, had been attacked the night before, and had been found dead in an alley by a civilian who happened to walk by. There were currently no suspects, but the police presumed it was the unfortunate outcome of a failed arrest attempt. Izuku couldn't be 100% sure, but Airjet was one of the heroes he had analyzed in one of the notebooks he had given to Giran as payment. Maybe things were finally starting to stir in the underground.

“Midoriya, are you ready?” Midnight burst Izuku’s thought bubble.

She was hiding it well, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes, and she was adamant on not looking at Izuku unless absolutely necessary, to not raise suspicions. Shouto probably noticed, if the raised eyebrow he gave Izuku was any indication.

“Yeah!” Izuku chirped, giving her a sweet smile that set her even more on edge. He took his place at the podium and showed his board to the class. “The Justice Hero: Misaru!”

“I like it! Approved!” Midnight was really trying to have the least amount of interactions with Izuku possible, she wasn't even subtle about it. 

“What does Misaru mean?” Sero asked.

Misaru was a Mesopotamian God that was regarded as the personification of justice, sometimes portrayed as a divine judge. Izuku had gone through a mythology phase in his first grade of middle school, and that particular name had stuck with him for some reason.

Misaru also sounded similar to Mizaru in Japanese. Mizaru was one of the three wise monkeys that embodied the Japanese proverbial principle “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, and specifically the one covering his eyes. It was ironic, really. If Izuku still wanted to be a hero, it would mean he would still be blind to the injustice of the system. Of course, he couldn't say that, so he settled for just the first part.

“He’s a deity in Mesopotamian mythology, representing justice!”

“So manly!”

“That’s really cool, Midori!”

“Thank you!” Izuku smiled politely at his class, and gave a small bow to Midnight, who absolutely refused to look at him. As he walked back to his desk, he spared Katsuki a glance; the blond had somewhat calmed himself, but his hands were still shaking, as he altered his name to satisfy the R-rated hero.

In the end, she didn't like Lord Explosion Murder Dynamight, either. To avoid interacting with her any more that necessary, Katsuki settled for just Dynamight. Izuku didn't hide the sad smile that appeared on his lips, making Katsuki look away.

“Now that everyone’s decided on their hero names,” Aizawa started, having conveniently woken up right on time and gotten out of his sleeping bag to stand at the podium, “we’ll go back to talking about your internships.”

The class remained silent, having already learned what their homeroom teacher expected of them. He gave them a nod and continued.

“They will last a week, starting on Monday, May the 13^th. As for where you’ll be going, it depends on which hero you choose to intern with. Those of you who got offers will be given your own lists,” he walked around the classroom and handed the few students that got offers their lists, “and those who didn't have any will be choosing from among forty agencies around the country, that collaborate with U.A. and accept our interns.”

Aizawa then handed the rest of the students their copy of U.A.’s internship list. “They all work in different places and have different specialties.”

“For example,” Midnight interjected, “Thirteen focuses on rescues from accidents and disasters, rather that fighting villains.”

“Think carefully before you choose,” Eraserhead went on, “turn in your choices on Monday. That is all.”

“We only got two days?!”

“Make your decision efficiently. Dismissed,” is all their teacher replied, before he and Midnight left the classroom.

~~~

“So, have you decided where you’re going for your internship?” Izuku asked Shouto as they sat down on their usual table for lunch.

“I think I will be going with my father.”

Izuku frowned. “Why? I thought you didn't want anything to do with him.”

“I don’t, but if I'm going to use my fire, he's the only one who can teach me.”

Izuku hummed as he opened his bento box, and took a bite. “Are you sure you'll be okay, though?”

“I’ll be fine.” Shouto slurped some of his cold soba – he must really like it; it was basically the only thing he ordered from the cafeteria when he didn't bring his own lunch. “I don’t think his training will be as bad as at home, he wouldn’t risk being seen like that in front of his sidekicks.”

Izuku pressed his lips into a thin line, his eyes full of worry. Shouto didn't seem like he was going to say anything more on the subject, though, so he dropped it.

“How about you?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll think about it at home, go over every offer I got and stuff.”

Shouto nodded in acknowledgement, and they both dived into their food.

~~~

“Yaoyorozu-san!” Izuku called out.

The girl turned around with a pleasant smile on her face, one hand still clutching her half-torn costume, to avoid getting exposed more than she already was.

“Oh, Midoriya-kun!” She turned to Uraraka and Hagakure, who were walking with her, and told them to head to the changing rooms without her, but Izuku interjected.

“Actually, I’d like to speak to all three of you.” Seeing the girls’ confused expressions, he went on to explain. “It’s about your costumes.”

He had delayed this conversation long enough, but with everything on his mind lately, it hadn’t been a priority. It only came back to him today, when during heroics training, Shouto – who had started using his fire again, to Izuku’s delight – had released an attack towards Yaomomo's team, and accidentally burned off part of the girl’s costume. It was barely covering her body as it was, and after Shouto’s blast, the thin material covering her left shoulder turned to ash, and she had to keep holding it to retain any shred of decency she could.

Thankfully, the only other people around had been the ones in Yaomomo’s and Shouto’s team, i.e. Uraraka, Hagakure, Izuku and Kouda – the pair-ups had been the product of All Might’s genius idea to draw the lots again – so there hadn’t been any incidents with any of their classmates, namely Mineta, that would have put Yaomomo in an even more awkward position.

Izuku wouldn’t normally be inclined to help his fellow heroics classmates, but this was more about assisting his female classmates with their ridiculous outfits. Ideally, he would have liked to include Mina as well, but at least he was lucky enough to find the three girls he wanted to talk to the most, together. He would ask the pink girl once they all got back into the 1-A classroom.

The raven-haired girl’s cheeks were already dusted pink, resembling Uraraka’s. Izuku glued his eyes to the ground, trying to act sheepish for talking about this. He put on his awkward and shy persona, his hands behind his back, while shifting his weight from one foot to another.  

“I've been meaning to talk to you three and Mina-san about this for a while. Since the USJ, actually” – he ignored how the girls stiffened at that – “when Aizawa-sensei told us we could choose not to wear our costumes, since some of them would likely hold us back. They're not supposed to limit us at all, and I had a few things in mind about yours that I wanted to tell you.”

The three girls – well, Yaomomo and Uraraka, he couldn't be sure about Hagakure’s reaction – had gone scarlet red. Izuku caught their eyes for a moment before averting his glance again.

“But after everything that happened that day, I completely forgot about it, and then we were training for the Sports Festival, so it slipped my mind, but then the whole thing with Shou- uh, Todoroki-kun happened” – Yaomomo somehow turned even more red – “and I remembered, so…”

He looked up again, as he spoke. “Could I maybe talk to you about it sometime? Only if you want to, of course!” He gave a light awkward laugh, “but if you don’t want to it’s totally fine! It’s just… I have a few ideas that could prove helpful.”

“Oh, yeah!” Uraraka beamed. “You like analyzing heroes and quirks, right?”

That caught Izuku off guard. “Uh, yeah. I didn't think anyone noticed…” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“I remember you taking notes on our quirks during the Battle Trials, and then at the Sports Festival, after my fight with Bakugou.” Seeing Izuku’s baffled expression, she started waving her hands in front of her. “I think it’s very cool! I'm sure you have great ideas, Midoriya-kun!” 

“Oh.” Izuku was genuinely surprised, pleasantly so. “No one has ever told me it was cool before. Everyone said it creepy.” Well, at least everyone at school did. Himiko, Giran, and every villain he had told so far had praise him for his analysis skills. Izuku hadn't expected anyone in his class to find out, never mind compliment him on it.   

He gave Uraraka a small, genuine smile, receiving a bright one in return.

“Of course it’s cool!” Hagakure interjected. “You can help us with our costumes, right?” Izuku gave her a nod. “I don’t know how you can help with mine, but you're very smart, so I trust you!”

“So do I,” Yaomomo agreed. “I will need a new costume made, anyway, so I'm happy to hear any ideas for improvement.”

“Thank you,” Izuku said softly. “I also owe you a favor, Yaoyorozu-san.” Seeing her confused expression, he added “for making me a snowboard, at the obstacle course.”

“Oh, yes, I remember. You're already helping me with my costume, though, I couldn't possibly ask for anything more.” She gave him a warm smile. “Also, call me Yaomomo, or just Momo.”

“Okay, Yaomomo-san.” Izuku didn't add how he was actually calling her that in his head, but the thought almost made him giggle.

The four students agreed to meet after school today. Hagakure recommended a café near U.A., where they would walk to together after class, so they could discuss about their costumes, and submit the changes tomorrow.

The support course students were allowed to use U.A.’s labs and equipment on Sundays, mostly to test out their inventions, and make changes for the heroics students, so the girls would drop by the support department tomorrow morning to submit their requests. Hopefully, the new costumes would be ready by the time they started their internships.

If someone told Izuku two months ago, that he would be helping fellow hero students with their costumes, he would have laughed right at their face. And yet, here he was, texting Stain that he would be late for their training session today, to do exactly that.

Izuku thought it was probably his innate desire to help people – what All Might called, to Izuku’s disgust, a ‘hero’s spirit’ – that made him offer to help. Old habits die hard, he supposed. Well, that, and the absolute ridiculousness on the support department’s behalf, for making revealing and impractical costumes for their teenage, female students.

~~~

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Iida bolted out of the classroom, before Uraraka could ask him to walk home together, as always – or in this case, inform him that they wouldn’t be able to today, since she was meeting with Izuku, Yaomomo, Hagakure and Mina after school.

Iida really was acting weird. Another odd thing was his choice for his internship. He had chosen the hero Manual, whose agency was in Hosu City, where his brother had been attacked. There was something definitely fishy about this whole thing. 

Izuku packed up his stuff, and approached Mina's desk. Uraraka had already started explaining Izuku’s offer to help them with their costumes, and that he had mentioned he wanted to talk to her as well. She was exhilarated, to say the least. Her embarrassment was completely overpowered by her excitement, already familiar with Izuku’s intelligence and analytical mind.

Izuku started to walk out of the classroom with the four girls on his tail, but as he opened the door, the Number One Asshole appeared, announcing his arrival with another stupid phrase.

“I am here! In a bizarre position!” Izuku wanted to groan really loudly. The man was standing in front of him, bowing 90 degrees, almost on Izuku’s eye level. Honestly, he couldn't be any more idiotic.

“Come with me for a moment,” he whispered, as if no one had noticed his dramatic appearance, and headed towards the bathrooms. Izuku sighed, but followed him, after letting his classmates know they could go on without him, and that he would catch up to them shortly.

“Getting straight to the point,” the hero started, “you’ve got an offer from a hero!”

Izuku frowned. “Well, yeah. I got, like, 3.000 offers.”

“Right, and congratulations, Midoriya-shounen! But I meant from a specific hero. His name is Gran Torino.” The name was vaguely familiar. He must have been an older hero, or an underground one, if Izuku didn't remember anything about him.

“He…” All Might had started to tremble, fear oozing off of him, “was a teacher at U.A., for just one year. He was my homeroom teacher.” Ah, that explained it. “He also knows about One For All, that’s probably why he asked for you.”

“He does?” Izuku’s eyebrows furrowed. Wasn't it supposed to be a national secret or something?

“Yes. He was the sworn friend of my predecessor.”

“Oh.”

“He retired a long time ago, I kinda forgot about him,” All Might went on, mostly speaking to himself, visibly shaking – just how much was he afraid of this guy? “Was it because I wrote of you when I sent him the letter, or because he couldn't stand by and watch my inadequate teaching?”

Well, Izuku wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter. But he was fairly adept at using One For All, now. Yes, he had that slip-up during his fight with Shouto, but it wasn't like he was breaking his bones every time he used it anymore.

“A-Anyway, it is my duty to train you” – yeah, like you’ve been doing a great job so far – “but since you got an offer, you should work to your heart’s content…”

“All Might,” Izuku’s serious tone shook the hero out of his thought bubble, and he turned to face him, “are you telling me to choose Gran Torino for my internship?”

“Well, he knows more about One For All than anyone…”

He must have sensed Izuku’s hesitance, because he started waving his hands and shaking his head. “You don’t have to go with him, I know you have already gotten the hang of it, with your Full… uh…”

“Full Cowl,” Izuku provided.

“Yeah, that.” Izuku suppressed an eye-roll. “But it is ultimately your choice, my boy.” He placed his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, blissfully unaware of his successor’s boundaries. “You know what is best for you, Midoriya-shounen. I trust that you will make the right choice.”

Izuku nodded, and left without another word. He would actually think about going to Gran Torino. It wasn't like Izuku needed help to master his quirk. Full Cowl was more than effective, he only needed practice to increase the maximum percentage of One For All he could use without damaging his body. But maybe Torino would be able to provide him with information about One For All that All Might couldn't – or didn't want to. Izuku would have to look into it, and make a decision by tomorrow.    

~~~

Izuku was still panting as he walked through Kurogiri’s portal.

Today’s training was especially draining. Stain was determined to hone Izuku’s reflexes to their outmost potential, and was throwing weapons at him mercilessly for three hours straight. By the time they called it a night, Izuku could catch Stain’s throwing knives mid-air, without the help of his quirk.

He never used One For All during his activities as Light to avoid being recognized, since the green lightning-like energy that ran through him when he activated Full Cowl was quite distinctive, as well as to improve his quirkless fighting skills, so he would never actually need it. Quirks were still tools, after all. But most importantly, One For All was the quirk that Midoriya Izuku, the heroics student, used.

Light was his true self, the quirkless boy that was shunned by society. While he could certainly use the quirk to his advantage when the eventual clash with the heroes happened, he had no intentions of relying on it. Izuku was, and always would be, quirkless. It was a part of his identity that he no longer denied, nor rejected. He would never see One For All as his own, just like he would never see himself as a hero, nor would he ever become one. 

Izuku entered the League’s hideout and dragged himself towards a stool, as the portal closed behind him. Stain had some business to attend to – read: another hero to go after – so he wouldn’t be joining them. Izuku would rather go home and sleep, but Himiko had pressed him to drop by the bar and hang out with the League for a bit. Izuku couldn't say no, even before she sent him a photo of Shigaraki giving the finger to the camera.

“Hello, Izuku,” Kurogiri greeted him, polite as always. “Would you like anything to drink, or eat?”

“Water, please.” Izuku let his head drop on the counter, earning snickers from the other occupants of the bar.

“Was Stain-sama extra harsh on you today?” Himiko asked. She was laying on the table across the bar, her legs up on the wall and her head hanging off the edge of the table.

“It was brutal,” Izuku grunted. He accepted a glass of water from Kurogiri and chugged the entire thing in three gulps. Kurogiri refilled the glass, and the teen sipped half of it before turning around to face his best friend and their resident burned chicken nugget.

Dabi was sitting in the booth, resting his feet on the table Himiko was laying on. Shigaraki was occupying the only other booth, on the right side of the bar, playing a game on his Nintendo Switch.

“But it paid off,” Izuku continued. “I can catch throwing knives mid-air, now. I feel like Spiderman.”

Shigaraki snorted, his eyes glued to his console, while Himiko sat up and faced Izuku with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, can you now?” Before anyone could reply, she had pulled out a knife from who-knows-where, and threw it right at Izuku’s face.

Even though the green-haired teen was exhausted, the adrenaline from today’s training hadn’t completely worn off yet. Izuku managed to catch the knife a couple centimeters from his eye, and looked at his friend with an unamused expression.

“Really?”

Himiko’s eyes were gleaming. “Wow, that’s so cool! Even I can't do that!”

“Ask Stain to teach you.” Izuku tossed the knife back to her. “I'm too tired for this.”

“Please don’t throw weapons inside the bar,” Kurogiri pleaded, but his request fell on deaf ears.

“I saw you hang out with four girls from U.A. earlier,” Dabi rasped, an amused grin on his face. “Quite the womanizer.”

“Ew, no!” Dabi raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like girls,” Izuku explained, “or hero students.”

Himiko mimicked the scarred villain.

“Except Shouto,” Izuku added.

“I don’t like girls either,” Dabi shrugged, probably in an attempt at some kind of solidarity. He didn't comment on the mention of his little brother, but he didn't seem angry, either. Izuku counted it as a win.

“I do!”

“I know, Himiko.”

“Boys, too!”

“I know, Himiko.”

“We’re like, the League of Queers, or something!” she exclaimed, making Dabi crackle. Even Shigaraki let out a snort. “I'm so making a group chat! The fact that we still don’t have one is unacceptable!”

“Downright villainous…” Izuku agreed with a straight face, before bursting into giggles.

Himiko jumped off the table she was sitting on and plopped on a stool next to Izuku, while taking out her phone to make the aforementioned group chat.

“Sooo…” she started, after she completed the task – which included assigning nicknames to everyone – “what were you doing with those girls?” She wasn't being accusatory, just curious.                                                               

Izuku sighed. “I was helping them with their hero costumes.”

“You… were?” Himiko tilted her head to the side, while Dabi was watching him with a questioning gaze. Even Shigaraki had looked up from his game. Kurogiri was cleaning glasses, as per usual.

“I know, I would be surprised, too. But they are so ridiculous, I had to say something!”

He proceeded to explain, in excruciating detail, how infuriating and impractical his female classmates’ costumes were, and how he had decided to talk to them about it.

- 5 hours earlier - 

He and Uraraka, Yaomomo, Mina and Hagakure sat at the café the invisible girl had recommended, and after ordering their drinks, Izuku started expressing his distaste over how female heroes, and even teenage heroics students, were oversexualized, and how the support industry prioritized looks over functionality. Then, he went on to point out the most prominent faults in each of their suits, and provided suggestions for change and improvement. 

Firstly, he emphasized how unnecessarily revealing Yaomomo’s costume was. Even though her quirk worked only if she had her skin exposed, she didn't have to be nearly naked all the time. Izuku suggested a sleeveless costume with a two-way zipper on the front, so she could expose the skin on her chest or stomach whenever she wanted to use her quirk. He also noted she could wear a flowy skirt, or pants with zippers, and that she didn't have to carry her chemistry books, when she could have a phone or tablet on her, to reduce the extra weight.

Moving on to Hagakure, he went over everything wrong about her being literally naked. From health risks, to having zero protection from injuries and the cold during winter, it was unacceptable for a teenager to be naked just because of her quirk’s nature. Her invisibility didn't mean she wasn't entitled to basic human decency. Izuku insisted she spoke with the support department to make her a costume that could turn invisible with her, maybe woven with fiber made from her hair, or something similar.

Next was Mina's. Izuku didn't have much to say about hers. He mostly commented on her current costume being needlessly skintight, and advised her to request a new one made with an acid-proof material, to avoid getting burned from her own quirk. He also recommended she had a utility belt or pouches on her costume, and carry a counter-agent for her acid, in case she or anyone else got injured, and any other supply she might want or need.

Finally, he went over some tips for Uraraka. He suggested a new, non-skintight costume – same reasons he gave Mina – made from a lighter material, so when she used her quirk on herself, she wouldn’t strain it with extra weight because of non-essential gear. He recommended using Spectra Fiber, the lightest, but also one of the strongest, fiber in the textile industry, that was almost fifteen times stronger than steel.

He also pointed out that she – or any of the girls, for that matter – shouldn’t be wearing heels. Apart from the fact that it couldn't be comfortable wearing them all day, Uraraka would trip more easily, especially since she wanted to be a rescue hero, and she would constantly be in dangerous situations with debris, rubble etc.  

Izuku tried to be as gentle with his words as possible, and make the girls somewhat comfortable, to save them from the embarrassment for talking about this. Of course, they were still a little awkward and self-conscious, so Izuku played the part of their friendly neighborhood heroics classmate who liked talking about heroes, and handled the situation as professionally as an average high school student would.

It took quite the effort to keep himself from telling them all his thoughts, like how Hagakure’s costume could be stain-resistant, so it wouldn’t jeopardize her invisibility if she got anything on her. They were still hero students, and he had no intentions of helping them as such.

---

It was only when Izuku stopped talking, that he noticed everyone in the bar was staring at him. Well, apart from Himiko, who was used to hearing his never-ending muttering. The other members of the League were dead silent. The only thing that could be heard inside the bar was the music coming from Shigaraki's console. Even Kurogiri had stopped cleaning glasses, and was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

“What?”

Himiko chuckled. “I think you broke them, Izu-chan.”

“You… how… what?” Shigaraki stammered, his eyes wide with a mixture of amusement and horror.

“Yup,” Himiko nodded, “you broke them.”

“What was that?” Dabi exclaimed.

Izuku frowned. “What was what?”

“That!” The scarred villain made a vague gesture towards Izuku.

“He means your analysis, Izu.” The blonde was grinning widely, obviously proud of her best friend, but also amused by the rest of the League’s reactions.

“Oh, right. You’ve never heard my analysis before.” Izuku rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry, I know it’s a little creepy.”

Himiko gently slapped his arm. “It’s not creepy, Izuku!” she scolded, but still gave him a loving smile. “I've told you that a million times! I love hearing your rambling.”

Izuku smiled back, his cheeks slightly flushed pink. “I know, I'm sorry. Force of habit.”

“It certainly was… insightful,” Kurogiri agreed, and returned to his cleaning task.

“Are you kidding?!” Shigaraki’s grin was wide, more than what one might consider the normal amount. “This is great!”

“Wait until you hear him talking about heroes!” Himiko chimed in.

“You can analyze heroes like that?” The man’s eyes were gleaming dangerously.

“Uh, yeah, it’s my hobby.” Izuku scratched his head. “I have, like, fourteen notebooks with analysis on heroes.”

“Damn,” Dabi muttered.  

Shigaraki discarded his gaming console on the table, and came to sit on a stool next to Izuku. His eyes were burning with excitement, red irises staring right into Izuku’s soul.

“Tell me more.”

Chapter Text

Izuku plopped on his bed with a sigh. Stain never really held back during their training, and today had been no exception.

This time, they focused mainly on sneak attacks and situational awareness. Stain taught him how to expand his senses, be hyper-aware at all times, and detect any non-visible threats. He then instructed Izuku to roam around Hosu, as if he was patrolling, and spent the next four hours attacking him at random, honing both his awareness and fighting skills.

Izuku turned his head at the alarm clock on his nightstand. It read 22:24. Fuck, it was already late, and not only was it Monday tomorrow – which meant school – he hadn’t done any research on which hero he would go for his internship. He had been busy all day, and the thought had barely crossed his mind before now.

Himiko had texted him this morning, asking if he wanted to hang out with the League again; get to know each other better, play card games, test her new knives on All Might posters, and other normal friend group activities. Izuku agreed, of course. He even offered to bring some of his old hero merch to destroy.

He went a little overboard with the posters, but it was totally worth it, watching Shigaraki's reaction as he stepped into the bar and saw All Might’s face plastered on every wall and the ceiling. Kurogiri had to stop him from disintegrating their hideout, but he did let him fool around with the teenagers, as long as the walls remained intact – Izuku pointed out it would make good practice on precision with his quirk. And who was Kurogiri to deny his ward such an opportunity.

They had a blast – literally. When Dabi showed up and came eye to eye with Endeavor’s face, he nearly burned up the whole bar. Thankfully, Kurogiri had already thought ahead and stored a couple fire extinguishers under the counter, and a few more in the back room.

By the time Stain texted Izuku about meeting him in Hosu for their training that evening, they had torn to shreds and/or reduced to ash – via decay or fire – nine All Might posters, three Endeavor ones, and four of other Top Ten Heroes. Izuku had given tips to both Shigaraki and Dabi to help them hone their accuracy skills using their quirks, and in turn, they treated him to dinner – i.e. made a huge order at McDonald’s and proceeded to steal it before it left the store.

All in all, he had a great time, both with the League, and his mentor, even if the man’s continuous attacks were ruthless and he could barely stand by the time they called it a day. Kurogiri had kindly made him a portal, so thankfully Izuku only had to walk from the alley he was dropped off, to his apartment.

He had a long shower and changed into his pajamas, ready to go to sleep. If only he didn't have to look through his internships offers at – Izuku checked the time again – 22:49. With a stifled groan, he gathered the papers Aizawa had given him, sat on his bed and began to cross out the heroes he would definitely not be going to.

Not even 20 minutes in, his phone pinged. Izuku frowned and let the papers down. It was late, and he had school tomorrow, who would be texting him at this hour?

Shouto:

Hello, Izuku

Oh, it was just Shouto. Still, it was past 11, and the heterochromatic teen was usually asleep by now.

Izuku:

Hi Shouto

Is everything okay? You're not usually up this late

Shouto:

Yes, everything’s fine

I was just wondering if you made a decision about your internship

Izuku:

*groans* nooo I haven’t

I was out with friends all day and just sat down to look though my offers

I’ll stay up late, but hopefully I’ll have decided by tomorrow

Shouto:

I see

I hope you figure it out

Izuku:

Thanks!

Goodnight!

Shouto:

Goodnight, Izuku

Izuku smiled as he typed. He was glad to have a friend in the hero course, even for small things like this. He enjoyed having someone to talk to, without having to deal with the overbearing enthusiasm that usually accompanied the heroics students.

He was also happy that he could now spend his lunch without having to keep his mask on. He could be himself at that stupid school, even for a little while. Maybe not completely, Shouto was still a heroics student, but there was something about him that Izuku couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that made him different, separate. Izuku wasn't completely alone at that school, not anymore.

Izuku’s mind briefly wandered to the past couple of months, when he would sneak off from his class during lunch period, and the last few weeks especially, when he would see Shinsou alone, too. Speaking of, Izuku didn't recall seeing the purple-haired teen yesterday. He had wanted to ask him to join him at lunch, but didn't get the chance.

Without giving it much thought, Izuku opened the messaging app on his phone again.

Midoriya Izuku:

Hey Shinsou!

It’s Midoriya

About five minutes passed, before he got a reply.

Shinsou Hitoshi:

Hi

Congrats for 3rd place at the festival

You were really cool

Izuku could feel his cheeks heating up.

Midoriya Izuku:

Thank you!!

I didn't see u at lunch yesterday, are you okay?

Shinsou Hitoshi:

Yeah, I'm fine. Was feeling a bit sick

I'm okay now, I’ll come to school tomorrow

Izuku had a feeling that he was lying, but decided not to dwell on it. At least the teen was okay, now.

Midoriya Izuku:

Glad to hear that!

Would you like to join me and Shouto at lunch tomorrow?

Izuku could sense the boy’s hesitance through the phone, so he hurriedly added a reassurance.

Midoriya Izuku:

Don’t worry he’s not like the other hero students, I promise

Shinsou still took a while to respond, but he eventually agreed.

Shinsou Hitoshi:

Okay

Midoriya Izuku:

Great! See you tomorrow then!

Shinsou Hitoshi:

See u

Izuku switched off his phone and gently tossed it on the bedside table. Looking back at his internship offers, he sighed, and picked up where he had left off. As he skimmed through the potential heroes and agencies, he really couldn't picture himself going to any of them.

Well, if it were really up to him, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. But alas, he had a grand plan, and it unfortunately included him being a U.A. heroics student. Still, he found almost none of his offers would benefit him in any way. Most heroes were either the classic stereotype of a flashy limelight hero, or support heroes that wouldn’t give him any valuable experience. Izuku wasn't interested in becoming a rescue hero, nor a sidekick.

He was surprised to see he had gotten offers from all the top 50, excluding All Might, and a few that never took interns, like Miruko and Hawks – though the Wing Hero had made his first offer ever to Tokoyami. In the latest files La Brava had send Izuku from the HPSC database, there was an email for the Commission President, ordering Hawks to choose an intern from U.A.’s class 1-A, in order to gather more information on the League of Villains. He had probably chosen Tokoyami because they both had bird quirks, even though the teen hadn’t gotten past the second round of the Final Event.

Izuku was taken even more by surprise, when he saw that Endeavor had also requested him. He briefly entertained the thought of going under the Number Two, just to kill destroy him and his reputation, but eventually disregarded it. Shouto was right, anyway. As much as they both didn't like it, Endeavor was his best shot at reaching his fire quirk’s potential – apart from Dabi, perhaps, but that was not an option, not right now at least. Izuku wondered if he'd ever be able to introduce the two Todoroki siblings.

Izuku did a double take when he saw Eraserhead’s name on his offer list. On one hand, the Erasure Hero was one of the only ones he still respected, and he was bound to teach him more than any limelight hero would. On the other hand, though, Aizawa was still his teacher. Izuku had already drawn unnecessary attention to himself with the whole yelling-at-the-teachers fiasco, and he didn't want any of the school’s staff to pay attention to him any more than they already did. Aizawa was smart and observant, and as much of a good actor Izuku was, if he spent an entire week with the hero, he would be risking raising suspicions, at best.

So, Eraserhead was a no. There were a couple more underground heroes that caught Izuku’s eye, but he ultimately dismissed them, too. He didn't have enough time to research them extensively, and for all he knew, they could be working with Eraserhead, and have been instructed to watch Izuku closely for any suspicious behavior and report back to him. It was far-fetched, Izuku knew that, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

He was about to give up, and choose a hero randomly via Ouija board or something, when he remembered about Gran Torino. He wasn't on the list Aizawa had given him, but All Might had provided the necessary information to fill his internship application form with, should he decide to take up on his offer.

Izuku knew that the main reason All Might had suggested him was because he feared the man to no end. Well, that, and because he had been close enough to the seventh holder of One For All, that he actually knew about it. But if that was case, then… what else did he know?

Izuku had tried asking about One For All a couple times, but the Number One Asshole always brushed him off, diverted the conversation to something else, or simply refused to answer. Izuku didn't get what the fuss was all about. Sure, it was a national secret, but Izuku had already inherited the quirk, it would only make sense that he knew everything about it.

Still, the zygote withheld important information. He had explained the basis of its nature; a power that could be passed on, that grew in strength from user to user. But he never explained how it came to be. Who was its first wielder? Who were the next holders? What was the quirk’s true nature? Because being passable did not explain how it got stronger with each generation.

Why was it called One For All? What did the name mean?

He had tried doing research about it, but there were no traces of it from before Shimura Nana, All Might’s predecessor and Gran Torino’s friend, inherited it. One would expect that people randomly manifesting a super strength quirk even though they already had their own would be weird enough that someone had noticed it, but there was no mention of anything of the sort on the internet.

After All Might told him about Torino yesterday, Izuku tried to find information about it on the Commission’s database. On All Might’s official records, his quirk was listed as ‘unidentified’. So, of course, Izuku had to look into it.

He found nothing.

It was as if the HPSC knew nothing about the quirk, which seemed impossible, given the zygote’s complete and utter inability to lie and keep a secret. And yet, there were no records of ‘One For All’.

What piqued Izuku’s interest, though, was a name. ‘All For One’. It was eerily similar to One For All, but the most interesting thing about it, was that it was a villain’s name. Izuku had never heard of them before, and given how secretive the Commission was about them, he probably would have never known about them either, did he not have his hands on every classified and well-protected file on the HPSC’s database.

Still, the information he found both in the HPSC files and the deep webs of the internet – La Brava’s tutelage in computers and basic hacking skills were really coming in handy – were too vague and all over the place. Someone had made a significant effort to erase this person’s existence from history. It had taken Izuku’s whole Saturday evening to gather the little information he could find about them.

‘All For One’ was apparently an incredibly powerful and feared supervillain, that was believed to have ruled Japan from the shadows during the Dark Era.

The Dark Era referred to the time period following the rise of quirks. As the name suggested, it was a time of chaos and disorder, caused by the sudden onslaught of criminals empowered by their newfound "superpowers" – or Meta Abilities, as they were called at the time – and people being prejudiced against the new minority. It was unknown at what point ‘All For One’ entered the scene or for how long he dominated Japan's underground, but his influence was undeniable.

During the Dark Era, All For One had been a symbol of unity in society. He supposedly used his own Meta Ability under the guise of returning society to its prior state of humanity – Izuku found nothing else regarding this claim – but the nature of his quirk remained a mystery.

Even after the establishment of the Pro Hero System, society’s faith in heroes and the government was practically non-existent, and crimes rates were at an all-time high. There had been many battles recorded during the Dark Era, and All For One was rumored to have instigated, or at the very least, been involved with, a lot of them.

Thirty-seven years ago, pro heroes Shimura Nana and Gran Torino, along with a pupil – who many theorized was actually All Might – were caught up in a fight with All For One on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea. The details of the battle remained unknown, but according to official reports, it ended abruptly when a powerful explosion, created from a surge of black lightning, destroyed the entire island.

Shimura Nana, as well as more than 500 citizens inhabiting the island, were declared dead, and All For One was nowhere to be found afterwards.

The only other mention Izuku could find of the villain was on the Commission’s classified report from a fight against All Might, six years ago. Izuku recognized the battle as the one the hero had – stupidly – told him about the day they met, that resulted in the villain’s death and All Might being gravely injured. Specifically, All Might had obliterated All For One’s face and severely damaged his body, leading to his death, while the hero himself had sustained critical injuries, most notably the loss of his stomach and the irreparable damage to his respiratory system.

Despite the Number One Hero’s injuries, one would assume that All Might had managed to rid the world of a great villain. Izuku, however was not entirely convinced, mostly because there was side note at the end of the fight’s report, stating that All For One’s body, although having been taken to the morgue, had been reported missing. Even so, since he’d been pronounced dead, there was no attempt made to retrieve the body, and the case was closed.

Izuku wanted to smack his head on the wall with the heroes’ stupidity. A supervillain, who had supposedly been reigning over the whole country for at least a century, went missing and was just assumed dead? Yeah, right.

In any case, the villain’s undeniable part in Japan's history, albeit hidden from the public, and All Might’s, Shimura Nana’s and Gran Torino’s involvement with him intrigued Izuku immensely. He was really curious about the villain and his correlation with the previous holders of One For All, as well as his predecessors and the quirk itself.

Gran Torino was involved with the two, and had even participated in one of the battles with All For One. He was bound to know more than Izuku could find, and could give him some actual answers.  

So, Izuku decided he would take up on his offer and intern with him. He didn't know whether the man would actually answer any of his questions, but it was worth a try. He might be able to provide some insight on Izuku’s quirk, and make the internship actually worth a damn.   

Besides, Gran Torino was a person All Might feared to death. How bad could he be?

~~~

“Are you seriously still thinking about this?”

“I am. You know better than most that I would never stand for oppression, not matter where it comes from.”

“People will die.”

“Most of us have been through war. It won't be anything new.”

“Just because it’s not new, it doesn’t mean it’s right.”

“Of course not. But that’s just how it works. With rebellion comes death, that’s how it is.”

“He wants to change the world. Change won't be accepted that easily. People are going to die, it’s inevitable. You know this, we all do.”

“I know… I just… I wish he could go about this differently.”

~~~

“All right, that’s all for today,” Aizawa said, just before the bell rang. “Leave your internship forms on the teacher’s desk on your way out, or drop by the teacher’s lounge. You have until the end of the day. Dismissed.”

The 1-A classroom immediately started buzzing with chatter. Izuku got his internship form and his bento box out of his bag, and glanced back at Shouto, who was doing the same. They walked up to the teacher’s desk, handed Aizawa their forms, and headed towards the cafeteria.

“So, Izuku, where will you be going for your internship?”

Izuku could hear some of his classmates’ whispers, questioning his and Shouto’s sudden friendship, especially since the green-haired teen never seemed interested in spending time with anyone in their class before. Katsuki’s ever-present stare was even more intense than usual, but Izuku ignored them, in favor of answering Shouto’s question.

“Gran Torino.” Izuku didn't need to look at his friend to understand the teen didn't recognize the name. “He’s a retired pro hero,” he explained, “but he was the one who train All Might, and helped him with his quirk. Since mine is similar, All Might thought he could teach me things he can't.”

Shouto nodded, satisfied with his explanation. Izuku felt a little guilty for lying to him. Well, he wasn't really lying, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth either.

As they approached their usual table, Izuku spotted a familiar cloud of purple.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Izuku turned to Shouto, who titled his head slightly, “I asked someone to join us for lunch today. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” the dual-colored teen assured him, as he placed his bento on the table and sat on his seat.

“Great, I’ll go get him.” Izuku left his bento on the table and approached Shinsou, who had just gotten his food from Lunch Rush.

As his lavender eyes met Izuku’s, Shinsou slightly straightened his slouched back, his face visibly relaxing. Izuku gave him a friendly smile.

“Hey, Shinsou-kun!”

“Hi.” The teen seemed a bit nervous. Izuku could understand. He would be, too, having lunch with a new friend and their fellow hero classmate for the first time.

“Come on, Shouto is already at our table.” As they walked, Izuku tried to reassure his friend. “He won’t bite, you know.”

The other boy blushed. “I know, I just…” He lowered his head before speaking again, “This is the first time I’ll have lunch with anyone. I’ve never had any friends at school before.”

Izuku chuckled. “Welcome to the club. Shouto won't seem like it, but he’s just as awkward.”

“Oh, okay.” A small smile crept on Shinsou's lips, that made Izuku’s heart flutter.

As they reached the table, they saw Shouto had already started eating his noodles. He stopped mid-slurp when he saw the two teens approach, maintained eye-contact as he ate his mouthful and swallowed before greeting them.

“Hello.”

“Hi,” Shinsou greeted back, while shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The two teens were staring at each other’s faces, both bearing scars that told silent stories.    

“So,” Izuku began the introductions, “Shinsou-kun, this is Todoroki Shouto, though you know that already.” He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to his classmate. “Shouto, this is Shinsou Hitoshi, we became friends at the Sports Festival.”

“Nice to meet you,” the heterochromatic teen said. “Call me Shouto.”

“Oh, uh, okay. Nice to meet you, too.” The purple-haired teen glanced at Izuku, a mix of confusion and nervousness crossing his face, as he placed his tray on the table.

“Shouto doesn’t like being called by his family name,” Izuku explained, and sat down opposite of his classmate. Shinsou followed suit, sitting next to him. He was visibly perplexed.

“Isn't your dad the Number Two Hero?” He titled his head slightly to the side in question. Izuku found it adorable.

A flash of anger crossed Shouto’s eyes, but his face remained neutral. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Shinsou stared a few seconds before shrugging, and picked up his chopsticks. “Okay,” was all he said, and dug into his food.

“Shouto calls me Izuku,” the green-haired teen pointed out, “but you don’t have to call me by my first name if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Shinsou said in a casual tone, but Izuku could see the other boy’s ears turning red. “You can call me Hitoshi. If you want.”

“Oh, okay, Hitoshi-kun.”

Izuku could feel the heat pooling on his cheeks, and tried to hide it by stuffing his face with food. The other two boys thankfully didn't seem to notice.

Lunch time passed quite pleasantly. After the three boys got over the first awkward stage of unfamiliarity, conversation ran pretty smoothly. They didn't talk about heroics, or anything school related, apart from past experiences with their peers – or lack thereof. Even though both Shouto and Hitoshi never had any friends, they managed to get along nicely, and Izuku couldn't be happier.

All three of them could relate to each other in some form or another. When the subject of quirks came up, and the way their quirk status affected their lives, Hitoshi visibly stiffened. Both 1-A students noticed, but Izuku had already had a conversation with him about it, and Shouto was totally indifferent to the nature of the other teen’s quirk. He even said that it was ‘pretty cool’, pleasantly surprising Hitoshi, whose smile almost made Izuku go into cardiac arrest.

As they recounted their experiences, Shouto admitted he had never been to school, having been home-schooled his whole life. The subsequent lack of knowledge over teenage stuff, and complete ignorance of memes, shocked Hitoshi, who insisted such insolence was unacceptable. The purple-haired teen promised to teach Shouto all there was to know about them.

It was also hilarious how Shouto would take everything literally, being unfamiliar with the concept of sarcasm, that comprised about 94% of Hitoshi’s humor.

By the end of lunch period, they would all be laughing, Izuku and Hitoshi quoting Vines and TigTogs, and Shouto being utterly confused, but amused all the same. 

It was a strange feeling to Izuku, having casual conversation with friends – plural – at school, making jokes and overall enjoying himself, without having to keep his mask on. Of course, he wasn't completely expressive about his true feelings on some matters, but that didn't stop him from having fun.

It felt nice, not having to pretend all the time.

Chapter Text

“You want me to use my quirk on you?”

Izuku nodded quickly in excitement. “Yes! I want to see what it feels like! It’s such an interesting quirk! I know you can control multiple people at once, but what are the limits? Can you make them talk, or do things they weren’t able to do before? Can you break out of it only with an outside force, or can you do it yourself? Can you-”

Izuku stopped himself, seeing that Hitoshi and Shouto were staring at him. “Sorry, it’s an old habit. I really like analyzing quirks.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Hitoshi teased, the corner of his mouth slightly quirked up, but Izuku could tell he was tense.

The shorter boy’s face turned red. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t feel comfortable. I was just curious.” He looked away in embarrassment, and took a bite from his food.

Shouto had yet to say anything, watching the exchange with amusement while slurping his soba – did he even eat anything else?

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…” Hitoshi rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze. “Everyone always avoided me because they were afraid I would use my quirk on them. No one has ever asked me that before."

Izuku gave him a soft smile. “You know I don’t believe anything they say about your quirk, Hitoshi. Quirks are just tools; nothing more, nothing less.”

“I know.” Hitoshi toyed with his food for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath, and looked at Izuku. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

The short teen lit up. “Great! Do you want to meet me after school today?” The Gen Ed student nodded, and Izuku turned to his classmate. “You can come too, Shouto.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Shouto started, “but I'm visiting my mom today.”

“Oh, that’s great!” the green-haired teen beamed. “Don’t worry, we’ll make up for it another time.”

