Chapter 18: Be Open!
It was a surreal experience to pack most of his childhood room away and even more so to see it up in his new dorm room at Heights Alliance. He had brought most of his less valuable merch and it was now proudly displayed throughout the room. Dozens of smiling All Mights were joined by a smattering of new heroes that he had recently gotten some pieces for. Hawks, Edgeshot, Mirko and Kamui Woods all made cameos along the crowded shelves. He had debated about adding a poster of Midnight but he dreaded the day she learned about it and the mockery to follow. Besides, a lot of her posters were a little more scandalous than he was comfortable with now that he knew his 'nee-san' on a more personal level. I wonder if I can get her to score me some other merch though? I'll have to think about it.
The room itself was a touch smaller than his bedroom at home though he anticipated most of his time would be spent hanging out with others in the common room or training in the gyms. The rooms each came with simple wooden furniture including a desk, bed and dresser, and had separate ensuites and balconies which was a huge plus in Izuku's book. Tucked next to his desk was a mini fridge where his mom was adding the last of his protein shakes and honey.
"I think you're all set, my love."
"Yeah, I guess this is it." Izuku finished adjusting the bedspread and turned to see his mom with tears in her eyes. "Mom-"
"No, I'm okay Izuku. You're just growing up so fast!" Izuku leaned down to wrap his arms around his mom. His t-shirt got a little wet from her tears but it wasn't the first time and likely wouldn't be the last.
"I'll still be able to visit. Every other weekend at minimum, I promise."
"I wish your father could be here." Izuku stilled even as his mom used his shirt to wipe away her tears. "He'd be very proud of you, Izuku."
"Mom…" She gave him a sad smile. That same sad smile she wore every time he had ever asked about Hisashi. It was the reason he never pressed her, even when he grew old enough to realize that if he really worked overseas he could at least call or video chat. Part of him wanted desperately to ask her, to somehow force the answers he wanted out of his mother. A growing part of him, however, had just grown numb to the idea. Who cared about the nebulous idea of a father he had never met before?
"I'll tell you everything soon, baby. You deserve to know." She reached up a hand to caress his cheek, before dropping it to his shoulder. "But let's not dwell on the past today, hm? This is an exciting day. Your first day in the dorms!" If Izuku was being honest with himself, he had known that his mom hadn't been entirely honest with him growing up. But did it really matter as long as she could keep smiling? If the very memory of Hisashi Midoriya chased away her happiness was it even worth it to think about?
He forced a smile to his face, burying the conflict deep inside of himself. "Sounds good to me, mom."
Toshinori idly scratched at the skin he could reach underneath his cast as he watched the ducks float around the pond. Had this pond always been on the campus? He certainly didn't remember it from his time at U.A. Did Nezu add it? Maybe Nezu was part bear after all and he liked to go fishing? Did this pond even have fish? Was he overthinking this?
"All Might-sensei!" Toshinori turned to see a familiar head of messy green curls running his way frantically waving. "Nemuri said you would be here!" He waited for his boy to get in range so he didn't have to shout before he responded.
"I'm afraid it's just Yagi-sensei now, young Izuku. All Might is retired." His successor laughed, a little out of breath but with a levity he hadn't heard from the young man in too long.
"You'll always be All Might to me, sir!" Izuku's eyes shimmered with joy and admiration. Toshinori felt a wave of fondness roll over him for his successor. There were many sides to the ninth holder of One for All. His fierce battle instincts, his more outgoing and vibrant hero persona, his shy and anxious hidden self, but Toshinori couldn't help but hope he held onto this side of himself. That child-like innocence and belief in heroes and his unwavering admiration. There were far too many jaded old men in heroics. Maybe they needed someone like Izuku to come in and remind them all how to believe again.
"That's very kind of you to say young man." Toshinori ran a hand over Izuku's head who brightened even further at the touch. "So what did you need me for, my boy?"