Shouto gave him a small smile, one that Izuku got to see more and more, lately. The heterochromatic teen was never particularly expressive, but Izuku was glad he was slowly coming out of his shell. The Gods know how much he deserved to finally be happy, after everything he’d been through.

~~~

Once the final bell rang, chatter filled the 1-A classroom. Izuku and Shouto ignored their classmates, and left before they could strike up conversation.

“So,” Izuku started, once they left U.A.’s main building, “how do you feel about seeing your mom again?”

He could faintly hear their classmates talking behind them, as they all made their way through the campus and towards the main gate.

“I feel okay.” Shouto scratched his head. He wasn't used to expressing his feelings, so Izuku gave him some time to gather his thoughts. “I'm a little nervous because I don’t really know anything about her. But I think we can make our relationship to how it was before she got hospitalized.”

“That’s great!” Izuku assured him. “Since you’ll be visiting her often from now on, you will definitely get to know each other better. You aren’t the same person you were ten years ago, either.”

The taller teen hummed, but didn't say anything else on the matter. Izuku didn't pressure him, either.

As the two arrived at the gate, the rest of 1-A right behind them, Izuku spotted his favorite cloud of purple.

“Hitoshi!” Izuku waved at his friend, who was standing right outside the gate, leaning against the wall.

Hitoshi looked up from his phone, his face visibly relaxing at the sight of the green-haired boy. He was wearing his school uniform, bar the tie, and had the first few buttons of his shirt undone.

He put his phone in his pants’ pocket, picked up his black backpack from the ground, hanging it on his shoulders, and casually walked towards his two friends.

Izuku could already hear the murmurs coming from his classmates, but did his best to ignore them. Instead, he jogged towards his friend, jittering with excitement.

“Hi!”

“Hello,” Shouto greeted.

“Hey.” The purple-haired teen rubbed the back of his neck, and looked at Izuku. “So, where are we going?”

“I was thinking about where we could-” Izuku stopped himself, and lowered his voice, if only to not stir up trouble with the hero students, “uh, practice your quirk without anyone bothering us. How does Dagobah Beach sound? There shouldn’t be many people right now.”

Hitoshi frowned. “You mean the garbage dump?”

“Oh! It’s not a dump anymore, I cleaned it up!” Izuku smiled, actually proud of his work.

Hitoshi was, understandably, dumbfounded. His eyes were wide open, violet irises shining brightly.

“You cleaned it up?!” Izuku nodded. “By yourself?” Another nod. “How?!”

“It was my training for the entrance exams,” Izuku shrugged. “It took me 10 months, but it’s completely clean. At least it was, last time I checked.”

“Dude, you can’t be human.”

Izuku couldn't help but blush. The taller teen was looking at him in awe, his beautiful eyes gleaming, as he stared at Izuku in a mixture of amazement and horror. Even Shouto seemed impressed, even though he obviously didn't know what exactly they were talking about. Izuku would have to take his classmate to see the beach sometime, too.

“Anyway!” Izuku babbled, breaking Hitoshi out of his trance, and turned to Shouto. “See you tomorrow, Shouto. Have fun with your mom.”

“Thank you,” the boy nodded, “you have fun, too.”

“Thanks!”

“Bye.”

Shouto gave a final nod, and walked away.

As he turned his attention to the Gen Ed student, Izuku could see his classmates’ baffled expressions from the corner of his eye. Some of them were just confused, others were gawking, while a couple seemed somewhat angry. Even Katsuki had a stone-cold expression, that the green-haired teen didn't care enough to decipher.

“Let’s go, Hitoshi,” Izuku nudged him, and the teen followed without a word.

On their way to the beach, Izuku talked about his training for the entrance exams. How he had decided to train his body, while also attending aikido classes, so he could have a chance of getting into the hero course.

He had to leave out the whole All-Might-training-him-so-he-could-inherit-his-quirk thing, mostly because Shouto didn't know about it either, having been told that he started training with All Might after the hero saw his footage from the entrance exams. If he was going to lie, he had to be consistent about it, no matter how much it pained him.

“Dude, that’s amazing!” Hitoshi exclaimed. “No wonder they call you the 1-A prodigy!”

Izuku laughed. “How did I even get that name?”  

Hitoshi tilted his head slightly in thought. “I dunno, it was bits and pieces, at first. Maybe someone overheard your classmates talking about you. Kids just started talking about some overpowered hero student who placed first in like, everything.”

“Not in everything…” Izuku’s cheeks were dusted pink. He wasn't that humble about his achievements at U.A., but the way Hitoshi said it, with such admiration, it made his heart beat fast.

“Still, you're, like, the first person to place first in both the written and the practical exam, ever. And you are overpowered.” The purple teen had a lopsided grin on his face, that filled Izuku’s stomach with butterflies.

“Plus,” his smile faltered a bit, “you scared the living shit out of my classmates. Everyone in General Education knows not to mess with you.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t plan on taking shit from kids at school ever again.” He gave the other teen a small smile, and the one he got in return was everything Izuku ever needed. “Do they still bother you?”

“No, they just talk about me like I'm not there. It’s a nice change.”

“They shouldn’t be talking about you at all,” Izuku pointed out.

“They would be talking about anyone if they suddenly started having lunch with you,” Hitoshi shrugged. “It’s just extra weird because the kid with the villainous quirk hangs out with two of the strongest hero students.”

“I guess…” They walked for a few minutes in silence, before Izuku spoke up again. “We’re here.”

Hitoshi looked up, and stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of the view. Small, playful waves were rippling gently, crashing on a vast expanse of golden sand, the setting sun coloring the crystal blue waters with orange hues. The salty air carried the cries of seagulls and other birds that had started visiting, now that the waters were free of garbage and dust. It was truly a sight to behold.

Izuku, however, could only stare at the teen beside him.

“It’s beautiful.”

Hitoshi’s eyes were wide open, unblinking. Pupils dilated, amethyst irises glowing under the light of the sunset. His jaw had gone slack, mouth slightly ajar, cheeks colored with a light blush.

Even if Izuku had the most captivating, the most entrancing scenery right in front of him, he would still choose to stare at Hitoshi’s beautiful face, a thousand times over.

“Yeah, it is.”

They stayed like this for a while. Hitoshi marveling the view, and Izuku admiring an even more breathtaking one. He didn't dare break the spell, not when he could stare at the curve of Hitoshi’s nose, the way the corner of his mouth slightly quirked up, the way his eyes seemed to reflect the ocean before them in deep pools of indigo.

Eventually, Hitoshi cleared his throat, snapping Izuku out his trance. The green-haired teen averted his gaze and led the way with a not-so-smooth “Let’s go!”

They took off their shoes and socks before stepping in the warm sand, and sat down as far away from the few people that were there as possible.

“So…” Hitoshi started, drawing random shapes on the sand with his finger. “What exactly are we doing?”

Izuku hummed. “I was thinking, you could try giving me various orders, see what you can and can't make others do. What do you know for sure?”

“Uh, I haven’t practiced all that much, so I don’t really know the extent of my powers.” The teen was visibly tense, talking about his quirk.

“That’s alright, we can test it out!” Izuku was really tempted to take out a notebook and scribble down all his thoughts, but he didn't want to make Hitoshi even more uncomfortable. “Even if you don’t want to be a hero anymore, it’s never a bad thing to train your quirk, figure out your limits and what you can and can't do.”

The taller teen nodded. He had stopped drawing on the sand, but he was still looking somewhat nervous.

“We can start with simple things. Try making me talk, activate my quirk, do things I wouldn’t normally be able to do, that kinda stuff.”

“Okay.” Hitoshi took a deep breath. “Izuku?”

“Yeah-”

The feeling was… unfamiliar. He felt like he was submerged in jello, aware of his body and thoughts, but not in control of them.

“Okay, uh… touch your nose with your finger,” Hitoshi order him. Izuku could hear him, but distantly. It was like being underwater, making out the words barely enough for his body to obey.

Izuku was aware he was touching his nose, as instructed, but he wasn't in control of the movement, nor could he stop himself. It was like his body moved on its own, obeying orders unconsciously, and Izuku didn't have a say in it. It was fascinating.

“Drop your hand.” Izuku did.

“Tell me your name.”

This time, he did nothing. Izuku was aware of the command, and he tried speaking, but his mouth stayed shut.

“Say ‘My name is Izuku’.”

Still nothing. Huh.

“Activate your quirk.”

Izuku could feel One For All pulsing in his veins, demanding to be released, but he couldn't activate it. He tried making himself use it, but to no avail.

But then, something peculiar happened.

Izuku was facing Hitoshi, but not actually looking at him. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings, without actually seeing anything. That was, until he noticed a bunch of dark figures behind the other teen. He couldn't exactly make out their silhouettes; they were like ghosts, devoid of any color, apart from their glowing yellow eyes.

Before Izuku could ponder on it further, Hitoshi deactivated his quirk. The green-haired teen got out of his dream-like state, and was finally in control of his body again.

“Woah! That was so cool!” Izuku smiled brightly, his fingers twitching, wanting to take notes on everything he had experienced so far.

A hint of a blush appeared on Hitoshi’s face. “Really?”

Izuku nodded repeatedly. “Absolutely! It was like being underwater, but I couldn't control my body at all! Like, I could hear you giving me orders, and I was aware I was touching my nose, but it didn't feel like I was actually doing it, it was more like having a general idea of what my body was doing on its own, but I had no control over it, almost like I was watching myself doing it without consciously doing it…”

Izuku rubbed his chin in thought. “So you can make others follow simple commands, like moving their hands, and carrying you, like at the Sports Festival, most likely because they are simple enough that they wouldn’t have to give it much thought. Talking, though, is more complicated. You couldn't make me repeat something you said, but even if you could, instructing me to say my name would mean I would have to think about it, so you probably can't give instructions that entail conscious effort. Same with using my quirk, so I'm guessing you can't order people to do stuff that require more advanced brain functions.”

As Izuku finished his mumbling, he looked up at Hitoshi who was staring at him like he had grown a second head.

“Sorry…” The shorter teen rubbed the back of his head.

“What?” Hitoshi shook his head. “No, don’t apologize, it’s just… you're crazy smart. I haven’t thought of half of the things you said, and it’s my quirk.”

“Oh.” Izuku chuckled lightly, cheeks dusted pink. “Yeah, it’s been my hobby since I was a kid, analyzing heroes and quirks and stuff. And yours is really interesting.” He gave him a warm smile, his heart skipping a beat when Hitoshi smiled back. “Would you like to try again? I have a few more things in mind.”

“Sure.”

For the next 40 minutes, Hitoshi would give him commands, under Izuku’s guidance, and the green-haired teen would write down everything they discovered. He managed to convince Hitoshi to train his quirk with him, since, as Izuku put it, it was never a bad idea to cultivate his power to its outmost potential.

From what they gathered, Hitoshi could only make someone do things that didn't require them to think. For example, if he commanded Izuku to “write ‘my name is Midoriya Izuku’”, he would, but it didn't work if he said “write your name”. He could instruct them to do various tasks, but not things they wouldn’t be able to do normally, like when he ordered Izuku to do a backflip.

They also tested the activation requirements. Izuku already knew that Hitoshi could make the mental connection with his target when the latter answered a question. They tested out whether the reply had to be verbal – it did – if laughter, grunts and other exclamations counted as such – they didn't – and whether nodding or otherwise answering with their body language applied – it didn't, either. For now, at least. Izuku believed that with enough practice, Hitoshi would be able to surpass his quirk’s limits, and they were both excited to see how far the purple-haired teen could go.

“Okay,” Izuku clapped his hands, after writing down his latest findings. “What’s next… how about I try breaking out of it?”

“I think I can go just one more time,” Hitoshi sighed, rubbing his temples. “I've used my quirk today more than I have in my entire life, and it’s giving me a migraine.”  

“Oh, we can stop for today, if you want,” Izuku reassured. “It’s getting kinda late, anyway.”

The sun had set a few minutes ago, but it hadn’t gone dark yet. The sky above the ocean was painted in an alloy of orange, pink and purple, fading into countless shades of blue. It was almost as beautiful as Hitoshi’s eyes

“Let’s go one more time, I’m curious if you can break out of it. No one has ever done that before.”

“Are you sure?” Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. “We can do this another time, you don’t have to strain your quirk.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt that much.” Hitoshi gave him a small lopsided grin, that certainly did not make his heart flutter.

“If you say so.”

“Okay. Izuku?”

“Yes-”

He was back to the now-familiar dazed state. He could sense Hitoshi giving him simple orders – “do a peace sign”, “stick out your tongue”, “blow a raspberry” – while Izuku was trying to take control of his body. A couple minutes passed, and he was about to give up, when he noticed those shadowy figures again.

He could see them better than before, but their outlines were still hazy. Eight pairs of bright yellow eyes, that somewhat resembled Kurogiri’s, were staring right at him, almost like they were reaching out to him. Izuku tried to reach back, and felt the fingers on his right hand twitch. The ghosts became a little clearer.

Something in his mind told Izuku to trust them, let them help him; with Hitoshi’s brainwashing, or something else, he did not know. Still, he listened to his instincts, and reached out once more.

Izuku felt One For All rushing through his body, all the way to his fingertips. In that moment, his mind was clear. With one last twitch, he released an air blast from his index and middle finger, breaking him out of Hitoshi’s control.

“Woah.” Hitoshi lowered his arms, having raised them to protect his eyes from the gush of wind and sand, and gaped at him for a few seconds. “How did you do that?"

“I…” Izuku frowned. “I don’t….” He scratched his head, trying to remember what exactly had happened while he was under Hitoshi’s control. “I’m not sure. It was like… my mind was telling me to reach out.”

Hitoshi cocked his head to the side. “Reach out to what?”

“I don’t really remember. But I reached out, and then my quirk activated.” He looked at his right hand, like it held all the answers, but came up empty. “But it wasn't my quirk that broke me out.”

The other teen creased his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I activated my quirk, however that happened, but it didn't snap me out. I regained control only after the air blast knocked me back,” Izuku explained. “So I guess you still need an outside force to break out of it. I just, somehow, managed to create it.”

“That’s good, I guess.” Hitoshi shrugged, before bringing his hand to his forehead.

“Hey, you okay?” Izuku asked, concerned. “Does your head hurt?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably have one hell of a migraine tonight.” The purple-haired teen was rubbing his temples, his eyes closed.

“I told you not to strain your quirk.” Izuku took out his med kit from his schoolbag and gave Hitoshi a couple ibuprofen tablets.

“Thank you.” After washing down the painkillers with some water – a few droplets escaping his mouth and running down his chin and Izuku couldn't help but stare he was too gay for this – Hitoshi stood up and started dusting his clothes from the sand that Izuku had blown on him. The shorter teen put his notebook back in his backpack and stood up as well.

“So,” Izuku started, as they walked towards the street, their shoes in their hands, “are you gonna head home, or do you want to hang out, have a coffee or something?” he tried to keep his voice even; he couldn't help but think he was basically asking him on a date.

Hitoshi’s shoulders slumped. “I have to go home, my foster parents don’t let me stay out late.”

“Oh.” Izuku was going to point out it wasn't late – it was barely 7 p.m. – but decided against it. He wasn't one to pry, and he could tell Hitoshi wasn't keen on talking about his home life. Still, Izuku wondered how he had come to be in the foster system, and whether he was being treated kindly by his foster family. Considering the nature of his quirk, though, it didn't seem likely.

“Sorry,” Hitoshi mumbled, as the put on their shoes.

Izuku shook his head. “No, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. We can make up for it another time,” he reassured him.

“Okay.”

They made small-talk as they walked, until they reached Izuku’s neighborhood. They bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways, after the shorter teen made Hitoshi promise to text him when he got home.

Izuku didn't head home, though. He still had his training with Stain, who he had messaged he would be running late. He hadn't texted him the details; he knew that if Himiko got wind of his outing with Hitoshi, he wouldn’t hear the end of it.

~~~

Izuku couldn't move.

He was engulfed in a black mist, with only his eyes uncovered. Around him was an endless void, as if he was floating in the vacuum of space. He could feel his feet standing on solid ground, but there was nothing he could see beyond the darkness that enveloped his body.

Then, two shadowy figures entered his field of vision. One was cloaked in red mist, their eyes shining bright vermillion, while the other’s figure was outlined in dark purple, eyes glowing the same shade.    

Izuku had never seen these people before, but they didn't need to speak for Izuku to know who they were.

“Hello, Izuku. We finally meet.”

He couldn't speak, nor move his head. He stared at the figures before him, making it clear he was listening.

“My name is Bruce, and this is Kudo. We are the second and third users of One For All. But you already knew that, didn't you?”

He did. He wasn't sure how, but something within him was aware of his predecessors’ souls residing in his mind. He had been aware for a while.

“We’ve been trying to reach you for some time,” Bruce – the Third, Izuku’s mind offered – continued. The Second was silent, watching Izuku intently. “With the help of your friend, we finally succeeded.”

Izuku could remember now. His mind had been hazy after he broke out of Hitoshi’s control, but he knew that it was them that had helped him. It was odd, how his brain had almost deleted the memories, until this moment.

But it was crystal clear, now. The vestiges he had seen were One For All’s previous holders.

Did that mean, those dreams he’d been having, the voices arguing in the dark, were glimpses of them?

Izuku couldn't recall their figures, apart from Kudo and Bruce, who were the ones reaching out to him, but he did remember seeing eight of them. Before he gave Izuku his quirk, All Might had told him he was the eighth holder of the sacred torch that was One For All. Was the hero one of the vestiges he saw? But, how? Did a part of him remain inside the quirk, to guide Izuku once he inherited it, to fulfil his role as the ninth holder?

“You are going to face many obstacles in your journey. Many will oppose your dream to change the world. But it will be alright.”

Bruce extended his hand, and Izuku found he now could, too. He reached out to his predecessor, barely hearing his last words before being surrounded in total darkness.

“You are not alone.”

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up to the sound of his phone blowing up with message notifications.

Who the fuck was texting him this early in the morning? His alarm hadn’t even gone off yet. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand and groaned. He had two minutes left! Two whole minutes of precious sleep, now lost.

He rubbed his eyes, and checked his phone. Whoever had decided to wake him up had just signed their death sentence. (Izuku knew he was being overly dramatic, but that headache was killing him.)

Oh, it was the League’s group chat. They were still getting an earful, though.

But first, he went to the bathroom, got ready for school, and sat down to eat breakfast. Mom had made him omurice, and he dived right in, as he read his messages.

League of Queers

Vambire: Good morning people!!

Vambire: Guess what!!

Vambire: We’re getting a new member soon!!

Vambire: Isn't that great???

Vambire: Giran said he’ll introduce us in a couple days!!!

Vambire: I'm so excited hjdlaksdfhj

Dagay: Ur awfully cheery in the morning

Dagay: I can hear u squealing across the hall

Dagay: Let me sleep

Dagay: Also wut does dagay mean???

Vambire: It’s a pun! Your name is Da-bi, but you're gay, not bi

Vambire: Therefore, Dagay

Dagay: Its stupid

Dagay changed their nickname to Dabi

Vambire: Aww you're no fun!

Dabi:🖕

I AM QUEER:

Why the fuck are you up so early?

Dabi: Someone woke up on the wron side of the bed today

Vambire: Good morning Izu!!!

I AM QUEER:

You ruined my beauty sleep

Vambire: Sorry🥹🥹

Dabi: Lol

I AM QUEER:

So this is how u wanna go huh

I AM QUEER changed Dabi's nickname to burned chicken nugget

burned chicken nugget: Hey!

I AM QUEER:

That’s what u get for waking me up

burned chicken nugget: It was crazy who started it!

I AM QUEER:

I know. Himiko gets no hugs today

Vambire: 😱😱😱

Vambire: You wouldn’t dare!

I AM QUEER:

Watch me

Vambire: What if I told you I found a HUGE Endeavor plushie yesterday?

Vambire: We can use it for knife throwing practice🥰

I AM QUEER:

…

You stole it didn't u

Vambire: Maybe

Vambire: Hehe🔪

I AM QUEER:

*sighs* fine

Vambire:  Yayyy!!!

I AM QUEER:

For your sake I hope the plushie is at least 50 cm tall

burned chicken nugget: That was easy

I AM QUEER:

Like you don’t want to join us

burned chicken nugget: Fuck off

Vambire: Love you too❤️

“Izuku!” he heard his mom call out, as she opened the front door to leave for work. “Get off the phone, you're going to be late!”

“Yes, mom!” Izuku was snickering as he typed. He had nearly choked on his food a couple times, before deciding it was best he didn't eat while indulging in his friends’ shenanigans.

“Bye, sweetie!”

“Bye!”

He exchanged a couple more messages, turned off his phone and scarfed down the rest of his breakfast.

He had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

~~~

“Did you hear about Endeavor’s sidekicks yesterday?”

“You mean Kido and Onima, right?”

“Yeah, I saw it, too! It was all over the news!”

“First Ingenium, then his sidekicks, and now this…”

“Who do you think killed them?”

“The Hero Killer, obviously!”

“I don’t think it was him this time.”

“…”

“Why?”

“I mean, think about it! Every hero Stain has gone after was either stabbed and bled to death, or pierced through the heart. Endeavor’s sidekicks died from poisoning. It doesn’t fit his M.O.”  

“…”

“I like crime movies.”

“You know, Kaminari, for a dumb-dumb, you say pretty smart things sometimes.”

Izuku listened idly, as his classmates discussed the newest case of hero deaths.

More and more heroes had been turning up dead, and it was making civilians and heroes alike quite uneasy. While some of them were the work of the Hero Killer, Izuku knew for a fact that at least 5 heroes’ and sidekicks’ deaths were completely separate incidents. He also knew that he had written about all of them in the notebooks he had given to Giran.

Izuku didn't remember everything he had written in his notes, but each entry included the respective hero’s weaknesses in excruciating detail. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out possible ways to kill them. Poisoning, though, wasn't exactly on his top ten methods for hero murdering. Oh well, at least it had worked.  

Speaking of poison, Izuku thought it would be a good idea to have a couple poison-laced knives on his villain costume. Maybe a paralyzing agent, too. He sent a quick text to Giran about it, just as he heard Aizawa approach the classroom.

By the time the man entered the room, everyone was seated, silent, phones turned off and in their school bags.

“Good morning, hellspawn.”

“Good morning, Aizawa-sensei!” the class said in unison.

The teacher nodded in approval, before beginning today’s homeroom.

~~~

Hero training started as usual.

Aizawa, who was substituting All Might – the zygote had probably used up his time again – and Vlad King had decided on doing the first joint training between classes 1-A and 1-B.

They were all gathered in Gym Gamma, much to 1-B’s obvious dissatisfaction. Due to 1-A’s increasing popularity, mainly because of the USJ attack and the results of the Sports Festival, many students from class B were bitter and jealous of Izuku and his classmates, and didn't bother to hide their feelings from them. The majority viewed class A as rivals, but some students – namely one Monoma Neito – took that rivalry way too seriously. 

The blond was provoking class A, claiming they had become the center of attention among U.A.’s students only because of the USJ villain attack. His taunts especially irritated Katsuki, who wouldn't accept being ridiculed by a mere extra.

Izuku vaguely remembered the boy’s quirk from the cavalry battle at the Sports Festival, allowing him to copy someone’s quirk just by touching them. He recalled the two blonds arguing and using explosions while trying to steal each other’s headbands, but he hadn't been paying that much attention, obviously being focused on his own team winning.

Just like then, the two boys were bickering loudly, Katsuki throwing profanities and falling spectacularly for Monoma's jeers, while the two class representatives, Iida and Kendou Itsuka, were trying to calm them down.

As Izuku watched the two boys squabbling, he focused on the other class’s loud blond. Being proficient in reading other people, he could tell Monoma was putting on an act, in more ways than one. His endless jabbing was definitely masking an inferiority complex – just like his childhood friend – but, most notably, his comebacks and snide remarks seemed to be more emotionally driven when Katsuki would call everyone ‘extras’.

What threw Monoma off the most was when the explosive blond called him a side character. Even though he disguised it well, Izuku could tell there was some trauma behind that particular phrase. Considering the nature of the boy’s quirk, it wouldn't be surprising if he had endured some kind of bullying or discrimination. It reminded Izuku of Hitoshi, and everything he had gone through because of his villainous quirk.

The two homeroom teachers, unfazed by their students’ feud, split them all into pairs, each comprising of one 1-A and one 1-B student. They explained that, as heroes on the field, they wouldn't always know their opponent’s quirk and capabilities, just like the two classes weren’t familiar with one another. It was also an exercise for the heroics students to get to know each other better, though Izuku doubted everyone was on board with that idea.

Izuku got paired with Shoda Nirengeki, 1-B’s vice representative. He vaguely remembered the short, ice blue-haired boy from the Sports Festival, when he and Ojiro had withdrawn from the 1v1 tournament. They had both claimed they hadn't earned their spot, since they’d only advanced to the final event because of Hitoshi’s brainwashing.

Izuku already had a feeling this wouldn't go well. 

All twenty pairs of students spread out in the Gym, Aizawa and Vlad King standing near the entrance to be able to keep an eye on all of them. Cementoss was also present, mostly to help supervise the 40 heroics students, as well as fix any damage they caused on the training grounds.

“Alright, everyone, listen up,” Vlad King’s voice echoed inside the Gym, “you’ll be sparring with your partner until ten minutes are up, or until you incapacitate your opponent. Quirks and support items are allowed, but no maiming or killing, obviously. Now get ready.”

All students stood facing their partner, and took their battle stances.

“Go!”

For the next few minutes, Izuku would observe Shoda, analyzing his habits, strengths, and weaknesses. He didn't use his quirk, nor try to attack his opponent. Instead, he had a defensive form, blocking and evading the boy’s attacks as he watched and broke down his every move.

He couldn't dissect his quirk as much as he wanted, since it required contact with its target. But from what he gathered the first two times Shoda struck him, his quirk allowed him to make a point of contact, and create a second impact, that was several times stronger than the first. After that, Izuku would evade his every attack, not allowing the other teen to touch him and use his quirk.

It was honestly child’s play for him. After all his training with Himiko and Stain, Izuku could beat most of his classmates with little effort, even without One For All’ help.

He could easily just use his quirk and leap away for his opponent every time he tried to strike him, making him run after Izuku until their time was up, but he didn't want to come off as arrogant. Instead, he settled for flicking his fingers, creating small air blasts that held the other boy away from him.

At some point, Shoda must have figured Izuku was holding back, because he started trying to strike conversation, in a sorry attempt to distract him.

“Word has spread that you hang out with Shinsou.”

Izuku stopped in his tracks, not expecting Hitoshi to be mentioned. Shoda tried to take advantage of his momentary distraction, but Izuku evaded him without thinking.

“So what if I do?”

He tried to keep his tone neutral, his annoyance barely showing on his face.

“We were just surprised that you of all people would want to spend time with someone like him,” Shoda replied, not giving up on his futile attempts at using his quirk on Izuku.

The green-haired teen leaped away, consciously trying to not activate One For All as he glared at the other boy.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Shoda clearly didn't get the hint, charging at him once again, but Izuku was having none of it. With a swift move, he threw Shoda off balance, making him land on his stomach, and stared at him from above.

“I'm just saying,” the blue-haired teen attempted to grab Izuku’s leg from his position, but he was already meters away, “it’s weird that the 1-A prodigy would choose to be around that guy.”

He got up and charged at Izuku, who was starting to get irritated at his implications, and was actively staying out of his reach.

“Oh?”

Shoda faltered for a second at his icy tone, but continued chasing after him.

“Y-Yeah, we just think that you deserve someone better than him.”

Izuku wanted nothing more than to beat that motherfucker to the ground. It was already clear what his thoughts on Hitoshi were, but he had to hear him say it. The heroes wouldn't approve of beating someone up without a reason. So he would give them a reason. Besides, quirks were allowed, weren’t they?

“Better than what?” he hissed, as he dodged another pitiful attack, and expanded the distance between them with a quirk-induced leap.

“L-Look, Midoriya,” the sorry excuse of a hero student stammered, surprised that Izuku had actually used his quirk, “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but that guy’s a villain. You know what he-”

Shoda froze, seeing the absolute rage Izuku emanated. His eyes were wide open, Full Cowl making his irises glow bright emerald, his lips curled up in a snarl.

It was one thing insulting him, and another disrespecting and bad-mouthing his friend to his face. Izuku could handle rude comments, and heroes being heroes. He could keep a neutral face every time he heard bullshit spewing out of the heroes’ mouths.

But this was different. This was his friend, his Hitoshi, being derogated and shunned and called names for something out of his control; and Izuku was furious. He wouldn't stand for people slandering his friends, even if it meant breaking character and dropping his happy-go-lucky persona.

For one moment, Izuku blacked out. He didn't lose consciousness per se; it was more like he went… away. His quirk faltered for a quarter of a second, before coming back full force, stronger. The green lightning-like aura glowed on his body, One For All running through his veins. But it didn't feel the same as every other time he used his quirk. This time, it felt more powerful.

Before he knew it, Izuku was running towards his opponent, barely registering the ground shattering beneath his feet. His eyes were set on Shoda, who was standing dead still, his whole body screaming terrified.

He was vaguely aware of people calling his name, his classmates shouting, the heroes yelling at him to stop. But there was no stopping him, now.  

Izuku twisted his body, ready to deliver a roundhouse kick and smash Shoda’s head to pieces, but just before his foot found his target, he felt One For All fade away. The last thing he saw was Eraserhead's capture weapon wrapping around him, before his vision went dark.

~~~

Izuku was back in the Void.

That’s what he’d decided to call the place where he first met the vestiges of the previous One For All users.

It was somewhat different this time, though. Instead of complete darkness, the ground was an unending barren wasteland, and the sky that used to be pitch-black was now resembling a dark mist, similar to the one enveloping his body.

Even though he still couldn't speak, and his feet were stuck to the ground, he could move his head and arms freely.

“Hey, kid.”

Izuku turned his head to his left. The black mist turned into a mix of red and purple, from which emerged the Second and Third User.

Now that they weren’t completely engulfed in mist, Izuku could make out their features. Bruce was slightly taller than the other, silver hair tied back in a spiky ponytail, eyes dark and narrow, a black bandana over his forehead.

The two men wore similar outfits, a green combat jacket on top of a black shirt, with matching pants and black combat boots. Kudo was also wearing large gauntlets on his arms.

Looking at the man’s features more carefully, Izuku was met with a grown-up version of Katsuki. The only notable differences were the salmon color of his hair, and the large scar on his face. Even his sharp, crimson eyes were similar, albeit somewhat softer than Katsuki’s. Kudo didn't make a move to speak, leaving the talking to his successor.

“I’m sure you have questions,” Bruce started, as he and Kudo made their way in front of him. “We don’t have much time, but I’ll try to explain as much as I can.”

Izuku blinked at his predecessors, silently communicating he was listening.

“Before coming here, you felt One For All getting stronger, didn't you?” the Second asked.

Izuku nodded. He wanted to explain how with every step, as he ran towards his opponent, he could feel the energy in his legs increasing, almost burning to be released.

“What you felt, that power, was my Meta Ability.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. His Meta Ability? Did he mean the quirk he had before he inherited One For All? How was that possible? A million questions ran through his mind, but the Third was quick to explain.

“The souls of all the users are infused with the core of One For All. Me and Kudo have been trying to reach you; we want to help you with your cause.”

Izuku’s eyes were impossibly wide. They wanted to help him? It sounded like a bad joke; the predecessors of the Number One Hero and previous users of a quirk passed down from hero to hero for generations, wanting to help a villain destroy the very society they helped create?

“I would have liked to explain everything,” Bruce interrupted his thoughts, “but we don’t have enough time. What you need to know for now is this; remnants of ourselves – our souls, if you will – along with our quirk factors, are part of One For All’s core. But now, that part is expanding. The visions you’ve been seeing, the fact that we can now communicate with you, are proof that One For All is growing.”

He made a brief pause, letting the information sink in. Izuku held out his hands, and looked back at the Third. Bruce nodded, and help his own hand in front of him.

“My quirk, Fa Jin, builds up and stores kinetic energy through repetitive movement.” He moved his index finger up and down a few times, and then flicked his fingers, creating a small blast of air. “The energy that you store can be released as a burst of speed, or power. When you ran towards that boy, the kinetic energy built up in your legs. That’s why you felt more power in them.”  

Izuku nodded in understanding. The Third’s quirk – Fa Jin, as he’d called it – allowed him to store energy and release it, similarly to when he used One For All. It was basically a huge power boost when he did any repetitive movement, and if running could be considered as such, his kicks could literally obliterate his target. No wonder everyone was shouting at him to stop. If Aizawa hadn’t used his quirk on time, Shoda’s head would have turned to dust.

“One For All has a stockpiling quirk as its base,” the Third continued. “Our quirks had their own power cultivated as it grew stronger with each generation. Fa Jin is now much stronger than when I had it. You will have to learn to use it like a new power, but as much as we’re allowed, me and Kudo will be with you, helping you.”

Izuku wondered what he meant by ‘allowed’.

“We’re out of time. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more,” Bruce said, as his and Kudo’s bodies started getting swallowed up by the dark mist. “But remember; you are not alone. Whenever the need arises, we will be here, supporting you.”

Izuku nodded, silently thanking the two, when Kudo spoke for the first time.

“Good luck, Midoriya Izuku,” his voice echoed in the Void as they disappeared, and Izuku was once again engulfed in total darkness. 

~~~

“-riya! Midoriya!”

Izuku blinked. He was laying on his back, Aizawa, Vlad King, and a few of his classmates hovering over him. Their expressions were a mixture of concern, confusion, and in Vlad King’s case, anger.

He sat up, surprised to see 39 hero students and three teachers staring at him. He rubbed the back of his head, putting on a mask of nervousness and embarrassment, and looked at his homeroom teacher.

“Uh, what happened?”

Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Before we get into that, are you feeling alright? Do we need to bring Recovery Girl?”

Izuku scrunched his eyebrows. “Um, no? My head kinda hurts, but I've had a migraine since this morning.”

“Okay.” Aizawa stood up and addressed the rest of the hero students. “Alright, hellspawn, go back to your sparring.”

The teenagers didn't need to be told twice. Only a couple 1-A students hesitated, asking about Izuku, but Aizawa reassured them he was fine, and everyone reluctantly resumed their training.

“I’ll take Midoriya outside for a second,” Aizawa told the two other heroes.

Cementoss nodded, and started remaking the concrete floor that Izuku had destroyed without a word. Vlad King went to retort, but Aizawa cut him off.

“Don’t start, Kan. Shoda’s fine.”

“He could have killed him-”

“But he didn't. That’s why we are here.” The heroes had a brief staring match, before Vlad King relented and walked away towards his student, who was sitting on a bench on the other side of the Gym.

Izuku noted the blue-haired boy was holding an ice pack on his face, and was looking incredibly shaken, but other than that he seemed fine.

“Let’s go, problem child.”

Izuku followed his teacher outside, and they both sat on the stairs at the Gym’s entrance. When Aizawa didn't make a move to speak, the teen looked up and broke the silence.

“So, what happened?”

The hero narrowed his eyes slightly. “I was hoping you'd tell me.”

Izuku started fidgeting with his fingers, averting his gaze, hoping to come across as nervous. It seemed to work. Aizawa relaxed his stand, and sighed.

“Look, kid. I don’t know what exactly played out with you and Shoda, but now he’s terrified of you.”

Izuku looked up with furrowed eyebrows, but didn't interrupt.

“I don’t know if it was something he said, or did, but you…” The man sighed again, and rubbed his face with his hand. “You went to attack him with your quirk.”

He glanced at Izuku, who didn't provide any clarification. Aizawa continued.

“Whatever you did, it wasn't anything I've ever seen you do. You started…” he made a vague gesture with his hand, struggling to articulate his thoughts, “glowing green – more than usual, anyway – and as you ran you were literally shattering the ground. We were calling your name but you didn't seem to hear. I erased your quirk, and you just, blacked out.”

As he finished his explanation, Aizawa stared at him, his usual apathetic demeanor being replaced with concern.

“Oh.” Izuku pretended to be confused, reflecting on his actions and trying to figure out what exactly had happened. In truth, he was thinking about how he was going to justify his sudden increase in power.

“Has it ever happened before? Losing control of your quirk like that?”

So that was what it seemed like. It was logical to assume, Izuku would have thought so as well. He almost denied it, but he couldn't exactly say that he had literally manifested a new quirk that powered up his already overpowered one. He didn't intend to let anyone – especially the heroes – know about the vestiges of One For All, or how he could communicate with them and use their quirks, too. 

So, a simple case of losing control it is.

“Uh, no.” Izuku scratched his head. “I just… I got so… angry, and-”

“Why?” Aizawa interrupted him. Seeing Izuku’s (faked) flinch, he softened his gaze. “Why did you get angry at him?”

“Um…” The teen averted his gaze. “He insulted my friend. Called him a villain because of his quirk.” He looked back at his teacher, this time with a stone-cold expression. “He said that I shouldn’t hang out with him, that I deserve better than someone like him.”

He made it clear he wouldn't tolerate quirk discrimination, especially concerning his friends – not that Aizawa didn't already know that.

“And that’s why you lost control?” he questioned, and Izuku nodded in confirmation. When the teen didn't elaborate, Aizawa sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

“Look, problem child…” A shadow of a smirk appeared on his face, when Izuku snorted lightly at the familiar nickname. “I understand why you were upset, I really do.” He made a brief pause as he pondered something. “I’ll make sure he gets reprimanded for his actions. We don’t tolerate any kind of discrimination-”

“It’s not just him, though,” Izuku murmured, interrupting him.

Aizawa’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Izuku sighed. “It’s not the first time Hitoshi– uh, Shinsou-kun, gets called a villain. It’s just that no one’s said that to my face before.” He didn't mention the time he found Hitoshi being beaten in a U.A. bathroom, nor how he had been ‘warned’ by his classmate, Aizawa's own student, about the boy’s villainous quirk.

“Who else has called him that?” Aizawa seemed genuinely upset about the whole situation, but Izuku didn't think he would be able to expel more than half of the student body for being discriminatory.

“It doesn’t matter, sensei. You remember how it was at the Sports Festival. That’s how most people are. It’s what we’ve always had to deal with.”

“That doesn’t make it okay, though,” the hero retorted. Izuku didn't respond; he was right, after all. But there wasn't much one could do to change the way people thought. That was why Izuku was going to change everything.

“In any case,” Aizawa cleared his throat, “you shouldn’t lash out like that, especially with a quirk like yours. You could put yourself and others in danger.”

“I know, sensei, I'm sorry. It won't happen again.”

The hero nodded. He looked like he wanted to say more, but seeing Izuku’s puppy eyes, decided against it. Izuku, on the other hand, fidgeted in his seat, and looked back at his teacher. Time to spill some bullshit.

“I think I need some help controlling my quirk.”

Aizawa didn't seem surprised.

Of course, it wasn't One For All – Super Power – that he needed help with, since Full Cowl worked perfectly fine for him. But with Fa Jin manifesting, he wanted to practice his new quirk, with and without combining it with One For All, to figure out his limits, and learn to control the power output he released.

“You know how I manifested my quirk late,” he continued, receiving a nod. “And how at first I broke my bones every time I used it?” Another nod.

Okay. Rambling mode, on.

“I think my body is still adjusting to it. I can use Super Power more and more without straining myself, but I guess that, as I get stronger, the amount of power I can use without breaking my bones increases as well. I think that’s what happened today. I lost control of my quirk because I got angry – and I promise that won't happen again!” Izuku waved his hands for emphasis, “but my feelings probably powered up my quirk and I channeled a bigger percentage of it to my feet than I've ever had before; that would explain how I smashed the ground as I ran. But I still struggle to adjust my power output to the exact percentage that I want, and now that it’s even stronger I think I’ll need help to control it so, uhm, stuff like today won't happen again and I uh... don’t accidentally kill anyone, so… yeah.”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head for good measure as he finished his explanation, and mentally patted himself on the back.

Aizawa was visibly trying to hide his surprise and bewilderment, but failing spectacularly, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. The teen gave an awkward laugh and averted his gaze. Acting modest and embarrassed was never a bad idea.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I know it’s weird and annoying. I can't help it sometimes.”

“What?” The hero got out of his trance. “No, it’s not that, I just…” He cleared his throat. “You're incredibly smart, Midoriya.”

Izuku gave a small smile. “Thank you, sensei.”

His teacher’s gaze softened. “And you’re right, you have to learn to control your quirk better. But we’ll be here to help you.” He then made a funny face. “All Might is already helping you, right?”

Izuku barely held back a groan. Of course Aizawa knew about All Might. Izuku was surprised the whole school hadn’t figured it out already.  

“Uh, yeah. He saw my footage from the entrance exam, and because our quirks are similar, he offered to help me train.”

“It’s a rational decision,” Aizawa grumbled, almost like he didn't want to admit the Number One Asshole had a good idea. “I suppose he could help you with your… power up.”

Izuku smiled, but not in a I'm-so-thankful-the-Number-One-Hero-is-helping-me-train-my-quirk way. It was more of a I'm-not-so-sure-he-could-really-help-me-but-I'm-being-polite-about-it way. Aizawa hid a smirk in his capture scarf.

“I’ll also be here to help you, with whatever you need. You’ve made incredible progress, especially with how little time you had to train your quirk. It’s only logical you struggle with it sometimes. Don’t let this bring you down, okay?”

For all the serious, heartless persona the hero was trying to portray, he really cared about his students. Izuku almost felt bad about lying and deceiving him.

He gave him a small, genuine smile.

“Thank you, sensei.”

Aizawa nodded, and then stood up, the teen copying him. “Ready to go back? We have some time left.”

“Yeah, I'm okay.”

“Alright.” The man went to open the door to the Gym. “You’ll have to switch partners, though,” he added as an afterthought.   

Izuku laughed, and followed him inside.

The moment he stepped into the Gym, a bunch of his classmates bombarded him with questions, asking how he was feeling and if he was okay. After Izuku assured them that he was alright, and that he just briefly lost control of his quirk, Aizawa and Vlad King changed the pairings, to Shoda’s obvious relief – and to most of 1-B’s horror, probably at the prospect of being paired up with him.

Oddly enough, Monoma seemed intrigued, almost eager to fight him. Izuku wondered whether the blond had found out about what had happened, why exactly Izuku had lost control of his quirk. Maybe Izuku’s words and stance against discrimination had reached him, in some way.

To Monoma's – poorly concealed – dissatisfaction, Izuku was paired up with Tetsutetsu, who chivalrously accepted the challenge – Kirishima shed a tear, “So manly!” – and encouraged the green-haired teen to use his quirk as they sparred.

He did, to a small percentage. He didn't attempt to use Fa Jin just yet; he would wait for any type of training that didn't include sparring with his classmates for that. He didn't want to risk permanently injuring anyone, nor go to jail for accidental homicide.