"Ah, I was actually hoping to pick your brain about some ultimate move ideas? Nemuri mentioned that we're going to be working on them tomorrow and I wanted to get a head start on idea planning." Toshinori raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you still on medical leave for the next few days?" Izuku deflated at the reminder. Toshinori couldn't help but laugh at his boy a little. Even if he had gotten rid of the bunny ears on his costume he did remind him a lot of an overly expressive rabbit.
"Well, yeah, but I'm hoping that Aizawa-sensei will let me do practicals a little early so I can get started on them."
"Are we talking about the same Aizawa?" Izuku hung his head in defeat.
"I just want to work, Yagi-sensei." His voice was muffled slightly, the words aimed more at the ground than Toshinori himself. "I need to keep getting better so I can live up to your legacy."
Ah, there it is, Toshinori thought. There were many sides to his successor, but at his core Izuku was the same as Toshinori. They were both workaholics who needed to help. Sitting still simply wasn't in their nature. It was the fire that pushed him to save young Bakugou from the Sludge Villain all those months ago. The same one that was on full display in his fight against the League of Villains. The same one that burned inside of the heart of every wielder of One for All that preceded the both of them. Toshinori moved his hand from Izuku's head to his shoulder.
"You already live up to my legacy every day, my boy. You're going to be a far greater hero than I ever was, I know it." Izuku snapped his head up to meet his eyes. "But you're not going to get there by making the same mistakes that I did." Toshinori lightly squeezed the shoulder of his boy, his successor, his son.
"I never took breaks. Even after All for One tore my lung from my body, I refused to stop. I drove myself into the ground trying to solve every problem on my own. I never made time for myself or others or to have a life. Yagi Toshinori was largely ignored so All Might could flourish. Frankly, I'm a little jealous of you, Izuku. You're already far better at reconciling your separate halves than I ever was. I'm proud that you're doing so much to make sure both Izuku and Deku are healthy, you can't give that up. I only ever really had Sir Nighteye as a friend and even then our relationship was based in heroics. Maybe if I had spent more time with him as just Toshinori things would have been different."
"What happened between you two?" Izuku asked. His hand came up to grasp at Toshinori's wrist, holding him as much as Izuku was being held by Toshinori. "I know your partnership separated a few years ago but no one ever knew why…" He smiled down at his boy even as he was assaulted by what-ifs and what-might-have-beens.
"Perhaps another time, my boy. I'm afraid we've gotten a little off track. This was about you making sure to take your time and not overwork yourself. You're only fifteen, young Izuku. Let us carry the weight of the world for a little while longer."
"... I'm sixteen, All Might," Izuku said with a pout.
"What?! My boy, I'm, so sorry! It must have slipped my mind!"
"It's okay, All Might. I turned sixteen the day that the League attacked. It's not that big of a deal. I don't usually celebrate my birthday anyway."
"Well this simply won't do!" Toshinori took as deep of a breath in as he could and bulked up into his muscle form. "I Am Here! To wish you a happy birthday!" His control popped and Toshinori deflated into a coughing fit. "Do your classmates know?" Izuku's sheepish rubbing at the back of his head was answer enough for Toshinori.
"Fear not, my boy! We'll make sure this is a birthday to remember!"
"But I don't want them to know!" Toshinori blinked at Izuku. His shoulders were hunched high near his ears, and his cheeks were a light red. His posture was reminiscent of the first time they had met. He had trouble seeing it at times through all the progress his boy had made, but this was yet another side of his boy. Toshinori had some theories about where this side of Izuku came from. He knew anti-quirkless sentiments had risen from when he himself was a kid and as much as he played up his own brand of pure optimism he knew it couldn't have been easy for the young man. Still, to think he's still holding this much back from his peers…
"I don't want them to know, All Might." Izuku repeated softer. "My birthday was the day Katsuki and I got kidnapped. Nemuri and Ochako told me a little of what it was like for them, but I know they're holding back on some of the details. Everyone was so down after Kamino and everything, I don't want to make it worse for them by reminding people of that day any more than I already do."
"My boy…"
"It's alright, All Might. My family isn't really big on celebrating stuff like that." Toshinori wasn't sure how to feel about the almost resigned tone to his successor's voice. It wasn't wistful of something he wanted, it was just accepting of the fact that he wouldn't get it. "Besides, isn't that what heroes do? We make sure other people can keep smiling?"
Toshinori for a moment saw a mirror of himself. His own words echoed back at him, shouted at Mirai in a hospital. This is what heroes do! I have to be out there, so everyone else can keep smiling!
"Perhaps you really have taken too much after me, my boy."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Never mind. If this is truly your wish then I will honor it, Izuku."
"Thanks, All Might." Izuku wrapped him in a hug. It still felt a little odd to be small enough for Izuku to lift him off the ground with the force of his embrace, but Toshinori was looking forward to getting used to it. When they eventually parted, Izuku turned to truly take in his surroundings for the first time. "So what exactly were you doing out here in the first place?"
"Ah, I was just watching the ducks. I was contemplating whether or not Nezu had put any fish in this pond to indulge in his more bear-like tendencies." His boy laughed.
"This one doesn't have any fish. The fish pond is on the other side of campus. I can show you if you want?"
"... just how big is the campus, young Izuku?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. I think Nezu has a second quirk that just expands UA whenever he needs to add something."
"Hmmm. I'm starting to think you might be right on the money with that one. Now c'mon. Maybe we can catch something to eat!"
"If they really are Nezu's fish, do you think we should take any?"
"... well hopefully they're at least pretty fishes."
By the time Izuku got back to the dorms most of the parents had left and his classmates were busy unpacking their belongings. All Might had gone back to his apartment in the teacher dorms to rest a little and Izuku supposed he should probably do the same. There was still a sense of restlessness that gnawed at him though. He had been forbidden from training for the past two weeks and he was officially stir crazy. It didn't count as training if he was just coming up with ideas in his notebook, right?
"Hey, Midori~" Ashido waved from where she and Hagakure were sitting at a table, an array of nail polishes in front of them. "Come here often?"
"Hey, Ashido. You mind if I hang out in here? I promise not to disturb you guys too much."
"Not at all. The more the merrier!"
"Yeah! If you want we can do your nails too?" Hagakure offered.
"Oh, I'm all set on that front," Izuku said, displaying the dark blue polish Nemuri had semi-forced onto him.
"Woah!" Ashido squealed with stars in her eyes. "Midori, who got to do a makeover for you before me?! So unfair!"
"Sorry Ashdio. Maybe next time though, yeah?"
"We totally should!" Hagakure agreed. "Maybe we can do like a whole fashion show or something? I bet Aoyama has some great ideas."
"Ooh, or we could ask Katsuki. His parents are designers."
"Yeah but, like, would he even help? Isn't he a little too," Hagakure waved her arms. "You know, growly?"
"I bet I could get him to help," Ashido smirked. Hagakure threw a cotton ball at her head.
"Horny jail!"
Izuku took their squabbling as a sign that he had been dismissed and moved to the far side of the room to settle in on one of the couches. He pulled out his notebook and pen to start brainstorming. There were a few easy places he could start. He could slingshot himself with Blackwhip into a San Francisco Smash and he had managed to replicate All Might's Oklahoma Smash (which was a childhood dream come true). All Might had a dozen ultimate moves that he could replicate, but wouldn't that just be falling into the same traps as before? Plus, One for All was different for his mentor. Because of his natural frame and the fact that he could use 100 percent immediately, All Might never had to develop particularly complex moves.
But Izuku was more of a speed-type hero, at least until he could handle a higher percentage of One for All. Izuku also had Blackwhip, a long range capture option that was something All Might could never replicate. He had to develop his own style of fighting. Maybe he could…
"Hey. Midoriya." Izuku looked up to see Shinsou standing in front of him. His shoulders were obviously tensed, scowl affixed on his face. Mina and Tooru's chatter fell silent at the rapidly changing atmosphere in the room. "I'm glad that you're alright."
"Oh, thanks Shin-" "But this doesn't change anything." Izuku blinked at the other boy. Shinsou's hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"I'm still going to beat you, golden boy. Everyone saw you fight alongside All Might. You have some amazing new aspects to your quirk. But even still…" Shinsou looked up with fire blazing in his eyes. "I've fought too hard to get where I am and I won't quit now. I will surpass you, Izuku Midoriya. No matter what."