After heroics training, they all headed to the changing rooms, when All Might approached him. He had heard about the incident, and Izuku gave him the same explanation he had given Aizawa, and the hero was none the wiser. He was even thrilled to hear his successor was getting stronger and had managed to use a higher percentage of his quirk. He congratulated Izuku on his newest feat, advising him to control his emotions when he used One For All – well, duh – and ushered him to the locker rooms to change, so as to not be late for his Foundational Heroics class.

~~~

Just as All Might wrapped up whatever he was saying, the bell rang, signaling the end of today’s classes. The hero bolted out of the classroom, his “Good day!” echoing in the hallway as he ran to the teacher’s lounge, a small trail of smoke following him.

Izuku shook his head with an unamused expression, and started gathering his stuff. Katsuki had already gathered his, and was now staring at the shorter teen. Izuku would feel his glare from a mile away.

He took his time packing up, got up, and lifted his head to look at the blond with a raised eyebrow. Katsuki, who had a confused, almost horrified expression on his face, turned his eyes away, but he was still paying attention to what Izuku was doing.

“Hey, Bakubro!” Kirishima exclaimed, approaching his desk. “Me and Kaminari are going to the arcade today, wanna join?”

“Stop calling me that, Shitty Hair!” Seeing Kirishima’s unwavering toothy smile, he scoffed, but didn't reject the offer. “Let’s go.”

Sparing a last glance at Izuku, he took his bag and walked out of the classroom. The green-haired teen could feel his heart pang. His childhood friend had grown so much. He was obviously coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't above everyone else, but was still striving to be the best, giving it his all, although without bringing everyone down in the process. He had even made friends – real ones, not like the lackeys he’d had in middle school – and was even hanging out with them on a school day.

Izuku couldn't help but ask himself, why? Why did they have to attend U.A. for Katsuki to change so much? Why hadn’t Izuku’s efforts all these years been enough? Why did Izuku have to finally act on his suppressed anger and resentment, just for Katsuki to grow out of it? Just, why?

Izuku, of course, knew exactly why, but that didn't stop his heart from aching.

Chapter Text

“You want to come with me?”

Stain seemed genuinely surprised at Izuku’s request. He had never gone with the Hero Killer while he… fulfilled his duties before – not that the man had ever asked him to, but for Izuku to come forward and ask him to join him was certainly unexpected.

“Yeah,” the teen confirmed, his voice sounding deeper with the voice changer installed in his mask. “I mean, a fall-out with the heroes is gonna happen eventually. And when it does, they’ll come after me, and I don’t think they will hesitate to kill me if they deem me too much of a threat. I may have to kill some of them, too, so I might as well get used to it.”

Stain hummed, as he thought over Izuku’s explanation. The teen didn't intend to actually kill anyone tonight, but he wanted to tag along, get some first-hand experience.

“Okay,” the man said eventually. “If you had asked me a couple weeks ago, I might’ve said no, but you’ve had enough training to hold your own, if anything happens.”

He smiled and reached underneath Izuku’s hood to ruffle his hair. “I’m proud of you, kiddo.”

Izuku smiled back. He was proud of himself too, after all.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Izuku didn't need to be told twice. He followed his mentor as he climbed a fire escape and led him towards the city from above.

“So, who are we killing?” Izuku asked in between roof-hopping.

“Funkman.”

Izuku hummed in agreement. The cowboy-themed hero had never actually done anything outright, but his stance on heteromorphs and people with ‘villainous’ quirks was beyond questionable. It was only a matter of time before his bigoted beliefs put civilians in danger, and that was enough for Izuku.

“He’s stationed in Saitama, but he’s paying us a visit this evening.” Izuku didn't have to look at his mentor to tell he was grinning menacingly. “He helped solve a big drug-dealing case, apparently, and they’re hosting a party at some hero’s agency in Shibuya to celebrate.”

“Shibuya?” Izuku mentally skimmed through his notes, trying to remember any hero agencies in the area. He only came up with one. “Is it Magic Agency?”

“That’s the one!” Stain clicked his fingers. After the next roof hop, he slowed down to a stop, and turned to his apprentice. “We’re here.”

Izuku followed his gaze to the extravagant building on the next block. It was a multi-story office building, painted in several colors corresponding to Pro Hero Majestic’s costume, and decorated with various drawings indicative of a magic-themed party. On the façade of the building was a sign with the name of the agency, with a huge witch’s hat on top. Music could be heard from the inside, a bunch of silhouettes visible on the top floor, where the party was presumably being held.

“So, what’s the plan?” Izuku asked as he approached Stain, who had crouched down at the edge of the rooftop opposite of the agency.

“We wait for Funkman to leave, we follow him for a few blocks, we kill him. Simple.”

Izuku frowned. “Is it a good idea to just, wait outside a hero agency? Majestic has like, fifty sidekicks. And they're having a party. With heroes,” he pointed out.

“Well, yes.” The man licked his lips with his abnormally long tongue. “But, according to your analysis” – Izuku did a double take at that – “Funkman is a stick-in-the-mud lightweight that leaves every gathering super early and goes to sleep before midnight. Honestly, I don’t even know how you got this information.”

Izuku shrugged. “Almost everything I write are from interviews and videos online. It’s not that hard to find.”

His mentor laughed. “If you say so.”

As expected, they saw Funkman exit the building half an hour later. Stain glanced at Izuku, silently asking if he was ready. The teen nodded, and they both went after the hero inaudibly, their presence concealed, their every move calculated and practiced.

Izuku was feeling oddly calm, his countless nights of training with the Hero Killer having prepared him for this moment.

They watched the cowboy-themed hero intently as they followed him, observing for any signs that would indicate they had been spotted. The hero didn't seem to realize he was being followed, casually walking down the streets with his hands in his pockets, without a care in the world.

The moment he stepped into a side-street, Stain took out one of his knives, and gestured to his partner that he would be ambushing the hero from above. Izuku nodded, and communicated his intention to stay nearby, but out of sight.

Once the teen took his place on a low rooftop, the Hero Killer stealthily descended to the ground, and with a swift move, he slashed the hero’s neck, and licked the knife, rendering his victim unable to move.

Funkman didn't stand a chance. He didn't even have the time to bring his hand to his neck and stop the bleeding. Stain covered the hero’s mouth, so his cries wouldn't be heard outside the alley, he shoved him against the wall and stabbed him in the heart.

Izuku heard Funkman inhale sharply, his eyes comically wide as he stared at his attacker, before they rolled back to his head. It took only ten seconds for the hero to go limp, his body sliding down the wall and falling to the ground. The Hero Killer crouched down and checked his pulse, confirming that his victim was dead.

He looked up at Izuku, who gave him two thumbs up, and joined him on the roof. Without needing to be told, the two took off, not wanting to risk being near the hero’s body when it got found.

Once they got far enough, they stopped in an alley to catch their breath, and Izuku texted Kurogiri their location.

“How’re you holding up?” Stain asked.

“I'm okay,” Izuku assured him. And he was. It wasn't the first time he saw a person die, he had even killed someone himself – well, a Nomu, but he wasn't sure if the creature counted as a person. “It was quicker than I thought, though.”

“We were lucky this time. He shouldn’t have let his guard down,” the man grinned. They could now hear sirens in the distance; his victim had probably been found.

“I'm guessing now that another hero is dead, they’ll be more alert. We’ll have to be careful next time.”

Kurogiri’s signature misty portal appeared in front of them, and Stain went to step inside. “So there’ll be a next time, huh?”

“Of course there will,” Izuku chuckled and followed his mentor inside the warp gate.

“You might become a little Hero Killer yourself,” Stain joked, once they appeared inside the bar, the portal closing behind them, and sat on a stool next to Shigaraki.

The villain barely acknowledged their entrance, only looking up from his Switch to see who had set foot inside his base, and resumed playing his game. Kurogiri greeted them from behind the bar with a polite “Good evening.”

“Stain-sama!” Himiko exclaimed, and skipped happily towards the man. Stain patted her head affectionately, and requested a drink from their resident bartender.

Izuku slipped off his mask, leaving it hanging on his neck. “Like, what, become your successor?” he asked his mentor with an amused grin, and went to hug his best friend. “Hi Himi-oof!”

The girl all but tackled Izuku into a hug, almost causing them to fall to the ground. Izuku snickered as he carried her to the booth she had been occupying; she only detached herself from him when he dropped her on top of the table.

Izuku took a seat in the booth, opposite of what probably used to be an Endeavor plushie, and was now a half-burned, borderline mutilated ragdoll – Himiko and Dabi must have been enjoying themselves earlier – and positioned himself so Himiko could play with his hair; they had grown quite long, almost reaching his shoulders.

“I mean, sure,” Stain chuckled, and accepted his drink from Kurogiri.

Izuku burst out laughing. “Can you imagine? Being the Hero Killer’s and the Number One Hero’s successor?”

Himiko started giggling, too. “Oh my Gods, that’s so ironic!”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Shigaraki's baffled expression only made them laugh harder.

“Our little greenie joined me today,” the Hero Killer explained, gaining an exaggerated gasp from Himiko.

“No fair! I want to come too!” she pouted. “I haven’t stabbed people in ages!”

“I’ll think about it,” the man chuckled, and took a sip of his drink.

“So, how was it?” Himiko asked, as she parted Izuku’s hair to make him space buns, like her own. “Did you kill anyone?”

“Nah, I'm just watching for now.” He closed his eyes, relaxing at the feeling of his best friend’s fingers playing with his curls.

“But are you going to?” he heard Shigaraki’s raspy voice, questioning him.

Izuku opened his eyes and looked at the villain, who had paused his game, and was looking at him skeptically.

“What?”

“Are you going to kill heroes?” Shigaraki’s crimson eyes were staring right into his own, it was almost making him nervous.

“I mean, yeah, I guess. At some point.” Izuku raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

 Of course, he knew why Shigaraki was asking. He was testing him, trying to figure out whether he was truly on their side. Whether he really would betray the heroes, when the time came.

But the villain said nothing of the sort. Instead, he shrugged, grunted a “no reason”, and resumed his game. He was obviously not going to say anything else on the matter, but Izuku could tell he was satisfied. Maybe he would eventually grow on him; they were in the same villain group, after all.

~~~

Izuku joined Stain the next day, too.

It was Friday night, with only one more school day remaining before their internships started – and he was definitely not looking forward to them. Not only would he have to stay one whole week with a hero, and All Might’s former teacher at that, but he wouldn't be able to see any of his friends, both those in the League, and from U.A.

Of course, he would still keep in touch with everyone during his stay with Gran Torino, and he assured them they would hang out afterwards –not with all of them at once, obviously; he wouldn't be introducing anyone to the League any time soon, if ever.

He even promised Hitoshi to meet up with him the moment his internship ended, to make up for leaving him alone at school for a whole week. Izuku hoped nothing bad happened while he and Shouto were away; the students at U.A. should know better by now. Izuku had made his stance on quirk discrimination clear, and a few students had even witnessed his wrath when his friends were insulted. It was for their own good, really, to stay away from him.

So, hopefully, Hitoshi would have a quiet week at school, albeit without Shouto or Izuku to spend lunch time with. The two heroics students, however, couldn't say the same. They were both clearly not enthusiastic about having to stay with a hero for a week, Shouto more notably so. Izuku didn't really have a good reason to show his disinterest, so he pretended he was sad at the prospect of being away from his school friends, now that he actually had any.

Most of 1-A students, on the other hand, were ecstatic, to say the least. Izuku could barely hold himself from telling his whole class to shut the fuck up every time they started babbling about the heroes they had chosen to intern under, and how much fun it would be.

By the time school ended, and Izuku met up with Stain for their illegal activities, he was so pent up, he was tempted to give the whole ‘Hero Killer’s successor’ thing a go.

“I swear, if I hear the word ‘hero’ one more time…” he grumbled, once Kurogiri teleported him to one of their standard drop-off/pick-up points in Hosu City, where his mentor was waiting for him.

“Woah, who pissed in your Cheerios today?” Stain snickered, as they started climbing up a fire escape.

Izuku glared at him from below. “U.A.”

“Ah. Yeah, that checks out.” The man landed on top of the building, and looked down with a menacing grin. “How about you let it out on a hero?”

Izuku groaned in frustration, and joined him on the roof. “Yes. Gods, please.”

Stain was openly laughing at him, but held his hands up in a fake-surrender when Izuku unsheathed a knife from his forearm.

“Okay, okay, geez.”

“So,” Izuku started, playing with his knife as he spoke, “what's the plan today?”

“You heard of Snatch?” the man asked.

Izuku thought about it for a moment, and gave him a nod.

From what he remembered, the Sand Hero had started out as a sidekick, but instead of going up the ladder and creating his own agency, he started working closely with the police, and eventually went on to become a bodyguard for the Police Force. He was rarely seen working with the heroes nowadays, Izuku hadn’t heard of him in ages.

“He’s working with the police team that was assigned to arrest me on sight,” Stain went on, walking towards the edge of the roof. “He's here to back them up in case I go ‘Police Officer Killer’ or something” – Izuku let out a few snickers – “but that’s not why we’re going after him.” He made a small pause, watching the view.

“I got word from the underground that he was involved in a few cases of police brutality.”

“Police brutality?” Izuku’s brow furrowed.

“Yeah,” Stain grunted. “Usually, the police gets villains handed on their doorstep, but sometimes, when the heroes have their hands full, they take it upon themselves to arrest people they are investigating. And just like heroes kill people during arrest attempts, so does the police.”

Izuku nodded. He already knew all of that, of course, even before he got into U.A. and started attending Hero Law classes.

“But there have been quite a few cases over the past few months where arrests have ‘gone wrong’ and people ended up dead, instead of in jail,” the man explained. “Someone looked into the police records, and found that more than a dozen of those failed arrests were the work of one specific police team. And that team included a Pro Hero.”

“Snatch,” Izuku deduced.

“Ding ding ding,” Stain grinned. “For a hero who claims to care so much about victims and their families, he’s too quick to kill people he deems as villains. And some of them were only suspects.”

The teen hummed. He had watched a couple interviews, back when he had first heard of the hero and had started doing his analysis on him. The man claimed to greatly sympathize with crime victims, especially when they had to mourn a loved one because of a villain’s actions.

But with what Stain had just said, the hero didn't seem to really give a shit when families had to mourn people that were labeled as villains. His victims could have committed the pettiest crime, but as long as the label was plastered on them, their life was suddenly expendable.

It didn't need much thought, really.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

The Hero Killer’s grin widened, and gestured at the building on their left. “After you.”

Stain led the way to Hosu’s police station. Even though it was risky being in the vicinity of the police and possibly a few heroes, the vigilante had seen Snatch going in and out of the building several times a day over the course of the past week, so it was fair to assume the hero would be here tonight, as well.

The two sat on a roof opposite of the station, and watched for any signs of their target. As they waited, Izuku told Stain about Iida’s odd behavior, and his suspicions that he had chosen to do his internship under Manual, whose agency was here in Hosu, in order to go after him.

Stain was more amused than annoyed, but Izuku made him promise not to kill his classmate, if he actually did end up going after him in some nonsensical act of revenge. Seriously, for a class president, who was a stickler to the rules, to go after the Hero Killer in order to avenge someone who wasn't even dead was beyond stupid and unreasonable.

Still, Izuku didn't want to have to deal with a classmate dying because of his own idiocy, never mind by the hand of his mentor, so he convinced the man to let him know if Iida did try anything stupid. And if push came to shove, Izuku could hop on a train and save his ass. He didn't know how he would make that work, being under Gran Torino’s supervision all day, but there was no point thinking about hypothetical situations at the moment.     

After about an hour of waiting – Stain was now talking about his plans after he was done with Hosu next week – Izuku spotted Snatch coming out of the police station. He was wearing civilian clothing, but his long blond hair and mustache were pretty distinctive for him to be someone else.

Stain, who had also noticed the hero, got up, Izuku copying him, and they started following him silently.

Izuku would not take part in the killing, but he would stay near his partner, just to be safe. Snatch’s quirk allowed him to transform his upper body into sand and control it with his mind; it could become quite troublesome if Stain didn't get to him before he could activate it. Izuku wasn't sure about the specifics of the hero’s quirk, it had been a few years since he last wrote about him, but since the sand worked as an extension of his body, he theoretically wouldn't be able to use it once Stain activated his own quirk on him.

Izuku couldn't be 100% sure, though, so he would stay nearby, ready to intervene if needed. He could test out the new poison and paralyzing agents Giran had supplied him with earlier that day – the broker had been quick to fulfill his request, getting him the items not even 24 hours after the teen had texted him about it. Even though he would never admit it, Giran had obviously grown fond of Light, and was always willing to accommodate him in any way.

Once the Hero Killer deemed them far enough from the police station, he gave Izuku a signal, and slowly approached the hero. Snatch didn't notice him until the last second. Just as the villain went to bring a knife to his neck, he turned his head around and ducked at the last moment.

His face shifted from surprise to confusion, to dread, to anger, all in the blink of an eye.

“Stain!”

Snatch immediately turned part of his body to sand, and brought his hand to his jacket’s pocket at the same time. Izuku ‘s eyes widened, but had no time to intervene, when he realized the hero had a communication device, and was about to notify whoever was on the other side of the Hero Killer’s appearance.

Stain had taken out his katana, and even though he couldn't pierce it through Snatch’s body, which had almost completely turned to sand, he managed to slice the hero’s leg enough to draw blood. He brought the blade to his tongue, while evading an animalistic sand construct, and within a second, the hero was rendered immobile.

Snatch fell backwards and to the ground, his body turning back to normal. But the two villains weren’t relieved. On the contrary, they both visibly stiffened at the voice coming through the communication device, that had fallen next to the hero’s head.

“Snatch? Snatch, do you copy?”

“It’s Stain!” the hero shouted, clearly panicking. “I can't move, I think it’s a-”

The words died in his mouth, as the Hero Killer pierced his sword through his chest.

“Snatch? Hello?”

The hero could not reply, only a wheeze escaping his mouth, before the light faded from his eyes.

“Stay where you are, we’re sending back-up!”

Izuku stepped out of his hiding spot, and looked at Stain with wide eyes. His thoughts were loud enough, he didn't need to utter a word. We have to go.

The villain nodded, as shattered the comms with his sword. He wiped the blood off the blade on his pants and sheathed it on his back, while Izuku sent Kurogiri a quick text to open a portal at one of their pick-up points in 5 minutes. Just as he put his phone back in his pocket, they heard sirens and people shouting and running towards the alley.

The two villains moved without a word. They climbed the nearest fire escape, just having reached the roof, when the alleyway was stormed with armed police officers.

Izuku could hear them shouting, ordering them to surrender, but their words fell on deaf ears. Stain was right beside him as they ran through the roofs in a zig-zag, barely avoiding the storm of bullets being fired at them from below.

“Watch out!” Izuku shouted, when an officer, who had made their way to the top of the building, released thorned vines from the palms of their hands.

Stain skillfully avoided them, using his larger knives to slice them to bits as they ran forwards. Izuku threw a knife laced with the paralyzing agent at their attacker without slowing down, his weapon easily finding its target. In less than two seconds, their body went limp, and the two villains ran past them without looking back.

As they drew near their pick-up point, the police became increasingly frantic in their attempts to capture or immobilize them. Just when they were about to turn right, an armed officer appeared on the roof just ahead of them, her gun aimed right at Izuku.

“Light!”

Stain shoved him from the side, both barely evading the consecutive firing as they rolled on the ground and jumped off the roof. Izuku caught the fire escape with his right hand, his partner’s arm with his left, and with practiced ease, used the momentum to throw Stain towards the alley on their right, where Kurogiri’s signature portal had just appeared.

With a calculated jump, he propelled himself towards the ground, cutting off his speed with a roll, and dived right into the warp gate and to the League’s hideout, the portal closing off behind him.

“Oof!”

For all his graceful moves and jumps, Izuku still managed to fall on Stain’s back, sending them both to the floor. He got off the villain and fell on his back right next to him, both panting like crazy.

“Uh… you guys okay?” Himiko’s voice sounded from behind them.

Izuku rolled his head a bit backwards to meet his best friend’s eyes, who was looking at them with confusion and worry. He was still trying to catch his breath, so he lifted both his arms, giving her two thumbs up, and let them flop back on the floor.

After he somewhat calmed down, he sat up, lowered his hood and slipped off his mask. Himiko had already brought him a bottle of water, that he gratefully accepted, and downed the whole thing in a few gulps. Stain, who had already gotten up and emptied his own bottle, plopped on a stool with a groan. 

Izuku sighed and stood up as well, joining his mentor at the bar.

“So… what happened?” Himiko asked, sitting next to Izuku.

“Ugh,” the teen took off his gloves and pressed his palms against his eyes. “I think I just made my official debut.”

“Really?!” the girl squeaked. “Izu that’s great! What did you do? Did you kill anyone? I want all the deets!”

Izuku chuckled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “No, I, uh…” his voice trailed off, when he noticed Giran sitting in their booth, casually sipping his drink with an amused expression on his face.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” he quipped, “what was that about your debut?”

Izuku blinked, squinting momentarily at that hideous intestine-like scarf Giran insisted on wearing – it was probably on purpose at this point, the man was aware of how much Izuku hated it – before shrugging and turned to Himiko, recounting what had happened.

The Hero Killer stayed mostly silent as he explained, only chiming in once or twice to make a witty remark, or express how proud he was of his disciple, for the way he had handled the situation. (And if Izuku’s ears turned red, it was nobody’s business but his own.)

At some point, Shigaraki entered the bar, stopping in his tracks when Izuku casually brought up that he threw a knife at a cop.

“…by the way, Giran, that paralyzing agent you got me worked perfectly, thank you.”

“No problem, kid. Only the best stuff for my favourite client.”   

The blue-haired villain did a double take when he saw Stain’s, Himiko’s, and Izuku’s drinks, all of them looking suspiciously like their resident vampire’s blood smoothies.

“What the hell are you drinking?” he asked, before Izuku could continue his recounting.

“A smoothie,” Himiko and Stain said in unison, providing no further explanation.

Shigaraki turned to Izuku. “And you?”  Then, his face went pale. “Please don’t tell me…”

If Izuku didn't know any better, he would say the villain was worried about him and his mental state. “It’s tomato juice.”

Shigaraki blinked. “…Why?”

“I wanted to feel included,” the teen shrugged, and continued his story.

Shigaraki sat in the booth the broker was occupying, more interested in hearing Izuku’s recounting than doing whatever he had originally come into the bar for – he was apparently going to talk with Giran about his new recruit, but it would have to wait. The villain was trying not to appear pleased with Izuku’s villainous actions, but was failing spectacularly, if the maniacal grin creeping up on his face was any indication.

“So, yeah,” Izuku shrugged as he finished his explanation, and took a sip of his drink. “Stain called me by my villain name, so they’ll probably be talking about me on the news by tomorrow.”

“That’s great, Izu-chan!” Himiko hugged him tightly, and plopped on the counter to play with Izuku’s hair. “You’re a proper villain now, just like us!”

“Cheers to that,” Giran raised his glass, and downed the rest of his drink.

Stain went to ruffle the teen’s hair, but Himiko slapped his hand, not wanting to ruin his half-done braids. The man settled for patting Izuku’s head.

“And you're sure they won't know it was you?” Shigaraki asked.

“Yeah,” Izuku said, “I always wear my hood and mask, and I had the voice changer switched on, so I sounded way older. Besides,” he shifted his expression entirely, huge, innocent puppy eyes staring into Shigaraki's, “would they ever suspect Midoriya Izuku of being a villain?”

The corner of the Decay user’s mouth twitched. “Guess not. But stop looking at me like that, it gives me the creeps.”

Izuku tilted his head and made his wide eyes water. “Like what?” He even made his voice quiver, just for the fun of it. Himiko burst into giggles.

“Like that!”

Izuku joined Himiko, both laughing at Shigaraki, who seemed genuinely distraught. The adults in the room – bar Kurogiri – let out a few chuckles as well, much to the villain’s dismay.

Izuku opened his mouth to say something snarky, but a yawn came out instead.

“Tired already?” Himiko teased.

“Yeah, kinda.” Izuku rubbed his eyes. “I think I'm gonna head home.”

“Noooooo!” she draped herself on him, refusing to let him leave. “It’s too early!”

“Some of us go to school, you know.”

Himiko pouted, but ultimately let him go.   

“I’ll see you guys later.” He bid everyone goodnight, and went to step inside the portal Kurogiri made to his room.

“Izuku?”

“Hm?” He turned around to face Stain, who was looking at him with fondness in his eyes, a lopsided grin on his lips.

“I'm proud of you.”

Izuku smiled. “Thank you. I am, too.”

~~~

“Did you see the news?”

“What news?”

“There’s a new villain going around!”

“What? For real?”

“Yeah! His name is Light, apparently.”

Izuku stepped inside the classroom, as a few of his classmates were discussing the news, and silently made his way to his desk.

“Light? Did he introduce himself?”

“No, that’s what the Hero Killer called him!”

Izuku saw Iida stiffen at the mention of the Hero Killer – more than his usual stiff posture, anyway. Maybe knowing there was another villain roaming around with Stain would actually stop him from doing anything stupid, but Izuku wouldn't get his hopes up.

“The Hero Killer?”

“Yeah, he was seen with him in Hosu yesterday!”

“No way!”

“What were they doing together?”

“Hero Killing, I guess.”

“…”

“Ouch! Jirou, that hurt!”

“Well, they did kill a hero, kero.”

“Really? Who?”

“The Sand Hero, Snatch.”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

“Me neither.”

“Yeah, he wasn't that active as a hero, he was more of a bodyguard for the police.”

“So what happened?”

Izuku tuned everyone out, as they talked about yesterday’s events. He had already read everything the news had released about Light this morning on his way to school, and he wasn't really interested in his classmates’ opinions on him, anyway.

Instead, he crossed his arms on his desk and rested his head on them, waiting for Aizawa to begin the lesson – the man was already inside the classroom, laying inside his caterpillar sleeping bag as usual, but for some reason nobody ever seemed to notice.

It was a bit funny, how everyone discussed about this mysterious villain who followed the likes of the Hero Killer, like he was some urban legend, while said villain was literally sitting next to them, already wishing the school day to be over.

The heroes really had no idea what was coming for them.

~~~

“Ugh, I can't believe I have to spend an entire week with a hero!”

Izuku flopped on a stool and let his head fall on the counter with a thud.

“Oh, come on, Izu-chan, it can't be that bad!”

Izuku glared at Himiko, the hypocrite. She was throwing knives at an All Might poster on the wall. Kurogiri still didn't approve of weapons being thrown around the bar and damaging the walls, but Shigaraki did, so the mist villain let it slide.

“Of course it’s bad! Not only do I have to be around heroes and hero students six days a week, now I’ll have to stay with a hero for seven. Whole. Days.”

“Patience, Izuku. It will all pay off in the end,” Kurogiri tried to console him. “Would you like some tea?”

“I think I’d like something stronger than tea,” Izuku mumbled. Kurogiri gave him a stern look. “I’d love some tea, thank you.”

The villain nodded and started making Izuku’s drink.

“Can I have some alcohol?” Shigaraki asked, looking up from his Nintendo Switch.

“No.”

“What? Why? I'm an adult!” the man-child whined.

“You sure don’t act like one,” Dabi chuckled. “Can I have some?”

“Yes, Dabi. What would you like?” Kurogiri asked, as he handed Izuku his tea. The teen nodded his thanks.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Shigaraki glared at Dabi, who grinned widely at him.

“I’m older than you, I can do what I want.” The scarred villain turned to their resident bartender and ordered whiskey, neat. He accepted the glass from Kurogiri and proceeded to chug the entire thing without flinching, before requesting another one, this time on the rocks.

“Dude, what are you? Lame!” the newest member of the League of Villains exclaimed.

Bubaigawara Jin, also known as Twice, was introduced to the LoV by Giran yesterday. He was on the national wanted list for theft and multiple armed robberies, thanks to his cloning quirk. The man hadn’t revealed much about his past, but it was obvious he had some kind of a personality disorder. He would contradict himself regularly, and always wore his mask, claiming that if he didn't cover his head, he would ‘split’.

The League, a group of misfits and outcasts, accepted the man as he was. He was especially drawn to Himiko, and they quickly became friends. Izuku was really happy, seeing his best friend surrounded by people who accepted her as she was, bloodlust and knife-obsession included.

“I've burned off my taste buds,” Dabi shrugged. “I can barely taste it.”

“Sucks to be you,” Shigaraki grumbled, gaining a middle finger from the fire user, and a few poorly hidden chuckles from Himiko.

Izuku smiled fondly at the League’s antics. If someone had told him a little over a year ago, that he would be hanging out with a group of villains, willingly, and having the time of his life, he would never have believed them. And yet, here he was, laughing and going along with their escapades.

He was finally where he belonged, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Chapter Text

“You all have your costumes, right?”

A few variations of “yes, sensei” sounded from the bundle of students that had gathered at the train station.

“Remember, you’re not allowed to wear them in public,” Aizawa continued, “so don’t lose them, or whatever.”

Truly inspirational.

“Yessir!” Mina exclaimed, holding her costume’s case in the air.

Just like Uraraka, Yaomomo and Hagakure, she was carrying her brand-new costume, that she had requested from the support department along with the other three girls. They had been made just in time for their internships, so none of them had actually tried them on, but they were all confident they would fit just fine – they wouldn't stop thanking Izuku profusely for his help, even though he hadn’t really done much. He was just glad he wouldn't have to see his female classmates in overly sexualized outfits anymore.

“It’s ‘yes, sir’ Ashido. Speak clearly.”

“Yes, sir,” she complied, way less enthusiastically than before.

“Make sure you mind your manners with the heroes at your internships. Off with you, now.” Aizawa might seem bored, and like he wanted nothing more than to go home to sleep – well, that last part might actually be true, but when didn't he? – but Izuku could tell he was wishing them good luck, in his own weird, socially inept way.

“Yes, sir!” everyone replied, and started scattering to take their trains, each heading to their corresponding platform.

“Iida-kun, wait!”

Izuku watched as Uraraka followed the blue-haired teen, who had once again isolated himself and had walked off to take his ride without so much as saying goodbye, or wish his classmates good luck, or whatever a class president was supposed to do.

Izuku couldn't hear what they were saying, but he sure as hell could see the fake-ass smile the boy had on his face. He was definitely planning something, and Izuku internally groaned. He took out his phone and sent a quick text to Stain, informing him that his speculations about Iida coming after him might actually become true (and remind him that, in any case, Stain should not kill him).

As he put his phone back in his pocket, Shouto walked up to him.

“Ready?” Izuku asked him.

Shouto made a grimace, before willing his face to return to his usual apathetic expression.

“Yeah, I guess. You?”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah. I wonder what Gran Torino is like. All I know is that All Might’s terrified of him for some reason.” Izuku let out a few chuckles, and was pleased to see a small smile on the other boy’s face.

“Let me know what he’s like, when you get the time.”

“I will.” Izuku looked around at the signs, searching for the bullet train to Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.

“I’m going that way.” Shouto pointed towards the platform for the trains heading to Yokohama, where Endeavor’s agency was located.

“Okay.” Izuku lifted his suitcase from the floor. “Have a nice trip.”

The boy nodded. “You, too.”

“And, Shouto?” Izuku asked, before his friend could turn away.

The teen tilted his head slightly. “Yes?”

“You can text me anytime. If you wanna talk, or get away from your father, or anything.” He made sure his expression showed he was being genuine.

Shouto gave him another small smile. “Thank you.”

They said their goodbyes, and parted ways, each heading to the train that would take them to their own unfortunately necessary week of misery.

~~~

During his 45-minute trip, Izuku did what he did best; analysis.

Specifically, he took out his laptop – the info was too sensitive to write on paper – and gathered in one big file any and all information he had on All Might, One For All, the previous holders of the quirk, as well as All For One, the villain that he was sure had some connection to One For All, even if he couldn't find any concrete proof of it.

He wanted to be prepared, have a general idea of what to say and what to ask, when he would eventually start questioning Gran Torino about it. He hoped the hero was more willing to tell him stuff than Izuku’s zygote of a teacher was. If he didn't say anything on his own, Izuku would have to think of how to get the information out of him, without being annoying or suspicious or seeming too interested in sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

Izuku had already done some analysis, after manifesting Fa Jin; mostly writing down everything Bruce had told him, and his own thoughts and theories on One For All. Even though the Third had provided him with a lot of important information, Izuku still had many unanswered questions.

He now knew that OFA’s true nature was a stockpiling quirk, which was why it got stronger with each generation, that it was somehow also transferable, and that part of the users’ souls were infused in its core. Izuku wasn't sure how someone’s soul could remain inside a quirk. Maybe it was their quirk factors? That would explain why he could also use one of his predecessors’ original quirk. But All Might had been quirkless before he received One For All, so he wouldn't have a quirk factor to be infused in it.

Unless… All Might was never quirkless. Some quirks had very specific activation requirements, so theoretically a person could have never manifested their quirk because that requirement was never met. What if All Might had a quirk, but wasn't aware of it, or it had never manifested?

Now that Izuku was thinking about it, All Might had told him back on their first day of training, about how Izuku’s body, weak and frail as it was then, wouldn't be able to withstand One For All’s power, and that he would literally explode. Even after all those months’ worth of training, he still shattered his limbs after using it.

But the hero never had anything like that happen to him. Meaning, his body was already able to withstand the full strength of a quirk that held the stockpiled power of seven people. Maybe, just maybe, All Might had some kind of durability or adaptability quirk, that would allow him to wield One For All at its maximum percentage, instantly adapting to its immense power without any physical repercussions. It would also explain how, when he used his quirk, he went into his ‘buff form’, while his true form was the one where he didn't use one at all.

Putting that theory aside, Izuku knew that Kudo and Bruce were the Second and Third users, but he couldn't find any information on them, nor on the First and the other users after them.

Though, considering his two predecessors were able to reach him, maybe Izuku would eventually meet the other vestiges, as well. When Hitoshi had used his quirk on him, he had seen all of them, even All Might. So, as time went on, and the quirk evolved within him, perhaps he would be able to communicate with the other users, and maybe even use their quirks, too.

In any case, Gran Torino might be willing to tell Izuku about Shimura Nana, All Might’s predecessor, and maybe the users before her, if he even knew anything about them.

What the retired hero would know about, though, was All For One. He had been close to Shimura Nana enough to not only know about One For All, but to also be there when she went against the villain, thirty-seven years ago. He might not know everything, but he could possess information on All For One’s relation to One For All, what the meaning of each of their names were, whether the villain had any connection with the first user of One For All, and what his own quirk was.

All Might had definitely told Gran Torino about his own battle with All For One, the one that he had stupidly also told Izuku about. Even though the teen wasn't supposed to know anything about All For One, he could still ask the hero if he knew anything about that specific villain. If Izuku’s speculations that All For One was actually alive, after being presumed dead even though his body had gone missing, were true, the fact that he had gone against at least two of One For All’s users, could mean that he would go after him as well, if he found out that Izuku had inherited it. He didn't want to be chased after by some supervillain because of All Might’s naivety and incompetence.

~~~

Once he got off the train, Izuku followed the directions All Might had given him to Gran Torino’s apartment.

After about 20 minutes of walking, he arrived at a seemingly abandoned building. All the windows were broken, and pieces of the building had fallen off. Above the front door was a huge welcome sign, that was barely hanging.

Izuku doubled-checked the address, hoping he hadn’t read it correctly, but nope, he was at the right location. Reluctantly, he knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

He knocked again.

Still no answer.

“Um, hello?” Izuku tried to open the door, and it was unlocked. “I'm Midoriya Izuku, from U.A., I-”

Izuku stopped in his tracks when he saw a small figure, laying on the floor in a pool of red.

“What the…?”

At first glance, it seemed like a crime scene, but Izuku had been around the Hero Killer enough to know what blood looked and smelled like, and this was not it. Was this a joke?

He slowly approached the figure, who by the looks of it, was a small elderly person. Gran Torino?

“Uh, are you okay?”

“I'm alive!” the man lifted his head, a smile on his face.

“Uh…” Izuku had no idea what was going on, but he still went to help him, after closing the door behind him.

He did a quick scan of the room, as he helped the man stand up – Stain had drilled the importance of always being aware of your surroundings into his mind long ago. There wasn’t much furniture, just a bookshelf on the wall opposite of the door, a table, and a couple chairs, while on the left was a small kitchen, a couch and a coffee table. On the far right was a staircase leading upstairs, where Izuku assumed the bedrooms were.

“Man…” the old hero sighed, his whole body visibly shaking as he stood upright, with the help of his cane. “I was carrying a plate of sausages with ketchup poured over them, but I fell!” he babbled, as he cleaned his clothes – that were probably his former hero costume, if the long yellow cape and black mask were any indication – from the spilled condiment.

Now, Izuku wasn't a professional actor, but he had been putting on a show for long enough to know that this man was totally messing with him. Don’t get him wrong, the former hero was doing a good job, playing a senile old person, but Izuku could tell his words were total bullshit. Maybe he was testing him, so he would play along, for now.

“And who are you?” the man asked.

“Midoriya Izuku. I'm here for-”

“What did you say?” he put a hand behind his ear, pretending not to have heard him. He was starting to get on Izuku’s nerves.

“I'm Midoriya Izuku,” he said a little louder, but firmly. “I'm here for my internship.”

“What internship?”

Izuku just deadpanned at him. He was not doing this, right now.

The hero probably understood that Izuku had seen through his act, because he straightened his back and cleared his throat. “You're a witty young man, aren’t you?” Izuku didn't reply.

“Alright, then. Attack me with One For All. I wanna know how well you can handle it.”

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. Use One For All against him? That man was tiny; he could literally die, and Izuku didn't want to deal with accidental murder charges this soon.

Before he had a chance to retort, the man leaped across the room with incredible speed, jumping around until he landed on the wall above the main door. “Let’s see what you’ve got, you zygote!”

Zygote? So this was where All Might got that from. This man was his teacher, all right.

“I watched you at the Sports Festival,” Gran Torino said, as he launched himself towards Izuku, who evaded him with ease. He then leaped to the kitchen counter, landing on a microwave, that all but shattered beneath his feet. “You’re quite good at using it, but I want to see it myself!”

He proceeded to jump around the room, trying to attack Izuku from random angles. The teen, thanks to all of his training with Stain, could easily predict the hero’s moves and dodge his relentless attacks, even without using his quirk. However, he hadn’t displayed as much at U.A., and he didn't intend to show the heroes the true extent of his capabilities. So, he activated Full Cowl at the lowest percentage he could, took a sloppy battle stance, and proceeded to evade every attack Gran Torino threw at him, without breaking a sweat. He tried to seem nervous, his eyes darting around like he was trying to calculate the hero’s moves.

“Analysis and prediction, huh?” he heard him mumble, as he dodged another attack. “Your reflexes aren’t half bad, either…”

Gran Torino was really trying to land a hit on him. Izuku noticed how he would stop mid-air, expelling pulses of air through his feet – most likely with his quirk – and change his trajectory, trying to take him by surprise. Izuku purposely made his reactions slower, but still evaded the attacks as he watched the hero, analyzing him, already forming theories on how his power worked, what his limits were, how long he could last if Izuku kept dodging him.

Eventually, the hero must have decided that Izuku had done well enough on his test, or whatever this was, because he came to an abrupt stop in front of the door.

“Hmm…” He looked Izuku up and down, squinting his eyes. “Toshinori chose well.”

Toshinori? Did he mean All Might? Oh, that’s right, Izuku had seen the Number One Hero’s civilian name – Toshinori Yagi, if his memory served him correctly – on the HPSC’s files, back when he was first doing research on One For All.

Gran Torino took his cane from the floor and opened the door, looking back at the teen. “I'm going to get some food. I’ll leave the cleaning to you.” And with that, the door slammed shut, and Izuku was left alone.

Well, that was… something.

Gran Torino was quite the character, Izuku wasn't sure if he liked him. At least he had made a good first impression.

He went to the kitchen and got some paper towels to clean the mess the hero had made for his little opening act. After that was done, he sat on the couch, not sure about what to do while the hero was away. The answer came to him in the form of message notifications on his phone.

It was Himiko, asking how it was going. She had texted him through the LoV’s group chat, and had already gotten a response from Shigaraki.

League of Queers

Vambire: Hiya Izu!!

Vambire: How’s the internship goin?

Sahara: we literly dont care

Vambire: I wasn't asking you😠🔪

Mom: Shigaraki Tomura, please come down for dinner. Your food will get cold.

Vambire: Yeah Tomura, come down for dinner!

I AM QUEER:

Yeah Tomura, go eat your dinner!

Sahara: fck u

Sahara: ill be down in a min

Sahara: after i kill this boss

Vambire: Izu!!!

Vambire: How’s it goinggg???

I AM QUEER:

It’s alright

AM’s teacher is so weird ngl

Izuku started recounting his bizarre first interaction with Gran Torino, the League of Villains openly mocking him and his zygote of a student. The retired hero returned at some point, declaring he was going to bed without even looking at Izuku, tossed a grocery bag on the table for the teen to handle, and stormed off upstairs. Izuku took that as a pass to do whatever he wanted for the evening.

He made himself dinner, and spent the next couple of hours talking with all his friends. Both Hitoshi and Shouto texted him, asking how his first day with the retired hero was. In turn, he asked them about their own day.

Hitoshi said that school was pretty chill, and unusually quiet, now that all the heroics students were having their internship week. Thankfully, no one had bothered him during lunch; it had actually been quite boring, apparently, without his two friends to spend the time with. Izuku already missed him, more than he'd like to admit.

Shouto, on the other hand, was complaining about his father, but he said it hadn’t been as bad as he'd thought. He was mostly annoyed by the flaming piece of trash being constantly in his vicinity, but he had to admit Endeavor was being somewhat helpful, as far as training his fire quirk was concerned.

Stain also texted him, not to ask about his internship – he had seen the messages Izuku had sent to the LoV’s group chat – but to inform him that a certain heroics student was wandering the streets of Hosu, alone, with a rather displeased expression on his face.

Izuku was internally groaning and cursing his very decision to get involved. Stain said he hadn’t made himself seen, nor did he actually intend on engaging with the teen, but he did say he was really amused by the whole situation, to Izuku’s dismay.

Since it was still pretty early for Izuku to go to sleep, he took out his laptop and got to work. After sending La Brava some more tips and ideas – Gentle Criminal’s channel was thriving, he had gotten almost 1 million views on his latest videos, and the villain duo couldn't thank Izuku enough – he opened up the HPSC files to do some more research.

He had done quite a lot of work the past three weeks, since La Brava had given him the hard drive. He had already gone through about 70% of the files in it, plus whatever she had thought important enough to send him, whenever she hacked into the Commission’s database for any updates – like Hawks’ mission to find out more information on the League of Villains.

By the time he called it a night, Izuku had sorted through more than 20 heroes’ worth of dirt and blackmail material, cross-referencing them with information that was easily accessible to anyone on the Internet, some of which he absolutely planned on sharing with the underground – through the notes he would give Giran, of course.

He still had a few notebooks he could give the broker as payment, even though the man had started requesting less and less for his services. Izuku was his favorite client, after all. But, at this point, his notebooks weren’t just payment. They were a safeguard.

Now that Light was starting to get talked about, he would finally take the credit for all the information he had released, with Giran backing him up. He would make a name for himself, and everyone in the underground would know about him and what he was capable of, without even having to lift a finger.  

He would finally reveal his goal, his desire to shed light to the truth. To bring justice to the world.

Light would become a symbol, and justice would follow.

Chapter Text

The second day of his internship was more fruitful than the first.

Izuku was scrolling on social media on his phone, when Gran Torino came downstairs, after his nearly 12 hours of sleep.

“Good morning, Gran Torino-san!” Izuku gave him a bright smile. He still wasn't sure about how the man viewed him, so he would stick with his friendly neighborhood hero student persona for now, and go from there. He would still have to be careful not to act too differently than he did with All Might, though. 

“Good morning,” the hero greeted. “Already up, I see?”

“Yes, sir!” the teen chuckled, scratching his cheek. “I usually wake up early, and I wasn't sure if I should wake you, or what you had in mind for me, and I was getting a bit restless, so I went out for a run. I came back about twenty minutes ago.”

Gran Torino hummed, and opened his mouth to say something, when the doorbell rang. He went to open the door, and came back with a box that contained a new microwave. Oh, that’s right, he had broken the one on the kitchen counter during his ‘test’ yesterday. Did he have a habit of destroying and replacing furniture and electric devices in his home, or was it a special occasion?

“All right!” Gran Torino exclaimed. “We’re gonna have those taiyaki I bought yesterday!”

He walked up to the fridge, taking out a packet of frozen taiyaki, while Izuku took out the new microwave from the box, replacing it with the old one, to take it for recycling later.  

“You’ve trained well,” the hero started, as he placed a plate with the fish-shaped pastries inside the microwave. “I don’t suppose Toshinori taught you all of that?”

“Uh, no – not entirely,” Izuku laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “But we trained together after the Entrance Exams, and he helped me manage my quirk.”

He proceeded to explain how he had completely shattered his limbs the first time he used it – the retired hero didn't hesitate to criticize All Might’s decision to pass Izuku One For All mere hours before the exam – and how he’d come up with Full Cowl, managing to freely use his quirk without hurting himself by the time school started.

“Yeah, figures,” Gran Torino huffed. “It’s hard to get that kind of thinking from All Might. He was able to use it normally from the start, so I taught him in a different way. His only redeeming feature was his body.”

Izuku chuckled, but chose not to respond. Instead, he asked “What was All Might like? As a student?”

“Hmm,” Torino rubbed his chin. “It was nothing but practical training for him.”

Ah, so he would beat him up. No wonder All Might was so scared of him.

“I couldn't teach him half-heartedly,” the man continued, “because he was entrusted to me by my sworn friend, who had passed away.”

“His predecessor… died?” Izuku asked. Of course, he knew that Shimura Nana had died, but he wasn't supposed to, so he acted surprised to hear it. He wasn't even supposed to know who she was; Al Might had told him nothing about her.

“Hmm,” the hero paused, seeming to be pondering about something, before the microwave beeped, signaling the taiyaki were ready.

As they started eating, Izuku wondered if he should bring up All Might’s teacher again, and whether that would seem like he was prying, or just curious about one of his predecessors.

In the end, he decided to leave the conversation for another time, not wanting to pester the hero this early on his internship. Instead, he thought he should try to approach the matter of One For All, but Gran Torino beat him to it.

“So,” the hero said, while munching on his breakfast, “what do you know about One For All?”

The question took Izuku by surprise, but he quickly gathered himself. He slowly chewed his food, as he mentally listed everything he was supposed to know about the quirk, before swallowing, and opened his mouth.

“Well, uh,” he began, shifting in his seat, while averting his gaze, “All Might hasn’t told me much. I know that it’s a transferable quirk, and that it’s been passed down for eight generations, making me the ninth user.” He glanced at the hero, who gave him a nod, and urged him to go on.

“All Might called it a sacred torch. He said each user cultivates its power, and passes it on to the next. I know that it gets stronger with each generation, which is probably why my body couldn't handle it at first, since All Might had it for so long, its power grew too much over the years.” Izuku scratched his head, brows furrowed, as if in thought.

“That’s about it, I think. I don’t know anything about how it was created, who was the first user, when they lived, or anything about the users after them. I don’t know what the name means, or what its purpose is. Other than using it to help people, of course.”

The teen shrugged, not having anything else to say. Gran Torino was shaking his head in disapproval.

“That stupid zygote,” he grumbled. “He didn't even tell you about Nana, did he?”

“Nana?” Izuku acted confused, like the name meant nothing to him.

The retired hero sighed, and rubbed his face with his hand. “He’s definitely getting an earful later, that’s for sure… The idiot didn't even tell him about him,” he mumbled.

Izuku said nothing, and ate the last of his food; he had a feeling he wasn't supposed to have heard that last part.

“All right!” Torino jumped up, taking their empty plates to the kitchen sink, and looked at Izuku with a grin on his face. “Tell me, how much of One For All can you use?”