Shinsou turned to walk away, leaving Izuku stunned behind him. Huh. Is this how Shouto felt? He knew that Shinsou considered him a rival but seeing it in action was strange. He had thought they'd been getting along better because of the group chat. But the fury in Shinsou's voice was so visceral. It had to have been something he was holding on to since the Sports Festival.
"Hey, hang on." Shinsou stopped, still turned away from Izuku. "I'm pretty sure I told you this once before, but it's not just me you should be watching out for. Everyone in the hero course is constantly giving it their all. You'll have to fight through all of us in order to make it to the top."
"I don't care about any of that. I know that no matter what I do the world will only see my quirk as villainous. So I don't care about rankings or popularity or any of that. All I really want to do is beat you."
Izuku watched him walk away. A weight settled into his stomach. He wanted to help Shinsou, but how could he? It was like he had already determined the whole world was against him and was now lashing out before anyone could try to hurt him. Izuku could empathize with his feelings. He was only where he was because of incredible people around him who helped him. If he had never gotten One for All, would he have ended up like Shinsou?
"Ugh, I can't believe that guy." Izuku was shaken from his thoughts by Mina as she spoke up. "What a tool."
"Mmm," Hagakure nodded. "He really needs some therapy and a nap, like stat."
Mina's words weren't that surprising to Izuku, even he had picked up on more than a little animosity aimed at Shinsou from her, but the derision from Hagakure took him aback.
"Hey, Ashido, Hagakure," Izuku wandered toward their table. "I was wondering. What exactly don't you like about Shinsou? I've noticed that you, uh…"
"Hate his guts?"
"Want to punch him in his stupid face?"
"... have some strong feelings toward him." Izuku finished lamely.
"I'm just a little tired of his 'poor pitiful me' routine," Mina scoffed. "I mean, really, it's like he thinks he's the only one who had a rough childhood because of their quirk."
"Right?" Hagakure added. "My quirk doesn't help me destroy robots any more than his does. But I managed to get in. And so did Koda and Mashirao! If he had actually put in any effort towards training or had gotten some rescue points he totally could have gotten in. Instead it seems like he just wants to whine about how unfair it is instead of doing anything about it."
"Plus, he's always bringing up how people see his quirk like a villain's quirk. Like, does he think he's the only one?"
"Exactly! Everyone always told me growing up how easy it would be for me to be a thief and blamed me when they lost their stuff."
"Right? My quirk is Acid. If I don't have flawless control I could really hurt people. Does he seriously think no one else has been called out for having a 'villainous' quirk?"
"Wow," Izuku looked back and forth between the two of them. "I never realized how common it was to go through something like that."
"Yeah," Hagakure said. "People can be pretty shitty."
"What about you, Midori?" Ashido asked. "Do you have a tragic backstory too?"
"Hahahaha," Izuku sweatdropped as both girls turned to look at him curiously. "Nope, no tragic backstory here. Just your normal everyday highschooler."
"Riiiight. Sure, Midori. We believe you. That wasn't suspicious at all."
"If it helps, I think you're getting a little better at lying." Hagakure offered sheepishly. "I mean that was almost sort of believable, I guess."
"... I think I'm just going to go unpack some more."
Yuuga fretted for a moment, fluttering from one box to another looking for the sequined top he knew had to be here somewhere. He was already going to be one of the last of his class to move in, having scheduled his time slot for early the next morning to have one more night at home before leaving for U.A., he didn't need to slow himself down any more by forgetting something. Finally finding the purple garment, he carefully folded it and placed it in the suitcase nearest the foot of his bed.
It wasn't as if Yuuga was a stranger to packing. His parents had immigrated from France when he was just three, chasing after the neo-fashion scene that Tokyo boasted and fleeing the more traditional cultures back home in Paris. Even after they had arrived, the Aoyama family never stayed in one place for long before the wanderlust hit them and they'd be on the move again. His mother always told him that it was in his blood. Their family was descended from a famous magician who did tours all around Europe; each and every one of his descendents were entertainers and globetrotters and Yuuga himself was no different. He had always dreamed of being a wandering hero like the knight-errants in his mother's stories. Gawain and Lancelot were his idols and even when they moved to Japan Yuuga adored the stories of brave ronin who roamed the lands dishing out justice before moving on once more in their unending journeys.
His dreams had wavered when he had learned he was quirkless. How could he ever live up to those knights of legend as a powerless boy in a world with people like his classmates? What was Aoyama when compared to Izuku Midoriya who had tamed a power so great it shattered glaciers and destroyed his own body?
But his parents, his dear sweet mother and father, had struck a deal with a man who exchanged power like trading cards. A man who could give him the quirk he so desperately craved and make all of his dreams come true. Everything was good for a while, until the devil came back to collect on their bargain. Yuuga had lived every moment under intense stress these last few months, knowing that if he let anything slip to the heroes he would either be arrested or killed depending on who got to him first. He was so incredibly grateful to Midoriya for ridding him of the devil that haunted his dreams. Perhaps he should get him some cheese? He often looked a little sleep deprived and a nice portion of cheese before bed had always put Yuuga's own mind at ease.
Packing this time though, felt different. With no Symbol of Evil lurking over his shoulder Yuuga was free to live his life as he pleased and be the hero he had always dreamed of when he was younger. He was finally able to be the princely knight he was always meant to be. Yuuga reached for the next shirt but found that the basket was empty.
"Odd, I would have sworn she had put all of them together…" He mumbled. He padded down the stairs toward the living room where he last saw his parents. " Maman, sais-tu où est ma chemise?"
" Mon fils , would you come in here for a moment?" Yuuga raised an eyebrow at his father's use of Japanese. It was a little unusual for their family to not use French while at home, but perhaps they needed to have a serious discussion?
Yuuga's questions died on his tongue as he drew up short in the entryway of the living room. His parents sat perched on chairs, panic laced eyes pleading with him, to do what he was uncertain. Behind them, a hand smoking lightly where blue flames danced across his fingers, was a heavily scarred and stapled man that Yuuga had only seen once before.
"It's good to see you again, Shining Hero," Dabi said. "Why don't you sit down. I think we need to have a bit of a family discussion."
Ochako tapped her fingers against her desk. Her pen bounced in her mouth as she chewed on the cap. She probably should have gone to bed an hour ago but there was something that was bothering her too much.
Izuku's quirk made no sense.
Aizawa had asked them not to bother him about it while he made home visits and she cared about Izuku enough to not press him for answers. He was clearly struggling with something and as much as she wanted to know and be able to help with it, she would let him come to her on his terms. Midnight and All Might could handle whatever it was for now. She would support him emotionally and be a rock for him to lean on.
But a lot of things were starting to come together to paint a very confusing picture. Inko had let it slip that Izuku got his quirk late. Late bloomers weren't unheard of, but fifteen was incredibly late. His quirk broke his bones when he first got it, almost like his power was too big for his body to hold. She had scoured the internet for video of him fighting at Kamino because she wanted to understand better what he had gone through and saw him using two other powers that they hadn't known about. Blackwhip, she could somewhat believe was a variation on his mom's quirk but how did flying and smoke relate to super strength? There were rumors flying, that the villain All for One could steal and give quirks. Which sounded crazy in theory… and yet…
And yet her boyfriend had gone from quirkless to having four quirks that didn't seem remotely related to one another. The Nomu from the USJ had had multiple quirks. All for One in his fight with All Might looked like he had multiple quirks. Was it out of the question to think Izuku did too?
She knew Izuku Midoriya. She knew that there was nothing in this world that would stop him from becoming a hero. What if he thought the only path to accomplishing his dream was to go to this villain and get a quirk from him? What if he was somehow connected to All for One? What if he was All for One's son?!