“Uh, about eight per cent. Maybe ten.” Izuku stood up as well.

“Great.” Torino clapped his hands. “Here’s what we’re gonna do.”

He proceeded to explain what their training for the next couple of days would consist of. Since Izuku had already found a way to utilize One For All’s power without injuring himself, and he would only need to practice with it in order to increase the percentage he used, Gran Torino decided to help him improve his mobility while using Full Cowl.

Since his own quirk – that the teen would later make a thorough analysis on – provided him with immense speed, he was highly qualified to help Izuku train his maneuverability skills and reflexes. Even though the teen was considerably skillful with his mobility, thanks to his training with the Hero Killer, he had not yet cultivated those skills with his quirk active.

So, for the first part of their training, Gran Torino instructed him to have his quirk activated at about 5%, and he would continuously try to attack him, like he had yesterday. The student’s job was to land a hit on the hero within a time limit.

Izuku decided he would hold back, just a bit. Since no one at U.A. knew the full extent of his abilities, and the hero course hadn’t received any training specifically for enhancing their reflexes and maneuverability yet, nor did Izuku before attending the hero school – that they knew of – apart from his martial arts classes, he would try and act like a beginner.

And so, when Gran Torino took out a stopwatch and told him to land a hit on him in under 3 minutes, Izuku pretended to struggle, at first. He deliberately made his eye movements more obvious, his stance sloppier, his reactions slower.

He analyzed Gran Torino’s movements, watching for any patterns and tell-tales that would help him predict his every move, all the while dodging the hero’s relentless attacks. And just before his 3 minutes were up, and the hero positioned himself to kick him on his back, Izuku turned around with his hand outstretched, almost certain he would land a hit on him.

And yet, the hero dodged his attack by doing a flip mid-air, propelling himself backwards, landing with his feet on the wall, and launched himself towards Izuku again, punching him in the stomach and onto the ground, all in the blink of an eye.

“Damn it, I really thought I had it right there…” Izuku grumbled, rubbing his stomach, that would surely be bruised by tomorrow – the old man was way stronger than he looked. “I guess I’ve still got a long way to go…”

He might not have been fighting with his 100%, but he still had been confident in his ability to strike the hero. He would have to take this seriously, then.

“Nah, you did well. Not only do have you great maneuverability, you used analysis and prediction to catch me unguarded.” The hero turned around, and got himself a glass of water. “You made me dodge seriously for the first time in a while.”

Izuku barely heard the words the hero muttered under his breath.

“This kid might become a monster.”

~~~

Izuku felt this training would actually end up helping him. Even though he had initially been holding back, he soon found out that he would have to give the hero his full attention in order to land a hit on him. It would appear as if he got the hang of it very quickly, like the prodigy people thought he was, but he really did end up sharpening his observation skills.

After two more tries, Izuku finally managed to catch the hero by surprise, and tackled his torso with his fingers, sending him flying to the wall – he didn't dare punch the retired pro with One For All activated, not risking any serious injury to the man, who, despite his insane durability, was still old.

After that, they would repeat the same exercise, with Izuku having Full Cowl activated at the maximum percentage he could while observing the hero, but the moment he would try to attack him, he would lower his power output to 2% at most. This way, he would learn to control the amount of One For All’s power he released, as well as adjust it, whenever and however much he needed to.

They would keep this up until the sun set, with only a 1-hour break for lunch. Understandably, they were both exhausted by the time Gran Torino called it a day, and after dinner – they ordered curry take-out, neither feeling like cooking – they immediately went to bed.

Izuku was out cold not even five minutes after his head hit the pillow.

~~~

On day 3, they focused more on mobility, and integrating yesterday’s training on precision and managing One For All’s power output into his movements.

Izuku was instructed to imitate the hero’s moves as he jumped around the room, while also dodging any attack he might attempt to carry out. The point of this training was to hone his maneuverability skills while having Full Cowl activated, and to work on his accuracy as he moved around.

Izuku struggled a bit at first, not very accustomed to maneuvering with his quirk active, and used too much force, resulting in damaging the walls, and slamming his head onto the ceiling a couple times. But, after a few more tries, he managed to copy Torino’s movements well enough, and could adjust One For All’s power with little effort.  

At some point, Gran Torino decided that getting exposed to just one person’s moves and fighting style wouldn't do.

“Change into your costume,” the retired hero instructed, “we’re moving on to Phase Two!”

Izuku went upstairs to put on his hero costume in privacy. After securing that he had everything on him, including his cell-phone, he went to find Torino, who was standing at the entrance with the door open, waiting for him.

“So… where are we going?” the teen asked, as he followed him out of the building and onto the streets.

“We’re gonna fight some villains!”

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. “Isn't it too soon?”

Of course, he wasn't asking because he was worried – he already had some experience on the field, both at the USJ, and during his illegal activities with Stain – he was just surprised by the hero’s decision.

“If you only fight against me, you'll have trouble when you come across a completely different type,” Torino explained, as he signaled a taxi to pull over, “the next phase is to let you experience different types and situations. This is an internship, after all. Of course you’ll be fighting villains.”

“Okay…” Izuku got in the car, and tried to appear nervous, shifting in his seat and tapping his fingers on his thighs.

“You’ll be fine,” the retired pro tried to assure him, “you have experience with villains, don’t you?” Yes, Izuku thought, but only because of the school’s incompetence. “Besides, we’re not gonna touch anything big. We’re going to Shibuya.”

“Shibuya?!” Izuku squeaked.

“Crime rate in this area is low, because of the decreasing population,” Torino said, ignoring the teen’s faked distress. “If we want to find trouble, we’ll have to go to an urban area, where there’s a lot of crime. That’s why there a lot of agencies in major cities. Around Shibuya, you’ll find many small fights breaking out on a daily basis.”

Izuku hummed, supposedly taking in the information. “So we’re taking the bullet train to Shinjuku, right?”

“Yeah.”

So they would pass by Hosu. Izuku wondered what Stain was doing, and whether Iida was being stupid again.

~~~

About thirty minutes after the train departed, he felt his phone vibrating. Taking out of his pocket, he saw a message notification from Stain.

“Using his smartphone with someone next to him!” Gran Torino grumbled. “Kids these days…”

Izuku chose to ignore him, and opened up his messaging app.

Law abiding citizen:

Sooo, ur classmate decided to intervene when I went after that native mf

Gremlin with a knife:

For real???

Ughhhh

Don’t kill him

Law abiding citizen:

Why tho

He’s literaly tryin to kill me to avenge his brother or smth

The dude isn’t even dead!

Its self defense

Gremlin with a knife:

I don’t wanna deal with a dead classmate dude

We’ve talked about this 🙄

Law abiding citizen:

Pfff oke

Ill just hurt him a ibt

Gremlin with a knife:

Wait…

Is he there with you rn?

Law abiding citizen:

Ya hes prechin about how evil I am or smth idk

Mnot rlly listning

Gremlin with a knife:

Are you seriously ignoring him and texting at the same time

Law abiding citizen:

I mean hes olny talkin rn

Gremlin with a knife:

You're such a villain dude

Law abiding citizen:

Ye no sht shrelck

Izuku was trying really hard to keep a neutral expression, and not burst out laughing. Gran Torino thankfully didn't seem to notice.

Law abiding citizen:

Uhg hes chsin me now

Hs rly anonying

Gremlin with a knife:

DON’T KILL HIM!!

Stain didn't answer this time.

Gremlin with a knife:

Stain!!!

Ugh, he internally groaned, I can't believe this is happening…

Izuku thought he should intervene in some way, or Iida would really end up dead. But how could he just hop off a train while it was still moving?

He looked out the window, noticing they had just reached Hosu City. Hmm… maybe if there was a diversion of some kind, or a villain attack, he could pretend to rush in to help. But how…?

Wait…

Izuku opened his phone again.

albert wesker but green:

Heyyy shigi

Are you by any chance busy this evening?

Thankfully, he got a reply not even three minutes later.

Crusty:

im playin valorant

wat do u want

albert wesker but green:

Would you be interested in creating some chaos in Hosu?

Crusty:

y

albert wesker but green:

My classmate is trying to kill stain and I want a diversion to get off the train and go there

Ill explain later

Shigaraki read the message, but didn't reply until 2 excruciating minutes later.

Crusty:

would a nomu attack work

albert wesker but green:

YES

Crusty:

k

give me a min

albert wesker but green:

THANK YOU

Izuku chose not dwell on the fact that Shigaraki somehow had more Nomu than the one he’d brought at the USJ, right now. He would think about it later, when he wasn't worried about his mentor accidently killing his classmate.

For all his childish and impulsive behavior, Shigaraki was a man of his word. And indeed, a couple minutes later, an explosion sounded near the train, as it passed through Hosu City.

“Hey look! That building exploded!”

“What the hell?”

“You’re right! There's smoke!”

“Was there a fire?”

The passengers all gathered on one side of the train, trying to get a peak at what was happening.

“Passengers, please remain in your seats,” a voice sounded from the intercoms, before the train stopped abruptly, and someone came crashing inside. Izuku recognized them as Pro Hero Onemu, one of Ingenium’s sidekicks.

“What the hell…?”

Gran Torino’s words died in his mouth, when a large figure with pale green skin crushed the hero’s head on the floor and teared the train’s exterior, revealing their monstrous appearance, most notably the four eyes attached on its exposed brain. A wave of relief washed over Izuku, and he had to suppressed the feral grin that was creeping up on his face.

“A Nomu!” he sneered, lacing his voice with disgust and outrage, his expression radiating faked panic and hostility.

The passengers were screaming, trampling over each other as they tried to get as far away from the monster as possible.

“Kid, back down!” Gran Torino shouted and jumped from his seat, slams himself into the Nomu, sending them both out of the bullet train.

“Gran Torino-san!” Izuku yelled, if only for appearances, and after a quick glance at the passengers, to make sure no one was hurt – apart from the injured hero, who he didn't particularly care about – he activated One For All, and jumped off the train.

Chapter Text

Everything was in chaos.

There was fire everywhere, explosions sounding here and there as the Nomu destroyed everything in their path, instructed to cause as much disorder and havoc as they could.

People were screaming, cars left abandoned in the middle of the street as they tried to get away from danger. Heroes were shouting, in a futile attempt to set some order, while others were busy fighting the monsters, trying to protect themselves and the civilians from harm.

Izuku noted that, while the Nomu were seemingly running rampant with their minds set on bringing about destruction and death, they weren’t actually killing anyone; Shigaraki had probably ordered them not to. At least there would be no civilian casualties from this whole thing, even though it definitely seemed like a terrorist attack with that exact purpose. The Decay user had really grown since the first time they met; Izuku would have to commend him for that.

The teen ran through the streets, his presence concealed and his senses working on overdrive, as he was looking for any indication of his mentor’s whereabouts.

“Tenya-kun!”

Hearing his classmate’s name made Izuku stop in his tracks. Searching for the source of the voice, he found a couple heroes trying to extinguish the flames that had erupted nearby.

“Manual! Put out the fire!” a horned hero called – Bullhead, Izuku’s memory provided – as he pulled a fire hydrant from the ground.

Izuku spotted the Normal Hero: Manual running towards the scene and manipulating the water emerging from the asphalt to put out the flames, as he shouted Iida’s name.

“Tenya! First you run off and then this happens?” the hero wondered out loud.

So Iida must be near, Izuku thought, if Manual’s here and looking for him.

The green-haired teen took off again, his eyes darting in every direction as he searched for his stupid classmate, when he caught a flash of red.

And indeed, there Stain was, standing above a paralyzed Iida and preaching about his ideals.

“Being consumed by your hatred, trying to fulfill your own selfish desires… That’s what makes you a fake hero.” The Hero Killer noticed Izuku, sending him a sideway glance as he spoke.

He was obviously stalling, keeping his promise to Izuku not to kill him, but also doing his part to seem like intended to. His sword was stained with blood – probably both Iida’s and Native’s, the hero that was lying unconscious against the wall behind them.

“And that’s why you will die,” the villain said. He raised his sword, pretending to go for the kill, and sent Izuku a wink. That was his cue.

The green-haired teen rushed to the scene, his right fist drawn back, and with a grunt he punched his mentor in the face. The man stumbled back, and glared at Izuku. The teen smirked, having both the hero and his classmate behind him, where they couldn't see his expression.

“Midoriya-kun… why?” Iida quivered.

“I came to save you, Iida-kun!” he exclaimed, putting on his friendly neighborhood hero student persona, and turned his head to look at his classmate. “I saw Manual-san looking for you, so I thought you'd be nearby! Can you move? We have to go to a main road and get help from the heroes.”

Of course, he knew that Stain had used his quirk on the moron, and that he wouldn't be able to move for at least ten more minutes, but he wasn't supposed to know about it. So he asked, like a normal unsuspecting person would.

“I can't move…” Iida confirmed, and Izuku gasped, acting surprised. “From the moment he cut me…. I think it’s his quirk.”

“So it’s like people on TV are speculating…” Izuku mumbled, loud enough for the other teen to hear him. “I’ll have to avoid getting cut by him…”

“Midoriya-kun… don’t get involved! This has nothing to do with you!”

Izuku wanted to deadpan at the boy’s stupidity. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“Aw, your friend came to save you!” Stain mocked him. Izuku faced the villain again and made a funny face, making him chuckle. “But I have a duty to kill him.”

“I won't let you! I’ll protect those two, that’s what heroes do!” The sour expression on his face heavily contradicted his words, but no one could see it, save his mentor.

“Stop it!” Iida begged. “Run away! I told you, this has nothing to do with you!”

Ugh.

“And what, I should leave you here to die?” Izuku shouted. “That’s not what a hero does!”

He charged at the Hero Killer, who dodged with ease and took a swing with his sword.

The two proceeded to stage a fight, throwing attack after attack, some landing, some not. It was like a dance, their moves practiced during all those training sessions they had together. Izuku didn't need to use his quirk to keep up with his mentor, already familiar with his fighting style, but he had Full Cowl activated at 1%, if only to keep up appearances, as a heroics student who used his quirk to defend himself and his classmate. Iida could do nothing but hear them fight, his head facing the wall.

As they exchanged blows, Izuku noticed that Native, who had regained consciousness, had started getting back control over his body, Stain’s quirk slowly wearing off.

After some time, they decided that their little act had been convincing enough, and the Hero Killer gave Izuku a strong punch, sending him flying backwards. He then started walking slowly towards him, and sheathed his sword behind his back.

“People who are all talk are worth nothing,” he started, “but you… you're different. You are worth living.” He gave Izuku a smirk, that the teen returned with one of his own.

His grin faded, however, when he saw the hero behind them get up, knife in hand, and ready to charge at his mentor.

Izuku didn't think.

His feet moved on their own.

Before he knew it, Izuku was pushing Stain out of the way, grabbing the hero’s arm, and repositioning it so the knife he was holding was facing his chest. Native’s eyes widened, but he didn't get a chance to speak, as Izuku pushed the knife, burying it deep inside his chest and through his heart.

The hero inhaled sharply, before his body went limp and fell to the ground. Izuku looked back at his mentor, panic evident on his face; Stain was in a similar state, his eyes darting between his protégé and his victim.

“Midoriya-kun, are you okay? What's going on?!” Iida called out, shaking them both out of their trance.

The Hero Killer moved swiftly, taking out one of his small knives and grazing one of Izuku’s cheek, and pretended to lick the blade. The message was clear.

Izuku nodded, quickly and silently dropping his body to the ground, pretending the man had activated his quirk and paralyzed him.

“I-I can't move…” his voice trembled, but he didn't have to pretend this time.

It wasn't the fact that he had just killed someone that made him feel scared. No, he couldn't bring himself to care about that. His mentor had been in danger, and that fraud of a hero had gotten what he deserved. Besides, it wasn't like Izuku had never killed before.

The problem was that he did so as Izuku, the hero student. If anyone had seen him, his cover would have been blown. He was damn lucky that Iida couldn't see them.

He took a deep breath, and thought this through. Okay, so they'd made it seem like Stain had used his quirk on Izuku, and that the sound of a body falling was him being rendered immobile. Now they only had to come up with a way to stage Native’s death.

Izuku looked at Stain, gesturing at the hero with his head. The Hero Killer nodded, seemingly on the same page.

“You have so much potential,” he said. “But I still have a job to do.”

He approached the dead hero, silently taking the knife out of his chest and thrusting it back in through the same wound, and Izuku let out a wheeze, pretending to be the one getting stabbed.

Having a witness who could only hear was a pain, but it made things easier.

“No!” Izuku cried. “Damn it!” He willed his eyes to shed some tears; Midoriya Izuku, the hero student, had never seen anyone die, after all – an actual person, anyway.

Suddenly, a torrent of fire engulfed the alleyway, and Stain barely avoided it, jumping up and onto a fire escape. The flames, having been aimed at the villain, passed right above Izuku, who was still pretending to be paralyzed.

The teen glanced at the direction from which the fire had come, momentarily relieved that it wasn't Endeavor’s doing; the hero was known to have been chasing after the Hero Killer for weeks. His relief was short-lived, however, as he recognized the aforementioned hero’s youngest son, because what the hell was he doing here?

Oh, that’s right. Shouto had mentioned something about his father dragging him in Hosu yesterday, but Izuku had been so tired that he sent a half-assed reply right before bed, and then he had just… forgotten about it. Damn it.

“Why are so many people getting in my way today?” Stain grumbled, as he climbed down and stood next to Izuku.

“I really didn't expect to find any of you here,” Shouto sighed, as he used his ice to drag the two teens and the hero’s corpse towards him and away from the Hero Killer.

“Todoroki-kun! How are you here?” Iida stammered, hearing his classmate’s voice.

Said classmate promptly ignored him, unleashing another wave of fire towards the villain.

“I won't let you kill them, Hero Killer,” he said, standing in front of his classmates defensively.

“Shouto! Don’t let him draw your blood!” Izuku shouted, because if he didn't, Iida would, and he might as well pretend to be on their side – or, well, not on Stain’s side. “I think he paralyzes people by ingesting their blood, that’s how he got all of us!”  

“So that’s why he uses blades, huh?” Shouto murmured, “I can keep my distance if-”

His words died in his mouth when a knife came flying towards his face, grazing his cheek, a few droplets of blood falling on the ground.

“Shouto, watch out!”

Stain would definitely not try and kill the teen, Izuku had spoken about him enough for the villain to know that he was someone his protégé deeply cherished, but he couldn't just… not fight him.

He was purposefully making his movements slower, but fast enough so Iida couldn't tell the difference, and Shouto wouldn't become suspicious that he was holding back. His attacks were non-lethal, only intended to harm him, but not cause any permanent damage either.

He swiftly dodged any and all incoming fire attacks, slashing through the waves of ice the teen was sending his way. Shouto, for all his training with Endeavor, was still not agile enough to keep up with the villain’s moves, so it didn't come as a surprise when the man caught up to him, and sliced his arm with the tip of his sword, bringing it to his mouth. Not a second later, Shouto was on the ground, rendered immobile next to his green-haired classmate.

Now, Izuku knew all about the Hero Killer’s quirk, Bloodcurdle. He knew that its effect depended on his victim’s blood type, and that Izuku, having type 0, would break out of it before Iida, who had type A, even though he had supposedly been affected after him. Shouto also had type 0, meaning that it wouldn't take long for him to recover either, and he was smart enough to figure it out right away. (If one were to ask Izuku how he knew his classmates’ blood types, he would just shrug and say that he had his ways.)

So, when he heard the familiar rumbling sound of Iida’s engines, Izuku twitched his fingers and gasped, pretending to be surprised to be able to move, before a flash of blue and silver entered his field of vision.

“Recipro Burst!”

The blue-haired teen rushed into the scene, smashing his leg onto Stain’s katana, shattering it on impact, and kicked the villain away from the heterochromatic teen, sending him tumbling backwards.    

“Todoroki-kun, Midoriya-kun,” Iida panted, “this has nothing to do with you, and I apologize for getting you into this mess. That’s why… I can't let you bleed more than this!”

With new-found determination, he charged at the villain, but even with his speed, he still couldn't catch up to the Hero Killer, who knocked him off balance and sent him running onto a wall.

“Trying to reform just for appearance’s sake is futile,” Stain scorned. “A person’s essence doesn’t change that easily. You will never be anything but a fake, who prioritizes his own selfish desires!”

“Iida, don’t listen to him, those are just a murderer’s words,” Shouto tried to reason, but Izuku could tell he wasn't exactly opposed to the villain’s words.

“But he's right… I have no right to call myself a hero.” Iida clenched his fists. “Even so, I cannot give in. If I do, Ingenium’s name will die!”

He once again charged at the Hero Killer, attacking him relentlessly, while the villain dodged and fought back with his broken sword. Meanwhile, Izuku pretended he was starting to regain control of his body, twitching his fingers at first, then slowly lifting his body from the ground, as if to not make Stain notice him.

“Shouto… I can move freely for some reason…” he whispered.

The other teen couldn't see him well from the position he was laying in, but Izuku could see the perplexed expression on his face. “So soon? Iida just got free of Stain’s control…”

“I know, he was already under Stain’s quirk when I found them. I can think of three possible reasons; the quirk gets weaker the more people he uses it on, the time limit depends on the amount of blood he ingested, or the victim’s blood-type.”

Izuku noted that his mentor had noticed him, and he’d started to get a bit rougher with the teen who was continuously charging at him – he was most likely trying to give Izuku a reason to intervene.

“I have type 0, and I think Iida-kun has A or B, so maybe it doesn’t work for long with my blood type.”

Shouto hummed in thought. “I also have type 0, and he didn't take much of my blood, so whatever the limit is, I should be able to move soon, as well.”

“That’s good. I-”

He stopped himself when he saw Iida being backed into a corner, a small knife embedded on his left forearm, Stain going for the kill with his broken katana – not really, his movements were slightly exaggerated, and wide enough to give his protégé an opening. Izuku got the message.

Activating Full Cowl, he charged at his mentor, and with a calculated kick on his side, he sent him away from the injured boy and rolling onto the ground.

“Iida-kun!” Izuku watched his classmate with a worried expression.

“Midoriya-kun… how are you moving?” Iida was clutching his bleeding left shoulder, where the Hero Killer had previously stabbed him.

“I'm not sure, I think his quirk’s time limit depends on how much blood he ingests, or the victim’s blood type!” Izuku turned to fully face the villain, who started chuckling.

“Blood type, huh?”

The green-haired teen deadpanned at him, as if trying to say they would have figured it out themselves, anyway. Stain burst out laughing.

“So you’ve figured it out, huh?” he said, to justify his laughter. “You're a smart kid, has anyone told you that?”

Izuku didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, he rushed forward, and they resumed their fighting theatrics.

“You have to hurt me,” Izuku whispered at some point, when he had his back on his classmates. He noted that Iida had gone near the other teen, discussing a strategy, while Izuku kept the villain preoccupied.

“Huh?” Stain faltered for a second, barely dodging the quirked kick aimed at his head.

“It would be suspicious if everyone here got injured and I left unscathed,” Izuku pointed out, and punched him in the stomach.

The Hero Killer wheezed, returning Izuku’s apologetic expression with a glare.

“And what do you want me to do, break your legs?” He blocked a kick with his broken sword, but the force of the impact sent it flying out of his hand, and towards the two heroics students.

“An arm would be better,” Izuku murmured, loud enough for the man to hear him.

Stain stopped in his tracks, after delivering a powerful punch on Izuku’s face. “If you say so.”

Izuku braced himself, pushing himself off the wall with his right fist drawn back, and as he was about to deliver the blow, the Hero Killer grabbed his arm with his right hand, throwing Izuku off balance to his right, bending his elbow backwards, and with enough pressure from his left hand, he dislocated the joint with a pop.

Izuku screamed, both from the pain, and to bring attention to himself.

“Midoriya-kun!”

“Izuku!”

Shouto, who in the meantime had gotten out of the Hero Killer’s control, ran to his injured friend, while shooting ice spikes towards the villain. Iida charged at him with quirk enhanced speed, Stain barely dodging a kick, as he continuously evaded Shouto’s ice pillars.

“Izuku, are you okay?” Shouto asked, visibly worried.

“Agh!”

Stain had managed to impale another one of his throwing knives on Iida’s leg, sending him tumbling near the two teens.

The shorter teen stood up, holding his injured arm. “It hurts, but I can manage.” 

Activating Full Cowl, he propelled himself off the ground and threw an easily-dodged punch.

“He’s getting slower,” Shouto noted, as he sent a wave of fire towards the villain. “Taking on multiple opponents on his own must be hard for him to deal with.”  

Stain had probably come to the same conclusion, his movements becoming more and more frantic, though Izuku could tell he was doing his best not to seriously maim the students.

The green-haired teen charged at him again, and once he made sure he had his back to his classmates, he mouthed the word run.

The Hero Killer didn't need to be told twice. He delivered one last punch to Izuku’s face, climbed the side of the building, and landed onto the roof. He watched the three students for a few moments, his eyes lingering on Iida the most.

“This isn’t over, hero,” he said, and disappeared into the night.

If Izuku wasn't panting from the exhaustion and pain, he would’ve let out a sigh of relief. That had been a close one. If heroes had come their way, his mentor would have been toast.

Once his breathing slowed to a normal rhythm, Izuku turned to his classmates.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked, receiving nods from the two boys.

Shouto wasn't particularly injured, just a scratch here and there from the occasional knife Stain threw at him, but he was surely exhausted from quirk overuse – at least concerning his fire, since he had only recently started to use it again. Iida was clutching his bleeding left shoulder, his left forearm now free of Stain’s knife but semi-protected from the boy’s armor, and he was currently leaning on the wall, avoiding putting weight on his right leg. And Native, well…

“Is he dead?” Shouto asked, staring at the hero’s corpse with a surprisingly neutral expression.

Izuku approached the body, placing two fingers on the side of his neck, the absence of a pulse confirming the hero was no longer alive.

“It’s all my fault,” Iida whispered. “If I was faster… if I wasn't so stupid…” He didn't finish his sentence, a sob escaping his throat.

Izuku and Shouto glanced at each other; neither said anything to comfort the other teen. He had been stupid, after all.

“We have to alert the heroes,” Izuku said, after a few moments of awkward silence, taking out his phone to send Gran Torino a text, “and get to a main street. We can't stay here.”

Iida gave a pathetic nod, wincing as he put pressure on his injured leg. Izuku walked towards him, taking the boy’s right arm and placing it over his shoulders, urging him to lean on him. The teen didn't retaliate, letting Izuku manhandle him, while Shouto picked up the hero’s corpse, and the three slowly walked out of the alleyway and onto the main road.

They didn't have to wait long, before Gran Torino came running to them, along with three other heroes. The retired pro seemed ready to kick Izuku in the face, but seeing his dislocated arm, he settled for a disappointed glare.

“I thought I told you to stay on the train!”

One of the heroes gasped, Izuku following his gaze to the dead body in Shouto’s arms.

“Is he…?”

Izuku silently shook his head, too tired to explain the situation. He did shed a few tears, though. The heroes got the message and didn't pester him with questions.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I'm glad you're okay.” Gran Torino said, and the teen gave him a small smile. “Jeez, you remind me too much of Toshinori sometimes…” he grumbled.

Izuku wanted to scowl in disgust, but instead, he bit his tongue, willing his face to remain neutral.

“What happened?” a hero asked softly.

Just as Shouto started to explain their encounter with the Hero Killer – Iida visibly avoiding everyone’s gaze – they heard an ear-piercing screech.

Turning their heads to the direction of the sound they spotted a winged figure, and the Number Two Asshole himself chasing after it. Izuku, like everyone else, judging from their expressions, recognized the flying monster as a Nomu, and they all started scrambling as it drew near them in a remarkable speed.

Before Izuku could register what was going on, he felt sharp claws digging into his shoulders, and the next thing he knew, he was up in the air.

What in the actual fuck, he thought. That wasn't part of the plan!

He activated One For All, thinking of how he could free himself from the creature’s grip without injuring himself further, when he caught sight of his mentor running across the roofs just below, chasing after them.

With a calculated jump, Stain landed on top of the Nomu, stabbed its brain, and immediately got hold of Izuku’s uninjured arm, getting him free from its claws. They both jumped off of the monster and landed on the ground with a roll, their movements almost in synch.

“Hero Killer!” Endeavor’s booming voice sounded from behind them, before a huge wave of fire knocked both of them off their feet.

The scorching heat of the blast wasn't as painful as he expected, but it still hurt like a bitch. Izuku thanked the stars for having made his hero costume fireproof, but his left hand still got burned as he brought it up to cover his face.

Izuku grit his teeth, keeping himself from screaming – from the pain, or to yell at Endeavor for putting him in danger, he wasn't sure. But then, hearing an agonizing shriek, he realized why the flaming piece of trash hadn’t turned him into charcoal.

Stain was standing in front of him, having taken the blunt of the attack, his clothes tattered, his skin blistering. Izuku was hit with the unmistakable smell of burning flesh, and he had to push down the bile that crept up his throat.

Endeavor gave the villain no mercy, releasing blast after blast. Even though he was fast enough to evade them, the Hero Killer still chose to protect his student, standing between him and the flames that could kill him, emanating the terrifying, murderous aura Izuku had felt the first time he’d encountered him. But Stain could only take so much.

The pathetic excuse of a hero lunged forward, pining the Hero Killer down with his scalding hand, everyone watching in horror as the villain screamed and writhed in agony, before passing out from the pain.

Chapter Text

Anger was not an unfamiliar feeling.

No, anger was nearly a constant in Izuku’s life. It simmered and it burned, and he buried it deep inside, submerged it underwater until it was nothing more than a dull ache in his chest. But sometimes, anger would stir up, flooding his veins and flowing through his body and mind like lava.

And when he heard his mentor scream in agony as Endeavor’s flames burned and mutilated him, when he saw his scorched body being handcuffed and dragged to a police station like he was nothing more than a dirty ragdoll, Izuku’s blood boiled like it never had before; raw, molten anger pulsing through his very being and nearly consuming him. It took every bit of willpower he had not to lash out, kill every hero on sight and free Stain from Endeavor’s grasp.

Not trusting himself to speak, Izuku pretended to shut down; barely acknowledging anyone who tried to speak to him, only responding by nodding or slowly shaking his head, his eyes appearing hazy and unfocused as he stared at anything that wasn't in his near vicinity.

It wasn't hard to believe; a teenager dissociating after witnessing a hero’s death up close, fighting a villain to protect himself and the lives of his classmates, almost being kidnapped by a monster, a serial killer saving him for seemingly no reason, and then watching said killer almost burn to death by one who called himself a hero? No, it wasn't hard to believe at all.

On the way to Hosu General Hospital, Izuku couldn't help but wonder what would happen from that moment onwards. Stain would surely be taken to Tartarus, and there was no chance the League could break him out of there; the prison was operating under the highest security system, designed to keep inside the most dangerous of villains, and no one had ever managed to escape it. Izuku would have to pretend he was glad that the Hero Killer had finally been captured, and that justice would be served.

Even though so many things had gone wrong tonight, Izuku’s cover had not been blown, and his secrets would be safe, as long as his mentor didn't mention anything about him – which he wouldn't; Izuku would trust the man with his life.

The only good thing about Endeavor’s methods of capturing was that he had a knack for destroying evidence. Izuku was relieved to overhear that Stain’s phone had been burned to a crisp, and that no information could be salvaged from its memory core. Any incriminating evidence of the Hero Killer’s relationship with Midoriya Izuku had been ruined.

Once at the hospital, Izuku went through his examinations and treatments on autopilot. He barely registered the doctors treating the wounds on his face and arms, though it did hurt a bit when they reset his elbow. After they put his arm in a cast, and ensured he was otherwise physically fine – they didn't say much about his feigned dissociation, he had been through a series of traumatic events, after all – he was led to a room with three beds, presumably for Shouto and Iida, who were still being treated.

The moment the nurse made sure he would be fine on his own, and left him to rest, Izuku dropped the act, taking out his phone to text the League’s group chat and inform them of Stain’s capture. Unsurprisingly, everyone was furious about it, especially Himiko, who had grown really close to the man over the past few weeks; Izuku only now realized that he had been training with Stain for less than a month, even though it seemed like he had known him for much longer.

After that was settled, he switched to his private messages with Shigaraki.

albert wesker but green:

Wanna tell me what the fuck was that about?

Crusty:

??

wym

albert wesker but green:

The fuckin flying nomu

Crusty:

what abt it

albert wesker but green:

It tried to take me?

Crusty:

wut??

albert wesker but green:

It literally tried to take me with it, and stain killed it

That’s why he was captured in the first place

The fuck was that about

Shigaraki took a while to respond, Izuku was starting to think he was going to leave him on read.

Crusty:

idk

albert wesker but green:

You don’t know???

What is that supposed to mean?

Crusty:

i dont know!

albert wesker but green:

The fuck you mean you don’t know!!

Crusty:

it wasnt me! 

i didnt instuct them to 

 albert wesker but green:

Then who did???

Crusty:

Idkkk they only listn 2 me

albert wesker but green:

Then why??

Can they even think on their own

Crusty:

no

sensei made sur they cant

albert wesker but green:

Then who else could have ordered them?

Crusty:

i mean they listn 2 sensei 2   

but he wouldnt do tht

so idk

Izuku sighed, just having put his phone away, before the hospital room opened. Iida was seated on a wheelchair, a nurse taking him to the bed nearest to the door, Shouto trailing just behind them. Izuku pretended to be asleep, not wanting to interact with anyone right now – though he felt a little bad for ignoring his friend, but he was really tired, and they could talk tomorrow. He listened idly as the nurse helped the blue-haired teen lay down on his bed, and Shouto silently made his way to the one next to Izuku.

Once the two teens were settled and the nurse bid them goodnight, there was silence in the room once more, and Izuku could go back to his thoughts.

If Shigaraki hadn’t been the one to order the Nomu to take him, then it had to be Sensei. There was no other explanation. But that would mean Izuku has caught Sensei’s eye for some reason, and that he was interested in him; but why?

Izuku thought about what he could have said or done that seemed suspicious or interesting enough to draw attention to himself – apart from being a villain undercover as a hero student, that is.

He thought back to his first encounter with the League of Villains, remembering that he had mentioned manifesting a quirk right before the entrance exams. Could Sensei know about One For All? The LoV’s main goal was to kill All Might, they had literally created bioengineered weapons specifically for that purpose, and they knew the hero was getting weaker. Could they have known about his injury when he’d fought that villain six years ago? That fight hadn’t even been made public, how could Sensei know about it? Maybe he had been there. Or maybe…

All Might had fought All For One, who had supposedly been killed. But what if he hadn't actually died, like Izuku had theorized back when he’d first read about the villain. What if Sensei worked for him, or even was that villain, and created the League of Villains to finish what he’d started?

Those were just speculations, but Izuku was sure something was up.

~~~

“How are you feeling, Izuku?”

The teen turned to Shouto, whose usually neutral expression had been replaced with worry and concern. Izuku gave him a small smile.

“I'm okay, don’t worry. Sorry for shutting down yesterday. I can't help it sometimes…” he rubbed the back of his head, feeling guilty for lying to his friend – though there had been a time back in middle school where he would shut down, when everything got too much. “It was just… a lot.”

Shouto nodded, visibly relaxing. “I understand. Were you able to get some sleep, at least?”

“Not really…”

He wasn't lying this time. He couldn't help but replay yesterday’s events in his mind, and try to make sense of it all.

“Me neither,” Iida chimed in. “I kept thinking about how we are lucky to be alive. He could have killed all of us if he really wanted to.”

Izuku couldn't help but nod. Stain certainly was able to kill them all. If Izuku hadn’t asked him not to, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

“Yeah,” Shouto agreed. “We were obviously left alive for a reason.”

Before they could say anything else, the door opened, two familiar faces entering the room.

“Gran Torino-san!”

“Manual-san…”

“You kids are definitely getting an earful later,” Gran Torino grumbled. “But first, you have a visitor.”

Before Izuku could ask who he was talking about, a very tall man with a canine mutation quirk – if his head, that heavily resembled that of a Mastiff or a St Bernard dog, was any indication – entered the room. From the suit he was wearing, and the authoritative aura he was emanating alone, Izuku could tell the man was someone of high status.

“This is Hosu’s Chief of Police, Tsuragamae Kenji.”

Chief of Police, huh. Great.

 Izuku and Shouto stood up to bow, Iida reaching for his crutches to stand up as well, but Tsuragamae stopped him, raising his hand – paw? – in a halting motion.

“Don’t worry, you can stay seated, woof.”

Izuku barely held back a snort. Woof? If this man wasn't at least 190 cm, it would have been adorable.

“You must be the U.A. students who fought the Hero Killer, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Iida replied, visibly tense.

“After Endeavor brought him to us, we had to treat fairly serious injuries, mostly burns and a few bone fractures, woof. Since you are U.A. students, I'm sure you already know about laws surrounding public quirk use, do you not?”

The Chief gave them no chance to reply. “When superpowers started becoming the norm, the police became of great importance, in order to make sure that quirks wouldn't be used as weapons. Thus, the profession of heroes emerged, to fulfil that role, woof.”

Right, Izuku internally scoffed, because they’ve been doing a great job so far.

“An individual using a force or power that can easily kill others,” Tsuragamae went on, “would normally not be accepted, but as heroes followed the ethics and rules of their profession, it was instead encouraged, woof.”

Well, yeah, that’s exactly the problem. Heroes think they can do whatever they want as long they hold their title of a hero, and they face no consequences when they go too far. 

Instead of voicing his thoughts, of course, Izuku kept his mouth shut, watching the Chief with a neutral expression.

“Even up against the Hero Killer, for uncertified individuals to cause injuries while using their quirks without any specific instructions from their supervisors, is a clear violation of the law, woof.”

What the fuck? That was their problem? That three heroics students had defended themselves against a villain and caused a few injuries in the process? – which Izuku was sure that 99% of them were Endeavor’s doing.

“The three of you, and Pro Heroes Endeavor, Gran Torino, and Manual should receive strict punishment.”

Izuku couldn't help furrowing his eyebrows. What the absolute fuck? If the situation had been different, Iida could have easily gotten himself killed, and if Izuku or Shouto, or anyone for that matter, hadn't intervened, he would have.

And, in any case, the law may state that any unauthorized quirk usage with the intent of fighting crime would be branded as vigilantism – ignoring the fact that this was bullshit, because people who were quirkless or had a non-combative quirk couldn't be vigilantes, apparently – but it would only make sense if someone intervened to save someone else, regardless of the scenario.

“But sir!” Iida was clearly taken aback by his own outburst, but he surprisingly didn't back down. “If Midoriya-kun hadn’t come in time, I might not have survived that fight. And if Todoroki-kun hadn’t appeared later, we might have sustained far more serious injuries. I can not in good conscience let them be punished for saving my life, because of my own foolish mistake!”

Izuku couldn't help but slightly gape at his classmate, as he defended him and Shouto. The heterochromatic teen was obviously surprised as well, watching the scene unfold in front of him with wide, unblinking eyes. Tsuragamae, on the other hand, seemed almost bored.

“So you're saying that as long as everything turns out all right, it’s okay to break the law?” he asked.

“I-I…” Iida faltered, always the stickler for the rules. He was visibly trying to gather his thoughts, articulate his feelings without being disrespectful to an authority figure. Izuku decided to speak for him, just this once.

“Isn't that what heroes are supposed to do?” Everyone’s heads turned to him. “Save people, even if it means breaking the law?”

The Chief shook his head. “This is why you aren’t a full-fledged hero yet.” He let out an exasperated sigh, and Izuku could feel his eye twitch. “Honestly, what is U.A. teaching you these days, woof?”

“So, what?” Izuku scoffed. “People should let others die just because it’s illegal to help? While heroes can almost burn someone to death just because the law says they’re allowed to? What sort of justice system is that?”

Ah, fuck. Now he'd done it. Everyone was staring at him in varying levels of surprise, shock, and distress. Izuku must have been more tired than he’d thought.

“Midoriya-kun, he’s right…” Iida started, but Izuku cut him off with a glare.

“You literally have no room to talk, Iida-kun.” He purposefully used the other teen’s name and honorific, trying to mellow down his verbal attack enough to seem like an ill-timed jab.

“Hang on a minute,” Gran Torino chimed in, “hear him out until the end.”

“That was the official opinion of the police,” Tsuragamae said, unfazed by the students’ quarrel. “And the punishment and all that would only happen if this whole incident were made public, woof.”

“So you’ll be keeping our involvement secret from the media?” Izuku guessed.

“Precisely.” The man scratched his nose – snout? “If it was made public, you'd probably be applauded by the people, but you would also not be able to avoid punishment. On the other hand, if there is no mention of you, Endeavor will be given full credit for the Hero Killer’s arrest, though that is still technically what happened. There were very few witnesses of your involvement, so it won't be difficult to keep things under wraps, woof.”

Tsuragamae gave everyone a few seconds to take in the information.

“So if we say nothing about ourselves, Endeavor will get praised for defeating the Hero Killer on his own,” Shouto said, speaking up for the first time since the Chief had entered the room. His expression was neutral, but Izuku had known him long enough to tell he was trying to conceal his anger and frustration.

He couldn't help but think that, if Shouto was angry at his father getting credit for Stain’s capture, Dabi would be fuming.

“Yes. It would mean no one would know about your good judgement and achievements. But personally, I wouldn't want to compromise your futures because of one big mistake, woof.”

A few moments of silence passed, before anyone spoke up. Izuku didn't trust himself to open his mouth again. It wasn't like he didn't already know how fucked up the system was, and he wasn't particularly interested in getting his heroic feats recognized by the public.

But this whole thing was just ridiculous. Tsuragamae still considered their involvement a ‘big mistake’, and sure, it all had happened because of Iida’s stupid decision to avenge his brother or some shit, but they were literally getting scolded for breaking the law when someone actually died, and another seemingly would, if Izuku hadn’t stepped in. Would they prefer a child died, just because his classmates hadn’t been allowed to use their quirks and help him, according to the law?

“Either way,” Manual interrupted his thoughts, “we’ll need to take responsibility for not being careful enough as your supervising heroes.”

Iida took one of his crutches, slowly making his way towards the hero, and once he got in front of him, he bowed. “I am truly sorry. I-”

Manual didn't let him continue, softly hitting his head with a hand chop. “It’s all right. As long as you understand what you did wrong, just be careful not to make the same mistakes again.”

Yeah, Iida, try not to go after a vicious murderer to get revenge for your not-dead brother next time.

Iida stood up straight, and gave him a wobbly smile. “Yes, sir.”

Izuku stood up as well, Shouto copying him, and they both bowed, murmuring their thanks.

“Because of the law, your feats will not be acknowledged. But,” the Chief said, bending his body 90 degrees, “as someone who also protects the peace, thank you.”

He then turned to leave, but stopped himself, and turned to Izuku once more. “Midoriya-kun, I have a question for you.”

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows. “Yes?”

“Our officers would have asked you yesterday, when they were taking your classmates’ testimonies, but you seemed… out of it, woof.”

“Oh,” Izuku let out an awkward laugh, and rubbed the back of his head. “I'm sorry, I was a bit overwhelmed and I, well…”

“You don’t have to explain,” Tsuragamae assured him. “I understand. And your classmates were thorough enough during their own questioning. But there’s still something I feel I should ask you as well.”

Izuku gave a nod, glad to have avoided going through an entire testimony, where he would have been basically lying his ass off to a bunch of police officers.

“Even after your encounter with the Hero Killer, when the Nomu tried to take you” – Izuku pretended to tense up to that, and the Chief of Police softened his expression – “Stain came to save you, woof. Why do you think he did so?”

So much for not lying to the police.

“When I- uh,” Izuku took a deep breath, and locked his gaze on the floor, “when I arrived at the scene, and Stain was about to attack Iida-kun, I stopped him, and when Iida-kun asked what I was doing there” – he spared a glance at the teen, who was also finding the floor incredibly interesting – “I said that I wouldn't let him kill him. That I came to help. A-and as we fought, Stain said that, uh, people who are all talk are worth nothing, but that I… that I was different. He said that I was worth living. That I had potential.”

He finally glanced up to the man, who was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

“A-and when the fight was over, he climbed on the roof, and we assumed he ran away, but maybe he followed us, to see what we would do? I don’t know. But I- I guess that, after he saw me getting, uh,” Izuku looked away again, making his voice wobbly for good measure, “when I got – um,” he did a vague gesture with his good hand, and rested his palm on his shoulder, where the Nomu's claws had grabbed him, “he probably saw it, and thought that he- I don’t know. But he killed it, and then protected me from Endeavor’s flames, and I-”

Izuku cut himself off, and met the Chief’s eyes again. “I guess he thought my potential was worth saving. From the Nomu, I mean” – and Endeavor, he insinuated – “and that’s why he stepped in.” He shifted his weight, and hugged his casted arm with his left. “But I-I don’t know, your guess is as good as mine.”

Tsuragamae watched him for a few moments, before nodding. “Alright, thank you, Midoriya-kun. That will be all, woof.”

After exchanging a few more words, the Chief thanked them all once again and left the room, the two heroes following behind him.

~~~

Once the nurse applied some more antibiotic cream on Izuku’s burns – he once again thanked his past self for making his costume fireproof, the Number Two Asshole’s flames had only gotten the skin that his fingerless gloves didn't cover – she put fresh bandages on his fingers, and let him go back to his shared room.

Iida and Shouto, having already gone through their own rounds of treatment, were sitting on their respective beds, chatting – well, Iida was. Shouto was listening, or pretending to, anyway, and nodding along.

“Oh, hello Midoriya-kun,” the blue-haired teen greeted. “Was everything alright?”

“Yeah, the nurse said I can take off the bandages off my face and shoulders tomorrow, and the ones on my hand in a couple days,” he wiggled his wrapped-up fingers, to show they weren’t hurting, “but the cast will have to wait.”  

He plopped on Shouto’s bed with a sigh. Not being able to use his good arm for a while would be a pain, but he’d been through worse.

“What about you?” he asked Iida, to be polite. He didn't need to ask Shouto, the teen thankfully only had a few cuts and bruises.

“I will be fine. The doctors said Stain barely missed my brachial plexus,” he said, rubbing his bandaged shoulder. “I’m lucky that there won't be any long-term damage.”

Yeah, because I made him promise not to hurt you, Izuku thought.

“That’s a relief,” he said instead.

“When I found the Hero Killer,” Iida continued, unprompted, “I stopped thinking.” I think you stopped thinking way before that, buddy. “The first thing I should have done was tell Manual. But I forgot myself in anger.” Yeah, no shit. “Being taken over by hatred, and trying to fulfill your own selfish desires, that is the furthest thing from what a hero should be.” You finally realized it, congratulations.

Of course, instead of sharing his sarcastic commentary with the other two, Izuku sported a sympathetic expression, humming along the boy’s words. Shouto’s face was apathetic, almost bored, as he watched the other teen spilling his guts.

“I may hate him,” Iida went on, “but he was speaking the truth. So, I vow to become a true hero, someone that will not put any of his friends in danger. I will become stronger, a hero that protects others.”

Izuku gave him a sweet smile, and extended his left fist. “Let’s become stronger together,” he said, only because it seemed like a nice thing to say, and he didn't want to appear indifferent to the teen’s internal turmoil. Iida nodded, and reluctantly bumped his fist against Izuku’s.

Shouto was watching the exchange with a worried expression. Izuku frowned.

“Shouto, what’s wrong?”

“I… feel kind of bad…” he whispered, staring at his own hand like it had offended him – which was weird, because it wasn't his left one this time.

“Why?” 

“I feel like… whenever I get involved, other people mess up their arms…” he looked up, meeting Izuku’s eyes with an incredibly serious expression. “Is it a curse?”

Izuku snorted, and immediately covered his mouth. “I'm sorry, what?” He was barely holding his giggles in.

“Todoroki-kun, I didn't know you could make jokes!” Iida chuckled, chopping his good arm in his usual manner.

“I’m not joking!” Shouto looked back at Izuku with a horrified face. “Am I ‘The Arm Crusher’ or something?”

That was it. Izuku burst out laughing, his eyes welling up with tears. He was clutching his stomach, wheezing as he tried to breathe like a normal person. It took him a couple minutes until he could collect himself.

He was wiping the tears away from his eyes, when he caught Iida staring at him.

“What?”

“I-I'm sorry!” he stammered, pointedly avoiding Izuku’s gaze. “It’s just… I've never seen you laugh before. Genuinely laugh, I mean.”

“Oh.” Izuku glanced at Shouto, who was looking at him fondly, even if he’d laughed at his own expense.

It wasn't like Izuku hadn’t ever laughed at school before. Shouto had watched him burst into giggles more than a few times during lunch. But it was only at lunch time that Izuku allowed himself to genuinely have fun at school, when he was in the presence of his two friends. It wasn't like that with class 1-A; no wonder Iida was surprised.

“It suits you,” Iida blurted out. “Laughing, I mean.”

Izuku gave him a small smile. “Thank you,” he said, unable to think of anything else.

“I can't believe you attempted murder before I did,” Shouto murmured, breaking the awkward silence.

“Todoroki-kun!” Iida gaped. “That’s not befitting of a U.A. student!”

“You literally have no right to scold him about this, Iida-kun,” Izuku pointed out, effectively shutting him up.

Besides, Shouto had a point. If he didn't try to kill the flaming trash bag of a Number Two, Izuku would do it himself, or have Stain do it if he ever got out of jail. Or he would just let Dabi have his fun.

Chapter Text

“That Midoriya Izuku!”

The green-haired teen perked up at the mention of his name. He had just gotten a snack from the hospital’s vending machine, but he decided to make a detour on the way to his room, to see who was talking about him.

“…my teaching license is being revoked for six months!”

And yup, it was Gran Torino, grumbling about the Hosu Incident on the phone. Still, Izuku didn't leave, curious about who the hero was talking to, and what he was saying about him. Izuku leaned against the wall just around the corner and opened his bag of potato chips, so he could overhear what the retired hero was saying, but without looking suspicious.

“…considering the circumstances, it couldn't be helped, but really, Toshinori, the part where he just runs into danger without thinking is just like you!”

So he was speaking to All Might. Izuku willed his face to remain neutral, just like every time he was being likened to that zygote of a hero. He couldn't hear what All Might was saying, but he could imagine the buffoon sputtering apologies or something.

“I don’t care about my license anymore, anyway. I only got it to teach you in the first place… yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, I called to tell you about the Hero Killer.”

Ah, yes. Now we’re talking.

“I only saw him in person for a few minutes, but he was terrifying… actually, he saved your student…”

Izuku listened as Gran Torino explained the whole situation. Thankfully, neither he, nor anyone else the hero had spoken to, seemed to suspect any sort of relationship between the teen and the Hero Killer.

“That aura I felt from him, I think it was connected to his strong ideology, or his obsession and bloodlust… yeah, well, either way, I have to say that it’s the same quality as that ‘Symbol of Peace’ thing you have going on…”

Izuku nearly choked on a potato chip. That was definitely unexpected. True, Stain’s ideology resonated with his image of a true hero, and sure, All Might had been his idol, before Izuku revealed everything about him, but comparing the Hero Killer’s ideals with All Might’s status as the fucking Symbol of Peace? That was hilarious! He couldn't wait to text the LoV’s group chat about it.

“To put it simply, it’s charisma… No, listen, you zygote. Now that he’s arrested, his ideology and opinions will spread around. It will be all over the media, and there are bound to be people that will resonate with his ideas.”

Well, when he put it like that, Izuku couldn't help but agree. Word was already circling around in the underground of Stain’s involvement with the League. Now that he had gotten arrested, he was going to get talked about more than ever, and people might end up seeking out the League; Shigaraki would be ecstatic. Speaking of…

“That’s where the League of Villains comes in,” Gran Torino said. “The Hosu Incident suggests that Stain and the League are connected in some way. And now, to the public eye, the League will go from a bunch of delinquents that attacked U.A. to a group with the Hero Killer’s ideology. And when that happens, people who resonate with his ideas will gather under one group, giving them immense power. If the enemy leader knew this would happen from the beginning, they are smarter than we gave them credit for.”

Hm, yes. That was exactly the League’s goal. Not to give one of their members, who was also a hero student undercover, a reason to go save his classmate’s stupid ass. No, sir.

“They are steadily getting rid of obstacles, creating conditions to further their own goals. And with what you told me about the Nomu...”

Izuku would very much like to know what All Might had told him about the Nomu.

“Toshinori… the man who killed Nana, and opened that hole in your stomach, All For One… he must be starting to move again.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. So he had been right! All For One really was alive! And the heroes knew? But the Commission had declared him dead. Unless… Gran Torino and All Might were hiding things from them – apart from One For All and the villain’s connection to the quirk and its users, that is.

“You have to tell that boy the truth, Toshinori. Find the time, and properly tell him everything about you and One For All.”

Thank the Gods, Izuku would finally get some answers! Interning with Gran Torino had been worth it, after all.

~~~

Izuku was walking down the hallways, heading towards his shared hospital room. When he took the last right turn, he saw Shouto standing still in the middle of the corridor outside of their room, staring at the TV placed on the wall.

Following his gaze, he was met with Stain’s face. Well, a picture of Stain’s face. The TV was tuned in to the news, where the reporters were discussing last night’s events, specifically the tragic loss of another Pro Hero to the hands of a vicious, merciless killer.

Izuku approached his friend, and stood next to him.

“Hey Shouto.”

The teen briefly glanced at him, before returning his gaze to the news. “Hello.”

Izuku wasn't sure what to make of the unreadable expression his friend had on his face. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn't I be?” Shouto asked, not taking his eyes off the TV.

“That’s not a yes,” Izuku pointed out. When he didn't receive a reply, he sighed and turned to look at the screen. “I don’t know. You seem… tense.”

Shouto hummed, but didn't reply otherwise.

“Wanna talk about it?”

The dual-colored teen was quiet for a while. Izuku was beginning to wonder whether he had heard him, when Shouto took a deep breath, and turned his head to look at him.

“I've never seen someone die before.”

“Oh.” Izuku realized with a pang of guilt that he hadn’t thought of how his friend would be taking all of this. Just because Izuku was usually unperturbed when people died, it didn't mean that Shouto would be unaffected too. But, wait… hadn't Native already been dead when Shouto came to the alley? Had he seen Izuku kill the hero? But wouldn't he have said something if he had?

“I… when I found you and Iida,” Shouto continued, unaware of Izuku’s internal turmoil, “you were laying on the ground, and-” He averted his gaze, swallowing hard. “I saw the Hero Killer stab that hero, and I thought that he would go after you next. That I was too late.”

“Shouto…” Izuku’s eyes softened. “You can't blame yourself for something like that. You couldn't have known.”

“I know.” Shouto still didn't meet his gaze. “I felt guilty at first; I thought that if I’d seen you just a few minutes earlier, Native wouldn't have died. But then…” He took a deep breath, and looked at Izuku in the eye. “Iida told me what Stain had said to him before you got there. They won't say it on the news, but he said that Native was working for the Hero Commission. That he was doing their dirty work, killing people, innocent civilians, just because they told him to. I always knew the Commission was corrupted, but I'd never heard of anything specific, until now.”

Shouto was clenching his fists, obviously disturbed by the whole thing. Izuku couldn't blame him, he had reacted the same way when he found out. He let his face form an angry scowl, showing his friend he was just as upset about it, but didn't make a move to interrupt him.

“And I don’t know why, but…” Shouto clenched his jaw tight, before opening his mouth again. “After what I heard, I just- I couldn't bring myself to care. I-” He glued his eyes to the floor, his frown conveying he was feeling ashamed. “I didn't care that he died. I didn't feel bad anymore for not being there sooner to save him. I-”

Shouto met Izuku’s eyes again, his own mismatched ones pleading. “Is that a bad thing? Am I a bad person, for not caring?”

“No.” Izuku’s immediate response surprised them both. “I could never say you're a bad person, Shouto.” He gave him a small, genuine smile. “I think that…” he hesitated for a moment. “In the end, Native wasn't a hero. He wasn't a good person, after everything he did. And maybe…” Izuku was reluctant to continue his thought, but eventually decided to speak his mind. “Maybe he got what he deserved.”

Shouto was quiet, thinking about it. The shorter teen watched his friend carefully, looking for any signs that would indicate he thought Izuku was being unreasonable, or had gone too far, but he found none.

He said nothing more.

~~~

Izuku stayed at the hospital for two more days.

Iida decided to spend the rest of the week with his family, while Shouto, who had relatively light injuries, went back to Yokohama with his father, determined to make the most of the rest of his internship.

During that time, Stain was the talk of the town. As Chief Tsuragamae had told them, the official story regarding his arrest was that Endeavor had found the villain and managed to take him down single-handedly. Izuku and Shouto’s names and involvement were not made public, and their injuries were explained as accidents that happened during their internships.

Iida, on the other hand, was mentioned as an unnamed civilian who happened to stumble upon Pro Hero Native’s body during the Nomu attacks and called the police. The heroes that found Izuku and his classmates after their fight with the Hero Killer were cited as the ones to arrive at the scene and confirm the hero’s death – for which Stain was obviously the one held accountable.

Meanwhile, The Hero Killer’s identity was being discussed on every form of media, uncovering his real name and background to the public.

Most of the information released, Izuku already knew from the many conversations he had with Stain during their training sessions. For example, he knew that Stain had initially aimed to become a hero. That he had realized how flawed hero society was, and how corrupted the educational system of hero schools were, after being enrolled in one himself – he and Izuku had bonded over the disappointment they had both experienced early on, which prompted Stain to reveal most things Izuku now knew about him.

He hadn’t known his real name, though; Izuku didn't think it mattered, so he hadn’t asked, and his mentor had never provided it. ‘Stain’ was the name he had taken as his own; that was who he truly was.

A video had been released not even a day after his arrest, narrating the Hero Killer’s story, while openly supporting his work and ideals. It had been taken down and reuploaded multiple times on the internet, and by the time Izuku left the hospital, the whole of the underground had come to know about it.

Giran told the League that his job had become 10 times more troublesome, now that word had spread about the LoV’s connection to the Hero Killer, and that he even had a few people approach him, requesting a meeting with the notorious villain group.

Of course, Shigaraki was beyond thrilled, although he did turn down (and maybe decayed) some of them, for his own reasons. Regardless, Izuku would be meeting at least one new member when he got back, and he couldn't wait!

But he would have to be careful with his identity, from now on. They couldn't know if anyone would snitch on him to the heroes, though the League would probably kill anyone who tried before they even got the chance. Still, they decided they would be introducing Izuku as Light, an informant and one of their greatest assets, while also revealing him as the source of all the information on heroes that had been circulating in the underground over the past couple of months.

Before he got to meet the League’s new member, though, he had to wrap up his internship. Gran Torino decided not to put him through any more training, since his injuries had only just healed up enough to remove his cast and bandages – though he would have to wear a sling on his right arm for a few more days – thanks to some quirk healing provided by the hospital and paid by Gran Torino himself. Since the retired pro had been his supervisor during the Hosu Incident, he had been responsible for overseeing Izuku, and was therefore indirectly accountable for the boy’s injuries.

And so, on day 6, Izuku packed up his stuff, ready to leave the hero’s apartment and finally go home.

“Thank you again, Gran Torino-san!” he said with a bow, once he exited the building.

“I don’t really feel like I did much,” the hero grumbled, “especially with how our internship turned out.”

“That’s not true!” Izuku wasn't lying; this internship really did help him cultivate his skills, in so many ways. “You helped me with my precision and maneuverability while using my quirk, and my reflexes and observation skills are sharper, too!”

“Hm. In any case, you still have a lot to learn. Though I think you might be able to reach Toshinori one day…” Gran Torino said the last part quieter; Izuku wasn't sure if he should have heard it.

“Anyway, see you around,” the hero went to open the door and enter his apartment, but Izuku stopped him.

“Wait! Can I, uh, can I ask you one more thing?”

“Hm? What is it?”

Izuku wanted to ask him so many things, but since All Might would hopefully talk to him about himself and his quirk, Izuku wanted to ask Gran Torino something that had been bothering him ever since the zygote had told him about the retired pro’s internship offer.

“Even though you’re a very strong hero, and you even trained All Might at U.A., your hero name isn’t well-known. I mean, I've always loved heroes, and I thought I knew about most of them, but I’d never heard of ‘Gran Torino’ before, and nobody I mentioned it to recognized it, so um, is there a reason for that?”

Izuku had gone through his old Hero Analysis for the Future notes, after he had decided he would be going to Gran Torino for his internship. The only mention he could find of his name was on U.A.’s list of its former homeroom teachers. Izuku must have been doing some research on U.A.’s staff, back in elementary school, when he first started to take his dream of becoming a hero seriously. But given he was no older that 7 at the time, he wouldn't have the knowledge and resources to find more information on less known heroes, and since Gran Torino wasn't mentioned anywhere else, he’d never gotten to look into it.

At first, Izuku had thought that the man might have been an underground hero, but he would have found information on him years ago, considering he had known of every underground pro in Japan, even before he went through the Commission’s files on them. Then, he thought the hero might have just been unpopular, but after seeing him in action, he saw how strong he was, so he must have been even stronger in his prime.

So why was it that his name had only been mentioned on the HPSC’s report on his and Shimura Nana’s fight with All For One?

“Oh, that’s because I was never interested in becoming a hero.”

Izuku’s mind blanked. That was not the answer he expected.

“Eh?” he said, intelligently.

“Back then, I had a goal that would only be possible if I could use my quirk freely. That’s the only reason why I got a license.”

Huh? So he got his hero license, just so he could have unrestricted quirk usage?

Izuku opened his mouth to ask why, but Gran Torino beat him to it.

“It’d be better if you asked Toshinori about it.”

“Oh.” Well, that wasn't very promising, the zygote usually refused to tell him anything. But then again, during the call he had with the retired pro, that Izuku overheard, Gran Torino had told him to let his student know about everything regarding himself and One For All, so he might actually do so, this time. 

“That’s all. Be well!”

“Yes, sir! Thank you again!” With a final bow, Izuku bid the retired hero goodbye, and made his way to the train station.

~~~

On the way home, Izuku was informed via their group chat that the League of Villains had officially welcomed a new member today. Himiko insisted he drop by later to meet them, and if Izuku was being honest, he was really looking forward to it. He had missed his friends, and even though he had seen Shouto during their internships, he still couldn't wait to hang out with his crazy villain friends, and with a certain purple-haired boy, as well.

Izuku could feel his ears burning as he opened his chat with Hitoshi. He had promised to meet up with him once his internship ended, after all.

Midori? Ja:

Hey Hitoshi!

Hito? Si:

Hey

Midori? Ja:

How are you??

Ugh, why did he have to be so awkward? Damn him and his gay ass feelings.

Hito? Si:

I'm good

I'm in midnight’s class rn and I'm bored

Midori? Ja:

Mood

Hito? Si:

How bout you?

Midori? Ja:

I'm actually on my way home from my internship!

Hito? Si:

Oh cool

Midori? Ja:

So do you want to hang out tmr?

I promised we would when my internship ended

Hito? Si:

Ya I remember

Izuku’s stomach did a little flip that he did not appreciate.

Midori? Ja:

Shouto will be staying one more day in Yokohama so he can't come

Hito? Si:

Its ok

We’ll see him on Monday

Where do you wanna go?

Izuku could already feel the heat pooling on his cheeks.

Midori? Ja:

So I found out there’s a cat café near dagobah

And I know you like cats, so I thought you'd maybe like to go

So we can go there

If you want

Izuku didn't need a mirror to know he looked like an overripe tomato. If anyone on the train noticed, they were kind enough not to show it.

Hito? Si:

You mean whiskers???

Midori? Ja:

Yes!!

You know it?

Hito? Si:

FHSKGHLGHS

IVE WANTED TO GO THERE FOR AGES

ID LOVE TO

Midori? Ja:

Great! Wanna meet me there at around 11?

Hito? Si:

Sure!!

Hgjjksjgsl I'm so excited!!!

Midori? Ja:

Ahaha yeah I can tell

See you tomorrow then!

Hito? Si:

See u!!

It was somewhat odd, but also adorable, watching Hitoshi, who always seemed bored and uninterested in everything, get so worked up over something like a cat café. It was just like him, and Izuku wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Text

The moment Izuku got home, his mom crushed him into a hug, having heard he had sustained a few injuries during a training accident. If only she knew what had really happened; but Izuku couldn't tell her the truth.

Chief Tsuragamae had told them that they weren’t allowed to disclose any information on the Hero Killer case, even to their family. Of course, Izuku had told the League of Villains everything, bar the part where the flying Nomu tried to abduct him, that he’d only asked Shigaraki about.

After he assured his mom that he was indeed alright, and that he would only have his arm on a sling for a few more days, they ate dinner – she had made him katsudon! Gods, he loved his mom – and Izuku proceeded to tell her all about his internship, or well, the first 3 days, before the Hosu Incident.

Once she deemed she had learned enough, and stressed how proud of him she was, Izuku could finally ask to meet up with his friends. He felt a little guilty for lying to her – having told her he wanted to hang out with his friends from school – but he couldn't exactly say he was meeting with the notorious League of Villains, that he was a part of, now, could he?

So his bid his mom goodbye, promising to be safe and get home before midnight, and texted Kurogiri to make him a portal. He asked that he teleported him to the apartment above the bar, so he could change into his formal suit before he met the new recruit.

He had decided that, every time he would introduce himself as Light, he would be dressed in his formal attire, that he had originally purchased for his meeting with Giran, while also wearing his villain costume’s face mask and a pair of black, faux leather, wrist-length gloves, and having his hair made in a half-up-half-down style, to differentiate himself from U.A. student Midoriya Izuku as much as possible. 

He checked himself in the mirror, making sure everything was alright. He had already taken off his sling, not wanting to have anything tying him to his hero student alias, apart from his green hair and eyes – and maybe not to ruin the outfit – but he had informed the League of his injured arm, to avoid any accidents that would make it worse. Once he confirmed he was good to go, he went downstairs to meet their newest member.

Before he got the chance to, however, Himiko gasped the moment he stepped inside the bar, and proceeded to start shrieking as she ran towards him, and crushed him into a tight hug.

“Iz- Light-chan! You're so handsome today!” Himiko grabbed his shoulders, checking him up and down with gleaming eyes.

“You're looking very pretty yourself Himiko-chan,” Izuku said fondly, the voice changer in his mask making him sound slightly deeper.

“Aw, you guys are so cute! Cringe!” Twice exclaimed, and lifted his mask just enough to take a sip of his drink – apple juice?

Dabi was sitting next to the Double user, also having a drink – though his most likely contained alcohol.

“Welcome, Light,” Kurogiri greeted. “Would you like anything to drink?”

“I'm okay for now, thank you.”

Izuku’s eyes scanned the room, briefly locking eyes with Shigaraki. Well, eye. The leader of the League of Villains had the same dismembered hand on his face, that he had during the USJ attack, which was obscuring most of his features, apart from his left eye.

Izuku never understood what his whole deal with the dismembered hands was, but he’d never asked, and Shigaraki had never explained, either. It seemed like something more than just an intimidation tactic or a weird fashionable choice for his villain ‘costume’, but the League knew better than to pry. If he ever wanted to talk about it, or if the conversation came up, they would.

Izuku broke eye contact with the blue-haired villain, his gaze settling on the only unfamiliar figure instead.

At first glance, Izuku would describe the young man’s appearance as reptilian. Bright green scales covered every visible part of his body, his face resembling that of a lizard’s – a Gecko, if Izuku had to guess. He had his long pinkish purple hair swept backwards, a pair of black goggles on his forehead.

What drew Izuku’s attention the most, was how similarly he was dressed to the Hero Killer. He had used a white tattered cloth as a mask, a blood red scarf wrapped around his neck, and his arms were wrapped with bandages. Both his sleeveless shirt and baggy pants had multiple knife holsters strapped on them, and judging from the two weapons that had been carefully placed next to his seat, he favored swords as well.

The reptilian man had been occupying the booth on the right side of the bar, where Shigaraki was already sitting in, but the moment Izuku entered the room, he stood up straight, probably sensing the green-haired villain was of great importance to the League.

Izuku approached him, extending his left hand. “Nice to meet you. I'm Light.”

“Spinner,” the man offered, firmly shaking his hand.

“Light is our informant,” Kurogiri provided, “and a disciple of the Hero Killer.”

Izuku didn't miss how the warp villain hadn't said ‘former disciple’, even though that would have been more accurate. The League of Villains, and most of all Izuku, was still mourning over Stain’s arrest.  

“And my best friend!” Himiko chimed in, and hugged him from the side, while minding his injured arm. Izuku patted her head affectionately.

“So…” Spinner started, sitting back in the booth, and Izuku took a seat opposite of him and Shigaraki. “Are you the villain they were talking about on the news last week?”

“I am.” Izuku tried to seem more formal, more sophisticated, distancing himself from the image of a typical high-schooler (and maybe to make a good impression, but no one called him out on that).

“He’s also the one who wrote all that stuff on heroes that’s been circling around!” Himiko added, looking at him with pride and admiration, and made him scoot over so she could sit next to him. Izuku couldn't help but blush, but thankfully his mask didn't let it show.

Spinner’s eyes bulged out. “You are?!”

Izuku chuckled. “Yeah. You're looking at a former hero fanboy who had too much time on his hands.”

“Damn.” The reptilian mad scratched his head. “So how does a hero fanboy become a villain? Did something happen?”

“Heroes happened,” Izuku replied laconically, and that all he was going to say for now. Spinner seemed to have gotten the message.

Shigaraki had yet to say anything, watching the exchange carefully. His gaze mostly lingered on Izuku, as if interested in his opinion on their newest recruit.

“And how long have you been out with Stain?” Spinner asked.

Two days, was the truthful answer, but Izuku didn't want to admit that. “Not as long as I’d like,” he said instead, and the reptilian man nodded in understanding.  

It was still the truth, after all; and Izuku didn't want to lie; as Light, at least. That was his true self, and he wanted to be as genuine with his words as he was in everything else; both with the League, and every time he might interact with villains and the underground.

“Why did you decide to join us?” Izuku asked, changing the subject.

Spinner didn't seem surprised by the question. “I really admire Stain. I think you can tell…”

He gestured at his mask and scarf with an awkward smile, and Izuku nodded, the corner of his eyes creasing as he smirked.

“I've looked up to him ever since I heard of his work, and I want to make his dream come true. He gave me a purpose when I had none. I…” he faltered for a couple seconds, but went on with his explanation. “I've lived most of my life as a recluse. I grew up in a poor neighborhood, and people aren’t… kind to people like me. People with mutant quirks, I mean.”

Izuku nodded once more. He more that understood where the reptilian man was coming from. He might not have faced discrimination for being a heteromorph, but he knew exactly how quirkist people could be.

“So when I heard that the League of Villains are working with Stain, I wanted to join you. I want to help you bring down this corrupt hero society, reshape it into something better. I want to ensure Stain’s legacy lives on, and be a part of it, as much as you’ll let me.”

Izuku watched Spinner for a few moments. He seemed to be telling the truth, to genuinely believe in Stain’s – and Izuku’s – dream. The teen’s mouth curved into a maniacal grin, his eyes gleaming, and judging by Himiko’s – and Shigaraki's, from what Izuku could tell – similar expressions, his thoughts on their new member had been made clear.

“Well then, welcome to the League of Villains.”

Spinner gave him a grin of his own. “Thank you for having me.”

~~~

After speaking with Spinner, Izuku walked up to the bar, so he could get something to drink – that something being apple juice, he got jealous of Twice earlier – and talk to Himiko privately.

He had decided he would be keeping his identity hidden from the newest recruits, during their first few days in the League. More and more people were bound to approach the League, now that their connection to Stain had been established, and he didn't want anyone to rat him out, if they ended up resigning before they could even become part of their group.

Himiko, however, said that no one would be given the opportunity to back down. She and Shigaraki would make it clear that once they were accepted as a member of the League, treason would cost them their life, and they wouldn't even get nearly close enough to the heroes to tell on them. Izuku would already have their name and personal information – sponsored by the Commission’s database – saved on his laptop, and the League would find them before they could even think of running.

In addition to that, Spinner didn't seem like he would snitch on them to the heroes; he seemed to genuinely hate them and the society they thrived in. Besides, he would be staying in the apartment on the second floor, where Shigaraki and Kurogiri were currently residing – Himiko, Dabi and Twice being on the first floor – having decided to leave his hometown and old life behind, permanently.

Still, Izuku wanted to be careful, and once the reptilian man got accustomed to them, they would drop the bomb that they had an undercover heroics student amongst their ranks. Himiko respected his decision, and she would tell the rest of the League in private, so they didn't let anything slip before he decided to reveal his civilian identity.

After that was sorted, Himiko went to pester Twice about something, leaving Izuku to watch Spinner and Shigaraki, as they discussed Stain’s arrest.

The leader of the League had taken the dismembered hand off of his face, and it was now sitting on the table in front of him. Izuku guessed that, now that they had officially accepted Spinner into their ranks, the Decay user no longer had the need to appear intimidating, and could take off his villain ‘costume’ – if the dismembered hand(s) could be considered as such.

“Well, us villains either end up in jail or get killed,” Shigaraki shrugged. “Like the French say, soo la voo, or whatever.”

Izuku snorted. He might not know French, but he had been on social media enough to know that this was not how that phrase went. Before he could correct him, though, Dabi started cackling, loudly.

“Did- did you mean to say,” he got out in between wheezes, “‘c’est la vie’?”

At Shigaraki's baffled expression, Dabi only started laughing louder, and Izuku and Himiko joined him.

“You speak French? I don’t care!” Twice asked.

“I had private tutors when I was a kid,” Dabi offered, when he somewhat calmed down. He didn't say anything else on the matter, and no one pressed him to. The League was understanding like that, respecting each other’s identity, and not pressuring them to talk about their life before they joined the League.

Shigaraki leaned back on his seat, resolutely ignoring the scarred villain, who was still occasionally laughing at his expense, and took out his Nintendo Switch from his hoodie pocket – Izuku wondered why the man was still wearing hoodies in the middle of May, but then he figured, it was probably so he could carry his Switch with him at all times.

Shigaraki had just started playing a game, only to be questioned by their new member.

“You play video games?”

Spinner’s question seemed genuine, and not condescending, like Shigaraki had probably taken it. His eyes were burning with hostility, his jaw clenched tight.

“You got a problem with that?”

Spinner’s eyes widened. “No! No, I was just surprised. I wasn't expecting the leader of the League of Villains to play video games, that’s all…”

The Decay user didn't seem convinced, if his ever-present glare was any indication.

“I, uh, I play video games, too,” the reptilian man added, trying to lighten the mood.

It definitely worked, judging from Shigaraki's expression. His eyebrows had almost reached his forehead, and his gleaming eyes were wide open. The corner of his mouth was twitching, like he was holding himself from smiling.

“What games do you play?” If he was trying not to seem excited and eager to know, he was doing terribly.

“Uh,” Spinner was visibly taken aback, but he quickly collected himself. “Mostly multiplayer games; Call of Duty, League of Legends, Mario Kart… Oh, and Grand Theft Auto. I actually learned how to drive because of it, hehe.”

He rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to act under Shigaraki's calculating gaze. He was especially perplexed when the blue-haired villain got up from the booth and went behind the bar, crouching next to Kurogiri, who stepped aside without stopping his cleaning, and came back with a PlayStation controller.

“Do you have a controller?”

Spinner blinked. “What?”

“Do you have a second controller? I only have one.”

Spinner thankfully understood that the villain was asking if he wanted to play with him. It was as good of an offer as it gets.

“Yeah, I have it upstairs with the rest of my stuff.”

Shigaraki nodded, and that was Spinner’s cue to go get it.

The rest of the League watched the exchange with amusement, Himiko and Twice occasionally throwing a comment of exclamation.

“Aww... Look how excited he is!” Himiko cooed. “He’s got his first gaming buddy!”

Shigaraki glared at her, but it didn't have the result he was probably hoping for, because his face visibly lit up when Spinner came back down with a controller and a handful of disc games.

Just as the two had started to discuss what game they were going to play, Dabi got up from his stool, and approached Izuku.

“Can we talk? Outside?” he asked.

When he received a nod, he crossed the room and went outside through the back exit. Izuku followed him silently, ignoring Himiko’s – and possibly Twice's, it was hard to decipher the man’s expressions through his mask – puzzled frown.

Once outside, he took off his mask, breathing in the fresh air. Dabi held an opened packet of cigarettes in front of him, silently offering Izuku to take one if he wanted, an unlit one already between his mismatched lips. With slight hesitation, Izuku took a cigarette, and let Dabi light it up with his quirk.

Even though nicotine didn't really do much for him, Izuku found smoking to be quite… natural. He couldn't really explain it – it was like… the smoke passing through his airways felt as normal as breathing. It gave him a sense of tranquility, that nicotine itself could not provide.

They both took a couple drags, Izuku waiting patiently for the scarred villain to speak his mind. He thought back to the first time they had spoken out here, while smoking; when Izuku had guessed Dabi's identity, and the conversation that followed. The way the teen had basically scolded him for holding a grudge against his little brother for merely existing, had given him an existential crisis, and left him to contemplate his life’s purpose.

Just like then, the fire user seemed deep in thought, and Izuku had a feeling it had to do with Shouto.

After one more drag, Dabi blew the smoke away from Izuku’s face, and turned to look him in the eye. “So… how’s Shouto?”

Ah. Right on the nail.

“He’s fine. He was a little shaken up because he thought Stain was going to kill me. Oh, and he thought-” Izuku started laughing, recalling the boy’s words at the hospital, “because I dislocated my arm, and I shattered my hand with my quirk when we fought at the Sports Festival, and Iida got his arm injured too, he said-” Izuku started wheezing, “he asked if it’s a curse-” Dabi started snickering with him, “he said- ‘am I the arm crusher or something?’ and he looked horrified!”

Dabi nearly choked on the smoke he inhaled, and they both took a minute or two to collect themselves.

“And then he told Iida, ‘I can't believe you attempted murder before I did,’” Izuku chuckled, and took a drag of his cigarette.

“Sounds ‘bout right,” Dabi smirked. The teen was glad he had finally let go of his hatred towards his little brother.

“He also admitted something to me.”

Dabi lifted an eyebrow.

“He said that, after he learned why Stain had gone after Native – for doing the Commission’s dirty work and all that shit – he didn't care about him dying anymore.”

Dabi's other eyebrow joined the first one, his eyes widening.

“He said he doesn’t feel guilty anymore for not being there in time to save him. He asked if he’s a bad person for not caring.” Izuku took another puff.

“And what did you say?” Dabi asked.

“I said no, obviously. That he could never be a bad person. I mean, he’s really thoughtful and kind, and funny without meaning to.” He smiled fondly, and Dabi gave a small smile of his own. “And then I thought I would test the waters. I said that Native wasn't a real hero, that he wasn't a good person, and that maybe he got what he deserved.”

The scarred villain hummed. “And what did Shouto say?”

“He didn't. He was thinking about it, but he didn't seem to disagree, either.”

Izuku took one final drag, and offered Dabi the stub to reduce it to ash. He watched the scarred villain as he smoked, his face frowning in thought.

“…That’s good, I guess,” Dabi said, eventually. He took another puff, and burned up the remaining part of his cigarette.

“Yeah… He really hates Endeavor, you know,” Izuku added. “And he doesn’t seem like he wants to do anything your father says, so maybe, with time, I could convince him to join us.”

Dabi blinked. “You think he would?”

Izuku shrugged. “Maybe. I could try to persuade him, dropping hints here and there, get ideas into his head.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk.

The scarred villain’s mismatched lips curved into a menacing grin. “I think I like that idea.”  

~~~

As they got inside, they found the League deeply engrossed in an incredibly urgent debate, that being which character Shigaraki and Spinner should choose for their Mario Kart race. Himiko insisted they chose Baby Peach or Baby Daisy, or a Koopa Troupa, or any of the small characters for that matter, because those were the cutest ones.

Shigaraki argued that those were ‘lightweight’ characters and if he chose one of them, “my speed will forever be ass”. Twice on the other hand, favored Shy Guy, probably because he was also wearing a mask.

“Oh! Light-chan!” Himiko noticed Izuku and Dabi enter the room, and all but dragged the teen by his uninjured arm. “Come on, tell them who the best character is!”

Izuku stared at the screen, unfamiliar with at least half of them. “Uh, I wouldn't know. I've never played Mario Cart.”

“What? Really?” Himiko laughed.

“I've actually never played video games before,” Izuku admitted.

“What?” Shigaraki Tomura, the leader of a notorious villain group, seemed genuinely horrified that one of his subordinates had never indulged in his favorite hobby.

“Uh, yeah, I never had any friends to play with, and we were always tight on money, so I never asked my mom to get me a gaming console.” Izuku shrugged, but the blue-haired villain seemed more distraught with each word that got out of his mouth.

“This is unacceptable. My party has to be the best at everything,” he mumbled, and Himiko started chuckling.

“And that includes Mario Kart?” she giggled.

“Yes.”

No one raised any objections.

In the end, Spinner chose Bowser, and Shigaraki picked Princess Peach, somewhat pleasing their resident vampire, before shoving the controller on Izuku’s hands.

The teen looked at the villain with wide eyes, and he would swear that, at that moment, under the gaze of Shigaraki's gleaming eyes, he was the most intimidated by the leader of the League of Villains than he had ever been.

“I'm going to teach you how to play.”

Chapter Text

“Bye mom! I’ll see you later!”

Izuku closed the door before he could even get a reply, only to open it again half a second later to put on his shoes.

He had returned home late last night, almost at 2 am; Shigaraki had been dead serious when he’d said he would teach him how to play Mario Kart. Izuku had sent his mom a message at about 11 thirty that he would be late so she wouldn't worry, but she had probably already fallen asleep.

After he’d gotten home, he hadn't been particularly sleepy, too nervous about his not-date with Hitoshi – it was not a date, they were going out for coffee platonically – so he’d decided to do some work instead. By the time he called it a night, the clock read 04:38, and he’d been sure he would regret staying up so late in the morning.

He did.

He missed his alarm and overslept, but was thankfully woken up by his mom, who had just returned home for her shift, and was surprised he was still sleeping, when he had told her he would be out with a friend. Izuku literally jumped out of his bed, went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, and ran back to his bedroom to get dressed – he wore a t-shirt that said ‘t-shirt’ in katakana, and slim jeans – and take his backpack. He sprinted down the hall and out the front door, before realizing he was still wearing his slippers.