Ochako shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. She was acting like Todoroki on another conspiracy binge, inventing up what-ifs and hypothetical situations that she could neither prove nor do anything about if she somehow stumbled on the truth. She knew Izuku. He was a good person to his core, he wouldn't stoop so low as to make a deal with a villain just to get a quirk. Right? The image of Muscular rose to her mind unbidden. He looked dead as the paramedics took him out on a stretcher. Izuku was laser focused on his goals and would stop at nothing to save someone. But would he really go that far?
A knock at her door cut through her racing thoughts. Ochako jumped at the noise, slamming her knee into the desk. "Just a second," she called out between curses. She managed to limp over to the door on her smarting knee and pulled it open to see her boyfriend standing in the hall.
"Izuku? What's up?"
"Can I come in?" She wordlessly held the door open for him to step through. She was thankful that she had the foresight to clean up all the mess from unpacking earlier though some part of her stomach was still doing flips that she was alone in her bedroom with her boyfriend. She bounced a little as she sat on the bed, Izuku dragging the desk chair that had been knocked askew by her surprise into the center of the room.
"So, not that it's not great to see you, but what's up? I thought you had gone to bed?" Izuku just held up a finger to his lips in a request for silence. Her annoyance at being shushed was overwhelmed by curiosity when he pulled a small silver disk from his pocket and pushed a button causing it to glow with a soft orange color. He placed it on the ground between them and looked back at her.
"Alright, we should be good."
"Uh, what is that?"
"It's a high frequency signal generator." Ochako raised an eyebrow. Where the hell did he get that? "It will stop our conversation from being recorded and if Jiro or Shouji listen in they'll just get an earful of white noise. I need to tell you something important."
"That's an awful lot of work just to have a conversation, Deku."
"It's really important, Ochako."
"Okay," she said leaning back against the wall. "What do you need to talk about?"
"It's about my quirk."
Ochako's heart started racing. Was he also reading her mind? Could he read her mind right now? She had to think about something that would throw him off that she had already figured it out. Sister Magdalene in a bikini! Izuku in a bikini! Wait dammit now I just want to see his abs!
"I told you that my quirk didn't manifest until I was fifteen and that's a lie. I was never going to get a quirk. I'm biologically quirkless, with the toe joint and everything to prove it. I got my quirk from someone else."
"All for One…" she whispered. Izuku sat up in alarm.
"What?"
"I mean it all makes sense." Ochako hopped off her bed and started to pace back and forth. "You were biologically quirkless but you're like the most heroic person in the world obviously you wanted to be a hero. And I know you're so determined so you made a deal with him to become a hero."
"Ochako-"
"And it makes sense for him too because then he would have a favor to cash in from a high-ranking hero one day. Or if he didn't need it he at least had a ton of blackmail on you for if he ever needed to take you out of the equation entirely."
"Ochako-"
"What I can't understand is why he would risk giving you such strong quirks though. I mean he had to know that someone like you would eventually try to come after him even if he had blackmail against you. Maybe he just wasn't prepared for you to get so strong so soon? I mean you're like, kinda wildly overpowered now Deku."
"Babe-"
"And if he had you in his pocket then even if Shigaraki failed at the USJ he would still have inside information about the next generation of top heroes!" She let out a gasp. "What if he-" "Ochako!" Izuku grabbed her hands and forced her to look at him.
"I did not get my quirk from All for One." "But-" "All Might gave me my quirk."
She blinked at him. Eh? Izuku took it as a sign to keep talking.
"I inherited my quirk from All Might. He trained me for a year before I got to U.A. and gave me his quirk before I took the entrance exam."
"...so is All Might also All for One?"
"No! What the hell Ochako?"
"What?! You just dropped a bomb on me Izuku! I'm processing!"
"All Might is not All for One!" Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why was this so much easier to explain the first time? Okay, let me start from the beginning. My quirk is named One for All."
"... that sounds an awful lot like All for One, Izuku."
"The first holder of One for All was All for One's brother. All for One forced a stockpiling quirk onto his brother but the brother also had a secret quirk that was the ability to pass on quirks and when those two fused together it became One for All."
"So All Might is All for One's brother?"
"... this might take a while."