He haphazardly put on his shoes, stuck his laces inside, not bothering to tie them, and ran out the door again, so as not to be late for his meeting with Hitoshi.

~~~

Thankfully, he arrived two whole minutes early, and Hitoshi hadn’t gotten there yet. Izuku sat at the bench outside the café, waiting for his friend. He was trying to appear calm, and not like a teenager that was freaking out over going out with someone that gave his stomach butterflies every time he thought about them.

He didn't have to wait long, before his favorite cloud of purple entered his field of vision, his amethyst eyes shining brightly like the stars in the night sky. Izuku realized he had never seen him in clothes other than his school uniform, so he was momentarily surprised when he saw his outfit – he was wearing a dark purple hoodie with a snoring cat on it, and slightly ripped jeans. He looked really handsome, in Izuku’s humble opinion, but then again, Hitoshi always looked handsome.

Izuku got up, and gave him a beaming smile. “Hi!”

“Hey,” the other boy greeted, giving him a smile of his own, that definitely did not make Izuku’s heart flutter, no sir.

Hitoshi’s smile wavered, however, when he noticed Izuku’s injuries. “What happened to your arm?” He then lifted his hand, gently brushing his thumb over the scar on Izuku’s right cheek. “And your face?”

His worry was quickly replaced by embarrassment, though, when he realized what he was doing. He quickly retracted his hand, his cheeks and the tips of his ears going scarlet.

“Oh, it’s nothing!” the green-haired teen squeaked, his own face flushing bright red. Way to go, Izuku. “Just an accident during training.”

Seeing Hitoshi’s lingering concern, he waved his good arm in front of him. “Don’t worry, my face will heal completely, and I just have to wear the sling for a few more days!”

“Oh, okay, that’s good.”

“So… wanna go inside?” Izuku asked, and Hitoshi’s face visibly brightened as he nodded. “Let’s go!”

A bell rang softly as they opened the door, and a young waitress with dark teal blue hair came up to them, a she/they pin attached on her shirt.

“Welcome!” Their gaze lingered on Hitoshi’s scarred face for half a second, but their smile didn't waver. “A table for two?”

“Yes, please!” Izuku answered, the other teen being preoccupied with petting a tabby cat that had come up to him the moment they’d stepped inside.

She led them further inside, and showed them a half circle booth, where two cats – a calico and a black one – were already laying on. The two teens sat in the booth next to each other, Hitoshi on Izuku’s left, both careful not to disturb the cats, while another two approached them from the table next to theirs.

“Are you ready to order, or should I come back in a bit?” the waitress asked, and Izuku looked at Hitoshi with a questioning gaze.

“I’d like an iced coffee with three shots of espresso and a dash of milk please,” the purple teen requested, barely glancing at her when a black-and-white cat sat on his lap and demanded his attention.

“And an iced chocolate for me,” Izuku said, smiling softly at the other boy’s obvious enthusiasm.

“Okay, coming right up!” They gave the boys a polite smile – and a slightly raised eyebrow for some reason - and left to make their drinks.

“You really like cats, huh?” Izuku chuckled.

“They're cuteness incarnate, how can I not?” Hitoshi picked up the small tabby cat, and held it in front of him. “Look at it, it’s adorable. It’s a fluffy loaf of cuteness.”

“So are you,” Izuku murmured absentmindedly, and took the kitty from Hitoshi’s hands their fingers barely brushing against each other and Izuku could feel a jolt of electricity running through his very being and placed it on his lap.

It took a red flustered Hitoshi for Izuku to realize that he had said that out loud. He wondered whether blushing was now a contagious facial deficiency, because he couldn't help but mirror Hitoshi’s expression.

Luckily, the waitress came back with their drinks, and Izuku didn't have to stammer apologies or anything that would make him look even more like an overripe tomato.

They gave him a knowing look as they placed his chocolate in front of him, and winked, before leaving the teens to their devices.

Izuku took a sip of his drink, holding the glass in front of his face until his cheeks returned to a semi-normal color. Hitoshi didn't seem to fare much better, his face flushed bright pink.

The purple-haired teen tugged the collar of his hoodie, and went to push up his right sleeve, before freezing, and tugging the sleeves so his fingers went past the hems just enough to be able to pet the kitty on his lap.

Izuku frowned. He only now realized that the other boy was wearing a hoodie on a hot day in the middle of May. “Aren't you hot in that?”

Hitoshi went dead still, before resuming his petting, mumbling something that sounded like “I’m fine” or “It’s okay”.

Izuku put down his drink, now slightly concerned. “Are you sure? What’s wrong?”

Hitoshi curled into himself, refusing to meet Izuku’s gaze. “I… have scars.”

Izuku’s brain took a couple seconds to register what the other teen had just said, and understand the implications. “Oh.”

Before he could say anything else, though, Hitoshi clearly started panicking. “I'm so sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up! I-”

His rant was cut short when Izuku placed his hand on the other boy’s. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, gently squeezing his hand. “I have them, too.”

Hitoshi’s violet eyes widened, meeting Izuku’s forest green ones, his gaze flickering between the shorter boy’s face and exposed arms – they bore scars too, albeit of a different kind.

“Not on my arms,” Izuku added with a sad smile, “but yeah, I understand.” He started caressing Hitoshi’s callused hand with his thumb in a soothing motion.

The taller teen was close to tears, seemingly much more upset that his friend had had the same experience as him, than just having revealed his own secret. “Why?” he whispered, before his eyes widened. “I'm sorry! I mean, I can guess why, you being quirkless and the bullying and everything you’ve told me, but– I… Sorry…” He averted his gaze.

“I…” Izuku bit his lip, trying to find the right words. “You know how some people growing up have a voice inside their head, telling them they’re not good enough?” He didn't wait for an answer. “Mine was outside my head, calling me a useless Deku and using my body for quirk practice.”

He locked eyes with Hitoshi, whose expression radiated such warmth and understanding, Izuku couldn't help but open up.

“The way people treated you at my school depended entirely on the nature of your quirk. If you had a strong, heroic quirk, like Katsuki, then you were their pride and joy, and you were treated like royalty. If you had a common or uninteresting quirk, like stretchy skin, or changing your eye color at will, you weren’t that important to them, but at least you were worth something. But if you were quirkless, or had a ‘villainous’ quirk… then you weren’t even human to them.”

Hitoshi’s sympathetic eyes started watering; his own teachers and peers probably hadn’t been that different.

Izuku only now noticed that the lavender-haired boy had taken his hand in his own – when had that happened? – and was gently stroking his palm, just like Izuku had been doing before.

“I think I've told you a bit about how they treated me there.” The other teen nodded. “It went on for so long, that I started to believe what they were saying. They really made me hate myself.” Izuku sniffed, taking his right arm off the sling to wipe a few stray tears, not wanting to take his left hand away from Hitoshi’s hold. “And for a while, I thought I deserved it. And… I would- I would hurt myself, when their voices got too loud in my head. But things got better, eventually.”

He gave him a wobbly smile, and the one he got in return made his heart flutter. His face dropped, however, once he realized he had been trauma dumping, when Hitoshi was the one he was supposed to be comforting.

“I'm sorry, I- I made this all about myself when you-”

“No, no,” Hitoshi interrupted him, shaking his head. “I was the one who asked.” He gave him another smile, and Izuku couldn't help but return the gesture.

“The point is, I understand.” He squeezed the other boy’s hand. “You don’t have to hide with me. Of course, you don’t have to take your hoodie off if you don’t want to, but… just know I would never judge you, especially for something like that. And if you want to talk about it, you can. You can always talk to me, about anything.”

Izuku could feel his face flushing, but he would say those words again, as many times as he had to. It would always be worth it, if Hitoshi’s eyes lit up the way they did now.

“Thank you.” Hitoshi was quite for a few moments, before taking a deep breath. “I didn't always hate my quirk. I got some sort of combination of my parents’ quirks, so at the time I thought it was pretty cool. Even after it manifested, my parents supported my dream to be a hero. But when they died…”

He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head, as if the memory was too painful to even think about.

“I got placed in foster care. And none of my foster parents or siblings liked my quirk. I was labeled a villain before I could even introduce myself. I, uh… I wasn't allowed to speak, because they were always afraid I would use my quirk on them. I kept changing foster homes, because I was branded as too much of a risk, and when they did keep me for more than a few months… I’ll spare you the details, but it wasn't pretty.”

Izuku nodded. He more than understood, and he could tell Hitoshi was having a hard time getting out of comfort zone and talk about himself.

“And after a while, I realized that no one would ever see me as anything other than a villain. And I... like you said, I started believing what they were saying about me. It was more like a punishment, for me. For being a burden, a danger to everyone that had to take care of me.”

Izuku squeezed his hand. “You’re not. You are so much more than what those monsters made you out to be. And I promise, you could never be a burden, not to me. You're… very important to me.” He gave the other boy a soft smile. “And if you ever feel that way, I’ll always be here for you, if you wanna talk, or need a distraction, or anything else.”

Hitoshi met his gaze, the corners of his mouth curving into a small, thankful smile. “I… thank you.”  

They stayed like that for a few moments. Staring into each other’s eyes, amethyst and viridian colliding like galaxies, merging and creating billions of stars.

At some point – Izuku wouldn't be able to tell how much time had passed – the tabby on his lap started meowing, demanding to be petted. The two boys let go of each other’s hand, both reaching for their drinks in a futile attempt to hide their burning cheeks.

As Izuku started playing with the kitty, he noticed Hitoshi was pursing his lips, clearly thinking about something. After a couple seconds, he pulled his hoodie over his head, his arms still in his sleeves. He hesitated for a moment, before taking it off completely, leaving him in just a white t-shirt.

Izuku’s eyes wandered to the boy’s arms, his scars now exposed. Some seemed more recent, pink and raised, others white and faded, some maybe years old. It was odd, seeing scars so much like his own on someone else’s body.

Izuku lifted his arm, absentmindedly reaching to touch them, before realizing what he was doing and retracted his hand. “Sorry, I- uh, sorry…”

“No, it- it’s okay.” Hitoshi seemed somewhat uncomfortable, but Izuku could tell it wasn't because of him. Having that kind of scars exposed for the first time wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.

“I just,” Hitoshi started, his gaze fixated on Izuku’s hand as he traced some of them gently. “I’ve always hated them. I always thought they were a sign of weakness.”

The shorter boy hummed. “I get it, I used to think so too. But they're not.” He drew back his hand, and started petting the tabby cat, that had once again laid on his lap. “They're just scars, you know? They may remind you of what you’ve been through, but you survived it. You went through a difficult time, and that was your way of coping, but in the end, they are also proof that you're strong. That you made your way through, and became the person you are now.”

“I guess…” Hitoshi rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, it’s kind of a heavy topic to start the day with…”

Izuku shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it. I mean, it’s good to talk about stuff like that. I… I've never been able to talk about it with anyone before. Not with someone who’s gone through it, anyway.”

Izuku had told Himiko about it at some point, as they were recounting their experiences with bullying and quirk discrimination. She couldn't fully comprehend what it was like, not having been through it herself, though she did understand the feelings behind it. But discussing it with someone who had the same experiences was different; it felt cathartic, in a way.

“Yeah… it’s the first time I've told anyone.” Hitoshi rubbed his neck. “I’m glad it was you.”

Izuku could feel his face turning red again – why did this keep happening today?

“So, I've been thinking,” Hitoshi said, changing the subject. “Last week, when we were practicing my quirk, you said I should practice it even if I don’t want to be a hero anymore. See how far I can go, reach my potential and all that.” He looked at Izuku, who nodded, confirming they were on the same page. “I thought about it a bit, and apart from training my quirk, I thought I should train my body as well.” His expression hardened, his jaw clenched tight. “I want to be able to fight, to defend myself. I don’t want to feel helpless ever again.”

“Hitoshi, that’s great!” Izuku beamed. “What type of training are you thinking of?”

“Well,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I can't afford to go to the gym or to martial arts classes or anything like that, and I doubt my foster parents will pay for it.”

Izuku hummed.

“So, I was thinking…” Hitoshi averted his gaze, turning his attention to the calico kitty, that had started rubbing her head against his leg. “Maybe, if you want to, we could, uh, train together…”

His face went visibly redder with every word, but Izuku paid it no mind, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I’d love to!”

Hitoshi’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” 

Izuku nodded repeatedly. “Of course! Though I’m not sure I could teach you that much since I only started training a little over a year ago and my fighting style is a little all over the place, but I will try my best!”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” Hitoshi smiled.

“So, I think we should start with some physical training first, before I teach you anything else,” Izuku started mumbling, as he took his notebook out of his backpack. “I attended aikido classes for about a year, and my sensei said I was pretty good, and I have an extra staff at home, so I can teach you to use it if you’re interested! I should make you a training regime, I’ll definitely include workouts for strength training and flexibility, and endurance of course, we can go running for a couple kilometers and do a basic workout before any fighting, but we’ll have to change things up every time so you don’t get bored, and your body doesn’t get too accustomed to certain exercises. Then I can start teaching you some basic attack and defense moves, with or without the staff, whatever you want, but it will mostly be hand-to-hand combat, and oh! I’ll definitely put reflex and maneuverability training as well, and maybe parkour if you want…”

Izuku wrote down his thoughts as he spoke, too immersed in his mumbling to notice Hitoshi staring at him fondly.

After a full ten minutes of babbling and scribbling, Izuku turned to look at his friend. “So, what do you think?”

Hitoshi grinned.

~~~

In the end, they decided they would train together every day after school, so Hitoshi wouldn't go home late and get in trouble with his foster parents. Since Izuku wouldn't be joining Stain in his illegal activities anymore, he would have free time to both train with his friend, and hang out with the League afterwards.

He still had a couple conversations he wanted to have with Shigaraki, mostly concerning the Nomu, but that could wait. Right now, he was focusing on making a training regime for Hitoshi, that included an indicative meal plan for him, based on his height and weight.

Hitoshi joked that Izuku was taking this way too seriously, but the shorter teen argued that it was important, and if he was going to help him, he would do it to the best of his abilities. 

And so, they decided to have their first training session tomorrow after school. Hitoshi was visibly excited, but also nervous, claiming Izuku would find getting a wet noodle into shape to be easier than training him. Izuku called him out for being overly dramatic, but assured him that, even though he would find it hard at first, he would eventually become acclimated to physical exercise, and he would get the hang of it in no time.

Besides, Izuku himself had been the vegetable equivalent of a wet noodle merely 14 months ago, and he had now become the infamous 1-A prodigy. Hitoshi refused to believe he had ever been weak, both physically and in spirit, even admitting that Izuku was the strongest person he knew – and if the green-haired teen became a literal strawberry at the compliment, it was nobody’s business but his own.

Izuku had to show Hitoshi pictures from before he started training for the U.A. entrance exams, in order to convince him he had, in fact, been a frail little crybaby, once upon a time. So many things had happened since that time, it almost seemed unreal.

Still, the fact that Izuku had gone from that weak little kid to where he was now, was proof enough that, if he could do it, so could Hitoshi – and that was at least a little bit comforting.

The two teens stayed at the cat café for a few more hours, both ordering another round of drinks and some fresh pastries, talking about nothing and everything. Izuku hadn’t realized it was getting late, until Himiko texted him, asking about what he had been doing all day and was ignoring the memes she had been sending him on TigTog.

And that was when he remembered that he hadn’t told her about his not date with Hitoshi. He was so getting an earful later.

A phone call from Izuku’s mom, asking if he would be coming home for dinner, was their cue to pay for their drinks and food and go home. Izuku tried to pay for the both of them, but Hitoshi refused. At the green-haired teen’s insistence, he said that Izuku could pay next time – which meant there would be a next time, and Izuku’s cheeks caught fire for the umpteenth time that day.

The two headed towards Hitoshi’s neighborhood, chatting idly as they walked to his house. Once they reached his foster parents’ apartment building, they stared at each other awkwardly.

“So… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Izuku shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Yeah.” Hitoshi rubbed his bare arms, his hoodie tied around his waist. “Thank you again, for today.”

“Don’t mention it. Like I said, I’ll always be here, if you need to talk.” Izuku smiled, bouncing on the heels of his feet.

“Thank you.” The insomniac rubbed the back of his neck. “Same goes for you. Being there if you need me, I mean.” He gave him a small grin, making Izuku’s heart flutter.

“Thank you.” Not sure of what to do with his hands, he grabbed the straps of his backpack. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“See you tomorrow. And text me when you get home,” Hitoshi added as an afterthought.

“I will.” Izuku turned to leave, but Hitoshi called out to him.

“Izuku?”

“Hm?” The shorter teen tilted his head to the side.

“I had a lot of fun, today,” he said, averting his gaze, a hint of a blush appearing on his cheeks.

Izuku smiled. “Me too.”

~~~

“I can't believe you went on a date and didn't tell me!”

Himiko grabbed Izuku by the shoulders and started shaking him lightly – mostly for show, but it still made him lose balance and fall back in the booth.

“It wasn't a date!” Izuku squeaked.

Spinner and Shigaraki were upstairs playing League of Legends, so he wasn't wearing his mask, and everyone could see his cheeks turning bright red.

“We just went for coffee at this cat café near the beach!”

“That’s a date, Izu!” Their resident vampire sighed dramatically, and slumped in the booth, next to him. “You're such a hopeless homosexual.”

Izuku squawked. “I- I’m not!”

Dabi was watching the exchange with amusement, sipping what looked like water – it could be vodka. He was sitting on the stool furthest from the front door, with Twice standing next to him. The Double user was too busy taking Dabi's measurements to pay attention to the teens’ squabbling, presumably so he could use his quirk to make the fire user’s clone if the need ever arose.

“At least tell me the deets!” Himiko whined, before her face lit up, and she gave him a mischievous grin. “Did you guys kiss yet?”

“W- What?” Izuku stammered, turning into a literal raspberry. “N-No! Besides... I don’t even know if he likes me back…” he murmured, his gaze locked on his gloved hands.

When he didn't hear Himiko say anything to mock him, he turned to look at her, and was met with gleaming eyes and a sharp grin. She might not have pointed out that he had just said “if he likes me back”, but her expression was enough for his cheeks to turn a couple shades darker, if that was even humanly possible.

“We did trauma-dump, though,” he said, shifting the conversation to what had actually happened today.

Himiko nodded with approval. “Valid.” She didn’t ask about what Hitoshi had said about himself; she might be nosy, but when it came to stuff like that, she would always respect the other person’s privacy.

Izuku proceeded to tell her about how he would be training Hitoshi, starting tomorrow, and she was beyond thrilled. She even asked if she could join them sometime, and Izuku promised to introduce the two at some point.

But he would have to be sure Hitoshi was okay with her being a villain, first. The media might not know she was a member of the League of Villains – not yet, anyway – but she still was a wanted criminal. They didn't think it would pose a problem, though; they all knew who the real villains were.

Chapter Text

Izuku could hear his classmates laughing even before he opened the 1-A classroom door. He had barely stepped inside, but he couldn't help but start chuckling as well.

Katsuki’s unruly spiky hair had been combed into a neat side part, heavily contrasting his angry scowl and complete disregard for the school’s dress code.

“Stop laughing!” he yelled. “My hair’s gotten so used to it, it won't come back to normal even after I wash it!”

“Oh, come on, it suits you, side-part boy,” Sero taunted, and Katsuki exploded, both figuratively and literally, which only made Kirishima and Sero laugh louder.

“What’d you say?” Katsuki shouted, his hair returning to normal with the force of his explosive personality or something.

“It’s back!” Kirishima wheezed.

Izuku’s laughter quieted down to stifled giggles as he made his way to his desk, only half-paying attention to his other classmates, who were discussing what they’d done during their internships.

He was especially pleased to hear that Mineta, who had gone to Mt Lady, had basically become the heroine’s slave – forced to do various tasks, including, but not limited to, all her housework – and had now developed a growing fear of women. Even though Izuku disliked her, he couldn't help but applaud Mt Lady for that.

He dropped his bag onto his desk, and approached Shouto, who was already sitting at his own.

“Hello,” the dual-colored teen greeted.

“Hey, Shouto. How was your internship?”

Of course, Izuku was mostly asking about the rest of his friend’s internship, having seen him just a few days ago, but the moment the question came out of his mouth, the other students seemed to remember the news about the Hosu Incident, and realized that, since Endeavor had caught the Hero Killer, Shouto must have also been there. They didn't hesitate to bombard him with questions and chime in with their own thoughts on the matter.

“Todoroki! You were in Hosu, right?”

“Did you fight the Hero Killer, too?”

“Endeavor was so cool, taking down the Hero Killer all on his own!”

“As expected from the Number Two Hero!”

Shouto’s expression remained neutral, neither confirming nor denying anyone’s speculations. Izuku could tell he was fuming inside, seeing his father get so much praise, especially when it was for literally almost burning someone to death, even if that someone was a serial killer.

“Come on guys, we shouldn’t pry about stuff like that.”

“Yeah, that could be confidential information!”

“I saw on the news that the Hero Killer is connected to the League of Villains.”

“Imagine if someone like him came to USJ.”

“Oh, I would be toast.”

Izuku and Shouto tuned everyone out, and instead talked about how they spent their Sunday.

The green-haired teen told him about how he would be training Hitoshi, starting today, and Shouto was pleasantly surprised.

“You can join us if you want,” Izuku offered.

The taller teen made a sour face. “I wish I could, but my father will definitely want to know what I’m doing out every day after school instead of studying, like an exemplary heroics student should or something.” He obviously didn't want to have the Number Two Asshole hanging round his neck any more than he already did.

Izuku hummed. “You could join us once or twice a week, then,” he suggested, “and pretend you're just going out with friends.” It would technically be true, after all; there would just be some fighting involved.

Before they could say anything more, though, Izuku noticed Aizawa was lurking behind the classroom door. Just as he made it to his desk, the man entered the room, gruff and sleep-deprived as always.

“Morning, hellspawn.”

Everyone immediately scrambled to their seats, and the hero began today’s homeroom.

~~~

“Wow, Hagakure, you got a new costume!”

“Yaomomo, you too?”

“Ashido and Uraraka have new ones as well!”

A few boys were gawking over the four girls’ new hero costumes.

They were all gathered outside Field Gamma for their heroics training, waiting for All Might to arrive and start the lesson. All students were wearing their hero costumes, and in the aforementioned girls’ cases, their new ones. The rest of their female classmates had already seen them while they changed in the locker rooms, but they were still amazed with the obvious differences from their previous outfits.

Most notably, Hagakure had an actual costume on, instead of that ridiculous set of gloves and boots she had previously been wearing. Even though her footwear remained the same, she now sported a total black outfit, that comprised a tight short-sleeved shirt and loose cargo pants. On her left shoulder was a small red button, that presumably, when pressed, made her costume go invisible.

Yaomomo’s costume was no longer overly revealing, to Mineta’s obvious dissatisfaction. She was now wearing a sleeveless crimson shirt with a two-way zipper on the front, fastened just above her chest, with silver lines at the waist and around her arms, similarly to her previous costume. She also sported a cream-colored pair of shorts with zippers on the sides, and a utility belt of the same color. Her chemistry books had been replaced by a small tablet, its case attached to the side of her belt.

Mina's costume wasn't significantly different. She had kept her cropped, beige waistcoat, but her skintight bodysuit had been replaced by a two-piece set of the same purple and turquoise camouflage design, consisting of a strapless shirt and a looser-fitting pair of leggings. She had also added a tan-colored utility belt, where Izuku guessed she was also carrying a counter-agent for her acid, like he had recommended.

Finally, Uraraka had her skintight bodysuit replaced in a similar fashion, now wearing a black pair of leggings and a fitted shirt with the same black and pale pink design as her former costume. She had also dropped her belt and other accessories, but she had kept her headgear – since it helped lessen the stress on her ears while high in the air – although it no longer included a visor. Her pink knee-high boots had been modified as well, the heels replaced by thick, deep pink, shock-absorbent soles.

“We had some modifications done prior to our internships,” Yaomomo admitted, visibly flustered by all the attention they were getting.

“Mine is acid-proof now!” Mina exclaimed.

“And mine is lighter!” the gravity girl babbled, punching the air.

“And you, Hagakure?” Ojiro asked, frowning. “Wouldn't a visible costume defeat the purpose of your invisibility?”

The girl didn't need to be visible for Izuku to understand she was blushing. “I can make it invisible! Watch.”

She pressed the button on her shoulder, and everyone could now only see her boots, that were bouncing up and down, clearly showing her excitement. “Midoriya-kun suggested I ask the support department to make a costume from my hair so it goes invisible with me, and they even made it turn visible! Hatsume-san is amazing! She did take most of my hair, though…” she giggled, “they reach above my shoulders now, hehe…”

“Damn Midoriya!” Kaminari exclaimed, everyone’s attention turning towards the green-haired boy. “When did you become an expert in hero costumes?”

“I’m definitely not an expert,” Izuku laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “But I’ve been analyzing heroes since I can remember myself, and I had a few ideas for them, so I told them.”

He shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it, but everyone started expressing how cool and amazing and manly he was, and started requesting he gave them tips for their costumes as well.

Before he could say anything, though, All Might came sprinting towards them, stopping right in front of Field Gamma, facing the students. Everyone immediately went quiet, and for the first time in a long time, Izuku was glad to see the zygote’s face.

“Okay, I am here,” All Might said, quite unenthusiastically. “Anyway, we’ll be starting now. Welcome back, boys and girls!”

No one replied.  

Gods, he's so awkward, Izuku thought. I swear he gets worse every time he teaches.

“Right. For today’s Basic Hero Training, since you’ve all just come back from your internships, we’ll have some fun with a rescue training race!”

Iida raised his hand. “If we’re doing rescue training, shouldn’t we be at the USJ?”

More than a few students side-eyed him. Like it hadn't been traumatic enough the first time they’d been there.

“The USJ is for disaster rescue training. Today we’ll be doing a race!” All Might gestured to the training grounds behind him. “This is Field Gamma. It’s a dense area filled with factories, laid out like a labyrinth.”

The hero proceeded to explain the rules. The students would break up into four groups of 5, and they would be going through the race one team at a time. Each student would start from different points on the outskirts of the Field, while All Might would send out a distress signal from somewhere inside the maze. The students’ goal would be to reach the hero first – ergo, rescue training race.

All Might drew the lots again, to determine the groups – obviously – Izuku being on the first batch with Mina, Ojiro, Sero and Iida. While all of them, especially the last two, were fast and fairly good with mobility, Izuku wouldn't have a hard time winning.

Honestly, it would be child’s play for him. Even more so, after his maneuverability training with Gran Torino.

And indeed, the moment All Might send the signal, Izuku took off, Full Cowl activated at 10%, easily jumping and moving through the construction site using his (now even more) enhanced speed and agility. In less than a minute, he had reached All Might, winning the race without breaking a sweat.

Sero arrived next, Ojiro coming in a close third. They both turned to Izuku as they were catching his breath.

“Wow, Midoriya, you're so much faster than before!”

“That was crazy, dude!”

“Thank you,” Izuku smiled politely, “I had a lot of mobility training during my internship, so this was the perfect exercise for me…”

Once the other two students caught up to them, the hero commended them all for their progress since the beginning of the school year, encouraging them to continue training, yada yada yada.

The teens started to leave, and join the rest of their classmates at the observation area, when All Might approached Izuku, giving him a not-so-subtle thumbs up.

“You’ve come so far, Midoriya-shounen. Come see me after class is over.”

Izuku nodded. “Yes, sensei.”

“It’s time I tell you about me and One For All.”

Fucking finally.

~~~

As everyone made their way to the locker rooms, Izuku noticed that Shouto had stayed behind. Turning to look for him, he found his friend walking very slowly, staring at the ground with a frown on his face, seemingly deep in thought.

Izuku walked up to him. “Shouto, what’s wrong?”

“I…” the taller teen turned to face him, a guilty look on his face. “I've been thinking about something.”

Izuku tilted his head, silently encouraging him to speak his mind.

“You know how I found you and Iida, in Hosu?”

Izuku nodded.

“I told the police that I went to help civilians, and then I stumbled upon you and Stain, and I rushed in to help.”

The green-haired teen gave him another nod, frowning. He had no idea where Shouto was going with this.

“I lied. I…” he averted his gaze, his eyes pinned to the ground. “I wasn't- I just saw the chance to get away from Endeavor and I took it. He had been getting on my nerves all day, and I wanted to be alone for a minute, so when the Nomu attacks happened, I just… took the chance and left.”

His frowned deepened as he met Izuku’s eyes again. “I didn't even think about helping civilians. And I feel guilty about it- not acting like a hero should, and I…” he sighed. “I don’t know…”

“Maybe heroics wasn't meant for you,” Izuku blurted out. Seeing Shouto’s gob smacked face, he started waving his hands in front of him. “I mean, I'm not saying what you did was a bad thing, I just… maybe you weren't meant to be a hero.”

He watched Shouto go through the five stages of grief in the span of five seconds. Izuku really did have a knack for giving people existential crises.

“Do you... want to be one?” he asked hesitantly. “A hero, I mean.”

“I… don’t know.” Shouto stared at his hands, like they held all the answers. “It never mattered what I wanted, so I've never really thought about it. I was literally born and raised to become a hero; it’s all I've ever known.”

Izuku smiled sympathetically. “Maybe you should start thinking about what you want. It’s your life, Shouto. You shouldn’t waste it to fulfill someone else’s dreams.”

The teen didn't reply; Izuku didn't say anything else on the matter, either.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late for class,” he nudged his friend, and they both walked towards the boys’ locker rooms.

Izuku thought about how he had been planting seeds in Shouto’s mind, just like he’d told Dabi the other day, and wondered if he could ever bring him on their side.

That family reunion might happen after all.

~~~

Izuku knocked on the teacher’s lounge door, but received no answer.

“All Might?”

He hesitantly opened the door, and was met with a seated Smallmight, his expression uncharacteristically grim.

“Have a seat,” he said, the usual cheerfulness in his voice notably absent.

Izuku closed the door behind him and sat at the chair opposite of the hero.

“You went through a lot, huh? I'm sorry I couldn't be there.”

“Oh, there’s nothing to apologize for! But, um…” Izuku scratched his cheek. “Didn't you want to talk about One For All?”

“I heard… that the Hero Killer got a lick of your blood,” he said, and Izuku wondered whether he hadn’t heard him.

“Uh, yeah, he did.” Izuku frowned. “But why does that…?”

“Do you remember what I told you, when I gave you my power?” the hero asked, his hand in front of him, like he was holding up an invisible strand of hair.

“Uh, eat this?” He was tempted to do his spot-on All Might impression, but thought better of it.

“No, not that part!” All Might sighed. “I said that it didn't matter what you ingested, as long as you took in my DNA.”

“Yeah, I remember. I asked you to give me blood instead.” He shuddered at the thought of swallowing his hair. But then it dawned on him, what the hero was implying. “You don’t mean the Hero Killer could have inherited One For All?!”

If he was being honest, he hadn’t thought of that before, and he was mentally banging his head against the wall. Stain might not have ever consumed Izuku’s blood, but Himiko had, numerous times. Though, if she had inherited the quirk, she would have obviously manifested it by now.

“No, that’s not it,” All Might assured him. “I just thought you might have been worried about that, but it seems you forgot about it…”

Yes, he had, and he felt beyond stupid right now.

“One For All cannot be transferred to anyone unless the bearer wants it to,” the man continued. Oh, that was a relief. “It cannot be stolen by force, but it can be transferred by force.”

Izuku hummed. “So a user could give it to someone against their will, but someone else can't take it against the user’s will?”

“Precisely. It’s a very special quirk. I… am going to tell you where One For All came from.” He paused for a moment, and looked Izuku in the eye. “It derived from another quirk in the past. That quirk’s name was All For One.”

Izuku’s breath hitched. “All For One…?” He pretended he hadn’t heard of the name before, but he was surprised to hear that One For All had come from the villain he had done so much research on, and yet had found so little information about – though, considering the similarities between their names, it made total sense.

“That’s right. It’s a quirk that allows the user to steal quirks, making them their own, as well as give those quirks to others.”

Izuku’s fingers twitched, wanting to write down every new piece of information. “All For One… Every quirk for one person?”

“Exactly. This was when superpowers first started to appear, before society learned how to deal with them. People’s view of what a normal human is crumbled away; the world was in chaos, criminal activity was at its peak, and the advancement of human civilization came to a halt.”

Izuku nodded. “I've read about that. It was the Dark Era, right?”

“Yes. And during that chaotic period, one person took the first step to unify the people. He stole quirks from others, and used his overwhelming power to spread his influence. He was a criminal mastermind, who became a symbol of unity, a leader of all evildoers, ruling over Japan from the shadows.”

Izuku hummed. That lined up with everything Izuku had read so far. "But how is One For All related to this?”

“All For One could give and take quirks. He made others trust him or surrender to him by giving them quirks, or taking them away from those who didn't want them.” All Might’s expression was turning more and more grim with every word. “However, some people couldn't handle the quirks they were given, and became like living puppets, who couldn't speak, or resist. Just like the Nomu.”

Izuku gave a nod.

“Meanwhile, there were quirks that changed or mixed once people received them,” All Might went on. “All For One had a quirkless youngest brother. The brother was small and sickly, but had a strong sense of justice.”

Well, isn’t that familiar, Izuku thought.

“It pained him to see his older brother’s evil deeds, and he kept resisting him. But All For One forced a quirk onto him. It’s impossible to know if it was an act of kindness, or a means to force him into submission. What’s important is the nature of that quirk. It had the ability to stock power.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “Was he…”

“That’s right. The younger brother thought he was quirkless, but there was a power inside him. A power that neither he nor those around him had noticed. He had a quirk that could pass on quirks!”

All Might made a grand gesture, as he stressed his next words. “A quirk that stocks power, mixed with a quirk to pass on quirks. That was the origin of One For All!”

Izuku stayed silent for a bit, taking in the new information. That… made so much sense, now that he was thinking about it. Even though he was surprised to learn the true nature of All For One’s quirk, it felt like it was part of an unfinished puzzle, and Izuku had finally gotten all the pieces.

All For One, a quirk to give all to one person, and One For All, one power for all people, its origin itself being a powerful will that refused to submit to All For One. Was that why it couldn't be taken away forcefully? – and did that apply to the villain’s quirk as well?

“All For One has stolen so many quirks, he most likely found a quirk that stops him from aging,” the hero continued. “The Symbol of Evil was basically immortal… And because their huge differences in their combat abilities, and the state of society at the time, the younger brother entrusted his quirk to future generations. He believed that, even though he couldn't win against All For One at the time, if he slowly cultivated that power, letting it grow with every generation, there would be a time where One For All was strong enough to stop him.”

Was that why both All Might and Shimura Nana had gone against him? Because that was their job as One For All’s holders?

“So One For All derives from All For One, passed down for the purpose of defeating him,” Izuku mumbled, mostly to himself. “A heroic quirk that came from a villain.” It was absurd, but weirdly unsurprising.

“Yeah. It’s ironic, really,” the hero remarked, “how justice always comes from evil.”

And that statement was ironic in and of itself.

“But then, when it was my turn, I was finally able to defeat him.” All Might’s face took a very solemn and guilty expression, contrasting what he had just said. “At least that’s what I thought.” The hero stood up, and walked to the window, avoiding Izuku’s calculating gaze. “He survived, and he started to move again, this time as the brain of the League of Villains.”

Ah. There it was. Izuku already knew that All For One was alive, but if he was the leader of the League behind the scenes, it meant that he was also Shigaraki's Sensei. And he had most likely overheard everything Izuku had said on the day he met the League for the first time – meaning he knew that Izuku was All Might’s successor, and that he had inherited One For All. Lovely.

At least All For One knew that Izuku wanted to destroy hero society; maybe he wouldn't try to kill him at the first opportunity. It would make more sense if he wanted to meet him, get him on his side – All For One’s side; Izuku had already made clear where his loyalty lay, and it wasn't with the heroes. Even though he was on the League’s side, he couldn't say the same about All For One. Izuku would have to meet him first.

Though, the villain had used a rather… unconventional method to bring Izuku to him. That was what the flying Nomu incident had been about, right?

Speaking of…

“So he’s the one who made the Nomu?” Izuku asked.

“I suppose so, yes.” All Might turned to look at him. “Detective Tsukauchi told me they tested the USJ Nomu's body, and found it had mixed DNA from at least 4 different people.”

Izuku scowled. “So they're living people, that he forced multiple quirks on?” He was going to have a long chat with Shigaraki after this.

“Seems so,” the hero said gravely. “Its whole body seemed to have been tampered with so it could hold multiple quirks, like shock absorption and regeneration. But even if different DNA was introduced, unless there is a way it can be completely integrated, the body would not have multiple quirks. This led the police to speculate that the reason the Nomu could have multiple quirks was because there was someone that could give them to it.”

“All For One.”

All Might nodded, and once again turned around to look out the window.

So this great supervillain, that even All Might couldn't defeat, had turned out to be alive, leading one of the most dangerous uprising villain organizations, and had even created human weapons to take out the Symbol of Peace and end the line of One For All’s bearers.

But that would mean…

“You may one day have to fight against this great evil…”

And you're telling me now? Raw anger started welling up in Izuku’s veins. This was way worse than when he was told to declare to the world ‘I am here, the next Symbol of Peace’ or some shit at the Sports Festival.

All Might had just admitted that the sole purpose of his quirk was to defeat a supervillain, and he hadn't even considered mentioning it before entrusting it to a literal child? Sure, he’d thought that All For One was dead, but the point still stood! One For All wasn't just a sacred torch passed down to create a whole lineage of heroes, it was a tool to save Japan from its greatest threat. And now, that burden had fallen solely on Izuku’s hands, without him even knowing about it!

It was infuriating, and Izuku couldn't help but resent the hero even more, for putting him, for putting a teenager, in this position. But there was nothing he could do about it, now.

He swallowed down all his frustration and rage, and took a deep breath, forcing himself to appear as determined as he did back when he’d first accepted All Might’s offer. 

“This is harsh on you,” the hero said – yeah, no shit – “but…”

“I’ll do my best!” the teen interrupted him, and All Might turned to look at him with wide eyes. “I’ll try my best, All Might. I want to bring justice to the world, and if this is the way to do it, I will!”

The hero watched him with a fond expression, like he was proud of him, and Izuku wanted to wipe that stupid smile off his face with sandpaper. Instead, he gave him a warm smile of his own, like he hadn’t just declared he would bring down the country’s greatest threat.

Gods, what had he gotten himself into?

Chapter Text

“Remind me why I agreed to this again?”

Hitoshi was still panting, having just finished his second set of exercises.

Izuku chuckled. “You're the one who asked me to train you.”

He tossed a water bottle to his friend, who fumbled with it, trying not to drop it. He still had a long way to go, but Izuku would be helping him hone all his skills, like he’d promised.

Hitoshi downed half the bottle, and plopped down on the sand next to Izuku. They had declared Dagobah Beach as their training spot for the nearby future, as long as there weren’t many people present. Running and exercising on the sand made for a great endurance training, and when they would start sparring, the uneven and unsolid terrain would be a good hindrance during fighting. Plus, they could always go for a swim afterwards, especially when the weather got warmer.

Hitoshi used the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, and Izuku would be lying if he said he didn't stare for a moment too long at the boy’s exposed torso. Gay feelings aside, Izuku was proud of him for feeling comfortable enough to wear a t-shirt outside, even when it was just the two of them.

“Ugh, is this how it’s gonna be from now on?”

“It’s literally the first day,” Izuku snickered. “This is just a warm-up.”

“You call this a warm-up?” Hitoshi seemed genuinely distressed, which only made the shorter boy laugh even more. “Don’t laugh at me! I'm not a prodigy monster like you!” He lightly nudged Izuku with his shoulder, a teasing smirk on his lips.

“Believe me, I was even worse when I first started training.”

The lavender-haired teen gawked. “No way. I don’t believe it.”

“I really was. I couldn't even do three push-ups in a row at first.” Izuku smiled, his mind playing all the small milestones he had reached during his ‘10 months of hell’ as he’d called it, when he’d been preparing for the entrance exams. “It takes time, you just have to persist. It might take a week or a month or ten, but you’ll get the hang of it, I promise.”

Hitoshi’s soft gaze made his stomach flip.

“Besides,” Izuku turned his attention towards the sea, "just a year ago I was right here, crying because I couldn't lift a small fridge. If I can do it, so can you.”

“I still can't believe you weren’t always so strong…” the insomniac shook his head.

“Yeah, well, I've shown you proof, so you can't deny it. I’ll tell you what.” Izuku took out his phone and opened the camera app. “I’ll take a picture of you now, and in… how much, two months? Let’s say two months, we’ll look back at it, and you’ll see the difference even in that amount of time. What do you say?”

Hitoshi watched him for a few seconds, before the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Okay.”

He got up, and stood a couple steps away from Izuku, doing a peace sign with both hands. Izuku ignored the blush creeping up on his face as he took a couple pictures, and walked up to his friend.

Before he could show Hitoshi the pics, though, the taller teen tapped the screen, switching the camera from rear to front. Izuku could see the pink color of his cheeks reflecting on the screen, but he still held the phone in front of them to take a picture of them both.

“Send them to me later,” Hitoshi said, “I'm going for my final lap.”

Before Izuku could say anything, the boy took off, jogging along the beach. The shorter teen stared at his back as he got further and further away, before shaking his head, and sat back down.

As he waited for his friend to finish his lap, Izuku gazed at the picture of the two of them. The green-haired teen was smiling softly at the camera, his freckled face tinted in a soft shade of pink. Hitoshi was standing behind him, holding his hand in a peace sign behind Izuku’s head, his lips curved into his signature lopsided grin. Izuku’s gaze couldn't help but linger on the boy’s tired eyes, entire constellations swirling in a galaxy of indigo.

He must have been staring at the screen for longer than he’d thought, because Hitoshi had already finished his lap, and was now dragging himself towards Izuku.

The shorter teen quickly switched off his phone, and turned to his friend, hoping that his face had returned to a semi-normal color.

“Ready for your final set?” he asked, trying to appear casual.

“No.”

Izuku laughed. “Come on, you got this.”

The other boy sighed, but still went through the series of exercises Izuku had set for him.

By the end of it, he was breathing heavily, his face flushed. “I don’t know how I'm gonna do this every day,” he mumbled, and gulped down the rest of his water.

“You won't do this every day,” Izuku offered. “We’ll change things up so you don’t get bored, and your body doesn’t get used to it.”

Hitoshi grunted, making the shorter boy chuckle.

“I was thinking of teaching you some basic defense moves tomorrow; what do you think?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Hitoshi gave him a small grin, and at that moment, Izuku knew that, if this was what he would get to see every day, then every decision he’d made in his life that had let him to meeting this boy had all been worth it.

~~~

“Shigaraki, we need to talk.”

Hearing Izuku’s dead serious tone, silence fell inside the bar, and everyone stopped what they were doing. The blue-haired villain paused the game he and Spinner had been taking turns playing on his Switch, and turned to Izuku, who had come up to the booth he was occupying, with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“I want to know about the Nomu,” Izuku said, not bothering to take this conversation somewhere private; he thought it was something the whole League should be present for.

“What about them?” Shigaraki asked, a hint of nervousness in his otherwise neutral expression.

“Care to explain to your League about how they are actual people” - Izuku caught a few confused glances being exchanged - “that have been experimented on and had multiple quirks forced on them?”

“What?” Himiko seemed quite upset, her eyes lacking their usual glint.

“How do you even know that?” Shigaraki questioned, his brows furrowed.

“I'm an informant, I have my ways.”

He didn't want to say much more, knowing that Sensei – All For One – was probably listening to them through the monitor; although, it wasn't difficult to assume Izuku had overheard the heroes talking about it, or that someone had told him outright. Still, he didn't feel like showing all his cards to the villain; All For One already knew much more about him than the teen would like. Besides, Spinner didn't know about his true identity, and if this conversation ended up with the worst-case scenario, he wouldn't get to, either.

Shigaraki didn't reply at first; he was watching Izuku intently, his hand twitching, as if keeping himself from scratching his neck.

The teen raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“They're not people,” the Decay user finally said, “not anymore, at least.”

Izuku made a ‘go on’ gesture with his hand.

Shigaraki sighed. “I don’t know the details. Sensei is the one who arranges everything with the Doctor about them.”

“The Doctor?”

“He’s the one who makes the Nomu. He hasn’t told me much.” The villain was visibly getting restless under Izuku’s scrutinizing gaze, his hand now brought to his neck, scratching his skin. “They have been modified to be able to withstand multiple quirks, and… I don’t know how he does it, but the Doctor has made sure they can't think on their own, and they will only listen to mine and Sensei’s commands. I, uh… I think he used to experiment on people at first, but now he just uses… dead bodies.”

“And that’s better, how?” Izuku scoffed. “For all I know, he could still be kidnapping people and killing them. But even if he doesn't,” he said, before Shigaraki could retort, “he’s still violating human beings. He makes people into puppets for fuck’s sake! That’s just immoral!”  

Izuku might be wearing a mask that obscured most of his face, but his eyes were clearly showing how disgusted and appalled he was.

“That’s not right, dude,” Twice agreed. The absence of a contradicting comment made his stance on the matter clear.

Shigaraki shrugged, trying, but failing, to appear nonchalant, his nails still clawing at his neck. “Well, we are villains.”

“Yes, because that’s what the law and heroes say we are! But we still have morals, and this is just wrong!”

Izuku quickly scanned the room, taking note of the rest of the League’s reactions. Himiko seemed genuinely distraught, Twice patting her head as he nodded along the green-haired teen’s words. Dabi had a stone-cold expression on his face, his jaw clenched tight, watching Shigaraki with an ironically icy stare. Spinner seemed unsure, frowning and pressing his lips into a thin line, while Kurogiri was standing behind the bar, still as a statue, his expression unreadable.

“Are there more Nomu?” Izuku asked, when Shigaraki didn't say anything to justify the monsters’ cruel existence.

“What?”

“Are there more Nomu,” the teen repeated, slowly, “apart from the USJ one and those in Hosu?”

“Uh…” The villain was frantically scratching his neck, his nails scraping the skin hard enough to draw blood. His eyes were darting around the room, as if looking to escape the conversation, but Izuku didn't relent, his gaze unwavering.

Eventually, Shigaraki sighed. “There’s a warehouse here in Kamino. The Doctor has a few Nomu stored there for when I need them; I used some of them for the Hosu attack – the one you asked for.”

“That was before I knew what they actually are.” 

None of them spoke for a while. Neither did the rest of the League, all watching the two villains stare at each other intently. There was complete silence inside the bar, anticipating how this quarrel would turn out – even Shigaraki's scratching had stopped.

“I want them gone,” Izuku finally said.

For the first time today, the blue-haired villain looked angry. He stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “What?”

“I want the warehouse gone. The Nomu included.”

“You can't be serious!”

“I can't agree to this. I can't just stand by while you use innocent humans to do your biding like that.” Shigaraki didn't answer. “If you continue to use the Nomu, I’m out.”

“What do you mean you're out?” Himiko choked out.

Izuku didn't turn to look at her, not wanting to meet her pleading eyes.

“I'm leaving the League. If this is how you want to do things, then I won't be here to support you.”

Before anyone could say anything else, he turned around and walked out the bar. No one tried to stop him.

~~~

Izuku turned his phone to silent mode and went to the bathroom for a hot shower. His phone had been buzzing with text messages and calls from the moment he'd stepped foot inside his apartment building.

Even though he had basically declared he was out of the League if they kept using the Nomu, Kurogiri had still made him a portal outside the bar so he would get home safely. The warp villain was the only person Izuku texted back, to thank him for saving him two whole hours of public transport.

Of all the members of the League, Himiko was upset the most; Izuku couldn't blame her, they were best friends, practically family at this point. But he didn't know how to face her, when he had essentially abandoned her.

Well, not abandoned, that was too much of a strong word. But he did leave her there, not giving her a chance to choose whether she wanted to go with him or stay with the League.

Once he got ready for sleep, Izuku plopped on his bed and opened his messaging app. He didn't check the LoV’s group chat, going straight for his private messages with his best friend.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard, not sure of what he should say.

Count Dracula:

Izu!!!

Pls answer me

Everyones fighting and I don’t like it

Plz talk to me

I don’t know if I can be in the league without you

Please call me back Izuku

Or text me

I just wanna know if you're ok

Please

Kermit:

I'm sorry Himiko. I'm really sorry

I didn't want to leave you there like that

But I can't stay after what I found out

Himiko saw his messages the moment he pressed send.

Count Dracula:

Izuku!!!

Thank the gods you're okay

I was really worried

Kermit:

I'm sorry

Look I can't do this if shigi keeps the nomu. Its just wrong

I won't be back until he decides

Count Dracula:

I understand

Ill tell him

Ill stay here until he has an answer

I'm with you Izuku, whatever you decide💚

Kermit:

Thank you

~~~

Izuku noticed that his favorite cloud of purple was moving slower than usual as he approached him and Shouto. The two hero students were already sitting at their usual table, waiting for him.

“Hey, Hitoshi,” Izuku greeted.

Hitoshi grunted as he sat down opposite of his friends, his face morphing into a grimace.

Shouto frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Hitoshi glared at the green-haired boy. “Izuku beat me up yesterday.”

Izuku gawked. “I did not!”

Shouto seemed even more confused.

The insomniac’s lips formed a playful smirk. “We started sparring yesterday,” he explained. “Izuku thought I should try and go against him, put everything he taught me into practice or whatever.”

Izuku had been teaching the teen a few basic attack and defense moves the past couple of days, in addition to his strength and stamina training. Hitoshi had picked them up surprisingly easily, which had led Izuku to decide they could start sparring. He had almost forgotten how different learning how to fight was to actual fighting, but seeing Hitoshi struggle to keep up was his sign to take it slow.

“I'm so sore, I could barely change in and out of my clothes yesterday.”

“You should have a hot bath,” Shouto suggested. “You know, to loosen up your muscles.”

“Oh, uh, my foster parents don’t let me stay too long out of my room.”

That… was at least a bit worrying.

“Did you at least take any painkillers?” Izuku asked, frowning with concern.

“I'm not…” The guilty and ashamed look on Hitoshi’s face was enough of an answer. That raised more than a few red flags about his guardians. “It’s fine. I was too tired, anyway, so I slept it off.”

The two boys nodded, understanding that he didn't want to talk about it further, and they all dived into their lunch.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Shouto, who had mostly been playing with his food, took a deep breath and addressed his two friends.

“How did you know you wanted to be a hero?”

Hitoshi blinked, not expecting that sort of question from the hero course student. “Uh, why?”

“I…” Shouto briefly glanced at Izuku, who smiled softly and gave him a subtle nod. “I’m not sure I actually want to be a hero.”

Seeing Hitoshi visibly surprised, he briefly explained what he had told Izuku a few days ago, after the rescue training race. Of course, he didn't tell him everything about the Hosu Incident, just about how he had taken advantage of the Nomu attack to get away from Endeavor for a bit, and then lying to the police, saying he had separated from the hero to help civilians.

“I felt guilty at first, for not acting like a hero, but Izuku said that maybe heroics wasn't it for me. And…” he paused for a couple seconds, looking at the green-haired teen with a questioning gaze. Izuku nodded, encouraging him to speak his mind. “And I started to think if I really want to be a hero.”

“Wait,” Hitoshi interjected, “why would you apply for the hero course if you didn't know if that’s what you wanted?”

It was a valid question, but all Izuku could think of was Oh boy, here we go again…

“What do you know about quirk marriages?”

Shouto had already told Hitoshi, the first time the three of them had lunch together, about how he had been raised to become a hero like his father, but he hadn’t told him the whole story. And what a story it was.

Hearing it for the second time was just as impactful as the first. Izuku couldn't help but mirror Hitoshi’s enraged expression, even though he was already familiar with Shouto’s family history.

“Holy shit, dude,” Hitoshi whispered, once Shouto had finished his explanation – that had of course included Touya's story, and how their mother had been hospitalized after throwing boiling water on Shouto’s face. “That’s seriously fucked up.”

Izuku hummed in agreement, as he took another bite of his food. That was what he’d thought when Shouto had told him, as well.

“Is that why you don’t like being called by your family name?” the insomniac asked.

The dual-colored teen nodded. “I'm always seen as Endeavor’s son. At least when I'm with you guys, I want to be… just Shouto.” He gave his friends a small smile, gaining big ones in return.

“It’s like I’ve told you,” Izuku said, “you are your own person. You should be yourself, and do what you want to do, regardless of your father’s or anyone else’s expectations.”

“Mm.” Shouto took a bite of his food. “After what you said, I've been thinking if I really want to be a hero, or if I'm just following the path my father made for me. That’s why I asked you how you realized you wanted to be a hero.”

Izuku was still chewing his mouthful, so he couldn't reply immediately, but Hitoshi came forward with his own answer.

“I used to want to be a hero. I’d looked up to them since before my quirk manifested, and my parents always supported my dream.”

Hitoshi stared at his food, a downwards smile forming on his lips. Shouto was watching him intently.

“Even after they died,” the purple-haired boy continued, “I still wanted to be a hero. But not anymore. I just… I lost my faith in heroes.” He then froze, and looked up at the two hero students with wide eyes. “N-No offence to you guys,” he stammered, waving his hands, “it’s just that… I've never had a positive interaction with heroes or hero students, apart from you two. And after everything that happened at the Sports Festival, I just- I didn't see the point in trying to fit in. I'm just fine with, ya know, being friends with you two.”

A small blush crept up his cheeks, and Izuku couldn't help but smile.

“I understand,” he said softly, “I always wanted to be a hero too. It was my dream from the moment I learned what a hero was. But then… something happened.”

Izuku hesitated a bit. The two boys were giving him their undivided attention, and he couldn't bring himself to lie; so he didn't.

“About a year ago, I was attacked by a villain. The hero that saved me almost left me behind, because they were in a hurry.” He made a sour face at the memory. “But I wanted to ask them a question. I wanted to hear someone say it, that even me, a useless quirkless Deku, could become a hero. They said no.”

He smiled bitterly, and glanced at his friends, who both sported similar expressions of anger and surprise.

“That was the day I decided I didn't want to be a hero anymore. Not as we know them, anyway. I want to be different, to bring change into the world. Bring justice.”

“That’s why you chose that hero name,” Shouto noted.

Izuku nodded. “Yeah. Even though I have a quirk now, it doesn’t erase everything I've been through.” He looked back at Hitoshi. “So I understand, in a way.”  

Chapter Text

It took five days for Shigaraki to make a decision.

Himiko had texted Izuku on Saturday evening, while he was on his way back home from training with Hitoshi. She’d informed him that the leader of the League of Villains was finally ready to talk, but wouldn't say anything until Izuku got there.

So, after he was done with studying for the day – he had his mid-term exams coming up next week – he told his mom he would be meeting with Himiko, and requested a warp gate from Kurogiri, who teleported him straight to the bathroom of the apartment above the bar. Once he was dressed and masked, he went downstairs, where the entirety of the League of Villains was waiting for him – apart from Sensei, of course.

Dabi, Twice, and Himiko were sitting at the bar – the two men on stools and the girl on top of the counter - while Shigaraki and Spinner were occupying the booth in front of them. Kurogiri was cleaning glasses behind the bar, as per usual.

No one was speaking when Izuku entered the room. He made his way to his best friend, who gave him a hug from behind as he sat on a stool in front of her. Izuku crossed his arms and locked eyes with Shigaraki, eyebrow raised.

Eventually, the blue-haired villain stood up and leaned back against the table in front of the teen. “We’ll do it.”

Izuku’s brain short-circuited. “Huh?”

“We’ll destroy the Nomu Factory. I spoke with Sensei and…” Shigaraki made a brief pause. “You're a very valuable party member, Light.” Izuku could see how hard it was for him to admit this, so he let him gather his thoughts. “I convinced Sensei that you have more to offer to the League than the Nomu. Sure, the Nomu are strong characters we can use, but you’re stronger – and smarter than any of us. And… we have more chances of winning the final boss with you in the party.”

Izuku was shocked, to say the least. The fact that Shigaraki had spoken to Sensei in his favor, and had managed to convince him to get rid of the Nomu, was beyond surprising. He had hoped this would happen, sure, but hoping and actually happening were two very different things.

He also couldn't help but think that, even though everything Shigaraki had just said – about him being a great asset to the League, both strength and intelligence-wise – all stemmed from logical thinking, there had to be some sort of feelings involved. Maybe Izuku had grown on him, more than the villain would've liked to admit. Besides, Izuku would be a liar if he said he hadn’t grown to care for Shigaraki, as well.

“I have to say, I'm flattered,” he said, “but did your Sensei and this Doctor really agree to this?”

“Not at first,” Shigaraki admitted. “The Doctor especially thought it was like throwing his life’s work down the drain. But I… I talked to Sensei, and he spoke with him. The Doctor agreed, but only if we don't destroy his research.”

“Why, so he can make more Nomu if we ever feel like it?” Izuku scoffed.

“I guess?” Shigaraki sighed. “I don’t know. But he gave me the okay to destroy the warehouse. It’s the only one,” he added.

Izuku was silent for a few moments. The villain seemed to be telling the truth. Of course, Izuku still didn't trust Sensei, or that Doctor; if they had decided to experiment on people and create monsters, there was nothing stopping them from making them again, at least as far as morals were concerned. And he couldn't be sure if the warehouse in Kamino truly was their only Nomu-producing laboratory, even if Shigaraki thought as much.

Still, the League seemed to really value Izuku and his opinions. He could see everyone in the room being pleased with Shigaraki's decision, even sharing some of his… views on Izuku.

Himiko, who hadn’t let go of him since he’d sat down, squeezed him tighter.

“So?” the Decay user asked. “Will you stay?” If he was trying not to appear nervous, he wasn't doing a very good job.

Izuku smirked, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and all the villains in the room couldn't help but mirror him. “I will.”

“Yay!!!” Himiko exclaimed, and threw herself onto him, nearly toppling him off his seat.

“Yoohoo!” Twice cheered. “Welcome back! We don’t want you! Damn it, other me!”

Izuku joined everyone as they laughed, murmuring his thanks and relief, before he met Shigaraki's gleaming eyes.

“So…” the blue-haired villain’s lips formed a menacing grin. “Wanna go on a side quest?”

~~~

On Sunday morning, Izuku joined his mom in the living room, where she was having breakfast while watching the news.

“…the police arrived at the scene later that night, but all signs of the villains were gone, almost as if they were never there.”

“Could this be the work of the League of Villains? They reportedly have a warp gate user among them, as the heroes disclosed after the attack on U.A. grounds last month.”

“It certainly could. But why would the notorious League of Villains attack an empty warehouse?”

Izuku tuned out the reporters, as they discussed their speculations over a seemingly random villain attack in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Kamino Ward, in favor of making himself breakfast. He, of course, knew exactly what had happened; he had been there, after all.

- 12 hours earlier -

Kurogiri teleported everyone inside the Nomu Factory, a giant lab filled with medical equipment, machines and, most importantly, more than a dozen tanks with Nomu inside, laying in stasis.

The mist villain stayed by the door of the building, and let his kids the League have their fun. Himiko stabbed almost every Nomu's brain, Dabi turned a few tanks to soup (and later put them on fire), Izuku and Spinner used a few Nomu that they got outside of their tanks as target practice, while Twice was cheering – and booing – as they created chaos. Shigaraki cleaned up everyone’s messes, disintegrating every Nomu whose body was still tangible, as well as all the lab equipment inside the warehouse.

By the end of their ‘side quest’, the building was just as empty as it looked from the outside, with the exception of piles of ashes, dust, and scorch marks from Dabi's flames. Shigaraki had even decayed every part of the floor and walls that were stained with blood, erasing every single trace of the Nomu Factory.

They did make quite the commotion, though. The residents of the area had probably heard the villains shouting and laughing, or the explosions that Dabi had created when he’d set fire to a few machines, because less than an hour after they’d arrived, they could hear sirens get closer and closer to their location. Kurogiri teleported them all to the bar before the police could get inside the building, leaving them to only speculate what had really happened.

Himiko and Spinner immediately went upstairs to have a shower, both smeared with dust and grime and Nomu bodily fluids, while Twice and Dabi went out to smoke, leaving Izuku and Shigaraki to sit on the bar and relax.

They were both tired, a comfortable silence enveloping them as they sipped their non-alcoholic drinks. Shigaraki took out his Switch and started playing Animal Crossing at a low volume, Izuku watching idly. The blue-haired villain even turned the screen sideways, so the teen could see better.

It wasn't long before Izuku started yawning, and he decided to call it a night. Just before he went inside the warp gate, though, he took off his mask, and turned to Shigaraki, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thank you, Tomura.”

“You're welcome, Izuku.” 

~~~

“I need a break.”

Hitoshi all but dropped down on the sand, after their 3 km run. Izuku had slowed down to match the boy’s pace, barely having broken a sweat even in late May’s warm weather, and sat down next to him.

The teen would join Hitoshi sometimes, when he wasn't too tired from Hero Training at school. He had started using Fa Jin under Aizawa's supervision, trying to get familiar with it, while also making it seem like a natural extension of his ‘Super Power’, rather than an additional quirk. He didn't dare use it on another person; One For All was already powerful enough to severely maim, if not kill, another human, he couldn't risk anything happening while using Fa Jin on top of it.

The vestiges of the Second and Third One For All users still hadn’t made an appearance, after Fa Jin manifested. Izuku wasn't sure if they were giving him time to get used to his new power, or were hindered from contacting him by something – or someone – else, but he could vaguely remember voices arguing in his dreams sometimes. He couldn't recall the details, but at this point he understood it was mostly about him and his… views on heroes and the society that venerated them.

Izuku passed his friend a water bottle, who thanked him silently and chugged the entire thing in a few gulps.

“Your stamina has improved,” Izuku noted.

Hitoshi laughed. “You call that improvement? I almost die not even three minutes in!”

“Yeah well, last week you almost died not even one minute in.”

The taller teen snorted. “Touché.” He stayed quiet for a few moments, watching the gentle waves hit the shore. “I can already feel the difference. I know it’s only been a week, and maybe part of it is in my head, but I don’t feel as weak as I was before.”

Izuku hummed. “I get it. The mentality behind it definitely plays a part. You’re learning how to defend yourself, and that alone gives you a sense of security.” He gave the other boy a sweet smile. “With time, you’ll start to see on the outside how strong of a person you are.”

The corners of Hitoshi’s lips quirked up into a small smile, and Izuku was once again cursing his gay ass feelings for giving his stomach butterflies.

Hitoshi’s face then took a more serious expression. “Can I ask you a question?”

Izuku tilted his head slightly. “Of course.”

“The other day, when Shouto asked about how you knew you wanted to be a hero…” He made a small pause, and the shorter teen gave him a nod. “You said you don’t want to be a hero as we know them. What did you mean exactly?”

Izuku hummed in thought. He was contemplating telling the truth, or the half-truth at least, now that they weren’t on hero school grounds and it was just the two of them. It was different talking about this in front of Shouto, who, albeit still debating whether he really wanted to be a hero, was still a heroics student. Hitoshi, on the other hand, was in General Education and no longer wished to join the hero world. Based on everything the two had talked about over the course of the past few weeks of knowing each other, Izuku had a fairly good image of the teen’s morals and opinions on villains and heroes alike.

Eventually, Izuku took a deep breath, and met Hitoshi’s beautiful eyes. “I… don’t want to be a hero. At all.”

The other boy was, understandably, confused. “Then why are you in the hero course?”

“Because I want to change things. I… I want to destroy hero society, from the inside,” he admitted, turning his gaze to his fidgeting hands. “I wanted to be a part of it for so long, but I eventually realized that they would never accept someone like me, someone like us. So I started thinking bigger.”

Izuku looked up to Hitoshi, who was watching him with unblinking eyes. “I started seeing society as whole, and how wrong it is, how heroes are praised for doing the same crimes that others get branded as villains for. I want for the world to see how wrong the system is, how heroes and villains aren’t how the Commission presents them to be. I want to create a world where we can be ourselves; where we aren’t treated like shit because of things we can't control. I want us to be free.”

By the end of his rant, Hitoshi’s jaw had slightly gone slack, his indigo eyes wide and unblinking, and Izuku started freaking out inside his head. Had he gone too far? Had he mistakenly assumed Hitoshi would agree with everything he’d said, and had now scared him away? What if-

Izuku’s internal turmoil was cut like a knife, when a huge grin appeared on Hitoshi’s scarred face. “What do you plan on doing?”

The green-haired teen instantly lit up, his cheeks dusted with a light shade of pink. “So you know about the Commission, right?”

He proceeded to explain in detail how he had contacted the underground’s most infamous broker, gotten in touch with an incredibly formidable hacker, and now had in his possession a nearly full 100TB hard drive, that contained almost the entirety of the HPSC’s database, including, but not limited to, official documents, encrypted files and email transactions.

He went over some of the highlights of his research – the Commission’s dirty work, the cover-ups, the child soldier program. As he spoke, Izuku could see the shifts in Hitoshi’s expression; the surprise, the disappointment, the anger. He could see the teen taking Izuku’s words in stride, a calm rage seething from his whole body.

The sun had already set by the time he stopped talking, the orange and yellows giving their place to a soft palette of cherry red, wisteria purple and cerulean blue.

Izuku took out his water bottle, his throat hoarse from his incessant rambling. Hitoshi didn't seem to mind it, though. On the contrary, his amethyst eyes were shining with such mirth and mischief and ferociousness, Izuku couldn't get himself to look away.

“I want in.”

The shorter teen’s brain backtracked for a moment, before he understood what Hitoshi was saying. “Huh?”

“I want in,” he repeated, “in whatever you’re planning to do. I want to join you in this…” he made a vague gesture with his hand, “rebellious anti-hero business you have going on.”

Izuku burst out laughing. “Anti-hero, huh?”

“I mean, you're going against the heroes, but for a good reason,” the taller boy shrugged. “Though I'm guessing if people find out they’ll call you a villain more than anything else.”

“You can say that again,” Izuku chuckled. “My, uh, my best friend is a villain. According to the law, anyway. She has a ‘villainous quirk’,” he said, using air quotes, “and she’s been oppressed her whole life because of it. She ran away from her parents a few months ago, spent a few weeks homeless. But she’s living life as herself now, and she’s happier than she’s ever been.”

“Sounds nice,” Hitoshi said, a small lopsided grin on his face.

“Himiko’s a little… much, but I think you’ll like her. She, uh,” Izuku could already feel the heat pooling on his cheeks, “she wants to meet you, actually.”

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. “She knows about me?”

“Y-Yeah,” Izuku looked away, painfully aware of his flushed face. “I tell her about school sometimes, and she, uh, she knows about you and- and Shouto.”

If Hitoshi had noticed his embarrassment – which he definitely had, Izuku’s face was currently resembling a tomato – he was kind enough not to point it out. “I’d love to meet her, then.”

“Great!” Izuku beamed. “She can meet us here at training, if you’d like. She’s actually the one who taught me to wield knives!”

The insomniac gaped. “You can use knives?!”

“Yup!” the shorter boy laughed. “I don’t use them at school, though. Don’t want to show them everything I can do,” he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Hitoshi nodded. “Understandable.” He then scrunched his eyebrows, thinking about something. “Do you think she can teach me?”

“She can, and she’ll definitely be willing to, but…” Izuku gave him a sharp grin. “Are you prepared to run for your life and get stabbed?”

The purple-haired teen paled. “What?”

“Her methods are… unconventional, but they work like a charm,” he chuckled. “Relax, she won't hurt you… much.”

“That’s still not reassuring,” Hitoshi murmured, but Izuku could see the corner of his mouth twitching.

“Her quirk makes her fascinated by blood. Don’t freak out when she asks if she can cut you to see you bleed.”

“I mean, it wouldn't be a new experience,” Hitoshi shrugged, but started laughing at the other teen’s horrified face.

“Dude! That’s so dark!”

“Eh,” the insomniac shrugged again, quietly snickering at Izuku, who was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. He wasn't accustomed to dark humor, okay?

“Anyway,” Hitoshi said as he got up, “it’s getting late, I should probably go home.”

Izuku got up as well, dusting himself off. “Sorry we didn't do much training today. I kinda went on mumbling mode earlier,” he let out a small laugh, rubbing his head.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I like hearing your rambling, anyway,” Hitoshi said casually, like it wouldn't make Izuku instantly turn into a strawberry.

In favor of not busting the blood vessels on his face, Izuku let out a “Hmhm!” instead of trying to form a coherent response, staring at his feet as they both got off the beach and onto the street.

“Seriously though, thank you.”

Izuku turned to his friend. “For what?”

“For everything you told me. It’s not something you can just tell people.” Hitoshi averted his gaze. “I mean, Shouto doesn’t know, does he?”

“No,” Izuku confirmed. “Though I don’t think he would be too opposed, he’s just grown up in the center of hero society. It might take a while, but maybe we can convince him.”

“Yeah.” His small smile did not make Izuku’s heart skip a beat or two, nope. “But I'm glad you trusted me with this. And I really do want to help you, any way I can.”

Izuku gave him a warm smile of his own. “Thank you.”

~~~

“Really?!”

Himiko was all but shrieking in excitement, shaking Izuku semi-violently by the shoulders.

“The fuck you shouting about?” Tomura grumbled, as he and Spinner entered the bar.

The Decay user was weirdly wearing the dismembered hand on his face again. Maybe he and Spinner had gone for some League business?

“Iz- Light-chan turned his crush into a villain!” Himiko was literally vibrating, her enthusiasm apparently downgrading her explanative abilities.

Everyone inside the bar seemed confused, even Dabi and Twice, who had been present when Izuku was explaining today’s conversation with his crush friend.  

“That is not what happened, Himiko,” Izuku sighed, and turned to the two villains. “I just told him about my plan to destroy hero society and how I have every file from the Commission’s database in a hard drive, and he said he wants to join me. And he's not my crush!”

He turned to glare at Himiko, who wasn't really budging, giving him a toothy grin.

“That’s cool.”

“You have the Commission’s what?”

Tomura and Spinner spoke at the same time, the former shrugging and walking up to the bar, and sat on a stool. The reptilian man turned to Izuku with a horrified, but also amazed, expression – the teen seemed to be getting that reaction a lot, lately.

“Yeah, that’s how I started being a villain or whatever,” he said nonchalantly, and sat down next to Tomura.

Himiko had already sat on the counter, and had patted the surface to get Izuku to sit in front of her, so she could make his hair. He’d already made them in his usual half-up-half-down style, so this time she opted for a simple braided half updo.

“That’s… amazing…” Spinner was still standing in the middle of the room, before shaking his head and made his way to the booth. “Anyway, we have some good news.”

Everyone perked up at that.

“We’ve got a new party member,” Tomura said – well, that explained the dismembered hand – and took a sip of his drink with a straw – Pocari Sweat, by the looks of it. It was the closest thing to an energy drink Kurogiri approved of for his precious ward; not that Tomura didn't drink any, just not in front of his caretaker.

“Ooh~” Himiko cooed. “When are we meeting them?”

As if on cue, a heavy knock turned all heads to the front door.

“Oh! Come in!” the blonde girl babbled, her hands unwavering as she braided Izuku’s hair.

A tall figure with a muscular build and shoulder-length garnet red hair entered the bar, waving at everyone with a huge grin.

“I’m Magne. She/her, if you will.”

Himiko, who had just finished making Izuku’s hair, started squealing. “Finally, another girl!” She skipped to the newcomer. “I'm Toga Himiko! Call me Himiko-chan! You're so pretty, can I see your blood?!”

Magne laughed with the girl’s enthusiasm. “Sure thing, Himiko-chan.”

Himiko turned to the other members of the League, her eyes sparkling. “Can we keep her?!”

“She’s not a pet, Himiko,” Izuku chuckled, getting up and extending his hand at Magne. “I’m Light, nice to meet you.”

Magne's eyes widened behind her triangular sunglasses, as she gave him a firm handshake. “Light? As in the underground informant Light?”

“The one and only,” he smirked, the corners of his eyes creasing above his mask.

His reputation in the underground had been growing steadily, ever since he and the League had started spreading the word about his involvement. It was only a matter of time before the heroes realized that the villain who had been seen with Stain was also indirectly responsible for so many other heroes’ deaths.

“So,” Izuku started, “Why did you decide to join us?”

Magne went on to explain how she’d wanted to find people she could be herself with, ever since she’d decided she would no longer comply to society’s standards, and would live her life the way she wanted. The League, apart from its established connection to the Hero Killer – who she greatly admired for a number of reasons – had also gained a reputation for accepting the castaways and the broken. Magne had decided to aid them in their cause, both because she believed in it, and in hopes she would finally find a place where she would belong.

Himiko and Spinner didn't hesitate to show their sympathy, Izuku and the rest quietly nodding in understanding. They all knew what it was like, after all; feeling like an outcast and being ostracized, especially by people who they thought to be family. They had found a safe haven in each other, where they didn't have to pretend, didn't have to hide. They could just be… themselves.

So it didn't come as a surprise when the League accepted Magne into their ranks with open arms. Himiko especially was thrilled to have another female in their ‘reeking-of-testosterone dump’ – “Hey! My base doesn’t reek!” – even though she had never felt alone in that aspect. The League was not one to judge her for gossiping, and they had no qualms about indulging in her more ‘girly’ activities, like letting her paint their nails or make their hair – they had yet to convince Tomura to let her braid his, being one of the only members with hair long enough for her to try different styles and experiment, like she did with Izuku.

Himiko demanded their new member move in with her on the apartment on the 1^st floor, already pondering on how she would rearrange her room to accommodate two people.

“…and I will teach you how to make your hair, too! It’s long enough for braids, and- oh! We can go shopping!” Himiko’s eyes were sparkling with excitement, and everyone was watching her get hyped up with fond smiles – or in Tomura's case, faked indifference.

“I'm wanted for murder, dear,” Magne pointed out, “I can't exactly go shopping.”

“You can always steal it,” Tomura suggested, not looking up from the TV screen, where he and Spinner had started playing Call of Duty. No one could argue with that; fast fashion corporations were immoral and eco-unfriendly, so Izuku had no objections to stealing from them, either.

As he watched his best friend bond with their newest member, the green-haired teen couldn't help but feel like Stain was being replaced, in a way. He felt guilty for thinking something like that – it wasn't Magne's or Spinner’s fault that the man had been captured – but Izuku could feel the hole his mentor had left, now that he couldn't be there with the League, or with Izuku during their illegal activities.

That’s when a brilliant idea came to mind.

“Hey, guys…?” Izuku started, and everyone turned to look at him. His gleaming eyes were clearly showing the feral grin that his mask was covering. “Is anyone interested in carrying on Stain’s legacy?”

Chapter Text

“Yo guys! Did you hear the news this morning?!”

“I did… it’s crazy…”

“It’s the fourth one this week…”

“Who was it this time?”

“Death Arms.”

“Holy sh- Jirou, didn't you go to Death Arms Agency for your internship?”

“…yeah…”

“Are you okay, kero?”

“…not really…”

“This is getting crazy…”

“It’s the League of Villains, isn’t it?”

“Probably. They’ve caught sight of that Light villain on a few cameras, and he was seen with Stain before his capture, so it’d make sense if he works with them.”

“It’s not just him, though. The police said that there are villains that go with him, but they haven’t identified them yet.”

“I’ve read about that. They’re not the same ones each time, either.”

“Someone said they might be new members.”

“The League did get more popular after the Hero Killer was arrested.”

“So it’s like… revenge?”

“Or just continuing Stain’s work or something.”

“That’s super unmanly, bro.”

“What a mad banquet of darkness…”

Izuku was hearing idly as his classmates discussed the League’s newest feats.

True to the media’s speculations, Light and a few members of the League of Villains would go out every other day, hunting down heroes they thought Stain would agree to be fake or corrupted. It somewhat filled the hole the Hero Killer had left, apart from being a great bonding activity for the League’s members with their new recruits, as well as an outlet to relieve their built-up frustration and anger.

Izuku would always lead the team, having already joined Stain in his work a couple times, and anyone who felt like it that day was welcome to join. Himiko had been beyond excited to finally get involved in ‘League stuff’, and had been given the go ahead to kill their first victim.

Spinner felt honored to be a part of Stain’s legacy, and had participated in their killing spree at least three times. Magne wasn't as eager, but had come along a couple times, her sadistic tendencies getting the better of her – and who was the League to not provide her with a hero to torture play with?

Dabi and Twice hadn’t been all that interested in joining, but they had come along once, just for the fun of it. Tomura, on the other hand, preferred to stay at his base, planning their next quest – he had yet to inform his League of his ideas, but everyone trusted that he would tell them before going through with anything. Kurogiri stayed at the bar, as always, taking care of the whole base – and his ward, of course – but always provided a warp gate whenever and wherever the villains requested them.

They usually didn't plan out in advance which hero they would be targeting. The League would watch the news, see which heroes were in which area that day, and would either choose randomly – flip a coin or draw the lots or whatever – or pick one strategically, depending on the potential victims’ strengths and weaknesses, and the League’s members’ that would be participating that night respectively. Before yesterday, no one had suggested a hero they had wanted to target for their own reasons.

But this time, it had been personal.

- 10 hours earlier -

The moment Izuku stepped inside the bar, he was met with a very, very embarrassed Tomura, and a just as excited Himiko. The girl was sitting on the counter behind the leader of the League of Villains, and was halfway through making Dutch braids with his hair.

Izuku burst out laughing, which made Tomura all the more embarrassed, his usually pale cheeks now bright scarlet.

“Stop laughing at me!”

“I can't believe you finally agreed to this!”

Izuku wiped a tear from his eye, still giggling as he sat in the booth in front of them, next to Dabi. The fire user was also – non-discreetly – cackling at Tomura's situation. Magne was in a similar state, sitting on a stool next to him.

“How did you get him to sit down?” Izuku asked their resident hairstylist, as he played with one of his knives. He was wearing his villain costume – well, not the suit, the other one – ready to go out for their Hero Killing business.

“I promised that me and Dabi-kun would play Street Fighters against him and Spinner-kun!” Himiko babbled, as she started the villain’s fourth and final braid.

Izuku turned to the arsonist with a raised eyebrow.

“I never agreed to this,” Dabi grumbled.

“Like you don’t want to see Shigaraki with his hair done! The boss is ugly either way!” Twice argued.

Dabi huffed, but didn't retort; everyone wanted to see Tomura with braided hair after all, whether they said it or not.

“Sooo,” Spinner started, as he sat in the booth, opposite of Izuku. “Who are we killing today?”

“Who’s coming?” the teen asked, addressing the entirety of the room’s occupants.

“I'm staying here tonight,” Magne said, not looking at him, her eyes instead pinned on their flustered – and dare they say cute – leader.

“Lame! I'm staying too! Go kill those bastards!”

“I’m not coming either,” Dabi chimed in. “Gotta meet a potential recruit later.”

Izuku nodded. “Himiko?”

The girl had just finished Tomura’s braids, and she plopped down from the counter, standing in front of him to look at the result.

“Depends,” she chirped, and sat down on the table, marveling her work. Tomura refused to meet her gaze, instead reaching for the TV remote.

“…thankfully, Pro Heroes Mt Lady and Kamui Woods arrived at the scene just in time to aid with the evacuation of the building.”

Everyone’s head turned to the TV, where the news channel was transmitting a live broadcast with the reporters on the scene.

“There were no casualties from the fire, but two civilians were critically injured during the evacuation. Death Arms reported that he found the mother and daughter under a collapsed ceiling, and immediately brought them to the paramedics on site. They are both undergoing emergency surgery at Musutafu’s General Hospital, and-”

Izuku tuned out the reporter, and instead focused on the hero in the background, as he recited his heroic deeds to a police officer with a smug look on his face. The teen couldn't help but think back to all those months ago, when Death Arms and the other heroes had been standing by, while Katsuki was suffocating at the hands of that sludge villain.

The heroes had been doing nothing, because no one had a suitable quirk for the job, while All Might would not intervene, risking a child’s life, just to protect his secret. It had taken a quirkless middle-schooler to rush in for him to take action, and if it hadn't been for Izuku, Katsuki would probably not be alive right now.

And afterwards, Death Arms had been scolding Izuku for putting himself in danger for no reason, as if he hadn’t done the heroes’ job. That moment had been his confirmation that he would never become a hero, and that he certainly did not want to, anymore.

Izuku got hit by all those intense emotions he had been feeling that day; the disappointment, the resentment, the anger.

“Light-chan?”

Izuku blinked, and turned to look at Himiko, who was watching him with a frown. The other occupants of the room that he could see were sporting similar expressions of confusion and concern.

“Are you okay?” the girl asked, tilting her head slightly.

Izuku smiled. “Yeah, sorry. I just- remembered something.” He glanced at the TV again, where Death Arms was now talking directly to the camera, boasting about his heroic feats.

“Do you know him?” Magne asked gently, gesturing to the TV with her head.

“Yeah. He, uh…” Izuku pursed his lips, before deciding it was time. He took a deep breath, and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. “A little over a year ago, I was attacked by a sludge villain.”

He glanced at Himiko, who must have figured out what he was about to do, giving him an encouraging nod and a toothy grin.

Everyone’s attention was on Izuku. The teen mainly addressed the newest members of the League, who didn't know about what had happened that day. “A hero saved me at the last minute, but he was in a hurry, and wanted to leave me behind.”

Tomura and Dabi shared a glance, surprised that Izuku was sharing that particular story. They must have realized his intentions, though, if the identical grins that appeared on their faces were any indication.

“As you know, I always wanted to be a hero.” Magne and Spinner nodded. “But everyone always said I couldn't. That a pathetic, weak, quirkless Deku like me could never be hero.”

The villains’ eyes widened.

“You’re quirkless?!” Spinner gawked. “I coulda sworn you had an intelligence or analysis quirk!”

Izuku chuckled. “I get that a lot.”

“We haven’t seen him use a quirk,” Magne mumbled, “we should’ve at least considered it.”

“I do have a quirk,” Izuku added, further surprising the two villains. Himiko and Dabi snickered at their confused expressions. “A very powerful one, too. But I’ll get to that in a second.”

Magne and Spinner nodded, briefly looking at each other quizzically.

“I was quirkless, but I still wanted to be a hero. So I wanted to ask him if I could be one. I needed someone to tell me that my dreams weren’t just some childish fantasy. But he said no.”

He smiled bitterly, like every time he narrated this story. He couldn't help but resent All Might for it, even if a small part of him thanked the hero for opening his eyes.

“He told me to be realistic, and left me on a roof.”

“He did what?!”

“What the fuck?”

Both Spinner and Magne seemed furious; the rest of the League didn't fare much better, even though they’d already known about it.

“Was that Death Arms?” Magne asked. It was a fair guess, but Izuku couldn't help but smirk.

“It was All Might, actually.”

“What?!”

The villains were, understandably, flabbergasted.

“Anyway,” Izuku waved his hand, as if he hadn’t just dropped a whole truth bomb, “after I got down, I saw the same sludge villain suffocate another kid.”

He briefly explained how he’d rushed in to help, after seeing the heroes standing by. How All Might had come to help, after seeing a little quirkless kid doing their job.

“Death Arms was telling me off for rushing into danger for no reason and getting in the way. Meanwhile, Katsuki was getting praised for using his heroic quirk trying to escape, even though he’d lit the whole street on fire.” Izuku shrugged. “Oh, and they never asked for my name or called my mom, and told me to go home. So, yeah.” 

“Damn…” Spinner mumbled. “No wonder you hate him.”

“Would you like to get some revenge?” Magne asked, a maniacal grin on her thick lips, her chestnut brown eyes gleaming behind her sunglasses.

Izuku couldn't help but mirror her expression. “I’d love to.”

“But, wait,” Spinner interjected, “you said you were quirkless, but that you also have a quirk. How’s that possible?”

“Ooh, I know!” Himiko babbled.

Tomura and Dabi turned to look at her with questioning looks. Apart from Himiko – and Sensei, of course – the League only knew that he had manifested his quirk right before the entrance exams. Izuku thought that maybe it was time for them to know the truth – there was no point in trying to hide it anymore, when the villain behind the scenes already knew everything.

“After that incident, All Might came to find me. He said he found my actions heroic. That I can be a hero. So he offered to train me, help me get in U.A. and become his successor. And I accepted.”

No one dared to interrupt him, not when he was obviously about to drop the biggest truth bomb yet. Not even when he took off his mask, revealing the easily recognizable face of U.A.’s heroics student Midoriya Izuku.

“But All Might didn't just help me get in U.A.”

He paused, mostly for dramatic effect, looking into each of the villains’ wide eyes, his own shining bright viridian.

“He also gave me his quirk.”

---

“Alright, hellspawn, listen up.” Aizawa’s voice brought Izuku back to the present. The class had already gone quiet, upon the teacher’s arrival. “As you already know, your final exams are coming soon. You still have three weeks to prepare, but don’t forget that there won't be just a written exam. There’s also a practical portion, so make sure to train your minds and bodies at the same time.”

“Yes, sensei!”  

Aizawa nodded. “On another note, after your exams, it’s summer vacation, but it would be illogical if you rested for the whole month.”

He didn't stop to address the incoming wave of complaints from his students.

“During summer vacation, we’ll have a training camp in the woods,” he announced, his apathetic expression ever-present.

Class 1-A started cheering, everyone chiming in with their own ideas and expectations for their training camp, most being about having fun with their classmates. 

“However,” Aizawa's tired voice made everyone go quiet, “those who don’t pass the final exams before that…” he paused – for dramatic effect, Izuku was sure of it – “will be in summer school hell instead.”

Well, that seemed to motivate everyone to do their absolute best. Izuku himself wasn't all that thrilled, if he was being honest. He had many things he’d prefer doing during his summer vacation, but at least Shouto would be there with him.

“So study hard, and do your best – plus ultra or whatever. That is all.”

And with that, the hero ended today’s homeroom, leaving the class to freak out over the upcoming tests.

“I haven’t studied at all!” Mina and Kaminari exclaimed simultaneously, though they sported entirely different expressions; the Acid user seemed totally chill about it, while Kaminari was obviously horrified at his predicament.

“For the mid-terms, we had just started school,” Satou remarked, “and we had the Sports Festival and the internships back-to-back so they hadn’t covered much, and I didn't really have a hard time with them. But the final exams will be different.”

“It’ll be hard with the practical exam, too…”

“Let’s all do our best, guys!”

“Yes! As class representative, I also have high hopes that everyone will perform to the best of their abilities!”

“It’s pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class,” Shouto murmured. His comment didn't receive a reply, but it did make Izuku snort.

“I may be able to be of assistance with the class lectures,” the Creation girl offered.

“Yaomomo!” Kaminari and Mina practically had hearts in their eyes.

“Can I join, too?” Jirou asked sheepishly. “I'm having trouble with quadratic equations…”

“Ah, me too!” Sero chimed in. “How are you with classic Japanese?”

Izuku tuned everyone out, as they talked about having a group study session at the vice president’s house. He himself was pretty confident in his abilities, having gotten pretty high marks in every exam and test, including the mid-terms. He had scored third overall, just below Yaomomo and Iida – obviously – and right above Katsuki, to his immense satisfaction. He kept besting his childhood friend in almost everything lately, and it exhilarated him. It was one of his main motivators to even bother with this school – apart from tearing down hero society from the inside, that is.

Speaking of, Izuku was glad that his plan had a positive response from the newest members of the League yesterday. When he revealed he was actually a heroics student, Spinner and Magne had naturally been stunned, to say the least. Izuku hadn’t given them the time to process his true identity, though, throwing in the fact that All Might had given him his quirk in the very next sentence.

After his revelation, the bar had gone dead silent for a few seconds, before the expected wave of questions and exclamations hit him. Izuku and Himiko couldn't help but start giggling at the League’s reactions; Tomura had even exclaimed that the hero had given Izuku a cheat code.

The green-haired teen hadn’t said much about One For All, only that it was a transferable stockpiling quirk, passed down for generations in order to combat evil. He’d mainly focused on explaining his plan to destroy hero society from within, to pose as All Might’s successor until the eventual clash with the heroes came to happen.

Izuku had noted that Tomura seemed genuinely surprised to learn all of this. He hadn't appeared to know anything about One For All, never mind its true purpose, nor like he had ever heard of a quirk being transferred from one person to another. Izuku had even provided the true name of his quirk, just to see whether it would seem familiar to him – it didn't.

Tomura was genuinely unaware of his Sensei’s true identity, possibly even his status as Japan's most feared and dangerous supervillain, as well as the nature of All For One and its brother quirk. Izuku found it extremely suspicious, how the villain had concealed such important knowledge from his supposed protégé and leader of the League of Villains. It was especially dubious when their main goal was to eradicate All Might, but he hadn’t even provided the most significant piece of information about him.

Izuku would definitely have a word with Sensei, if only to see what the hell his game was, and what he truly intended to do with Tomura and the League of Villains.

Izuku had also noticed that Kurogiri had been standing still as a statue behind the bar the whole time, not partaking in his usual cleaning. He’d provided no reaction to Izuku’s revelations, nor any indication of his own knowledge on the matter. The teen wasn't sure of what to make of it, but it didn't really sit right with him.

Of course, after that whole rollercoaster of a conversation, Izuku, Himiko and Spinner had gone after Death Arms. Magne had also decided to join, having heard of the hero’s incredibly heroic actions and treatment towards Izuku.

It hadn’t been hard to find him; he had still been at the scene of the incident from the news earlier, answering the reporters’ questions and recounting how the heroes had handled the situation before and after the whole building caught fire.

The League’s members had stayed close by, waiting for the crowd to disperse and the heroes to go their separate ways. That had been their victim’s downfall, after all. The villains had ambushed Death Arms in a secluded alleyway, and Izuku had been encouraged to be the one to enact justice – and if that also meant getting revenge, then who was he to complain?

The Hero Killer might not have been there to put his quirk into use, but Izuku’s paralyzing agent did wonders, and this time had been no different. With just a small throwing knife impaled on his bicep, the hero had been rendered immobile, the girls of the group making certain he wouldn't dare speak up or try to call for reinforcements – Izuku suspected one of them had cut off his tongue, but he couldn't be sure, nor was he that interested in finding out.

Izuku had towered over Death Arms, the other three villains watching with immeasurable glee as he took off his mask, ensuring the hero knew exactly who had been about to end his life, and for what reasons.

Needless to say, it’d been an incredibly fun and satisfying evening, one that had earned Izuku and Himiko the title of the League of Villains’ feral children.

~~~

“Okay, okay, I yield!”

Izuku let go of Hitoshi’s arms, making him drop down on the sand.

“Damn, you really don’t hold back, do you?” Hitoshi grumbled, as he stood up and dusted his shirt and pants off.

Izuku chuckled. “I am holding back.” He returned the insomniac’s glare with a smirk. “I'm being too easy on you, to be honest. When Himiko starts training you, you'll wish I didn't hold back at all.”

Hitoshi groaned. “When is she coming, anyway?”

Izuku took out his phone from his back pocket and checked the time. “She should be here any minute n-”

“Izu-chaaaaan!”

Speak of the devil – or vampire – the chaotic little gremlin that went by the name of Toga Himiko appeared in his field of vision, barely giving him enough time to situate his body so he didn't fall to the ground when she threw herself onto him from the street above.

“Oof!”

Izuku stumbled a couple steps back, but managed to stand still and hug his best friend back, as he clung to him like a koala.

“Hello to you too, Himiko,” Izuku chuckled.

“Uh, hi,” Hitoshi said hesitantly, making her jerk up and turn her head to look at him.

She quickly detached herself from Izuku, all but shoving him sideways so she could give her utmost attention to her new prey the other boy.

“Are you Hitoshi-kun?” she asked with gleaming eyes, a huge grin showing her sharp canines.

“Uh… yes.” Hitoshi shifted his weight, glancing back and forth between Izuku and the girl, who was just about intruding his personal space as she examined him.

“I'm Toga Himiko, call me Himiko-chan!”

“Nice to meet you, Himiko-chan.”

He offered a small grin, which was probably exactly what she had been hoping for, because her smile widened, a little more than what one would consider the normal amount.

“You're so cute, Hitoshi-kun! I can see why Izu-chan likes you!” She promptly ignored the way both boys’ faces turned bright scarlet, instead focusing on the insomniac’s features. “You really are purple! Izu-chan said you're like a purple cloud but I didn't expect your hair to be so poofy! And your eyes are purple too! They're such a pretty shade, though I’d prefer it if they were red like your blood!”

“Himiko,” Izuku squeaked, his face burning, “give him some space please.”

The two boys refused to meet each other’s gaze, but Himiko didn't seem to notice. She did take a couple steps back, though, and Hitoshi’s shoulders relaxed a bit.

“I'm sorry, Hitoshi-kun,” Himiko offered, bouncing up and down on her heels, “but I was really excited to meet you! Izu has told me so much about you, I'm so happy to see you in person!”

Izuku was finding the sand below his feet incredibly interesting. So much so, that he couldn't make himself look at his friends. Yup, it was fascinating!

“I… I didn’t realize you knew that much about me,” Hitoshi mumbled. “But I'm happy to meet you too,” he added, before Himiko could go on about how much their green-haired friend had talked to her about his crush friend – he was a friend.

“Izuku has told me a bit about you, too,” the insomniac continued. “You're helping him with the whole…” he made a vague gesture with his hand, “destroying hero society thing, right?”

Himiko nodded repeatedly. “Yup!” She didn't elaborate, though, since that would entail revealing that they were both members of the League of Villains, and Izuku didn't want that to happen right off the bat. “You said you want to help, right?” she asked instead.

“Yeah,” Hitoshi rubbed the back of his neck, “but I don’t know how exactly I can help right now…”

His voice trailed off, and Izuku noticed his eyes slightly widening as he realized he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. Hitoshi crossed his arms behind his back, averting his gaze.

Himiko, of course, didn't say anything about it, if she had even noticed the reason behind the action, and instead opted to respond. “Well, it’s not like you have to do something big, not right now at least. You can focus on training, find your strengths and see what you can do to help in the process.”

Hitoshi hummed. “I guess…”

The blonde took a knife out of seemingly nowhere – Izuku knew she had a few of them strapped on her skirt, concealed by her jumper. She was in her ‘civilian’ attire, so she wasn't wearing her utility belt, nor the knife holsters that she usually strapped on her thighs when she went out for… illegal purposes.

Hitoshi didn't seem alarmed by the sudden appearance of the weapon, nor when she pointed it at his face.

“Like, I'm good with knives, and I can use my quirk if I need to go undercover for a mission,” Himiko continued, twirling the knife with her fingers, “but I haven’t gotten the chance to use it yet.”

“What's your quirk?” The girl blinked in surprise, and Hitoshi looked like he regretted the question the moment it came out of his mouth. “I'm sorry! It was insensitive of me to ask like that, you don’t have to-”

His words were cut off when Himiko started giggling. “You're so cute! Don’t worry, you didn't do anything wrong, I'm just not used to people asking about my quirk. It’s a ~villainous~ quirk…” she wiggled her fingers for the dramatics of it, making the two boys chuckle. “It’s called Transform. I can turn into anyone if I drink their blood. The more blood I drink, the longer I can keep their appearance.”

She was rocking back and forth on her heels as she explained, her gaze on the ground and her cheeks dusted with a light shade of pink.

“That’s really cool.”

She looked up at Hitoshi with wide eyes. His own were shining with genuine fascination, a small grin adorning his lips, and Izuku couldn't help but mirror him. Seeing Himiko visibly light up only made their smiles wider.

“I know right?” Izuku chimed in. “With just a drop of blood she can change her whole appearance! And it’s not just that, she can even replicate the other person’s clothes, too! I still haven’t figured out how exactly she does that, but I'm guessing that since she already makes non-alive materials to transform, like calcium and minerals for her bones, she just makes the clothes out of organic polymers! Many fabrics and plastic materials are made of those so-”

Hitoshi and Himiko both started chuckling as Izuku muttered about his friend’s quirk. “He analyzes everyone’s quirk, doesn’t he?” the insomniac asked with an amused grin.

“He does, but I love it!” Himiko cooed, and took off her shoes and socks. “I bet he’s dissected yours in a notebook somewhere.”

“He has, actually.” Hitoshi smirked, ignoring the green-haired boy’s flustered face – “I'm right here!” – and sat down on the sand next to Himiko, Izuku copying them. “I have a villainous quirk, too. He’s the first person to ever ask about it with actual curiosity.”

The blonde gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, same with me. I was always the creepy girl with the creepy quirk and the creepy smile. Izu-chan was the first one to ever tell me I'm cute.”

Hitoshi frowned. “Seriously?”

“Uh, yeah.” Himiko tilted her head to the side. “Why?”

“How has no one ever told you you're cute?!” the purple-haired teen seemed genuinely distressed. “I mean, I'm super gay” – Izuku may or may not have perked up at that – “but even I can say you're one of the cutest girls out there- oh Gods, I'm so sorry, did I say something wrong?”

Izuku was quietly chuckling at the boy’s concern, but he couldn't really blame him. Himiko’s eyes had filled with tears, a few running down her cheeks.

“No, no, it’s just…” she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, “not many people believe that, you know? Everyone thinks I'm crazy.”

“Well, you are a little crazy,” Izuku interjected, making her laugh, “but you're still the cutest girl I know.”

“Aww Izuku!” She threw herself onto him, sending them both laying down on the sand. “If you weren’t a complete homosexual I would be sooo in love with you right now!” she joked, and Izuku’s face caught fire.

“W-What?” he squeaked, but she just waved her hand dismissively. She did give him a wink, though, for some incomprehensible reason, before turning to Hitoshi, who was watching the interaction with amusement.

“Anyway! Izu-chan said he's training you, right?”

The insomniac nodded. “He’s made a whole training plan for me, and he's taught me some defense and attack moves, but I'm still a bit useless at that.”

“Hey!” Himiko gently slapped his arm. “We don’t talk bad about ourselves in this household.”

“Ah, shit. That’s like 78% of my humor,” Hitoshi joked with a lopsided grin. “I’ve also started training my quirk a bit,” he added, his grin slightly faltering, which didn't go unnoticed. Both Himiko and Izuku gave him encouraging nods. “It’s called Brainwashing. If someone answers a question, I can make them do whatever I want.”

“That’s really cool, Hitoshi-kun!” the girl exclaimed, surprising the teen. She’d already known about the boy’s quirk, since Izuku had told her about it after the Sports Festival, but she was obviously trying to make Hitoshi feel more comfortable about it.

“Want to test it out with me?”

She was doing a pretty good job, too.

~~~

The three teenagers spent the next few hours training and goofing around. Both Hitoshi and Himiko used their quirks during that time; Himiko was alternating between Izuku and Hitoshi’s form and saying random shit as she chased the latter with a knife, while Hitoshi was mainly using his power to stop the girl from stabbing him.

Izuku thought that, now that Himiko was there, they would try testing Hitoshi’s reflexes. The green-haired teen tried to remember everything Stain had taught him during their own training and apply them to his friend’s regime. He and Himiko would take turns attacking him, and Hitoshi would try and defend himself and/or fight back, however he could or wanted.

Izuku majorly held back during his own attacks, in terms of both speed and force, but for now, he was content with seeing the teen slowly getting accustomed to fighting back and defending himself, rather than shying away from their attacks reflexively, like he had been doing at first. Izuku was especially proud to see him getting comfortable with using his quirk, even if it was for a few seconds at a time, to stop their crazy vampire from impaling him.

It was really fun – for the insomniac maybe not as much, barely having gotten away with a few scrapes and bruises – but it was quite productive, as well. They all agreed to do this more often, and Izuku couldn't be happier, seeing his two friends getting along so well.

When they decided to call it a day, Himiko hugged the two boys tightly, promising to join them again soon, and made her way to a nearby alley, where a warp gate was waiting for her. Izuku walked Hitoshi home, rambling about the boy’s progress and pointing out ways he could improve.

After parting ways, Izuku requested a portal to the League’s hideout – he didn't have to change into his villain costume, now that all the members knew of his true identity.

He stepped out of the warp gate, expecting to find the loud bundle of villains, but the bar was surprisingly empty, apart from Kurogiri and Tomura, who seemed to have been waiting for him specifically.

“Uh, hi?” Izuku frowned. “Is everything okay? Where are the others?”

Tomura was sitting on a stool, facing the teen with an uncharacteristically serious expression; he wasn't wearing the dismembered hand on his face, but the fierceness in his eyes were making up for it.

“I sent them upstairs,” he said, making a vague gesture towards the stairs leading up to the apartments. “They can't be here for this.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow. “This being…?”

Under Tomura's fiery crimson gaze, Izuku couldn't help but feel like he was being scrutinized.

“Sensei wants to meet you.”

Chapter Text

“Sensei… wants to meet me?”

If he was being honest, Izuku wasn't all that surprised; All For One had literally sent a Nomu to kidnap him just a couple weeks ago. He just wasn't expecting to have Tomura inform him about it.

The Decay user sighed. “Yes. Not in person, but he wants to talk to you through the monitor.” He glanced at the screen on the wall, above the counter. It seemed switched off, but Izuku knew better than to assume the villain wasn't listening to every single conversation that occurred inside the bar.

“Okay.” Izuku took a seat on a stool next to Tomura, facing him. “Now what?”

“Hello, Light.”

The answer came from the monitor behind him, and all three villains turned to face it. On the previously turned off screen had now appeared the words ‘sound only’ in neon purple capital letters.

“It’s good to finally meet you,” the deep voice – that presumably belonged to Sensei – continued, “even if not in person.”

We might as well speak over the phone, Izuku thought. This was not how he’d imagined his first meeting with All For One to go. The dude hadn’t even turned on the camera!

“It’s good to meet you too, Sensei,” Izuku said instead, albeit with not as much warmth as he normally would. The villain had tried to kidnap him, after all, instead of asking to talk to him, like a normal person.

“Good. Now Tomura-kun, Kurogiri, will you excuse us?”

Izuku shared a glance with the blue-haired villain. On one hand, he trusted him to be present for whatever All For One wanted to discuss, but he also knew that it would most likely concern One For All, All Might, or Izuku’s knowledge on All For One himself. Probably all of the above.

So he gave Tomura a nod, communicating that he would be just fine, and the two villains left him and Sensei to their devices (no pun intended).

Izuku turned to look at the monitor with a raised eyebrow, leaning his elbow on the counter. It only occurred to him that Sensei couldn't see him after he heard a gruff “I’m assuming we can now talk in private.”

“Yes.” He didn't bother to initiate the conversation, waiting for the man to speak instead.

“I have to say,” the villain started, “I was definitely not expecting All Might’s successor to be on our side.”

Ah, straight to the point. Okay, then.

“If you're questioning where my loyalties lie,” Izuku said sharply, “I think I've made it perfectly clear that it’s definitely not with them.”

Sensei laughed. “Oh, no, I was not doubting that. I was just surprised. It is not every day one hears of a hero student turning sides.”

“I became a hero student after I turned sides,” Izuku corrected, frowning. “The whole point of going to U.A. was so I can bring down hero society from within.”

The villain hummed. “So how did you decide to get into U.A.? Or become All Might’s successor, for that matter?”

Izuku barely held himself from calling the man out. You already know all of that. Why beat around the bush now?

Instead of voicing his thoughts, he let out an irritated huff, hoping the villain couldn't hear it. “It’s like I've said before. All Might offered to train me and give me his quirk. Quite stupid of him, really. He just spewed his secret to the first kid that he thought was worthy. He even told me about his time-limit from his injury six years ago.”

“A time-limit…” the man mumbled.

Oh, right. He didn't know about that. It wasn't exactly public knowledge; only a selected few – and the random child All Might had decided to tell that day – knew about it. The villain couldn't have known without having an informant undercover. Luckily for him, Izuku was exactly that.

“That fight left him with irreparable damage to his respiratory system, among others,” he explained. “When I met him, he could only keep his buff form for three to four hours, but now his limit’s reduced to two hours max.”

“I see… So you know about the person he fought?”

“I know it was you, if that’s what you're asking.” Izuku was in no mood for his vague questions, but he tried to suppress his annoyance, in favor of answering pragmatically. “He didn't tell me that until recently, though.”

“Oh?” All For One’s tone suggested he was more intrigued than surprised, but Izuku understood the meaning behind it. ‘Go on, tell me what you know.’

“He didn't know you were alive until after the USJ attack. Not for certain, at least. Neither did I.” Sensei said nothing, so he went on. “The police tested the Nomu from the USJ, and they found that it had mixed DNA from multiple other people, and that its original body had been altered so it could withstand multiple quirks. They theorized that the quirks had been given to it somehow.”

Izuku tried his best not to show his disgust; he had already made his view on that particular topic quite clear. All For One was kind enough not to point it out.

“So after All Might found out,” Izuku continued, “it basically confirmed his suspicions that you survived. And he decided to talk to me about you and your quirk, All For One. And about One For All,” he added as an afterthought.

Sensei was quiet for a few moments, mulling over everything Izuku had just revealed.

“If you know that much,” he finally said, “you are probably aware of their origins, as well.”

“Yes.”

“If so, why haven’t you told Tomura-kun?”

Ah, there it was. Izuku had been waiting for that question; it was probably the reason why the villain had requested to talk to him in the first place.

Izuku licked his lips, trying to find the right words. “I guess I didn't want to overstep. When I told everyone about One For All, and saw how Tomura didn't recognize the name, I guessed you’d never told him about yours. And I didn't think it was my place to say anything.”

Izuku wasn't really lying, but he wasn't being completely truthful, either. Sure, it wasn't his responsibility to inform Tomura of his guardian’s true identity, but it was more about waiting to figure out what All For One was truly up to, than not overstepping boundaries.

“If anything, it makes sense that you haven’t told Tomura everything,” Izuku added, when the villain didn't respond. “I mean, All Might told a random fourteen-year-old national secrets right off the bat. He hadn’t even asked for my name before he offered me his quirk. He literally entrusted his legacy and eight generations worth of power to a teenager, and when he found out you were alive, he basically said, sorry, but now you have to deal with it. He just dumped all this responsibility to a kid and thought he wouldn't have to deal with the consequences.”

Izuku didn't have to suppress his anger as he talked about the Number One Hero’s stupidity. On the contrary, he let it flow out for once, calm rage lacing his every word, making his feelings clear.

“…I understand.” If Izuku didn't know any better, he would have said the villain’s voice had gone softer. “I didn't want to burden Tomura-kun the way that hero-” he all but spat the word, “has done to you. That boy has been through so much, and he is barely an adult.”

Was he… was he trying to appear like a caring guardian? Izuku didn't know much about Tomura's relationship with his Sensei, but he wouldn't have guessed that All For One had any… parental feelings towards him. It seemed more like a student-mentor dynamic at best. To be fair, Izuku didn't have any positive experiences with a father figure, so it wasn't like he knew what that looked like, either. 

“I do not want to place too much on his shoulders yet, he already has so many responsibilities as the acting leader of the League of Villains.” 

Izuku didn't miss how he had said ‘acting’, as if implying that Tomura wasn't truly the leader of the League. They all knew that Sensei was the creator of the villain group, the mastermind behind the scenes, but the way he had phrased it suggested that he didn't truly see Tomura as a leader; that he was just a pawn, a front, while All For One could pull the strings and have Tomura be responsible if anything bad happened. 

“I get it,” Izuku said, instead. “With the League getting more and more popular, he's bound to have more duties to take care of. I’m assuming you're giving him time to get used to it before you tell him about you.”

“Precisely,” the villain affirmed, with the slightest of hesitations, which only made Izuku all the more suspicious. “I would also like to express my gratitude to you.”

Izuku scrunched his eyebrows. “For what?”

“You have aided Tomura in ways that I could not; you are both in a position when you must, and where you have succeeded to, unify all the people who sympathize and want to support you. And for that, I thank you, Light.”

“Oh, there’s no need. I just do what I believe is right.” Izuku smirked, even though the man couldn't see him. “Killing heroes and destroying the society that worships them is just a lucky bonus.”

All For One let out a chuckle – genuine, but also dark and menacing, just like Izuku pictured the villain to be.

“Even if he doesn’t participate in your… nightly escapades, I can see that Tomura-kun allows himself to relax and have fun. I am pleased to see him happy.”

It was hard to make out the man’s true feelings through the screen, but Izuku found some truth to his words; he did seem to care about Tomura, even if not to the extent he presented himself to.  

“I want to let him enjoy it as much as possible.”

Before what? Izuku thought. It was like Sensei had this grand plan for Tomura, that only he knew and was actively keeping his ward in the dark until it was time to put it into motion. It didn't sit right with Izuku, but he would keep his feelings to himself – for now.

“I think everyone in the League has finally found a place where they can belong, myself included.” Izuku found himself smiling fondly. “We’re all very happy to have found each other.” He wasn't lying; he was truly grateful to have found these people, to be himself in a society that always ostracized him.

“I am pleased to hear that.”

Izuku hummed, not having anything else to say.

“Well, it was pleasure talking to you, Light,” All For One said, and the teen internally sighed with relief. Finally. “I am looking forward to working with you.”

What that entailed, Izuku did not know. “Thank you. I am, too.”

And with that, the monitor turned off, leaving Izuku to contemplate the conversation he just had with Japan's greatest supervillain. 

He wasn't completely sure what to make of him. On one hand, he seemed to care about Tomura and the League – to some extent anyway – and he obviously had some grand plan for them, one that he wouldn't reveal just yet. Izuku was definitely a part of it, whether the villain had said it or not, both because he was a member of the League, and All Might’s successor – and everything that came with that. Izuku had basically served the heroes’ greatest asset on a silver platter, along with the benefits of having an inside man right under U.A.’s nose.

Still, the whole keeping-Tomura-in-the-dark thing really bothered Izuku. It wasn't like he had expected the villain to know everything about All For One, but he was basically clueless about the man’s identity and goals. It made Izuku wonder what kind of plans Sensei had for him, that required such secrecy and manipulation.

So, Izuku would pretend to fall for All For One’s words; he already was a decent actor, so unless he was presented with something too blatantly obvious, he would go along, see what the villain was truly scheming.

He only hoped it wouldn't come to bite him in the ass later on.

~~~

“Shouto, that’s great!”

“What’s great?” Hitoshi asked, as he approached Izuku and Shouto’s table.

“Shouto will join us in training today!” Izuku beamed.

The dual-colored teen nodded, slurping his noodles.

“Oh, cool.” Hitoshi sat down and pressed his hands together in front of him, before picking up his chopsticks. “I can't wait to get beaten up by the two most powerful U.A. students.” The corners of his mouth were twitching, as he started chewing his food.

Izuku gaped. “Hey! We’re not beating you up!” He barely kept his voice low enough to not attract the attention of the nearby tables. “It’s just training!”

“I know, I know, just teasing,” Hitoshi chuckled. “I'm glad you're joining us,” he assured Shouto.

The boy sighed. “Me too. My father is adamant I stay home to study for the final exams, but I told him we would have a group study session and he agreed.” He made a sour face. “I still don’t like that I need his permission to go out, but it’s better than having him hovering over my head all the time.”

“I get it,” Hitoshi said with his mouth full, and swallowed before speaking again. “My foster parents don’t want me out after dark. Something about keeping people safe from my villainous quirk.”

He made a vague gesture with his chopsticks and took another bite of his food, before seeing Izuku’s and Shouto’s expressions. “What?”

“Hitoshi…” Izuku’s voice was quiet, but laced with such venom, both Shouto’s and Hitoshi’s eyes widened. “I need you to answer me honestly. Are you safe there?”

“I…” Hitoshi swallowed hard, avoiding his gaze. “They’re better than most of my previous foster parents.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Seeing his friend’s distress, Izuku reached for his hand, his expression softening. “I'm sorry, I'm not upset with you. I just want to know if you're safe.”

Hitoshi’s beautiful eyes met his own, and Izuku gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s… much better than my previous ones,” the insomniac finally said. “They- they're not good, per se, but they usually leave me alone if I follow their rules, so I try not to break them.” He shrugged, but his shoulders were still a bit tense. “It’s fine, really.” He gave his friends a small smile. “It’s actually weird that they haven’t thrown me out yet. They usually call my social worker a few months in, but I've stayed with my current ones for almost two years.”

Hitoshi picked up his chopsticks, and the two boys got the message. Izuku glanced at Shouto, who was watching their friend with a mixed expression of sadness, sympathy and anger. His own face probably wasn't that different.

Izuku belatedly realized that he was still holding Hitoshi’s hand, and felt his face flushing. He thought about retracting his hand, but Hitoshi didn't seem to mind – even if his own cheeks were dusted a light shade of pink. If Shouto had noticed, he didn't call them out for it.

Not even a minute later, they saw a familiar figure approach the table next to theirs – where Uraraka, Iida, Tsu and Yaomomo were sitting at.

“Ara ara ~ if it isn’t 1-A’s top students.” Class 1-B’s very own eccentric blond, Monoma Neito, had plastered a fake smile on his face, staring at the heroics students with a condescending gaze. “A little birdie told me that one of you guys met the Hero Killer.”

The teens were visibly perplexed; no one from 1-A had been reported to have partaken in the Hosu Incident – even though it was fair to assume that Shouto, the son, but also trainee at the time, of the Number Two Asshole that had supposedly captured Stain, had also been there.

Even so, Shouto wasn't sitting at the table Monoma was addressing – though both he and his two friends were listening attentively. The blond had even briefly glanced at them, noting the three students’ presence, but still turned his attention to the table next to theirs.

“Just like at the Sports Festival,” Monoma let out a fake sigh. “You guys in class A just have to have all the attention, don’t ya? But that attention isn’t because people have high hopes for you. It’s because you keep attracting trouble, right?”

“Hey!” Uraraka protested. “It’s not our fault we-”

“Ah, that’s so scary,” Monoma interrupted her, sarcasm dripping from his lips. “It’s like you've been cursed by the God of misfortune. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of us get caught up in-”

His taunts were cut short, when 1-B’s representative – Kendou Itsuka, Izuku thought her name was – smacked him on the back of his head. “Monoma-kun, that’s not funny. Stop bothering them.” She turned to the other heroics students. “Sorry about him, he’s kind of… ya know. Anyway, I heard you were talking about the practical exam, right?”

She proceeded to explain how she had heard from an upperclassman that the exam would consist of fighting robots, but Izuku paid her no mind – he wouldn't trust that information anyway – and instead focused on the grumbling blond next to her.

Monoma was eyeing 1-A’s students with a scornful look, muttering something about Kendou giving those pretentious hero students an unfair advantage. It seemed really odd, how he seemed to detest their class for being so popular. Though, considering the nature of his Copy quirk, he had most likely spent his whole life being on the sidelines, while other kids with ‘heroic’ quirks got all the attention.

Izuku recalled how, during their joint training with 1-B, when Monoma and Katsuki had been throwing profanities at each other, the Copy user had been especially aggressive when 1-A’s explosive blond called him an extra, or a side character. So maybe his distaste towards their class was something more than just being competitive or displeased about class A getting all the recognition.

Kendou had started dragging Monoma away by his collar, when he and Izuku met each other’s eyes. The green-haired teen could make out the insecure little kid the blond was hiding, behind that mask of brashness and disdain. The play-pretend. He understood that the boy’s condescending attitude was covering up much more than just jealousy or resentment.

Izuku wondered whether Monoma wanted him to see that part of himself, or whether his eyes were trying to convey what his words could not.

~~~

“Okay, okay, enough!” Hitoshi panted. “Please… drop the knife… I need… to catch my breath…”

“Aww, so soon?” Himiko pouted, but removed the knife from under the teen’s throat and let him go.

The insomniac plopped down next to Izuku, who passed him his water bottle without looking up from his textbook. His final exams were drawing near, so he’d decided to study during Hitoshi’s training with Himiko, if only so he could be present, even without participating. His friends had no problem with it, content with just having him there.

Himiko mainly trained Hitoshi on wielding knives, but she sometimes helped him practice his quirk, too. Izuku was proud to see him get comfortable with using his Brainwashing, after being afraid of it for so long. Hitoshi had made amazing progress over the past few weeks, both physically and quirk-wise. He had managed to surpass some of his quirk’s limits, and deepen the connection his mind had with his target; he was now able to maintain the hold he had on them, even when an outside force – that would have previously broken them out of it – hit them.

He was also stronger and more agile than when he’d first started training. He’d put on some weight – Izuku would deny that he sometimes stared at Hitoshi’s broader shoulders and back, when he was supposed to mind his own damn business – and was now able to defend himself, at least when Izuku, Himiko and Shouto held back a bit.

Shouto had joined them a couple times this week – when Himiko hadn’t been there, of course – under the guise of having a group study session. He wouldn't use his quirk against Hitoshi, focusing on teaching him hand-to-hand combat instead, but Izuku had gone over a few tips for better quirk control for him as well.

For example, he’d instructed Shouto to try and create detailed ice structures, which had so far resulted in a few poorly-made sculptures of Endeavor – and the three boys would not stop laughing until well after he had melted them off. Those were the only instances where Izuku had ever seen Shouto really laugh, and he was so proud of him for slowly getting out of his shell and allowing himself to enjoy innocent moments like these with his friends.

“Let’s go again!” Himiko nudged Hitoshi with her foot.

The insomniac groaned. “Have mercy, oh great Himiko-sama,” he pleaded, the corner of his lip twitching, and the blonde burst out into giggles.

“Oh, come on! I'm not that harsh on you!”

Hitoshi deadpanned. “You literally stabbed me five minutes ago.”

By stabbing, he meant that Himiko had pretended to do so, but still put enough pressure on her knife to break his skin and make him bleed just a tiny bit, so the point still stood.

“Oh, that’s nothing!” she snickered. “I made Izu-chan bleed all the time when we first met. He was terrible at first.”

“Hey!” Izuku looked up from his textbook. “I wasn't that bad! And I was giving you blood most of the time!”

Himiko waved her hand dismissively. “Irrelevant.” She was trying to suppress a toothy grin, but wasn't doing a very good job at it.

“How did you guys meet anyway?” Hitoshi asked, cocking his head.

“Well,” Himiko started bouncing on her heels as she spoke, “some boys from my middle school cornered me with their quirks, and Izuku saw them and beat them up!” She gave her friend a warm smile, receiving one in return. “And then he stayed to make sure I was okay. He even took care of my wounds, and let me drink his blood!”

Hitoshi gaped. “No way.”

Himiko tilted her head slightly. “What d’you mean?”

“That’s exactly how Izuku and I met!”

“What? No way!” the blonde started giggling.

“Seriously!” the purple-haired teen chuckled. “Well, we’d seen each other before at school, but that was the first time we talked. He literally found me in the school bathroom getting beaten up by some of my classmates. That’s how I got the scars on my face.”

His grin faltered for a second at the admission, but came back full force as he went on to explain Izuku’s course of action.

“He punched one of them square on the nose and they left running. And then he went all doctor on me.” Hitoshi was smiling, but Izuku could see the melancholy in his eyes. “He’s the first person to ever stand up for me.”

“And I would do it again,” Izuku smiled softly. “You didn't deserve to be treated this way, neither of you. And even though it was a terrible thing that this happened to you, at least I got to meet you.”

He could feel his cheeks flushing, but saying those words had been absolutely worth it, seeing his friends visibly light up, their smiles becoming wider and Hitoshi’s beautiful eyes went softer and why was Izuku so gay for this boy

“Awww Izuku!” Himiko threw herself onto him, almost sending them both to ground. Izuku hugged her back, giggling, before she reached for Hitoshi, too. “You too! Come ‘ere!”

She dragged the taller teen for a group hug, and the two boys accepted their fate. That didn't mean that their cheeks wouldn't turn scarlet red, both physically closer than they had ever been before. Izuku was hit with the familiar smell of vanilla and coffee, that he had gotten to associate his crush friend with, his lips involuntary forming a soft smile.

Izuku hid his face as he hugged both his friends, mostly to hide his burning cheeks, but his smile had yet to waver, being around two of his favorite people on earth, as safe and happy as one could be.

 ~~~

“Finally!”

Tomura walked up to the group of villains before Kurogiri even had the chance to close the portal behind them, and shoved a controller towards Spinner. His hair had been made into space buns, no doubt by their resident hairstylist.

Spinner blinked, but took the controller from Tomura's hands. “Uh, what?”

“We’re playing Street Fighters!” Himiko babbled from the booth. Dabi, who was sitting next to her, made a sour face, but grunted in confirmation.

“We are?” Spinner asked, as he took off his weapons and mask, and sat on a stool next to Tomura.

“Crazy coerced me into this,” Dabi grumbled. “Again.”

“Hey!” Tomura turned to him, his cheeks slightly flushed. “I didn't get those things on my head for you to back down now!”

The arsonist raised his arms in fake surrender. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Izuku watched his friends with amusement as they started to pick their characters for the 2v2 match, before making his way to the other booth, where Magne and Mr. Compress were already sitting in, playing a card game. Twice went to pester Dabi about his predicament.

They had just returned from their Hero Killing business – this time going after the Chivalrous Hero: Fourth Kind, who was everything but chivalrous. Izuku remembered that Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had gone to his agency for their internships; he really hoped they wouldn't make a big deal out of it tomorrow at school.

“Welcome back, Light,” Mr. Compress greeted, shuffling the deck of cards. He had his white mask – well, one of them, he seemed to be wearing a different one each time – taken off, leaving him in the balaclava mask he always wore underneath. “Would you like to join us?”

“Sure, what are we playing?” Izuku asked, lowering his hood. He already had his hair tied up into a half up ponytail, so it wouldn't fall in front of his eyes while he carried out his villainous business.

“Rummy,” Mr. Compress provided, as he distributed the cards.

The teen took off his gloves. “Oh, I don’t know that one.”

“It’s simple,” the villain said, and proceeded to explain the rules.

Sako Atsuhiro, also known as Mr. Compress, was the newest member of the League of Villains, and a nationally wanted thief. He was a showman, with all the meaning of the word. He had a knack for magic tricks and theatrical mannerisms, which were well-received by Himiko and Twice, the more… drama-inclined members of the League.

Mr. Compress had been in the LoV for a few days now, but had yet to be informed of Light’s true identity. Just like with Spinner and Magne, Izuku would wait a little while longer before he dropped the bomb, but he had almost no doubts about the man’s intentions.

From the moment they met, Izuku had been able to tell that the villain deeply respected Light, even before he bowed to him and made a short monologue on how he admired him and found his work inspiring. Izuku had been flattered, to say the least, and he could see that the man’s words were genuine.

While Mr. Compress acted like an entertainer on a stage, and one could assume that his whole persona was just a performance to perhaps meet the League’s expectations, Izuku could tell that his morals and aspirations were not just an act. Sure, he was overly dramatic sometimes, and was occasionally too eager to engage in theatrics, but he never actually lied, nor were his words ever barren or misplaced.

When asked why he’d decided to join the League of Villains, he’d simply stated that he wanted to ‘fight against such a corrupt system and wealthy heroes, and expose the injustices of hero society’ – and proceeded to deliver his aforementioned monologue.

And, well, Izuku couldn't go against that line of thinking.

Chapter Text

“Please stop.”

Izuku’s pleads were muffled by his hands, that he refused to remove from his burning face.

“Seriously Izu!” Himiko, the bane of his existence, was openly mocking him, most of the League laughing along with her endless jabs.

“I'm not having this conversation with you again!”

Izuku’s exasperated whines were drowned by his friends – he was seriously considering taking that title back – laughing at his predicament. He tried to retain some of his dignity by glaring at them, but it wasn’t very effective, when his whole face was redder than the booth cushions.

“It surely can't be that hard,” Mr. Compress offered, as if that would make him feel better.

The man had been informed of Izuku’s true identity a few days ago. The teen had decided to reveal himself, when Mr. Compress disclosed that he was the great-great-grandson of Harima Oji. Also known as the Peerless Thief, Harima had come to be considered one of the greatest villains of the Quirk Era, even though his actions had been anything but villainous.

The Peerless Thief’s main work had been stealing from wealthy heroes and giving that wealth to the people, like a modern-day Robin Hood. He had been profiting from the system, while preaching reformation to the public and returning what he’d stolen back to the people on the streets.

After his death, all the members of his lineage had been instilled with the values of fighting corruption and exposing injustices, and Mr. Compress was no exception. So when he’d told the League about his ancestry and desire to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps, Izuku had reciprocated by taking off his mask and sharing his own story.

Needless to say, Mr. Compress had been dumbfounded, but exhilarated all the same.

“Of course it isn’t!” Himiko babbled, and took a sip of her smoothie. “All you have to do is this…”

She proceeded to activate her quirk and turn into Izuku, wide puppy eyes and all. Huh, so that was why she’d insisted he dropped some of his blood in her smoothie. She’d claimed that Izuku’s blood was her favorite, and even though he had known she’d been up to something, he’d still given her what she’d asked, like a fool. He was now deeply regretting that decision, seeing his own wide eyes staring right back at him.

Himiko clasped her hands together, and leaned towards Dabi, who was sitting next to her and was visibly trying to suppress his snickers.

“I love you, Hitoshi-kun.”

She even fluttered her eyelashes innocently, and the green-haired teen turned approximately 482 shades redder. The sounds of literally everyone inside the bar cackling weren’t exactly helping. Dabi was wheezing and banging the table with his fist, Twice and Spinner were having the time of their lives, both going all in with deep belly laughs, while Tomura was crying and holding his stomach. Even Kurogiri was chuckling, albeit a little more subtly than everyone else. At least Magne and Mr. Compress were kind enough to quiet down their laughter after a minute or two, even though it seemed like a fucking century to Izuku.

“To be fair,” Dabi got out between wheezes, “you’re the one that talks about Hitoshi all the time.”

Izuku glared at him. “No I don’t!”

The scarred villain’s grin widened, pulling the staples that kept the healthy and burned skin together.

“Hitoshi was great in training today!” he said in a high-pitched voice – as much as his damaged vocal cords could allow anyway – gaining another round of laughter from the League.

He leaned on the table with his elbows, his face on his hands, and made the fakest dreamy look Izuku had ever seen. “Hitoshi learned this new move today! Hitoshi has improved with his quirk so much! Hitoshi’s eyes are so beautiful I can't stop staring at them!”

“I’ve never said that!” Izuku squeaked. Not out loud, anyway…

“Hitoshi is so hot when he-”

Izuku threw a knife at his face, but Dabi dodged with ease, and it got impaled in the wall behind him instead. It wasn't like Izuku wanted it to hit him. Well, maybe he did, just a little bit.

The fire user removed the knife from the wall with a smug expression, and threw it back at Izuku’s face. The teen caught the knife mid-air, before it could reach his eye, and sheathed it in its holster with a grunt.

“Please don’t throw weapons inside the bar,” Kurogiri repeated for the umpteenth time. A futile effort, in Izuku’s opinion. But at this point, it was probably more of an automatic response than an actual request.

Not wanting to deal with those crazy people anymore, Izuku got up and asked Kurogiri for a portal.

“Aww, so soon?” Himiko pouted, like she wasn't the reason he wanted to leave.

“I have school tomorrow!” Izuku retorted, as a warp gate materialized in front of him.

“Oh, I see…” Himiko gave him a huge menacing grin. “You can't wait to see ~Hitoshi-kun~ again.”

“Shut up!”

~~~

“Oh Gods, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?”

Himiko looked up to Hitoshi’s horrified expression with a huge grin and stars in her eyes. “That was great Hito-kun!” She all but jumped on him, crushing him into a hug, and the insomniac hovered his hands around her, unsure of what to do.

“Uh…”

Himiko released him from the hug, and took a step back, rubbing her already bruising cheek with her hand. “You landed a hit on me! I'm so proud of you!”

Her beaming smile and compliment made Hitoshi blush, but the concern lingered on his face.

“Are you okay, though?”

“Yeah, don’t worry!” she waved her hand in dismissal. “Nothing a little ice can't fix!” She then took a battle stance, ready to attack him. “Let’s go again!”

Izuku smiled fondly at the scene, before looking back at his textbook, resuming his revision on Modern Hero Art History.

His final exams were steadily approaching, and Izuku was studying more often than not. Even though he really didn't want to bother, at least when hero-relevant subjects were concerned, he had a grand plan, so he might as well stick to it and do his best at those stupid tests. He had a reputation to maintain, after all; being the 1-A prodigy wasn't easy work.

When he wasn't studying for the written exams, Izuku was training, with and without his quirk. He had raised the maximum percentage of One For All he could use to 15%, while also being able to adjust his power output without giving it much thought. He was also doing much better at maneuvering and jumping around with Full Cowl activated, and had even tried applying Fa Jin a few times, for an extra burst of speed – he had yet to use the Second’s quirk to power up his attacks, not really interested in maiming and/or killing his classmates (except maybe Mineta, but that was still illegal).

Of course, he didn't neglect his quirkless training. Although he wasn't showing U.A.’s teachers and students his true capabilities, he still displayed his remarkable speed and reflexes, just not at their full extent. And his fighting skills weren’t falling behind, either. He was getting increasingly better at hand-to-hand combat, his fighting style a weird blend of kicks, punches and aikido techniques – i.e. everything he'd learned from his brief training with All Might after he got accepted in U.A., his martial arts classes, and his time with the Hero Killer.

Stain hadn’t taught him that much on 1v1 fighting, having focused mostly on stealth, situational awareness, and mobility training. Still, he’d been an amazing mentor, and Izuku owed so much to him. But he wouldn't insult him by showing the heroes everything he could do.

He still used his staff occasionally, mostly so he wouldn't forget everything he’d learned. Being able to wield a weapon, even if not proficiently, was always a great asset, in Izuku’s opinion. Too many of his classmates – and heroes in general – relied heavily on their quirks, and occasionally their fighting skills, subsequently neglecting to learn how to wield weapons, should the need to use them arose.

“Ugh!”

Izuku instinctively backed away, when Hitoshi got summersaulted over Himiko’s head and onto the sand on his back, right where the green-haired teen had been sitting. She really was way stronger than she looked.

“Sorry!” Himiko looked at the two boys with a wince.

Hitoshi groaned as he sat back up. “Lay back a bit, will you?”

“I’m sorry!” Her amused grin didn't really resonate with her words. “You’ve been doing so well, I wanted to see how far you could go!”

“And you thought nearly breaking my spine was worth it?” Hitoshi grumbled, rubbing his lower back.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, you're fine!” she laughed, punching his side lightly to prove her point.

“Whatever.” Hitoshi sat next to Izuku, taking out his water bottle from his backpack, and took a sip. “Where did you learn to fight like that anyway?”

“Well, I could only use knives, at first,” she said, plopping down in front of the boys. “They always fascinated me, so I taught myself how to use them. And then when I was homeless, I kinda learned how to fight to protect myself.”

A sad smile had formed on her lips, but looking at her friends’ sympathetic expressions, it turned into a toothy grin.

“And when I met Izu and started training him, he taught me things as well, so now I'm a pretty good fighter. I think I’ve become one of the strongest members of the League of Villains, apart from Izu and Tomura-kun of c-”

Her words died in her mouth when she realized what she’d just said, clasping her mouth with her hands, her eyes bulged out.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, sparing an apologetic glance at Izuku.

The green-haired teen looked at her in shock, his own eyes wide and unblinking, darting between his best friend and the boy he hoped he wouldn't lose because of Himiko’s slip-up.

Hitoshi, however, just seemed confused, his head slightly tilted, his nose wrinkled. Izuku would have found it adorable under any other circumstances.

“The League of Villains?” the insomniac asked. He seemed to be genuinely curious, more than anything else.

“Yes?” Himiko said hesitantly, removing her hands from her face. Izuku had yet to utter a word, his mouth having gone dry. At least there weren’t any people nearby to overhear their conversation.

Hitoshi scrunched his eyebrows, and turned to look at the other boy. “Aren't they the villains that attacked your class?”

Izuku swallowed. “Yes…”

Then, to both of their surprise, Hitoshi’s lips curved into a wide grin. “Cool. Can I meet them?”

Izuku blinked, his eyes going impossibly wider. Himiko wasn't faring much better; her jaw had gone slack, and she was staring at Hitoshi like he had sprouted a second, but very cute, head. “You… what?”

“Can I meet them?” the tall teen repeated, like it was the most natural thing to ask of your friends.

“Really?!” Seemingly over the initial shock of having revealed herself and Izuku as members of the League of Villains, Himiko started shaking with excitement, her hazelnut yellow eyes sparkling.

“Yeah, I mean, if you're with them you must have a reason,” Hitoshi shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in existence. “They're helping you with the whole destroying hero society thing, right?”

That broke Izuku out of his trance. He shook his head and met Hitoshi’s beautiful violet eyes. “Uh, yeah.”

He couldn't believe he was having this conversation right now. That didn't mean he wasn't insanely glad about how said conversation was going.

“I’ve already said I want to help you guys,” the purple-haired teen said, rubbing the back of his neck – why did he seem sheepish all of a sudden? “I don’t know what I can do right now to support your plans, but I'm guessing an actual… villain organization or whatever” – that got a few giggles out of Himiko – “can do much more than an average high-schooler.”

Izuku wanted to point out that Hitoshi was anything but average; he was extraordinary, in every way possible.

“So I’d like to meet them. Maybe then I can help, somehow.” Hitoshi turned his gaze to Izuku, his pupils dilating slightly. “And I trust you, so…”

Izuku smiled softly, ignoring the blush creeping up his face, barely registering that Hitoshi’s cheeks were also slightly flushed. “Okay.”

Izuku felt like he could stay like that forever, staring into familiar galaxies of indigo; but alas, they had company. And said company was a bisexual teenager with an affinity for romance and way too much understanding of Izuku’s feelings for a certain someone.

“As much as I’d love to watch you staring at each other all day,” she quipped, making both boys go scarlet red and avert their gaze, “I can't wait to introduce you to the League!”

She then took out her phone, and opened her messaging app. “Wanna go today?” she asked Hitoshi, before she could type anything.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” The teen seemed understandably nervous. Who wouldn't be, meeting the notorious League of Villains, who was widely known for being dangerous and responsible for so many hero deaths?

Speaking of…

“Uh, before we do, you should probably know about something,” Izuku started, gaining both his friends’ attention. “So, you know about some of their members, right?”

Hitoshi scrunched his eyebrows in thought. “I remember the news talking about some portal dude that got the villains inside the school, when they attacked your class.” His eyes then widened, as he realized something. “Wait, were you guys in on that?”

Izuku chuckled. “No, that was the first time I met them. The second time was when Himiko introduced us.”

“I joined them around the Sports Festival,” the blonde chimed in, “but I didn't know it was them.”

“You should’ve seen Tomura's face when he saw me,” Izuku started giggling at the memory, Himiko joining him. “He was throwing a temper tantrum and was trying to decay me with his quirk because I killed his Nomu. Kurogiri had to keep making portals to keep his hands away from my face.”

“He did that to me and Stain-sama too!” Himiko exclaimed. “We have grown on him, though.”

“He… you… what?” Hitoshi seemed more and more distraught and confused with every word that got out of their mouths.

“Oh, right, uh…” Izuku was unsure of where to start. “So, the USJ attack, when they attacked my class, was so they could kill All Might. They had recruited a bunch of low-grade villains to keep us busy, and they'd brought a Nomu to do the main job.”

Izuku paused, making sure the other boy was following.

“Nomu… weren’t those the monsters in Hosu?” Hitoshi cocked his head.

“Yeah.” Izuku sighed. “The Hosu thing was my doing, but I’ll get to that.”

Hitoshi nodded mutely. He was in for a lot of info dumping.

Izuku proceeded to explain everything from the beginning. How the USJ attack had gone, how he’d met Stain the day before and a couple weeks afterwards, and how the man had taken him under his wing and started training him.

“No wonder you're so OP, you’ve been training with heroes and the Hero Killer!”

“And don’t forget about me!”

After recounting his first official meeting with the League – leaving out his talk with Dabi about his true identity, of course – Izuku then talked about the Hosu Incident, including everything that hadn’t been released to the public. How Stain had informed him of Iida’s exceptional decision making, and what Izuku had decided to do about it.

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. “So you requested an impromptu terrorist attack to save your classmate from getting murdered by your mentor?”

Izuku started sputtering. “Well, when you put it like that it sounds bad! But it was more about creating a diversion, no one got hurt!”

Hitoshi deadpanned.

“Not much, at least,” Izuku added, wincing. “A-Anyway! So I went to find them, and…”

He gave a summary of all that had happened afterwards. How he'd staged a fight with Stain, how he’d killed Native to save him – which the insomniac accepted without a second thought, to Izuku’s immediate relief - and how Shouto had appeared right after that, and everything that had followed.

“So that’s where you got your injuries,” Hitoshi realized.

“Yeah. Sorry for lying,” Izuku said with a guilty expression. His face then turned pink, as he remembered how worried Hitoshi had been when he first saw him after his internship. How he had gently traced his thumb over the scar on Izuku’s face.

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” The insomniac waved his hand dismissively, a lopsided grin on his lips. If he was thinking about the same thing, he didn't show it.

In an effort to return his face to a normal color, Izuku went on to tell him about the Hosu Incident aftermath, when he remembered another detail from that day.

“Arm Crusher?!” Hitoshi burst out laughing. “That’s definitely something Shouto would say.”

“He was serious, too!” Izuku chuckled. “Anyway, after I came back from my internship, All Might told me some things the Nomu. He said that-”

“Wait,” Hitoshi interrupted, “All Might? Since when do you talk privately with All Might?”

Himiko gasped dramatically, and turned to the green-haired teen, slapping him gently on his arm. “Izuku! You haven’t told him?”

“Told me what?” the insomniac’s brows furrowed.